The True Story of Ah-Q (5: The Problem of Livelihood)

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The True Story of Ah-Q
Chapter 5: The Problem of Livelihood
After Ah Q had kowtowed and complied with the Chao family's terms, he went back as usual to the Tutelary God's Temple. The sun had gone down, and he began to feel that something was wrong. Careful thought led him to the conclusion that this was probably because his back was bare. Remembering that he still had a ragged lined jacket, he put it on and lay down, and when he opened his eyes again the sun was already shining on the top of the west wall. He sat up, saying, "Curse it…"
After getting up he loafed about the streets as usual, until he began to feel that something else was wrong, though this was not to be compared to the physical discomfort of a bare back. Apparently, from that day onwards all the women in Weichuang became shy of Ah Q: whenever they saw him coming they took refuge indoors. In fact, even Mrs. Tsou who was nearly fifty years old retreated in confusion with the rest, calling her eleven-year-old daughter to go inside. This struck Ah Q as very strange. "The bitches!" he thought. "They have suddenly become as coy as young ladies…"
A good many days later, however, he felt even more strongly that something was wrong. First, the wine shop refused him credit; secondly, the old man in charge of the Tutelary God's Tem ple made some uncalled-for remarks, as if he wanted Ah Q to leave; and thirdly, for many days-how many exactly he could not remember-not a soul had come to hire him. To be refused credit in the wine shop he could put up with; if the old man kept urging him to leave, Ah Q could just ignore his complaints; but when no one came to hire him he had to go hungry; and this was really a "cursed" state to be in.
When Ah Q could stand it no longer he went to his regular employers' houses to find out what was the matter-it was only Mr. Chao's threshold that he was not allowed to cross. But he met with a very strange reception. The one to appear was always a man, who looked thoroughly annoyed and waved Ah Q away as if he were a beggar, saying:
"There is nothing, nothing at all! Go away!"
Ah Q found it more and more extraordinary. "These people always needed help in the past," he thought. "They can't suddenly have nothing to be done. This looks fishy." After making careful enquiries he found out that when they had any odd jobs they all called in Young D. Now this Young D was a lean and weakly pauper, even lower in Ah Q's eyes than Whiskers Wang. Who could have thought that this low fellow would steal his living from him? So this time Ah Q's indignation was greater than usual, and going on his way, fuming, he suddenly raised his arm and sang: "I'll thrash you with a steel mace…" [13]
A few days later he did indeed meet Young D in front of Mr. Chien's house. "When two foes meet, their eyes flash fire." As Ah Q went up to him, Young D stood still.
"Stupid ass!" hissed Ah Q, glaring furiously and foaming at the mouth.
"I'm an insect-will that do? " asked Young D.
Such modesty only made Ah Q angrier than ever, but since he had no steel mace in his hand all he could do was to rush forward with outstretched hand to seize Young D's pigtail. Young D, while protecting his pigtail with one hand, tried to seize Ah Q's with the other, whereupon Ah Q also used one free hand to protect his own pigtail. In the past Ah Q had never considered Young D worth taking seriously, but since he had recently suffered from hunger himself he was now as thin and weak as his opponent, so that they presented a spectacle of evenly matched antagonists. Four hands clutched at two heads, both men bending at the waist, cast a blue, rainbow-shaped shadow on the Chien family's white wall for over half an hour.
"All right! All right!" exclaimed some of the onlookers, probably trying to make peace.
"Good, good!" exclaimed others, but whether to make peace, applaud the fighters or incite them on to further efforts, is not certain.
The two combatants turned deaf ears to them all, however. If Ah Q advanced three paces, Young D would recoil three paces, and so they would stand. If Young D advanced three paces, Ah Q would recoil three paces, and so they would stand again. After about half an hour-Weichuang had few striking clocks, so it is difficult to tell the time; it may have been twenty minutes-when steam was rising from their heads and sweat pouring down their cheeks, Ah Q let fall his hands, and in the same second Young D's hands fell too. They straightened up simultaneously and stepped back simultaneously, pushing their way out through the crowd.
"You'll be hearing from me again, curse you!…" said Ah Q over his shoulder.
