FIVE Strange Death 2

2
THE SKY WAS a beautiful clear blue. The sun hadn’t yet made an appearance, but the chaotichorizon on that early-winter morning was infused with a blinding red light when Old Geng shotat a red fox with a fiery¹ torch of a tail. Old Geng had no peers among hunters in Saltwater Gap,where he bagged wild geese, hares, wild ducks, weasels, foxes, and, when there was nothing elsearound, sparrows. In the late autumn and early winter, enormous flocks of sparrows flew overNortheast Gaomi Township, a shifting brown cloud that rolled and tumbled above the boundlessland. At dusk they returned to the village, where they settled on willows² whose naked, yellowinglimbs drooped³ earthward or arched skyward. As the dying red rays of the evening sun burnedthrough the clouds, the branches lit up with sparrows’ black eyes shining like thousands ofgolden sparks. Old Geng picked up his shotgun, squinted⁴, and pulled the trigger. Two sparrowscrashed to the ground like hailstones as shotgun pellets tore noisily through the branches.
Uninjured sparrows saw their comrades hit the ground and flapped their wings, rising into the airlike shrapnel sent flying high into a lethargic⁵ sky.
Father had eaten some of Old Geng’s sparrows when he was young. They were delicious.
Three decades later, my older brother and I went into the sorghum⁶ field and engaged some craftysparrows in a heated battle. Old Geng, who was already over seventy by then and lived alone as apensioner, was one of our most revered⁷ villagers. Asked to speak at meetings to air grievancesagainst the old order, he invariably stripped to the waist onstage to show his scars. ‘The Japsbayoneted me eighteen times,’ he’d say, ‘until you couldn’t see my skin for all the blood. But Ididn’t die, and you know why? Because I was protected by a fox fairy. I don’t know how long Ilay there, but when I opened my eyes all I could see was a bright-red light. The fox fairy waslicking my wounds.’
In his home, Old Geng – Eighteen Stabs Geng – kept a fox-fairy memorial tablet, which someRed Guards decided⁸ to smash during the Cultural Revolution. They changed their minds and gotout of there fast when they saw him kneel in front of the tablet wielding⁹ a cleaver¹⁰.
Old Geng drew a bead¹¹ on the red fox, knowing exactly which way it would run; but he wasreluctant to shoot. He knew he could sell the beautiful, bushy pelt¹² for a good price. If he wasgoing to shoot, it had to be now. The fox had already enjoyed a full life, sneaking¹³ over nightly tosteal a chicken. No matter how strong the villagers made their chicken coops, the fox alwaysfound a way inside and no matter how many traps they set, it always got away. That year thevillagers’ chicken coops seemed built solely¹⁴ to store its food.
Old Geng had walked out of the village as the roosters were crowing for the third time andgone straight to a low embankment alongside the swamp in front of the village, where he waitedfor the chicken thief to show up. Dried-up marsh¹⁵ weeds stood waist-high in the swamp, where athin sheet of nearly transparent¹⁶ ice, possibly thick enough to bear a man’s weight, covered thestagnant water that had accumulated during the autumn rains. Yellow tassels¹⁷ atop imprisonedreeds shivered in the freezing morning air, as powerful rays of light from far off in the easternsky gradually illuminated¹⁸ the icy surface, which gave off a moist radiance, like the scales of acarp. Then the eastern sky turned bright, staining the ice and reeds the colour of mottled blood.
Old Geng picked up the odour and saw a tight cluster of reeds part slowly like an undulatingwave, then close up quickly. He stuck his nearly frozen index finger into his mouth and breathedon it, then wrapped it around the frost-covered trigger.
The fox bounded out of the clump¹⁹ of reeds and stood on the ice, turning it a bright red, asthough it had gone up in flames. Congealed²⁰ blood covered its pointy little snout; a chickenfeather the colour of hemp²¹ was stuck in its whiskers. It walked with stately grace across the ice.
Old Geng cried out, and it froze on the spot, squinting²² to get a good look at the embankment. OldGeng shivered, closed his eyes, and fired.
Like a little fireball, the fox rolled into the reeds. Old Geng, his shoulder numb²³ from the recoil,stood up under a silvery sky, looking bigger and taller than usual. He knew the fox was hidingamid the reeds and staring at him with loathing²⁴. Something suspiciously like a guilty consciencebegan to stir in Old Geng. He thought back over the past year and the trust the fox had shown inhim: it always knew he was hiding behind the embankment, yet it sauntered across the ice asthough putting his conscience to the test. And Old Geng had always passed the test. But now hehad betrayed this friendship, and he hung his head, gazing into the clump of reeds that hadswallowed the fox, not even turning back to look when he heard the clatter²⁵ of footsteps behindhim.
Suddenly he felt a stabbing pain, and stumbled forward, twisting his body, dropping hisshotgun to the ice. Something hot squirmed under his pants at the belt line. Running towards himwere a dozen uniformed figures armed with rifles and glinting bayonets. Instinctively²⁶ he yelled infear, ‘Japan!’
The Japanese soldiers pounced²⁷ on him and bayoneted him in the chest and abdomen²⁸. Hescreamed pitifully, like a fox howling for its mate. The blood from his wounds pitted the icebeneath him with its heat. He ripped off his tattered²⁹ shirt with both hands. In his semiconsciousstate he saw the furry³⁰ red fox emerge from the clump of reeds and circle round him once, thencrouch down and gaze sympathetically. Its fur glowed brilliantly and its slightly slanted³¹ eyesshone like emeralds. After a while, Old Geng felt warm fur rubbing against his body, and he laythere waiting for the razor-sharp teeth to begin ripping him apart. If he were torn to shreds³², he’ddie with no complaints, for he knew that a man who betrays a trust is lower than an animal.
The fox began licking his wounds with its cold tongue.
Old Geng was adamant³³ that the fox had repaid his betrayal by saving his life. Where else couldyou find another man who had sustained eighteen bayonet wounds yet lived to tell the tale? Thefox’s tongue must have been coated with a miraculous substance since Ol

