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茅盾

                               一

林小姐这天从学校回来就撅起着小嘴唇。她掼下了书包，并不照例到镜台梳头发擦粉，却倒在床上看着帐顶出神。小花噗的也跳上床来，挨着林小姐的腰部摩擦，咪呜咪呜地叫了两声。林小姐本能地伸手到小花头上模了一下，随即翻一个身，把脸埋在枕头里，就叫道∶
    “妈呀！”
    没有回答。妈的房就在间壁，妈素常疼爱这唯一的女儿，听得女儿回来就要摇摇摆摆走过来问她肚子饿不饿，妈留着好东西呢，——再不然，就差吴妈赶快去买一碗馄钝。胆今天却作怪，妈的房里明明有说话的声音，并且还听得妈在打呃，却是妈连回答也没有一声。
    林小姐在床上又翻一个身，翘起了头，打算偷听妈和谁谈话，是那样悄悄地放底了声音。
    然而听不清，只有妈的连声打呃，间歇地飘到林小姐的耳朵。忽然妈的嗓音高了一些，似乎很生气，就有几个字听得很分明∶
    ——这也是东洋货，那也是东洋货，呃！……

Notes:

THE SHOP OF THE LIN FAMILY

By Mao Dun, Translated by Sidney Shapiro

I

Miss Lin’s small mouth was pouting when she returned home from schol that day. She flung down her books, and instead of combing her hair andpowderingher nose before the mirror as usual, she stretched out on the bed. Her eyes staring at the top of the bed canopy, Miss Lin lay lost in thought. Her little cat leaped up beside her, snuggled against her waist and miaowed twice. Automatically, she patted his head, then rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

“Ma!” called Miss Lin.

No answer, Ma, whose room was right next door, ordinarily dotted on this only daughter of hers. On hearing her return, Ma would come swaying in to ask whether she was hungry. Ma would be keeping something good for her. Or she might send the maid out to buy a bowl of hot soup with meat dumplings from a street vendor….But today was odd. There obviously were people talking in Ma’s room—Miss Lin could hear Ma hiccuping too—yet Ma didn’t even reply.

Again Mill Lin rolled over ton the bed, and raised her head She would eavesdrop on this conversation. Whom could Ma be talking to, that voices had to be kept so low?

But She couldn’t make out what they were saying. Only Ma’s continuous hiccups wafted intermittently to Mill Lin’s ears. Suddenly, Ma’s voice rose, as if she were angry, and a few words came throught quite clearly:

“—These are Japanese goods, those are Japanese goods, hic!...”

林小姐猛一跳，就好象理发时候颈脖子上粘了许多短头发似的浑身都烦躁起来了。正也是为了这东洋货问题，她在学校里给人家笑骂，她回家来没好气。她一手推开了又挨到她身边来的小花，跳起来就剥下那件新制的翠绿色假毛葛驼绒旗袍来，拎在手里抖了几下，叹一口气。据说这怪好看的假毛葛和驼绒都是东洋来的。她撩开这件驼绒旗袍，从床下拖出那口小巧的牛皮箱来，赌气似的扭开了箱子盖，把箱子底朝天向床上一撒，花花绿绿的衣服和杂用品就滚满了一床。小花吃了一惊，噗的跳下床去，转一个身，却跳在一张椅子上蹲着望住它的女主人。
    林小姐的一双手在那堆衣服里抓捞了一会儿，就呆呆地站在床前出神。这许多衣服和杂用品越看越可爱，却又越看越像是东洋货呢！全都不能穿了么？可是她——舍不得，而且她的父亲也未必肯另外再制新的！林小姐忍不住眼圈儿红了。她爱这些东洋货，她又很那些东洋人；好好儿的发兵东三省干么呢？不然，穿了东洋货有谁来笑骂。
    “呃——”
    忽然房门边来了这一声。接着就是林大娘的摇摇摆摆的瘦身形。看见那乱丢了一床的衣服，又看见女儿只穿着一件绒线短衣站在床前出神，林大娘这一惊非同小可。心里愈是着急，她那个”呃”却愈是打得多，暂时竟说不出半句话。
    林小姐飞跑到母亲身边，哭丧着脸说∶
    “妈呀！全是东洋货，明儿叫我穿什么衣服？”
   


Miss Lin started. She prickled all over, like when she was having a hair-cut and the tiny shorn hairs stuck to her neck. She had come home annoyed just because they had laughed at her and scolded her at school over Japanese goods. She swetpt aside the little cat nestled against her, jumped up and stripped off her new azure rayon dress lined with camel’s wool. She shook it out a couple of times, and sighed. Miss Lin had heard that this charming frock was made of Japanese material. She tossed it aside and pulled that cute cowhide case out from under the bed. Almost spitefully, she flipped the cover open, and turning the case upside down, dumped its contents on the bed. A rainbow of rightly coloured dresses and knick-knacks rolle dand spread. The little cat leaped to the floor, whirled and jumped up on a chair, where he crouched and looked at his mistress in astonishment.

Miss Lin sorted through the pile of clothes, then stood, abstracted, beside the bed. The more she examined her belongings, the more she adored them—and the more they looked like Japanese goods! Couldn’t she wear any of them? She hated to part with them—besides, her father wouldn’t necessarily be willing to have new ones made for her! Mill Lin’s eyes began to smart. She loved these Japanese things, while she hated the Japanese aggressors who invaded the Northeast provinces. If not for that, she could wear Japanese merchandise and no one would say a word.

“Hic—“


The sound came throught the door, followed by the thin swaying body of Mrs. Lin. The sight of the heap of clothing on the bed, and her daughter, bemused, standing in only her brief woollen underwear, was more than a little shock. As her excitement increased, the tempo of Mrs. Lin’s hiccups grew in proportion. For the moment, she was unable to speak. Miss Lin, grief written all over her face, flew to her mother. :Ma! They’re all Japanese goods. What am I going to wear tomorrow?”  

林大娘摇着头只是打呃，一手扶住了女儿的肩膀，一手揉磨自己的胸脯，过了一会儿，她方才挣扎出几句话来∶
    “阿囡，呃，你干么脱得——呃，光落落？留心冻——呃——我这毛病，呃，生你那年起了这个病痛，呃，近来越发凶了！呃——”
    “妈呀！你说明儿我穿什么衣服？我只好躲在家里不出去了，他们又笑我，骂我！”
    但是林大娘不回答。她一路打呃，走到床前拣出那件驼绒旗袍来，就替女儿披在身上，又拍拍床，要她坐下。小花又挨到林小姐脚边，昂起了头，眯细着眼睛看着林大娘，又看看林小姐；然后它懒懒地靠到林小姐的脚背上，就林小姐的鞋底来摩擦它的肚皮。林小姐一脚踢开了小花，就势身子一歪，躺在床上，把脸藏在她母亲的身后。
    暂时两个都没有话。母亲忙着打呃，女儿忙着盘算”明天怎样出去”；这东洋货问题不但影响到林小姐的穿，还影响到她的所用；据说她那只常为同学们艳羡的化妆皮夹以及自动铅笔之类，也都是东洋货，而她却又爱这些小玩意儿的！
    “阿囡，呃——肚子饿不饿？”
    林大娘坐定了半晌以后，渐渐少打几个呃了，就又开始她日常的疼爱女儿的老功课。
    “不饿。嗳，妈呀，怎么老是问我饿不饿呢，顶要紧是没有了衣服明天

Hiccuping, Mrs Lin shook her head. With one hand she supported herself on her daughter’s shoulder, with the other she kkneaded her own chest.  After a while, she managed to force out a few stentences.

“Child—hic—why have you taken off—hic—all your clothes? The weather’s cold—hic—This trouble of mine—hic—began the year you were born. Hic—lately it’s getting worse! Hic—“

“Ma, tell me what am I going to wear tomorrow? I’ll just hide in the house and not go out! They’ll laught at me, swear at me!”

Mrs. Lin didn’t answer. Hiccuping steadily, she walked over to the bed, picked the new azure dress out of the pile, and draped it over her daughter. Then she patted the bed in invitation for Miss Lin to sit down. The little cat returned to beside the girl’s legs. Cocking his head, with narrowed yees he looked first at Mrs. Lin, then at her daughter. Lazily, he rolled over thd rubbed his belly against the soles of the girl’s shoes. Miss Lin kicked him away and reclined sideways on the bed, with her head hidden behind her mother’s back.

Neither of them spoke for a while. Mrs. Lin was busy hiccuping; her duaghter was busy calculating “how to go out tomorrow.” The prblem of Japanese goods not only affected everything Miss Lin wore—it influenced everything she used. Even the powder compact which her follow students so admired and her automatic pencil were probably made in Japan. And she was crazy about those little gadgets!

“Child—hic—are you hungry?”

After sitting quietly for some time, Mrs. Lin gradually controlled her hiccups, and began her usual doting routine.

“No. Ma, why do yu always ask me if I’m hungry? The most important

怎么去上学！”
    林小姐撒娇说，依然那样拳曲着身体躺着，依然把脸藏在母亲背后。
    自始就没弄明白为什么女儿尽嚷着没有衣服穿的林大娘现在第三次听得了这话儿，不能不再注意了，可是她那该死的打呃很不作美地又连连来了。
    恰在此时林先生走了进来，手里拿着一张字条儿，脸上乌霉霉地像是涂着一层灰。他看见林大娘不住地打呃，女儿躺在满床乱丢的衣服堆里，他就料到了几分，一双眉头就紧紧地皱起。他唤着女儿的名字说道∶
    “明秀，你的学校里又什么抗日会么？刚送来了这封信。说是明天你再穿东洋货的衣服去，他们就要烧呢——无法无天的话语，咳……”
    “呃——呃！”
    “真是岂有此理，哪一个人身上没有东洋货，却偏偏找定了我们家来生事！哪一家洋广货铺子里不是堆足了东洋货，偏是我的铺子犯法，一定要封存！咄！”   林先生气愤愤地又加了这几句，就颓然坐在床边的一张椅子里。
    “呃，呃，救苦救难观世音，呃——”
    “爸爸，我还有一件老式的棉袄，光景不是东洋货，可是穿出去人家又要笑我。”
    过了一会儿，林小姐从床上坐起来，她本来打算进一步要求父亲制一件不是东洋货的新衣，但瞧着父亲的脸色不对，便又不敢冒昧。同时，她的想


thing is that I have no clothes. How cvan I go to school tomorrow?” the girl demanded petulantly. She was still curled up on the bed, her face still buried behind her mother.

From the start, Mrs. Hadn’t understood why her daughter kept complaining that she had no clothes to wear. This was the third time and she couldn’t ignore the remark any longer, but those damned hiccups most irritatingly started up again. Just then, Mr. Lin came in. He was holding a sheet of paper in his hand; his face was ashen. He saw his wife struggling with continuous agitated hiccups, his daughter lying on the clothing-strewen bed, and he could guess pretty well what was wrong. His brows drew together in a frown.

“Do you have an Anti-Japanese –Invasion Society in your school, Xiu?” He asked. “This letter just came. It ways that if you wear clothes made of Japanese material again tomorrow, they’re going to burn them! Of all the wild lawless things to say!”

“Hic—hic!”

“What nonsense! Everyone has something made in Japan on him. But they have to pick on our family to make trouble! There isn’t a shop carrying foreign goods that isn’t full of Japanese stuff. But they have to make our shop the culprit. They insist on locking up our stocks! Huh!”

“Hic—hic—Goddess Kuanyin protect and preserve us! Hic—“

“Papa, I’ve got an old style padded jacket. It’s probably not makde of Japanese material, but if I wear it they’ll all laugh at me, it’s so out of date,” said Miss Lin, sitting up on the bed. She had been thinking of going a step farther and asking Mr. Lin to have a dress made for her out of non-Japanese cloth, but his expression decided her agaisnt such a rash move. Still,

像中就展开了那件旧棉袄惹人讪笑的情形，她忍不住哭起来了。
    “呃，呃——啊哟！——呃，莫哭，——没有人笑你——呃，阿囡……”
    “阿秀，明天不用去读书了！饭快要没得吃了，还读什么书！”
    林先生懊恼地说，把手里那张字条儿扯得粉碎，一边走出房去，一边叹气跺脚。然而没多几时，林先生又匆匆地跑了回来，看着林大娘的面孔说道∶
    “橱门上的钥匙呢？给我！”
    林大娘的脸色立刻变成灰白，瞪出了眼睛望着她的丈夫，永远不放松她的打呃忽然静定了半晌。
    “没有办法，只好去斋斋那些闲神野鬼了——”
    林先生顿住了，叹一口气，然后又接下去说∶
    “至多我花四百块。要是党部里还嫌少，我拼着不做生意，等他们来封！——我们对过的裕昌祥，进的东洋货比我多，足足有一万多块钱的码子呢，也只花了五百块，就太平无事了。——五百块！算是吃了几笔倒帐罢！——钥匙！咳！那一个金项圈，总可以兑成三百块……”    “呃，呃，真——好比强盗！”
    林大娘摸出那钥匙来，手也颤抖了，眼泪扑簌簌地往下掉。林小姐却反不哭了，瞪着一对泪眼，呆呆地出神，她恍惚看见那个曾经到她学校里来演说而且恶狗似的盯住看她的什么委员，一个怪叫人讨厌的黑麻子，捧住了她家的金项圈在半空里跳，张开了大嘴巴笑。随后，她又恍惚看见着强盗似的黑麻子和她的父亲吵嘴，父亲被他打了，……
   

Picturing the jeers her old padded jacket would evoke, she couldn’t restrain her tears.

“Hic—hic—child!—hic—don’t cry –no one will laugh at you—hic—child…”

“Xiu, you don’t have to go to school tomorrow! We soon won’t have anything to eat; how can we spend money on schools!” Mr. Lin was exasperated. He ripped up the letter and strode, sighing, from the room. Before long, he came hurrying back.

“Where’s the key to the cabinet? Give it to me!” he demanded of his wife.

Mrs. Lin turned pale and stared at him. Her eternal hiccups were momentarily stilled.

“There’s no help for it. We’ll have to make an offering to those straying demons—“ Mr. Lin paused to heave a sigh. “It’ll cost me four hundred at most. If the Kuomintang local branch thinks it’s not enough, I’ll quit doing business. Let them lock up the stocks! That shop opposite has more Japanese goods than I. They’ve made an investment of over ten thousand dollars. They paid out only five hundred, and they’re going along without a bit of trouble. Five hundred dollars! Just mark it off as a couple of bad debts!—The key! That gold necklace ought to bring about three hundred….

“Hic—hic—really, like a gang of robbers!” Mrs. Lin produced the key with a trembling hand. Tears streamed down her face. Miss Lin, however, did not cry. She was looking into space with mistry eyes, recalling that Kuomintang committeeman who had made a speech at her school, a hateful swarthy pockmarked fellow who stared at her like a hungry dog. She could picture him grasping the gold necklace and jumping for joy, his big mouth open in a laugh. Then she visualized the ugly bandit quarrelling with her father, hitting him…

“啊哟！”
    林小姐猛然一声惊叫，就扑在她妈的身上。林大娘慌得没有工夫尽打呃，挣扎着说∶
    “阿囡，呃，不要哭，——过了年，你爸爸有钱，就给你制新衣服，——呃，那些狠心的强盗！都咬定我们有钱，呃，一年一年亏空，你爸爸做做肥田粉生意又上当，呃——店里全是别人的钱了。阿囡，呃，呃，我这病，活着也受罪，——呃，再过两年，你十九岁，招得个好女婿。呃，我死也放心了！——救苦救难观世音菩萨！呃——”

                                二
    第二天，林先生的铺子里新换过一番布置。将近一星期不曾露脸的东洋货又都摆在最惹眼的地位了。林先生又摹仿上海大商店的办法，写了许多”大廉价照码九折”的红绿纸条，贴在玻璃窗上。这天是阴历腊月二十三，正是乡镇上洋广货店的”旺月”。不但林先生的额外支出”四百元”指望在这时候捞回来，就是林小姐的新衣服也靠托在这几天的生意好。
    十点多钟，赶市的乡下人一群一群的在街上走过了，他们臂上挽着蓝，或是牵着小孩子，粗声大气地一边在走，一边在谈话。他们望到了林先生的花花绿绿的铺面，都站住了，仰起脸，老婆唤丈夫，孩子叫爹娘，啧啧地夸羡那些货物。新年快到了，孩子们希望穿一双新袜子，女人们想到家里的面


“Aiya!” Miss Lin gave a grightened scream and threw herself on her mother’s bosom. Mrs. Lin was so started she had no time for hiccups.

“Child, hic—don’t cry,” Mrs. Lin made a desperate effort to speak. “After New year your Papa will have money. We’ll make a new dress for you, hic—Those black-hearted crooks! They all insist we have money. Hic—we lose more every year. Your Papa was in the fertilizer business, and he lost money, hic—Every penny invested in the shop belongs to other people. Child, hic, hic—this sickness of mine; it makes life hell—hic—In another two years whenyou’re nineteen, we’ll find you a good husband. Hic—then I can die in peace! Save us from our adveersity, Goddess Kuanyin! Hic—“

II

The following day, Mr. Lin’s shop underwent a transformation. All the Japanese goods he hadn’t dared to show for the past week, now were the most prominently displayed. In imitation of the big Shanghai stores, Mr. Lin incribed many slips of coloured paper with the words “Big Sale 10% Discount!” and pasted them on his windows. Just seven days before New Year, this was the “rush season” of the shops selling imported goods in the towns and villages. Not only was there hope of earning back Mr. Lin’s special expenditure of four hundred dollars; Miss Lin’s new dress depended on the amount of business done in the next few days.

