By the time Xue'er was five years old, it was Shen Huanzhi who had spent most of his time taking care of her. He had taught her many classical Chinese poems and some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. Xue'er was very smart that she could grasp things after being taught only once or twice. Ever since she learned to read, she would often sit quietly by herself with a book. Sometimes she could sit still for half a day without making a sound, which made her very easy to care for. As for Liu'er, although she was officially registered as Nanny You's granddaughter, she was actually much closer to Shen Hui and Shen Huanzhi. Since Nanny You was always busy with housework chores, Liu'er spent most of her time after school in Shen Huanzhi's room, listening to him tell stories to her and Xue'er. Knowing that Xue'er couldn't go outside to play because of her unusual appearance, Liu'er chose to stay home and keep her company. They played house, kicked the shuttlecock, built things with blocks and more. She became Xue'er best playmate and Shen Hui was deeply grateful to her for that. As a result, Shen Hui took special care of Liu'er. Since Liu'er was growing fast, her clothes often became too small for her. Shen Hui never hesitated to buy new clothes to Liu'er or resize her own clothes to fit Liu'er. Xue'er, on the other hand, often wore Liu'er's hand-me-downs and rarely had any new clothes of her own. In the evening, Shen Hui would sit with Liu'er and help her with her homework while Xue'er sat quietly beside them reading her picture book. Shen Huanzhi would lie on the reclining chair reading the newspaper and Nanny You would sit nearby doing her needlework. That was how the usual life in Shen family passed day by day. The only thing that annoyed Nanny You was Wang Hongjun who came by every few days to bother her. Every time Wang Hongjun would go on and on about how terrible the feudal arranged marriages were and how they had ruined many families. She would also try to persuade Nanny You to leave the Shen family, saying that there were no masters and servants in the new China. These remarks always made Nanny You angry and she often responded with a cold face. Wang Hongjun never got angry and always tried to steer the conversation away, doing her best to win Nanny You over. Because she often came to the Shen household, Wang Hongjun inevitably saw Xue'er several times. Naturally, she started asking why Xue'er had green eyes and looked like somewhat foreign. No one in the Shen family told her the truth but the fact that Shen Hui had once married a foreigner was no secret. So it didn't take her long to figure it out.
One day Shen Hui got off work earlier than usual. On her way home, one thought kept weighing on her mind about what would happen when Xue'er started school in two years and how she would handle it. Lost in thought, she walked absentmindedly down the street until suddenly someone stepped in front of her. She looked up at that person. It was Wang Hongjun. She knew Wang Hongjun was hostile toward her but she still greeted to her politely:
"Hello, is something the matter?"
Wang Hongjun stared at her for a long moment before finally saying:
"Stop pretending. You look like a gentle and virtuous woman on the outside but who have thought you go so far as to get entangled with an American? How could you do something so disgraceful? And now you're standing between me and You Tao for destroying our revolutionary friendship and getting in the way of our great love."
Shen Hui gave her a helpless glance and replied calmly:
"I have told you before that our engagement had been ended a long time ago. There is no way we will ever be together again but you don't believe me. What more can I do about it? What you love Tao ge means that you're girl with great taste. Someone like me was never worthy of someone like him."
With that, she stepped past Wang Hongjun and continued on her way home. But Wang Hongjun caught up with her quickly and said:
"Of course, someone like you, a decadent daughter of the petty bourgeoisie, could never be worthy of Comrade You Tao who represents progressive thought, high revolutionary consciousness and heroic achievements on the battlefield. But as long as you are still around and as long as his mother continues to hold onto those regressive feudal ideas, he will never be able to find a truly suitable revolutionary wife. On top of that, your family not only exploited his mother physically, but also kept her ideologically imprisoned. What you are doing is counter-revolutionary and anti-proletarian and will ultimately be judged by the people. And you, how could you abandon a comrade as outstanding as Comrade You Tao and get involved with a reactionary American imperialist? Someone like you should undergo thorough revolutionary re-education and be completely brought down."
