The Good Earth Page #4

Oh I've never noticed it

But I could hold them

in my hands, sometimes

Thank you!

It's nothing! Nothing!

After all you, helped to find them

And you must wear them, yes

and you must be dressed

in ways becoming to them,

not as a poor farmer's wife!

We'll see to that!

We'll look after you!

We'll come and live with you!

We'll rebuild the house!

No this house is enough!

But no we must make it bigger!

We must have rooms for a household!

No no we were happy here!

We'll be happier!

We'll have men in the fields,

slave in the house

No slaves! Nothing!

But you must have a slave

until you're well again

I'm well now, see!

It's cured me; coming home

But you shall rest and have everything!

We'll live well and in comfort,

We'll be safe from hunger

as long as we live

Longer! Longer!

My nephew you're rich!

You can live like a great lord!

Why you can even pick a second wife!

Listen to him! Listen to him!

But why not? You have 2 oxens?

No! No but come along!

Second wife.

It is further agreed

that the above named seller,

Wong Lung, shall deliver

to the respected merchant,

Liu Fong Kee, the set wheat

as and when same harvested

Cost of transportation

to be born by the seller

It is agreed between

the above mentioned parties,

that the price

of this wheat is to be as follows:

"For each bushel of wheat,

4 pieces of silver

In the event of damage to the crop,

from storm, pest or other cause,

the worthy purchaser, Liu Fong Kee,

shall be held free

of any liabilities to accept this wheat"

Read that last paragraph

Um Mr Wong, I'm delighted to pay you

such a high price for your wheat,

even though my profit might be slight

Very kind of you to buy my rigid grain

The contract's ready father

Well it is time

But this contract is wrong!

This is the radical for wood,

it should be the radical for water

Change it then

We'll not put our names

to anything wrongly written!

Um Mr Wong, 2 clever sons like these,

are the better half of your wealth!

They're stupid worthless preachers,

If anything was driven

to their big bright skulls

it was by beating them!

Hee hee hee!

I told that teacher to beat them!

He beat them so well,

that this one's going to the universit

Indeed! If I'm not too unworthy

I hope to win a degree in agriculture!

A degree!? Agriculture!?

That's somekind of paper

that will make it rain just enough

But not too much! Hey hey hey!

And you? You going too?

No sir! I'll stay on my father's land,

when my brother returns

he'll show me

what more can be done with it

than we have done!

Now then that's talk enough,

take the money home

My ignorant daughter!

A beautiful girl!

Oh she has a wretched appearance!

Now you 2

might mix your blood in one bowl!

Oh but your daughter

is much too good for my son

Oh no! But you would never

come decend to such a marriage!

Oh but I couldn't presume

to look so high!

It's impossible! Quite impossible!

But, it might done

Yes indeed,

if you'll be good enough to consider it

in due time

I should think of it

night and day, good bye!

It would be modest of me to say

that this idea was mine, Good bye!

Ah! What a beautiful day!

That music! It seems to draw me

inspite of myself!

I'm not used to these places

Eh? I have no clothes!

I'm only a farmer!

I have work to do...

Work? Work!

You must learn to enjoy yourself!

There's more in the world

than earth and crops,

there're songs and dancing!

And girls who do these things elegantly!

Watch!

That must be the stairway!

Yes, shall we see what it feels like?

No no no!

No! I've never been off

the ground all my life!

She's like a dream person!

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Quiet!

I told the thing

not to wake me till this time

Another feast?

The dragon feast, woman!

It's my duty to observe the old customs

My nephew insisted on it

Old customs indeed!

There's more than that with your nephew!

When the farmer buys silk, robes

and washes his whole body everyday,

there's a woman that should work!

But the rich man may have 2 wives!

But the wife must cling to her husband,

that is as it should be

That's right!

A woman of love and one is mistake!

Of course! Now then, it is said

you may see a tea pot with 4 tea cups,

but did you ever

see a tea cup with 4 tea pots!?

It is also said,

do you ever see 2 spoons

in the same bowl

that do not nod against each other!?

Well What is it? What is it?

Excuse me father, but you look like

the lord of the Great House.

Well! And that is not

as strange as you think!

I just... tell your mother

I wish to see her

Yes father, can you spare me a moment?

I must know what seed

to prepare for the Summer planting

Why trouble me about it?

Prepare the seed my son gives you!

These flowers are dead, Little One!

Your sister knows only happiness

Mother!

Is it a letter from your brother?

No mother! Father wishes to see you.

Oh! Forgot how chilly it was!

Are you well? Your pain, is it bad?

No it's nothing!

You sent for me?

Well, there's a thing I've done,

I bought the Great House!

The house of Loo!

Courts and land!

I'm the new lord there

Well? Have you no thanks?

I thought it would please you

to be mistress in that house,

where you lived as a slave

Our sons were born here...

They must have wives!

We'll have grandchildren,

there's room in that house to all!

You'll have a high place

with money to spend for slaves.

You must make yourself becoming to it!

Look at your hair! Your clothes!

You disgrace me!

One would think you're still the wife

of a common labourer!

Wear the pearl you have

The pearls? I have them!

You would never wear them

Why I look at them sometimes

I need them, give them to me

I know that I'm ugly,

and not to be loved

All that we have now came from you

That is the truth and I say it

But, but now...

But now?

There's a woman, not such a one as you;

not as good as you,

it's like a sickness!

When I'm with her, it's not enough!

When I'm not with her, there's nothing!

Even the land is nothing!

Then it will be better

when she's in your house

You'll say that?

Is it your wish?

Yes

Let it be then!

Ou lang, what is there more to say?

Nothing

Who is it?

Nothing

Who is that man going out the gate?

He look something like my son, Lung!

Now then what?

I'm Ching the farmer

Well Ching the farmer what?

I have business with Wong the farmer

Wong the farmer?

This is the great house of Wong!

He's the lord here!

There's a bad woman in the house!

There's a bad woman in the house!

Bad woman!

Father hush!

It's his second wife

I say it's a bad woman!

I had but 1 woman...

and my father had but 1 woman,

and we farm the land!

Come father,

it's he and his second wife!

I'm tired, I want my tea

The old man is childish,

nobody listens to him,

but he shall be kept away!

I'm hated in this house,

how can I be happy here?

But, what can I do?

I have to sit here, shut in all day,

if I stood out there they whisper

and look at me hatefully!

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