Brothers

by Yu Hua

  Song Fanping had just finished wiping clean his placard. Taken aback, he paused for a while. Then he smiled and said to them, "Next fall you'll start school, so I'll teach you how to read, starting with these characters."

  This was Baldy Li and Song Gang's first lesson. Song Fanping taught them to sit with their backs straight and their hands in front of them. Then he hung the placard on the wall and brought over one of the chopsticks of the ancients. He prepared for almost half an hour before beginning the lesson, filling them with anxious anticipation.

  Finally he stood in front of the big wooden placard and coughed solemnly to clear his throat. "Now we'll begin our lesson. First let me announce two rules. First, no squirming about. Second, raise your hand if you wish to speak."

  He raised an ancient's chopstick and pointed at the first character on the placard. "This character is pronounced di. Think, what does di mean? Which of you wants to guess?"

  Song Fanping first pointed at the ground, then stomped his foot, all the while winking at th e boys. Baldy Li beat Song Gang to it, pointing downward and shouting, "I know!"

  "Hold on," Song Fanping interrupted. "If you wish to speak, you must raise your hand."

  With his hand raised, Baldy Li blurted, "Di means land,’ which is what is below us, what we're standing on."

  "That's correct," Song Fanping said. "You're very clever."

  Then Song Fanping pointed at the second character in landlord. He said, "This character is even harder. It's pronounced ‘zhu.’ Think: Where have you heard this word before?"

  Baldy Li shot his hand up before Song Gang again. This time Song Fanping didn't let him answer. He said, "You answered last time; now it's Song Gang's turn. Song Gang, think, where have you heard this character zhu used before?"

  Song Gang timidly responded, "Is it the same zhu that appears at the beginning of chairman, as in ‘Chairman Mao?'"

  "Correct!" Song Fanping said. "You're very clever."

  At this Baldy Li exclaimed, "He didn't raise his hand."

  Song Fanping said to Song Gang, "He's right, you didn't raise your hand, but you can raise it now."

  Song Gang quickly raised his hand. He asked anxiously, "Is it too late to raise my hand?"

  Song Fanping laughed. "Of course not."

  On this day the boys learned five characters. They first learned land, then the zhu character in "Chairman Mao." They finally understood what the placard said: It was that Song Fanping was the chairman of the land.

  Song Fanping and his placard had to travel together every day. He took the placard with him in the morning and came back with it in the evening, just like those women who brought their grocery bags to work and back. Baldy Li and Song Gang still roamed freely exploring the entire town. They had been absolutely everywhere, even visiting places where only ducks, chickens, cats, and dogs went. The streets were still overgrown with red flags and dotted with people as numerous as the hairs on a cow, who dispersed at the end of every day like an audience at the end of a movie. Gradually, more and more people appeared wearing dunce hats and bearing wooden placards. Initially, Song Fanping had been the only one sweeping the streets in front of the middle school, but he was joined a few days later by two other teachers. They stood next to Song Fanping, all three in a row, wearing placards around their necks. One of the two teachers was a bespectacled, scrawny old man, whose placard bore the word LAND-LORD, just like Song Fan-pings. This made Baldy Li and Song Gang very excited. They said to him, "So you're also a Chairman Mao of the land."

  The children's words caused the teacher to tremble. His face turned as white as a corpse, and he said to them, "I'm a landlord, I'm a bad man. Please hit me, please yell at me, please criticize me."

  Baldy Li and Song Gang often spotted Sun Wei, Victory Zhao, and Success Liu practicing their sweeping leg kicks. The three middle-schoolers spent just about every day under a wutong tree by the side of the road, hugging the tree while practicing their kicks around its trunk. Sun Wei could actually circle the entire tree while kicking continuously. His movements resembled a theater troupe performer's as his long hair blew in the breeze. Victory Zhao and Success Liu could kick only about halfway around the tree before landing on their butts or dropping their raised legs midkick. Therefore, Sun Wei became their coach. Running his fingers through his hair, he would repeat what Song Fanping had taught them: "Quicker, quicker. Only when your moves are swift can you perform the three moves as one."

  Baldy Li and Song Gang strutted past. They knew that these three were still missing a move, since only they knew the real sweeping leg kick. Song Fanping hadn't taught the others the real deal, having saved the most important part for the two of them. So they would walk back and forth hand in hand, watching the middle-schoolers and giggling.