"Curse you! You'll be hearing from me again…" echoed Young D, also over his shoulder.
This epic struggle had apparently ended neither in victory nor defeat, and it is not known whether the spectators were satisfied or not, for none of them expressed any opinion. But still not a soul came to hire Ah Q.
One warm day, when a balmy breeze seemed to give some foretaste of summer, Ah Q actually felt cold; but he could put up with this-his greatest worry was an empty stomach. His cotton quilt, felt bar and shirt had long since disappeared, and after that he had sold his padded jacket. Now nothing was left but his trousers, and these of course he could not take off. He had a ragged lined jacket, it is true; but this was certainly worthless, unless he gave it away to be made into shoe soles. He had long hoped to pick up a sum of money on the road, but hitherto he had not been successful; he had also hoped he might suddenly discover a sum of money in his tumbledown room, and had looked wildly all through it, but the room was quite, quite empty. Thereupon he made up his mind to go out in search of food.
As he walked along the road "in search of food" he saw the familiar wine shop and the familiar steamed bread, but he passed them by without pausing for a second, without even hankering after them. It was not these he was looking for, although what exactly he was looking for he did nor know himself.
Since Weichuang was not a big place, he soon left it behind. Most of the country outside the village consisted of paddy fields, green as far as the eye could see with the tender shoots of young rice, dotted here and there with round, black, moving objects, which were peasants cultivating the fields. But blind to the delights of country life, Ah Q simply went on his way, for he knew instinctively that this was far removed from his "search for food." Finally, however, he came to the walls of the Convent of Quiet Self-improvement.
The convent too was surrounded by paddy fields, its white walls standing out sharply in the fresh green, and inside the low earthen wall at the back was a vegetable garden. Ah Q hesitated for a time, looking around him. Since there was no one in sight he scrambled on to the low wall, holding on to some milkwort. The mud wall started crumbling, and Ah Q shook with fear; however, by clutching at the branch of a mulberry tree he managed to jump over it. Within was a wild profusion of vegetation, but no sign of yellow wine, steamed bread, or anything edible. A clump of bamboos, with many young shoots, grew by the west wall but unfortunately these shoots were not cooked. There was also rape which had long since gone to seed; the mustard was already about to flower, and the small cabbages looked very tough.
Ah Q felt as resentful as a scholar who has failed in the examinations. As he walked slowly towards the gate of the garden he gave a start of joy, for there before him what did he see but a patch of turnips! He knelt down and began pulling, when suddenly a round head appeared from behind the gate, only to be withdrawn again at once. This was no other than the little nun. Now though Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns, there are times when "Discretion is the better part of valour." He hastily pulled up four turnips, tore off the leaves and folded them in his jacket. By this time an old nun had already come out.
"May Buddha preserve us, Ah Q! What made you climb into our garden to steal turnips!… Oh dear, what a wicked thing to do! Oh dear, Buddha preserve us!…"
"When did I ever climb into your garden and steal turnips?" retorted Ah Q, as he started off, still looking at her.
"Now-aren't you?" said the old nun, pointing at the folds of his jacket.
"Are these yours? Can you make them answer you? You…."
Leaving his sentence unfinished, Ah Q took to his heels as fast as he could, followed by an enormously fat, black dog. Originally this dog had been at the front gate, and how it reached the back garden was a mystery. With a snarl the black dog gave chase and was just about to bite Ah Q's leg when most opportunely a turnip fell from his jacket, and the dog, taken by surprise, stopped for a second. During this time Ah Q scrambled up the mulberry tree, scaled the mud wall and fell, turnips and all, outside the convent. He left the black dog still barking by the mulberry tree, and the old nun saying her prayers.
Fearing that the nun would let the black dog our again, Ah Q gathered together his turnips and ran, picking up a few small stones as he went. But the black dog did not reappear. Ah Q threw away the stones and walked on, eating as he went, thinking to himself: "There is nothing to be had here; I had better go to town…"
By the time he had finished the third turnip, he had made up his mind to go to town.

