Chapter 23 meet happy

"cousin." "Hey, cousin." The two are of the same age, and there are few months between them, so they are polite and call each other cousins. When the daughter returned to her natal home, she also stepped forward and called "cousin". Mrs. Xun hurriedly responded with a smile, "Hey, Yuan Mei." Mrs. Xun came to Shanghai and got fat. The brocade and silk cotton gown was wrapped around her body, like a big python with colorful scales coiled; Walking slightly sideways, it would be like a goose walking like a duck if it were someone else, but if it was her, it would be a mandarin duck.She combed her hair in a bun, her jet-black hair was slightly lowered, she had thick long eyebrows, double eyelids, and her oval face was red, like the red shadow of egg yolk in the shell of a salted duck egg.

After saying hello, Mrs. Wu said again: "How is Shaofu? Is there a letter from Zu Zhi Zu Yi?" They have a son and a daughter in Beijing, and only brought their youngest son to Shanghai. Mrs. Xun also asked if there was any letter from Yuanmei's younger siblings, who were all studying in the United States.Their father was not in Shanghai either. After the war, Hong Kong was abnormally prosperous. Because of the Communist Party, sensitive businessmen all went to Hong Kong to develop, and Mr. Wu's company also moved there.Political and geographical separation is a convenience for couples in old-fashioned marriages who are discordant, just like Chongqing and the enemy-occupied areas during the war.He brought another woman—his secretary, who had followed him and had a son—and Mrs. Xun didn't mention him.

Recently, their son-in-law also went abroad for further studies, so Yuan Mei came back to stay for a while to accompany her mother.Her husband, siblings, and siblings all left, and she couldn't help but feel lonely.These young people were not very talkative—the forerunners of the "silent generation" of the 1950s.So Mrs. Xun didn't talk to her except to ask with a smile, "How is Zifan?" As soon as the two cousins ​​sat down, they chattered, giggled, and laughed, because they used to do this when they were young, and after they got married, they had to speak in a low voice, and there were many people who talked about it.Until now, Mrs. Wu lives alone in the big house, and she still seems to be afraid that the walls have ears.

"Cousin got a new perm." Mrs. Xun's sip of Peking film was still so crisp, adding to the hallucinations of girlhood. "Look at these white hairs." Mrs. Wu chuckled a little embarrassedly, and turned her head to stroke the short curly hair on the back of her head. "Me too, cousin!" "I don't see it!" Mrs. Wu, wearing glasses, came closer to take a closer look. "I can't see *Xi either!" The two inspected each other, like catching lice on the head. Occasionally, once or twice, they found one and a half. They screamed softly: "Don't move!"Mrs. Xun was slow, she was used to doing things very slowly, out of self-defense.

If you quickly finish the housework under your name, others will be sent down, or you will be seen sitting idle. Mrs. Wu said with a smile: "Look at my hair is thinning. I used to think it was too much. I have a big braid so thick. I look stupid. I want to cut off a strand, but I can't cut it. If I cut my hair, I will be angry and it will fall out. Mrs. Wu used to be an ugly duckling, hereditary myopia—Yuan Mei refused to wear glasses.Nowadays, it doesn’t matter whether people wear them or not. Glasses and front bangs are incompatible. In the past, there were herringbone bangs, one-line bangs that covered the eyebrows, crooked peach bangs, and Yunduling-style horizontal bangs. bangs. "Fengrong Shengqiu", a pair of Xiaoyuantao glasses on the shelf are stupid.

Mrs. Xun said with a smile: "At that time, I was happy to loosen my braids. I somehow picked them up and rolled them up. The third uncle's grandma's house has a hair comber who can comb them. I happened to catch up with them that day and braided them. The next day Went to Tian’s house for a wedding. When I came back, I had to lie on the table and sleep all night. I didn’t go to bed, or my hair would be messed up and combed in vain.” It is also influenced by the West, but cutting and perming hair was unimaginable at that time, and it was really not easy to comb straight hair into curly hair and pile it on the forehead.The root of the braid is also tied tightly, covering part of the neck and ears.In fact, it became popular among some female students and teachers in the early Republic of China, and people in brothels also imitated it.They are old-fashioned at home and have only been seen in cigarette pictures.

"During the wedding at Tian's house, you said you wanted to yawn all the time, and you burst into tears. LOL! said Mrs. Wu. Yuan Mei smiled and listened, as if she was listening to Gu. Mrs. Wu said again: "I also want to grow my hair long and comb it." Mrs. Xun said with a smile: "If you want to comb your hair, there needs to be an old woman who can do it. Comb it yourself. My arms are always held up like this and pinned to the back. It hurts! My shoulders are already suffering from muscle and bone pain. I was lifting boxes at their house. shoulder." As he spoke in a low voice, he leaned closer, as if he was in danger of being overheard.

"Hey, 'the eldest young mistress will help carry it,'" Mrs. Wu frowned and smiled, imitating Mrs. Xun's understatement and nonchalant tone. "It's not. Look at the shoulders—it's all collapsed!" Sending one shoulder up to show her.It used to be "beauty shoulders" - shaved shoulders, but they are used to rough work and muscular. It looks like the sloping shoulder pads that were popular at that time, and the position is extremely low.The internal injury is invisible, and when it is severe, I go to massage. "It's only their family—!" Mrs. Wu bared her teeth and made a grimace.

