Explore Chapter 4 of "牛天赐传" with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Full Moon Celebration had also passed. Though it should have been more elaborate than the three-day ceremony, it was not carried out with much gusto. Old Mrs. Niu had indeed tried to plug every possible leak, but gossip-like a rotten peach-rots from the inside out. Tianci hadn't provoked anyone, yet his reputation worsened by the day. Only humans can be born with a bad name; we've never seen a pig that was dishonorable from birth. It was no easy milk for Tianci to suckle.
Old Mrs. Niu was very determined. No matter how people gossiped, Tianci was still better than a child adopted from a relative's house. She would rather favor an outsider than cooperate with her relatives; they could only stare in vain. But staring in vain had its effect-the Full Moon Celebration was not held with much enthusiasm. Though they just stared, they did stare, and it was awkward no matter what. Being a hero is not easy, after all.
Never mind that. In any case, the Full Moon Celebration was over, and whether good or bad, one had to go on living. Even if the Third-Day Bathing Ceremony and the Full Moon Celebration were perfectly conducted, and then one went to meet his fate right after, there wouldn't be much point. The greatest meaning of fate seems to be living a few decades; otherwise, one wouldn't even have the chance to waste grain. Tianci decided to live-this was highly commendable. Of course, living has its hardships, but he was not afraid. Those who are not afraid of fate obtain fate itself, because grain is for him to waste.
Tianci's hardships were indeed not small. According to Nanny Ji's method, a baby should be placed in a sand sack, and after five or six days, the clumped sand was sifted and put back in the sack with the baby. The weak little citizens of Shiliupu and similar places were mostly raised like that. Some, unwilling to live in the sack, died in the sack, which was quite convenient. Tianci did not suffer this. He was an official-style child and could not be put in a sack likened to machine-ground flour. He had another kind of hardship. Though not in a sack, his hands and feet were firmly bound, unable to move, like the leg of a soldier wrapped in puttees-Old Mrs. Niu's good intention was to prevent him from becoming bowlegged. Later, Tianci's knees twisted inward and his toes tripped over each other; he could never run a hundred meters in three minutes. Old Mrs. Niu had not thought of this. Good intentions without thought are bound to produce bowlegs. Since his hands and feet could not move, he could only rely on crying to exercise his insides. But that didn't work either. Whenever he made a sound, a nipple would immediately block his little mouth, and he had to change from crying to whimpering, like a stifled little pig. First, a child simply must not cry; second, Nanny Ji's milk should not be stored up. Old Mrs. Niu always balanced the accounts clearly. If the child were allowed to cry as he pleased, it would waste his energy and save Nanny Ji's milk-according to any economic theory, that didn't make sense. The old lady seemed to understand that a baby should cry for a while at the right time. But when she thought of Nanny Ji's breasts and the monthly wages, she couldn't help calling out: "Nanny Ji, the child needs to eat again!" Money not only talks, it forces people to talk. This cannot be blamed entirely on Old Mrs. Niu. Without freedom for hands and feet, covered tightly with a quilt, not allowed to make a sound, Tianci grew a little anxious, but he could not speak. So out of spite, he decided to have a convulsion. This was the best form of baby protest. But it also depended on whom he encountered. Old Mrs. Niu would not be fooled; she had long prepared Baolong Pills, Yi Nian Jin, emergency powder, and Qi Zhen Dan-a full array of pills, powders, ointments, and elixirs. At the first sign of illness, she would force them down! She had a solution for everything. Tianci's only resistance was non-resistance. Rolling his eyes was far more effective than a loud and colorful demonstration. The joy of raising a child lies in displaying the adult's abilities. The child must understand this; otherwise, he would be asking for trouble.
Tianci accepted his fate. Day in and day out, he ate and slept; when he couldn't sleep, he rolled his eyes. He dared not hope to suck his own fists or kick his legs. As a result, he became plump-how dignified! Not only dignified, the old lady even called him "Fat Darling!" When the knife handle is in someone else's hand, you'd better grow nice and fat. If they want to kill you, a plump, fleshy body is a decent offering; if they don't kill you, you still look respectable. Tianci taught us this lesson. He seemed to know it by instinct.
Nanny Ji was, after all, very conscientious. But for a few coppers in wages, to leave her own baby in a sand sack and nurse another's child-this was not-and should not be-a proud affair. She had no place to pour out her grievances, so sometimes, when no one was around, she took it out on Tianci. A couple of slaps on the bottom, or not changing his diaper promptly after it was wet... though these were not regular lessons, having such treatment once every few days was enough for Tianci to bear. Of course, we need not be pessimistic about this; but fate is a trial, and that is undeniable.
Old Mama Liu could have had nothing to do with Tianci, and Tianci had not deliberately sought her out, but she came charging forward. In Old Mrs. Niu's eyes, Old Mama Liu was an irreplaceable figure. In others' eyes, despite many merits, Old Mama Liu was still a lackey. According to the classification of lackeys, there are at least two types: one joins the dog class for profit, the other attaches a tail for spiritual comfort. Old Mama Liu belonged to the second type. In her youth, her family was indeed poor, and she had to work for food. In old age, the family circumstances had gradually improved. She had grandchildren and enough to eat. But she did not return home. Occasionally, when she went home for a visit, she would spend all her year's wages on the younger generation: city toys for her grandsons, little cloth dolls for her granddaughters, needle and thread, fine-toothed combs, and scraps of cloth for shoe uppers for her daughter-in-law. Everyone respected her. But before their respect was fully expressed, she would turn around and return to the city. Without Mrs. Niu, she would lose her backbone. She had to sacrifice all comfort for spiritual solace. Old Mrs. Niu was formidable, which made Mama Liu fearful-a fear that itched inside and then brought a sense of comfort and pleasure. Sometimes, helping the mistress bully the master, Sihu, or the street vendors gave her spiritual sustenance-though she was not a hero, she was the hero's assistant, and that was exhilarating. As she grew older, this urge only increased, as if she feared dying before accomplishing her lackey's fate. She did it not for money, but for her soul. Her soul could bark and yelp, and no one but Mrs. Niu could silence her.
