「July 20th.」
It was afternoon in the Sunshine Family Courtyard.
A ceiling fan was on in the room, its blades spinning rapidly with a whirring sound.
An old red-and-white console was connected to the television.
Chen Zhuo was sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding a rectangular plastic controller.
Contra was on the screen.
Chen Zhuo's thumbs were rapidly mashing the red buttons, making the little character on the screen jump and shoot.
Beside him sat a half-eaten watermelon with a spoon stuck in it.
Liu Xiuying sat on the sofa, a winnowing basket in her lap.
Snapping string beans.
SNAP. She broke a bean and tossed it into the plastic basin beside her.
"Don't play for so long. You'll ruin your eyes," Liu Xiuying said.
"I'm about to beat this level," Chen Zhuo replied without turning around.
From the hallway outside came a messy clatter of footsteps.
It wasn't the usual neighbors. The footsteps stopped right outside their door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Someone was knocking, and with quite some force.
Liu Xiuying put down the string bean, wiped her hands on her apron, and went to the door.
Through the metal security gate.
Three people stood outside: two men and a woman.
The woman held a notebook, and the two men had black cameras hanging around their necks. They didn't look like locals from Zeyang.
Liu Xiuying looked at them through the security gate.
"Who are you looking for?"
The woman immediately forced a wide smile.
"Ma'am, is this young Chen Zhuo's home?"
The woman took a step closer, pulled a badge on a lanyard from her pocket, and flashed it.
"We're reporters from the Provincial City Evening News. We came all the way from the Provincial City to interview our nation's number one."
Liu Xiuying didn't open the gate.
"No interviews," Liu Xiuying said.
"The house is a mess. It's not convenient."
The female reporter didn't get angry. On the contrary, her smile only widened.
"Ma'am, it's not a mess. We don't mind."
The reporter peered into the room through the iron bars.
She saw Chen Zhuo on the floor, playing his game.
"That must be Chen Zhuo, right?"
The reporter's voice grew louder.
"What a sharp-looking kid! Ma'am, we won't take up much of your time."
The reporter pointed to the cameras behind her.
"We'll just take a few photos to publish in the paper. How does that sound?"
The reporter gestured with her hands as she spoke.
"Have Chen Zhuo hold a broom, or a rag, and stand by the coffee table. Have him pretend to do some chores while holding an English book, and we reporters will write a caption for it."
"We'll write something like, 'A Noble Son from a Humble Home, a Prodigy Who Also Helps His Family.' See? What a great, positive-energy headline that is!"
The expression on Liu Xiuying's face vanished.
She looked at the woman outside with the plastered-on smile.
Then she glanced at the two men who had raised their cameras, their lenses aimed into the room.
Liu Xiuying turned, grabbing the handle of the solid wooden door behind the gate.
SLAM.
She yanked the door shut, cutting off their view from outside.
Liu Xiuying turned the lock, double-locking it.
It was quiet outside for a few seconds.
Then the female reporter's voice came through, muffled by the door.
"Ma'am! Open the door! Please, just cooperate! This is a good thing; he'll be in the provincial paper! Ma'am, all you have to do is let the boy come out and pose for a picture!"
BANG BANG BANG.
The people outside started pounding on the door.
Liu Xiuying ignored them and walked over to the window.
She yanked the living room curtains shut. The room went dark, lit only by the flickering glow of the television screen.
Chen Zhuo's character in the game ran into a bullet and died.
The words GAME OVER appeared on the screen.
Chen Zhuo put down his controller and turned to look at Liu Xiuying.
Liu Xiuying walked over and picked up the watermelon from the coffee table.
"Stay away from the window," Liu Xiuying said. "And don't make a sound. Let them knock."
Carrying the watermelon, she went into the kitchen.
The knocking from outside continued for more than ten minutes before finally stopping.
Faint voices could be heard from outside, as if they were discussing something.
「5:30 PM.」
Chen Jianguo was coming home from work, pushing his bicycle, as he entered the stairwell of the Sunshine Family Courtyard.
He was immediately blocked by three people. The two men and one woman from earlier were sitting on the stairs, smoking.
When she saw Chen Jianguo coming up, the female reporter's eyes lit up. She stamped out her cigarette butt and hurried over to him.
"You must be Chen Zhuo's father, Mr. Chen?" the female reporter asked, holding out a microphone.
Chen Jianguo stopped and leaned his bicycle against the wall.
He looked at the three of them and at the cameras around their necks.
"Yes," Chen Jianguo said.
The female reporter smiled.
"Mr. Chen, we're from the provincial paper. We knocked this afternoon, but I think your wife might not have heard us. We'd like to take a few pictures of Chen Zhuo studying. If you wouldn't mind, could you please open the door and let us in for a few shots?"
Chen Jianguo didn't move. He stood on the landing, his body blocking the way up.
"It's locked because we don't want you in."
Chen Jianguo's voice wasn't loud.
The reporter's smile froze.
"Master Chen, this is a great opportunity to promote your family..."
"We don't need the promotion," Chen Jianguo cut her off.
"The boy is just going to school. He's no different from anyone else. There's nothing to take pictures of."
One of the male reporters raised his camera, aiming the lens at Chen Jianguo.
CLICK. The flash went off.
Chen Jianguo frowned. He reached out and blocked the lens with his hand.
From working in the factory year-round, his grip was very strong. The reporter stumbled back a step and nearly dropped his camera.
"No pictures."
Chen Jianguo stared at the reporter.
"We are not accepting interviews. You can leave."
With that, Chen Jianguo turned around and took out his keys.
He walked to his front door, unlocked it, went inside, and slammed it shut behind him.
Leaving the three of them locked out completely.

Comments

Loading...