"That's how they are in the Xun family." Mrs. Xun looked at her and smiled, her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, as if she was telling her this secret for the first time. "The cooking is also done by the eldest grandma. 'The dishes cooked by the eldest grandma are so good*!'" "Who would? Say 'you'll see it'." It was the first time he confided in a low voice with a smile, "I didn't do it right, scold me!" "Who did it if you didn't come?" Mrs. Xun withdrew her smile, and her voice became thicker. "It's just Lao Li." A maid, no cook—a sign of poverty.

Both were silent for a while. The maid made tea. "Cousin smokes." Mrs. Wu herself does not smoke.Mrs. Xun once explained that she smoked because she was “in a panic when sitting on the toilet”.Of course, that was after she married in Beijing, and there was no flush toilet. Mrs. Xun lit a cigarette, raised her chin and said, "I just hate the mahogany furniture in their living room. They are full of claws—" At first, it was in a coquettish and complaining tone, and the gruff voice dragged on, "The claws still have to be polished. It’s like squatting on the ground to polish shoes, and it takes a long time to polish each one.” Apparently, once a visitor came and had no time to avoid it, he was seen squatting or lying on the ground.There was deep embarrassment and a sense of filth in his voice when he said this.

"Hey, there is such a set of furniture in Beijing Duxing, all of which are antiques." "Those stinky rules in their house!" "You old lady, you are probably very important to me. When I go, I always stay in your room and ask you to accompany me. The meal is also in your room, and you eat alone. Sometimes Shaofu comes in for a while The son went out again, stubborn." They both laughed.At that time, Mrs. Wu was not yet married, so she traveled to Beijing with her elder brother and sister-in-law, and went to see her at Xun's house.Shao Fu had already met him. He had been to Shanghai with the bride when she returned home. He was a dark, fat man with a stupefied look, very conceited and quite tempered.Mrs. Wu really felt sorry for her.Such old relatives gave her to the Xun family.Until now, Yuan Mei once said behind her back that her face was still beautiful, and Mrs. Wu said angrily: "You didn't see how bright her eyes used to be, and she had a mischievous look. Once she got married, her eyes were dumbfounded. She was alone. shocked." As he spoke, his eye circles turned red and his voice became hard. Mrs. Xun leaned forward to flick the cigarette ash, thoughtfully, and turned one foot to the side, staring at the apricot yellow leather shoes on her feet, men's laces, with a few thin white marks on the upper. "The cat scratched it," she explained, smiling, half to herself. "It's under the bed. The landlady's cat has come in." Taking a puff of cigarette, Yin laughed again: "When our old man died, we asked us to dress him." She only deepened the smile at the corner of her mouth instead of making a grimace. "She's afraid," she said softly.Of course it refers to her mother-in-law. "I don't dare to touch my wife as soon as he dies. Their family rules are so strict, and the father-in-law and daughter-in-law are naked, isn't that taboo?" Mrs. Wu grinned with a smile, "Then you have to wipe him? " "The person in the bar room was wiped, and we just put on the lining clothes. The shroud hasn't been made yet, so beat Shaofu, and blame him for not coming earlier." He smiled quietly: "I don't know, I went to Rui with the second young lady Fu Xiang went to buy materials for shrouds, and Shao Fu didn't tell me when he came back." "Shaofu is like this." Mrs. Wu smiled, and after speaking, she was silent for a moment, then laughed again: "Shaofu is much better now." Mrs. Xun didn’t say anything, she paused for a moment and laughed, “I hate Shaofu when the Japanese came—” He was working in the Palace Museum in Nanjing, and he retreated after the war. She was taking the children back to her mother’s house. ,in Shanghai. "He boxed up all their antiques and took away all my things. All my photos, clothes, leather, all gone." "Hey, the old photos are like this. If you lose them, they will be gone." Although Mrs. Wu was never beautiful when she was young, she can understand the mood of beauties when they are old. "No, it's gone if you lose it." She went back to Beijing with her three children.The standard of living in Chongqing is high, and small civil servants cannot take care of their families. After eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, they waited another year for the ship after the victory.At that time, for some reason, he got angry and quit. Fortunately, a friend found a job for him in a university library in Shanghai, and he went back to Beijing to pick her up. She and Mrs. Wu also reunited after a long absence.Mrs. Wu is alone again now, she is very leisurely, and I often come to her. In fact, I can find her more frequently, and I live close by. Not sure if she understood.Send someone to deliver a letter and ask her for money. She didn't want the people below to look down on her poor relatives, and always gave too much.Let's send the letter, and I'm a little bit unwilling, and I'm living in Shanghai again, and I still have to write a letter.This time when she received the reply letter, an extra stamp was pasted on the envelope, and Mrs. Wu felt a sense of irony.She even pays double for the post