Chinese Stories in English
Opposite Shore (Page 5)
Stories printed in The Other Shore《彼岸花》作家网*选编|冰峰*主编
Page citation and link to online Chinese text noted after each story.
1. Opposite Shore Blossoms 3. A Reason to Come Home
2. Their Last Encounter 4. Six Silver Dollars
1. Opposite Shore Blossoms (彼岸花)
Ling Dingnian (凌鼎年)
One Blossom Ai, a young lady, had been born into an eminent family of scholars. She received a good education and did well in all the arts, including calligraphy, painting, chess and playing the lyre. She especially liked paintings of flowers and birds. Her paintings of impatiens, cockscombs and begonias were exquisitely lifelike, and everyone who saw them loved the fine brushwork.
Her father knew she had a special preference for such paintings, so whenever he saw a good album or an excellent painting of flowers or birds, he’d buy it regardless of price. He once brought home an antique painting of a bunch of bright red flowers that had these lines of poetry written on it:
“Whenever I see the blossoms on the opposite shore,
“I envy the gentleman who knows flowers so well.”
Blossom was familiar with common peonies, herbaceous peonies, Chinese roses, generic roses, gardenias, lilies, winter jasmine, daffodils, honeysuckle, azaleas, pomegranate flowers, wintersweet, banana shrubs, magnolias, jasmine, orchids, chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, camellias, lotuses, osmanthus, and peach blossoms, as well as water lilies, lilac, wisteria, hibiscus, cannas, poinsettias, cyclamens and many others. She’d seen and painted most of them, but this was the first time she’d even heard the name “opposite shore blossoms”(1), let alone seen any of them.
These flowers were eye-piercing red in color and luster, as red as dripping blood. They were both large and delicate in shape -- when you first looked at them, you saw that the whole flower was larger than a human palm. But then you saw that each petal, in contrast, was slender and delicate, bending where it should bend and spreading where it should spread, pointing either upwards or downwards. The petals were adorned with stamens that looked like tiger’s whiskers, alternating between hard and soft into a harmonious unity. Blossom liked the shape, color, and even the name of these flowers whole-heartedly.
She mulled over the term “opposite shore flower”. As she understood it, “opposite shore” could refer to the contrast between life and death; or it could mean a state of mutual yearning. She liked the name, but she just didn't know if these flowers actually existed in the world. She even prayed that this opposite shore blossom wasn’t just a whimsical figment of the artist’s imagination.
She asked many artists about it. They all said they’d never painted such a flower and didn't know what kind it was. She also asked several gardeners. They all said they’d never grown such a flower and couldn’t give it a name.
Later, a relative who loved to travel said, “Seems like it could be a cockroach flower. I’ve seen them south of the Yangtze River.” Blossom was both happy and disgusted when she heard that -- happy because she finally had a clue that might lead to more information, but disgusted that such a beautiful flower could be likened to a cockroach.
And another strange thing. When she asked about opposite shore flowers, no one knew about them. But when she asked about cockroach flowers, an old farmer in the countryside said he’d seen them. He further explained that they were commonly known as ghosts-dripping-blood, but they were also called lamp flowers, magic flowers, ghost flowers, forget-the-river flowers, dragon claw flowers, thunder-out-of-the-blue, and other names.
Blossom got more and more confused as she listened to the old farmer. How could such a radiant and eye-catching flower have so many names, and why were the names so different from each other? Dragon claw flower was rather captivating, while ghosts-dripping-blood was too vulgar. Blossom made up her mind to search for these flowers so she could see them with her own eyes.
The old farmer told her that the flowers were enigmatic. They usually grew in wilderness areas where few people lived. The rhizomes grew underground and the plants had stalks but no leaves. They weren’t easy to find, apparently because they bloomed suddenly and withered quickly. They bloomed in the busy farming season when no one had the time to care about the survival of one or two wildflowers.
