Zhong dasao said, “Our Zhong family has many people. Although we don’t have biological elder or younger uncles (father’s brothers), we have several paternal cousin-uncles and two aunts. Those two aunts had a good relationship with our mother-in-law. When Zhao Yin drove Weiguo and Jianguo out, the two aunts came over and told Zhao Yin that she shouldn’t be so ruthless. Zhao Yin scolded them instead.
“Later, when Grandpa and Grandma got old, Zhao Yin didn’t take care of them either. The two aunts, along with Jianguo and Weiguo, sent the elderly couple away and then cut ties with our father. They came to take a look yesterday and told me they wouldn’t be coming today. Whenever the children of our paternal cousin-uncles got married, it was Weiguo who went to help. Our father and Zhao Yin pretended not to know, didn’t give wedding gifts and didn’t go to help either.
“The fact that some uncles came today is only out of respect for Weiguo and Jianguo. The aunts didn’t come, not for any other reason, but because they’re annoyed with Zhao Yin and don’t want to be entangled with her. Just now, everyone was discussing how to handle the burial, but Zhao Yin didn’t even offer them a glass of water or a cigarette.”
“Wait a minute, saozi, didn’t anyone from my great-aunt’s side come?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Zhong dasao replied, “They came the day before yesterday. When they heard that our father’s death was related to Zhao Yin, they felt embarrassed. They stayed for a short while and then left with an excuse.”
“This…” Song Zhaodi was speechless. “Are those cousin-uncles’ families not well-off?”
Zhong dasao nodded.
Song Zhaodi sighed and shook her head. “They trample on the weak and flatter the strong. I should have expected it. But what’s the point of living like that for a lifetime?”
“Who knows? Back in 1960, most people only ate one or two meals a day, but Zhao Yin, our father-in-law and Shengli had three meals a day,” Zhong dasao said. “Some families had many children and their rationed food wasn’t enough. Seeing that Zhao Yin’s family ate three meals a day, they would ask her to lend them some food coupons. She refused and even criticised them, saying that if they couldn’t afford to raise kids, they shouldn’t have had so many.
“Back then, it was believed that more children meant more blessings and strength in numbers. If people had known those years would be so hard, even if the government ordered them to have children, they wouldn’t have. We only survived thanks to the food coupons Jianguo sent us.
“The communal building housed hundreds of people, but only three or five families were willing to associate with Zhao Yin. Even those families probably thought she was too much and none of them showed up today.”
Song Zhaodi chuckled. “Anyone who could get along with Zhao Yin can’t be a good person. They’ve already done her a favour by not stabbing her in the back.”
“You’re right,” Zhong dasao said as she opened the door. “I bought groceries. We’ll just stir-fry some dishes and steam some rice.”
Since it wasn’t her own home, Song Zhaodi didn’t insist on cooking. She just did whatever Zhong dasao asked her to do.
At noon, a table of men and a table of women and children ate in Zhong Weiguo’s yard. After the meal, Song Zhaodi helped Zhong dasao clean up and then their family of seven went straight to the train station without stopping by Xiao Song Village.
After getting off the bus, Song Zhaodi held Erwa and Gengsheng’s hands while Zhong Jianguo carried a bag and held Sanwa. After walking for a bit, they noticed something was off and turned around, Zili and Dawa were standing at the entrance of the co-operative.
Zhong Jianguo called out loudly, “What are you looking at?”
“Mom, I’m hungry,” Zhong Dawa leaned on Zili’s shoulder and whined.
Zhong Jianguo checked his watch. “We ate at one o’clock and now it’s only two-thirty.”
“Dawa only ate a small bowl of rice,” Zili explained for him.
Zhong Jianguo frowned. “That’s how much you eat at home too.”
“At home, I eat a bowl of rice and a bowl of vegetables,” Zhong Dawa held up two fingers. “Sometimes, I even get an egg.” He turned to Song Zhaodi. “Mom, today I only ate three bites of vegetables.”
Song Zhaodi laughed. “Alright, I got it.” She let go of Erwa and Gengsheng’s hands. “Zhong Jianguo, wait for me by the roadside. I’ll check the co-operative.”
“Zili, are you hungry too?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Zili hesitated. “Mom said to take only as much as we could eat. I thought it would be like at our house, so I took half a bowl of rice.”
“It’s fine,” Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “Luckily, you all ate less today or else there wouldn’t have been enough food for our whole family.”
Dawa quickly said, “We didn’t eat much because my aunt made too little.”
