传教士和他的女儿---- 灵与肉（下）

 

故事叙述富有的喜欢生物硏究的英国青年亨利，32年走进神奇的贵州山区，他宣扬真爱，制止血腥与残杀…传播主的福音，受到众多山里基督徒的裸拜和崇敬！

本故亊用基督的仁愛精神与共产党人血腥的“阶级斗争”相对比，彰显仁愛的力量：当共产党人要驱逐亨利牧师时，桀骜的双溪坪教徒爆发了反抗……许多扑朔迷离的山村故事，皆在此书中！

 

Zongming Zhang

张宗銘 著

Translated by Tangjin Xiao

肖唐金 译

 

 

Zhang Zhong and Zhang Yong woke up. Zhang Yong was frightened. He always plunged himself into Mom’s arms at such times, as if there were safety there. But Mom was not there. He sobbed, “Mom isn’t here. Where is she?”

Zhang Zhong looked for Mom in the straws, but she was not there. The two boys were frightened. Was their mom a bandit? Was she being chased by the militia? At this time, the village was in chaos, with human noises, gun shots, dog barks and drums everywhere. Zhang Yong was so scared that he told his brother loudly, “Dear brother, I’d like to wee-wee.”

Zhang Yong was going to burst into epilepsy. He started to have this disease when Daddy was beaten dead by Li Qingshan. He would fall to the ground for minutes, spitting white saliva and losing consciousness. At this time Dai Min tumbled into the hut. Zhang Yong was about to hug her when she shook herself a while and then fell onto the straws.

Zhang Zhong tried to wake up Mom, but in vain. Zhang Yong was in the state of epilepsy, and fell down beside Mom. Zhang Zhong was terrified. He thought Mom dead, and kept crying.

At daybreak the militia came and asked Zhang Zhong, “Did your mom go out last night?”

This was the time for bandit suppression. The children of landlords, landladies, rich farmers and rich farmers’ wives were not allowed to go out at night. Zhang Zhong was aware that his carelessness might lead to Mom’s death. What should he say? He did not know. He just kept crying and shaking Mom.

The militia found Dai Min and Zhang Yong unconscious. They got impatient, asking, “Are you deaf and mute? Why didn’t you give a fucking reply? Damn!”

He kept crying. The militia cursed a while and then left. The sun came out early. As sunlight cast into the hut, Zhang Yong woke up. He also thought Mom dead, and shook her as well. They cried from sunrise to about 10 a.m. Then, Li Qingshan the militia head came with another militiaman. They threw a bloody big dog head into the hut, asking, “Look! Fuck boys! Is this your dog Lai Fu?”

Li Qingshan said doubtfully, “Is it your daddy who incited the dog to follow the bandits? The dog is dead, with a pheasant on its belly. Damn! Why did the fucking dog follow a bandit? We chased the bandits and the dog, and they were killed on the Ghost Cliff. This landlady is unconscious and she may not wake up soon. Why not make her come round with cold water?”

Li Qingshan and the militia left. Zhang Zhong got some spring water from a pot, and made Mom lean against a post. He asked his brother to open her mouth. Then, he poured the sweet water into it. Dai Min made a groan and then fell asleep. The two boys felt relieved. Their mom was not dead.

It was noon when she woke up. She opened her eyes and found the bloody dog head. Its eyes were open, with a blue light and its teeth shown and its tongue sticking out.

Dai Min cried sadly, “Lai Fu!”

Zhang Zhong said, “Li Qingshan came here. He said its new master is a bandit.”

She asked nervously, “Where is its master now?”

Zhang Zhong answered with his head lowered, “He died on the Ghost Cliff as well.”

She made a groan again and lost her consciousness. The boys were frightened. They kept crying and shaking her. She woke up later, and found Zhang Yong’s trousers wet all over. She was aware that he had just had epilepsy. She burst into tears, and hugged the boys, murmuring, “It’s my fault. I haven’t taken good care of you.”

Dai Min did not close her eyes any more for fear of frightening her sons. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She said and ate nothing. The boys fed her some porridge. In two days she got up.

She struggled to go out of the hut. The dog head was decayed, with maggots here and there. She dug a hole on the slope and prayed silently. The boys noticed that their mom was not praying for the dog but somebody. She seemed to wish the dog could bless somebody. She had not been so sad before, even when their daddy died. Why did the dog’s death make her so sad? The boys wondered.

The hole was ready. Dai Min knelt down, and held the dog head respectfully with her embroidered headdress. She put it into the hole and covered it with some mud together with her sons. Later she laid some rocks and grass on its tomb. She kowtowed to the tomb and promised:

“I’ll mourn you sometime in the springs of the years to come. And I’ll build you a better tomb.”

Two days later, Dai Min led her two sons towards the militia sentries. She was not frightened at all. The militia drove her away, but in vain. She moved about aimlessly, looking at holes and rocks from time to time.

The militia thought her mad.

Dai Min met Madame Zhao here. Zhao’s husband used to have three mu of land. He got the land with his savings. When the PLA army came, he heard that the Communists would share his land and even wife. He was worried and joined the bandits in attacking the county town of Huaxi. His deeds were exposed and he was killed. Then, the land was confiscated.

Dai Min asked Madame Zhao whether begging could meet their desire for food, and what she could do since the militia head forbade her to go out.

Zhao blamed her, “What a silly woman! Why are you so tamed? Look at my pot. There is much oil in it. Besides, I have many delicious dishes, such as chili chicken, noodles with pig intestines and blood, twice-cooked pork and stewed pork.”

They looked at the pot. True! There was much good food in it. Since the dog died, the family had lived a poor and starving life. Dai Min felt hungry at the sight of the food, saying, “The food is nice, even with some wild plants put into. It is good, appetizing and nutritious.”

She remarked to Zhao, “Madame Zhao, I’d like to go begging. But I am afraid of being seen by the people of my parents’ village, and I would make them lose face. Also, I’m afraid of Li Qingshan, unlike you.”

Zhao reproached her, “What a fucking man Li Qingshan is! The Communists do not know what kind of man he is, but I know. Isn’t he a mean man? He is the militia head and the village head. So what? Damn! Ask him why you can’t go begging given the Communists forbid people to go whoring, steal and be starved to death.”

Dai Min did not ask Li Qingshan for permission. It was early September. Many children were on their way to school, but the two boys failed to go to school. Before daybreak Dai Min woke up her sons with whispers, “Dear sons, let’s go out.”

The boys knew why they had to leave in the early morning. They used to be rich, but now they went out with a big bowl and a worn-out basket in each one’s hands. They passed by the militia and walked towards the town.