The Missionaryand His Daughter 傳教士和他的女兒（二）

作家按語：《傳教士和他的女兒》（原書名：裸拜）！故事敘述富有的喜歡生物硏究的英國青年亨利，32年走進神奇的貴州山區，他宣揚真愛，拯救生命、製止血腥與殘殺…在邊遠的貴州山區建立了基督教堂，傳播主的福音，他的美德和仁愛精神，使他受到眾多山裏基督徒的裸拜和崇敬！

作品引領喜歡旅遊和民族風情的歐洲人、美國人進入美麗的貴州山區，去領略那裏與世無爭的寧靜和鮮為人知的民族風情……

中國解放後，當共產黨人要驅逐亨利牧師時，桀驁的雙溪坪教徒爆發了反抗……許多撲朔迷離的山村故事，皆在此書中！

 

The Missionaryand His Daughter

傳教士和他的女兒

Zongming Zhang

張宗銘 著

Translated by Tangjin Xiao

肖唐金 譯

Chapter 2

 

Henry didn’t mind Ah Cai’s fear for him. Ever since he came to Guizhou, many people had considered him a monster or an ape.

Henry turned to the old lady. She huddled herself in fear, too. He pointed at the basket and asked her, “How much are they?”

The old lady shook her head and said she wouldn’t sell them. Then, Henry lowered himself down, and as he was about to speak to her, she replied with both hands, “Five copper coins (a nickel).”

Henry took out a silver dime, saying, “I’ll take them.”

She got the money but returned it to him quickly, replying, “I have no change for that.”

Henry gave back the money to her, telling her, “Keep the change please.”

Quite unexpectedly the old lady grabbed her basket, saying, “I won’t sell the peaches. I have told you I sell them for a nickel. Why do you give me a dime? I need the exact sum, no more and no less!”

Henry was puzzled, saying, “I have no change. What should I do?”

The old lady still grabbed her basket, telling him, “Get change for the peaches.”

Henry had no idea. He looked about and asked the old lady, “Could you please get me some sticky rice for a nickel in a house here?”

She remained motionless, asking him, “Did anyone in the mountains charge you for your meals?”

Henry thought her word right. It had been a month since he left Guiyang. He had meals here and there, but paid nothing. True! The people here treated guests as part of their own families, and their services were free. But why did Ah Cai get no help from the others? Why couldn’t she get food? The other day Henry passed by a village, and saw two lepers begging for food. The people gave them food, though they stood apart from each other. But what had happened to Ah Cai? Why were the people so indifferent to her?

Henry found Ah Cai very hungry. He spoke to the old lady in another way, “Dear granny, I feel really sorry, for I have no change. Can you give me back the change of a nickel someday later when I pass by your home again?”

The old lady thought for a while before she accepted the money. She handed the peaches in the basket to him. Henry took a few and gave the rest to Ah Cai. Ah Cai grabbed the basket and rushed down the village path for fear of saying thanks to him.

Henry saw Ah Cai fleeing into the bamboo forest. He was puzzled. He wondered why the hospitable people treated Ah Cai in a bad way. He was tired, hungry and thirsty. He shook his head, and walked towards the homes that refused to give food to Ah Cai.

He stood before an open door and facing the curious villagers, he introduced himself in the broken vernacular, “My name is Henry. I’m a Christian from Britain. I need your help.”

The villagers wondered: Why could this monster-like Henry speak as they did? He was gentle and humble, and even bought a basket of peaches for another person unfamiliar to him. On second thoughts, the master of the house spoke to him:

“Dear Henry, I have heard of you. It’s said that you are good at telling stories. Are you a Christian from Britain?”

“Thanks for knowing me. I come here to tell you stories about God and Jesus.”

“Dear guest, dear British Christian, please come into my house if you don’t mind.”

Henry entered it. Soon the village head came. It was the local custom to take a guest who had visited any house here to a big wooden house. There sat a lot of villagers: old men and women, young men and women, and kids. They all gathered to meet this strange blonde foreigner who could speak Miao, Dong, and Buyi dialects. This was a monster of languages!

The men here carried old-styled hunting guns on their backs. They were hunters, and enjoyed a high status. They were respected as warriors in Japan.

Henry smiled politely to all the people here. His smile was friendly, even facing those curious laughs. He prayed before each meal. Then, silently people watched him pray in front of the rich meals with his fingers held together tightly and his head lowered. He spoke in a foreign language, but surely he communicated with them. After the prayer, he began to eat with chopsticks in an unskillful way.

He was indeed unskillful at using chopsticks. It took him a long time to catch a bean or a leaf of cabbage. He looked funny. The people here were amused at that. In the process of laughing, Henry got familiar with the villagers. He introduced himself again:

“My name is Henry. I’m a Christian from Britain. God sends me here, and asks me to take you close to Him. Please accept me!”

