of his prosperity was a puffing gas lamp which replaced his high-screened kerosene lamp. In those days gas lamps were used only in old-fashioned private banks and silk and satin shops. What a sight to see a gas lamp above Wang Er's delicatessen stall! By contrast, the kerosene lamp above the counter of Yuanchang Cigarette Shop looked all the dimmer.
大东这条街上过年时的春联是各式各样的。有的是特制嵌了字号的。比如保全堂，就是由该店拔贡出身的东家拟制的“保我黎民，全登寿域”；有些大字号，比如布店，口气很大，贴的是“生涯宗子贡，贸易效陶朱”，最常见的是“生意兴隆通四海，财源茂盛达三江”；小本经营的买卖的则很谦虚地写出：“生意三春草，财源雨后花。”这末一副春联，用于王二的超摊子准铺子，真是再贴切不过了，虽然王二并没有想到贴这样一副春联—他也没处贴呀，这铺面的字号还是“源昌”。他的生意真是三春草、雨后花一样地起来了。“起来”最显眼的标志是他把长罩煤油灯撤掉，挂起一盏呼呼作响的汽灯。须知，汽灯这东西只有钱庄、绸缎庄才用，而王二，居然在一个熏烧摊子的上面，挂起来了。这白亮白亮的汽灯，越显得源昌柜台里的一盏煤油灯十分地暗淡了。
大东Wang Er's rise to fortune could also be perceived from his other activities. He could now afford to listen to pingtan [7] whenever he liked. Listening to pingtan was his favourite pastime. Of all the notices and posters in the street. what attracted him most were those announcing pingtan events. They were usually written in thick Chinese ink on sheets of yellow paper measuring three inches by four feet, which read:"Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Outlaws of the Marsh or Anecdotes of General Yue Fei by special invitation of so-and-so from Yangzhou at a certain Teahouse: performances given every day rain or shine as from a certain date. "In those days going to a pingtan teahouse involved some consideration. Firstly it was an expensive pastime. Secondly it was also a time-consuming entertainment. Last but not least the pingtan audience generally enjoyed relatively high social status. People might talk if a deli vendor frequented the pingtan teahouse. But in recent years, Wang Er did not feel out of place sitting among the audience. He did not fear gossip anymore and went wherever it pleased him, either to the Little Fairyland or Five Willow Garden teahouses to listen to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh, or Anecdotes of General Yue Fei. In the summer when the days were long he went more often, dressed in a long gown made of thin cotton or linen, with a string of cash around him. The matinee started at one o'clock. At nearly four o'clock the story-teller or ballad-singer would stop, usually at a point which was a critical juncture of the plot. A waiter of the teahouse would shout:"Please come early tomorrow!" Then the audience gradually rose to leave. At this time of the day, Wang Er still had time to do his business. Wang Er was busy all day long except for the few hours in the afternoon. The second indication of his prosperity was that during the Chinese New Year he never hesitated to stake money playing paijiu [8] . Wang Er never gambled except for the first five days of the New Year. Gambling was not prohibited during that time. It could be seen in any store. So from the first day on, the shop gate was closed. It was rather dark inside. Behind the counter of the Baoquantang, there was a narrow passage where people offered sacrifices to Shennong [9] . As there was a skylight overhead, it was fairly bright there. After the table in front of the portrait of Shennong was pulled out, the tiles and dice were poured onto the table. Those who played mahjong were of similar social status, but the paijiu players might be from all walks of life. Except for Mr Tao and an apprentice named Chen, all clerks of the Baoquantang took part. So did the rent collector and the live-fish seller who had a scar on his left eye. Some pupils nicknamed him Bayan Har [10] Mountain. and the name stuck and spread. Everyone in the street called him Bayan Har Mountain, though some people, Wang Er for one, hardly knew the full story.
大东The stakes they laid were neither high nor low, about ten strings of cash for one game. Ten strings of cash equalled three silver dollars. For higher stakes, one string of cash was divided into three parts ; 300 wen[11] , 300 wen, and 400 wen. If he got eight spots, he won double, or 600 wen; if he got nine spots, heaven spots,[12] or earth spots,[13] he won the whole string of 1,000 wen. Wang Er often played this game. When he staked five strings of cash on One throw, his heart did not race, and his hands did not tremble. But when the rent collector staked as much as 500 wen, his hands trembled uncontrollably. When Wang Er had won quite a lot of money, he offered to be the dealer. Strangely enough, with paijiu players, the more money one had, the more arrogant one became. More often than not. Wang Er was the winner.
