1. SHORT STORY
That day, they decided to go abroad. They were fed up with their unbearable
situation. It was a rainy and foggy day and although it was late in the evening, there
were still many Chinese people wandering up and down, putting their belongings away
and why not, thinking that tomorrow might be a better day.
Little Jina sat worried near the van and thought for a moment how wonderful her
house could be overseas one day. She loved her country and was very proud to have
been born there, but she wanted to live a new life, long distances don’t really matter.
Her father, who was called Menao, sometimes did look angry with Jina, but
what really happened was that he wished indeed to leave that country too. He used to
work for many hours and arrive home very late at night, tired and exhausted with red
blisters in his tiny fingers and white palms. For a long time, he had dreamt that one day
he might travel to a better country and get a better life and a better job. He used to
discuss with Jina, about this remote possibility. Perhaps one day it can be true!
When Jina’s mother died after a long illness, Jina had just been enrolled in
Primary School. At that moment, she became an introvert, shy and sad girl.
Jina’s dad didn’t know what to do in such a desperate circumstance. He loved
his wife so much! He decided to ask for help to his nearest relative, aunt Chulao.
Aunt Chulao had an eight year old daughter and she timidly offered herself to
take care of Jina. She thought that she could bring up both girls at the same time; even
her daughter was three years older than Jina.
Years passed and the two cousins became almost teenagers and shared the
chores with aunt Chulao, doing the washing up, the cleaning and so on. Aunt Chulao sat
firmly on her uncomfortable seat and sewed and sewed pairs of slippers endlessly, and
after ten hours working she came back home.
Whenever she had cooked the meals at dusk, she could spend time with the two
girls. They sometimes told her some anecdotes happening during the day, but more
often they didn’t fancy talking at all and went to bed very early at night.
Actually, an old relative coming back to China came that night and they showed
him some pictures and photographs of the place in which they’d organized their new
lives. Jina’s dad was terribly excited and Jina felt a bit sad to leave her cousin; she was
sure she’d miss her. Moreover she could write letters or phone her from time to time,

2. but they had dreamt so many times of beginning a new life, that they couldn’t lose that
opportunity.
Finally, they joined their relatives in that far place abroad and they laughed and
danced and cried with such an emotion that really changed their lives.
They were lucky!