"Fatigue of Life and Death" Excerpt

"Excerpts from 'Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out'"#

I know that my ability to endure pain has reached its limit. If I do not yield, I do not know what kind of torture these corrupt officials will use to torment me. But if I yield now, won’t all the tortures I endured be in vain?#

This is another fabrication by that audacious kid. The things he describes in his novel are basically nonsense; do not take them seriously.#

Do you know who Lan Jiefang is? The storyteller—though young, his gaze is shrewd; his body is less than three feet tall, but his words flow like a torrential river. Lan Qiansui suddenly asked me. I naturally know, I am Lan Jiefang; Lan Lian is my father, Yingchun is my mother. So, you were once a donkey in our family.#

The male dog wags its tail proudly, and the man struts with his pride.#

I have no specific grievances with any of you. If you do not come to fight me, others will come to fight me; that is the era, the misfortune of the wealthy.#

I ran with all my might, gathering all my strength, leaping towards the gap in the high wall created by the summer rain, soaring into the air, my body elongated, flying out of the courtyard wall.#

I understand, Old Black understands.#

"Old Black, breathe deeply, stomp the ground, let the sunlight shine."#

This cow is playing with its navel.#

"If they didn't force me like this, I might have really joined, but they are torturing me like boiling an eagle; hey, I really won't join."#

? I just refuse to accept this; I want to use my actions to test whether what Mao Zedong said counts."#

Although we hope all farmers join the people's commune and take the path of collectivization, individual farmers' insistence on not joining is also a legitimate right; grassroots organizations must not use coercive orders, nor can they use illegal means to force them to join the commune.#

Though a negative character, he is still more important than those positive mass characters.#

King Wen of Zhou was forced to eat the flesh of his own son, spitting out a few meatballs that turned into rabbits and ran away. The golden dragon swallowing your ear wheel is like a son eating his father's flesh, but he will never spit it out; he will only turn it into excrement, and what will come out of that?#

Evil at heart, self-important, filled with hatred for everyone.#

Ximen Jinlong urged me to take the cow into the commune while my father was not home. I disagreed, and he hit me. When he hit me, my cow went to butt Hu Bin. Hu Bin, in a panic, hid behind my brother. My brother faced the cow, creating a stalemate; a few minutes later, everyone retreated, and thus, nothing happened that day.#

But our county head wrote about his experiences in the early days of the "Cultural Revolution" with a humorous and vivid tone. He said he rode a paper donkey and was paraded around eighteen markets in the county, which made his body incredibly strong; his original high blood pressure, insomnia, and other ailments were all cured without treatment. He said that whenever he heard the sound of gongs and drums, he would get excited, his legs would tremble, just like that black donkey seeing a female donkey would prance and spray.#

Mandarins and butterflies are all sentiments of the landlord bourgeoisie; the proletariat's aesthetic view is the green pine, red sun, ocean, high mountains, torches, sickles, and axes. If you want to embroider, embroider these things.#

I turned the red tassel spear to stab her; during the revolutionary period, the people's commune had already delegated the power to kill to the villages. In Mawan village, thirty-three people were killed in one day and night; the oldest was eighty-eight, the youngest was thirteen; some were beaten to death with sticks, and some were chopped in half with a guillotine.#

During the revolutionary period, the people's commune had already delegated the power to kill to the villages. In Mawan village, thirty-three people were killed in one day and night; the oldest was eighty-eight, the youngest was thirteen; some were beaten to death with sticks, and some were chopped in half with a guillotine.#

Wrinkles smooth out, the penis increases day by day, just like a crooked machine gun, horizontal grass, thousands of women like a rolled mat.#

Revolution is not a dinner party; it is violence.#

Buddy, don’t talk like that; it hurts people's feelings. You are still young; when you grow up, you will understand.#

Good daughter, dear daughter, if you can restore your brother Jinlong's military uniform, I will kneel three times and bow nine times to you!#

Let father push all the crimes onto Liu Shaoqi; being deceived is innocent, and turning against him is meritorious. If you are still stubborn and resist to the end, then that is like a mantis trying to stop a car, bringing about your own destruction. Tell father to parade through the streets; that is the gentlest action. Next, when the masses awaken, I will be powerless.#

