Brothers

by Yu Hua

  Blacksmith Tong also invited Liu Town's two society notables, Writer Liu and Poet Zhao. When Zhao spotted Liu, his face turned dark, while Writer Liu was all smiles. The two stood side by side without saying a word. For a while they coexisted peaceably in this manner, but as Blacksmith Tong was introducing his honored guests, he inadvertently opened up a can of worms. Tong first gestured to Writer Liu and said, "This is the author of the famous ‘Millionaire Crying Out for Love.'" The crowd erupted in applause, and Writer Liu beamed.

  Blacksmith Tong then introduced Poet Zhao: "And this is Mr. Zhao, a pivotal figure in ‘Millionaire Crying Out for Love.'" The crowd sat on their hands, instead greeting Zhao with a chorus of snorts and laughs.

  Ever since he had been cast as "a certain Mr. Zhao" in Writer Liu's article, Poet Zhao had been absolutely furious, and now that Blacksmith Tong had introduced him in this way, Zhao found that he couldn't restrain himself any longer. Pointing at Writer Liu, he complained bitterly, "If you had any guts whatsoever, you would simply have written ‘Poet Zhao,’ but since you are a total coward, you hid behind the vague ‘a certain Mr. Zhao.'"

  Writer Liu smiled broadly and urged Poet Zhao not to get angry: "Be careful about getting so upset at your age. You might have a stroke."

  Liu's thinly veiled barb made Zhao's formerly pale face flush red with fury. Poet Zhao accused Writer Liu in front of everyone, demanding, "This was clearly my story, so what right did you have to write about it?"

  "What do you mean, this was your story?" Writer Liu feigned ignorance.

  "Baldy Li's peeking at women's bottoms in the public toilet was clearly my story to tell." Poet Zhao pointed at the assembled crowds and added, "All of Liu's men and women of a certain age will surely remember that I was the one who caught him, and that it was I who marched him through the streets."

  "You are correct." Writer Liu nodded. "Baldy Li's peeking at women's bottoms was indeed your story to tell. But I didn't write about that. I wrote about Baldy Li's search for his dropped key—and that was my story."

  The crowds burst into laughter and agreed that Writer Liu had a point. Poet Zhao was left speechless, and his face drained of color once again. Observing the two squabbling with each other, Blacksmith Tong became anxious that they not ruin his grand opening, so he gestured for the fireworks to start. With one loud blast of the fireworks, the crowd promptly forgot Writer Liu and Poet Zhao and ran over to watch the display.

  Writer Liu's article made Baldy Li famous throughout the country, and countless newspaper reporters and television personalities descended upon Liu Town. As soon as Baldy Li opened his eyes in the morning, he found himself having to give interviews; and when he lay down to sleep at night he was awakened by a distant reporter calling on his cell phone for an interview. At the height of the media frenzy there were four cameras filming him, twenty-three flashbulbs flashing, and thirty-four reporters crowding around, asking him questions.

  Baldy Li was as excited as a little dog finding a pile of juicy bones. He recognized that this was a once-in-a-century business opportunity, and therefore in answering the reporters’ questions about love, he opportunistically switched the subject back to his businesses. After making a few grand pronouncements about love, he immediately changed the topic to his tragically impoverished youth. He explained that the reason he was nicknamed Baldy Li was that his mother would always tell the barber to shave him bald, because the family was too poor to afford frequent haircuts. In describing his childhood, Baldy Li would always start crying. Wiping his tears, he thanked Deng Xiao-pings Reform and Opening Up Campaign, thanked the Party and the nation, as well as all of his compatriots. After offering his thanks, he launched into the tale of how he got his start in business and how he had created the magnificent empire he had today. At this point he put up his hands and modestly explained that he by no means thought of his own business empire as magnificent but, rather, he was simply echoing the language the press had used in describing it.

