Love Story in the 1970s

Fei Ni waited at home for Fang Muyang, expecting him to return for dinner and also to explain where he had taken the sofa.

She didn’t see Fang Muyang first, but heard his voice.

At this hour, the hallway was crowded with people cooking. She heard Fang Muyang say, “Please make way.” Someone asked Fang Muyang why he had bought such a large item, and Fang Muyang explained, “Our Fei Ni wants to play Shajiabang at home.”

Someone exclaimed, “Shajiabang can be played on the piano? Little Fei really has some talent.”

Hearing Fang Muyang’s voice and the word “piano,” Fei Ni grew more and more puzzled. She set down her knitting, stood up, and went to open the door.

She ran right into Fang Muyang, who had already reached the doorway. Fang Muyang smiled at Fei Ni, and she looked up to see sweat on his face. She quickly stepped aside to let him in. Fang Muyang and a middle-aged man around forty carefully maneuvered the piano sideways into the corner.

Fei Ni watched wide-eyed as a large object appeared against the wall.

“Ni, give the master a yuan.” Without stopping to look at the piano, Fei Ni handed over a yuan and poured a glass of water for the master. The master drank the water in one gulp and, since he had other jobs waiting, left with the money without resting.

After seeing the master off, Fang Muyang pulled a chair over next to the piano. He said to Fei Ni, “Make do with this chair for now. I’ll make you a proper piano bench another day.”

Without waiting for Fei Ni to ask, Fang Muyang explained the whole story: “What a coincidence—as soon as I took the sofa to the consignment store, someone bought it right away. And just then, there was a secondhand piano, so I bought it for you. Even more coincidentally, the sofa and the piano cost the same. That means this piano was meant for you.”

The piano had passed through many owners; its age far exceeded that of Fang Muyang and Fei Ni. It had changed hands at least twice in the consignment store. Sold to the store in the 1960s, it was bought cheaply and now sold back. The previous owner probably never had it tuned, so the pitch was slightly off, but Fang Muyang didn’t see this as a big issue. He planned to buy a tuning fork and learn to tune it for Fei Ni someday.

Fei Ni examined the piano before her. Having longed for one for so long, it now felt unreal. The black and white keys delighted her. She pressed a few keys, producing simple, cheerful notes that lifted her mood.

Though reason told her it was impractical—the walls were thin, the piano cost a lot, she could only play a few tunes a year, and this old consignment-store piano had tuning issues requiring frequent adjustments—all reasons argued against buying it. Only one reason supported it: she wanted it. In the end, reason had prevailed over desire, and she decided buying a piano wasn’t worth it. But with the piano right in front of her, Fei Ni couldn’t help smiling as she looked at it, gently wiping the dust off the keys with a handkerchief.She finally owned a piano. When she was a child, she had dreamed of having one. Back then, she was young and had many visions of an ideal life—she would go to university, have her own home, and in that home, she could play whatever music she wanted, read whatever books she wished, and listen to whatever melodies pleased her.

In reality, she never attended university, and it seemed she would never have the chance. If she wanted to read, she had to scavenge through waste collection stations, spending half a day just to find a book she liked, then hiding it and sneaking it home like a thief.

Yet her real life wasn’t entirely at odds with her dreams. She did have a place of her own—small and not soundproof, but it was hers. And now, she had a piano, even if it needed tuning and could only play a limited number of pieces.

Still, she had acquired something she had longed for as a child but never possessed. Her life wasn’t standing still; there was a bit of progress. This gave her a glimmer of hope, lifting much of the gloom that had weighed on her before.

If Fang Muyang hadn’t placed the piano before her, Fei Ni might never have realized how important it was to her, even if it was an old, worn-out instrument.

Her life had become too routine, her future seemingly predictable. To her, the piano wasn’t just an instrument—it brought unexpected joy.

"Did you sell your sofa to buy this piano for me?" she asked. To make that sofa, he had even used fabric meant for trousers, and she had quarreled with him over it. At the time, he hadn’t explained, and she had assumed he simply preferred the sofa.

"Don’t be so formal," he replied. "I sold our sofa to buy our piano. It’s not just for you to play, is it?"

"You like playing the piano too?" She had thought he had little interest in it, recalling how he often skipped piano lessons in elementary school.