Now the mistress had a young master, and Old Mama Liu was even more delighted. Even if she went blind, she could not resign. If the mistress was the Goddess of Children, then she must be the fairy attending at her side, holding the baby for the goddess. But then Nanny Ji arrived-a heavy blow. A lackey fears no one more than a substitute lackey, and sees everyone as growing a tail. When eating with Nanny Ji, she complained that Nanny Ji's mouth was too big. A mouth that big disqualified her for city work. Moreover, Nanny Ji always looked aggrieved, which infuriated her. She could not understand how anyone could feel aggrieved under Mrs. Niu; it was utterly shameless. Old Mama Liu could be considered a loyal person. She cared only for one person's success and would not allow anyone to complain, because that one person's success was her own success. Even if she gained no material benefit, she fully indulged her dog-like addiction. She could not bear to see Nanny Ji holding the baby-the mistress's baby-while feeling wronged, without getting angry.
But she could not drive Nanny Ji away, because the baby needed milk. After thinking it over, besides looking down on Nanny Ji, she also, incidentally, did not much like Tianci. If Tianci were truly a hero, she thought, he simply should not drink Nanny Ji's milk. But she dared not say this openly. When Mrs. Niu praised Tianci, she would add a few unpleasant remarks about Nanny Ji while flattering Tianci. When the mistress was displeased with Tianci, she would chime in and attack the baby. She was a master among lackeys.
Tianci had learned to smile. Nanny Ji paid little attention to his smiles; she focused on his crying. If he didn't cry, she would be scolded less. Many of Tianci's smiles were wasted, unappreciated. Old Mama Liu, blind in one eye, could not see the baby's faint smiles clearly, and even if she did, she would not enthusiastically spread the news. Her ears were more useful. As soon as she heard the baby cry, she would mutter to herself, "Such a wet nurse, always letting the baby cry-never seen the like!" Though she muttered to herself, it was not just for herself to hear. If the mistress heard, it would take effect. If Nanny Ji heard, that was also fine. As long as someone heard, it was good. And her muttering would always manage to be heard.
Old Mrs. Niu naturally liked the baby's smile, but for some reason, whenever she was present, Tianci never smiled. Nanny Ji had reported to the mistress that the baby could already pout and smile. The mistress didn't believe it, and Old Mama Liu thought the wet nurse was trying to join the dog class by fabricating facts to gain favor. An old dog meeting a new dog is angrier than meeting a cat. "Mistress, you must scold this wet nurse. Don't let her spread such rumors! I've never seen the baby smile once, humph!"
But Tianci indeed could smile, and old Mr. Niu knew it. It would be a lie to say that Tianci already recognized people, but he would smile especially at the old man. Perhaps the old man's round bald head particularly attracted the baby's attention-if it couldn't attract an adult's interest. Facts show us that most children like "non-heroic" people. Otherwise, why would heroes sometimes kill even babies along with adults? The old man came to see Tianci two or three times every day. If Tianci was asleep, he would carefully examine his closed slit eyes, his slightly open little mouth, and his twitching forehead, then laugh silently to himself. If the baby was awake, he would lower his round face and murmur who knows what-nothing meaningful anyway: "Little one! Little buddy! Full? Slept well? Can't say 'Dada' yet? You're something! Look at those little eyes, oh, oh, smiling!" And sure enough, Tianci smiled-that silent, slightly open-mouthed smile.
Old Niu reported this to the mistress. The mistress felt a twinge of jealousy. Nanny Ji had already reported it, and she didn't believe it. Now her old man came to say the same thing-clearly he had formed an alliance with the wet nurse, supporting her! The old lady herself had never seen the baby smile, so no matter who said it, it didn't add up. "Ah, why haven't I seen it?" Her small deep-set eyes were like two little wells, threatening to drown the old man.
"Maybe it was about to cry, who knows?" The old man, when it came to matters not yet approved by the mistress, always maintained a skeptical attitude.
"Stay out of Nanny Ji's room. At your age, still so flighty!" The mistress's jealousy was as potent as real Shanxi vinegar-the older, the stronger. Of course, the mistress was not blind; she knew that Nanny Ji's appeal was very weak. But she had to guard against it anyway. A hero's suspicions are never too fine. Seeing something that should be killed, even if it's a harmless green worm, strike at once. Besides, Nanny Ji was a woman after all!
The old man caught the implication. He couldn't think of a reply for a moment. He smiled, wiped his round face, made a couple of sounds, looked at the ceiling, and swayed out, round belly leading. He felt neither upset nor pleased; he just let it slide, lukewarmly and vaguely.
Because of Tianci's smile, the Niu household had stirred up such a nest of hooks and loops. Old Niu reduced the number of his visits by half. Tianci had to smile secretly to himself.