Not only are the surname and native district of Ah Q matters of uncertainty, but even his former doings are matters of doubt. This is due to the fact that the people of Weichuang merely made use of his services or made light of him, and never paid attention to his doings. Ah Q himself threw no light on these matters, but when he was engaged in verbal fusillades with others, he would dilate the pupils of his eyes and exclaim: "My ancestors . . . were greater than yours by a long shot! What sort of creature may you be considered, anyway!"
Having no family, Ah Q lived in the T'uku Temple of Weichuang. He had no steady trade, merely doing odd jobs for others: if wheat had to be cut, he cut it; if rice were to be ground, he ground it; if a boat were to be rowed, he rowed it. Should the period of work be long, he might live in the house of his temporary employer, but as soon as the work was over, he would take his leave. Thus it came about that whenever people were busy, they would call Ah Q to mind, but what they actually recalled was his services and not his doings, for as soon as the
