The Truth Behind the Red Cross
A Story about a Veiled Princess
Man Kit Wong, Group 2: Fiction, Diocesan Preparatory School
haven’t seen my daughter for ages,” Li-ming told his friend, wiping sweat from his forehead, “I
don’t even know if I will see her again. I miss her. Hope she receives my letter.”
“
I hope so too,” Chau-fok answered.
Whip!
A guard landed deadly blows on their backs with his cane.
“
Argh!” they yelped.
“
Stop muttering unless you wanted another one!” the guard warned hideously, “Understand?”
“
Yes,” they replied.
“
I
Seeing nobody was watching him, Li-ming slipped away and went over to a section of wall, which was on
a steep hill. He climbed up and pulled a rock out of the wall. Inside was a little vault which he had made some
time before. He carefully placed a woollen sack into the vault, and sealed it with the rock again. Then, he
marked the rock with a red cross.
“
It should be safe here,” he murmured to himself.
Seeing no one around, he dashed back to the construction site and continued working.
~
Mei-li - this was the girl’s name - waited for her father to return home every day. He had taught her to write.
They were very happy when they were together. When she was young, her father was taken away from her. One
day, while she and her father were selling food at a stall in a market. Some people came and snatched him away.
They said her father would come back soon. She just sat there and cried, saying that she wanted papa back.
Fortunately, a kind woman took pity on her and brought her to her home. Now, she was all grown up and was
working as a maid to thank the woman for her kindness. They loved each other dearly and the woman treated
Mei-li as if she was her daughter.
“
There is a letter for you, Mei-li,” her master said, “come over here.”
“
A letter for me?” she thought, “I have never received a letter before.”
Excitedly, she quickly took the letter from her master’s hand, and tore open the envelope.
Mei-li, my dearest daughter,
It has been three years since I last saw you. I was sent to the Great Wall to help with the construction. I am
very old now and I will probably die before I could be sent home. I hid something inside the Great Wall. It is
located in a secret vault on one section of the wall. It is sealed by a brick marked with a red cross.
Your dearest father,
Li-ming
Tears ran down from her eyes when she finished reading. She was crestfallen, but also curious of the
“
something”.
“
I must find it,” she thought.
~
“
Dinner!” the guards shouted.
Li-ming and his friend raced to the canteen. They took some food and found an empty bench. After
working hard for the whole day, they were extremely hungry, so they ate eagerly.
“
So nice to have a hot meal after working for an entire day,” Chau-fok commented.
On the next day morning, everyone but Li-ming got up to work. His friend tried to wake him up, but, still,
he lay on the floor, motionless. Worried that his friend was unwell, Chau-fok was sent for the doctor. A few
minutes later, the doctor came. He knelt down to touch the body.
“
I am afraid that your friend died from overwork,” the doctor told Chau-fok, shaking his head gravely.
~
The next day, Mei-li told her master the idea of finding the thing that her father had left for her.
“
No, I will not let you go.”
“
Why?”
“
It’s too dangerous for a young girl to go to such a wild place.”
Just then, a knock came from the door. Mei-li opened it. A man stood before her.
“
There’s a message for Mei-li,” the man said, “Is she here?”
“
Yes, I am Mei-li,” she replied, “please come inside and have some tea.”
“
Well, I’ve some bad news for you,” he said grimly, “your father is dead.”
“
It’s not possible!” Mei-li shouted, “You’re lying!”
“
Here are your father’s possessions to prove it,” the young man said, putting a sack on the table.