New Tales of the Great Wall
Thomas Hamp, Group 3: Fiction, Harrow International School Hong Kong
iu stepped heavily on the cold slate, his feet aching in his worn out shoes. He was exhausted from his long
day as one of the thousand labourers forced to slave on the construction of the new great wall. He sighed
at the thought of his unwell wife Ling looking after their baby with only the help of five year old Huang.
As he walked into his humble home, his children - Feng, Wang, Huang, Zhao and Lin ran up to
greet him happily. Despite their jubilant faces he could tell they were starving and their faces fell as they
looked up at his empty pockets. His wife, carrying the baby, walked through the broken down back door on the
other side of the room with a very distressed looking fourteen year old. Jiu looked at her, surprised. Mei usually
made the biggest effort to seem happy on his return home but his daughter’s face was distraught as she said
hurriedly,
“
I need to speak to you - urgently.“
“
What has Lien Hua done now?” Lien Hua was Mei’s spiteful employer and wife of the richest man in
their province, Zhang.
“
She said that I wouldn’t be in her employ much longer as you were going to acquire a small fortune.”
Jiu sighed,
“
Don’t worry Mei, it’s probably some mean joke to get your hopes up” But privately he was
concerned. Everybody knew Zhang didn’t like the policies of the imperial court. Could Zhang possibly be
planning something? Could he possibly be involved?
The sun was shining in the sky- but other things were on Jiu’s mind as he walked along the building site that
was supposed to one day be the greatest wall ever. His heart sank when Zhang, Lien Hua’s rich husband,
beckoned him over. He hoped Mei wasn’t going to lose her job but was surprised by Zhang’s words:
“
Listen. I shall reward you with riches that could supply you with an everlasting amount of medicine
for your wife, your children would never be hungry and you will never have to work on the wall again. All you
need to do is tell me the areas of weakness of the wall. I need them for my own” – he paused- “purposes. This
must remain secret.” Jiu’s heart felt as if it had stopped beating. He lived a simple life with his family – how
could he betray his country, the country he loved…
“
Well” Zhang said, his smile colder than frost, “will you show me the areas of weakness, for I know
every great thing has a weakness.” After a long pause, Jiu replied painfully,
“
Can I think about it?”
“
You have until tomorrow” and Zhang walked away, his smile was now wiped off his face.
For the rest of the day Jiu’s mind was in turmoil. One side of his brain thought how amazing it would be and
how he would be contented and live happily. But it’s treason, I would be betraying China’s biggest secret the
other side of his brain said. Jiu wondered why Zhang had targeted him over the thousands of workers at this
part of the wall. But then he realised with a jolt that despite the fact they were all poor he was the poorest. He
felt like crying, his family could die but he couldn’t bear to give China’s security away. Just as he thought his
mind would explode he remembered something his wise grandfather had once told him. ‘When the tree of life
seems to only have two branches a third branch is always there if you think hard.” Jiu suddenly had a brainwave.
A brainwave that might save his family and stop Zhang.
He walked home that night feeling happier, hopeful that his plan might work, and smiled at his
children’s thin faces.
“
How was your mother today?” he asked. His young daughter, Huang replied,
“
She couldn’t move or eat today and her skin is white like a ghost”. Jiu sighed. “Mei,” he said to his
daughter, “ I need to speak to you”.
“
I need you to promise that you will not tell anyone about this, especially your mother, she is too sick”
Jiu said sadly. She nodded and Jiu told her everything.
“…
so I needed to create a third option, I will show Zhang the weaknesses but you will have to keep
working for Lien Hua as I need to know when Zhang will be giving the information to his superiors. I am
planning to alert the imperial court, which, if it works, will get them arrested and we could still be rewarded.
Mei looked overwhelmed and asked” How will you alert the court officials, they won’t listen to a poor worker
like you? And if it doesn’t work you will have betrayed your country”. “I know,” he replied, “but I can’t let you
die,” and he walked out of the room.
J