Chapter 11 Succession

Today is the third day of the first month of the Year of the Horse.Master Wang decided to lie on the bed for an extra hour in the morning to recover the vitality that had been consumed since the New Year.He enjoyed the morning cough and the aftertaste of the Chinese New Year with relish.He has lived this year contentedly, without encountering any ominous omens.He hopes to marry a daughter-in-law in the new year and a grandson in the coming year.He hopes that the family will really prosper from the Year of the Horse.With the same excitement as a businessman planning to increase profits, Mr. Wang lay on his big bed, thinking about the growth of the Wang residence in the next five years.

His hopes were further strengthened by the advice of Mrs. Tan's civics teacher, Ms. Xiao.According to Ms. Xiao, there are two ways to bring Wang Da's photo bride to the United States: one is to apply for an immigration quota, and the other is to wait for Wang Da to become a U.S. citizen.Speaking at the annual banquet hosted by Mrs. Tan, Ms. Xiao said that both routes will take a little time.However, she immediately added some good words, such as "God will bless this young couple". Master Wang is very satisfied with Ms. Xiao's statement; besides, his deceased wife, because her soul is blessed by God, will also be assisted by the gods.Her soul will definitely affect everyone who cares about and helps Wang Zhai grow and prosper.He thought about this, and felt a kind of satisfaction that seemed to have come to him.He changed his position on the big bed, coughed for a few minutes, moaned comfortably, and wondered if he should get up.At this time, he heard Liu Ma cursing someone's voice.He didn't want to stop her cursing, because in this house, apart from his bamboo stick that could only be used to discipline Wang Shan, her cursing seemed to be the only magic weapon for punishment.Listening to Liu Ma's cursing, he nodded approvingly.However, when he found out that Liu Ma was just scolding her deaf husband, he felt that it was a waste of saliva, playing the piano to the cow.

"Mama Liu," he called, "Mama Liu..." Liu Ma was wiping the table and scolding Liu Long in the middle hall, when she heard Master Wang's cry, she hurried into his room to prepare washing utensils for him.Washing his face is one of the main things that Mr. Wang does in the morning, so he requires careful preparation, the temperature of the water in the washbasin must be just right, the soap must be placed in a precise position that he can reach without looking, the towel must be sprinkled with perfume, The toothpaste must be squeezed on the toothbrush, and the toothbrush must be placed on the lukewarm mouthwash cup - all these things must be prepared for him, and everything that Master Wang needs depends on Liu Ma.

When Mama Liu was preparing to wash up for the master, she kept thinking carefully about how to use the most effective way to reveal to the master the news that Wang Da had invited two unwelcome guests into the house.She hated them both, especially the rosy-cheeked young woman who had sourly compared her to a ferocious watchdog at the door yesterday.The more she thought about the girl, the angrier she became.She decided not to tell him about the visitor while the master was washing his face. She needed more time to tell the news, and she must get the master's full attention. When she returned to the central hall, her husband Liu Long was still sweeping the floor vigorously.Because of the guests, she was in a bad mood throughout the morning, so she unknowingly began to curse again, "Liu Long, you are no longer qualified to be a husband, can't you even work hard to be a useful person?" ?”

Liu Long put one hand behind his ear and asked, "Well—" "Don't you know how to sweep the floor well?" She took the broom from his hand and shouted into his ear, "Sweep slowly and gently, don't be like a windmill, whirring and whirling and making the house full of dust! " "Oh—" Liu Long nodded and said. "Well, try again," she said, throwing the broom back into his hand. When Liu Long started sweeping the floor again, his movements remained the same. Liu Ma looked at him and became more and more angry.She closed her lips tightly, and looked at him with her hips crossed, until she couldn't bear to look any longer. "I told you to sweep slowly and gently!" she yelled, stomping one foot. "Look at that table. I just wiped it clean and now it's covered with an inch of dust. Every time you Once I sweep the floor, I have to wipe everything twice. Isn’t my work tiring enough? Do you have to make trouble for me?”

Liu Long handed the broom to his wife and said, "You sweep the floor, I'll clean the table." Mama Liu snatched the broom from his hand, "Oh, why did God punish me like this, and insisted on throwing a trash like you to me?" "Ok--" "I said you're a useless idiot, a deaf and dumb old turtle!" "Oh," Liu Long said, "I heard you say it." He picked up the rag his wife threw to him, and calmly wiped the table. "Oh, my life is miserable." Mama Liu said angrily while sweeping the floor, "One man is worse than the other. And you are the worst one I have ever met." She swept the dust into a pile and swept it to the bottom of the kang.Then she put the broom aside, came back and continued to vent her grievances, "Liu Long, let me ask you, how much did you spend on drinking?"

