A Play:
Buying Medicine
By Liu Qinglin
Characters: X ------ Xiao Fei
S ------- Shopkeeper
D- ---- Doctor Li
O- -----Others ( O1, O2 O3 -----)
Ws ------ Wounded soldiers ( W1, W2,W3 -----)
H -----He zhenwu, a Japanese spy
W- ---- Woman
J ------ Japanese
Scene1
( At an old temple lie some wounded soldiers. D is examining their wounds.)
D: Good evening, everyone.
Ws: ( Together) Good evening, Dr Li.
D: Hello, let me examine you.
W1: I’m all right. There’s no need to do so. ( W1 is about to fall down.)
D: (Helps him up) Your leg discloses you! Let me have a look. Ah, it’s going worse. Let me put some
medicine on you.
W1: No, it isn’t necessary. There is little medicine left. Go to look after that young man. He has a high
fever. He seems fainted.
D: ( Takes W2’s temperature. ) So he has! He needs an injection but we have none. Feed him these last three pills with warm water. What else can I do? There’s no medicine left.
W3: Don’t worry, Doctor. I am young and strong. I am all tight now. I’ll go and buy some medicine.
D: No, you are not all right. Your leg will bleed when you move. Lie down and have a good rest.
W4: So you can let me go . I can run very fast. The enemy cannot catch me.
( Just then, Xiao Fei comes in.)
X: Be quiet everybody. You must have a good rest. This is order, you know.
W1: But there’s no medicine left.
X: That’s why I’m here. I’ve come to fetch the list . I’ll go to town to buy medicine.
D: Have you got any money?
X: No.
D: ( Takes off her gold ring.) Take this with you. Perhaps you can change it for medicine.
X: No, I can’t take it , because it is given to you by your future husband who gave up his life to the revolution a few days ago. It mustn’t go to other people’s hands.
D: But how can you get the medicine without money?
X: Don’t worry. I’ll manage. Goodbye.
D and Ws: Be careful!
Scene2
( Music) ( Xiao is walking on the way like a businessman. He sings as he goes.
When he Passes a corn field, he sees He Zhenwu the Japanese spy robbing a woman)
W: Help! Help!
H: You needn’t cry. There’s nobody else here. Let me marry you and make yourself noble.
W: You Japanese spy! No one will marry you.
H: Otherwise I’ll kill you! ( He raises his gun and the woman catches hold of his wrist . They start a fight. Finally, H knocks W down. Just then X arrives)
X: Stop! Don’t bully Chinese woman!
H: It’s none of your business! Go away.
X: I would rather stop you. ( H raises his gun towards X. X kicks it away. They begin a fight. W puts on his clothes W and begins to pull H’s leg. X knocks H down)
X: (To W) Quick! Help me tie him up.
W: You are bleeding. Let me do first aid.
X: It doesn’t matter. Pull him into the corn fields.
H: Please spare my life. I won’t do that again
( W takes up the gun and is about to shoot.)
X: Don’t do that. If the Japanese hear the shot, they’ll come.
H: Thank you, sir. But please let me go.
X: Let you go? You’ll continue to kill and bully Chinese! ( X puts his socks into H’s mouth.) Wait here . And lend me your pass and bike. Don’t try to run away. (They go down.)
Scene 3
(Music) (X is riding a bike toward town. He sings as he goes along)
J1 and J2: Stop! Show me your pass.
X: Here you are!
J1 & J2: ( After reading it.) Hi! Salute. ( They Salute.) ( X goes through the town gate and after some time stops at a drug shop and knocks at the door.)
S: Who’s it?
X: It’s me, a customer.
S: (To O1) Go to answer the door.
O1: come in, please. You are the only customer for these days.
S: What can I do far you?
X: ( Hands him the pass.) We Japanese assistant soldier need some medicine. Here is the list.
S: Oh, so much medicine! Do you have enough money?
X: We’ll send you the money in a few days’ time. Quick, this is order. ( Shows him his gun.)
S: All right! All right!
S: ( To O1) Quick! Give him the medicine
O1: All right . ( Hands it to X.) Here you are.
X: I have to go now. Bye-bye.
S: ( To O1) Quick! Close the door.
O1: All right. ( He closes it.)
S: ( Makes a telephone call.) Hi! This is No1 Medicine Shop. Just now, a man came in and took a lot of medicine away. Perhaps he belongs to the Eighth Route Army . Stop him, quick!
( X rides his bike fast. Soon he arrives at the gate, J1 is receiving a phone call. J2 signs him to stop. X rides towards him and knocks him out. J1 begins to short at him. Soon he arrives at a bridge, where two soldiers stand . X kills them with two shots. A crowd of soldiers rush towards him. He run into the corn field. H has just frees himself and is about to leave.)
J3: Oh, here he is!
js: (Together) Don’t move! Hands up!
H: I’m sorry. I’m not Eighth -----
J4: Tie him up. ( They tie him up and beat him.)
H: Ouch! I belong to Japanese army.
J5: Don’t listen to him. He’s lying. Put him in our car. Let’s go. (They go down.)
X: (X goes through the corn field and comes up to a street. He meets some Japanese and fights them. He kills some of them and enters a lane. Finally he arrives at the temple. D and Ws come to welcome him)
D: Here comes our hero.
Ws: Congratulations.
X: Thank you, everybody.
( The end )