The Troubleshooters,' by Wang Shuo

36 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
DING XIAOLU: Well, how about the International Expo Center? The management
is setting up a stage for a fashion show. You can use it during their breaks, and
pay less. The stage designer is a good friend of mine.
Yu GUAN: That’s great. It’s settled.
27 DING XIAOLU’S HOME / INTERIOR / DAY
[NOT IN FILM]
DING XIAOLU’S home is in a Russian-style building, constructed with large,
gray bricks, a thick rooJ and large windows. Each apartment contains a small
number of large-sized bedrooms, which are all furnished by the government in
an old-fashioned style. niey are shabby, with peeling paint on the walls and
broken sofa springs. An elderly woman, relaxing in a refurbished rattan chair,
holds a large white cat. The cat jumps to the floor when it detects the group of
people entering the apartment. Everyone greets her, and she politely replies to
each of them, then invites them to sit. The woman exudes a sense of calmness and
dignity, and some of her cruel struggles are etched into her face.
DING XIAOLU: My friends have come here for lunch, Mom. Is there anything
here to eat?
OLD LADY: Let me go and see. (Walks toward kitchen, then speaks to YU GUAN)
You haven’t visited us for a long time.
Yu GUAN: I’m particularly busy these days.
OLD LADY: Oh, even Yu Guan is busy these days, too.
Yu GUAN: (Smiling shyly and going off to help the woman) Auntie, don’t bother.
We’ll fix something for ourselves.
OLD LADY: Well, let me see what’s here. Any time you come to Auntie’s home,
you should have food; I want you to eat your fill.
Afer a short while, the woman rejoins the group.
OLD LADY: (TO DING XIAOLU) The only things I could find in the refrigerator
are a little ground meat, potatoes, and cabbage.
DING XIAOLU: I’ll go buy some groceries.