The Child's Past Life

by Cai Jun

  “She would give her son to you?”

  “I think she’ll agree to it in the end. She worked as a postal clerk, making two or three grand a month. They’re in a lot of debt. Loan sharks hassle them every day. She was just laid off last month. So with no job, she won’t last very long.”

  “So he’s just a poor kid, dying to have money. Maybe that’s why he approached you. Qiusha, you’re too naive. Do you really want to go through the same thing that happened with Shen Ming?”

  “I told you not to mention his name,” she screamed, storming out of the room and slamming the door.

  For ten years, speaking the name Shen Ming had been forbidden in the house.

  He felt short of breath again. Hurriedly, he put on a pair of reading glasses, then opened the drawer and found his tablets—which he gulped down with some water. Shen Ming’s face occupied his mind, just as it had in so many nightmares during the summer of 1995.

  Shen Ming had been such a poor bastard with a tragic family story, and he’d undoubtedly brought bad luck to the Gu family. Gu Changlong never would have let his daughter marry him if not for his daughter’s previous heartbreak, and then Shen Ming’s role in some unfortunate business instigated by Gu Changlong.

  Gu Changlong’s secretary had been on maternity leave during the summer of 1995. Shen Ming was temporarily transferred from Nanming High to the University President’s Office, where he worked hard and wrote amazing speeches for Gu Changlong. The students treated him like a legend after graduation. Thanks to his surprising fluency in English, Shen Ming also greeted foreign guests for the president. In fact, every task assigned to him was flawlessly executed, from hotel reservations to travel plans. People loved him.

  Gu Changlong decided to have Shen Ming solve a problem. He gave him a small package, telling him it was a talisman from Putuo Mountain used for warding off evil. Vice President Qian had been a professor and was uncomfortable with politics. For two years he’d been plagued by bad luck and was often sick. Gu Changlong believed that placing this talisman in Qian’s big living room vase would erase all of Qian’s troubles—and luck would return to all corners of his life. But Qian was a scientist and stern materialist. He had no regard for matters like feng shui and other ancient traditions. If the gift had been given to him in an obvious fashion, Qian would have refused it. So Gu Changlong told Shen Ming to hide the package inside the vase to secretly help Qian. As always, Shen Ming did as he was told. He paid a visit to Qian and successfully completed the task.

  A few days later, the ethics committee disciplined Qian, and he was brought up on corruption charges. The reported violation was a bribe worth $20,000 hidden inside a vase in his home. As a stubborn intellectual, Qian couldn’t take such humiliation. Using his pants, he hung himself in jail.

  Shen Ming didn’t learn the truth until later. Vice President Qian and President Gu had never gotten along. Qian had accused Gu of taking kickbacks from the school cafeteria’s subcontracting deal. Qian reported it to the university’s board of directors. Gu found himself in a desperate situation and took this drastic measure. He couldn’t do it himself, and Shen Ming was the easiest one to deceive and use.

  So Shen Ming and Gu Qiusha’s marriage received his blessing.

  The following year, as his daughter’s wedding got closer, all sorts of terrible news arrived about Shen Ming. The final straw was when he became a murder suspect. It was around this time that He Nian gave Gu a letter from Shen Ming. Gu was terrified, knowing full well the secret Shen Ming mentioned. He refused to be his son-in-law’s puppet, so he personally ensured the destruction of Shen Ming’s career.

  Upon returning from their Yunnan vacation, Gu Changlong heard of Shen Ming’s death. Instead of feeling disheartened, he was relieved. He’d disposed of the time bomb, and his secret would die with him. What scared him lately, though, was that he’d started dreaming of Shen Ming again.

  Gu Qiusha was inviting Si Wang to dinner more and more often. She taught him to play tennis, which he enjoyed. It was fun for him. Afterward he’d be fed a good meal and then taken home.

  If Gu Changlong was sitting in the living room, Si Wang would spend time with him, doing everything from playing chess to chatting about national affairs. The boy took a great interest in the ancient books lining the living room walls, like a copy of the Book of Huizhen signed by Jin Shengtan. As a former university professor, Gu Changlong loved smart kids, so he gave Si Wang an illustrated Six Geniuses of the World.

