Explore Chapter 18 of '老张的哲学' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Li Ying had truly joined the Salvation Army. Wang De still could not find a job. Apart from asking his father for a few more dollars, he remained full of pride, unwilling to lower himself to any work. Li Ying went out in the morning and returned in the evening. When there were parades or meetings, she sometimes came back very late. Wang De's comings and goings were irregular. When he learned that Aunt Zhao was out, he would try to go out later or return earlier to have a few words with Li Jing. Li Jing had advised him several times to go home and help his father manage the land, to be an honest farmer, which was no less comfortable than working in the city. Wang De initially evaded with words. But once he could not control his tongue. He said:
"Sister Jing! I have two aspirations that I must achieve. First, to do some work in the city. Second, to marry you. If either fails, I will die!"
Wang De had said these words thousands of times in his dreams, but never dared to speak them to her. Today he said them, and broke into a sweat. It was as if a long-blocked river had found an outlet. Everything in his heart surged uncontrollably, like overflowing water.
Wang De knew his aunt's kindness and sternness. The blood in his heart boiled up and turned into tears in his eyes. Li Jing's eyes also grew moist. They used their joined hands to wipe their tears. Unsure whose hand was wiping whose tears.
"Is that so? Your uncle wouldn't listen. He insisted on giving you those rotten persimmons yesterday. Look, are you sick now!" The kind old woman began to worry. "Good child, go lie down. Leave the things here. What do you want to eat? Aunt will make it for you. Right, you like tender boiled eggs. I'll buy them! I'll buy them!"
"Don't worry about me. I'll go buy them! Sun Shandong's little shop has big red-shelled eggs, this big." Aunt Zhao gestured with her hands, as if the eggs were as big as a teapot. After saying this, she spread her feet sideways. Her wide sleeves flapped like an old swan that couldn't fly, and she ran out.
She thought of her deceased parents, her uncle, Li Ying, Wang De... She didn't want to cry, afraid of hurting her aunt's heart, but couldn't stop... She didn't want to think, yet shadows of many people, an inch long, swirled in her mind... Forgetting Wang De, for whom was she crying? For Wang De? But her thoughts were not only of him!...
If love had no bitterness, where would sweetness be savored? If love had no tears, from where would laughter fly? Love is mysterious, precious, necessary. Without it, the world is but a patch of withered grass, a stretch of yellow sand. To cry, laugh, and be bewildered for love is meaningful, real! If people cannot attain the freedom to love, all other freedoms are false. Without the love between the sexes, all love is empty. Now Li Jing cried, savoring the sweetness of love! Her heart was like a flower about to bloom in the cold. Determined to release its fragrance, beauty, and brilliance regardless of all else! She was like a lone goose flying in dark clouds, calling mournfully for her mate! She herself did not know why she cried, what she thought, what she was ashamed of, or what she hoped for. Only these indescribable emotions are the dwelling place of love. Love arises from these conscious sweet feelings. Gradually uniting with those of the opposite sex, and then becoming perfect. In such a state, one is like a blind poet sitting among flowers at night, savoring unspeakable fragrance. Only drops of dew, soaking his sleeves, like lovers' tears!
Aunt Zhao put the eggs in a small iron pot to boil. She wiped her tears with her hands and blew on the steam from the pot to see how many times the eggs rolled in the boiling water. She kept saying, "The girl likes them tender, likes them tender..." She kept talking, forgetting the time. When she fished out the eggs, one had already cracked.
The most intense family revolution in China is when children refuse food given by their elders. Eat nine and a half if given ten; otherwise, you might as well be reborn as a foreigner. Li Jing did not want to upset her aunt. She slowly ate the eggs. Then she roused herself to help her aunt with chores, but her aunt stopped her.
"Is that so? Eating eggs always cures you! When I was young, with my in-laws alive, eggs? I couldn't even get a feather! My stomach was always half-empty. I only hoped your uncle would take me back to my parents' home for a few days to eat something. One meal and I'd be fine! My in-laws weren't bad to me. But they had to set rules for their daughter-in-law. Luckily, there was your uncle. If not for him, I would have starved to skin and bones! Speaking of your uncle, now suffering like this. If Heaven wore glasses, it would never fail to see good from bad! Jing'er! When your uncle comes back, ask him for a dollar. Buy something for your uncle and send it to him. That brother of mine, he treated me so well. I can never forget him!"
Wang De did not go far. He only wandered around the Huguo Temple. Sometimes he entered the temple. Staring through the broken hall doors at the unlucky Bodhisattvas missing robes and hats. Estimating that Aunt Zhao had gone out, he hurried back. Gently opening the street gate, he went to his room first. In case his aunt had not left, so he could go out again. In his room, imitating detectives from novels, he pressed his ear against the wall to listen for any movement in his aunt's room. After listening for a long time, with no human voices or dog barks, he slowly opened the door and softly called, "Sister Jing!"
Kissing is something barbarians do in broad daylight. Civilized people do not. Or if they do, it's in the shadows. Now these two barbarized men and women actually did this. What can I say? I have nothing to say!
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