A little past ten in the morning, group of peasants who had come into town to sell their produce in the market began drifting along the street. Carrying baskets on their arms, leading small children, they chatted loud and vigorously as they strolled. They stopped to look at the red and green blurbs pasted on Mr. Lin’s windows and called at tention to them, women shouting to their husbands, children yelling to their parents, clucking their tongues in admiration over the goods on display in the shop windows. It would soon be New Year. Children were wishing for a pair of new socks. Women remembered

盆早就用破，全家合用的一条面巾还是半年前的老家伙，肥皂又断绝了一个多月，趁这里”买贱货”，正该买一点。林先生坐在帐台上，抖擞着精神，堆起满脸的笑容，眼睛望着那些乡下人，又带梢着自己铺子里的两个伙计，两个学徒，满心希望货物出去，洋钱进来。但是这些乡下人看了一会，指指点点夸羡了一会，竟自懒洋洋地走到斜对门的裕昌祥铺面前站住了再看。林先生伸长了脖子，望到那班乡下人的背影，眼睛里冒出火来。他恨不得拉他们回来！
    “呃——呃——”
    坐在帐台后面那道分隔铺面与”内宅”的蝴蝶门旁边的林大娘把勉强忍住了半晌的”呃”放出来。林小姐倚在她妈的身边，呆呆地望着街上不作声，心头却是扑扑地跳；她的新衣服至少已经脱了半件。
    林先生赶到柜台前睁大了妒忌的眼睛看着斜对面的同业裕昌祥。那边的四五个店员一字儿摆在柜台前，等候作买卖。但是那班乡下人没有一个走近到柜台边，他们看了一会儿，又照样地走过去了。林先生觉得心头一松，忍不住望着裕昌祥的伙计笑了一笑。这时又有七八个一队的乡下人走到林先生的铺面前，其中有一位年青的居然上前一步，歪着头看那些挂着的洋伞。林先生猛转过脸来，一对嘴唇皮立刻嘻开了；他亲自兜揽这位意想中的顾客了∶
   

That the family wash-basin had been broken for some time. The single wash-cloth used by the entire family had been bought half a year ago, and now was an old rag. They ahd run out of soap more than a month before. They ought to take advantage of this “Sale” and buy a few things.

Mr. Lin sat in the cashier’s cage, marshalling all his energies, a braod smile plastered on his face. He watched the peasants, while keeping an eye on his two salesmen and two apprentices. With all his heart he hoped to see his merchandise start moving out and the silver dollars begin rolling in.

But these peasants, after looking a while, after pointing and gesticulating appreciatively a while, ambled over to the store across the street to  stand and look some more. Craning his neck, Mr. Lin glared at the backs of the group of peasants, and sparks shot from his eyes. He wanted to go over and drag them back!

“Hic—hic—“

Behind the cashier’s cage were swinging doors which separated the shop itself fro the “inner sanctum.” “Beside these doors sat Mrs. Lin releasing hicups hat she had long been suppressing with difficulty. Miss Lin was seated beside her. Entranced, the girl watched the street silently, her heart pounding. At least half of her new dress had just woalked away.

Mr. Lin strode quickly to the fornt of the counter. He glared dealously at the shop opposite. Its five salesmen were waiting expectantly behind the counter. But not one peasant entered the store. They looked for a whoile, then continued on their way. Mr. Lin relaxed; he couldn’t help grinning at the salemen across the street. Another group of seven or eight peasants stopped before Mr. Lin’s shop. A youngster among them actually came a step forward. With his head cocked to one side, he examined the imported umbrellas. Mr. Lin whirled around, his face breaking into a happy smile. He went to work

“喂，阿弟，买洋伞么？便宜货，一只洋卖九角！看看货色去。”
    一个伙计已经取下了两三把洋伞，立刻撑开了一把，热刺刺地塞到那年青乡下人的手里，振起精神，使出夸卖的本领来∶
    “小家伙，你看！
    洋缎面子，实心骨子，晴天，落雨，耐用好看！
    九角洋钱一顶，再便宜没有了！……那边是一只洋一顶，货色还没有这等好呢，你比一比就明白。”
    那年青的乡下人那着伞，没有主意似的张大了嘴巴。他回过头去望着一位五十多岁的老头子，又把手里的伞簟了一簟，似乎说∶”买一把罢？”老头子却老大着急地吆喝道∶
    “阿大！你昏了，想买伞！一船硬柴，一古脑儿只卖了三块多钱，你娘等着量米回去吃，哪有钱来买伞！”
    “货色是便宜，没有钱买！”
    站在那里观望的乡下人都叹着气说，懒洋洋地都走了。那年青的乡下人满脸涨红，摇一下头，放了伞也就要想走，这可把林先生急坏了，赶快让步问道∶
    “喂，喂，阿弟，你说多少钱呢？——再看看去，货色是靠得住的！”

personally on this prospective customer.

“Would you like a foreign umbrella, Brother? They’re cheap. You only pay ninety cents on the dollar. Come and take a look.”

A salesman had already taken down two or three imported umbrellas. He promptly opened one and shoved it earnestly into the young peasant’s hand. Summoning all his zeal, the salesman launched into a high powered patter:

“Just look at this, young master! Foreign satin cloth, solid ribs. It’s durable and handsome for rainy days or clear. Ninety cents each. They don’t come any chearper….Acrosss the street, they’re a dollar apiece, but they’re  nto as good as these. You can compare them and see why.”

The young peasant held the umbrella and stood undecided, with his mouth open. He turned towards a man in his fifities and weighed  the umbrella in his hand as if to ask “Shall I buy it?” The older man became very upset and began to shout at him.

“You’re crazy! Buying an umbrella! We only got three dollars for whe whole boatload of firewood, and your mother’s waiting at home for us to bring back some rice. How can you spend money on an umbrella!”

“It’s cheap, but we can’t afford it!” sighed the peasants standing around watching. They walked slowly away. The young peasant, his face brick red, shook his head. He put down the umbrella and started to leave. Mr. Lin was frantic. He quickly gave ground.

“How much do you say, Brother? Take another look. It’s fine merchandise!”

“It is cheap. But we don’t have enough money,” the older peasant

“货色是便宜，钱不够。”
    老头子一面回答，一面拉住了他的儿子，逃也似的走了。林先生苦着脸，蠹回到帐台里，浑身不得劲儿。他知道不是自己不会做生意，委实是乡下人太穷了，买不起九毛钱的一顶伞。他偷眼再望斜对门的裕昌祥，也还是只有人站在那里看，没有人上柜台买。裕昌祥左右的生泰杂货店万晟糕饼店那就简直连看的人都没有半个。一群一群走过的乡下人都挽着蓝子，但蓝子里空无一物；间或有花蓝布的一包儿，看样子就知道是米∶甚至一个多月前乡下人收获的晚稻也早已被地主们和高利贷的债主们如数逼光，现在乡下人不得不一升两升的量着贵米吃。这一切，林先生都明白，他就觉得自己的一份生意至少是间接的被地主和高利贷者剥夺去了。
    时间渐渐移近正午，街上走的乡下人已经很少了，林先生的铺子就只做成了一块多钱的生意，仅仅足够开销了”大廉价照码九折”的红绿纸条的广告费。林先生垂头丧气走进”内宅”去，几乎没有勇气和女儿老婆相见。林小姐含着一泡眼泪，低着头坐在屋角；林大娘在一连串的打呃中，挣扎着对丈夫说：

   “花了四百块钱，——又忙了一个晚上摆设起来，呃，东洋货是准卖了，却又生意清淡，呃——阿囡的爷呀！……吴妈又要拿工钱——”
    “还只半天呢！不要着急。”
    林先生勉强安慰着，心里的难受，比刀割还厉害。他闷闷地蠹了几步。


Replied, pullinghis son. They practically ran away.

Bitterly， Mr. Lin returned to the cashier’s cage, feeling weak all over. He knew it wasn’t that he was an inept businessman. The peasants simply were too poor. They couldn’t even spend ninety cents on an umbrella. He stole a glance at the shop across the way. There too people were looking, but no one was going in. In front of the neighbouring grocery store and the cookie shop, no one was even looking. Group after group of the country folk walked by carrying baskets. But the baskets all were empty. Occasionally, someone appeared with a homespun flowered blue cloth sack, filled with rice, from the look of it. The late rice which the peasants had harvested more than a month before had long since been squeezed out as rent for the landlords and interest for the usurers. Now in order to have rice to eat, the peasants were forced to buy a measure or two at a time, at steep prices.

All this Mr. Lin knew. He felt that at least part of his bsiness was being indirectly eaten away by the usurers and landlords.

The hour gradually neared noon. There were very few peasants on the street now. Mr. Lin’s shop had done a little over one dollar’s worth of business, just enough to cover the cost of the “Big Sale 10% Discount” strips of red and green paper. Despondently, Mr. Lin entered the “inner sanctum.” He barely had the courage to face his wife and daughter. Miss Lin’s eyes were filled with tears. She sat in the corner with her head down. Mrs. Linwas in the middle of a string of hiccups. /Struggling for control, she addressed her husband.

“We laid out four hundred dollas—and spent all night getting things ready in the shop—hic! We got permission to sell the Japanese goods, but business is dead—hic—my blessed ancestors!...The maid wants her wages—“

“It’s only half a day. Don’t worry.” Mr. Lin forced a comforting note into his voice, but he felt worse than if a knife were cutting through his heart.

所有推广营业地方法都想遍了，觉得都不是路。生意清淡，早已各业如此，并不是他一家呀；人们都穷了，可没有法子。但是他总还希望下午的营业能够比较好些。本镇的人家买东西大概在下午。难道他们过新年不买些东西？只要他们存心买，林先生的营业是有把握的。毕竟他的货物比别家便宜。
    是这盼望使得林先生依然能够抖擞着精神坐在帐台上守候他意想中的下午的顾客。
    这下午照例和上午显然不同∶街上并没很多的人，但几乎每个人都相识，都能叫出他们的姓名，或是他们的父亲和祖父的姓名。林先生靠在柜台上，用了异常温和的眼光迎送这些慢慢地走着谈着经过他那铺面的本镇人。他时常笑嘻嘻地迎着有交易的人喊道∶
    “呵，    哥，到清风阁去吃茶么？小店大放盘，交易点儿去！”
    有时被唤着的那位居然站住了，走上柜台来，于是林先生和他的店员就要大忙而特忙，异常敏感地伺察着这位未可知的顾客的眼光，瞧见他的眼光瞥到什么货物上，就赶快拿出那种货物请他考较。林小姐站在那对蝴蝶门边看望，也常常被林先生唤出来对那位未可知的顾客叫一声”伯伯”。小学徒送上一杯便茶来，外加一枝小联珠。
   
Gloomily, he paced back and forth. He thought of all the business promotion tricks he knew, but none of them seemed any good. Business waas bad. It had been bad in all lines for some time; his shop wasn’t the only one having difficulty. People were poor, and there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. Still, he hopted business would be better in the afternoon. The local townspeople usually did their buying then. Surely they would buy things for New Year! If only they wanted to buy, Mr. Lin’s shop was certain of trade. After all, his merchandise was cheaper than other shops!

It was this hope that enabled Mr. Lin to bolster his sagging spirits as he sat in the cashier’s cage awaiting the customers he pictured coming in the afternoon.

And the afternoon provede to be different indeed from the morning. There weren’t many people on the street, but Mr. Lin knew nearly every one of them. He knew their names, or the names of their fathers or grandfathers. These were local townspeople, and as they chatted and walked slowly past his ship, Mr. Lin’s eyes, glowing with cordiality, welcomed them, and sent them on their way. At times, with a broad smile he greeted an old customer.

“Ah, Brother, going out ot the tea-house? Our little shop has slashed its prices. Fabvour us with a small purchase!”

Sometimes, the man would actually stop and ocme into the shop. Then Mr. Lin and his assistants would plunge into a  frenzy of activity. With acute sensitiveness, they would watch the eyes rested on a piece of merchandise, the salemen would swiftly produce one just like it and invite the customer to examine it. Miss Lin watched from beside the swinging doors, and her father frequently called her out to respectfully greet the unpredictable customer as “Uncle.” An apprentice would serve him a glass of tea and offer him a good cigarette.

在价目上，林先生也格外让步；遇到那位顾客一定要除去一毛钱左右尾数的时候，他就从店员手里拿过那算盘来算了一会儿，然后不得已似的把那尾数从算盘上拔去，一面笑嘻嘻地说∶
    “真不够本呢！可是老主顾，只好尊命了。请你多作成几笔生意罢！”
    整个下午就是这么张罗着过去了。连现带赊，大大小小，居然也有十来注交易。林先生早已汗透棉袍。虽然是累得那么着，林先生心里却很愉快。他冷眼偷看斜对门的裕昌祥，似乎赶不上自己铺子的”热闹”。常在那对蝴蝶门旁边看望的林小姐脸上也有些笑意，林大娘也少打几个呃了。
    快到上灯时候，林先生核算这一天的”流水帐”；上午等于零，下午卖了十六元八角五分，八块钱是赊账。林先生微微一笑，但立即皱紧了眉头了；他今天的”大放盘”确是照本出卖，开销都没着落，官利更说不上。他呆了一会儿，又开了账箱，取出几本帐簿来翻着打了半天算盘；账上”人欠”的数目共有一千三百余元，本镇六百多，四乡七百多；可是”欠人”的客帐，单是上海的东升字号就有八百，合计不下二千哪！林先生低声叹一口气，觉得明天以后如果生意依然没见好，那他这年关就有点难过了。他望着玻璃窗


 On the question of price, Mr. Lin was exceptionally flexible. When a customer was firm about knocking off a few odd cents from the round figure of his purchase price, Mr. Lin would take the abacus from the hands of his saleman and calculate personally. Then, with the air of a man who has been driven to the wall, he would deduct the few odd cents from the total bill.

“We’ll take a loss on this sale, “ he wold say with a wry smile. “But you’re an old customer. We have to please you. Come and buy some more things soon !”

The entire afternoon was spent in this manner. Including cash and credit, big purchases and small, the shop made a total of over ten sales. Mr. Lin was drenched with perspiration, and although he was worn out, he was very happy. He had been sneaking looks at the shop across the street. They didn’t seem to be nearly so busy. There was a watching from beside the swinging doors. Mrs. Lin even jerked out a few less hiccups.

Shortly before dark, Mr. Lin finished adding up his accounts for the day. The morning amounted to zero; in the afternoon they had sold sixteen dollars and eighty-five cents worth of merchandise, ewight dollars of it being on credit. Mr. Lin smiled slightly, then he frowned. He had been selling all his goods at theeir original cost. He hadn’t even covered his expenses for the day, to say nothing of making any profit. His mind was blank for a moment. Then he took out his account books and calculated in them for a long time. On the “credit” side there was a total of over thirteen hundred dollars of uncollected debts—more than six hundred in town and over seven hundred in the countryside. But the “debit” ledger showed a figure of eight hundred dollars owed to the big Shanghai wholesale house alone. He owed a total of not less than two thousand dollars!

Mr. Lin sighed softly. If business continued to be so bad, it was going to be a little difficult for him to get through New Year. He looked at the red and

上”大放盘照价九折”的红绿纸条，心里这么想∶”照今天那样当真放盘，生意总该会见好；亏本么？没有生意也是照样的要开销。只好先拉些主顾来再慢慢儿想法提高货码……要是四乡还有批发生意来，那就更好！——”
    突然有一个人来打断林先生的甜蜜梦想了。这是五十多岁的一位老婆子，巍颤颤地走进店来，手里拿着一个小小的蓝布包。林先生猛抬起头来，正和那老婆子打一个照面，想躲避也躲避不及，只好走上前去招呼她道∶
    “朱三太，出来买过年东西么？请到里面去坐坐。——阿秀，来扶朱三太。”
    林小姐早已不在那对蝴蝶门边了，没有听到。那朱三太连连摇手，就在铺面里的椅子上坐了，郑重地打开她的蓝布手巾包，——包里仅有一扣折子，她抖抖簌簌地双手捧了，直送到林先生的鼻子前，她的瘪嘴唇忸了几忸，正想说话，林先生早已一手接过那折子，同时抢先说道∶
    “我晓得了。明天送到你府上罢。”
    “哦，哦；十月，十一月，十二月，一总三个月，三三得九，是九块罢？——明天你送来？哦，哦，不要送，让我带了去。嗯！”
    朱三太忸着她的瘪嘴唇，很艰难似的说。她有三百元的”老本”存在林先生的铺里，按月来取三块钱的利息，可是最近林先生却拖欠了三个月，原
 

green paper slips on the window announcing “Big Sale 10% Discount.” If we really cut prices like we did today, business ought to pick up, he thought to himself. We’re not making any profit, but if we don’t do any business I still have to pay expenses anyway. The main thing is to get the customers to come in, then I can gradually raise my prices…If we can do some wholesale business in the countryside, that will be even better!...

  Suddenly, someone broke in on Mr. Lin’s sweet dream. A shaky old lady entered the shop carrying a little hundle wrapped in blue cloth. Mr. Lin yanked up his head to find her confronting him. He wanted to escape, but there was no time. He could only go forward and greet her.

  “Ah, Mrs. Zhu, out buying things for the New Year? Please come into the back room and sit down. –Xiu, give Mrs. Zhu your arm.”

  But Miss Lin didn’t hear. She had left the swinging doors some time ago. Mrs. Zhu waved her hand in refusal and sat down on a chair in the store. Solemnly, she unwrapped the blue cloth and brought out a small account book. With two trembling hads she presented the book under Mr. Lin had already taken the book and was hastening to say:

  “I understand, I’ll send it to your house tomorrow.”

  “Mm, mm, the tenth mouth, the eleventh month, the twelfth month; altogether three months. Three threes are nine; that’s nine dollars, isn’t it?—you’ll send the money tomorrow? Mm, mm, you don’t have to send it. I’ll take it back with me! Eh!”

  The words seemed to come with difficulty from Mrs Zhu’s withered mouth. She had three hundred dollars loaned to Mr. Lin’s shop, and was entitled to three dollars interest every month. Mr. Lin had delayed payment for three months, proming to pay in full at the end of the year. Now, she needed some

说说是到了年底总付，明天是送灶日，老婆子要买送灶的东西，所以亲自上林先生的铺子来了。看她那股忸起了一对瘪嘴唇的劲儿，光景是钱不到手就一定不肯走。
    林先生抓着头皮不做声。这九块钱的利息，他何尝存心白赖，只是三个月来生意清淡，每天卖得的钱仅够开伙食，付捐税，不知不觉就拖欠下来了。然而今天要是不付，这老婆子也许会就在铺面上嚷闹，那就太丢脸，对于营业的前途很有影响。
    “好，好，带了去罢，带了去罢！”
    林先生终于斗气似的说，声音有点梗咽。他跑到帐台里，把上下午卖得的现钱归并起来，又从腰包里掏出一个双毫，这才凑成了八块大洋，十角小洋，四十个铜子，交付了朱三太。当他看见那老婆子把这些银洋铜子郑重地数了又数，而且抖抖簌簌地放在那蓝布手巾上包了起来的时候，他忍不住叹了一口气，一想天开地打算拉回几文来；他勉强笑着说∶
    “三阿太，你这蓝布手巾太旧了，买一块老牌麻纱白手帕去罢？我们有上好的洗脸手巾，肥皂，买一点儿去新年里用罢。价钱公道！”    “不要，不要；老太婆了，用不到。”
    朱三太连连摇手说，把折子藏在衣袋里，捧着她的蓝布手巾包竟自去了。
    林先生哭丧着脸，走回”内宅”去。因这朱三太的上门讨利息，他记起还有两注存款，桥头陈老七的二百元和张寡妇的一百五十元，总共十来块钱


Greenmoney to buy gifts for tomorrow’s Kitchen God Festival, and so she had come seeking Mr. Lin. From the forcefulness with which she moved her puckered mouth, Mr. Lin could tell that she was determined not to leave without the money.

