Free Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua, Andrew F. Jones Page A

him to pieces? If I went over there with a cleaver, I’d end up in jail, that’s what. I’d be executed, and you’d be a fucking widow, that’s what would happen.”
    When Xu Yulan had heard him out, she stood, walked out of the room, and took a seat on the doorstep. When Xu Sanguan saw her sit down on the doorstep, he knew what was coming. Xu Yulan, flicking the handkerchief she had just been using to wipe her tears back and forth through the air, began her tearful litany.
    “What did I do in my past life to deserve this? He Xiaoyong took advantage of me. And if that wasn’t enough, he got me pregnant. Not only did he knock me up, but I even gave birth to Yile. If giving birth to Yile wasn’t enough, he had to go and get himself into trouble.”
    Xu Sanguan growled at her, “Goddamnit, get back in here! Do you have to let everyone on the fucking street know that I’m a cuckold?”
    Xu Yulan sobbed, “And if Yile getting into trouble wasn’t bad enough, Xu Sanguan said he couldn’t help him out of it. Xu Sanguan won’t do anything, and neither will He Xiaoyong. He Xiaoyong not only refused to pay up but even pulled my hair and slapped my face. He Xiaoyong’s a crime against nature. He Xiaoyong will not die a happy death. But what am I supposed to do when Blacksmith Fang comes for the money tomorrow? What am I supposed to do? What am I going to do?”
    Yile, Erle, and Sanle heard their mother’s sobs and ran to her side.
    Yile said, “Mom, don’t cry, go inside.”
    Erle said, “Mom, don’t cry. Why are you crying?”
    Sanle said, “Mom, don’t cry. Who’s He Xiaoyong?”
    The neighbors came to her as well. The neighbors said, “Xu Yulan, don’t cry, you’ll strain yourself.” “Xu Yulan, why are you crying?” “What are you crying for?”
    Erle said to the neighbors, “It’s like this. My mom is crying because Yile—”
    Yile cut in, “Erle, do me a favor and shut up.”
    Erle said, “I will not shut up. It’s like this: Yile isn’t my dad’s kid.”
    Yile said, “Erle, if you don’t shut up, I’ll kill you.”
    Erle continued, “Yile is He Xiaoyong and my mom’s kid—”
    Yile slapped Erle on the face, and Erle broke into loud sobs as well.
    Xu Sanguan heard what was happening from inside the room and thought to himself,
So that little bastard Yile thinks he can
get away with hitting one of my sons?
He catapulted out the door and slapped Yile’s face. Then he pinned him against the wall and shouted, “Little bastard! Just because your dad messes with me, you think you can bully my son too?”
    Yile, dazed by Xu Sanguan’s sudden attack, stood in silence, rubbing his hand against the wall.
    Xu Yulan pointed in their direction and once again sobbed, “My fate is bitter. But that child’s fate is even worse. Xu Sanguan doesn’t want him. He Xiaoyong doesn’t want him either. The child has no father, no one to call his own.”
    One of the neighbors said, “Xu Yulan, why don’t you have Yile go over to He Xiaoyong’s place? Who wouldn’t be moved by seeing their own flesh and blood? He Xiaoyong doesn’t have a son yet, just two daughters. Who knows? Maybe he’ll even start to cry when he finally sees his own son.”
    Xu Yulan immediately stopped crying and turned toward Yile, who was still standing against the wall, biting his lip. “Yile, didn’t you hear what the man said? Go on. Go find He Xiaoyong. Go over there and call him your dad.”
    Yile backed himself against the wall and shook his head. “I’m not going.”
    Xu Yulan said, “Yile, listen to what your mother’s telling you. Go on. Quick. Go call He Xiaoyong your dad. If he doesn’t listen to you, just try again.”
    Yile shook his head. “I’m not going over there.”
    Xu Sanguan pointed at him. “You’re not going, huh? If you don’t go over there right now, I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
    As he spoke, Xu Sanguan approached Yile, grabbed him with one hand, pulled him away from the wall, and then