Explore Chapter 3 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.
A hint of red appeared on Old Mrs. Niu's sallow face, and quite a few gray hairs had declared independence from her small bun, straggling in all directions. Her slightly sunken eyes emitted a triumphant light that could not be suppressed. Her small feet deliberately moved slowly and steadily, yet inevitably in a fluster. She had found an opportunity to display her abilities-like a hero who, lacking a fitting chance, is like a noble steed forever tethered before the trough. She was preparing to hold the Tianci's Third-Day Celebration, which was more for herself than for the child. Whether the celebration was held or not mattered little to Tianci; now that he had Nanny Ji's two breasts of milk, what else was there to worry about? Old Mrs. Niu had to show her mettle. For years there had been no occasion to manage anything, and this chance could not be let slip.
Leading Old Mama Liu, Sihu, and Old Niu, she arrayed her forces. Old Niu had no objections, but he had not expected things to be so complicated. He thought holding the Third-Day Celebration meant simply inviting a few relatives and friends, hiring a cook to prepare several tables of fish and meat dishes that would leave everyone so full they had to sleep it off. The tasks his wife listed were utterly bewildering to him. There were so many things to do: just the matter of hiring a cook could fill a book. Several small roasted dishes, several main courses, several cold meats, several desserts, several large platters-oh heavens, his wife seemed to be opening a restaurant. Once the menu was set, there was the renting of tables and chairs, and the tables needed coverings, and the coverings came in various types. Old Niu had been in business all his life, but no trade was as complicated as organizing this celebration. His brain felt as if it were swelling, buzzing loudly. He could only follow her commands blindly, agreeing to whatever she said. She had the mouth, he had the legs-off he ran. When he grew too tired from running, he would find a place to nap, to avoid being sent out again upon returning home. Of the several generals under his wife's command, he was the most useless.
Old Mama Liu, though nearly seventy, was very diligent. In one night she polished all the brass fittings on the tables until they shone like electroplated, and replaced all the chair cushions with new covers. Her feet caused her great difficulty, but she was resolute to the point of being willing to fall several times without discouragement. Although both eyes were open, her left was almost blind, serving only to weep, bearing no other responsibility. But that was no problem; if the left eye was useless, the right eye redoubled its efforts. Tilting her head, she fixed her right eye on the task, wiping, washing, sewing, mending, while chirping with her mouth, much like a chick tilting its head in a daze-but never idle. She could not be idle. She had to support her young mistress.
Old Mama Liu worked indoors, while Sihu labored outdoors. That fellow's legs seemed to be machines. On one hand, Mrs. Niu was disappointed in him. He had come to the Niu household at twelve, and the mistress had hoped to train him into an ideal servant. But Sihu simply refused to be trained. At twenty, he still breathed through his mouth, his nose serving only to drip clear mucus. He always spoke as if picking a fight, without a single polite word. His brows were perpetually knitted, sweat beading on his forehead through all seasons. On the other hand, Mrs. Niu could not dismiss him. He was her relative, and besides, he was loyal. His work was not elegant, but he spared no effort. To buy a pound of sugar, he would run back and forth six times. Though this consumed time, it was his legs doing the running, so the mistress was not inclined to be too critical. He never waited to hear clearly before dashing out, then came back to ask again-no wonder he was always sweating!
As Nanny Ji's main duty was nursing the baby, the mistress did not assign her any other tasks. But nursing also had to be done properly-she required intensive training. How to hold the baby, how to address people, how to stand-the mistress taught her everything meticulously. In two days, Nanny Ji's toes had actually turned outward less, and every time she opened her mouth, she tried to change her "um" into "Mistress." Dressed in new blue cloth trousers and jacket, her hair combed neatly, except for her still-puckered mouth corners, she now looked quite presentable.
As for our hero, he truly lived up to expectations. He ate heartily, slept soundly, urinated frequently, and cried loudly, as if he had seized his life's fate and intended to enjoy it in good time. Whenever he cried, six small feet came running-Nanny Ji first, the mistress in the middle, and Old Mama Liu bringing up the rear. Each offered words of comfort, but he paid them no heed, crying willfully until a breast of milk was brought to his lips. He knew he was the hero, the emperor.
