Water Margin, Volume One

by Shi Nai-An

  Mrs. Yen laughed again and said, "Daughter, do not worry again, but cheer up and after drinking two glasses of wine you can then go to sleep. San Lang (Sung Chiang), you also had better drink a few glasses of wine."

  Because she had exhorted him so much Sung Chiang drank about five glasses of wine. Mrs. Yen also drank several glasses of wine, and then went downstairs to warm some more wine. She had not been at all pleased when she saw that her daughter would not drink the wine, but now that her daughter had done so she was glad and said to herself, "If we can only keep him here for this night his anger will subside, and when that has disappeared we can continue to live with him for some time more." While she was attending to the fire she drank three big glasses of wine. She began to feel half tipsy, but still she measured out another bowl of wine. She then filled a kettle half full of warm wine and crawled upstairs with it. She saw that Sung Chiang still hung down his head, and that her daughter still turning away her head was toying with her skirt. She laughed loudly and said, "You two are not clay images so why do you not say something? Chief clerk, you are a man you ought to be kind. It would be better if you joked a little with her."

  Sung Chiang did not know what to do so he remained silent. He indeed had no plan for getting away from that place

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  Miss Yen thought that he had not come to visit her, but now expected to get her to apologize to him, and laugh and joke as before. But she was not going to joke with him just then.

  Mrs. Yen drank much wine, and she was getting fuddled. She criticized loosely about other people and gossiped as she wished.

  Now in the town there was a man named T'ang Niu-erh whose business was to sell pickles. When he had nothing to do he roamed about the streets looking for odd jobs, and Sung Chiang had helped him many times. If he heard of any thing he went and told it to Sung Chiang who gave him money for the information. He was not afraid of taking risks. Now on this day he had been gambling and had lost all his money so he went to the yamen to find Sung Chiang. But he could not find him there, and the people on the street asked him whom he was looking for, and why he was in such a hurry.

  "I am in a great hurry," said T'ang Niu-erh, "I am trying to find my master; but I cannot find him."

  "Who is your master?" asked the people.

  "He is the chief clerk at the yamen -- Sung Chiang."

  The people told him that they had just seen him walking along with Mrs. Yen.

  "That girl Yen Po-hsi," said T'ang Niu-erh, "is a deceiving bitch. She and that fellow Chang San are very thick just now and are hoodwinking Sung Chiang. The latter has heard some rumors and therefore he has not been there for a long time. Now he must have been dragged away by that scorpion Mrs. Yen who will try and get into his good graces again. So I will now go there, and drink some wine with those two and perhaps also earn a little money." When he reached the entrance of the Yen family's house he saw the lights inside, and noticed that the door was not looked. He entered and standing at the foot of the ladder he heard Mrs. Yen upstairs laughing loudly. Proceeding stealthily he ascended the ladder, and peeping through a chink in the door saw Sung Chiang and Miss Yen Po-hsi hanging down their heads, Mrs. Yen was sitting at the side of the table, and was simply driveling. He opened the door, saluted the three, and then awaited.

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  Sung Chiang thought that the fellow had arrived at a very opportune moment so he looked towards him and pursed his lips (a hint for him to speak). Now T'ang Niu-erh was a smart man, and understood the hint, and immediately said to Sung Chiang, "I have been looking for you everywhere. How is it that you are wasting your time and drinking wine here?"

  "Are you looking for me because of some urgent business at the yamen?" asked Sung Chiang.

  "Sir," said T'ang Niu-erh, "why do you forget things? Early this morning there was an affair at the yamen. The magistrate was upset, and sent men about five times to find you, but they all returned without having found you, and this worried the magistrate very much, sir, you had better go back at once."

  "As the matter is evidently urgent I must go at once," said Sung Chiang. He got up to depart, but Mrs. Yen stood in front of him, and said, "Sir, you must not go. This man is only inventing a false tale." Turning to T'ang Niu-erh, she said, "You tricky thief. Do you expect to fool me? It reminds me of the old proverb, 'Do not try to get the ax from Lu Pan, the god of the carpenters.' The magistrate will by now have left the court, and returned to his wife to drink wine and enjoy himself. What is the business he is upset about? With such talk you might try to deceive an imp, but you cannot get round me with it."

