Yu Hua - Brothers

Li Lan led Baldy Li down the dirt road. She didn't look back. Her steps were as heavy as two mops dragging across the floor. Even at this moment Baldy Li still didn't realize that he was about to be parted from Song Gang. As Li Lan led him down the road he turned to look back at Song Gang, wondering why he wasn't coming with them. Song Gang's grandfather held Song Gang's hand as Song Gang stood in front of his father's grave, watching in confusion as Baldy Li and Li Lan slowly walked away. He also didn't understand why he had been left behind. As Li Lan and Baldy Li walked farther away he saw that Grandpa was waving farewell to them. Hesitantly he also lifted his hand and waved. Baldy Li kept turning back to look at Song Gang, and when he saw that Song Gang was waving at him, he also started waving.

FROM THAT POINT, Baldy Li was on his own. In those days Li Lan left early and returned late. The silk factory where she used to work had stopped production in order to carry out revolutionary activities, but since Song Fanping had left her with a landlady designation, every day she had to go to the factory to receive criticism. Without Song Gang, Baldy Li no longer had a pal. All day, every day, he wandered the streets, as adrift and aimless as a leaf floating down the river and as pitiful as a scrap of paper blowing in the wind. He didn't know what to do, knowing only to walk about, sit when he was tired, drink from a faucet when he was thirsty, and go home to eat leftovers when he was hungry.

Baldy Li didn't know what was happening in the world as more and more people were forced to parade through the streets wearing dunce caps and wooden placards in the name of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Mama Su from the snack shop had also been dragged out to be struggled against. They accused her of being a prostitute, on the ground that she had a daughter and no husband. One day Baldy Li glimpsed a red-haired woman standing on a bench on the street. He had never seen someone with red hair, so his curiosity led him over. When he got closer, he saw that her hair was actually stained red with blood. She stood, head lowered, on the bench, a placard hanging around her neck. The woman's daughter — a girl named Missy Su, who was only a few years older than Baldy Li — stood by her mother's side. Only when Baldy Li had walked directly under Mama Su and looked up at her lowered face did he recognize her as the owner of the snack shop.

There was another bench next to Mama Sus, and on it stood longhaired Sun Wei's father. Even this man — who had once brawled with Song Fanping and had stood guard in front of the warehouse wearing his red armband — was now wearing a dunce cap and a wooden placard. Sun Wei's grandfather had owned a rice shop in Liu Town before Liberation. The shop had gone bankrupt during the war, but as the Cultural Revolution struggles delved deeper and deeper, Sun Wei's father was now also dug out as capitalist, and the placard hanging around his neck now was even bigger than the one Song Fanping had worn.

Sun Wei was now as alone as Baldy Li. Once his father was labeled a class enemy, his erstwhile buddies, Victory Zhao and Success Liu, immediately distanced themselves from him. Whenever they ran into Baldy Li, they would leer at him. Baldy Li knew that they wanted to practice their sweep-kicks on him, so he would dash away, or if he couldn't, he would plop himself on the ground, saying, "I'm already down."

Victory Zhao and Success Liu couldn't do much with that, so they gave him a kick, cursing, "That fucking kid…"

They used to call him just "kid," but now they called him "fucking kid." Baldy Li often caught sight of Sun Wei. He frequently wandered the streets by himself, his head cocked, and sometimes he leaned against the bridge railing. No one hailed him, no one patted him on the shoulder, and when Victory Zhao and Success Liu saw him, they would pretend that they didn't recognize him. Only Baldy Li still acted the same as always, and would either run away or plop himself on the ground.

Baldy Li eventually grew tired of running away. Every time he would run until he was out of breath, his lungs burning. He decided that he'd rather just plop himself on the ground, which would not only be more relaxing but would afford him a view of the street. Now whenever he ran into long-haired Sun Wei, he'd sit right down as if he were trying to snatch a good seat. Cocking his head up at Sun Wei, he'd say, "I'm already down. The most you can do is give me a kick."

Sun Wei — who still called Baldy Li "kid" and not "fucking kid" — chuckled and nudged the boy's bottom with his foot. "Hey, kid, why do you plop down whenever you see me?"

Baldy Li answered craftily, "I'm terrified of your sweep-kick."

Long-haired Sun Wei chuckled some more. "Get up, kid, I won't kick you."

Baldy Li shook his head. "I'll get up after you leave."

"Fuck," he said. "I really won't kick you anymore. Get up."

Baldy Li didn't believe him. "I'm quite comfortable sitting right here."

"Fuck," Sun Wei spat out and stalked off. As he walked away he recited a line from Chairman Mao: "I ask, in this boundless land, who is master of his destiny?"

These two lonely fellows would often run into each other on the streets. At first Baldy Li would either keep a safe distance from Sun Wei or he would immediately plant himself on the ground, and each time Sun Wei would chuckle. Baldy Li always guardedly watched Sun Wei's legs to make sure that they wouldn't sneak in a kick. One day at noon Baldy Li finally let down his guard. At this time most people in town were locking up their faucets; in a great thirst, Baldy Li tried faucet after faucet until, on the eighth try, he found one that hadn't been locked up. He turned it on and filled his belly with water and also stuck his head underneath to cool himself off. Just as he finished twisting the faucet shut, someone came from behind him, turned it on again, and drank for a good long time, his mouth sucking on it as if it were a sugarcane. As this person drank he stuck his backside in the air and let out a string of farts, making Baldy Li giggle. When the person finished, he turned to Baldy Li and said, "Hey, kid, what are you laughing at?"

Baldy Li now saw that it was Sun Wei, but he was so busy giggling, momentarily he forgot to sit down. He said to Sun Wei, "Your farts sound like snores."

Sun Wei chuckled as he turned the stream of water down to a trickle. He dabbed some water on his fingers to comb his hair and asked Baldy Li, "Where's that other kid?"

Baldy Li knew he was referring to Song Gang and replied, "He went back to the countryside."

Sun Wei nodded. He turned off the faucet and shook out his long hair, then waved for Baldy Li to follow him. Baldy Li walked a few steps before he suddenly remembered the sweep-kick, whereupon he immediately planted himself on the ground. Sun Wei walked a bit farther before noticing that Baldy Li wasn't following, and when he turned around, he saw that Baldy Li was again seated on the ground. Curious, he asked, "Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

Baldy Li pointed at Sun Wei's legs. "You have sweep-kicking legs."

Sun Wei burst into laughter. "If I had wanted to kick you, I would have already done so."

This struck Baldy Li as logical, but he still didn't fully believe Sun Wei. Cautiously, he suggested, "You just forgot to kick me earlier."

Sun Wei waved his hand, saying, "Nah. Get up, I won't kick you anymore. We're friends now."

The words "We're friends now" thrilled and surprised Baldy Li, and he almost leapt up. Sun Wei indeed didn't sweep-kick him; rather, he placed his hand on Baldy Li's shoulder, and they walked down the street as if they were old pals. With a toss of his long locks, Sun Wei intoned, "I ask, in this boundless land, who is master of his destiny?"