by Wai Chim
‘Ma, do they really make fun of villagers in the city?’ I asked.
Ma sighed. ‘Some people do, the ones who don’t know any better. Some city folk have never been to a village or seen a farm their entire lives. They think eggs grow in supermarkets.’
‘That’s just silly,’ I snorted. But then I had another thought. ‘Do you miss it?’
‘Not really,’ Ma answered, stroking my hair. ‘I love my life here with you and Bao and Jin. And Little and Lo too.’ I smiled when she said that. Ma used to hate the animals, but now I knew deep down she loved Little and Lo just as much as I did.
I yawned, feeling the exhaustion seeping through my body. Finally, I shut my eyes and the thumping of Ma’s heart lulled me to sleep.
Guo still wasn’t back the next morning. Jin was sure that he would come home before too long but I was worried. Also Cap had locked himself in the storage shed with Bao and the music box.
Fine. If no one was going to help then Lo, Little and I would look for Guo on our own.
As it turned out, my chooks weren’t a very good search party. I thought we would ask the villagers or look for clues as to my brother’s whereabouts, but the chooks had other ideas. Little lagged behind, pecking at the ground and chasing after the bugs that leapt into her path. Lo just crowed and yowled, puffing up his feathers at an imagined enemy. We’d barely made it down the road when he let out an almighty bellow, letting everyone in the village know that we were coming.
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO. COCK-A-DOODLE-DOODLE-DOO.
I’m glad we weren’t a secret search party!
Eventually, we managed to knock door-to-door at the villagers’ homes, but no one had seen Guo. Not Mr Chen, the pig farmer nor Mr Yeung, the fisherman. Everyone stopped to pat Little and Lo or offer them bits to eat. They praised my chooks for how well they had done during the village meeting. The chickens bristled with pride.
Hours later, we had pretty much walked through the entire village but there was still no sign of Guo. My feet hurt and my arms and legs felt laden with lead.
‘Well, guys, I’m out of ideas,’ I announced to my weary chooks. ‘How about you?’
I wasn’t really expecting an answer but out of nowhere, Lo raised his head and let out a loud bellow. Then he took off like an arrow, diving into the tall grass.
‘Lo! Wait up.’ I scooped Little into my arms and ran after him.
It was hard to see where he was going but there was no mistaking his cries.
BAWK. BAWK. AW. AW. BAWK BAWK. AW AW.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out where he was headed.
Of course. The river. Pa used to take us fishing there all the time. ‘Good job, Lo!’ I cried. Little clucked her agreement.
And sure enough, when we got to the riverbank, I could see a dark outline of a thin young man sitting by the water under the trees.
Guo.
My first thought was to run and throw my arms around him, but then I froze. I remembered what Guo had said and I could taste a sharp bitterness at the back of my throat.
BA-KAW. BA-KAW.
Guo raised his head and looked surprised when he saw a large rooster bounding towards him. He automatically picked up Lo and the rooster stretched out his neck, shrieking in triumph. I smiled sheepishly and waved to my brother with Little still nestled into the crook of my arm.
Guo pressed his lips together and set Lo on the ground. His face was red and his eyes looked puffy, like he had been crying. Lo stopped crowing and turned his beady eyes out towards the river.
I squatted down next to them. Little squirmed out of my grasp and started pecking at the ground.
We watched the chooks in silence for a while, neither of us knowing what to say.
‘Whatcha doin’?’ I finally asked.
Guo grimaced and nodded towards the fishing line and empty bucket beside him. I was surprised. Guo was usually pretty good at fishing.
‘You know, the rivers used to teem with fish,’ Guo said. ‘Professor Law said that a few years back, the villages started using more pesticides in their crops and the run-off has killed a lot of marine life in the river.’
I nodded, impressed with Guo’s knowledge. He’d learnt a lot at university.
Guo sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Mei. I shouldn’t have said those things about selling the farm. I didn’t mean it. I still want to be a farmer.’