  From that point on, whenever Baldy Li appeared in the media, it was no longer as a man forsaken by love but as the very model of a business titan. He proved himself worthy of his reputation and soon had twisted all the papers in the country around to the subject of his business ventures. In this way, his corporation also became famous, and countless investment checks followed closely on the reporters’ heels, followed in turn by countless business partners. Millionaires from throughout China, from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and even from overseas Chinese communities, wanted to invest and open new factories and companies with Baldy Li. All levels of the government also enthusiastically supported him. Whereas before it would take him a year or two to get a new venture approved, now he could get permits issued within the month.

  During those heady days Baldy Li would sleep only two or three hours a night. Between interviews and business dealings, he would hand out and accept dozens of business cards. In the past, many of the people who came to do business with him turned out to be swindlers, but Baldy Li could tell at a glance who genuinely wanted to collaborate with him and who merely wanted to get their hands on his money. His eyes would often narrow to a squint when he did business, to the point that people would think he had fallen asleep, though in reality he was more clearheaded than anyone else. He was willing to collaborate with anyone but on the condition that they first deposit their collaborative capital in his own corporations bank account. Anyone imagining that Baldy Li would allow his own capital to be accessible was delusional: He wouldn't let the swindlers get close enough to smell his farts, much less touch his money.

  With reporters Baldy Li was extravagantly generous, inviting them to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves and sending them on their way with large piles of gifts. By contrast, he would never spend a cent on people who came to discuss business with him. He would meet with them at his company headquarters's café, and upon concluding their business, he would insist on splitting the bill, saying, "In accordance with international business protocol, each pays his own bill."

  Baldy Li's café was the most outrageous rip-off in all of China. Even at the cafés in Beijing's and Shanghai's five-star hotels, where they served coffee made from freshly ground imported coffee beans, a cup of coffee would cost you only forty yuan. At Baldy Li's, you would be charged one hundred yuan for a cup of instant Nescafé. The swindlers would quietly fret that not only did they not manage to swipe a cent from Baldy Li's coffers; they were being extorted themselves.

  Liu Town's hotel, restaurant, and retail industries began to take off. Crowds of visitors blew through like blizzards, and they would stay in Liu Town's inns, dine in its restaurants, and shop in its stores. Coming from all over the country, they spoke many different dialects, but when they arrived in Liu, they communicated with one another in standard Mandarin. The townspeople, who were used to conversing only in the local dialect, now found themselves rolling their tongues all day speaking Mandarin. If they weren't paying attention, they might continue rolling their tongues upon returning home or when eating dinner— even after going to bed, couples often found themselves rolling their tongues and lapsing into Mandarin.

  The people of Liu saw Baldy Li every day—when they opened their newspapers, they would see him smiling at them; when they listened to the radio, they would hear his chuckle; and when they watched television, they would see his smiling face. Not only did Baldy Li become famous, but he brought fame to the entire town. It might have had an illustrious history going back more than a thousand years, but now people hardly remembered to call Liu Town by its name. Everyone had fallen into the habit of mentioning Baldy Li every time they opened their mouths, and as a result they naturally began referring to Liu Town as Baldy Li's Town. When visitors happened to drive through, they would roll down their windows and ask, "Is this Baldy Li's Town?"

  CHAPTER 58

  WHILE BALDY LI was at the peak of his good fortunes like a sun at high noon, Song Gang was still wandering around town wearing his face mask and looking for part-time wo
rk. Lin Hong continued to be called into chain-smoking Factory Directory Liu's office, and now Liu didn't stop with verbal harassment but instead began to harass her physically as well. He would position his chair next to hers and caress her hand with feigned affection. She wanted more than anything to stand up and slap him, but remembering that Song Gang was unemployed, she restrained herself and settled for merely brushing his hand off. Director Liu was someone who, if you gave him an inch, would take a mile. Therefore he started kissing her face with his black-toothed mouth, nauseating Lin Hong. She pushed him away, got up, and walked toward the door. Just as she was about to open it and walk out, he came up behind her and, with one hand grabbing her breasts and the other stuck down her pants, pulled her back toward the couch. Lin Hong desperately clutched the door handle with both hands, knowing that her only hope was to open the door. At that point someone happened to walk in, and Director Liu immediately released her. Lin Hong sprinted out the door, hearing Liu cursing behind her. She then straightened her clothes and her hair and hurriedly walked away. It was not yet time to get off work, but she nevertheless rode her bike out the main gate and, tears streaming down her face, rode home through the streets of Liu.