  Mr. Lin scratched his head in silence. He hadn’t been deliberately refusing to pay the interest. It was just that for the past three months business had been poor. Their daily sales had been barely enough to cover their food and taxes. He had delaywed paying her unconsciously. But if he didn’t pay her today, the old lady might raise a row in the shop. That would be too shameful and would seriously influence the shop’s future.

  “All right, all right. Take it back with you!” Mr. Lin finally said in exasperation. His voice shook a little. He rushed to the cashier’s cvage and gathered together all the cash that had been taken in that morning and afternoon. To that he added twenty cents from his own pocket, and presented the whole collection of dollars, pennies and dimes to the old lady. She carefully counted the lot over and over again, then with trembling hands wrapped the money in the blue cloth. Mr. Lin couldn’t repress a sigh. He had a wild desire to snatch back a part of the cash.

  “That blue handkerchief is too worn, Mrs. Zhu,” he said with a forced laught. “Why not buy a good white linen one? We’ve also got top quality wash-cloths and soap. Take some to use over the New Year. Prices are reasonable!”

  “No, I don’t want any. An old lady like me doesn’t need that kind of thing.” She waved her hand in refusal. She put her account book in her pocked and departed, firmly grasping the blue cloth bundle.

  Looking sour, Mr. Lin walked into the “inner sanctum.” Mrs. Zhu’s visit reminded him that he had two other creditors. Old Chen and Widow Zhang had put up two hundred and one hundred and fifty dollars respectively. He

的利息，都是”不便拖欠的，总得先期送去。他轮着指头算日子∶二十四，二十五，二十六——到二十六，放在四乡的账头总得到二十八九方才有个数目。然而上海号家的收账客人说不定明天就会到，只有再向恒源钱庄去借了。但是明天的门市怎样？……
    他这么低着头一边走，一边想，猛听得女儿的声音在他耳边说∶
    “爸爸，你看这块大绸好么？七尺，四块二角，不贵罢？”
    林先生心里蓦地一跳，站住了睁大着眼睛，说不出话。林小姐手里托着那块绸，却在那里憨笑。四块二角！数目可真不算大，然而今天店里总共只卖得十六块多，并且是老实照本贱卖的呀！林先生怔了一会儿，这才没精打彩地问道∶
    “你哪来的钱呢？”
    “挂在账上。”
    林先生听得又是欠账，忍不住皱一下眉头。但女儿是自己宠惯了的，林大娘又抵死偏护着，林先生没奈何只有苦笑。过一会儿，他叹一口气，轻轻埋怨道∶

would have to pay them a total of ten dollars interest. He couldn’t very well delay their money; in fact, he would have to pay them ahead of  time. He counted on his gingers—twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth. By the twenty-sixth, he ought ot be able to collect all the outstanding debts in the countryside. His clerk Shousheng had gone off on a collection trip the day before yesterday. He should be back by the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth. But the collector from the Shanghai wholesale house to which Mr. Lin owned money would probably ocme tomorrow or the day after. Lin’s only alternative was to borrow more from the local bank. And how ould business be tomorrow?...

  His head down, Mr. Lin paced back and forth, thinking. The voice of his daughter spoke into his ear:

  “Papa, what do you think of this pie ce of silk? Four dollars and twenty cents for seven feet. /that’s not expensive, is it?”

  Mr. Lin’s heart gave a leap. He stood stock-still and glared, speechless. Miss Lin held the pieced of silk in her hand and giggled. Four dollars and twenty cents! It wasn’t a big sum, but the shop only did sixteen dollars worth of business all day, and really at cost price! Mr. Lin stood frozed, thean asked weakly:

  “Where did you get the money?”

  “I put it on the books.”

  Another debit. Mr. Lin scowled. But he had spoiled his daughter himself, and Mrs. Lin would take the girl’s side no matter what the case might be. He smiled a helpless bitter smile. The he sighed.

  “You’re always in such a rush,” he said, slightly reproving. “Why couldn’t

“那么性急！过了年在买岂不好！”

                                  三

又过了两天，”大放盘”的林先生的铺子，生意果然很好，每天可以做三十多元的生意了。林大娘的打呃，大大减少，平均是五十分钟来一次；林小姐在铺面和”内宅”之间跳进跳出，脸上红喷喷地时常在笑，有时竟在铺面帮忙招呼生意，直到林大娘再三唤她，方才跑进去，一边擦着额上的汗珠，一边兴冲冲地急口说∶
    “妈呀，又叫我进来干么！我不觉得辛苦呀！妈！爸爸累得满身是汗，嗓子也喊哑了！——刚才一个客人买了五块钱东西呢！妈！不要怕我辛苦，不要怕！爸爸叫我歇一会儿就出去呢！”
    林大娘只是点头，大一个呃，就念一声”大慈大悲菩萨”。
    客厅里本来就供奉着一尊瓷观音，点着一炷香，林大娘就摇摇摆摆走过去磕头，谢菩萨的保佑，还要祷告菩萨一发慈悲，保佑林先生的生意永远那么好，保佑林小姐易长易大，明年就得个好女婿。
    但是在铺面张罗的林先生虽然打起精神做生意，脸上笑容不断，心里却像有几根线牵着。
    每逢卖得了一块钱，看见顾客欣然挟着纸包而去，林先生就忍不住心里一顿，在他心里的算盘上就加添了五分洋钱的血本的亏折。他几次想把这个”大放盘”时每块钱的实足亏折算成三分，可是无论如何，算来算去总得五分。生意虽然好，他却越卖越心疼了。在柜台上招呼主顾的时候，他这种矛盾的心里有时竟至几乎使他发晕。偶尔他偷眼望望斜对门的裕昌祥，就觉得那边闲立在柜台边的店员和掌柜，嘴角上都带着讥讽的讪笑，似乎都在说∶”看这姓林的傻子呀，当真亏本放盘哪！看着罢，他的生意越好，就越亏本，倒闭得越快！”那时候，林先生便咬一下嘴唇，决定明天无论如何要把货码提高，要把次等货标上头等货的价格。
    给林先生斡旋那”封存东洋货”问题的商会长当走过林家铺子的时候，也微微笑着，站住了对林先生贺喜，并且拍着林先生的肩膀，轻声说∶
    “如何？四百块钱是花得不冤枉罢！——可是，卜局长那边，你也得稍稍点缀，防他看得眼红，也要来敲诈。生意好，妒忌的人就多；就是卜局长

you wait till after New Year!”

III

Another two days went by. Business was indeed bery brisk in Mr. Lin’s shop, with its “Big Sale.” They did over thirty dollars in sales every day. The hiccups of Mrs. Lin diminished considerably; she hiccuped on the average of only once every five minutes. Miss Lin skipped up and back between the shop and the “inner sanctum,” her face flushed and smiling. At times she even helped with the selling. Only after her mother called her repeatedly, did she return to the back room. Mopping her brow, she protested excitedly.

“Ma, why have you called me back again? It’s not hard work! Ma, Papa’s so tired he’s soaking wet; his voice is gone!—A customer just made a five-dollar purchase! Ma, you don’t have to be afraid it’s too tiring for me! Don’t worry! Papa told me to rest a while, then comeout again!”

Mrs. Lin only nodded her head and hiccuped, followed by a murmur that “Buddha is merciful and kind.” A porcelain image of the Goddess Kuanyin was enshrined in the “inner sanctum,” with a stick of incense burning before it. Mrs. Lin swayed ove to the shrine and kowtowed. She thanked the Goddess for Her Protection and prayed for Her Blessing on a number of matters—that Mr. Lin’s business should always be good, that Miss Lin should grow nicely, that next year the girl should get a good husband.

But out in the shop, althought Mr. Lin was devoting his whole being to business, thought a smile never left his face, he felt as if his heart were bound with strings. Watching the satisfied customer going out with a package under his arm, Mr. Lin suffered a pang with every dollar he took in, as the abucus in his mind clicked a five per cent loss off the cost price he had raised through sweat and blood. Several times he tried to estimate the loss as being three per cent, but no matter how he figured it, he still was losing five cents on the

生意虽然好，他却越卖越心疼了。在柜台上招呼主顾的时候，他这种矛盾的心里有时竟至几乎使他发晕。偶尔他偷眼望望斜对门的裕昌祥，就觉得那边闲立在柜台边的店员和掌柜，嘴角上都带着讥讽的讪笑，似乎都在说∶”看这姓林的傻子呀，当真亏本放盘哪！看着罢，他的生意越好，就越亏本，倒闭得越快！”那时候，林先生便咬一下嘴唇，决定明天无论如何要把货码提高，要把次等货标上头等货的价格。
    给林先生斡旋那”封存东洋货”问题的商会长当走过林家铺子的时候，也微微笑着，站住了对林先生贺喜，并且拍着林先生的肩膀，轻声说∶
    “如何？四百块钱是花得不冤枉罢！——可是，卜局长那边，你也得稍稍点缀，防他看得眼红，也要来敲诈。生意好，妒忌的人就多；就是卜局长不生心，他们也要去挑拨呀！”    林先生谢商会长的关切，心里老大吃惊，几乎连做生意都没有精神。
    然而最使他心神不宁的，是店里的寿生出去收账到现在还没有回来，林先生是等着寿生收的钱来开销”客帐”。上海东升字号的收账客人前天早已到镇，直催逼得林先生在没有话语支吾了。如果寿生在不来，林先生只有向恒源钱庄借款的一法，这一来，林先生又将多负担五六十元的利息，这在见天亏本的林先生委实比割肉还心疼。


dollar. Althought business was good, the more he sold the worse he felt. As he waited on the customers, the conflict raging within his breast at times made him nearly faint. When he stole glances at the shop across the street, he had the impression that the owner and salemen were sneering at him from behind their counters. Look at that fool Lin! They seemed to be saying. He really is selling below cost! Wait and see! The more business he does, the more he loses! The sooner he’ll gave to close down!

Mr. Lin gnawed his lips. He vowed he would raise his prices the next day. He would charge first-grade prices for seond-rate merchandise.

The head of the Merchants Guild came by. It was he who had interceded with the Kuomintang chieftains for Mr. Lin on the question of selling Japanese goods. Now he smiled and congratulated Mr. Lin, and clapped him on the shoulder.

“How goes it? That four hundred dollars was well spent!” he said softly. “But you’d better give a small taken to Kuomintang Party Commissioner Pu too. Otherwise, he may become annoyed and try to squeeze you. When business is good, plenty of people are jealous. Even if Commissioner Pu doesn’t have any ‘ideas,’ they’ll try to stir him up!”

Mr. Lin thanked the head of the Merchants Guild for his concern. Inwardly, he was very slarmed. He almost lost his zest for doing business.

What made him most unreasy was that his assistant Shousheng still hadn’t returned from the bill collecting trip. He needed the money to pay off his account with the big Shanghai wholesale house. The collector had arrived from Shanghai two days before, and was pressing Mr. Lin hard. If Shousheng didn’t come soon, Mr. Lin would have to borrow from the local bank. This would mean an additional burden of fifty or sixty dollars in interest payments. To Mr. Lin, losing money every day, this prospect was more painful than

到四点钟光景，林先生忽然听得街上走过的人们乱哄哄地在议论着什么，人们的脸色都很惶急，似乎发生了什么大事情了。一心惦念着出去收账的寿生是否平安的林先生就以为一定是快班船遭了强盗抢，他的心卜卜地乱跳。他唤住了一个路人焦急地问道∶
    “什么事？是不是栗市快班船遭了强盗抢？”
    “哦！
    又是强盗抢么？路上真不太平！抢，还是小事，还要绑人去哪！”
    那人，有名的闲汉陆和尚，含糊地回答，同时潸着半只眼睛看林先生铺子里花花绿绿的货物。林先生不得要领，心里更急，丢开陆和尚，就去问第二个走近来的人，桥头的王三毛。
    “听说栗市班遭抢，当真么？”
    “那一定是太保阿书手下人干的，太保阿书是枪毙了，他的手下人多么厉害！”
    王三毛一边回答，一边只顾走。可是林先生却急坏了，冷汗从额角上钻出来。他早就估量到寿生一定是今天回来，而且是从栗市——收账程序中最后一处，坐快班船回来；此刻已是四点钟，不见他来，王三毛又是那样说，那还有什么疑义么？林先生竟忘记了这所谓”栗市班遭强盗抢”乃是自己的发明了！他满脸急汗，直往”内宅”跑；在那对蝴蝶门边忘记夸门槛，几乎绊了一交。
   
being flayed alive.

At about four p.m., Mr. Lin suddenly heard a noisy uproar on the street. People looked very frightened, as though some serious calamity had happened. Mr. Lin, who could think only of whether Shousheng would safely return, was sure that the river boat on which Shousheng would come back had been set upon by pirates. His heart pounding, he hailed a passer-by and asked worriedly:

“What’s wrong? Did pirates get the boat from Lishi?”

“Oh! So it’s pirates again? Travelling is really too danerous! Robbing is nothing. Men are even kidnapped right off the boat!” babbled the passer-by, a well-known loafer named Lu. He eyed the brightly coloured goods in the shop.

Mr. Lin could make no sense out of this at all. His worry increased and he dropped Lu to accost Wang, the next person who came along.

“Is it true that the boat from Lishi was robbed?”

“It must be Ah Shu’s gang that did it. Ah Shu has been shot, but his gang is still a tough bunch!” Wang replied without slackening his pace.

Cold sweat bedewed Mr. Lin’s forehead. He was frantic. He was sure that Shousheng was coming back today, and from Lishi. That was the last place on the account book list. How it was already four o’clock, but there was no sign of Shousheng. After what Wang had said, how could Mr. Lin have any doubts? He forgot that he himself had invented the story of the boat being robbed. His whole face beaded with persipiration, he rushed into the “inner sanctum/” Going through the swinging doors, he tripped over the threshold and nearly fell.

“爸爸！ 上海打仗了！东洋兵炸弹烧闸北——”
    林先生怔了一下。什么上海打仗，原就和他不相干，但中间既然牵连着”东洋兵”，又好象不能不追问一声了。他看着女儿的很兴奋的脸孔问道∶
    “东洋兵放炸弹么？你从哪里听来的？”
    “街上走过的人全是那么说。东洋兵放大炮，掷炸弹。闸北烧光了！”
    “哦，那么，有人说栗市快班强盗抢么？”
    林小姐摇头，就像扑火的灯蛾似的扑向外面去了。林先生迟疑了一会儿，站在那蝴碟门边抓头皮。林大娘在里面打呃，又是喃喃地祷告∶”菩萨保佑，炸弹不要落到我们头上来！”林先生转身再到铺子里，却见女儿和两个店员正在谈得很热闹。对门生泰杂货店里的老板金老虎也站在柜台外边指手划脚地讲谈。上海打仗，东洋飞机掷炸弹烧了闸北，上海已经罢市，全都证实了。强盗抢快班船么？没有人听说起过呀！栗市快班么？早已到了，一路平安。金老虎看见那快班船上的伙计刚刚背着两个蒲包走过的。林先生心里松一口气，知道寿生今天又没有回来，但也知道好好的没有逢到强盗抢。
   

”Papa, they’re fighting in Shanghai! The Japanese bombed the Zhabei section!” cried Miss Lin, running up to him.

Mr. Lin stopped short. What was all this about fighting in Shanghai? His first reaction was that it had nothing to do with him. Buit since it involved the “Japanese,” he thought he had better inquire a little further. Looking at his daughter’s agitated face, he asked:

“The Japanese bombed it? Who told you that?”

“Everyone on the street is talking about it. The Japanese soldiers fired heavy artillery and they bombed. Zhabei is burned to the ground!”

“Oh, well, did anyone say that the boat from Lishi was robbed?”

Miss Lin shook her head, then fluttered from the room like a moth. Mr. Lin hesitated beside the swinging doors, scratching his head. Mrs. Lin was hiccuping and mumbling prayers.

“Buddha protect us! Don’t let any bombs fall on our heads!”

 

Mr. Lin turned and went out to the shop. He saw his daughter engaged in excited conversation with the two salesmen. The owner of the shop across the street had come out from behind his counter and was talking, gesticulating wildly. There was fighting in Shanghai; Japanese planes ahd bombed Zhabei and burned it; the merchants in Shanghai had closed down—it all was true. What about the pirates robbing the boat? No one had heard anything about that! And the boat from Lishi? It had come in safely. The shopowner across the street had just seen stevedores from the boat going by with two big crates. Mr. Lin was relieved. Shousheng hadn’t come back today, but he hadn’t been robbed by pirates either!                               

现在是满街都在议论上海的战事了。小伙计们夹在闹里骂”东洋乌龟！”竟也有人当街大呼∶”再买东洋货就是忘八！”林小姐听着，脸上就飞红了一大片。林先生却还不动神色。大家都卖东洋货，并且大家花了几百块钱以后，都已经捧着特许∶”只要把东洋商标撕去了就行。”他现在满店的货物都已经称为”国货”，买主们也都是”国货，国货”地说着，就拿走了。在此满街人人为了上海的战事而没有心思想到生意的时候，林先生始终在筹虑他的正事。他还是不肯花重利去借庄款，他去和上海号家的收账客人情商，请他再多等这么一两天。他的寿生极迟明天傍晚总该会到。
    “林老板，你也是明白人，怎么说出这种话来呀！现在上海开了火，说不定明后天火车就不通，我是巴不得今晚上就动身呢！怎么再等一两天？请你今天把账款缴清，明天一早我好走。我也是吃人家的饭，请你照顾照顾罢！”
    上海客人毫无通融的拒绝了林先生的情商。林先生看来是无可商量了，只好忍痛去到恒源钱庄上商借。他还恐怕那”钱猢狲”知道他是急用，要趁火打劫，高抬利息。谁知钱庄经理的口气却完全不对了。那痨病鬼经理听完了林先生的申请，并没有作答，只管捧着他那老古董的水烟筒卜落落卜落落


Now the whole town was talking about the catastrophe in Shanghai. Young clerks were crusing the Japanese agressors. People were even shouting, “Anyone who buys Japanese goods is a son of a bitch!” These words brought a scarlet blush to Miss Lin’s cheeks, but Mr. Lin showed no change of expression. All the shops were selling Japanese merchandise. Moreoveer, after spending a few hundred dollars, the merchants had received special authorizations from the Kuomintang chieftains, saying, “The goods may be sold after removing the Japanese markings.” All the merchandise in Mr. Lin’s shop had been transformed into “native goods”. His customers, too, would call them “native goods,” then take up their packages and leave.

