Ball of Suet: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant

Chapter 29 Miss Feifei (1)
This novel tells the story of a war madman being punished as he should.A brutal Prussian officer who despised France was killed by a French prostitute at a banquet.

Count de Faiensburg was a Prussian major.He had just received a letter and was reading it carefully.At this time, he was leaning back in the armchair, and his booted feet were on the fireplace table.It was a countertop made of marble, smooth and delicate.Still, for three months the spurs on his boots had worn deep pits in the marble there.There are two clear scratches that come into view, and as time goes on, they get deeper and deeper.Three months ago, the castle of Juville was successfully occupied by the army he led.

Not far away, there is a small round table.It is inlaid with fine wood and has a cup of coffee on it.The cup was steaming.A few black spots from cigar burns can be seen here and there on the table.Dripping water wine dried and left marks on it.When the officer was sharpening the pencil, he would also carve some patterns or numbers beside the existing knife marks on the table in a moment of excitement.

After reading the letter, he checked a German newspaper.This was just delivered by the junior officer in charge of the troops' mail.After finishing these tasks, he immediately got up and walked towards the fireplace, picked up a few pieces of green firewood, and threw them into it.Then he turned and went to the window.It was cold and the men in the army were trying to keep warm, so the trees in the garden were slowly disappearing.

It was pouring rain outside.The raindrops are pouring down with the wind, like a thick and dense curtain.The shadows of the water on the ground were blurred, and the splashed mud bounced around.Looking from a distance, the sloping surface, which is as dense as a curtain, seems to form a solid wall, standing upright between the sky and the earth.

The heavy rain is sweeping through the Rouen region of France like an overturned urinal.

The lawn outside the window has long been flooded by rain.In the distance, the river level of the Angdelle Mountain rose sharply and had already crossed the embankment.The young master stared at everything outside the window for a long time.He memorized the drum beats of the Rhine Waltz in his heart, and beat on the window glass involuntarily.Suddenly, the door knocked, and he turned his head to look.An officer came in.He was Adjutant Baron Kelwainstein and held the rank of captain in the army.

Major de Faiensberg was a tall man with broad shoulders.He has a big beard on his face, spread on his chest like a fan.He is not angry but powerful, always reminiscent of a aggressive peacock trying to spread its tail!Once, in the Austrian War, he was cut and unfortunately left a scar on his face.He had blue eyes that looked aloof, but not sharp.I heard people say that as an officer, he was very brave; as a man, he was just and bloody.

Captain Kelvinstein was not tall, with a big belly, a flushed face, and the belt around his waist was always tightly tied.The beard on his face was very short, and the red beard roots were reflected in the light, making his face extraordinarily crimson.He lost two front teeth at some point, but people probably knew it was the result of his nightly indulgence.Therefore, his speech is not very clear and sounds vague.Like a priest with a part of his head shaved, he was bald on one spot, but surrounded by a mass of fair hair, in curls that now and then shone in the light.

This was the sixth cup of coffee since the major got up this morning.He took a quick gulp and drank it all.Then the two men stepped forward and shook hands.At this time, someone came in to report something that happened while on duty.The two of them went to the window together and complained to each other that life here was not satisfactory.Baron Kelvainstein was born a drunkard, but since he came to this remote checkpoint, he has suppressed the habit of seeking pleasure for nearly three months, and he is not feeling well.Major de Faiensberg was different from him.The Major was a married man with a pure heart and few desires.

Someone knocked lightly on the door a few times, the major answered, and the man appeared at the door.Like the rest of the soldiers, his demeanor was rigid.His arrival at this time meant that it was time for lunch.

The major and the captain happened to meet a few people as they went into the hall.They were Lieutenant Otto de Grosling and two ensigns Fritz Scheuinauberg and Marquis Willem de Eric.The Marquis Willem de Eric was a brutal man with fair hair and a small stature.Not only was he merciless towards his enemies on the battlefield, but he also used this tyrannical temper on his own subordinates or soldiers.There is no doubt that his public image is a powder keg.Since they occupied this area, the colleagues around him have given him a nickname - Miss Feifei.Speaking of this nickname, it is not groundless.He is fair, without a beard on his face, and he likes to dress himself up deliberately.He is not tall, and is considered slender among ordinary men, which makes him seem to be wearing a woman's tights.There is also the most important feature, he always likes to use "菲, 菲" fi, which is a French interjection, which means "喵" in Chinese.Expressing extreme contempt for the thing or person in question, followed by a hip-hop whistle.

The restaurant of the Château de Uville is unique, a rectangular room decorated very ornately.The windows in the rooms are crystal glass and the surrounding walls are decorated with Flemish tapestries.However, in just three months, the glass was riddled with bullet holes.The tapestry is full of gaps, some places are badly damaged, and the scattered strips are hanging in the air.The boring person who ruined the display here is Miss Feifei.

