Chapter 9: with translation of chapter title

Chinese translation as decided.

Interpretation: "Yi Zhonghai returned home listless; the always face-conscious Yi Zhonghai tonight could be said to have lost face to his grandmother's house; Yi Zhonghai, who had always cultivated a good image, also saw his image collapse because he convened a full courtyard meeting, planning to seize Li Qiang's house for his disciple."

But need to be faithful: "Yi Zhonghai returned home spiritlessly; the always face-conscious Yi Zhonghai tonight could be said to have lost face to his grandmother's house; Yi Zhonghai, who had always cultivated a good image, also saw his image collapse because he convened a full courtyard meeting, planning to seize Li Qiang's house for his disciple."

Make sure to keep all clauses.

Let's produce: "【1】 Yi Zhonghai returned home listless; the always face-conscious Yi Zhonghai tonight could be said to have lost face to his grandmother's house; Yi Zhonghai, who had always cultivated a good image, also saw his image collapse because he convened a full courtyard meeting, planning to seize Li Qiang's house for his disciple."

Check: original:... (note)

Chinese translation we decided.

Translation: '"Old wife, go to the back courtyard and fetch the deaf old lady," Yi Zhonghai said; he is now at his wit's end.'

But need to keep quotes? The Chinese includes quotes. We should translate the quoted speech and the rest. Use exact translation: '"Old wife, go to the back courtyard and fetch the deaf old lady," Yi Zhonghai said; he is now at his wit's end.'

Note about quotes

Thus: "【2】 「Old wife, go to the back courtyard and fetch the deaf old lady」Yi Zhonghai said; he is now at his wit's end."

But we need to keep the Chinese quotes? The instruction: translate faithfully, not keep Chinese characters. So we replace with English quotes. Use English quotation marks.

Thus: "【2】 「Old wife, go to the back courtyard and fetch the deaf old lady」Yi Zhonghai said; he is now at his wit's end."

But we need to keep the Chinese quotes? Actually we should translate the content, not keep the Chinese quotes. So we replace with English quotes. So: "【2】 "Old wife, go to the back courtyard and fetch the deaf old lady," Yi Zhonghai said; he is now at his wit's end."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese: need to translate.

Let's translate: "The deaf old lady is the oldest person in the Siheyuan and also the one who has lived there the longest. Some say the entire Siheyuan originally belonged to her; she was a concubine of an official of the previous dynasty, and after the official fled to the interior, they abandoned her in Beiping. After the new nation was founded, the deaf old lady worried that the new government would settle scores over past events. She voluntarily donated her remaining property; the superiors, seeing she had no children and was helpless and alone, gave her a quota as a 'five guarantees' household."

Note about Beiping

Thus: "【3】 The deaf old lady is the oldest person in the Siheyuan and also the one who has lived there the longest; some say the entire Siheyuan originally belonged to her, she was a concubine of an official of the previous dynasty, and after the official fled to the interior they abandoned her in Beiping; after the new nation was founded, the deaf old lady worried that the new government would settle scores over past events. She voluntarily donated her remaining property; the superiors, seeing she had no children and was helpless and alone, gave her a quota as a 'five guarantees' household."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Translate: "In the 1950s, a 'five guarantees household' referred to rural farmers who lacked labor ability and economic source— the elderly, weak, solitary, and disabled— whose livelihood was provided by the collective, implementing guarantees of food, clothing, housing, medical care, and burial (or education for orphans), abbreviated as 'five guarantees'?? Since the deaf old lady belongs to Beiping residents, her five guarantees household was specially approved by the superiors."

Make sure to keep "??". Use "Beiping". So: "【4】 In the 1950s, a 'five guarantees household' referred to rural farmers who lacked labor ability and economic source— the elderly, weak, solitary, and disabled— whose livelihood was provided by the collective, implementing guarantees of food, clothing, housing, medical care, and burial (or education for orphans), abbreviated as 'five guarantees'?? Since the deaf old lady belongs to Beiping residents, her five guarantees household was specially approved by the superiors."

Chinese.

is a note; we already prepared note English.

Thus: "【5】 When Yi Zhonghai participated in the election for Household Manager, he promised to proactively care for the deaf old lady; this move also earned him extra points in the election, but his caring for the deaf old lady was just lip service. The one who actually cared for the deaf old lady was the first aunt, the one who bore the hardship was the first aunt, while the one who gained a good reputation was Yi Zhonghai."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

is note.

Thus: "【6】 Yi Zhonghai's proactive request to care for the deaf old lady also had another motive: to set an example of respect for the elderly in the Siheyuan. He hoped young people would learn from him, after all he had no children, and old-age support would be a big problem later; his running for first elder was also to use that position to more easily instill the idea of respecting the elderly among neighbors; everything Yi Zhonghai did was preparing for his own old-age support."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

is note.

