The layout of hotels in Luzhen is different from other places: they are all big counters facing the street, with hot water inside, which can warm wine at any time. After work in the afternoon and evening, people who go to work often spend four pence to buy a bowl of wine-this was more than twenty years ago, and now each bowl has to rise to ten pence-standing outside the cabinet and drinking a hot drink; If you are willing to spend an extra penny, you can buy a dish of salted bamboo shoots or fennel beans as a drink. You can buy a meat dish for a dozen pence. But most of these customers are short-sleeved gangs, and they are generally not so rich. Only people in robes walk into the house next to the shop, ask for wine and vegetables, and sit and drink slowly.

I have been working as a waiter at Xianheng Hotel in Zhenkou since I was twelve years old. The store said that I was too stupid, and I was afraid that I couldn't serve the customers in the gown, so I did something outside. Although the customers with short coats outside are easy to talk to, they also have a lot of nagging, which makes people confused. They often have to watch the yellow rice wine scooped out of the jar, see if there is water at the bottom of the pot, and see the pot put in hot water. chàn can rest assured that it is difficult to pour water under such serious supervision. So a few days later, the shopkeeper said I couldn't do it. Fortunately, the person in charge of the recommendation was very generous. Without being dismissed, he changed to a boring position specializing in warm wine.

I have been standing at the counter all day, taking charge of my duties. Although there is no dereliction of duty, I always feel a bit monotonous. The shopkeeper looked at lost face, and the customers had nothing to be humorous about, which made people look lively. Only Kong Yiji could laugh when he got to the store, so he remembered.

Kong Yiji was the only one standing drinking and wearing a gown. He is very tall; Blue and white face, often with some scars between wrinkles; A shaggy gray beard. Although I am wearing a robe, it is dirty and torn. It seems that it hasn't been mended or washed for more than ten years. He is always full of big talk when talking to people, which makes people half understand. Because his surname is Kong, others gave him a nickname, Kong Yiji, which comes from the semi-understood word "Shang Da Ren Kong Yiji" on red paper. As soon as Kong Yiji arrived at the store, all the drinkers looked at him and smiled. Some shouted: "Kong Yiji, you have added a new scar on your face!" He didn't answer. He said to the cupboard, "Heat two bowls of wine and ask for a plate of fennel beans." I will pay a lot of money. They shouted loudly again: "You must have stolen from others again!" Kong Yiji opened his eyes and said, "How can you make people innocent out of thin air ..." "What innocence? I saw with my own eyes what book you stole and hung it up the day before yesterday. " Kong Yiji blushed and the veins stood out on his forehead, arguing that "stealing books is not stealing ... stealing books! ..... how can you steal the matter of a scholar? " The incomprehensible words such as "the gentleman is poor" and "the villain is poor" caused everyone to laugh: the air inside and outside the store was filled with joy.

Listening to people talking behind their backs, Kong Yiji also read books, but in the end he didn't go to school and couldn't make a living; So I became poorer and poorer, ready to beg. Fortunately, I wrote a good hand, so I copied books for others and got a bowl of rice. Unfortunately, he also has a bad temper, that is, he is lazy to drink. After sitting for less than a few days, people disappeared with books, paper, pens and inkstones. If so, several times, no one asked him to copy the book. If there is no law in Kong Yiji, it is inevitable to do some stealing occasionally. But in our shop, his character is better than others, that is, he never defaults; Although there is no cash occasionally, it will be temporarily recorded on the chalk board, but it will be paid off within one month, and Kong Yiji's name will be erased from the chalk board.

Kong Yiji drank half a bowl of wine, and her red face gradually recovered. Someone asked, "Kong Yiji, can you really read?" Kong Yiji looked at the person who asked him and showed disdain. They went on to say, "Why can't you even get half a scholar?" Kong Yiji immediately a face of depression, face was full of gray, he said something. This time, it's all nonsense, and some don't understand. At this time, everyone laughed: the inside and outside of the store were full of happy air.

At these times, I can echo the smile, and the owner will never blame me. And when the owner sees Kong Yiji, he often asks him this question, which makes people laugh. Kong Yiji knew he couldn't talk to them, so he had to talk to the children. Once said to me, "Have you ever read a book?" I nodded briefly. He said, "read this book, ... I will test you." How to write fennel for fennel beans? " I think, do beggars deserve to test me? I turned my back and ignored it. Kong Yiji waited for a long time and said earnestly, "Can't you write? ..... I'll teach you, remember! These words should be remembered. When you become a shopkeeper in the future, you should use it to write accounts. " I thought to myself that I am far from the level of the shopkeeper, and our shopkeeper never takes fennel beans; Funny and impatient, he replied lazily: "Who wants you to teach? Isn't it just a word from the grass? " Kong Yiji is extremely happy, with two fingers long nails knocked on the counter, nodded and said, "yes, yes! ..... There are four ways to reply words, do you know? " The more impatient I became, I walked away with my mouth pursed. Kong Yiji just dipped her nails in wine and wanted to write on the counter. When he saw that I was not enthusiastic, he sighed again and looked sorry.

