作家按语：《传教士和他的女儿》（原书名：裸拜）！故事叙述富有的喜欢生物硏究的英国青年亨利，32年走进神奇的贵州山区，他宣扬真爱，拯救生命、制止血腥与残杀…在边远的贵州山区建立了基督教堂，传播主的福音，他的美德和仁爱精神，使他受到众多山里基督徒的裸拜和崇敬！

作品引领喜欢旅游和民族风情的欧洲人、美国人进入美丽的贵州山区，去领略那里与世无争的宁静和鲜为人知的民族风情……

中国解放后，当共产党人要驱逐亨利牧师时，桀骜的双溪坪教徒爆发了反抗……许多扑朔迷离的山村故事，皆在此书中！

The Missionaryand His Daughter

传教士和他的女儿

Zongming Zhang

张宗銘 著

Translated by Tangjin Xiao

肖唐金 译

Chapter 3

Ah Cai was aware of Henry’s kindness to her. At this time she regarded him as her partner on the trip away from home.

She had never left her native place before. She had experienced piles of hardships like the other women in the mountains. Yet, she had never thought of leaving the mother-like mountains. But now she had to leave. She was expelled out of the village. Even her father the famous wizard Mr. He Sandie could do nothing about that.

There was a local practice of sitting on the laps of the unmarried girls here. Hence, the girls seemed very open-minded and bold. The most favorite targets for them were the well-known hunters. The more favor a girl had from them, the better-known she became. And if a girl were favored by the hunters, guests and distinguished people both inside and outside the village, she would become the most expensive bride as well as the target for many young men.

Ah Cai was such a girl. She had favor from a lot of hunters. Once she was surrounded by four hunters outside the village. They sang love songs of Miao, Tujia, Buyi and Dong nationalities respectively to the beats of different instruments. That was a glory to Ah Cai’s parents, and the other girls just felt jealous of that. In Xiazhai Village only another girl had had the glory of holding two hunters on her laps before. And that girl had married at the highest price. But Ah Cai’s glory was even bigger than hers. She was surely a beauty, a queen, or a fairy in the eyes of young hunters. Never before had there been such a girl, nor would there be such a girl!

Engagement was common in the village. If a couple fell in love with each other, they must notify their parents of that. The young man must tell his parents of his choice, and normally they respected his decision. Then, they would discuss with the girl’s parents about the marriage. If the latter agreed to it, then the young man’s mother would have a matchmaker visit the girl’s parents on a lucky day. If everything went on well, the young man’s parents must send presents to the girl’s family as a token of engagement.

Once the engagement was made, neither side could revoke it.

Nevertheless, Ah Cai didn’t follow the practice. She wanted to have her engagement nullified.

Ah Cai was then 16 years old. She liked a hunter, named Qiusheng. He was so tall, strong, and charming to her. His beard was thin but attractive, his eyes were shining enough to see and feel the emotions of girls, and his tongue was so sweet as to trap the sparrows in the trees. Ah Cai felt a strong urge of being together with him each time she saw him. She dreamed of his sitting on her laps. She loved his smell. She would like to have him touch her neck and breasts. She enjoyed locking herself with him.

But Qiusheng had engagement with another girl from Zhongzhai Village.

Ah Cai was disappointed and depressed. Then, Wei Lang, a son of the village head, visited her every day. He sang love songs to her in her hut. Wei Lang was a famous local singer, and he was also good at musical instruments such as Pipa and the three-string instrument. In the excitement of the songs and music she felt better. On the festival of San Yue San he stayed in her hut for 3 days on end, singing those heart-stirring love songs. She got to feel attached to him.

Wei Lang was good at music. It was a kind of craftsmanship that won respect.

Ah Cai was from a family of wizards. Her parents could help others to expel evil spirits and get cured. It was also a kind of craftsmanship that won respect.

There was a custom in Ah Cai’s family: the skills of medication and treatment could only be passed on to daughters or daughters-in-law rather than sons or sons-in-law. Thus, when her father Mr. He Sandie went out on the missions of treatment, it was her mother who made dosages. Probably Wei Lang could act the role of her father, helping her with treatment by reciting those spells expelling evil spirits. By that time he would become a wizard as well as a singer. Ah Cai was lost in her thought.

Ah Cai was an apple in her family. Her two brothers could never learn how to make dosages and medications, but she could. Her mom even encouraged her to make dosages and medications alone.

Ah Cai learned a lot about treatment from her mother. Her beauty, open-mindedness and medical skills won many hunters’ favor. Wei Lang was lucky to attract her. Happily he told his parents of that. His father did not trust it at first, questioning:

“You just have fun playing instruments and singing all the day. How could she agree to marry you? Shit! I don’t believe it.”

Wei Lang answered, “Just have a matchmaker visit her parents and you’ll know the truth.”

His mom was both happy and skeptical. She responded, “Dear son, don’t make fun of us. If we had a matchmaker visit her parents tomorrow and the proposal were rejected, we would feel a loss of face.”

At this Wei Lang said, “Dear parents, don’t belittle me in this way. I am an excellent singer though I’m not good at hunting. Ah Cai is good at nothing but treatment. We are a born match like the buttons and button-holes on dresses. Both of us think so.”

The next day, Wei Lang’s mom had a respectable woman visit Ah Cai’s parents. Ah Cai nodded at the marriage in public. Then, Wei Lang’s parents sent the most expensive presents to her family as a token of engagement. They agreed that the wedding would be held on April 8 according to the lunar calendar, a happy and lucky day for the people of Miao nationality.