Because of the war in Shanghai, the whole town had lost all interest in business, but Mr. Linwas busy pondering his affairs. Unwilling to borrow from the local bank at exorbitant interest, he sought out the collector from the Shanghai wholesale house, to plead with him as a frined for a delay of another day or two. Shousheng would be back tomorrow before dark at the latest, said Mr. Lin. Then he would pay in full.

“My dear Mr. Lin, you’re an intelligent man. How can you talk like that? They’re fighting in Shanghai. Train service may be cut off tomorrow or the day after. I only wish I could start back tonight! How can I wait a day or two? Please, settle your account today so that I can leave the first thing tomorrow morning. I’m not my own boss. Please have some consideration for me!”

The Shanghai collector was uncompromisingly firm in his refusal. Mr. Lin saw thsat it was hopeless; he had no choice but to bear the pain and seek a loan from the local banker. He was worried that “Old Miser” knew of his sore need and would take advantage of the situation to boost the interest rate. From the minute he started speaking to the bank manager, Mr. Lin could feel that the atmosphere was all wrong. /The tubercular old man said nothing when Mr. Lin finished his plea, but continued puffing on his antique water-pipe. After the whole packet of tabacco was consumed, the manager

的呼，直到烧完一根纸吹，这才慢吞吞地说∶
    “不行了！东洋兵开仗，上海罢市，银行钱庄都封关，知道他们几时弄得好！上海这路一断，敝庄就成了没脚蟹，汇划不通，比尊处再好的户头也只好不做了。对不起，实在爱莫能助！”
    林先生呆了一呆，还总以为这痨病鬼经理故意刁难，无非是为提高利息作地步，正想结结实实说几句恳求的话，却不料那经理又逼进一步道∶
    “刚才敝东吩咐过，他得的信，这次的乱子恐怕要闹大，叫我们收紧盘子！尊处原欠五百，二十二那天，又是一百，总共是六百，年关前总得扫数归清；我们也算是老主顾，今天先透一个信，免得临时多费口舌，大家面子上难为情。”
    “哦——可是小店里也实在为难。要看账头收得怎样。”
    林先生呆了半晌，这才呐出这两句话。
    “嘿！何必客气！宝号里这几天来的生意比众不同，区区六百块钱，还为难么？今天是同老兄说明白了，总望扫数归清，我在敝东跟前好交代。”
    痨病鬼经理冷冷地说，站起来了。林先生冷了半截身子，瞧情形是万难挽回，只好硬着头皮走出了那家钱庄。他此时这才明白原来远在上海的打仗

finally spoke.

“I can’t do it,” he said slowly. “The Japanese have begun fighting, business in Shanghai is at a standstill, the banks have all closed down—who knows when things will be set right again! Cut off from Shanghai, my bank is like a crab without legs. With exchange of remittances stopped, I couldn’t do business even with a better client than you. I’m sorry. I’d love to help you but my hands are tied!”

Mr. Lin lingered. He thought the tubercular manager was putting on an act in preparation for demanding higher interest. Just as Mr. Lin was about to play along by renewing his pleas, he was surprised to hear the manager press him a step farther.

“Our employer has given us instructions. He has heard that the situation will probably get worse. He wants us to tighten up. Your shop originally owed us five hundred; on the twentysecond, you borrowed another hundred—altogether six hundred, due to be settled before New Year. We’ve been doing business together a long time, so I’m tipping you off. We want to avoid a lot of talk and embarrassment at the last minute.”

“Oh—but our little shop is having a hard time,” blurted the dumbfounded Mr. Lin. “I’ll have to see how we do with our collections.”

“Ho! Why be so modest! The last few days hour business hasn’t been like the others! What’s so difficult about paying a mere six hundred dollars? I’m letting you know today, old brother. I’m looking forward to your settling your debt so that I can clear myself with my employer.”

The tubercular manager spoke coldly. He stood up. Chilled, Mr. Lin could see that the situation was beyond repair. All He could do was to take a grip on himself and walk out of the bank. At last he understood that the fighting

也要影响到他的小铺子了。今年的年关当真是难过∶上海的收账客人立逼着要钱，恒源里不许宕过年，寿生还没回来，知道他怎样了，镇上的账头，去年只收起八成，今年瞧来连八成都捏不稳——横在他面前的路，只是一条∶”暂停营业，清理账目”！而这条路也就等于破产，他这铺子里早已没有自己的资本，一旦清理，剩给他的，光景只有一家三口三个光身子！林先生愈想愈仄，走过那座望仙桥时，他看着桥下的浑水，几乎想纵身一跳完事。可是有一个人在他背后唤他道∶
    “林先生，上海打仗了，是真的罢？听说东栅外刚刚调来了一之兵，到商会里要借饷，开口就是二万，商会里正在开会呢！”
    林先生急回过脸去看，原来正是那位存有两百块钱在他铺子里的陈老七，也是林先生的一位债主。
    “哦——”
    林先生打一个冷噤，只回答了这一声，就赶快下桥，一口气跑回家去。

                                    四
    这晚上的夜饭，林大娘在家常的一荤二素以外，特又添了一个碟子，是

In distant Shanghai would influence his little shop too. It certainly was going to be hard to get throught this New Year: The Shanghai collector was pressing him for mone4y; the bank wouldn’t wait until after the New Year; Shousheng still hadn’t come back and there was no telling how he was getting on. So far as Mr. Lin’s outstanding accounts in town were concerned, last year he had only collected eighty per cent. From the looks of things, this year there was no guarantee of even that much. Only one road seemed open to Mr. Lin: “Business Temporarily Closed—balancing Books!” And this was equivalent to bankruptcy. There hadn’t been any of his own money invested in the shop for a long time. The day the books were balanced and the creditors paid off, what would be left for him probably wouldn’t be enough to stand between his family and nakedness!

The more he thought, the worse Mr. Lin felt. Crossing the bridge, he looked at the turbid water below. He was almost tempted to jump and end it all. Then a man hailed him from behind.

“Mr. Lin, is it ture there’s a war on in Shanghai? I hear that a bunch of soldiers just set up outside the town’s east gate and asked the Merchants Guild for a ‘loan.’ They wanted twenty thousand right off the bat. The Merchants Guild is holding a meeting about it now!”

Mr. Lin hurriedly turned around. The speaker was Old Chen who had two hundred dollars loaned to the shop—another of Mr. Lin’s creditors.

“Oh—“ retorted Mr. Lin with a shiver. Quickly he crossed the bridge and ran home.

                              IV

For dinner that evening, beside the usual one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, Mrs. Lin had bought a favourite of Mr. Lin’s—a platter of

到八仙楼买来的红焖肉，林先生心爱的东西。
    另外又有一斤黄酒。林小姐笑不离口，为的铺子里生意好，为的大绸新旗袍已经做成，也为的上海竟然开火，打东洋人。林大娘打呃的次数更加少了，差不多十分钟只来一回。
    只有林先生心里发闷到要死。他喝着闷酒，看看女儿，有看看老婆，几次想把那炸弹似的恶消息宣布，然而终于没有那样的勇气。并且他还不曾绝望，还想挣扎，至少是还想掩饰他的两下里碰不到头。所以当商会里议诀了答应借饷五千并且要林先生摊认二十元的时候，他毫不推托，就答应下来了。他决定非到最后五分钟不让老婆和女儿知道那家道困难的真实情形。他的划算是这样的∶人家欠他的账收一个八成罢，他还人家的账也是个八成，——反正可以借口上海打仗，钱庄不通；为难的是人欠我欠之间尚差六百光景，那只有用剜肉补疮的方法拼命放盘卖贱货，且捞几个钱来渡过了眼前再说。这年头儿，谁能够顾到将来呢？眼前得过且过。
    是这么想定了方法，又加上那一斤黄酒的力量，林先生倒酣睡了一夜，恶梦也没有半个。
    第二天早上，林先生醒来是已经是六点半钟，天色很阴沉。林先生觉得有点头晕。他匆匆忙忙吞进两碗稀饭，就到铺子里，一眼就看见那位上海客
 

stewed pork. In addition, there was a pint of yellow wine. A smile never left Miss Lin’s face, for business in the shop was good, her new silk dress was finished, and because they were fighting back against the Japanese in Shanghai. Mrs. Lin’s hiccups were especially sparse—about one every ten minutes.

Only Mr. Lin was sunk in gloom. Moodily drinking his wine, he looked at his daughter, and looked at his wife. Several times he considered dropping the bad news in their midst like a bombshell, but he didn’t have that kind of courage. Moreover, he still hadn’t given up hope, he still wanted to struggle; at least he wanted to conceal his failure to make ends meet.

And so when the Merchants Guild passed a resolution to pay the soldiers five thousand dollars and asked Mr. Lin to contribute twenty, he consented without a moment’s hesitation. He decided not to tell his wife and daughter the ture state of affairs until the last possible minute. The way he calculatedit was this: He would collect eight per cent of the debts due him, he would pay eighty per cent of the money he owed. Anyhow, he had the excuse that there was fighting in Shanghai, that remittances couldn’t be sent. The difficulty was that there was a difference of about six hundred dollars between that people owed him and wht he had to pay to other. He wold have to take drastic measures and cut prices heavily. /The idea was to scrape together some money to meet the present problem, then he would see. Who could think of the future in times like these? If he could get by now, that would be enough.

That was how he made his plans. With the added potency of the pint of yellow wine, Mr. Lin slept soundly all night, without even the suggestion of a bad dream.

It was already six thirty when Mr. Lin awoke the next morning. The sky was overcast and he was rather dizzy. He gulped down two bowls of rice gruel and hurried to the shop. The first thing to greet his eye was the Shanghai

人板起了脸孔在那里坐守”回话”。而尤其叫林先生猛吃一惊的，是斜对门的裕昌祥也贴起红红绿绿的纸条，也在那里”大放盘照码九折”了！林先生昨夜想好的”如意算盘”立刻被斜对门那些红绿纸条冲一个摇摇不定。
    “林老板，你真是开玩笑！昨晚上不给我回音。轮船是八点钟开，我还得转乘火车，八点钟这班船我是非走不行！请你快点——”
    上海客人不耐烦地说，把一个拳头在桌子上一放。林先生只又赔不是，请他原谅，实在是因为上海打仗钱庄不通，彼此是多年的老主顾，务请格外看承。
    “那叫我空手回去么？”
    “这，这，断乎不会。我们的寿生一回来，有多少付多少，我要是藏落半个钱，不是人！”
    林先生颤着声音说，努力忍住了滚到眼眶边的眼泪。
    话是说到尽头了，上海客人只好不再噜嗦，可是他坐在那里不肯走。林先生急得什么似的，心是卜卜地乱跳。近年他虽然万分拮据，面子上还可遮得过；现在摆一个人在铺子里坐守，这件事要是传扬出去，他的信用就完了，他的债户还多着呢，万一群起效尤，他这铺子只好立刻关门。他在没有办法


Collector, sitting with a stern face, waiting for his “answer.” But what shocked Mr. Lin particularly was the shop across the street. They too had pasted red and green strips all over their windows; they too were having a “Big Sale 10% Discount”! Mr. Lin’s perfect plan of the night before was completely snowed under by those red and green streamers of his competitor.

“What kind of a joke this, Mr. Lin? Last night you didn’t give a reply. That boat leaves here at eight o’clock and I have to make connections with the train. I simply must catch that eight o’clock boat! Please hurry—“ said the Shanghai collector impatiently. He brought his clenched fist down on the table.

Mr. Lin apologized and begged his forgiveness. Truly, it was all because of the fighting in Shanghai and not being able to send remittances. After all, they had been doing business for many years. Mr. Lin pleaded for a little special consideration.

“Then am I to go back empty-handed?”

“Why, why, certainly not. When Shousheng returns, I’ll give you as much as he brings. I’m not a  man of I keep so much as half a dollar!” Mr. Lin’s voice trembled. With an effort he held back the tears that brimmed to his eyes.

There was no more to be said: the Shanghai collector stopped his grumbling. But he remained firmly seated where he was. Mr. Lin was nearly out of his wits with anxiety. His heart thumped erratically. Although he had been having a hard time the past few years, he had been able to keep up a front. Now there was a collector sitting in his shop for all the world to see. If word of this thing spread, Mr. Lin’s credit would be ruined. He had plenty of creditors. Suppose they all decided to follow suit? His shop might just as well close down immediately. In desperation, several times he invited the

中想办法，几次请这位讨帐客人到内宅去坐，然而讨帐客人不肯。
    天又索索地下起冻雨来了。一条街上冷清清地简直没有人行。自有这条街以来，从没见过这样萧索的腊尾岁尽。朔风吹着那些招牌，嚓嚓地响。渐渐地冻雨又有变成雪花的模样。沿街店铺里的伙计们靠在柜台上仰起了脸发怔。
    林先生和那位收账客人有一句没一句的闲谈着。林小姐忽然走出蝴蝶门来站在街边看那索索的冻雨。从蝴蝶门后送来的林大娘的呃呃的声音又渐渐儿加勤。林先生嘴里应酬着，一边看看女儿，又听听老婆的打呃，心里一阵一阵酸上来，想起他的一生简直毫没幸福，然而又不知道坑害他到这地步的，究竟是谁。那位上海客人似乎气平了一些了，忽然很恳切地说∶
    “林老板，你是个好人。一点嗜好都没有，做生意很巴结认真。放在二十年前，你怕不发财么？可是现今时势不同，捐税重，开销大，生意又清，混得过也还是你的本事。”
    林先生叹口气苦笑着，算是谦逊。
    上海客人顿了一顿，又接着说下去∶
    “贵镇上的市面今年又比去年差些，是不是？内地全靠乡庄生意，乡
 

Shanghai gentleman to wait in the back room where it was more comfortable, but the latter refused.

An icy rain began to fall. The street was cold and deserted. Never had it appeared so mournful at New Year’s time. Signboards creaked and clattered in the grip of a north wind. The icy rain seemed like to turn into snow. In the shops that lined the street, salemen leaning on the counters looked up blankly.

Occasionally, Mr. Lin and the collector form Shanghai exchanged a few desultory words. Miss Lin suddenly emerged through the swinging doors and stood at the front window watching the cold hissing rain. From the back room, the sound of Mrs. Lin’s hiccups steadily gathered intensity. While trying to be pleasant to their visitor, Mr. Lin looked at his daughter and listened to his wife’s hiccups, and a wave of depression rose in his breast. He thought how all his life he had never known any prosperity, nor could he imagine who was responsible for his being reduced to such dire straits today.

The Shanghai collector seemed to have calmed down somewhat. “Mr. Lin,” he said abruptly, in a sincere tone, “you’re a good man. You don’t go in for loose living, you’re obliging and honest in your business practices. Twenty years ago, you would have gotten rich. But things are different today. Taxes are high, expenses are heavy, business is slow—it’s an accomplishment just to get along.”

Mr. Lin sighed and smiled in wry dodesty.

After a pause, the /shanghai collector continued, “This year the market in this town was a little worse than last, wasn’t it? Places in the interior like this depend on the people form the countryside for business, but the peasants are too poor. There’s really no solution…Oh, it’s nine o’clock! Why hasn’t your collection clerk come back yet? Is he reliable?”

人太穷，真是没有发子，——呀，九点钟了！怎么你们的收账伙计还没来呢？这个人靠得住么？”
    林先生心里一跳，暂时回答不出来。虽然是七八年的老伙计，一向没出过岔子，但谁能保到低呢！而况又是过期不见回来。上海客人看着林先生那迟疑的神气，就笑；那笑声有几分异样。忽然那边林小姐的叫声也是异样的，林先生跳起来，又惊又喜，着急的想跑到柜台前去看，可是心慌了，两腿发软。这时寿生已经跑了进来，当真是一身泥，气喘喘地坐下了，说不出话来。林先生估量那情形不对，吓得没有主意，也不开口。上海客人在旁边皱眉头。过了一会儿，寿生方才喘着气说∶
    “好险呀！差一些被他们抓住了。”
    “到底是强盗抢了快班船么”林先生惊极，心一横，倒逼出话来了。
    “不是强盗。是兵队拉夫呀！昨天下午赶不上乘快班。今天一早乘航船，哪里知道航船知道这里要捉船，就停在东栅外了。我上岸走不到半里路，就碰到拉夫。西面宝祥衣庄的阿毛被他们拉去了。我跑得快，抄小路逃了回来。他妈的，性命交关！”
    寿生一面说，一面撩起衣服，从肚兜里掏出一个手巾包来递给了林先生，


Mr. Lin’s heart gave a leap. For the moment, he couldn’t answer. Although Shousheng had been his salesman for seven or eight years and had never made a slip, still, there was no absolute guarantee! And besides he was overdue, The Shanghai collector laughed to see Mr. Lin’s doubtful expression, but his laugh had an odd ring to it.

At the window, Miss Lin whirled and cried urgently, “Papa, Shousheng is back! He’s coveredc with mud!”

Her voice had a peculiar sound too. Mr. Lin jumped up, both alarmed and happy. He wanted to run out and look, butr he was so excited that his legs were weak. By then Shousheng had already entered, truly covered with mud. The clerk sat down, panting for breath, unable to say a word. The situation looked bad. Frightened out of his wits, Mr. Lin was speechless too. The Shanghai collector frowned. After a while, Shousheng managed to gasp:

“Very dangerous! They nearly got me!”

“Then the boat was robbed?” the agitated Mr. Lin took a grip on himself and blurted.

“There wasn’t any robbing. They were grabbing coolies for the army. I couldn’t make the boat yesterday afternoon; I got a sampan this morning. After we sailed, we heard they were waiting at this end to grab the boat, so we came to port further down the river. When we got ashore, before we had come half a li, we bumped into an army pressgang. They grabbed the clerk from the clothing shop, but I ran fast and came back by a short cut. Damn it! Itr was a close call!”

Shousheng liftedhis jacket as he talked and pulled form his money belt a cloth-bound packet which he handed to Mr. Lin.