大东王二的发达，是从他的生活也看得出来的。第一，他可以自由地去听书。王二最爱听书。走到街上，在形形色色招贴告示中间，他最注意的是说书的报条。那是三寸宽，四尺来长的一条黄颜色的纸，浓墨写道：“特聘维扬×××先生在×××（茶馆）开讲××（三国、水浒、岳传……）是月×日起风雨无阻。”以前去听书都要经过考虑。一是花钱，二是费时间，更主要的是考虑这于他的身份不大相称：一个卖熏烧的，常常听书，怕人议论。近年来，他觉得可以了，想听就去。小蓬莱、五柳园（这都是说书的茶馆），都去，三国、水浒、岳传，都听。尤其是夏天，天长，穿了竹布的或夏布的长衫，拿了一吊钱，就去了。下午的书一点开书，不到四点钟就“明日请早”了（这里说书的规矩是在说书先生说到预定的地方，留下一个扣子，跑堂的茶房高喝一声“明日请早——！”听客们就纷纷起身散场），这耽误不了他的生意。他一天忙到晚，只有这一段时间得空。第二，过年推牌九，他在下注时不犹豫。王二平常绝不赌钱，只有过年赌五天。过年赌钱不犯禁，家家店铺里可赌钱。初一起，不做生意，铺门关起来，里面黑洞洞的。保全堂柜台里身，有一个小穿堂，是供神农祖师的地方，上面有个天窗，比较亮堂。拉开神农画像前的一张方桌，哗啦一声，骨牌和骰子就倒出来了。打麻将多是社会地位相近的，推牌九则不论。谁都可以来。保全堂的“同仁”（除了陶先生和陈相公），替人家收房钱的抡元，卖活鱼的疤眼——他曾得外症，治愈后左眼留一大疤，小学生给他起了个外号叫“巴颜喀拉山”，这外号竟传开了，一街人都叫他巴颜喀拉山，虽然有人不知道这是什么意思——王二输赢说大不大，说小可也不小。十吊钱推一庄。十吊钱相当于三块洋钱。下注稍大的是一吊钱三三四。一吊钱分三道：三百、三百、四百。七点赢一道，八点赢两道，若是抓到一副九点或是天地杠，庄家赔一吊钱。王二下“三三四”是常事。有时竟会下到五吊钱一注孤丁，把五吊钱稳稳地推出去，心不跳，手不抖。（收房钱的抡元下到五百钱一注时手就抖个不住。）
赢得多了，他也能上去推两庄。推牌九这玩意，财越大，气越粗，王二输的时候竟不多。
大东After Wang Er had moved his stall to the Yuanchang Tobacco Shop next door, at nine o'clock every evening he would still go to the Baoquantang with a cup of tea in his hands and sit for an hour or so. His son had grown up and could alone manage to serve the small number of customers who might turn up in the evening.
大东The Baoquantang was an apothecary with a moderate shop front. For some reason, the shop owner never employed local people. All his employees from manager to water carrier came from Huaicheng. Every year they took a one-month vacation in turn during which time they were allowed to go home to be with their families. For the other eleven months they lived in the shop and their wives were "widowed" for the same period of time. All the clerks in the shop were addressed as"Mr.". Among them, the guanshi, manager, had the highest position, and also a lifelong position. The dismissal of a guanshi was rare. Only when the old guanshi had died could a new one be hired. A guanshi was entitled to"person shares", also known as "labour shares". [14] He had the right to draw dividends at the end of the year like a shareholder. Consequently he was industrious and loyal to the business. He shouldered all the responsibilities in the shop as the shop owner hardly made an appearance. As was the usual practice, he lived alone in a room behind the portrait of Shennong. The general accounts book, money and precious medicines such as rhinoceros horn, antelope and musk were all locked in this room, and the key was kept in his pocket. Ginseng and pilose antler were not regarded as precious. At mealtimes the manager would sit in the last seat, the seat for the host, indicating that he played host to everyone present on behalf of the shop owner. Few people were able to rise to the post of manager. There were just a few apothecaries in the whole county. The manager of the Baoquantang was surnamed Lu.
