Ha Jin - Under the Red Flag

“What’s your name?” Ning asked the little boy.

“Tell Aunt your name,” his mother said. She was a small, delicate woman working as a singer in an opera troupe in Dalian City.

“Lei,” the boy mumbled.

“That’s a good name. Would you like to have this, Lei?” Ning asked, leaning forward and showing him a toy duck with four wheels and a rope.

“Yeah,” he said as he took the toy and put it on the floor. The wooden duck began quacking and flapping its wings while Lei drew it about the room.

He pulled too hard and overturned the duck, whose four wheels were speeding in the air. Immediately Ning squatted down and put the duck back on its feet. “Here you go, Lei,” she said and touched his ruddy cheek. The duck resumed quacking.

While talking with the boy’s father, a tall officer, Jia turned to watch the boy and the duck again and again. He was glad to see the little fellow so at ease. “He’s a husky boy,” he said to the young man, who had one stripe and four stars on his collar insignia. “You’re lucky to have him.”

“Sometimes he can be naughty. Don’t spoil him,” the officer said with a smile, then motioned to his son. “Come here, Little Lei, and meet your uncle.”

The boy dragged the duck over and stopped in front of the men. “Call him Uncle Jia,” his father told him.

“Ungle,” he mumbled, then turned away with the duck quacking.

Jia was very pleased and took a melon out of the sack, which he had just put on a chair and was about to take with him for the ten o’clock train. He called the boy back. “Little Lei, would you like to have this?”

The boy’s dark eyes stared at the melon and then at Jia. It seemed that he had never seen such a thing and was wondering whether it was something to play with or to eat.

“Don’t give him that now,” Ning said. “I’ve made some egg curd for him. Put it aside. He’ll have it after the meal.”

Jia put the melon on the table. Out of hospitality, he took another two from the sack for Lei’s parents. “Try a melon please. They’re very sweet,” he said to them. His smile revealed a gold tooth. He was so excited that his long, leathery face turned a little pink, and he couldn’t close his mouth to keep from smiling. His wife thought he looked silly.

The couple thanked him. Ning put two of the melons in a basin and washed them. Jia couldn’t remain for long, since he had to catch the train. He excused himself, saying he had work to do, took up the partly empty sack, and left for the station.

“Lei, do you want to stay here or come with me?” Lei’s mother asked, testing the boy. Her large eyes were winking at the young captain.

Lei looked at her, then muttered, “Stay.”

“Good,” his father said and laughed, “you’re a brave boy. Mom and I will come to see you soon.”

“Always listen to Aunt and Uncle, all right?” his mother said.

“Uh-huh.” Lei nodded.

“He’s like a big boy,” Ning praised.

“We were afraid he wouldn’t stay,” the woman said to Ning. “I’m so glad he likes to be here.” Her permed hair tilted a little toward the boy.

After they had tried the melons, Lei’s parents left. Ning began to feed Lei egg curd and rice porridge. He had a good appetite, and his small mouth twitched with relish while he was chewing. Ning noticed he had eight teeth.

Gold County was thirty kilometers away from Dismount Fort, and four passenger trains went there every day. Jia returned before dinner, but he looked unhappy and kept himself in his dark room, sucking on a thick pipe. Through the opening between the window curtains, he saw Lei chasing chicks in the backyard. Meanwhile his wife was cooking dinner, the cornstalks sputtering under the cauldron.

Women are all greedy, he thought of his meeting with his mistress. Her face was long. “Three melons! Shame on you.” No use to explain. She wouldn’t try to understand. I bought eight originally, she didn’t believe it. “You’re so tight. I’ve never met a man like you.” How many men has she met then? A hundred? For things to eat and wear, and for money? I didn’t go whoring and didn’t plan to pay. It was good that I had no money in my wallet today, or I’d have to give her some, to calm her down with a large bill. Never seen her so mad. Greedy, so greedy. Women’re all the same. Waiting for me to bring her good stuff. At last she showed her true nature. Is she tired of me? Wants to get rid of me? Old, I’m old. So hard to please a woman.

Remember to bring her more stuff next week to make up for the three melons. What should I buy? A box of vanishing cream? No, I gave her one last month. A pair of nylon socks? What color does she like? No idea. How about some walnut cookies? Don’t know. I’m tired. So ridiculous, like playing house with a small girl. You can’t reason with a woman. She’s well over forty and has married four times—

The door curtain opened. “Come out and eat,” his wife said.

Jia emptied the pipe and went to the dining table. Already Lei was on the brick bed, trying to touch the white buns steaming on the low table in front of him. Ning moved to feed him rice and stewed sole. She gave him a cork, with which he was playing while eating.

The boy saw the roasted peanuts prepared for Jia’s drink. He pointed his hooked finger at the peanuts and whined, “Waunt.”

“Want this?” Jia asked, raising the whole dish.

“Don’t give him that,” his wife said. “Too young to chew.”

“Waunt,” Lei whined again.

“All right, take this spoon first.” Ning put the rice into his mouth, picked up two peanuts, and started chewing.

In a few seconds she spat out a lump of peanut butter and placed it on the boy’s pointed, waiting tongue. He swallowed the peanut butter and raised his eyes to look at Ning, then pointed at the peanuts and again whined, “Waunt.” He gave a smile to Jia, who was drinking white spirits.

“Isn’t Uncle’s home good?” Jia asked.

“Goooood.” Lei smiled, nodding his round head.

Ning chewed peanuts for him continuously while feeding him. Jia was pleased to watch his wife working with Lei. He took a sip of the liquor and said to Ning, “1 like this boy a lot. He’s so at home.” He turned to Lei and said, “With a thick face, you can eat well everywhere in the world. Little Lei, do you have a thick face?”

“Yeah,” the boy said out loud, pushing the spoon a little with his cheek.

“Don’t talk with him,” Ning complained. “Don’t you see I’m busy feeding him?”

Lei’s small eyes rested on the porcelain liquor pot. As Ning turned to refill the bowl, Lei raised his finger at the pot and whined again, “Waunt.”

“Hey, he wants a drink,” Jia cried.

“Don’t give it to him. Too young for that stuff.”

The boy understood her words, and his face began to change, his mouth spreading sideways as if he were about to burst into tears.

“All right, all right, Uncle let you try. She’s bad,” Jia coaxed and moved over with his cup. He dipped a chopstick into the liquor and then put a drop on the boy’s tongue.

“Good?” Jia asked.

“Yeah.” The boy smacked his lips and held out his tongue again.

“My, my, what a drinker. One more?” He gave Lei another drop.

“Don’t give him too much. He’ll get drunk.”

Jia turned to move away, but the boy broke into a cry, kicking and screaming. Several flesh rings appeared on his short plump legs, and tears trickled down his chubby cheeks. Jia turned back and gave him a few drops more.

After supper Lei ran wild. His face was like a red apple, shining with happiness. He laughed loudly and played hide-and-seek with pillows on the large bed. Both Jia and his wife worried, fearing that the boy was too excited and might fall ill. They tried to make him go to bed, but he wanted to play more and even managed to get on Jia’s neck for a horse ride. Not until ten o’clock did he agree to lie down between Ning and Jia. Lei slept so well that he wet the bed and didn’t make any noise while Ning was carrying him to the chamber pot.