"I’m not very good, but you could teach me."

"I only play casually—I’m hardly qualified to teach." Besides, the piano was slightly out of tune, and finding someone to tune it would be difficult. She could tolerate the imperfect pitch herself, but using it as a teaching tool might lead Fang Muyang astray.

"But it’s more than enough for me."

"Alright, I’ll give it a try." If he learned wrong, so be it. Sharing a piano with someone was still better than using it alone. She figured Fang Muyang could read music, so teaching him shouldn’t be too hard.

Fei Ni noticed the sweat on the tip of Fang Muyang’s nose—moving the piano from the consignment store to their home hadn’t been easy. She took his white porcelain basin to fetch water from the tap, mixed it with hot water from the thermos, soaked a towel, wrung it out, and handed it to him to wipe his face.

As Fang Muyang took the towel, his fingers brushed against hers, and she pulled her hand back as if shocked by electricity.

After wiping his face, he went to rinse the towel himself.

"How did you know I could play 'Shajiabang'?" she asked.

Fang Muyang said softly, "I couldn’t very well say you liked Mozart."

"True. Then let me play a selection from 'Shajiabang' for you."

Fei Ni didn’t have a piano stool, so she sat on a chair instead. Her back was perfectly straight, and before she began, she turned her head and smiled at Fang Muyang beside her.

Fang Muyang, who had been watching her, picked up a piece of paper and began casually sketching her portrait.

When she finished the piece, he asked her to play a second, and then a third—all popular tunes of the time.Playing at home was always more satisfying than outside, and the piano's flaws could be overlooked.

Fang Muyang rarely saw Fei Ni so happy. He didn't disturb her, merely faithfully recording everything he saw—even her fingers radiated joy, and he found himself infected by it.

Both of them, having not eaten, temporarily forgot about dinner.

When Fei Ni finished playing, she looked at Fang Muyang. He was painting her. They exchanged a smile.

While playing, she had been too absorbed to feel self-conscious, but now she felt slightly embarrassed because he had been staring at her.

Fang Muyang asked her to play another piece.

Fei Ni complied with her only audience's request and played another.

After finishing, Fei Ni moved closer to Fang Muyang to see how she looked in the painting.

But he shifted the easel mysteriously, not letting her see.

Fei Ni threatened him, "If you don't let me see, I won't let you paint me."

"That's not up to you."

"As if I even want to see it." Fei Ni turned her face away and suggested, "Didn't you want to learn piano from me? I'll teach you now."

Fei Ni took on the demeanor of a teacher. She instructed with immense patience, even when Fang Muyang's fingers curved into a strange posture—she had never seen anyone play piano like that—but she didn't think him clumsy, personally correcting his hand position.

When their fingers touched, Fang Muyang asked, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

It truly surprised her. Fang Muyang could play the violin, read sheet music, and had taken music lessons before—he shouldn't be this inept.

But she generously tolerated it. After all, she only knew a few pieces; teaching him for a year or so wouldn't be a problem.

"Take your time, no rush."

Fang Muyang held Fei Ni's hand and said, "You're so kind."

Wang Xiaoman heard the piano piece from next door. Her neighbors—two young people with bare walls, not even a gas tank or a wok at home—had bought a piano.

The music seemed to declare their satisfaction with their current life. To be content with such circumstances showed too little ambition, and she thought Fei Ni's playing was somewhat lacking. She really ought to let Fei Ni listen to her records and understand what good playing sounded like. She took a record from the drawer, placed it on the record player, and enjoyed it alone.

As she listened, Wang Xiaoman realized something was off. If the piano sound could travel through, it meant the walls were still as thin as before. The previous neighbors had also been a couple who often made noises at night, disturbing their sleep so much they had to stuff cotton in their ears. When Fei Ni's husband returned, Wang Xiaoman expected it to be even worse—newlyweds, after all, might be unrestrained, and daily noise wouldn't be surprising. But he had been back for days now, and the cotton she had prepared hadn't been used once. She had thought the neighbors had found some way to soundproof the place.

A young couple, married for so many days, and not a single sound.

She poked her husband and asked, "Have you heard any noise from next door these days?"

"No, why?"

