第十四章：張家自毀大花園（上）

作家的道歉信：

 

本人因不懂英文，錯將《女人和土匪（英譯本）》前十三章當成《傳教士和他的女兒（英譯本）》在網上博客發布。從今日起更正，特此深深向讀者道歉！

                                  張宗銘

 

 

《女人與土匪》內容簡介：

 

這是一部敘說一位真正的正直的革命家遭遇太多的不幸和屈辱的作品；

一部敘說解放初期國民黨起義將領及其家庭的作品；

-部描寫解放初期土匪、地主、地主婆及其子女、妓女、革命隊伍中的卑劣小人、窮苦人……為生存、為權利、為命運而奮爭的作品；

一部用兒童的目光，注視新中國、新政權、幸福與光明，暴力與血腥的作品；

一部用耶穌基督的獻身精神，宣揚信仰、仁愛、無私奉獻的作品；

一部張揚人性、呼喚權利、期望法製、宣揚真愛、鞭撻暴力、揭露醜惡……奉獻給新世紀人類的作品！

 

 

 

W0men and Bandits

女人和土匪  （英譯本）

Zongming Zhang

張宗銘 著

Translated by Tangjin Xiao

肖唐金 譯

 

 

 

Chapter 14

 

It was the spring of 1951.

The campaign of donations for the battles against the Americans in Korea started in Zhang Yan’s school. There were many pupils on the playground. They lined up and waited for their turns. Zhang Yan was young and weak, and had to stand in the rear.

Fang Yu, Zhang Yan’s good friend, stood in the front. He saw Zhang Yan standing in the rear. He called, “Come here, Zhang Yan.”

Zhang Yan remained there. He knew the people in the front had much to give. Big Song was the first in the front, with a huge iron scale balance in his hands. He looked very proud. He found Zhang Yan shy and then said, “Hey, little boy! Do you have so much to donate?”

Zhang Yan moved further back in the line. He saw many girls with nails, bronze abacuses and broken hoes. Zhang Yan only had a small thing in his hands. He got it from a paper bag at home last night.

Mom did not allow Zhang Yan to play with the other students after school. Uncle Yang would always come to meet him at the school gate. The other students could pick iron or bronze in the streets after school. Fang Yu knew Zhang Yan’s situation. They always hid in a corner of the campus, playing games with glass billiards, pictures and candy paper.

Zhang Yan was always the loser. He could get some pocket money from the dressing table or drawers in his mom’s room. He just gave some money to Fang Yu, and they could play together for quite a while. But Uncle Yang could find Zhang Yan wherever he hid himself. Sometimes the man watched the little boy play with Fang Yu. The other boys saw the strong man with a goatee and walked away fearfully.

If Uncle Yang did not come, then Madame Wang would. Unlike Uncle Yang, she would drag the little boy back home directly after school. No negotiations would be made between them.

Everyone should support the PLA Volunteers fighting against the Americans in Korea. Zhang Yan’s father donated 1000 yuan at the first donation campaign. His deed was reported in Xinqian Daily. The report was then read aloud to the students by Zhang Yan’ s grade master.

“What? 1000 yuan!” Fang Yu was amazed at the sum of donations. With it, he could buy a lot of things, such as pictures, billiards, cloth and even a house. Fang Meiying, Fang Yu’s mom, earned a living by cleaning the streets and combing garbage. She had to work for tens of years to get 1000 yuan, Fang Yu thought.

Zhang Yan appeared happy with his daddy’s donations. Even when two big classmates stood before him, he was not fearful. Big Black, one of them, slapped Zhang Yan on the back of his head, yelling, “Why are you fucking happy? Do you think money means everything? Your parents are Kuomintang reactionaries or capitalists. Down with the Kuomintang reactionaries! Down with capitalists!”

A group of students followed suit. They pointed at Zhang Yan, shouting, “Damn you a child of the Kuomintang reactionaries!”

Zhang Yan felt he had lost face in class, and burst into cries. The headmaster came. She motioned the students to calm down, but did not criticize them. Then, she began her lesson.

At this time, a strange idea came to Zhang Yan. Why not ask his parents give up donations? He wanted to tell them, “If you donated any more, I would refuse to go to school.” Why did they join the Kuomintang Party? And why did Daddy become a Kuomintang officer? And why did he become a Kuomintang general? To Zhang Yan, general is even worse than dung or garbage. He was scolded and laughed at because of his parents, he thought.

Zhang Yan looked smaller than Big Black and Little Black, two classmates of Zhang Yan’s. Big Black was 13, and Little Black was 11. Both were dark and tall, and acted wildly. In comparison, Zhang Yan was thin and short, and acted in a tamed way.

Big Black and Little Black did not feel like studying. They often played truant. They liked to move here and there, gambling and making trouble. To them, study is meaningless. If anyone criticized them, they would yell, “What’s the fuck use of studying at school? Is study as good as billiards or candy paper?”

“Then, why do you come to school?”

“Well, it’s the teachers who ask us to come.”

“Why do they ask you to come to school?”

“Because we are the children of the poor. Do you think money means everything? This is a new society, in which the poor are the masters and their children could go to school.”

“Do you spend any money on schooling?”

“No. It’s good to be the kids of the poor. We don’t need to pay for our textbooks and tuitions. Do you envy us?”

“Yes, I do.” Zhang Yan replied. It was good to be a poor person, the little boy thought. The teachers always took good care of the poor, and the poor could beat the rich without getting any punishment. And there were many other advantages to be a poor person.

Big Black and Little Black hated studying. They were regarded as heroes at that time. They even got a very tall iron wok and placed it on the playground, claiming that it would be given to the PLA Volunteers for weapon making. This was really a heroic deed. The principal made the two boys young pioneers and let them take part in the flag-raising ceremony. This was an honor that Zhang Yan dreamed of.

Zhang Yan recalled the damn Sunday.

Yesterday the Zhang’s garden was changed. There were no flowers like peony, Chinese roses and cannas, nor was there a fish pond, or a lotus pond. The rockery was pushed down into the lotus pond. Everything there looked deserted. Only the pavilion post painted with red lacquer stood there as an attraction.

Zhang Yan came to the garden alone after breakfast. He was surprised at the sight. As he leaned against the pavilion post, Uncle Yang came. He found the little boy stand there in a guilty way as if a student waited for the teacher’s punishment or criticism.

Zhang Yan was not aware that it was Uncle Yang who had done that. The little boy used to play hide-and-seek here with his parents and Uncle Yang. They also caught bees or butterflies here. Sometimes they even had military training in this place. Why did they destroy this garden?

Zhang Yan was puzzled. No wonder his mom asked Uncle Yang to take him out for movies and dramas. And he was even taken to a bathhouse. Yesterday, Mom even told him that she would take him to Qiangling Mountain on Sunday. He was aware that Mom used to pray and sing psalms with other Christians on Sunday.