Yu Hua - Brothers

With reporters Baldy Li was extravagantly generous, inviting them to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves and sending them on their way with large piles of gifts. By contrast, he would never spend a cent on people who came to discuss business with him. He would meet with them at his company headquarters's café, and upon concluding their business, he would insist on splitting the bill, saying, "In accordance with international business protocol, each pays his own bill."

Baldy Li's café was the most outrageous rip-off in all of China. Even at the cafés in Beijing's and Shanghai's five-star hotels, where they served coffee made from freshly ground imported coffee beans, a cup of coffee would cost you only forty yuan. At Baldy Li's, you would be charged one hundred yuan for a cup of instant Nescafé. The swindlers would quietly fret that not only did they not manage to swipe a cent from Baldy Li's coffers; they were being extorted themselves.

Liu Town's hotel, restaurant, and retail industries began to take off. Crowds of visitors blew through like blizzards, and they would stay in Liu Town's inns, dine in its restaurants, and shop in its stores. Coming from all over the country, they spoke many different dialects, but when they arrived in Liu, they communicated with one another in standard Mandarin. The townspeople, who were used to conversing only in the local dialect, now found themselves rolling their tongues all day speaking Mandarin. If they weren't paying attention, they might continue rolling their tongues upon returning home or when eating dinner— even after going to bed, couples often found themselves rolling their tongues and lapsing into Mandarin.

The people of Liu saw Baldy Li every day — when they opened their newspapers, they would see him smiling at them; when they listened to the radio, they would hear his chuckle; and when they watched television, they would see his smiling face. Not only did Baldy Li become famous, but he brought fame to the entire town. It might have had an illustrious history going back more than a thousand years, but now people hardly remembered to call Liu Town by its name. Everyone had fallen into the habit of mentioning Baldy Li every time they opened their mouths, and as a result they naturally began referring to Liu Town as Baldy Li's Town. When visitors happened to drive through, they would roll down their windows and ask, "Is this Baldy Li's Town?"

WHILE BALDY LI was at the peak of his good fortunes like a sun at high noon, Song Gang was still wandering around town wearing his face mask and looking for part-time work. Lin Hong continued to be called into chain-smoking Factory Directory Liu's office, and now Liu didn't stop with verbal harassment but instead began to harass her physically as well. He would position his chair next to hers and caress her hand with feigned affection. She wanted more than anything to stand up and slap him, but remembering that Song Gang was unemployed, she restrained herself and settled for merely brushing his hand off. Director Liu was someone who, if you gave him an inch, would take a mile. Therefore he started kissing her face with his black-toothed mouth, nauseating Lin Hong. She pushed him away, got up, and walked toward the door. Just as she was about to open it and walk out, he came up behind her and, with one hand grabbing her breasts and the other stuck down her pants, pulled her back toward the couch. Lin Hong desperately clutched the door handle with both hands, knowing that her only hope was to open the door. At that point someone happened to walk in, and Director Liu immediately released her. Lin Hong sprinted out the door, hearing Liu cursing behind her. She then straightened her clothes and her hair and hurriedly walked away. It was not yet time to get off work, but she nevertheless rode her bike out the main gate and, tears streaming down her face, rode home through the streets of Liu.

Song Gang had just returned and sat down on the couch. He hadn't yet taken off his face mask when he saw Lin Hong walk in crying. Song Gang, not knowing what had happened, anxiously stood up. When Lin Hong saw him, she starting crying even harder, and Song Gang urgently asked what had happened. She opened her mouth, but upon seeing Song Gang standing there pathetically with his face mask, she decided not to tell him how Director Liu had tried to take advantage of her, remembering that Song Gang was already suffering an unbearable burden. The reason she had endured Director Liu's advances for so long was precisely because Song Gang had lost his job, and she kept telling herself that if he were to get a good job, she wouldn't need to continue subjecting herself to this abuse. Therefore, she told him, "You need to go see Baldy Li."

When she saw Song Gang hesitate and then obstinately shake his head, she couldn't help crying out, tears streaming down her face, "When Baldy Li made his fortune, he thought of you, his brother, and came expressly looking for you. But you turned him down."

"You were also here with me," Song Gang muttered.

"Did we discuss it?" Lin Hong shouted back. "Such an important thing, but you didn't discuss it with me first and instead simply turned him down."

Song Gang bowed his head. When Lin Hong saw this, she shook her head angrily, saying, "That's all you can do, bow your damned head."

She kept shaking her head, unable to understand how Song Gang could be so stubborn. There are some people who don't start crying until they see the coffin, but Song Gang seemed to be the sort who wouldn't cry even after the coffin was laid out in front of him. Lin Hong therefore decided to go see Baldy Li herself. She told Song Gang about her plan, saying that even aside from their history of depending on each other for survival, the mere fact that they grew up together made it incumbent on Baldy Li to give Song Gang a job. Wiping away her tears, Lin Hong told Song Gang, "I'll just tell him you are ill and ask him if he would be willing to give you a job."

As she was saying this Lin Hong opened her dresser, wanting to find something pretty to wear to see Baldy Li. She laid her clothes out on their bed and spent about an hour trying to choose something, weeping the entire time. She noticed that all of her presentable outfits had been purchased many years earlier and had long since gone out of style. Still weeping, she put on an outfit that, though out of fashion, was nevertheless still presentable. Having gained weight since she bought it, she found that it was now as tight as a bandage wrapped around her body.

Song Gang watched her sadly, feeling that he had truly let her down. He got up from the sofa and said firmly, "I'll go."

Song Gang went outside and headed toward Baldy Li's company. The poorest person in Liu Town was going off to meet the richest one. They had formerly been brothers and were still brothers now. When Song Gang walked into Baldy Li's company, he stood in the lobby and stared for a while until he finally spotted Baldy Li in the café, holding forth with a group of reporters. He walked over and said quietly, "Baldy Li."

It had been many years since anyone had addressed Baldy Li thus— these days everyone addressed him as Boss Li. Suddenly hearing someone using his old nickname, Baldy Li wondered who this could be. He turned and saw Song Gang standing there in his face mask, his eyes smiling behind his glasses. Baldy Li stood up and told the reporters, "I must excuse myself for a second."

He pulled Song Gang into the elevator and then into his office. After closing the door, the first thing he said was "Take off your mask."

From behind the mask, Song Gang replied, "I have a lung infection."

"Fuck your lung infection." Baldy Li ripped off Song Gangs mask and said, "This kind of thing is not necessary between brothers."