Chang Bofan, the director of the Youth League of the Muji Railroad Company, said, “Who knows? She may already be broken.”“How can you tell?” asked Shuwei, an older clerk.“Haven’t you seen the way she walks?” Bofan picked his flat nose, staring at the chessboard before him.“No. Tell us how she walks.”“With splayed feet. She must be as broad as a city gate.” The office rang with laughter. Bofan slapped a green cannon in front of a red elephant on the chessboard. Then they stopped laughing as the door opened and the director of the Cadre Section, Tan Na, walked in. She wanted to see a league member’s file, which Manjin helped her find in a cabinet.When talking about Tingting, they rarely failed to mention Benchou, who was a senior clerk in the Security Section at the railroad company’s headquarters and could often be found in Tingting’s office. Benchou was in his early forties, dark and handsome, but he was married and had two children. “An old bull wants to chew tender grass,”
