Explore Chapter 17 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 returned to Renhe Rickshaw Yard as dusk fell. Fourth Master Liu's birthday shed had been set up. All three sections were hung with birthday banners and lit by over a dozen red candles. Many people had already arrived, fellow rickshaw pullers from the yard and old friends of Fourth Master Liu. Everyone greeted Xiangzi as if he were a respectable man. But Xiangzi felt as if he were carrying a block of ice in his heart. He couldn't forget Tigress's words. Today was the twenty-seventh.
Fourth Master Liu wore a newly made silk mandarin jacket, his head shaved gleaming. He was busy entertaining guests inside and out. When he saw Xiangzi, he nodded but said nothing. Xiangzi put down his rickshaw and wanted to find something to do to avoid Tigress. But Tigress followed him like a shadow. Now she asked him to move tables, now she told him to fetch wine, while her glances swept over his face.
More and more guests arrived. The shed and its surroundings were filled with voices and smoke. The feast was laid out, and everyone took their seats. Fourth Master Liu occupied the seat of honor. Xiangzi was seated at a table near the entrance, alongside several young rickshaw pullers. He kept his head down, drinking, not daring to look toward the main table. After several rounds of drinks, the sounds of finger-guessing games and toasts rang out. The shed grew even livelier.
Tigress was dressed particularly vibrantly today. She wore a bright red jacket, her face heavily powdered, and she carried a wine pot as she toasted around. When she came to Xiangzi's table, she deliberately filled Xiangzi's cup and said loudly, "Xiangzi, you drink too! Today is my father's auspicious day. Everyone must enjoy themselves!" The others at the table laughed. Someone teased, "Miss Tigress really looks after Xiangzi!" Xiangzi's face flushed red all the way to his neck.
Fourth Master Liu, drinking happily, stood up and cupped his hands to everyone. He thanked them for their support. He said he had lived to sixty-nine, all thanks to his friends' help, and would continue to rely on them in the future. Then, suddenly, he turned his gaze to Xiangzi's table and called out loudly, "Xiangzi, come here!"
Xiangzi was startled but had to summon his courage and walk over. Fourth Master Liu slapped his shoulder and said to the full shed of guests, "This lad, I've watched him grow up! Honest and hardworking! My rickshaw yard's success today owes part to his efforts!" The guests all chimed in, praising Xiangzi as a fine fellow.
Xiangzi stood at a loss, feeling countless eyes fixed on him. Tigress stood behind Fourth Master Liu, a smile on her lips but a gleam in her eyes. Fourth Master Liu poured Xiangzi another cup of wine and commanded, "Drink! Consider it my toast to you!" Xiangzi dared not refuse. He tilted his head back and gulped it down. The wine was so strong it made him cough.
At that moment, a man known as "Flour Sack", who had a stall by the yard gate year-round and specialized in lending money at high interest, his face pale, stood up drunkenly and said in a strange tone, "Fourth Master, your words aren't complete! Xiangzi and you, isn't it just the bond between employer and employee? I see Miss Tigress is really attentive to Xiangzi!"
The shed instantly fell silent. Fourth Master Liu's smile froze on his face. Tigress's expression changed, and she glared fiercely at "Flour Sack". Xiangzi felt as if struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and he just wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Flour Sack", emboldened by drink and no longer afraid, said with a cheeky grin, "Fourth Master, don't be angry. It's not that I'm talking nonsense. Who on the street doesn't see it? Xiangzi lives here, and Miss Tigress serves him tea and water, mends his clothes, more affectionate than to her own father. The other day, someone even saw at night..."
"Bullshit!" Tigress shrieked sharply, making the shed roof echo. She rushed up to "Flour Sack" in one step, her finger almost poking his nose. "If you keep spouting that filthy talk, I'll tear your mouth! Xiangzi is my father's employee, so what if I look after him? Who are you, you bastard, to make such comments?"
The shed erupted in chaos. Some urged calm, some laughed, some whispered. Fourth Master Liu's face turned from red to green, then from green to white. He no longer looked at "Flour Sack", but fixed his round eyes firmly on Xiangzi and Tigress. His gaze was like a knife, as if to peel them open and see inside.
Xiangzi felt all the blood rush to his head, then drain away completely. He saw Fourth Master Liu's gaze. He saw the curious, disdainful, mocking looks from the guests filling the shed. He saw Tigress's face, fierce but unable to hide her panic. He understood that today, this hurdle was impossible to overcome.
Fourth Master Liu suddenly grabbed a wine bowl and smashed it on the ground. A sharp "crack" sounded. Shards of porcelain and wine splattered all over. Everyone was startled. The shed fell deathly silent.
The guests looked at each other, knowing the old man was truly enraged. No one dared stay any longer. They all stood up, muttering polite phrases like "Fourth Master, calm your anger" or "We'll come another day," and hurried away. In no time, the once lively birthday shed became desolate and quiet. Only the mess on the ground remained, along with the flickering candle flames, the Liu father and daughter facing each other in silence, and Xiangzi, who stood rooted to the spot like a stake.
Fourth Master Liu slumped into his chair. He looked at Tigress, then at Xiangzi. After a long while, he forced out through clenched teeth, "You... you've done a fine thing!"
Tigress's fierceness was all gone now. She hung her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. Xiangzi felt the world spinning around him. Fourth Master Liu's words struck his heart like a hammer.
"Don't call me dad!" Fourth Master Liu slammed the table. "I don't have a daughter like you! And I don't have an employee like this! You... you're trying to drive me to death with anger!" He coughed violently, his face flushing red.
"What didn't you mean?" Fourth Master Liu gasped, interrupting him. "You're a rickshaw puller, and she's my daughter! You... you've completely disgraced me, Liu Si! From now on, I don't have you as an employee, and don't you ever step into my Renhe Rickshaw Yard again! Take your bedding roll and get out!"
That final "get out" lashed him like a whip. He could say nothing more. He turned and walked into his small room. His belongings were simple: a bedding roll, a few old clothes, and that gourd-shaped jar hidden in the corner, containing several dozen dollars. Silently, he packed his things, tying up the bedding roll with rope.
When he walked out of the small room carrying his bedding roll, he saw Tigress standing in the middle of the courtyard, looking at him tearfully. Fourth Master Liu sat with his back to them, beside the remnants of the feast in the shed, motionless like a stone statue.
Xiangzi did not look at Tigress again, nor did he bid farewell to Fourth Master Liu. He straightened his back and strode out of the gate of Renhe Rickshaw Yard. The electric light above the door stretched his lonely shadow very long. The night wind was cold, blowing against his burning face. He didn't know where to go, only feeling a huge void in his heart. The determination he had mustered to grit his teeth and save for buying a rickshaw seemed, with that "get out," to have been blown away by the wind for the most part. He knew that from today on, he was completely cut off from Renhe Rickshaw Yard, from Tigress, and from Fourth Master Liu. The road ahead was once again uncertain.