Master Shi Collection: Volume 2. Novels and Long Stories (Part 1 and Part 2)

Author: Shi Tuo / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Early the next morning, Old Zhang opened the gate—the splendid, glistening gate, buzzing with dignity; the golden-lacquered plaque "Buzheng Diao" stood high above, looking down disdainfully at the street in front and the three children running out. First was Hu Fengwu, then Hu Fengying, and finally little Zhang, all full of vitality. "Good boys and girls, study hard," Old Zhang emerged from behind the gate, smiling as usual. Hu Fengwu, who was running ahead, suddenly stopped and turned back, teasing, "Is it 'graduate and become an official' again, right?" "Official, official, high-ranking official," Old Zhang happily admitted. But as Fengying was about to dash down the high steps—"Little Zhang, quickly support Miss!" The boy rushed forward to help her but was pushed away. "You nuisance, you're so dirty!" She pouted and glared. Fengwu stuck out his tongue and made faces at them, making Fengying feel embarrassed and followed her brother. Little Zhang was left behind, watching his father's demeanor and feeling quite pitiful. "Alright, alright," his father stood at the top of the steps, nodding, as if teaching him to walk but also comforting him: "After school this afternoon, pick up Miss early, don't let her play around on the way." Compared to the, little Zhang wasn't just a "nuisance"; he was practically a poor soul. No need to say, his clothes were patched with so many stitches, his hands were as coarse as crow claws, and he had an inexplicable smell. His nose wouldn't give him any face either, always running a trickle of snot outside. But regardless of all this, the foolish boy had a strange hobby—getting close to Fengying. He had always thought her voice was heavenly music; her eyebrows, nose, lips, and small hands all had a charm; even from her, he could smell a special scent, fresh and intoxicating. Of course, he didn't understand the meaning of "love," but when he touched her sleeve, his foolish heart felt satisfied, and serving her was a blessing. With this kind of feeling, after the third class that day, he climbed onto the classroom window. There was a green peach tree outside the window, blooming vibrantly. For days, he had wanted to pick a branch for Fengying (purely out of admiration, please don't misunderstand it for anything else), but he was afraid of being caught and embarrassed, so he had been secretly planning. Finally, he found his chance. Standing on the windowsill, he reached out and tentatively tried to grab the topmost, brightest flower. Outside was the playground, where children were playing soccer, swinging, and doing gymnastics, filled with shouts and laughter. In the classroom, only a few students were doing homework. Fengwu was drawing a turtle on the blackboard. But for little Zhang, he could only see and hear the panic in his heart and the peach blossoms in front of him. Just then, the terrible class bell rang. The children on the playground rushed in. Two deliberately lowered their voices and said, "Hey, he's here, he's here, Mr. Zheng is here!" He looked back, knowing they were scaring Fengwu, so he quickly gripped the branch, twisted it, and jumped down. Unexpectedly, someone had already started whispering below, and indeed, Mr. Zheng really came all the way through the courtyard. Mr. Zheng's name was Zheng En, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. His face had prominent angles and clear lines, with thick, black hair standing straight up and a thick, green beard around his cheeks. Of course, he wasn't a frail scholar at all. From his appearance, he gave off an impression of being fierce, rough, and domineering, but in reality, he was quite kind. P448-449