Act Twenty

Author: Zhou Daixin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This is a long novel conceived and written by the author over nearly a decade. The novel presents a spectacular performance by a silk-weaving family in the ancient city of Nanyang in Central China on the stage of the 20th century, showcasing humanity's extraordinary ability to direct and perform the ups and downs of life. By depicting the social realities of a small city over a century, the novel also highlights the footprints left by the Chinese nation in the 20th century, providing with a convenient way to look back on their origins. Excerpt:
The prosperity of the Shang family owes much to a son-in-law who came to marry into the family. In the 21st generation of the Shang lineage, something might have gone wrong with the bloodline, resulting in only a gaunt son. The elders placed all their hopes for continuation of the family line on this son, who struggled to breathe after digging a few sweet potato patches, and thus they married him to a well-mannered wife. As soon as the wife entered the door, her in-laws used various hints to urge him to work hard at night, striving to "plant widely and harvest plenty" so that the Shang family would have many grandchildren. The son naturally understood his heavy burden and worked tirelessly, often turning his small face deathly pale. Yet, the goddess of childbirth did not help him, and in the end, she only gave him a daughter. Seeing that his son and daughter-in-law had both passed forty without a grandson, the father shed tears and sighed, "It seems heaven is determined to bring our Shang family to an end!" After sighing, he frantically sought out a fortune-teller. The fortune-teller walked around the Shang residence three times forward and three times backward, calculated for a long time, and then shook his head, sighing, "The yang energy in the Shang family's bloodline has been lost; another stream of energy will need to come in to fill the void." Hearing this, the confused old man grew even more despondent. Seeing his father's sorrow, the son naturally felt some pain and took it all out on his wife, often kicking her buttocks with his thin legs while cursing, "You lazy, good-for-nothing woman!" The wife, unable to bear children for the Shang family, felt guilty and dared not reply, only swallowing tears in silence. When the man kicked her hard, she let out a sob, "Even if you kill me, it won't help! My periods have stopped downstairs. We should quickly find a son-in-law for our daughter so she can carry on the Shang family's lineage!" These words reminded the Shang father and son, and he finally recalled the fortune-teller's words and understood their meaning. Thus, he quickly began the search for a son-in-law. Fortunately, their daughter was quite pretty, and as soon as the Shang family announced their search for a son-in-law, poor families immediately sent matchmakers to their door. The small carpenter Zhao Tianjing entered the low gate and the thick genealogy of the Shang family under this background.