Chapter 5 divorce

"Ah, Uncle Mu! Congratulations on the new year, get rich and get rich!" "Hello, Basan! Congratulations!..." "Ah, congratulations! Aigu is here too..." "Ah, Mr. Mu!..." Zhuang Musan and his daughter—Aigu—had just stepped off the boat from Mulian Bridge, when many voices in the boat buzzed together, some of them clenched their fists and arched; at the same time, the boat There are also seats for four people on the bench next to it.While greeting Zhuang Musan, he sat down, leaning the long pipe against the side of the boat; Aigu sat on his left, and placed her two hook-like feet facing Basan to form a character "eight".

"Eunuch Mu is going to the city?" asked a crab-like face. "I won't go to the city," said Eunuch Mu, looking rather depressed, but because of the many wrinkles on his purple sugar-colored face, he didn't see any major changes, "just go to Pangzhuang for a walk." All the boats were silent, just looking at them. "Is it still about Aigu?" After a while, Basan questioned. "It's still because of her... This really annoys me to death. It's been three years since we've been fighting, how many times we've fought, how many times we've talked about making peace, and it's always going to end..."

"This time, let's go to Master Wei's house?..." "I'd better go to his house. He made peace with them more than once or twice, and I didn't agree. It's nothing. This time it's his family's New Year's meeting, and even the seven adults in the city are here..." "Master Seven?" Basan's eyes widened. "Has the old man come out to speak?... That is... Actually, last year we tore down their stoves, [2] finally let out a sigh of relief. Besides, when Aigu went back there, in fact Well, there is no smell..." He rolled his eyes down.

"I don't want to go back there, Brother Basan!" Aigu raised her head angrily and said, "I'm just angry. Think about it, if the little bastard fucks with the little widow, he doesn't want me. It's so easy." What? The old bastard only knows how to help his son and doesn’t want me. It’s so easy! How about the seventh master? Could it be that he exchanged posts with the county magistrate[3] and stopped talking? He can’t be unreasonable like Mr. Wei. It's good to say that it's good to be separated. I'd like to tell him about my difficulties in the past few years, and let's see who the seven masters say is good!"

Basan was persuaded and couldn't speak again. The only sound was the gurgling of the bow; the boat was very still.Zhuang Musan reached out to touch the pipe and filled it with cigarettes. Diagonally opposite, a fat man sitting next to Basan took out a lighter knife from his belly pocket, lit the wire, and pressed it on the pipe for him. "That's right." ①Mu San nodded and said. "Although we are just meeting for the first time, Uncle Mu's name has already been known." The fat man said respectfully. "Yes, there are three or sixty-eight villages along the coast. Who doesn't know? The Shi family's son married a widow, and we already knew. Last year, Uncle Mu took six sons to demolish the stove in his house. No one would say Should?...Your old man can walk in even the rich and powerful, and your steps are open, so I'm afraid of them!..."

"You uncle is really cool," Ai Gu said happily, "Although I don't know who you uncle is." "My name is Wang Degui." The fat man said quickly. "It's impossible to get rid of me. It doesn't matter if you are the Seventh Master or the Eighth Master. I will always cause their family to be ruined! Didn't Master Wei persuade me four times? Even Dad can see the compensation money I'm a little dizzy..." "Damn you!" Mu San whispered. "But I heard that at the end of last year, Shi's family gave Mr. Wei a banquet, Eighth Eunuch." Crab Shell said.

"That's not a problem." Wang Degui said, "Can the banquet be so crowded that people will faint? If the banquet can make people faint, so what if they send big dishes[4]? Their knowledgeable people are just to speak for others. For example, when a person is being bullied by others, they will come out to speak the truth, regardless of whether there is a drink or not. At the end of last year, Uncle Rong from our village came back from Beijing. He has seen big scenes, unlike us countrymen. He just Say, the first character over there is Mrs. Guang, and it's hard..." "The guests from Wangjiahui are going ashore!" The boatman shouted loudly, and the boat was about to stop.

"There is me, there is me!" The fat man immediately took the pipe, jumped from the middle cabin, and walked ashore with the advancing boat. "Yes!" He also nodded to the people in the boat and said. The boat moved on in a new silence; the sound of the water was audible again, gurgling.Basan began to doze off, and gradually opened his mouth towards the hooked foot on the opposite side.The two old women in the front cabin also hummed the Buddha's name in a low voice. They picked up the rosary, looked at Aigu, and looked at each other, pursed their lips, and nodded. Ai Gu stared at the roof of the tent, most likely thinking about how the troubles in the future would ruin their family; the "old beast" and the "little beast" were all desperate.She didn't pay much attention to Mr. Wei. She had seen him twice, but he was just a short man with a round head: there are many such people in this village, but his face is purple and darker than his.

