Our First Sights

By Shu Yi

The sheerest coincidence in the world is the marriage of a man and a woman. Just imagine,among the sea of people in the universe,you and I happen to encounter; it is an incredibly slim chance. A transnational marriage in which a man and a woman from different countries are brought together is the coincidence of all coincidences.

I wish to compose a book of love stories entitledFirst Sights,co-authored by thousands of couples,narrating their stories of how they meet and fall in love. It must be full of fun and fantasy.

Although my “first sight” was anything but extraordinary,it was somewhat romantic. It was 40 years ago—I was just a teenager,and,honestly speaking,innocent of the love affairs between men and women. I was under training in the Beijing Russian Specialized School in order to further study in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). There were about 3000 students in the school coming from different regions in China.

Parties were regularly held in school,in which there were many singing and dancing performances presented by art students who had a high level of skill and talent. One day,a small girl popped up on the stage and sang a northwest folk song called “Lan Huahua” with a high-pitched voice. She looked sweet and full of life. When she finished her song she turned and scampered backstage like a rabbit,leaving her black thick braids dancing behind her.

Her performance was greeted with a wave of applause. She was obviously a non-music major,as all art students sang in a foreign way and they didn’t have to go to Moscow to learn Xintianyou (a local Shaanxi melody popular in Northwest China). The audience began to bubble,“What is her name?” “Which class is she in?” and “Where is she from?” Nobody could tell for sure and they just said,“I have never seen her before.”

The girl’s stage performance left a deep impression upon all the students,myself included. From then on,she was known as “Lan Huahua” with a golden voice for singing folk songs in Northen Shaanxi.However,no one actually put her on their minds after that day. Of course,who would be tortured with lovesickness by only a song from a girl?

After all,it was my “first sight,” and I came to realize there was such a girl in the world. About half a year later,we graduated from the school and started our trip to the USSR in five special trains. On the train we killed time by singing songs in turn for fun. As we were put into different compartments,we could not see the performance in one’s presence. So every performer was invited to the announce room to broadcast their performance. When it was my turn,I decided to recite a poem calledHer Eyesby Alexander Pushkin. Small as it was,the studio produced wonderful sound effects as if it was for professional use. When I came out of it,I had a great sense of confidence because I had never recited a poem so fluently.

On the way to my carriage,I heard some whispers,“He is the guy that recitedHer Eyes.” I felt both proud and shy when I overheard that the girl students were gossiping about me. Many of them were one or two years older than me,so they tended to joke with me boldly. I just saw myself as their younger brother and pretended to be foolish,without any courage to joke back. As a result,hoots of laughter were triggered,and I was so flushed that I just ran away.

That one girl happened to be there that day,and she threw me a glance as an elder sister pointed at me. Later I learned that it was her “first glance” for me.

Although our first glance at each other took place accidentally,it was essential because I came to know there was a girl like her and she also knew there was a teenager like me.

A couple of days later,university assignment was done on board. Staff members from the Chinese Embassy got on the train with an assignment plan,and announced everybody’s result on the spot,including city,university,and major.

I was put in Kirov Forestry and Technology University in Saint Petersburg,majoring in chemical technology in forests. There were a dozen students in my group in which I only knew the elder sister.

She called me in right away and gestured at a tall thin boy and a girl,saying,“You three will be in the same department.”

The girl recognized me immediately as the boy recitingHer Eyes; however,I didn’t realize that she was “Lan Huahua.”

She and I were sent into a small class with 20 students—we were the only foreign students. When the class was finished,14 were left,including her and me.

It was such a coincidence that amongst the 3000 students,the girl and I were brought together.

On one snowy day,she told me there would be a party that night,and she was assigned a program of singing Chinese songs to the USSR children. She wished I could join her because she feared coming back alone at night. I gladly accepted her invitation. It was my first time being a girl’s escort,as if I were the handsome young man in Pushkin’s poem.

Walking on the snowy ground,the girl realized she wore the wrong shoes,as the hard soles were too slippery for her to hold a step. I stuck out my hand like a gentleman to help her regain balance. It was also my first time helping a girl to walk by holding her hand.

Arriving at the primary school,she took off her coat and got onto the stage. She turned out to be “Lan Huahua.”

Seven years later,she became my wife. (FromMy First Sight,China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House. Translation: Wang Wen)