There are also several portraits hanging on the wall.There were the president of the court, the cardinal, and soldiers in full armor, all smoking with large china pipes.The most interesting is a portrait of a lady, set in a faded black frame, it looks old.The lady's femininity face in the painting shows an arrogant mood, but there are two big mustaches on her mouth, which looks nondescript.The beard was drawn on with charcoal.

The floor in the dining room is made of oak and also looks old.In such a rainy day, the ground is muddy and it feels like a low-level restaurant.The heavy rain outside continued to lash the ground, and the sight of the occupied area looked heartbreaking.This group of officers was eating their lunch in silence in this messy dining room.

After eating, they went on to drink.This has become a tacit practice between each other, and today is no exception.Bottles of brandy and bottles of shochu were placed in front of everyone, and everyone staggered to drink, and then began to talk about the depression and emptiness of recent days.Each of them had a porcelain pipe dangling from their mouth, and a pipe stem was in front of them.The porcelain pipe was painted colorfully, and the pipe handle was long and curved.Everyone took a sip of wine for a while, and puffed out a puff of smoke for a while, as if to lure the Hottentots.

Miss Feifei was among this group of people, and every time she finished drinking, she always threw the glass on the ground violently, and then the soldiers next to her saw it and brought him a new glass.The other officers had no choice but to refill their drinks after drinking.In fact, they have long since lost interest in drinking, but they always continue in such a boring way.

The restaurant was filled with choking smoke, and everyone was drunk.Although they looked rowdy, everyone was immersed in a kind of dull and dull depression.

Baron Kelwanstein couldn't bear it anymore, stood up "suddenly", and shouted to the others: "My God, we can't go on intoxicated like this anymore, we must find something fun to do Just do it!" His tone was full of excitement, as if he was very dissatisfied with the situation in front of him.

"Captain, what are you talking about?" Lieutenant Otto and Second Lieutenant Fritz asked him together. The faces of the two Germans showed a depressed and rigid expression.

"I think we should have a party, if the commander agrees. What do you think?" The captain thought for a while, and then said.

"What kind of party are you going to have?" the major asked him, drawing out his pipe.

The captain excitedly walked up to the major and said, "Sir, I know there are women in the Rouen area. I want the orderlies to come over and get a group of women back. We have all the food here. Let's prepare a big meal. Have some fun with those women. I can assure you, I'm in charge of it all. We'll have a great night together!"

The major did not agree with his opinion, shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and replied: "My brother, you are really whimsical, you are simply a lunatic." After hearing this, other officers came forward one after another. , surrounded their majors, and said in unison: "Sir, please agree with the captain, life here is too boring!"

Faced with everyone's request, the major was a little embarrassed.After a while, he made a concession and said casually: "That's it, let you do it!" A veteran was then called to the restaurant.This is an old non-commissioned officer. He stands there with a blank expression on his face. It is rare to see him smile on weekdays.He is a person who is willing to carry out orders, and no matter what tasks his superiors assign to him, he can complete them seriously.The captain ordered him a few words, and he withdrew quickly after understanding.About 5 minutes later, in the heavy rain outside the restaurant, a military vehicle drove rapidly, and rushed out of the gate of the castle in a short while.

Seeing the military vehicles going away, the group of people in the restaurant had a new look, and all of them were happy, and they talked happily.

The heavy rain outside never seemed to stop.The major in the dining room reasoned wistfully that the overcast weather might improve.Lieutenant Otto on the side hurriedly spoke up, repeatedly saying that the weather would definitely clear up.Miss Feifei is neither sitting nor standing.He kept walking up and down the dining room, looking for something with his ruthless eyes, as if he had nothing left to break.He just swayed like this for a while, and suddenly his eyes fixed on the portrait of the lady on the wall.In an instant, he drew his pistol.

"You won't be able to see her eyes soon!" After finishing speaking, he quickly sat down on the chair and aimed his pistol at the eyes of the lady's portrait.Two bullets were fired one after another, and the portrait's eyes were pierced immediately.

"Now let's play demolition together!" he shouted impatiently after piercing the portrait's eyes, and the conversation in the restaurant came to an abrupt end.His shout echoed in the room, and people were very interested in the new things he said.

"Blasting" is probably his first creation in the military camp, and it is also a destruction game he often plays.This guy likes to play this best.

The original owner, Count Fernand da Mois du Ville, withdrew long before they took possession of the castle.His family is rich and extravagant, so valuable objects can be seen everywhere in his home.His dining room is connected to the living room, filled with objects, it is like a museum.However, because he fled in a hurry, he had no time to take or hide most of the things, but quietly hid some silverware in the hollow in the wall.