Blossom saw the flowers several times in her dreams, sometimes red, sometimes white or yellow or pink. In particular, she dreamed of a lakeside full of patches and patches of opposite shore flowers. They were intoxicatingly beautiful. She imagined that if she built a small courtyard by a lake, wouldn't it be the utopia described by Tao Yuanming?(2)
Blossom couldn't wait to grab a paintbrush when she woke up from one such dream. She painted a quadriptych titled “A Dream of Opposite Shore Blossoms”: one of the four paintings was full of red flowers, one of white flowers, one of yellow flowers and one of pink flowers.
Everyone who’s seen these four paintings, whether they understand painting or not, has acclaimed them as unforgettably beautiful.
***
More than a mere one or two suitors came to seek Blossom’s hand when she reached marriageable age. Included among them were descendants of high-ranking officials in the imperial court, successful scholars and sons of wealthy merchants and gentry. Blossom had her own notion, however. She proposed marrying whoever could locate the lakeview and the opposite shore blossoms of her dreams for her.
This stumped the powerful parents as well as the wealthy and talented young men. One by one, they all backed out. Blossom's parents were driven crazy with anxiety, but she remained unmoved and unmarried.
Blossom's cousin was getting married that autumn and asked her to be the maid of honor. On a beautiful, invigorating autumn day, Blossom went south of the Yangtze for the first time. Her parents accompanied her. On the way, they passed the foot of a mountain where Blossom happened to see a sign with these large characters written on it: “Opposite Shore Villa”. Her heart pounding, she asked to stop there so she could go in and have a look. Driven by curiosity, she entered the villa.
There he saw Heavenly Realm Lake. It wasn’t a big lake, but it was surrounded by, not just opposite shore blossoms, but opposite shore blossoms in full bloom -- bright red flowers, pure white ones, dazzling yellow and warm pink ones. A young man who looked like a scholar sat next to a wooden cabin by the lake, playing a flute. The music was mellow, gentle, lingering and peaceful. She noted it was “A Springtime Evening with Moonlit Flowers by a River”, one of her favorite melodies.
The young man playing the flute was Aqua Chang, the owner of the villa. He told Flower, “I’m waiting for the woman I’m fated to meet. I've been waiting a long time.”
Flower gazed at this unaffected young man, so peaceful in appearance and temperament, and at the colorful flowers blooming by the lake. She wondered, “Am I dreaming? Is this real? Can it be true? Could there be such a coincidence in the world?!”
Aqua gave Blossom his bamboo flute as a token of love. She arranged to give him her four paintings, “A Dream of Opposite Shore Blossoms”, in return.
（1）“Opposite shore blossom” is a literal translation of the flower’s Chinese name [彼岸花]. The English name is “red spider lily”.
（2）A poet whose most famous work was a fable, The Story of Peach Blossom Spring [桃花源记], written in 421 CE.
Text at 《彼岸花》 p. 001. Also available here and (heavily revised) from 新浪博客 at
https://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_4984eb6b010301jl.html?md=gd&from=tqt
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2. Their Last Encounter (最后的相遇)
Cold River (冷江)
The mountains are cold and the Qiupu River runs in a trickle in autumn. Win Jade Cui, the Governor of Rock County, constantly had Graceful Mountain Academy on his mind. He was anxious to get the final draft of the anthology out that very night because it had been the Crown Prince’s final wish.
The Crown Prince had come to Rock City for the first time five years before. On that occasion, Governor Win personally led civil and military officials and local celebrities out of the city to greet him. When he arrived, the prince got out of his carriage while he was still some distance away and walked briskly toward the crowd. He was rather short and a little fat, and was in high spirits even though he was tired from his journey.
Governor Win was used to greeting dignitaries, and what happened next was incredible to him. The prince didn’t come forward to meet the officials right away; instead he walked directly to the people kneeling on both sides of the road and announced, “People of Rock City, my fellow countrymen, please rise! I’m honored that my father the king has appointed me the Prince of Rock County. I will be sharing your joys and sorrows, and I’ll endeavor to live up to your expectations!”