office. First, I rented a room in Hongkou, and there were mice that bit Zu Ming's fingers. The rice noodle pockets had to be hung in the air, otherwise a hole would be bitten and everything would leak out. "It's a good place to move now," Mrs. Xun often said. The last time Yuanmei went to a classmate's house, Mrs. Wu asked her to drop by Xun's house to deliver a letter, so that Mrs. Xun would not pay for the drinks.It was a dark old bungalow. They lived on the second floor near the stairs. The doors on all sides were not big. There was a two-drawer table and a chest of drawers, separating a double wooden bed and a small iron bed.Pots, woks and chopping boards are placed on the table, and the small briquettes stove is outside the door.Mrs. Xun greeted her with a smile, her attitude was very generous and natural, and she didn't offer any tea, just like this is a student dormitory. She is alone at home.Zu Ming entered middle school. He is fourteen years old, taller than his father, and loves to play basketball.Mrs. Xun often said that he went to the football game. "They didn't want it after they had two children, and Zu Ming slipped through the cracks. One day I didn’t use medicine for some reason—it was squeezed out like a kind of toothpaste,” Mrs. Wu once told Yuan Mei softly with a smile. The fish that slipped through the net is already so big.How can I share a room with my parents, how inconvenient it is.When Yuan Mei thought about it, she immediately felt that she shouldn't, even though she was newly married after a long absence, she was not young, so why would she think of this.Zifan has just left, is he already mentally abnormal?She knows a little about the superficial aspects of modern psychology, but she doesn't study hard.So her father was angry with her for refusing to study—he just liked her alone, which disappointed him. After graduating from middle school, she married a classmate's brother, and the family was very opposed.She had money since she was a child, so she didn't pay much attention to money, but now she can't bear it. Going with Zifan is a no-brainer, his going is already an unexpected opportunity. She had caught the ethos of postwar America, where early marriages were popular.The girl is carrying a baby in a sack on her back, it's all over the world.Even boys voluntarily give up college degrees, do not admire glory and profit, and pursue a plain life. Zifan had already given up and found a job, but it was not enough to support the family, so he still lived with his parents after marriage.In the United States, young couples still live in their old homes at first, but they are not limited to male and female families. Unexpectedly, such an opportunity popped up at this time.Should he give up again?It seems impossible to explain. He left, leaving her alone, not even suitable in her mother's house, treat her as an adult, whether she is big or small.Want to go out and find something to do, so as not to have nothing to do all day long, the things that middle school graduates can do, the in-laws cannot pass, and they will lose face. The most irritating thing is that if she is not married, she happens to go with him-her parents can't wait for her to pay for her to go abroad to go to university.At this time, I had no choice but to watch my younger brothers and sisters go out one by one, and I couldn't be jealous. It's not that she's worried about him.But thousands of miles away, if you want to be completely at ease, then unless you don't love him, you think that no one wants him, and no princess as beautiful as in the myth will fall in love with him. Her mother went out with her father at the beginning, she was born in a foreign country, and only asked someone to bring her back when she was two or three years old. She doesn't remember anything, what a shame!It sounds like her mother is not happy in a foreign country either.What an injustice! In fact, Mrs. Wu almost never mentioned those years abroad.There was only one time, when I met Mrs. Xun for the first time after returning to China, when I talked about the food outside, "I don't cook it myself," Mrs. Wu muttered, but said suddenly: "It is said that the braised pork should be deep-fried first." Mrs. Xun was startled, and cried out in protest: "No need!" "I said we're going to blow up the meat first." Mrs. Wu repeated indifferently. Mrs. Xun also changed her tone of uncertainty, and only murmured half to herself: "There is no need to fry up * *!" "Hey, I said it was going to be bombed first." It seemed to declare that she was irresponsible, anyway, there was such a thing.Although she didn't "cook in the kitchen for three days" like Mrs. Xun, she didn't enjoy a few more days of blessings, and she went abroad soon after leaving the cabinet.I don’t know how to cook, so I can always make braised pork, but when I make it, it’s always a shiny pot of oil, with a few small pieces of dark lean meat floating in it. Mr. Wu said angrily: “When I was in middle school, I secretly took two It’s better to stew with the washbasin upside down.” Later, when I held a Chinese student union, I met two girls—although they don’t usually open warehouses, they often have boyfriends and girlfriends to hold tooth festivals together—and I was skeptical when I heard them say that braised pork should be deep-fried first.They are not overseas Chinese, otherwise they would think it is Cantonese and Fujian cuisine, if Cantonese and Fujianese