Fiction: Group 3
My Half-Sister and The Mystic Pearl River
HKMA David Li Kwok Po College, Naidu, Ria - 13, Fiction: Group 3
stared at the test paper the teacher placed on my desk. Once again, I had failed. It was nothing out of
the ordinary, I always failed. Dad would probably shout at me and Mom would just get all teary, as
usual. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal.
“LiYing! You failed, again.” Dad boomed, his face red with rage, as he looked at my test paper. I remained
calm and braced myself for the scolding I was about to get. “Young man, do not look at me with that
indifferent look. Tell me, how many times have you failed?” “More than a hundred times, Dad.” I replied,
looking rather bored. “LiYing, I will not put up with this scornful, snooty and indifferent attitude of yours. I
am sick and tired of telling you to work harder.” I knew how this was going to end, Dad would shout at me
and ask me to go to my room. He was very predictable.
But what my Dad said next was definitely unexpected. “I’m going to send you to Guangzhou Military
School, LiYing, I’ve had enough. You’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning. The chauffeur will be here
at seven in the morning to pick you up.” Military school in Guangzhou? That was too harsh! “Dad, calm
down.” I said, with a nervous laugh. He couldn’t be serious. “This was the last straw. You’re going and
that’s final.” He said, his voice stern and clear, before exiting the room.
I didn’t want to go to military school! I had the perfect life here, we were a rich family, living in a luxurious
three-storey mansion. We had everything anyone could ever ask for, and going to military school would
mean I’d have to abandon all of it. There was no way I was doing that. And I knew exactly how to get
myself out of it.
I decided to run away from home. I didn’t know where I was going exactly, but I’d come back after a few
days. Dad would be worried sick by then and he’d know the consequences of giving me such a harsh
punishment. I would leave that evening.
At around eight that evening, I snuck out the back door with my overnight bag and started walking to my
favourite place, the Pearl River. The Pearl River brought back faint memories from when I was younger.
As I got closer to the river, I saw a girl who was dressed in very dirty clothes. As I approached her, I could
hear faint sobs. She was crying.
“Hey. Why are you crying?” I asked her. “W-w-we don’t h-have enough money to pay the r-rent and
our l-l-landlord might kick us out.” She said, and started crying again. “I wish I was rich.” She said,
between sobs. “It’s my dad’s fault I’m poor.” “Why? What did your dad do?” I asked, genuinely inquisitive.
“My dad was a very rich and successful man when he married Mom. We lived a great life in a beautiful
three-storey mansion, when one day, he and Mom had an argument. My parents never got along very well
but Mom discovered he was cheating on her with another woman, whose name was MeiXing.” She paused
for a second, allowing the information to sink in. A sudden abrupt thought occurred to me, MeiXing was
my mother’s name! That was strange. She continued, “Mom found out and left my dad. She took me with
her as I was their only child. Mom found a job in a farm nearby and we both work and live there now.
What’s more is that Mom recently told me that my dad and MeiXing have a son named LiYing, who’s
living the life I’m supposed to live.” She said, angrily.
I gasped. LiYing, that was me. I couldn’t believe Dad had done something like that. Dad was a good man,
how could he do that? “Um, there might be something I need to tell you.” I told the girl. “What is it?” She
asked. “My name is LiYing and my mother is MeiXing.” I said. The girl opened her mouth in shock.
“You’re my h-h-half-brother.” She said, stuttering. I nodded. However, her shock was soon replaced
with anger. She scowled at me. “I’m supposed to be living the life you’re living. You don’t need to work,
and yet you’re rich. I work long hours in farm and I’m still poor! This is so unfair. I want to be you!” She
screamed, angrily. “Did you hear me? I want to be you!” Her words echoed in the background. What was
going on? Suddenly, I saw a slithering black creature emerging out of the river. “If you want to be him,
then him you shall be.” It hissed, followed by a sinister laugh. My vision turned white, I couldn’t see
anything. I screamed for help, but no one was about. Then I felt a falling sensation. My mind went blank...
I woke up on a hard bed of straw. Where was I? “Good morning MaiChen.” A lady greeted me.
“MaiChen? I’m LiYing.” I said, puzzled. “Ha-ha, you wish. If you’re LiYing then I must be MeiXing.”
She laughed, “Anyway hurry up! Work starts at four, you only have thirty minutes!” What work? I had
never worked a day in my life… A sudden thought occurred to me, did my half-sister, MaiChen, actually
I
