FOUR Sorghum Funeral 7

7
THE IRON SOCIETY soldiers freed up one of their mounts so Granddad and Father could ride.
Whipping his horse, Black Eye took the lead, while the glib¹ Five Troubles, who hated theCommunists and the Nationalists, trotted² alongside Granddad. His dappled colt was very youngand eager to catch up to the others, but Five Troubles kept a tight rein⁴. Never a man to mincewords, he looked back and said, ‘Commander Yu, I’ve been doing all the talking. You haven’tsaid anything.’
Granddad smiled wryly⁵. ‘I can barely read two hundred words. I’m an expert in murder andarson, but you might as well take me to the slaughterhouse if you want me to talk about nationalaffairs!’
‘Then who do you think we ought to turn the country over to after we drive out the Japanese?’
‘That has nothing to do with me. All I know is that no one would dare take a bite out of mydick.’
‘What would you say if the Communists were in charge?’
Granddad snorted contemptuously out of one nostril⁶.
‘How about the Nationalists?’
He snorted out of the other nostril.
‘That’s what I say. What China needs is an emperor! I’ve got it all figured out: struggles comeand go, long periods of division precede unity⁷ and long periods of unity precede division, but thenation aways falls into the hands of an emperor. The nation is the emperor’s family, the family isthe emperor’s nation. That’s why he governs so benevolently⁸. But if a political party is in charge,everybody’s got his own idea, with Grandpa saying it’s too cold and Grandma complaining aboutthe heat, and everything’s all fucked up.’
He reined⁹ in his dappled colt and waited for Granddad to catch up. Then, leaning oversecretively, he said, ‘Commander Yu, I’ve been reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms andOutlaws of the Marshes¹⁰ since I was a kid, and I know them like the back of my hand. The seat ofmy courage is as big as a hen’s egg, but unfortunately I don’t have a wise leader to serve. I usedto think Black Eye was one. That’s why I left home, to join up with him and do somethingworthwhile before I got married and settled down.
‘Who’d have guessed that he was as stupid as a pig and as dumb as an ox, short on courageand long on bullshit? All he cares about is his little plot of land in Saltwater Gap. Our ancestorshad a saying: Birds perch¹¹ on the best wood, a good horse neighs when it sees a master trainer.
After thinking it over, I’ve concluded that in all of Northeast Gaomi Township you, CommanderYu, are the only true leader. My comrades and I demanded that Black Eye bring you into thesociety. It’s what they call “inviting the tiger into the house”. When you’re one of us, if you cansleep on firewood and drink gall¹², like the famous king of Yue, you’ll gain everyone’s sympathyand respect. Then I’ll wait for a chance to get rid of Black Eye and nominate you to replace him.
With a change in the ruling house, discipline will be tightened¹³. Once we bring Northeast GaomiTownship under our control, we’ll move north and occupy Southeast Pingdu Township andNorthern Jiao Township, then unite all three areas.
‘When that’s done, we can set up our capital in Saltwater Gap under the flag of the IronSociety, with you in command. From there we’ll send our forces in three directions, taking Jiao,Gaomi, and Pingdu counties, annihilating¹⁴ the Communists, the Nationalists, and the Japs. Withthe three capitals in our hands, we can set up our own nation!’
Granddad nearly fell off his horse. He looked with amazement¹⁵ at this handsome young manwho was bursting with ideas of statehood, and his insides ached with excitement. Reining¹⁶ in hishorse, he tumbled out of the saddle and, since it didn’t seem appropriate to kneel before FiveTroubles, reached up, grabbed his sweaty hand, and said in a tremulous voice, ‘Sir! Why couldn’tI have met you before this? Why did it take so long?’
‘A leader shouldn’t talk like that. Let’s put our hearts and minds together to do somethingreally important!’ Five Troubles said with tears in his eyes.
Black Eye, who was more than a li ahead of them, reined in his horse and shouted, ‘Hey – areyou two coming or not?’
Cupping his hand over his mouth, Five Troubles yelled, ‘We’re coming! Old Yu’s girth broke.
We’re fixing it now!’ He turned to look at Father, who was sitting bright-eyed on his horse.
‘Young Master Yu,’ he said, ‘we’ve been discussing serious matters. Don’t breathe a word of ourconversation to anyone!’
Father nodded vigorously.
Granddad felt more clearheaded than ever before in his life. Five Troubles’ words were a ragthat had wiped his heart clean, until it shone like a mirror; finally, he could see the purpose of hisstruggles, and he uttered something that even Father, who was sitting in front of him, didn’t hearclearly: ‘Heaven’s will!’
Alternating between a gallop¹⁷ and a trot³, the horses arrived at the banks of the Black WaterRiver at noon. That afternoon they left the river behind them, and as night was about to fall,Granddad rose up in the saddle to gaze out at the Salty Water River, which was half as broad asthe Black Water River and meandered¹⁸ through alkaline plains. Its grey waters looked like dullglass that gave off a murky¹⁹ glare.

1 glib   

adj.圆滑的，油嘴滑舌的

参考例句：

• His glib talk sounds as sweet as a song.他说的比唱的还好听。
• The fellow has a very glib tongue.这家伙嘴油得很。

2 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

3 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

4 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

5 wryly   

adv. 挖苦地，嘲弄地

参考例句：

• Molly smiled rather wryly and said nothing. 莫莉苦笑着，一句话也没说。
• He smiled wryly, then closed his eyes and gnawed his lips. 他狞笑一声，就闭了眼睛，咬着嘴唇。 来自子夜部分

6 nostril   

n.鼻孔

参考例句：

• The Indian princess wore a diamond in her right nostril.印弟安公主在右鼻孔中戴了一颗钻石。
• All South American monkeys have flat noses with widely spaced nostril.所有南美洲的猴子都有平鼻子和宽大的鼻孔。

7 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

8 benevolently   

adv.仁慈地，行善地

参考例句：

• She looked on benevolently. 她亲切地站在一边看着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 reined   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
• The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

10 marshes   

n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。
• We had to cross the marshes. 我们不得不穿过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

12 gall   

v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难

参考例句：

• It galled him to have to ask for a loan.必须向人借钱使他感到难堪。
• No gall,no glory.没有磨难，何来荣耀。

13 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

14 annihilating   

v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃

参考例句：

• There are lots of ways of annihilating the planet. 毁灭地球有很多方法。 来自辞典例句
• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句

15 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

16 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。

17 gallop   

v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展

参考例句：

• They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。
• The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

18 meandered   

（指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A stream meandered towards the sea. 一条小河蜿蜒地流向大海。
• The small river meandered in lazy curves down the centre. 小河缓缓地绕着中心地区迤逦流过。

19 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。