Wang Xiaoman grew angrier the more she thought about it. "Keep it down tonight. They're newlyweds and make no sound—why do you have to shake the bed so loudly every time? It's so embarrassing. Who knows what they think of me behind my back? With you, I'm losing all my dignity."

"Your noises aren't exactly quiet either.""Shameless! Stay away from me tonight."

"Do you think staying quiet is a good thing? What's shameful about being loud? The neighbors probably envy you. That man might look tall and strong, but he's likely all show and no substance. Whoever marries him is truly unfortunate."

"Impossible. If that were the case, would Fei Ni agree?"

"Fei Ni might seem clever on the surface, but she's actually more foolish than anyone. So many people pursued her back then, yet she ignored them all and ended up choosing someone like him. You're much smarter for marrying me."

Fei Ni had no idea the neighbors were discussing them, completely focused on teaching Fang Muyang how to play the piano. It was almost nine when she remembered the potato and beef in her lunch box.

Since Fei Ni controlled the money, she was now responsible for buying dinner.

They only had potato and beef once a week, and Fei Ni had to fight to get it. Today she hadn't bought steamed buns, specifically opting for spiral pastries instead.

Now that they had new bowls, Fang Muyang poured the congee from the thermos into Fei Ni's bowl first, then filled his own.

Fei Ni handed the spiral pastry to Fang Muyang, who naturally took a bite. He picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and brought it to Fei Ni's mouth. She opened her mouth to eat it and said, "I can pick my own food."

"You worked hard teaching me just now. Let me thank you." He then fed her another piece.

After eating the offered food, Fei Ni selected several pieces of beef and put them in Fang Muyang's bowl.

Fei Ni said, "Eat by yourself. At this rate, we won't finish anytime soon."

So they each ate their own food, their fingers occasionally brushing against each other without a word.

After dinner, they went together to the washroom to clean their lunch boxes.

If not for fear of disturbing others, Fei Ni would have played the piano a while longer.

After washing up, Fei Ni sat on a chair knitting long underwear for Fang Muyang. Originally, she had planned to teach him how to knit it himself, but with all the furniture he had to make, he had no time for knitting, so she had to help him.

Fang Muyang was in a hurry to build the sofa, but less so with the low cabinet. While Fei Ni knitted his long underwear, he took down the mosquito net from his bed.

"Why are you taking that down?"

"The weather's cooler now. I can't keep hiding outside every day. I'll hang this as a curtain in the corner for you. When you need to wash up, I won't have to leave the room."

Fei Ni thought Fang Muyang's idea made sense, but still...

Fang Muyang added, "We'll still sleep separately at night, but during the day, move your pillow down next to mine. That way, if anyone visits, they won't suspect we sleep in different beds."

Fei Ni didn't respond, tacitly agreeing.

Fang Muyang said, "Don't sit on the chair—it's cold. We don't have a sofa yet, so make do and sit on my bed for now."

"I don't think the chair is cold."

With the piano, Fei Ni had almost forgotten it was Tuesday. It was only when Fang Muyang mentioned the bed that she remembered what day it was.

She glanced at her watch and urged Fang Muyang, "Leave the curtain for tomorrow. You should get to bed early."

"I'll finish it soon."

Fei Ni put down her knitting needles. "I'm tired and want to rest now. I can't sleep with the light on."

Fang Muyang didn't understand why Fei Ni insisted on sleeping right then, but in such small matters, he saw no need to upset her.Before going to bed, Fei Ni asked Fang Muyang if he wanted to listen to the radio. With headphones on, the sounds from next door became less clear.

Fang Muyang said yes.

Fei Ni felt a weight lift from her heart.

Barefoot, Fei Ni climbed the ladder to the upper bunk. Reaching through the curtain, she handed the radio and headphones to Fang Muyang.

As Fang Muyang took the headphones, he held Fei Ni’s hand. She didn’t mind, letting him warm it before pulling back. "Hurry up and listen," she said.

A moment later, she heard Fang Muyang speak to her. "Fei Ni, uncover your ear."

"What do you mean?"

"You’ll know soon enough."

Fei Ni didn’t just uncover one ear—she revealed her entire face. Fang Muyang shone a flashlight on her, then placed one headphone in her ear.

At first, Fei Ni’s expression was calm, but gradually her brow shifted. Her heart pounded so loudly that Fang Muyang could almost hear it.

