When do the flowers blossom
The friendship between Sulan and Pearl was a kind of puzzling thing back to middle school. Pearl, that pretty and smart girl, moniter of the class, everlasting holder of the first place in the whole grade as well as an active agency in sports, all of which totally rendered her a campus superstar and a advertised example of all students; As to Sulan, well, who knew about her? That short-haired girl with a big pair of spectacles, a quiet unobtrusive girl with quiet unobtrusive marks, a girl who was obsessed with traveling yet in reality confined in the cage of study. What made Pearl even more famous was the fact that, in an environment like middle school where early love and dating were firmly denied, she was dating a boy, Xia, the president of students’ community; While Sulan, imbued with her secret crush on a sunny boy, was without a whit of courage to let anybody know.
Their friendship began from Pearl’s renting a room in Sulan’s neighbour’s, since Pearl’s home was not in this town. They two soon became aquainted after a few times’ contacts, both finding with surprise in the other a congenial and compatible friend. Pearl’s lively logical sense rendered her capable to explain all kinds of mathematical riddles clearly and vividly; while Sulan was a wonderful master of literature and language, which amazed Pearl as well. “Opposites attract”, their complementary characters built up their close friendship. Soon later, Sulan invited Pearl to live in her house instead of rented room. From then on the two girls were practically inseparable during the last year of middle school.
At that time, under the crushing weight of monotonous and tense study, the two girls found a regular relaxation. Every Friday, after a week’s heavy life, they went to bookstore and rented a stack of romance and love fictions, which they would get through in one afternoon with tremendous speed, after which followed exchanges of active remarks and comments, which was the happiest highlight. In this way they finished most of the famous romance fictions and some of those famous martial works within the last year of middle school.
In the summer heat of South, they often slipped to the top of Sulan’s two-floored house to sleep. A bamboo mat under and a thin blanket on, they lay there, the crisp and cool night wind creeping and caressing along their body. Looking up into the dark blue clear sky overhead studded with myriad stars, they talked about the future when they passed the entrance exam and got into university: how wonderful life would be then! They talked and talked, voice lower and lower until finally sank in the sleepiness quietly coming over them. On the edge of the sky there were meteors shooting across.
The simple and innocent middle school time flowed away at the arrival of university offers, along with their inseperable years. Pearl entered a university in the Northeast, studying international trade while Sulan went to Northwest majored in English. The first winter, Pearl said in her happy-new-year card to Sulan, “ I am here in a snowy and icy world missing you in another icy and snowy world, and I never felt cold, hope the same with you. Love from Pearl.”
The card reached to Sulan while she’s skating on the freezing playground. A group of girls glided on the smooth icy surface, step light and laughter tinkling. In that Northern winter, Sulan was no longer the sentimental and reticent girl struggling in sea of papers and books in middle school. Thanks to her born love and aptitude for English, she became one of the best students among all. With this advantage, Sulan could confidently participated in all kinds of activities she liked, life busy and full. Spare time was spent on reading, writing and playing with friends. Hanging out with those out-going and unconstrained Northern sons and daughters in that vast and open northern world, Sulan’s nature developed so, that at the first summer’s meeting Pearl was amazed as to what had become of that shy and withdrawn girl? Could she be this free and easy girl with agile looks and active laughter? And Sulan praised Pearl, “Wow, you are prettier and prettier.”
But still no Mr. Right. While Pearl was like a beautiful flower enticing butterflies and bees, Sulan was still that little girl drifting outside of boys’ minds. Except for study, no other potentiality was revealed yet. Pearl and Xia’s relationship went on, both pouring heart via phone calls, letters and any possible ways. Pearl prattled to Sulan about how firm their love was and it definitely could reach marriage, yet got a damper from Sulan, who didn’t think this could be the last for her: A girl pretty and active as Pearl, she wouldn’t be easily contented with that fat boy Xia, much less restrained by the space and distance between northeast and southwest.
