Brothers

by Yu Hua

  Song Gang nodded. He patted Little Guan on the shoulder and said, "I know."

  Little Guan s wife smiled at Song Gang, and Song Gang smiled back. He stood there watching that adversity-ridden couple walking into the sunrise. After Little Guans wife put on the big backpack, Song Gang could no longer see her form but could see only the suitcase and travel bag in either hand. As the couple left they were arguing loudly. Little Guan, with his bag of cutlery and pulling his smaller suitcase, was insisting on taking the large travel bag his wife was carrying, but she adamantly refused to give it to him. Then he tried to take the large suitcase she was pulling, but she refused to hand over anything. The two argued furiously, and Little Guan roared at her, "Damn it, I have an empty hand."

  "Your hand? Hmmm," she said loudly. "You are rheumatic and arthritic."

  "Fuck." Little Guan cursed her again. "I must have been blind when I married you."

  "I was the one who was blind to have married you," she cursed right back.

  CHAPTER 72

  ON HAINAN ISLAND that morning, Song Gang waved goodbye to Little Guan and his wife and then stood, dazed and alone, in the market where he first saw Little Guan, and sold off his final two vials of Boobs cream.

  He finally decided to go home. Little Guan s remarks had made him miss Lin Hong terribly, and he was worried that if he waited too long he would become like Little Guan and his very desire to return would fade. He stayed at the little hotel one final night, and the next day he went to the plastic surgery clinic to have his breast implants removed. By this point the implants had become stiff, and the doctor, when he saw this silent patient, assumed that this was why he was having them removed. The doctor therefore asked if he had had his breasts massaged regularly, but Song Gang just shook his head. The doctor left it at that and concluded that the implants had hardened because Song Gang hadn't received his massages. After the operation, the doctor told him to return in six days to have the stitches removed, then warmly recommended his own hospital, telling Song Gang that if he ever wanted to have a sex-change operation, this hospital should be his first choice. Song Gang nodded as he took the anti-inflammatory medicine and left the clinic.

  That afternoon he took a bus to the seaport. As the bus was driving up the coast, he again saw the gulls soaring between the sun and the waves. This time, however, his ears were so full of the noise of the bus engine that he couldn't hear the gulls’ cries. When he boarded the ferry to cross over to Canton, he was finally able to make out the gulls’ cries in the sound of the waves. At that point he was standing on deck, watching the gulls chase the boat's eddies as though they too were eddies. As the sun set below the horizon, the gulls all soared away together, rising up like a cloud of smoke and gradually disappearing into the horizon.

  As Song Gang rode the train from Canton to Shanghai, the gulls had disappeared. He once again put on a face mask, feeling that his lungs were getting progressively worse. Each time he coughed, he felt shooting pains in the wounds under his armpits. He would often take out the sweet photograph of himself and Lin Hong when they were young. At that point, even the Eternity bicycle was still young. Song Gang hadn't looked at the photograph in more than half a year, having been afraid that, upon seeing it, he would feel heartbroken for days on end, or that he would want to drop what he was doing and rush back to Liu Town. Now, however, he had no misgivings. He looked repeatedly at the picture of Lin Hong, occasionally also glancing at his own young, smiling face, but his thoughts were still soaring with the shadows of the gulls.

  As the autumn wind blew up the leaves Song Gang walked out of Liu Towns bus depot, pulling his suitcase. This mask-wearing man returned in the evening. Treading on the fallen leaves, he walked home with a swishing sound accompanying every step. The sound of his breath behind the face mask also made a swishing sound every time he inhaled. Excited at the thought of finally seeing Lin Hong again, he began coughing fiercely. This time, however, the wound under his armpits did not hurt. He quickly walked down the main street of Liu, and the neon lights and raucous music faded away like mist. When he finally glimpsed his house from far away, his eyes grew moist. He removed his glasses as he proceeded forward, pulling his suitcase with one hand and wiping the lenses of his glasses with the other.