Thus: '"Little Yi, I heard from your wife that you're looking for me," the deaf old lady walked in leaning on her cane; the deaf old lady is probably under sixty this year, her physique is quite robust, and she did not attend the general meeting of the courtyard, so she is unaware of what happened there.'

Make sure to keep all clauses.

Thus: "【7】 "Little Yi, I heard from your wife that you're looking for me," the deaf old lady walked in leaning on her cane; the deaf old lady is probably under sixty this year, her physique is quite robust, and she did not attend the general meeting of the courtyard, so she is unaware of what happened there."

Chinese.

is note.

Thus for line 8: translate.

is note.

Thus: "【8】 Yi Zhonghai's proactive care for the deaf old lady also had another important reason: he wanted to lean on the deaf old lady's influence to secure his position as first elder. In the original story, Yi Zhonghai had convened many general meetings, but the deaf old lady rarely got the chance to attend; Yi Zhonghai would only summon her when he found he could not control the situation. In the original story, Yi Zhonghai's three tactics for manipulating the courtyard residents were moral blackmail; if moral blackmail failed, he would let Sha Zhu use force; if force still didn't work, he would have the deaf old lady step in. Anyway, the deaf old lady is also old, so nobody wants to provoke her. If one accidentally offends her to the point of harm, she might then cling to your household."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

is note.

Thus: "【9】 In fact, the deaf old lady also knows Yi Zhonghai is using her, but she is no less using Yi Zhonghai herself; the first aunt usually washes up for her, sometimes even empties her chamber pot; the deaf old lady also has no children, and she likewise points to Yi Zhonghai to support her in old age. Later people said they formed an old-age support group, but in fact they are the two most worried about old-age support; calling it an old-age support group is less accurate than calling it an old-age alliance, given that the deaf old lady's preferred old-age support target is Sha Zhu, while Yi Zhonghai's preferred target is Jia Dongxu."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Thus: "【10】 "Old lady, I've really made a fool of myself today," Yi Zhonghai said with a sigh."

Chinese.

Thus: "【11】 "What's going on?" the deaf old lady asked."

Chinese.

Thus: "【12】 The matter is this... Yi Zhonghai told the deaf old lady everything that happened at the evening general meeting of the courtyard."

Chinese.

is note.

Thus: "【13】 "Little Yi, it's not me saying this, but you act too rashly; you didn't even get a clear picture of Li Qiang's background before lashing out. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy and you will win a hundred battles; you lashed out without even knowing who your opponent is, so losing is no surprise." The deaf old lady, having lived through three dynasties, has broad experience, so her perspective is naturally beyond Yi Zhonghai's comparison."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

is note.

Thus: "【14】 "Old lady, what should I do now?" Yi Zhonghai said; he is now utterly panicked, after all Li Qiang is the Section Chief of the Security Section, and dealing with him would be easy."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

The Li family kid, Section Chief of the Security Section.

Thus: "【15】 "You have two options: first, proactively go apologize to the Li family kid; if he forgives you, you just need to avoid provoking him thereafter. Second, pretend to be deaf and dumb; keep a low profile for now, since people are forgetful, over time everyone will gradually forget tonight's incident. Just remember, you must not provoke the Li family kid again—you also said he's a returned soldier. Someone who comes back from the battlefield intact, with hardly any blood on his hands, and who is now the Section Chief of the Security Section—if they wanted to deal with you, they wouldn't even need to lift a finger; those who wish to curry favor with him would take the initiative to go after you." The deaf old lady's view of the problem is still relatively thorough."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Thus: "【16】 "Old lady, I can't apologize to a hair‑brat," Yi Zhonghai said firmly."

Chinese.

Chinese.

Thus: "【17】 "Old lady, rest assured, I know what I'm doing," Yi Zhonghai still insisted on his own idea."

Chinese.

Thus: "【18】 "Alright, do as you see fit," the deaf old lady said, then leaned on her cane and left Yi Zhonghai's home."

Chinese.

"Hey woman, take out my two bottles of wine," Liu Haizhong, just returned home, immediately ordered the second aunt.

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Thus: "【20】 "Those two bottles of wine are the ones you've treasured for years without daring to drink; what are you looking for them now?" the second aunt asked, puzzled."

Chinese.

We need glossary: Section Chief, Security Section, Li Qiang.

Thus: "【21】 "You're foolish, Li Qiang is now the Section Chief of the Security Section; I have to go first and get on good terms with him—if we get along well, later my becoming an official won't be easy at all," Liu Haizhong said to the second aunt with a look of exasperation."

Chinese.

Thus: "【22】 "But you just offended him tonight; if you go now to give him a gift, will he accept it?""

Chinese.

Thus: "【23】 "I haven't offended him at all; the one who offended him is Yi Zhonghai, and I didn't say a single word offending him the whole time.""

Chinese.