又说道∶
    “都在这里了。栗市的那家黄茂记很可恶，这种户头，我们明年要留心！——我去洗个脸，换一件衣服再来。”
    林先生接了那个手巾包，捏一把，脸上有些笑容了。他到帐台里打开那手巾包来。先看一看那张”清单”，打了一会儿算盘，然后点检银钱数目∶是大洋十一元，小洋二百角，钞票四百二十元，外加即期庄票两张，一张是规元五十两，又一张是规元六十五两。这全部付给上海客人，照账算也还差一百多元。林先生凝神想了半晌，斜眼偷看了坐在那里吸烟的上海客人几次，方才叹一口气，割肉似的拿起那两张庄票和四百元钞票捧到上海客人跟前，又说了许多话，方才得到上海客人点一下头，说一声”对啦”。
    但是上海客人把庄票看了两遍，忽又笑着说道∶
    “对不起，林老板，这庄票，费神兑了钞票给我罢！”
    “可以，可以。”
    林先生连忙回答，慌忙在庄票后面盖了本店的书柬图章，派一个伙计到恒源庄去取现，并且叮嘱了要钞票。又过了半晌，伙计却是空手回来。恒源庄把票子收了，但不肯付钱；据说是扣抵了林先生的钱款。天是在当真下雪了，林先生也没张伞，冒雪到恒源庄去亲自交涉，结果是徒然。
    “林老板，怎样了呢？”
 
”It’s all here,” he said. “That Huang Shop in Lishi is rotten. We have to be careful of customers like that next year…I’ll come back after I have a wash and change my clothes.”

Mr. Lin’s face lit up as he squeezed the packet. He carried it over to the cashier’s cage and unbound the cloth wrapping. First he added up the money due on the list of debtors, then he counted what had been collected. There were eleven silver dollars, two hundred dimes, four hundred and twenty dollard in banknotes, and two bank demand drafts—for the equivalent of fifty and sixty-five taels of silver repectively, at the official rate. If he turned the whole lot ove to the Shanghai collector, it would still be more than a hundred dollars short of what he owned the wholesale house.

Deep in contemplation, Mr. Lin glanced several times out of the corner of his eye at the Shanghai collector who was silently smoking a cigarette. At last he sighed, and as though cutting off a piec e of his living flesh, placec the two bank drafts and four hundred dollars in cash before the man form Shanghai. The Mr. Lin spoke for a long time until he managed toextract a nod from the latter and the words “all right.”

But when the collector looked twince at the bank drafts, he said with a smile, “Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Lin. Please get them cashed for me first.”

“Certainly, certainly,” Mr. Lin hastened to reply. He quickly affixed his shop’s seal to the back of the drafts and dispatched one of his salemen to cash them at the local bank. In a little while, the salesman came back empty-handed. The bank had accepted the drafts but refused to pay for them, saying they would be credited against Mr. Lin’s debt. Though it was snowing heavily now, Mr. Lin rushed over to the bank without an umbrella to plead in person. But his efforts were in vain.

“Well, what about it?” demanded the Shanghai collector impatiently as

看见林先生苦着脸跑回来，那上海客人不耐烦地问了。林先生几乎想哭出来，没有话回答，只是叹气。除了央求那上海客人再通融，还有什么别的办法？寿生也来了，帮着林先生说。他们赌咒∶下欠的二百多元，赶明年初十边一定汇到上海。是老主顾了，向来三节清帐，从没半句话，今儿实在是意外之变，大局如此，没有办法，非是他们刁赖。
    然而不添一些，到底是不行的。林先生忍痛又把这几天内卖得的现款凑成了五十元，算是总共付了四百五十元，这才把那位叫人头痛的上海收账客人送走了。
    此时以有十一点了，天还是飘飘扬扬落着雪。买客没有半个。林先生纳闷了一会儿，和寿生商量本街的账头怎么去收讨。两个人的眉头都皱紧了，都觉得本镇的六百多元账头收起来真没有把握。寿生挨着林先生的耳朵悄悄地说道∶
    “听说南栅的聚隆，西栅的和源，都不稳呢！
    这两处欠我们的，就有三百光景，这两笔倒帐要预先防着，吃下了，可不是玩的！”
    林先生脸色变了，嘴唇有点抖。
    不料寿生把声音放低些，支支吾吾地说出了更骇人的消息来∶
   
Mr. Lin returned to the shop, his face anguished.

Mr. Lin seemed ready to weep. There was nothing he could say; he could only sigh. Except to beg the collector for more leniency, what else could he do? Shousheng came out and added his pleas to Mr. Lin’s. He vowed that they would send the remaning two hundred dollars to Shanghai by the tenth of the New Year. Mr. Lin was an old customer who had always paid his debts promptly without a word, said Shousheng. This thing today was really unexpected. But that was the situation; they couldn’t help themselves. It wasn’t that they were stalling.

The Shanghai collector was adamant. Painfully, Mr. Lin brought out the fifty dollars he had taken in during the past few days and handed it over to make up a total payment of four hundred and fifty dollars. Only then did that headache of a Shanghai collector depart.

But that time, it was eleven in the morning. Snowflakes were still drifting down from the sky. Not even half a customer was in sight. Mr. Lin brooded a while, then discussed with Shousheng means to be used in collecting outstanding bills in town. /both men were frowning; neither of them had any particular confidence that much of the six hundred dollars due from town customers could be collected. Shousheng bent close to Mr. Lin’s ear and whispered:

“I hear that the big shop at the shouth gate and the one at the west gate are both shaky. Both of them own us money—about three hundred dollars altogether. We better take precaustions with these two accounts. If they fold up before we can collect, it won’t be so funny!”

Mr. Lin paled; his lips trembled a little. Then, Shousheng pitched his voice lower still, and mumbled a bit of even more shocking news.

“还有，还有讨厌的谣言，是说我们这里了。
    恒源庄上一定听得了这些风声，这才对我们逼得那么急，说不定上海的收账客人也有点晓得——只是，谁和我们作对呢？
    难道就是斜对门么？”
    寿生说着，就把嘴向裕昌祥那边呶了一呶。
    林先生的眼光跟着寿生的嘴也向那边瞥了一下，心里直是乱跳，哭丧着脸，好半天说不出话来。
    他的又麻又痛的心里感到这一次准是毁了！——不毁才是作怪∶党老爷敲诈他，钱庄压逼他，同业又中伤他，而又要吃倒账，凭谁也受不了这样重重的磨折罢？
    而究竟为了什么他应该活受罪呀！
    他，从父亲手里继承下这小小的铺子，从没敢浪费；他，做生意多么巴结；他，没有害过人，没有起过歹心；就是他的祖上，也没害过人，做过歹事呀！然而他直如此命苦！
    “不过，师傅，隋他们去造谣罢，你不要发急。荒年传乱话，听说是镇上的店铺十家有九家没法过年关。时势不好，市面清的不成话，素来硬朗的铺子今年都打饥荒，也不是我们一家困难！天塌压大家，商会里总得议个办法出来；总不能大家一齐拖倒，弄得市面更加不像市面。”    看见林先生急苦了，寿生姑且安慰着，忍不住也叹了一口气。
    雪是愈下愈密了，街上已经见白。偶尔有一条狗垂着尾巴走过，抖一抖身体，摇落了厚积在毛上的那些雪，就又悄悄地夹着尾巴走了。自从有这条


”There’s another nasty rumour—about us. They’re sure to have heard it at the bank. That’s why they’re pressing us so hard. The Shanghai collector probably got wind of it too. Who can be trying to make trouble for us? The shop across the street?”

Shousheng pointed with his pursed lips in the diection of the suspect, and Mr. Lin’s eyes swung to follow the indicator. His heart skipping unevenly, his face mournful, Mr. Lin was unable to speak for some time. He had the numb and aching feeling that this time he was definitely finished! If he weren’t ruined it would be a miracle: /the Kuomintang chieftains were putting the squeeze on hom; the bank was pressing him; his fellow shopkeepers were stabbing him in the back; a couple of his biggest debtors were going to default. Nobody could stand up under this kind of buffeting. But why was he fated to get such a dirty deal? Ever since he inherited the little shop from his father, he had never dared to be wasteful. He had been so obliging; he never hurt a soul, never schemed agaisnt anyone. His father and grandfather had been the same, yet all he was reaping was bitterness!

“Never mind. Let them spread their rumours. You don’t have to worry,” Shousheng tried to comfort Mr. Lin, though he couldn’t help sighing himself. “There are always rumours in lean year. They say in this town nine out of ten shops won’t be able to pay up their debts before the year is out. Times are bad, the market is dead as a doornail. Usually strong shops are hard up this year. We’re not the only one having rough going! When the sky tumbles everyone gets crushed. The Merchants Guild has to think of a way out. All the shops can’t be collapsing; that would make the market even less like a market.”

The snowfall was becoming heavier; it was sticking to the ground now. Occasionally, a dog would slink by, shivering, its tail between its legs. It might stop and shake itself voilently to dislodge the snow thickly matting its fur. Then, with tail drooping again, the dog would go on its way. Never in its

街以来，从没见过这样冷落凄凉的年关！而此时，远在上海，日本军的重炮正在发狂地轰毁那边繁盛的市廛。

                                  五
    凄凉的年关，终于也过去了。镇上的大小铺子倒闭了二十八家。内中有一家”信用素著”的绸庄。欠了林先生三百元货账的聚隆与和源也毕竟倒了。大年夜的白天，寿生到那两个铺子里磨了半天，也只拿了二十多块来；这以后，就听说没有一个收账员拿到半文钱，两家铺子的老板都躲得不见面了。林先生自己呢，多亏商会长一力斡旋，还无须往乡下躲，然而欠下恒源庄的四百多元非要正月十五以前还清不可；并且又订了苛刻的条件∶从正月初五开市那天起，恒源就要派人到林先生铺子里”守提”，卖得的钱，八成归恒源扣帐。
    新年那四天，林先生家里就像一个冰窟。林先生常常叹气，林大娘的打呃像连珠炮。林小姐虽然不打呃，也不叹气，但是呆呆地好象害了多年的黄病。她那件大绸新旗袍，为的要付吴妈的工钱，已经上了当铺；小学徒从清早七点钟就去那家唯一的当铺门前守候，直到九点钟方才从人堆里拿了两块钱挤出来。以后，当铺就止当了。两块钱！这以是最高价。隋你值多少钱的

history had this street witnessed so frigid and desolate a New year season! And just at this time, in distant Shanghai, Japanese heavy artillery was savagely pounding that prosperous metropolis of trade.

                                    V

It was a gloomy New Year, but finally it was passed. In town, twenty-eight big and little shops folded up, including a “credit A-I” silk shop. The two stores that owed Mr. Lin three hundred dollars closed down too. The last day of the year, Shousheng had gone to them and plagued them for hours, but all he could extract was a total of twenty dollars. He heard that afterwards no other collector got so much as a penny out of them; the owners of the two shops hid themselves and couldn’t be found. Thanks to the intervention of the head of the Merchants Guild, it wasn’t necessary for Mr. Lin to hide. But he had to guarantee to wipe off his debt of four hundred dollars to the bank before the fifteenth of the first month, and he had to consent to very harsh terms: The bank would send a representative to “guard” all cash taken in starting from resumption of business on the fifth; eighty per cent of all money collected would go to the bank until Mr. Lin’s debt to them was paid.

During the New Year holidays, Mr. Lin’s house was like an ice box. Mr. Lin heaved sigh after sigh. Mrs. Lin’s hiccups were like a string of firecrackers. Miss Lin, although she neither hiccuped nor sighed, moped around in the dazed condition of one who has suffered fromyears of jaundice. Her new silk dress had already gone to the only pawhshop in town to raise money for the maid’s wages. An apprentice had taken it there at seven in the morning; it was after nine when he finally squeezed his way out of the crowd with two dollars in his hand. Afterwards, the pawnshop refused to do any more business that day. Two dollars! That was the highest price they would gtive for any article, no matter how much you had paid for it originally! This was called “two dollar ceiling.” When a peasant, steeling himself against the cold, would peel off a cotton-padded jacket and hand it across the counter, the

贵重衣饰，也只能当的两块呢！叫做”两块钱封门”。乡下人忍着冷剥下身上的棉袄递上柜台去，那当铺里的伙计拿起来抖了一抖，就直丢出去，怒声喊道∶”不当！”
    元旦起，是大好的晴天。关帝庙前那空场上，照例来了跑江湖赶新年生意的摊贩和变把戏的杂耍。人们在那些摊子面前懒懒地拖着推走，两手扪着空的腰包，就又懒懒地走开了。孩子们拉住了娘的衣角，赖在花炮摊前不肯走，娘就给他一个老大的耳光。那些特来赶新年的摊贩们连伙食都开销不了，白赖在”安商客寓”里，天天和客寓主人吵闹。
    只有那班变把戏的出了八块钱的大生意，党老爷们唤他们去点缀了一番”升平气象”。    初四那天晚上，林先生勉强筹借了三块钱，办一席酒请铺子里的”相好”吃照例的”五路酒”，商量明天开市的办法。林先生早就筹思过熟透∶这铺子开下去呢，眼见得是亏本的生意，不开呢，他一家三口儿简直没有生计，而且到底人家欠他的货账还有四五百，他一关门更难讨取；惟一的办法是减省开支，但捐税派饷是逃不了的，”敲诈”尤其无法逃避，裁去一两个店员罢，本来他只有三个伙计，寿生是左右手，其余的两位也是怪可怜见的，况且辞歇了到底也不够招呼生意；家里呢，也无可再省，吴妈早已辞歇。他觉得只有硬着头皮做下去，或者靠菩萨的保佑，乡下人春蚕熟，他的亏空还可以补救。

pawnshop clerk would raise it up, give it a shake, then fling it back with an angry “We don’t want it!”

Since New Year’s Day, the weather had been beautiful and clear. The big temple courtyard, as was the custom, was crowded with the stalls of itinerant pedlars and the paraphernalia of acrobats and jugglers. People lingered before the stalls, patted their empty money belts, and reluctantly walked on. Children gragged at their mothers’ clothing, refusing to leave the stall where fireworks were on sale, until Mama was forced to give the little offender a hard slap. The pedlars, who had come specially to cash in on the usual New Year’s bazaar trade, didn’t even make enough to pay for their food. They couldn’t pay their rent at the local inn and quarrelled with the innkeeper every day.

Only the acrobatic troupe earned the large sum of eight dollars. It had been hired by the Kuomintang chieftains to add to the atmosphere of “peace and normalcy.”

On the evening of the fourth, Mr. Lin, who had with some difficulty managed to raise three dollars, gave the usual spread for his employees at which they all discussed the strategy for the morrow’s reopening of business. The prospects were already terribly clear to Mr. Lin: If they re-open, he and his family would be entirely without resourcws. Moreover, people still owed him four hundred dollars, the collection of which would be even more difficult, if he closed down. The only way out was to cut expenses. But eaxes and levies for the soldiers were in-escapable; there was even less chance of his avoiding being “squeezed.” Fire a couple of salesmen? He only had three. Shousheng was his righthand man; the other two were poor devils; besides he really needed them to wait on the customers. He couldn’t save any more at home. They had already let the maid go. He felt the only thing to do was to plunge on. Perhaps, when the peasants, with Buddha’s blessing, earned money from their spring raw silk sales, he still might make up his loss.

但要开市，最大的困难是缺乏货品。
    没有现钱寄到上海去，就拿不到货。上海打得更厉害了，赊账是休想转这念头。卖低货罢，他店里早已淘空，架子上那些装卫生纸的纸盒就是空的，不过摆在那里装幌子。他铺子里就剩了些日杂货，脸盆毛巾之类，存底还厚。
    大家喝了一会闷酒，抓腮挖耳地想不出好主意。后来谈起天来，一个伙计忽然说∶
    “乱世年头，人比不上狗！听说上海闸北烧得精光，几十万人都只逃得一个光身子。虹口一带呢，烧是还没有烧，人都逃光了，东洋人凶得很，不许搬东西。上海房钱涨起几倍。逃出来的人都到乡下来了，昨天镇上就到了一批，看样子都是好好来的人家，现在却弄得无家可归！”
    林先生摇头叹气。寿生听了这话，猛的想起了一个好办法；他放下了筷子，拿起酒杯来一口喝干了，笑嘻嘻对林先生说道∶
    “师傅，听得阿四的话么？我们那些脸盆，毛巾，肥皂，袜子，牙粉，牙刷，就可以如数销清了。”

林先生瞪出了眼睛，不懂得寿生的意思。
 
But the greatest problem in resuming business was that he was short of merchandise. Without money to remit to Shanghai, he couldn’t replenish his stock. The fighting in Shanghai was getting worse. There wasz no use in hoping for getting anything on credit. Sell his reserve? The shop was long since actually cleaned out. The underwear boxed on the shelves were empty; they were used only for show, All that was left were things like wash-basins and towels. But he had plenty of those.

Gloomily, the feasters sipped their wine. For all their perplexed reflection, no one could offer any solution to the problem. They talked of generalities for a while. Then suddenly Ah Si, one of the salesmen, said,

“The world is going to hell. People live worse than dogs! They say Zhabei was completely burned out. A couple of hundred thousand people had to flee, leaving all their belongings behind. There wasn’t any fire in the Hongkou section, but everybody ran away. The Japanese are very cruel. They wouldn’t let them take any of their things with them. House rent in safe quarters in Shanghai has skyrocketed. All the regugees are running to the countryside. A bunch came to your town resterday. They all look like decent people, and now they’re homeless!”

Mr. Lin shook his head and sighed, but Shousheng, on hearing these words, was suddenly struck with a bright idea. He put down his chopsticks, then raised his wine cup and drained it in one swqllow. He turned to Mr. Lin with a grin.

“Did you hear what Ah Si just said? That means our washbasins, wash-cloths, soap, socks, tooth powder, tooth brushes, will sell fast. We can get rid of as many as we’ve got.”

Mr. Lin stared. He didn’t know what Shousheng was driving at.  

“师傅，这是天大的机会。上海逃来的人，总还有几个钱，他们总要买些日用的东西，是不是？这笔生意，我们赶快张罗。”
    寿生接着又说。再筛出一杯酒来喝了，满脸是喜气。两个伙计也省悟过来了，哈哈大笑。只有林先生还不很了然。近来的逆境已经把他变成糊涂。他惘然问道∶
    “你拿得稳么？脸盆，毛巾，别家也有，——”
    “师傅，你忘记了！脸盆毛巾之类的东西只有我们存底独多！裕昌祥里拿不出十只脸盆，而且都是拣剩货。这笔生意，逃不出我们的手掌心了！我们赶快多写几张广告到四栅去分贴，逃难人住的地方——嗳，阿四，他们住在什么地方？我们也要去贴广告。”
    “他们有亲戚的住到亲戚家里去了，没有的，还借住在西栅外茧厂的空房子。”
    叫做阿四的伙计回答，脸上发亮，很得意自己的无意中立了大功。林先生这时也完全明白了。心里一乐，就又灵活起来，他马上拟好了广告的底稿，专拣店里有的日用品开列上去，约莫也有十几种。他又摹仿上海大商店卖”一元货”的方法，把脸盆，毛巾，牙刷，牙粉配成一套卖一块钱，广告上就大书”大廉价一元货”。店里本来还有余下的红绿纸，寿生大张的裁好了，

“look, this is a heaven-sent chance. The Shanghai refugees should have a little money, and they need the usual daily necessities, don’t they? We ought to set up right away to handle this business!”

