When the guy with the dark glasses thought that the atmosphere of the meeting had been sufficiently stimulated, he praised the high socialist consciousness of the men and women who had denounced the critics. He even said a few good words for the old employees of the company, saying that most of them had been reeducated and had their heads cleared. But still warned those who had confused ideas to redouble their efforts in self-criticism and free themselves from the chains of capitalism.
He turned to me again and said, “Have you already heard these ironclad crimes? You have committed a monstrous crime against the Chinese people. Only by giving a full account of how you colluded with imperialism and secretly undermined the government’s conspiracy can you be rehabilitated. Do you intend to give an account of your crimes?”
“I have never done anything against the people or the government. Asia Inc. stayed in Shanghai because the Chinese government needed them and stayed. The order to keep Asean’s Shanghai office was decided by the State Council and approved by Premier Zhou Enlai and other leaders. Asean has always been friendly to China and the Chinese people, and has acted in strict accordance with Chinese laws and regulations. Asean’s policy has never interfered with any political activities ……” I said.
Although I let go of my throat as loud as possible, but the whole meeting no one can hear me a word. Because everyone was furious, shouting in a tone of righteous indignation: “Account, account!” At the same time, they also raised their arms and shouted “No sophistry from the class enemy!” and other slogans. The Red Guards and the rebels surrounded me hysterically, waving their fists at me in a murderous manner, pulling my clothes, and spitting on me, while cursing: “Stinking agent! “Stinky dog!” “We’ll smash you up!” And so on. Several times they pushed and shoved me so hard that they almost pushed me over.
The room was in an uproar, but those on the stage were smiling with satisfaction, especially the one with dark glasses, who felt even more smug when he saw me being tossed in front of the crowd. But what could I do? It was useless to argue, and even more useless to resist, as long as I moved a little, they would jump on me and trample me to death alive. The only thing I could do was to stare at the far wall with my eyes dead in the air, standing upright like a wooden stake, expecting their anger to calm down.
Finally, their anger at least calmed down. The one with the dark glasses said, “There is a limit to our patience. You have committed a crime and we can sentence you to death. But we are willing to give you a chance to be a new man, are you willing to give an honest account?”
Everyone in the arena turned their eyes to me and waited. I had had enough of their abuse as I stood there. I thought that I deserved to hate everyone in this room. However, in retrospect, what haunted me most was my strong self-esteem, which had been mercilessly bruised.
At this point I would have loved to see my daughter. What saddened me was that I simply could not ask the masses around me to understand that I was innocent and that they were in the wrong. But since the concept of class struggle they had received did not begin with the Cultural Revolution, but had already been formed. A solid wall had been built between me and them, and it was not something I could dismantle in a short time.
The man stared at me for a while, and when he saw that I was unresponsive, he waved at a young man standing behind the participants, and people dodged a path for him, and he came toward the podium. I saw a cold metallic glint in his hand, a pair of shiny handcuffs. He held it up high so I could see it clearly. As he walked right up to me, the man presiding over the meeting asked again, “Are you going to explain?”
I replied softly, “I have never done anything against the people or the government. I have nothing to do with foreign governments.”
“Come here.” The young man with the handcuffs said.
I followed him out of the building, and the rest of the men followed. The night was cool and fresh, and I felt my thoughts clearing up.
At the entrance of the school, there was a black jeep of the Municipal Public Security Bureau parked. This is not new to the citizens of Shanghai. I stood around the jeep with the Red Guard rebels, the old employees of Asia and the passers-by who were watching.
“Are you going to give an explanation or not?” The man in glasses asked me again.
I chanted silently from the Bible, Chapter 23: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want ……”
“Are you deaf?”
“Are you dumb?”
“Speak up.”
“Tell me honestly.” They yelled.
The young man with dark glasses and the Public Security Bureau watched me very carefully. They thought my silence was a sign of submission. I felt I had to show more courage. In fact, after reciting the Bible, I felt much stronger. I stood by the black jeep that threatened me, and I never looked braver or stronger than at this moment that night.
I held my head up high and said, loudly and unambiguously; “I am not guilty! I have nothing to answer for.”
At this point, no one came out shouting. Perhaps those Red Guard rebels and onlookers were also intimidated by the tense and serious atmosphere. As soon as I spoke, the man in dark glasses made a gesture, and immediately, my hands were wrenched behind my back, and the youth snapped handcuffs on me. I heard an old man, sighing deeply on the side.
Suddenly a girl rushed up and said to me with an anxious look: “Explain, explain quickly. You are going to be put in jail.” Her clear and bright voice floated across the noisy road, like a string of silver bells ringing. She was the pale girl with short hair who sat across the writing desk to keep my jewelry when we raided the house. Out of impulse, she tried her best to save me from going to jail. But another woman immediately stopped her and dragged her to the school building.
The driver started the engine.
“Get in!” The PSB youth gave me a sharp push.
When I got into the car, I could sit down instead. I looked out of the car window at the men and women watching this farce. I could see from the eyes of the old employees of the Asian company that they seemed to be secretly relieved. Perhaps they thought that my arrest would somewhat relieve their stress. The others looked nervous, but it was just a thriller for them, and fortunately for them, they were not involved in the show themselves.
The young man from the Public Security Bureau and the driver both got into the car, and the man with dark glasses sat next to me. The black jeep, just like that, disappeared on the dark road.
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