Yu Hua - Chronicle of a Blood Merchant

Xu Sanguan was forced to agree. If he had been in Laixi’s place, he wouldn’t drink any water either. “If I can’t convince you to the contrary, all I can do is let you do what you think best.”

The three men proceeded to the blood donation room inside the hospital. When the blood chief at Seven-Mile Fort Hospital heard them out, he pointed his finger toward Laixi and said, “So you’re selling your blood to me.” He pointed in Xu Sanguan’s direction. “And then you want me to sell it back to him?”

When he saw them nod, he burst into laughter and pointed at his own chair. “I’ve sat in this chair for thirteen years now. I’ve seen thousands of people come to sell their blood. But this is the first time I’ve ever had someone ask to buy and sell blood at the same time.”

Laixi said, “Maybe this is a good omen. Maybe it means you’ll be in luck this year.”

“That’s right,” Xu Sanguan added. “Nothing like this has ever happened anywhere else either. Laixi and I aren’t even from the same town, but we happened to meet on the road. And it just so happens that he wants to sell blood and I want to buy some. It’s one in a million that we ran into each other, and now we’ve been lucky enough to run into you. Maybe the good luck is catching.”

The blood chief of Seven-Mile Fort unwittingly nodded his head. “Certainly is a real coincidence. Who knows? You might be right. Maybe I’ll get lucky too.” Then he shook his head, “Then again, it’s hard to say. Maybe this year will be disastrous. They say that coming across something strange is sometimes inauspicious. You must have heard the old saying. If a bunch of frogs crosses the street in front of you, or it starts to rain bugs, or if your chicken crows at dawn instead of the rooster, it’s sure to be a bad year.”

Xu Sanguan and the brothers discussed these matters with the blood chief of Seven-Mile Fort for well over an hour before he finally consented to Laixi selling his blood to Xu Sanguan. When they finished the transaction, the three men emerged from the hospital gate, and Xu Sanguan said, “Laixi, we’ll take you to a restaurant to eat a plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine.”

Laixi shook his head. “I only sold one bowl of blood today. I can do without eating the pork livers, and I can do without the wine.”

Xu Sanguan said, “Laixi, you can’t be stingy with blood money. You sold blood, not sweat. If it was sweat, you could drink a bowl or two of water to make up for what you lost. But to restore your blood, you need to have the fried pork livers. Eat. Listen to me. I’ve been through all this before.”

Laixi said, “It’s really not a problem. Didn’t you say selling blood is just like sleeping with a woman? If people had to eat fried pork livers every time they did it, where would that leave you?”

Xu Sanguan shook his head. “Selling blood isn’t the same thing as doing it with a woman.”

Laishun said, “It’s the same thing.”

Xu Sanguan said, “What do you know about it?”

Laishun said, “That’s what you told us.”

Xu Sanguan said, “I may have said that, but it wasn’t true.”

Laixi said, “I’m fine now. My legs feel a little rubbery, as if I walked a really long way, but that’s all. If I rest for a little while, they won’t feel rubbery anymore.”

Xu Sanguan said, “Listen to me. You still have to eat the fried pork livers.”

As they spoke, they came to the spot by the riverside where the barge was moored. Laishun jumped on deck, and Laixi, after untying the rope from a wooden post, also hopped aboard.

Laixi, standing on the deck, said to Xu Sanguan, “We have to deliver the cocoons to the factory now, so we can’t take you any farther down river. We live in the Eighth Production Team just outside of Tongyuan. If you’re ever in Tongyuan, come stay with us. We’re friends now.”

As Xu Sanguan stood on the bank watching them push off into the current, he said, “Laishun, take good care of Laixi. Don’t you believe him when he says he’s just fine. He’s running on empty. Don’t let him exhaust himself. Tire yourself out a little instead. Don’t let him push the barge. And if you get tired and can’t row anymore, just stop and rest by the side of the river. Don’t let him switch places with you.”

“I hear you,” Laishun said.

The barge had already moved out toward the middle of the river when Xu Sanguan addressed Laixi. “Laixi, if you really refuse to eat some pork livers, then make sure you get a good night’s sleep. You know the saying: if you can’t get enough to eat, there’s nothing to do but sleep. Sleep helps you recover your strength.”

The brothers rowed away, waving toward him as they moved farther and farther into the distance. Xu Sanguan waved until he could no longer see the boat, then turned to climb the steep stone steps of the embankment back to the street.

That same afternoon Xu Sanguan left Seven-Mile Fort on a ferry to Changning, where he sold four hundred milliliters of blood. He did not ride the boat after Changning because there was a bus from Changning to Shanghai, and although it was much more expensive than the ferry, he wanted to reach Yile as quickly as possible and to see Xu Yulan. He counted the time on his fingers. Fifteen days had gone by since Xu Yulan had departed with Yile for Shanghai, yet he had no way of knowing whether Yile’s illness had taken a turn for the better or worse. He boarded a bus, and as soon as it began to move, his heart began to pound wildly in his chest.

Xu Sanguan left Changning in the morning and arrived in Shanghai the same afternoon. By the time he found the hospital where Yile was being treated, it was already dusk. He walked into the room where Yile had been staying and saw that there were six hospital beds, five of which were occupied by other patients. One of the beds was empty.

He asked, “Where can I find Xu Yile?”

They pointed toward the empty bed and said, “Right there.”

A huge roaring sound filled his head. Suddenly, he remembered Genlong. The morning Genlong had died, he had sprinted back to the hospital, but Genlong’s bed had been empty, and they had told him that Genlong was dead. Maybe Yile is dead too, he thought to himself. He stood transfixed, then began to sob. His sobs were as loud as screams, and his hands repeatedly swept streams of tears away from his face and onto the hospital bed.

A shout rang out behind him. “Xu Sanguan, you’re finally here!”

Xu Sanguan stopped crying and turned to see Xu Yulan helping Yile back into the hospital room. His tears gave way to laughter, and he said to himself, Yile isn’t dead. I thought Yile was dead.

Xu Yulan said, “What the hell are you crying about? Yile’s feeling much better now.”

Yile really did look much better. He could even walk by himself now. When he had settled back into his bed, he looked up at Xu Sanguan, smiled, and called his name: “Dad.”

Xu Sanguan rubbed Yile’s shoulders. “Yile, you’re so much better now. Your color is much better. You don’t look so pale and gray anymore, and your voice is louder, and you seem to be in good spirits, but your shoulders are still much too skinny. Yile, just now I came in and saw your bed was empty, and I thought you were dead.” As he spoke, tears once more streamed from his eyes.

Xu Yulan gave him a little push. “What are you crying about this time, Xu Sanguan?”

Xu Sanguan wiped his tears away. “Just now I was crying because I thought Yile was dead. Now I’m crying because I know he’s alive.”

Xu Sanguan walked down the street. His hair was white, and he had lost seven teeth, but his eyes were still good and he could see things just as clearly as he always had. And he knew his ears were still good because he could hear things that were happening very far away.