Epilogue
Cheng Jia Yang
I had read somewhere that when people were about to die, their brains operate at a speed ten times higher than under normal circ.u.mstances. All their memories appear in front of the dying person"s eyes and under such stimulation , they often burst into tears.
I was now in this situation, and I realised that this was just hearsay, nothing more.
Otherwise why was my heart so quiet? There wasn’t even a trace of any waves. I had forgotten many things and many people. I just felt really happy to have lived. Even if the time was short, I was really happy to have lived.
Before the execution, my eyes were covered with a black cloth that blocked the sun.At that moment. I said in my heart:
“Goodbye, Qiao Fei.”
Qiao Fei
I took off the headset, sighed with relief, felt an ache in my shoulder and rubbed it.
Senior sister said: “Fei Fei ,come home with me, my mother – in – law made stew today ."
I said, “Thank you, I have to rush home. My two little turtles cause too much trouble."
I left the office and took the bus home. At the small market not far from home, I bought a loach and some food for myself. At home, I first cleaned the fish tank and gave the two little turtles their food. Then I started cooking stuffy rice for myself. I had just opened the can of corn when my hand was scratched accidentally by the tin. There was a small cut and blood flowed from it.
At this moment, I felt really angry. I banged the rice spoon on the table and angrily said: “You haven’t finished your work yet ? Are you trying to avoid me ? Is it ok to just send me a few maudlin messages? I am telling you now, you come back here as soon as possible to face your punishment. There is no one to take care of your two turtles, you come back and feed them , I have had enough ”
I served myself a big bowl of rice as I stuttered. In my heart, I angrily thought, I will go to buy a set of leather lingerie and a leather skirt tomorrow,. Then I"ll get a whip and chain with a spiked iron ball or something. When Cheng Jia Yang came back, I would SM torture him, so that this boy never caused people to worry again like this.
Cheng Jia Yang
But the bullet did not hit my head. In fact, at the moment of execution, suddenly, there were bursts of gunfire. There were numerous volleys of gunfire. I thought, is someone coming to save us ?
I rejoiced in my heart. I felt something cold in my leg and then there was acute pain. I was shot, I fell to the ground and grimaced in pain. In my heart I regretted, " If I was to be rescued, why couldn’t they rescue us earlier? Even the rescue is not planned well, I am injured, it really hurts.."
I woke up because someone was trying to pry open my eye with a flashlight. I shivered and said, " You’re not allowed to touch my Dad."
Then I opened my eyes.
A Chinese doctor wearing white and the local amba.s.sador were standing by my bedside with my father.
I struggled as I tried to sit up, but my legs were injured and I felt severe pain.
Dad said: “Jia Yang, how do you feel?
“I’m okay, I"m fine.” I said, “How are you?”
He shook his head: “No problem.”
“What happened?”
“We were rescued by government troops,” said my father, " We are just waiting for you to wake up so we can return home.”
I took the water from my father and looked at him: “What about Taigang and his men?”
“The guerrillas were all wiped out.”
I thought , the black officer Taigang was also a hero, he told me that they were not wrong.
I said, “Dad, there was a boy, how is he?”
Qiao Fei
After lunch, I took a nap. Recently, because I was eating more and sleeping more, I put on lot of weight.
I was fast asleep when someone insolently pushed at my shoulder to wake me up
I squinted,it was the director.
“You’re sleeping during work hours , do you want to be punished?”
“Isn’t it lunch break?” I wiped my mouth.
“Quickly attend to the international long distance call and take good notes ,” he said. As he left , he was still mumbling , “Young people are so lazy."
I dared not neglect the task.Holding a pen and paper, I picked up the phone.
The other side said “h.e.l.lo”, I was stunned.
“Jia Yang?”
“Fei.”
We stopped talking again, so there was silence at both ends of the phone for a long time. I felt like my soul, which had left the sh.e.l.l of my body for a few days, was now fluttering back to my body. I felt like a dead plant which was now turning lush and vibrant again as warm green juice flooded back in it’s body
" Why did you call? Jia Yang, I was worried .” I said as my voice began to choke.
“I was delayed by something," he said. His voice sounded good, the same as before.
“When will you come back? Your two little turtles are tormenting me.”
“Soon.”
He paused, "Fei Fei, we should get married."
"You don’t want to run away?"
He smiled and gently said, "Before that, I want you to meet my parents, and my brother."
I couldn’t wait to say, "Jia Yang, I will listen to everything you say. Come back soon."
"Fei, I need to complete some formalities here."
"Although I haven’t consulted you, but I think you will agree.
I have adopted a black boy. Later, he will be our child.
His name is Kazan. Like your name, it means gra.s.s&h.e.l.lip;"
I grew up in adversity, no matter what difficulties I encountered, even if those were unexpected and unfair, I did not cry. I tried hard to swim against the current, studied and worked so hard that I was often exhausted, when despair filled my heart, I did not cry; when I was far away from the country , I endured loneliness, I withstood the loss of a sincere friend, I was misunderstood by my dearest people, I did not cry; even when I finally found happiness, found love, and then was about to lose it all, I did not cry.
But now, when in my heart, I was both bitter and ecstatic at the same time,I forced myself to nod, but could not speak. I could only burst out crying and feel the boiling hot tears flow down my face.