Brothers

by Yu Hua

  The other workers heard her scream and ran over. Director Liu's embarrassment turned to anger, and he proceeded to reprimand them, "What are you staring at? Go back to work."

  Lin Hong went home and cried over and over again, particularly distraught that there was no one she could talk to about her humiliation. Several times when Song Gang called, she considered telling him, but each time there were people around, and therefore she bit her tongue. After hanging up the phone and returning home, she would again cry all alone, thinking that even if she did tell Song Gang what was happening, what could he do about it?

  While standing in her doorway in the evening, she would often see Baldy Li drive by in his sedan. One day, two months after Song Gang left, the sedan stopped in front of her house. Baldy Li emerged and, smiling, walked up to her. Lin Hong blushed and, as she was standing there unsure what to do, he peered around her into the house, muttering, "And where is Song Gang?"

  When Baldy Li learned that Song Gang had gone away with someone else to do business, he became so furious he could barely stand straight. He cursed over and over again, "That bastard, that fucking bastard …"

  After calling him a bastard five times in succession, Baldy Li told Lin Hong angrily, "That bastard has hurt me deeply. He is willing to do business with anyone but me."

  "Its not like that," Lin Hong quickly explained. "Song Gang has always regarded you as the person closest to him in the world."

  Baldy Li was already walking back toward the sedan. When he opened the door, he turned around and asked sympathetically, "How could you marry such a bastard?"

  After Baldy Li's sedan drove away into the sunset, Lin Hong was filled with mixed emotions. She remembered how Song Gang and Baldy Li, when they were young, would walk together down the streets of Liu, one tall figure and one short one. Lin Hong had never imagined that, twenty years later, they would end up with such different fates. Even after Song Gang had been away from home for more than a year, Baldy Li kept his promise and every six months would deposit another hundred thousand yuan into Lin Hongs bank account. Lin Hong had spent more than twenty thousand yuan on Song Gangs medical expenses and left the remaining balance completely untouched. Although Song Gang insisted over the phone that his business was taking off, Lin Hong didn't dare touch the money in her account. That was money for Song Gang's medical treatment, to support him in his old age and possibly save his life. Lin Hong knew that Song Gang was not a businessman, and she was afraid that he would return empty-handed. With the chain-smoking Director Liu still eyeing her covetously, she knew that, sooner or later, she would have to leave the knitting factory and therefore would find herself unemployed. This realization made her even less willing to touch the money in her account. She would wander aimlessly through the clothing stores and see many outfits that would suit her, but wouldn't buy a single one.

  Whenever Baldy Li saw Lin Hong standing in her doorway, he would roll down the window of his sedan and ask her whether or not Song Gang had returned. When she responded that he hadn't, he would invariably curse, "That bastard!" Once, after inquiring about Song Gang, Baldy Li suddenly expressed concern for Lin Hong herself, asking, "Are you doing okay?"

  Lin Hong's heart skipped a beat. She was accustomed to Baldy Li's filthy mouth, so his gentle inquiry took her breath away. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  That afternoon Director Liu had told Lin Hong that her name was on the next list of workers to be laid off, and that the list would be made public in a week's time. After the incident when Lin Hong had cried out and told him to keep his hands to himself, the director didn't return to Lin Hong's workshop for a full three months. This time, when he entered, he didn't seem like a ghost but, rather, marched right up to Lin Hong and quietly informed her that she would be unemployed within a week. Director Liu didn't make any advances this time but, rather, coldly reminded her that if she didn't want to be laid off, she should go to his office after work. Lin Hong bit her lip and didn't say anything. After work, she continued biting her lip as she rode her Eternity bicycle home. Once home, she stood woodenly in the doorway and when Baldy Li asked her how she was doing, she burst into tears at the mere thought of the humiliation she had endured from Director Liu.

  When he saw Lin Hong crying, Baldy Li got out of the sedan and rushed over to her, asking, "Did something happen to Song Gang?"

  Lin Hong shook her head and for the first time spoke of her humiliation at Director Liu's hands. She then wiped her tears and entreated Baldy Li, "Could you please say something to Director Liu?"