"How much did it cost? Not a penny." "You lied. Your breath smells like a brewery!" "I didn't drink. I just took a sip from the old man's flagon." "Which old man?" "Ok--" "Which old man did I say?" Liu Ma asked. "Oh, old man Li, the old man who lived in last night." When Mama Liu heard the news, it was like being stung by a wasp again on an already ulcerated wound. "Okay, you useless idiot," Liu Ma tried her best not to raise her voice so that the whole house could hear, "You really shame me! If I see you and that dirty old man again Beggar, please get lost and sleep somewhere else, and never get close to me again!"

"Ok?" "I said, get away from me!" Mama Liu yelled, "Go to the basement and sleep with the mice!" Liu Long's gloomy face suddenly brightened. "Forever?" he asked hopefully. Mama Liu knew that arguing with her husband was simply too much effort.Whenever she quarrels with him, she always gets angrier and angrier, while he gets happier and happier, so that she never seems to be able to win. "Oh, you deaf and dumb old turtle," she said disappointedly, "I'm wasting my life yelling at you!" She sat down on a chair and lit a cigarette, but then she heard another cough.She threw the rag to Liu Long and told him, "Master has finished washing, go and bring the ginseng soup, and take away the rag and bucket."

Wang Qiyang walked into the middle hall while coughing.He decided to drink ginseng soup on the kang every morning from now on, just like the habit in the old Chinese house.He thought it would please the spirit of his late wife if he gradually returned to his old way of life, returning to all his old habits as if nothing had changed.He coughed and slowly sat on the left side of the Kang.Because he was tired all day yesterday, he is still a little tired now.The two consecutive Chinatown banquets gave him a bit of indigestion, and the Cantonese opera show in the evening made him even more exhausted.In a sense, the Spring Festival only comes once a year, which really makes him feel lucky.

"Master, Liu Long has brought you ginseng soup." Liu Ma said, ready to report the bad news of the two uninvited guests. "Come here and beat my back." After Master Wang finished speaking, he turned sideways on the kang. Mama Liu walked to his left and began to beat his back and hit faster drum beats, waiting for the master to ask about household chores. "Hmm, eh." Master Wang murmured comfortably, "What day is it today?" "Saturday, sir." "Well, where is Master Shan this morning?" Speaking of Wang Shan, Liu's mother was in a very bad mood. Even this occasional ally seemed to be a pebble in her shoe. "He is playing with those naughty children on the street as usual. I am really sorry." Worry about him, sir."