Shousheng poured himself another cup of wine, and drank, his face beaming. The two salesmen caught on, and they began to laugh. Only Mr. Lin was not entirely clear. He had been rather dulled by his recent adversity.

“Are you sure?” he asked, irressolutely. “Other shops have wash-cloths and wash-basins too—“

“But we’re the only ones with any real reserve of that sort of stuff. They don’t have even ten wash-basins across the street, and those are all seconds. We’ve got this piece of business right in the palm of our hand! Let’s write a lot of ads and paste them up at the town’s four gateways, any place in town where the refugees are staying—say, Ashi, where are they living? We’ll go put up our stickers there!”

“The ones with relatives here are living with their relatives. The rest have borrowed that empty building in the silk factory outside the west gate.” Ah Si’s face shone with satisfaction over the excellent result he had unwittingly produced.

At last, Mr. Lin had the whole picture. Happy, his spirits revived. He immediately drafted the wording of the advertisements, listing all the daily necessities which the shop had available for sale. There were over a dozen different commodities. In imitation of the big Shanghai stores, he adopted the “One Dollar Package” technique. For a dollar the customer would get a wash-basin, a wash-cloth, a tooth brush and a box of toth powder. “Big Dollar Sale!” creamed the ad in huge letters. Shousheng brought out the shop’s remaining sheets of red and green paper and cut them into large strips. Then he took up his brush and started writing. The salesmen and the apprentices

拿笔就写。两个伙计和学徒就乱哄哄地拿过脸盆，毛巾，牙刷，牙粉来装配成一组。人手不够，林先生叫女儿出来帮着写，帮着扎配，另外又配出几种”一元货”，全是零星的日用必需品。
    这一晚上，林家铺子里直忙到五更左右，方才大致就绪。第二天清早，开门鞭炮响过，排门开了，林家铺子布置得又是一新。漏夜赶起来的广告早已漏夜分头贴出去。西栅外茧厂一带是寿生亲自去布置，哄动那些借住在茧厂里的逃难人，都起来看，当作一件新闻。
    “内宅”里，林大娘也起了个五更，瓷观音面前点了香，林大娘爬着磕了半天响头。她什么都祷告全了，就只差没有祷告菩萨要上海的战事再扩大再延长，好多来些逃难人。
    一切都很顺利，一切都不出寿生的预料。新正开市第一天就只林家铺子生意很好，到下午四点多钟，居然卖了一百多元，是这镇上近十年来未有的新记录。销售的大宗，果然是”一元货”，然而洋伞橡皮雨鞋之类却也带起了销路，并且那生意也做的干脆有味。虽然是”逃难人”，却毕竟住在上海，见过大场面，他们不像乡下人或本镇人那么小格式，他们买东西很爽利，拿起货来看了一眼，现钱交易，从不拣来拣去，也不硬要除零头。
noisily collected the wash-basins, wash-cloths, tooth brushes and boxes of tooth powder, and arranged them into sets. There weren’t enough hands for all the work. Mr. Lin called his daughter out to help with writing the ads and tying the packages. He also made up other kinds of combination packages—all of daily necessities.

That night, they were busy in the shop late and long. At down they had things pretty much in order. When the popping of firecrackers heralded the opening of business the next morning, the shop of the Lin family again had a new look. Their advertisements had already been pasted up all over town. Shousheng had personally attended to the silk factory outside thw west gate. The ad with which he plastered the factory walls struck the eyes of the refugees, and they all crowded around to read it as if it were a news bulletin.

In the “inner sanctum” Mrs. Lin, too, rose very early. She lit incense before the porcelain image of the Goddess Kuanyin and kowtowed for a considerable time, knocking her head resoundingly against the floor. She prayed for practically everything. About the only thing she omitted was a plea for more refugees to come to the town.

It all worked out fine, just as Shousheng had predicted. Mr. Lin’s shop was the only one whose trade was brisk on the first business day after the New Year’s holidays. By four in the afternoon, he had sold over one hundred dollars’ worth of merchandise—the highest figure for a day ever reached in that town in the past ten years. His biggest seller was the “One Dallar Package,” and it served as a leader to such items as umbrellas and rubber overshoes. Business, moreover, went smoothly, pleasantly. The refugees came from Shanghai, after all; they were used to the ways of the big city; they weren’t as petty as the townspeople or peasants from the out-lying districts. When they bought something, they made up their minds quickly. They’d pick up a thing, look at it, then produce their money. There was none of this pawing through all the merchandise, no haggling over a few pennies.

林大娘看见女儿兴冲冲地跑进来夸说一回，就爬到瓷观音面前磕了一回头。她心里还转了这样的念头∶要不是岁数相差得多，把寿生招做女婿倒也是好的！说不定在寿生那边也时常用半只眼睛看望这位厮熟的十七岁的”师妹”。
    只有一点，使林先生扫兴；恒源庄毫不顾面子地派人来提取了当天营业总数的八成。并且存户朱三阿太，桥头陈老七，还有张寡妇，不知听了谁的怂恿，都借了”要量米吃”的借口，都来预支息金，还想拔提一点存款呢！但也有一个喜讯，听说又到了一批逃难人。
    晚餐时，林先生添了两碟荤菜，酬劳他的店员。大家称赞寿生能干。林先生虽然高兴，却不能不惦念着朱三阿太等三位存户又提存款的事情。大新年碰到这种事，总是不吉利。寿生忿然说∶
    “那三个懂得什么呢！还不是有人从中挑拨！”
    说着，寿生的嘴又向斜对门呶了一呶。林先生点头。可是这三位不懂什么的，倒也难以对付；一个是老头子，两个是孤苦的女人，软说不肯，硬来又不成。林先生想了半天觉得只有去找商会长，请他去和那三位宝贝讲开。他和寿生说了，寿生也竭力赞成。

When her daughter, all flushed and excited, rushed into the back room for a moment to report the good business, Mrs. Lin went to kowtow before the porcelain Kuanyin again. If Shousheng weren’t twice the girl’s age, Mrs. Lin was thinking, wouldn’t he make a good son-in-law! And it wasn’t at all unlikely that Shousheng had half an eye on his employer’s seventeen-year-old daughter, this girl whom he knew so well.

There was just one thing that spoiled Mr. Lin’s happiness—completely disregarding his dignity, the local bank had sent  its man to collect eighty per cewnt of the sales proceeds. And he didn’t know who egged them on, but the three creditors of the shop, on the excuse that they “needed a little money to buy rice,” all showed up to draw out some advance interest. Not only interest; they even wanted repayment of part of their loans too! But Mr. Lin also heard some good news—another batch of refugees ahd arrived in town.

For dinner that evening, Mr. Lin served two additional meat dishes, by way of reward to his employees. Everyone complimented Shousheng on his shrewdness. Although Mr. Lin was happy, he couldn’t help thinking of how his three creditors had talked about being repaid their loans. It was unlucky to have such a thing happen at the beginning of the new year.

“What do they know!” said Shousheng angrily. “Somebody must have put them up to it!” He pointed with his lips at the shop across the street.

Mr. Lin nodded. But whether the three creditors knew anything or not, it was going to be difficult to handle them. An old man and two widows. You couldn’t be soft with them, but getting tought wouldn’t either. Mr. Lin pondered for some time, and finally decided the best thing to do would be to ask the head of the Merchantgs Guild to speak to his three precious creditors. He asked Shousheng for his opinion. Shousheng heartily agreed.

When dinner was over, and Mr. Lin had added up his receipts for the day,

于是晚饭后算过了当天的”流水帐”，林先生就去拜访商会长。
    林先生说明了来意后，那商会长一口就应承了，还夸奖林先生做生意的手段高明，他那铺子一定能够站住，而且上进。摸着自己的下巴，商会长又笑了一笑，伛过身体来说道∶
    “有一件事，早就想对你说，只是没有机会。镇上的卜局长不知在哪里见过令爱来，极为中意；卜局长年将四十，还没有儿子，屋子里虽则放着两个人，都没生育过；要是令爱过去，生下一男半女，就是现成的局长太太。呵，那时，就连我也沾点光呢！”
    林先生做梦也想不到会有这样的难题，当下怔住了做不得声。商会长却又郑重地接着说∶
    “我们是老朋友，什么话都可以讲个明白。论到这种事呢，照老派说，好像面子上不好听；然而也不尽然。现在通行这一套，令爱过去也算是正的。——况且，卜局长既然有了这个心，不答应他有许多不便之处；答应了，将来倒有巴望。我是替你打算，才说这个话。”
    “咳，你怕不是好意劝我仔细！可是，我是小户人家，小女又不懂规矩，高攀卜局长，实在不敢！”
    林先生硬着头皮说，心里卜卜乱跳。
he went to pay his respects to the head of the Merchants Guild. The latter expressed complete approval of Mr. Lin’s idea. What’s more, he commended Mr. Lin on the intelligent way in which he conducted his business. He said the shop was sure to stand firm, in fact it would improve. Stroking his chin, the head of the Merchants Guild smiled and leaned towards Mr. Lin.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about for a long time, but I never had the opportunity. I don’t know where Kuomintang Commissioner Pu saw your daughter, but he’s very interested in her. Commissioner Pu is forty and he had no sons. /though he has two women at home, neither of them has been able to give birth. If your daughter should join his household and present him with a child, he’s sure to make her his wife, Madam Commissioner. Ah, if that should happen, even I could share in the reflected glory!”

Never in his wildest dreams had Mr. Lin ever imagined he would run into trouble like this. He was speechless. The head of the Merchants Guild continued solemnly:

“We’re old friends. There’s nothing we can’t speak freely about to each other. This kind of thing, according to the old standards, would make you lose face. But it isn’t altogether like that any more; it’s quite common nowadays. Your daughter’s going over could be considered proper marriage. Anyhow, since that is what Commissionor Pu has in mind, there might be some inconvenience if you refuse him. If you agree, you can have real hope for the future. I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t have your interests at heart.”

“Of course in advising me to be careful, your intentions are the best! But I’m an unimportant person, my daughter knws nothing of high society. We don’t dare aspire so high as a commissioner!” Mr. Lin had to brace himself up to speak. His heart was thumping fast.

“哈，哈，不是你高攀，是他中意。——就这么罢，你回去和尊夫人商量商量，我这里且搁着，看见卜局长时，就说还没机会提过，行不行呢？可是你的早点给我回音！”
    “嗯——”
    筹思了半晌，林先生勉强应着，脸色像是死人。回到家里，林先生支开了女儿，就一五一十对林大娘说了。他还没说完，林大娘的呃就大发作，光景邻居都听得清。她勉强抑住了那些涌上来的呃，喘着气说道∶
    “怎么能够答应，呃，就不是小老婆，呃，呃——我也舍不得阿秀到人家去做媳妇。”    “我也是这个意思，不过——”
    “呃，我们规规矩矩做生意，呃，难道我们不肯，他好抢了去不成？呃——”
    “不过他一定要来找讹头生事！这种人比强盗还狠心！”
    林先生低声说，几乎落下眼泪来。
    “我拼了这条老命。呃！救苦救难观世音呀！”林大娘颤着声音站了起来，摇摇摆摆想走。林先生赶快拦住，没口地叫道∶
    “往哪里去？往哪里去？”

”Ha ha! It isn’t a question of your aspirations, but the fact that he finds her suitable…Let’s leave it at that. You go home and talk it over with your wife. I’ll put the matter aside. When I see Commissioner Pu I’ll say I haven’t had a chance to speak to you about it, alright? But you must give me an answer soon!”

There was a long pause. Then, “I will,” MR. Lin forced himself to say. His face was ghastly.

When he got home, he sent his daughter out of the room and reported to his wife in detail. Even before he finished, Mrs. Lin’s hiccups rose in a powerful barrage that was probably audible to all the neighbours. With an effort she stemmed the tide and said, panting:

“How can we consent?—hic—Even if it wasn’t concubine he wanted his—hic—even if he were looking for a wife, I still couldn’t bear to part with her!”

“That’s the way I feel, but—“

“Hic—we run our business all legal and proper. Do you mean to say if we don’t agree he could get away with taking her by force? Hic—“

“But he’s sure ot find an excuse to make some kind of trouble. That kind of man is crueler than a bandit!” Mr. Lin whispered. He was nearly crying.

“He’ll get her only over my dead body! Hic! Goddess Kuanyin preseerve us!” cried Mrs. Lin in a voice ahtat trembled. She rose and started to sway out of the room. Mr. Lin hastily barred her way.

“Where are you going? Where arey you going?” he babbled.

同时林小姐也从房外来了，显然已经听见了一些，脸色灰白，眼睛死瞪瞪地。林大娘看见女儿，就一把抱住了，一边哭，一边打呃，一边喃喃地挣扎着喘着气说∶
    “呃，阿囡，呃，谁来抢你去，呃，我同他拼老命！呃，生你那年我得了这个——病，呃，好容易养到十七岁，呃，呃，死也死在一块儿！呃，早给了寿生多么好呢！呃！强盗！不怕天打的！”
    林小姐也哭了，叫着”妈！”林先生搓着手叹气。看看哭得不像样，窄房浅房的要惊动邻舍，大新年也不吉利，他只好忍着一肚子气来劝母女两个。
    这一夜，林家三口儿都没有好生睡觉。明天一早林先生还得起来做生意，在一夜的转侧筹思中，他偶尔听得屋面上一声响，心就卜卜地跳，以为是卜局长来寻他生事来了；然而定了神仔细想起来，自家是规规矩矩的生意人，又没犯法，只要生意好，不欠人家的钱，难道好无端生事，白诈他不成？而他的生意呢，眼前分明有一线生机。生了个女儿长的还端正，却又要招祸！早些定了亲，也许不会出这岔子？——商会长是不是肯真心帮忙呢，只有恳求他设法——可是林大娘又在打呃了，咳，她这病！
   
Just then, Miss Lin came in. Obviously she had overheard quite a bit, for her complexion was the colour of chalk and her eyes were astaring fixedly. Mrs. Lin flung her arms around her daughter and wept and hiccuped while she struggled to say in gasps:

“Hic—child—hic—anybody who tries to snatch you—hic—will have to do it over my dead body! Hic! The year I gave birth to you I got this—sickness-hic—It was hard, but I brought you up till now you’re seventeen-hic—hic—Dead or alive, we’ll stick together! Hic! We should have promised you to Shousheng long ago! That Pu is a dirty crook! He isn’t afraid the gods will strike him down!”

Miss Lin wept too, crying “Ma!” Mr. Lin wrung his hands and sighed. The women were wailing at an alarmign rate, and he was afraid their laments would be heard through the thin walls and startle the neighbours. This sort of row was also an unlucky way to commence the new year. Holding his own emotions in check, he did his best to soothe wife and daughter.

That night, all three members of the Lin family slept badly. Althogh Mr. Lin had to get up early the next morning to go to business, he wrestled with his gloomy thoughts all night. A sudden sound on the roof sent his heart leaping with fear that Commissioner Pu had come to trump up charges against him. Then he calmed himself and considered the matter carefully. His was a family of proper business people who had never committed any crimes. As long as he did a good business and didn’t owe people money, surely Plu couldn’t make trouble without any reason at all. And now Lin’s business was beginning to show some vitality. Just because he had raised a good-looking daughter, he had invited disaster! He should have engagedher years ago, then maybe this problem would never have arisen…. Was the head of the Merchants Guild sincerely willing to help? The only way out was to beg for his aid—Mrs. Lin started hiccuping again. Ai! That ailment of hers!

天刚发白，林先生就起身，眼圈儿有点红肿，头里发昏。可是他不能不打起精神招呼生意。铺面上靠寿生一个到底不行，这小伙子近几天来也就累得够了。
    林先生坐在帐台里，心总不定。生意虽然好，他却时时浑身的肉发抖。看见面生的大汉子上来买东西，他就疑惑是卜局长派来的人，来侦查他，来寻事；他的心直跳的发痛。
    却也作怪，这天生意之好，出人意料。
    到正午，已经卖了五六十元，买客们中间也有本镇人。那简直不像买东西，间直像是抢东西，只有倒闭了铺子拍卖低货的时候才有这种光景。林先生一边有点高兴，一边却也看着心惊，他估量”这样的好生意气色不正”。果然在午饭的时候，寿生就悄悄告诉道∶
    “外边又有谣言，说是你拆烂污卖一批贱货，捞到几个钱，就打算逃走！”
    林先生又气又怕，开不得口。突然来了两个穿制服的人，直闯进来问道∶
    “谁是林老板？”
    林先生慌忙站了起来，还没回答，两个穿制服的拉住他就走。寿生追上去，想要拦阻，又想要探询，那两个人历声吆喝道∶

“你是谁？滚开！党部里要他问话！”
                                      六

那天下午，林先生就没有回来。店里生意忙，寿生又不能抽空身子尽自去探听。里边林大娘本来还被瞒着，不防小学徒漏了嘴，林大娘那一急几乎一口气死去。她又死不放林小姐出那对蝴蝶门儿，说是∶
    “你的爸爸已经被他们捉去了，回头就要来抢你！呃——”
    她只叫寿生进来问底细，寿生瞧着情形不便直说，只含糊安慰了几句道∶
    “师母，不要着急，没有事的！师傅到党部里去理直那些存款呢。我们的生意好，怕什么的！”
    背转了林大娘的面，寿生悄悄告诉林小姐，”到底为什么，还没得个准信儿，”他叮嘱林小姐且安心伴着”师母”，外边事有他呢。
    林小姐一点主意也没有，寿生说一句，她就点一下头。
    这样又要外面的生意，又要挖空心思找出话来对付林大娘不时的追询，寿生更没有工夫去探听林先生的下落。直到上灯时分，这才由商会长给他一

Mr.Lin rose as soon as the sky began to turn light. His eyes were somewhat bloodshot and swollen, and he felt dizzy. But he had to pull himself together and attend to business. He couldn’t leave the entire management of the shop to Shousheng; the young fellow had put in an exhausting few days.

He was still uneasy after the seated himself in the cashier’s cage. Although business was good, from time to time his whole body was shaken by violent shivers. Whenever a big man came in, if Mr. Lin didn’t know him, he would suspect that the man had been sent by  Commissioner Pu to spy, to stir up a fuss, and his heart would thump painfully.

And it was strange. Business that day was active beyond all expectations. By noon they had sold nearly sixty dollar’s worth of merchandise. There were local townspeople among the customers too. They weren’t just buying; they were practically grabbing. The only thing like it would be a bankrupt shop selling its stock out at auction cheap. While Mr. Lin was fairly pleased, he was also rather alarmed. Thiskind of busines didn’t look healthy to him. Sure enough, shousheng approached him during the lunch hour and said softly:

“There’s a rumour outside that you’ve cut prices to clear out your left-overs. t/hat when you’ve collected a little money, you’re going to take it and run!”