also eat braised pork. It seems to be better when I go back and cook it in the same way, but it is difficult to fry it half-baked. The oil is either too much or too little, or it is stiff or too deep-fried. If it is simmered again, the meat will be old. A few years after returning to China, she once showed Mrs. Xun a white pigskin handbag, and said with a smile, "No wonder their meat has no skin. They are all going to make shoes and leather bags!" Mrs. Xun let out a prolonged "Oh", before suddenly saying: "So they have to deep-fry the braised pork—without the skin! Otherwise the fat will melt." "Hey, it's about to explode," Mrs. Wu replied calmly, as if she didn't understand.She had been worrying about it for so long, and there was a simple explanation, but it seemed that she was stupid, and the suffering was for nothing, and the suffering was wronged. A piece of braised pork and a comb of hair are enough for her.It's not necessary to comb your hair. Wearing a Chinese-style skirt and jacket, you can't cut your hair.At that time, the cheongsam was not well-known internationally, and they all wore foreign clothes abroad, and only brought one or two sets of sequined embroidered skirt jackets or trapezoidal cheongsams, which were worn at masquerade balls.She was the only one who was shy and refused to modify it. She still wore an antique "copy satin" short jacket with small folded branches and flowers, with a large rounded hem; a black silk crepe skirt that was neither long nor short, densely inlaid with a few pine flowers half a foot from the bottom edge. The egg-colored lace is half a foot wide, like the three inlays and three rolls on the sleeves of the front clear jacket. The large inlays and big rolls are eye-catching.It's not that she doesn't know.It's also because at least he's used to seeing her like this, so he might feel even more ugly if she suddenly changed her appearance.Fortunately, she doesn't go to school, so it doesn't matter if she touches the eye. He didn't say anything.He has always heard foreigners praise the beauty of Chinese women's clothes, and foreign wives are even more "oh" and "ah" without saying a word, and the long black hair is regarded as a beauty point. glasses. When they got engaged, they heard that she was a female bachelor who was well-versed in both Chinese and Western, well-known among relatives.But because of her shyness, foreigners always think she doesn't understand English.Her exotic attire was also a barrier.He dragged an ugly wife who was not good at housework and socializing all over the place, and he couldn't help complaining. What she was most afraid of was that during winter and summer vacations, he would always gather his boyfriend and girlfriend to travel around Europe.Once you get to a place where you don’t understand the language, it’s like falling into a jar of paste. You have to book a hotel, change money, read a map, read a menu, read a bill, take the subway, catch a train, and catch a tour guide bus.It was the tour group organized by him, and his wife was naturally his deputy, and she was praised and criticized when things went wrong.Rareness is the most precious thing for female students studying abroad. Once they go abroad, they are worth ten times, but there may be a real important wife among them.Mr. Wu treats them with care, in a true gentlemanly manner, he stops at cultivating relationships, and blindly blames his wife for not taking good care of them. She was silent, but she still smiled sweetly, with a hidden and unshakable complacency.At least he wasn't unfaithful to her.She is inferior to others in everything, and she still has some confidence in her plump white body. The family asked her to follow him just to worry about him.He had a lot of homework when he came here, and he knew well that studying in a famous university is to study an "old classmate network".Foreign princes and grandchildren can't make friends, and the children of domestic celebrities can only be more powerful.As a newcomer, he can accompany him everywhere.At first I didn't know anyone, but people who bring their families to study abroad are always rich, and once they have a reputation for being enthusiastic, they naturally make more friends.He is active in the student union, and he doesn't want to be in the limelight, he just wants to show up and make friends. Although there are many entertainments, he certainly has no ambitions for foreign women, and he does not provoke foreign women.He was born with the appearance of a sick man in East Asia, with a slender figure, concave chest, and a big round gray face, like an old silver dollar that has been worn dull and fuzzy, with a pair of tortoiseshell glasses on it, which is not attractive to Western women. There is no way out in Huajie and Liuxiang, and those who don't know the details are afraid of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.Once you return to China, you enter the banking industry and quickly become successful, which is wrong. After a moment of silence, Mrs. Xun lowered her voice and smiled quietly: "Shaofu got his salary that day, and Shen Bingru came to borrow the money." The couple called him this brother-in-law, Shen Bingru, by name and surname behind their backs.The younger sister is "Miss Wan". She has been in poor health since she was a child and is very spoiled. Seeing her pause, Yuan Mei said, apparently she couldn't decide whether she could say this in front