My heart soared at his words and I felt a huge wave of relief. I’d been afraid that Guo had changed his mind about taking over Pa’s farm. But then I pouted and said, ‘If you didn’t mean it, why did you say it?’
Guo sighed again. ‘I don’t know, I think I got scared. Ever since I’ve gone to university, I’ve realised how little we know about things here in the village. There’s all this technology and science that they use to grow crops in other countries. We just have people and tools. We do things the old-fashioned way.’ He shook his head and stared down at his feet caked in mud. ‘Sometimes I feel a little stuck.’
I frowned. Guo seemed much, much older to me now. I could imagine Pa looking like my brother when he was younger. Only unlike Pa, Guo worried about things a lot, the way Ma did.
I thought of something and grinned. ‘Hey, Guo, do you remember the story of how Pa met Ma?’
Guo knitted his eyebrows together. ‘It was in the city right?’
I nodded. ‘Yeah. Ma was a factory worker from when she was fourteen years old. She was really pretty and all the boys liked her.’ I could picture Ma in my head as a beautiful young city girl.
Guo joined in. ‘But Ma wasn’t interested in boys and instead worked hard to save money because her grandmother was sick and the family needed to buy medicine.’
My eyebrows shot up. ‘I didn’t know that part.’
Guo nodded and went on. ‘But then she met Pa who was helping his father sell vegetables in the city.’
‘Ma said he was very handsome and smart, even though he had never been to school,’ I added, clasping my hands together. I loved this story and I realised it was the first time Guo and I had told it together.
‘Ma told Pa about her grandmother’s illness,’ Guo went on, ‘and he told her there was a wild herb that could help ease her grandmother’s swollen feet. He promised to bring her some. Sure enough, Pa came back and he brought the herbs. He did this again and again, every time he visited the city.’
I smiled. I knew Pa was a good healer and knew all about herbs and medicines to help with sickness. The memory made my eyes sting.
Guo chuckled. ‘Ma said she thought Pa was nice but a little strange.’
I snorted. ‘Well yeah, because the other boys that liked Ma gave love letters or flowers or tried to ask her to the movies. But Pa just brought herbs.’ I didn’t know much about romance and mushy stuff, but herbs did seem like a bizarre thing to bring a girl that you liked.
Guo scratched his head. ‘Yeah, I guess it was a little unusual.’
‘But that’s not the best part,’ I said, leaping to my feet and startling my chooks.
‘Pa brought Ma to the village. She was shy because she didn’t know what his parents would think of her.’ My heart was racing in my chest as I remembered the rest of the story. ‘But when she came, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. She sat on the back of Pa’s bicycle as he pedalled through the streets and she said the houses were small but the villagers were all smiling and friendly.’
Guo laughed. ‘And Pa brought her here to the river and she tried fishing for the first time. She’s much better now,’ he mused.
‘But that’s still not the best part,’ I cried, stomping my foot. Guo smiled and fell quiet, letting me finish the rest of the story.
I sucked in a deep breath. ‘He took her to a big field of wildflowers.’ I could picture it now, the beautiful blossoms of pale pink with bursts of snowy white. ‘Ma had never seen so
many pretty flowers in one place before. She lay down right in the middle of it.’
I closed my eyes and imagined what it was like for Ma to lie in the flowers for the first time. To feel the soft petals brushing up against her cheeks, like being in the middle of a fragrant cloud.
Guo’s deep voice cut in, like a narrator to my imagination. ‘And then Pa said to Ma, “I’m just a simple boy from the farm. I don’t know about movies and I can’t write poetry and letters. I give you bunches of herbs, not flowers, but if you come to live in the village with me, this whole field can be yours.”’
‘And Ma said yes,’ I exclaimed, clapping my hands together with glee. That was my favourite part of the story. The tears in my eyes were happy but they melded with sorrowful tears too. I still missed Pa all the time.
‘And Ma said yes,’ Guo repeated. His eyes were misty like mine. I went over to wrap my brother up in a tight hug. He hugged me fiercely back.
