老匪《地洞》

Genwang climbed the hillside of Niutou Tun on the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, burdened with two large bags. One bag contained his everyday clothes, while the other held his wife’s favourite garments and small accessories. Nestled among them were toys for his seven-year-old son Jiagui and three-year-old daughter Jiamei, a pair of warm shoes for his elderly father, and some food. After getting off the bus in the county town, he bought The food at the big market, while the rest were items he had picked up during his spare time in Dongguan when he felt bored.

Having been away from home for a year, Genwang stretched his neck and scanned the area with his tiny eyes. Just a few steps up the hill, he stepped in a pile of cow dung, stumbled, and nearly fell. His heart sank with a sense of foreboding. Being somewhat superstitious, Genwang spat several times and vigorously shook off the cow dung from his feet.

At that moment, a mournful birdcall echoed from a withered tree on his left. It was an ominous bird, and Genwang’s anxiety deepened.

Upon entering the house, Genwang saw his father sitting in an oversized wooden chair against the hall wall, eyes closed in meditation, and the strong scent of herbal medicine filled the air. Yet, there was also a faint tobacco smell, which neither Genwang nor his father smoked, making him acutely aware.

His father, who had not been sleeping, opened his tiny eyes in surprise and said, "You're back? Earlier than usual—did you get an early holiday?" In previous years, Genwang would only return on the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth day of the lunar new year.

"Hmm." Feeling depressed, Genwang didn’t want to talk much. He put down his bags, walked over to his father, and crouched, examining his still-swollen right foot. "Still swollen? Can't walk yet?"

His father had fractured his leg two months ago while harvesting a medicinal herb called waterweed on the mountain. "Ah, it's much better now. You should have seen it two months ago; it was terrifying." His father moved his right foot and sighed, "Thanks to Jiagui's mother. She boils herbal medicine every morning and evening, uses hot decoctions to warm my leg slowly, and then carefully applies the medicinal residue with a cloth wrapped tightly around it. She's a good wife. We're lucky; I don’t know what good fortune we've earned in which generation."

As his father spoke, his small eyes reddened. Genwang remained silent, stood up, and entered the small dark bedroom. The bed was in disarray, and the tobacco smell was even more pungent. Genwang squinted his small eyes, raised his nose, and searched like a hunting dog. The tobacco smell was emanating from under the bed.

Genwang crouched down and peered under the bed. There were only a few wooden boards, and initially, a pit was dug there to store sweet potatoes and potatoes for winter. Genwang pulled out the wooden boards, releasing a more pungent tobacco smell. He looked down. The pit was empty. A dark, deep hole had been dug along the wall at the bottom of the pit. As his eyes slowly adapted to the darkness, Genwang saw the slippery hole walls.

Genwang felt a darkness in his eyes; his legs trembled, and he fell to the ground. Before going to work, Genwang had been a butcher and a hunter. He had hunted various animals on the mountain before and dug for bamboo rats, often seeing this kind of slippery hole. It was a sign of frequent animal traffic.

Genwang knew that the other side of the wall was Da Meng's house. Several years ago, Da Meng had gone fishing in the South China Sea but later returned after his left middle and index fingers were severed by a cable. His wife then went to work and is currently in Dongguan. She hasn’t returned yet. Da Meng often fought with Genwang when they were young, and their relationship remained strained into adulthood.

By the faucet in the small yard, "Huo-Huo-Huo..." Genwang carefully sharpened the rusty butcher knife that had not been used for many years. It had already been honed to a stark white, sharp edge. A pale red rusty water flowed around Genwang's feet. Next to him, his wife was rummaging through the bag containing Genwang’s clothes, preparing to wash them.

Earlier, when his wife entered, she had seen Genwang and was startled for a moment. It took her a while to greet him warmly, but Genwang did not respond with the same enthusiasm, only making a muffled sound. His wife hesitated for a moment and then went into the bedroom. Genwang heard her moving things around, and he knew she was hiding something under the bed.

"Huo-Huo-Huo..." The sound of sharpening the knife did not stop. After a while, his wife's voice trembled as she said, "We are only killing the pig on New Year's Eve. Why are you sharpening the knife now?"

Genwang continued sharpening without stopping, and after a long time, he answered harshly, "It's not for killing the pig." His wife did not respond; her hands trembled as she continued to rummage through the bag. A moment later, Genwang growled again, "Killing bamboo rats, no! It's the big fleshy rats! Damn big fleshy rats!"

The two did not speak again; only the sound of sharpening the knife filled the air. After a while, his wife's voice sounded strange as she said, "Who is this person in the photo? She looks just like me?" Genwang glanced at his wife and saw her holding a photo.

His heart skipped a beat. He knew his wife had found the photo in a hidden crevice in his bag. The sound of sharpening the knife stopped. After a moment, his wife said again, "Her eyes are even prettier than mine; she has double eyelids..."

Genwang buried his head and stared at his big toe. A moment later, his wife said again, "This box of condoms... You can take it back after the Spring Festival. We've had a sterilisation procedure, so we haven't used them for a few years." After a long silence, his wife added, "That's good! You've seen the propaganda boards on the street, too. When working outside, you should always have these. There are too many AIDS cases out there now..."

Genwang slammed the butcher knife down onto the grinding stone with a loud bang. His wife fell silent, and the surroundings were tranquil. After a long time, Genwang said, "I'm going to the town later. My friend is inviting me for a drink tonight... I won't be coming back tonight." After a pause, he added, "You should find time to tidy up the house and fill those rat holes. The rats are getting too bold. Tomorrow, I'll bring some cement and harden the floor of the house."

His wife did not speak. Genwang's voice softened as he continued, "After the Spring Festival, you should come with me too." His wife said, "What about Dad? What about the kids? What should we do?" Genwang said, "The kids will come with us, and Dad can move in with my younger brother on the village's west side. We'll give them a living allowance." His wife sobbed softly, "... I want to die..."

Genwang fell silent again, stood up, and walked straight out the door.