Eastern Small Town • Former Nun Dormitory of the Madonna Society
At noon, Xia Yu was in one of the units inside, arranging a newly bought bouquet into a vase, carefully adjusting the stems to make the flowers look more pleasing.
Fang Ming had just returned from the nearby market with groceries. As he entered the home, he walked up to Xia Yu and hugged her from behind, saying gently, “Yu, happy birthday!”
Xia Yu nudged him with her elbow, teasing, “You already wished me that this morning! Hey, you’re not getting senile, are you? Don’t scare me!”
Fang Ming laughed, “Of course not! I’m saying it on behalf of Fengfeng. Look—our good grandson made you this birthday card.”
Xia Yu looked down and saw that Fang Ming, still hugging her, was holding an open birthday card with crooked handwriting that read:
“Grandma,
Happy Birthday! Wishing you happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea, and a long life like the Southern Mountain.
Respectfully, your grandson Fengfeng”
The child’s handwriting made the character for “longevity” especially large due to its many strokes. Xia Yu smiled and frowned, “Sigh, Mei really needs to have Fengfeng practice his writing more!”
As Fang Ming put the groceries in the fridge, he said, “Don’t be too greedy, Grand Dame. Kids growing up over there, many can’t even speak Chinese anymore. It’s rare that he’s willing to write you so many Chinese characters, and you’re still complaining about his handwriting!”
Time flies. Xia Lishu and Yin Mei’s son, Xia Rufeng, was already five years old.
Fang Ming was semi-retired now. He and Xia Yu both wanted to return to their roots, so they moved back to the eastern small town and rented a small unit in a serviced apartment converted from the Madonna Society’s nun dormitory.
Now, they spent at least half the year in the town, living here—after all, this was the community where they were born and raised. Xia Yu left the San Francisco supermarket business to her daughter-in-law, Yin Mei.
Fang Ming sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. The news immediately reported:
"Madonna Society President Judy, English name JUDY, was found guilty of multiple charges including embezzling donations, falsifying accounts, money laundering, and fraud, and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Additionally, in recent years, the Madonna Society suffered massive losses from real estate speculation, accumulating over one billion in debt and facing liquidation..."
“Sigh, the whole city’s in an uproar lately, all because of the Madonna Society’s scandals.” Xia Yu finished arranging the bouquet, went to the kitchen to make two cups of hot tea, and brought them to the living room to sit by Fang Ming.
“Who would have thought that the once-glorious Madonna Society would decline so fast in just five years? Now it might disappear altogether,” Xia Yu said with emotion.
“Remember two years ago when we visited the Madonna Primary School in the new town? That statue of Wang Rong was supposed to be a landmark, but nobody cleaned it anymore, and even the so-called rose sea around it was all rusted and neglected. The Madonna Chapel next door was locked up tight too.”
Fang Ming sipped his tea and continued, “It’s all because Bai’s eldest son’s mistress couldn’t marry in. The Wang Rong myth collapsed, so they couldn’t use huge donations to fill the holes left by failed investments. Collapse was inevitable.” His face still carried a hint of mockery.
“Not just the chapel—even the Madonna Primary School closed two years ago due to low enrollment. Over the years, the Society kept selling off properties; there are fewer and fewer halls left.” Xia Yu felt regretful—after all, the Madonna Society had over a hundred years of history and was especially important to the town’s poor districts.
“The Society should always have been a neighborhood welfare group serving the poor. After Wang Rong took charge, she ran it like a business, seeking fame and expanding political influence. The direction was wrong from the start!”
Fang Ming was indignant, because both he and Xia Yu, who grew up in the poor district, had benefited from the Madonna Society, and had also attended the Madonna Primary School.
Now, this century-old organization was destined for the graveyard of history, and they felt a touch of sadness.
“That Judy worked for Wang Rong for years—they’re birds of a feather, both profit-driven!” Fang Ming watched the TV, seeing Judy’s haggard, dazed face at her arrest, feeling only contempt. “At least Bai Shikun had a conscience—he bought this nun’s dormitory and just converted it for rental, keeping its original look.”
“Ming, do you think... where is Wang Rong now? You’ve dreamed about her more than once, and I’m worried...” Xia Yu recalled her husband’s unsettling dreams and was clearly anxious.
“Yu, don’t worry about that. She won’t bother me again.” Fang Ming held his wife’s hand and smiled gently.
Seeing Xia Yu’s doubt, Fang Ming explained, “Just the day before yesterday, I dreamed of that girl in white again. She took me to see the Wang Rong statue. I watched as it weathered rapidly, finally turning into a pile of sand, blown away by the wind.”
Xia Yu thought for a moment, wanting to ask more, but Fang Ming had already stood up.
“Hey, today’s your birthday—don’t just sit inside! Let’s go to the big mall across the street: shopping, a movie, and a big dinner to celebrate your 68th birthday!” Fang Ming, full of enthusiasm, pulled his wife up.
Xia Yu, a little annoyed, playfully punched his chest but happily put on her coat. The couple walked hand in hand to the big mall across the street—once the site of the Madonna Primary School.
After a lifetime, the couple returned together to the place where they grew up, back to the starting point of their lives. The difference now was that every day ahead would be fulfilling and happy.