  Song Gang walked up to his front door. While still on the bus, he had taken out his key and held it in his hand, and now it was in the hand with which he was pulling his suitcase. As he put the suitcase down and inserted the sweaty key into the keyhole he hesitated a moment and then decided to knock instead. He knocked three times, and three more times, then stood there eagerly waiting for Lin Hong to open the door. But inside there was no hint of movement, and finally Song Gang had no choice but to use his key. As he opened the door and went in he called out with a trembling voice, "Lin Hong."

  Hearing no response, he put down his suitcase and walked into the bedroom, then into the bathroom, but both were empty. He stood for a while in the living room at a complete loss, and then it occurred to him that Lin Hong might still be on her way home from the factory. He went to stand in the doorway, looking down the road, bathed in the light of the setting sun. As people and cars bustled back and forth Song Gang stood excitedly in the doorway until the light had completely died away, but still there was no sign of Lin Hong. Instead, a few passersby stopped when they saw Song Gang and remarked in surprise, "Song Gang? You've returned?"

  Song Gang nodded blankly. Even as he saw these familiar faces his thoughts remained absorbed with Lin Hong, to the point that he couldn't remember these people's names. After he had stood in front of his house for more than an hour, he happened to glance at the snack shop across the street and noted in surprise that the neon sign above the store had changed. It no longer read SU FAMILY SNACK SHOP but, rather, had been changed to WANDERLESS ZHOU'S SNACK SHOP. Then Song Gang saw Wandering Zhou's bobbing face in the window. Song Gang crossed the street and entered the shop.

  He saw Missy Su sitting behind the cashier's counter and Wandering Zhou chattering with several customers as they ate. Song Gang nodded to Missy Su and smiled. When she saw him with his face mask, she stared in alarm, at first not knowing how to respond. Song Gang then turned to the charlatan and called out, "Wandering Zhou."

  Like Missy Su, Zhou also stared in alarm when he saw Song Gang, until he finally recognized who he was. Wandering Zhou warmly called out to him, "Song Gang, it's you. You've returned?"

  As Wandering Zhou walked up to Song Gang he suddenly remembered something and corrected him, "I've changed my name to Wanderless Zhou."

  Song Gang remembered the neon sign outside the snack shop and smiled behind his face mask. He noticed a little girl sitting in a high chair and asked Wandering Zhou—or, rather, Wanderless Zhou—"Is this Su Zhou?"

  Wanderless Zhou gestured vigorously and again corrected him, "The other way around—Zhou Su."

  Missy Su walked over and, seeing Song Gang coughing, asked solicitously, "Song Gang, did you just return? Have you had dinner yet?"

  Wanderless Zhou immediately stepped into his role as restaurant proprietor and instructed a waitress, "Bring us a menu."

  The waitress brought the menu, and Zhou signaled for her to hand it to Song Gang, saying, "Song Gang, please eat as much as you like. It's on the house."

  Song Gang coughed as he gestured, saying, "I won't eat here. I'm waiting for Lin Hong to come home and eat with me."

  "Lin Hong?" When Wanderless Zhou heard this, he jumped with surprise. "Don't bother waiting. She's gone off to Shanghai with Baldy Li."

  Missy Su anxiously warned him, "Watch what you say."

  "Who should watch what they say?" Zhou countered. "Everyone has seen it with their own eyes."

  Seeing Missy Su signaling furiously at him, he didn't continue but, rather, looked with concern at Song Gang's chest and smiled mysteriously. "You had them removed?"

  Song Gang nodded, bewildered by Wanderless Zhou's earlier comment. Zhou pulled Song Gang into a seat, then crossed his legs and
proudly said, "After leaving the health-products business to you, I turned my attention to the restaurant business. Soon I will open two more Wanderless Zhou Snack Shops in Liu Town, and within three years I plan to open a chain of one hundred stores throughout the country—"

  Missy Su interrupted him, saying, "But the two Liu Town stores haven't even opened yet."

  Wanderless Zhou glanced at her with annoyance but didn't respond and instead said to Song Gang, "Do you know who my primary rival is? It's not Baldy Li—he's too small. My primary rival is McDonald's. I want my Wanderless Zhou restaurants to dominate McDonald's throughout the land and in the process make McDonald's stock drop by fifty percent."

  Missy Su said unhappily, "I get embarrassed just listening."

