Red or White?

George Xu used to tell us stories about the Wild East. Often he was a character in these stories, and honestly I think they were true stories, but more often than not he seemed to be the cowboy with the white hat. (He was the good guy in morality tales that may or may not have been so black and white.)

One story he told us took place during the Cultural Revolution when he was on "The Farm" (forced re-education camp with inadequate food and shelter). Nearby "The Farm" there was a black-marketeer who dealt in cigarettes and alcohol and, among other nasty things, happened to be a rapist. He was a bad dude, with some kind of back up, and a tough-guy-name like "Black Face."

After some particularly cruel machinations by Black Face, George broke down his door looked him in the eye and said, "Which do you want red or white?"

Dropping his box of contraband cigarettes and shaking in his chair, Black Face asked indignantly, "What do you mean Red or White?"

George replied, "Red, I stop when I see blood. White...Death"

From that day forward Black Face was no longer a problem for the locals, (I think he chose red.)