  "It is quite true that the magistrate is still waiting to transact that affair, and I am not telling lies," said T'ang Niu-erh.

  Mrs. Yen abused him, saying, "Your mother is breaking wind like a dog. I have two eyes, and can see things quite clearly. I saw the clerk motion with his lips to you, and give you the lead to say this. You did not induce him to come here so why do you now want to take him away. A proverb says, 'Murder may be pardoned, but unreasonableness is hard to forgive."' She then jumped forward, caught him by the neck, and in the struggle which followed T'ang Niu-erh fell down the ladder. Standing below he asked why she had assaulted him. The woman shouted, "Don't you understand that ruining one's trade and livelihood is as much as killing one's parents and wife? Now don't make a loud

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  noise about this or I will give you a beating, you thief and beggar!" She had now descended the ladder and T'ang Niu-erh challenged her, "Hit me!" and without more ado she slapped his face with her hand, and knocked him through the hanging screen at the door. She then put the screen in position, closed both leaves of the door, and bolted them. T'ang Niu-erh recovering from the blow stood outside the door, and shouted, "You biting bug. You need not hurry! If not for my respect for Sung Chiang I would have entered now and smashed all your things up. If I don't meet you one day I shall meet you some other day. If I don't eventually kill you, my name is not T'ang." He then departed, beating his breast and cursing as he went.

  Mrs. Yen re-ascended the ladder, and addressed Sung Chiang, "Sir, don't take any notice of that beggar. He is a scandal-monger, and only does it for a drink. He sleeps in holes and corners, and will die an untimely death. Such a thief now attempts to fool us at our door!"

  Sung Chiang was a very honest man, and seeing that she had seen through their ruse he had no means of escape.

  The woman continued, "Sir, you must not blame me for this. I know that you have treated me very well before. Now, please drink a glass of wine with my daughter. I guess that as you two have not seen each other for a long time, you want to have a sleep early." After pressing Sung Chiang to drink two more glasses of wine, she picked up the tray, and went downstairs to the kitchen.

  Sung Chiang being left in quietness upstairs meditated that there might have been something between Mrs. Yen and her daughter and Chang San but he could not make out whether the rumor was true. Again as it was too late in the night, so he decided to sleep there whereby perhaps be would find out what Mss Yen Po-hsi's ideas were. He would also be able to find out what were the state of the girl's feelings towards him.

  Just then Mrs. Yen came upstairs again, and remarked that it was getting late, and that she had already told them to go to sleep.

  "Mind your own business," said the daughter. "You go and sleep yourself."

  As Mrs. Yen again departed downstairs she laughed and

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  said, "I hope you will have a peaceful sleep, sir, have much pleasure this night, and get up late to-morrow morning." Upon arriving downstairs she put the things in the kitchen in order, washed her hands and feet, and then went to sleep.

  Sung Chiang sat on the stool for a long time looking at the girl and then heaved a sigh. It was now about 10p. m., and the girl without undressing lay down on the bed, with her face turned away from him and went to sleep. He thought that she was a mean detestable person as she had not shown any respect for
him, but had just gone to sleep. He had been wheedled with so much talk from that old woman, and drunk so much wine, and as it was now so late that he had to go to sleep there. He then took off his headgear, and placed it on the table; took off his outer garments, and put them on a clotheshorse; unloosened his belt, and placed his dagger and secretarial hand bag on the rail at the head of the bed; took off his boots and socks; he then got on the bed and lay down the reverse way to the girl. After a little time he heard the girl laughing in a sneering manner. He felt quite melancholy and could not sleep any way. There is an ancient saying, "When the pleasure is great the night seems short; when one feels lonely the time seems unending." By about 3 a.m. the effects of the wine had vanished, and about five o'clock Sung Chiang got up, washed his face in cold water and dressed. He then said, "You mean thief! You have no decency."

