Explore Chapter 2 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.
It has been thirty years since San Xiangu was spirit possessed. At that time, San Xiangu was only fifteen, just married to Yu Fu, and she was the prettiest young bride in the surrounding villages. Yu Fu was an honest young man who spoke little and toiled relentlessly in the fields. His mother had died early, leaving only his father. Whenever the father and son went to the fields, the new bride was left alone at home. The young men in the village felt she was too lonely and gradually started keeping her company. In a few days, a large group had gathered, laughing and joking boisterously every day. Seeing this unruly scene, Yu Fu's father lost his temper one day and berated them fiercely. Although he drove the outsiders away, the new bride then turned against him. She cried for a day and a night, refusing to comb her hair, wash her face, or eat. She lay on the kang, and no one could rouse her. The father and son were at a loss. An old woman from the neighborhood hired a spirit medium for her. The medium performed a séance at her home, claiming that San Xiangu had possessed her. She began muttering and calling herself a deity. From then on, she would go into trances on the first and fifteenth of every month. Others started burning incense to her, seeking wealth and cures for illnesses. Thus, San Xiangu's incense altar was established.
When the young men visited San Xiangu, it was less to consult the deity and more to gaze upon her sacred image. San Xiangu secretly understood their intentions. She dressed more freshly, combed her hair more smoothly, polished her jewelry more brightly, and applied face powder more evenly. It was no wonder the young men couldn't help but orbit around her.
This happened about thirty years ago. Those young men from back then have now grown beards. Most have families with children and grandchildren. So, except for a few old bachelors, almost no one has the leisure to visit San Xiangu anymore. San Xiangu, however, was different from the rest. Although she was already forty-five, she insisted on being an aging coquette. She still embroidered her tiny shoes, trimmed the hems of her trousers, and covered her bald crown with a black handkerchief. But alas, face powder could not smooth out the wrinkles on her face, making her look like a donkey dung ball dusted with frost.
Her old admirers no longer came. The few old bachelors could not satisfy San Xiangu, so she gathered a group of children around her. They were more numerous and more playful than her former admirers.