  The students were so absorbed in their kicks that they didn't notice that the two snot-faced little boys were secretly laughing at them. The long-haired Sun Wei started to practice circling the tree twice without stopping. Once he was going so fast he lost control, and his entire body went flying.

  Baldy Li and Song Gang couldn't contain their laughter. The middle-schoolers stalked over to them, glaring. Sun Wei, covered with dust and dirt, got up, walked over to them, and spat out, "What the fuck are you laughing at?"

  Baldy Li and Song Gang weren't at all scared of him. Song Gang raised his head. "We're laughing at your sweeping leg kick."

  "Heh." Long-haired Sun Wei looked back at his mates oddly, saying, "How dare he laugh at my kick?"

  Song Gang scoffed to Baldy Li, "His sweeping leg kick?"

  Baldy Li chuckled and also scoffed, "His sweeping leg kick?"

  Baldy Li's and Song Gang's cocky attitude astonished the older boys, who exclaimed, "Fuck!"

  Song Gang said evenly, "Let me tell you guys. There's a move my father didn't teach you, but he taught it to us."

  "Fuck!" the students retorted. Sun Wei added, "So you're saying that you also know the sweeping leg kick?"

  Song Gang pointed at Baldy Li. "We both know it."

  The three middle-schoolers burst out laughing. They looked over Baldy Li and Song Gang. "You know the sweeping leg kick? You're still as short as our dicks."

  Long-haired Sun Wei said to Song Gang, "So sweep for me."

  Song Gang said, "You stand steady first."

  Sun Wei looked even more astonished. He turned to Victory Zhao and Success Liu. "He wants me to stand steady? Fuck, he thinks he can sweep me off my feet?"

  Amid their snorts and laughter, Sun Wei stood in front of Song Gang. First he stood with his legs apart, then he brought them together again, and finally he ended up perched on one leg. He asked Song Gang, "So how do you want me to stand?"

  Song Gang pointed to the ground. "Stand on both legs."

  Sun Wei grinned and lowered his leg. Song Gang turned to Baldy Li. "You want to kick first? Or shall I?"

  Baldy Li wasn't so sure of himself, so he said to Song Gang, "You go first."

  Song Gang backed up a few steps and made a running start to sweep-kick Sun Wei's leg like a bunny rabbit kicking a dog. Long-haired Sun Wei just stood there smirking while Song Gang bounced to the ground like a rubber ball. Song Gang got up again, unable to understand what had happened, and looked over uncertainly at Baldy Li. At this point Baldy Li realized the truth about his and Song Gang's sweeping leg kicks, but Song Gang was still completely in the dark. The three middle-schoolers roared, and their laughter caused Baldy Li's insides to tremble. With a smile, Sun Wei swept out his leg and flipped Song Gang over. He said to Baldy Li, "See, now that's a sweeping leg kick."

  The revolutionary crowds in Liu Town saw the three middle-schoolers kicking the two little preschoolers and scolded them furiously, saying that they were oppressing the weak, just like the military in the old society. Victory Zhao and Success Liu didn't dare reply, but long-haired Sun Wei argued, "They are landlord Song Fanping's sons. They are little landlords."

  The revolutionary masses were silenced. They watched as Baldy Li an
d Song Gang again and again fell to the ground until both of them simply lay there, unable to get up. Sun Wei, Victory Zhao, and Success Liu were drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, but they gathered around Baldy Li and Song Gang, laughing and shouting at them to stand up again. The brothers had nothing left in them. They couldn't stand up, so they lay on the ground, saying, "We're just fine lying here."

  Once they said this, they immediately realized how to escape the middle-schoolers’ sweeping leg kicks, which was simply to stay lying on the ground. No matter how the older boys kicked them, cursed them, and threatened them, they steadfastly refused to get up. Finally the three middle-schoolers resorted to trickery, saying, "If you get up, we won't kick you anymore."

  Baldy Li and Song Gang didn't fall for this and continued lying in the street. Sun Wei pointed at an electrical pole, trying to lure Baldy Li up. "Hey, kid, go over to the pole and vent some of your sex drive."

  Baldy Li shook his head. "I don't have any sex drive now."

  Victory Zhao and Success Liu also encouraged him. "If you go and rub a few times, you'll get your sex drive."