  The girl also did not sleep, and hearing this she turned over, and said to him, "I see that you do not blush." Now Sung Chiang was very much upset, and without saying anything he went downstairs.

  Mrs. Yen was still in bed but hearing the sound of foot steps on the ladder she called out, "Sir, you had better take a little rest, and leave when it is quite daylight. But why do you get up at five o'clock?"

  Sung Chiang did not reply to this, but went to the door to open it. Mrs. Yen called out again, "Well, if you will go will you please close the door as you go out?" Sung Chiang did this. He was still very much annoyed, and he thought of going back. Upon reaching the yamen gate he saw there a lamp burning brightly on a small stall owned by a medicine vendor named Wang who had opened

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  business to catch the early customers. When the stall keeper saw Sung Chiang he quickly asked him, "Sir, why are you out so early?"

  "I drank too much wine last night," said Sung Chiang, "and mistook the watchman's reports of the watches of the night."

  "As you got drunk last night," said Wang, "you had better have a glass of this dried orange peel liquor which will waken you up."

  Sung Chiang agreed to this, and sat down on a stool. Wang mixed a very strong dose of his liquor, and handed it to Sung Chiang. The latter meditated that this man never asked for money when he drank his liquor, because sometime before he had promised to provide a coffin for him, but so far had not given it to him. Sung Chiang then remembered that he still had in his purse the piece of gold he had accepted the previous day from Ch'ao Kai's agent, and he thought it would please Wang very much if he now gave him the money to buy a coffin. He, therefore, said to Wang, "Sometime ago I promised to give you money to buy a coffin, but as I have now got some gold here I will give it to you and you can go and buy a coffin from Chen San-lang and keep it in your home. When you die at the age of a hundred, I will also provide some more money."

  "My benefactor," said Wang, "I am deeply grateful for your providing me with a coffin. I cannot possibly expect to be able to repay your generosity during this life, but in the next life if I am a donkey or a horse I will certainly do my best to make up for your kindness."

  "You need not say that," said Sung Chiang. He then lifted his gown to get at the purse in a pocket of his waist coat, but he was startled and thoughts "How sad! I have forgotten that I left my purse on the rail at the head of the bed, and in leaving in a hurry did not put it back in my belt. The money does not matter much, but it is wrapped up in that letter from Ch'ao Kai. I ought to have burnt the letter in the wine shop while Liu Tang was there, but I did not want him to tell Ch'ao Kai of such a thing as the latter might think I did not value his letter. I would have burnt it in my lodging had not that woman Yen induced me to go with her. I could have burnt it in Yen's house

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  but I was afraid of that girl seeing me do so. If I. had not left so hurriedly this morning I would not have forgotten it. I saw that Yen Po-hsi was looking at a book of songs, so that she evidently can read and if she finds that letter there will be trouble. He then stood up, and said to Wang, "Please excuse me. I am not telling a lie because I thought I had the money in my purse, but now I find that it is not there so I will go back home and get it."

  "You need not go for that," said Wang. "It will do if you give it me to-morrow."

  "But I have another matter I must attend to at the same place so I had better go," said Sung Chiang. He then departed with all speed to Mrs. Yen's house.

  When Yen Po-hsi heard Sung Chiang leave her room she got up, and soliloquized. "That fellow annoyed me so much that I could not sleep. He was so impudent as to expect me to apologize to him. But I won't apologize! I am on very good terms with Chang San, so why should I go out of my way to apolggize to Sung Chiang. If he do not come here again I shall not mind." While saying this she put the bed in order, took off her outer wadded coat, her waist belt, and her undergarments. There was a lamp burning near the head of the bed, and by its light she saw the purse hanging on the bed rail. Upon seeing this she laughed and said, Hei San (her nickname for Sung Chiang) has so many things that he has forgotten his purse. I will take it and give it to Chang San to wear." When, she picked it up she felt that it was heavy so she took it and emptied its contents on the table, and saw the bar of gold and the letter. When she saw that it was really gold she laughed again and said, "Heaven intends this gold for me to buy some food for Chang San to eat. He has been rather lean these last few days, so I will buy some food for him as a nourishment." She then picked up the letter, and saw that it concerned the business of Ch'ao Kai. She soliloquized, "I thought the water bucket should be lowered down the well, but now the well is inside the bucket. So Sung Chiang is in my hands. I can now arrange to marry Chang San as I have that fellow in my hand. You have got a hundred ounces of silver from the brigands at Liang Shan Po as you

