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墨書 Inktalez
Qiluo Ling arrived at an old neighborhood on Huaihai Middle Road. She took out a piece of paper, which detailed the specific address: Building 3, No. 501, Flower Alley.
She looked up at the name of the neighborhood written above the entrance and checked the address in her hand; it was indeed this neighborhood.
This address was given to her by Xu Xiaoya. Some time ago, she had consulted medical records through a friend and had found out her Birth Mother's name and address at that time.
The address left by the medical records was this neighborhood, indicating that she had lived here back then.
This area is one of the earliest French Concessions in Shanghai. The name of this neighborhood is Flower Alley, a very poetic name. The term "Flower Alley" likely comes from Ouyang Xiu's "Cai Sangzi": "The sunset over West Lake is beautiful; / The flower alley is surrounded by floating willows; / Ten acres of waves are calm; / The wild banks have no boats drifting alone; / The moon rises in the southwest as clouds disperse..." The meaning of "Flower Alley" is that flower gardens rise high around it.
Scattered throughout the neighborhood are several six-story buildings. Following the address on the paper, she searched for Building 3. Clearly, the numbering of the buildings seemed to lack any logical order. After walking in a large circle, she finally found Building 3.
The low and dilapidated building had peeling walls. She stepped into the dim and damp hallway. The light in the hallway was broken, leaving it pitch black, so she turned on the flashlight on her phone and headed to the fifth floor.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Qiluo Ling stood outside a door, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm her excited heart. In her mind, she had imagined countless scenarios of meeting her Birth Mother, but at this moment, she still couldn't control herself.
She gently knocked three times on the door, which creaked open to reveal a small head peeking out—a chubby little boy. "Auntie, who are you looking for?"
Qiluo Ling was taken aback and replied, "Little friend, I'm looking for someone named Dun Shumei."
The little boy thought seriously for a few seconds and said, "My dad and mom don't have that name, and I don't have that name either."
"Wenwen, who is it outside?" a woman's voice came from inside.
The little boy turned his head and shouted loudly into the room, "Mommy, it's an auntie; she wants to find someone."
With the sound of slippers shuffling closer, a woman slightly opened the door to reveal a haggard and pale face. Her expression was blank as if life’s hardships had numbed her to everything around her—she appeared to be a Middle-Aged Woman who showed no interest in anyone or anything.
"Who are you looking for?"
"I am looking for a woman named Dun Shumei."
"We don't have anyone by that name here."
"That's impossible, the address is written right here." Qiluo Ling checked the address on the paper against the door number again, clearly not having made a mistake.
"I've already told you, there is no such person here. I don't want to say it a second time." The woman was very impatient. Before Qiluo Ling could respond, she slammed the door shut with a bang.
Could it be that this address is wrong? Or has her Birth Mother already moved away? She reluctantly went downstairs.
Not far down, there was a flower bed, with sparse grass mixed with a few unknown small flowers. Above the flower bed was the windowsill of the first-floor resident, and the window was wide open, with loud television sounds coming from inside.
She couldn't help but take a glance. Although the room was somewhat dark, she still saw Sprite soda and bags of sunflower seeds on display, along with various brands of Cigarettes. Clearly, the first floor had been turned into a small Grocery Store.
As she approached the window of the Grocery Store, a middle-aged man in his forties came out from the back room.
"What do you want?"
"Give me a bottle of Soda Water."
The middle-aged man turned around, took a bottle of Soda Water from the shelf, and handed it to Qiluo Ling. She pulled out some change from her bag and handed it to him.
"Young lady, did you just move in? I haven't seen you around before." The middle-aged man squinted his eyes and struck up a conversation with her.
"I'm not a resident here." There was a wooden bench in front of the Grocery Store, and she sat down on it.
"I'm just here to inquire about someone." She pretended to be nonchalant and looked down at her shoes.