Hearing this, Shen Hui stopped in her tracks and turned to face Wang Hongjun. Looking at her angrily, she said:
"Please mind your tone. Nanny You has always been part of my family. She is like my mother to me and Tao ge is like my older brother. They have never once said that Nanny You has been exploited by my family. On the contrary, we have always treated her with respect. It is always she who decides herself whether she stays in my home or not. We have never said a word against her. I have heard from Nanny You that you come to our house often. Since you consider yourself you have the strong revolutionary consciousness, please tell me whether you have successfully convinced Nanny You to leave my home. Let me make one thing absolutely clear no matter whether Nanny You lives with us or not, she is and always will be a part of my family. As for the relationship between Tao ge and me, whatever happened between us is a matter between our two families. I have already told you my thought. There is nothing more I can do if you refuse to believe it. And if I didn't have married a so-called reactionary American imperialist, I don't think you have a chance to chase Tao ge."
With those words, Shen Hui turned and walked away without looking back. Wang Hongjun stood frozen for a moment, then gathered her thoughts and quickly caught up with Shen Hui, saying:
"Okay, I believe you if that's the case. But Comrade You Tao still refuses to accept me and his mother treats me with complete indifference, like she couldn't care less. So please tell me what I am supposed to do. That's why I come to ask you for a favor. I hope you can talk to his mother again. Tell her clearly that there is no chance for you and Comrade You Tao ever getting back together. And if possible, could you speak directly to Comrade You Tao and make your feelings clear to him?"
Hearing such a sincere and humble request, Shen Hui couldn't help but soften a little. She said gently:
"To tell you the truth, before you came here, I have already told with Tao ge seriously about this. I even asked my father to talk to him. We all hope he would move on and find a good girl to marry. As for Nanny You, I have explained the situation to her more than once. Actually if Tao ge could abandon his old feelings and start a normal life ---- get married and have children, there wouldn't be any issue on her side either. She isn't really the obstacle to your relationship with Tao ge. So if you truly want to be with him, the key is to win him over, not anyone else."
At that moment, they turned a corner and saw a group of children gathered together, seemingly caught in a scuffle, led by a few older kids. They were shouting in unison:
"Little counter-revolutionary!"
"Little running dog of US imperialism!"
"Down with the US imperialist lackeys!"
Several of them seemed to be hitting a smaller child who was surrounded in the middle. Shen Hui instantly realized what was happening. She rushed forward at once, shouting at the children to stop. She pushed through the group, pulled them apart, and scooped up Xue'er, who had been trapped in the middle. Holding her tightly in her arms, tears silently streamed down her cheeks as she broke into a run toward home. But Xue'er looked like stronger unusually. She didn't cry. Though her fair little face was filled with hurt and confusion, she still reached up with her small dirty hand to gently wipe the tears from Shen Hui's cheeks and said softly:
"Mama, don't cry. We can't cry in public."
Shen Hui murmured, hugging her daughter even tighter to her chest.
"Okay, mama won't cry."
She couldn't help but burst into sobs as soon as they stepped through the front door. Xue'er also began to cry, letting out soft, whimpering sobs. Shen Huanzhi stepped forward in a hurry and asked:
"What's going on? Tell me what happened. Xue'er, where did you run off to? Nanny You has gone out looking for you everywhere." Then he turned to Shen Hui and said, alarmed, "Hui, you tell me what happened. Why are you crying?"
Shen Hui said nothing, simply weeping as she rushed straight into her room. Xue'er, sobbing, threw herself into her grandfather's arms and cried:
"The kids outside didn't play with me. They even hit me and called me 'Little counter-revolutionary!' and 'Little running dog of US imperialism!'"
Shen Huanzhi sighed deeply, gently picking Xue'er up in his arms as he walked into the main hall. He said softly:
"Don't cry, my baby! Don't cry. Grandpa will play with you. Let's go to the garden and identify some herbs together."
Just then, Nanny You stepped in from outside. Seeing Xue'er, she rushed over and said:
"Oh my goodness, little darling, where have you been? Look at you, just like a little ragamuffin! Come to me and let's get you cleaned up."
She took Xue'er from Shen Huanzhi's arms and led her away.
