The Red Guards’ actions escalated day by day, and the next day they entered the neighbor’s house across the street from me. At first his wife refused to open the gate and pointed the garden hose at them to stop them from entering. As a result, the Red Guards pushed down the gate, grabbed the hose and drenched her all over, then pushed her to the ground and beat her up because she opposed their revolutionary action. Her children, who tried to protect their mother, were also beaten. They were called “sons of bitches” of the Swiss imperialist dogs and forced to help the Red Guards burn his father’s entire book collection.
All day long, day and night, the noise of drums and gongs could be heard everywhere, and news of private homes being raided and looted came in from time to time. I tried to contact Mr. Hu by phone, but I did not get to do so, nor did I get to talk to other friends. The Red Guards’ brutal actions were escalating, and I heard that victims who resisted were doubly humiliated, intimidated and even killed. Editorials in the newspapers and talks by members of the Central Cultural Revolution congratulated and even encouraged the Red Guards for their barbaric actions. They were hailed as the true successors of the Cultural Revolution, and encouraged to continue their efforts to overcome the difficulties, smash the old world, and build a new world centered on the teachings of Chairman Mao.
I was at my wits’ end and felt that there was no way to avoid this disaster that would break my family and ruin my home. My daughter was also very worried and told me several times that with her meager salary, she would not be able to pay for our living. I thought it was time to give her an account of our savings in Hong Kong banks and other local banks, and I told her that the money was enough for our daily expenses. But what I was most relieved about was her social status after the Cultural Revolution. If once a new social system is established, the children of bourgeois families will be permanently reduced to a powerless class in China like the untouchables in India, then her future life will be unthinkable. For me, this is more worrying than losing all my property.
For the sake of my servants, before the Red Guards seized my house, I had decided to give them the $6,000 I had spent from the bank. At first, they adamantly refused to take it and repeatedly asked to join us in our plight in order to take care of me and Man Ping.
They offered to transfer jewelry and valuables for me and collect them in their home. But I didn’t accept, I didn’t want them to be implicated because of me. I called Lao Zhao, Chen Ma and the cook, all to the study, and discussed with them how to distribute this $6,000 bill among the three of them. Because the florist was not a full-time worker and only came to my place occasionally to take care of things, I only gave him four hundred dollars. Chen’s mother volunteered that she would rather take a little less than Lao Zhao and the cook, “because, they all have to support their wives”. When I had distributed the money, I put the four hundred yuan in an envelope, ready to give it to the florist when he came next time.
I told my maids that they could quit my job here at any time. In the future, after the cultural revolution, if my financial situation allows, I will give them some more money, because we have all lived together in harmony for a long time.
Everything was ready, and I was waiting for the Red Guards to come.
Chapter 3: The Red Guards
With the Cultural Revolution in full swing, all units held various meetings overnight. On the night of August 30, the Red Guards came to raid the house. That day, my daughter was attending a criticism meeting at the film factory. I was alone, reading The History of the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in my study. It was a subscription from my bookstore in London and had just recently arrived in the mail. Since I had been working in Asia, I asked the bookstore to send the ordered book to my company by mail, because Shanghai Customs did not open and check all the mail sent to the unit. At that time, the company had purchased a large number of science and technology books from abroad for the reference of domestic research institutions. So those small packages of my mail did not attract much attention.
At this time, the house was silent. I know, this kung fu Lao Zhao is in the pantry as usual. Chen’s mother, too, was in her own room, probably lying in bed to recuperate. The house was as silent as a pool of stagnant water, as if everything had lost the interest of life and was approaching death.
The doors and windows of the study were open, and the evening breeze was already a bit autumnal, sending a scent of mullein flowers. I was watching the road, and I saw a truck approaching from a distance, and the sound became clearer. I didn’t expect it to slow down in front of my house, and then it stopped abruptly. I knew that at this moment my neighbors were waiting for the Red Guards to come. I threw down my book and stood up nervously, wondering which family would be the target of their raid.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang incessantly, while many fists banged frantically on the door, and there was a burst of slogans. I knew in my heart that it was time for me to face the reality and accept the Red Guards’ search of me and my apartment. Although he knew that the Red Guards would come sooner or later, and seemed to be preparing for their arrival day and night, he was still terrified and ashen when it came to it.
“They’re coming.” He said in panic.
“Calm down, Jo! Open the door, but don’t say anything to them. You tell Chen’s mother to go to your room, and you stay there and don’t come out.” I admonished him.
Lao Zhao’s room was upstairs in the car room, and I wanted them both to leave the scene of the raid, lest they say something to offend the Red Guards in favor of me.
The noise outside got louder: “Open the door! Are you all dead? Why don’t you open the door?” Someone started cursing and kicking at the door. At the same time, the car’s horn roared desperately.
Old Zhao ran downstairs. I got up and put the book back on the shelf, while my eyes swept to a copy of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. I took it out and held it in my hand, took the key I had placed on the writing desk and went downstairs.
Although I was prepared for this, my heart was still pounding, but in any case, all these years of life experience made me seem calm on the surface. I stepped heavily on the stairs, I finished the last step, and everything was left to fate.
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