Fiction: Group 4
A gigantic palm flashed on his left cheek – the pain was unbearable. Lou had not made up his mind.
The second snap was delivered. Hatred gradually took shape in Lou’s heart towards the Guard.
‘This is your last chance to speak up,’ threatened the Guard.
Thousands of thoughts ran across Lou’s mind, yet he was determined not to betray his brother. Wen showed
no response; he was nearly unconscious. In fact, Lou’s hesitation meant a longer duration of Wen’s torture.
Finally, Lou confessed to being Wen’s accomplice.
The crowd was now enthralled and went wild. Slogans stormed in the air as Lou was put to torture.
‘Bang!’ Wen passed out and fell.
It was Lou’s turn.
Chapter 8
Wen confessed his ‘crimes’ which he had never heard of. Everything he possessed in the Mainland was
confiscated, including the factory. The Hong Kong border was closed during the Cultural Revolution, so
Wen was forced to stay in the Mainland. According to the newspapers, hundreds of workers protested
outside his factory in Hong Kong, each holding the Little Red Book. The managers were surrounded and
made to halt the operation of the factory. The loss was beyond estimation. Within a fraction of a second,
Wen’s business failed through. But this was no longer important to Wen anymore; rather, it was his own life
and his beloved brother’s.
For some reason, Lou had to be ‘re-educated’ through labour after the corporal punishment had ended. In
fact, it was not until the end of the Cultural Revolution that Lou was released. He never saw Wen.
Chapter 9
The reform and opening-up policy was officially adopted by Deng in 1978. After the decade of calamity,
the economy would soon be on its way to revive. People painted the town red as factories re-opened and
universities continued.
This was also the time when Wen and Lou paid their final visit to Mother. They were in the hospital. It was
a reunion after the brothers had abandoned her. They told her everything about how all those years came
and went.
Mother clutched to her son’s hands and whispered, ‘Life is full of hardships, and I know I was wrong at that
time. I could not forbid you from taking your own risks and living your own life. I was truly selfish. This is
what life means to us. I struggled to survive in the war and you two suffered in the political movements.
This is life. Treasure it.’
Her eyes closed.
Chapter 10
In the 1980s Wen emigrated to the United states, after the trauma of the Cultural Revolution. He lived on
a shoestring budget in Chicago.
In the blink of an eye, nine and a half years had passed. As the next reunion was round the corner, Wen
went to the travel agency.
When he returned home, he received a trunk call.