"Mother Liu," Master Wang said, "you have been working for the Wang family for more than twenty years. Since the mistress passed away, you are the only woman in the family and I trust. From now on, please take care of Wang Shan. Tomorrow You shut him up in his room and let him read Confucius. Tell him that if he ever plays with the naughty kids in the street again, I'll break his leg." He coughed again, and Liu Mom beat her back quickly, "Is breakfast ready?" "Not yet." Liu Ma said, "The cook is getting lazy. He had another guest last night..." "Tell him, as soon as I finish my ginseng soup, I have to prepare breakfast. Your late mistress said, 'The plan of a year lies in the spring, and the plan of a day lies in the morning.' From now on, I demand that everyone in the family Everyone has to get up early, just like the old houses in China. If anyone misses breakfast, let him tighten his belt and wait until lunch. This point must be made clear to the two young masters." Mama Liu suddenly stopped beating her back.She felt that this was a good time to tell the bad news.She approached Master Wang's ear, and said very mysteriously: "Master, do you know what the young master did this morning? He got up before the sun came out, washed his face early, and put on his clothes. And he has Had breakfast with the servants!" Wang Qiyang frowned slightly, "What? Has he decided to start a new life? Where was he this morning?" "He spent the whole morning with his new friend." Mama Liu said emphatically. "Well, well." Master Wang nodded approvingly, "I'm very happy, he can finally get up early on Saturday morning and socialize with people. Who are these people?" "Two beggars, sir." "what!?" "A dirty old man and his ugly daughter. Yesterday, the young master invited them into the house. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you went out after taking a nap and didn't come back until late at night." "Did they spend the night at home?" "They slept upstairs in the guest room and I was terrified they would bring fleas and bedbugs into the house." "Wash the bedding after they leave." Wang Qiyang said, "What's a beggar? I've never seen a beggar in Chinatown." "They are from China and speak a northern dialect, especially that girl is full of dirty words." "Oh, this unfilial son." Wang Qiyang shook his head and said with a deep sigh, "Since he believed in the teaching of the man crucified on the cross, this place has become a charity house. Last year, he invited Three penniless and poor students lived here for five weeks, and now they are two beggars. I don't care about the students, they are refugees from good families, but those beggars, Mama Liu, pay attention when they leave Spy on them to see if their pockets are bulging." "Don't worry, master." Mama Liu began to beat her back as she spoke, "As long as I keep an eye on it, no one can take a speck of dust out of this house!" Wang Qiyang's cough gradually subsided.He could have enjoyed a day of relaxation after the intense Spring Festival celebrations, but now the news about the beggar disturbed him. "Don't beat your back." He said, "Call the young master over here." "He went out with his new friend, sir. They went out as soon as they had breakfast with us. My God! That beggar girl can eat!" "As soon as the eldest young master comes back, let him come to see me." Wang Qiyang said to Liu Ma while getting up from the kang, "Ask Liu Long to bring the ginseng soup to my room." "Yes, sir." Wang Qiyang returned to his room.After drinking ginseng soup, eating breakfast, and smoking a hookah, he was in no mood to practice calligraphy and English numbers at all.He couldn't figure out where Wang Da got those two beggars.The kid, too, really, should at least have his father's permission before bringing a stranger into his home.After his wife passed away, the sons became more difficult to control.He really hoped that the girl in Hong Kong would always have her own clever way of dealing with men like the deceased lady did.Against him, he recalled that one of her most effective weapons was her "law of boycott."Although that method was not strict enough to make him desire to take a concubine, it was strict enough to keep his behavior from deviating from the track of her will.Now whenever he thinks of the Boycott Act, he can't help nodding his head in admiration.He wondered if that had reduced the number of his offspring.If that was the case, he thought he ought to be happy about it, too.In the modern world, raising more children does not necessarily mean having more children and grandchildren.Maybe Wang Da can have a few more children to make up for this loss. Before lunch, he returned to the middle hall and sat on the kang for a while.The kang and the decoration of the central hall help him recall the good old days of old Chinese houses that have passed away.Perhaps from now on he should develop the habit of meditating on the kang for half an hour before lunch.He closed his eyes, and just as his thoughts flew back to his hometown in Hunan, he heard Mama Liu calling his sister-in-law. "How are you, Mrs. Tan?" "Not good, not bad." Mrs. Tan said, "Good morning, brother-in-law." Master Wang's thoughts were interrupted, and he was a little annoyed.He opened his eyes, "Good morning, wife and sister." Mrs. Tan looked as busy as usual.She sat down on the other side of the kang and said, "Today, I have some important things to discuss with you. Have you had lunch yet?" "Not yet." Wang Qiyang replied. "That's good. Mama Liu, tell the taxi driver not to wait any longer. I'll have lunch here." Mama Liu was setting the table for lunch in the restaurant, she agreed and hurried out. "Brother-in-law, I have good news for you." Mrs. Tan said, sticking a cigarette in the ivory holder, "I have carefully matched the girl's photos. Mr. Feng, the top face-face master in Chinatown, called me With a guarantee, the girl in the photo has five major blessings, but she lacks the blessing of longevity. This girl’s chin is too short, and her face means that she will die young; in addition, I have consulted about her chances of coming to the United States. Apply It will take about ten years for the number of immigrants. It will take five years for Wang Da to become a U.S. citizen, but he will have to wait another five years when he is allowed to immigrate his wife to the U.S., which is ten years in