A Gentleman (Part Three)

This article was written on October 1, 2013.

Author: Lü Jianfeng

(Note: Don't take it personally; for A Gentleman Parts One and Two, please refer to previous posts.)

In 2002, spring in Beijing was still very cold. On weekdays, around 8:30 AM, Mr. A would set off from his residence in Sanyuanli towards his company in Liangmaqiao, buying breakfast on the way and eating while walking. Soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns were all available, but the most common was jianbing guozi. Mr. A, wearing a well-ironed suit and a dark business trench coat, walked briskly. In just over ten minutes, he would rush into the office, bringing in the chill of the morning.

That year, the hardships—traveling to five provinces in a week for roadshows, spending all day either at the airport or on the way to it, endless daily reports, weekly and monthly plans and summaries, being called into the boss's office and yelled at to finish tasks or get out, weekend training sessions that never seemed to end—these things that seemed earth-shattering and insurmountable at the time, Mr. A no longer remembers clearly. But M, that long-haired girl who often wore yellow or pink scarves, he remembers with such clarity. Every time he thinks of her, he seems to see M smiling softly with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, so close, right in front of him.

The first time he saw M, he was on his way to buy a jianbing guozi. From a distance, he saw a gentle woman standing by the jianbing stall. She wore a turtleneck sweater under a short windbreaker, with a scarf hanging down her chest, all in beige. She was about 1.6 meters tall, with an oval face and long hair pinned up, delicate and frail. As he approached, Mr. A felt a bit unnatural. He straightened his windbreaker, gave a light cough, and then slowly asked the vendor for a jianbing guozi, far from his usual ease, his movements much gentler. While waiting, M's jianbing was ready. Watching her light and graceful figure as she left, the phrase "as light as chrysanthemum" flashed through Mr. A's mind. Indeed, no other words could better describe M.

Later, Mr. A's trips to buy jianbing noticeably increased, and he often saw M. Each time, he would give M a faint smile and a nod. M usually showed no reaction, but a few times, though he wasn't sure, he thought he saw M smile back at him.

One morning, Mr. A saw M had just paid and was waiting. He ordered a jianbing guozi and paid, but found he only had one yuan and fifty cents in change. He pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, but the vendor said he couldn't make change. A bit embarrassed, Mr. A rummaged through his pockets for any loose change. M took out fifty cents and gently said to him, "Don't worry, I'll cover it for you." Mr. A quickly said, "Thank you, next time I'll treat you." That day, Mr. A boldly accompanied M to her company, asked for her phone number, and when he turned back, he arrived at his own company more than ten minutes late.

More than ten days passed. Mr. A encountered M at the jianbing stall several times. He paid for M's jianbing once. Each time he offered to walk her to her company, M declined, saying it wasn't on his way. Those days, Mr. A was very happy; he had finally become familiar with M.

On a weekend, Mr. A called M and said, "I'm treating my colleagues to dinner tonight. Since we're all nearby and it's the weekend, would you like to come?" M readily agreed, saying she'd also bring a friend. M and her colleague, a man, arrived at the restaurant early. Mr. A and his colleague went over the plan for ordering and seating again. Mr. A sat restlessly, stood up and paced, then sat back down, waiting for M to arrive.

M was very punctual, arriving a few minutes early with a friend. She brought a man and introduced him as her boyfriend. The meal lasted a long time. M's boyfriend and Mr. A's colleague drank beer, and everyone chatted and laughed happily. Mr. A also laughed heartily and loudly.

Afterwards, Mr. A started coming to work ten minutes early. He rarely bought jianbing guozi on the way and seldom saw M. But when passing the jianbing stall, he seemed to always see a gentle woman standing there softly waiting for her jianbing.