Lute Love

Author: Zhao Hanyang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: One morning, Father woke up early and opened the door to find a bamboo basket on the ground outside. It was probably placed there deliberately by someone. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed, "Good heavens! It's a baby!" Father rushed back inside and yelled, "Mom! Mom! There's a child at the door." Grandmother quickly got dressed and ran outside to see. Indeed, it was a newborn baby, with a chubby and adorable face. As someone who always believed in Buddha, Grandmother murmured, "Namo Amida Butsu, kugatsu, kugatsu" (Amitabha Buddha, I have sinned, I have sinned), and carried the baby back inside.
Unwrapping the swaddling clothes, she found the child's birth date and two large silver dollars. It was a girl, and she had scabies. Grandmother thought to herself, "I've already taken in a son, but I don't have a daughter. Let me take in another daughter." A son and a daughter would provide companionship in old age. She told Father, "This is a sister sent to you by heaven. Take care of her." Father was delighted. Since there was no one else at home to play with, having a sister would be wonderful.
Grandmother called a doctor to treat the baby and hired a wet nurse to feed her. The infant was frail from birth, and Grandmother and Father poured all their effort into helping her survive. They named her Zhao Lianyi. When she grew up and entered society, she changed her name to Zhao Junping, which was the same as her father's generation. She is my aunt, born in 1931.
In 1938, the Japanese invaders reached Changzhou, and planes frequently dropped bombs. The family lived in constant fear, spreading their bedding on tables at night and daring to sleep only under the tables. Eventually, they couldn't stay in the city anymore and fled to Wangxia Village, about ten kilometers away, seeking refuge with a distant relative. The three of them lived with the relative, and it was fine for a day or two, but over time, the relative grew impatient, especially since they were distant and had no prior contact. Moreover, fleeing was about survival—what was the point of bringing anything when they could only carry a small bundle of clothes and a few coins?
What made it worse was that they didn't know how long this disaster would last, or when they could go home. The relatives grew resentful and couldn't help but speak ill of them. Father was a strong-willed man. Though only twelve at the time, he was sturdy and already a capable young man. He couldn't stand the harsh words and left without saying goodbye, returning to Changzhou. Grandmother nearly had a heart attack.
When he arrived in Changzhou, the city was in ruins, with burned-out buildings still smoldering. Though their home was still standing, it was in disarray, with better belongings looted. All that remained were tables, chairs, benches, and heavy furniture. Fortunately, the house hadn't burned down, so they still had a place to stay and wouldn't end up on the streets. The landlord had also returned, leaving them as the only two people in the entire alley—an old man and a young boy.
The landlord brought some rice from the countryside. Seeing the collapsed houses and smoldering wooden beams all over the street, Father grabbed two thick beams with one arm each and dragged them home. He found an axe, chopped them into firewood, and the two of them made some porridge to eat before sleeping.