Good Earth, The - Pearl S. Buck [129]
Then Wang Lung, in despair over what had happened, ran back with the child to find his eldest son. He went into his son's courts and there his son sat reading a book and he rose when his father entered, and when he heard what Wang Lung gasped forth, he began to groan and he went out.
But when he saw his cousin he did not know whether to curse him or to be courteous to him. But he looked and he groaned forth to his father who was behind him,
"Every man with a knife!"
So he was courteous then and he said,
"Well, and my cousin, welcome to your home again."
And the cousin grinned widely and said,
"I have brought a few guests."
"They are welcome, being yours," said Wang Lung's eldest son, "and we will prepare a meal so that they may eat before they go on their way."
Then the cousin said, still grinning,
"Do, but make no haste afterwards, for we will rest a handful of days or a moon or a year or two, for we are to be quartered on the town until the war calls."
Now when Wang Lung and his son heard this they could scarcely conceal their dismay, but still it must be concealed because of the knives flashing everywhere through the courts, so they smiled what poor smiles they could muster and they said,
"We are fortunate---we are fortunate---"
And the eldest son pretended he must go to prepare and he took his father's hand and the two of them rushed into the inner court and the eldest son barred the door, and then the two, father and son, stared at each other in consternation, and neither knew what to do.
Then the second son came running and he beat upon the door and when they let him in he fell in and scarcely could save himself in his haste and he panted forth,
"There are soldiers everywhere in every house---even in the houses of the poor---and I came running to say you must not protest, for today a clerk in my shop, and I knew him well---he stood beside me every day at the counter---and he heard and went to his house and there were soldiers in the very room where his wife lay ill, and he protested and they ran a knife through him as though he were made of lard---as smoothly as that---and it came through him clean to the other side! "Whatever they wish we must give, but let us only pray that the war move on to other parts before long!"
Then the three of them looked at each other heavily, and thought of their women and of these lusty, hungry men. And the eldest son thought of his goodly, proper wife, and he said,
"We must put the women together in the innermost court and we must watch there day and night and keep the gates barred and the back gate of peace ready to be loosed and opened."
Thus they did. They took the women and the children and they put them all into the inner court where Lotus had lived alone with Cuckoo and her maids, and there in discomfort and crowding they lived. The eldest son and Wang Lung watched the gate day and night and the second son came when he could, and they watched as carefully by night as by day.
But there was that one, the cousin, and because he was a relative none could lawfully keep him out and he beat on the gate and he would come in and he walked about at will, carrying his knife shining and glittering and open in his hand. The eldest son followed him about, his face full of bitterness, but still not daring to say anything, for there was the knife open and glittering, and the cousin looked at this and that and appraised each woman.
He looked at the wife of the eldest son and he laughed his hoarse laugh and he said,
"Well, and it is a proper dainty bit you have, my cousin, a town lady and her feet as small as lotus buds!" And to the wife of the second son he said, "Well, here is a good stout red radish from the country---a piece of sturdy red meat!"
This he said because the woman was fat and ruddy and thick in the bone, but still not uncomely. And whereas the wife of the eldest son shrank away when he looked at her and hid her face behind her sleeve,