女人和土匪（英译本）：土匪原是洪湖赤卫队队员

 

 

Chapter 24

 

Liu Lijing sat on top of the Baihua Mountain and overlooked the city of Guiyang. On the edge of the city were some thatched houses and vegetable lands. Inside the city were streets, villas, wooden huts and thatched houses. There were many people in the streets. The city looked peaceful indeed, as if immune against wars.

At dusk there were red clouds, but Liu was sad, frustrated and mad. He cursed in his heart. He felt fate played a practical joke on him. He was once blessed with calf love, but then the heated revolution burned it our. He had father and a brother, but he killed them. He decided to be a good man, but the self-criticism campaign made him change his mind. He was happy to find Dai as his lover, but the land reform broke his dream. Now the PLA soldiers were chasing him here and there. He felt life hard indeed. He was tired of life.

His commander Cao Shaohua was captured by the PLA. Liu wanted to rescue him, but he was aware of his incapability given his weak military power at present. He knew he had to die. So why not fight a desperate fight with the Communist troops? He said to himself.

With this thought, Liu felt relieved. He looked at a thatched house by the cliff. There lived an agent of his Xiao Jiutong. Liu had to stay there for his last night in life.

He jumped over a rock and then came to a path on the cliff. He looked down and smelled the fragrance from the vegetable lands. Life wasn’t so bad as he thought. Liu missed Dai. If she were here!

He seemed to be seeing the pretty Dai walking on the vegetable lands. She was so charming that his passion was stirred up, his penis erecting hard.

Liu called to the sky in his heart: Where are you, Dai? She couldn’t stay in Zhang Yunxuan’s house, for both Liu and Dai showed contempt for him. Liu and Dai felt humble as an instinct, but Zhang was mean, dishonest and coward. Why didn’t Dai go back to her parents’ home? Liu had secretly searched for her there many times. Now that Dai’s parents were new farmers and lived a dignified life, why should their daughter live a dog’s life? Dai, weren’t you a woman who cared too much about your face? Liu whispered in his heart.

Liu made a count. It was over half a year since they left each other. He made a mock of himself, “I am just a single man, arranged by my fate. I found a good woman, but we were separated.”

He felt sad when he remembered the village militia chased him. He felt sad when he remembered the death of Lai Fu the dog and his own shoulder injury. He thought dogs were more humane than men. He felt sad when he remembered the first-time warning from Dai: Don’t kill! He left Dai and then lost the chance to meet her again. He was very sad indeed.

Dai was what he missed most. Sometimes he asked himself quietly why he should be so stubborn. He wandered between kindness and evils, and between morality and violence. He felt his conscience biting him.

In fact, Liu was once a farmer’s child growing up around the Honghu Lake in Hubei Province. He was familiar with the country life. The farmers there lived a peaceful life. But since the revolution began, the people began to pursue a life of violence. They suppressed the landlords with violence and looting became common.

Liu’s 40-year-old daddy joined the revolution at the request of his 20-year-old son. They both became leaders in the militia. Liu also wanted to join the revolution, but his daddy asked him to wait until after the harvest of sweet potatoes and rice. Daddy even boasted of making a big stir locally given the three armed men in the family.

Liu wanted to join the revolution for the sake of a girl named Rongrong, half a year younger than him. Rongrong looked mature. That was why she asked him to call her “elder sister.” Liu refused to do so. Daddy encouraged Liu to treat Rongrong well since her family had acres of land and two sailboats. She was a good girl in that sense, wasn’t she?

Liu stayed with Rongrong every day. They got along well with each other. Daddy hinted to Liu:

“Dear son, the other people say that she will become your woman some day. What a good fate you have!”

Rongrong’s family lived mainly on the two sailboats. Her daddy and elder brother had to go fishing and had no time farming. Thus, Liu gave a hand to them. Liu’s daddy and brother took good care of Rongrong’s family.

Rongrong’s parents and brother often brought some dim sum and fruits to Rongrong and Liu when they came back from the outside trips. They then lived a harmonious life together.

There was a small island in the lake near their homes. In winter Liu and Rongrong often hid in the yellow bulrushes and hunted birds there. In autumn they collected lotus there. In summer they caught fish and shrimps in the water. This year, they ploughed a piece of land on that island and grew sweet potatoes there. In time, Liu became a powerful man in the eyes of Rongrong, a man more powerful than the militiamen.