大东Clerks of the second rank were called daoshang, whose job was to cut Chinese traditional medicine into slices or shreds and "drip" bolus.[15] There was a great amount of medicine to be cut at the drugstore every day. Whether the yinpian [16] looked neat and beautiful or not directly affected business.An adept eye could tell by merely glancing at the yinpian what level the daoshang was. A daoshang was a skilled clerk earning the highest salary and the best reputation in the store. As a rule he sat at the second of the "honoured" seats, the first being always vacant unless there was a guest present. During festivals and on the birthday of the Founder of Medicine (said to be Sun Simiao, rather than Shennong) wine was served at mealtimes. When the manager raised the cup, the daoshang would drink the first mouthful before the others followed suit. The daoshang of Baoquantang was the best medicine cutter in the county. Should he lose his temper and threaten to resign, he would soon receive letters of appointment from other apothecaries. Nevertheless, conceited and headstrong as he might be, he hardly ever got angry. His surname was Xu. The other employees were called tongshi [17] . The tone of the term was somewhat queer, the stress being laid on the first character. They made out prescriptions and kept accounts. They were but common clerks and might be dismissed any year. Before one was dismissed, the manager did not say anything. He only arranged a dinner party in the last month of the year to express gratitude to everyone for their hard work in the past year. Whoever was invited to sit at the head seat would then roll his bedding and go to work elsewhere. Of course, he had already had an inkling and did not really get fired without a moment's notice. Those dismissed had such a presentiment after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some of them had already signed agreements with other apothecaries at an earlier date. They quitted rather smartly. Others, however, would ask some people to mediate and linger in the store for another year. Those who stayed would always make a sort of self-criticism and pledge to work to the best of their ability, but "twice-baked cakes are not good to eat." One who hung on to his place after being discharged could lose face and lower his position. Mr Tao of the Baoquantang was three times on the verge of sitting at the head seat. He had a persistent cough and asthma and was anything but shrewd. He was not fired after all because some of his colleagues had helped patch things up. To him dismissal meant unemployment. Who would accept a man coughing and spitting now and then? Another reason why he remained employed was that he too had his strong points. He never went home. Although in his forties, did not have to perform the duty of rearing offspring, for he was not married. What he had to do now was to be all the more diligent and all the more prudent. Whenever he was seized with fits of asthma, on being asked, "So you are not too well these days, Mr Tao, eh?" he would answer in the midst of his coughs, "As a matter of fact, I...I'm quite well...quite...well." Then he was wheezing again.
大东As it was, apart from the cooks and water-carriers, the store had virtually four ranks of people: guanshi, daoshang, tongshi and xianggong. [18]
大东After being trained for three years and one solar term, the few xianggongs at the Baoquantang had completed their apprenticeships and left. The one at work now was named Chen. He had a big head, large eyes and thick lips. His voice was harsh and slurring.
大东王二把他的买卖乔迁到隔壁源昌去了，但是每天九点以后他一定还是端了一杯茶到保全堂店堂里来坐个点把钟。儿子大了，晚上再来的零星生意，他一个人就可以应付了。
大东且说保全堂。
大东这是一家门面不大的药店。不知为什么，这药店的东家用人，不用本地人，从上到下，从管事的到挑水的，一律是淮城人。他们每年有一个月的假期，轮流回家，去干传宗接代的事。其余十一个月，都住在店里。他们的老婆就守十一个月的寡。药店的“同仁”，一律称为“先生”。先生里分为几等。一等的是“管事”，即经理。当了管事就是终身职务，很少听说过有东家把管事辞了的。除非老管事病故，才会延聘一位新管事。当了管事，就有“身股”，或称“人股”，到了年底可以按股分红。因此，他对生意是兢兢业业，忠心耿耿的。东家从不到店，管事负责一切。他照例一个人单独睡在神农像后面的一间屋子里，名叫“后柜”。总账、银钱，贵重的药材如犀角、羚羊、麝香，都锁在这间屋子里，钥匙在他身上，——人参、鹿茸不算什么贵重东西。吃饭的时候，管事总是坐在横头末席，以示代表东家奉陪诸位先生。熬到“管事”能有几人？全城一共才有那么几家药店。保全堂的管事姓卢。二等的叫“刀上”，管切药和“跌”丸药。药店每天都有很多药要切。“饮片”切得整齐不整齐，漂亮不漂亮，直接影响生意好坏。内行人一看，就知道这药是什么人切出来的。“刀上”是个技术人员，薪金最高，在店中地位也最尊。吃饭时他照例坐在上首的二席——除了有客，头席总是虚着的。逢年过节，药王生日（药王不是神农氏，却是孙思邈），有酒，管事的
