1
From where he lay quietly on the brick-and-tamped-earth sleeping platform, his kang, PastorMalory saw a bright red beam of light shining down on the Virgin2 Mary’s pink breast and onthe pudgy face of the bare-bottomed Blessed Infant in her arms. Water from last summer’srains had left yellow stains on the oil tableau3, investing the Virgin Mary and Blessed Infantwith a vacant look. A long-legged spider hung from a silvery thread in the bright window,swaying in a light breeze. “Morning spiders bring happiness, evening spiders promisewealth.” That’s what the pale yet beautiful woman had said one day when she saw one of theeight-legged creatures. But what happiness am I entitled to? All those heavenly breasts andbuttocks in his dream flashed through his head. He heard the rumble5 of carts outside and thecries of red-crowned cranes from the distant marsh6, plus the angry bleats7 of his milk goat.
Sparrows banged noisily into the paper window covering. Magpies8, the so-called happinessbirds, chattered9 in poplar trees outside. By the look of things, happiness could well be in theair today. Then suddenly his head cleared, and the beautiful woman with the astonishingly bigbelly made a violent appearance, haloed in blinding light. Her nervous lips quivered, as if shewere about to say something. She was in her eleventh month, so today must be the day. In aflash Pastor1 Malory understood the significance of the spider and magpies. He sat up and gotdown off the kang.
After picking up a black earthenware10 jug11, he walked out to the street behind the church,where he saw Shangguan Lü, wife of Shangguan Fulu, the blacksmith, bent12 over to sweep thestreet in front of the shop. His heart skipped a beat, his lips quivered. “Dear Lord,” hemuttered, “almighty God …” He crossed himself with a stiff finger and backed slowly into acorner to silently observe the tall, heavyset Shangguan Lü?as she silently and single-mindedlyswept the dew-soaked dust into her dustpan, carefully picking out pieces of trash and tossingthem aside. Her movements were clumsy but vigorous; her broom, woven from golden millettassels, was like a toy in her hand. After filling the dustpan and tamping13 down the dust, shestraightened up.
Just as Shangguan Lü reached the head of her lane, she heard a commotion14 behind her andturned to see what it was. Some women came running through the black gate of FelicityManor, home of the town’s leading gentry16 family. They were dressed in rags, their facessmeared with soot17. Why are these women, who normally dress in silks and satins, and arenever seen without rouge18 and lipstick19, dressed like that? Just then, a wagon20 master known toall as “Old Titmouse” emerged from the compound across the way on his new wagon, with itsdark green canopy21 and rubber tires. The women clambered aboard even before it came to acomplete stop. The wagon master jumped down and sat on one of the still damp stone lions tosilently smoke his pipe. Sima Ting, steward22 of Felicity Manor15, strode out from the compoundwith his fowling23 piece, his movements as quick and nimble as a young man. Jumping to hisfeet, the wagon master glanced at the steward, who snatched the pipe out of his hand, tookseveral noisy puffs24, then looked up at the early-morning rosy25 sky and yawned grandly. “Timeto go,” he said. “Wait for me at the Black Water River Bridge. I’ll be along shortly.”
With the reins26 in one hand and his whip in the other, the wagon master turned the wagonaround. The women in the bed behind him shouted and chattered. The whip snapped in theair, and the horses trotted27 off. Brass28 bells around the horses’ necks sang out crisply, the wagonwheels crunched29 on the dirt road, and clouds of dust rose in the wagon’s wake.
After taking a piss in the middle of the road, Sima Ting shouted out at the now distantwagon, then cradled his fowling piece and climbed the watchtower, a thirty-foot platformsupported by ninety-nine thick logs and topped by a red flag that hung limply in the dampmorning air. Shangguan Lü watched him as he gazed off to the northwest. With his long neckand pointy mouth, he looked a little like a goose at a watering trough.
