Oh, how I felt bad for that girl, Ji-li. I meant for the red successor nomination to only be in good thoughts. Sadly, it ended up with Ji-li learning a terrible truth about her past. It all started out when I stepped into the classroom in the afternoon to begin the election for the red successor. Even though it didn’t look like it, I saw that Ji-li really wanted to win the election. When I saw that Yu Jian was nominated, I wasn’t surprised. Naturally, the class’s chairman would be nominated as a successor. When Ji-li was nominated, I looked at the student who nominated her. As I walked and began to write the candidates’ names on the board, Yin Lan-lan raised his hand. When I called on Yin Lan-lan, she said that the candidates political background should be investigated like when the real Guards are elected. Knowing about Ji-li’s past, I worried what she might learn. Yu Jian told the class that his class status was office worker and that his dad was in the CCP and his mom would join it soon. Then, Ji-li had to state her class status. She said that her class status was also office worker and that her father was an actor. Then, Du Hai asked what her father’s class status was. He had a mischievous look on his face and had an arm laying lazily on the desk behind him. Ji-li had a worried look on her face and I have seen that look on enough students to know that when they have that look, they don’t know what to say. She said that she didn’t know what her grandfather did… only that he died when her father was 7 years old. Du Hai stood up and swept his eyes across the class. He said that her grandfather was a landlord and that her father was a rightist. I knew that her grandfather was a landlord but her father, a rightist? I kept it to myself that I didn’t believe it because when I met Ji-li’s father for conferences sometimes, he seemed alright and didn’t say anything against Mao. But after Ji-li heard what Du Hai said and processed it in her head, she ran out of the classroom and that was the last I saw of her that day. At that moment, I half wished that class status’ didn’t matter because it cost Ji-li something that she really wanted… to be nominated as a red successor.