Liu was 15 years old. One morning he dreamed of hugging Rongrong. His erected penis touched her fair belly, and then something white came out. Liu woke up and found something cold in his private parts. He touched it. It was white and thick. Why did this thing come out of his penis? Was he sick? He asked himself. But then he felt comfortable with the secretion.

The sunlight wove into the wooden hut and made ripples on the water. The lake looked beautiful with the birds flying here and there and catching fish in their beaks.

Liu was going to harvest sweet potatoes with Rongrong today. He jumped off the bed and went out. There he saw her. Together they went to a small boat.

It was strange that Liu felt uneasy today. He was attracted by her breasts and figure. She dug out two sweet potatoes, but his gaze fell on her bottoms. She tasted something of the sweet potatoes and felt glad with the sweet taste. She asked Liu to have a taste, but he whispered to himself in his heart:

“Go and tear off her trousers!”

But reason told him to control himself. He had to drive away demons time after time. She moved before him, with her breasts swinging from side to side. Liu stared at her. What a beauty! She was healthy with a rosy face, speaking eyes and a slender figure. She was a fairy in his eyes.

Liu felt uneasy. His penis erected. He had to stay aside for calmness. He breathed hard.

Rongrong came over and sat beside him, poking the soil with a thin branch. It was quite a while before she said sadly:

“I hear that those families who have leased land to the others would be regarded as landlords.”

He replied, “Yes.”

She sprang up, saying, “Then I live in a family of landlords, right?”

Liu refuted, “How could it be so? Shit!”

“My family’s land has once been leased to your family. And now your daddy and brothers are militiamen, so will you.”

“Landlords do not work but exploit. Your parents, brother and you work all the day. How could you be regarded as landlords?”

“But I heard my mom crying last night. My brother said we’d better escape, for many fishing landlords had been killed. Even the three-year-old kids in those families could not avoid the punishment.”

Liu found her family’s boats anchored lonely nearby. His penis was still hard though they were discussing something serious. He dragged her to sit down on the ground. Though the bulrushes poked his bottoms, he protected his penis by crossing his legs together. He was worried that she would leave him. So, he said:

“Rongrong, do you want to leave?”

She replied, “I am unwilling to leave because of you.”

Liu did not understand much of her word, but he was possessed by demons. He only made a casual remark, “Don’t be afraid! I’ll help you.”

“But if I do not leave, my mom won’t leave, nor will my daddy and brother. Then, I’ll hurt my family. The militia would kill all of us.”

Liu was puzzled. He spoke after quite a while, “Will my daddy kill you? How can he do that given our close relationship?”

Rongrong sobbed, “Dear brother, don’t you know your daddy has led the militia in the killings?”

Liu replied, “I think you misunderstood my daddy. He is not that sort of man. He cares much about you. Even if he has killed many landlords, he won’t hurt any of your family. I bet!”

She went on, “Your brother had a higher position than your daddy. Killing the landlords could help them get properties. They wouldn’t miss the chances.”

Liu was angry at this, saying, “How could people act that way? I will be a militiaman later. Will I do that evil thing? No! I’ll protect you well.”

She was moved at this. She said she would go back home and tell her parents and brother to stay. She sat beside him again, remarking, “Let’s make a vow with our fingers, ok?”

Liu did as she required. He lay down on the ground. She did not leave either. They lay down side by side.

Liu was eager to touch her breasts and sit on her. They used to hug each other a lot, but quite naturally. Today he felt uneasy and longed for hugs out of an evil wish. He seemed to hear demons whispering to him: “Go and tear off her trousers and penetrate your penis into her.”

She looked up at the sky and the green mountains. Her hands were moved by Liu to his penis, and his hands pressed into her belly. At last, Liu could no longer control himself. He pressed himself onto Rongrong, saying with a trembling voice:

“Dear, I want to…”

She was still contemplating. She said she was uncomfortable today and did not want to play with him. But Liu pressed her hard, and his hands reached her breasts.

She pushed Liu off her, guarding her breasts and shouting, “What do you want to do?”

He was startled, and his white thing came out of his penis, but the penis was still hard. He was determined to satisfy his lust. He caught her and began to tear off her trousers.

“No! No!” She struggled. Yet, he hugged her tighter and she just pushed and bit him.

Liu tore off her trousers, and got out a big piece of paper out of there. It was stained with blood. He was shocked. He woke up from his violence and stayed away from her.

She got up and tidied up her trousers. Then she wept and cursed, “What a hooligan! You are treating me like a landlord!”

With this word, she ran away tearfully.