The Four Books by Carlos Rojas Read Free Book Online Page A

fair. I didn’t hesitate, and after a brief consideration I followed him out of the compound. As we passed through the main gate, we saw that the light was still on in the room where the Child was sleeping, and there was a sawing sound coming from inside, as though the Child were working on something. We naturally couldn’t wake him, and carefully tiptoed past his door and his window.
    At the base of the wall along the eastern perimeter of the district courtyard, we found a couple hiding in the shadows. We crept up and shined a light on them, then realized it was actually another pair of men from Re-Ed, who had also snuck out to catch some adulterers. We headed back behind the wall, then saw someone’s shadow moving. We shined the light, and saw it was a man from the third brigade, lying on the ground. We asked him what he was doing there, and he replied that he had heard there were adulterers in the district and he hoped to get credit for catching them. The three of us then walked over to a small grove up ahead, but before we arrived four lights started shining simultaneously. We exclaimed,
    “How could it be another group?”
    Later that night, after the moon set and the stars started to fade, everyone began to feel somewhat cold. They decided that since the sun was about to rise, they should head back, and they returned empty-handed to the compound. At that point, they realized that more than sixty men had gone in search of adulterers, accounting for more than half of the men in the ninety-ninth. The oldest was sixty-two and the youngest was only in his twenties, and when they all lined up together they resembled a dragon swimming through the night.

C HAPTER 3
    A Flurry of Blossoms
    1. Heaven’s Child, pp. 59–64
    The Child found what happened in the city to be completely unforgettable.
    To receive his commendation, the Child went to the county seat, which was in fact a city with buildings, roads, and streetlights.
    At the beginning of winter, those who reported production of more than six hundred jin of grain per mu of land were praised, whereupon they all proceeded to the county seat to receive their awards. There the Child reported six hundred jin of grain per mu . This was a large figure, but there were also some people who reported as much as sixteen hundred jin . The award for those reporting one thousand jin was an iron shovel, and for those reporting fifteen hundred jin the award was a shovel and a hoe. Those reporting more than two thousand jin would also receive a flashlight and a pair of rubber rain boots, and for every additional hundred jin over three thousand they would receive another foot of muslin fabric. As a result, everyone started reporting like crazy. Some reported five thousand jin , others reported ten thousand, and one person even reported having produced fifty thousand jin per mu .
    They were shouting and waving their hands. One person loved his country so much that he reported production of a hundred thousand jin per mu .
    The county chief laughed. Sitting up on the stage of the assembly hall, he blushed bright red and lowered his hands, saying, “You must not exceed ten thousand jin ! You must not exceed ten thousand jin !” Everyone attending the meeting rushed the stage. One person ran toward the record keeper and announced, “I reported a hundred thousand jin , and want to claim all of the county’s awards!” The record keeper asked skeptically, “Can you really produce a hundred thousand jin per mu ?” The person replied, “Don’t you want me to love my country? If I don’t succeed in producing a hundred thousand jin per mu , then next year you are welcome to decapitate my entire family, and even my entire village.” The person said that the prize he wanted was a scythe, but in order to claim it he would have to report three thousand jin per mu . For two scythes he would need six thousand jin per mu . But he had not yet calculated how much grain would be required for six