Bright Yellow

Liu Xinwu

When she woke up one day, it was already too late.

Shan ransacked several markets until she finally bought a golden yellow one-piece dress. Dazzlingly yellow.

She wore the dress on her date.

“I almost didn’t recognize you!” her boyfriend said, looking her up and down, his eyes lit up in surprise.

“You never thought I could get a dress like this, right? I stayed at home for no more than half a month—I was a bit under the weather, you know—and when I came out again, guess what, this shiny yellow is so hot now! What do you think, do I look good!”

She wore the dress to work at the accounting office and was surrounded by several female co-workers as soon as she stepped in.

“Hey, you didn’t get it right. What’s hot now is bright yellow, not this apricot yellow!” exclaimed the almond-eyed Wu Shuli.

“In the old days only the emperor could wear bright yellow. Girls nowadays, every one of them wants to be the empress.” sighed Big Sis Han.

Shan was not troubled by Big Sis Han’s comment, but broke into a sweat by what Shuli had said.

When she returned home, mother reprimanded, “This new dress of yours, you’ve worn it for only two days, and you toss it around like dirt!”

“What do you know? It’s not the right yellow!”

Mother shrugged. Girls nowadays, they dare to strut around in yellow. In her day as a girl she didn’t even dare to say the word “yellow.” “You’re so yellow!” That would mean, “You’re a bad egg!” Almost.

The next time she went out with her boyfriend, she turned around to let him see more clearly: “It’s bright yellow, fair and square, the right color!” When she stopped turning, she pointed at the girls in yellow far and near and declared: “See, that’s wrong, that’s wrong, too. They didn’t get the real thing. Apricot yellow, how timid! Light yellow, how immature! Earthy yellow, how boring. . . . ”

The boyfriend wanted to show off his ability to think independently, “I thought lemon yellow is not bad!”

“Lemon yellow? Why not orange yellow!”

Shan wore the bright yellow dress to work at the accounting office. Wu Shuli was the first to scream, “Cool! Really cool this time! A two-piece dress, much more lively than the one-piece dress, so boring!”

Shan was still blooming when Shuli stepped closer and felt the material of the dress between her fingers, her almond-eyes wide with astonishment: “Oh! This material is not right! What’s hot today is shiny satin; yours is—”

Shan withered.

The next time she went to see her boyfriend, she saw him craning his neck and looking around up and down the street. She patted him on the back: “Who are you looking for?”

The boyfriend turned and said: “I—I thought you would still be wearing bright yellow. It’s bright yellow everywhere and so hard to look for you!”

Shan had on a light purple one-piece dress instead.

(1985)