“Most people serve food on plates, but your mom uses bowls, or really big plates,” Zhong Jianguo said as he put Sanwa down. “Erwa, Gengsheng, aren’t our plates bigger than your aunt’s?”
Erwa shook his head. “I forgot.”
“I think so,” Gengsheng said. “When I took vegetables three times, the dish in front of me was empty.”
Song Zhaodi returned carrying a bag of food and handed it directly to Dawa. “Rice candy and sesame candy. I couldn’t find anything else.”
“This whole bag is full of it?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
“Yes,” Song Zhaodi replied.
“You… Why did you buy so much for them?” Zhong Jianguo asked. “They’re changing teeth right now.”
Song Zhaodi glanced at him. “If they eat slowly, it won’t make their teeth fall out.” She paused. “Your dasao wanted to boil eggs for us, but I refused. We don’t have any food left in our bag. I thought we’d need something for the journey too, so I bought more.”
“No steamed buns or anything?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Song Zhaodi shook her head.
“No wonder the bag felt so light,” Zhong Jianguo said. “I thought Sanwa was too heavy, making the bag feel lighter in comparison.”
Sanwa pouted. “I’m not heavy. I’m not fat at all.”
“Okay, okay, you’re not fat. No one said you were,” Song Zhaodi said. “Let’s hurry up so we can get home the day after tomorrow morning.”
However, there were few trains to Shencheng, so when Zhong Jianguo and his family arrived at the station, they couldn’t board one immediately.
They waited at the station for over two hours before finally boarding a train to Shencheng at six o’clock.
After getting off the train, Song Zhaodi suddenly felt a sharp tug on her arm. She looked down and saw Gengsheng clutching her tightly. She immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Mom, don’t talk, just walk quickly,” Gengsheng urged.
Zhong Jianguo instantly tensed up. “Dawa, Erwa, hurry up!” He carried Sanwa in one arm and covered Zili’s face with his other hand as he strode forward.
Song Zhaodi didn’t dare to ask more questions. She let Gengsheng pull her along and followed quickly.
Once they boarded a bus to the dock, Song Zhaodi finally asked, “Did you see someone familiar?”
Gengsheng nodded repeatedly. “My uncle was walking into the station.”
Song Zhaodi’s heart sank. She turned to Zhong Jianguo. “Why would he come to Shencheng?”
“Probably for a business trip,” Zhong Jianguo replied in a low voice.
Song Zhaodi shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s just after the New Year and most offices are just getting back to work. A business trip already?”
“You think he came looking for them?” Zhong Jianguo shook his head. “Impossible.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “We’ll talk at home.”
There were too many people around and Zhong Jianguo also worried that someone untrustworthy might overhear, so he said, “We’ll talk at home.”
That afternoon, when they returned home, Zhong Jianguo was bathing Dawa, Erwa and Sanwa, while Song Zhaodi called the two children into the kitchen. “When Commander Zhao took you out, besides him and his orderly, did anyone else know?”
“No one knew,” Zili said. “I still remember that night, it was very dark and there weren’t many people on the road. Uncle Zhao wasn’t even wearing his military uniform; he was dressed in a Zhongshan suit when he sent us to Shencheng. No one could tell he was a soldier.”
Song Zhaodi sighed. “Silly child. Soldiers walk differently from ordinary people. If Commander Zhao only changed his clothes but didn’t deliberately disguise himself, people could still tell he was military.”
Zili’s face changed drastically. “Mother, ”
“Don’t worry.” Song Zhaodi pulled the two children close. “Tell me, has that woman ever seen Commander Zhao?”
“No,” Zili said. “Uncle’s orderly took us to an intersection and the uncle who picked us up told Uncle’s orderly to tell the regiment commander not to worry, he would take good care of us.”
Song Zhaodi thought back carefully. “That night when I picked you up, it was already midnight and that woman was so frightened by me that even if she saw my face clearly, she probably forgot out of fear.” She paused. “Go take your baths first. Later, tell your father to visit Commander Zhao’s house and ask.”
“Mother, why is Uncle looking for us?” Zili was confused.
Gengsheng was also puzzled. “He was the one who sent us home.”
“A normal person wouldn’t stand by and watch their own nephews die. But your uncle isn’t normal,” Song Zhaodi said. “So I don’t know what he’s thinking either. But don’t worry. Do you remember what I told you? You were children I picked up at Binhai Train Station.”
“Tomorrow, let Dawa teach you a few Binhai dialect phrases. When you play with the boys, speak Binhai dialect with Dawa to make it seem like you’re really from there.”