After the prince entered the city and met with various officials and local dignitaries, Governor Win arranged a meal with fine wine and luscious cuisine, accompanied by an ensemble of stringed and woodwind instruments. However, the prince smiled and said: "Instruments have no color; there’s pure music in the mountains and rivers! Tomorrow you’ll go hunting with me on Graceful Mountain and fishing at Jade Mirror Pool. Won’t it be fun to earn our own food?"
The next day, Governor Win accompanied the prince up Graceful Mountain. The prince personally bagged a wild rabbit, and later, with his first cast fishing in Jade Mirror Pool, he caught a mandarin fish that jumped high and fought hard. He ordered the men to build a stove then and there by the Qiupu River to cook his take. The wild rabbit was so fresh and the mandarin fish so rich that the prince praised the meal endlessly. He pointed to Jade Mirror Pool and exclaimed, “These are really precious waters!” From then on, the Qiupu has also been called “Precious Waters”.
The area south of the Yangtze River suffered a serious drought a couple of years after the prince’s visit. The blazing sun scorched the mountains and rivers, and the crops were all parched. Governor Win was shocked when he went to the countryside on a fact-finding mission. Nine out of ten people in his county had nothing to eat. He wrote an official report that night and ordered it sent to the capital as soon as possible. The entire county eagerly awaited the reply.
News from various sources added to people’s fears. The sources said many officials in the court believed that the drought in the area wasn’t as serious as reported by local officials. The locals made it a practice to exaggerate problems to get the court to reduce taxes.
Half a month passed with no news; then a month, and still nothing. Governor Win was so torn with anxiety that he couldn't sleep at night. The outlook for the populace of eighteen counties in the area would be dire if the court didn’t put relief measures in place without delay! After much thought, he decided to take a risk: He revised his letter and had a trusted confidant take it to the capital overnight.
Governor Win breathed a sigh of relief after he sent the letter. He was absolutely clear about the consequences – it was highly likely that he’d be stripped of his rank and lose his job! He also knew it was a serious crime, in fact a capital offence, for local officials to communicate with the Crown Prince privately! But he was willing to risk his life to contact the prince as long as there was a glimmer of hope.
When he’d passed the imperial examination and was given an official position in Rock County fifteen years previously, he’d secretly vowed to be a good official who’d share in the hardships of the county’s people and work for their benefit. For fifteen years, every blade of grass and every tree in Rock County was in his heart. Now that the grass and trees were withering and the people suffering, how could he feel at peace?
In the final analysis, judging from the prince’s words and deeds during his inspection tour two years before, he felt it was a gamble worth taking. If he lost, he’d be the only one to suffer. If he won, he’d save the people of the entire county and his renown would endure a thousand generations.
And so he planned for the worst. He sealed his last will and testament in an envelope and handed it to a subordinate. He told the man, if worst came to worst, to take it to his hometown in Central Pass, which was thousands of miles away.
Governor Win went to the north gate of the city almost every day to look for any messengers from the court. Many officials and his own staff repeatedly advised him, for several days in a row, not to go out when the sun was as hot as was, but the fire of hope in his heart never went out. On the seventh day, when he was at his most discouraged, he heard the pounding of horse hooves in the distance. He was overjoyed and ordered his men to ready horses right away to go out of the city to welcome whoever was coming.
Ten or more riders were galloping towards the city in a cloud of dust. He blinked his eyes hard, unable to believe what he saw. The man on the tall horse with a red mane at the front of the riders -- wasn’t that the Crown Prince?!
Governor Win instantly dismounted and kowtowed. Crawling on the ground, he pleaded, “Governor Win, your humble servant, deserves to die for belaboring Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The prince looked exhausted, but he waved his hand for Governor Win to get back on his horse. Without stopping to rest, the group rushed to the surrounding farms to learn more about the disaster. The next day, the prince ordered Governor Win to open the warehouse to release grain for distribution to the populace, and everyone in the county shed tears of relief.
