Chinese Literature

voluntarily, without any fuss. But if anyone is trying to pick on us, they’re not going to get away with it!” “Good. Now listen to what I have to say.”

Before Chun-mei had finished pasting one pair of cloth shoe uppers, her aunt’s recital was ended. Because the girl was still unmarried, there were some things her aunt had to think carefully how to express, and could only tell by indirection. But finally she made Chun-mei understand: Tseng and Chun-mei’s mother were on very good terms. Before liberation, when a black net covered the sky, they didn’t dare reveal a word of their relationship. With liberation, the poor were able to rise to their feet, and the landlord class was, of course, knocked head over heels. The peasants no longer had time to worry about such things as “Widows’ Continence to the Departed,’ and the pair were able to meet more openly. Later, they heard about the new marriage law, with its provision that widows were allowed to remarry. Both were overjoyed, and they now made less effort at concealment. But they still couldn’t completely get over their caution. “Fearing cliffs ahead and tigers behind,” they lacked the courage to formally apply for a marriage certificate.

At last they were trapped by Yang the Elder and other leaders of the clan. These worthies insisted that no widow of a Yang could remarry. They demanded that Chun-mei be given to Tseng to create the impression that she was the real reason for his frequent visits to the widow’s house. This, they said, would be “covering the dog dung with a clod of earth, so that it won’t stink everybody out!’ They even claimed that they “were going easy on the widow, for the sake of her dead husband.”

Chun-mei’s breast was heaving as though she had been climbing a steep. hill.

‘Huh! ‘Going easy,’ eh?” she raged. “I suppose I ought to send them thank-you gifts!”

Aunt Li put a restraining hand on the girl’s arm. “Chun-mei, the thing to do is think of a way out. Even your uncle Li-ho is a little oldfashioned on this subject.”

Chun-mei decided to tell this wise, courageous aunt of hers about Hsiao-chang, and ask for her advice. But just then the door opened with a bang and Li-ho came barging in.

Li-ho plopped down on the bed. He looked at his wife, he looked at his niece. Then he. brought out his short-stemmed pipe and slowly packed it with tobacco. After using several matches to get the pipe lit and puffing up a great cloud of smoke, Li-ho turned to his niece.

“Chun-mei, you’d better not go on the main street the next few days. Yang the Elder is exploding again. Stay out of his way.”

“When did he get back?” Aunt Li asked. “I suppose he made life miserable again for his daughter Huan.”