Gengsheng said, “Mother, we already know how to speak the Binhai dialect. Dali taught us.”
“That’s good.” Song Zhaodi looked at Zhong Jianguo coming out. “Go take your baths. Afterward, go upstairs and sleep. Don’t think about anything, if the sky falls, your father and I will hold it up.”
Zhong Jianguo waved his hand. “Wait a second. The kids are too dirty. We need to dump the water. Is there still hot water on the stove?”
“There’s a whole pot,” Song Zhaodi said, carrying it out.
After bathing, Zhong Jianguo and Song Zhaodi washed everyone’s clothes together. By the time they were done, the sun had already set.
Looking at the clothes hanging on two lines, Song Zhaodi felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment. But she didn’t dwell on it. “Should I go with you to Commander Zhao’s house or will you go alone?”
“I’ll go alone,” Zhong Jianguo said. “You should go upstairs and rest.”
Song Zhaodi agreed, but after half an hour of tossing and turning in bed, she still couldn’t fall asleep. She got up, got dressed and went downstairs.
She fiddled with the radio for over an hour before she finally heard footsteps. She turned her head to look outside but didn’t see Zhong Jianguo. Alarmed, she rushed out and found him casually washing his hands under the eaves. She had the urge to slap him. “What did the commander say?”
“The commander didn’t tell that person where you were from. He only said that a woman would come to pick up the children,” Zhong Jianguo said. “You only brought Zili and Gengsheng back after staying in Xiao Song Village for over ten days. The timing doesn’t match, so it’s fine.”
Song Zhaodi let out a breath of relief but was still uneasy. “Do you think Zili’s uncle is crazy? The kids have been missing for two years and he only just remembered to look for them. If it weren’t for the commander, they’d be nothing but bones by now.”
“Commander and I analysed it. It might have something to do with General Qi,” Zhong Jianguo said. “For example, if they want General Qi to confess to something or identify someone, he might have requested to see his two grandsons first. That’s probably why Zili’s uncle came looking.”
“Why go to Shencheng? Because the kids disappeared at night. Walking wasn’t an option, they were too young. At night, buses weren’t running and the only way out was by train. It wouldn’t be hard to check the trains that left that night and find Shencheng.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “So they still can’t be sure the kids are actually in Shencheng?”
“Right.” Zhong Jianguo nodded. “Let’s go upstairs.” He hesitated. “Let’s not go back for the next couple of years.”
Song Zhaodi said, “My parents are in good health, your elder brother’s family is doing well and you work nonstop anyway. If we don’t go back, they won’t blame us. But if they investigate one by one, they might trace it back to Commander Zhao.”
“We’ll see,” Zhong Jianguo said. “The commander doesn’t seem worried, he might have another plan.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “Could he have someone else wear his uniform and leave first?”
“That’s possible too.” Zhong Jianguo looked at her and suddenly asked, “Be honest with me, when will this Great Revolution end?”
“Ten years,” Song Zhaodi said.
“If we count from ‘66, that’s still five or six years to go?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Song Zhaodi nodded. “Just be patient.”
“Not that we have a choice.” Zhong Jianguo sighed. “Luckily, Old Jiang’s people keep coming to provoke us, forcing us to leave from time to time. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be so stable here either.”
Song Zhaodi was curious. “Old Jiang is still alive?”
Zhong Jianguo was startled. Realising what she meant, he asked in disbelief, “You don’t even know when Old Jiang died?”
“I’m a fashion designer, not a historian,” Song Zhaodi said, growing defensive. “It’s normal that I don’t know.”
Zhong Jianguo took a deep breath. “Song Zhaodi, do people of your generation even know when the War of Resistance ended?”
“I do,” Song Zhaodi said. “August 15th.”
Zhong Jianguo scoffed. “Your birthday is August 15th. Of course, you remember now.”
“You were talking about the Anti-Japanese War, right?” Song Zhaodi asked. “If so, that means I was right. Even if I said I always remembered, you wouldn’t believe me.”
Zhong Jianguo nodded. “Fine, you got that right. Then tell me, what day did Japan sign the surrender?”
Song Zhaodi smiled. “September 2nd.”
Zhong Jianguo regretted asking. If she didn’t know, the real Song Zhaodi would have. She had those memories, this was too easy for her. “Old Jiang was such a big figure and you don’t even know when he died? What did you even do in your past life?”
Song Zhaodi kicked at his leg.
Zhong Jianguo instinctively caught her foot.
Caught off guard,
Thud!
Song Zhaodi fell flat on her back, arms and legs in the air.
Leave a Reply