1 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

2 willows   

n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木

参考例句：

• The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 drooped   

弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
• The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。

4 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

5 lethargic   

adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的

参考例句：

• He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采，完全没有心思穿衣整装。
• The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。

6 sorghum   

n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西

参考例句：

• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
• They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。

7 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

10 cleaver   

n.切肉刀

参考例句：

• In fact,a cleaver is a class of ax.实际上，切肉刀也是斧子的一种。
• The cleaver is ground to a very sharp edge.刀磨得飞快。

11 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

12 pelt   

v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火

参考例句：

• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
• Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。

13 sneaking   

a.秘密的，不公开的

参考例句：

• She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
• She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

14 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

15 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

16 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

17 tassels   

n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰

参考例句：

• Tassels and Trimmings, Pillows, Wall Hangings, Table Runners, Bell. 采购产品垂饰，枕头，壁挂，表亚军，钟。 来自互联网
• Cotton Fabrics, Embroidery and Embroiders, Silk, Silk Fabric, Pillows, Tassels and Trimmings. 采购产品棉花织物，刺绣品而且刺绣，丝，丝织物，枕头，流行和装饰品。 来自互联网

18 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

19 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

20 congealed   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• The cold remains of supper had congealed on the plate. 晚餐剩下的冷饭菜已经凝结在盘子上了。
• The oil at last is congealed into a white fat. 那油最终凝结成了一种白色的油脂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

22 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。

23 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

24 loathing   

n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• She looked at her attacker with fear and loathing . 她盯着襲擊她的歹徒，既害怕又憎恨。
• They looked upon the creature with a loathing undisguised. 他们流露出明显的厌恶看那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

25 clatter   

v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声

参考例句：

• The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
• Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

26 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

29 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

30 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

31 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

32 shreds   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮，切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

33 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。