‘Mei, Guo!’ Ma’s voice rang out through the air. Lo let out an ear-piercing crow. Guo and I saw Ma, Jin, Cap and Bao racing towards the riverbank.
Ma arrived first and pulled both of us into her arms. ‘I was so worried. We were looking all over for you.’
‘It’s okay, Ma,’ Guo said. ‘It’s okay. I’m sorry about the things I said. I want to stay and I don’t want you to sell the farm.’
Ma had her face mushed against his chest, so I didn’t hear her reply.
Cap and Bao went to catch my chooks who were running towards the water.
Jin smiled at Guo. ‘That’s good to hear, son.’ I’d never heard him call Guo son before, but it seemed right now.
Ma pulled away and smoothed down Guo’s shirt. ‘What made you change your mind?’
Guo gave a shrug. ‘Well, at first I thought staying in the village meant getting left behind. But Mei reminded me that sometimes the old-fashioned ways work the best.’
‘Like when Pa convinced Ma to move to Daoling,’ I cried, taking Guo’s hand. He winked at me and I beamed.
‘Ah, so he did,’ Jin said.
Bao and Cap returned, laughing and chasing each other with the chooks. Ma looped her arm through Guo’s.
‘You know, there are other ways to woo a city girl,’ Jin said thoughtfully, as we set off for home. Ma turned to him in surprise and my stepfather grinned.
‘Take me for instance,’ he said. ‘I brought your ma pigs and ducks!’
Chapter Seven
It was the weekend before Guo and Cap were due back in the city. Ma insisted that we go to the markets to buy snacks and supplies for them to take to school.
‘Ma, it’s okay. I don’t need anything,’ Guo protested, but Ma would have none of it.
‘I want you to show those city folk the delicious treats and fresh goodies you can get from Daoling. Let them see just how good life in a village can be.’
That made Guo smile.
Bao and I were drooling as we watched Ma pile Cap and Guo’s baskets chock-full of tasty bikkies, sticky lollies and all sorts of sugared preserves. There were dried persimmons and apricots, lychee sweets and pork floss – some of my absolute favourites.
I wanted to go to school in the city too.
When we could carry no more, we left the markets. Ma allowed Cap, Bao and me to have one persimmon each. Cap and Bao both ate theirs whole, but I took my time, first biting a tiny hole into the leathery skin. Then I sucked in a bit of the sweet flesh underneath, letting it sit on my tongue so it would melt slowly in my mouth. It tasted like warm cinnamon nectar.
I noticed a figure lumbering towards us and I almost choked on my persimmon.
‘Deputy Director Yu.’ Jin’s voice was frosty. ‘I’m surprised you’re still in Daoling Village.’
I felt a tingling at the base of my neck and my whole body tensed.
‘Believe me, Mr Wang, I had hoped my business here would be finished by now as well.’ The deputy director’s tone was equally cold. He gripped a long roll of paper in his hand.
‘What other business do you have? The villagers have already said we’re not selling,’ Jin said flatly.
Deputy Director Yu leered, his eyes bugging out of their sockets. ‘Well, as your village has proven to be uncooperative and the project has already been quite delayed, I have ordered new plans to be drawn up for construction.’ He waved the roll in his hand. ‘The freeway will be built as promised.’
‘But … But how?’ Jin sputtered. ‘We won’t sell.’
‘I already told you, the regional ministry hardly needs your permission to build a freeway.’ He unfurled the roll and stuck the paper under Jin’s nose. ‘What you peasants may not realise is that while you work on your farms, the state still owns your land. In fact, the government owns practically all of the land in China, including the villages.’
Cap snorted. ‘That sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me,’ he said.
Jin scratched his head and Ma looked uncertain.
Guo stepped forwards, wiping his hands on his pants. ‘That might be true, but our family has the rights to farm that land for our own private use. It says so in the laws,’ he said firmly.
