by Yan Lianke
“Chief Kong, you can have whatever you want. And if we don’t have it here, I’ll go somewhere else to buy it for you.”
Mingliang said, “Have you ever considered expanding the restaurant?”
The woman laughed, and replied, “This is already more than enough to feed my own family.”
Mingliang appeared displeased and said, “If it has never occurred to you, then no matter. However, someday you may want to expand this restaurant into a banquet hall, and then make the banquet hall a major hotel for the entire metropolitan area, with rooms, restaurants, a swimming pool, elevators, security guards, and a shopping mall, and even an amusement park and a theater—just like the hotels you see on TV.”
The women stared at him, speechless.
Mingliang was again displeased and asked, “What are you staring at? Don’t you recognize me?”
The woman quickly smiled and nodded, saying, “Brother, how could I not recognize you? My children even address you as Uncle.”
Mingliang then asked, “Did you hear what I just said?”
The woman quickly replied, “I did, I did … you said that someday I should expand the restaurant into a major hotel.”
Pleased, Mingliang was silent, then went to the cabinet and selected ten bottles of alcohol. He returned to the woman and asked, “How many dishes did my brother just order?”
“Twelve,” she replied. “Four cold ones and eight hot ones.”
“Then bring us twenty-four dishes,” Mingliang said. “Let’s have your cook show us what he’s got.”
The restaurant owner was startled but quickly recovered her composure and hurried to the kitchen. By this point it was almost dusk, and the setting sun appeared pale red. When Mingliang turned around, a sheet of red sunlight was streaming in through the door, making his face glitter like an auspicious cloud—like the gold plating on a statue of a deity in the village temple. When the diners looked at him, they all stood up in surprise, unable to believe that this village chief was in fact the same Kong Mingliang that they knew, or that the Kong Mingliang they knew was now this village chief. Even Mingliang’s elder brother, Mingguang, and his fourth brother, Minghui, almost didn’t recognize him, and instead they just stood there speechless.
Only Mingliang’s father, Kong Dongde, continued sitting, looking at his son as though nothing were out of the ordinary. His delighted expression seemed pasted onto his face, the way red couplets are traditionally posted on door frames for New Year’s.
Kong Mingliang carried over the bottles of high-percentage alcohol and slammed them down on the table. He said in a low voice, “Explosion is currently still a village, and in front of the village there is only this one market street. But next year or the year after that, I intend to make Explosion a town. I will also remove the administrative town board from Cypress Town, so that Cypress Town will then fall under our jurisdiction and the new town board will be located here, where we are now eating. Within three or five years, Explosion will be no longer a town but rather a city. Then, the county seat will be relocated here as well, since we will be as developed as the city. Most of our streets, however, lack traffic lights, so the buses and cars will continually run into each other, and the police will be kept busy from morning to night.”
Everyone gazed at Kong Mingliang, eager to find a clue in his expression. But Mingliang, who was of average height and stocky build, maintained a very serious and solemn expression, as strict as a mountain range blocking an underground river. No one could predict what he was going to say next, so they each simply watched him, as he stood there like someone who had stepped out of their dream and was standing in front of their bed. Mingguang, looking as though he wanted to check on something, walked over and grasped his brother Mingliang’s hand, but Mingliang, as though feeling he were the object of suspicion and ridicule, immediately pushed his brother’s hand away. Kong Minghui, meanwhile, stood up with a start and took half a step back. He covered his mouth with his hand, as though afraid he might say something that his brothers could take the wrong way.
Their father, Kong Dongde, suddenly began weeping and, his shoulders shuddering, he exclaimed that he would be willing to spend another decade in prison if it meant he could have a son like Mingliang. Everything then changed, to the point that Kong Mingguang and Kong Minghui had no idea what was happening and simply stood there blankly in front of the window of the restaurant as the red rays of sunlight continued to stream in—making it appear as if they were blushing with embarrassment, like clay statues in the sunlight. There were some youths from the village who also stood in shock, like clay statues that had just been struck by lightning. They stood there expressionless and immobile.
Kong Mingliang, however, remained as lively as before, since he understood what was going on. He looked with disdain at his brothers and glanced mockingly at the other villagers. Then he walked over and patted his father on the shoulder and said,
“Dad, take it easy … you will be able to see everything.”
His father stopped weeping, and Mingliang gazed at those village youths, explaining that they should endeavor to learn some things out in the world, and after the village was transformed into a town, a county seat, and a capital city, they would all become senior figures in the industry and would be appointed section, bureau, and division chiefs. The last thing they wanted was to reach that point and find that they had no skills—that they couldn’t speak, make appointments, approve documents, or even schedule meetings. He concluded, “When the time comes, don’t blame me if I’m not generous and don’t give you responsibility for any big business or important administrative duties!” As he said this, he expected to hear complaints, but instead as he was speaking the restaurant owner brought over some dishes. The stir-fried vegetables were steaming hot and the steam enveloped her face. Mingliang shouted through the steam,
“Twenty-four dishes are not enough. We need at least thirty-six, or even seventy-two. You should prepare at least ten banquet tables’ worth of food… . I intend to invite the head of every household in Explosion to come dine with me; I intend to invite everyone in the entire village to come dine with me… . I want everyone to know that within a few short years, Explosion will become a town, then a county, and finally a wealthy and prosperous metropolis!”
