ing, and obey the scholar’s wife. The scholar’s wife has told me that they
are willing to pay from eighty to a hundred dollars for the right sort of woman. I’ve looked
around for one for several days, but without any luck. But your wife is just the woman I’ve
been looking for.’
“She asked me what I thought about it. It made me cry to think of it, but she
comforted me and convinced me that it was all for the best.”
At this point, his voice trailed off, he hung his head and stopped. His wife looked
dazed and remained speechless. There was another moment of silence before he continued,
“Yesterday, Mrs. Shen went to see the scholar again. She came back and told me that
both the scholar and his wife were very happy about the idea of having you and had
promised to pay me a hundred dollars. If you bear them a child they will keep you for three
years, if not—for five. Mrs. Shen has fixed the date for you to go –the eighteenth of this
month, that is, five days from now. she is going to have the contract drawn up today.”
Trembling all over, the wife faltered,
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“Yesterday I went up to you three times, but each time I was afraid to begin. But after
thinking it over I’ve come to realize that there’s really nothing to be done but hire you
out.”
“Has it all been decided?” asked the wife, her teeth clattering.
“There’s just the contract to be signed.”
“Oh, what a poor wretch I am! Can’t we really do anything else?”
“It’s terrible, I know. But we’re poor and we don’t want to die. What else can we do?
I’m afraid this year I won’t even be asked to do any transplanting.”
“Have you thought about Chun Bao? He’s only five. What will become of him
without me?”
“I’ll take care of him. You’re not nursing him any longer, you know.”
He became more and more angry with himself and went out. She broke into
uncontrolled sobs.
Then, looking back upon the past, she remembered what had just happened one year
before: she was lying on her bed more dead than alive after giving birth to a baby girl. The
newborn infant was lying on a heap of straw on the ground, crying at the top of her lungs
and twitching her little limbs. The umbilical cord was wound round her body and the
placenta left by her side. The poor young woman was anxious to get up to wash her baby.
But she could only manage to lift her head while her whole body seemed to remain glued
to the bed. All of a sudden she saw her husband, fierce and flushed, come up to the baby
with a bucket of boiling water. “Stop, stop! ... ,” she threw what little strength she had into
yelling at him. The vicious husband, nevertheless, was uncompromising. Without saying a
word, he held up in both hands the baby with her cry of new life and, like a butcher
slaughtering a small lamb, splashed her into the boiling water. The baby immediately
stopped crying. All was silent except for the sizzling of her flesh in the boiling water. The
young woman fainted away at the heart-rending scene. ◢本◢作◢品◢由◢◢網◢提◢供◢下◢載◢與◢在◢線◢閱◢讀◢
At the painful recollection, she had no more tears to shed, but sighed faintly, “Oh,
what a miserable life!” Chun Bao stared at her, whimpering, “Mummy, mummy!”
On the eve of her departure, she was sitting in the darkest corner of the house. In
front of the stove stood an oil lamp, its light flickering like that of a fire-fly. Holding Chun
Bao close to her bosom, she pressed her head against his hair. Lost in deep thought, she
seemed absolutely came to, and found herself face to face with the present and her child.
Softly she called him,
“Chun Bao, Chun Bao! “
“Yes, mummy!” the child replied.
“I’m going to leave you tomorrow. …”
“What?” the child did not quite understand what she meant and instinctively cuddled
closer to her.
“I’m not come back, not for three years!”
She wiped away her tears. The little boy became inquisitive,
“Mummy, where are you going? To the temple?”
“No. I’m going to live with