---

[13] A line from The Battle of Dragon and Tiger, an opera popular in Shaohsing. It told how Chao Kuang-yin, the first emperor of the Sung dynasty, fought with another general.

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第5章 生计问题
阿Ｑ礼毕之后，仍旧回到土谷祠，太阳下去了，渐渐觉得世上有些古怪。他仔细一想，终于省悟过来：其原因盖在自己的赤膊。他记得破夹袄还在，便披在身上，躺倒了，待张开眼睛，原来太阳又已经照在西墙上头了。他坐起身，一面说道，"妈妈的……"

    他起来之后，也仍旧在街上逛，虽然不比赤膊之有切肤之痛，却又渐渐的觉得世上有些古怪了。仿佛从这一天起，未庄的女人们忽然都怕了羞，伊们一见阿Ｑ走来，便个个躲进门里去。甚而至于将近五十岁的邹七嫂，也跟着别人乱钻，而且将十一的女儿都叫进去了。阿Ｑ很以为奇，而且想："这些东西忽然都学起小姐模样来了。这娼妇们……"

    但他更觉得世上有些古怪，却是许多日以后的事。其一，酒店不肯赊欠了；其二，管土谷祠的老头子说些废话，似乎叫他走；其三，他虽然记不清多少日，但确乎有许多日，没有一个人来叫他做短工。酒店不赊，熬着也罢了；老头子催他走，噜苏一通也就算了；只是没有人来叫他做短工，却使阿Ｑ肚子饿：这委实是一件非常"妈妈的"的事情。

    阿Ｑ忍不下去了，他只好到老主顾的家里去探问，——但独不许踏进赵府的门槛，——然而情形也异样：一定走出一个男人来，现了十分烦厌的相貌，像回复乞丐一般的摇手道：

    "没有没有！你出去！"

    阿Ｑ愈觉得稀奇了。他想，这些人家向来少不了要帮忙，不至于现在忽然都无事，这总该有些蹊跷在里面了。他留心打听，才知道他们有事都去叫小Ｄｏｎ㈣。这小Ｄ，是一个穷小子，又瘦又乏，在阿Ｑ的眼睛里，位置是在王胡之下的，谁料这小子竟谋了他的饭碗去。所以阿Ｑ这一气，更与平常不同，当气愤愤的走着的时候，忽然将手一扬，唱道：

    "我手执钢鞭将你打！㈤……"

    几天之后，他竟在钱府的照壁前遇见了小Ｄ。"仇人相见分外眼明"，阿Ｑ便迎上去，小Ｄ也站住了。

    "畜生！"阿Ｑ怒目而视的说，嘴角上飞出唾沫来。

    "我是虫豸，好么？……"小Ｄ说。

    这谦逊反使阿Ｑ更加愤怒起来，但他手里没有钢鞭，于是只得扑上去，伸手去拔小Ｄ的辫子。小Ｄ一手护住了自己的辫根，一手也来拔阿Ｑ的辫子，阿Ｑ便也将空着的一只手护住了自己的辫根。从先前的阿Ｑ看来，，小Ｄ本来是不足齿数的，但他近来挨了饿，又瘦又乏已经不下于小Ｄ，所以便成了势均力敌的现象，四只手拔着两颗头，都弯了腰，在钱家粉墙上映出一个蓝色的虹形，至于半点钟之久了。

    "好了，好了！"看的人们说，大约是解劝的。

    "好，好！"看的人们说，不知道是解劝，是颂扬，还是煽动。

    然而他们都不听。阿Ｑ进三步，小Ｄ便退三步，都站着；小Ｄ进三步，阿Ｑ便退三步，又都站着。大约半点钟，——未庄少有自鸣钟，所以很难说，或者二十分，——他们的头发里便都冒烟，额上便都流汗，阿Ｑ的手放松了，在同一瞬间，小Ｄ的手也正放松了，同时直起，同时退开，都挤出人丛去。

