Amen!
The old pastor, having completed his sermon, shuffled over to the door of the church and, bracing himself by holding on to the doorframe, gazed at the wondrous floral spectacle before him. He had a mass of unruly red hair, deep blue eyes, a red nose, and a heavy yellow beard. Metal caps covered some of his teeth. Startled by the sight, I stood up. Was this the legendary father I’d never known? The old woman who knew Mother hobbled over on bound feet to make the introductions. “This is Pastor Malory, our old pastor’s eldest son. He has come to us from Lanzhou to head up the church. This is Shangguan Jintong, the son of Shangguan Lu, a parishioner of very long standing.”
Actually, her introductions were unnecessary, because even before she spoke our names, God had already revealed our origins to one another. This bastard son of Pastor Malory and a Muslim woman, my half brother, wrapped his hairy arms around me and held me tight. With tears filling his eyes, he said:
“I have been waiting for you for a very long time, my brother!”
Mo Yan
