Hunger

 

On the twenty-third day of the twelfth month in 1973, Old Geng celebrated his eightieth 

birthday. He was also known as Eighteen Stabs Geng. He was stabbed eighteen times by the 

Japanese but he survived the ordeal: the lick by the fox, which he believed possessed, healing 

power, saved him. This happened in 1935 when he was 42 of age.

 

Old Geng is dying not from his wound or due to his age but of hunger. The hunger that

hunts him and pulls him into the abyss of the dead a hardly imaginable pitiful death. His dome 

accelerated by the production-brigade branch secretary who denies his food. Such poor guy,

to think that he had suffered the stabs for his country when he was young. Indeed, he had 

never thought that he would be dying this way and if he had known earlier he would have 

chosen to die from the bayonet stabs of the Japanese and in which case he would most 

probably be remembered as a hero who died of resistance to the Japanese. Unfortunately 

now, he will be left alone, in hunger, on the street feeling cold and frozen to death and only 

till the next morning will people come to discover him naked and lifeless.