The Complete Works of Lu Xun's Novels

Chapter 33

However, when enjoying the cool summer night, they sometimes talked about their affairs.Some said he died of old age, some said he died of disease, and some said he was killed by robbers who snatched sheepskin robes.Later, someone said that he probably died of starvation on purpose, because he heard from Sister Ajin, the crow head of Jun Bing’s mansion: more than ten days before this, she went up the mountain to taunt them, and fools always If you have a big temper, you will probably get angry and give up eating Sarai, but only one of Sarai will die by himself.

So many people admire Sister Ah Jin very much, saying that she is very smart, but some people blame her for being too mean.

Sister Ajin didn't think Boyi Shuqi's death had anything to do with her.Naturally, it was true that she went up the mountain to make a few jokes, but it was just a joke.Those two idiots lost their temper, so they stopped eating weed, which is also true, but they didn't die, which brought a lot of luck.

"God's heart is good," she said. "When he saw their Sarai, who was dying of hunger, he ordered the doe to feed them with her milk. ②You see, isn't this a great blessing? There is no need to farm, no need to chop wood, just sit , so deer milk is delivered to your mouth every day. But the bastard doesn’t know how to flatter. The third child, what’s his name, is making progress. Drinking deer milk is not enough. He drank deer milk and thought to himself, "This deer is so fat. If you kill it and eat it, the taste must not be bad." While slowly stretching out his arms, he went to get the stone flakes. But he didn't know that the deer is a psychic thing, it already knows the human body. Thinking, she ran away immediately. God also hates their greedy mouths, and told the doe not to go there from now on. You see, wouldn’t they have to starve to death? They were there for my words, but for their own greedy mouths!..."

People who heard this story sighed deeply at the end of the day, and for some reason, even their shoulders felt a lot lighter.Even though I still think of Uncle Boyi sometimes, I seem to see them squatting under the stone wall, opening their white-bearded mouths, desperately eating venison.

Made in December [-].

Sword
一
As soon as Mei Jianchi and his mother fell asleep, the mouse came out to bite the lid of the pot, which annoyed him.He scolded him lightly a few times, which was somewhat effective at first, but then he simply ignored him, biting himself.He didn't dare to rush loudly, for fear of waking up his mother who was tired during the day and fell asleep when she lay down at night.

After many hours, it was calm; he also wanted to sleep.Suddenly, with a splash, he opened his eyes again in shock.At the same time, there was a rustling sound, the sound of claws grabbing pottery.

"Good! Damn it!" he thought, very pleased, and sat up softly.

He stepped out of bed, walked to the back of the door by the moonlight, touched the fire drill, lit a pine light, and shone into the water jar.Sure enough, a big mouse landed in it; however, there was not much water left, and it couldn't get out. It just walked along the inner wall of the water urn, grabbed it, and circled around.

"It deserves it!" He felt relieved when he thought that it was them that bit the furniture every night and made him unable to sleep peacefully.He stuck the pine tree into the small hole in the earth wall and played with it; but the small round eyes made him hate again, so he stretched out his hand to pull out a reed, and pressed it straight to the bottom of the water.After a while, he let go, and the mouse also floated up, still holding on to the wall of the urn in circles.It's just that the grasping strength is not as strong as before, and the eyes are also submerged in the water, only a pointy red nose is exposed, panting rapidly.

He's been a little bit less fond of people with red noses lately.But this time, when I saw the pointed little red nose, I suddenly felt sorry for it, so I used the reed again, and stretched it down its belly, and the mouse grabbed it, and after a rest, it crawled along the reed. come up.When he saw the whole body—the wet black fur, the big belly, and the tail like an earthworm—he felt very hateful again, so he hurriedly shook the reed, and with a plop, the mouse fell into the water jar again. , he then pounded its head with reed a few times to tell it to sink quickly.

After changing the pine light six times, the mouse could no longer move, but it sank and floated in the middle of the water, and sometimes jumped slightly to the surface of the water.Meijianchi felt very pitiful again, so he broke off the reed, managed to get it out and put it on the ground.The mouse didn't move at first, and then took a little breath; after a while, its four legs moved, turned over, and seemed to stand up and run away.This surprised Mei Jianchi, he raised his left foot unconsciously and stepped on it.There was only a squeak, and when he squatted down to look carefully, he saw a little blood on the corner of his mouth, probably dead.

He felt very pitiful again, as if he had committed a great evil, very uncomfortable.He squatted, stared blankly, unable to stand up.