The people had heard nothing of God before. There hadn’t been God here before. When Henry said it was God who created the world, some of the people would tell him that it was Chiyou who created the world. But Henry would reply that the time God created the world, there was no Chiyou yet. God was the head of all beings!

The villagers knew little of philosophy, science, deity, heavy industry and light industry. They knew about their ancestors through the stories passed down from generation to generation. That made the stories incoherent sometimes. At other times the stories went on for hours without a theme or plot. Henry’s stories were different. They were coherent. There ran a thread of development from the creation of light and the world to the birth of Jesus Christ and the twelve disciples to the last supper and Jesus’ resurrection. Each story was distinct, but showed a general theme: God’s love and benevolence.

Henry told the stories of the Bible to the villagers. They had never heard of them before. The stories became part of their food in the mountains. Each night before going to bed with their children, the villagers would plead Henry:

“Tell us a story of the Bible.”

Henry was sure that his stories would become a bridge between him and the local people. He cared for them. He planted faith and friendship in the faraway mountainous villages. What a great cause of actions! He hoped the conflicts, hostilities and fights between villages or ethnic groups would go away as more and more people knew God.

That day, Henry felt puzzled: Why were the villagers willing to accept him but not a local pregnant woman? He told them the story of Jesus being nailed to the cross by the Israelis. It was then 3 p.m. Henry worried about that woman. He had a sense of unrest. He stood up and told the people who knew him for the first time, “God loves everyone here. God brings glory to everyone here. As I leave here, will you please pray with me?”

The people were curious. They said yes. Then, Henry went on: “My lord, please take care of everyone here! Please bring glory to everyone here.”

Henry then said, “Amen!”

The people followed him, “Amen!”

Henry left the small village with much food given by the local people. His bag was full. He thought of Ah Cai the deserted woman when he touched the warm food in his belongings. How much he desired to see Ah Cai now! Maybe she needed food at this very time.

Henry came to a narrow crossroad. There fell from a tree a branch-like object. It cracked. Walking close, Henry noticed it was a snake.

The snake was in three parts. Its head was still moving though it had no body and tail. The snake was very funny. Henry remembered the shadow plays in his native country. How much similar the two scenes were! Just then, the branch-like body and tail that had been separated moved close to the head. That was a miracle. Henry watched with care and interest.

The body moved near the head. All of a sudden, a headdress fell down to cover the snake’s head. It was a skillful hand that caught hold of it. At this time the body seemed to have lost its sense with the head. In 5 seconds the body and the tail were together, but they just moved helplessly for the head. Then, a merciless hand covered the body and the tail with a handkerchief.

Henry was sorry for not having seen the combination of the three parts of the snake. But he was glad that God had made him see the wonder of the nature. He thanked God for this performance of the living beings. He turned around and found Ah Cai the deserted woman.

Ah Cai noticed Henry watching the moving snake in the headdress and handkerchief. She was not fearful for him now. She moved the snake, and said, “This is crisp snake, very hard to find.”

Henry was puzzled, replying, “What’s the use of catching it?”

The pregnant woman didn’t answer him directly, but held out one of her hands and asked, “Can you give me some rice?”

Henry put down his belongings and took out the sticky rice, pickled fish and dried beef that he had been given. He placed the food in order on the dark and cool path. The woman tied the snake tightly and put it in her back basket. She ate the food in big mouthfuls. Clearly she hadn’t had such food for a long time.

Henry stared at the woman. She wasn’t tall, like most girls here. She was between 140 and 150 centimeters. She had thick and black hair. Her face was rosy, and she was strong. But she seemed to differ from other girls in some ways. She had fair skin, and long and tender hands. She had a red mole above her left eyebrow. Her face was smaller than most girls’, and hence better-looking. This woman looked like 16 or 17 years old something, though she seemed 2 or 3 years older than her age. Ah Cai was childlike and simple. Now this pregnant girl was helpless in the mysterious, dangerous mountains. Why?

Henry thought: This girl must be a lost lamb, and probably he could bring her back to God. He told her:

“My name is Henry. I am a Christian from Britain. What can I do for you?”

Ah Cai was now full, but she wanted to have a drink. She glanced at the creek dripping down from the rocks opposite, and stopped chewing her food. It was sunny and hot now. And it was stuffy in the woods. Henry also felt thirsty. He took out an aluminum pot from his bag, and walked to the rocks for water.

“Wait, Henry,” the woman stopped her, “There are many poisonous snakes here.”

