To Live

Fugui goes to town daily to help Erxi with Kugen. Most days, Erxi insists on carrying Kugen on his back because he can’t bear to part with him. Neither Erxi nor Fugui ever get over Fengxia’s loss, and so Kugen becomes the center of their lives. Fugui often stays over at Erxi’s house, and this goes on until Kugen is four years old, at which point Erxi dies in a tragic work accident. He is crushed between two cement slabs.

Fugui takes Kugen back to live with him in the country. He feels sorry for Kugen being orphaned and spoils him in ways that he never spoiled Youqing. For example, he buys him noodles and candy from in town, lets him take nap breaks while working in the fields, and lets him sleep on his side of the bed when he pees. He even has a sickle custom-made for Kugen. Fugui is happy: “With Kugen around I had a new zest for life. Seeing Kugen getting bigger and bigger by the day, this grandpa of his could rest easier” (226).

Time jumps forward and Kugen is now seven years old. A heavy rain is predicted for the next day, so Fugui is eager to harvest the cotton.