  Zhou again glanced at her, then, after looking down at his watch, he stood up anxiously and said, "Song Gang, let's continue this some other time. I'm going home to watch my Korean soaps."

  After Wanderless Zhou left, Song Gang also walked out of the snack shop to return to his empty house. There he turned on all the lights, took off his face mask, stood for a while in the bedroom, then proceeded to the kitchen, where he also stood for a while. Next he stood for a while in the bathroom, then returned to the living room, where he started to cough fiercely. His wounds began to throb, as if his sutures had torn. Song Gang was in such agony that tears streamed down his face. He doubled up in pain, then sat down in a chair, gripping his chest with both hands as he waited for the coughing fit to subside. After the pain had diminished, he lifted his head and discovered that everything was blurred. He blinked several times, but his vision remained blurry, and he had no idea why. After a while he realized that his glasses were completely smeared with tears, so he took them off and wiped them with his shirt, then put them back on and found he could see clearly again.

  Song Gang put the face mask back on, stood up, and returned to the front of the house. He was still fantasizing that Lin Hong would suddenly walk up. He looked at the crowds in the street, which appeared distorted and grotesque by the light of the streetlamps and neon signs. At this point Poet Zhao appeared. He walked right up to Song Gang and inspected his face mask, then took a step back and called out, "Song Gang."

  As Poet Zhao had emerged from the crowd and walked up Song Gang had belatedly recognized him and replied quietly. Poet Zhao laughed and said, "I didn't even need to see your face. I recognized you from your face mask."

  Song Gang nodded, coughed a few times, and gripped his chest wounds in anguish. Poet Zhao looked at him sympathetically and asked, "Are you waiting for Lin Hong?"

  Song Gang nodded and then shook his head, once again looking confusedly toward the crowd. Poet Zhao softly patted his shoulder and consoled him. "You needn't wait for her. She ran off with Baldy Li."

  Song Gang's entire body shuddered, and he gazed at Poet Zhao with a look of terror. Zhao laughed mysteriously, then patted him again on the shoulder, saying, "You would have found out sooner or later."

  Still smiling mysteriously, Poet Zhao walked up the steps and returned to his own apartment. Song Gang remained in the doorway, his emotions in tumult. He couldn't see anything clearly and continued coughing nonstop behind his face mask, though now he no longer felt any pain from his wounds. He stood woodenly by the side of the road until the crowds began to diminish and the neon lights were gradually turned off. As everything quieted down he finally turned around and stumbled like an old man back into his house—his house without Lin Hong.

  Song Gang endured an excruciating night. Lying alone on the bed he formerly shared with Lin Hong, he felt frigid underneath the covers, and the covers themselves also felt frigid. Even the room felt frigid. Although his thoughts were in a tumult, Wanderless Zhou's and Poet Zhao's comments made Song Gang feel that something momentous had taken place. He realized that that "something" had to do with his brother whom he trusted with his life, and Song Gang's wife, who had pledged to love him till death did them part. At this point, however, he lacked the courage to pursue this line of thought any further. Terrified, he tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.

  The next morning Song Gang, again wearing his face mask, walked with an empty heart through the streets of Liu, having no idea where to go. His feet, however, knew, and they led him straight to the entrance-way of Baldy Li's company headquarters, but after they stopped, he didn't have any idea what to do next. At that point he saw Popsicle Wang rush excitedly out of the reception room and call out warmly, "Song Gang, Song Gang. You've returned."

  After Popsicle Wang became one of Liu Town's tycoons, he spent every day wandering the streets like a vagabond. After several years, however, he grew tired of wandering and began going to the office every day, like a vice president. While everyone else rushed around busily, he sat there idly with nothing to do. After another year, he grew fed up with sitting in the office and therefore volunteered to work as the building's doorman. This way, at least, he would be able to speak to people as they came and went.