Father calmly said, "It is meaningless; I just want peace and quiet, to be my own master, and do not want to be controlled by others."#

They want to kill me, and I cannot resist, but if they want me to die myself, that is wishful thinking! I want to live well and leave this blemish for all of China!"#

Is this still a cow? This may be a god, or perhaps a Buddha. Is it enduring this pain to enlighten those lost souls and help them awaken? People, do not commit violence against others, nor against cows; do not force others to do what they do not want to do, nor against cows.#

Every pig is a cannonball aimed at imperialism and counter-revolution. So, our old sows gave birth to sixteen piglets in one litter, which is actually like giving birth to sixteen cannonballs aimed at imperialism and counter-revolution. Our few old sows are actually aircraft carriers launching a full-scale attack against imperialism and counter-revolution!#

I saw myself running—the future pig king—my whole body shining, as if wearing close-fitting silk, like a streak of colorful lightning. As I approached the pig king's den, I leaped up, using my agile front paws, capable of forging official seals and counterfeiting dollars, to grab the drooping branch of the apricot tree. My body flowed smoothly like a spindle, using the elasticity of the branch and the inertia of my body to leap over the wall and land in my nest.#

He is extremely ugly, behaves strangely, and often says things that are incomprehensible; he is a character that everyone hates. Even his own family thinks he is a fool. His sister once pointed at his face and asked their mother: "Mom, is he really your son? Did my father pick him up as an abandoned baby while collecting manure behind the mulberry tree? Mo Yan's siblings are all tall and handsome youths, no less than Jinlong, Baofeng, Mutual Aid, and Cooperation. Their mother sighed and said: "When I gave birth to him, your father dreamed of a little ghost dragging a big pen, coming into our hall, asking him where he came from. He said he came from the underworld, and once...#

People in the 1950s were relatively pure; people in the 1960s were extremely fervent; people in the 1970s were quite timid; people in the 1980s were observant of others' expressions; people in the 1990s were extremely evil.#

"Only when the land belongs to us can we become the masters of the land."#

"I just like to work alone. All crows in the world are black; why can't there be a white one? I am a white crow."#

The emperor has no family affairs; the emperor's penis has politics. I should be loyal to my duties and mate with the sows; I must fulfill my responsibilities and shoot my semen into their wombs, regardless of whether they are beautiful or ugly, whether they are white or black, whether they are virgin sows or have been mounted by other boars. The complex issue is choice; they are equally urgent and equally passionate about which one to mate with first, or rather, which one to favor first.#

A pig is a cannonball aimed at imperialism and counter-revolution. I, Little White, as a boar, have a heavy responsibility to gather my strength and heed the call to mate with all the sows in the world…"#

This moon is mournful and desolate, specially coming for the deceased Mao Zedong. We see Mao Zedong sitting on the moon—his fat body makes the moon press into an oval shape—draped in a red flag, holding a cigarette between his fingers, slightly tilting his heavy head, with a contemplative expression on his face.#

Even brothers must divide their families; a group of people with different surnames forced together cannot be good.#

"I won't donate; I worked hard to earn some money; why should I donate it to build a temple? ... I ask you to hit me; I hit you a few times back then, so you can hit me back a few times. It’s not that I owe you; it’s you who owe me."#

At first, no pig thought this was the prelude to a slaughter.#

At first, no pig thought this was the prelude to a slaughter; they thought it was an autumn outing organized by the Youth League or the labor union of the factory or agency.#

This is a world where silence speaks louder than words; this is an environment where color is less than color. Yes, just treat everything as happening underwater. If he listens to me, he will be a great writer.#

Buddy, you’re back again!#

Son of a bitch, what the hell are you barking about?!#

Sitting firmly on the sofa, leaning back, legs together, propping the "Common Diseases Prevention and Treatment Manual for Livestock" on my knees, reading it with great concentration.#

People train working dogs not to make the dog's nose more sensitive, but to teach the dog how to identify scents through behavior so that those with less sensitive noses can perceive them with their eyes, such as retrieving a criminal's shoes from a pile of shoes. For the dog, what it retrieves is actually that person's scent, while people see that person's shoes.#

Sometimes I eat with him, sometimes I don’t. I can open the refrigerator and the freezer. Things in the freezer and the frozen section of the refrigerator need to be retrieved in advance and thawed before eating; otherwise, it is bad for the teeth. Taking care of your teeth is taking care of your life.#

