Chinese Literature

you last year, it’s hardly right for you to ask me to be merciful now, because those beans actually saved your lives. Wasn’t I merciful to have made you the loan in the first place? Do you have the face to say you’re not willing to pay back the debt?”

“It isn’t that I don’t want to pay back the debt. But I bez Mr. Ho to please be lenient on the interest. . . .”

“T know, I know. I certainly can’t permit you to suffer in any way. But you were not the only person who borrowed beans. If I let you pay less, other people would also want to pay less, and that would never do. As for the seed grain, that certainly is not my business. I was only handling it. It belonged to the county granary, so how can I make a decision about that? .. .”

“Yes, of course, I know how it is, Mr. Ho. But Yun-pu is getting old. This time I only ask Mr. Ho and Mr. Li to be specially charitable. If the harvest is good next year, I certainly will not hold back anything. This time everything depends on your mercy.”

Yun-pu’s face wore an extremely pathetic expression, and a sob rattled in his throat as he talked. Whatever happened, he had to plead and beg and get all he could then and there. At the very least, he had to beg to be left with enough to feed and clothe his family for the rest of the year.

“No, nothing doing. In ordinary years, I might be a little lenient, but this year, I simply can’t. If everyone were going to be as troublesome as you, what would happen? Besides, I haven’t the time to bother with them all. Still, 1 am sorry for you. I cannot let you suffer. How much will you have left in your hands after paying your debts and taxes? Why not give me the figures and let me see.”

“It couldn’t be that Mr. Ho doesn’t already know what the ealculations are. I reaped altogether 150 piculs of grain from which Mr. Li will demand payment, Mr. Chen will demand payment, and from which must also be deducted the money for the Security Bureau, taxes... .”

“How come you only got such a little?”

“That’s all, I can swear... .”

“Then let me do some calculations for you.”

Mr. Ho then turned around and called to his bookkeeper in the blue gown: “Please calculate the amount.of rent and money Yun-pu owes me.”

“Master, the figures are ready. The money he owes for the rent, the seed grain and the beans borrowed plus interest comes up to 103.56 piculs of grain altogether. We price Yun-pu’s grain at 1.36 dollars per picul.”’

“Well Mr. Li, how about you?”

“Not more than thirty piculs I should think.”

; “He must pay the Dyke Administration about ten piculs,” added Director Chen.

156