Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 169

The New Tales of Old Shanghai - The Landlord
Malvern College Qingdao, Li, Rachel - 15
T
he square tower of a church loomed through the dust. In the imponderable mysterious and vaporous
illusions of twilight, Shanghai is not falling asleep. Instead, the prosperous city is studded with neon lights,
like glowworms floating in the sky.
Walking on the passionate Shanghai bund, there are people taking pictures, sketching the romantic sight, there
are couples holding hands, sharing their love with each other. The fountain wells its limpid water, which
contrasts by a ship knifing through the surging waves on the HuangPu River.
He looked like a disaster, had a face that even couldn’t be recognized by his own mother. Unfortunately, he
didn’t have a mother, or a father. He had to serve the landlord for living. He was bare feet, wearing shabbily that
couldn’t be described as clothes, more accurately, cloth waste.He was walking along the Massenet Rue, lined
with plane trees.
The bike that was passing by him in the warm sunlight pulled out a long shadow, accompanying his lonely
figure.
However, behind his messy hair, beneath a thick layer of dust, it was a firm and persistent face with the brightest
eyes which revealed his enthusiasm of life. He’s never thought of himself as vulnerable.
They were the richest men in the area. They wore fancy clothes, and spent all day lying on the bed. Their
servants were the wretches, who were bullied by those people who liked to be called—landlords. If they were
smart enough to get everything done following the landlords’ demands, they got a bite. Otherwise, they got the
taste of the whip.
‘I get to make decisions of my fate, I get to choose what kind of person I want to be. It is not my destiny to serve
people and beg for bread for my entire life.’The image of the boy’s parents being burned at the stake was printed
deepen in his memory, because they accidently broke one of the most precious possessions of the landlord. He
must take revenge. Everyday he endured the furiousness, the flame that had been lighted up and the sadness that
was hidden in his heart, abiding his time.
It was a dark and peaceful night, like a dim lamp, the moon shone from above. The stars twinkled their eyes
curiously. There wasn’t a single sound, even the crickets quieted down. Only the glowworms were still awake,
carefully weaving a picture in the nightsky with their gentle strokes. Every member in the landlord’s house was
asleep, except the boy. He held a dagger in his hand, sneaking into the landlord’s chamber, trying to murder
him. The landlord was lying on his ass, snoring like a pig.
Overcoming his fears, without thinking, the boy stabbed the soft landlord’s body, and suddenly, he felt a warm
stream flowing on his hands, as a shrilled cry from the landlord penetrated the silence…
Instinctively, the landlord punched the thing that attacked him, the boy was terrified. Unfortunately，the blow
given by the poor boy with little strength was not a mortal one. The dagger deviated from the landlord’s vital
organ,in the dark it stabbed him in the arm. He managed to survive.
‘Guard, seize him!!!’ The landlord summoned for help. The boy was about to bebeset, he knew that it might be
the time for his reunion with his parents,he could only wait for luck. In the chaos, heran about wildly trying to
escape. How could he be capable of taking revenge if he’s dead? ‘My parents were taken away from me so early.