  Baldy Li continued shaking his head. "No rubbing for me today. You go and get some sex drive for yourselves."

  "Fuck," said the middle-schoolers. "These two little fucking cowards."

  Long-haired Sun Wei commanded, "Pull those two little cowards up, then kick them down again."

  Just as Victory Zhao and Success Liu were about to pull the boys up, the stout-hearted revolutionary Blacksmith Tong arrived and roared, "Stop!"

  Blacksmith Tongs roar made the three middle-schoolers tremble. Sun Wei mumbled, "They're little landlords."

  "What little landlords?" Blacksmith Tong pointed at Baldy Li and Song Gang. "They are the blossoms of our nation."

  Sun Wei looked over Blacksmith Tongs thick arms and torso and didn't say anything more. Tong pointed at the three middle-schoolers and said, "You are also the blossoms of our nation."

  The middle-schoolers peered at one another and began to cackle. They continued cackling as they walked off. Blacksmith Tong looked first at them, then at Baldy Li and Song Gang on the ground, and sauntered away, proclaiming, "You are all the blossoms of our nation."

  Baldy Li and Song Gang struggled to their feet. Bruised and battered, they looked at each other. Song Gang simply couldn't understand why he wasn't able to sweep long-haired Sun Wei to the ground. He asked Baldy Li what had gone wrong. Didn't he use the crucial move? Baldy Li huffed, "That move doesn't exist. Your father was bullshitting us."

  Song Gang shook his swollen face. "He's our father. Fathers don't lie to sons."

  Baldy Li hollered, "He's your dad, not mine."

  The two of them stood there, shouting at each other. Finally Song Gang wiped the tears from his face and blew his nose. He said, "Let's go ask Papa."

  Baldy Li and Song Gang came to the front entrance of the middle school. A struggle session was getting out. Song Fanping stood with his placard hanging from his neck, along with two others, as a group of students who had just walked out surrounded them and shouted slogans condemning them. A few people wearing red armbands were also saying something. The two boys didn't know that these people, after getting out of the big struggle session inside, were holding another small rally here. The boys squeezed through the crowd and went right up to Song Fanping. Song Gang tugged at his father's sleeve, asking, "Papa, you taught us the most important move in the sweeping leg kick, didn't you?"

  Song Fanping stood bowed and motionless. Song Gang started crying pitifully. He pushed at his father. "Papa, tell Baldy Li you taught us…"

  Song Fanping remained silent. Baldy Li started yelling, "You lied to us. You didn't teach us how to do the sweeping leg kick. You lied to us about the characters on the wooden placard. They mean landlord,’ but you told us they meant ‘Chairman Mao of the land.'"

  At that moment Baldy Li had no way of knowing what a terrible fate his words would bring down on Song Fanping, and he was stunned by what followed. When the people heard Baldy Li's words, they were initially flabbergasted, then they proceeded to strike, kick, and pummel Song Fanping until he was barely breathing. They roared as they stomped and kicked him on the ground, demanding that he confess how he had wickedly attacked "our great leader, our great teacher, our great general, our great helmsman—Chairman Mao."

  Baldy Li had never seen anyone pummeled like this before. Song Fanping's face was completely covered in blood, and even his hair was soaked red. He lay there as countless adults and children stomped on him, his body like a platform as countless people stepped over him. His face didn't flinch, but his eyes did—twitching to the side so that he could glimpse Baldy Li and Song Gang. When he looked at Baldy Li, it was as if he was saying something with his gaze, a gaze that terrified Baldy Li. After a while Baldy Li was squeezed out of the circle and could no longer see Song Fanping's eyes. He only saw Song Gang wailing as he tried to force his way back into the circle. There were more and more spectators, and Song Gang was pushed farther and farther away. Finally he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He walked next to Baldy Li, his face full of tears and snot, his mouth opening and closing as if he was yelling at Baldy Li, but Baldy Li couldn't hear a thing. After Song Gang yelled silently for a while, he punched Baldy Li and Baldy Li punched him right back. The two boys took turns punching each other, as if taking turns dealing out a deck of cards. Altogether, they punched each more than thirty-six times.