"Did you find out anything?" The middle-aged man's curiosity was piqued. Indeed, everyone has a gossiping heart.
"No," she shook her head helplessly.
"Why don't you tell me? Maybe I know. I've lived here for twenty years."
"The person I'm looking for, someone gave me the address 501, Building Three, but when I knocked on the door to ask, they didn't recognize the person I'm looking for at all."
"501, Building Three? That’s a new tenant who just moved in last month."
"Oh, what is the landlord's name?"
"It seems... it seems like their last name is Gao. Yes, yes, I remember now, it's Gao. But he is short and chubby. Are you looking for this Mr. Gao?"
She shook her head.
"Miss, who exactly are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a woman named Dun Shumei."
"How old is she? What does she look like?"
"She's about in her forties. As for her appearance, I've never seen her."
"Dun Shumei? In her forties? Let me think..." The middle-aged man fell into thought.
About a minute later, he slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "I remember now."
"What did you remember?"
"I remembered her! She used to be the owner of 501. About ten years ago, she sold the house to the current landlord. Yes, yes, that's her."
"Do you know where she is now?"
"At that time, I heard someone say that she sold her house and seemed to be going to a very far place."
"A far place? Where exactly?"
"I heard she was in a hurry to leave. I'm not quite sure where it is," the middle-aged man shook his head.
Qiluo Ling was greatly disappointed and prepared to leave the neighborhood.
Looking at the gray sky, she felt a sense of gray helplessness and oppression. Her steps were hesitant, unable to see the road ahead, and her heart was filled with confusion about where to go.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She instinctively turned around and saw a stranger, an elderly man in his seventies.
The old man leaned on a cane, unusually thin, with all white hair and eyebrows. His brow was high, his eye sockets deep-set, and his small eyes were murky. He had a face that was hard to forget.
What startled her the most was that he only had a left arm. The right sleeve hung empty, swaying in the wind, giving off an indescribable sense of sorrow.
"You were scared when you saw me like this, weren't you?" the old man said in a hoarse voice.
She quickly shifted her gaze away from his arm.
"No, what do you need from me?"
"I'm sorry for being so abrupt. Just now, I heard the boss of the grocery store say that you are looking for someone named Dun Shumei?"
"Yes."
"I know some information about that. If you trust me," the old man pointed with his cane to a building across the street and said, "You can come to my house; I'll tell you about it. I live on the third floor of that building."
She thought for a few seconds and nodded.
"A few years ago, I had a car accident, so one of my arms was amputated, and my leg was also injured. Most people who see me like this feel a bit frightened," the old man said as he limped and led her into his home.
Following the smooth, shiny handrail of the staircase, she arrived at the old man's house. The interior was dimly lit, with a faint incandescent light that was quite bleak. There was a large Impressionist oil painting on the living room wall.
Qiluo Ling sat down on the sofa in the living room.
"Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee? The coffee here is what my son left when he visited me. He comes to see me once a week. I suggest you have tea instead because I have various fine teas here. I have green tea, floral tea, black tea, and oolong tea."
"Then I'll have green tea," she followed his suggestion.
The old man turned and went to the kitchen to brew the tea. Soon, he brought out a cup of green tea and handed it to her.
The old man looked at her with sharp eyes, making her feel a bit uneasy as she struggled to find a way to ask her question.
"Why are you looking for Dun Shumei?"
"For personal reasons," she took a sip of the green tea.
"What is your relationship with her? I need to understand this," the old man raised his eyebrows and said.
A brief silence hung in the air.
"She might be my Birth Mother," she replied after thinking for a minute.
The old man stared at her for a long time and said, "I would like to see your arm."
"How do you know about this birthmark?" Qiluo Ling asked.
"Yes, I also wanted to confirm your identity," the old man said.
Although this request was somewhat strange, she still followed his instructions, extending her right arm and leaning forward to rest it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
He stared intently at her arm, as if he wanted to peel that birthmark off her skin with his sharp gaze.
