Nai-Nai after the War
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy , Chu , Kai Hui Dabria – 10
Friday , May 12 , 2006 -- In a tiny apartment on Tian Shan Road in Shanghai , on the 13th floor of a brown colored apartment building , a grandmother , Nai-Nai , is smoking a cigarette while sitting beside an old and rickety bed . In the bed , her three adored grandchildren are tucked in . The eldest of the children , Kai Lin , is trying to sleep through the youngest child Pei Qi ’ s humming and singing . Finally , she has enough of it . Kai Lin yells at her , “ Shut up QiQi !” Pei Qi turns her big head to Kai Lin , widens her big eyes and smiles . “ I can ’ t sleep without a story ! Nai-Nai won ’ t tell me one , so I have to hum and sing ,” Pei Qi whines . Smiling , she goes back to singing . Tian Hao , the middle child , also the only boy , now awake by the yelling of his sisters , looks absolutely frustrated . He grumbles something under his breath and sits up . With nothing to do , he starts reeling off his times tables . Kai Lin then says to Nai-Nai , “ Nai-Nai , will you please tell us a story ? Maybe the one with the bomb ? Then QiQi and Tian Hao will both be quiet .” She looks at Tian Hao and then at Pei Qi . She sighs and closes her eyes . “ Oh , alright . You children don ’ t get bored of my stories , do you ?” Nai-Nai says in her smooth but old voice . She goes on , “ When I was a young child , about 10 like Kai Lin , the government in China announced to all people that the roads were all landmine-free . My father , your great-grandfather , Official Lian , disagreed . He said that the government just wanted to calm down the citizens . Sadly , when your great-grandfather told the government what he thought , nobody believed him . They announced to the public that my family were liars , and they also changed his job from Main Official of Jail-Management to Jail-Management Low Status Official ’ s Secretary ’ s Secretary . From that day on , our neighbors always made fun of us . People called us the Lian Family Liars . Nobody in my school played with me . Your great-grandfather came home late every night . His wages were just two RMB a week . The Lian family grew poorer every day .” she says . “ Oooooooooh …” Pei Qi murmurs . Kai Lin and Tian Hao silence her . “ As I was saying , three months later , after my family became the Puxi District ’ s laughing stock , my younger brother , Lian Jun Liu was born . Your great-grandmother , still very healthy , gave birth to my younger sister Lian Yi Xin a year later . Our family , running out of money but needing to feed more , bought a small house on the side of the Puxi District by the polluted Huangpu River . I quit school to take care of Jun Liu and Yi Xin .” “ One day , my mother called me and said , ‘ Yi Qing , please take Jun Liu and Yi Xin out . Your father has guests and does not want to be disturbed .’ I nodded my head and scrambled off , taking Jun Liu and Yi Xin out to play . When we were outside singing and dancing , we heard a rumble beneath our feet . We thought something beneath us was going to explode !” “ I threw six-year-old Yi Xin as far as I could . Jun Liu ran away in time . BOOOOOOOM ! A landmine exploded beneath our feet . Yi Xin was not hurt . Jun Liu tripped and broke his left arm . My left leg and my right arm were both broken ! What a catastrophe ! When we went back home , my father ’ s guests were gone but when my mother saw us , she screamed , ‘ Husband ! Help me ! What happened Yi Qing ? Are you okay ?’ I told my mother