father finish he fistcake as he stand on the withered grass , turn blood-red by the setting sun .
then he walk gingerly up to the edge of the water .
there on the stone bridge across the black water river the lead truck , its tyre flatten by the barrier of link rake , crouch in front of the other three .
its railing and fender be stain by splotch of gore .
the upper half of a japanese soldier be drape over one of the railing , he steel helmet hang upturned by a strap from he neck .
dark blood drip into it from the tip of he nose .
the water sob as it flow down the riverbed .
the heavy , dull ray of sunlight be pulverise by tiny ripple on its surface .
autumn insect hide in the damp mud beneath the water plant set up a mournful chirping .
sorghum in the field sizzle as it mature .
the fire be nearly out in the third and fourth truck ; they blacken hulk crackle and split , add to the discordant symphony .
father 's attention be rivet by the sight and sound of blood drip from the japanese soldier 's nose into the steel helmet , each drop splash crisply and send out ring of concentric circle in the deepen pool .
father have barely pass he fifteenth birthday .
the sun have nearly set on this ninth day of the eighth lunar month of the year 1939 , and the die ember of its ray cast a red pall over the world below .
father 's face , turn unusually gaunt by the fierce daylong battle , be cover by a layer of purplish mud .
he squat down upriver from the corpse of wang wenyi 's wife and scoop up some water in he hand ; the sticky water ooze through the crack between he finger and drop noiselessly to the ground .
sharp pain rack he crack , swollen lip , and the brackish taste of blood seep between he tooth and slide down he throat , moisten the parched membrane .
he experience a satisfying pain , and even though the taste of blood make he stomach churn , he scoop up handful after handful of water , drink it down until it soak up the dry , crack fistcake in he stomach .
he stand up straight and take a deep breath of relief .
night be definitely about to fall ; the ridge of the sky 's dome be tinge with the final sliver of red .
the scorch smell from the burned-out hulk of the truck have fade .
a loud bang make father jump .
he look up , just in time to see explode bit of truck tyre settle slowly into the river like black butterfly , and countless kernel of japanese rice – some black , some white – soar upward , then rain down on the still surface of the river .
as he spin around , he eye settle on the tiny figure of wang wenyi 's wife lie at the edge of the river , the blood from she wound stain the water around she .
he scramble to the top of the dike and yell : ' dad ! '
granddad be stand on the dike , the flesh on he face waste away by the day 's battle , the bone jut out beneath he dark , weathered skin .
in the die sunlight father notice that granddad 's short-cropped hair be turn white .
with fear in he ache heart , father nudge he timidly .
' dad , ' he say , ' dad !
what be wrong with you ? '
tear be run down granddad 's face .
he be sob .
the japanese machine gun that detachment leader leng have so magnanimously leave behind sit at he foot like a crouch wolf , its muzzle gaping .
' say something , dad .
eat that fistcake , then drink some water .
you 'll die if you do not eat or drink . '
granddad 's head droop until it rest on he chest .
he seem to lack the strength to support its weight .
he kneel at the top of the dike , hold he head in he hand and sob .
after a moment , or two , he look up and cry out :
' douguan , my son !
be it all over for we ? '
father stare wide-eyed and fearfully at granddad .
the glare in he diamondlike pupil embody the heroic , unrestrained spirit of grandma , a flicker of hope that shone and light up granddad 's heart .
' dad , ' father say , ' do not give up .
i 'll work hard on my shooting , like when you shoot fish at the inlet to perfect you seven-plum-blossom skill .
then we 'll go settle account with that rotten son of a bitch pocky leng ! '
granddad spring to he foot and bellow three time – half wail , half crazed laughter .
a line of dark-purple blood trickle out of the corner of he mouth .
' that be it , son , that be the way to talk ! '
he pick up one of grandma 's fistcake from the dark earth , bit off a chunk , and swallow it .
cake crumb and fleck of bubbly blood stick to he stain tooth .
father hear granddad 's painful cry as the dry cake stick in he throat and see the rough edge make they way down he neck .
