Yu Hua - Brothers

Tao Qing was therefore promoted to bureau director, and although he had not been to the Good Works Factory for the preceding several years, on that particular day he happened to wander up to the factory. Tao Qing had long known that the two crippled directors were ineffective to the point of being merely figureheads and that Baldy Li had become the de facto director. Tao Qing also knew that within half a year of Baldy Li's arrival, he had taken the two cripples, three idiots, four blind men, and five deaf men to the photography studio to pose for a group portrait, and then had taken this family photo on a long bus ride to Shanghai. Before getting on the bus, Baldy Li bought ten plain steamed buns at Mama Sus snack shop. He rushed around Shanghai for two days, visiting seven stores and eight companies and showing everyone his Good Works Factory group portrait. He would introduce each of the people in the photo to the corporate directors he met, explaining which were the cripples, the idiots, the blind and deaf men. Then he would point himself out in the photo, saying, "That only leaves this one, who is neither blind, deaf, crippled, nor an idiot."

Everywhere he went, Baldy Li tried to solicit people s sympathy. By the time he finished all ten of his steamed buns, he had received a long-term contract from a large company to put the finishing touches on paper boxes, and thus began the Good Works Factory's glorious path to brilliance.

When Tao Qing entered the factory that day, the crippled deputy factory director was just emerging from the restroom. Tao Qing asked him where the factory director was, and the deputy director replied that he was working in the workshop. Tao asked him to call the director over, and then he walked into the director's office. Tao Qing noted the group portrait hanging on the wall and remembered that the last time he came to this office there had been two desks, where the crippled directors had been playing chess, retracting illegal moves and happily cursing each other. Now there was just one desk. Tao Qing felt that something was a little fishy — perhaps the crippled factory director had kicked the crippled deputy director out of the office? As Tao Qing was sitting down in the chair behind the desk, Baldy Li ran in, shouting, "Bureau Director Tao has arrived, Bureau Director Tao has arrived!"

Tao Qing saw that Baldy Li was very happy and cheerfully said, "You're not doing bad at all. Not bad at all."

Baldy Li shook his head modestly. "I've only just begun and still need to work harder."

Tao Qing nodded approvingly and asked Baldy Li whether he was satisfied with his job. Baldy Li nodded repeatedly, saying that he was indeed. Tao Qing chatted with Baldy Li for a while, then glanced out the door and wondered why the crippled director hadn't arrived yet. The workshop was right next door, and although it was true that the crippled director walked slowly he should still have arrived by now. Tao Qing asked Baldy Li, "Why hasn't your factory director arrived yet?"

Baldy Li was momentarily speechless, but he recovered in an instant, pointing to himself and saying, "I'm here. I'm the director."

"You're the director?" Now it was Tao Qing's turn to be taken aback. "Why was I not informed?"

Baldy Li laughed. "You are so busy, I was reluctant to take up your time, so I simply neglected to tell you."

Tao Qing's face fell. He asked, "What happened to the original two directors?"

Baldy Li shook his head. "They are not directors anymore."

Tao Qing understood now why there was just one desk in the office. He asked Baldy Li, "Is this your desk?"

Baldy Li nodded. "Yes."

Tao Qing declared sternly, "The appointment and removal of the factory director should be approved by committee, discussed first with the head of the Civil Affairs Bureau, and then approved by the county government."

Baldy Li nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's right, you can officially remove the former factory director, and then officially hire me for the same position."

Tao Qing became serious. "I don't have that authority."

"Director Tao, you are too modest." Baldy Li laughed as he pointed to Tao Qing. "When it comes to who serves as the director of the Good Works Factory, doesn't your word go?"

Tao Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry and replied, "You simply don't follow the rules, do you?"

What came next rendered Tao Qing even more at a loss for words. Baldy Li, who seemed to have already appointed himself factory director, escorted Tao Qing on a tour of the workshop in charge of gluing cardboard boxes, where fourteen handicapped workers all greeted him by calling out, "Director Li!" Even the original two crippled factory directors respectfully called out, "Director Li." Factory Director Baldy Li stood next to Bureau Director Tao Qing and applauded vigorously, as did the fourteen handicapped workers. Baldy Li felt that the applause was not loud enough and therefore shouted to his loyal minions, "Director Tao has come to see us! Make your applause as loud as fireworks!"

His loyal minions applauded so vigorously that their entire bodies swung into motion. Baldy Li still felt that it was not enough, and gestured frantically, saying, "Shout, ‘Welcome, Bureau Director Tao!'"

The two cripples and the four blind men all shouted at the top of their lungs, "Welcome, Bureau Director Tao!"

The five deaf workers opened their mouths and laughed, not knowing what the two cripples and four blind workers were shouting. Baldy Li rushed over and signaled for the deaf workers to watch his lips. His mouth opened and closed like a fish spurting out water, and finally he was able to teach the five deaf workers the correct formations. Of the five, three were also mute, and therefore only two of them were able to vocalize at all. The sound of the "Welcome, Bureau Director Tao" was now deafening, which pleased Baldy Li immensely, and he gave everyone a thumbs-up sign. Then Baldy Li discovered a new problem, which was that the three idiots couldn't pronounce the words "Bureau Director Tao" and instead were calling out, "Welcome, Factory Director Li." This embarrassed Baldy Li, and he immediately rushed over to the three idiots and taught them to shout "Welcome, Bureau Director Tao" as if he were teaching them to sing a song. Baldy Li's two arms danced up and down, his voice grew hoarse from shouting, but the three idiots still called out, "Welcome, Factory Director Li." Tao Qing couldn't help laughing, and Baldy Li said with embarrassment, "Director Tao, give me a little time. The next time you come, I guarantee that they'll all call out ‘Director Tao.'"

"No need." Tao Qing shook his head. "They are shouting ‘Director Li’ very capably."

When Tao Qing walked out of the workshop, he turned around, looked at the two crippled factory directors, and said to Baldy Li, "I originally thought that the two factory directors were mere figureheads, but now I realize that they can't even be considered ornaments."

Two months later, Baldy Li received his official appointment as the director of the Good Works Factory. Baldy Li was summoned to Tao Qing's office, where Tao read the county-approved promotion letter out loud. Baldy Li blushed with excitement and told Tao Qing that the three idiots at the Good Works Factory could now shout "Bureau Director Tao" quite fluently. Tao Qing laughed and confessed that there was considerable resistance to officially appointing Baldy Li as factory director, due to his spotty past. Tao Qing chuckled, but then confided quite seriously that everyone saw Baldy Li as his surrogate, and therefore he hoped Baldy Li would take better care of his public image and in particular curb his hoodlum behavior. Finally, he gave Baldy Li his profit target, sticking out two fingers and saying, "This year you must bring in two hundred thousand yuan in profit."