After Master Liu left, our village gradually returned to its peaceful manner. Occasional tales of Japanese arsenals appeared on television and in the newspaper, spooking the locals, but doing no further harm.

When summer ended Zhao Jie and I went proudly into third grade. You Xiaoqing had spent the last half of the summer recovering. She joined us as the school year started. The snake air that once engulfed her body had disappeared entirely. "I guess the snake's actually gone" I thought when she walked in on the first day, giving me a wave while at the same time keeping her distance.

On the first day in school I was surprised to meet a new student. A tall, strong looking boy marched in and sat down at the long table to the left of Zhao Jie and I.

"Class as you may have heard, there's a new six grade teacher in our village. His son will be joining us this year. Please welcome Shang Haoming!" The teacher clapped her hands and a spatter of kids followed. I looked over at the boy in shock. I'd heard that name before.

The boy smiled politely, but I couldn't bring myself to like it. I bumped Zhao Jie under the table and mouthed at him, "What's up with him?" Zhao Jie shrugged and gave his hands an awkward few claps. I scowled at Shang Haoming. Something feltoff. "He's the size of a fifth grader!" I whispered fiercely to Zhao Jie. He's probably a bully!" The clapping fell away and class began.

The first week continued to prove just how capable our new student was. Within days Shang Haoming was voted team captain during recess, something that Zhao Jie or I usually got. On Tuesday, during PE I was paired with him during wrestling. He stood almost a head and a half taller than me and acquainted my face with the mat in seconds, despite the Da Hong fist techniques I employed. I swept my foot beneath him during the second round, but the jerk was as fast as he was strong! By the third round Zhao Jie ran over to help me. The PE teacher was by us in seconds and soon Zhao Jie and I were facing the wall while stupid Shang Haoming got to keep practicing.

"Our dads are going to have our heads for this." Zhao Jie whispered in his ridiculous horn of a whisper. I nodded. Behind us the new kid was easily putting band-aid boy in his place across the yard, the PE teacher walking around them and clapping his hands in praise.

The weeks seemed to fly by and all I could do was try to conquer Shang Haoming. PE was clearly his domain, my body refused to grow even after months of training every day after school. So I tried academics. After PE was math class. While Zhao Jie wasn't the quickest wit, both of us ran circles around Shang Haoming in multiplication and subtraction. After math was Chinese class, and once again we schooled the new boy! By winter holiday, I was almost content that I was ahead of him in two of three subjects.

I was very proud of my marks. Zhao Laohei was impressed that Zhao Jie and I were so focused on our studies. My dad, as a teacher, took to bringing home treats and taking us for trips into the village as reward for maintaining such rigorous study and exercise routines.

It was very cold over the winter and our town saw much more snowfall than usual. The Village Head hosted a glorious Spring Festival at his house and the village was soon decorated in red for the celebration of Chinese New Year. Prayer altars littered the streets and everyone began exchanging red envelopes. I wanted to pay my respects to Master Liu with a New Year call.

When I dialed the number a stranger picked up after only two rings.

"Who is this?" The voice came, almost angry.

"I uh, it's meXiao Yong!" I said, my tongue somehow unaware of what its job was.

"Who is Xiao Yong?" The voice demanded.

"I'm Master Liu's godson!" I half begged into the receiver.

A moment of silence followed. "What do you want?" It finally came.

"I wanted to tell Master Liu happy new years, and that I was thinking of him."

Another moment of silence followed by, "I will tell him." The phone hung up with a click.

I stood dumbstruck holding the phone in silence for a few minutes. My mother came up behind me and took it from my hands, placing it back on the wall.

"He'll be back in no time, Sweet One. Don't fret."

Spring Festival came and went. The dragon decorations were stored back into their boxes and the village became alive with rumor about the new school. A construction crew had moved into town, apparently under the direction of Wang Zhangan, although I never saw him, and began building two grand structures just behind our current school. We were getting a whole new school, two maybe.

Out of nowhere birthdays had come and gone. Zhao Jie and I were both ten now, practically grown adults!

When we returned to school after the Spring Festival our rivalry with Shang Haoming continued. Apparently he'd spent the winter holiday and spring festival studying, because he was a wiz in class. It was like night and day, his hand was raised in every class and he started to get praise left and right! One Friday, just before language arts, I snuck his homework off of his desk while he was sharpening a pencil. Glancing down at it, I saw the title "My Life over Winter Holiday." I scowled at the neat handwriting and crumple the paper in my hands. I walked lithely to the washroom behind us and threw the ball of paper in the toilet. The water seeped into it and I grinned, feeling a hot satisfaction fill my head. I almost laughed when the teacher expressed her disappointment when he couldn't produce his homework.

