Chapter 7 Chapter Six

James finished his second glass of water.He slapped the gnats he couldn't see.These gnats had already bitten many red spots on his shins and calves.From time to time he looked out of the window from the living room.There was some refreshment on the table.An old-fashioned electric fan that can swing its head is blowing gusts of hot wind from a high stand, intermittently drowning out the hustle and bustle of the street.Occasionally, a villager passed by, walking silently under the hot sun, with sweaty shirts sticking to their bodies.There was no wind, no leaves stirred, no birds could be heard.

Seeing Isu come in through the front door, James immediately stood up.She was wearing a broad-brimmed bamboo hat that ordinary peddlers wear, and a blue dress; walking beside her was an old man with a thin beard, wearing shirts and trousers.On the other side of the old man is his grandson, Xiao Ya'er. That is Mr. Duan, Yi Su's father.Angelica whispered. James went up to them as they entered.The small room was barely big enough to accommodate the few of them.Yi Su had already hung her and her father's bamboo hats in the front hall, and was arranging her hair in front of the mirror in the front hall.

We are late.she said happily.Oh, James, this is my father.Dad, this is Mr. Daye.The Chinese name is Mr. Dai. Mr. Duan stretched out a hand.His hair was gray, and his face, which was ugly like sheepskin, was blue and yellow. With his gray beard and puffy eyeballs under his eyes, he looked like a man who had passed his prime and reached the end of his life. elder.The thin summer shirt showed his bony thinness, and there were hollow hollows under the shoulder blades.He spoke in a soft and serene voice; only his eyes showed the habitual worry. This is my nephew, Xiao Yaer.Isu said. This ten-year-old child has a small, round face, paired with a pair of surprisingly large, swarthy eyes.He always seemed to be glued to his grandfather.He seemed to be eating well, and his cheeks were flushed.

He is my grandson.Mr. Duan also added a sentence.There was a smile on his withered face.When he said the word grandson, his voice was particularly crisp.Others can see at a glance that his hope, and the meaning of life, are all poured into that child.Since the child's parents died, he has been taken care of by the old grandfather. As soon as Xiao Ya'er came in, he sat on a sofa, put his hands under his thighs, and listened quietly. This was his training.He was tidier than most of the kids, and his fingernails were clean, obviously thanks to Isu.He wasn't shy at all; just like all kids, he had a natural attitude.He looked and looked at the white man, feeling amused, curious, and excited.

He is a member of the Young Pioneers.He reacts quickly to arithmetic.These days, they don't learn much at school.I teach him at home.Mr. Duan spoke in a tone like a mother who took her child to see a doctor. Before the doctor asked a question, he talked about many things. James took a chair and sat down beside Isu.Everyone else sat on the sofa.Yi Su, feeling that James was looking at her, blushed slightly, just looking at Sister Angelica and the others, but not James.Her nostrils twitched slightly, and she smiled awkwardly.She sat, like her little nephew, with her hands pressed under her thighs, as if she was afraid they would move.Half of her sleeves revealed two white and round arms, which belonged to a pair of mature girls, ready to be a wife and mother.

James was talking to his father, but his eyes kept looking back at Isu.He secretly caressed the back of her neck, pinching her from time to time.He looked proud and happy to have such a beautiful girl. Are you crazy?Yi Su scolded him sweetly. Not crazy, just stupid. Yi Su pursed her lips and smiled, Angelica happily looked at the happy young lovers.Mr. Duan also looked at his future son-in-law. Mr. Duan, I really appreciate you. What are you grateful for? Thank you for giving me your daughter, for giving me the loveliest thing in life.You don't know how much I thank you in my heart.she is so beautiful.He dragged out the sound of the last two words.Yi Su winked at him.

she's fine.Mr. Duan said.I want you to take good care of her for the rest of your life. Seeing the refreshments on the table, Yi Su said to Angelica, ah, you are too polite, don't bother so much.As she spoke, she stood up, picked up the kettle and walked into the kitchen. The water on the stove boiled.said Sister Angelica.I want us to talk alone, so today I sent the helper's boy away James, can you help me?She explained to the guest that she specially gave the servant a day off today. Of course, James replied, stood up immediately, and followed Isu into the kitchen. In the kitchen, Yi Su said to him, don't move, let me do it.you will not.