  Given that Popsicle Wang was the company's third-biggest shareholder, Deputy Liu didn't dare complain. Therefore, Liu ordered that the former security guard shack be torn down and a newer, much more dignified "reception room" be built in its place, complete with a large living room, a large bedroom, a large kitchen, and a large bathroom for Wang, all built in accordance with the standards of a five-star hotel. In summer it had central air, and in winter it used geothermal heat. It had a sofa imported from Italy, a bed imported from Germany, a cabinet imported from France, as well as an executive desk and chair set. After Wang moved into his five-star-hotel doorman's room, he was as happy as a clam, and from that point on he never again returned home. Every time they saw each other, he would praise Deputy Liu to the skies, and Liu would be elated.

  Popsicle Wang was most satisfied with his hi-tech TOTO toilet, because after you used it to take a shit, you didn't even have to wipe your ass; instead, a spurt of water would immediately rinse it clean, and a jet of air would blow it dry for you. Deputy Liu even installed five satellite dishes on the roof and told Popsicle Wang that with them, he would be able to watch all the television channels of the countries richer than China, all the channels of the countries as wealthy as China, and even some of the channels of the countries poorer than China. Therefore, all day long Wangs reception area echoed with all sorts of accents and languages, as if he were hosting a meeting of the United Nations.

  At that point, Popsicle Wangs most intimate comrade in arms, Yanker Yu, decided to upgrade the quality of his world travels. He now felt that both following a tour group and traveling on his own had gotten old. Therefore, each time he arrived at a new location, he would hire a female interpreter. He was bored with traveling to scenic points; his interests now lay entirely with demonstrations and mass rallies. He participated in rallies in more than a dozen European and American cities. He didn't differentiate based on politics—as long as something was a demonstration or a rally, he would excitedly rush over to participate. If he found two demonstrations taking place at the same time, he would join the larger one. Yanker Yu learned marching slogans in more than ten different languages, and he would often call Popsicle Wang and randomly shout out these foreign slogans while speaking to him.

  When Popsicle Wang heard of these rallies and demonstrations, he assumed Yanker Yu was participating in Great Cultural Revolutions in other parts of the world, and every time Yu would call and tell Wang that he was joining a protest march in some foreign city, Wang would immediately call Deputy Liu and tell him which city was currently staging a Great Cultural Revolution.

  Yanker Yu was very displeased with Popsicle Wangs explanation, and he upbraided him long-distance, saying, "You country bumpkin, you just don't understand. This is politics."

  Yanker Yu explained why he had become so passionate about politics: "This can be explained by the principle that comfortable circumstances breed freethinking, which is why the rich love politics."

  Popsicle Wang at first wasn't at all c
onvinced, but one day he happened to glimpse Yanker Yu on a foreign television channel. The left side of his face appeared briefly as he marched. Wang stared in amazement, and from that point on he became extremely respectful of Yu. When Yanker Yu called him up, Popsicle Wang told him he had seen him on television but was so excited he started to stutter. On the other end of the line, Yanker Yu also began to stutter with excitement, and they both shrieked and cawed like exotic birds. Then Yu immediately asked Wang whether he had recorded the segment. Popsicle Wang replied that he hadn't, and Yanker Yu began to blow a gasket right there on the phone, calling Popsicle Wang a son of a gun, son of a bitch, son of a dirty rotten stinking scoundrel. Then he complained sadly that his dearest friend had failed to record his moment of celebrity. Popsi-cle Wang felt terrible and repeatedly promised Yanker Yu that the next time he would be sure to record any scene in which Yu happened to appear. From that point on, Popsicle Wangs television channels tracked Yanker Yu s every step. Every time Yu arrived in a new country, Wang would lock on to that country's television channels, then conscientiously search for images of protest marches. When he found one, he would stare at the television like a cat watching a mouse, remote control in his hand, on the off chance that Yanker Yu might appear.

  When Popsicle Wang saw Song Gang standing outside the building, Yanker Yu happened to be flying from Madrid to Toronto, and therefore Wang had a temporary reprieve from watching the television. Seeing Song Gang reappear after such a long absence, he rushed over and dragged him inside. Wang asked him to sit down on the Italian couch and then started relating various fantastic stories about Yanker Yu. Finally he sighed and said, "How did Yanker Yu become so courageous? He doesn't know a single word of any foreign language, and yet there is nowhere he doesn't dare to go."