But, fire can't be wrapped in paper. I don't know who told him the truth. After class, he stomped in front of Zhao Jie and I, stopping us in our tracks. He raised a giant hand and smacked the books out of Zhao Jie's casual grip. Zhao Jie launched himself at Shang Haoming. Ignoring the glimpse of momentary responsibility, I jumped into the fray.

I don't know how teachers always know exactly what happened, but our case was no different. We were immediately separated and punished for the following two days. Zhao Jie and I had to stand at the wall for two days of recess. Shang Haoming got only a quarter of our punishment. I loathed him for that.

Needless to say, my father was less than ecstatic. The punishment at school made the one at home seem like a breeze.

As Shang Haoming's dad and mine were both teachers, the two of them quickly established the diplomacy that their sons were incapable of. That spring, they came to us with a solution. "Well Xiao Yong, since you'd never fight with your brothers, we've decided that you and Shang Haoming will be sworn brothers!" My dad grinned. It turned his face into something I wanted to hate if he weren't my father. "Our families will be like relatives!"

A hot streak of anger flashed up my spine. My teeth acted without permission and clamped shut before my tongue could get me into more trouble. "Dad! Only best friends become sworn brothers! I'm not friends with that stupid ass of a boy! He's dumb and giant and awful and I hate him!" Is the gist of how I think it would've gone. But he was my father, and I could do nothing but agree with him.

Fighting every urge to yell at my father and endure the consequences, I wrenched open my jaw and asked for the one thing that might make it bearable. "Can Zhao Jie be part of it?"

The fathers talked, the boys listened, and our fate was decided for us.

And so, three families came together over a meal. Zhao Jie, Shang Haoming, and I kowtowed to our elders and swore to act and love one another as brothers. We promised to get along, at least in front of our parents.

After a surprising growth spurt that crept in over the winter, Zhao Jie was now the biggest among us. Next was Shang Haoming. And of course, last was me.

Sitting at a smaller table for the kids, after the 'ceremony' our fathers had performed, I spoke to Zhao Jie and Shang Haoming unhappily. Zhao Jie smiled like he'd forgotten Shang Haoming was the enemy.

I scowled at him, but proceeded politely, knowing our dads were just a few feet away. I was the smallest after all and needed to work this the best possible way.

We were three sworn brothers now and we began to talk with each other as such.

"So Shang Haoming, do you likeKung Fu?" I managed, wincing at the awkward contention.

"I love it!" He said, his eyes lighting up in genuine pleasure. "I try to train every day! My dad says it'll make me stronger!" He smiled at us.

Zhao Jie, clearly giving himself over to this new union said, "You should train with Xiao Yong! He does Da Hong Fist every day! He's learning from a master in the summers and he's very good!"

I rolled my eyes, but found a smile growing on my face.

Gradually, we became best friends. Unforeseen by our fathers, this meant that we competed less in the classroom and played more on the playground. Our grades began to waiver and fall in no time. As you'd expect, punishment ensued, but we always endured it together.

The summer of 1995 was hot, rainy, and without harvest. The year's turnout wasn't even a tenth of the year prior. Relief food came from the nearest town and we spent the summer volunteering and working with our parents to deliver food to those in need.

The schools under construction were completed by the following fall. The village held a talent show to bring the community together and show our thanks to the government for the new facilities and relief food.

Naturally Zhao Jie, Shang Haoming and I carefully prepared a performance for the talent show. Our simple performance was the one and only Da Hong Fist! I'd considered trying out Master Liu's technique of calling upon God, but I thought that it might be a little too much for a community talent show. That, and my mom would probably beat the tar out of me if I embarrassed her.

Still, I'd practiced the technique day and night after Master Liu left. I'd done it once, although it only lasted 5 minutes. An apparition appeared before me glowing white and majestic. It spoke as though through a long tunnel, voice muffled and deep. It looked down at me with a peaceful expression and began to fade without really saying anything. That's not a performance fit for a stage.

Many village leaders took part in the talent show and many speeches were made, political, poetic, and motivational alike. All said and done, the whole thing was splendid! Many people came from neighboring villages to watch.

When the summer was over and we'd cleaned up after the celebrations, Zhao Jie, Shang Haoming and I were excited to go to school in the new building. The windows were bigger, the classrooms were brighter, and the government had even supplied new desks and chairs!

New students were bussed in from the nearby villages to take advantage of the splendor. There were now sixty students in my class! I looked around the new school, new class, and new faces with a colorful feeling of hope and excitement blossoming in my chest.

"Nothing could ruin this!" I said, punching Shang Haoming lightly in the shoulder. He smiled down at me.

"Nope." He said, "It's gonna be a great year!"