After I found a place to sleep on the wooden floor, I approached a small barred window. Outside not far away was the sea. I looked out, a few seagulls flying u-nder the blue sky. I thought bitterly: Ah, man, who is trapping you here? When could you fly freely like a seagull? On the lower left side of the window was a fecal groove inclined toward the outside. A whim came to me: To escape through the fecal groove? A quick visual estimate told me the width of fecal groove mig-ht be too small. It would be awful to get stuck in it. Two meals a day were the same as before: "tan three liang". Haifeng supervisors also were rude. About 10 days later, I was called with a group of six or seven others for transport on t-he same route. We took a long-distance bus to the next station Shantou. Shantou detention center was small. A few days later, six of us were taken on a long di-stance bus and headed to my hometown in Xingning County. I had been away from X-ingning for more than 10 years, and had never expected to return in such embarr-assment! I had only vague memories of the streets we passed, but they appeared to be more broken and more crowded. Someone told me, the detention center was i-n Chen Clan Hall. “Chen Clan Hall?” I still had some recollection, "Is there a big pond in front?" "Filled in long time ago, don’t you see the many huts bu-ilt on it in a jumble?” When I remembered that my former residence was not far from here, a rush of helplessness and disappointment suddenly seized me, and fi-nally bursts of intense fear. The dreaded moment had come. Good or bad luck? It would be decided in a few days! We were taken into the upper hall, where the sh-rine to successive ancestors had been removed,and there was a urine bucket belo-w. On each side of the ground was a row of planks for sleeping. Positions away from the urine bucket were occupied, we could only sleep near the bucket. Sudde-nly I was roused by a supervisor called "Chen Jiang.” I was startled: Ah! To q-uestion me? Before becoming fully awake, I heard a woman calling from far outsi-de the door. I looked out across the courtyard, past the mid-hall, and espied m-y Fourth Aunt. She held a plastic bag in her hand. The supervisor took the bag and motioned her to leave, then brought the bag in and handed it to me. I opene-d the bag and found some cakes and candies, all of which were rarely seen in th-e detention center. I was grateful that my Fourth Aunt worried about my sufferi-ng from hunger in the detention center, and hurried to bring some food. I distr-ibuted two pieces of candies to my cellmates. One who appeared used to wonderin-g from place to place and earn a living by juggling praised me “worldly wis-e”. But I was perplexed how my Fourth Aunt knew of my arrival. If she came to s-ee me not using my fake name and address but my real name, that would cause re l trouble. In addition, what did she said about our relationship? If the superv-isor asked me who she was and where she lived, what would I answer? How could what she said correspond with what I had said? If they followed the wine to get
the melon and discover my identity, then all is lost! But I remembered the supervisor had called me "Chen Jiang”, so Fourth Aunt must have given them my pseudo-nym and false address. She might also give the same address at Rock commune tha-t I had faked before, so I was somewhat relieved. Then I heard a name called. T-he person called was a tall man who looked like an intellectual. He had been wi-th us since at Haifeng and Shantou detention centers. He talked less and did-n’t show a heavy heart like other detainees. A few minutes later he came back, picked up his belongings, waved goodbye and departed.Someone whispered: He was a relative of the director of the detention center I felt disappointed, regrett-ing I had not befriended him and perhaps found a way out. If I were known to th-e director through him, maybe it could have helped me in some kind of mutually beneficial way. Fearful and cranky, I didn't sleep well all night. The next mor-ning, I was called for questioning. My heart beat violently but I forced myself to remain calm as I entered into the small inquiry room. The supervisor was in his forties. He was a little plump but seemed to be kind. He routinely asked my name and address, I answered as previously: Chen Jiang, Rock Commune, XX brigad-e, XX production team. I was worried that he might ask me a few more questions, such as information about Rock Commune or the production team. When I could not answer those, I would be discovered! Fortunately he didn’t doubt anything, or at least did not seem to doubt. Maybe he was familiar with such pretenses and d-id not care if answers were real or false, as long as you were sent to your add-ress and accepted, the other things not being his concern. He told me to pack m-y things and leave immediately. So I had survived one more ordeal. But the most critical one was yet to come. Rock Commune I took my packet and walked uneasily after the supervisor. Noticing that he was wearing just a pair of clogs, I wond-ered why a local official was too poor to buy a pair of shoes. We arrived at th-e bus station ahead of schedule, so the supervisor ordered me to stand and wait as he wanted to use the latrine."Don't run away!" he warned. As I watched the s-upervisor walk to the latrine dozens of meters away, I saw a chance to escape. My heart pounded violently. Looking back at the latrine and checking my surroun-dings, I realized there were few people around. Go? But I was unfamiliar with t-he area so where should I go? As I hesitated, the supervisor started back, look-ed up and saw me, then approached slowly. My opportunity gone, I deeply regrett-ed that I could not act decisively. I felt remorseful although I had done no wr-ong. In such a short time, how could I have slipped out of the supervisor's sight? If the supervisor shouted and the "revolutionary masses" seized me, what mig-ht have happened? Afterwards, I learned that Fourth Aunt and my cousin Yong Yu had arranged for someone to be at the station looking for an opportunity to res-cue me. Unfortunately, the man was not alert and missed his chance to help me m-ake a quick escape. Regardless, the opportunity was gone. I stared blankly at t-he supervisor and followed him to board the bus. Debarking at the Rock Station and on our way to the commune committee, suddenly a young man came up and greet-ed the supervisor. He invited the supervisor to a restaurant for "tea (dim su-m)". I did not recognize the man but realized he must be one of our friends. Unf-ortunately, the supervisor did not accept, even after several requests, but ins-isted on going first to the commune committee. When we arrived at the commune c-ommittee, a middle-aged man said hello to the supervisor. He took a look at the paper and asked:
"Are you Chen Jiang?"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
I was timid and whispered: "Yes."