The third day arrived. Before the old crows had even finished dreaming, everyone in the Niu household was up. Though the world was full of people, adding a new member to one's own family was a momentous event. If you thought about it carefully, as long as you paid attention to your own affairs, you had little time left to concern yourself with the world. Old Mrs. Niu's selfishness was quite reasonable. A baby's cry made the whole household tremble, and it must be celebrated with sufficient fanfare-a child's cry followed by a dog's bark, and life became real. Old Mrs. Niu was delighted. Her son must be the center of joy for the entire family and all relatives and friends. She dressed herself properly and began inspecting her subordinates. First, Old Niu had not buttoned his mandarin jacket properly, earning an immediate scolding. Sihu still had dirt on his ears-men were simply hopeless! Old Mama Liu was fine except for her constant yawning. The mistress had wanted everyone to rise early to appear energetic, but for some people, the earlier they got up, the less energetic they became. Ideal and reality often clashed like this. Nanny Ji was not bad, but she seemed unhappy, probably thinking of her own child-that was her own doing. Tianci was still asleep, but he had been fully dressed in his finery since midnight: everything new, with a little red cap on his head and a gold longevity star on the brim, looking very unnatural but quite grand.
By the time the inspection was done, it was still dark. By candlelight, the mistress directed the display of gifts. Most of Old Niu's friends were merchants, who had mostly sent framed pictures and couplets. Nine out of ten of the color paintings in the frames were "Spring Dawn at Su Causeway"-the willows were really green, the water truly blue; if you ignored artistic merit, the thick colors were quite pleasing. On Su Causeway stood a young lady holding a parasol, a head taller than the willows. In Old Niu's opinion, this was quite artistic. But the frames differed: some were mottled bamboo, some black wood, some gilt. The mistress designated the gilt ones as first-class, ordering Sihu to hang them in the main hall, with the rest displayed on either side. The couplets all seemed written by the same hand, and the wording was much the same-most often "Trade prospers, reaching the four seas; wealth flourishes, extending to the three rivers." These were hung in the side rooms; the mistress disliked couplets because they had nothing to do with the baby. The gifts from relatives were far more practical: little clothes, little caps, little shoes, and several bolts of fabric. According to rules and discipline, they should have sent millet, eggs, cakes, and brown sugar, but everyone knew that since Mrs. Niu herself had not given birth, such gifts seemed unnecessary. Mrs. Niu was quite satisfied. It would not be worth it if she herself could not use them and they all went to Nanny Ji. These gifts were laid out on the long altar table in the main hall. Once everything was arranged, the cook arrived and began chopping meat with great fanfare, setting all the neighborhood dogs-unfamiliar with such sights-barking. Old Mrs. Niu sighed contentedly. Now this felt right. If you wanted to make your household imposing, you had to get the dogs barking-that was in keeping with rules and discipline.
Old Mama Liu's fingers were all red from dyeing red eggs-almost no one knew how many. If eggs could feel pride, this was their finest moment. Even the tiny, insignificant eggs, once painted red, instantly seemed particularly graceful. Moreover, all the usual words associated with "egg" seemed irrelevant now, replaced by a host of auspicious phrases centered on "red." Old Mama Liu placed the dyed eggs on copper platters, like platters of mysterious precious gems-bright, rich, round, imbued with the auspiciousness of a multitude of descendants. Once the red eggs were ready, she and the mistress studied them carefully. They placed all the items needed for the Third-Day Bathing Ceremony-mugwort water, old scallions, an old coin with a hole, burnt alum powder-around Tianci, making it look very solemn, as if the beginning of a fate was more complicated than the deployment of an entire army. The hopes placed on one small life were boundless.
After eight o'clock, relatives and friends arrived one after another. Old Mrs. Niu's manner of receiving guests was noteworthy. Her attitude was kindness itself: smiling, her old eyes seemingly glistening with a hint of tears, expressing great gratitude to everyone. Yet upon closer inspection, she was smiling to herself. She felt her own capability, and was showing everyone her skill and superiority. To those poorer relatives and friends, she was especially humble and gracious. If they had borrowed money to come and offer congratulations, that only proved her importance and their devotion. Indeed, she had not invited these poor relations; they had come of their own accord. No matter how difficult their circumstances, today they were dressed quite cleanly and brought some gifts. She could not help admiring their efforts-without this, they could not be considered strivers. Wang Er Ma's gown, you could tell by smelling, had just been taken out of the pawnshop; naturally, other items had been pawned in its place. Li San Sao's earrings were of white copper. Zhang Liu Gu's oversized coat was borrowed, a full inch too long. Old Mrs. Niu's eyes caught all these details clearly. She wanted to reward them, but her words were measured: "Oh, I didn't dare disturb the relatives and friends. How can I thank you for coming? Do come and see the baby."