Fang Muyang had tuned into a foreign classical music station. At that time, listening to foreign broadcasts could easily be labeled as "listening to enemy radio." The consequences ranged from public criticism to worse...

Fei Ni removed the headphone and motioned for Fang Muyang to lean closer.

She whispered into his ear, "How did you tune into this station? Don’t listen to it anymore—it’s too dangerous."

Fang Muyang also brought his mouth close to her ear, his lips nearly brushing it. "With headphones on, no one will hear. I thought you’d like it."

Fei Ni did like it, but she said, "I don’t." She couldn’t tell anyone she enjoyed listening to foreign stations, even if it was just music with no other content. It was a serious vulnerability—if others found out, it could ruin her future. Though she trusted Fang Muyang completely, she couldn’t risk even a one-in-a-million chance.

"If you don’t like it, then I’ll listen alone."

"You shouldn’t listen either. Don’t tune into this station again. With your background, you can’t afford any mistakes. No matter how many good deeds you do, if someone reports you for listening to enemy radio, your future will be over."

Though only the two of them were in the room, they spoke with their mouths pressed to each other’s ears, as if afraid someone else might overhear.

Fei Ni continued, "You must never tell anyone you listen to this kind of station. If others find out, you’ll be in trouble."

"Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish. Only the two of us know. Anyone else might report me, but you never would." No matter how careless he was, he wouldn’t tell a third person.

"How do you know I wouldn’t?" Fei Ni maintained just enough distance so her lips wouldn’t touch Fang Muyang’s ear, her voice barely a whisper. "I have principles. If you make a mistake, I’d report you too."

"Then go ahead and report me. Of all the people in the world, if you’re the one reporting me, I’d be willing. I’d be happy for you to gain something from it. If you turn me in, you might even get a chance to go to university..."

Fei Ni grew anxious. "What kind of person do you think I am?" No matter what, she would never report Fang Muyang just to get into university.

"Of course I know what kind of person you are." Fang Muyang kissed her ear. "If I didn’t, why would I hand you such a vulnerability?"

By inviting her to listen to foreign music, he was risking at least a public criticism.Fei Ni's heart softened. "Just listen for today, but don't do it again."

"Want to listen together?"

"You go ahead, I'm going to sleep." With only one pair of earphones, how could they listen together? And for this kind of radio station, earphones were a must.

The earphones in Fei Ni's hand returned to Fang Muyang's ears, and he went back to his own bunk to enjoy it alone.

That melody kept wandering in Fei Ni's mind, gradually forming a picture, but some parts of this picture were still blank. The emptiness compelled her to keep listening. The more she thought about it, the more tormented she felt, urgently wanting to know what the complete picture looked like. She grabbed a flashlight, got out of bed barefoot, and since the mosquito net under the bed had been removed, the flashlight beam fell on Fang Muyang's face and neck. Fei Ni immediately turned her face away, but the flashlight still shone on Fang Muyang.

"Why aren't you wearing pajamas?"

"I washed them today. I can't wear wet ones, can I?"

"Then quickly put on something else."

Fang Muyang had no choice but to casually pull on a sweater. "What's the matter?"

"Give me one of your earphones."

Fang Muyang was very generous, not only intending to share the earphones with her but even offering to share half of his bunk.

Fei Ni refused. She only wanted to sit and listen, so Fang Muyang sat up as well.

Each of them wore one earphone, sitting side by side, huddled together listening to one radio.

Only the flashlight was on in the room, but the music in their ears was soothing, reminiscent of dappled moonlight filtering through leaves, the evening breeze brushing against cheeks, and a lover's gentle kiss. Time stretched long, frame by frame in slow motion, not only allowing enough time for things to happen but also giving time to savor them. Fei Ni's heart raced wildly. This was her first time listening to a foreign radio station, and beside her was her accomplice. It was also her first time doing such a "bad thing" with another person. Before, when she had scavenged banned books from the recycling station, she had always read them alone, not even daring to let her parents know—not because she feared they would report her, but because one more person knowing meant one more potential trouble.

Now she and Fang Muyang had done a "bad thing" together, sharing a secret that even real married couples might not share.

Because both were involved, neither dared to report the other.

Having shared such a secret, their relationship naturally grew closer.