The eighteen counties south of the Yangtze River suffered severely during that drought. The people in many counties were forced into beggary. Rock County was the only area where no one starved to death, and no one had to flee the county to escape starvation.
Later the prince invited great scholars and celebrities from all over the region to gather in the scenic city of Chizhou in Anhui Province. He wanted them to compile a selection of rare ancient and modern texts to edify the populace for the present and future generations. Governor Win was ordered to supervise the selection of artwork, and the prince worked on the anthology from morning till night, even though he was often in physical pain from overwork. Governor Win incessantly urged him to stop working so hard.
Eventually the Emperor himself issued a decree for the prince to leave Rock County and return to the capital in the cool of the autumn. After he departed, news came that the prince's condition had deteriorated. Governor Win was anxious and uneasy.
Now, two years later, Governor Win was preparing the final draft of the anthology. He finished reviewing the last article in his government office and asked someone to seal the document and immediately send it to the capital for the prince’s approval. Suddenly, an express horse arrived and reported that the prince’s entourage was within ten miles of the east of the city!
Governor Win was astounded! He led a welcoming group of officials to the east of the city right away. When the city’s residents heard what was happening, thousands of people also crowded along the public road in the city’s east. Half an hour passed with no sign of the prince's entourage or horses, and everyone was sweating profusely under the scorching sun. Governor Win felt a little uneasy. Finally, after almost an hour, he saw the entourage and horses approaching slowly.
Governor Win rushed forward, knelt on the ground, and cried, “Rock County Governor Win Jade Cui has led the civil and military officials and the people of the whole city out here to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”
The carriage curtain remained lowered and there was no reply. When Governor Win dared to step forward and lift the curtain, he was shocked to find that there was no one in the carriage. He saw only the clothes that the prince had worn when he came on his inspection tour.
An official in the entourage rode up to Governor Win. He dismounted and helped the governor stand up, then said in a hoarse voice, "Honorable Cui, please stand up! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he passed away three days ago! Before he passed, he left a packet of dictated instructions that he asked myself and the others to bring here and deliver personally.”
Governor Win felt his head begin to spin. Everyone knelt down on the ground and wept. The visitor announced for all to hear, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has proclaimed: ‘Rock County is a place of great happiness in the southland. By the graces of my father the Emperor, and thanks to the love of the county’s people and to all the officials, high and low, working together, it has achieved the prosperity that it enjoys today. I have nothing with which to repay you for your support, so I just send you these clothes that you may bury them amongst the mountains and rivers of the county. I hope that after I depart, you will all continue to work as diligently as you have done before, with your aspirations tied to the people’s benefit. Thus will I go smiling into the next world!’”
He could have become a wise ruler for the generations, but he left us in the flower of his youth. Of all the officials and people in the county, there were none who could hold back their bitter tears. Governor Win also fell ill and passed away in the spring of the following year. The anthology they jointly compiled was named "Zhaoming Wenxuan" with the emperor's approval.
Translator’s note: The subject of the story is apparently Crown Prince XiaoTong (501-531 CE) of the Liang Dynasty. He is credited with compiling the anthology named in the text, but your translator cannot otherwise vouch for the historical accuracy of the story.
Text at 《彼岸花》 p. 004. Also available here and from 新浪博客 at
https://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_8e03ae310102yy08.html
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3. A Reason to Come Home (回家的理由)
Liu Hongwen (刘洪文)
Doggy was a thief. He spent his days bumming around, never doing any work, stealing whatever he saw.
People often say that "a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow [because it’s too easy to be identified]", but Doggy didn't pay any attention to that. He wouldn’t even let his own neighborhood escape his crimes. Whenever an opportunity came along, he’d follow a different old adage -- "A thief doesn’t leave empty-handed."
