Explore Chapter 9 of 'Camel Xiangzi' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Xiangzi could barely muster the strength to step over the threshold. Dazed and confused, his feet still inside, he saw Miss Liu by the streetlight. Her face was likely powdered again, under the light it took on a grayish-green hue, like frost on a withered black leaf. Xiangzi dared not look her straight in the eye.
Tigress's expression was complex. Her eyes held a glimmer of eagerness to see him. Her mouth was slightly agape, revealing a hint of a sneer. Her nose wrinkled with lines that folded together disdain and impatience. Her brows were raised, showing a seductive yet domineering air beneath the strange layer of powder. Seeing Xiangzi come out, her lips twitched a few times, the various emotions on her face momentarily finding no proper place to settle. She swallowed her saliva, seemingly suppressing the complex look and feelings, putting on a bit of the worldly air she had learned from Fourth Master Liu, half-annoyed, half-amused, pretending not to care much as she let out a laugh. "Well, you're something! Like a meat bun thrown at a dog—it never returns!" Her voice was loud, just like when she quarreled with the rickshaw pullers at the yard. After uttering these words, the smile on her face vanished entirely. Suddenly, as if feeling a sense of shame and degradation, she bit her lip.
"Don't shout!" Xiangzi seemed to put all his strength into his lips, bursting out these two words. The sound was small, yet extremely forceful.
"Hmph! As if I'm afraid!" She laughed maliciously, yet involuntarily lowered her voice a little. "No wonder you've been avoiding me. So there's a little goblin of a maid here. I always knew you were no good. Don't think just because you're big and rough-looking, you can play the fool—like a Tartar pulling a pipe, pretending to be dumb when you're not!" Her voice rose again.
"Don't shout!" Xiangzi feared that Nanny Gao might be eavesdropping behind the door. "Don't shout! Come over here!" As he spoke, he walked toward the street.
"I'm not afraid no matter where we go. I just have a loud voice!" Protesting with her words, she nonetheless followed him.
This soft utterance of "Xiangzi" dispersed much of his anger. He raised his head and looked at her. She still had nothing lovable about her, yet that sound of "Xiangzi" still echoed faintly in his heart, carrying tenderness and intimacy, as if he had heard it somewhere before, evoking some undeniable, hard-to-sever affection. He still spoke in a low voice, but gentler now. "What is it?"
He was dumbfounded. He let out an "ah," suddenly understanding everything. Ten thousand things he had never thought of rushed into his mind. They came so many, so urgent, so chaotic that his mind suddenly became a blank, like a film strip suddenly snapping. The street was extremely quiet. Some gray clouds covered the moon in the sky. On the ground, occasional small winds blew, stirring the remaining branches and withered leaves. In the distance, a few sharp cat cries could be heard. Xiangzi's heart went from chaos to blankness. He didn't even hear these sounds. Propping his chin with his hand, he stared blankly at the ground, making it seem as if the ground were about to move. He couldn't think of anything, nor did he want to think. He only felt himself growing smaller and smaller, yet unable to completely shrink into the earth. His entire life seemed to stand on this point of discomfort. Nothing else existed! Only then did he feel the cold. Even his lips trembled slightly.
"Don't just squat there. Speak up! Get up!" She seemed to feel the cold too and wanted to move a few steps.
"I know you're the type who responds to force, not kindness. Talking nicely to you is a waste of breath!" Her voice rose again. The quietness of the street made her voice seem particularly clear, making Xiangzi especially uncomfortable. "Do you think I'm afraid of anyone? What are you planning? If you don't want to listen to me, I have no time to waste spitting words with you! If we fall out, I'll block your door and curse for three days and three nights! I'll find you wherever you go! And I don't care about appearances!"
"That's more like it! Don't go looking for trouble!" She parted her lips, revealing her canine teeth. "I'm not lying. I really care for you. Don't be ungrateful! If you act stubborn with me, you'll get no good out of it, I tell you!"
No... Xiangzi wanted to say "don't hit me and then rub it three times," but he couldn't think it through completely. He knew many of Beiping's witty sayings, but he couldn't articulate them well. When others said them, he understood, but he couldn't say them himself.
