BooksBarbecue
Back In the Dark Save as PDF
Chapters (90)
  1. Cover
  2. IN THE DARK
  3. PRELUDE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. WIND LISTENERS
  11. Blind Abing
  12. 1
  13. 2
  14. 3
  15. 4
  16. 5
  17. 6
  18. 7
  19. 8
  20. 9
  21. 10
  22. 11
  23. 12
  24. 13
  25. 14
  26. 15
  27. 16
  28. 17
  29. 18
  30. 19
  31. 20
  32. 21
  33. WIND READERS
  34. An Angel with Problems
  35. 1
  36. 2
  37. 3
  38. 4
  39. 5
  40. 6
  41. 7
  42. 8
  43. 9
  44. 10
  45. 11
  46. 12
  47. 13
  48. 14
  49. 15
  50. 16
  51. 17
  52. 18
  53. 19
  54. 20
  55. 21
  56. 22
  57. 23
  58. 24
  59. 25
  60. 26
  61. 27
  62. 28
  63. 29
  64. 30
  65. THE SHADOW OF CHEN ERHU
  66. Diary Excerpts: 25 March 1987
  67. 26 March
  68. 27 March
  69. 28 March
  70. 2 April
  71. The Letter: Day One
  72. Day Two
  73. Day Three
  74. Day Four
  75. Day Five
  76. Day Six
  77. Day Seven
  78. Two Old Letters
  79. WIND-CATCHERS
  80. A Vietnamese Ghost Story
  81. 1
  82. 2
  83. 3
  84. 4
  85. 5
  86. 6
  87. 7
  88. 8
  89. 9
  90. THE BEGINNING

This exchange went on for some time.

During the Spring Festival, Abing and Lin Xiaofang tied the knot in a grand ceremony held in the great hall within Unit 701’s compound. Everyone from Unit 701 attended, from Director Tie down to the lowliest cook. Everyone expressed their heartfelt congratulations towards the newlyweds. Before long, all manner of wedding presents were piled high upon the stage. Finally, a decorated truck carried the newlyweds, and their mountain of gifts, off to their new residence, which was soon brimming full. Their home was a two-storey structure that had previously housed Bureau Chief Wu’s family and my own. In order to provide Abing with the best and most comfortable accommodation, Bureau Chief Wu gave up his residence so that Abing and his new wife could move in and be close to the person whom Abing trusted most – namely, myself. You could say that all the personnel of Unit 701 felt an indescribable joy and satisfaction in providing Abing with the best possible place to live in; he had done so much for Unit 701 that it seemed only fitting for us to arrange such a perfect wedding for him.

19

Just as I had transformed Abing’s life after discovering him in Lujiayan, I had once more succeeded in changing his destiny. In all honesty, Lin Xiaofang wasn’t at all pretty, nor was she always refined in terms of how she treated other people. But she was amazingly compassionate and understanding. She never once complained nor regretted her marriage to Abing, and it soon became noticeable that he was benefiting greatly from her care: his appearance was much neater, cleaner, and more cheerful. He was enjoying the most pleasant and happy period of his life. Two years later, Xiaofang made him even happier by making him a father.

Considering Abing’s special circumstances, and according to Xiaofang’s wishes, the intelligence service granted her two years’ maternity leave so that she could return to Abing’s home town to rear their child. Not only would her salary not be reduced, but the service actually increased it by 10 yuan per month for child support.

Not long after Xiaofang departed for Lujiayan, the postal services of Unit 701 received the following telegram: ‘Your son is happy; your mother is doing well. Xiaofang.’