After a long while, he shifted his focus from the birthmark to her face. The penetrating look made her feel a palpable pressure. He scanned her from top to bottom and then back up again, finally smiling with satisfaction and nodding, "You are indeed her daughter."
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where she went?"
"She left in quite a hurry, as if something urgent had come up. She told me she was going to Korea."
"She is going to Korea?"
"Yes."
"Why is she going to Korea?"
"She has a relative there, her cousin. In 1992, after China established diplomatic relations with Korea, her cousin's husband came to teach at a university in Shanghai for over half a year. He tried to find Dun's descendants in Shanghai but returned empty-handed. Eventually, through the Shanghai government, he found Dun Shumei."
"If she recognized her relatives overseas, why did you say she left in a hurry?"
"Because after they recognized each other, she once mentioned that Korea was far away and that Shanghai was more realistic; at that time, she didn't plan to go with her cousin to Korea. But within two days, she suddenly decided to go to Korea, looking panicked. She sold her house quickly at below market price and left in a rush."
"Do you think there is something suspicious about this? Or perhaps some untold secrets?"
"Of course, something must have happened to her; we just don't know what it is."
"Are you very familiar with her?"
"Of course, my family has been friends with hers for generations. I have watched her grow up since we were children."
"Do you know anything else about her situation?"
"When she left, she said she would call me when she got to Korea, but it's been ten years and she hasn't called me once. This is very unusual. I even doubt if she is still alive in this world."
Qiluo Ling's heart tightened, and the old man fell silent.
"Since you are her daughter, I will take you to see your grandmother and great-grandmother," the old man said.
In the afternoon, they arrived at a cemetery in the suburbs of Shanghai.
The cemetery was overgrown with trees, and the dim sunlight filtered through the lush leaves, adding a touch of melancholy to the atmosphere. They walked along winding paths, passing countless tombstones until they finally arrived at two graves. They stood quietly in front of the tombstones for a while.
Not far from the cemetery were several long benches where they sat down. A few sparrows flew in from the trees, chirping and flitting around the benches, showing no fear of humans.
"Why does my grandmother have the surname Dun, and my birth mother also have the surname Dun? Normally, they should inherit their father's surname," she asked in confusion.
"That's how ordinary families are, but her family is different. It is said that the Dun family was cursed by another family a hundred years ago, which led to their decline, displacement, and dwindling population. Therefore, descendants of the Dun clan, whether male or female, all carry the surname Dun. This is also a major condition for their marriages."
"I understand now, but why are there no male elders? It's all female elders?"
The old man sighed and said, "It's quite strange; there have been very few males in the Dun family for nearly a hundred years. The descendants are almost all females. The women are beautiful and gentle in nature but have faced many hardships. Either they encountered unworthy partners and were abandoned by men or suffered unfortunate fates; none have escaped a difficult destiny."
Qiluo Ling couldn't help but think of her own fate and sighed deeply.
The old man seemed to sense her thoughts and gazed at her intently, saying, "Perhaps you are the one who will change that century-old curse."
"Why?"
"Related to what you are looking for."
"How do you know I'm looking for something?" She looked at him in surprise.
"Of course I know. Remember, the clue is a mural."
"Did my Birth Mother tell you to tell me?"
The old man neither confirmed nor denied it, simply saying, "I've been waiting for you here for ten years."
After saying this, he suddenly laughed inexplicably.
In the end, the old man escorted her to a nearby station to catch a bus. There were many people waiting to board.
The bus slowly approached, and passengers surged into the cabin. She got on the bus, found a seat, and looked out the window. The platform was now empty, except for that old man.
He stood there, staring at her intently, with a mysterious and strange smile on his face. She suddenly noticed that he was waving at her with his right arm, clearly no longer having an empty sleeve. The bus began to move slowly, and through the moving window, she saw him throw away his cane and turn around to walk steadily forward...
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