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  act as their agent. There is no need for any sudden action, as I can deal with you whenever I like. So I will take this letter and the bar of gold and put them again in the purse, and have no fear of you (Sung Chiang) telling the fairy fox to come here and steal them away."

  Just as she was saying this she heard someone pushing at the street door down below, and she also heard her mother call out from her bed "who is that?"

  The person outside called out, "It is I!"

  Mrs. Yen replied, "I told you it was too early, and instead of believing my word you would go. And now you realize that it is still early, you have come back. But you can come in, and have another sleep with my daughter, and then depart when it is broad daylight."

  The man did not reply, but went upstairs. Yen Po-hsi hearing this knew that it was Sung Chiang, and hurriedly hid the purse belt and dagger in the bed quilt. She then lay down on the bed with her face turned to the wall, and pretended to snore as though she was sound asleep.

  Sung Chiang burst into the room, and went to the head of the bed, but when he did not gee his belt and purse on the rail where he had left them, he was surprised. But suppressing his temper he shook the girl and said, "Just think of my previous kindness to you, and return at once my purse and belt."

  But the girl still pretended to be asleep, and did not reply.

  So Sung Chiang shook her again and said, "Do not be annoyed at my disturbing you like this. I will come again to-morrow, and explain matters."

  The girl Yen Po-hsi now replied, "I want to sleep. Who is calling me?"

  "You know who it is," said Sung Chiang, "so why do you pretend like this?"

  The girl turned over and said, "Hei San! What did you say?"

  "Give me back my purse," said Sung Chiang.

  "Why do you ask me for it, seeing that you did not hand it over to me?"

  "I left it on the rail at the head of your bed. As evidently no man has been here since I left you must have taken it," said Sung Chiang.

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  "Bahl Did you not see a devil come here?"

  "It was my fault last night," said Sung Chiang, "and I will apologize to-morrow. But now you give me the purse, and fool me no more."

  "Who is trying to
fool you? I certainly have not had it."

  "When I left you had not taken off your clothes to sleep," said Sung Chiang. "But now you have pulled the quilt over you. You must have taken my purse when you got up to put the bed in order."

  The girl raised her eyebrows in. surprise, and opening wide her eyes said, "Well, I did take it, but I won't give it back. You can send some one from the yamen and have me arrested as a thief, and give your decision also."

  "I will not accuse you of being a thief," said Sung Chiang.

  "Then you know that it is not me that is the thief? " said Yen Po-hsi.

  When he heard this he became more upset and said, "I always treated both of you well, so give it to me at once. I must go to attend my business."

  "You previously did not like me to have anything to do with Chang San," said Yen Po-hsi. "He may be disagreeable with you but he is not deserving of death. He is anyhow better than you as he has no transactions with bandits."

  "Elder sister," said Sung Chiang, "do not talk in such a loud voice as it will be of grave consequence if the neighbors hear what you say."

  "As you are afraid of people outside hearing of your affair," said Yen Po-hsi, "you ought not to have done it. I am certainly going to keep your letter. But I will let you off if you will do three things for me."

  "Even if you ask me to do thirty things for you I will do them," answered Sung Chiang.

  "But I am afraid that you won't do them," said Yen Po-hsi.

  "If I can do them I will do them," said Sung Chiang. "May I ask what those three things are?"

  "First," said Yen Po-hsi, "you must return to me the document I gave you when you purchased me as your concubine, and also write a letter permitting me to marry Chang San, and promising that you will not make trouble between us."