Selected Works of Cao Yu - 60 Literary Masters of the Century

Author: Cao Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Scene – A spacious living room. Winter, three o'clock in the afternoon, inside a church-affiliated hospital. In the center of the room are two brown doors leading outside; the doors are heavy, carved with semi-Westernized old patterns. A thick, faded purple curtain with spots hangs in front of the doors. The woven pattern has come loose, and there is a hole in the middle. On the right – relative to the stage actors – there is another door leading to the current ward. The paint on the door face has worn away. The golden brass doorknobs emit a dull sheen, complementing the tall and wide gray door frame with yellow floral patterns and the convex and concave, antique Western wooden decorations on the door, suggesting that the previous owner of the house was likely an elderly Chinese student who had studied abroad and returned to wealth for a time. This door is also hung with a half-used, deep purple velvet curtain, half-drawn, with broken curtain edges dragging on the ground. On the left, there is another door, double doors leading to the dining room outside. From there, one can go straight up to the second floor or exit through the dining room. These doors are more ornate and deeper in color than the middle ones. When someone passes through, they move heavily on the door tracks, producing a smooth sound of long-term friction, like an old, silent, and gentle man who has experienced many hardships. In front of these doors, there is no curtain. The peeling, eroded outlines and paint decorations on the door are clearly visible. To the right of the middle door, the wall indents like a niche for a statue. The hollow space is angular, with a semicircular outline. The upper half of the niche is filled with narrow, tall French windows, each corner having a long window, very delicate. Below it is a slightly raised semicircular flat surface, where items can be placed or people can sit. In front of this niche, a thick, patterned velvet curtain covers the entire area. When drawn, the niche can completely conceal the windows and sunlight, making the room dim and somewhat stifling. At the beginning of the play, the curtain is closed. The wall color is dark brown, aged and faded. All the furnishings in the room are luxurious, but now they show signs of decay. – Near the right wall, there is a fireplace. Long rectangular marble slabs are embedded around it, with star-shaped colored stones in the front. There is nothing on top of the fireplace, just an empty space, with only a Jesus hanging on a cross. Now, the fireplace is burning coal, the flames blazing, casting a red glow on an old armchair in front of the fireplace, giving the ancient house a hint of life. Next to the fireplace is a rough coal bucket and firewood. On the left side of the right door, a painting scroll is hung. Further left, near the back, a corner of the wall is leveled into a flat surface about three or four feet high, where a half-human-height old purple sandalwood wardrobe is leaning diagonally. The corners of the wardrobe doors are wrapped in copper. On top of the wardrobe is a thermos and two white rice bowls, placed on an old brass plate. A small rectangular rug is spread in front of the wardrobe. Parallel to the wardrobe, a very low purple sandalwood table is placed, which was probably used to display delicate porcelain and antiques. Now, it is piled with layers of white tablecloths and white bedsheets, freshly washed and not yet put away in the wardrobe. In the center, a round stool stands between the wardrobe and the niche. To the left of the niche (right of the middle door), there is a long redwood dining table. On it are two old candlesticks. On the wall, there is a large, old oil painting. To the left of the middle door, there stands a delicate purple sandalwood cabinet with glass doors. Originally used to store antiques, it is now empty. A narrow, low bench stands in front of the cabinet. Not far from the left corner of the wall, at a 90-degree angle to the corner, a large, dark sofa is placed diagonally. Behind the sofa is a long table, with a short table in front of it, both empty. On the left side of the sofa stands a yellow standing lamp. The left wall is slightly indented, forming a right angle with the rear wall. The indentation holds a small coffee table, and a small oil painting is hung low on the wall. Next to the coffee table, slightly further forward, is the door leading to the dining room on the left. The center of the room has a rug. Opposite each other, but slightly slanted, are two large sofas. In the middle is a round table covered with a white tablecloth. [At the beginning of the play, there is the sound of a bell from afar. Inside the church, there is a choir singing praises to the Lord and the sound of a grand piano, especially Bach: High Mass in B Minor, Benedictus, qui venit Domini’Nomini – The room is silent and empty. After a while, the middle door slowly opens heavily, and Aunt Jia (a nun from the temple) enters. Her attire is like that of a nun commonly seen in a Catholic church: her head is wrapped in a snow-white cloth, puffed up like a Dutch peasant girl, wearing a deep blue coarse cloth robe that almost touches the ground. A cross hangs around her neck, and a of keys at her waist jingle as she walks. She enters quietly, with a very calm expression. She turns to face the door. Aunt Jia (gently) Please come in. An elderly, pale man enters, wearing a very fine old fur coat. He takes off his hat upon entering, his hair white, his eyes calm and melancholic, his chin with a pale, short beard, and his face full of wrinkles. He wears gold-rimmed glasses, which he takes off after entering, placing them in his spectacle case. His hands are slightly trembling. He fiddles with his