Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 341

A Short Shanghai Tale
Shanghai Singapore International School, Yeh, Charlene – 13
T
he story I am going to tell you started, a long time a go, in an unknown dynasty between the Dai and Song
dynasty which is called the Bei dynasty. I am Yan li a young man from a high living class that once lived in
the capital city called Chen. My childhood was one I will not want to remember but I’ll still tell you.
My mother died when I was two, since then my father never cared or loved me. One thing I am glad about my
father, he still allowed me to go to school. The cold he has with him has brought me up. As when I am four, my father
married another woman. I knew that my father hated the exigent woman, but I don’t know why did he marry her. A few
months later I had two new siblings: Wan hua and Mei qi. That is one of the most misery history I have. The two siblings
treated me as their slave not a brother. My education stoped as they reach three. My cold-blooded step mother used
to taut me about my late-mother about how low level is she. Never get to look at her poor son as a grown-up. These
word cut through my weak broken heart. I knew that a bad man must have a good heart but where is hers and fathers?
Finally when I am twelve my father died. This is when my life changed even, the thought about my father changed.
That night cold but somewhat felt warm in my heart. I’ve been called to his chamber.
He laid there motionless but the sadness is the only thing that is left on that cold face. He told me to come closer to his bed.
I went close but his firs few word shock me.
He said to me:“I loved your mother very much. The marriage I had with your step- mother is an extreme
unpleasant one. She started to cheat on me after the few day of marriage. Wan hua and Mei qi is not your true step
siblings.”
It is the sudden cough that broke the silence in between us.
I asked “Then why did you marry her. If you knew that she is going to cheat on
you?”
“The marriage in between me and her was already been planned. It is the marriage
in between me and your mother that is out the law.”replied father.
“If you loved my mother then why don’t you love me? For all these years you’ve treated like air, ignoring me
every time I meet you, never talked to me. Never even cared for me. The only thing that I saw you is a shiver. It is the
coldness that have brought me up!”
“I know that you hated me for all these years, but please forgive me for all these years. I would care for you and
show my kindness and trustworthy to you. I could not care for you or help you out because of your step-mother. She as
you know comes from Chen biggest family and most powerful other then the empire. By marrying her in it could help us
boom our business, but she also have a stronger power then me even at home. That is why she forced me not to love
you.”
“So you marry her because of business and not love, mother will disgraced you, for a man who had married to her
for so many years and you will just marry a women who is good for business.”
“I told you to come here is not to have a fight. It is to heritage my property .” “What?”
“you think that I called you to come here to have a fight.” “As you know I am going to die soon and your step
mother will want to have all the property and give it to Wan hua. I don’t want that to happen so I am giving everything
to you as a pay of and a show of love.” He handed me a piece of paper saying all property of Mr. Yan’s and Mrs Yan’s will
be passed down to Xin Li with both signature on it. He also handed me a stamp with the