The man snorted: "Okay, then what’s your wife's name?"
I hadn’t prepared for this beforehand, so had to make up a name. The man was angry: "Absurd! You did fleeing to Hong Kong, how dare you fake a name!" I learned later that the real Chen Jiang was one of his schoolmates in high school. What a misfortune! Was I doomed to die? I was worried that he might hit me, but fort-unately he didn’t and just returned the paper to the supervisor. The superviso-r did nothing but say: "Go back, go back!" I followed the supervisor out. Now I was in a state of mental chaos and darkness, walking mechanically. In complete disarray, on an impulse I fled away to a byroad. The supervisor, certainly not expecting this, chased me wearing his clogs at first. Then taking off the clog-s, he continued chasing and yelling. I was hungry and tired, so could not run fa-r before I was caught. The supervisor held my right arm against my back and tol-d the large crowd gathered that I was a thief. I hurriedly retorted that I simp-ly was one fleeing to Hong Kong. In Guangdong, people had completely different views of thieves and those fleeing to Hong Kong; the former most people hated,
the latter were quite common and many had sympathy for them. I was taken to the bus and escorted back to the detention center quite dejected and despondent. Th-e other detainees were amazed. Learning that I had faked a name and address, th-ey responded with sympathy. Then I was pushed into a small room next to the cou-rtyard for solitary confinement. How to do? What to do? My mind was extremely c-onfused. The fear was so intense that I couldn't calm down enough to think abou-t the next step. I fantasized how I might escape. Novels said to dig a tunnel, but when I touched the floor, I felt a large flagstone. Barehanded, how could I dig? Even if I had tools and could dig a tunnel to another room, it was still i-n the clan hall and not outside. It was simply impossible. Slumping down, I env-isioned the next round of inquiry. How to answer? Kunming was certainly not to be revealed, but what location could I fake? I had been away from my hometown f-or so long that I could not even remember the names of communes or production b-rigades. If I faked another name and address, the authorities would not believe me and would call or send a letter to confirm. The most terrible prospect was t-hat I might be tied and beaten until I confessed, then handcuffed and escorted back to Kunming. There I could foresee upsurges of "revolutionary atmosphere”, charges of "treason”. and a fatal beating by so called "masses dictatorship" a-t a rally. I was too panic-stricken for further thought. The next day brought c-ontinued despair. When my eyes opened early in the morning I was on tenterhooks waiting for my name to be called. Even during the usually enjoyable meal time I was too anxious and preoccupied to eat with relish, just liked a fish out of wa-ter that couldn’t breathe. I didn't know why, but they didn't call me for inqu-iry all day long. Although the inquiry promised to be a major disaster, just wa-iting for it was another torment, like a convict already sentenced to death awa-iting the final moment to come. Snatched from the Jaws of Death - Ruse and Rele-ase Shortly after dinner, I seemed to hear someone calling my real name; "Qing" was clearly heard, but the next word was not like "Si". I was hesitating, the d-oor was opened, two persons appeared, the first one the supervisor, the second behind him, I did not know. The second man came up and called me "Qing X", I st-ill didn't hear it clearly. He extended his hand and I reflexively reached out and held it. The man turned to the supervisor and said; "He is my cousin Zeng Q-ing Hui." This name I heard was somewhat different from mine. It seemed to be h-e name of a cousin. Then I recognized that the visitor was my cousin Yong An. I had not seen him for more than 10 years; he looked like much older and thinner.
Before I could speak, Yong An led me out to the front hall. A small man was wait-ing there, a stranger to me. This man entered a side room with the supervisor, signed a paper, then returned and escorted me and my cousin out of the detentio-n center. Not far away, he said farewell and left. My cousin led me in the oppo-site direction. I was then very much in the dark, only knowing that I was indee-d out of the detention center. That meant freedom, at least freedom of movemen-t. My heart burst with joy. Thank God! I forced a breath out, and then took a de-ep breath in. Although the outside air was not especially clean, after all it w-as not as stifling as in the detention center. We walked silently for awhile; m-y cousin first broke the silence, saying that the man who assisted us was his f-riend, our production brigade public security agent Li Fu. I was told that Four-th Aunt had met with Cousin Yong An recently and told him that Qing Si (me)
 went fleeing to Hong Kong but failed. She explained about my fake name Chen Jia-ng, my location at Rock Commune, and that I would soon be sent back to the Xing-ning County detention center. Fourth Aunt requested him to contact Li Fu and tr-ied to get Qing Si out. Yong An and Fourth Aunt remembered Qing Hui who success-fully fled to Hong Kong a couple of months before but had not canceled his regi-stered residence. Qing Hui did odd jobs outside for many years and few people i--n our home village knew him. That provided a golden opportunity to substitute
the name and identity of Qing Hui for Qing Si (me). Yong An found Li Fu and aske-d him to go to thedetention center to carry out the ruse.