Thus: "【24】 The second aunt thought that was right; at the meeting Liu Haizhong only said an opening remark and never spoke another word the whole time. By that reckoning, Liu Haizhong really hadn't offended Li Qiang."

Chinese.

He Yuzhu, Captain Hu, Li Bin and his brother.

Thus: "【25】 Liu Haizhong took the two bottles of wine to Li Bin's home; at that moment, Captain Hu was leading workers with Li Bin and his brother, and He Yuzhu was also drinking there."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Note about Section Chief and Captain Hu.

Thus: "【26】 "Section Chief Li, Captain Hu, you've already started drinking; I happen to have two bottles of good wine—bring them over so everyone can have a taste," Liu Haizhong said, sucking up."

Chinese.

Li Qiang, Liu Haizhong, and the second elder were in the siheyuan.

Thus: "【27】 "Second elder's here, hurry up and sit," goes the saying that you don't hit a smiling face; Li Qiang and Liu Haizhong originally had no conflict, and now Liu Haizhong proactively brings wine, so Li Qiang will surely give him face. Moreover, Li Qiang knows Liu Haizhong's character; living in this courtyard, he can't stay tense with everyone all the time. Although Liu Haizhong lacks ability, he is still the second elder of the Siheyuan; for many matters Li Qiang finds it inconvenient to step in personally, so having Liu Haizhong step in is perfect—just treat him as an extra enforcer, which also helps Li Qiang undermine Yi Zhonghai's influence in the Siheyuan. Li Qiang knows Liu Haizhong has always been dissatisfied with Yi Zhonghai; if Li Qiang just uses a little maneuver to set the two against each other, Yi Zhonghai won't have so much mental energy to scheme about other things."

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Zhuzi.

Thus: "【28】 "Zhuzi, help fetch an extra set of bowls and chopsticks," Li Qiang said to He Yuzhu."

Chinese.

We need glossary: Li Qiang, Yi Zhonghai, He Yuzhu.

"All right, Brother Qiang," He Yuzhu said; he now admires Li Qiang greatly, having never seen Yi Zhonghai made to vomit blood by anger; Li Qiang just a few words made Yi Zhonghai slink away ashamed, and Li Qiang's image in He Yuzhu's mind loomed up unseen.

Make sure it's one line.

Chinese.

Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu.

Thus: "【30】 "Sha Zhu, trouble you," Liu Haizhong said, also being especially polite."

Chinese.

Li Qiang and the second elder.

Thus: "【31】 "Second elder, let me give you a suggestion," Li Qiang said with a solemn face."

Chinese.

Note about Section Chief and Liu Haizhong.

Thus: "【32】 "Section Chief Li, you speak," Liu Haizhong said, bowing and scraping, his manner resembling that of a past eunuch."

Chinese.

We need glossary: He Yuzhu, and we have Sha Zhu and Zhuzi nicknames. We'll translate accordingly.

Thus: "【33】 "Zhuzi is also seventeen this year; in another two or three years he'll be at the age to look for a partner, so from now on don't call him Sha Zhu; as an elder you should call him Zhuzi, or He Yuzhu will do. If you get used to calling him Sha Zhu, later when people hear the name Sha Zhu they'll think Zhuzi is actually foolish, and then how will he ever find a partner?" Li Qiang said."

Chinese.

Thus: "【34】 "Section Chief Li, I'll follow your lead and from now on call him Zhuzi; rest assured, if anyone dares to call him Sha Zhu again, I'll be the first not to let them off," Liu Haizhong immediately declared."

Chinese.

We need glossary: Siheyuan, second elder.

Thus: "【35】 "Alright, then let me trouble the second elder to supervise this; you also wouldn't want others to say that someone in our Siheyuan is being mistakenly called a fool by others.""

Chinese.

Thus: "【36】 "Rest assured, I'll take care of this," Liu Haizhong said obsequiously."

Chinese.

Chinese.

Thus: "【37】 "Brother Qiang, thank you," He Yuzhu came to Li Qiang's side and sincerely expressed thanks. He Daqing inadvertently shouted Sha Zhu, and the other neighbors followed suit; previously He Yuzhu didn't mind, but now that Li Qiang said so, He Yuzhu also realized that Sha Zhu carries a disparaging connotation—this is the first time in his life someone has stood up for him, and to say he isn't moved would be false."

Make sure it's one line.

"Brother Qiang, thank you," He Yuzhu said sincerely as he came to Li Qiang's side. He Daqing unintentionally called out "Silly Zhu," and the other neighbors followed suit. He Yuzhu hadn't minded before, but now that Li Qiang said so, he realized that "Silly Zhu" carries a slight insult; this is the first time in his life someone has stood up for him, and to say he isn't moved would be untrue.

"We're all our own people, don't be polite, hurry up and sit down to eat," Li Qiang pulled He Yuzhu to sit down.