Chien were held in great respect by the villagers, for in addition to being rich they were both the fathers of young scholars. He looked down on all the inhabitants of Weichuang, thinking even the two young "scholars" not worth a smile, though most young scholars were likely to pass the official examinations.
Thus whenever people had work to be done they would remember Ah Q, but what they remembered was his service and not his "background" and by the time the job was done even Ah Q himself was forgotten, to say nothing of his "background." Once indeed an old man remarked, "What a good worker Ah Q is!" At that time Ah Q, stripped to the waist, listless and lean, was standing before him, and other people did not know whether the remark was meant seriously or derisively, but Ah Q was overjoyed.Īh Q, again, had a very high opinion of himself. If the work lasted for a considerable period he might stay in the house of his temporary employer, but as soon as it was finished he would leave. He had no regular work either, simply doing odd jobs for others: were there wheat to be cut he would cut it, were there rice to be ground he would grind it, were there a boat to be punted he would punt it. In addition to the uncertainty regarding Ah Q's surname, personal name, and place of origin, there is even some uncertainty regarding his "background." This is because the people of Weichuang only made use of his services or treated him as a laughing-stock, without ever paying the slightest attention to his "background." Ah Q himself remained silent on this subject, except that when quarrelling with someone he might glance at him and say, "We used to be much better off than you! Who do you think you are anyway?"Īh Q had no family but lived in the Tutelary God's Temple at Weichuang. The True Story of Ah-Q Lu Xun The True Story of Ah-Q Chapter Two: A Brief Account of Ah-Q's Victories
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