Less than 3 months passed before a change took place. It was the hunter Qiusheng from Zhongzhai Village that brought about the change.

In the summer of that year Ah Cai went outside for herb collecting with her father. To her father, she should know more about herbs before her marriage. And most herbs could not be known without personal experiences like licking and picking. With this notion they were in the mountains looking for herbs here and there. In less than a couple of days they had collected two full baskets of herbs. The season was dangerous for them. There were many poisonous snakes on their way. Ah Cai’s father was careful. He had a wood stick in his hands, beating away those snakes lurching around as they moved on.

But even the most careful man could make a mistake. That day Ah Cai’s father just stepped out of a bush, and came to a cleared path. He wanted to have a smoke. Ah Cai was then ahead of him. That was uncommon and probably signaled bad luck in this place. Usually women could only follow men on journeys. Ah Cai’s daddy could have sat down and finished his smoking, but he would like to get back home before it got dark. Thus, he moved on as he rolled his tobacco. All of a sudden he stepped on a cobra. It turned around and gave him a bite on his right leg.

He screamed and fell down. The basket fell off his back and rolled down the slope. Ah Cai was then lost in her thought. Could Wei Lang sit on the laps of other girls since he was so good at singing? Was he flirting with another girl at this time?

Then there came the cries of her father from a bush of thorns: “Help, Ah Cai!”

Ah Cai was waken up. She knew something bad had happened. She rushed to her father. He pointed at his right leg, telling, “Dear daughter, I was bitten by a cobra.”

At this Ah Cai was terrified. She knew it was not easy to cure people of cobra bites. Some people had died of cobra bites before. Her father must get treatment at once. She put aside her belongings and rolled up her daddy’s trousers. There! Two needle hole-like bites on daddy’s right leg. Ah Cai’s father was then painful, with sweat all over and trembling badly. He struggled to get out the herbs against snake bites from his pockets and dumped them into his mouth. Ah Cai knew she was the only help to her daddy now.

Without hesitation she took out the curved knife from her back, and cut her daddy’s wounds slightly. She wanted to suck out the poison. She spat the sucked blood on the grass at the path sides. The blood turned dark in the sunlight. Ah Cai was worried. She hoped to get another person’s support!

There came the sounds of footsteps in the distance. Ah Cai looked up while spitting out the sucked blood. It was a handsome, smart and strong hunter. He put down the chamois from his shoulders and ran towards her. It was Qiusheng, the hunter that had once broken her heart!

Qiusheng didn’t greet her at length. He surely knew it was a golden opportunity to curry favor from her. He spoke, “Ah Cai, please let me suck out the poison for you!”

Ah Cai nodded. She took out a hemp thread and fastened it around the upper and lower parts of the wounds twice respectively. This made it easier for Qiusheng to suck out the poison. Then she pulled her daddy out of the thorn bush. She needed water at this moment to blend the herbal powders for the wounds. But where could she get water? The nearest spring was at least half a kilometer away. Her daddy couldn’t wait so long. She was really worried.

Then, Ah Cai thought of urine. Yes. Urine could work. But she had urinated a few minutes earlier. She felt like crying. She knew it was awkward to ask Qiusheng for urine. Nevertheless, she couldn’t care about that. She gave him a nudge, asking:

“Qiusheng, could you give me some urine for the herbal power blending?”

Qiusheng was still sucking out the poison. Less and less blood came out. He answered jocularly, “Get me a pot and I’ll give you urine.”

Ah Cai took out a pot from her basket and held it before Qiusheng. Qiusheng stopped sucking, and rolled down his trousers.

While urinating, he said, “Sorry, Mr. He. You have to take my urine.”

Qiusheng took out his strong penis and passed torrents of urine into the pot Ah Cai held. Ah Cai felt a strong urge in her. She was charmed by the special smell. That was Qiusheng, a special attraction for her.

With this thought Ah Cai trembled. Qiusheng glanced at her happily while she lowered her head, catching a glimpse of his strong and holy cock. It was really tempting for her. It was the vehicle of life birth and love. It was a treasure for men.

Qiu Sheng finished urinating and shook his cock a little to make sure there was no more urine left. A few drops of urine fell on Ah Cai’s hands. It was so warm and seductive. She felt she had been captivated by Qiusheng. She thought she should belong to him.

Qiusheng continued to suck out the poison. The wounds became pale with the thread tying and the sucking. Ah Cai knew it was time for her to dress the wounds with herbs. She cleansed the wounds with over half a pot of urine. The left urine she used for mixing up the herbal powders. She smeared the powder mud on her daddy’s wounds and bandaged them with leggings. The sun was setting then.

Ah Cai was moved by Qiusheng’s acts. He saw the herbs scattered here and there. He knew they were precious. He put down his powder rifle and picked up the herbs piece by piece and put them in a little bag. He didn’t pick up his chamois, but spent much time in finding her daddy’s lost herbs. Ah Cai was reluctant to say goodbye to Qiusheng. She knew her father couldn’t return to the village that night. If Qiusheng could stay with her for the night beside her daddy, that would be romantic!

Qiusheng seemed to know what she was thinking about. He knew her like a cell in her. He said, “The person with snake bites had better not move around. Let me carry your daddy to the mountain pass. There we shall rest for the night under a camphor tree. We shall take him back home tomorrow morning. Ok?”

Ah Cai felt grateful to Qiusheng. She was both excited and nervous. She was excited because she could spend a night with Qiusheng, but nervous because she didn’t know if the herbs could work well for her daddy. Anyway, the herbs were homemade and should work well for her family as well as others.