When the bandits were gone, the porters went weak at the knees and sank to the ground. After the firewood burned out, the cave became pitch dark. The wind lashed them like bamboo poles and made their teeth chatter. Mendou missed his home and resented his mother. "All mothers love their children except her!" he thought. "How I wish my dad had been here! Where is he? Did he really die in the pitch-dark Savage Cave?" Late in the night, the wind lulled, and the sound gradually lowered and finally faded in the deep cave. The moon came out from behind the dark clouds and hung over the entrance to the cave, its cold light shining on the white cliff like a blanket of dismal snow. Hungry and tired, they huddled together and fell asleep.
When they woke up, a red sun hung over the entrance to the cave. The warm and bright sunlight dispelled most of their cold and fear. They stretched and swarmed towards the entrance to wait for the sunrise. "Damn it!" Fan Shaoying cursed. "Filled with wild shrieks and howls, this cave is more frightening than the Palace of Hell. We'd better leave quickly, then buy a bowl of corn liquor on credit from a shop to calm our nerves!"
At that moment, they heard the sound of water splashing from further inside the cave. Guisheng stopped and said, "There must be someone! Let's go and see." Lyu Dashu picked up a stick and entered the cave with Guisheng.
After a while, they carried a person out. In the light, the porters saw a girl with a dirty face, bound hands and feet, and torn clothes. Her exposed flesh looked like the leaf lard on the meat counter of Butcher Huang. They all gathered around her. "She was very likely to have been raped by the bandits," Guisheng said, untying her and helping her to stand up. She stood, but immediately collapsed. Lyu Dashu suggested, "Since we have no goods to carry now, we can take turns carrying her on our backs."
"Where shall we carry her?"
"To Meizi. We can't dump her on the roadside."
They all agreed to this suggestion.
Fan Shaoying did not go back with them. After leaving Savage Cave, he frantically ran to Eagle Rock and bought two bowls of corn liquor on credit from a shop. He gulped them down, then dashed off to Wawuliang Ridge. After sitting on a stone in the cold wind for a long while, he finally mustered the courage to knock on the door of Lan Huayan's inn. When the door opened, he stumbled into the room. Lan Huayan was startled. "You came here yesterday," she said. "Why are you back again today? Where are your baskets?" Without saying a word, Fan Shaoying went to her kitchen and lay on a woodpile. She fed him a bowl of brown sugar water and he gradually regained his breath. "We were besieged by bandits at Savage Cave!" he said at length. "Our goods were plundered; Liu Jianba was shoved off the cliff ... " Lan Huayan's face turned pale with fright.
Holding her hand, Fan Shaoying cried, "Death is not so fearful. I was afraid I'd never see you again! Living alone in Wawuliang, you must be so sad and lonely!" Overwhelmed, Lan Huayan shook her hand free and stood by her cooking bench. "When Liu Jianba was shoved off the cliff," he continued, "I thought I'd be the next. I didn't think of my parents. All I thought about was you!" Moved by his words, Lan Huayan steamed rice and stir-fried a dish without saying anything. Fan Shaoying opened his heart to her, saying, "The first time I saw you, I felt you were my woman in our last life ... " It was fortunate that he had survived, or these words would have been buried in the soil.
The fragrance of soft chard in a bowl permeated the room. Lan Huayan wiped and set the table, and called her guests to dine with a smile. She passed Fan Shaoying a bowl of rice at the kitchen door. Shaoying did not take the bowl, but clasped her tightly.
The white geese honked, wanting to enter the house. Lan Huayan tried to shake off his grip, but he buried his head between her breasts and cried aloud.
Lan Huayan was accustomed to seeing the recklessness and rudeness of men, but seldom did she see their tears. She saw guests come and go. They all liked to flirt with her, but no one took it seriously. No man was willing to shed tears before a woman. She was touched by Fan Shaoying's tears. She fetched water for him to wash his face and feet. When she suggested helping him to sleep on the wide bed, Fan Shaoying refused and insisted on staying at the kitchen door.
Lan Huayan pulled him up. "Sleep in my bedroom so as not to catch a cold ... " she said. Her bed was close to a small window, through which the moon shone brightly in and made her quilt glisten. Behind the house, a cluster of wild roses were blooming. Their sweet and intoxicating fragrance wafted into the room with the breeze. After tucking him in, Lan Huayan turned to leave, but she was stopped by one hand. After struggling for a while, she gave up and lay beside him on the bed.
