Yu Hua - Chronicle of a Blood Merchant

“Of course it was before,” Xu Sanguan said. “Think it over. I’ve been cuckolded for nine years now. And I’ve taken care of his son for nine years despite all that. If I were to pay the hospital bill for your son in addition to everything else, then I’d really be the king of cuckolds.”

Blacksmith Fang could not help but concur with Xu Sanguan’s point of view. So he went to He Xiaoyong and said to him, “Because of you, Xu Sanguan’s been cuckolded for nine years. And he’s raised your son for nine years despite all that. The saying goes that one ought to repay a drop of water with a flood. For the sake of those nine years, you could at least pay my son’s hospital bill.”

He Xiaoyong said, “How do you know Yile is my son? You think he’s mine just because he looks like me? That doesn’t prove a thing. Lots of people look alike.”

When he finished, he went inside, opened up a trunk, and took out his official residence permits to show to Blacksmith Fang.

“Take a good look. Do you see Yile written anywhere on this permit? Do you or don’t you? Whoever has Yile’s name on their residence permit should be the one who has to pay for your son’s hospital bill.”

Since neither Xu Sanguan nor He Xiaoyong was willing to pay, Blacksmith Fang was forced to call on Xu Yulan. “Xu Sanguan says Yile isn’t his son, and He Xiaoyong says he isn’t his son either. Since neither of them will admit that they’re Yile’s dad, you’re the only one left to ask for money. Thank heaven Yile only has one mom.”

When Xu Yulan heard what Blacksmith Fang had to say, she wrapped her face in her hands and began to sob.

Blacksmith Fang stood patiently by her side, and when it seemed that she had cried her fill, he added, “If you don’t pay up, I’m going to have to bring some men over to go through your things and take whatever’s worth any money. And you better believe that I’ll go through with it. I’m not the kind of man who talks big but doesn’t follow through.”

Two days later Blacksmith Fang arrived with two three-wheeled carts and six men to help with the job. His entourage filled almost the entire lane.

It was around noon, and Xu Sanguan was just about to go out the door and back to work when he saw Blacksmith Fang arrive. He knew that this was the day everything in his home would be confiscated. He turned to Xu Yulan and said, “Get seven glasses ready and boil a kettle of water. Any tea left in that canister? We have company. Seven men in all.”

Xu Yulan, wondering who all these people might be, walked to the door to see. When she saw that it was Blacksmith Fang, her face went white and she said to her husband, “They’ve come to confiscate our things.”

Xu Sanguan said, “That doesn’t matter. They’re still our guests. Get the tea ready.”

Blacksmith Fang and his men arrived at the house, parked the carts, and stood by the door. Blacksmith Fang began, “There’s nothing I can do about this. We’ve known each other more than twenty years now, and we’ve always been on the level with each other. But there’s nothing else I can do. My son’s waiting for me in the hospital, and if I don’t pay up, they won’t give him any more medicine. After your Yile smashed my son’s head, did I come to your house and make a scene? No. I’ve sat with my son in the hospital the whole time, waiting for the money. But it’s been more than two weeks, and I really can’t wait any longer.”

At this point Xu Yulan sat down in the middle of the doorstep and stuck out her arms as if to block their entrance. “Don’t come into my house and take my things. This house is my life. I’ve struggled for ten years. I’ve scrimped and saved for ten years. Please, I’m begging you, don’t come in.”

Xu Sanguan said to Xu Yulan, “Come on now. They’re already here, and they’ve even brought the bicycle carts along. It’s not like they would turn around and go home with just a few words from you. Why don’t you get up and make a kettle of tea?”

Xu Yulan stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and went inside to boil the water.

After she had gone, Xu Sanguan said to Blacksmith Fang and his men, “Come on in. Take everything you can move. Just don’t take any of my things. This problem with Yile has nothing to do with me, so you can’t take any of my things.”

Xu Yulan, standing by the stove making tea, saw them come into the house through the door by the kitchen. She watched them rifle through the trunks and remove the table. Two of the men took their stools and set them atop one of the carts. The two trunks she had brought with her to the house as dowry were carried out and piled on a cart, as were the two silk dresses that had also been part of her dowry. She had never been able to bear the thought of actually wearing them; now they were draped across trunks that sat atop a cart.

Xu Yulan watched them take her house apart piece by piece. By the time she had boiled the water and prepared seven cups of tea, there was no table to put them on. Xu Sanguan was helping them haul away the little table where they shared their meals, where their children wrote their homework assignments. They loaded it onto one of the carts. Xu Sanguan, panting from his exertions, straightened and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Xu Yulan’s tears continued to flow. “Can you believe it? Not only is he helping you confiscate our things, but it looks like he’s even working even harder than you too.”

Finally Blacksmith Fang and his men began to remove the bed where Xu Sanguan and Xu Yulan slept. When Xu Sanguan saw what was happening, he hastily interjected, “Wait! You can’t take that bed. Half of that bed belongs to me.”

Blacksmith Fang replied, “This is just about the only thing in this house that’s worth any money.”

Xu Sanguan said, “You took our kitchen table. Half of that table was mine too. You took the table, so why don’t you leave me the bed?”

Blacksmith Fang looked around the emptied room and nodded. “All right. Leave them the bed. Otherwise they won’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.”

As soon as Blacksmith Fang had secured the table and the trunks and all their other household items to the carts with strong rope, his men began to pull them down the lane. Blacksmith Fang said, “We’ll be on our way then.”

Xu Sanguan smiled and nodded toward them.

Xu Yulan, tears streaming down her face, said, “Why don’t you have a cup of tea before you go?”

Blacksmith Fang shook his head. “No, thank you.”

Xu Yulan persisted, “But I’ve already made you a kettle of tea. It’s on the floor by the stove. Have some tea before you go. I made it especially for you.”

Blacksmith Fang looked toward Xu Yulan. “In that case, I suppose we will have a cup of tea before we go.”

They went into the kitchen to drink the tea. Xu Yulan stood by the doorstep. When they were finished, she watched them step past the threshold and out of the house. She watched as they began to pull the carts down the lane. And only then did she begin to cry in earnest.

“I don’t want to live anymore. I’ve had enough of this life. It would be better if I was dead. If I was dead, I wouldn’t have to worry so much. If I was dead, I wouldn’t have to cook and clean for the husband and kids. I wouldn’t be so tired, and I wouldn’t be so sad. If I was dead, I would be happy. I would be even happier than I was before I got married.”

Blacksmith Fang and his men were still pushing the carts down the lane. When Blacksmith Fang heard her lament, he pushed one of the carts to a side of the lane, turned around, and said to Xu Yulan and Xu Sanguan, “Listen, I’m not going to sell these things right away. I’ll keep them at my house for a few days. Even four days would be all right with me. I’ll give you three or four days. If you can come up with the money in time, I will personally bring every single one of your things back and see to it that they’re put exactly where they came from.”