Old Land, New Tales: Twenty Short Stories by Writers of the Shaanxi Region in China by Chen Zhongshi, Jia Pingwa Page A
Authors: Chen Zhongshi, Jia Pingwa
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When I got married, my mum gave it to me as dowry. The pillow is quiet and cool. When your head touches it, it will soothe your eyes.”
From then on, Darky lived in the town. Her life became busier; now not only did she do all the cooking for the family, but she was also put in charge of domestic tasks like feeding the chickens, the pig, the dog, and the cat. All the daily fieldwork fell to her. Moreover, her parents-in-law insisted that not even a tiny mote of dust or single speck of wheat straw could be left in the courtyard each day. Darky slept less than ever.
Her small husband complained of her gluttony and demanded she keep slim. He called her “Black Soybean,” for as her body grew slender, her skin darkened.
At the end of the year, Darky’s husband bought her a pair of leatherette shoes. Each market day, Darky was asked to wear the shoes, but they made her large feet ache. By the time she came back from the market and took off the shoes, her eyes brimmed with tears. She knew her small husband was not fond of her and thought her ugly. She was born plain. How could a pair of leatherette shoes change that?
Her husband beat her and threatened her with a knife. Finally, Darky grabbed her husband, whose arms and legs seemed to befrozen, and threw him onto the kang as if it were a manure basket, saying, “I’m showing you my strength!”
When outsiders heard about this incident, they joked about it. As Darky worked in the fields, someone would ask, “So, Darky, have you taught your man a lesson again?” Darky kept silent. The questioner would needle a little more: “Darky, why not wear your leather shoes? Your family is so well-off, why don’t you ask your father-in-law for a wristwatch?”
After hearing these jokes too many times, Darky began to wonder: How did the family become so rich? Many households do business in the town, and no others have made money so easily.
When her small husband returned home that evening, she asked him about the secret to his father’s wealth. Her husband answered, “I’ve been hearing the jokes and gossip, too; they all envy us. If anyone asks again, just say, ‘We’re not breaking any laws, so what’s the problem?’”
Darky’s father-in-law continued to have frequent late-night visitors. Whenever she would enter the room, they’d stop talking. In the daytime, her father-in-law would invite town officials to drink and eat. One time the mayor, drunk, pointed his finger in her father-in-law’s face and shouted, “You motherfucker! You just run a credit cooperative, but you live a better life than me, the mayor. I warn you, I’ve gotten anonymous letters claiming that you were sticky-fingered with the loans.”
Her father-in-law turned pale and hurried to help the mayor onto Darky’s kang, serving him tea and vinegar. Soon the mayor threw up all over the bed.
Shortly afterward, rumors circulated around town that her father-in-law had pledged to contribute 30,000 yuan to enlarge the local elementary school and improve education in the town. Darky wondered where so much money was tucked away and how much her family had in total.
School officials from the county came to make a public announcement; her father-in-law stood on the rostrum, his face glowing with excitement, red silk draped over his shoulders and a big red flower pinned on his breast. From then on, the red silk banner awarded to him hung in the main room at home. When the gate to their yard was wide open, passersby could see a stretch of brilliant red from the street.
After the school was renovated and expanded, her father-in-law became the honorary schoolmaster, and Darky’s small husband was hired as a gym teacher. He became an important man in the school, leading his students to play basketball happily every day.
At first, Darky did not understand how her father-in-law, such a stingy person at home, could become so generous in public—but now she understood. At night her small husband tormented
From then on, Darky lived in the town. Her life became busier; now not only did she do all the cooking for the family, but she was also put in charge of domestic tasks like feeding the chickens, the pig, the dog, and the cat. All the daily fieldwork fell to her. Moreover, her parents-in-law insisted that not even a tiny mote of dust or single speck of wheat straw could be left in the courtyard each day. Darky slept less than ever.
Her small husband complained of her gluttony and demanded she keep slim. He called her “Black Soybean,” for as her body grew slender, her skin darkened.
At the end of the year, Darky’s husband bought her a pair of leatherette shoes. Each market day, Darky was asked to wear the shoes, but they made her large feet ache. By the time she came back from the market and took off the shoes, her eyes brimmed with tears. She knew her small husband was not fond of her and thought her ugly. She was born plain. How could a pair of leatherette shoes change that?
Her husband beat her and threatened her with a knife. Finally, Darky grabbed her husband, whose arms and legs seemed to befrozen, and threw him onto the kang as if it were a manure basket, saying, “I’m showing you my strength!”
When outsiders heard about this incident, they joked about it. As Darky worked in the fields, someone would ask, “So, Darky, have you taught your man a lesson again?” Darky kept silent. The questioner would needle a little more: “Darky, why not wear your leather shoes? Your family is so well-off, why don’t you ask your father-in-law for a wristwatch?”
After hearing these jokes too many times, Darky began to wonder: How did the family become so rich? Many households do business in the town, and no others have made money so easily.
When her small husband returned home that evening, she asked him about the secret to his father’s wealth. Her husband answered, “I’ve been hearing the jokes and gossip, too; they all envy us. If anyone asks again, just say, ‘We’re not breaking any laws, so what’s the problem?’”
Darky’s father-in-law continued to have frequent late-night visitors. Whenever she would enter the room, they’d stop talking. In the daytime, her father-in-law would invite town officials to drink and eat. One time the mayor, drunk, pointed his finger in her father-in-law’s face and shouted, “You motherfucker! You just run a credit cooperative, but you live a better life than me, the mayor. I warn you, I’ve gotten anonymous letters claiming that you were sticky-fingered with the loans.”
Her father-in-law turned pale and hurried to help the mayor onto Darky’s kang, serving him tea and vinegar. Soon the mayor threw up all over the bed.
Shortly afterward, rumors circulated around town that her father-in-law had pledged to contribute 30,000 yuan to enlarge the local elementary school and improve education in the town. Darky wondered where so much money was tucked away and how much her family had in total.
School officials from the county came to make a public announcement; her father-in-law stood on the rostrum, his face glowing with excitement, red silk draped over his shoulders and a big red flower pinned on his breast. From then on, the red silk banner awarded to him hung in the main room at home. When the gate to their yard was wide open, passersby could see a stretch of brilliant red from the street.
After the school was renovated and expanded, her father-in-law became the honorary schoolmaster, and Darky’s small husband was hired as a gym teacher. He became an important man in the school, leading his students to play basketball happily every day.
At first, Darky did not understand how her father-in-law, such a stingy person at home, could become so generous in public—but now she understood. At night her small husband tormented
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