The Four Books by Yan Lianke

end—so that it now read 15,000 jin . With a smile, the higher-up stroked the Child’s head as though he were holding a ball. He said, “Take this to the county chief, whose office is in the second building behind the assembly hall.”
    The Child went to look for the county chief.
    He found the county chief.
    The county chief’s office was in an old-fashioned building. The Child had never seen this sort of building, which was completely unlike anything they had back in Re-Ed. It had wooden floors that were painted bright red. In the places where people walked, the paint had worn off, revealing the grain of the wood. The hallway and the stairwells were filled with the smell of wood, like summer wheat. As the Child entered the building, he stroked the steps, and learned that sandalwood was, indeed, very good wood. The Child stood in front of the door to the county chief’s office, and saw that the county chief appeared benevolent and approachable.
    The county chief was in the process of reading his reports, like a doctor taking a patient’s temperature. These were the per- mu production reports from all of the villages and communes under his jurisdiction. As the county chief was reading these reports, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his face in a bright, almost divine, light.
    The Child walked into the room and handed the county chief his red blossom, then said hesitantly, “My blossom says fifteen thousand.”
    The county chief took the blossom and reflected for a while. Eventually, he smiled and patted the Child’s shoulder.
    He caressed the Child’s head, as though holding a ball.
    2. Heaven’s Child , pp. 91–97
    Upon returning to the district, the Child used the red blossom as a model to cut up many more small five-petal blossoms shaped like winter plum blossoms. He stored them in a cardboard box. The box was then locked in a cabinet, which in turn was placed beneath the Child’s desk.
    Over the winter, when the ninety-ninth was idle, some people would take books to the Child and ask, “Can we read this?” The Child would compare the book to his list, and if it was there, he’d say, “Go ahead,” but if it wasn’t, he’d keep it himself.
    Everyone was reading in an area of the courtyard that was shielded from the wind. They were reading the reports from the previous month, which had just arrived. They were a big group, all sitting around reading.
    The Child saw them idle, and decided to convene a meeting.
    “Everyone gather around, everyone gather around!” he shouted.
    So everyone gathered.
    They proceeded to convene right there in the courtyard.
    Everyone was idle, so they held a meeting.
    The Child stood on a stool in front of them.
    The Child said, “Beginning today, we will implement a Red Blossom and Pentagonal Star system. If you are obedient, we will issue you a small red blossom. If you earn an award, we will also issue you a little red blossom. If you receive a blossom, you should post it over your bed, and every month you will be evaluated. Once you have five small blossoms, we will award you a medium-sized one, and once you have five medium-sized blossoms, we will award you a large pentagonal star. Once you have five stars, you will be permitted to return home to your family, your work unit, and your lectern. You’ll return to your laboratory and your library, and won’t ever have to come back here to be re-educated with the other criminals.”
    The Child said, “If you receive five stars, that will mean that you have been successfully re-educated and become a new man or woman. Once you have been recognized as new, you will be free.”
    “The sun is nice today,” the Child said loudly. “The sun is nice and we are holding a meeting to implement the Red Blossom and Pentagonal Star system. Everyone will post the red blossoms they receive above their bed. Roommates will inspect each other. Anyone who dares to steal someone else’s blossoms and post them above their