Explore Chapter 9 of 'Little Erhei Gets Married' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Er Zhuge shook his head again and again. "Ai! I knew something bad was coming these last few days: the day before yesterday morning, when I went to the fields and just reached the ridge, I met a woman riding a donkey, dressed in mourning clothes. I knew then it was bad. This year, Rahu Star governs my fortune, so I must be cautious of mourning attire disrupting my luck. That's why I dared not go anywhere. Yet, who knew I couldn't avoid it even by hiding! Last night, Second Black's mother dreamed of a temple opera. This morning, a crow landed on the east room and cawed more than ten times... Ai! It's just fate. There's no escaping it." He went on and on in this fretful monologue. The neighbors, growing weary of his rambling, offered a few perfunctory words of comfort before quickly taking their leave.
How could anyone with such troubles sleep? After the neighbors left, none of the three in Er Zhuge's household, save the child bride, could close their eyes. Er Zhuge rubbed his face, then took out three copper coins to cast a hexagram. The result frightened him so that his face turned the color of clay. "Disastrous! Utterly disastrous! The parent element of Chou earth moves out the official ghost of Wu fire. Fire thrives in summer. I fear there's some danger. Ai! When they elected him as youth team leader, I said not to let him take it, but the young rascal insisted on playing the hero! Now they say they'll deal with him according to military law. If he weren't the team leader, how could he have violated military law?" His wife also clapped her hands and stamped her feet, crying, "Oh, you young rascal! Who'd have thought you'd stir up such a mess?" Da Hei tried to calm them: "No use worrying now. What's done is done. I doubt it's a matter of life and death or any serious crime. Since they've taken him to the district office, I'll go there first and ask around. Try to get some sleep." So saying, he lit a lantern and set off.
After sending Da Hei off, Er Zhuge still lowered his head, carefully studying the hexagram he had just divined. After a while, he heard a woman crying in the distance. The crying grew closer. Soon she arrived under the window, pushed the door open, and came in. Before Er Zhuge could see clearly who it was, the woman grabbed him. Crying and making a scene, she said, "Liu Xiude! Return my daughter! Where has your son lured my daughter to? Give her back..." Er Zhuge's wife, already beside herself with fury, seized the chance to vent her anger. She leapt down from the kang and grabbed her. "You've saved me a trip! How dare you show your face here, after you and your daughter led my boy astray! Let's go to the district office and settle this!" The two women grappled with each other. Er Zhuge, trying to pull them apart single-handedly, gave up on his hexagram altogether. Seeing his wife fighting like a woman possessed, San Xiangu lost her nerve. Not daring to prolong the scuffle, she broke free after a short tussle and fled. Er Zhuge's wife chased her out the door, but Er Zhuge hauled her back inside. She kept up her stream of curses unabated.