  Shen Ming had befriended his father-in-law the same way ten years earlier.

  One weekend, Si Wang and the older man were playing a word game in the study. Gu Qiusha and Lu Zhongyue were both out, and the maid was running errands. The two of them were alone in the mansion. The boy was solving puzzles that stumped adults, and Gu Changlong was marveling at the boy’s intellect.

  Suddenly, his chest tightened and he felt dizzy—it was a heart attack. Gu Changlong fell to the floor, gripped by pain. His forehead was sweaty and he couldn’t talk. With a shaky finger he pointed to a drawer.

  Panicked, Si Wang opened the drawer to find it filled with bottles of imported drugs covered in foreign words. He didn’t know which one was for a heart attack. Gu Changlong couldn’t help, as he was almost gone. In those crucial ten seconds, Si Wang looked at all of the bottles, understood the words, and found two tablets for Gu to take. He also unbuttoned the man’s shirt and resuscitated him. Si Wang saved the old man’s life.

  That night as he recovered, Gu Changlong agreed to the adoption plan.

  CHAPTER 19

  Grave-Sweeping Day 2005.

  He Qingying visited the mansion for the first time. Her son clutched her hand and sat her down on the leather sofa. He was very familiar with the house: He knew where the bathrooms were, how to turn on the lights, and how to use all the electronics.

  Gu Qiusha welcomed them warmly. She gave He Qingying a set of limited-edition Dior perfumes. He Qingying wore relatively presentable clothes, her hair was done, and she even wore makeup. Any man seeing her like this would take a second look. But her face was wan and when Gu Qiusha looked closely, it was clear that the woman’s eyes had become more shadowed in the past few months.

  Gu Qiusha’s father and husband also greeted them. Seeing the whole family there flustered He Qingying. She couldn’t stop thanking the hosts.

  After the pleasantries, Gu Qiusha got right to the point about why the two had been invited for dinner.

  “Ms. He, please let us adopt Si Wang.”

  “Are you kidding?” He Qingying’s face changed. She turned to her son, who was eating imported fruits.

  “No, I am quite serious. I know this seems abrupt and rude—after all, you are his mother. You sacrificed a lot to raise him. But with your circumstances, his genius can’t be fully developed. Don’t you think it’s a shame? I can give him a good life, the best education. Isn’t that what every mother wants?”

  “Wang Er!” He Qingying slapped the fruit away from her son’s mouth. “Did you agree to this?”

  He shook his head. “Mom, I won’t leave you.”

  Relieved, she held Si Wang tight as she answered Gu Qiusha. “We have to go home now. Please don’t meet with my son anymore.”

  “Ms. He, Si Wang really likes it here. I will give you one million yuan to guarantee that he has a wonderful future. Even after the adoption process is complete, you won’t lose your son. He will still call you Mom, and you can see him whenever and wherever. You and I can even become friends. If you want to work, I’ll do everything I can to—”

  “Good-bye.”

  Gu Qiusha stumbled after them as He Qingying dragged her son out the door.

  Lu Zhongyue said, “Forget about it. What kind of mom sells her son? Don’t be crazy.”

  “You will agree to adopting Si Wang,” Gu Qiusha said, “or get out of my house.”

  She didn’t
see Si Wang for the next two weeks. Her home and life suffered from an emptiness marked by a graveyard silence.

  Even Gu Changlong asked her, “When is he coming to play chess with me?”

  At the end of the month, He Qingying called Gu Qiusha. “Ms. Gu, please forgive what I said when last we spoke. I need to know. Would you really treat Si Wang like your own?”

  “Of course!” Gu Qiusha was ecstatic. “Please don’t worry. I will treat him like my own. I won’t love him any less than you do!”

  “Can I still see him?”

  “We will sign a contract, and a lawyer will be your witness. You’ll be able to see him whenever you like.”

