The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)

by Pearl S. Buck

He thought of this at first with joy and then with a pang of fear. It did not do in this life to be too fortunate. The air and the earth were filled with malignant spirits who could not endure the happiness of mortals, especially of such as are poor.

Words were to her things to be caught one by one and released with difficulty.

Then there was always distrust of that which one did not know and understand. It is not well for a man to know more than is necessary for his daily living.

And from that time on the boys were no longer called Elder and Younger, but they were given school names by the old teacher, and this old man, after inquiring into the occupation of their father, erected two names for the sons; for the elder, Nung En, and for the second Nung Wen, and the first word of each name signified one whose wealth is from the earth.