The Dog Read Online Free

His chin dropped to his chest.
    He sighed.
    It would take years for him to leave her, but after he had moved out and their daughter had left for America and Li Yan was left alone to pass from the subway to the tailor’s shop and home again, where she sat in silence with a cup of tea and tried to rest, to drop the hulking weariness that had sunk itself in her chest, she returned to the yard again and again. Of course she wished that she’d held her tongue. But in her old age, she reasoned it out: standing there in Zheng’s barren yard, before his family, the words had risen up out of an unavoidable instinct.
    â€œGive him a break, he’s drunk,” Zheng said. “We did worse when we were kids, that’s for sure.”
    Chen Wei nodded.
    â€œWell, send her to the market,” Zheng said.
    â€œGo to the market,” Chen Wei whispered.
    â€œRight!” Zheng said. “You’re going to cook for us, right? You saved a dog’s life. We’ll celebrate life, right? Go to the market, and we’ll get the fire going while you’re gone. Come on, don’t look so ashamed. It’s time to make up.” He took the couple’s hands in his and joined them. Their fingers mashed together. “See? No problem,” Zheng said.
    *   *   *
    Li Yan was lucky to find anyone still selling in the market. Most of the vendors had already gone home, but she found a woman with two buckets of limp carp.
    â€œI want both,” she said.
    â€œYou’re from Tianjin, right?” the woman said.
    Li Yan didn’t have time to banter. She was sure Zheng would kill the dog while she was gone. “Beijing. How much for both buckets?”
    â€œBeijing! I could tell from your clothes. Why do you want both buckets? Hungry?”
    â€œI’m cooking for my husband’s family. How much?”
    â€œWho’s your husband? I’ve never seen you before. Wedding feast?”
    â€œPlease tell me how much.”
    â€œNo need to be rude. What’s the rush? If you’re cooking, they’ll wait for you. They can’t eat air.”
    â€œI’ll give you twenty kuai for them.”
    â€œTwenty kuai,” the woman said, as though divining a greater truth from the words. “One hundred.”
    â€œOne hundred,” Li Yan said. She looked around the empty market.
    â€œThey’re worth twice that much right now. Don’t try to put one over on me just because I’m a simple country girl.” Her teeth made an eerie whistling sound when she spoke.
    â€œYour house isn’t worth one hundred kuai,” Li Yan said.
    â€œGood thing it’s not for sale,” the woman said. “One hundred kuai.”
    Li Yan didn’t know what else to do. She held out the money. She’d stuffed her wallet that morning in case of emergency, but this was half a week’s salary.
    â€œWho’s your husband?” the woman said as Li Yan reached for the buckets.
    â€œChen Wei,” she said.
    The woman said, “I remember a Chen Wei who moved to Beijing.” But she didn’t say any more.
    Li Yan started to leave. “Where are you going with my buckets?” the woman said.
    â€œI gave you one hundred kuai.”
    â€œBut you didn’t bring any newspaper. I’ll need a deposit for the buckets. Fifty kuai.”
    Li Yan didn’t see the point of arguing. She gave the woman her last note. If Chen Wei didn’t have enough for tickets home, they’d borrow from Zheng.
    â€œMay your family choke on it,” the woman said, but Li Yan was already sloshing down the dirt road to Zheng’s house.
    The sun had disappeared behind the hills by the time she got there, and her legs were soaked with smelly water. At the gate, she set the buckets down. The fire pit was piled with sticks, dark, just as when she’d left. Through the window she saw the men playing cards at the table. She crept around the