  Baldy Li gave the heartbroken Lin Hong a confused look and asked, "Do you mean the chain-smoking Director Liu?"

  Lin Hong nodded, and after a brief hesitation she told him the entire story of her humiliation, concluding, "Could you speak to him, and ask him to leave me alone?"

  "That fucking bastard!" When Baldy Li finally understood, he gritted his teeth in anger and cursed. Then he told Lin Hong, "Give me three days, and then you will be able to rest easy."

  Three days later someone came from the county government to announce that they were relieving Director Liu of his duties, on the ground that he had allowed productivity at the factory to fall three years in a row. Before he had a chance to announce the new list of layoffs he himself was fired. With a somber expression, Director Liu collected his belongings and trudged out the factory door with his tail between his legs. On the day he received the news, he went a full two hours without smoking a single cigarette and didn't even have one as he walked out the door. The workers at the knitting factory all laughed, remarking that if Director Liu had forgotten to smoke, he must indeed be at his wits end.

  The first thing the new director did was to promote Lin Hong from her former position in the workshop to the factory office. When the new director saw Lin Hong, he greeted her with a smile, then added quietly that if she didn't like this new position, she could have her pick of any position in the factory.

  Never having expected things to work out this way, Lin Hong was extremely grateful. A situation that had caused her such hardship had been resolved easily as soon as Baldy Li learned of it. By this point, she had nothing but goodwill for Baldy Li and felt that her previous hatred of him had been without merit. From then on, when Lin Hong stood in her doorway in the evening, she was no longer certain whether she was waiting for Song Gang's call or for Baldy Li to drive by.

  When the famous Russian painter departed, everyone in Liu knew that Baldy Li's enormous portrait had been completed. It was said that he had hung it in his thousand-square-foot office and covered it with a red velvet drape, and that no one other than Baldy Li had even seen it. The people working in Baldy Li's company told everyone in town that Baldy Li wanted to invite a VIP to come and unveil his portrait, and everyone starting speculating as to who that might be. At first, they thought it might be County Governor Tao Qing. For a month Tao Qing didn't go anywhere but waited around every day for Baldy Li to call him up and invite him to host the ceremony. But the portrait still remained covered by the red velvet drape, and Baldy Li still hadn't organized an unveiling ceremony. Baldy Li's underlings reported that the ceremony had not been held yet because Baldy Li was waiting for his new car to be delivered, since he wanted to pick the host up in it. Therefore, everyone began to suspect that the host must be someone even more important than the county governor; otherwise, why would Baldy Li need a new car to pick him up?

  From that point on, rumors spread like wildfire. First people speculated that it would be a national Party leader. Then someone suggested that Baldy Li would invite the secretary-general of the United Nations to host the ceremony. Some people started watching the news on television, listening to the radio, and reading the newspaper, and after a few days began to ask themselves, "Why is it that there isn't any news about the secretary-general coming to visit China?"

  Others responded, "That explains why Baldy Li is still waiting!"

  Some people went to ask PR Liu, who by this point had been promoted to the po
sition of executive deputy to the president. The townspeople of Liu at first called him Boss Liu, but he felt that Boss Liu sounded too much like Boss Li and therefore asked people to call him Executive Deputy Liu instead. Everyone, however, felt that that was too much trouble and therefore settled for Deputy Liu. It was as if Deputy Liu's mouth had grown a hymen, so absolute was his discretion. Even if his friends and relatives came to ask him the question, he would always give the same response: "No comment."

  Two months later, the two cars Baldy Li had ordered finally arrived. One was a black Mercedes-Benz, and the other was a white BMW. Why had he suddenly bought two new sedans? Baldy Li announced that he wanted to become one with nature, sitting in his white BMW during the day and in his black Mercedes at night. These were the first high-end sedans to arrive in Liu Town, and when they were parked in front of Baldy Li's company, everyone crowded around to marvel at them. They all agreed that the Mercedes was exceedingly black and the BMW exceedingly white. The Mercedes was even blacker than the skin of Africans, and the BMW was whiter than that of Europeans; the Mercedes was blacker than coal and the BMW whiter than freshly driven snow; the Mercedes was blacker than ink and the BMW whiter than paper. Everyone concluded that the Mercedes was blacker than night and the BMW was whiter than day. The whitest BMW sedan in the world drove two loops around Liu Town during the day, and the blackest Mercedes sedan drove two loops around town at night. While the cars were making their loops, Baldy Li was not inside, only his driver. The Santana driver had been promoted to be the Mercedes and BMW chauffeur.

