chapter4-5

Life In TianJin

I love everything about my school.My classmates made me feel like I belonged.Unlike my siblings, nobody looked down on me.An Mao,the rickshaw-puller,to take us(Big Sister and me) there and back.Always  Big Sister among the last to leave when school finished.She enjoyed having her friends notice that the rickshaw-puller and young sister could be found waiting for here every afternoon.One day Big Sister was later than usual.When she climbede in,I shrank into my corner.After a quetion I did't know its answer,Big Sister sreamed to me "You don't deserve to wear the medal" and grabede my medal and jerked it.She slapped me with her strong right hand.But I was winning the medal every week which could make my father take notice and be proud of me.In the end of term  I was given the prize,but nobody  from  my family was on the site.

The year of 1942,Japan had conquered most of China.We children were supposed to show our respect and bow whenever we run past Japanese soldiers.Otherwise they would punish us or even kill us.Father lookede terribly worried because there was talk that the Japanese were demanding to become Father's business parters.One morning Father never came home.A few months later,Niang took our fourth brother and left the home also.After that our life became tranquil,even happy.

Over a year past,NaiNai died of a massive stroke.

Arrival in Shanghai

Six weeks after NaiNai's funeral,Big sister,Big brother ,Second brother and me were marched onto a crowded platform marked with a sign"To ShangHai".Surprisedly, Father escorted us to ShangHai. 

ShangHai house was a big ,square,dark-grey concrete building.This house consist of three floors.Our rooms were on the second floor and we were not allowed to enter any of the rooms on the first floor without permission.'We are not separate people.We have become one single unit known as all of you."Big brother muttered.Obviously all of us were treated differently from Niang's childern.