The Mao Quotation-Citing Contest was broadcast live throughout the district, with every classroom tuned in. It was a clear spring day. I sat at my desk and concentrated on listening to the loudspeaker. The scores of the final contestants were close. By the afternoon there were only three left-Hot Pepper, Evergreen, and Wild Ginger. The result wasn't hard to guess since Wild Ginger's lead was great. Suddenly the judge, the district party secretary, ordered a recess and said that the winner would be announced the next morning.
I was very excited for Wild Ginger. The winner of the contest was to go on to a national-level competition. If she won, she could be honored as a Maoist. She might even be brought to meet Chairman Mao himself.
I went to Wild Ginger's house and waited for her return from the People's Square, where the contest took place. It was dark already. I sat by her door. One hour passed. I saw no shadow of her. I paced back and forth along Chia Chia Lane and hoped to run into her. Finally it was not Wild Ginger but my oldest brother who came.
"Quick, sis, there has been a fight." My brother tried to catch his breath. "Hot Pepper and her brothers have gotten Wild Ginger. Fortunately she was with Evergreen."
My brother led me to the spot. I saw Wild Ginger chasing away Yaya to the end of the lane. Two of Hot Pepper's brothers were lying on the ground. Evergreen had Hot Pepper's oldest brother, Big Dragon, underneath him. Under the streetlight Evergreen's face was distorted. He had a swollen jaw. I assumed that the fighting had been fierce. Big Dragon begged for mercy. Hot Pepper was crying and throwing herself at Evergreen. Evergreen twisted Big Dragon's arms backward.
"You are breaking his arms," Hot Pepper screamed.
Evergreen clenched his teeth. "You've started the biting and now you'd better swallow the whole cake!"
"Wild Ginger had no right to compete in the first place," Hot Pepper yelled. "She is politically disqualified."
"The party gives equal rights to every comrade who devotes himself to Chairman Mao," Evergreen shot back.
"A spy is not a comrade-"
Unexpectedly Hot Pepper's mouth was slapped by her youngest brother, Little Dragon. "Go home, sis."
Evergreen let go of Big Dragon.
Middle Dragon and Little Dragon came to help their brother up, then took off.
"We'll be back!" Hot Pepper shouted.
"If your brothers dare to touch Wild Ginger again I'll pull off their squid heads!"
Wild Ginger looked like a blooming lotus. Evergreen took us to a tofu soup stand for a snack. We wolfed down steamed buns. I couldn't help staring at Wild Ginger. It was the first time I'd seen her happy. We finished the soup quickly and started walking. She took my hand and walked quietly on my right side while Evergreen was on my left. Wild Ginger didn't thank Evergreen. Didn't even look at him. We were silent.
"Who do you think will be the winner?" I broke the silence.
"It ought to be Wild Ginger," said Evergreen. "But I have a feeling the district party secretary is having his doubts."
"It was my fear," Wild Ginger sighed. "How naive I was to believe-"
"You must trust the Communist party," Evergreen interrupted. "You must trust Chairman Mao. Very few people are crooks."
We were at the crossing next to a bicycle parking lot. Evergreen went to pick up his bicycle.
"How do you solve the problem, Evergreen?" I grew impatient.
Without taking his eyes off Wild Ginger, Evergreen said, "You have to learn to endure the test of time. You have to be the winner of hearts and not just the contest. The truth is"-he hesitated for a second and then pressed on-"you've already taken the championship in my heart."
Wild Ginger's cheeks flushed.
As if embarrassed by his own frankness, Evergreen backed off and got on the bicycle. He nodded a goodbye and disappeared into the traffic.
It surprised everyone when the winner was announced the next day. Evergreen won first place, with Hot Pepper second. Wild Ginger got an honorable mention. Mrs. Cheng received an explanation from the authorities, which she read to the class. Wild Ginger lost her place because of her poor background. She was given the school's and the district authorities' regrets. It seemed that everyone understood and accepted the treatment given to Wild Ginger. Since she was a second-class citizen, Wild Ginger's suffering became insignificant. If she were recognized as a dog, it was only natural for her to drink water from a puddle instead of a cup.
Before I had a chance, Evergreen went to comfort Wild Ginger. He went to visit her every couple of days and later on went to help her in the fish market in the mornings. When I asked him about his feelings toward the outcome he spoke almost angrily. Besides his complaint on the unfairness of the contest, he felt betrayed by the district party secretary. As he tried to comfort Wild Ginger, convincing her to rely on the party's judgment, he himself was not convinced. He became disillusioned, even disgusted.
"I feel devastated that Wild Ginger not only accepted the treatment, but also embraced it," Evergreen said to me. "She believes that she just has to try harder to prove herself… I somehow see it as being more destructive than constructive. I demanded a conversation with the district party secretary."
"And?" I asked eagerly.
"He said taking risks or being experimental was never his style."
"What does that mean?"
"He couldn't promote a spy's daughter as a revolutionary model."
"Why didn't he make that clear before the contest?"
"He wanted to use Wild Ginger, to earn his own political credit in the party. You see, he took the chance to show how far he could push a young mind to memorize Mao."
"So Wild Ginger was made a fool."
"Yes, shamefully." He paused. After a while he added, "So was I."
"Mao's representatives." I couldn't help being sarcastic.
"My disappointment was so great that I no longer see things the same way, Maple. Inside I feel sick, depressed. It was not just remorse for Wild Ginger's loss. It was something deeper, more dangerous, and I am frightened of its result."