Fiction: Group 4
Somehow Lou got along well with a young postman who bustled about the small town. At one occasion,
the postman invited him to his cottage to meet his younger sister. Lou and she talked like old friends the
first time they met. For every day off, Lou would meet her and their relationship was closer than ever.
Chapter 3
For Lou, the years of calm and peace had gone. Overwhelming political campaigns came by like huge
waves. Tens of red banners emerged here and there, and hundreds of crowds gathered and chanted the
words of the Chairman.
Lou had just been married to the young postmen’s sister, but the on-going demonstrations disrupted his life.
Government officials had been marching in and out of the town, arresting bunches of illegal businessmen,
creating chaos after chaos. And this time, Chairman Mao launched something new. He openly appealed
people to express their views on the government freely. Lou’s wife had an uncle who was a prominent
scholar in the province and had once openly criticised many government policies.
Meanwhile, Wen was reserving a seat for the train to Guangzhou. This was part of the vow. Somehow he
felt embarrassed for still not having a family of his own. He could imagine Lou and his new wife joking
about him. After all, he was elated upon meeting his brother again after half a decade. He could not wait for
the moment of reunion. He anticipated meeting Lou’s new wife.
Chapter 4
Out of anyone’s expectation, Mao ordered an arrest of all those who had criticised the government,
including Lou’s uncle-in-law. All his close relatives were under strict scrutiny by the government, and Lou
was forced to separate with her wife for the time being. There was nothing more than fear – no one dared
to voice opinions anymore. Fear had terrorised the town. Operation of the textile enterprise came to a
standstill. Lou stayed in his apartment and remained in solitude for most of the time. In fact, the separation
was too long that Lou’s colleagues gradually believed that he had divorced.
Wen knew nothing about this. He appeared at the factory Lou was working in. He introduced himself to
the staff and explained why he had come. Yet, to Wen’s immense disbelief and fury, he was told that Lou
got divorced. He stamped. He sighed. He shouted. Suddenly, what he had been dreaming of during the
journey shattered and vanished into thin air.
The crying and yelling soon grew unbearable. More and more people approached to see what happened,
and Lou was among them. Surprised by his brother’s emotions, he came close to Wen. Yet, Wen shoved
him aside, and scolded him.
‘You could have a family and be worthy of our ancestors! Why do you give up the marriage?’
Lou was eager to explain, but he could not reveal the truth as it may cause him danger. He simply nodded,
and muttered, and apologised. But Wen words never finished. He reprimanded his wrongdoings which
seriously affected the family’s reputation. He would not let Lou have a second to speak up. Lou looked
down and was beaten. Finally, Wen left without a proper farewell, but grief and dismay.
As days passed, pain and sorrow slowly wore off in Lou’s heart. He could have never imagined such a
misunderstanding. Putting himself into Wen’s shoes, he could comprehend why Wen was so outraged. Wen
simply cared so much about continuing the family tree. It seemed too immature for him to get ‘divorced’
shortly after the marriage. Given such a chance to marry, he should have treasured it and had the next
generation of Wang. Nonetheless, it would be disastrous if he exposed the truth in front of all the staff. Both
choices had their own consequences, and Lou had to choose. He chose to sacrifice the sweet reunification
for his safety, and for his brother’s good. Otherwise, Wen would be worried about him all the time, causing
him another burden.
Lou gazed outside the window. The sight of two birds perching over the same leaf drew his attention.