  Everyone was convinced that now that Baldy Li's new sedans had arrived, the host of his unveiling ceremony would somehow mysteriously appear as well. They started speculating again about who that important personage would be. Having eliminated County Governor Tao Qing from consideration, they started with the mayor and again worked their way up to the secretary-general of the United Nations.

  One evening Lin Hong ate dinner all alone and was standing alone in her doorway when Deputy Liu appeared. He hurried forward, with someone panting along behind him with a red carpet on his shoulders. Deputy Liu marched up to Lin Hong and very politely asked her to get out of the way. With a look of bewilderment, she stepped aside and let him in, then watched as he directed the man behind him to unroll the red carpet from Lin Hongs front door all the way to the street. The bystanders stared in astonishment, completely at a loss. Lin Hong also stared in astonishment, having no idea what was going on. Deputy Liu smiled and said to Lin Hong as though he were speaking with reporters, "Boss Li has requested that you go to unveil his portrait."

  Lin Hong continued staring in astonishment, convinced that she must have misunderstood. The crowds around her were initially speechless with surprise and then exploded into a cacophonous roar. Deputy Liu lowered his voice and whispered to Lin Hong, "Quick, go change your clothes."

  Lin Hong finally realized why he was here. She looked blankly at the crowds surrounding her and heard their buzzing voices and thought she heard someone say that an ugly ducking had turned into a beautiful swan. She laughed bitterly and stared at Deputy Liu, not knowing what to do. Deputy Liu again quietly urged her to go change her clothes, but she only registered that his mouth was moving, without understanding what he was saying.

  She stood in the Liu Town twilight, looking as if she had fallen into a stupor. She stared blankly at the crowds that kept accumulating in the street. At one point she appeared to forget what was happening, but then she furrowed her brow and finally seemed to remember. She shook her head hesitantly and nervously looked behind her. She didn't see Song Gang but just her empty house. When she turned around again, a white BMW sedan was slowly coming up the street, followed by a black Mercedes, and the crowd cried out, "Baldy Li has arrived!"

  Baldy Li had, in fact, arrived, together with his two new cars, for which he had hired two drivers. First the white BMW drove up and stopped in front of the red carpet. Then the black Mercedes pulled up behind it, and as Deputy Liu ran to open the door, an impeccably dressed Baldy Li emerged, smiling. He was carrying a single red rose and had a rose boutonniere in his front pocket. He walked up to the baffled Lin Hong, and when he handed her the rose he was holding, this local moneybags looked like a genuine foreign gentleman. First he delicately sniffed the rose, then he handed it to Lin Hong. He then held her hand as he led her onto the red carpet and started walking back to the BMW. Extending his hand, he gestured gallantly for her to get in. Lin Hong looked back nervously but saw only the empty doorway of her house. She then looked at the crowds, saw the strange expressions on their faces, and heard their dull roar. Suddenly she wanted to get away as quickly as possible, and therefore she climbed into the BMW—never having ridden in a sedan before, she didn't get in so much as crawl in. The crowd saw her wiggle her butt as though she were trying to climb into a foxhole. Then they watched as Baldy Li waved at them and lowered himself into his seat.

  After Deputy Liu helped close the door, the white BMW drove away, with the black Mercedes following behind. Deputy Liu's underling rolled the red carpet back up and once again loaded it onto his shoulder, then followed Deputy Liu as he began to walk away. One of the bystanders asked, "After Lin Hong unveils the portrait, will she spend the night with Baldy Li?"

  Deputy Liu answered without turning around, "No comment."

