Three Brothers by Yan Lianke

Author:Yan Lianke [Lianke, Yan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780802148094
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2020-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

3. FAVORITISM

That year, I started school.

Even after becoming a student, however, I still looked forward to when First Uncle, after having left the village to sell socks, would return with his pockets full of candy. During that time, I’m not sure whether he returned after three days or after five days, nor am I certain whether he returned to the village at sunset or before dusk.

I became busy with school and more and more often began missing the opportunity to enjoy First Uncle’s candy.

I seemed to have forgotten how it was when First Uncle would come back every few days to give us candy. But one day, I was heading home after school, kicking at rocks on the side of the road and playing with some old marbles, when I suddenly saw a crowd of people standing in the middle of the road, and I saw too First Uncle’s loom on the ground nearby. The loom was illuminated in the light of the setting sun, like a memorial tablet.

I rushed up to them.

As I approached, I timidly stood at the edge of the crowd. I remembered that I was already a student and therefore shouldn’t compete with the children for the candies, which were probably in short supply. Instead, I stood quietly outside of that circle of outstretched hands. At that point, First Uncle saw me and the little book bag I was carrying. He broke through the ring of tiny hands and walked away from the circle of nephews and nieces and several of his own children who were even younger than me. He walked over to me and said, “You’re in school now?”

I nodded.

First Uncle said, “You should study hard. Your uncle doesn’t know how to read, and when he is out knitting socks, it’s extremely difficult for him to even calculate how much change to give his customers.”

As he was saying this, First Uncle took all the candies and crackers out of his pocket and stuffed them into my hand. Seeing that I couldn’t hold them all, he removed my hat and filled it as well. Then he told me to take them home.

That time, I took away all the candy and crackers First Uncle had bought for his own children. The colorful snacks completely covered the bottom of my hat. As I walked away under the other children’s jealous gazes, I didn’t look back nor did I have any intention of giving a single piece of candy to anyone else. I knew First Uncle had given me the snacks because I had started school and had become a student—which meant that they all belonged to me. I wanted to savor them, the same way that now that I’m in my fifties, I savor my memories of First Uncle, who passed away three years ago. To this day, I still vividly recall the sweetness of those candies in a lifetime of endless bitterness.

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