Landlord's well

Jueku brought the water jug ​​to his mouth and smelled a pungent stench. He asked Ganji: "What kind of water is this? It smells so bad that I can't drink it. My throat is so dry and thirsty that it's almost smoking, but you give me this smelly water to drink!" Ganji went to fetch water every evening. . The well is far from home and it is difficult to go there again and again to fetch water.

Premchand Translated by Wang Yixiang

Jue Ku Pa Shui When I brought the can to my mouth, I smelled a pungent odor. He asked Ganji: "What kind of water is this? It's so smelly that I can't drink it. My throat is so dry that it's almost smoking, but you give me this smelly water to drink!" Ganji went to fetch water every evening. . The well is far from home and it is difficult to go there again and again to fetch water. The water she brought back yesterday had no smell at all; why was there a smell in the water today? She brought the pitcher to her mouth and actually smelled something bad. Some animal must have fallen into the well and drowned. But where can we get fresh water now? Who would allow her to fetch water from the landowner's well! People would scold her from afar. The moneylender's well was at the other end of the village, but she wouldn't be allowed to draw water there. There are no other wells in the village.

Jueku has been sick for a few days . He lay quietly for a while enduring his thirst, and then said: "Now I am unbearably thirsty. Give me water and let me cover my nose and drink a little!" Ganji did not give him water. She knew that drinking dirty water would make her condition worse; but she didn't know that boiling the water would sterilize it. She said: "How can you drink this water? Who knows what animal died in the well? I will go to the well to get more water." Jueku looked at her in surprise: "Where are you going to get more water?" "Don't the landlords and loan sharks have two wells? Aren't they even allowed to draw a can of water?" ;"> You will only ask them to come back with their hands and feet broken, and there will be no other gains. You should stay quietly! Brahmins will give people blessings; landowners will beat people with crutches; loan sharks will take back a rupee. Five rupees; Who can understand the sufferings of the poor! Even if we die, no one will come to ask, let alone help. Will such a person allow others to draw water from his well?" This A passage full of cold truth. What could Ganji answer? But she still didn't give him the smelly water to drink. At 9 o'clock in the night, the exhausted farmers had all fallen asleep, but about 10 idlers gathered in front of the landlord's house. These people now have no chance to show off their heroes on the battlefield, and today is not such an era. They were talking about heroic defiance of the law; how the landowner had so cleverly bribed the police chief that he got away unscathed from a particular case. How he cleverly obtained a copy of a major case file. Court clerks and officials said he couldn't get a copy. For this copy, some people asked for 50 rupees, while others asked for 100 rupees; and he got the copy without spending a single copper. You have to have a way to do this kind of thing. At this moment, Ganji came to the well to draw water. The dim light of the small oil lamp shone on the well platform. Ganji hid under the well platform and waited for action. Everyone in the village drinks water from this well, and there are no restrictions on anyone. Only unfortunate people like her can't draw water here. Ganji began to feel disgusted with the traditional restrictions and taboos in his heart: "Why are we humble, and why are these people noble? Is it because these people wear a sacred thread around their necks? Each of these guys is worse than the last one." . These are the people who steal; these are the people who conspire; these are the people who create false cases. Not long ago, this landowner stole one of the poor sheepherder's sheep and later killed it and ate it. It was here that In Brahmin families, there are people gambling all year round. It is this loan shark who mixes vegetable oil with ghee and sells it. They know how to make people work, but they are reluctant to give up when they are paid. In what way are they nobler than us? Yes, on the lips. It sounds nobler than us. But we didn't shout at the top of our lungs: 'We are noble, we are noble!' Sometimes when I go to the village, they stare at me with greedy eyes, and feel very itchy. Like this , They still boast about their nobility!" Ganji heard the footsteps of someone walking towards the well. Her heart was pounding. If anyone saw her, that would be terrible. She would be kicked hard. She picked up the water jug ​​and the rope and walked, hunched over, to the shadow of a tree and squatted down. When have these guys shown mercy? Poor Mohagu was beaten until he vomited blood for several months, just because he refused to work for them for free. They still think they are noble!Two women came to the well to fetch water. They talked to each other: "When it was time to eat, they gave orders: Go fetch fresh water! But there was no money to buy water cans." "When these men saw us sitting I feel uncomfortable when I come down to rest." "Yeah, they never pick up the jug and get some water before giving orders: 'Get some fresh water. ' We seem to have become slaves." "You are not a slave, but you are a slave. What? Don’t you have food to eat and clothes to wear? In addition, you can also make ten or eight rupees. Isn’t that what slaves are like?” “Don’t be shy, eldest sister! How I want to take a rest. What if I choose to be here?” It would be much more comfortable for someone else to do so much work, and they would accept my kindness. Here, I am just exhausted, and no one will be satisfied." The two men finished fetching water and left, Gan Ji walked out from under the shade of the tree and reached the well. All the idle people left, and the landlord closed the door and prepared to go inside to sleep. Ganji felt relieved for a moment. In any case, the obstacles on the battlefield were finally cleared. She walked forward. In the past, when the prince went to steal nectar, he probably wasn't so cautious. Ganji tiptoed onto the well platform. She had never felt such a sense of victory. She tied the rope around the jug and looked around cautiously, like a soldier digging a tunnel into the enemy's fortress at night. If she was caught at this time, there would be no hope of forgiveness and tolerance. She prayed to God for blessing, and finally mustered up the courage to put the jug into the well. The jug sank slowly into the water without making any sound. Ganji lifted the water jug ​​to the wellhead in a few strokes. Even a strong man can't lift it so fast!

Gan Jigang bent down and wanted to catch The water jug ​​was placed on the well platform. At this time, the door of the landlord's house suddenly opened, and the lion's open mouth could not be more terrifying than this.

The rope slipped from Ganji's hand After falling down, the jug and the rope fell into the water with a splash. For a while, the sound of water waves rang in the well. "Who? Who?" the landowner shouted, walking towards the well. Ganji jumped down from the well platform and ran away. When I got home, I saw Jueku holding a pitcher and drinking the dirty and smelly water.