Old Lady Ma, Doggy’s downstairs neighbor, lived alone. Her husband had gotten sick and died a few years before. She did have a son, though, named Winter Sun Ma. He’d found a suitable job in the provincial capital after graduating from university and settled down there. Normally he’d come home for a visit during Spring Festival, but rarely during the rest of the year.
One day Doggy saw Mrs. Ma leaving her home. Remarkably, for some reason she forgot to lock her front door, perhaps due to her old age. This was a heaven-sent opportunity, so Doggy sneaked into her condo.
Her home was simply furnished with a large bed, two nightstands and three wardrobes. Doggy found two hundred yuan in cash on the left nightstand without much trouble. He didn’t often get currency anymore -- nowadays everyone pays for things by mobile phone, so it’s unusual to come across hard cash. Recent great leaps in science and technology have made life difficult for thieves. But a mosquito is still meat, no matter how small it is, so how could Doggy pass it up....
Doggy didn't dare stay there too long. He knew Mrs. Ma didn't usually go far – she habitually came right home after strolling around downstairs. Also, his m.o. was to grab and go after a quick look....
When the deed was done, Doggy stayed away from his place and spent two days with friends so as to avoid Old Lady Ma. After he got home, he kept sneaking looks at her whenever he went up or down the stairs. He figured that, like other seniors, she was a bit parsimonious most of the time, but losing two hundred yuan wouldn’t be a matter of life or death for her. Even if it was a serious loss, it’d probably just be like a minor illness rather than a death sentence. To his surprise, though, the old lady didn’t react at all. She went out for a stroll every day, as was her habit, and often didn’t lock the door when she went out. Doggy thought, “This old lady’s really forgetful. Seems like I’ll soon have another chance to get rich.”
Next month he visited her home again while she was out and went straight to the nightstand where she’d left money the last time. He didn’t expect to see any money there, but in fact he found another two hundred yuan in cash. It seemed that the old lady really did have a mental problem.
He wasn’t so easily satisfied this time. He decided to rifle through things in case there might be something more! He ended up getting angry because a lengthy search turned up nothing valuable except the two hundred yuan in cash. He kicked the nightstand and started to leave.
That was when Old Lady Ma came home. Their eyes met for a moment and they both stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do. The old lady’s condo was on the second floor, with a staircase landing outside the door. Through a window, Doggy saw two security guards walking towards them. All the old lady had to do was shout and the consequences could be imagined....
Doggy had prepared for the worst. He was considering whether to fight to the death but, believe it or not, Old Lady Ma just looked at him and didn't yell or shout. Instead, she seemed giddy and said, "You ought to leave right away!" Doggy didn’t have time to put any more thought into it, so he skedaddled….
When he got home, he thought long and hard but things didn’t add up. He knew what it would mean if a repeat offender like him got caught! Although he hadn’t stolen very much money each time, taken together it was enough for him to be sentenced to three to five years in prison. Everyone knows that life in prison is no picnic.
It seemed that the old lady was giving him a chance! All of a sudden Doggy’s conscience got the better of him and he decided to return the money to her. That was the only way he could get her to forgive him and avoid exposing himself to the risk of jail time.
Still thinking, Doggy turned around and went downstairs again. He saw that Mrs. Ma's door was still half open and she was tidying up the things he’d scattered around on the floor. On the surface, she looked no different from usual.
He stepped forward with a stiff upper lip and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie Ma. I'll give you the money back!"
He was surprised once again. Mrs. Ma absolutely refused to take it. "You should keep it. I'm so old now that I don't spend much money. I don't need these two hundred yuan!"
This made Doggy anxious. "What do you mean? Do you regret letting me go just now and want to report me? Are you letting me keep the money as evidence and plan to call the police to arrest me? We’re upstairs-downstairs neighbors. Don't be so hard-nosed!"
Mrs. Ma sighed after hearing him out. "Oh! I don't want to report you. To tell you the truth, last time a thief stole two hundred yuan from my house, my son came home to see me for the first time in ages. He comforted me and bought me a lot of food and daily necessities. Now more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye and I’ve started to miss him a little bit again. I hope he can come home for another visit...." Tears began to fall from her eyes as she spoke.