Lan Huayan was lying beside him! However, when he touched her warm body, Liu Jianba's scream reached his ears from Savage Cave, haunting his mind ... He retreated. Lan Huayan's body was like an insurmountable peak. No matter how hard he tried, his spirit and will were not strong enough to support him.
Filled with shame, Shaoying barely slept all night. Two sparrows chirped in a tree with ease and verve. The thunderous snores of the porters in the next room reached his ears. Lan Huayan snuggled up to him meekly, breathing smoothly. The night of Wawuliang was quiet yet vivid. However, when he wanted to release his lust, the horrible Savage Cave emerged in his mind. He felt quite depressed. When he woke from a short sleep, Lan Huayan had already gotten up. She was greeting her guests while cooking dishes.
Lyu Dashu and the others carried the girl to Meizi in turn. When they got to the maidenhair tree, no one was willing to carry her to their own home. Some wanted Mendou to take her home. "Go back home with her," they said. "Let her keep your mother company!" Seeing the girl's dirty face, Mendou turned to run. Guisheng thought to himself, "We walked so far to carry her here. How can we leave her on the roadside?" With the help of Lyu Dashu, he carried her to his home.
Jinman heard about Liu Jianba's death before she stepped out of the lane. On hearing the bad news, she fainted. Many people on the street swarmed to Water Lane to discuss how to help her search for his body and hold a funeral. Mr. Shi's eyes appeared to be empty. As they passed him, his sign shook in the wind. Resting his feet on his stall with his eyes narrowed, he was telling a story to some kids, "One day during the Zhenyuan period of the Tang dynasty, Shi Mou, Salt Official of Jiechi, carried out an inspection of a salt pit. His teenage nephew followed him to watch the scene. His nephew picked up a grain of salt and took it home. Upon hearing this, Shi Mou ordered, 'Flog him to death'."
"He killed his own nephew for a grain of salt?!" the kids exclaimed.
Mr. Shi widened his eyes and said, "It's recorded in the history books. I didn't exaggerate the fact!"
The kids wanted to say something more, but Mr. Shi pillowed his head on the backrest of a rattan chair and slept with his mouth open, snoring thunderously. Feeling bored, the kids went to Liu Jianba's home to see what was happening.
The members of the Liu family wailed aloud. The crowd consoled them, "The old man in Banbian Street said he would die, but Jianba didn't believe him and threatened to throw shit on his stall!"
"Yeah. As they started off, there were cloth floating on the river ... "
A dozen young men were preparing ropes and planning to search for Liu Jianba's body in Savage Cave. Mr. Wu stopped them, saying, "Even birds can't fly across that chasm. Not only will you fail to find his body, you may also lose your lives!" On second thoughts, they saw that he was right. They withdrew their ropes and discussed building a cenotaph beside the street and placing an incense burner table on the Salt Road for him.
Jinman wailed in front of Liu Jianba's cenotaph every night. Like red-hot iron wire, the wails reached Mendou's ears, bringing piercing pain. He thought of his father, Magpie Hua and others. In the past, he had thought that death was far from him, but now he felt it close. In Meizi Town, people were amazed to see that Mendou idly minded the stall like a dead snake after coming back from the Salt Road, and no longer made trouble. Like a knife, Jinman's wails sliced the night of Meizi into pieces, piling on people's hearts like the haze before a rainstorm. The dog also became listless; when meeting a stranger, he only barked at most and no longer exposed his teeth. Even the laughter in the inn would stop when the sound of wailing reached it. Enjoying entertainment at that moment was similar to watching the troubles of others with indifference. After all, as they all had to walk on the dangerous road, misfortune might befall anyone at any time.
Guisheng reluctantly carried the girl to his home, then put her in a pile of corn husks in the middle of the central room. His mother stamped her feet and scolded him, and she was still angry after scolding him more than ten times. Nevertheless, she provided boiled water and food for the girl, and helped her to sit on a straw stool.
Guisheng came in with a bundle of firewood. When he saw the girl on the straw stool, he was stunned. He called to his mother, "Mom, haven't you seen her?"
