The Gang of Four - Chien Swee-Teng

The Gang of Four - Chien Swee-Teng
1. The Han Tang Martial Art School is a school without a master, for every disciple is the master of the other disciple, self-education is the maxim.
2. It was late at night, Wang, who was half-drunk, wanted to leave, but the rest did not allow him to: just because he has to receive the fresh cockles he ordered, the fresh cockles he wanted to prepare the next day is not a valid excuse. It will be sent to his hut, in the west, in the morning. To the rest, this is a bloody cock reason, and unbecoming for a swordsman. Wang laughed, the rest could hear his lungs tremble, then Zhang arrived, stepping in from the main door, not jumping in from the window or landing and breaking a few tiles on the roof. He came with another jar of wine, just one jar, he told us, was what he could afford at the moment. Wang stood up when to the store and carried out another three jars, 'Fret not, we still have another eighteen! hahaha!'
Then the conversation drifted to another cock related subject. Jiang, sitting on the rocking chair, began ranting, about the rat, the rest applaused, it was a brilliant rant! The presence of the rat shall be the downfall of the sect. The rat who could find all available cracks and holes in the wall to sneak in. It seems to be the final straw for Jiang, who was very disturbed by cock face of the pest, his slimy gestures, although Wang and Zhang prefer to visualise it as bulldog. The pest by the surname of Dong. Wang reminded him of what he read about the return, at every Thermidorian phase of the revolution, how this pest could survive every persecution. Yao teased Jiang about how it took him so long to react, 'what a long final straw'. Jiang and Yao laughed like eunuchs from the Eastern Chamber.
3. The conversation drifted to women they have left and the women they should now select and neglect, the assasination plan with Lin, the next robbery, the second cultural revolution, another again, of how one divides into two. In short, it was a very male chauvinistic conversation.
4. That night Wang peed on to the flowers and rocks in the garden thrice, and pointed to a lantern hanging from the beam twice, relating it to something about stars and night sky. The rest kept quiet, all of them know he was being poetic again, although he hardly wrote anything down (perhaps, except for an unfinished short story based on Yao's encounter with a half-Russian woman, whom Yao offered about two thousand copper coins in exchange for nothing). After peeing on a rock, he asked Yao why the top of the rock is lighter, almost white? Yao replied, cheebye.
Apart from displaying his literary talent, Wang also like to exhibit his strength, practice his sword play and kicks. Wang drew his sword and cut the rock into two and laughed loudly, the rest heard his lungs trembling again. Both Zhang and Yao were reminded of an incident two months ago: Wang left a brothel terribly drunk, roaming the street alone, Zhang and Lin offered to send him off, but Wang screamed at them to fuck off, Wang fell asleep on the street, lost his sword and money, then walked past a Yamen, kicked smashed the wooden sign and stele outside. The morning after Wang was so worried he burnt the shoes and clothes he was wearing that night, and stayed in, worrying that the constables might be looking for him. This state of paranoia lasted for about two weeks, and Wang was noticeably slimmer, his belly were smaller, chin sharper. This state ended when a courtesan from one of the many brothels he frequent asked for him.
5. Zhang and Wang climbed up to the mezzanine to sleep, it's cooler there. Yao fell asleep briefly on the opium bed in the store, it seemed he wanted to get another jar. Then he gets up with a slight neck ache, walked past Jiang who was lying in the middle of the hall amongst the either empty or broken jars and joined the other two at the mezzanine. In the morning, Jiang woke up with a headache, he left just before sunrise, left without saying farewell to the rest, just like a swordsman, the true behavior of a swordsman, he left quietly without wanting to interrupt the three who were snoring. He jumped over the wall of the estate, and crossed the bridge above the river, towards the west woods where the next chapter about Jiang's face off with another Rat is set.