Skinner's Box (Fang Mu (Eastern Crimes)) (7 page)

"True," Teacher Zhou said with a laugh. He put his
shot glass
down and stared at the ceiling. "Now that I think of it, I really was wasteful back then."

"Grandpa Zhou?" A little boy picked a fat piece of meat from his soup bowl and crammed it into his mouth. "Did you used to be rich?"

"Yes, I did."

"How much money did you have?"

Teacher Zhou gave a small chuckle and smiled, spreading his hands wide. "A
lot
of money."

"So have you ever been on an airplane then?" a little girl asked.

"I sure have."

"Was it fun?"

"It was fun. But the first time Grandpa flew on an airplane, it about scared me to death. Such a huge object made of steel; and after a rock and a sway, it was suddenly in the air! I thought to myself, If this thing falls, I'm a
goner
."  

The children laughed.

"So, have you been overseas?" another little girl asked.

"Yes, I have."

"Have you been to America?"

"Yes."

"What's America like? Our teacher says America's nice."

"It's very nice. But I prefer our country."

"Why?"

"Because you little darlings of mine aren't in America!
"
Teacher Zhou reached out and mock-pinched one of the little girls on the nose. She scrunched her nose and giggled.

"Tell us about being overseas, Grandpa Zhou."

"
What's there to tell? Overseas is just overseas."

"Tell us… Tell us..." The children began to chant in unison.

Faced with a dozen or so eager pairs of eyes, Teacher Zhou's mood perked up. "All right, okay. Well, then I'll tell you about the university at which I once studied. It was called Harvard University; one of the best universities in the world. Back in those days, every day I went to class in a huge white building; the tallest building around..."

The children listened with relish. Of them, Liao Yafan listened the most earnestly, to the point that she even forgot to feed the baby she was holding. Her face was slightly flushed, and in her eyes there was a dreamlike look that seemed a mixture of longing and envy.

She was already completely equipped with an adult's cognitive faculties, Fang Mu realized.

Liao Yafan could not possibly avoid comparing her current living situation with the apparent paradise described by Teacher Zhou, and she just happened to be at an age most susceptible to fantasizing. But that was the cruelty of reality. Fang Mu's gaze fell on Liao to the girl's shabby, cheap track pants and his heart ached.

The baby in her arms, now long neglected, began to wail. As if awakened from a dream, Liao Yafan hurriedly shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth, accidentally causing him to choke in the process. The explosion of sputtering and coughing caused Teacher Zhou to stop talking and hastily motion for Sister Zhao to tend to the baby. When Liao Yafan handed the child over to Sister Zhao, her eyes were still glued to Teacher Zhou as if hoping that he would continue telling his story.

But at that moment Teacher Zhou was more concerned with the baby. By the time the baby spat out a piece of tofu and finally stopped coughing, he had lost his train of thought, so he simply waved for everyone to hurry up and finish eating. With a disappointed look, Liao Yafan slowly raked the few remaining spoonfuls of rice and vegetables from her bowl into her mouth.

After the meal, Teacher Zhou brewed another pot of tea and asked Fang Mu to sit and chat for a while in the courtyard. The children all dispersed, finding places to do homework or play games. Carrying a large basin full of dirty dishes, Liao Yafan followed Sister Zhao into the kitchen.

It was quality tea, too. While savoring it, Fang Mu tried to fathom what Teacher Zhou's past identity and career had been. Perhaps because of having had liquor with the meal, Teacher Zhou was more talkative than usual.

"If things get better in the future, I'd like to build a library here... and build a girls' dormitory over there..." Teacher Zhou swept his hand in an arc in the direction of the courtyard as he spoke, as if he could already see a bright, orderly building where indicated.

Fang Mu smiled as he listened and did not interrupt.

Teacher Zhou talked on and on until he suddenly chuckled. "But I'm just thinking out loud here." He shook his head. "I'll be grateful just for these children to get educated and healthy enough to set foot into society."

Fang Mu mulled this over. "I imagine you'd have spent quite a chunk of money building this orphanage, yeah?"

"Uh-huh." Teacher Zhou nodded. "My whole life's savings are in this place"

Fang Mu did a quick mental calculation. A courtyard of a bit under 1000-square-yards, plus the little two-story building, would have cost a lot just on their own. Plus all the living expenses for everyone living there, such as food and clothing and so on—even if Teacher Zhou had been extremely wealthy, he probably would not have much left.

"Why not seek some social contributions?"

"Lots of people wanted to invest with me in the form of donations for these kids." Teacher Zhou laughed. "I haven't responded, because without exception, they all require that we allow them to use us for advertising. They tend to hold money in the one hand and a video camera in the other."

"If..." Fang Mu chose his words carefully. "...they could solve some practical difficulties, then putting on a little show for them might not be such a big deal."