"How about zai? Not much. "

On several occasions, the children in the neighborhood laughed and rushed to the scene and surrounded Kong Yiji. He gave each of them one. After eating the beans, the child was still wandering, staring at the plate. Kong Yiji panicked, held out five fingers to cover the plate, bent down and said, "Not much, I don't have much." Straightening up, he looked at the beans, shook his head and said, "No more, no more!" how much is it? Not much. "So this group of children got separated in laughter.

Kong Yiji is so cheerful, but without him, others will live like this.

One day about two or three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the shopkeeper was slowly checking out, took off his pink board and suddenly said, "Kong Yiji hasn't been here for a long time. I still owe nineteen dollars! " I also think he hasn't come for a long time. A drinker said, "Why did he come?" ..... he broke his leg. "The shopkeeper said," Oh! " "He's still stealing. This time, I lost my mind and stole it to Ding's house. Did you steal anything from his house? " "What happened later?" "how about it? Write a defense first, then fight, fight until midnight, and then break your leg. " "What happened later?" "Then I broke my leg." "How about a discount?" "Why? ..... who knows? Maybe it's dead. " The shopkeeper stopped asking, but slowly calculated the account.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the autumn wind is getting colder every day, and it's almost early winter. I have a fever all day, so I must put on a cotton-padded jacket. There were no customers in the second half, so I sat with my eyes closed. Suddenly I heard a voice, "Warm a bowl of wine." Although the voice is extremely low, it is very familiar. No one was there when I watched it. Standing up and looking out, Kong Yiji sat on the threshold under the counter. His face is black and thin, and his figure is out of shape; Wear a worn-out jacket with legs crossed, put a cattail bag under it and hang it on your shoulder with a straw rope; When he saw me, he said, "Heat a bowl of wine." The shopkeeper also put his head out and said, "Kong Yiji? You still owe nineteen dollars! " Kong Yiji was very unhappy and replied on his back, "This ... will be paid next time. This time it is cash, and wine is better. " The shopkeeper smiled and said to him as usual, "Kong Yiji, you stole again!" " But this time, he didn't argue too much, just said, "Stop joking!" " "Make fun of? How can you break your leg if you don't steal it? " Kong Yiji whispered, "Break, fall, fall ..." His eyes seemed to be pleading with the shopkeeper, so don't mention it again. At this time, several people had gathered, and the shopkeeper smiled and said, I'll heat the wine and take it out and put it on the threshold. He took four pence out of his tattered pocket and put it in my hand. When he saw that his hand was covered with mud, it turned out that he had come with this hand. Soon, after drinking, he sat and walked slowly with this hand in the laughter of others.

I haven't seen Kong Yiji for a long time since then. At the end of the year, the shopkeeper took off the powder board and said, "Kong Yiji still owes nineteen dollars!" On the Dragon Boat Festival the following year, he said, "Kong Yiji still owes nineteen dollars!" I didn't say anything until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I didn't see him at the end of the year.

I haven't seen it at last ―― maybe Kong Yiji is really dead.

Written in 19 18 winter.

brief introduction

Kong Yiji is a novel in the collection of Lu Xun's novels "Scream", and also the hero of the novel. This novel is the second vernacular novel written by Lu Xun after Diary of a Madman before the May 4th Movement. This novel describes that Kong Yiji, as a scholar who has not been admitted to a scholar, lacks practical skills and only knows pedantic "learning" such as "how to write the word fennel in fennel beans". He lost his dignity as a man and became the object of ridicule in the pub "Xianheng Hotel". Later, his leg was broken because he stole books. According to the content of the novel, because his surname is Kong, others gave him a nickname, called "Kong Yiji", which comes from the semi-understood word "Shangdaren Kong Yiji" on red paper. The novel exposed some social problems at that time-the imperial examination system created a large number of scholars who only knew how to drill old paper piles and had no practical business skills. The novel portrays Kong Yiji as a ridiculous and pathetic figure at the bottom, exposing the indifference between people.

author

Lu Xun (188 1 September 25th ~ 19361October19), formerly known as Zhou Shuren, was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. China is a famous proletarian writer, thinker, revolutionary, political critic and an important figure in the New Culture Movement. People call it "Wensi Pavilion" (a great writer, thinker and revolutionary). Representative works: collection of novels "Scream" and "Wandering". , prose collection, prose poetry collection, weeds, prose collection, flower collection, grave collection, etc.