Fiction: Group 3
Wason shook the elderly’s hand and as he walked away, Dayu thought he caught Wason twitching
a smile.
In the daytime, Dayu and Xiaoyu boarded the carriage and set off for Hong Kong where Dayu
knew a great expert in identification of animal fur. Life was extremely slow for Dayu. However, as flu
invaded him, he grew more and more fond of Xiaoyu – his final treasure as he journeyed towards the end of
his life.
***
The heavens opened and rain poured down. Dayu was traveling by the banks of Pearl River Delta
when one of its rusty wheels loosened and rolled off the slope leaving a tumbling carriage. Dayu shielded
Xiaoyu as they were thrown out of the carriage window. Xiaoyu gazed on as the carriage submerged in the
water and their belongings disappeared into the river.
“What now?” asked Xiaoyu turned his back to the river. To Xiaoyu’s horror, he found Dayu in a
pool of crimson liquid, cradling his leg which was rapidly spilling blood.
“Noooo.... I just lost my parents! I can’t lose you too!” Xiaoyu begged and fell to his knees in
despair.
Dayu closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to the time when he was a fur expert’s apprentice,
teased by senior apprentices and studying by the candlelight late into the night. Twenty years later, he
became a wealthy factory owner. Dayu recalled erecting a monument for a man from his childhood who
had saved his life. Here, he would leave this world beside a… Hold on! Animal fur? Orphanage? That’s …
himself, Xiaoyu is Dayu’s past self! As the truth dawned on him, he felt coldness freezing his chest. Time
was running out. Dayu opened his eyes for the final time, motioning for Xiaoyu to come closer.
“Come to me… time has arrived… for us to part....” Dayu made immense effort to pronounce
each syllable.
“Dayu means big fish, so my last wish is to tie a stone to my remains and being pushed into the
Pearl River. My body should not be devoured by mankind, but to nurture great nature, where I belong...”
With those last words, Dayu’s body grew limp. Kneeling beside him, Xiaoyu cried like a helpless infant.
***
A century later, a weather-beaten monument stood on the shore of Pearl River Delta, which was
now a waterfront. The words carved on the once smooth face read:
Dayu Deng
?-1918
died of flu and leg injury
Nothing is fair or unfair in this world.
No one will do you good, but you have to do others good.
***