  He Qingying started sobbing. Gu Qiusha comforted her for a while, and as soon as the phone call ended, she rang the lawyer, instructing him to start the legal proceedings right way.

  Gu Qiusha had never doubted that she’d receive this call. She, too, had more than one secret. Using her formidable resources, Gu Qiusha had located He Qingying’s debt collectors and told them to use even more despicable methods to ensure their payments, going so far as to suggest that they issue threats against Si Wang. The loan sharks sent members of their crew to “protect” Si Wang on his way home. The past two weeks of nightly harassment had driven He Qingying to the verge of a breakdown.

  He Qingying didn’t want to give up her son, but sending him to live with a rich family was better than being threatened by thugs. At least now he would be safe. If anything happened to her, he would be cared for. As He Qingying saw it, she didn’t really sell her son, it was just a temporary separation. Her sacrifice would protect him. She believed Gu Qiusha truly loved Si Wang and would do as promised. Plus, no matter where Si Wang lived, he would always be the son of Si Mingyuan and He Qingying. A ten-year-old would never forget his mom.

  He would be back.

  Gu Qiusha believed differently.

  Three weeks later, the paperwork was finalized. Si Wang’s residency registration was transferred to the Gu family. He was now Lu Zhongyue and Gu Qiusha’s son.

  They changed his name to Gu Wang.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Wang Er, come meet the professors.”

  Gu Qiusha took the boy’s hand and led him to meet the various famous scholars. The old men all adored the kid. They listened to him recite Bai Juyi’s “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” had him read a few hundred bronze scripts and inscriptions on oracle bones, and heard his theories on Manicheism and Gnosticism.

  One renowned scholar held the boy and exclaimed, “He will do amazing things! The revival of Classical Chinese studies has hope!”

  “I think he is better suited to studying Western religions,” another professor insisted. “I want to make him my PhD student.”

  “You’re all wrong,” yet another said. “The kid understands both Eastern and Western schools of thought, but he doesn’t need to be stuck in an ivory tower. The accumulation of all knowledge will lead to a grand life. I think he should be in a Buddhist temple. President Gu will have great karma with a grandson like him!”

  In May, Wang Er moved in and for the first time in his life had his own bedroom, as well as a private bathroom and the latest gaming system. It took him a few weeks to adjust to the house, though he was most agreeable about the new situation. He accepted his new name and he called Gu Qiusha Mom, and Gu Changlong Grandpa. But he didn’t call Lu Zhongyue Dad, and Lu was happy to have nothing to do with the kid.

  Wang Er was sometimes sad. Gu Qiusha knew he missed his real mom and worried that she was lonely. Gu Qiusha had invited He Qingying over a few times, and the three of them even vacationed in Hainan to make up for the separation. She didn’t care that her son still called He Qingying Mom; she had completely redeemed the woman. After He Qingying received one million yuan, she paid off all her debts and then some.

  But Gu Qiusha’s sixth sense told her that He Qingying acted strangely every time they were all together. She seemed odd in front of Lu Zhongyue, like she wanted to avoid him. Perhaps He Qingying was worried that this stepfather wouldn’t like Wang Er and would make things difficult.

  Lu Zhongyue was the same as ever. He hardly spoke to his wife, and he only talked to his father-in-law about work. He was also very cool to this new “son” and seemed paranoid. Unsurprisingly, Wang Er remained polite and would greet Lu and even ask him science and math questions, to which he never got any answers.

  Gu Qiusha watched her husband’s every move, but she didn’t want to make him act differently. The man was completely destroyed; he just didn’t know it.

  She had another secret.

  A few years earlier after telling him about her condition, she learned that he’d taken a mistress—though she had no proof. She didn’t want to divorce him. She didn’t mind the idea of being divorced, but it would elicit pity and sympathy from everyone. As the heir to Erya Education, she needed a husband for appearances. Plus, with no evidence of Lu’s infidelity, a divorce could result in him receiving half of her inheritance. So Gu Qiusha had come up with a more sinister way to get revenge on her husband.