Damn it, some dogs have become people's pets; some dogs have turned people into pets.#

"You Gao Mi dogs are too barbaric. Our Beijing dogs, when holding a moonlight party, are all adorned with jewels, singing and dancing, everyone dances and discusses art. If we drink, it’s only a little red wine or ice water; if we eat, it’s just a small sausage on a toothpick, eating for fun. Unlike them, look at that black-haired, white-pawed guy—"#

The affairs of the world are like books, being flipped page by page. People should look forward and stop digging up old historical accounts; dogs should also keep up with the times and face reality.#

I circled around the graves of the Ximen and Bai families three times, then lifted a hind leg and sprinkled a stream of mixed feelings of dog urine on their tombstone.#

To maintain a dog's dignity.#

I want to maintain a dog's dignity.#

Numbers crumble, and time becomes fragmented.#

The people need fried dough sticks, just as the people need mothers.#

It is... the final struggle... unite for tomorrow... the Internationale... must..." A mouthful of blood spurted out, a foot high, splattering onto the surrounding land. His two eyes suddenly brightened, like the light emitted when burning chicken feathers, flickering once, then flickering again, before dimming forever.#

To the north of the grave of the deceased at the Ximen family, a few dozen meters away, your father stood still, looking around for a while, stamping the land beneath his feet, and said:#

Old dog, this place belongs to you; I and the moon bear witness for you."#

Relatives and friends do not need to mourn; just find a reed mat, roll me up, and bury me quietly. The grain in my jar, pour it all into the grave, let the grain cover my body and my face. This is the grain produced from my land and should return to my land. When I die, no one is allowed to cry; there is nothing to cry about.#

I asked Kaifang to find you all because I wanted to tell you that I don't have many days left; you don't need to hide anymore... It was also my confusion; why didn't I fulfill you back then...”#

That night, Wu Qiuxiang hanged herself on the withered branch of the apricot tree in the courtyard, which leaned towards the southeast.#

Your father held up a cup of wine and poured it towards the moon. The moon trembled slightly, and the moonlight suddenly dimmed, as if a layer of mist covered its face. After a moment, the moonlight brightened again, softer and more desolate. Everything in the courtyard—houses, trees, people, dogs—seemed to be soaked in clear, light blue ink. Your father poured the second cup of wine on the ground. Your father poured the third cup of wine into my mouth.#

When we finally reached that one mu and six tenths of land, as if cast in gold, the moon had already changed color. It first turned a light purple like eggplant flowers, then slowly changed to azure blue. At this moment, around us, the moonlight connected the azure sea and the vast sky, and we were like tiny creatures at the bottom of this sea.#

Everything that comes from the land will return to the land.#

Is that considered my original creation? No, it is still a clumsy imitation of the classics.#

Our country's writer A Cheng once wrote that love is a chemical reaction. This theory is novel and sounds fresh, but if love can be manufactured and controlled chemically, then novelists would have no place. Therefore, even if what he said is the truth, I must oppose it.#

"Fatigue of Life and Death" Excerpt

"Excerpts from 'Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out'"#

I know that my ability to endure pain has reached its limit. If I do not yield, I do not know what kind of torture these corrupt officials will use to torment me. But if I yield now, won’t all the tortures I endured be in vain?#

This is another fabrication by that audacious kid. The things he describes in his novel are basically nonsense; do not take them seriously.#

The male dog wags its tail proudly, and the man struts with his pride.#

I have no specific grievances with any of you. If you do not come to fight me, others will come to fight me; that is the era, the misfortune of the wealthy.#

I ran with all my might, gathering all my strength, leaping towards the gap in the high wall created by the summer rain, soaring into the air, my body elongated, flying out of the courtyard wall.#

I understand, Old Black understands.#

You two bastards, do not be so rampant; everyone should share the food, do not eat alone. This is the era of communism; what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine; why should we differentiate?#

"Old Black, breathe deeply, stomp the ground, let the sunlight shine."#

This cow is playing with its navel.#

"If they didn't force me like this, I might have really joined, but they are torturing me like boiling an eagle; hey, I really won't join."#

? I just refuse to accept this; I want to use my actions to test whether what Mao Zedong said counts."#

