A Trial — Again
I was brought to trial again at this time. The vice law district court leader Comrade Wang was present. The interrogator asked me which people I had frequent contact with. I replied strictly according to the facts that there were five natives of Shanghai. When asked what we talked about I said that I do not remember. The vice leader Wang chipped in that we were a counter-revolutionary group. I replied that you must give me the definition of a count-revolutionary group so that I can judge whether or not it applies.
“Stand up,” Wang shouted in a stern voice. Then he said, “ You, five or six men drank and had dinner at a restaurant. You sat here. Who sat there and there? Can you deny it?”
I laughed in my heart of hearts and thought, yes, even if you are right that we ate and drank together, how could that make us a counter-revolutionary group? I said, “We were acquaintances trying to have a good time together. Who could consider such a simple social group to be counter-revolutionary?” Wang had nothing to say in reply. The interrogator politely ordered me to sit down.
These were my only two official interrogations in my prison life of over two years. If only what took place at these interrogations were what was held against me I would not worry. There was no secrecy in my heart. We had done NOTHING wrong. But, that was as long as my friends were not forced to say something against me. With just this they could not execute me. But with false information I probably could be sentenced to death.
My pattern of social life continued at Xian Metallurgical Machine Works where I also had some close friends all from Shanghai. On Sundays or at festivals we often gathered together to do the cooking and drinking. In that painful life this was our sole time of rejoicing. We came from Shanghai, which was the target of Capitol Construction Secretary Guo. They kept watch on us all day long. There were mostly bricklayers and a good friend who had transferred to Xian Grain Distribution Station. In order to keep clear of being watched we always went to the grain distribution station to get together and have a dinner party. It definitely was a counter-revolutionary group the Vice leader Wang pointed out and we just thought it was a dinner party. Guo collected our statements of the actions of the day.
Later he had me engage in the hardest punishment in the “great Cultural Revolution.” He put up my dazibao. He criticized and denounced me. He hung out my shingle, had my head shaved, paraded me through the streets to expose me before the public and had me locked up. Everyone who had any dealings with me was under suspicion. Even another secretary of a former capital construction group was said to have “harbored” me. He hoped to isolate me, but not one of my friends abandoned me and told lies about me.
Sometimes when we had the chance we would get together to unburden our grievances and thoughts. I had made many unwise comments. I clearly remembered that at least once I had declared Mao ZeDong as the biggest landlord in the world possessing more than 960 km2. He also was the biggest slaveholder, controlling 800,000,000 slaves. He also was one of the biggest Capitalists in the world, possessing and controlling millions and millions of dollars in wealth. He was also the biggest party chieftain of the forces of darkness.
I often lay on the floor-bed thinking of my many secret comments. Would someone betray me? They wouldn’t and they couldn’t, because they each knew that to do so would allow for my execution. If the Communist Party knew of the way I described our great and perfect Mao, I would be shot. At least until the last interrogation, they had not discovered my secret.