"I have a good idea for you," Tigress stopped and faced him. "Look, if you send a matchmaker to propose, the old man will definitely refuse. He's a cart owner, you're a rickshaw puller. He won't stoop to become relatives with you. But I don't care. I like you. If I like you, that's it. Why bother with other nonsense? No one can propose for me. If anyone goes to suggest a match, the old man will think they're after his dozens of carts. Even people of a higher status than you won't do. This matter must be handled by me alone. I've chosen you. We'll act first and report later. Anyway, I'm already pregnant. Neither of us can run away now! But if we go straight to him and say it, it still won't work. The old man is getting more muddled with age. If we let slip a word, he'll marry a young wife and kick me out hard. The old man is strong. Don't think he's almost seventy. If he really marries a young wife, I dare say he can still father two or three children. Believe it or not!"
"We'll talk right here. Who cares!" She followed Xiangzi's gaze and saw the policeman too. "You're not pulling a rickshaw. Why fear him? Can he bite off someone's balls for no reason? That would be truly bizarre! Let's talk about our business! Look, here's what I think. On the twenty-seventh, the old man's birthday, you go and kowtow to him three times. After the New Year turns, you go again to pay New Year respects and win his favor. I think once he's happy, we can get some wine or something and let him drink to his heart's content. When he's about seventy or eighty percent drunk, strike while the iron is hot. You simply acknowledge him as your godfather. Later, I'll slowly let him know that I'm with child. He'll interrogate me. I'll give him the 'Xu Shu enters Cao Camp—not a word out of me.' When he's truly anxious, I'll name someone. Say it's that recently deceased Qiao Er—the second manager of the coffin shop east of us. He has no relatives or friends and is already buried in the charity cemetery outside Dongzhimen. Where can the old man trace the roots? The old man will be at a loss. Then we can slowly drop hints. Best to give me to you. Originally a godson, then a son-in-law—it's not much different anyway. Go with the flow to avoid embarrassment for everyone. Don't you think my idea is good?"
Feeling that she had said enough for now, Tigress started walking north, her head lowered slightly, as if admiring her own words or giving Xiangzi a chance to think. By then, the wind had torn a gap in the gray clouds, revealing the moonlight. The two had reached the northern end of the street. The water of the Imperial Moat had long frozen over, quiet, gray and bright, flat, solid, supporting the Forbidden City's red walls. Not a sound came from within the Forbidden City. The delicate corner towers, the golden and resplendent archways, the vermilion city gates, the pavilions on Coal Hill—all were quiet, as if listening to some sounds that were hard to hear again. A small wind blew past, like a sigh, softly passing between the towers and halls, as if wanting to tell a bit of historical news. Tigress walked west, and Xiangzi followed to Jin'ao Yudong Bridge. There were almost no pedestrians on the bridge. The faint moonlight shone coldly and desolately on the two large ice fields on either side of the bridge. In the distance, the pavilions stood dimly with some dark shadows, quietly frozen on the lake, only the yellow tiles on their tops glimmering slightly. The trees moved faintly, making the moonlight even more vague. The White Dagoba soared high into the clouds, stupidly white, making everything cold and desolate. The entire Three Seas, under artificial carving, revealed the barren cold of the north. Reaching the bridgehead, the cold air from the ice on both sides made Xiangzi shiver. He didn't want to go any further. Usually, when he pulled his rickshaw across the bridge, he focused all his attention on his feet, afraid of making a mistake, with no time to look around. Now, he could look freely, but he felt this scenery was somewhat terrifying. Those gray, cold ice sheets, the faintly moving tree shadows, the pale tall pagoda—all seemed lonely, as if about to suddenly scream or run wild! Even this great white stone bridge under his feet appeared exceptionally empty and quiet, particularly white and clean, with even the lamplight feeling desolate. He didn't want to go further, didn't want to look anymore, and didn't want to accompany her any longer. He really wanted to jump down, headfirst, break the ice, sink down, and freeze in the ice like a dead fish.
Xiangzi didn't even look back. As if a ghost were following him, he slipped quickly to the Circular City. He walked so hurriedly that he almost bumped into the city wall. Holding onto the wall with one hand, he couldn't help but want to cry. After a dazed moment, a call came from the bridge: "Xiangzi! Xiangzi! Come here! Xiangzi!" It was Tigress's voice!
He moved very slowly toward the bridge for two steps. Tigress was leaning back slightly as she came down, her mouth slightly open. "I say, Xiangzi, come here. For you!" Before he had moved many steps, she was already in front of him. "Here, the over thirty dollars you saved. There were a few cents in change. I made it up to a full dollar. Here! Not for anything else, just to show my heart. I think of you, care for you, protect you! Don't say anything else. Just don't be ungrateful! Here! Hold it well. If you lose it, don't blame me!"
