The True Story of Ah Q (Leung)/Chapter 7
On the fourteenth day of the ninth moon of the third year of the emperor Hsüan T'ung — on the same day that Ah Q had sold Chao Pai-yen the purse — after three strokes of the watchman's drum,11 a large dark-sailed ship reached the Chao household's landing place. Through the inky darkness, while the villagers slumbered and knew nothing, this boat came rowing in. Dawn had almost arrived when it left; and so few people saw it. But stealthy investigation resulted in the discovery that it was Chü-jen Lao-yeh's ship!
The ship caused a great deal of anxiety in Weichuang and it was not yet noon when the hearts of the whole village were disturbed. As for the ship's mission, that was kept very secret by the Chaos; but in the tea shops and in the wine shops, it was rumored that rebels were advancing upon the city and that Chü-jen Lao-yeh had come to their village to take refuge. Tsou Ch'i-sao, however, did not agree with this rumor and maintained that Chü-jen Lao-yeh wished to store a few battered clothes boxes, which the Venerable Mr. Chao had turned back. The truth was that Chü-jen Lao-yeh and Chao Hsiu-t'sai had not been on good terms in the past and they could not in all reason have had a mutual desire to share each other's misfortunes! Moreover, Tsou Ch'i-sao, being a neighbor of the Chao family, was close at hand to see and hear all that took place; so the situation, generally speaking, ought to have been as she explained it.
Nevertheless, rumor spread apace: it was said that although it did not appear as if Chü-jen Lao-yeh had come in person, still a long letter had arrived, establishing an indirect relationship with the Chao family. So, after turning the matter over and over in his mind, the Venerable Mr. Chao came to the conclusion that he himself could incur no harm and had the boxes received in the house. For the time being, the boxes were stuffed under Mr. Chao's bed. As for the Revolutionists, it was said that they had advanced on the city on that very night, all wearing white helmets and white armor, as mourning for the Emperor Ch'ung Chêng.
Ah Q's ears had long heard the phrase, "Revolutionary Party," and this year he had witnessed with his own eyes the decapitation of various members of the party; but it is not quite clear whence he got the idea that the Revolutionary party was rebelling and that this rebellion had evil consequences for himself; yet it was in accordance with this idea that in times past, he had deeply hated and absolutely cut himself off from the movement. But how was it to be known that this party could frighten the one hundred li renowned Chü-jen Lao-yeh? Consequently, he could not escape an inspiration, while besides, the great fear which this party had caused among the men and women of Weichuang filled Ah Q with delight.
"Revolution is good as it is," thought Ah Q. "Cut off the lives of the whole village; they are too hateful, too hateful. . . . As for me, I am determined to join the ranks of the Revolutionists."
Of late, Ah Q's existence had experienced some hard knocks, and in general he was rather dissatified; added to this, during the afternoon he had gulped down two bowls of wine upon an empty stomach and had immediately become intoxicated. So, walking along, he pondered on this matter. He seemed once more to be soaring on airy pinions, and without so much as knowing how it happened, it appeared that the Revolutionary party was HIMSELF and that all Weichuang were his captives. In his excessive elation, he could not refrain from shouting: "Revolution, revolution!"
The Weichuangites stared at him with startled eyes and with peculiar pitying glances, which Ah Q had never observed in the past. As soon as he noticed these glances, he was made to feel as comfortable as one drinking ice water in July. And so he felt blithe and merry and kept shouting as he walked along:
"Good . . . I will do just as I please. I will like whom I please . . ."
"Tuck, tuck, clang, clang!
"I regret that I have . . . while drunken, hacked brother Cheng by mistake.
"I regret that I have . . . Ha, ha, ha.
"Tuck, tuck, clang, clang, tuck, chang, ling, chang!
"My hand will seize a metal whip to flog you."12
The two men of the Chao family, along with two other relatives, happened to be standing before the large door, discussing the Revolution.
Ah Q did not see them, but sailed past, head high and singing: "Tuck . . ."
"Venerable Q," nervously called the Venerable Mr. Chao in a low voice.
"Chang, clang," continued Ah Q, not dreaming that the word "venerable" could ever be connected with his own name, regarding it as an alien word that had nothing to do with himself. He merely kept singing,
"Tuck, chang, chang, ling, chang, chang!"
"Venerable Q."
"I regret that I have . . ."
It was then that Ah Q stopped and, putting his head to one side, asked, "What is it?
"Venerable Q . . . at present . . . ," the Venerable Mr. Chao did not finish. "At present . . . are you doing well?"
"Am I doing well? Naturally . . . I do what pleases me . . ."
"Brother Q . . . you need not mind poor friends like us . . . ," added Chao Pai-jen embarrassed and as if feeling for information concerning the policies of the Revolutionary party.
"Poor friends? Why, you are much wealthier than I!" said Ah Q, walking away.
All concerned were disappointed and remained silent. The Venerable Mr. Chao and his son returned to their home and sat in consultation until the hour for lamp lighting. When Chao Pai-yen returned to his home, he took the purse from his waist and gave it to his wife to place at the bottom of a box.
