The old woman said, ‘I’m glad I’ve caught you; I think the baby will be a boy. If you agree not to pass in front of our house, my son says he will give you two hundred jin of wheat to help you and Fourth Idiot make it through the winter.’
Fourth Wife You paused for a moment, her face pale as snow. As she shuddered, the dirt and dust from the road fell to the ground. She asked coldly,
‘Why would I not pass by your house?’
The old woman said ‘I apologise, but what if you pass him some sickness as you go by? If you agree to circle around the other end of the village, then I’ll also give you a basket of corn in addition to the wheat.’
Fourth Wife You didn’t say anything else, and instead she simply stared at the old woman. Fourth Wife You’s gaze was hard and her face was dark purple. It seemed as though she could devour the old woman with her gaze or drive her away with her face. But the old woman was, after all, merely an old woman, and she said, ‘Fourth Wife You, if you agree not to pass in front of our house, I’d be happy to have my children give you some extra money.’ At this point, all eyes in the street had turned their way, and several were coming over to watch the excitement. Along the mountain ridge, the setting sun sounded like water running over dry desert sand, and in the peace of the village there were explosive sounds of wood burning. The dog and lamb stood behind the old woman, gazing expectantly at Fourth Wife You, who slowly shifted her gaze away from the old woman and toward the blood-red street. She turned pale and, without saying a word, walked past the old woman and down the street, taking large strides that seemed out of proportion with her slight body, as she headed to the entranceway of the old woman’s home.
The old woman looked deathly pale, and said,
‘Fourth Idiot’s mother, besides the grain, how about if I give you some more money?’
Fourth Wife You took several more steps, then turned around and threw the red eggs to the dog and the goat.
The old woman said, ‘Fourth Son’s mother, shall I call you Sister, Mother, or Grandmother?’ Fourth Wife You didn’t look back, and instead looked straight ahead as she walked faster.
Several men approached and stood in the middle of the road, blocking her way.
Fourth Wife You said, ‘If you don’t let me pass this evening, I’ll hang myself at your doorstep.’
The men slowly stepped aside to let her pass.
With her head up, Fourth Wife You passed through the crowd of men as if pushing through a half-open door. The village street was uncommonly quiet. The chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle had all returned to their pens, leaving only a handful of villagers still eating in the streets, in the canteen, or in their own doorways. Fourth Wife You’s footsteps were loud and heavy. They echoed as she walked down the street, and the afterglow trembled in that sound like a silk sheet. The elderly woman stood blankly behind her, watching as she receded into the distance. Eventually, she approached that old woman’s tile-roofed house, and by this point the screams of the woman about to give birth reverberated through the village, like a whirlwind of sand and rocks. The old woman was startled, and she rushed after Fourth Wife You, shouting, ‘Fourth Idiot’s mother, Fourth Idiot’s mother!’ Just before Fourth Wife You reached the doorway to the old woman’s house, the old woman grabbed her and said, ‘I’m eighty years old, and in another six months I’ll be eighty-one. But I’m still willing to kneel down and beg you not to pass by my house.’ Fourth Wife You turned around and saw that the old woman, her eyes full of tears, was indeed in the process of kneeling down in front of her.
Fourth Wife You’s heart softened and she grabbed the old woman, as though grabbing a pole that was about to topple over. She held the woman in front of her, looked at her coldly, and suddenly spat in her face. Then she spun around and walked away. The entire village was silent, and even the dog and the goat stared at Fourth Wife You in surprise. Fourth Wife You’s spittle flew like bullets in all directions, splattering all of the villagers nearby. The old woman stood there in confusion, with phlegm dripping down her face. The other villagers also stood there blankly, and by the time it occurred to them to wipe their faces and curse Fourth Wife You, she had already turned a corner and disappeared from view.
The rivers dried up and the earth had been overturned in the blink of an eye. Fourth Wife You walked back stiffly, like a statue carved out of stone. In the alley, a couple of chickens and ducks saw her coming and squawked as they hid by the side of the road, leaving her ample room to pass. She stood for a while at the door to her house, looking toward the centre of the village. She heard the new wife’s screams as they rippled her way like water, and proceeded to spit a gob of snow-white spittle in their direction – after which she followed the screams into the courtyard.
The front gate, which had been locked, swung open. It turned out that her husband, Stone You, was home waiting for her. Fourth Wife You stepped through the front gate and found Stone You sitting on the doorstep watching Fourth Idiot, as though watching a calf trying to break free of its rope. In the courtyard, there was also a snow-white lamb, and under the tree Fourth Idiot was staring intently at the animal, unable to see that his father was at his side. Fourth Idiot wanted to hug the lamb, kiss it, and caress its head, body, and belly. He also wanted to stroke the animal’s tiny red bean-like teats, and touch it where it shouldn’t be touched. In the end, however, Fourth Idiot decided the lamb must be very clever, because it would always wait until he was almost in front of it before slipping away. As a result, even though Fourth Idiot chased it like crazy through the courtyard, he could never catch the lamb. What he didn’t realise was that Stone You was right next to him, and each time Fourth Idiot was about to catch the lamb, Stone You would go up to the animal and scare it, causing it to run away. Fourth Idiot chased the lamb all afternoon, and by evening he was exhausted. He sat in the middle of the courtyard trying to catch his breath, and Stone You watched over him as Fourth Idiot stared at the lamb. It was at this point that Fourth Wife You arrived. She stood in the doorway, and Fourth Idiot turned pale.
He said, ‘Ma, I can’t catch the lamb. I want to sleep with it.’
Fourth Wife You stood in the entranceway. Her eyes had a greenish tint, and, like a block of ice in winter, she immediately chilled all the warmth from the courtyard’s evening sunlight.
Stone You asked, ‘What’s wrong?’
Fourth Wife You bit her purple lips, but didn’t respond.
Stone You said, ‘I originally wanted to go with you to visit Eldest and Second Daughters, but after lunch Fourth Idiot kept chasing someone’s heifer all around the village. The villagers began cursing and beating him, and the other village kids picked up rocks and clumps of earth and threw them at his head.’
Fourth Wife You shifted her icy stare toward Stone You.
The screams of the woman giving birth once again wafted over, and in the quiet dusk they resembled an early autumn wind scattering red and yellow leaves everywhere.
As Fourth Wife You looked in the direction of those screams and then back at Fourth Idiot, her face gradually acquired a trace of warmth.
She said, ‘Fourth Idiot, come here.’
Like a famished infant who sees a stranger, Fourth Idiot cautiously approached and hid in the embrace of Fourth Wife You, who smoothed down his hair and saw that his head was in fact so swollen and lacerated that it resembled tree bark. Several of his wounds had scabbed over, though the blood continued to flow out from beneath. Fourth Wife You asked, ‘Why were you chasing the village cattle? Didn’t I tell you to stay home and not leave no matter what?’