Doggy stood there in a daze for quite some time. Eventually he put the two hundred yuan in his pocket, turned around and left without saying a word.
Mrs. Ma received a large gift package from a "domestic services company" a week later. It contained four- or five-hundred-yuan worth of things. The sender signed it as, “Your son – Winter”.
Text at 《彼岸花》 p. 295, also here. Translated from 海南日报 at
https://hnrb.huainannet.com/attachment/202304/24/bde3a8b6-4c5c-4613-b7e1-d7cc36eaeeae.pdf
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4. Six Silver Dollars (六块银圆)
Li Xuewen (李学文)
Old Root Niu from Bamboo Pole Village had a falling out with his wife, children and grandchildren. The 105-year-old former Red Army soldier threw a childish tantrum and kept clamoring that he wouldn’t live with his descendants anymore. He rolled up his bedding and, as he was leaving, said he wanted to live in the village nursing home.
How could this be acceptable? With such a large family, five generations under one roof, what would the villagers and the government think if word got out? They tried to change his mind but didn’t do a good job of it, so they had to ask public officials to persuade him.
Village Director Treasure Wang came to Old Root's home. From a distance, he saw the old man sitting on the steps at the door with his cane in his hands, looking angry. A beat-up army canteen, an army teacup from which the paint had worn away, and a neatly tied but faded army blanket lay beside him. Treasure was also a retired soldier and knew that Old Root missed army life to the core. He hurried up, stopped at the bottom of the steps and raised his hand in a salute. “Comrade Veteran,” he said, “New Recruit Treasure Wang reporting for duty!”
Old Root dropped his walking stick at the sight. He tottered as he stood up, clapped his heels together and came to attention. “At ease!” he replied, his voice replete with energy. “Comrade Treasure, if you hadn't come, I would’ve gone looking for you.”
“Comrade Veteran, I’d like to speak to you, if I may.”
“Agreed. Take a seat.”
Treasure walked up the steps, a playful smile on his face. “So, the old soldier’s going on another long journey. Where to?”
Old Root's face darkened. “Please speak straight. If you have something to say, say it. If not, bug out.”
Old Root's wife, children and grandchildren had come out from the house when they saw Treasure approaching. His wife said, “You’re the head of the village, Director Treasure. You should talk some sense into this stubborn old man. He has a big family, and his children and grandchildren honor him. But he got upset about some little thing and wants to live in a nursing home. The state gives us a “double fixed” benefit(1). If he goes to a nursing home, how can the younger generation hold their heads up high?”
Old Root interjected, “Old woman, New Recruit Treasure came here and made a couple of gestures to remind me of my army days. It made me forget everything, but what you just said has made me mad again.”
Treasure patted Old Root's hand. “Don't get angry and hurt yourself, old soldier. You made huge contributions to the revolution and are a national treasure.”
Old Root's wife looked at him blankly. “What’re you so mad about? Such a trivial thing! It's just that your youngest great-grandson is getting married. Our custom is to give a few silver dollars(2) to the bride as a welcoming gift. We thought you’d contribute the six silver dollars you keep at the bottom of your chest, but if you don't want to, then don't. Here you are throwing a tantrum like a child and going on about running away. Don't you think it was infuriating seeing your bedding all rolled up?”
“It's all my fault. I’ve had those six silver dollars 'socked away' for over eighty years. My three sons got married, and five grandsons, and six great-grandsons, and I didn’t get found out. But a few days before my youngest great-grandson’s wedding, I get exposed! The old woman fixed her eyes on those six silver dollars and pressured me to hand them over. Lucky for me I knew I’d win if I had the gumption to fight, even in the face of death, so I was able to stand my ground.”
His wife asked, “Is it so serious that you’re willing to ‘face death’? How much are six silver dollars worth? Stingy is stingy, but I’m over ninety years old and have never seen such a man.”
