Explore Chapter 3 of 'The True Story of Ah Q' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
However, although Ah Q was often victorious, it was only after he had been slapped in the face by Zhao Taiye that he became well-known.
He paid the constable two hundred cash for the wine and lay down in indignation. Later he thought, "The world today is too lawless-son beating father..." Then he suddenly recalled the prestige of Zhao Taiye, and now that he was his son, he gradually became complacent. He got up, humming "The Little Widow Visits Her Husband's Grave" as he went to the tavern. At that moment, he felt that Zhao Taiye was a cut above the rest.
Strange to say, after this, everyone did indeed seem to treat him with greater respect. Ah Q, perhaps, thought it was because he was the father of Zhao Taiye, but in fact it was not so. It was the custom in Weizhuang that if A Qi beat A Ba, or Li Si beat Zhang San, such things were never a matter of common talk. Once it became the talk of the town, the beater became famous, and the beaten also gained reflected fame. As for the fault lying with Ah Q, that went without saying. Why was that? Simply because Zhao Taiye could not be in the wrong. But since he was in the wrong, why did everyone treat him with extra respect? This is hard to understand. To make a far-fetched interpretation, perhaps because Ah Q claimed to be a clansman of Zhao Taiye, although he was beaten, people still feared there might be some truth in it, and so it was safer to treat him with respect. Otherwise, it was like the sacrificial ox in the Confucian temple-though it was just a beast like the pigs and sheep, once the Sage had eaten of it, the ancient scholars dared not touch it.
One spring day, he was walking drunk along the street when, in the sunlight at the foot of a wall, he saw Wang Hu sitting bare-backed, catching lice. Suddenly he felt his own skin itching. This Wang Hu, who was both scabby and bearded, was called "Wang the Scabby Beard" by everyone else. Ah Q, however, omitted the word "scabby" and held him in great contempt. In Ah Q's opinion, scabs were not remarkable; it was that full beard that was truly extraordinary and hard to look at. So he sat down side by side with him. If it had been any other loafer, Ah Q would not have dared to sit down so casually. But by the side of this Wang Hu, what did he have to fear? To tell the truth, his willingness to sit down was, in itself, an honor to the other.
Ah Q also took off his tattered coat and searched through it. But whether because it was newly washed or because he was careless, after a long time he only caught three or four lice. He looked at Wang Hu, who was catching them one after another, two or three at a time, and popping them into his mouth with a cracking sound.
At first Ah Q was disappointed, then he grew indignant: That despicable Wang Hu had so many lice, while he himself had so few-what a disgrace! He wanted to find one or two big ones, but there were none. After much effort he caught a medium-sized one, and put it bitterly into his thick lips. He bit down hard with a "pop!" but it was not as loud as Wang Hu's.
Although Ah Q had been treated with more respect recently and had become more arrogant himself, he was still timid when meeting the seasoned loafers. But this time he was exceptionally bold. Did that full-bearded fellow dare to speak so rudely?
Ah Q thought he was going to run away, so he rushed in and threw a punch. Before the fist reached its target, it was caught. With a tug, Ah Q stumbled forward, and immediately Wang Hu seized his queue to bang his head against the wall as usual.
Wang Hu apparently was no gentleman; he paid no attention, but gave him five bumps one after another, then gave him a hard push that sent him sprawling more than six feet away. Only then did he go off, satisfied.
In Ah Q's memory, this was probably the first great humiliation of his life, because Wang Hu, with his shortcoming of a full beard, had always been the one mocked by him, and had never mocked him, let alone laid hands on him. But now he had actually laid hands on him, which was quite unexpected. Could it be, as the talk in the market had it, that the emperor had abolished the imperial examinations, so that there was no more need for licentiate and provincial graduate, and therefore the Zhao family's prestige had waned, and consequently they all looked down on him?
From afar came a man-another of his adversaries. This was the man that Ah Q most detested, the eldest son of Qian Taiye. He had previously gone to town to study in a foreign-style school, and somehow later went to Japan. After half a year he returned home, his legs straight and his queue gone. His mother had wept bitterly a dozen times, and his wife had jumped into the well three times. Later, his mother told everyone, "His queue was cut off by some scoundrels who got him drunk. He could have been a high official; now he'll have to wait until it grows back." But Ah Q refused to believe this and insisted on calling him "The Fake Foreign Devil," also "a traitor who collaborates with foreigners." Whenever he saw him, he would curse him silently in his heart.
What Ah Q "most detested and abhorred" was his false queue. To have a false queue meant losing the qualification to be a man; and the fact that his wife did not jump into the well a fourth time proved she was not a good woman.
Unexpectedly, this baldhead was holding a yellow-lacquered stick-what Ah Q called a "mourning staff"-and came striding over. In that instant, Ah Q knew he was about to be beaten. He quickly tensed his muscles, hunched his shoulders, and waited. Sure enough, there was a crack, and it seemed to hit him squarely on the head.
In Ah Q's memory, this was probably the second great humiliation of his life. Fortunately, after the cracking sounds, it seemed to him that a matter was settled, and he actually felt lighter. Moreover, the heirloom "forgetfulness" worked its magic. As he walked slowly, by the time he reached the tavern door, he was already somewhat cheerful.
But from the opposite direction came The Little Nun from the Convent of the Shrouded Lady. Even ordinarily, Ah Q would curse when he saw her, let alone after such humiliation. Thus memories arose in him, and the spirit of vengeance surged again.
The Little Nun paid no attention at all, just kept walking with her head lowered. Ah Q came close to her, suddenly reached out to stroke her freshly shaved scalp, grinning foolishly, and said:
The people in the tavern burst out laughing. Seeing that his exploit was appreciated, Ah Q grew even more elated:
The people in the tavern laughed again. Ah Q was even more delighted, and to satisfy those connoisseurs, he gave her cheek a hard twist before letting go.
In this battle, he had long forgotten Wang Hu and The Fake Foreign Devil, as if he had avenged all of today's "bad luck." And strangely, he felt lighter all over than after the cracking sounds, as if he were floating on air, about to take flight.