"Chier, what are you doing?" His mother had already woken up and asked on the bed.

"Mouse..." He hurriedly stood up, turned around, but only answered two words.

"Yes, Mouse. I know that. But what are you doing? Killing it, or saving it?"

He didn't answer.The pine light was burnt out; he stood silently in the darkness, gradually seeing the brightness of the moonlight.

"Alas!" his mother sighed, "You were 16 years old when you first gave birth, and your temperament was still the same, lukewarm and unchanged at all. It seems that your father's revenge was not avenged. It's gone."

He saw his mother sitting in the gray-white moon shadow, as if her body was trembling; the low voice contained infinite sorrow, which made him shiver with cold, and in the blink of an eye, he felt the blood boiling all over his body.

"Father's hatred? What kind of hatred does father have?" He took a few steps forward and asked anxiously.

"Yes. I still need you to report. I wanted to tell you a long time ago; I didn't say it because you were too young. Now that you are an adult, you still have the same temperament. What does this teach me? You have a temperament like yours. , can you do great things?"

"Yes. Come on, mother. I want to correct myself..."

"Of course. I have to say. You have to change... Then, come here."

He walked over; his mother sat upright on the bed, her eyes shining brightly in the dark moon shadow.

"Listen!" she said solemnly, "Your father was a famous swordsmith, the best in the world. I have sold all his tools to save the poor, and you can't see any traces; but He is a famous swordsmith who is unique in the world. Twenty years ago, the princess gave birth to a piece of iron②. It is said that she was conceived after hugging an iron pillar. It is a pure green and transparent iron. The king knows it is a rare treasure. , so he decided to use it to forge a sword. He wanted to use it to protect the country, use it to kill the enemy, and use it to defend himself. Unfortunately, your father was chosen at that time, so he took the iron home and kept fighting day and night. It took three years of hard work to train two swords.

"On the day when the furnace was opened for the last time, what a frightening sight it was! When a cloud of white gas sprang up, the ground felt shaken. The white gas turned into white clouds in the middle of the sky, covering the After entering this place, it gradually turned a crimson color, reflecting everything like a peach blossom. In the dark stove of my house, there were two bright red swords. Your father dripped it slowly with well water, and the swords hissed. Roaring, it slowly turned blue. After seven days and seven nights like this, the sword was no longer visible. When I looked carefully, it was still in the bottom of the furnace, pure blue and transparent, just like two pieces of ice.

"The radiance of great joy shone from your father's eyes; he took the sword, and wiped it, and wiped it. But the wrinkle of misery also appeared from his brow and the corners of his mouth. He took the two swords The sword is packed in two boxes.

"'You only need to look at the scene of the past few days, and you will understand that no matter who you are, you know that the sword has been forged.' He said to me quietly. 'Tomorrow, I must go to the king. But the sword offerer One day is the day when I die. I'm afraid we will never say goodbye.'

"'You...' I was astonished. I couldn't figure out what he meant, and I didn't know how to put it. I just said: 'You have made such a great contribution this time...'

"'Oh! How do you know!' he said. 'The king is always suspicious and cruel. This time I have made him a sword like no other in the world. He must kill me, lest I go again Forge swords for others, to match him, or surpass him.'

"I was in tears.

"'Don't be sad. There is no escape. Tears can never wash away fate. I am ready to be here!' His eyes suddenly flashed like lightning, and he put a sword box on my knee Come on.'This is the male sword.' He said.'You keep it. Tomorrow, I will only dedicate this female sword to the king. If I don't come back after I go, then I will definitely no longer be in this world. Haven't you been pregnant for five or six months? Don't be sad. When you give birth to a child, take good care of it. Once you reach adulthood, you will give him this great sword and teach him to cut on the king's neck to avenge me. !'”

"Did father come back that day?" Mei Jianchi hurriedly asked.

"Not back!" she said calmly. "I asked around, but there was no news. Later, I heard that the first person to use blood on the sword that your father forged himself was himself—your father. I was afraid that his ghost would be a ghost, so he killed him. His body is buried at the front gate and the back garden!"

Mei Jianchi suddenly felt like his whole body was on fire, and he felt like sparks were shining from every hair.His fists were clenched in the dark.

His mother stood up, took off the wooden board at the head of the bed, got out of bed and lit a pine light, took a hoe from behind the door, handed it to Mei Jianchi and said, "Dig it down!"