I won't? She poured boiling water into the teapot, and when she was about to bring the teapot into the house, she took his hand, paused for a moment, and kissed him lightly. She passed a cup of tea to her father first, then to Angelica, and then to James.Angelica looked at her proudly, wondering whether the plan that James said that they will be reunited in Hong Kong next week can be realized? I left the kitchen door open in case the helper's child came back suddenly.she says. We saw a lot of people parading in the street, so we came late.Isu explained. Things don't look good.Duan Lao said first.I asked a few spectators.They told me they were Boro people protesting the arrest of their relatives.They were walking in the direction of Huiyang County Government.

Dad, let's not waste time.Would you please explain it to our friends quickly? good. Mr. Duan's eyes glistened under his knotted brow.His voice was tense, as if he wanted to say a lot, but he didn't know where to start. I know your and Yisu's plan, you will take great risks.I appreciate it. There, there.James spoke in fluent and polite Peking. You speak very well in Peking. Don't dare to be. Yi Su choked with laughter.If you two continue to be so polite, we'll never get to the point.The old man looked up at James, coughed lightly, and began to turn to the topic sincerely.

Isu has already told you that she wants me and my grandson to come with me.I have to explain, please be especially helpful.Isu is now my only child.Once she's gone, I'm left with only my grandson. James knew what he was going to say, and it was Mr. Duan's courtesy to bring it up himself.James looked at Isu, and Isu's expression hoped that her father would continue talking. Yi Su was also worried.You will understand better if I tell you that I once had two sons.My oldest son was a doctor and died in the Korean War.The second son is an engineer.Two years ago, he died in an accident in Jilin.I used to think that I would have a comfortable old age, but things have changed Yes, I am a miserable person.

