Fang Yu was still trembling after she recounted the scary evening she had passed, first with her Lecturer Chang and then threatened by smelly breath Yang Long, leader of the City Brigade, together with his fellow thugs.
‘Oh granddad,’ sighed Yu, ‘I just don’t know what to do. I know the country needs more babies to replace the older generation but had no idea that Social Credits were being awarded to young men to force themselves upon women and girls in order to increase the birth rate.’
‘Ah granddaughter,’ sighed old Han, ‘I wish your grandmother was still with us. She would know what to do. She always knew. I miss her so much. Yu put her arm round her grandfather to comfort him. ‘We’ll think of something Granddad, we’ll think of something.’
They both sat quietly, sipping the ginger tea Yu had made when she had calmed down after telling her grandfather about the attack. Han suddenly got up and started to pace up and down muttering to himself. ‘Go on you silly old fool. Go out and find them. Have a good talk to the young ruffians.’
Yu could not hear clearly what he was saying. ‘What are you saying Granddad?’ she asked.
‘Nothing, nothing,’ he replied, ‘I am only a silly old man.’
‘Oh Granddad, you’re not. I do love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around. You’re the only family I’ve got left now.’ A few tears rolled down the old man’s cheek. ‘I’ve just had an idea. Perhaps I can sort something out. Perhaps I can,’ he muttered.
It was dark when he went out. He had not been out so late for a long time and he felt nervous. He walked around the streets, trying to retrace the steps Yu must have taken earlier when she had her nightmarish walk home from university. The old man had decided that he would find Yang Long of the smelly breath and confront him. He, Han, had not worked for a China where his own granddaughter could be bullied and nearly raped on her way home from her medical studies.
He saw a group of young men laughing loudly at an old lady on the other side of the street. He crossed over. ‘Hey, you, leave that old lady alone!’ He shouted as strongly as he could at one of the young men but his voice still sounded rather feeble. Even so, he thought, it wasn’t too bad for a man of his years.
‘Get off home grandma,’ sneered the apparent leader of the group. ‘We know who you are and that you’ve got a couple of Nomo granddaughters living illegally in your rooms. Seems like we’ve got some fun in store for us.’ He pushed her roughly, so that she nearly fell over. ‘Now, who have we got here then?’ He turned to face Han. ‘Well, well, seems like the pensioner brigade is out in force this evening. What can I do for you granddad?’ As the young man laughed, old Han knew he had found the leader of the gang who had molested his beloved Fang Yu. Yes, this was smelly breath.
‘At about nine o’clock this evening you harassed my granddaughter when she was on her way home.’
‘Well, well,’ sneered the young man, ‘I’ve got a group of my friends here, all of whom could say you are an old liar. They could say that we were together at the local video arcade from about seven in the evening until about ten, or did we arrive there at six and does it matter anyway. Cos’ what are you going to do about it ol’ man?’ sneered smelly breath Yang.
Han imitated the stance of an old aikido master he had once known. The group of young men looked on, amused. It was quiet in the deserted street. Suddenly, Han felt a tap on the back of his head which was powerful enough to make him stumble forward. ‘Well, well,’ laughed Yang, ‘Your aikido doesn’t seem to have much of a counter to my Ushiro Maweshi Geri did it? What can we do for you really ol’ man? Before you answer, I’d just like to say that yes, we did push your little Yu around earlier and yes we did feel her body a bit: nothing really bad you understand, just to get some idea of her. She’s feisty is your granddaughter, plenty of guts. That’s good. She’ll make a good mother soon and we of City Brigade district 3MnX look forward to helping her with that. We’re one of the most respected City Brigades in the whole of Shanghai. My comrades and I live well on the Social Credits we accumulate in helping Nomos in just this way. Many of them say that they are unwilling at first and they resist strongly. However, we have found that many of them are quite pliable and give way after a bit of persuading. There are many advantages to them to in the way of Social Credits. But maybe you too can help and score some benefits.’
He walked away, demonstrating some more karate moves.
‘Too many old people,’ he shouted over his shoulder. ‘We’re helping the State by quietly easing some of them out of circulation. Yes, you and your granddaughter are an ideal couple for us. Go home and think about it, old man.’
When he got home Yu had fallen asleep on the sofa. The old man quickly slipped into his own narrow bed under the thin sheets. Sleep would not come. He was restless. Bad dreams and memories turmoiled around in his head. Distorted images of his wife came up in his head. He heard her screams and tears. In the early days of their getting together in their little village she had been a Nomo, except it wasn’t called a Nomo in those days. She was a virgin and proud of it. It was in the days of one-child families. Han was dreaming of those early days with his future wife. They went for walks after dark through the fields. The tone of his dreams shifted: the soft gentleness of the moon changed to a blood red spinning circle. The sweetness of her kisses inflamed his desire to wild heights. Each time they met his hands on her body became rougher and more insistent. ‘No, no dear Han,’ she whispered ‘I will not, I will not until it is safe. I have my name down for an IUD but it will not be for some months. We’ll wait. Let us wait. Please.’
Sweat broke out on the old man’s brow as his dream became more nightmarish, more brutal.
When he woke in the morning, his mind had cleared. He looked back on the 45 years of his marriage. He knew his wife loved him at the time of her death. He still talked to her even though she was in the land of her ancestors. she helped him in difficult situations. He knew she would downplay those first few months, the burial of the baby up the mountain. The pain she had suffered throughout their marriage when they made love. On the positive side, they had had a son, who had in turn given them their granddaughter Yu. Yes, he came to thinking, if his beloved wife had accepted and loved him, so could Yu accept Yang Long’s advances. He didn’t seem such a bad guy and was seeking to serve the State as well as he could. It would not be so bad for Yu. So, Yang Long had smelly breath, but so had millions of others. It was not an age for young women to be too fussy about with whom, when and how. Just give in and enjoy it as much as possible. Yang Long would probably take her to a State Hotel and give her a nice meal. Yes, that was the best way forward: to a lot of Social Credits for everyone.
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