of Yuan Mei.But of course she knew that their family had no contact with her sister-in-law at all, so she wasn't afraid to let it out. Yuan Mei thought that she should go away - don't stand up immediately, wait a while.But she still sat still.Walking away and letting them talk seemed a bit cold, in the circumstances.She knew that Mrs. Xun knew how much her mother had suffered because of her marriage, so she naturally blamed her, although she didn't show it.At the same time, Mrs. Xun felt that she looked down on her.Children often look down on relatives who often donate at home, especially if the mother is so good with her.Yuan Mei thought: "Actually, I just look down on fame and status, that's why I did this. How does she know?" Anyway, try to show her affection as much as possible. Mrs. Xun whispered and smiled, and said: "Second Master Hong also came to borrow money. Fortunately, he just sent the money to Beijing." It was inconvenient for Mrs. Wu to say anything, and the two looked at each other and smiled. Mrs. Xun laughed again and said, "When Shao Fu said, 'We'll just get through it', I got angry when I heard it. I thought to myself: Haven't all my jewelry been sold? And the money my cousin lent us. My necklace, my Eight Immortals, the emerald brooch, two pairs of earrings, the ruby ​​ring, those loose beads, and a pair of bracelets." Mrs. Wu knew that this was for her, because Shao Fu said in front of her one day: "We'll just get by if we mess around." His wife was afraid that she would be paranoid, because she had helped them many times. "Isn't he fine now?" she said with a smile. "Does Zu Zhi have a girlfriend now?" She changed the subject. Mrs. Xun smiled quietly: "I don't know. It wasn't mentioned in the letter." "Where's Zuyi? Do you have a boyfriend?" "no?" One of the siblings is already teaching, and both live in the dormitory. Mrs. Xun then laughed softly: "Zu Zhi went back to see his grandma on vacation. Cried to him. Say you miss Shaofu.miss me. " "Oh? Thinking about it now, it's better for you?" Mrs. Wu couldn't help laughing. Mrs. Xun is also good at dealing with her mother-in-law, although she never fights back.Their second and third young wives didn't care, and openly contradicted each other when they couldn't bear it.In fact, they were not much younger than her, but times were different.In contrast, the old lady still prefers her.She wasn't necessarily happy either, she just felt that the intrigue was futile. "Hey, miss me." She smiled and gritted her teeth and whispered.After a moment of silence, he laughed again: "I'm thinking, if Shao Fu dies, I won't go back. I won't live with Zu Zhi and the others either." She didn't need to explain, Mrs. Wu naturally knew what she meant: her son will get married sooner or later.A lesson learned from the past, she didn't want to live with them.But talking about Shao Fu's death in such a calm manner, and more than once, Mrs. Wu felt a little chilled.I couldn't think of any other words of comfort for a while, so I just smiled and murmured, "These sisters are all well." Mrs. Xun only laughed emphatically, "I won't live with them!" Then she muttered: "I thought, I don't care about the place, anyway, I can find a place for myself, no matter what. Take care of myself, I think It’s always okay.” At the end, it was louder, but the tone was very unnatural and rough.She avoided talking about looking for trouble, it always seemed like an office thing.She can cook.Going out to cook for others is always like a servant, embarrassing to the son and daughter.There is no capital to open a small restaurant, and you can't afford to borrow money to lose money, so you can't take other people's money to try your luck.Even if it is used as two knives for the restaurant!She can cook almost any kind of pasta, and she can even handle banquets, but she is slower. Mrs. Wu smiled and said nothing.In fact, you can say "you come live with me".But she doesn't want to admit that her man won't come back. "Oh, your clothes are here, do you want to try them on? Yuan Mei go ask Lao Chen to bring them." Mrs. Xun asked Mrs. Wu's tailor to make a cheongsam, and it was sent to Wu's house. Mrs. Xun went to the dining room next door to change it, and when she came back, she lowered her head to look at herself, and squeezed the purple-red felt hard with both hands. Wipe it down, and it can't be smoothed anymore, and ask: "What do you think, cousin?" Mrs. Wu said with a smile: "Don't bend over, how can I see it when I bend over? It seems to be about the same. The back is not too big? - too tight is not good." She couldn't help thinking, in fact, she can still wear it. be better.Of course, she belongs to the northern school, and those whose husbands are alive should dress "smartly", otherwise it will be unlucky.She was always in a hurry to buy clothes, and there was a small silk and satin shop at the corner of the street.The same is true for household items, as soon as you have more money, you rush to buy them, before Shaofu lends them to relatives and friends.She is virtuous and never says anything.She just spends the money as quickly as possible.It was a silent struggle between their husband and wife, and he didn't feel it at all.Anyway, it's better to buy something than nothing, but Mrs. Wu is always a little worried when she sees her shopping, out of the natural prudence of rich relatives, no matter how good the relationship is. "Big belly." Standing