Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 484

The following week, the weather at old Shanghai became extremely horrible. The sky was covered with grey, gloomy clouds and
heavy rain poured suddenly from the sky. Weather experts believed that a huge thunderstorm, following with a powerful typhoon
was going to happen in the next three weeks. Luckily, Mr. Zhang’s parents offered them to two luxurious rooms in their
well-constructed mansion. Mr. Zhang happily accepted the offer and moved in with their daily essentials. He ordered his guards
to protect his house and prevent Mr. Lee from entering.
The next day, it was raining cats and dogs, which made Mr. Zhang impossible to start his business. Days passed, Mr. Zhang did not
sell food for weeks and the citizens were struggling to survive. The whole Zhang family went to a local temple, ignoring the
pouring rain. Being rich, the Zhang family owned horses and carts, so it was easier for them to travel. After arriving at the temple,
Mr. Zhang’s parents brought out incenses and lit them up with matchsticks, while Mr. Zhang, Ling and Ning laid out fresh apples
and oranges in front of the statue of God. They all knelt down and prayed, “Dear God, please let the terrible weather away from
Shanghai, and please may Mr. Lee disappear from our peaceful, beautiful, little street.”
However, the weather remained as bad as before. Ning cried “Why won’t the thunderstorm go away? It scares me when I sleep.”
Ling replied calmly “According to Chinese culture, our dream will come true tomorrow.” By golly, Ling was right! The weather
was bright and sunny the next day, and Mr. Lee was nowhere to be seen in Fu Yuan street. “He was lost and stuck in the forest on
the mountains,” Mr. Zhang’s neighbour answered.
From that day on, the residents of Fu Yuan Street had a peaceful, brilliant life, and the Zhang family was considered as a miracle. Mr.
Zhang’s birthday, September 3 rd , was declared as “Zhang Day”, and Fu Yuan street was later named Zhang Street. The day Mr.
Zhang passed away, famous world class sculptors from China arrived at Shanghai in order to construct a detailed sculpture of the
Zhang family members. Two months later, the amazing artwork was displayed at the middle of Zhang Street in order to remember
the Zhang family.
Nowadays, celebrations like parades around Zhang Street and vegetable collecting compe titions are held on Zhang Day. Actually,
some descendants of Mr. Zhang still live in the old house and mansion that was owned by Mr. Zhang and his parents once upon
a time.
Even now, in the year of 2017, residents of Zhang street still tell this old, traditional tale to their children, whom will sure continue
to pass it to their descendants.