  CHAPTER 69

  THE WHITE BMW and the black Mercedes slowly drove through Liu. When the sun was about to set, the BMW stopped at a curve in the road and Baldy Li announced, "It has gotten dark," then opened the door and pulled Lin Hong out of the white BMW. The instant night fell he pulled her into the black Mercedes, blending into the night. Lin Hong was grasping her rose, still so completely bewildered by what had just transpired that she didn't even realize they had switched cars. Baldy Li just gazed at her with a chivalrous smile on his face.

  When the black Mercedes drove up to the entrance to Baldy Li's company, he leapt out and opened the door for Lin Hong, then gallantly led her into his brightly illuminated office. Baldy Li took Lin Hong by the hand, led her over to the couch and, gazing at her tenderly, said, "I've been waiting for this day for twenty years."

  Lin Hong stared at him, perplexed, and laughed noncommittally Baldy Li took the rose she was holding and tossed it onto the coffee table, then reached out and began caressing her face. Lin Hong began to tremble as Baldy Li's hands slid down to her shoulders, from her shoulders on down her arms, and finally to her hands, waiting patiently for her to stop trembling. He felt that he had a million things to tell her but didn't know where to begin. He shook his head, and said unhappily, "Lin Hong, please understand…"

  Lin Hong looked at him in confusion, not knowing what she was supposed to understand. Baldy Li said pathetically, "I have forgotten how to court someone. I hope you'll understand…"

  "Understand what?" Lin Hong asked quietly.

  "Fuck," Baldy Li cursed. "I don't know how to talk about love. I only know how to make love."

  Then he became a bandit. As Lin Hong stared at him in bewilderment, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about, he grabbed her and stuck his hand into her underpants. He did this lightning-fast, and by the time she realized what had happened, she was already pinned down on the couch with her pants pulled down to her knees. She grabbed her pants with both hands and cried out, "Stop, stop! Stop doing that!"

  Baldy Li, however, was like a wild animal. Within two minutes he had stripped her naked, and within another minute he had stripped off his own clothes. Lin Hong fought him off with all her strength, while imploringly crying out her husbands name, "Song Gang, Song Gang …"

  Baldy Li pinned Lin Hong down on the sofa, held her hands and feet down with his, and shouted, "Song Gang, forgive me!"

  Baldy Li then entered her. Since Song Gang had been ill so long, it had been several years since a man had touched her like this, and while she cried out in terror, the subsequent pleasurable sensation almost made her pass out. As Baldy Li began to thrust she
started to cry out again. Not having done this kind of thing for such a long time, she was like a piece of dry kindling exposed to a flame. She cried out, but it was unclear whether it was from shame or pleasure. After more than ten minutes, her cries became moans. As Baldy Li happily carried on she lost track of time, fully absorbed with her body's rapid contractions. Baldy Li and Lin Hong did it for more than an hour, during which time Lin Hong experienced countless orgasms—even having three in a row, each one following on the heels of the previous one, making her body tremble like the engines of Baldy Li's BMW and Mercedes and making her cry out like the cars’ horns.

  When they were done, Lin Hong lay exhausted on the couch with Baldy Li on top of her, panting heavily. She remembered how she and Song Gang had never lasted more than two minutes. Even when Song Gang was healthy they would do it very perfunctorily, and after he became ill he could not manage even that. Lin Hong caressed Baldy Li's body, thinking, So this is what a real man is like.

  After lying on top of her for a few minutes, Baldy Li excitedly jumped up and ran into the bathroom to rinse himself off. After he had dressed, he saw that Lin Hong had draped her clothing over her naked body. He told her to go rinse herself as well, but she merely lay on the couch, exhaustedly shaking her head and unwilling to move.

  Baldy Li didn't say anything else to her but sat down at his desk and started making business calls. Lin Hong lay there, delirious—her mind in a tumult, like a boat buffeted by the waves—thinking back over what had just happened. It had all been very sudden, like a flash of lightning, starting abruptly, and concluding equally abruptly. Then in a flash of sudden clarity she realized that she was lying naked on Baldy Li's couch. Using her clothing to cover her herself, she got up and walked unsteadily to the bathroom to wash up. As she dressed she gradually revived. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she immediately blushed with embarrassment. She couldn't quite muster the courage to leave the bathroom because she didn't know how she would face Baldy Li when she did.