V.
By the time the men of the Kong household finished their meal and headed home, the moon was already high in the sky. The streetlamps and the moon combined to light up the scene as brightly as though it were daytime. The street was filled with the smell of sulfur from newly built tile-roofed houses; there was also a midnight quiet. The father and sons took home the leftover food, and on the road Mingliang asked Mingguang,
“Did you get a receipt?”
Mingguang replied, “Yes, and I even had them add an extra thousand yuan to the total.”
“You could have added more, and I would have signed for the reimbursement.” When they got home, Mingliang and the others saw with surprise that of all the gifts they had given away that afternoon, nearly half had been returned to them in the middle of the night and left piled up next to their front door. The gifts had not been returned directly to the Kongs, and instead they had been deposited anonymously on their doorstep. In the moonlight, the gifts looked like a pile of pumpkins and other vegetables. The father stared at that stack of returned gifts without moving. Mingliang and his brothers also stood looking at the gifts. Under the moonlight, they could hear the light passing through the doorway. Suddenly, the entire family began cursing, “God …” Minghui leaned over to pick up a bag but then put it back down again and said, “In that case, our family can enjoy everything that was returned.” Mingliang stared at him coldly, then kicked the pile of gifts and smelled the rich cookies and pastries. The first thought that came into his mind was, “Do you fucking want to die? How dare you return our gifts?!” Then he remembered that Third Brother, when he was in the army, had been issued a gun, and it occurred to him that if only he could borrow it fo
r a day, everything could be sorted out. When he looked over at his father, Kong Dongde said something that was completely consonant with what he himself was thinking:
“Why don’t you send a telegram to Third Brother, and see if he can bring his gun back for half a day?”
Mingguang and his brother Minghui stared at their father in confusion, but Mingliang saw he had a look of evil excitement that even the dim moonlight couldn’t conceal.
5. KONG MINGYAO
Kong Mingyao returned from the army.
He was now much taller and stronger than before, and was as powerful as a galloping horse. When he entered the village, a yellow travel bag in hand, he walked down the street with an excited expression. He nodded to everyone he saw, and handed out cigarettes and candy. He gave cigarettes to the men and candy to the women—as was customary in Balou for people who had left the village and then returned in glory. The quality of the cigarettes and the candy was taken as evidence of one’s relative success or failure while away. When Mingyao returned, the cigarettes he distributed were the most expensive ones available at the time, and it was said that only national leaders could afford to buy them. These were the cigarettes that Mingyao distributed to the villagers. As for the candy he distributed to the women and children, the villagers didn’t feel this was necessarily the best or sweetest candy available, and in fact they found it rather bitter. However, the writing on the tinfoil wrappings of the round, rectangular, and triangular candy was definitely not in Chinese, and instead was in some foreign script. From this, everyone realized that the chocolate must be a foreign delicacy, and therefore Kong Mingyao’s return became even more legendary. When he walked over from the village street, the spring sun had flowers bloom for him and enveloped him in tints of tender green and fresh red. The scholar tree to the north of the village was covered in flowers in his honor, including red roses and white peonies. The air was filled with a fresh aroma, as the flowers glittered brightly in the sunlight.
It had been several years since Mingyao last returned, and now he was wearing a blue uniform and black leather shoes. As he strode along the main street, he spoke to everyone he knew. After he passed by, some villagers thought how excellent it would be if their daughters could marry him!
Kong Mingyao returned to the Kong family home, to the south of the village square.
With this, all that was left was rumor and speculation, together with the sound of footsteps running to and from the Kong household. By afternoon, however, everyone’s feverish speculations had begun to fade. The villagers saw Mingyao reemerge from his home, followed by countless other members of the Kong clan—including men and women, young and old. None of them retained their earlier look of excitement, and instead they each had a barely concealed expression of murderous rage. The men followed immediately behind Mingyao, while the women and children came after them.
When Kong Mingyao emerged from the Kong home, he was no longer wearing the same blue uniform he had worn when he first returned to the village. Instead, he was wearing the military fatigues he had worn while in the army, together with a red leather munitions belt. In his hand, he was carrying a jet-black pistol—the likes of which the villagers had not seen for decades. The villagers did not know what Mingyao and his family had discussed while he was inside, but when he emerged the air in the village was tense with anticipation. Like his face, the atmosphere was also somewhat cloudy. The two badges on his collar were bloodred and reminded people of a decapitated head. Neither his father nor either of his brothers dared walk behind him. Meanwhile, Minghui was studying in the city and had no idea that Mingyao had returned to the village.
When Mingyao emerged from the house, he proceeded directly to the village square, where he looked at all of the people gathered there and said with a smile, “I hear that the village is going to vote on a new village chief. Democracy is good. Whomever you want to elect, that is your right, which no one can take away from you.” He took out his pistol, looked at it, wiped it with his handkerchief, and casually aimed it toward the sky. Then he said to himself with a smile, “I hear that Liu Gully and Zhang Peak have become so wealthy that they have replaced all of their houses with new ones. Shall we go take a look?”