Mr. Lin was both angry and frightened. He couldn’t speak. Suddenly two men in uniform entered and barged forward to demand:

“Which one is Mr. Lin, the proprietor?”

Mr. Lin rose in flurred haste. Before he had a chance to reply, the uniformed men began to lead him away. Shousheng came over to stop them and to question them. They barked at him savagely:

“你是谁？滚开！党部里要他问话！”
                                      六

那天下午，林先生就没有回来。店里生意忙，寿生又不能抽空身子尽自去探听。里边林大娘本来还被瞒着，不防小学徒漏了嘴，林大娘那一急几乎一口气死去。她又死不放林小姐出那对蝴蝶门儿，说是∶
    “你的爸爸已经被他们捉去了，回头就要来抢你！呃——”
    她只叫寿生进来问底细，寿生瞧着情形不便直说，只含糊安慰了几句道∶
    “师母，不要着急，没有事的！师傅到党部里去理直那些存款呢。我们的生意好，怕什么的！”
    背转了林大娘的面，寿生悄悄告诉林小姐，”到底为什么，还没得个准信儿，”他叮嘱林小姐且安心伴着”师母”，外边事有他呢。
    林小姐一点主意也没有，寿生说一句，她就点一下头。
    这样又要外面的生意，又要挖空心思找出话来对付林大娘不时的追询，寿生更没有工夫去探听林先生的下落。直到上灯时分，这才由商会长给他一个信∶林先生是被党部扣住了，为的外边的谣言林先生打算卷款逃走，然而

”Who are you? Stand aside! He’s wanted for questioning at the Kuomintang office!”

                                VI

That afternoon, Mr. Lin did not return. They were busy at the shop, and Shousheng could not get away to inquire personaly. He had managed to conceal the tgruth form Mrs. Lin but one of the apprentices let it leak out, and the lady became frantic almost to the point of distraction. She absolutely refused to let Miss Lin go out of the swinging doors.

“They’re already taken your father. They’ll be coming back for you next! Hic—“

She called in Shousheng and questioned him closely. He didn’t think it advisable to tell her too much.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lin,” he comforted. “There’s nothing wrong! He only wnet down to the Kuomintang office to straighten out the question of our creditors. Business is good. What have we got to be afraid of!”

Behind Mrs. Lin’s back, he told Miss Lin quietly, “We still don’t really know what this is all about.” He urged her to look after her mother; he would attend to the shop. Miss Lin didn’t have the faintest idea what to do. She agreed to everything Shousheng said.

Between waiting on the customers and thinking up answers to Mrs. Lin’s constant questions, it wwas impossible for Shousheng to find time to inquire about the fate of Mr. Lin. Finally, at twilight, word was brought by the head of the Merchants Guild: Mr. Lin was being held by the Kuomintang chieftains because of the rumour that he was planning to abscond with the shop’s money. Besides what Mr. Lin owed the bank and the wholesale house, there  

林先生除有庄款和客账未清外，还有朱三阿太，桥头陈老七，张寡妇三位孤苦人儿的存款共计六百五十元没有保障，党部里是专替这些孤苦人儿谋利益的，所以把林先生扣起来，要他理直这些存款。
    寿生吓得脸都黄了，呆了半晌，方才问道∶
    “先把人保出来，行么？人不出来，哪里去弄钱来呢？”
    “嘿！保出人来！你空手去，让你保么？”
    “会长先生，总求你想想发子，做好事。师傅和你老人家向来交情也不差，总求你做做好事！”
    商会长皱着眉头沉吟了一会儿，又端相着寿生半晌，然后一把拉寿生到屋角里悄悄说道∶
    “你师傅的事，我岂有袖手旁观之理。只是这件事现在弄僵了！老实对你说，我求过卜局长出面讲情，卜局长只要你师傅答应一件事，他是肯帮忙的；我刚才到党部里会见你的师傅，劝他答应，  他也答应了，那不是事情完了么？不料党部里那个黑麻子真可恶，他硬不肯——”
    “难道他不给卜局长面子？”
    “就是呀！黑麻子反而噜哩噜嗦说了许多，卜局长几乎下不得台。两个
were also his trhee poor credditors to be considered. The total of six hundred and fifty dollars which they  had put up was in jeopardy. The Kuomintang was especially concerned over the welfare of these poor people. So it was detaining him until he settled with them.

Shousheng’s face was drained of colour. Dazed, he finally managed to ask:

“Can we put up a guarantee and have him released first? Unless we get him out, how are we going to raise the money?”

“Huh! Release him on a guarantee! You can’t become his guarantor if you go there without money in your hands!”

“Mr. Guild Leader, think of somethng, I beg you. Do a good deed. You and Mr. Lin are old friends. I beg you to help him!”

The head of the Merchants Guild frowned thoughtfully. He looked at Shousheng for a minute, then led him to a corner of the room and said in a low voice:

“I can’t stand by with folded arms and watch Mr. Lin remain in difficulty. But the situation is very strained now! To tell you the truth. I’ve already pleaded with Commissioner Pu to intervene. Commissioner Pu only wanted Mr. Lin to agree to one thing, and would be willing to help him. I’ve just seen Mr. Lin at the Kuomintang office where I urged him to consent, and he did so. Shouldn’t that be the end of the matter? Who would have thought that dark pock-marked fellow in the Kuomintang would be so nasty? He still insists—“

“Surely he wouldn’t go against Commissioner Pu?”

“That’s what I thought! But the pock-marked fellow kept mumbling and

人闹翻了！这不是这件事弄得僵透？”
    寿生叹了口气，没有主意；停一会儿，他有叹一口气说∶
    “可是师傅并没犯什么罪。”
    “他们不同你讲里！谁有势，谁就有理！你去对林大娘说，放心，还没吃苦，不过要想出来，总得花点儿钱！”
    商会长说着，伸两个指头一扬，就匆匆地走了。
    寿生沉吟着，没有主意；两个伙计攒住他探问，他也不回答。商会长这番话，可以告诉”师母”么？又得花钱！”师母”有没有私蓄，他不知道；至于店里，他很明白，两天来卖得的现钱，被恒源提了八成去，剩下只有五十多块，济得什么事！商会长示意总得两百。知道还够不够呀！照这样下去，生意再好些也不中用。他觉得有点灰心了。
    里边又在叫他了！他只好进去瞧光景再定主意。
    林大娘扶住了女儿的肩头，气喘喘地问道∶
    “呃，刚才，呃——商会长来了，呃，说什么？”

grumbling till Commissioner Pu was verey embarrassed. They had a terrible row! Now you see how awkward things are?”

Shousheng sighed. He had no idea. There was a pause, then he sighed again and said:

“But Mr. Lin hasn’t committed any crime.”

“Those people don’t talk reason! With them, might makes right! Tell Mrs. Lin not to worry; Mr. Lin hasn’t been mistreated yet. But to get him out she’ll have to spend a little money!”

The head of the Merchant Guild held up two fingers, then quickly departed.

Though he racked his brains, Shousheng could see no other alternative. The two salesmen plagued him with questions, but he ignored them. He was wondering whether he should report the words of the head of the Merchants Guild to Mrs. Lin. Again they had to spend money! While he didn’t know quite clear as to the financial condition of the shop: After the local bank got through deducing its eighty per cent from the cash earned during the past two days, all tha was left for the shop was about fifty dollars. A lot of good that would do! The head of the Merchants Guild had indicated a bribe of two hundred dollars. Who knew whether that would be enough! The way things were, even if business should improve even more, it still wouldn’t be any use. Shousheng felt discouraged.

From the back room, someone was calling him. He decided to go in and size up the situation, and then determined what should be done. He found Mrs. Lin leaning on her daughter’s arm.

“Hic—just now—hic—the head of the Merchants Guild came—hic—“ she

“没有来呀！”
    寿生撒一个慌。

“你不用瞒我，呃——我，呃，全知道了；呃，你的脸色吓得焦黄！阿秀看见的，呃！”
    “师母放心，商会长说过不要紧。——卜局长肯帮忙——”
    “什么?呃，呃——什么？卜局长肯帮忙！——呃，呃，我知道，你的师傅，呃呃，没有命了！呃，我也不要活了！呃，只是这阿秀，呃，我放心不下！呃，呃，你同了她去！呃，你们好好的做人家！呃，呃，寿生，呃，你待阿秀好，我就放心了！呃，去呀！他们要来抢！呃——狠心的强盗！观世音菩萨怎么不显灵呀！”
    寿生睁大了眼睛，不知道怎样回话。他以为”师母”疯了，但可又一点不像疯。他偷眼看他的”师妹”，心里有点跳；林小姐满脸通红，低了头不作声。
    “寿声哥，寿生哥，有人找你说话！”
    小学徒一路跳着喊进来。寿生慌忙跑出去，总以为又是商会长什么的来了，哪里知道竟是斜对门裕昌祥的掌柜吴先生。”他来干什么？”寿生肚子里想，眼光盯住在吴先生的脸上。吴先生问过了林先生的消息，就满脸笑容，连说”不要紧”。寿生觉得那笑脸有点异样。
    “我是来找你划一点货——”
    吴先生收了笑容，忽然转了口气，从袖子里摸出一张纸来。是一张横单，写着十几行，正是林先生所卖”一元货”的全部。寿生一眼瞧见就明白了，原来这是个把戏呀！他立刻说∶
    “师傅不在，我不能作主。”
    “你和你师母说，还不是一样！”
    寿生踌躇着不能回答。他现在有点懂得林先生之所以被捕了。先是摇言林先生要想逃，其次是林先生被扣住了，而现在却是裕昌祥来挖货，这一连串的线索都明白了。寿生想来有点气，又有点怕，他很知道，要是答应了吴先生的要求，那么，林先生的生意，自己的一番心血，都完了。可是不答应呢，还有什么把戏来，他简直不敢想下去了。最后他姑且试一试说∶
    “那么，我去和师母说，可是，师母女人家专要做现钱交易。”
   

panted. “What did he say?”

“He wasn’t here,” lied Shousheng.

“You can’t fool me—hic—I—hic—know everything. Hic—your face is scared yellow! Xiu saw him—hic!”

“Be calm, Mrs. Lin. He says it’s all right. Commissioner Pu is willing to help—“

“What? Hic—hic—What? Commissioner Pu is willing to help!—hic, hic—Merciful goddess—hic—I don’t want his help! Hic, hic—I know—Mr. Lin—hic, hic—is finished! Hic—I want to die too! There’s only Xiu—hic—that I’m worried about! Hic, hic—take her with you!—hic! You two go and get married! Hic—hic—Shousheng –hic—you take good care of Xiu and I won’t worry about anything! Hic! tGo! They want to grab her!—hic—the savage beasts! Goddes Kuanyin, why don’t you display your divine power!”

Shousheng stared. He didn’t know what to say. He thought Mrs. Lin had gone mad, yet she didn’t look the least abnormal. His heart beating hard, he stole a glance at Miss Lin. She was blushing scarlet; she kept her head down and made no comment.

“Shousheng, Shousheng, somebody wants to see you!” an apprentice came running in and announced.

Thinking it was the head of the Merchants Guild or some such personage, Shousheng rushed out. To his surprise, he found Mr. Wu, proprietor of the shop across the street, waiting for him. What does he want? Wondered Shousheng. He fixed his eyes on Mr. Wu’s face.

Mr. Wu inquired about Mr. Lin, and then, all smiles, said he was sure it

里想，眼光盯住在吴先生的脸上。吴先生问过了林先生的消息，就满脸笑容，连说”不要紧”。寿生觉得那笑脸有点异样。
    “我是来找你划一点货——”
    吴先生收了笑容，忽然转了口气，从袖子里摸出一张纸来。是一张横单，写着十几行，正是林先生所卖”一元货”的全部。寿生一眼瞧见就明白了，原来这是个把戏呀！他立刻说∶
    “师傅不在，我不能作主。”
    “你和你师母说，还不是一样！”
    寿生踌躇着不能回答。他现在有点懂得林先生之所以被捕了。先是摇言林先生要想逃，其次是林先生被扣住了，而现在却是裕昌祥来挖货，这一连串的线索都明白了。寿生想来有点气，又有点怕，他很知道，要是答应了吴先生的要求，那么，林先生的生意，自己的一番心血，都完了。可是不答应呢，还有什么把戏来，他简直不敢想下去了。最后他姑且试一试说∶
    “那么，我去和师母说，可是，师母女人家专要做现钱交易。” “现钱么？哈，寿生，你是说笑话罢？”

“师母是这种脾气，我也是没法。最好等明天再谈罢。刚才商会长说，卜局长肯帮忙讲情，光景师傅今玩赏就可以回来了。”
   赶快救爸爸！寿生哥，你——”

was “not serious.” Shousheng felt there was something fishy about his smile.

“I’ve come to buy a little of your merchandise—“ /The smile had disappeared from Mr. Wu’s face and the tone of his voice changed. He produced a sheet of paper from his sleeve. It was a list of over a dozen items—the very things Mr. Lin was featuring in his “One dollar Package.” One look and Shousheng understood. So that was the game!

“Mr. Lin isn’t here,” he said promptly. “I haven’t the right to decide.”

“Why not talk to Mrs Lin? That’ll be just as good!”

Shousheng hesitated to reply. He was beginning to have an inkling of why Mr. Lin had been detained. First there was the rumour that Mr. Lin was planning to run away, then Mr. Lin was arrested, and now the competitor’s shop had come to gouge merchandise. There was an obvious connection between these events. Shousheng became rather angry, and a bit frightened. He knew that if he agreed to Mr. Wu’s request,　Mr. Lin’s business would be finished, and the heart’s blood that he himself had expended would be in vain. But if he refused, what other tricks would be forthcoming? He simply didn’t dare to think.

“I’ll go and talk to Mrs. Lin, then,” he offered tentatively. “But she only operates on a cash basis.”

“Cash? Ha, Shousheng, of course you’re joking?”

“That’s the kind of person Mrs. Lin is. I can’t do anything with her. The best thing would be for you to come again tomorrrow. The head of the Merchants Guild just told me that Commissioner Pu is willing to take a hand in the matter. Mr. Lin probably will be back tonight,” said Shousheng with

寿生故意冷冷的说，就把那张横单塞还吴先生的手里。吴先生脸上的肉一跳，慌忙把横单又推回到寿生手里，一面没口应承道∶
    “好，好，现账就是现账。今晚上交货，就是现账。”
    寿生皱着眉头再到里边，把裕昌祥来挖货的事情对林大娘说了，并且劝她∶
    “师母，刚才商会长来了，确实说师傅好好的在那里，并没吃苦；不过总得花几个钱，才能出来。店里只有五十块。现在裕昌祥来挖货，照这单子上看，总也有一百五十块光景，还是挖给他们罢，早点救师傅出来要紧！”
    林大娘听说又要花钱，眼泪直淌，那一阵呃，当真打得震天响，她只是摇手，说不出话，头靠在桌子上，把桌子捶得怪响。寿生瞧来不是路，悄悄的退出去，但在蝴蝶门边，林小姐追上来了。她的脸色像死人一样白，她的声音抖而且哑，她急口地说∶
    “妈是气糊涂了！总说爸爸已经被他们弄死了！你，你赶快答应裕昌祥，赶快救爸爸！寿生哥，你——” 林小姐说到这里，忽然脸一红，就飞快地跑进去了。寿生望着她的后影，呆立了半分钟光景，然后转身，下决心担负这

cold deliberateness. He shoved the list back in Mr. Wu’s hand.
His face twitching, the latter hastily forced the list on Shousheng again.

“All right, all right, if it has to be cash then it’s cash. I’ll take the goods tonight. Cash on delivery.”

Scowling, Shousheng walked into the back room and told Mrs.Lin about the shop across the street wanting to gouge merchandise.

“When the head of the Merchants Guild was here, he really said Mr. Lin was fine; he hasn’t been through any hardships. But we’ll have to spend some money to get him out. There’s only fifty dollars in the shop. Now this fellow across the street wants goods—from the looks of his list, about a hundred and fifty dollars’ worth. Why not let him have them? The important thing is to get Mr. Lin back as soon as possible!”

Uponhearing that they had to spend money again, tears gushed from Mrs. Lin’s eyes, and her hiccups truly shook the heavens with their intensity. Beyond words, she could only wave her hand, while her head, which she rested on the table, resounded alarmingly against the wooden top. Shousheng could see that he was gettng nowhere, and he quietly withdrew. Miss Lin caught up with him outside the swinging doors. Her face was deathly white, her voice trembling and hoarse.

“Ma is so angry she can’t think straight,” Miss Lin whispered urgently. “She keeps saying they’re already killed Papa! You, you hurry up and agree to what Mr.Wu wants. Save Papa, quick! Shousheng, Brother, you—“ At this point, her face suddenly flamed scarlet, and she flew back into the room.

In a daze, Shousheng stared after her for a full half minute, then he turned away, determined to take the responsibility for selling the

挖货给裕昌祥的责任，至少”师妹”是和他一条心要这么办了。
    夜饭已经摆在店铺里了，寿生也没有心思吃，立等着裕昌祥交过钱来，他拿了一百在手里，另外身边藏了八十，就飞跑去找商会长。半点钟后，寿生和林先生一同回来了。跑进”内宅”的时候，林大娘看见了倒吓一跳。认明是当真活的林先生时，林大娘急急在瓷观音前磕响头，比她打呃的声音还要响。林小姐光着眼睛站在旁边，像是要哭，又像是要笑。寿生从身边掏出一个纸包来，放在桌子上说∶
    “这是多下来的八十块钱。”
    林先生叹了一口气，过一会儿，方才有声没气地说道∶
    “让我死在那边就是了，又花钱弄出来！没有钱，大家还是死路一条！”
    林大娘突然从地下跳起来，着急的想说话，可是一连串的呃把她的话塞住了。林小姐忍住了声音，抽抽咽咽地哭。林先生却还不哭，又叹一口气，梗咽着说∶
    “货是挖空了！店开不成，债又逼得紧——”

merchandise to their competitor. At least Miss Lin agreed with him on what should be done.
The table had already been laid for dinner in the shop, but Shousheng had no appetite. As soon as Mr. Wu arrived with the money, Shousheng took one hundred dollars in his hand and concealed another eighty dollars on his person, and rushed off to find the head of the Merchants Guild.