The hall was full of odd and outlandish objects.Paintings, drawings and watercolours nearly covered the walls, and countless bric-a-brac filled the furniture, shelves and vitrines.Glance anywhere there and you'll see porcelain urns from Japan, bust statues, figurines from China, dolls and ivory from Saxony, and glass from Venice.

However, since they took over here, there is not much of those things left.The things here were not taken away by them, and of course the major would never allow this to happen.This is because Miss Feifei always likes to show off his blasting game, while the other officers don't stop him at all, but let him run amok, and draw short and boring fun from it.Over time, the precious items here were destroyed.

The little Miss Fifi brought out a teapot from the living room.The teapot is rose-colored, made in China, the color is a bit light, and it looks very small and delicate.He stuffed a pot full of gunpowder, and fitted a live wire, which he drew from the teapot's spout.Without hesitation, he ignited the wire, ran quickly to an adjacent room, and threw it into it.

Soon, he returned to the dining room and closed the door of the next room.Everyone in the restaurant waited quietly, like a child full of curiosity.After a while, there was an explosion that shook the entire castle.They rushed in frantically, wanting to see what happened.

Miss Feifei directed the prank, so naturally he ran in front of the crowd.Parts of the house are the result of previous damage.This time the explosion obviously has new results.There was a pottery statue of Venus with its head blown off, and Miss Fifi stood there triumphantly clapping her hands.Each of them picked up a broken piece of ceramic, with surprised expressions on their faces.It turned out that the edges of the bombed debris formed a jagged pattern.The major stared at the room, the fragments of the bombed things were densely spread on the ground, just like the tragic scene when Nero ransacked it.Seeing this, his face showed a fatherly tenderness, and he walked back to the restaurant, full of praise: "This time it can be regarded as a great success!" The tone of his speech was clearly full of praise.

The residual gas from people smoking opium in the restaurant just now has not dissipated, and then the smoke and dust caused by the explosion floated here again.Now that group of people couldn't stand it anymore, the pungent smell could suffocate everyone present.The major then opened the window.The other officers drank the rest of the wine and returned to the major.

The water vapor outside the window quickly poured into the restaurant, and the moist gas was mixed with dust, hitting these people's faces head-on.After a while, their beards were covered with water and dust.The floods in the distance were raging everywhere, and the nearby leaves were pressed by the rain, and even the branches were bent.These people standing in front of the restaurant window looked at the valley in the distance.A cloud of mist had gathered there, clinging to the broad, low-pressure clouds.The church in the distance has long been blurred, only the towering bell tower and the spiers of the building flashed in the gray heavy rain.

The church bells have not rung for three months.Since they invaded here, the priests of the local church have expressed their strong dissatisfaction in this special way of resistance.However, the aggressor's other demands were not completely rejected.The priests of the church provided them with everything they needed for daily life and food.In view of this, the Prussian officers had repeatedly invited him to drink together, each time either beer or Bordeaux wine.Anyway, they wanted to win over the priest as their go-between, trying to get him to restore the church bells.However, such requests were strictly rejected by the priest without exception.According to the priest, this is the only way of protest of mild-tempered people who do not want to see the killing, and it is also their unique way.In this non-violent way, the priest represented the dissatisfaction of the people around him, as well as the condolences to the dead compatriots.The steadfastness shown by his silent protest method has won the support and praise of the people.The priest's heroic behavior greatly inspired the entire village, and they supported him without hesitation no matter what the situation was.Everyone in the village realized that this kind of resistance was as important as the battles in Balesford and Strath, and had a bearing on the honor and integrity of the entire nation.In addition, in their view, the village may be immortalized in history because of this incident.As a result, they have shown an unusually tough attitude.Of course, apart from this matter, they rarely refused other requests from the Prussians.

The major and his officers did not interfere too much with this patriotic way of theirs, and even acquiesced to the existence of this way to a certain extent.However, the submissive attitude of the people in this area made the Prussians show great mockery of their bravery.

In Miss Feifei's opinion, the major's tolerance for the priest made him very angry.More than once he tried to compel the villagers to ring the bell, but to no avail.He offered to ring the bell once a day in the Major's presence.In order to keep everyone entertained for a while, he asked to knock only once.But the major never agreed to him.Once, he had no choice but to show courteousness to the major like a woman, and kept begging the major in a delicate voice.At this time, he is like a mistress who wants something but can't get it, so she keeps acting like a baby to the man.But in the face of his "feelings of affection", the major remained calm.In desperation, Miss Feifei played a blasting game in this castle to comfort herself.

The five soldiers stood for a while at the window, breathing a lot of moist, fresh air. "These beauties must not come here in time for the good weather!" Finally, Second Lieutenant Fritz said with a half-smile.

Several of them dispersed one after another, busy with their own affairs.In order to prepare dinner, the captain had to make careful preparations.

(End of this chapter)