What if the police had retrieved Yuyang’s fingerprints and publicized the fact? She’d have been in hot water, and that was a risk she could not afford to take; it was simply too big of a gamble. She told herself that it was better this way, since no one could be sure of anything. The other students could play their guessing game if they wanted to, so long as she avoided an outright disaster. As the saying goes, “Take a step backward and you can see the whole world.”
In any case, Yuyang finally managed to get a good night’s sleep, and what could be better than that? But why hadn’t anyone spoken to her yet? Was this what they meant by “internally”? It must be. So the leaders had kept their word and she had reason to trust them. She should stop her second-guessing now that they had decided on leniency; otherwise she would not be worthy of their good faith.
Responding to the new situation and conditions at the school, a security team was formed the day before the new year arrived. A special fund was set up to purchase yellow army overcoats for each of the security guards, who were also given army belts. At the inaugural meeting, Director Qian made it clear that the coats and belts were public property and were to be returned upon graduation. The guards were instructed to treat their new uniforms with care. Completely ignoring his admonition, the students carried their coats over their shoulders and cinched the belts around their waists in order to show that they were special. That, of course, was perfectly understandable since it was an honor to be chosen for the school security team. These items showed that the users were class activists and had been elected democratically by secret ballot and then screened carefully by the school administration. Only one student, boy or girl, could be selected from each class.
Director Qian called a meeting for the team, stressing the importance of their mission to protect the school and ensure the integrity of the people’s property. He stood up and shouted, “Can you do that?”
“We can,” they replied in unison, the boys’ deep, powerful voices merging with those of the girls, which were crisp and resonant, and seemed to linger forever in the rafters of the auditorium. Pang Fenghua’s was among them.
How in the world had the loss of money increased Pang Fenghua’s popularity on campus? It was as if she’d not only lost money but had found some and returned it, or had done something quite courageous. Naturally, it didn’t make her smug; on the contrary, she was more humble than ever, a perfect example of an outstanding student who excelled both in her studies and her temperament. All that went to show how much she had changed, which caused Yuyang to wonder why she couldn’t be lucky enough to lose a little money. Things like that simply didn’t happen to her.
Fenghua had received enough votes in the security team election for a second-place finish. Even Yuyang had voted for her. In retrospect, Yuyang realized that this made no sense. She just went ahead and cast her vote—people are strange animals.
Normally, in accordance with the principle of democratic centralism, Fenghua should not have been counted as being elected to the security team, but after centralizing, the homeroom teacher allowed her to join, saying that the student who’d received the most votes, a member of the athletic committee, was needed to work elsewhere. So Fenghua was on the team. She put on the army overcoat and leather belt, cutting a striking figure—brave and imposing—like a soldier or a policewoman.
Now that Fenghua was involved in school security, the homeroom teacher summoned her to his dorm room for a talk. He said that he expected her to be more active in all aspects of school functions, to become a true activist, and thereby to serve as a role model. He invited her to sit down, but she declined; instead, she stood by his desk, her finger rubbing the glass top under which the ten-yuan bill remained next to the teacher’s class schedule. It hadn’t been touched.
Her finger flitted back and forth, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Every sweep of that finger rubbed against the glass covering the ten-yuan bill. The teacher got up, paced the room, and shut the door. When he sat down again, Fenghua was overcome by a sudden unreasonable anxiety, and the smile disappeared from her face. Her fingers now moved mechanically over the desk as she cast her eyes upward, an absent-minded look on her face. The silence dragged on for a long time, since the teacher said nothing. Then, without warning, Fenghua blurted out, “You must have fallen in love in college, didn’t you?”
What she was asking—not to mention the fact that she’d addressed him as “you” and not “teacher”—echoed like a thunderclap.
“What kind of question is that?” he said sternly. The silence returned briefly until he spoke up again. “Who’d have fallen for someone like me?”
“That’s silly, teacher,” she said. “Teacher, you’re talking nonsense,” she added even more strongly. At this point she dared not look at him. Fenghua’s gaze returned to the money under the glass. “Why don’t you put that away? Are you that rich?”
He laughed. “One of my students ran into some hard times, but she wouldn’t accept my help.”
She smiled. “Who was the ungrateful wretch?”
She lifted the glass, fished the money out, turned, and walked out the door. Caught off guard by her actions, he sat frozen in his chair and stared at the door, which seemed to sway before his eyes. He was lost in thought, caught in flights of fancy.
The following morning, the homeroom teacher strode up to the podium only to find Fenghua’s seat unoccupied. A few minutes later she walked in—or, more accurately, sauntered in. She wore her army coat, and around her neck was a bright red, eye-catching scarf, obviously brand new.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said.
“Please, come in,” the teacher said. All quite proper and expected, as was the way she went over and took her seat—nothing out of the ordinary. But the teacher appeared inspired by the bright red scarf, having seen a connection between it and the ten yuan. His eyes lit up, and he was energized. “Why do we say ‘capital came into this world dripping in blood and filth’?” he asked in a booming voice. “Please open your books to page seventy-three.” His voice bounced off the walls. Only he was conscious of this—he and also Pang Fenghua—for it touched on no one else in the room but them. Even among all those prying eyes, it was their secret. And it was wondrous, exquisite.
Wei Xiangdong, in charge of daily concerns for the school union, was the head of the new security team. He stood out as a unique case at the school. A former student who was kept on as a teacher, he could boast no special quality except for a willingness to work hard. Mild-tempered and rather timid, he shocked everyone, himself included, at the onset of the Cultural Revolution, for no one ever expected that he had—and was willing to use—hard fists and that he was capable of decisive action; but he did and that quickly moved him up the ladder. Due to his actions, the school entered a new stage in the Revolution—as they say, “A single spark can turn into a prairie fire.”[13] However, this new stage did not last long because history quickly exposed his true nature. Not a good person, he was someone actively engaged in beating, smashing, and looting during the Revolution.
When the old Party secretary was released from prison after the Cultural Revolution and resumed his position, the teachers thought that Wei would be in for a bad time. This did not happen.