Chronicle of a Blood Merchant Read Online Free PDF

The second time she discovered his beard. His beard had slid back and forth across her face like a brush.
    And the third time? This is what Xu Yulan asked herself as she lay in bed in the quiet of night, her heart pounding as she imagined her father standing up to leave, walking out the front door, and turning the corner toward the public toilet. He Xiaoyong had jumped to his feet, toppling the stool on which he had been sitting, and pressed her against the wall for a third time.
    Xu Yulan made a date to meet He Xiaoyong on the old wooden bridge. It was already dark. As soon as Xu Yulan caught sight of He Xiaoyong, she broke into plaintive sobs. She told He Xiaoyong that someone named Xu Sanguan had treated her to steamed dumplings, preserved plums, candied fruit, and half a watermelon, and how, when it was all over, she had found herself obliged to marry him.
    He Xiaoyong, noticing that someone was crossing the bridge, said in an anxious whisper, “Hey, hey! Don’t cry. Stop crying. If someone sees you crying, what’ll they think? Where would that leave me?”
    Xu Yulan said, “Go and give Xu Sanguan his eighty-three
fen
back. Then I won’t owe him anything.”
    He Xiaoyong said, “We’re not even married yet, and you want me to pay back
your
debts?”
    “He Xiaoyong, you have to take my family name when we get married. Otherwise my dad’s going to give me to Xu Sanguan.”
    “What the hell are you talking about? Do you think a man like me would actually agree to take on someone else’s name? And let our sons be named Xu? Impossible.”
    “Then I have to marry Xu Sanguan.”
    Xu Sanguan married Xu Yulan one month later. She wanted a bright red
cheongsam
to wear at the wedding; Xu Sanguan bought one for her. She wanted two cotton-padded jackets, one bright red, one bright green, to wear during the winter; Xu Sanguan bought her a bolt of red fabric and a bolt of green fabric so that she could sew them for herself in her spare time. She said they should have a clock, a mirror, a bed, a table, and stools, plus a basin and a chamber pot for the house; Xu Sanguan told her he had already taken care of everything.
    Xu Yulan began to think that Xu Sanguan wasn’t necessarily any worse than He Xiaoyong. Xu Sanguan was even a little bit more handsome than He Xiaoyong. He certainly had a lot more money in his pockets. And from the looks of things, he was a lot stronger too. So now when she saw Xu Sanguan, she would break into a smile. “I’m very capable, you know. I can sew, and I’m a good cook. You’re really pretty lucky, getting a wife like me.”
    Xu Sanguan sat on a stool, nodding and smiling.
    “I’m pretty and I can work hard. In the future, I’ll personally tailor all the clothes you wear, and I’ll take care of all the housework too. Except for the heavy chores—like buying the rice and buying coal—you have to do those. But I won’t let you do anything else, I’ll take very good care of you. You’re really very lucky to have me, don’t you think? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you nodding?”
    “I am. I’ve been nodding all along.”
    “Oh, and another thing,” Xu Yulan remembered. “Listen carefully. When I’m on vacation, I can’t do a thing, not even soak the rice or wash the vegetables. I’ll need to rest for those few days, so you’ll have to take care of all the housework. Understand? What’s wrong now? Why aren’t you nodding?”
    Xu Sanguan duly nodded. “What kind of vacation do you mean? How long does it take?”
    “Aiya!” Xu Yulan exclaimed. “You don’t even know what kind of vacation I mean?”
    Xu Sanguan shook his head. “I don’t know.”
    “My period.”
    “Period?”
    “Women get a period every month. Don’t you know that?”
    “I think I’ve heard something like that.”
    “What I’m saying is when I get my period, I can’t do any work, I can’t let myself get tired out, I can’t touch any cold water, because as soon as I touch cold water or I get tired