Although we hope all farmers join the people's commune and take the path of collectivization, individual farmers' insistence on not joining is also a legitimate right; grassroots organizations must not use coercive orders, nor can they use illegal means to force them to join the commune.#

Though a negative character, he is still more important than those positive mass characters.#

Evil at heart, self-important, filled with hatred for everyone.#

Mandarins and butterflies are all sentiments of the landlord bourgeoisie; the proletariat's aesthetic view is the green pine, red sun, ocean, high mountains, torches, sickles, and axes. If you want to embroider, embroider these things.#

Wrinkles smooth out, the penis increases day by day, just like a crooked machine gun, horizontal grass, thousands of women like a rolled mat.#

Revolution is not a dinner party; it is violence.#

Buddy, don’t talk like that; it hurts people's feelings. You are still young; when you grow up, you will understand.#

Good daughter, dear daughter, if you can restore your brother Jinlong's military uniform, I will kneel three times and bow nine times to you!#

Father calmly said, "It is meaningless; I just want peace and quiet, to be my own master, and do not want to be controlled by others."#

They want to kill me, and I cannot resist, but if they want me to die myself, that is wishful thinking! I want to live well and leave this blemish for all of China!"#

Is this still a cow? This may be a god, or perhaps a Buddha. Is it enduring this pain to enlighten those lost souls and help them awaken? People, do not commit violence against others, nor against cows; do not force others to do what they do not want to do, nor against cows.#

People in the 1950s were relatively pure; people in the 1960s were extremely fervent; people in the 1970s were quite timid; people in the 1980s were observant of others' expressions; people in the 1990s were extremely evil.#

"Only when the land belongs to us can we become the masters of the land."#

"I just like to work alone. All crows in the world are black; why can't there be a white one? I am a white crow."#

A pig is a cannonball aimed at imperialism and counter-revolution. I, Little White, as a boar, have a heavy responsibility to gather my strength and heed the call to mate with all the sows in the world…"#

Even brothers must divide their families; a group of people with different surnames forced together cannot be good.#

"I won't donate; I worked hard to earn some money; why should I donate it to build a temple? ... I ask you to hit me; I hit you a few times back then, so you can hit me back a few times. It’s not that I owe you; it’s you who owe me."#

At first, no pig thought this was the prelude to a slaughter.#

At first, no pig thought this was the prelude to a slaughter; they thought it was an autumn outing organized by the Youth League or the labor union of the factory or agency.#

This is a world where silence speaks louder than words; this is an environment where color is less than color. Yes, just treat everything as happening underwater. If he listens to me, he will be a great writer.#

Buddy, you’re back again!#

Son of a bitch, what the hell are you barking about?!#

Sitting firmly on the sofa, leaning back, legs together, propping the "Common Diseases Prevention and Treatment Manual for Livestock" on my knees, reading it with great concentration.#

Damn it, some dogs have become people's pets; some dogs have turned people into pets.#

The affairs of the world are like books, being flipped page by page. People should look forward and stop digging up old historical accounts; dogs should also keep up with the times and face reality.#

I circled around the graves of the Ximen and Bai families three times, then lifted a hind leg and sprinkled a stream of mixed feelings of dog urine on their tombstone.#

To maintain a dog's dignity.#

I want to maintain a dog's dignity.#

Numbers crumble, and time becomes fragmented.#

The people need fried dough sticks, just as the people need mothers.#

To the north of the grave of the deceased at the Ximen family, a few dozen meters away, your father stood still, looking around for a while, stamping the land beneath his feet, and said:#

Old dog, this place belongs to you; I and the moon bear witness for you."#

I asked Kaifang to find you all because I wanted to tell you that I don't have many days left; you don't need to hide anymore... It was also my confusion; why didn't I fulfill you back then...”#

That night, Wu Qiuxiang hanged herself on the withered branch of the apricot tree in the courtyard, which leaned towards the southeast.#

Everything that comes from the land will return to the land.#

Is that considered my original creation? No, it is still a clumsy imitation of the classics.#

Our country's writer A Cheng once wrote that love is a chemical reaction. This theory is novel and sounds fresh, but if love can be manufactured and controlled chemically, then novelists would have no place. Therefore, even if what he said is the truth, I must oppose it.#