' dad , ' father say , ' go drink some water to soak up the cake in you belly . '
granddad stumble along the dike to the river 's edge , where he kneel among the water plant and lap up the water like a draught animal .
when he would have he fill , he draw he hand back and bury he head in the river , hold it under the water for about half the time it take to smoke a pipeful of tobacco .
father start get nervous as he gaze at he dad , freeze like a bronze frog at the river 's edge .
finally , granddad jerk he drip head out of the water and gasp for breath .
then he walk back up the dike to stand in front of father , whose eye be glue to the cascade drop of water .
granddad shake he head , send forty-nine drop , large and small , fly like so many pearl .
' douguan , ' he say , ' come with dad .
let 's go see the man . '
granddad stagger down the road , weave in and out of the sorghum field on the western edge , father right on he heel .
they step on broken , twisted stalk of sorghum and spend cartridge that give off a faint yellow glint .
frequently they bent down to look at the body of they fall comrade , who lay amid the sorghum , deathly grimace freeze on they face .
granddad and father shake they in hope of find one who be alive ; but they be dead , all of they .
father 's and granddad 's hand be cover with sticky blood .
father look down at two soldier on the westernmost edge of the field : one lay with the muzzle of he shotgun in he mouth , the back of he neck a gory mess , like a rotten wasp ' nest ; the other lay across a bayonet bury in he chest .
when granddad turn they over , father see that they leg have be break and they belly slit open .
granddad sigh as he withdraw the shotgun from the one soldier 's mouth and pull the bayonet from the other 's chest .
father follow granddad across the road , into the sorghum field to the east , which have also be sweep by machine-gun fire .
they turn over the body of more soldier lie strew across the ground .
bugler liu be on he knee , bugle in hand , as though he be blow it :
' bugler liu ! '
granddad call out excitedly .
no response .
father run up and nudge he .
' uncle liu ! ' he shout , as the bugle drop to the ground .
when father look more closely , he discover that the bugler 's face be already as hard as a rock .
in the lightly scar section of field some few dozen pace from the dike , granddad and father come upon fang seven , whose gut have spill out of he belly , and another soldier , name consumptive four , who , after take a bullet in the leg , have faint from blood loss .
hold he bloodstained hand above the man 's mouth , granddad detect a faint sign of dry , hot breath from he nostril .
fang seven have stuff he own intestine back into he abdomen and cover the gaping wound with sorghum leave .
he be still conscious .
when he spot granddad and father , he lip twitch and he say haltingly , ' commander . . . do for . . .
when you see my old lady . . . give some money . . . .
do not let she remarry . . . .
my brother . . . no son . . .
if she leave . . .
fang family line end . . . . '
father know that fang seven have a year-old son , and that there be so much milk in he mother 's gourdlike breast that he be grow up fair and plump .
' i 'll carry you back , little brother , ' granddad say .
he bent over and pull fang seven onto he back .
as fang screech in pain , father see the leaf fall away and he white , speckled intestine slither out of he belly , release a breath of foul hot air .
granddad lay he back down on the ground .
' elder brother , ' fang plead , ' put i out of my misery . . . .
do not torture i . . . .
shoot i , please . . . . '
granddad squat down and hold fang seven 's hand .
' little brother , i can carry you over to see zhang xinyi , dr zhang .
he 'll patch you up . '
' elder brother . . . do it now . . . .
do not make i suffer . . . .
past saving . . . '
granddad squint into the murky , late-afternoon august sky , in which a dozen or so star shone brightly , and let out a long howl before turn to father .
' be there bullet in you gun , douguan ? '
' yes . '
father hand he pistol to granddad , who release the safety catch , take another look into the darken sky , and spin the cylinder .
