“Uncle,” Lu Liren managed to blurt out, “every grievance has its target, every debt has its creditor. A person must be held responsible for his deeds. Since Sima Ku caused the deaths, only Sima can be held accountable. The children are blameless.”
Xu struck the ground with his staff. “Fellow villagers,” he called out, “did you hear that? Don’t let yourselves be fooled. Sima Ku has run away, Sima Ting is in hiding, and the children will be grown before you know it. County Head Lu is related to them, which counts for a great deal. Fellow villagers, alive Xu Xian’er is only this staff, and dead he is little more than food for the dogs. Compared to you, I am nothing, but, fellow villagers, do not be fooled by these people…”
Pandi blew up: “Old blind man, your demands are unreasonable!”
“Miss Pandi,” Xu the blind man said, “you and the rest of the Shangguans are impressive. When the Jap devils were here, your eldest brother-in-law, Sha Yueliang, was in charge. Then during the reign of the Kuomintang, your second brother-in-law, Sima Ku, ran roughshod over the area. Now you and Lu Liren are in charge. You Shangguans are flagpoles that cannot be cut down, boats that cannot be overturned. Someday, when the Americans rule China, your family will boast a foreign son-in-law…”
Sima Liang’s face had turned ghostly white; he was clutching Mother’s hand. Sima Feng and Sima Huang hid their faces in Mother’s armpits. Sha Zaohua was crying. So was Lu Shengli. So, too, after a while, was Eighth Sister, Yunii.
Their crying drew the attention of people both on and below the stage. The gloomy VIP looked down at us.
Xu Xian’er may have been blind, but he knelt right at the feet of the VIP. “Sir,” he howled tearfully, “stand up for this old blind man!” He banged his head on the ground as he howled, until his forehead was covered with dirt.
Lu Liren looked at the VIP, pleading with his eyes; the VIP returned his look with an icy stare that was as sharp as a knife. Lu’s face was beaded with sweat that dampened his headband, making it look like a wound on his forehead. No longer calm and at ease, he alternated between looking down at his feet and gazing out at the crowd below, the courage to make eye contact with the VIP long gone.
Pandi had also lost the poise of a district commander. Her face was bright red, her lower lip trembled. “Blind old Xu,” she shouted in the tone of a countrywoman, “you’re trying to stir up trouble! What has my family ever done to you? That slutty wife of yours seduced Sima Ku and took him out into the wheat field. Then when they were caught, she swallowed opium because she couldn’t face decent folk. Not only that, people said you used to bite her all night long, like a dog. She showed people the scars on her chest, did you know that? You were the cause of your wife’s death. What Sima Ku did was wrong, but most of the blame falls on you! So if anybody is to be shot, I say we start with you!”
“You heard that, didn’t you, exalted sir?” Blind Xu said. “Cut down the wheat stalks, and a wolf appears.”
Lu Liren quickly stepped in to mediate for Pandi. He tried to pull Xu Xian’er away, but Xu turned to jelly and would not be moved. “Uncle,” Lu said, “you are right to demand the execution of Sima Ku, but not of his innocent children.”
Xu Xian’er argued, “What were Zhao Six’s crimes? All he did was sell a few buns. It was a personal dispute with Zhang Decheng, wasn’t it? But you folks said shoot him, and that’s what you did. Esteemed County Head, I won’t rest until you execute Sima Ku’s descendants.”
Someone below the stage said softly, “Zhao Six’s aunt was Xu Xian’er’s mother, which makes them cousins.”
An unnatural smile was frozen on Lu Liren’s face as he walked hesitantly up to the VIP and, looking embarrassed, said something to him. The man caressed the glossy inkstone in his hand as a murderous look spread across his gaunt face. He glared at Lu Liren and said icily, “Do you really expect me to deal with something this insignificant?”
Lu took out a handkerchief to mop his sweaty brow, then reached back and tightened the headband, turning his face waxen. He walked up to the front of the stage and announced in a loud voice, “As the government of the masses, we carry out the wishes of the people. So now I leave it up to you. All those in favor of executing Sima Ku’s children, raise your hands.”
Infuriated, Pandi asked him, “Have you lost your mind?”
The villagers below the stage bowed their heads. No raised hands and no sound.
Lu Liren cast a questioning glance at the VIP.
With a sneer, the VIP said to Lu Liren, “Try again, but this time ask how many are in favor of not executing the children of Sima Ku.”
“All those in favor of not executing Sima Ku’s children, raise your hands.”
They kept their heads down; no raised hands and no sound.
Mother slowly rose to her feet. “Xu Xian’er,” she said, “if it’s a life you demand, then you can have mine. But your mother didn’t hang herself, she died of a blood hemorrhage that had its origin during the bandit era. My mother-in-law took care of her funeral arrangements.”
The VIP stood up and walked to the open space behind the stage. Lu Liren quickly followed. There the VIP spoke to Lu softly but rapidly, raising his soft white hand and slicing it downward, like a knife. Then he walked off, surrounded by his bodyguards.
Lu Liren remained standing there, his head bowed, like a piece of petrified wood, for a long moment before snapping out of it. Finally, he headed back, walking as if his legs were made of lead, and stared down at us with madness in his eyes. His eyeballs seemed frozen in their sockets. He looked pathetic up there. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak:
“I hereby sentence Sima Liang, son of Sima Ku, to death, to be carried out immediately! And I sentence Sima Feng and Sima Huang, daughters of Sima Ku, to death, also to be carried out immediately!”
Mother’s body rocked, but only for a moment. “I dare any of you to even try!” she said as she took the two girls in her arms. Sima Liang alertly threw himself to the ground and began crawling slowly away from the stage. The crowd shielded him.
“Speechless Sun, why aren’t you carrying out my orders?” Lu Liren roared.
“Your damned mind is addled,” Pandi cursed, “giving an order like that!”
“My mind’s not addled, it’s clear as can be,” Lu said as he pounded his head with his fist.
Hesitantly, the mute climbed down off the stage, followed by two soldiers.
Once he’d crawled to the rear of the crowd, Sima Liang jumped to his feet and ran past two sentries as he scrambled up the dike.
“He’s getting away!” a soldier up on the stage shouted.
A sentry unshouldered his rifle, pulled back the bolt, sending a bullet into the chamber, and fired into the air. By then, Sima Liang was already well hidden in the bushes on top of the dike.
The mute and his men walked up to us. His sons, Big and Little Mute, gaped at him with lonely, haughty looks in their eyes. He reached out with an iron claw; Mother spat in his face. He pulled back his claw and wiped the spittle off his face, then reached out again. Mother spat a second time, but with less force; the spittle landed on his chest. With a twist of his neck, he looked back at the people on the stage. Lu Liren was pacing back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. Pandi was resting on her haunches, her face buried in her hands. The faces of the county and district officials and those of the armed soldiers seemed set in clay, like temple idols. The mute’s rock-hard jaw twitched out of habit. “Strip!” he said. “Strip, strip…”
Mother stuck out her chest and demanded shrilly, “Kill me first, you bastard!” Then she threw herself at him and clawed at his face.