"No." Teacher Zhou's tone was quiet but firm. "They want the children to put on a look of politeness and modesty to curry favor with people. Indeed, they have money to give, but I cannot allow my children to grow up feeling like they are inferior to other people." He turned to face Fang Mu. "You ought to know that a person's childhood circumstances have an enormous effect on the rest of his life."

His gaze shifted to the small, brightly lit windows where the children were. "They've already been abandoned once. I want to do my very best to alleviate the harm that experience did to them. I hope that once they have entered society, they will be able to forget the suffering they endured when they were little."

Fang Mu understood. Teacher Zhou had founded the orphanage not only as a place where these children could live; his goal was to nurture them so that they could reintegrate into society with their dignity healthy and intact. He had to admire this seemingly ordinary old man sitting next to him.

"Can I…do anything to help you?"

Teacher Zhou guffawed, clapping Fang Mu solidly on the shoulder a few times. "You've already helped me heaps."

"I haven't done much," Fang Mu mumbled, blushing a little.

       "No. You are the only person who has given be financial assistance without asking for anything in return." He looked into Fang Mu's eyes and said very earnestly, "I once lost my faith in humanity. But you have helped me find it again."

Fang Mu's face flushed a deeper red. In fact, he had already gotten something in return, years ago: one person's life. His financial assistance paled in comparison to that.

He glanced over the little two-story building. It was completely enveloped by the night already, and the faint light glowing outward from its tiny windows shone like pair after pair of warm eyes gazing mischievously at Fang Mu and Teacher Zhou.

His heart leapt. "Teacher Zhou, I have an idea."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You should consider giving this orphanage a name."

"A name? Why? I'm not planning on drumming up hype for this place or anything."

"Not to drum up hype," Fang Mu said sincerely. "For the children. If it's called an orphanage, then I'm afraid these kids will never be able to forget that they grew up in an orphanage."

"Very true, very true!" Teacher Zhou was very excited. "Go on."

"These kids are disabled or have been abandoned or both their parents are dead. I'm sure they all have very low self-esteem when it comes to thinking about their origins." Fang Mu paused. "If we want them to have happy memories of their life here after they've grown up, we have to name this place something that will give them a feeling of comfort and a sense of belonging."

Teacher Zhou stood. "Ah, Little Fang, I never would have pegged you for someone so full of ideas." He cupped his hands around his mouth and began to shout. "Everyone come on out! We're having a meeting!"

After a moment of silence, the little building began to roar into life.

A few minutes later, groups of children were pouring out of the building. Sister Zhao and Liao Yafan followed behind them, wiping their hands on their skirts as they walked.

Teacher Zhou stood on the edge of a flowerbed and signaled for everyone to gather around.

"Just now Uncle Fang and I were having a chat." He pointed at Fang Mu. "We're going to give our home a name. What do you all think of that?"

The children, suddenly excited, all shouted their approval at once. Sister Zhao's lips were pursed into a smile, too; apparently no matter what Teacher Zhou did, she would support him.

"Okay, everyone, so, what should we name it?"

The crowd quieted down as each child scrunched his or her eyebrows in concentration. Even the mentally handicapped children, copying the other kids, seemed to be racking their brains to think of something. After a few moments of silence, the group began to sing out a variety of names:

"Compassion Primary School!"

"Hope Orphanage!"

"Tomorrow Will Be Better Welfare Institute!"

"Grandpa Zhou's Charity Institute!"

The children discussed and argued amongst themselves, each insisting that his or her idea was the best. Teacher Zhou laughed as he watched everyone, sometimes encouraging the more timid of the children to speak out, sometimes looking up into the night sky, deep in thought.

"I think we should stop debating it. Old Zhou, you established this orphanage all by yourself; it should be named after you!" Sister Zhao made a sweeping gesture with her hands over the courtyard. "Let's call it the Zhou Guoqing Welfare Agency."

The children clapped excitedly.

"No." Teacher Zhou slowly withdrew his gaze from the night sky. His expression was solemn and gentle, but his mouth was still smiling. He said quietly, "Angel Hall."

Within seconds everyone had quieted down, seeming suddenly bewitched by these two words. Sister Zhao's hands were still in front of her chest as if frozen in the middle of a clap.

"Angel Hall..." she murmured, her face unexpectedly shading a bit pink. "Angel Hall…"

One by one, from all around, the young voices began to echo her.

"Angel Hall..."

"Angel Hall..."

It seemed that everyone was reflecting on these two words in earnest, thinking them over like an aftertaste, enjoying the pleasure they left on their lips and teeth, and enjoying even more the deeper meaning and beauty inherent in them.

A little girl pulled on Teacher Zhou's pant leg. "Grandpa Zhou, you mean we're all angels?"

He knelt down and embraced her. "Yes." He looked around at the faces full of hope and expectation. "Every one of you is an angel."

To Fang Mu everyone in front of him suddenly appeared very luminous, as if he really were looking at dozens of cute little angels. They were opening their spotless white wings, tilting their heads, and revealing to him the purest smiles in the world.