His mother was confused. "I saw her. What's wrong?"
"Look at her again!"
Out of curiosity, she dropped her poker and looked at the girl again. The girl's appearance dazzled her. She exclaimed, "My boy, you picked up a fairy!"
Upon hearing her loud exclamation, Guisheng's father came in. The girl's appearance dazzled him as well. She had arched eyebrows, pretty eyes, raven hair and pink lips. It was evident from her beautiful face and graceful bearing that she was unlikely to have come from a humble family.
"Hush! After she regains her strength, let's quietly send her back," Guisheng's mother said.
His father drew her aside and said, "She was raped by bandits, and might be pregnant. Hurry up and call Tang Yaomei to roll out the foul bastard."
The girl's appearance dazzled Tang Yaomei as well. She asked Guisheng to seek several strong women from the street, then she took down the door plank with Guisheng's mother and helped the girl to lie on it. Tang Yaomei then took a rolling pin and rolled it back and forth on the girl's belly. After a while, she was drenched in sweat. She sat down to drink some tea, and asked the women to continue the work. They over-exerted themselves, making the girl cry out. Guisheng's mother scolded them anxiously, "Be gentle! She's so tender. Don't treat her like pork."
"If they don't exert enough strength, it won't work," Tang Yaomei retorted.
In tears, Guisheng's mother consoled the girl, "Good girl, endure the pain. If you're pregnant with a bandit's baby, how will you survive?"
The girl pressed her fingernails deeply into the door plank and did not utter a sound. The women finally rolled out some foul liquid.
After giving her a bath, Guisheng's mother said, "Good girl, have a good sleep. Tomorrow is another day." However, the girl slept for three days on end. On the evening of the third day, she finally woke and asked for water. After being fed a bowl of porridge, the girl restored some energy. Guisheng's mother asked, "What's your name? Where do you live? We'll send you home after you're better." The girl shed tears, but did not reply. Guisheng's mother said, "Everything has a name, including cats and dogs. How should we address you?" The girl pinched her lips tightly. Turning round, Gengsheng's mother saw the green ears of wheat outside the fence of the back wall. She suggested, "How about the name 'Wanghe' (Expecting the Seedling)?" The girl lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
After the rain during the Spring Sacrifice, the skies of Meizi became blue and cloudless. In the sunlight, Tang Yaomei's face appeared shell-pink like the color of peach blossoms. Looking up into the sky, she thought to herself, "I need a blue blouse. The color is so pretty." Tang Yaomei had a small wooden case coated with red paint in which she kept some copper coins, silver coins and gold customs units. This was what she had saved from treating illnesses through superstitious means. After taking out the money, she rushed to Hu's store and bought a piece of azure silk, then went to Tailor Luo's store.
As she walked, Tang Yaomei chuckled and covered her face with a cattail leaf fan. She had been married to a man who ran an inn on the Salt Road. When she was seventeen, a Hunanese often visited the inn. After a number of days, they developed an affair. One rainy day, the inn was filled with guests, and they seized the opportunity to escape. When they arrived in Meizi, they met Barber Wang who invited them to stay overnight at his home. At midnight that night, a dozen men dispatched by her husband came to Meizi and searched every inn. They were noisy and Barber Wang heard them. He called out the Hunanese and let him sneak away alone. Afterwards, Barber Wang crept into the room, undressed himself and lay down beside Tang Yaomei. She struggled desperately. Barber Wang whispered, "Hush! Your husband sent some men to search for you here!" Tang Yaomei heard a hubbub of voices ... Helpless, she stopped struggling.
Hence, Tang Yaomei lived in Meizi Town, waiting for the Hunanese. However, out of fear, he never came back. With nowhere to go, Tang Yaomei had to live with Barber Wang.
As a young and pretty girl, Tang Yaomei was reluctant to be Barber Wang's lover. She secretly saved some money and broke off with Barber Wang in front of a witness. After escaping from Barber Wang's control, she learned certain skills from some fortunetellers. Now she lived by treating illnesses and calling upon deities.
