DUST FILLS THE AIR
Dream: 7 May, 1986

My little brother is making two oil paintings of large natural plants.The
yellowish green of the meadow and the verdant plants are painted with such
spirit. He uses lime to adjust the colors of the oil paints. For every painting
he spent 50 RMB to buy the limestone dust. Mama is making the bed and
spreading out the quilt. She brought this quilt back from her work unit in
a little car. She starts to clean a blackboard, and I watch chalk dust fill the
air. I stand with Xueqin on the sun balcony opposite the new house where
we will move. Where is the soap? Where is the basin to wash our faces in?
I say: the construction here is packed really tight. The stairs look the same
on both sides. Dark wood, and rain-pebbled stone. And there is the family
photo. I look so ugly. I am using force to scratch lines onto the machine in the
classroom. Chen Yiqian won't let me carve, but I don't listen and keep carving
away. I have to take a test. I practice memorizing indigo batik patterns, and
bought four indigo batik patterned rice bowls and cups. I am eating cake,
and Liu Wenjie comes to get me for school. I shoulder my book bag, grab a
steamed bun and go with her.


梦1986 年5 月7 日——灰尘飞满天

弟弟画了两幅大自然植物的油画，黄绿色的草地，绿色的植物画的很神，他用石灰调
油画，每一张画用50 元钱购买灰，妈妈在床上铺被子，这些被子是她用小汽车从单位
里拉回来的，她又开始擦黑板，我看到灰尘飞满天，我和学勤站在新房对面阳台上设
计我们将要搬进去的房子，哪儿放肥皂，哪儿放脸盆，我说这儿建筑特别紧凑，两边
楼梯相等，黑木头，又有雨花石，还有大家合影，我拍得很丑，我不要照片，我在铜
板教室里的机器上用力划线条，陈意强不让刻，我不听只管刻下去，要考试了，我立
即去备兰印花布和广告，又买了四只兰印花边的饭碗和杯子，我在吃蛋糕，刘文洁来
找我上学，我背起书包又拿一个馒头和她走了。