The deputy director sneered. ‘Aiy. And you still can, of course, once the freeway has been put in place. We’ll build it around your houses and cover your fields.’ He leaned forwards and licked his lips like he would devour Guo whole. ‘You seem like a smart lad. Why, you may even find a way to grow a nice fat crop – through a block of concrete.’
Guo narrowed his eyes and Jin puffed out his cheeks, but they were both speechless.
Deputy Director Yu sniggered in triumph.
I burst forwards. ‘You can’t do this! It’s our farm,’ I cried. ‘You can’t take it away from us.’ My heart banged like a hailstorm.
The deputy director ignored me. ‘Well, I’m off to put these through the regional ministry. Once they’re approved, there’ll be no turning back,’ he said, rolling the plans back up. The paper rattled like pebbles in a tin can. ‘I would suggest that you consider relocation before it’s too late.’
With that, he spun on his heels and disappeared into the market crowds. Bao whimpered and Ma cradled him to her chest.
‘Is it true? Can he really do that?’ Cap asked, chewing on his lip.
Guo clenched his fists and said nothing.
Jin’s pockmarked face was puffy and wrinkled like a dried persimmon. He looked more than a hundred years old. ‘He just did,’ he said, his voice barely a whisper.
I couldn’t sleep at all that night. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was the deputy director’s googly eyes and his sneer. After a while, I snuck into Cap and Bao’s room. They were awake too.
‘What are we going to do?’ Bao whispered, his eyes wide, as the three of us huddled in his bed. ‘We can’t let them build the freeway over our farm.’
‘A freeway through the village? It makes no sense.’ It was hard for me to keep my voice down, I was so angry. ‘How would the cars go around the houses? There’d be accidents all of the time!’
Cap looked thoughtful. ‘My pa said that the government often passes laws that don’t make any sense. He said that one province used to have a law that forced everyone to buy three bottles of wine a day, even the children!’
‘That’s just ridiculous,’ I cried. ‘Surely, if we explained it to someone, the prime minister even, he would be able to stop it.’
Bao scrunched up his nose. ‘But how do we talk to the prime minister?’
Neither Cap nor I had an answer for Bao.
The door to the room cracked open and Guo poked his head inside.
‘Hey guys, are you awake?’ Bao, Cap and I scooted over to make some room on the bed.
‘I think I know how we can save the village and the farm,’ Guo said excitedly.
I bolted straight up. ‘Really? We were going to talk t
o the prime minister, but we didn’t know how to find him.’
‘Well, my idea’s easier.’ Guo had a big grin on his face. ‘At university, Professor Law once took us on a field trip to a village near the city. He wanted to show the students what rural life was like on a farm. The city kids were really excited because many of them had never been to a village before.’
I snorted. That seemed like a waste of a class trip if you asked me. I would have much rather gone to the zoo or somewhere fun, but I guessed if you’d never seen a farm before it could be alright.
‘Anyway, Professor Law told us that the village we went to see was a “protected village” in the province. It was on a list of traditional villages to be preserved by the state so it wouldn’t be torn down or developed.’
I shook my head, trying to take it all in. ‘I don’t get it. What does that have to do with the farm?’
Cap’s eyes lit up. ‘You’re saying that if we get Daoling Village on that list, they can’t tear it down and build the freeway.’
Guo smiled wide. ‘Exactly.’
I threw my arms around my genius brother. What a great idea!
‘But how do we do it?’ I asked when I pulled away. ‘How do we get the village on the list?’
Guo pursed his lips. ‘Well, the Department of Culture is in the city. They’re the ones who decide which villages are put on the list. I figured I’d speak to someone there.’
‘Can I come too?’ I piped up. Guo’s plan sounded like a good one and I was eager to help in any way I could.
Guo nodded. ‘I figured we’d go tomorrow before classes start.’
Cap gave my brother a thumbs-up and Bao snuggled up against me.
We had a plan to save the farm.
Chapter Eight
The next day began as a blur. Jin was very impressed with Guo’s idea. ‘If you don’t want to be a farmer, you could always be the mayor or even the prime minister,’ he exclaimed.
Ma insisted that she come with us.