The Snail Girl

To Feel and Taste the World

Wang Zengqi

Liaoning People’s Publishing House

August 2022

49.80 (CNY)

To Feel and Taste the World originated from Selected Works of Contemporary Chinese Writers: Wang Zengqi was first published in 1992. It is an anthology of essays compiled by Wang Zengqi himself， including some famous essays written by Mr. Wang in the first half of his last ten years.

Wang Zengqi

Representative of contemporary Chinese writers， essayists， dramatists， and Beijing-style writers， he is known as “a lyrical humanitarian， China’s last pure man of letters， and China’s last scholar-official.” His representative works include Ordainment， Four O’clock Flower Collection， Dying Water， Evergreen Works， and so on.

There was a farmer who lived in poverty. He was the only child in his family， and his parents had already died. He had a piece of infertile land as well as a hut consisting of a few rooms， living a lonely and tough life. At sunrise， he went out to the farm， plowing in spring and hoeing in summer. At sunset， he went home and cooked for himself. However， as a man， he was not good at cooking. He always used wet firewood and therefore cooked his food over a smoky fire. Often， he had a dirty face like the Kitchen God. When he was sometimes lazy and unwilling to start a fire， he soaked the leftover rice in cold water， picked and slightly dipped a handful of wild chives and five chili peppers with salt water， and swallowed them. Soon， he was full. Although the food was simple and coarse， there was no lack of soft wind and warm sunshine in the fields. Exposed to the weather， he stayed fit and energetic like a calf or a foal. He would sleep on the bamboo bed under a quilt and fall asleep quickly， having a carefree and content life.

Suddenly one day， after farming in the fields， he washed his feet by the stream and saw a snail on the rock at the bottom of the stream. The snail was huge， different from the usual snails. It was five-colored， crysyalline， and lovely. He was fascinated by it， so he took it home and kept it in a water tank. Before going to sleep， he would strike the flint to start a fire， light pine torches， and watch it from time to time. He rejoiced in his heart as if he had found a treasure.

The young man went to the farm in the fields at dawn the next day. At the end of the day， the cattle and sheep all returned home. The sky blazed with the evening glow， and the setting sun was like molten gold. The farmer missed the snail and hurried home. When he got home， he looked down at the water tank. The snail was still there， colorful， crysyalline and clear. Then， he planned to start a fire and cook dinner. However， when he opened the lid， he found that the dinner was ready， including half a pot of rice and a bowl of vegetables. The farmer was so hungry that he did not think it over but picked up the chopsticks and ate. A hot meal was delicious. After dinner， he wondered， “Who made the meal? Could it be the old lady next to me? She pities me for being lonely and helpless and cooks for me?” So he went to thank her. But his neighbors all said， “We never cooked for you， don’t thank us!” The farmer was puzzled.

The next day， the young man still went to farm in the fields. After returning home， he saw that the food had been prepared again. The fried tofu was tender， dry， and browned， and the plate of sauced ginger was spicy and appetizing.

On the third day， the farmer came back at sunset， unlocked the door， and smelled the aroma of food. He opened the lid and saw a bowl of cured meat and a pot of liquor in addition to rice. The farmer enjoyed the meat and liquor and finally got intoxicated and full.

He thought， “Who is it? Who cooks for me? Why do they do me such a favor?”

On the fourth day， the farmer returned home early. He had already arrived home before the villagers began to cook. He trod lightly and peered in through the crack of the door， only to see a girl slowly coming out of the shell. She was slightly dark-skinned， as pretty as a picture， and made the hut suddenly glow. She moved gracefully， gentle and delicate. She took some water，" washed her hands， and was about to cook. At this time， the farmer broke in， took a big stride， and snatched the shell. Then， he made a sudden dive for the girl， kneeling down and refusing to get up. The snail girl， unable to escape， fiddled with her clothes shyly and agreed to marry him. The farmer was afraid that the girl would return to the shell， so he hid the shell. He sealed it tightly and kept it a secret.

A year later， the snail girl gave birth to a boy， who took after his mother and was extremely intelligent. The family lived in harmony and had a happy and warm life.

However， this man was now well-fed and became arrogant and lazy. He no longer respected the snail girl as he had done at the beginning. He was somewhat rude to her. Sometimes when he entered the door and put down his hoe， he would shout， “Fetch water and wash my feet!” Without caring about the housework， he would only tease the child and smoke. He just asked for clothes and meals and never experienced housework， as if he were an emperor. The snail girl had a gentle temperament and did not mind.

One day， the farmer suddenly wondered if the shell was still there. He got up， took out the shell， and gazed at it. The shell was still as crystal and clear as ever. Then， he teased the baby with it and sang while drumming his chopsticks on the shell.

At that time， the snail girl was cooking dishes. When she heard the song， she was displeased， rushed into the room， snatched the snail shell， and jumped into the shell. Immediately， she disappeared. The farmer was extremely remorseful. He went out with his son in his arms， shouting in all directions. The mountain wind was still blowing， and the water was still gurgling. However， no one answered him in the vast fields.

After losing his sweet wife， the farmer had no intention of farming. His fields were deserted， and he became increasingly poor. Always with a blank expression， he became dark-skinned and looked old. People who lost their love tended to grow old quickly.