Cherry (Another Epic Tale of a Western Family Legend)

Author: Wang Xiaotian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The fourth-generation young writer of the Shaanxi army in the literary world, "Cherry" is another epic masterpiece depicting the legend of a western family after "Dust Settled." "I am over seventy now. All my relatives are dead, and I am still alive. I must maintain the tolerant temperament of the descendants of the family. I love you, Cherry. That beautiful girl from the distant land." In an era of war and warlord domination, a life-and-death struggle broke out within the family of a local official holding great power. The rivalry between the two young masters for power, and the competition between the two women for beauty, formed the two main threads of the novel. Using the fate of Cherry, the novel portrays the mysterious history of the official's family, completely telling the turbulent history and the dramatic changes of the family. While depicting the historical changes of this family, the author profoundly reveals human nature and attitude towards life, thus uncovering the environmental factors that lead to the transformation of human nature. "Cherry," the classic conclusion of a family history; "Cherry," the rise and fall following "Dust Settled."
I am over seventy now, and for a person, this is a fragile age. Many, many years ago, I can't remember how many years ago it was. Back then, my father was a local official holding great power. He had a dyeing workshop, an oil workshop, and many shops. We lived in a spacious and sturdy official's mansion, with fine iron wires on the walls, and a hundred or so officials' guards protecting our home. Under my father were two important figures: a fat steward and a tall, strong military officer. They were the most loyal servants of the official's family. I was the second young master of the official's family, and I had an older brother and a stepmother, Lady Zhen. Cherry and her mother fled from the northern war and came to us. Lady Zhen discovered Cherry and kept her as a maid. That's when I started to fall in love with Cherry. The beauty of Lady Zhen made Cherry envious, and the naive heart of a young girl began to bloom. She believed that women without color were not women, and women only became women through bloodshed. She longed for bloodshed.
Because the uprising of the northern peasants was expanding, my father had to lead troops to suppress it, and Cherry, being from the north, served as a guide with the army. The journey was full of dangers, and Cherry was always ready to accept the touch of my father's large hands. She was disappointed. The army won the battle easily. The victory of the war brought joy back to the village. However, the incident of the venomous centipede buns from Tian Qu gave the village a shadow of darkness. My older brother raped the daughter of the local leader, Mu Ya. To appease the Mu family, my father made my brother marry Mu Ya. The beauty of Mu Ya made Lady Zhen jealous, and she poisoned her with medicine when she was pregnant. Enraged, my brother clashed with Lady Zhen, and at that time, my father returned from the capital. My brother was whipped twenty times in the ancestral hall, losing his confidence and sinking into despair, starting to take opium. Rumors about a girl he had slept with also created a rift between my brothers. Strange things kept happening. My father fell seriously ill. My brother became obsessed with brothels. My father died. After the election, my brother became the local official. My brother contracted a venereal disease. One day after Cherry took care of him and his condition improved, she cut off his life root with a knife. She wanted to avenge my father, as my brother had killed him. To save Cherry, I agreed to kill my brother with the military officer's suggestion. Our attempt failed, but Cherry was saved. Meanwhile, the country's war broke out, and the uprising peasants overturned our president with overwhelming force. Because of the national war, the struggle between me and my brother seemed no longer important. To fight against the common enemy, my brother and I reconciled. My brother died in battle, and I raised a white flag for the people. Cherry was taken by the general as his wife, and Lady Zhen became her maid.
Life is a cycle. The new country's law stated that all people are equal. The military officer was executed, but I was left behind, as the government said I had performed meritorious service by surrendering. On the night the monument was completed, people went out to celebrate, and Cherry came to where I was detained. When the bonfire party outside reached its climax, thousands of voices roared, and here, we also reached our climax. Lady Zhen died, she took her own life. Cherry's husband Tian Heng died, and she was taken to the capital. It wasn't until winter that news came that Cherry had died, in prison. They also said, "You have a child, born this summer, your presidential uncle named him Tian Zhang."