in front of the big mirror, she looked at her silhouette, and said with a smile: "It's all out of qi. Zhendou, cousin! When you say 'qi up', the true qi comes out of bloating. Sometimes when I see something in a movie, I think of it—oh, I’m so angry, I’m so angry, I can’t see anything in the movie! " Who are you mad at?Yuan Mei thought.Although he was also angry with Shaofu, it must be referring to the past between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.When I heard her repeat what people in several nearby shops said, they always called her "Mrs. Xun"—they all knew her.The landlady asked her to answer the phone, and never missed a "Mrs. Xun", obviously satisfied with her popularity and status in this small world. Mrs. Wu put a circle of small oranges on top of the stove, so as not to eat Bingya.Newly installed stove, because it saves coal.There was a war in the north, and coal couldn't come.There are few people in the family, so it is not a crime to turn on the heating.After eating an orange, she stuck the whole peeled orange peel on the small black iron head of the stove lid, like a vermilion flower.Gradually smell the aroma of orange peel.She really appreciates this early retirement life.It's also because they've been arguing so much over the years.Enough is enough.The children were the ones who were most angry with Yuan Mei.It's a pity when I come back this time, the old sisters talk, but she also has the patience to sit here and listen - after getting married, she can't live without her mother.How does living with in-laws look like your own home? You can tell just by comparing them.Don't say anything when you are angry, but be strong-the family didn't approve of it.This time, Zifan should be able to earn two more money when he comes back, and he can move out.Otherwise, if you go out and live in a small house, you will rent two rooms and share the same room with other people, instead of living with your own people, it is also unreasonable. The next few children finally managed to live up to their expectations. Even though they were separated by many oceans, they still had nothing to worry about—so what if they were worried?Even Yuan Mei and her son-in-law have gone abroad?Their father also lost money doing business in Hong Kong, but he sent money to the family on a monthly basis, which was not short of her.They often correspond with each other and call each other "Second Brother" and "Fourth Sister", which is according to the ranking of each family, and it is also generous.She called herself "sister", and the small characters stood sideways.The letter mentions family property and money transactions, some words need to be carefully written, only he can understand, so as not to let the bitch read it - if he tells the bitch, he is confused - even the children's relatives There are some things she doesn't want to say clearly, and it takes a lot of thinking. I am quite proud of myself.It was the closest thing to a love letter in her life.If you don't write to him, who will you write to?I'm still deliberating on the letter I'm writing, and today I asked my cousin to come and put it away in advance.It's embarrassing for her to see a brother and sister at such an old age, and it also seems that she is too lackadaisical, and it is useless to ask others to be unfair on her behalf.Shaofu always addressed his wife as "Sister Jiahui" in letters, and he was one year younger than her. Mrs. Wu was always a little disgusted when she saw it-he seemed wronged!Count her older than him. It also seems to be acting like a baby, he is a little brother. "What happened that day, I wanted to tell you..." Mrs. Wu broke a long silence, half annoyed and half smiling.What is it?A joke from a relative's house, or the news from the maid?What kind of fruit and vegetable is new on the market, ask them if they can buy it?I can't remember what happened for a while. Mrs. Xun was also searching her brains, looking for things that hadn't been told to her. "At that time, our second young lady was sick, and asked the doctor to take a few doses of medicine, but she never recovered. I saw her throw away the medicine jar that day, and buried the pieces under the tree in her yard. Ask her what she is doing, and just say so.I thought, never heard of that. "After that, I stared at Mrs. Wu with a smile. Mrs. Wu let out a "huh" and expressed her interest in this little folk superstition. "I didn't know that I went crazy later, my mother's family took me back." She said and lowered her voice again. "Oh! Probably that's crazy." "Hey. I said I've never heard this before*——the medicine jar was broken and buried under the tree!" Looking at Mrs. Wu and smiling, she broke down again for a long while.Despicable, loyal and bad!Apologetics and apologies Yuan Mei didn't pay attention, but she knew that Mrs. Xun wasn't just nagging, she was just talking about her own past.That's because she knows that Mrs. Wu is always interested in her affairs. In the past, there will be less separation and more separation, and there will be a large gap to be filled in.Yuan Mei was used to this kind of innocent homosexual love at school.She herself also crazily adores the music teacher, and everyone in her family laughs that she is simply in love with Miss Yuan.After graduating from junior high school, Ms. Yuan was given a generous gift, and her mother asked her to choose by herself, obviously not disapproving.Because there