  CHAPTER 12

  AFTER SONG FANPING had been beaten to a pulp, he was taken away and locked up in a room in a large warehouse. The following week, Song Gang and Baldy Li stopped speaking to each other. Song Gang, in any event, couldn't speak at all; he had yelled so hard that day and his throat had become so red and swollen that now, when he tried to speak, no sound came out. Baldy Li knew that it was his revelation that had sent Song Fanping to that prisonlike warehouse, and when he lay down to sleep at night, all he could think about was Song Fanping being kicked and stomped as Song Fanping's eyes anxiously sought out his and Song Gangs. Baldy Li trembled but refused to cede an inch. He mocked Song Gang for having a mouth that was good only for farting.

  Baldy Li was now on his own. He roamed the streets alone, sat under trees alone, squatted by the river and drank alone, talked to himself as he stood on the street looking, waiting, hoping for another child his age to wander over. Covered in sweat and scorched by the sun, he saw around him only parading people and parading flags. Children his age were all led by their mothers’ hands as they were pulled past him one after another. No one spoke to him or even deigned to look at him. Only when some passerby accidentally bumped into him or spat on his foot, only then might someone realize he was there. Only the three middle-schoolers showed any interest in him, and each time they saw him they would wave eagerly and call out, "Hey, kid, come show us some of your sex drive."

  They waved at him as they enthusiastically walked over. He knew that what they really wanted was to practice their sweeping leg kicks. They wanted to kick him until he shat in his pants and his face swelled up. Baldy Li therefore ran for his life, and the three middle-schoolers ran after him, laughing and saying, "Hey, kid, don't run. We won't kick you."

  That summer, in order to get away from the middle-schoolers’ kicks, Baldy Li often ran until he collapsed. His eight-year-old legs sore and shaking, his eight-year-old lungs burning for oxygen, his eight-year-old heart pounding wildly, his eight-year-old self ran until he almost died. Finally Baldy Li limped into the alley where Blacksmith Tong, Tailor Zhang, Scissors Guan, and Yanker Yu resided.

  Now, of course, they were known as Revolutionary Blacksmith, Revolutionary Tailor, Revolutionary Scissors, and Revolutionary Tooth-Yanker. When a customer brought a bolt of fabric to Tailor Zhang's shop, Zhang would first grill him, asking him about his class background. If he was a poor peasant, Tailor Zhang would greet him with a smile; if he was a middle peasant, Zhang would reluctantly take the fabric; and if he was a landlord, Zhang would immedia
tely raise his fist and shout revolutionary slogans until his ashen-faced landlord customer ran out of the shop with his fabric. Even as he disappeared down the alley, Tailor Zhang would stand at his shop door, declaiming to his departing landlord client, "I will make you the shabbiest funeral garb, no, just a sheet for wrapping your corpse."

  The two Scissors Guan were even more revolutionarily enlightened than Tailor Zhang. They didn't take any money from their peasant customers, they took extra from the middle-peasant ones, while the landlord customers had no choice but to scamper away. As the landlords fled, the two Scissors Guan would raise their loudly snapping scissors and stand outside their shop yelling that they were going to snip off their landlord dicks. Scissors Guan yelled, "We're going to snip you into a cockless landlady."

  Yanker Yu, meanwhile, was a revolutionary opportunist. He would ask about class background when a patient came to see him but just as often would wait until he had first opened the customer's mouth to get a clear look at his cavities. He worried that if he found he had a landlord on his hands, he would lose both the customer and the money; but if he didn't interrogate his prospective patients, he couldn't be considered a revolutionary dentist. He wanted both money and revolution, and therefore often only when he had his extractor firmly around a client's rotten tooth would he seize the moment to demand in a ringing voice, "Tell me! What's your class background?"

  The customer, mouth stuffed with dental implements, would mumble unintelligibly. Yanker Yu would make a big show of bending over to listen, then loudly proclaim, "A poor peasant? Good! I will pull out your rotten tooth."

  By the time he finished this declaration, Yu would be done extracting the tooth. He would then immediately thrust a cotton wad into his patients mouth and tell him to clamp down tightly to stanch the bleeding. With his jaw clamped and his mouth stuffed, the customer, even if he had admitted to being a landlord, would be forcefully remade into a poor peasant. With a flourish, Yanker Yu would show his customer the rotten tooth. "See that? This is a poor peasants rotten tooth. If you had been a landlord, then it would have been a perfectly healthy tooth that I would have extracted."