A cloud of feathery mist rolled through the sky and swallowed up Sima Ting, then spat30 himback out. Bloody31 hues32 of sunrise dyed his face red. To Shangguan Lü, the face seemedcovered by a dazzling layer of sticky syrup33. By the time he raised the fowling piece over hishead, his face was red as a cockscomb. She heard a faint metallic34 click. It was the triggersending the firing pin forward. Resting the butt4 of the piece against his shoulder, he stoodwaiting solemnly. So did Shangguan Lü, as the heavy dustpan numbed35 her hands, and herneck was sore from cocking it at such a rakish angle. Sima Ting lowered his fowling pieceand puckered36 like a pouting37 little boy. She heard him curse the gun: “You little bastard38, howdare you not fire!” He raised it again and pulled the trigger. Crack! Flames followed the crispsound out of the barrel, simultaneously39 darkening the sun’s rays and lighting40 up his red face.
Then an explosion shattered the silence hanging over the village; sunlight filled the sky withbrilliant colors as if a fairy standing41 on the tip of a cloud were showering the land below withradiant flower petals42. Shangguan Lü’s heart raced from excitement. Though only ablacksmith’s wife, she was much better with a hammer and anvil43 than her husband could everhope to be. The mere44 sight of steel and fire sent blood running hot through her veins45. Themuscles of her arms rippled46 like knotted horsewhips. Black steel striking against red, sparksflying, a sweat- soaked shirt, rivulets47 of salty water flowing down the valley betweenpendulous breasts, the biting smell of steel and blood filling the space between heaven andearth. She watched Sima Ting jerk backward on his perch48, the damp morning air around himsoaked with the smell of gunpowder49. As he circled the tiny platform, he broadcast a warningto all of Northeast Gaomi Township:
“All you elders, fellow townsmen, the Japs are coming!”
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1
pastor
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n.牧师,牧人 | |
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2
virgin
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n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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3
tableau
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n.画面,活人画(舞台上活人扮的静态画面) | |
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4
butt
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n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶 | |
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5
rumble
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n.隆隆声;吵嚷;v.隆隆响;低沉地说 | |
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6
marsh
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n.沼泽,湿地 | |
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bleats
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v.(羊,小牛)叫( bleat的第三人称单数 );哭诉;发出羊叫似的声音;轻声诉说 | |
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8
magpies
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喜鹊(magpie的复数形式) | |
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chattered
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(人)喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 ); 唠叨; (牙齿)打战; (机器)震颤 | |
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10
earthenware
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n.土器,陶器 | |
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11
jug
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n.(有柄,小口,可盛水等的)大壶,罐,盂 | |
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12
bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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13
tamping
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n.填塞物,捣紧v.捣固( tamp的现在分词 );填充;(用炮泥)封炮眼口;夯实 | |
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14
commotion
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n.骚动,动乱 | |
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15
manor
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n.庄园,领地 | |
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16
gentry
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n.绅士阶级,上层阶级 | |
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17
soot
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n.煤烟,烟尘;vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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18
rouge
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n.胭脂,口红唇膏;v.(在…上)擦口红 | |
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19
lipstick
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n.口红,唇膏 | |
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20
wagon
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n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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21
canopy
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n.天篷,遮篷 | |
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22
steward
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n.乘务员,服务员;看管人;膳食管理员 | |
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23
fowling
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捕鸟,打鸟 | |
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24
puffs
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n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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25
rosy
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adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 | |
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reins
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感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带 | |
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27
trotted
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小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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28
brass
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n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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29
crunched
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v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 );嘎吱作响;(快速大量地)处理信息;数字捣弄 | |
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30
spat
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n.口角,掌击;v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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31
bloody
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adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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32
hues
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色彩( hue的名词复数 ); 色调; 信仰; 观点 | |
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33
syrup
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n.糖浆,糖水 | |
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34
metallic
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adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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numbed
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v.使麻木,使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
puckered
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v.(使某物)起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
pouting
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v.撅(嘴)( pout的现在分词 ) | |
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38
bastard
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n.坏蛋,混蛋;私生子 | |
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simultaneously
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adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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40
lighting
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n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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41
standing
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n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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42
petals
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n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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43
anvil
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n.铁钻 | |
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44
mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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45
veins
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n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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46
rippled
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使泛起涟漪(ripple的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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47
rivulets
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n.小河,小溪( rivulet的名词复数 ) | |
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48
perch
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n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于 | |
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49
gunpowder
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n.火药 | |
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