As expected, the second term spreaded in Sulan’s ears about the new romantic story of Pearl who encountered a handsome northern boy. Meanwhile Pearl put forward to Xia the idea of breaking up. But the new relationship between south and north lasted for less than a term, as a result of difference and distance in all ways. Pearl told Sulan joyfully on the phone that she went back to Xia----- actually the latter never meant to give up on her, so this time they would be bound to stay together forever------ Sulan shrugged at this idea, and then with full excitement she broke to Pearl the romance which befell her recently----- she met a cute boy on a party. God granted her the luck that a casual seating seated her just beside a great-looking boy, who had made appointment with her tomorrow, and she would go to help him with his english ------ well, may her good time in this date!
But it turned out that the reason of English-helping was indeed a reason instead of an excuse. That cute boy was exactly interested in English, ------ he was worried to death with his English which was a messm, as final exam was drawing near. After two times’ English lessons, Sulan never got his call again, and there withered her romance in the bud. Suffering disappointment and frustration for half a day, Sulan got over it quite soon. Anyway it proved that she still got something attractive to great boys, so may him good luck in exam with her help!
Since then Sulan kept on her single and fabulous life. In holiday she often went out traveling on her own, leaving her foot prints on the silk road from Turupan to Dunhuang, then all the way from the grassland of Inner Mongolia to forests in the northeast ----- exciting traveling rewarded her extra accomplishment, a good number of essays ------ her pen which in middle school had produced wonderful compositions, which were granted by teacher as the set example for all students, now brought her quite good pay from magazines. With those extra incomes, she brought herself further on her travelling way.
While Sulan was admiring the spectacle and miracle of nature beside that blue highland lake under azure heaven, Pearl was surrounded by admirers, among whom she eventually found her soul mate when the third year came to end. And this time, once and forever, her love with Xia was terminated by a guy from GuangXi province, of Zhuang manority people. From whom on Pearl switched to advocate marriage between nations. Sulan sighed at the news. This result was in expectation. Nothing wrong with Pearl’s going for the better, only it’s too sad an end for Xia’s years’ of hard work.
Sulan at that time had experienced and fully understood the same pain as Xia. Her second partner was a really great boy, great in looks as well as quality. Sulan met him in an English corner, who was not an English major yet could even spoke as fluent and good English as her, which rendered her abashed and extremely respectful. Starting from there, they had been associating in a way which baffled Sulan’s simple mind. Her full enthusiasm was greeted by the other’s vague even indifferent air, while her disappointment and disheartenment was met with shady intimate attitude. In such a game of loosing and straining she felt hurt thoroughly yet couldn’t extricate herself from it.
Pearl’s new relationship went rapid and smooth. In the following national day’s holiday, she went out traveling with her new guy, and on the way naturally finished her transformation from girl to woman, after which they naturally rented a place outside campus to live together, spending the last days in university sweetly in their two-people nestle; Whereas Sulan’s preliminary experience with sex came about in a dim separated room of a bar. After several drinks her sight and sense both blurred, then in a dull and confused state of mind she received kisses and hugs from that boy, feeling strange hands creeping into her clothes------
In future time Sulan held a kind of gratitude toward that boy, for he eventually saved his last step, leaving her stepping out of the university as a girl instead of a woman, like half of her dorm mates did. Although he hadn’t really loved her, even hurt her much, she still learned a lot from him, as to loving and be loved and the practice of spoken English.
College time fleeted away unconsciously. Although got a blank page of love, Sulan still loved too much of her young golden time there and then. She knew she would miss it, miss the northern sky over this northern land, and miss her northern friends. As the train began to pull out of the city, Sulan had her face flooded with tears.
Meanwhile in the northeast, Pearl light-heartedly waved good-bye to that expanse of black fertile land. She couldn’t wait to go down south with her boyfriend hand in hand, to those prosperous seaside cities, to strive for their bright future. They went to ShenZhen as planed. In that busy and bustling city, their first time no doubt was hard and harsh. But supported by love and belief, they managed to settle down step by step. Still a long and hard way to go, but with youth and courage and enthusiasm, what one couldn’t make? Sulan comforted and encouraged Pearl as well as herself so on the phone. She was still in the north then.