Zhuang Musan had already smoked to the end, the fire made the oil in the bottom of the bucket squeak, and he was still smoking.He knew that as soon as he passed Wangjiahuitou, he would arrive at Pangzhuang; and the Kuixing Pavilion at the entrance of the village could indeed be seen.Pang Zhuang, he has been there many times, insignificant, and Mr. Wei.He still remembered how his daughter came back crying, how hateful his in-laws and son-in-law were, and how they suffered later.Thinking of this, the past scene unfolded in front of his eyes. He always smiled coldly when it came to punishing his in-laws, but this time he didn't. The situation in his mind was squeezed out of order.

The boat continued to move forward in the continuous silence; the unique sound of chanting Buddha became louder; everything else seemed to be immersed in meditation with Uncle Mu and Aigu. "Uncle Mu, you should always go ashore, Pang Zhuang is here." When Mu San and the others were alerted by the boatman's voice, Kuixing Pavilion was already in front of them.He jumped ashore, Aigu followed, passed His Excellency Kuixing, and walked towards Master Wei's house.Go south and walk past the front of thirty houses, turn another corner, and you will arrive. You have already seen four black-covered boats moored in a row at the door.

When they stepped through the black oil gate, they were invited into the concierge; behind the gate, two tables of boatmen and long-timers were already sitting.Ai Gu didn't dare to look at them, she just took a look, but there was no sign of "old beast" or "little beast". When the workers brought out the rice cake soup, Ai Gu couldn't help feeling more and more embarrassed, and she didn't even understand why. "Is it possible to exchange posts with the county magistrate and don't speak human words?" she thought. "A person who is knowledgeable speaks the truth. I want to tell the seventh master in detail, from the time I married and became a daughter-in-law at the age of fifteen..." She finishes her rice cake soup; she knows the time will come.Sure enough, after a while, she had already followed a long year, and her father passed the hall, turned again, and stepped into the threshold of the living room. There are many things in the living room, she didn't have time to look carefully; there are many guests, but the red and green satin horse hangings are shining.The first person I saw among these people must be Master Seven.Although he is also round-headed, he is much bigger and bigger than Mr. Wei; his big round face has two slender eyes and a thin black beard; the top of his head is bald, but his skull and face are rosy and shiny. shine.Ai Gu was very surprised, but immediately explained herself: it must have been rubbed with lard. "This is the fart plug [6], which is stuffed in the butthole of the ancients when they were buried." The seventh master was holding a rotten stone-like thing, and as he spoke, he wiped his nose twice, and continued. , "It's a pity that it's a new pit. You can buy it, at least it's Han. You see, this is mercury immersion..." Immediately, several heads gathered around "Mercury Baptist", one of them was naturally Mr. Wei; there were also a few young masters, because they were crushed by the majesty, they looked like flat bugs, Ai Gu hadn't seen them before. She didn't understand the latter paragraph; she had no intention and didn't dare to study "mercury dipping", so she took a look around and saw "Old Bastard" and "Old Beast" standing behind her against the wall next to the door. Little beast".Although it was only a glimpse, compared to when I saw it by accident half a year ago, it was clearly older. Then everyone dispersed from the "mercury dip"; Master Wei took the "fart plug", sat down, rubbed it with his fingers, and turned to talk to Zhuang Musan. "Is it just you two?" "yes." "None of your sons came?" "They have no time." "Originally, there is no need to come to work for you in the first month of the new year. But, it is only for that matter... I think you have had enough trouble. Hasn't it been more than two years? I think that enmity should be settled rather than knotted." .Since Aigu's husband is wrong and her parents-in-law don't like it....It's still the same as I said before: it's better to get separated. I don't have such a big face, so it doesn't make sense. The seventh master is the one who loves to speak the truth, and you know it. Now Master Seven also meant the same thing: the same as me. But Master Seven said, let’s recognize the bad luck on both sides, and asked the Shi family to add another ten yuan: ninety yuan!" "..." "Ninety yuan! It's not so cheap even if you go to court with the emperor's uncle. Only our seven adults are willing to say that." Master Seven opened his narrow eyes, looked at Zhuang Musan, and nodded. Ai Gu felt that the matter was a little critical, and she wondered why her father, who was usually feared by the coastal residents, was so speechless here.She thought it was unnecessary; since she heard the discussion of the Seventh Master, although she didn't understand it very well, somehow she always felt that he was actually kind and approachable, not as scary as she had imagined before. "Miss Seven is very knowledgeable and understandable;" she became brave. "It's not like us country people. I have no place to complain