Locked Up, An Educable Child, and Half-City Jiangs

Ji-li's Uncle Fan shows up late at night with bruises and blood all over himself. Eventually, Ji-li's father is detained on Chinese New Year, for listening to foreign radio, among other false accusations. The family initially believes that Uncle Fan betrayed them. Ji-li's mother becomes ill from her Meniere's disease. Ji-li goes to work with her mother because she is sick, and overhears a man and a woman discussing her father with her mother. Her mother's paycheck is cut because she confesses to nothing. Ji-li trys to visit her father and bring him clothes. A man lets her see him, despite the rules, then discusses with Ji-li how she differs from her family, and can break free from the black class if she wishes.

It would be crushing to have a family member taken away at anytime, let alone a nationally celebrated holiday. I thought it was nice how the family stuck together, and Ji-li accompanied her sick mother to work. Ji-li was really faced with a tough decision when she went to visit her father. Hopefully she does not abandon her family and does what is right.

Lin-lin comes to visit and gives Ji-li her missed assignments. Ji-li, surprisingly, tell her that her father was detained. Lin-lin says their house was searched also, which makes Ji-li feel a little better. Before she leaves, she informs Ji-li about a meeting that she is supposed to attend. Ji-li goes to the meeting to find it is about a Class Education Exhibition, put together by the Red Guards. She talks to teacher Zhang and tells him she does not deserve to be the classes representative. He tells her that she is the most qualified, and should not be penalized for a class status that she can not control. Ji-li works with the other students on a piece of artwork for the exhibition. The project took them all night. By the end of the night, Chang Hong, a Red Guard member, tells Ji-li she is envious of her for being good at school and so talented. Ji-li tells her that she is envious of her due to her families good political status. Chang Hong discusses her brother's epilepsy, and how she can not help take care of him due to her duty to the revolution.

I think it had to have been important to have a few close people you could trust during the Cultural Revolution. It had to have made Ji-li feel a bit better whenever Lin-lin came to her home and discussed things, even though it was brief. It iss really sad that they all seem so brainwashed by the revolution and think that the politics are all that mattered, but once again, I guess they didn't have much of a choice but to agree, or be punished. I think Chang Hong talking about her brother's illness made Ji-li realize that everyone was having unfortunate problems due to the revolution, not just black class families.

In Half-City Jiang, the family thinks that their father is returning home, because the accusations were proven to be lies. They are all extremely disappointed when he comes only to get clothes, accompanied by two Red Guards. An article is printed in the newspaper about the Jiangs being a landlord family, and Ji-li is humiliated. She screams that she hates their family and it's black past, and her mother becomes very upset. Ji-li goes to change her name, then realizes it would be a mistake to break away from her family and runs out when the man leaves the room. Their old maid, Song Po po, still trys to help them around the house, even though she does not have a job to support even her own family. At the end of the chapter, Ji-li speaks to her mother for the first time since the article incident.

The whole family had to have been so disappointed. They had worried about their father for such a long time, and thought they would finally be reunited. At least they got see him and know he was alright, I guess. I felt bad for the public humiliation their family received. I still do not think the families should have been punished for what happened in their past. I think Song Po po helping the family out made Ji-li realize that everyone needed to be supportive of each other if they were going to survive the situation, which sparked her to once again approach her mother.