No one noticed her. Everyone was busy with their own work. Everyone had become thin and weak. Their bodies bore the signs of malnutrition, grief and frustration.

Mei Lin had become weak too. A few months ago she had given birth to a baby girl. She was due to return to work in a few days.

Mei Lin and the others had understood one thing; they would have to live here in fear. One couldn’t speak openly here. If one became careless while speaking, there was every possibility of getting into trouble. The internal political situation in China was grave.

The returnees lived with caution. Many of them had been financially well-off in India. That background was not favourable for them here. The Chinese government was extra vigilant about the returnees from capitalist countries. Communist China had been established only recently. The pro-Taipei people were still active inside the state. The Chiang Kai Shek loyalists were still trying to overthrow the communist regime.

Even though communism had been established, the traditional social mores and the popular mindsets of the past had not yet been eradicated completely. The returnees from the capitalist countries had brought with them the training of the social system and the rules of those states. They could harm the process of change in the country.

Mei Lin and the others were aware of the government’s position. Still, they were grateful to this country. Even though the country had just gone through a famine, it had accepted them. Despite all the difficulties, the government tried to keep the returnees comparatively well. They got things like soap, oil, cigarettes, fish and meat in small amounts, with the special ticket offered to the returnees from the canteen. They used to receive a minimum wage to sustain themselves, whether there was any production or not. The locals were not entitled to these extra privileges. Because of this, the returnees had to face the ire of the locals from the time they arrived.

Emptying the contents of the basket in the field, Mei Lin washed her back. She then rubbed her hands in the mud and washed them. Wiping her hands dry on her cloth, she went to a tree in a corner of the field. Her baby, whom she had kept in a basket, was crying. Seated near by were Lee Chang’s child and three others below five years of age. They were still too young for school. All of them came to the field with their parents. Mei Lin left the baby in their custody. There was no other option.