' rest easy , brother .
as long as yu zhan ' ao have food to eat , you wife and child will never go hungry . '
fang seven nod and close he eye .
granddad raise the revolver as though he be lift a huge boulder .
the pressure of the moment make he quake .
fang seven 's eye snap open .
' elder brother . . . '
granddad spin he face away , and a burst of flame leap out of the muzzle , light up fang seven 's greenish scalp .
the kneel man shot forward and fall on top of he own expose gut .
father find it hard to believe that a man 's belly could hold such a pile of intestine .
' consumptive four , you would better be on you way , too .
then you can get a early start on you next life and come back to seek revenge on those jap bastard ! '
he pump the last cartridge into the heart of the die consumptive four .
though kill have become a way of life for granddad , he drop he arm to he side and let it hang there like a dead snake ; the pistol fall to the ground .
father bent over and pick it up , stick it into he belt , and tug on granddad , who stand as though drunk or paralysed .
' let 's go home , dad , let 's go home . . . . '
' home ?
go home ?
yes , go home !
go home . . . '
father pull he up onto the dike and begin walk awkwardly towards the west .
the cold ray of the half-moon on that august 9 evening fill the sky , fall lightly on the back of granddad and father and illuminate the heavy black water river , which be like the great but clumsy chinese race .
white eel , throw into a frenzy by the bloody water , writhe and sparkle on the surface .
the blue chill of the water merge with the red warmth of the sorghum border the dike to form a airy , transparent mist that remind father of the heavy , spongy fog that have accompany they as they set out for battle that morning .
only one day , but it seem like ten year .
yet it also seem like the blink of a eye .
father think back to how he mother have walk he to the edge of the fog-enshrouded village .
the scene seem so far away , though it be right there in front of he eye .
he recall how difficult the march through the sorghum field have be , how wang wenyi have be wound in the ear by a stray bullet , how the fifty or so soldier have approach the bridge look like the dropping of a goat .
then there be mute 's razor-sharp sabre knife , the sinister eye , the jap head sailing through the air , the shrivel ass of the old jap officer . . .
mother soar to the top of the dike as though on the wing of a phoenix . . . the fistcake . . . fistcake roll on the ground . . . stalk of sorghum fall all around . . . red sorghum crumple like fall hero . . . .
granddad hoist father , who be asleep on he foot , onto he back and wrap he arm – one healthy , the other injured – around father 's leg .
the pistol in father 's belt bang against granddad 's back , send sharp pain straight to he heart .
it have belong to the dark , skinny , handsome , and well-educated adjutant ren .
granddad be think about how this pistol have end the life of adjutant ren , fang seven , and consumptive four .
he want nothing more than to heave the execrable thing into the black water river .
but it be only a thought .
bend over , he shift he sleep son higher up on he back , partly to relieve the excruciating pain in he heart .
all that keep granddad move be a powerful drive to push on and continue the bitter struggle against wave after murky wave of obdurate air .
in he dazed state he hear a loud clamour rush towards he like a tidal wave .
when he raise he head he spot a long fiery dragon wriggle its way along the top of the dike .
he eye freeze , as the image slip in and out of focus .
when it be blur he could see the dragon 's fang and claw as it ride the cloud and sail through the mist , the vigorous motion make its golden scale jangle ; wind howl , cloud hiss , lightning flash , thunder rumble , the sound merge to form a masculine wind that sweep across a huddle feminine world .
when it be clear he could see it be ninety-nine torch hoist above the head of hundred of people hasten towards he .
the dancing flame light up the sorghum on both bank of the river .
granddad lift father down off he back and shake he hard .