She’d hit a soft spot. Old Root got so angry that his white beard stood on end.
“Let's be nice, Grandma,” Treasure urged.
The old woman seemed not to have heard him and continued to follow her own script. “Stubborn old man, you want to snuggle up with those six silver coins when you’re in your grave?”
Old Root slammed his cane down. “You just say that to hurt me. The words blow out of your mouth like a chain of bombs, only more powerful. You attack my flanks and back. Your tactics are too cruel and crafty.”
“Attacking what flanks and back? I’m walloping you straight in the chest, a direct attack on your headquarters to take out your command center.” Old Root's wife had lived with him for decades and learned a lot of military jargon. She laid down a continuous barrage of words, “To put it bluntly, you’re a stingy old fart, a miser. If you want to live in a nursing home, then go. If you don't go, you're a hypocrite!”
Treasure was afraid the harsh words would cause problems with Old Root's heart and blood pressure, so he hurried to persuade his wife to stop saying such things. His children and grandchildren also helped to get her to stop. “If he doesn't want to do it, then the heck with it. Young people nowadays don't like this sort of thing. Don't get the old man mad and hurt his health.” Some of them also said, “The family didn't give us silver coins when we got married, but we got married anyway, and had children, and are living a happy life.”
Old Root was so angry the blood vessels in his neck bulged, and he raised his cane as if to hit someone. Treasure quickly took the cane away and calmed him down, getting him to sit down again. “Don't get stirred up, old soldier. The old lady was just letting off steam and couldn't hold her tongue. Don't take it seriously.”
“What was she talking about, ‘the bottom of my chest’? I carry these silver coins with me every day.” Old Root took the six coins out from a pocket. “New Recruit, you don't know it, but these six silver coins represent six brothers of mine.” He turned each one over. “This one’s Fourth Zhang, this is Richie Huang....” He handed them to Treasure one by one.
Treasure took the coins and examined them carefully. Indistinct names had been engraved on them with a sharp tool. He passed the coins on to the others after he read the names….
Old Root's eyes were red. “My comrades-in-arms. We all knew that our heads were on the line and we could lose them at any time. Everyone saved up their pay on the Long March and traded it in for silver dollars. They each engraved their own names on the coins so that, later on, anyone who made it through could send them to their families.” He choked up and faltered. “They all died in the Long March. I was the only one left alive in the group and the silver dollars were passed to me. I personally gave most of them to their parents, but I didn’t know the hometown addresses of these six. I couldn’t find their families, so I kept these silver dollars. How could I give them to my children and grandchildren? These six brothers have been with me for over eighty years.”
Old Root's wife smiled when she heard her husband’s story, but she still reproached him. “Old man, if you hadn't said something, I really wouldn't have known all that. No matter how stupid I am, I wouldn't separate you from your lifelong brothers.”
Old Root burst into tears. “They all died, and I’m the only one alive! I traveled around most of China after Liberation but couldn't find their descendants. I felt awful that I hadn't completed the mission laid on me by my comrades. I couldn’t talk about it, it hurt so much.”
Old Root's youngest great-grandson said, “Don't worry, Grandpa, leave it to me. I’ll start a public service page online to find the descendants of martyrs. I believe I’ll be able to find your comrades’ descendants.”
When Treasure saw Old Root's expression relax, he stood at attention. “Comrade Veteran, please instruct us. Should we take the personnel and equipment back inside.”
“So ordered.”
Treasure promptly helped Old Root into the house.
(1) Presumably a “double fixed” benefit is a military retirement plus the regular civilian retirement. 见此。
(2) Mexican silver dollars were widely circulated in China from the late Qing through the Republican years. Beginning in the 1930s, the Red Army also minted similar-looking silver dollars. See here.
Text at 《彼岸花》 p. 32, also here. Translated from 刊APP下载 at
https://m.fx361.com/news/2023/0313/21815949.html