Mo Yan - Frog

Chen Bi also jumps up and moves across the stage on his crutches, stops, supports himself on one crutch and beats Second Man with the other.

The men in black break free of Chen Bi and his dog and flee to the edge of the stage, where they draw daggers. Chen Bi and his dog stand together.

Chen Mei stands downstage, forming a triangle with Chen Bi and his dog.

CHEN BI:( roars ) Let my daughter go!

FIRST MAN:You old derelict, you drunk, you scoundrel, you old beggar, how dare you claim her as your daughter!

SECOND MAN:You say she’s your daughter. Call her and see if she responds.

CHEN BI:Mei… my poor, suffering daughter.

CHEN MEI:( coldly ) You’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not who you think I am.

CHEN BI:( agonising ) Mei, I know you hate your dad. I let you down, I let your sister down, and I let your mother down. Your dad caused you all great pain. Your dad is a sinner, a good-for-nothing, a man stranded on the line between life and death.

FIRST MAN:Is that what you call a confession? Is there a church nearby?

SECOND MAN:There’s a newly renovated Catholic church twenty li east of here, following the river.

CHEN BI:Mei, your dad knows they tricked you. Your dad’s old friends have cheated you, and I’m going to help you get justice.

FIRST MAN:Step aside, old man.

SECOND MAN:Come with us, Miss. We promise you’ll get to see your baby.

Chen Mei walks towards the men in black. Chen Bi and his dog block her way.

CHEN MEI:( angrily ) Who are you to block my way? I want to go see my baby, don’t you know that? He hasn’t had a drop of milk since the moment he was born, and if he doesn’t eat soon, he’ll starve, you know that, don’t you?

CHEN BI:Mei, you hate me, I understand that. You say you’re not my daughter, I can live with that. But don’t go with them. They sold your baby, and if you go with them, they’ll throw you into the river to drown, then make up a story that you threw yourself in. They’ve done that before, and more than once.

FIRST MAN:I think you’ve lived long enough, old man. You can’t smear us like that.

SECOND MAN:How can you spout such rubbish? Murderous, ugly butchery like that does not exist in our society.

FIRST MAN:You’ve been watching too many videos in roadside shops.

SECOND MAN:You’re delusional.

FIRST MAN:You’ve turned socialism into capitalism.

SECOND MAN:Turned good people into bad ones.

FIRST MAN:Turned good will into donkey’s guts, pure malice.

CHEN BI:You’re the donkey’s guts, cow parts, filth vomited by cats and dogs, the dregs of society.

SECOND MAN:How dare he accuse us of being the dregs of society! You’re a pig that feasts on piles of garbage. Do you know what we do?

CHEN BI:Of course I do. I not only know what you do, but what you’ve done.

FIRST MAN:I think we ought to invite you down to the river for a cold bath.

SECOND MAN:Tomorrow morning, people who come to burn incense and choose dolls will discover that the old beggar that asks for alms in front of the temple is not around. Even his crippled dog will be missing.

FIRST MAN:No one will care.

The men in black attack Chen Bi and his dog. The dog is killed, Chen is knocked down. They are about to stab Chen to death when Chen Mei rips off her veil to expose a hideous face; her shriek terrifies the two men, who leave Chen Bi and run off.

Curtain

An enormous round table, set for a meal, sits in the yard of a peasant’s house. At the rear of the stage, a banner proclaims: ‘Celebration of Jin Wa’s first month’.

Tadpole, dressed in a glossy silk Chinese-style jacket embroidered with the words (good luck) and (long life), greets guests at the gate.

Tadpole’s elementary school classmates Li Shou and Yuan Sai, plus Tadpole’s cousin, enter, each intoning pleasantries and the traditional words of congratulations.

Gugu, in a deep red gown, enters in the company of Hao Dashou and Qin He.

TADPOLE:( welcoming ) We’re glad you’ve come, Gugu.

GUGU:How could I not come when the Wan family has a new son?

TADPOLE:It is only through the efforts of Gugu that Jin Wa has come to the Wan family.

GUGU:You flatter me. ( looks around, smiles ) No exceptions. ( The others seem puzzled. ) Except for these two ( points to Hao and Qin ), all of you here came into being with my two hands. I can tell you how many warts there are on all your mothers’ bellies. ( laughter all around ) Why aren’t you people seated?

TADPOLE:Who would dare sit down before you?

GUGU:Where’s your dad? Have him come out and take the seat of honour.

TADPOLE:He’s been a little under the weather the past few days, so he’s gone to my sister’s to get over it. He said to give you the seat of honour.

GUGU:I cannot refuse.

EVERYONE:It’s only right.

GUGU:Tadpole, you and Little Lion are both over fifty, and you have a bouncing baby boy. While that won’t get you into the — it’s Guinness, right? — the Guinness Book of World Records , it’s the first time in my five decades of delivering babies. That makes this a joyous occasion.

The other guests join in, some saying Joyous occasion , others saying A miracle.

TADPOLE:All thanks to Gugu’s medical genius.

GUGU:( emotionally ) In her youth, Gugu was a dyed-in-the-wool materialist, but now, an old woman, she’s grown increasingly idealistic.

LI SHOU:There ought to be a place in the history of philosophy for idealism.

GUGU:Hear that? There’s a big difference between the educated and the uneducated.

YUAN SAI:We know nothing about idealists and materialists, we’re all coarse people.

GUGU:There may be no ghosts and spirits in the real world, but divine retribution definitely exists. For Tadpole and Little Lion to be blessed with a son in their fifties proves that the Wan family had built up considerable merits in past lives.

COUSIN:Gugu’s medicine also helped.

GUGU:Sincerity can work miracles. ( turns to Tadpole ) Your mother lived a miserly life, but things are better for your generation. You have plenty of money, and now this joyous addition. It’s time to change and show some generosity.

TADPOLE:You needn’t worry, Gugu. Though we have no camel’s hump or bear’s paw, there is more than enough meat, fish, and fowl here for everyone.

GUGU:( examines the table ) Seven plates and eight bowls, that looks like plenty. But what about liquor? What’s there to drink?

TADPOLE:( reaches under the table and takes out two bottles of Maotai ) Maotai.

GUGU:Real or fake?

TADPOLE:I got it from Liu Guifang, manager of the municipal guesthouse. She guarantees it’s real.