' douguan , ' he shout in he ear , ' douguan !
wake up !
wake up !
the villager be come for we , they be come . . . . '
father hear the hoarseness in granddad 's voice and see two remarkable tear leap out of he eye .
granddad was only twenty-four when he murder shan tingxiu and he son .
even though by then he and grandma have already do the phoenix dance in the sorghum field , and even though , in the solemn course of suffering and joy , she have conceive my father , whose life be a mixture of achievement and sin ( in the final analysis , he gain distinction among he generation of citizen of northeast gaomi township ) , she have nonetheless be legally marry into the shan family .
so she and granddad be adulterer , they relationship mark by measure of spontaneity , chance , and uncertainty .
and since father be not bear while they be together , accuracy demand that i refer to granddad as yu zhan ' ao in write about this period .
when , in agony and desperation , grandma tell yu zhan ' ao that she legal husband , shan bianlang , be a leper , he decapitate two sorghum plant with he short sword .
urging she not to worry , he tell she to return three day hence .
she be too overwhelm by the tide of passionate love to concern herself with the implication of he comment .
but murderous thought have already enter he mind .
he watch she thread she way out of the sorghum field and , through the space between stalk , see she summon she shrewd little donkey and nudge great-granddad with she foot , wake the mud-caked heap from he drunken stupor .
he hear great-granddad , whose tongue have grow thick in he mouth , say : ' daughter . . . you . . . what take you so long to take a piss ? . . .
you father-in-law . . . go to give i a big black mule . . .
ignore he mumbling , she swing she leg over the donkey 's back and turn she face , brush by the wind of spring , towards the sorghum field south of the road .
she know that the young sedan bearer be watch she .
struggle to wrench free of this unknown passion , she have a dim vision of a new and unfamiliar broad road stretch out ahead of she , cover with sorghum seed as red as ruby , the ditch on either side fill with crystal-clear sorghum wine .
as she move down the road , she imagination colour the genuine article until she could not distinguish between reality and illusion .
yu zhan ' ao follow she with he eye until she round a bend .
feel suddenly weary , he push he way through the sorghum and return to the sacred altar , where he collapse like a topple wall and fall into a sound sleep .
later , as the red sun be disappear in the west , he eye snap open , and the first thing he see be sorghum leaf , stem , and ear of grain that form a thick blanket of purplish red above he .
he drape he rain cape over he shoulder and walk out of the field as a rapid breeze on the road cause the sorghum to rustle noisily .
he wrap the cape tightly around he to ward off the chill , and as he hand brush against he belly he realise how hungry he be .
he dimly recall the three shack at the head of the village where he have carry the woman in the sedan chair three day ago , and the tattered tavern flag snap and flutter in the rage wind of the rainstorm .
so hungry he could neither sit still nor stand straight , he stride towards the tavern .
since he have be hire out for the northeast gaomi township wedding and funeral service company for less than two year , the people around here would not recognise he .
he would get something to eat and drink , find a way to do what he would come to do , then slip into the sorghum field , like a fish in the ocean , and swim far away .
at this point in he rumination , he head west , where bilious red cloud turn the setting sun into a bloom peony with a luminous , fearfully bright golden border .
after walk west for a while , he turn north , head straight for the village where grandma 's nominal husband live .
the field be still and desert .
during those year , any farmer who have food at home leave he field before nightfall , turn the sorghum field into a haven for bandit .
village chimney be smoking by the time he arrive , and a handsome young man be walk down the street with two crock of fresh well water over he shoulder , the shift water splashing over the side .
yu zhan ' ao dart into the doorway beneath the tattered tavern flag .
no inner wall separate the shack , and a bar make of adobe brick divide the room in two , the inner half of which be furnish with a brick kang , a stove , and a large vat .
two rickety table with scar top and a few scattered narrow bench constitute the furnishings in the outer half of the room .
a glazed wine crock rest on the bar , its ladle hang from the rim .
a fat old man be sprawl on the kang .
yu zhan ' ao recognise he as the korean dog butcher they call gook .
he have see gook once at the market in ma hamlet .
the man could slaughter a dog in less than a minute , and the hundred of dog that live in ma hamlet growl viciously when they see he , they fur stand straight up , though they keep they distance .
