Chinese Literature

In the centre of the room stood a long table on which two piles of tea bowls were awaiting the commencement of the meeting. Benches from the classroom had been placed around the table. The more he thought of his mistake, the angrier Yang the Hlder became. He pounded his fist on the table, his eyes sweeping the men who had followed him in the door.

“You tell me—are we going to hold this meeting or not?”

“Of course!’ replied a man carrying a long-stemmed pipe. “Right is right and wrong is wrong. We don’t want landlords here and we don’t want counter-revolutionaries. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to let any of our women break the Clan Laws!”

A bushy-browed middle-aged woman agreed noisily. “It we don’t enforce discipline, our girls will all be chasing the boys!” The lady was the famous “Loudmouth.” Once she got started—it didn’t matter whether anyone listened to her or not—she could go on for hours reciting the occasions on which her daughter-in-law “refused to be taught.”

It was at this point that Glib Lips came in through the door. Hearing Loudmouth orating against “secret clutching and pawing,”’ she at once affirmed that she too was firmly opposed to such activities. Much to her surprise, Loudmouth returned her virtuous proclamation with a dirty dig.

‘T can’t stand people who put up a false front. They ought to take a good look at their reflections in the water vat!’

Glib Lips, reddening, scurried to the side of the room. In her haste she stepped on Li-chia’s foot. She turned to apologize, hoping to change the subject. But he wasn’t even looking at her. She could only sidle away and seek her opportunity elsewhere.

Young Li-chia was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, examining the crowd. He knew there were quite a number of people who shared the views of the old men. A few minutes ago, straight thinking had overcome distorted ideas, when the peasants insisted on kicking out the reactionaries. The old timers couldn’t say a word against that. But now, they had gotten up full steam again. A goateed old man was walking to the front of the room. Li-chia recognized him as Yang Yuneghuai, grand-uncle of his friend Iron Hammer.

Yang Yung-huai approached Yang the Elder and thrust out his hand. “Brother, is the list of Judges ready?”

The so-called “Judges” were those who sat at the big table with the

clan leader and drank tea while “trying the case.” Before liberation, landlords and “important personages” in the clan, members of the older generation and those of advanced years were all considered “qualified.” But the final decision of who should sit aS a judge always rested with the clan leader. Since liberation, things had changed drastically. The Blder had conferred with the Bigot for hours the day before on the question of the Judges list. As to qualifications, there was one requirement