Having soared on pinions of elation for some time, Ah Q returned to T'uku Temple; he had by this time already completely recovered from his intoxication. On this particular evening, the old man in charge of T'uku Temple was unusually benign and requested him to have some tea. Ah Q even asked him for two cakes and after eating them, took a candle holder and a partially used four-ounce candle. The last he took home, lighted, and lay down utterly alone in his little room. He could not express the joyous novelty that he felt. The candle flame sparkled and danced as if it were New Year's Eve. His musings mounted with animated pace, after this fashion:
"Revolt! How interesting . . . along will come the Revolutionary party, clad in white helmets and white armor, holding flat knives, metal flails, bombs, foreign guns, three-pointed and double-edged knives, and spears with hoops. They will pass T'uku Temple, calling, 'Ah Q, come with us, come with us!' Thus I will go along with them . . .
"Then how laughable the whole bunch of Weichuangites, men and women, will be, kneeling and beseeching, 'Spare our lives, Ah Q!' And who will listen to them! The first to deserve death are Little D and the Venerable Mr. Chao, also the Hsiu-t'sai and the "False Foreigner" . . . will I spare a few lives? Wang-hu might be saved . . . but even he is not wanted.
"Creature . . . go and open that box at once: silver ingots, foreign coins, foreign cloth . . . first of all move the Hsiu-t'sai's wife's Ningpo bed to T'uku Temple; besides, bring along the chairs and tables of the Chin family, . . . perhaps, those of the Chao family will do. I myself will not lift a hand; I will order Little D to come move them. Little D must be spry; if he doesn't I will give him a smack on the mouth.
"Chao Szu-ch'ên's younger sister is very unsightly. Tsou Ch'i-sao's daughter will come in for consideration a few years later. The "False Foreigner's" wife is a bad woman to share the connubial couch of a queueless man. The Hsiu-ts'ai's wife has scars on her eyelids. I will never look upon Amah Wu again and I do not know where she is . . . alas, her feet are too big."
Ah Q had not thought out his plans to their conclusion when he had begun to snore. The four-ounce candle had burned away only a bit more than half an inch; and the sparkling red flames lighted his gaping mouth.
"Hey, ho!" Ah Q suddenly exclaimed. He lifted his head in bewilderment, gazing distractedly about. But by the time his eyes fell on the four-ounce candle, his head had drooped and he was lost in sleep again.
On the following day, he got up very late; and on going out to the street, he noticed that everything was the same as it had been in the past. He eventually became hungry and began to think but could think of nothing special. However, he suddenly seemed to have made up his mind and slowly lengthened his stride, and whether purposeful or without purpose, he arrived at the Temple of Quiet Self-Improvement.
The temple itself, with its white walls and black lacquer door, was as quiet as a spring day. He thought for a moment and went forward to knock at the door. A dog barked from within. He quickly snatched up a few fragments of bricks and returned, exerting himself to throw the stones at the door until it became scarred as if it were filled with pockmarks. It was then that he heard some one opening the door.
Ah Q quickly seized a few fragments of bricks and stood with legs apart in preparation to open war upon the black dog; but the temple door had only opened a crack and no black dog dashed out through it. When he looked, he saw that only an old nun was there.
"And why have you come again?" she cried, thoroughly frightened.
"Revolt . . . has been effected . . . do you know it?" Ah Q muttered indistinctly.
"Revolt, revolt, there has been one revolt . . . and if you mean to keep revolting, what will our condition be?" continued the old nun, her eyes turning red with tears.
"What?" asked Ah Q in surprise.
"Don't you know that others have already come and revolted?"
"Who?" asked Ah Q, all the more surprised.
"The Hsiu-t'sai and the False Foreigner."
This was the last thing that Ah Q could have expected and he was struck with amazement. When the old nun saw that his temper had abated, she swiftly closed the door. Ah Q pushed it again, was unable to open it, but after knocking repeatedly, there was still no answer.
This took place in the forenoon. Chao was skilled in obtaining fresh news and as soon as he knew that the Revolutionary party had entered the city in the night, he wound his queue about his head and made an early call upon the not-to-be-associated-with Chin "False Foreigner." Since this was the time for beginning everything over again, they found strong grounds for agreement, immediately discovered the selfsame ambitions, and decided to join the Revolutionary movement together.
After they had pondered the matter over and over again, they recalled that in the Temple of Quiet Self-Improvement, there was an imperial tablet, inscribed "Ten thousand years for the Emperor, Ten thousand ten thousand years," which ought to be done away with quickly; therefore, they went to the temple to attest their stand with the Revolutionary movement. Because the old nun offered resistance to their intention, they classed her with the Manchu government, and gave her several cuffs on the head with cane and knuckle. The old nun steadied herself as she waited until they had left and then came out to examine the tablet; but naturally the dragon tablet had been broken to fragments and lay on the ground. The Hsüah-te censor before the shrine of Kwan Yin was also nowhere to be seen.
These facts Ah Q learned afterwards. He regretted somewhat that he had been asleep and blamed them very much for not coming to invite him.
He withdrew a step and said, "Can it really be that they do not know that I have already joined the ranks of the Revolutionary party?"