about my grievances; I just want to talk to the Seventh Master. Since I got married, I have really bowed my head in and bowed my head out, and there is no lack of courtesy. They are just against me. Like killing Zhong Kui in anger [7]. The weasel killed the big rooster that year. I didn’t close it there, okay? It was the mangy dog ​​that killed the head and stole the bran and bibimbap, and opened the door of the chicken cabinet. Then The little bastard doesn't distinguish between black and white, so he put his face between his mouth..." Master Qi glanced at her. "I know there's a reason for that. This can't escape Master Seven's enlightenment; a person who knows everything knows everything. He just fell in love with that bitch and wants to drive me out. I'm Sanchaliu It was ordered by ceremony[8], and brought in a sedan chair! Is it that easy?...I must give them a good look, even if they go to court, it doesn't matter. It doesn't work in the county, but there is also the government..." "Those things are known to the Seventh Master." Master Wei raised his face and said. "Aigu, if you don't turn your head, there is nothing cheap. You always look like this. You see how much your father understands; neither you nor your brothers are like him. If the lawsuit is brought to the government, is it true that the government will Don’t you want to ask the Seventh Master? At that time, it was a matter of business, that is,...you are just..." "Then I will fight for my life, and everyone will be defeated." "That's not a matter of desperate efforts," Master Seven said slowly. "You are young. One should always be kind: kindness makes money. Right? If I add ten yuan, it is already unreasonable. Otherwise, the in-laws say go! They have to go. Not to mention the mansion, it is Shanghai. Beijing, even overseas, is like this. If you don’t believe it, he just came back from the Beijing Foreign Language School, so ask him yourself.” Then he turned to a young master with a pointed chin and said, “Isn’t it?” "Indeed." The pointed-jawed young master hastily straightened his body, and whispered respectfully. Ai Gu felt that she was completely isolated; her father didn't speak, her brothers didn't dare to come, Mr. Wei was originally there to help them, and the Seventh Master was unreliable, and even the young master with a sharp chin hummed like a flat bug, and even played the "Shunfeng Gong" .But in her bewildered mind, she seemed determined to make a final struggle. "How can Master Qi..." Her eyes were full of surprise and disappointment. "Yes... I know, we are rough people, we don't know anything. I blame my father for not knowing the world, and he is always in a daze. Just let them be at the mercy of old and small animals; they will rush to announce the funeral Going into a dog's hole, currying favor with people..." "Master Seven, take a look," the "little beast" standing silently behind her suddenly spoke. "She's still like this in front of grown-ups. But at home, she's making a lot of trouble. Call my father an old beast, and call me a little beast, an escaped child ②." "That bitch who abused a hundred thousand lives called you the escapee?" Aigu turned her face and said loudly, and then said to the Seventh Master, "I still have something to say in front of the public. How can he have a nice voice?" , Talk about being a bitch, but shut up about being a bitch. Ever since I met that bitch, even my ancestors have been involved. Master Seven, you criticize me, this..." She shuddered and shut her mouth quickly, because she saw Master Seven suddenly rolled his eyes upwards, his round face tilted up, and a loud and swaying sound came out from his mouth surrounded by slender beards. "Come——come!" said the Seventh Master. She felt that her heart stopped, and then it started beating wildly, as if the general situation had gone, and the situation had changed; as if she slipped and fell into the water, but she knew it was really her fault. Immediately, a man in a blue robe and black vest came in, standing still in front of Master Seven, with his hands down, like a wooden stick. The whole living room was "silence".Master Seven moved his mouth, but no one could hear what he said clearly.However, the man had already heard it, and the power of this order seemed to have penetrated into his bone marrow again, he pulled his body twice, as if "stunned"; while agreeing: "Yes." He took a few steps back before turning over and walking out. Ai Gu knew that something unexpected was about to come, and it was never expected or prevented.At this time, she realized that Master Seven is really majestic, and it was all her misunderstanding before, so she was too presumptuous and rude.She regretted it very much, and couldn't help saying to herself: "I originally only listened to Master Seven's orders..." The whole living room was "silence".Although her words were as subtle as silk, Master Wei felt as if he heard a thunderbolt; he jumped up. "That's right! Master Seven is really fair; Ai Gu really understands!" He praised Zhuang Musan, "Old Mu, then of course you don't have anything to say, she has already agreed. I miss you red and green Post [9] must have been brought, I informed you. Then, everyone bring it out..." When Aigu saw her father, she reached into her belly pocket for something; the man who looked like a wooden