The old man seemed unable to continue talking. Mr. Duan comes from a scholarly family.Angelica said.The death of his second son dealt a great blow to his old man. The child's father had a wife who was a member of the Communist Party and later remarried.Now my second son is also dead, and the Duan family's incense is only dependent on this child.Since Isu came back two years ago, it has helped me a lot.I've talked to her and we thought you might let the kid go with her and take care of him and let him grow up and be educated and be a good man. Yes, we talked about it.Isu said.And I think he should go with it.If we let him grow up here, he might take all the ideas here and become another trick.He is still so small.He should have a good chance. I know very well. I just hope you can understand why I am making such a request.I may be a burden on your journey. Of course, we naturally take some risks.No one can guarantee what will happen on the road.But I have seen many old gentlemen and old ladies successfully cross the border. It doesn't matter to me, Mr. Duan said, as long as my grandson can have the opportunity to receive education and live a good life, I will have nothing to ask for in this life. James, I believe we will succeed.We must succeed.Yi Su said excitedly. I have good news.Fan Shitian wants to go with us.Mr. Duan said. Fan Shitian? Yes.He said he would personally accompany you through this journey.In case of any difficulties along the way, there are people he knows to help along the way. You mean he's going to cross the border with us? That's what he told me.In fact, he urged me to go with him.We are old friends. James stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Esu looked at him and smiled with love and hope. James turned to Mr. Duan. Fan Shitian really wants to go with us? He said so to me. All the way to the border? I think so. why? Everyone wants to go.He said it was a good time to escape, the weather and many other factors were favorable. Did he mention anything about a pistol? Just at that moment the helper's boy came in through the front door.James stopped talking. Something happened outside.The helper's child ran in and said out of breath, "I'll run back and tell you not to go out into the street." Did someone shoot? No.A large group of people crowded at the gate of the Public Security Bureau, clamoring to get in.People from the Public Security Bureau told them that the director was not there.Some say he has resigned.I have never seen such a noisy, chaotic scene, those people shouting, shouting, menacing.The police want to hold them back and say nice things to everyone.The police were probably scared too.Then I saw the iron gate was pushed open, and the crowd poured in, demanding to see the director.But he couldn't be found.When I left, I heard that everyone was heading to the prison. What about the police? What can they do?Those people can scare anyone.There must have been thousands, and more and more out there. Everyone looked at each other. Miss and Mr. Dai, you'd better stay at home.Said the child helper. James said to Isu: You stay here and wait for the commotion outside to pass before leaving. I guess the hospital is busy again. But they didn't have trouble with foreigners, did they? Mr. Duan said: It was just against the random shooting of the police.But I still advise you not to show your face in the street.Sister Angelica and Mr. Day, the mob will do anything. Why don't you go see what's going on in the street and come back and tell us?James said to the child of the helper. I will go. Yi Su sat looking out the window, resting his chin on one hand.James gazed at her intently.There was no excitement on her face, as if she was used to it all. I think those policemen must be in a panic and don't know what to do.Mr. Duan said.He smiled lightly with a relaxed expression.They didn't want to shoot the masses, and they didn't dare. The people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death?Yi Su suddenly quoted Lao Tzu's words. The police chief probably hid somewhere alone.Fan Shitian told me this morning that when he left the party committee this morning, he didn't even wear a hat, talking to himself anxiously, roaring like thunder.He was heard arguing with the party committee. So, he is probably not in the police station anymore. Messes like these, Isu said, are becoming more and more common.Last winter, in the mountains, some peasants killed the commissioners who came to inspect them.Later, more than a dozen villagers were rounded up, regardless of whether they had anything to do with that incident, they were sent to the north.Those of you outside will not know. we know.We also heard many stories in Hong Kong.Often these messes are about food. Not that time.That time it was for clothes.In the mountains, it is very cold.But, you know, the padded jacket has become commune property.The people in the commune have nothing.Either the distribution is unfair, or the padded jackets are not distributed enough.It was cold and there was no coal.There are some mountainous areas in the northeast here where coal can be dug out.But the farmers watched as the coal they dug was transported north.The common people don't even have brooms, dustpans, or picks and hoes.Everything belongs to the people's communes.The people's communes wanted to adopt a supply system, but they couldn't.Not even umbrellas are enough on rainy days. Old Mr. Duan spoke in a low voice, with a calm tone, as if all this belonged to the past history. These oil-paper umbrellas have always come from Gan County in Jiangxi, where tung oil is abundant.Some businessmen transport tung oil across the provincial border to Guangdong, where they trade oil-paper umbrellas.Mr. Duan's voice became clearer, he changed his breath and continued: I once thought that if the party does not want the common people to start their own umbrella business, it should manufacture umbrellas for 700 million people and distribute them to every city and village.However, I don't see anyone doing it. That incident was caused by the cotton jacket.Yi Su continued.Some people were assigned cotton jackets, while others were not.They killed a committee member who was inspecting the area.The committee member argued with them, and the common people burst into anger.Three days later, a company of soldiers arrived, and as usual, they arrested some of the leaders of the riots and sent them to the north, and that was the end of the matter. None of this is new to James, since he can read Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong.Still, when he reads the stories, never has this moment felt so real. In this way, it is no wonder that everything is to blame for the party.James said. The party should be blamed, because the party controls our life, from cotton-padded jackets, cooking utensils, to picking up dog dung. You better pack up your things.Keep in touch with Fan Shitian.James said. He turned to his aunt again and said: We may go away any moment, I'm afraid.You should leave tomorrow. what do you do then I have to take you to the station.I want others to know that you are in a hurry to leave, and I will take care of your heavy luggage in the rear, and then take the next train to leave. As expected, the hospital quickly sent someone to invite Angelika and Yi Su over.Mr. Duan also bid farewell to his little grandson and left, leaving James alone in the house. Don't run out restlessly anymore.Angelica said before leaving.