Fiction: Group 4
Mother shook her head as she continued to read the newspaper while Father stood up and faced the view
outside the window.
“There’s no hope to that boy anymore,” he closed the blinds.
“Well, you’d better tell him afterwards, then. We’re moving the factory to Guangdong in July and setting
up the company there instead.”
My sister stood and stared in confusion,” But why, Father? What’s wrong with Hong Kong?”
“The economy’s not turning out well, you see. We’re moving for the sake of the whole company’s future,
but a little girl like you would never understand this anyway. Everything will be arranged according to plan.
We’ll also be staying there for a while during the summer when I inspect the company.”
She pouted and sulked.
“But I don’t wanna leave!” It’s already June!”
“There’s not up to you to decide, you know?”
Mother remained indifferent as Siu-Yuet started to snivel about leaving her friends and ran out of the door
with a bang. I followed suit and walked through the door.
That’s strange. I don’t remember this room in the factory. This must be our uncle’s house when we went to
stay for the summer.
Siu-Yuet was sitting quietly behind her desk now, and it appears that she had grown up a little. Her face
had angled out, and her previously short black hair was now tied into a ponytail. She looked about fifteen,
and she dangled her legs to the beat of the music from her new Walkman. I peered curiously at what she
was writing from behind her shoulder.
It was some exercises for simplified Chinese words, and she closed the book with a sigh. Then, she reached
towards an old phone in the end of the table and dialled the circular pad. A while later, she began to speak.
“Mei-Ling! It’s a while since we talked, how are you lately?”
“…”
My sister was four years older than Mei-Ling, but they still got along like sisters.
“Oh? Really? You got a boyfriend?”
“That’s hilarious, ahahah!”
“I know, I really miss the old traditional Chinese, the simplified ones are such a pain! but Mother says I’ll
have to learn it if I want to deal with those mainlanders.”
I stood in silence as she continued to gossip on the phone with the other girl, who so happened to be my
wife ten years later. Mei-Ling also moved to America to study business in uni, and that was when we got
closer and finally ended up to where we are now. Who would’ve thought a childhood friend of my sister
would finally become a part of our family?
