Novel Peking University - New Force in Chinese Fiction

Author: Chen Jun, Li Yunlei, Zhang Jie / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Yan Baihai followed Old Zhou to the outer regions. He left for three years without any news. Thinking that Yan Baihai was already eighteen years old, in the second year after he left, Yan Laoyou sent Yan Hehai to Old Wei of Wei Village, who made tofu, as his apprentice. Although Yan Hehai was simple-minded, he understood things well. He learned to make tofu and became a master after three years, but Yan Hehai returned home and opened a tofu workshop after only one and a half years. A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy, carrying a tofu cart, shouted along the mountain ridges and through the villages, "Making tofu—”“Yan Village’s tofu—”
In 1926 and 1927, the southeastern wind in Jinshan was favorable. Yan Laoyou worked for the landlord Old Wang’s family, while Yan Hehai sold tofu in a cart. Over two years, the family accumulated fifty taels of silver. The father and son decided to tear down and rebuild three western rooms. Looking at the new house and courtyard, Yan Laoyou said, "I rely on this!"
That autumn, Old Ma, another tenant of the Old Wang family, died of pulmonary tuberculosis. Old Ma had always been quiet and loved drinking. During the winter off-season, he enjoyed going to the town to watch people fight crickets. The more he watched, the more he got into it. Eventually, he became closer to crickets than to people. He even took his worn-out felt hat to the town as a gambling stake. He left nothing behind for his coffin money. His wife and children were ready to wrap him in a mat to bury him, but Yan Laoyou paid two taels of silver to buy him a thin wooden coffin. Old Ma’s wife said nothing, and Old Wang, the landlord, was moved. He called Yan Laoyou over and asked, "You were also friends with Old Ma?"
Yan Laoyou replied, "Not really. He was harsh when he was alive, and we didn’t get along." Old Wang said, "You didn’t get along, yet you bought him a coffin?" Yan Laoyou said, "The death of a friend is a shared sorrow. We’ve worked together for over ten years, whether we were friends or not." Old Wang patted his head, thought for a moment, and nodded. He called the accountant and asked him to bring out five taels of silver to arrange Old Ma’s funeral.
On the day of the funeral, four tables of food were prepared. Old Wang, the landlord, came in person to pay his respects. Although Old Ma had no friends during his lifetime, he received a grand funeral. That night, Old Ma’s wife came to see Yan Laoyou. She was a pockmarked woman.
Old Ma’s wife said, "Old Yan, only after the coffin was buried did I realize I’m a widow." Seeing her mention the coffin, Yan Laoyou quickly said, "Don’t mention money, and don’t mention it to the landlord either. We’re all friends." Old Ma’s wife said, "He was a friend of Old Ma, so he promised to do one more thing for his wife." Yan Laoyou said, "What is it?"
Old Ma’s wife said, "My daughter is sixteen. She will come to your house as a wife." Yan Laoyou was taken aback. Old Ma’s wife said, "I have pockmarks, but my daughter doesn’t." After Old Ma’s wife left, Yan Laoyou’s wife laughed, "Two taels of silver for a wife—worth it."
Yan Laoyou spat in his wife’s face, "Is she giving you a wife? She’s sending the whole family to you!" He shook his head, "Old Ma never had a heart, and I underestimated his wife." He looked at the newly rebuilt western wing, "It’s all because of this room."
Old Ma’s wife meant that it was October, and there were only two months left until the New Year. The wedding could be held before the New Year, but who should it be for? Yan Laoyou hesitated. In terms of age, it should be for Yan Baihai, but he was in the outer regions. In terms of contribution to the family, it should be for Yan Hehai, as half of the western wing’s income came from tofu.
Yan Hehai had also been restless these days. One morning, at the crow of the rooster, Yan Laoyou went to the toilet and saw a shadow in the courtyard under the moonlight, moving up and down. He was startled. Getting closer, he realized it was Yan Hehai, practicing the wedding ceremony alone. In the mill, the donkey was quietly pulling the stone mill, grinding beans. Yan Laoyou thought that if he wasn’t practicing the wedding ceremony, he should marry Yan Hehai first. But when he saw Yan Hehai practicing, he got angry.
Yan Laoyou kicked him, "You bastard, which comes first—wheat or barley?" He decided to marry Yan Baihai first. But Yan Baihai was in the outer regions, over two thousand miles away. Luckily, the next day, a donkey dealer passed through the village. The dealer was from Henan, surnamed Cui, and he brought an assistant. They were going to the outer regions to trade livestock and stopped at Yan Village for the night, staying in the landlord’s animal shed.
That night, Yan Laoyou went to the landlord’s animal shed to see Old Cui. He carried a piece of tofu, two stalks of scallions, and half a jar of sweet potato dry wine. Old Cui’s assistant had placed a few bricks in the shed, on top of which he had a pot, with fire underneath, cooking rice from a bag of rice. Straw was spread on the ground, and a blanket was laid on top. Old Cui was lying on the straw, his hands behind his head, watching the animals eat grass in the manger. When he turned his head, Yan Laoyou noticed he had a pair of large ears.
The man who fed the animals for the landlord was Old Wu, a mute. He disliked Yan Laoyou’s constant talking and glared at him when he entered, then left with his mixing stick. Yan Laoyou didn’t mind. However, when Old Cui saw him enter with food, he was surprised, sat up from the straw, and studied him for a while before saying, "I don’t know you."
Yan Laoyou said, "I’m a good friend." Old Cui smiled, shaking his large ears, and pointed to the man cooking, "This is Xiao Liu."
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