Fiction: Group 4
The New Tales of the Pearl River Delta
St. Joseph's College, Chow, Justin - 16, Fiction: Group 4
ife is a destiny, something the Chinese people regard as unchangeable. This is a story about two
brothers who meet each other four times after they have separated. Yet, these opportunities never
come at the right time.
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Chapter 1
Beams of brilliant sunshine dazzled, as new-born birds flapped their wings and departed their parents. Wen,
Lou and their mother left the cemetery. And their father, who sacrificed for the country, would rest in
peace. The family pillar had passed away.
The series of warlord confrontations, invasions and civil war seemed ever-lasting.
For the sake of the two sons, Mother somehow thought of marrying again to the Chao’s, the best-off family
in Foshan, so that she could get a share of the wealth. She once vowed to do anything in the benefit of her
sons, even if it meant she would become a concubine. As a widow, she forbade her teenage sons to make
money themselves as the risks would be unforeseeable. She had always wanted the easier way out.
Nevertheless, her sons did not listen to her. However unyielding she convinced them, they were never
moved.
Wen, to his insuppressible rage, screamed at Mother, ‘Do you know how much harm this will do to our
family’s reputation? It will cause a great shame on me and Lou! I know, you just want things to be within
your expectation. How selfish you have become!’ Lou nodded.
Mother, defeated and shoulders sloped, sighed, ‘What I do is just for your own good. But now, off you go
then. There is nothing more to be said.’ Just as the brothers strode away, tears ran down her cheeks,
dripping onto the photo of Lou which she was grabbing. ‘No, no, just tell me nothing has happened today.
Please wipe today off my memory, please…,’ she mumbled.
Chapter 2
Half a year passed. Victory had eventually come to the hands of the Communist Party of China. Wen and
Lou had separated. On the very day they bade farewell in Shenzhen, which was then a barren land, they
made a vow:
1.
Each would pursue their own way of living;
2.
They would meet as long as either one founded his own family, which would be a fulfillment of
their ancestors’ expectation.
Wen had always been skeptical of the Party, as communism may mean that what he earned could be
confiscated at any time. As a result, he came to Hong Kong and started his tea ware business. There he made
his first bucket of gold. For days and nights, he squatted at a corner on Hollywood Road and polished
porcelain tea pots and tea cups under the rusted roof top. People soon came swarming to his tiny stall for the
inexpensive pieces of delicate artworks. Business flourished like spring flowers.
Soon, he made up his mind to expand it. He hired several workers and purchased a unit in an industrial
building as production base and warehouse. Also, the stall was replaced by a shop, where more of his artifacts
could be displayed.
Lou, however, did not hold the same view as Wen. Some 2500 km apart from his elder brother, Lou
worked in a state-owned enterprise in Guangzhou responsible for textile goods. Under the strictly planned
economy, he worked diligently together with his colleagues and earned a monthly salary of 36 yuan. He
could meet his basic needs, and he would ask for no more.
L