  Song Gang had just returned and sat down on the couch. He hadn't yet taken off his face mask when he saw Lin Hong walk in crying. Song Gang, not knowing what had happened, anxiously stood up. When Lin Hong saw him, she starting crying even harder, and Song Gang urgently asked what had happened. She opened her mouth, but upon seeing Song Gang standing there pathetically with his face mask, she decided not to tell him how Director Liu had tried to take advantage of her, remembering that Song Gang was already suffering an unbearable burden. The reason she had endured Director Liu's advances for so long was precisely because Song Gang had lost his job, and she kept telling herself that if he were to get a good job, she wouldn't need to continue subjecting herself to this abuse. Therefore, she told him, "You need to go see Baldy Li."

  When she saw Song Gang hesitate and then obstinately shake his head, she couldn't help crying out, tears streaming down her face, "When Baldy Li made his fortune, he thought of you, his brother, and came expressly looking for you. But you turned him down."

  "You were also here with me," Song Gang muttered.

  "Did we discuss it?" Lin Hong shouted back. "Such an important thing, but you didn't discuss it with me first and instead simply turned him down."

  Song Gang bowed his head. When Lin Hong saw this, she shook her head angrily, saying, "That's all you can do, bow your damned head."

  She kept shaking her head, unable to understand how Song Gang could be so stubborn. There are some people who don't start crying until they see the coffin, but Song Gang seemed to be the sort who wouldn't cry even after the coffin was laid out in front of him. Lin Hong therefore decided to go see Baldy Li herself. She told Song Gang about her plan, saying that even aside from their history of depending on each other for survival, the mere fact that they grew up together made it incumbent on Baldy Li to give Song Gang a job. Wiping away her tears, Lin Hong told Song Gang, "I'll just tell him you are ill and ask him if he would be willing to give you a job."

  As she was saying this Lin Hong opened her dresser, wanting to find something pretty to wear to see Baldy Li. She laid her clothes out on their bed and spent about an hour trying to choose something, weeping the entire time. She noticed that all of her presentable outfits had been purchased many years earlier and had long since gone out of style. Still weeping, she put on an outfit that, though out of fashion, was nevertheless still presentable. Having gained weight since she bought it, she found that it was now as tight as a bandage wrapped around her body.

  Song Gang watched her sadly, feeling that he had truly let her down. He got up from the sofa and said firmly, "I'll go."

  Song Gang went outside and headed toward Baldy Li's company. The poorest person in Liu Town was going off to meet the richest one. They had formerly been brothers and were still brothers now. When Song Gang walked into Baldy Li's company, he stood in the lobby and stared for a while until he finally spotted Baldy Li in the café, holding forth with a group of reporters. He walked over and said quietly, "Baldy Li."

  It had been many years since anyone had addressed Baldy Li thus— these days everyone addressed him as Boss Li. Suddenly hearing someone using his old nickname, Baldy Li wondered who this could be. He turned and saw Song Gang standing there in his face mask, his eyes smiling behind his glasses. Baldy Li stood up and told the reporters, "I must excuse myself for a second."

  He pulled Song Gang into the elevator and then into his office. After closing the door, the first thing he said was "Take off your mask."

  From behind the mask, Song Gang replied, "I have a lung infection."

  "Fuck your lung infection." Baldy Li ripped off Song Gangs mask and said, "This kind of thing is not necessary between brothers."

  Song Gang said, "I'm afraid I'll infect you."

  Baldy Li said, "I'm not afraid."

  Baldy Li told Song Gang to sit down on the couch, and he sat down beside him and said, "So you have finally fucking come to see me."

  Song Gang looked about Baldy Li's enormous office and said in wonder, "If Mama were still alive, how delighted she would be to see you in this office."

  Baldy Li felt a pang of tenderness. Placing his hand on Song Gang's shoulder, he asked, "Song Gang, what's happened to your health? I've been so busy the past few years, I haven't had a chance to look after you. After hearing that you were injured, I wanted to come and see you, but I got busy with other matters and forgot."