Mei Jianchi's heart was beating, but he dug it quietly, hoe after hoe.What was dug out was loess, about five feet deep, and the color of the soil was a little different, it seemed to be rotten timber.

"Look! Be careful!" said his mother.

Mei Jianchi lay beside the dug hole, stretched out his hand, and carefully picked apart the rotten tree. When his fingertips were cold, as if touching ice and snow, the pure green and transparent sword appeared.He saw the sword target clearly, squeezed it, and lifted it out.

The stars and moon outside the window and the pine light in the room seemed to lose their brilliance suddenly, only the blue light filled the universe.The sword melted into the blue light, and it looked like it had nothing.Mei Jianchi looked carefully, and then he seemed to see that it was more than five feet long, but it was not so sharp, and the edge of the sword was rather round, just like a leek leaf.

"You have to change your Yourou's temperament from now on, and take revenge with this sword!" His mother said.

"I have changed my Yourou's temperament, I want to use this sword to take revenge!"

"I hope so. You are wearing green clothes, and you carry this sword on your back. The clothes and swords are the same color, and no one can see clearly. I have already made the clothes here, and I will go on your way tomorrow. Don't remember me!" She said to the bed He pointed at the broken suitcase behind him and said.

Mei Jianchi took out the new clothes and tried them on, the length was just right.He folded it again, wrapped the sword, put it beside the pillow, and lay down quietly.He felt that he had changed Yourou's disposition; he was determined to go to sleep as if nothing was on his mind, and wake up in the morning without changing his normal state, calmly looking for his sworn enemy.

But he is awake.He tossed and turned, trying to sit up.He heard a long, soft sigh of disappointment from his mother.He heard the first crowing of the cock; he was 16 years old when he knew he had given birth.

two

When Mei Jianchi stepped out of the door with swollen eye sockets, without turning his head, wearing a green robe, carrying a green sword, and striding towards the city, the sun had not yet appeared in the east.Every leaf tip of the cedar forest is covered with dew, which hides the night air.However, when we got to the other end of the forest, all kinds of brilliance shone from the dewdrops, gradually turning into dawn.Looking ahead, one can vaguely see gray-black city walls and battlements.

Mixed into the city with the onion picker and vegetable seller, the street market was already very lively.The men stood in a row in a row; the women poked their heads out of the door from time to time.Most of them also have swollen eye sockets, unkempt heads, and yellow faces that don't even have time to apply makeup.

Mei Jianchi predicted that there would be a great change coming, and they all waited anxiously and patiently for this great change.

He walked straight on; a child ran up suddenly and almost touched the point of the sword on his back, making him sweat with fright.Turning to the north, not far from the palace, people are crowded in dense layers, all stretching their necks.There were voices of women and children crying in the crowd.He was afraid that the invisible sword would hurt someone, so he didn't dare to squeeze in; however, people rushed up from behind.He had no choice but to back away; all he could see were people's backs and stretched necks.

Suddenly, the people in front all fell to their knees one after another; two horses came running side by side from a distance.Afterwards came warriors with sticks, daggers, knives, crossbows, and flags, walking along the road full of yellow dust.Another cart with four horses came, and a group of people sat on it, some of them were beating bells and drums, and some were blowing the name of Lao Shi Zi ① whose names they did not know.Then there was another car, and the people in it were all wearing painted clothes, either old men or short and fat men, all of them were greasy and sweaty.Then came a group of knights with swords and halberds.The kneeling people all fell down.At this moment, Mei Jianchi saw a large yellow-covered cart coming, and sitting in the middle was a fat man in painted clothes, with a gray beard and a small head; at his waist he could vaguely see the same green sword on his back.

He didn't feel cold all over his body, but immediately became hot again, like a raging fire.He stretched out his hands to his shoulders and grasped the hilt of the sword, while raising his feet, he stepped out from the gap in the necks of the lying people.

But he only took five or six steps when he fell headlong, because someone suddenly pinched one of his feet.This fall was pressing on a young man with a shriveled face again; he was afraid that the point of the sword would hurt him, and when he got up to look in surprise, he received two heavy punches in the ribs.He didn't care about it, looking at the road again, not only the yellow-covered chariot had passed by, but even the supporting knights had passed by for a long time.