Half an hour later Shousheng returned with Mr. Lin. Bursting into the “inner sanctum,” they nearly startled Mrs. Lin out of her wits. When she saw that it was really Mr. Lin in the flesh, she agitatedly prostrated herself before the porcelain Kuanyin and kowtowed vigorously, pounding her head so loudly that it drowned out the sound of her hiccups. Miss Lin stood ot one side, her eyes staring. She looked as if she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Shousheng took out a paper-wraped packet and set it on the table.
“This is the eighty dollars we didn’t have to use.”
Mr. Lin sighed. When he finally spoke, his voice was dull.
“You should have let me die there and be done with it. Spending more money to get me out! Now we’ve got no money, we’re all going to die anyhow!”
Mrs. Lin jumped up from the ground, excited and wanting to speak. But a string of hiccups blocked the words in her throat. Miss Lin wept quietly, with suppressed sobs. Mr. Lin did not cry. He sighed again and said in a choked vlice:
“Our merchandise has been cleaned out! We can’t do any business, they’re pressing us hard for debts—“

“师傅！”
    寿生叫了一声，用手指蘸着茶，在桌子上写了一个”走”字给林先生看。
    林先生摇头，眼泪扑簌簌地直淌；他看看林大娘，又看看林小姐，又叹一口气。
    “师傅！只有这一条路了。店里拼凑起来，还有一百块，你带了去，过一两个月也就够了；这里的事，我和他们理直。”
    寿生低声说。可是林大娘却偏偏听得了，她忽然抑住了呃，抢着叫道∶
    “你们也去！你，阿秀。放我一个人在这里好了，我拼老命！呃！”
    忽然异常少健起来，林大娘转身跑到楼上去了。林小姐叫着”妈”，随后也追了上去。林先生望着楼梯发怔，心里感到有什么要紧的事，却又乱麻麻地总是想不起。寿生又低声说”
    “师傅，你和师妹一同走罢！师妹在这里，师母是不放心的！她总说他们要来抢——”
    林先生淌着眼泪点头，可是打不起主意。
    寿生忍不住眼圈也红了，叹一口气，绕着桌子走。

 ”Mr. Lin!”
It was Shousheng who shouted. He dipped his finger in the tea, then wrote on the table the one word—“Go.”
Mr. Lin shook his head. Tears flowed from his eyes. He looked at his wife, he looked at his daughter, and again he sighed.
“That’s the only way out, Mr. Lin! We can still scrape together a hundred dollars in the shop. Take it with you; it’ll be enough for a month or two. I’ll take care of what has to be done here.”

Although Shousheng spoke quietly, Mrs. Lin overheard him. She curbed her hiccups and interjected:
“You go too, Shousheng! You and Xiu. Leave me here alone. I’ll fight to the death！Hic!”

Mrs. Lin suddenly appeared remarkably young and healthy; she whirled and ran up the stairs. “Ma!” called Miss Lin, and dashed after her mother. Mr.Lin stared at the stairway, bewildered. He felt he had something important to say, but he was too numb to recall what it was.
“You and Xiu go toghther,” Shousheng urged softly. “Mrs. Lin will worry if Xiu stays here! She says they want to snatch—“
Tears in his eyes, Mr. Lin nodded. He couldn’t make uphis mind.
Shousheng felt his own eyes smarting. He sighed and walked around the table.

忽然听得林小姐的哭声。林先生和寿生都一跳。他们赶到楼梯头时，林大娘却正从房里出来，手里捧一个皮纸包儿。看见林先生和寿生都已在楼梯头了，她就缩回房去，嘴里说”你们也来，听我的主意”。她当着林先生和寿生的跟前，指着那纸包说道∶
    “这是我的私房，呃，光景有两百多块。分一半你们拿去。呃！阿秀，我做主配给寿生！呃，明天阿秀和她爸爸同走。呃，我不走！寿生陪我几天再说。呃，知道我还有几天活，呃，你们就在我面前拜一拜，我也放心！呃——”
    林大娘一手拉着林小姐，一手拉着寿生，就要他们”拜一拜”。
    都拜了，两个人脸上飞红，都低着头。寿生偷眼看林小姐，看见她的泪痕中含着一些笑意，寿生心头卜卜地跳了，反倒落下两滴眼泪。林先生松一口气，说道∶
    “好罢，就是这样。可是寿生，你留在这里对付他们，万事要细心！”
                                  七
    林家铺子终于倒闭了。林老板逃走的新闻传遍了全镇。债权人中间的恒源庄首先派人到林家铺子里封存低货。他们又搜寻帐簿。    一本也没有了。问寿生。寿生躺在床上害病。又去逼问林大娘。林大娘的回答是连珠炮似的打呃和眼泪鼻涕。为的她到底是”林大娘”，人们也没有办法。
   

Just then, they heard Miss Lin crying. Startled, Mr. Lin and Shousheng rushed up the stairs. Mrs. Lin was comig out of her room with a paper packet in her hand. She went back into the room when she saw them, and said:

“Please come in, both of you. Listen to what I’ve decided.” She pointed at the packet. “In here is my private property—hic—about two hundred dollars. I’m giving you two half. Hic! Xiu, I give you in marriage to Shousheng! Hic—tomorrow, Xiu and her father will leave together. Hic—I’m not going! Shousheng will stay with me a few days, and then we’ll see. Who knows how many days I have left to live—hic—So if you both kowtow in my presence, I can set my mind at ease! Hic—“

Mrs. Lin took her duaghter by one hand and Shousheng by the other, and ordered them to “kowtow.” Both did so, their cheeks flaming red; they kept their heads down. Shousheng stole a glance at Miss Lin. There was a faint smile on her tear-stained face. His heart thumped wildly, and two tears rolled down from his eyes.

“Good. /that’s the way it’ll be.” Mr. Lin heaved a sigh. “But Shousheng, when you stay here and deal with those people, be very, very careful!”

                              VII

The shop of the Lin family had to close down at last. The news that Mr. Lin had run away soon spread all over town. Of the creditors, the local bank was the first to send people to put the stock into custody. They also searched for the account books. Not one was to be found. They asked for Shousheng. He was sick in bed. They grilled Mrs. Lin. Her reply was a string of explosive hiccups and a strem of tears. Since she after all enjoyed the social position of “Madam Lin,” there was nothing they could do with her.

十一点光景，大群的债权人在林家铺子里吵闹得异常厉害。恒源庄和其他的债权人争执怎样分配低货。铺子里虽然淘空，但连”生财”合计，也足够偿还债权者七成，然而谁都想给自己争得九成或竟至十成。商会长说得舌头都有点僵硬了，却没有结果。
    来了两个警察，拿着木棍站在门口吆喝那些看热闹的闲人。
    “怎么不让我进去？我有三百块钱的存款呀！我的老本！”
    朱三阿太扭着瘪嘴唇和警察争论，巍颤颤地在人堆里挤。她额上的青筋就有小指头那么粗。她挤了一会儿，忽然看见张寡妇抱着五岁的孩子在那里求另一个警察放她进去。那警察斜着眼睛，假装是调弄那孩子，却偷偷地用手背在张寡妇的乳部揉摸。
    “张家嫂呀——”
    朱三阿太气喘喘地叫了一声，就坐在石阶沿上，用力地扭着她的瘪嘴唇。
    张寡妇转过身来，找寻是谁唤她；那警察却用了亵昵的口吻叫道∶
    “不要性急！在过一会儿就进去！”   

听得这句话的闲人都笑起来了。张寡妇装作不懂，含着一泡眼泪，无目的地又走了一步。恰好看见朱三阿太坐在石阶沿上喘气。张寡妇跌撞似的也到了朱三阿太的旁边，也坐在那石阶沿上，忽然就放声大哭。她一边哭，一边喃喃地诉说着∶
    “阿大的爷呀，你丢下我去了，你知道我是多么苦啊！强盗兵打杀了你，前天是三周年……绝子绝孙的林老板又倒了铺子，——我十个指头做出来的

By about eleven a.m., the horde of creditors in the Lin shop were quarrelling with a tremendous din. The local bank and the other creditors were wrangling as to how to divide the remaining property. Although the stock was nearly gone, the remainder and the furniture and fixture were enough to repay the creditors about seventy per cent; but each was fighing for a ninety, or even one hundred percent for himself. The head of Merchants Guild had talked until his tongue was a little paralysed, to no avail.
Two policemen arrived and took their stand outside the shop door. Clubs in hand, they barked at the crowed that had gatherred to see the excitement.
“Why can’t I go in? I’ve got a three hundred dollar loan in this shop ! My savings!” Mrs. Zhu argued with a policeman, twisting her withered lips. Tottering, she was elbowing her way through the mass. The blue veeins on her forehead stood out as thick as little fingers. She kept pushing. Then suddenly she saw Widow Zhang, with her five-year-old baby in her arms, pleading with the other policeman to let her enter. He looked at the widow out of the corners of his eyes, and while feigning to tease the child, furtively rubbed the back of his hand against the widow’s breasts.
“Sister Zhang—“ Mrs. Zhu gasped loudly. She sat down on the edge of the stone steps, forcibly moving her puckered mouth.
Tears in her eyes, Widow Zhang took an aimless step, which brought into her line of vision Mrs. Zhu panting on the edge of the stone stairs. She practically stumbled over to Mrs. Zhu and sat down beside her. Then, Widow Zhang began to cry and lament:
“Oh, my husband, you’ve left me alone! You don’t know how I’m suffering! The wicked soldiers killed you—it was three years ago the day before yesterday….That cursed Mr. Lin—may he die without sons or grand-

百几十块钱，丢在水里了，也没响一声！啊哟！穷人命苦，有钱人心狠——”
    看见妈哭，孩子也哭了；张寡妇搂住了孩子，哭的更伤心。
    朱三阿太却不哭，弩起了一对发红的已经凹陷的眼睛，发疯似的反复说着一句话∶
    “穷人是一条命，有钱人也是一条命；少了我的钱，我拼老命！”
    此时有一个人从铺子里挤出来，正是桥头陈老七。他满脸紫青，一边挤，一边回头去嚷骂道∶
    “你们这伙强盗！看你们有好报！天火烧，地火爆，总有一天现在我陈老七眼睛里呀！要吃倒帐，就大家吃，分摊到一个边皮儿，也是公平，——”    陈老七正骂得起劲，一眼看见了朱三阿太和张寡妇，就叫这她们的名字说∶
    “三阿太，张家嫂，你们怎么坐在这里哭！货色，他们分完了！我一张嘴吵不过他们十几张嘴，这班狗强盗不讲理，硬说我们的钱不算账，——”
    张寡妇听说，哭得更加苦了。先前那个警察忽然又踅过来，用木棍拨着张寡妇的肩膀说∶
    喂，哭什么？你的养家人早就死了。现在还哭哪一个！”
   
sons!—has closed his shop! The hundred and fifty dollars that I earned by the toil of my two hands has fallen into the sea and is gone without a sound! Aiya! The lot of the poor is hard, and the rich have no hearts—“
Hearing his mother cry, the child also began to wail. Widow Zhang hugged him to her bosom and wept even more bitterly.
Mrs. Zhu did not cry. Her sunken red-rimmed eyes glared, and she kept saying frantically:
“The poor have only one life, and the rich have only one life. If they don’t give me back my money, I’ll fight them to the death!”

Just then, a man pushed his way out of the shop. It was Old Chen. His face was purple. He was cursing as he jostled through the crowd.
“You gang of crooks! You’ll pay for this! One day I’ll see you all bruning in the fires of Hell! If we have to take a loss, everybody should take it together. Even if I got only a small share of what’s left, at least that would be fair—“
Still swearing vigorously, he spotted the two women.
“Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Zhu, what are you sitting there crying for!” he shouted to them. “They’ve finished dividing up the property. My one mouth couldn’t out-argue their dozen. That pack of jackals doesn’t give a damn about what’s reasonable. They insist that our money doesn’t count—“

His words made Widow Zhang weep more bitterly than ever. The Playful policeman abruptly walked over to her. He poked her shoulder with his club.
“Hey, what are you crying about? Your man died a long time ago. Which one are you crying for now!”

“狗屁！人家抢了我们的，你这东西也要来调戏女人么？”
    陈老七怒冲冲地叫起来，用力将那警察推了一把。那警察睁圆了怪眼睛，扬起棍子就想要打。闲人们都大喊，骂着警察。另一个警察赶快跑来，拉开了陈老七说∶
    “你在这里吵，也是白吵。我们和你无冤无仇，商会里叫来守门，吃这碗饭，没办法。”
    “陈老七，你到党部里去告状罢！”
    人堆里又一个声音这么喊。听声音就知道是本街有名的闲汗陆和尚。
    “去，去！看他们怎样说。”
    许多声音乱叫了。但是那位作调人的警察却冷笑，扳着陈老七的肩膀道∶
    “我劝你少找点麻烦罢。到那边，中什么用！你还是等候林老板回来和他算账，他倒不好白赖。”
    陈老七虎起了脸孔，弄得没有主意了。经不住那些闲人们都撺怂着”去”，他就看着朱三阿太和张寡妇说道∶
    “去去怎样？那边是天天大叫保护穷人的呀！”  “不错。昨天他们扣住了林老板，也是说防他逃走，穷人的钱没有着落！”
    又一个主张去的人拉长了声音叫。于是不由自主似的，陈老七他们三个和一群闲人都向党部所在那条路去了。张寡妇一路上还是啼骂，咒骂打杀了她丈夫的强盗兵，咒骂绝子绝孙的林老板，又咒骂那个恶狗似的警察。
    快到了目的地时，望见那门前排立着四个警察，都拿着棍子，远远地就吆喝道∶
    “滚开！不准过来！”
    “我们是来告状的，林家铺子倒了，我们存在那里的钱都拿不到——”
    陈老七走在最前排，也高声的说。可是从警察背后突然跳出一个黑麻子来，怒声喝打。警察们却还站着，只用嘴威吓。陈老七背后的闲人们大噪起来。黑麻子怒叫道∶
    “不识好歹的贱狗！我们这里管你们那些事么？再不走，就开枪了！”
    他跺着脚喝那四个警察动手打。陈老七是站在最前，已经挨了几棍子。闲人们大乱。朱三阿太老迈，跌倒了。张寡妇慌忙中落掉了鞋子，给人们一冲，也跌在地下，她连滚带爬躲过了许多跳过的和塌上来的脚，站起来跑了一段路，方才觉到她的孩子没有了。看衣襟上时，有几滴血。
    “啊哟！我的宝贝！我的心肝！强盗杀人了，玉皇大帝救命呀！”
“Dog farts!” roared Old Chen furiously. “While those people are stealing or money, all a turd like you can do is get gay with women!” He gave the policeman a strong push.

The policeman’s nasty eyes went wide. He raised his club to strike, but the crowd yelled and cursed at him. The other policeman ran over and pulled Old /chen to one side.

“It’s no use your raising a fuss. We’ve got nothing against you. The Merchants Guild has ordered us to guard the door. We’ve got to eat. We can’t help it.”
“Old Chen, go make a complaint at the Kuomintang office!” a man shouted from the crowd. From the sound of it, it was the voice of Lu, the well-known loafer.
“Go on, go on!” yelled several others. “See what they say to that!”

The policeman who had mediated laughed coldly. He grasped Old Chen by the shoulder. “I advise you not to go looking for trouble. Going there won’t do you any good! You wait till Mr.Lin comes back and settle things with him. He can’t deny the debt.”

Old Chen fumed. He couldn’t make up his mind. The idlers were still shouting for him to “go.” He looked at Mrs.Zhu and Widow Zhang.
“What do you say? They’re always screaminng down there how they protect the poor!”
“That’s right,” called one of the crowd. “Yesterday they arrested Mr. Lin because they said they didn’t want him to run away with poor people’s money!”

又一个主张去的人拉长了声音叫。于是不由自主似的，陈老七他们三个和一群闲人都向党部所在那条路去了。张寡妇一路上还是啼骂，咒骂打杀了她丈夫的强盗兵，咒骂绝子绝孙的林老板，又咒骂那个恶狗似的警察。
    快到了目的地时，望见那门前排立着四个警察，都拿着棍子，远远地就吆喝道∶
    “滚开！不准过来！”
    “我们是来告状的，林家铺子倒了，我们存在那里的钱都拿不到——”
    陈老七走在最前排，也高声的说。可是从警察背后突然跳出一个黑麻子来，怒声喝打。警察们却还站着，只用嘴威吓。陈老七背后的闲人们大噪起来。黑麻子怒叫道∶
    “不识好歹的贱狗！我们这里管你们那些事么？再不走，就开枪了！”
    他跺着脚喝那四个警察动手打。陈老七是站在最前，已经挨了几棍子。闲人们大乱。朱三阿太老迈，跌倒了。张寡妇慌忙中落掉了鞋子，给人们一冲，也跌在地下，她连滚带爬躲过了许多跳过的和塌上来的脚，站起来跑了一段路，方才觉到她的孩子没有了。看衣襟上时，有几滴血。
    “啊哟！我的宝贝！我的心肝！强盗杀人了，玉皇大帝救命呀！”

    她带哭带嚷的快跑，头发纷散；待到她跑过那倒闭了的林家铺面时，她已经完全疯了。

1932年6月18日作完

Almost involuntarily, Old Chen and the two women were swept along by the crowed down the street to the Kuomintang office. Widow Zhang was crying as she walked, and cursing the wicked soldiers who had killed her husband, and praying that Mr. Lin should die without sons or grandsons, and reviling that dirty dog of a policeman!

As they neared the office, they saw four policemen standing outside the gate with clubs in their hands. The policemen yelled to them from a distance:
“Go home! You can’t go in!”
“We’ve come to make a complaint!” shouted Old Chen, who was in the first rank of the crowd. “The shop of the Lin family has closed down, and we can’t get hold of the money we put to—“
A swarthy pock-marked man jumped out from behind the policemen and howled for them to attack. But the policemen stood their ground, restricting themselves to threats. The crowd in back of Old Chen began to clamour.
“You cheap mongrels don’t know what’s good for you!” screamed the pock-marked man. “Do you think we have nothing better to do than bother about your business? If you don’t get out of here, we’re going to fire!”

He stamped and yelled at the policemen to use their clubs. In the front ranks, Old Chen was struck several times. The crowd milled in confusion. Mrs. Zhu was old and weak, and she toppled to the ground. In her panicky haste, Widow Zhang lost her slippers. Pushed and buffeted, she also fell down. Rolling and crawling, she avoided many leaping and stamping feet. She scrambled up and ran for all she was worth. It was then she realized that her child was gone. There were drops of blood on the upper part of her jacket.
“Aiya! My precious! My heart! The bandits are killing people! Jade Emperore God save us!”
Wailing, her hair tumbled in disorder, she ran quickly. By the time she fled past the closed door of the shop of the Lin family, she was completely out of her mind.

June 18, 1932