Thinking of Mo Laojun, Tang Yaomei giggled behind the cattail leaf fan. The first time she saw Mo Laojun, he was holding a Taoist rite for someone. Wearing a cassock and holding a bell, he performed the rite perfectly. With a fair face and a straight nose, Mo Laojun was a man of great stature who resembled the Hunanese. Tang Yaomei stared at him in astonishment. She almost thought that he was the Hunanese, who had repented and come back for her. As such, on seeing Mo Laojun, Tang Yaomei could not control her inner emotions.
As a widower in his forties, Mo Laojun had sensed Tang Yaomei's thoughts. Although Tang Yaomei was pretty and competent, she should not have destroyed his reputation! Yang Qingping once asked him to cast a spell to search for her husband's whereabouts. After receiving two silver coins from Yang Qingping, he cast a spell in her central room and finally figured out her husband's whereabouts: lying in a dark chasm. Later, after Tang Yaomei came to Meizi, Yang Qingping asked her to perform a divination. She asserted that Yang's husband was not dead; he had become dumb after being poisoned by someone, worked in a kiln and had forgotten the way back. The person she described was quite similar to Qingping's husband. The people in the town said that her abilities were superior to Mo Laojun's! Thus, whenever any accident occurred, they would consult Tang Yaomei first.
Mo Laojun was angry about this. "That woman is nothing special!" he would say. "She just slept with a few fortunetellers and learned some skills from them. How dare she compete with me?" Thus, whenever he met her, he always glanced at her sideways. Moreover, he described her freckles as pits.
Tang Yaomei thought to herself, "You're just an old bachelor in your forties. Any man on the street could be better than you! When my new blouse is ready, I'll put it on, wear rouge and lipstick and let you see me. After all, you're not an otherworldly deity."
With the cloth on her shoulder, Tang Yaomei strode on her way to the tailor's store. On the street, no one paid attention to her. The peasants were not in a leisurely mood. They were annoyed by the weather. As there had been no rain for a long time, they could not plant crops. The planting of crops was seasonal; it should be neither too late nor too early.
People had to carry water from the river. However, due to its exposure to the sunlight for a long time, the river was running dry, and the water level was insufficient to irrigate a patch of kidney beans. In the end, the townsfolk had to draw water from the green pond by the river bend and wash everything in there. As a result, the limpid pond became a stinky puddle.
The old men in the town were worried about it. "If things go on like this, we'll be unable to plant autumn grain crops, and some of us might starve next year," they said. "We must figure out a way." Carrying tobacco pipes, several old men went to visit Tan Ziqian.
Tan Ziqian was the Zhulisheng (Ritual Master) of Fuyuan Hall, and his clerical name was Tan Shanguozi. His ancestral property was considerable. It was a grand and splendid house built of grey brick and tiles in Back Street, with cornices and carved pavilions. Tan Shanguozi's ancestor had been a chieftain. When it came to his grandfather's generation, the Tan family had begun to flourish again through doing business and buying farmland. In his generation, the Tan family became a distinguished family in Meizi and even in Lichuan County.
In the season for rice planting, there was a lack of water in the fields. Tan Shanguozi was anxious as well. Standing in the corridor on the third floor, he looked up into the sky with his hands clasped behind his back. From east to west, north to south, there was no sign of rain. "Damn weather!" he said aloud. "This has lasted for ten days or even half a month!"
On seeing a group of old people swarming into his courtyard, he knew what they had come for. He stomped downstairs. "What can I do? I cannot control the Dragon King (God of Rain)!" he said. Mr. Wu shouted, "I heard that Mo Laojun can pray for rain. How about we ask him to try it?" Tan Shanguozi did not believe that Mo Laojun could have such an ability. However, after hearing what they had to say, he decided to let Mo Laojun have a try.
After achieving fame, Mo Laojun moved his home from the west of the street to the east, and built a flagstone courtyard under an old cassia tree. In front of his gate, there was a piece of land planted with flowers and plants, mostly garden balsam. The girls and women of Meizi pursued beauty, and they often used garden balsam to dye their fingernails. In the garden balsam blooming season, Mo Laojun would intentionally or unintentionally shout across the street, "Garden balsam is blooming. If you don't nip it off now, it'll fall off in the rain!" Thus, girls and women swarmed into his courtyard like a flock of butterflies. He would sit leisurely on a deck chair, drinking tea with his eyes narrowed. Someone whispered, "Look. Mo Laojun is pretending to be asleep!" They not only nipped off the flowers, but also trampled the seedlings. However, the courtyard was still filled with flowers the following year.