All the people on the side of the road also got up.The boy with a shriveled face still twisted Mei Jianchi's collar, refusing to let go, saying that he had crushed his precious dantian②, so he had to be safe, and if he died before the age of 80, he would have to die.The idlers immediately gathered around and stared blankly, but no one spoke; later, some people laughed and cursed from the sidelines, but they all echoed the shriveled-faced boy.When Mei Jianchi met such an enemy, he couldn't get angry, couldn't laugh, just felt bored, but couldn't get away.After the time of cooking a pot of millet in this way, Mei Jianchi was already so anxious that his whole body became angry, but the people who watched it still did not diminish, and they still seemed to enjoy it.

The circle of people in front was shaken, and a black man squeezed in, with black beard and black eyes, as thin as iron.He didn't say a word, just smiled coldly at Mei Jianchi, while raising his hand, he gently pushed the shriveled boy's chin, and fixed his face.The boy also looked at him for a while, then slowly let go of his hand, and slipped away; the man also slipped away; the people watching also dispersed boredly.Only a few people came to ask Mei Jianchi's age, where he lived, and whether he had an older sister.Mei Jianchi ignored them.

He walked towards the south; he thought to himself, the city is so lively, it is easy to accidentally injure him, it is better to wait for him to come back outside the south gate, and avenge his father, the place is sparsely populated, it is really easy to use it.At this time, the whole city is talking about the king's tour, the guard of honor, the majesty, the glory of the king, and how low the prostrate is, and should be used as a model for the people, etc., much like the row of bees.It wasn't until they approached the south gate that they gradually calmed down.

He walked out of the city, sat under a big mulberry tree, took out two steamed buns to satisfy his hunger; while eating, he suddenly remembered his mother, and felt his eyes and nose sore, but nothing happened after that.The surroundings became quiet step by step, and he could clearly hear his own breathing.

The darker the sky, the more uneasy he became. He looked ahead as far as he could, but there was no sign of the king returning.The villagers who sold vegetables in the upper city went out of the city to go home one by one with their empty loads.

After being gone for a long time, that black man suddenly appeared from the city.

"Let's go, Mei Jianchi! The king is hunting you!" he said, with a voice like an owl.

Mei Jianchi trembled all over, as if possessed by a demon, he immediately followed him; then he galloped.He stood still and gasped for breath before he realized that he had reached the edge of the cedar forest.There are silvery white streaks in the distance behind, which means the moon has appeared from there; but in the front there are only two phosphorescent eyes of the black man.

"How do you know me?..." He asked in extreme panic.

"Haha! I've always known you," said the man's voice. "I know that you are carrying a great sword and want to avenge your father, and I also know that you will not be able to avenge it. Not only that, someone has already reported today, and your enemy has already returned to the palace from the east gate and ordered you to be arrested."

Mei Jianchi felt sad.

"Alas, mother's sigh is not surprising," he whispered.

"But she only knows half. She doesn't know that I'm going to avenge you."

"You? Will you avenge me, righteous man?"

"Ah, don't use this title to wrong me."

"So, you sympathize with us orphans and widows?..."

"Oh, boy, don't you mention these insulted names again." He said sternly. I don't have what you call in my heart. I just want to avenge you!"

"Okay. But how will you avenge me?"

"As long as you give me two things," said the voice under the two grains of phosphorus fire. "Those two? Listen: one is your sword, and the other is your head!"

Although Mei Jianchi felt strange and suspicious, he was not surprised.He couldn't speak for a moment.

"Don't suspect that I will cheat your life and treasure." The dark voice said again coldly. "It's all up to you. If you believe me, I will go; if you don't believe me, I will stay."

"But why did you avenge me? Do you know my father?"

"I have known your father as I have known you. But I want revenge, but not for this. Tell you, wise boy. Don't you know how good I am at revenge. Yours is mine He is I. My soul has so many wounds I have inflicted, that I already hate myself!"

As soon as the dark voice stopped, Mei Jianchi raised his hand to draw the blue sword from his shoulder, and slashed forward from the back of his neck, his head fell on the moss on the ground, while handing the sword to the black man.

"Hehe!" He held the sword in one hand, pinched his hair with the other, raised Mei Jianchi's head, kissed the hot dead lips twice, and smiled coldly and sharply.

Laughter immediately spread in the fir forest, and a group of phosphorescent eyes flickered in the depths, approaching suddenly, and heard the panting of hungry wolves.The first mouthful tore away the Tsing Yi from Meijianchi, and the second mouthful completely disappeared the body, and the bloodstains were wiped away in an instant, only the sound of chewing bones could be heard slightly.

(End of this chapter)