Shaozhen by Wai Chim

Author:Wai Chim [Wai Chim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2017-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Masses of people had gathered along the road. The shops on the main street were yet to open, but there were hundreds of men, women and children all like them, carrying long poles and buckets, some rolling drums. Shaozhen had seen large crowds in the town before, but never like this. There were even a few vehicles about, mostly sanlun, three-wheeled motorcycles, the preferred farmer’s transport that consisted of a flatbed trailer bolted onto the back of a moped frame. Every trailer was overloaded with gallon drums and plastic buckets. The drivers stood around looking bored as if they had been waiting for a long time.

At the end of the road was the junior middle school that Shaozhen and Kang went to. It was hard to imagine he had been taking his final exams only a few weeks ago.

The water truck was nowhere to be seen. A couple of officials were trying to create order, shouting and waving short batons at the crowd as they pushed forwards.

‘Please form a queue. There won’t be room for the truck if you don’t clear the way.’

The villagers stood there, stunned, and unsure of how to enter the fray. Shaozhen was suddenly shy, even though a part of him considered Xifeng to be his home.

‘You new arrivals – go to the back of the queue,’ an official barked, ushering them off the road. ‘The truck will arrive soon. Remember, only two buckets per household.’

The official spotted Tingming and Wulei, each with their four hanging buckets. ‘You boys live together?’ He didn’t give them a chance to reply. ‘You’ll only be able to take home two,’ he shouted, holding up two fingers.

‘What? Only two buckets?’ Yangyang fingered the straps of the woven basket on her back, her eyes darting from her own buckets to Nainai and Shaozhen’s.

Tingming slammed his pole to the ground and stormed over to the official. ‘Are you kidding me? We came all the way from Hongsha, near the base of the mountain, and you say two buckets?’

The official nodded. ‘That’s right. The order is from Secretary Lam himself. Two buckets per household. If you want more, you’ll have to come back for the next truck.’

‘Come back?’ Tingming balled his fists by his side.

Shaozhen shifted his buckets nervously. He didn’t want Tingming to cause trouble for them. ‘Come on, Tingming,’ he said quietly. ‘We should join the queue before it gets any longer.’

But the older boy wouldn’t budge. ‘Didn’t you hear him? It takes at least ninety minutes each way. There won’t be time to come back for the next truck!’ Tingming shook his head in frustration, but then, to Shaozhen’s relief, he retrieved his buckets from the ground.

The official sneered and gestured to the buckets Shaozhen was carrying for Kang. ‘And, boy, those are much too big. You’ll only be able to fill up one.’

Tingming opened his mouth to protest but Shaozhen steered him away.

Kang moaned. ‘I’m going to be in so much trouble.’

Two buckets. Shaozhen shook his head, looking from his buckets to Yangyang’s and Nainai’s.

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