She put down her food, and took out a chopping ax from her back. She cut down a branch, and whipped the bushes and dense grass on her way. “Ooh! Ooh!” She made a sound as she moved forward to the water.

Henry followed her to the creek. Ah Cai took off her coat and soaked it in the cool and sweet water. She left much room in the upstream part for Henry to take a shower. Henry knew her purpose, and stripped his clothes, jumping into the cool water.

This seemed a world for him only. It was hot around. Blackbirds were chirping in the trees. The sweet and cool water was plunging down happily. It was a harmonious, quiet and beautiful place. It was the Garden of Eden. Henry felt the wonder of nature in the mountainous and less-traveled parts of Guizhou. The dense forests were so mysterious and charming to him.

 

 

The water was cool. Henry couldn’t stay there too long. He came back to the bank. Ah Cai was still in the cool water, remaining motionless. He had planned to move to another village. But he changed his mind now. He wanted to take care of her. He waited for her on the grass beside the creek.

There came the sounds of rifles from the mountains. Ah Cai listened carefully. Then she jumped up to the bank. She put on her dresses quickly and said to Henry while pointing at a plant on the cliff opposite:

“Good man Henry. Could you please climb up the cliff and pick the plant for me?”

Henry had heard of the wizards in the mountains. They could heal the sick and expel evil spirits.

Mr. Way

had mentioned the miracles of Guizhou herbs. He hadn’t had the opportunity of meeting a wizard here. Maybe the local people were not familiar enough with him, and didn’t want to invite him to be present at the scenes of healing the sick and expelling evil spirits.

Henry remembered Ah Cai’s catching of the snake. Now she was requesting Henry to pick the plant. Could she be a woman like a wizard? He crossed the creek, climbed up the cliff and rooted out the plant. He gave it to her. Ah Cai was thankful to him. Unexpectedly she said to him again:

“Good man Henry, my name is Ah Cai. There are some people hunting ahead. Could you accompany me for the journey?”

Henry was puzzled. The hunters came for wild animals. Why did this woman want to go there? Did she want to get some meat from them? Hadn’t she just had some meat?

Henry walked ahead of Ah Cai as she guided him. He felt puzzled again. She was a local here, but why did she follow him instead? They plodded their way over a mountain, a number of turns and three creeks. They were sweating a lot breathlessly. They were about to cross the fourth creek when she stopped and listened hard with a hand holding an ear of hers.

At this time the gun firings had stopped. The sounds of trumpets had moved to another mountain and a valley. Ah Cai smiled happily, That was a sweet smile, a hearty smile. Henry hadn’t seen such a nice smile before in the east.

Ah Cai looked very beautiful now. Her lips moved naughtily upwards. She was like a coquettish girl before her lover. She was excited, shy and innocent. She was pure and bold. She looked very much different from what she had been as a beggar. She looked like a bride waiting excitedly for her bridegroom: shining eyes, rosy cheeks, and a gentle voice. She was surely a beauty in the mountains.

Henry noticed the change of Ah Cai. He seemed to have known her secret. Maybe she had suffered so much for her dream.

There was a winding path leading to the mountains. The river was bright and clear. There were fish and crabs in it. On the beach were left some traces of picnics: burned wood and black stains on the white sands and pebbles.

Ah Cai sat on the bank. She soaked her long and black hair in the water. She combed her hair with care. She stared at the dense forest ahead. She seemed to have forgotten her pains, humming love songs. The sun was setting and the valley was so quiet. Henry was moved. This must be the Garden of Eden where there was no killing or war but only peace and beauty.

Soon, there came out a line of hunters from the pass of the mountains. Their hands were full: pheasants, hedgehogs, tits…Some had deer and wild boars on their shoulders.

Ah Cai saw a hunter carrying a wild boar with another man. She jumped into the creek and helped the hunter cross it. He put down the wild boar and disappeared with her behind the rocks in the downstream part. At this time, the last group of hunters were found to be carrying a thin hunter whose legs had been seriously broken by a wild boar. He had fallen down from a cliff. Another hunter had his waist hurt while sliding down a cliff. Henry made a count. There were 14 hunters. They hadn’t met any foreigners. But surely they had heard of the blond British who could tell stories.

The people here knew much about the mountains but little about beyond the mountains. They knew nothing about foreigners. They had never imagined a foreigner living in the mountains. Henry moved to them, greeting, “Hello! My name is Henry. I’m a Christian from Britain. What can I do for you?”

The people understood Henry though the dialect he spoke wasn’t fluent. They couldn’t know why he came here. They had little trust in him. They needed no help from him. He wasn’t even allowed to see the wounded.

