Chapter 29 (1/2)
Twenty-nine
All is fate
All is smoke
All is a beginning without end
All is a search that dies at birth
–Bei Dao, All
“Senior high, third year division three, Ms. Li Xiuyun, senior high, third year division three, Ms. Li Xiuyun, please report to the infirmary immediately.”
When this announcement played on the screechy PA system, Xu Ping was lying, eyes shut, on the white cot in the infirmary.
“What in the world happened?”
“He got hit by a basketball.”
“No way? A basketball? Look at these bruises on his face!”
“It wasn’t me. His face was bruised when he came to school on Monday. I only hit the back of his head!”
“For goodness’ sake, the guy fainted. Don’t act so innocent!”
“There’s always b.u.mps and scuffles in basketball. It wasn’t on purpose. Who knew he’d be that weak. I even asked him when I hit him, and he said he was fine. Then he took two steps and toppled over. I had to haul him all the way here.”
“Hey, hey. Out of the way. Out of the way. The nurse is here.”
“Sir,51 is he okay?”
“…nothing too serious. It’s probably because of stress and a lack of sleep. See these bags under his eyes? Oh, right. You are third year students, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. You have to take a closer look and tell me he is okay for sure. He’s the top of our cla.s.s. The school’s looking at him to make Tsinghua or Peking. If anything affects his exam results, our homeroom teacher is going to kill me.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just over-exhaustion. A good diet and some sleep will do him good. He’s young; he’ll recover in no time.”
“That’s good. You hear that, Liu Wen? It wasn’t my fault.”
“Consider yourself lucky this time, you idiot.”
“Shut the f.u.c.k up! Quit jinxing me, you little s.h.i.+t!”
“Hey, if you don’t have any business here, get out, all of you. Don’t create more problems in the infirmary. The patient needs to rest.”
“Goodbye, sir.”
White walls. White curtains. White quilt. White ceiling.
Xu Ping opened his eyes just a crack before closing them.
Tired. Don’t want to move.
The air smelled like tincture iodine. There was someone humming what seemed to be Hou Dejian’s Descendants of Dragon.
The door burst open.
“Mr. Chen, I came as soon as I heard the PA. Is Xu Ping all right?”
It was Ms. Li, the homeroom teacher.
“He’s fine. He fainted after being hit by a basketball during PE cla.s.s. He’s lying back there.”
Xu Ping heard curtains being drawn. The two staff stood by his cot to observe his condition.
“He’s asleep. Maybe he’s too tired.” The nurse pressed his voice low. “Let’s leave him to rest.”
“What happened? How could he be that reckless during PE?”
“The main issue isn’t PE. He doesn’t look well. He has very dark bags under his eyes. It looks like he hasn’t gotten much sleep for quite some time.”
Ms. Lee sighed.
“Here’s my two cents: It could be the stress of the examination. With these emotional issues, it’d be best if his teachers and parents provided some counselling. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for him to perform well.”
“I’ll speak with him when he wakes.”
“I took care of the injuries on his face, too. Was he in a fight? He has all these bruises.”
Ms. Lee sighed again, replying, “I also asked him about it a few days ago, but he insisted he fell down the stairs. See, this kid has a complicated background. His mother has pa.s.sed away for many years, and his father’s frequently away from home for work. It’s just him and his younger brother at home. And his brother, well, he has some problems up here. He’s a r.e.t.a.r.d.”
“You’re kidding?”
“It’s true. He’s very close with his brother. Initially, he didn’t even want to put down any schools outside the province because he wanted to go to a school here. I had to give him a stern talk in my office to make him consider otherwise. So, okay, he came in this Monday with his application filled out, but his face was covered with bruises. I asked if his brother beat him because the boy didn’t want him to go to Beijing, but he a.s.sured me that wasn’t the case. But let’s be honest here. I’m an old lady and I’ve seen enough in my days. If you ask me, it was definitely his brother. A r.e.t.a.r.d wouldn’t know boundaries. A r.e.t.a.r.d only knows to vent his anger. And that’s why Xu Ping’s like this.”
“Poor child.”
“I know. I’ve seen his brother once. A scary giant of a boy. All muscle. He looks like a monster of sorts. And his r.e.t.a.r.d brain is the worse problem. He might not remember you even if you gave him the nicest treatment. He usually looks nice and quiet, but you say one wrong word, and he goes crazy, hitting people – the works. n.o.body can hold him down. If you ask me, someone like that in your family must have been sent by karma to repay the debt you owe from the previous life. What suffering that must be!”
“I had no idea.”
“I know. What a poor kid…”
Xu Ping’s lashes fluttered a few times before he slowly rolled over and fell asleep.
“We must follow the Three Rules of Discipline, and we must not forget the Eight Points for Attention. One, be polite when speaking. Respect the crowds and do not act prideful…”
One by one, trucks loaded with soldiers drove past on the road. White banners stretched across the body of the trucks. “PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY IS FOR THE PEOPLE.” The squad leaders led their soldiers in singing The Three Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention, their voices booming far and wide.
The pa.s.sengers on the No. 18 bus all strained their necks to look. One was counting with her52fingers. “One, two, three, four…”
“Why are so many soldiers heading into town?” Xu Ping heard another pa.s.senger complaining quietly.