total. Therefore, when When she arrives in the United States, her life span will also be reached..." "Sister-in-law," Wang Qiyang interrupted her angrily, "Is this the good news you brought me?" "I'll tell you the good news right away," said Mrs. Tan.She put down her cigarette, took out the girl's photo from her handbag and returned it to Wang Qiyang. "Please return this photo. Tell the doctor that the engagement cannot be made because of immigration difficulties. If you want, you can pay him a hundred dollars for the trouble of arranging the marriage..." "We can't act hastily like this." Wang Qiyang said, "Chinese medicine practitioners are masters of fortune-telling. If this girl was destined to die young, he would have told me..." "Brother-in-law," said Mrs. Tan, "whether she lives a short life or a long life is not a matter of great significance. Can you wait ten years before Wang Da takes a wife? He will be forty years old, and you will be seventy." , maybe you will never have the chance to see your grandson." "There must be other ways." Wang Qiyang said, "There must be some other ways to get this girl to this foreign land." "Yes, there is another way—an illegal way." Mrs. Tan said, "You can hire an American citizen to do this. The person you hire can go to Hong Kong, marry this girl in name, and take her Come to America and divorce her. It costs a lot of money, and besides, you can never trust a hired man in this kind of thing. It's like asking a stranger to piggyback your relatives across the ocean. Even if this stranger brought it for you, who can guarantee that he will not open the package and steal a dollar or two. And most importantly, it is an illegal way. Do you want your daughter-in-law to Before entering your house, it has been..." "Sister-in-law," Wang Qiyang hurriedly interrupted her, "You're talking too much. Marriage is a sacred thing, so you can't talk so far. What's your good news?" Mrs. Tan took a few puffs of cigarettes, "Do you still remember Mr. Lu?" "Mr. Lu from Shanghai or Mr. Lu from Guangdong?" "The one from Shanghai is the Mr. Lu who was the mayor of Hangzhou." Wang Qiyang remembered that person.He was a friend of Mrs Tan's husband and had worked for the Japanese during the war.Wang Qiyang didn't have a good impression of him. "I remember him," he said, "a guy with a Rendanhu." "He's shaved off." "Well, well, I think his wife must still be that Japanese woman. Any good news?" "Mr. Lu asked me to bring you a verbal invitation—to invite you to attend the shark fin dinner at his house at seven o'clock next Friday night." "Oh, I don't understand, why did he become so hospitable?" "That's why I came to discuss with you." Mrs. Tan said with great interest. "His three daughters have grown up. If he doesn't invite some selected people to eat a few more meals, how can he make a living?" How about they marry into a good family?" "You mean he plans to marry one of his daughters into my family?" Wang Qiyang asked with a frown. "Maybe two." Mrs. Tan said emphatically, "If he knows that your second son, Wang Shan, will grow up soon, he may marry two of your family. But don't worry, he will marry you when he sees you. Wang Shan’s child will no longer have any fantasies. But as far as Wang Da is concerned, I know that old guy has always liked him. Every time I go to his house, he always asks about him. I said brother-in-law, isn’t that Is it as clear as a mirror?" Wang Qiyang doesn't like marriages between different races, and he hates the idea of ​​marrying a half-Japanese girl into the family.He hurriedly said: "I haven't seen his daughters yet..." "The second daughter is pretty good-looking." Mrs. Tan said, her emotions became high again, "Even the former governor of Hebei Province has taken a fancy to her and wants her to be his daughter-in-law, but his stupid son has to choose his own wife Now even that General Liu, who used to be a great warlord in Sichuan Province, has started to make friends with his family, but his son is a playboy who has achieved nothing. If the girl falls into his hands, it will be nothing but a flower On the cow dung. My brother-in-law, if we want to marry that girl, we must act quickly, or General Liu will beat us." "I'm sorry, sister-in-law." Wang Qiyang said, "I can't accept the dinner invitation." "Why?" Mrs. Tan asked, looking quite shocked. Wang Qiyang poured himself a cup of tea from a Jingdezhen porcelain pot, "I can't accept this kind of invitation. In name, I'm inviting friends to a banquet, but in fact, I'm discussing the marriage of my children at the dinner table. I can't accept it. Mr. Lu's I don't know any daughters." "Brother-in-law," Mrs. Tan said angrily, "who at your age doesn't want to hug your big fat grandson and enjoy the fun of playing with him. You don't seem to be interested in this kind of fun. It's incredible !" "I'll just tell you straight, wife and sister." Master Wang said while blowing on the tea, sipping it one mouthful at a time, trying to reduce the intensity of the debate, "I don't want my family to be mixed with foreign blood." "Japanese blood is the fashion these days," said Mrs. Tan. "Many white Americans marry Japanese wives and call them 'dolls,' which is the most affectionate way Americans call their wives. Besides, this The girl is only half of Japanese blood, she is filial, demure, knowledgeable, and not to mention beautiful, she is born to be an ideal daughter-in-law!" "I can't make up my mind, I can't make up my mind." "Mother Liu," Mrs. Tan stood up and called, "Go get a taxi." "Yes, Mrs. Tan." Liu Ma replied in the dining room, "However, lunch is ready..." "Discussion is over. I'm never going to have lunch in this house where everything is so outdated and go hail a cab." "Yes, ma'am." "My brother-in-law," she turned and said to Wang Qiyang angrily, "you will regret it. One day, you will regret not catching that girl!" While blowing, Master Wang sipped his tea and said, "I can't make up my mind, I can't make up my mind." Mrs. Tan left the palace full of anger.It was the first time for her to lose the debate.She could tempt Wang Da to marry the girl back, but it was another thing to lose in the debate, which disturbed her.When she drove to the business district in a taxi, she had made up her mind to come to her brother-in-law's house at night to continue the verbal battle until she won the final victory.