Mo Laojun was snoring on a bamboo chair. A mug of Eagle tea was placed on a small stool beside him. The aroma of the tea mixed with the fragrance of the flowers was intoxicating. He fell asleep. A cattail leaf fan was placed on the mug, held down by a small stone.
The old men silently entered his courtyard, and directly lifted the fan from the mug. Mo Laojun suddenly stood up from his chair. "The weather is dry," he said. "If you want to drink water, you'll have to look for it yourselves! This I got from the Old Dragon Cave myself!"
"You're so mean!" they laughed. "No one wants your tea!"
Mo Laojun put his tea in his room and closed the door, then said, "Why have you swarmed into my courtyard?"
"What a leisurely life! The weather is so dry. Why not come up with an idea?" they replied.
Mo Laojun knew their intentions. He slowly sank into the chair. "Anxiety is of no avail. It cannot bring rain!"
"We're here to invite you, aren't we? Take your Taoist tool and go pray for rain!"
With his eyes half-closed, Mo Laojun replied, "Pray for rain? That's easy to say! Empty-handed?"
"I know you want remuneration. We'll go back and raise money! How much do you want?"
Mo Laojun stretched out five fingers. "This much!"
The old men went to raise money from Tan Shanguozi. After raising money from Fuyuan Hall, Tan Shanguozi asked Mr. Wu to deliver the money to Mo Laojun.
Mo Laojun took out his zither and played it idly in the courtyard. The zither was a bass instrument, which sounded like people's voices. Annoyed by the sound, Mr. Wu tossed the money on the chair and said, "You're satisfied now, aren't you? Prepare your ritual implement and pray for rain!"
Mo Laojun did not look at the copper coins on the chair. "I want ten silver coins," he said. "Not a penny less!"
Falling into a rage, Mr. Wu grabbed the coins and made his way back to Tan Shanguozi's home.
On seeing Mr. Wu coming back from a distance, Tan Shanguozi understood. He enjoined some members of Fuyuan Hall to deal with Mo Laojun.
With ropes in their hands, several strong men entered Mo Laojun's courtyard in a threatening manner while he was priggishly plucking at his zither. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tan Shanguozi standing in front of him like an iron tower, with a sullen face. Panic-stricken, he dropped the zither on the ground. The courtyard suddenly fell silent.
"Go and pray for rain with your ritual implement! If it hasn't rained by 11:45, I'll offer your head to Heaven as a sacrifice!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Laojun went weak at the knees. He tottered into his room, put a jingling ritual implement into a cloth bag, then went to the Old Dragon Cave behind the hills.
He always prayed for rain in the Old Dragon Cave.
Before Mo Laojun walked out of his courtyard, the kids on the street shouted, "Come and see! Mo Laojun is going to pray for rain! If he fails, Tan Shanguozi will sacrifice his head to Heaven!"
Like an overflowing stream, more and more people joined the crowd to watch the scene. Led by Blacksmith Zhao's son Damao, a group of kids took off their clothes and waved them overhead. On seeing the clothes over Zhao Damao's head, the crowd knew that the wind was blowing from the east. They were worried about Mo Laojun. "Can he pray for rain in such weather?" they wondered.
Stooping by the window of Tailor Luo, Tang Yaomei was bargaining with him. Tailor Luo felt that Tang Yaomei lightened the entire room, so he was willing to give her a discount.
At that moment, distant drums reached her ears. She lightly kicked the two kids who stood beside her, and said, "Go and see what's happening."
The two kids ran to the street crossing, then ran back.
"Mo Laojun is going to pray for rain in the Old Dragon Cave!"
Tang Yaomei was no longer in the mood to bargain with Tailor Luo. She ran out with the two kids and rushed to the Old Dragon Cave. Disappointed, Tailor Luo hid one piece of cloth in the box beneath his work bench.
