A Day in Shu Wa and His Father’s Life

By YANG JUN

Shu Wa had just finished loading a basket with newly ripened rice as rosy clouds of dawn rolled across in the remote sky.

“Shu Wa， come have another bowl of food. Its still very early. No rush！” Shu Was father sat at the dining table， yelling at him. Born with a high-pitched voice， every time he speaks， words are hurled out of his mouth and land on the slope opposite their house.

Shu Wa stood in the yard， tying a rope to the basket. Tall and dark-skinned， he would become a black pagoda if fatter.

“Im already full，” Shu Wa didnt even bother to look up. He replied in a voice as loud as his father， “People will bargain with me if I get there too late.”

Shu Was father put down his bowl and chopsticks， and walked towards his son. He grabbed a handfull of rice and took a closer look，“This years rice is so good！” In a moment， his eyes become two slits，“Shu Wa， the rice is home-grown， so dont be stubborn about the price. Come back early！”

“I know.” Shu Wa carried the basket with a shoulder pole. Suddenly something came to his mind， “Da， great uncle lives very far from us. Be careful on your way there.”

“No problem. Dont worry about me， sell your rice.”

Today is great uncles birthday， but a message was sent that it is too hot for Shu Was father to go celebrate with him. But Shu Was father thinks it would be rude not to show up as great uncle comes to his birthday dinner each year.

Shu Was father washed the dishes， fed the chicken and ducks and was then ready to go. The black dog was chasing a grasshopper beside the vegetable field in the yard. Seeing that its master is about to go out， the dog rushed towards him.

“Oh， dont you leave！ Stay on guard.”

The mischievous dog did not listen， instead wagging his tail quickly.

“Ah， you only think of following me around all day long， bad dog！”Shu Was father scolded the dog lovingly. Like his son， he never rebukes their pets and livestock with harsh words； he only uses “bad，”as they are all very dear to him.

Hearing that its master approved of it following him， the dog began to run in small steps merrily.

In the afternoon， the father came back. Shu Wa began to rub corn against a plate to get kernels. The golden seeds rolled off the plate like a string of pearls， while a flock of fat hens are pecked the grain laying around him.

Shu Was father asked about how the selling of the rice went. Knowing that it was a good deal， he squinted his eyes again.

“Da， you like drinking sweet hot water， right？ Ive bought a bag of candied popped rice for you to steep in warm water and eat.”

“What a waste of money！ We have everything in our house.” Shu Was fathers voice scared the swallows in the yard away. “Look， look，” he pats a plastic bag， “Your great uncle insisted on giving me a bag of milk powder. Shu Wa， go mix it with water and drink it. Its nutritious.”

“I dont drink that， I dont like the flavor.”

“A wild boar doesnt know whats good about rice bran.” Shu Was father drags his voice long to tease him， and then he puts the milk powder in a closet， picks up a corn， and peels the cornhusks off while talking about his visit to great uncle.

The sun was setting slowly， spreading a coat of dusky glow over the red dragonflies in the yard. Shu Was father looked up at the sky and said， “Its getting cooler. Im gonna go uphill to see October Yellow.”

October Yellow is a variety of soy beans which features big beans and high yield. When Shu Wa bought it for the first time last year， his father thought it was too expensive， but later seeing that the soy beans grow well， he happily told Shu Wa that “money knows quality.”

“Da， are you not tired？ Why not go there tomorrow？” Shu Wa was busy picking up the scattered corn kernels.

“I dont wanna leave what I can do today till tomorrow.” Da stands up. “My ass sure aches after sitting still for such a long time. Shu Wa， it would be best if we had cowpea porridge for dinner. I drank a little at noon， and wanna have some cowpea porridge tonight.”

Shu Wa said OK， and looked at the bamboo fence in the yard， on which the lentil was sprouting purple flowers merrily.

“Doggie， come with me.”

The dog had a hearty meal at great uncles， and was sleeping soundly under the orange tree. Hearing his name， it stood up abruptly.

“Be careful. You are too old，” Shu Wa adds.

“Old？” Da sneers， “I eat well and work a lot. Am I old？” In a moment， he became partly hidden in the far off distant mist.

Speaking of the age of Shu Was father is quite a topic itself. Whenever he is asked， he always replies by saying in his highpitched voice， “I was born in the 11th year after the founding of the Republic of China.”

That was， 95 years ago.

While Shu Wa is 20 years younger than his da， it means he is 75， well on his way towards 80.