Read Old Land, New Tales: Twenty Short Stories by Writers of the Shaanxi Region in China for Free Online

slammed his fist loudly into his palm and spoke hurriedly as if he were reciting his lines in an opera: “Emperor Jiaqing sent an official to the county. My housekeeper’s third son is the cook in the county government. As soon as he heard about the message, he sentsomeone to tell me. I ran all the way here to let you know. And yet to my surprise, you don’t believe a single word I’ve said—”
    Li Shisan interrupted: “Did they say which law I violated?”
    “Obscene tongue and foul tune,” Tian Shewa replied. “The emperor said that, like overgrown weeds, your plays have spread into several provinces. The emperor was so irritated that he sent officials to Weinan to escort you to Beijing. Even those shadow players who’ve cooperated with you—including me—are to be punished . . .”
    Tian Shewa paused and grew silent. As he considered their grim fate, Tian Shewa set his swallowtail-shaped eyes on the face of his beloved brother. He spared no glance at his sister-in-law, who was still holding the mill rod.
    Li Shisan was dumbfounded. His face turned from grayish yellow to grayish white—whether from anger or from fear, it was hard to tell, but Tian Shewa was scared speechless.
    All of a sudden Li Shisan stood up, threw his head backward and then forward, and gave a loud cry; a spray of blood erupted from his mouth. A beam of red light, as crimson as sunshine, flashed through, and the whole mill was suffused with red flame. Like a flying blood waterfall, rushing and whirling with a resonant sound, the blood splashed and spattered onto the crushed wheat and the carved angular millstones, reddening everything it touched. Tian Shewa froze in terror.
    Li Shisan squared his shoulder again. He faced upward first and then forward with a jerk, as another stream of bloody flame spouted out. Finally he tumbled onto the mill pan, one hand limp.
    For a moment, Tian Shewa was at a loss. Then he snapped out of his panic. He carried Li Shisan in his arms and laid him gently on his back on the floor. Frightened, Mrs. Li squatted and rubbed her husband’s chest and forehead, wailing, “Please don’t go . . . you can’t leave me alone . . .” She firmly pinched the bridge of her husband’s nose.
    Eventually, Li Shisan opened his eyes. He pushed away his wife’s hand still pinching his nose. After a moment he struggled to sit up, both hands pressed on the floor. Mrs. Li and Tian Shewa stepped forward quickly to help him from either side. Li Shisan sat slowly up. He heard Tian Shewa’s cry and Mrs. Li’s. Taking a breath, Li asked Tian, “Why don’t you run away?”
    “Look at you!” Tian Shewa replied. “How can I bear to leave you suffering and run away alone? Let them arrest both of us so that I can take care of you.”
    Shaking his head, Li said, “It is better that we both run and disappear.”
    “That is what I was waiting to hear. Now, be quick.”
    Standing up, Li tried a few steps and found he was able to walk. He said to his wife, “Don’t worry about me. If the emperor wants my life, there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t be of any help. If there’s any way to escape, I will manage to send you a message and get my play back. My writing is just moving to its climax. Keep the play safe for me.”
    Trying to act natural, the two men walked out through the gate, crossed the lane of the village, and even politely said hello to the villagers they passed. A neighbor asked them where they’d be performing that night. Tian replied that they’d be in a remote village on the north plateau. Hearing this, the man said with great pity that it was too far for them to go.
    Once out of the village, they turned from the main road onto a one-foot-wide footpath with corn plants as tall as a man on either side. Vanishing into the vast green sea of overgrowth, they felt a sheltered safety. Soon, as if by prior agreement, they both stepped out onto another footpath. The path was covered with grass and