The people of Explosion all cheered, “Let’s go to Liu Gully! Let’s go to Liu Gully!” The crowd grew larger and larger, forming a black mass that pushed and shoved the young soldier Kong Mingyao, while at the same time opening a path for him, as they left the village and surged toward Liu Gully a couple of li away.
At this point the sun was directly overhead, and the mountains were warm and indolent. By the time the tide of several hundred residents of Explosion had surged to the entrance of Liu Gully, the news of their arrival had already preceded them. Therefore, the people of Liu Gully had closed their windows and locked their doors, as though fearing a bloodbath. But in the end they discovered that the situation was not as they had feared, which is to say that Kong Mingyao had simply returned home from the army to visit his family, and he gave away cigarettes and candy. Then he opened his door, and everyone saw he was wearing his military fatigues and was holding a pistol. By this point he had already walked out of his family’s house, and people surrounded him as he stood in the doorway of a new three-story house. He then aimed his gun into the sky, and with a Hu! he opened fire. After waiting for all of the birds in the trees to fly away, he blew the muzzle, wiped down the gun with his handkerchief, then tucked it under his belt and proclaimed, “Democracy is good. You should vote for whomever you wish!” Then he proceeded from Liu Gully to Zhang Peak.
After Mingyao left, and as the sound of his gunshot reverberated through the air, all of Liu Gully’s green leaves suddenly wilted and the spring flowers died. The villagers were left speechless.
Zhang Peak was actually right next to Liu Gully, with a dirt path connecting them and a river separating them. The Kong family didn’t have any relatives in Zhang Peak, so Kong Mingyao didn’t need to visit their houses to socialize and distribute gifts. Instead, he just said he had a small matter to attend to there, and he also wanted to see how Zhang Peak had changed and how its new buildings were sprouting up like mushrooms. He took a group that quickly grew from one hundred to two hundred, and then again to three hundred, and together they proceeded from Liu Gully to Zhang Peak. When they reached the middle of the village street, as everyone was crowding around, Kong Mingyao stood on a millstone that had been left in the village and looked at those new houses and other buildings. He asked to whom each house belonged, and what the owner had done to be able to build it. He asked in particular about a house with a roof made of glazed tiles, saying it was pretty good and was just like the villas he had seen while he was away. Then, he took out his pistol and aimed it at a gray tile pigeon on the roof of the house, then closed his left eye and placed his index finger on the trigger. There was a Bam! and the tile pigeon was shattered. The tree leaves all fell to the ground and the grass dried up. Then the villagers heard Mingyao shouting in the street, saying, “Democracy is good. You should vote for whomever you wish.” At that point, it began half-raining and half-snowing in Zhang Peak, and everything quickly froze over.
After Mingyao left, Liu Gully and Zhang Peak both suffered a devastating drought and a hard freeze. The trees wilted and the sprouts died, and the villagers were not able to harvest even a few jin of grain. In Explosion, which was separated from them by only a single mountain ridge, however, the weather was fantastic that spring and the villagers had more grain than they could eat.
CHAPTER 5
Political Power (1)
1. THE ELECTION
I.
Democracy mixed with a thunderstorm, leaving Explosion completely soaked.
Zhu Ying returned from the provincial seat the day before the election. By this point the rain had stopped, the sun had come out, and the air was fresh. A sedan brought Zhu Ying to the entrance of the village, where she saw the enormous stele the town mayor had erected in her honor. Then she strolled
into the village.
When Zhu Ying entered the village it was ten in the morning. The muddy road had been washed clean by the rain, and hovering over the street there was a cold mist, which made the stones and bricks along the road look like grayish-white chunks of ice. Because of the election, the peddlers didn’t go into the town or county seat to sell their goods, and neither did the peasants go into the fields. Instead, everyone gathered in the village streets, under the sun, waiting for an unprecedented exercise in democracy to unfold in Explosion.
One of the candidates—the young Zhu Ying—returned from the provincial seat with a bang. Her return this time was completely different from the last. Before, she had returned to help refurbish the new house that her family had just built, but which they felt was already out of date. That time, she had been dressed unlike the other villagers. She had worn lipstick and mascara, and had plucked and penciled in her brows. Her hair had been dyed red, so that the villagers, and even the village sparrows, couldn’t take their eyes off her. She had looked as though she wasn’t from Explosion at all but rather was an enchantress from the city. This time, however, she was returning for the elections and looked like all of the other villagers. Her hair was black again, and she was wearing low-heeled shoes. She had a short wool skirt and a red sweater, and resembled not so much a city dweller but rather a villager who had struck it rich. The first person she encountered when she entered the village was a boy. She held the boy to her chest and slipped a hundred-yuan note into his clothes. She told him that she had been busy working and had not had time to buy him a gift, and he should use this money to buy himself something tasty to eat. She then ran into a teenage girl. She took the girl’s hand and slipped her two hundred-yuan notes, saying that she hadn’t had a chance to buy her a dress, but when the girl went into the city she should buy whatever caught her eye.