stick also came in, and handed a small black flat thing in the shape of a little turtle[10] to Master Seven.Fearing that things might change, Ai Gu hurriedly went to see Zhuang Musan, and saw that he had already opened a blue cloth package on the coffee table and took out foreign money. Lord Seven also pulled off the head of the little turtle, and poured something from the body onto the heart; the man who looked like a wooden stick took the flat thing.Master Seven immediately dipped a finger of that hand into his palm and stuffed two plugs into his nostrils, and his nostrils and his middle were immediately scorched yellow.He wrinkled his nose and seemed about to sneeze. Zhuang Musan is counting foreign money.Master Wei took a little out of the uncounted pile and handed it back to the "old beast"; he also switched the two red and green postings, pushed them to the two sides, and said: "You all put it away. Old Mu, you have to count the number. This is not a good thing, it's about money..." With the sound of "uh chirp", Ai Gu knew that Master Seven had sneezed, but she couldn't help turning her eyes to look.I saw Master Seven with his mouth open, still wrinkling his nose, but the two fingers of one hand were holding something, which was "the thing that the ancients stuffed in the butthole when they were buried", rubbing against the side of the nose. With great difficulty, Zhuang Mu cleared the foreign money at three o'clock; both sides put away the red and green posts, everyone's waists seemed to be much straighter, and the faces that were originally tightened were relaxed, and the whole living room suddenly seemed to be in harmony. "Okay! The matter is complete." Master Wei said with a sigh of relief when he saw that they were both showing farewell expressions. "Then, hum, there's nothing else. Congratulations, you've finally untied a knot. Are you leaving? Don't leave, drink New Year's wedding wine at our house: this is rare." "We won't drink it anymore. Save it and drink it next year." Ai Gu said. "Thank you, Mr. Wei. We won't drink anymore. We still have something to do..." Zhuang Musan, "Old Bastard" and "Little Bastard", all said, and exited respectfully. "Huh? What's the matter? Why don't you drink some?" Master Wei said, still watching Aigu who was walking last. "Yes, no more. Thank you, Mr. Wei." November 6, 1925. ①"Yes yes" is the abbreviation of "I'm sorry, I'm sorry", or the chorus of "offend offend": Unknown. ——Author's original note. ② illegitimate children. ——Author's original note. [1] This article was originally published in the fifty-fourth issue of the Beijing "Yusi" weekly magazine on November 23, 1925. 〔2〕Removing the stove was a custom in the rural areas of Shaoxing and other places in the old days.When a dispute arises among the people, one party dismantles the other party's pot and stove, thinking that this is a great insult to the other party. 〔3〕Exchanging Posts In the old days, friends were in touch with each other and became brothers with different surnames. Everyone wrote their names, birthdays, hometowns, family backgrounds, etc. on the posts, and exchanged and saved them with each other. This is called exchanging posts. 〔4〕Da Cai is the old common name for Western food. [5] Kuixing Pavilion is dedicated to the attic of Kuixing.Kuixing was originally the common name of Kuixing, one of the so-called twenty-eight constellations in ancient Chinese astronomy.At first, there was a saying "Kui Zhu Wenchang" in the Weishu "Filial Piety Jing Yuan Shen Qi" written by the people of the Han Dynasty. Later, Kuixing was attached to be the god who ruled the name of the family and the rise and fall of the cultural movement. 〔6〕"Fart plug" In ancient times, small jade and stones were often used to stuff the deceased's mouth, ears, nose, anus, etc. after death, which is said to keep the corpse alive for a long time.The stuffed in the anus is called "fart plug".The gold, jade and other things buried for sacrifice were excavated by later generations. Those unearthed soon are called "new pits", and those unearthed for a long time are called "old pits". rotten; unearthed buried gold, jade and other objects, stained with mercury spots, called "mercury immersion". [7] "Killing Zhong Kui with Qi" According to the old novel "The Legend of Catch Ghosts": Zhong Kui was a talented scholar in the Tang Dynasty.The folk idiom "killing Zhong Kui with anger" (meaning fierce appearance, ugly face, etc.) comes from this. 〔8〕Three teas and six ceremonies mean that the Ming media is getting married.In the old customs of our country, tea was often used as the dowry gift when marrying a wife, so women's engagement is called accepting tea.According to the forty-fourth volume of "Tianzhongji" written by Chen Yaowen in the Ming Dynasty: "Every tea tree planted will bear fruit, but it will not regenerate when transplanted. Therefore, tea must be used as a gift for the customary bride, and the righteousness is inherent." "Six Rites", according to "Rituals · Shihunli" (marriage after fainting), that is, Nacai, asking names, Naji, Nazheng, asking for a date, and welcoming six ceremonies. 〔9〕Red and green posts are the posts exchanged between the two families when men and women got engaged in the old days. [10] Refers to the snuff bottle.Snuff is a powdered smoke inhaled through the nostrils.