The people here tracked the causes of illnesses and deaths in an interesting way. They would associate them with the food and drinks taken. Even the girls that men had dated with and the quarrels people had involved in were taken to be the causes. According to the Miao and Buyi villagers, hostilities could lead people to kill their rivals with chronic poisons.

The villagers here were suspicious. They were stubborn, too. They wouldn’t accept others’ donations and help so readily. Henry had bought some peaches for Ah Cai. This was not acceptable in the mountains. How could money be given to others without any reason?

Henry was a blonde foreigner. To the local people he looked like a monster. People wouldn’t accept his help before they knew him much. Anyway, what could the victims do if he had been sent here by their rivals to poison them?

Thus, Henry a son of Lord was not accepted. That was cruel. Henry saw the wounded groaning on the ground. But he wasn’t allowed to approach them. He was thinking of Ah Cai for help.

The hunters placed an iron pot on some rocks. They cut some dry woods, and a man got fire by beating flints skillfully. Soon, a big fire came with leaves and branches burning in it. That made the beach warm and exciting.

The hunters were busy with their work. Some were skinning the deer, or cutting the frightening wild boars. Some were dividing the meat of hares, tits, hedgehogs and other animals. Some others were putting the washed intestines, livers and bones into the boiling water.

The hunter disappearing with Ah Cai had been back for a long time. The sun was setting, and darkness was enveloping the beautiful forest and creek. The meat had been divided, and the hunters were using branches as chopsticks to get livers and bones from the boiling pot.

Ah Cai looked depressed. She seemed to have suffered from heavy blows and sorrows. Henry sat beside her and asked her with gestures:

“Ah Cai, a hunter needs treatment now. Can you help me?”

Ah Cai turned herself back, sad tears dropping down her cheeks. She glanced at Henry. She seemed to understand his message. She glanced at the bleeding hunter. Sad tears dropped down her cheeks again. She buried her head in her legs and sobbed.

Henry said to her again, “Ah Cai, let’s look after the wounded first.”

The hunter that had come back with Ah Cai said, “Ah Cai, come over to eat something. It’s no use crying now. Ask Henry, that story-telling Henry, to come over with you. The bones here are quite nice.”

Ah Cai looked up. She saw two pieces of musk (the testicles of deer) warmed by the fire. She took Henry to the fire. She didn’t hold the branches given to her as chopsticks. Instead, she tried to get the musk.

She was stopped by a hunter. The hunter said to her, “Hey, woman. You’re pregnant, and shouldn’t touch it.”

The hunters laughed wildly at Ah Cai. Henry was then by the fire. He was left much room by the hunters nearby. He was given a piece of meat from the boiling pot. Unexpectedly Henry didn’t accept the meat. Instead, he pointed at the hunter whose legs were still bleeding. He introduced himself in the influent vernacular:

“My name is Henry. I’m a Christian from Britain. Can I treat the wounded?”

The wounded hunter was named Dry Stick. He looked like 30 years old something. He was thin, tall and seemingly ill-nourished. He stopped groaning and looked at Henry. He seemed not to trust Henry, and just shook his head.

Henry came close to the fire. He nodded to the others in a friendly way. The villagers here had a custom: Anyone could eat the meat of the hunted animals. The hunter had just passed a piece of meat to Henry, who hadn’t accepted it. He was doing so again.

Henry took the meat and smiled in a thankful way. He put down the meat, and held his hands together for prayer:

“Lord, please help me treat the wounded. Amen!”

Henry began to eat the meat after the prayer. There was no salt in the meat, so it tasted smelling. He knew people lacked salt here. He loosened his belongings, and took out a piece of salt from an aluminum pot with a lid. He asked the hunters:

“Could I put the salt into the boiling pot?”

The hunters stared at the salt. It was really precious, and looked more wonderful than the moonlight. The laughs and chewing stopped. There was a spark of amazement in the eyes of the hunters. They were both eager and puzzled.

Henry asked again, “Could I put the salt into the boiling pot?”

The hunters found Henry sincere, and nodded. Then, Henry put the shining salt into the boiling pot. The hunters almost expressed their amazement at the same time:

“Ah!”

At this Henry wondered if he had done anything wrong. He looked at the hunters in an uneasy way. The hunters were rejoicing. They drank up the wine in their bowls and began to get the salty soup.

Then, Dry Stick lying on the ground motioned, “Leave me a bowl of salty soup.”

The hunters changed their attitude to Henry. They got some deer or wild boar meat for him. Henry introduced himself again:

“My name is Henry. I am a Christian from Britain.” He pointed at Dry Stick, “Can I treat him for the wound?”

At this time, Cen Linshan the head of the hunters said, “Henry, we know you’re a Christian from Britain. You have given us salt. If you’re good at treatment, please help us!”