Free The Four Books by Yan Lianke Page A

event heralded something much larger. Why did they all become so silent? It was precisely because the ninety-first’s revolutionary performance stunned them into realizing that they still needed to reform their hearts and souls, which proved they still needed to be re-educated. This was particularly true of the Scholar. After the Scholar agreed to start smelting steel, the Child had awarded him a blossom, but the Scholar’s expression upon accepting it was one not of delight but rather of inscrutable mockery. The Scholar’s strange smile did not escape my gaze. I saw him hold the blossom with his thumb and forefinger, as though holding a worthless piece of paper, and after he had walked a short distance he crumpled it into a ball and threw it to the ground, then crushed it with his foot. He assumed he had done this without anyone noticing, but I had actually seen everything. His action reflected his feelings of unease and dissatisfaction. From the time he threw away the blossom until dinner, he kept his head bowed and didn’t utter a word, appearing to be deep in thought. But could his silence prove that he didn’t feel any sense of rebellion against the revolutionary situation? Consider the following dialogue he had with an old linguist:
    “This was truly unbelievable.” The Linguist sighed upon thinking of the day’s performance.
    The Scholar snorted, “This is insane! The country has gone completely mad!”
    “Someone should write the higher-ups, and have them put a stop to this behavior.”
    The Scholar considered for a moment, then replied, “I’ll write the letter, but could you sign it?”
    The Linguist was the former director of the National Center for Linguistic Research, and had overseen the editing of dictionaries used throughout the country. But he now found himself at a loss for words. He looked at the Scholar’s inquisitive gaze, then silently bowed his head.
    During the entire dinner, the Scholar and the Linguist didn’t exchange another word.
    This short interaction began not long after the start of dinner, and took place about fifteen meters from the canteen. At the time, the Scholar and the Linguist were holding their rice bowls while sitting on stones not far from the Technician and several others. What the higher-ups need to bear in mind is that if someone were to write them a letter making false charges against the motherland, that person would almost certainly be either the Scholar or the Linguist.
    2. Criminal Records , p. 64 (excerpt)
    The Technician originally had eleven blossoms, but those eleven blossoms increased to thirteen overnight, despite the fact that the Technician neither performed well nor made a positive speech. Where did the additional two blossoms come from? Did he steal them from someone? The higher-ups needed to investigate this thoroughly. If it turned out that the Technician had stolen the blossoms, then he should be punished and have all his remaining blossoms confiscated, and furthermore he should undergo several days of intense self-examination. In this way, he would be made an example for the community, to help ensure that everyone else remains sincere and positive, convincing them to use their re-education activities to compete for blossoms, and not cheat the higher-ups or the masses.
    3. Criminal Records , p. 66 (excerpt)
    One day in early winter when a doctor was irrigating the wheat fields, everyone else was resting at the edge of the field. Sitting alone, the Physician removed a small pair of medical scissors from her pocket and, after clipping her nails, took an old piece of paper that was lying around and proceeded to cut out a fist-sized pentagonal star. She examined the star, then threw it away.
    She was, however, capable of making all sorts of little animals, and therefore cutting out a star would be as easy as turning her hand. If one day she were to produce five stars and thereby earn her freedom, there would inevitably be questions as to their