举杯，必得“刀上”先喝一口，大家才喝。保全堂的“刀上”是全县头一把刀，他要是闹脾气辞职，马上就有别家抢着请他去。好在此人虽有点高傲，有点倔，却轻易不发脾气。他姓许。其余的都叫“同事”。那读法却有点特别，重音在“同”字上。他们的职务就是抓药，写账。“同事”是没有什么了不起的，每年都有被辞退的可能。辞退时“管事”并不说话，只是在腊月有一桌辞年酒，算是东家向“同仁”道一年的辛苦，只要是把哪位“同事”请到上席去，该“同事”就二话不说，客客气气地卷起铺盖另谋高就。当然，事前就从旁漏出一点风声的，并不当真是打一闷棍。该辞退“同事”在八月节后就有预感。有的早就和别家谈好，很潇洒地走了；有的则请人斡旋，留一年再看。后一种，总要作一点“检讨”，下一点“保证”。“回炉的烧饼不香”，辞而不去，面上无光，身价就低了。保全堂的陶先生，就已经有三次要被请到上席了。他咳嗽痰喘，人也不精明。终于没有坐上席，一则是同行店伙纷纷来说情：辞了他，他上谁家去呢？谁家会要这样一个痰篓子呢？这岂非绝了他的生计？二则，他还有一点好处，即不回家。他四十多岁了，却没有传宗接代的任务，因为他没有娶过亲。这样，陶先生就只有更加勤勉，更加谨慎了。每逢他的喘病发作时，有人问：“陶先生，你这两天又不大好吧？”他就一面喘嗽着一面说：“啊不，很好，很（呼噜呼噜）好！”
大东以上，是“先生”一级。“先生”以下，是学生意的。药店管学生意的却有一个奇怪称呼，叫做“相公”。
大东因此，这药店除煮饭挑水的之外，实有四等人：“管事”、“刀上”、“同事”、“相公”。
大东保全堂的几位“相公”都已经过了三年零一节，满师走了。现有的“相公”姓陈。
大东陈相公脑袋大大的，眼睛圆圆的，嘴唇厚厚的，说话声气粗粗的——呜噜呜噜地说不清楚。
大东He rose earlier than anyone else in the shop. The first thing in the morning, he emptied and brushed all the chamberpots of his fellow clerks, and then left them in the toilet. After that, he swept the floor, cleaned tables, chairs and the counter, dusted the furniture and opened the doors. Doors in this area were all made of planks about one foot wide, fitted in the slots of frames and thresholds. Chen pulled down the planks one after another and set them upright against the wall in the order of E1, E2, E3, E4, Wl, W2, W3, W4. [19] Another task he did was expose medicine to the sun. At sunrise he placed the medicine cut and dripped by Mr Xu onto a round shallow basket, placed it on his head, climbed up a ladder and laid it down on the flat roof. Towards evening he went there again to take it back. This was his happiest moment of the day. He had a chance to look around from this high spot. He saw the roofs of many shops and houses which were pitch black. He saw green trees in the distance and slow-moving sails behind the trees. He saw pigeons. He saw drifting and fluttering kites. He saw, too, miraculous clouds on July evenings, mysterious, flexible and varying in colour. They were grey, white, yellow, tangerine, or with gold lining. They kept changing, taking the shape of a lion, tiger, horse, or dog. Chen at that time was really happy and relaxed. Apart from that moment, the days appeared to him routine and monotonous. Still another task was to pound medicine. He walked back and forth on a wooden board placed in a boat-shaped iron trough. If it was pepper, he sneezed continually. He also had to cut paper. He used a large curved knife to cut stacks of white paper into squares of different sizes to wrap the medicine. Still another task was to print wrapping paper. He had two more routine tasks during the day. In the morning, he rolled many paper spills for smoking waterpipes. He turned the coin rack upside down and rolled paper spills on it one after another. Although no one in the Baoquantang smoked a water pipe, it had somehow become a practice to get them ready every day in case some outsiders needed them. In the afternoon Chen cleaned the lamp-chimneys. More than ten oil lamps were used in the shop, and all the lamp-chimneys had to be rubbed once a day. In the evening Chen spread poultices on pieces of cloth. He was doing that from the time when people began to light oil lamps to the time that Wang Er came over to sit and chat. After ten he placed the chamberpots under the clerks' beds and blew out the lamps. After latching the door, he could make his bed and sleep. The clerks slept in the back side rooms, but Chen slept alone in the sitting room. After he laid down the bed board and unrolled his bedding, the small world was entirely his now. Before he slept, he would always recite a few passages from Medical Recipes in Jingles. Those working at the apothecary had to know something about medicine. Families of limited means could not go to the doctor when someone was sick. Thus, if someone came to the apothecary to state the symptoms of an illness, the staff had to be able to say at once, "Drink a dose of bupleurum," "Take three doses of Huoxiangzhengqiwan”,[20] or "Apply some Qilisan".[21] Sometimes he sat in his quilt and thought about his family, about his mother who had been widowed for many years, and about a Spring Festival picture of a unicorn and a boy, which had hung behind the door for many years. He thought and thought until he got tired. He began to snore heavily as soon as his head touched the pillow.