  Song Gang smiled sadly and described to Baldy Li how he had hurt his back working on the docks and then ruined his lungs working at the concrete factory. After hearing this, Baldy Li leapt up from the couch and started cursing him, "You fucking idiot. Why do you go everywhere looking for a job when you could have just come to me? You fucking idiot, look at what you've done to yourself. Now your back and lungs are both ruined. You fucking idiot, why didn't you come to ask for my help?"

  Baldy Li's curses warmed Song Gang's heart, making him feel that they were indeed still brothers. Song Gang laughed and said, "Well, now I've come."

  "Now it's too late," Baldy Li said, exasperated. "You are already disabled."

  Song Gang nodded and then asked with embarrassment, "Can you give me a job?"

  Baldy Li sighed and nodded his head. He sat down again next to Song Gang and patted his shoulder, saying, "First you must recover your health. I'll have someone send you to the best hospital in Shanghai for treatment. We need to get you cured."

  Song Gang shook his head. "I didn't come to you for medical treatment. I came because I need a job."

  "Fuck," Baldy Li cursed, then said, "Okay, why don't you come take a vice president position in my office? If you want to come to work, you can, but if you prefer, you can just stay at home and rest. The important thing is for you to get well."

  Song Gang shook his head and said, "I can't do that job."

  "You fucking bastard," Baldy Li cursed again. "What can you do?"

  "Everyone calls me Chief Sub," Song Gang replied in a self-mocking tone and then laughed. "I can only do jobs like cleaning up, sorting letters and newspapers, et cetera I am incapable of doing anything else. I don't have the ability—"

  "You good-for-nothing fucking bastard. When Lin Hong married you, she must have been blind." Baldy Li shook his head. "How could I, Baldy Li, ask my brother to do those kinds of things…"

  After cursing for a while, Baldy Li realized that it was useless to continue reprimanding Song Gang and said, "Why don't you go on home? I still have a gaggle of reporters waiting for me. We'll discuss your situation later."

  Song Gang put his face mask back on and felt content as he emerged from Baldy Li's office. Even though Baldy Li had repeatedly called him a fucking bastard, the more Baldy Li cursed him, the happier Song Gang became. When he returned home, he took off his mask, sat down on the couch, and delightedly said to Li
n Hong, "Baldy Li is still the same as ever. He called me a fucking bastard over and over again, saying that I was good for nothing and that you must have been blind to have married me."

  At first Lin Hong was also happy, but soon she became confused. She asked him, "Did Baldy Li give you a job?"

  "He told me to get well first," Song Gang replied.

  Lin Hong asked skeptically, "So he didn't give you a job?"

  "He wanted to make me a vice president, but I didn't agree," Song Gang replied.

  "Why not?"

  "Because I'm not qualified," he explained.

  Lin Hong began crying again. She wiped her tears and couldn't help saying, "You are truly hopeless."

  Song Gang began to feel uneasy and said softly, "He told me to first recover my health."

  "But where are we going to get the money to pay for your medical care?" Lin Hong began crying brokenheartedly

  At this point there was a knock on the door. Lin Hong wiped her tears, opened the door a crack, and saw the CFO from Baldy Li's company waiting outside. He gestured for her to come out. Lin Hong stared for a second, then wiped her eyes and followed him out. She walked about thirty yards down the street with him, whereupon he stopped and handed her a bankbook. He explained that the account was in Lin Hong's name and contained one hundred thousand yuan, which Baldy Li was giving Lin Hong and Song Gang to cover their living and medical expenses. He added that Baldy Li was worried that Song Gang wouldn't accept the money and therefore was giving it to Lin Hong instead. He asked Lin Hong to keep it a secret from Song Gang. As he was about to leave the CFO said to Lin Hong, "Boss Li says Song Gang's illness is quite serious, so you should take him to the hospital as soon as possible. Boss Li says that you need not worry about money, and that from now on he'll deposit another one hundred thousand yuan into this account every six months. And if that isn't enough, just let us know. Boss Li says that he will make sure you are taken care of."