When Tang Yaomei arrived at the Old Dragon Cave, Mo Laojun was ready to pray for rain at the entrance. Outside the cave, there was an open plot of grass which was usually green but had withered in the dry weather. Mo Laojun asked Tan Shanguozi to arrange eighteen drummers, with nine drummers on each side holding drumsticks. The crowd stood in a semicircle around the drummers. Mo Laojun put two straw sandals on the ground, one big and the other small, then enjoined the drummers, "The big straw sandal represents the evil dragon in the cave, while the small one represents me. When I start to cast a spell, the two sandals will fight. You need to beat the drums to boost my morale. If you pause midway, all my previous efforts will be wasted!" The drummers understood his meaning, and started to beat the drums. Wearing an octagonal cap and a brown gown, Mo Laojun waved a sword while singing at the entrance. Then he rushed into the cave. After he entered the cave, the sound of fighting arose, as though there were a large number of horses and soldiers inside. The clear blue sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds ... The crowd held their breaths with a horrified look on their faces.
Someone shouted, "Look! The straw sandals are fighting!" The crowd gazed at the two sandals. Strangely, they were indeed moving. They pushed each other, stood on end and fell down ... The rapid beating of the drums enabled the small straw sandal to strengthen its offensive. Irritated, the big sandal ferociously pounced on the small sandal and firmly pinned it down. After struggling for a while, the small straw sandal collapsed on the ground. The overcast sky suddenly became clear, and the blue sky came out again, expanding to the horizons. On seeing this, the drummers fell into a panic and lost their momentum.
Tang Yaomei was so anxious that she rushed to the center of the courtyard, grabbed the drumsticks from the leading drummer and beat the drum violently. Under her leadership, the other drummers also beat their drums violently. The rhythm became intense and fierce ... Gradually, the small straw sandal on the ground started to move again. It suddenly stood up and pushed the big straw sandal away, then pounced on it. Finally, the big sandal collapsed. The sky was overcast again, with more and more dark clouds. Upon seeing this, Tang Yaomei beat the drum more and more fiercely. The onlookers burst into waves of cheers. The big straw sandal lay still on the ground. Heavy raindrops fell from the sky. The crowd jumped for joy, and stuck out their tongues to taste the raindrops.
Tang Yaomei was pleased with herself, her breasts swaying like two round drumsticks. Someone yelled, "Look! Tang Yaomei is beating the drum with four sticks!" On hearing this, the crowd burst into laughter. The drummers tilted their heads to laugh, which affected their drumming ... Tang Yaomei blushed with shame. Distracted, she dropped her drumsticks.
At that moment, the big straw sandal suddenly got up and pounced on the small one. Exhausted, the small sandal was pinned down by the big sandal, unable to turn over any longer.
The drumming became useless. After several struggles, the small straw sandal had no strength to strike back. The crowd looked up into the sky. The rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the annoying blue extended overwhelmingly in all directions. It seemed that the dark clouds could not be gathered. Mo Laojun ran out of the cave and collapsed in a plot of dry field.
The Old Dragon Cave fell into dead silence.
Dropping the drumsticks, Tang Yaomei ran over to him with a scream. She pinched his philtrum and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Dumbfounded, the crowd stared at her in panic. Mo Laojun gradually began to move his feet, recovering a small faint breath. As he came to life, he found himself lying in the arms of Tang Yaomei. Looking at the blue sky and his dumbstruck town fellows, he was shamed into anger and kicked her away. He had not only failed to pray for rain, but also become the laughingstock of everyone! After calming down, he flicked the dust from his clothes and walked over to Tan Shanguozi in an awe-inspiring fashion.
"Offer my head to Heaven!"
Tan Shanguozi heaved a sigh. "That's the will of Heaven!" he said, then turned to go home with his hands behind his back.
As Tan Shanguozi left, the crowd walked away as well, leaving Tang Yaomei and Mo Laojun in the dry field. After stalemating with him for a while, Tang Yaomei suddenly head-butted him!
Mo Laojun got up to run. Like the racing wind, they ran from the dry field to the street, then from Liangtianzi Street to Lord Guan Temple.
In a fluster, Mo Laojun ran into a dead end. With his head in his hands, he begged, "Yaomei, I apologize to you!" Tang Yaomei pounced at him and tore at his clothes. He yelled, "Help!" but then suddenly held his tongue as the soft and warm woman pressed herself against his thin body.
Gradually, she felt that something was wrong, and saw him enjoying himself. Flushing with a rapid heartbeat, she loosened her fist. She was too embarrassed to punch him.
