Going back through the mists of time, I can recall another childhood memory. A clinic of the former PLA General Political Department was located near where my family lived and my mother was a surgeon there. The children from the courtyard neighborhood would often come here to get sick leave to skip class. In this regard my mother apparently was a firm favorite as she was the most easy-going person here. Of course, all my friends could benefit from her largesse but I couldn't. She would know immediately if I was faking illness.