That evening at the dinner table, the atmophere was heavy and silent. No one spoke a word as they ate in silence. Even Xue'er was unusually quiet, sitting there and eating her meal in silence. But from time to time, she glanced up at her mother and then looked at others around the table. After dinner, Shen Hui said she was going out for a walk and didn't came back until after 9pm. Once she had helped her father to bed, she went back to her room. There, she stood beside the bed, gazing at her sleeping daughter, her little face fair and flushed, peaceful in sleep. She thought: How innocent and lovely my girl is! Though a warm smile touched her lips, she couldn't stop the bitter tears from streaming down once again.
The next morning, as usual, Nanny You got up early to prepare breakfast for whole family. But it was strange that Shen Hui, who always got up earlier, didn't show any signs of movement. Nanny You didn't think much of it at first, assuming that perhaps Shen Hui didn't have a good sleep last night due to her sadness and was just sleeping in a bit. She continued with her chores. But once the breakfast was ready, not only had Shen Hui still not emerged and neither had Xue'er. Meanwhile, after having finished their morning routines, Liu'er and Shen Huanzhi were sitting at the table for breakfast. A faint unease began to stir in Nanny You's chest. She hurried to Shen Hui's room and knocked gently on the door as she called:
"Hui, it is time to get up. If you don't, you will be late for work."
No one answered so she knocked again, more firmly this time. At the table, Shen Huanzhi put down his chospticks and looked toward Shen Hui's room. Seeing there was still no reply, he also came over and asked Nanny You:
"What's the matter with her?"
Nanny You said:
"No one answers. It's not like her."
"You open the door and go inside."
She knew Shen Hui had never locked her door so she opened the door directly and stepped inside. No one was in the room and the bedding was neatly arranged. She couldn't help but wonder: Did she have gone out early with Xue'er? Looking around, she found there was a lettle lying on her vanity table. Without hesitate, she picked it up and ran out with it clutched tightly in her hands, shouting:
"Sir, sir! Hurry, look at this!"
Shen Huanzhi grabbed the letter quickly, unfolded it with his trembling hands, and read:
"My dear Father,
I have taken Xuer'er and left. Please forgive me. I can't let Xue'er grow up in such an environment that would slowly crush her spirit and soul. So I have decided to take her to some place where no one will care about her appearance or perhaps to find her father. Once we have settled down, I will write to you. Please, please don't worry about us. Take good care of you and everyone at home.
With love,
Hui
P.S. I borrowed some money and national grain coupons from a friend. Dad, please help me repay the debit."
As soon as he finished reading the letter, Shen Huanzhi felt a wave of darkness sweep
over his eyes. Before he could steady himself, a mouthful of blood surged up and
spilled from his lips uncontrollably. Nanny You gasped in shock and quickly rushed to
support him, shouting toward the dining room:
"Liu'er! Come quickly and help me get your Grandpa Shen back to his room. I am
going to call your Uncle Tao right away."
You Tao rushed back. After reading the letter, he glanced at Shen Huanzhi, who was
now lying weakly in bed, and said:
"I will get in touch with my brother-in-arms in Guangdong Province right now. I
remember that Hui mei once mentioned that she and her husband had agreed to meet
in Hong Kong. If that's still her plan, I'm guessing she might have gone to
Guangdong. Hearing this, Shen Huanzhai's eyes widened in shock. He asked,
breathless:
"What? When did she ever say that? Why did she have never mentioned to me? And you didn't tell me either."
Hearing this, You Tao lowered his gaze, guilt written across his face. After a long silence, he finally said:
"When she told me about this a few years ago, I tried to persuade her to give up on meeting him. She had never mentioned this again in all these years so I thought she had figured things out and let go of their appointment. That was why I didn't tell you. I have never expected that she ... Last night, she came to me and told me that there was a comrade in the hospital, who had run into trouble and urgently needed money and national grain coupons. I gave her everything I had. I have never thought that it is she who needs them."
Hearing this, Shen Huanzhi was silent for a long time. At last, he sighed deeply and said:
"Don't call anyone now. Let her go. Actually she is right. Xue'er will be bullied if she stays here. I do think they will be fine if she has money and coupons."