He clutched the wad of bills and stared blankly at her until the bridge's arch hid her head from view. The gray clouds covered the moon again. The lights grew brighter. The bridge was exceptionally white, empty, and cold. He turned, strode back, as if mad. Reaching the street gate, the image of that pale, desolate bridge still lingered in his heart, as if only a blink of an eye had passed.
Back in his room, he first counted the bills. He counted two or three times. The sweat from his palms made the bills sticky, and he couldn't get the total right. After counting, he placed them in the clay money pot. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he stared blankly at this earthenware. He intended not to think about anything. With money, there was a way. He firmly believed this money pot would solve everything for him. No need to think anymore. The Imperial Moat, Coal Hill, the White Dagoba, the great bridge, Tigress, the belly... all were dreams. When the dream woke, the money pot had over thirty dollars more. Really!
Having looked enough, he hid the money pot and planned to sleep soundly. Even the greatest difficulties could be slept through. Deal with it tomorrow!
The best would be to stomp his foot and leave. But Xiangzi couldn't leave. Even if he were sent to guard the White Dagoba in Beihai, he would be willing. But he couldn't go to the countryside! Go to another city? He couldn't think of a place better than Beiping. He couldn't leave. He wished to die here.
Since he didn't want to leave, there was no need to waste energy thinking about other things. Tigress said it, and she would do it. If he didn't follow her way, she would really keep following him and making trouble. As long as he was in Beiping, she would find him! With her, he had to be honest. No use planning to be slick. If he provoked her, she would bring out Fourth Master Liu. If Fourth Master Liu bought one or two people—no need to say more—in some secluded place, he could take Xiangzi's life!
Thinking over Tigress's words from beginning to end, he felt as if he had fallen into a trap, with his hands and feet all caught in clamps. There was absolutely no way to run. He couldn't criticize her ideas one by one, so he couldn't find any flaws. He only felt that she had cast a net that left no escape, not even for a fish an inch long! Since he couldn't think through each detail, he bundled it all together into one massive pressure, like a thousand-pound gate, all pressing down on his head. Under this irresistible pressure, he realized that a rickshaw puller's lifelong fate was contained in two words—bad luck! A rickshaw puller, being a rickshaw puller, should do nothing else, not even get involved with women. Once involved, heaven knows what mistakes would occur! Fourth Master Liu relied on his dozens of carts, and Tigress relied on being a vile woman to bully him! He didn't need to think carefully anymore. If he intended to accept fate, fine, go kowtow and acknowledge the godfather, then wait to marry that stinking monster. If not accepting fate, he had to risk his life!
He didn't sleep anymore. With one kick, he threw off the quilt and sat up. He decided to get some wine and get dead drunk. What are matters? What are rules? Screw you all! Get drunk, sleep! The twenty-seventh? He wouldn't kowtow even on the twenty-eighth. Let's see who can do anything to Xiangzi! Throwing on his big padded jacket and picking up the small rice bowl he used as a teacup, he ran out.
The wind grew stronger. The gray clouds in the sky had dispersed. The moon was small, emitting a cold light. Xiangzi had just come out of his warm bed and kept sucking in air. There were practically no pedestrians on the street. Only one or two rickshaws remained by the roadside, with the pullers covering their ears with their hands and stomping their feet to warm up. Xiangzi ran all the way to the small shop in the south. To preserve warmth, the shop had closed its door, with only a small window for taking money and handing out goods. Xiangzi asked for four liang of baijiu and three big coins' worth of peanuts. Holding the wine bowl level, he didn't dare run but walked swiftly like a sedan bearer back to his room. He hurriedly burrowed into the quilt. His teeth chattered for a while. He didn't want to sit up again. The wine on the table gave off a pungent smell. He didn't much like it, and even the peanuts seemed unappealing. This wave of cold felt like a basin of cold water waking him up. His hands were reluctant to reach out, and his heart was no longer so fervent.
Lying for a long time, his eyes glanced over the edge of the quilt at the wine bowl on the table. No, he couldn't ruin himself for that entanglement. He couldn't break his wine prohibition from now on. The situation was indeed difficult to handle, but there was always a crack for him to slip through. Even if there was no escape at all, he shouldn't roll into the mud pit himself first. He had to keep his eyes open and see clearly exactly how others would push him down.
He turned off the light and covered his head completely with the quilt, thinking to sleep like this. Still unable to sleep, he lifted the quilt and looked. The window paper was tinged blue by the moonlight in the courtyard, as if dawn was approaching. His nose felt the cold in the room, the chill carrying a hint of wine smell. He suddenly sat up, grabbed the wine bowl, and took a big gulp!