    "记着罢，妈妈的……"阿Ｑ回过头去说。

    "妈妈的，记着罢……"小Ｄ也回过头来说。

    这一场"龙虎斗"似乎并无胜败，也不知道看的人可满足，都没有发什么议论，而阿Ｑ却仍然没有人来叫他做短工。

    有一日很温和，微风拂拂的颇有些夏意了，阿Ｑ却觉得寒冷起来，但这还可担当，第一倒是肚子饿。棉被，毡帽，布衫，早已没有了，其次就卖了棉袄；现在有裤子，却万不可脱的；有破夹袄，又除了送人做鞋底之外，决定卖不出钱。他早想在路上拾得一注钱，但至今还没有见；他想在自己的破屋里忽然寻到一注钱，慌张的四顾，但屋内是空虚而且了然。于是他决计出门求食去了。


    他在路上走着要"求食"，看见熟识的酒店，看见熟识的馒头，但他都走过了，不但没有暂停，而且并不想要。他所求的不是这类东西了；他求的是什么东西，他自己不知道。

    未庄本不是大村镇，不多时便走尽了。村外多是水田，满眼是新秧的嫩绿，夹着几个圆形的活动的黑点，便是耕田的农夫。阿Ｑ并不赏鉴这田家乐，却只是走，因为他直觉的知道这与他的"求食"之道是很辽远的。但他终于走到静修庵的墙外了。

    庵周围也是水田，粉墙突出在新绿里，后面的低土墙里是菜园。阿Ｑ迟疑了一会，四面一看，并没有人。他便爬上这矮墙去，扯着何首乌藤，但泥土仍然簌簌的掉，阿Ｑ的脚也索索的抖；终于攀着桑树枝，跳到里面了。里面真是郁郁葱葱，但似乎并没有黄酒馒头，以及此外可吃的之类。靠西墙是竹丛，下面许多笋，只可惜都是并未煮熟的，还有油菜早经结子，芥菜已将开花，小白菜也很老了。

    阿Ｑ仿佛文童落第似的觉得很冤屈，他慢慢走近园门去，忽而非常惊喜了，这分明是一畦老萝卜。他于是蹲下便拔，而门口突然伸出一个很圆的头来，又即缩回去了，这分明是小尼姑。小尼姑之流是阿Ｑ本来视若草芥的，但世事须"退一步想"，所以他便赶紧拔起四个萝卜，拧下青叶，兜在大襟里。然而老尼姑已经出来了。

    "阿弥陀佛，阿Ｑ，你怎么跳进园里来偷萝卜！……阿呀，罪过呵，阿唷，阿弥陀佛！……"

    "我什么时候跳进你的园里来偷萝卜？"阿Ｑ且看且走的说。

    "现在……这不是？"老尼姑指着他的衣兜。

    "这是你的？你能叫得他答应你么？你……"

    阿Ｑ没有说完话，拔步便跑；追来的是一匹很肥大的黑狗。这本来在前门的，不知怎的到后园来了。黑狗哼而且追，已经要咬着阿Ｑ的腿，幸而从衣兜里落下一个萝卜来，那狗给一吓，略略一停，阿Ｑ已经爬上桑树，跨到土墙，连人和萝卜都滚出墙外面了。只剩着黑狗还在对着桑树嗥，老尼姑念着佛。

    阿Ｑ怕尼姑又放出黑狗来，拾起萝卜便走，沿路又捡了几块小石头，但黑狗却并不再现。阿Ｑ于是抛了石块，一面走一面吃，而且想道，这里也没有什么东西寻，不如进城去……

    待三个萝卜吃完时，他已经打定了进城的主意了。