  When she’d gone abroad to see doctors, she brought back a batch of the illegal LHRH, which stimulated the pituitary gland into releasing the luteinizing hormone. The synthetically created LHRH made the pituitary suppress the release of luteinizing hormone and decrease testosterone levels. Ultimately, the lowered testosterone levels would result in chemical emasculation. It was an unnoticeable castration.

  She’d been adding LHRH to her husband’s food for three years—she’d even begun adding it to everyone’s food. As a woman, she had no problem with the hormone. Her dad was in his sixties, so a lower sex drive would help him live longer. Finally, she doctored the drinking system in her house.

  Gu Qiusha’s “chemical castration” of her husband was irreversible, and it would lead to a permanent loss of sexual function.

  In just the past year, Lu Zhongyue had seen many doctors, and by examining his banking records, she knew he only saw doctors who specialized in sexual and reproductive dysfunctions. Lu knew he’d lost something, but he couldn’t determine the reason. The problem had no cure. The doctors theorized it was either a result of environmental conditions or genetics. In fact, “Many men suffer from the same ailment these days” was something he heard often.

  Every time Gu Qiusha saw her husband’s sagging face, hairless chin—and how he took forever in the bathroom—she hoped he’d stay with her until he died. She had sentenced him to life in prison.

  If Lu Zhongyue ever learned what she’d done, he would kill her.

  CHAPTER 21

  June 6, 2005.

  Screens on a speeding subway train showed a news story broadcast by the American television network ABC. A boy called James had been found to be a reincarnation of a naval aviator who’d died in World War II, and who also happened to be his grandmother’s brother. Since birth, the boy had possessed an aviator’s knowledge with a special focus on World War II–era machine parts and aircraft carriers.

  He watched the news silently and calmly. When the story ended, he turned to the window and saw his reflection.

  The subway’s Line 3 reached the station at Hongkou Stadium. He got off the train, walked past narrow residential roads, and then turned onto a tree-lined block. He stopped at an old house with gray walls and a red roof and lightly pressed the doorbell.

  A tall, thin man in his sixties, his hair all white, opened the metal door. “Who are you looking for?”

  “Is this Liu Man’s house?”

  The man made a weird expression with his face. “Liu Man? You’re looking for Liu Man?”

  “I’m sorry. I came here on behalf of my older brother. He was her classmate, and he has been sick in the hospital. He asked me to visit her.”

  The man took some time to study this good-looking boy of about ten years old with memorable eyes. The boy’s steady gaze made
him feel slightly afraid.

  “Your older brother was her classmate? You probably weren’t even born yet the year she died.”

  “My brother and I had the same dad but a different mom.”

  “I see. I’m Liu Man’s father. Please come in.”

  The living room was dim, and the old mahogany furniture looked repressive. This was where Liu Man had grown up.

  Today was the ten-year anniversary of her body being found on the roof of the Nanming High library.

  A black-and-white photo of eighteen-year-old Liu Man sat in a prominent part of the living room. It had been taken during a school field trip to the zoo, right before exams.

  The old man gave the boy a can of soda, which he gulped down. He nodded. “Yes, my older brother told me to come today and light three sticks of incense for her and pray she would rest in Heaven.”

  “Thank you. I can’t believe anyone still remembers her after ten years.”

  The man started crying as he talked. He took some incense from a drawer and gave it to the boy. There was already a cauldron and some fruit in front of the memorial. The boy stood in front of it with reverence, looking at Liu Man’s eyes in the photo before adding the incense to the cauldron.

  As smoke swirled around, Liu Man’s image looked like she was glaring at him!

  The boy asked, “Has there been any progress in the past ten years?”

  “None.” The man sighed and sat down. He pulled out an album full of black-and-white photos. They were of a young couple with a little girl who looked to be three or four years old. “You have no idea how much I adored her. This was her mom. We divorced when Liu Man was seven. I pretty much raised her, so she was a bit odd. After she died, my ex-wife became very depressed. She’s been suicidal for years. She’s in a treatment facility now—it’s like prison.”