In her heart, she knew-she hadn't intended to invite them at all. They also knew, but they had their own replies: "It's only right! We came to offer our congratulations. If it weren't for that, we would have come yesterday to help you prepare. Relying entirely on you alone-it's truly not easy!"
Talking thus, they entered the exhibition room for Tianci, and everyone cried out in unison: "Oh! How chubby he is! So handsome! He has the look of good fortune!"
In the room, seven or eight old women and young wives had already settled down, surrounding Tianci. Most of them were smoking cigarettes. They all praised Tianci's auspicious appearance, called out loudly to one another, talked about the baby, and yet studied each other's clothing and adornments. The temperature in the room suddenly rose ten degrees. Latecomers continued to enter and view, but the early arrivals had no intention of giving up their seats. Especially the more eminent ones, who sat resolutely beside the baby, as if assuming the air of the Goddess of Children. Tianci, utterly bewildered, only felt suffocated and could no longer sleep peacefully. His small eyes blinked, which only increased everyone's admiration: "Look at those big eyes-as if he understands!"
Male guests, except for close relatives, had no right to examine the baby in detail; they simply sat in the side rooms waiting for the wedding feast. Old Niu's method of entertaining was completely different from his wife's-he had no fixed plan at all. He couldn't think of what to say, yet felt that complete silence was inappropriate. He turned his round face to all sides, smiling. When he had smiled too long, he switched to nodding. When he had nodded too much, he casually said: "Well, isn't that so-have a smoke." He broke out in a sweat, which gave him an inspiration: "What time is it? It's still so hot!" Everyone said: "You're excited, the weather isn't hot." He burst into laughter. Behind him stood Sihu, and whenever he said "Have a smoke," Sihu handed over the cigarette-never bothering to pour tea, because the host hadn't mentioned it. The culture in the side rooms was far lower than that in the main hall. Old Mrs. Niu knew these "potatoes" had come only to eat. She issued a decree: serve the side rooms first.
The food was indeed good. The various shopkeepers temporarily set aside discussions about business, eating heartily until they were drunk and full. All of them had beads of sweat on their foreheads, then picked their teeth with toothpicks, freeing their hands to vigorously wipe their foreheads with hot towels. After polishing their foreheads, they reached for the tobacco pipe, smoking and slipping out in twos and threes.
The women's banquet was far less simple. Each table took at least five or six quarters of an hour. This was very proper, in Old Mrs. Niu's view. However, one thing grieved her: she overheard the low conversations at the various tables, and they seemed highly unfavorable to Tianci. The atmosphere in the room seemed suddenly dim, with a cloud of question marks floating in the air. Old Mrs. Niu attended to one table while watching another: Zhang Liu Gu's thin lips moved as if saying "bastard child." Li San Sao nodded enigmatically. No matter how smoothly you lied, you could not prevent people from making inferences. Especially the women of the same clan: outside Mrs. Niu's line of sight, their noses constantly emitted cold air, which made her feel a chill, as if an electric fan were blowing. Mrs. Niu felt uneasy. She knew that Old Niu was a good-natured simpleton; if they surrounded him, things might become difficult. She had to find a way to bribe them. The most effective method in the world was bribery: if you want to eat meat yourself, you must let others at least gnaw on bones. A hero's success always depends on tossing bones as he goes. A selfish person must eye the meat and decide to throw away the bones. Throw out the bones, and there will be those who volunteer to be dogs. The old lady began to calculate in her mind: to give this one something, to give that one something, to say this to one, to say that to another, to split them apart, then handle them one by one. First, distribute the red eggs-a lead-in. The lead-in signified good luck, and beneath the good luck would come something weighty. Then everyone's noses would naturally warm up and emit warm air.
The strategy worked indeed. After watching the Third-Day Bathing Ceremony, everyone still refused to leave, waiting for dinner. Old Mrs. Niu knew that as soon as they stepped out the gate, their noses would turn cold again, but at parting they were all quite amiable. After seeing the guests off, she sighed-only half the victory! She asked her old man if he had noticed any clues. The old man scratched his head. He only saw that everyone had eaten their fill. He was utterly ignorant of politics. But that was fine-Mrs. Niu could handle everything quietly and let him take the bad reputation. What the old lady failed to see was this: everyone knew that Old Niu was a good-hearted fellow, and she was Zhuge Liang. Clever people have this flaw: they mistake their own pettiness for greatness, unaware that history has never had such a thing. If it did, people's hearts would have shrunk to the size of a bean long ago.