Explore Chapter 19 of 'Cat Country' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Young Scorpion was a pessimist. I had to take his words with a grain of salt. However, I had witnessed with my own eyes students graduating before even enrolling, and the massacre of principals or teachers. No matter how much I doubted Young Scorpion's words, I had no way to argue with him. I could only inquire from other aspects.
"Yes, and many." I could see that Young Scorpion was about to joke again. Sure enough, without waiting for me to ask, he continued, "Having many savants is a sign of cultural superiority, but from another perspective, it's also a symptom of cultural decline. It depends on how you define savants. Naturally, I won't give a definition for savants, but if you'd like to see our savants, I can call them over."
I knew I could make my answer quite entertaining. "Our women powder their faces white." Everyone gasped. "They style their hair most beautifully. Some long, some short, some parted, some swept back. All are perfumed with scents and oils." Their mouths all gaped wide. They glanced at each other's short hair, then closed their mouths in unison, seeming utterly disappointed. "They wear earrings, some pearls, some gems, that sway back and forth when they walk." They touched the small ears on their heads. Some-probably Hua-looked ready to tear their ears off. "They wear the most beautiful clothes. Though clothed, they manage to reveal a bit of skin, half-hidden, half-seen, more appealing than your complete nakedness." I was deliberately teasing Mi and the others. "Nakedness only has the beauty of muscle, but the color is too uniform. Wearing clothes of various colors adds shine and hue. So our women, though not opposed to nudity, wear at least something even in the hottest summer. And shoes too. Leather, satin, all with high heels. The shoe tips are inlaid with pearls, the heels embroidered with flowers. Pretty, isn't it?" I waited for their response. No sound. Their mouths all formed a capital "O." "In ancient times, our women bound their feet this small." I pinched my thumb and forefinger together to demonstrate. "But now they've completely stopped binding feet, and instead-" Before I could finish, they all cried out, "Why stop? Why stop? How foolish! Feet so small, how pretty! Little toes tipped with tiny pearls, how pretty!" They seemed genuinely moved. I had to comfort them. "Don't rush, let me finish! They may have stopped binding feet, but they all wear high-heeled shoes. The toes are here." I pointed to my nose tip. "The heels are here." I pointed to the top of my head. "That adds five inches to their height. So pretty! And it bends the foot bones. Sometimes they have to lean against the wall to walk. And if one heel breaks, they hop with one high and one low!" Everyone was satisfied. But the more satisfied they were with Earth women, the more disappointed they felt about themselves. They all quietly hid their feet under their legs.
I waited for them to ask other questions. Hah, they seemed enchanted by the high heels. "How high are the shoe heels, you say?" one asked.
I was about to tell them that our women, besides wearing high heels, also do work, when the savants arrived.
Mi brought the intoxicating leaves juice. They all took a slow, deep drink, then closed their eyes, as if even less inclined to look at me.
They weren't looking at me, which was just as well. I could observe them closely. All eight savants were extremely thin and filthy. Even the small ears on their heads were caked with dust. Saliva pooled at the corners of their mouths. Their movements were extremely slow, far more sinister and deliberate than Scorpion's actions.
The power of the intoxicating leaves seemed to reach the source of life. They all opened their eyes and looked up again. Suddenly, one spoke.
"You foremost? Even counting your father, no, even counting your grandfather, you're all worthless scum!"
"My grandfather, my father, and I myself have all studied astronomy for three generations. Three generations of astronomy! What are you all? Foreigners study astronomy with many instruments, telescopes. We have passed down the tradition of observing with the naked eye. And that's not all. We focus on discerning the connection between celestial phenomena and human fortunes. Can foreigners understand that? Last night, I observed the heavens. The Literary Star was right above my head. Who else but me could be the savant of this nation?"
"If I stood under the Literary Star, it would be above my head too!" Young Scorpion said with a laugh.
One spoke up. "Am I not the foremost savant in Cat Country?" His eyes swept around. "Can astronomy even be considered learning? Everyone knows it's not! To study, one must first learn characters. Philology is the only true learning. I have studied philology for thirty years. Thirty years! Who dares not acknowledge me as the foremost savant? Who dares?"
The philologist was not as meek as the astronomer. He grabbed one of the savants and shouted, "Who are you talking about? First, repay my debt! Did you not borrow a piece of intoxicating leaves from me the other day? Repay me, repay me now! Otherwise, if I don't twist your head off, I'm not the foremost savant!"
"I borrowed a piece of intoxicating leaves from you? Me, a world-renowned savant? I borrowed a piece of intoxicating leaves from you? Let go of me! Don't dirty my arm!"