And so, time passed, and ages changed.
It was Christmas. The apartment where Fang Ming and Xia Yu spent their later years, converted from the Madonna Society’s nun dormitory, was now completely covered in curtains and scaffolding, about to undergo a year-long renovation.
Across the street, the mall built on the site of the old Madonna Primary School had, five years earlier, begun phased expansion and incorporated a nature-inspired design, becoming a large garden-style shopping center combining leisure, entertainment, and conservation.
The mall’s roof and exterior used new glass curtain walls that retained heat in winter and insulated in summer, maximizing natural lighting. Inside, trees lined the paths, streams and waterfalls flowed between shops, and only green energy was used. Part of the mall was a botanical park, where visitors could boat in artificial rapids.
From the outside, the mall looked like a giant greenhouse.
Now, this super-greenhouse was brightly decorated, not only for the holidays but also in preparation for its centennial celebration.
The poor district where Fang Ming and Xia Yu grew up had long since vanished.
Now, the area was one of the city’s few middle-class residential and commercial districts. The old poor district was preserved as a single street of heritage buildings, as proof that such an era once existed.
The Madonna Society’s nun dormitory was, of course, among them.
In a quiet café inside the greenhouse mall, a girl in a pale blue sweater and white skirt sat beside a peach tree in the corner, applying lipstick in front of a mirror. The reflection showed Long’er’s ethereal beauty.
A hundred years had passed, yet Long’er still appeared as an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl, with the same peach-blossom beauty and youthful face.
“Long’er, you really had me looking for you.” A deep, magnetic male voice came from behind her, with a stern tone and a hint of affectionate reproach.
“It’s rare to revisit old haunts; I just wanted to wander by myself for a bit. Didn’t I tell you I was at Eden Café?” Long’er immediately stood up and clung to the man’s arm, acting coy.
“This place is so tucked away—I walked around several times to find it. Hmph, they did a good job with the renovations, but can’t even manage a decent store map!” The man was still grumbling.
He had wanted to say, “Why not pick a more prominent spot?” but with his beloved wife on his arm, he could only blame others.
The man was, of course, Bai Shikun—now looking as he did in his thirties.
Bai Shikun, originally Eurasian, was now even taller and more striking, with deep-set features, a black coat and gray trousers—simple yet stylish. Anyone who saw him would marvel at his rare, extraordinary handsomeness.
“Don’t be mad, I’ll get you some coffee.” Long’er smiled brightly.
Her smile instantly lifted his mood. Both were stunningly attractive, and even the few people in the café couldn’t help but admire them.
Other than that, they were just like any couple enjoying time together.
Visiting old places naturally brought up old people and memories.
Bai Shikun couldn’t help but ask, “Long’er, is that woman still in the statue?”102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpbCP2O44k
“Of course, where else could she go?” Long’er replied nonchalantly, sipping her coffee.
“Just leaving her like that... is that really okay?” Bai Shikun trusted his wife’s abilities but preferred neat solutions by nature.
As they were about to leave the café, Long’er took his arm and softly said, “Don’t worry. From the beginning, I already saw her ending.”
They walked to the shopping center’s central plaza, about to exit. In the plaza’s center stood a life-sized bronze statue of an elder.
The elder was tall, with a straight back, sharp brows, and a commanding presence.
Bai Shikun immediately recognized it as his seventy-year-old self.
The stone tablet at the statue’s base noted this was the Bai family’s ancestor, Bai Shikun, and recorded his life story—yet there was no mention of Wang Rong, who had appeared in his life.
Long’er giggled, “Shikun, your descendants really do miss you! Want to go say hi?”
Bai Shikun glared at his wife and said, annoyed, “If the mall’s theme is harmony with nature, why bother with personal idol worship? It’s totally out of place. Before we leave, I’m going to complain to management and get this eyesore removed!”
Long’er patted her husband’s back, “Alright, don’t be mad. Come! I’ll take you to the old street. You’ve never been to a poor district in your life—let me show you where I grew up!”
That night, a light fog settled over the city. Beneath the blurred, dazzling city lights, Long’er led Bai Shikun into the old street, gradually blending into the bustling crowd.
End of Episode 10
Author’s Note:
When I created the impoverished district where Long’er (the Madonna) appears, I actually based it on Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong.
The “Madonna Society” in the novel is modeled after the Sisters of the Precious Blood, who ran Tak Ching Secondary School and Primary School in Sham Shui Po (there’s indeed a Precious Blood Hospital there; Tak Ching Secondary has long closed, as for the primary school—I attended for two years and remember a Madonna statue in a corner of the playground, but I’m not sure if it’s still there…)
The apartment where Fang Ming and his wife live is modeled after the Sisters’ dormitory. Entering that complex really feels like stepping back in time! That’s why it left such an impression on me. I never expected it would become part of my story^^
End of Episode 10
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“Wang Rong Sequel: A Revenge Journey in a World of Illusions”102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFDPheSSDb
(Bilibili Title: Wang Rong Sequel: Revenge Dream)102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSopPH5v31
Episode 10: Enviable as Mandarin Ducks
Original story by Jing Xixian (Vampire L). All rights reserved.102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEUw4osGBk
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© Jing Xixian (King Heyin) (Vampire L), All rights reserved
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