is no danger, just like a movie star, it is just a stage.But people of the previous generation have no chance to fall in love with the opposite sex, so the relationship will be deeper and last longer. But Mrs. Wu once said to Yuan Mei that she followed her to call her cousin: "I really don't have much to say to my cousin now." After talking about turning on the lights, the bell suddenly rang. Yuan Mei laughed and said, "There are two people in total, why are you ringing the bell?" When this big house was newly built, Mr. Wu made a rule, modeled on the English country mansion, ringing the bell to call for dinner, and the guests who came to spend the weekend are in their rooms, and there is no need to invite them one by one.But I still have to invite them at their house, because I am not used to it, and the place is big, and I heard the bell ringing far upstairs, so I always thought it was on the street or a nearby school. In the dining room, a brass bell was turned upside down on the long low cabinet.Mr. Wu's favorite story is that President Roosevelt's grandmother's family used to do business in Guangzhou. They bought an ancient bronze bell that was stolen and sold for Buddhist rituals in Suzhou temples. They brought it as a dowry and used it as a dinner bell for his family. Next to the copper bell is an antique carved white jade tablet eight or nine inches long, hanging on a mahogany stand, like a musical instrument.Seeing Yuan Mei, she couldn't help but think of how she used to use her chopsticks to beat jade tokens when she was waiting for dinner, urging people who couldn't be summoned by the bell, and intentionally making her mother anxious.Father didn't dare to stay at home, even though he loved her alone, he came home to make trouble and make noise.Although the children didn't dare to draw attention, they all kept their faces straight.But the people at the big table are deserted now, and the three remaining guests and the host take their seats holding one end of the long table. After the meal, Mrs. Xun said with a smile: "Today I'm full!" Mrs. Wu said: "The fish is easy to digest. It is said that the shrimp has a lot of cholesterol. Now I am afraid of cholesterol. It is said that the eggs are even worse. Ten eggs can eat dead people. Of course it also depends on age, whether the blood pressure is high or not." Mrs. Xun seemed to understand and answered with "uh" and "oh", and took care to remember it.That's within her purview. Shaofu came to pick up his wife after work, and when he arrived, he noticed that the purple red woolen cheongsam was folded on the back of the sofa. "The clothes are ready?" he said. She was sitting on the couch and he was at the other end, filling the corner so he wouldn't collapse, but obviously very tired.I took the bus home from Jiangwan, the road was long, the bus was crowded, and there were no seats. "What's the matter with the hand?" Mrs. Wu saw that he reached out to hold the tea, his fingers were bright red, and it didn't look like he had applied red medicine. "Peel the red egg, you can't wash it off." "Why is the peeled red egg so red?" "Peeled forty of them. Today, Xiao Dong sent out red eggs, and Xiao Liu bet with me that he ate forty of them." The women were startled before laughing.The slight laughter revealed the uneasy silence just now. "How do you eat this? I'm choking to death! It's not boiled eggs and tea eggs." Mrs. Wu thought that his constitution was the most likely to have a stroke, and his temper was so short, and his voice was so short, it was not a sign of longevity. It's useless to say that when he and his friends are together, he becomes "crazy" like a child. He likes to play around and is serious at the same time. "That's why I said Xiao Liu is a fox, and he likes boiled chicken." He always speaks in a coherent manner.Among the few of them, only Mrs. Wu has read "Marriage Awakening the World" and knows that the heroine who is the reincarnation of the white fox likes hard-boiled eggs.But Mrs. Xun always laughed when she heard her husband tell jokes, and laughed even more when she didn't understand. Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "Then who won? He won?" They twisted their necks and let out a "Hang" sound, muttering too fast to hear clearly, as if they were "defeated by my men". The living room was designed by an expert. The furniture is simple and modern. The tone is tea-brown. There are a few exquisite Chinese gold-lacquered Bailing table strips and screens, which are also very harmonious.The room is large, and several art lamps are located low, the light is dim, and Yuan Mei is nearsighted. Looking over at him, Shao Fu's silhouette is round and round—he is wearing a cotton robe and has no shoulders at all—as earthy in the dim light. It's a bit hectic, like an ant mountain standing there.He followed the rules and did not raise his eyes in front of his female relatives. In addition, his face was covered with a layer of black oil, which was equivalent to covering his face. Even if he took a nap, he could hardly notice it. They didn't say that he was dozing off, but if they did, they would inevitably have to go back.Mrs. Xun knew that he was in no hurry to leave.He had always admired Mrs. Wu. The two women talked and laughed in low voices, as if afraid of waking him up. "You said you want to buy a sweater? The other day I saw Xian Shi Company has something called 'scarf lapel', which is better than the one without a collar." Mrs. Wu made up her mind, at least this time her cousin will get her money's worth. Shao Fu suddenly asked: "Is there one as big as her?" He was quite interested in his wife's clothes. "Probably always." Mrs. Xun murmured coldly, hugging each other's elbows. There was a moment of silence. Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "I remember going to Nanjing to see you at that time." "Nanjing was really a new atmosphere at that time—drink!" he said. It was a new world for both of them.Finally took my wife out - honeymoon after having two children.The children were also brought out.He suffered a disadvantage because he never went to school, so it’s not that he has no way to find a job. In Beijing, there are two relatives who came out to serve as ministers for the warlords. It’s not difficult to install him, but they haven’t come out to do things.Mrs. Wu has read more books than his wife, and she thinks she knows him better. That time when she went to Nanjing to live in their house, she rinsed her mouth under the peach tree in the courtyard in the morning and brushed her teeth with Butterfly's signature Invincible brand tooth powder, and the peach blossoms were just in bloom.Go to Xuanwu Lake together, eat restaurants, and buy fake antiques at the Confucius Temple—he is an expert.In Shanghai, when relatives wanted to sell antiques, they all asked him to appraise calligraphy and painting antiques. Mrs. Wu took his wife to Shanghai and lived there for a month or two. She brought her two children and bought a lot of things for the children. She made fashionable clothes for Mrs. Xun, such as a silver fox-embellished suit with a black collar. The overcoat is a transparent light orange "sparse spun" cheongsam that combines Chinese and Western styles. Her hair has also been cut short and curled, and a large fake flower of light pink sprinkled with silver powder is tucked behind her ear.The tip of the eyebrows was thinned with tweezers, and the pencil drew long eyebrows into the temples, but the eyes were dazed.I'm a little disappointed.绍甫总是周末乘火车来接他们回去。 伍家差不多天天有牌局，荀太太还学会了跳舞，开着留声机学，伍太太跳男人的舞步教她。但是有时候请客吃饭余兴未尽，到夜总会去，当然也有男人跟她跳。 “绍甫吃醋，”伍太太背后低声向她说。Both of them laughed. 当时一块打牌的只有孙太太跟伍太太最知己，许多年后还问起：“那荀太太现在怎么了？冯太太前两天还牵记她。都说她好。说话那么细声细气的……”她找不到适当的字眼形容那种——与海派的太太们一比，一种安详幽娴。“噢哟！真文气。大家都喜欢她。” “那时候还有个邱先生，”伍太太轻声说，略有点羞涩骇笑。 孙太太也微笑。那时候一块打牌的一个邱先生对荀太太十分倾倒。邱先生是孙太太的来头，年纪也只三十几岁，一表人才，单身在上海，家乡有没有太太是不敢保，反正又不是做媒，而且是单方面的，根本没希望。 其实，当时如果事态发展下去的话，伍太太甚至于也不会怪她表姐。 自从晚饭后绍甫来了，他太太换了平日出去应酬的态度，不大开口，连烟都不抽了。倒是苑梅点上一支烟。也是最近闷的才抽上的。头发扎马尾，穿长裤，黯淡的粉红绒布衬衫，男式莲灰绒线背心，也都不是一套，是结了婚的年青人于马虎脱略中透出世故。她的礼貌也像是带点惜老怜贫的意味。坐在一边一声不出，她母亲是还拿她当孩子，只有觉得她懂规矩，长辈说话没有她插嘴的份。别人看来，就仿佛她自视为超然的另一个世界的人。 都不说话，伍太太不得不负起女主人的责任，不然沉默持续下去，成了逐客了。 讲起那天跟荀太太一块去看的电影，情节有两点荀太太不大清楚，连苑梅都破例开口，抢着帮着解释，是男主角喝醉了酒，与引诱他的女人发生关系，还自以为是强奸了她，铸成大错。 绍甫猝然不耐烦地悻悻驳道：“喝多了根本不行呃！” 伍太太从来没听见他谈起性，笑着有点不知所措。 苑梅也笑，却有点感到他轻微的敌意，而且是两性间的敌意。他在炫示，表示他还不是老朽。 此后他提起前两天有个周德清来找他，又道：“他太太在重庆出过情形的。” 伍太太笑道：“哦？”等着，就怕又没有下文了。永远嗡隆一声冲口而出，再问也问不出什么，问急了还又诧异又生气似的。 沉默半晌，他居然又道：“那回在重庆我去找周德清，不在家，说马上就回来，非得要我等他回来吃饭，忙出忙进，直张罗，让先喝酒等他。等了一个多钟头也没回来，我走了！后来听见说出过情形——喝！”他摇摇头，打了个擦汗的手势。 荀太太抿着嘴笑。伍太太一面笑，心中不免想道：“人又不是猫狗，放一男一女在一间房里就真会怎样。”但是她也知道他虽然思想很新——除了从来不批评旧式婚姻；盲婚如果是买奖券，他中了头奖还有什么话说？——到底还是个旧式的人。从前的笔记小说上都是男女单独相对立即“成双”——不过后来发现女的是鬼，不然也不会有这种机会。他又在内地打光棍这些年，干柴烈火，那次大概也还真侥幸。她不过觉得她表姐委屈了一辈子，亏他还有德色，很对得住太太似的。 “你们有日历没有？我这里有好几个，店里送的。” 荀太太笑道：“嗳，说是日历是要人送——白拿的，明年日子好过。” “你们今年也不错。” 荀太太笑道：“我在想着，去年年三十晚上不该吃白鱼，都'白余'了。今年吃青鱼。” 她没向绍甫看，但是伍太太知道她是说他把钱都借给人了，心里不禁笑叹，难道到现在还不知道他不会听出她话里有话。 “苑梅，叫他们去拿日历——都拿来。在书房里。” 苑梅自己去拿了来，荀太太一一摊在沙发上，挑了个海景。 “太太电话。”女佣来了。 “谁打来的？” “孟德兰路胡太太。” 伍太太出去了。夫妻俩各据沙发一端，默然坐着。 “你找到汤没有？我藏在抽屉里，怕猫进来。”荀太太似乎是找出话来讲。 “嗯，我热了汤，把剩下的肉丝炒了饭。”他回答的时候声音低沉，几乎是温柔的。由于突然改变音调，有点沙哑，需要微咳一声，打扫喉咙。他并没有抬起眼睛来看她，而脸一红，看上去更黑了些，仿佛房间里灯光更暗了。 苑梅心目中蓦地看见那张棕绷双人木床与小铁床。显然他不满足。 “饭够不够？” “够了。我把饺子都吃了。” 伍太太听了电话回来，以为绍甫盹着了，终于笑道：“绍甫困了。” 他却开口了。“有一回晚上听我们老太爷说话，站在那儿睡着了。老太爷说得高兴，还在说——还在说。嗳呀，那好睡呀！” “几点了？”荀太太说。 “还早呢，”伍太太说。 “我们那街上黑。” “有绍甫，怕什么。” “一个人走是害怕，那天我去买东西，有人跟。我心想真可笑——现在人家都叫我老太太了！” 伍太太震了一震，笑道：“叫你老太太？谁呀？”她们也还没这么老。她自己倒是也不见老，冬天也还是一件菊叶青薄呢短袖夹袍，皮肤又白，无边眼镜，至少富泰清爽相，身段也看不出生过这些孩子，都快要做外婆了。苑梅那天还在取笑她：“妈这一代这就是健美的了！”外国有这句话：“死亡使人平等。”其实不等到死已经平等了。当然在一个女人是已经太晚了，不得夫心已成定局。 “在菜场上，有人叫我老太太！”荀太太低声说，没带笑容。 “这些人——也真是！”伍太太嘟囔着，有点不好意思。 “不知道算什么。算是客气？” 荀太太倚在沙发上仰着头，发髻枕在两只手上。“我有一回有人跟。吓死了！在北京。那时候祖志生肺炎，我天天上医院去。婉小姐叫我跟她到公园去，她天天上公园去透空气，她有肺病。到公园去过了，她先回去，我一个人走到医院去。 这人跟着我进城门，问我姓什么，还说了好些话，噜里噜苏的。大概是在公园里看见我们了。 " 苑梅也见过她这小姑子，大家叫她婉小姐。娇小玲珑，长得不错，大概因为一直身体不好，耽搁了，结婚很晚。丈夫在上海找了个事做，虽然常闹穷吵架，也还是捧着她，娇滴滴的。婚前家里放心让她一个人上街，总也有二十好几了，她大嫂又比她大十几岁。那钉梢的不跟小姑子而跟嫂子，苑梅觉得这一点很有兴趣。荀太太是不好意思说这人选择得奇怪。 当然这是她回北京以后的事了。那时候想必跟这次来上海刚到的时候一样，还没发胖，头发又留长了。梳髻，红红的面颊，旧黑绸旗袍，身材微丰。 “那城门那哈儿——那城墙厚，门洞子深，进去有那么一截子路黑赳赳的，挺宽的，又没人，挺害怕。”她已经坐直了身子，但是仍旧向半空中望着，不笑，声音有点凄楚，仿佛话说多了有点哑嗓子，或是哭过。“他说：”你是不是姓王？“——他还不是找话说。——吓死了。我就光说'你认错人了'。他说：”那你不姓王姓什么？'我说：“你问我姓什么干什么？'” 伍太太有点诧异，她表姐竟和一个钉梢的人搭话。她不时发出一声压扁的吃吃笑声，“咯”的一响，表示她还在听着。 “一直跟到医院。那医院外头都是那铁栏杆，上头都是藤萝花，都盖满了。我回过头去看，那人还扒在铁栏杆上，在那藤萝花缝里往里瞧呢！吓死了！”她突然嘴角浓浓地堆上了笑意。 沉默了一会之后，故事显然是完了。伍太太只得打起精神，相当好奇地问了声：“是个什么样的人？” “像个年生，”她小声说，不笑了。想了想又道：“穿着制服，像当兵的穿的。大概是个兵。” “哦，是个兵，”伍太太说，仿佛恍然大悟。 还是个和平军！ 一阵寂静中，可以听见绍甫均匀的鼻息，几乎咻咻作声。 天气暖和了，火炉拆了。黑铁炉子本来与现代化装修不调和，洋铁皮烟囱管盘旋半空中，更寒伧相，去掉了眼前一清。不知道怎么，头顶上出空了，客厅这一角落倒反而地方小了些，像居高临下的取景。灯下还是他们四个人各坐原处，全都抱着胳膊，久坐有点春寒。 伍太太晚饭后有个看护来打针。近年来流行打维他命针代替补药。看护晚上出来赚外快，到附近几家人家兜个圈子。 “刚才朱小姐说有人跟。奇怪，这还是从前刚兴女人出来在街上走，那时候常闹钉梢，后来这些年都不听见说了。打仗的时候灯火管制，那么黑，也没什么。”伍太太说。 “我有回有人跟，”荀太太安静地说。“那是在北京。那时候我天天上医院去看祖志，他生肺炎。那天婉小姐叫我陪她上公园去——” 苑梅几乎不能相信自己的耳朵。荀太太这样精细的人，会不记得几个月前讲过她这故事？ 伍太太已经忘了听见过这话，但是仍旧很不耐烦，只作例行公事的反应，每隔一段，吃吃地笑一声，像给人叉住喉咙似的，只是“吭！”一声响。 苑梅恨不得大叫一声，又差点笑出声来。妈记性又不坏，怎么会一个忘了说过，一个忘了听见过？但是她知道等他们走了，她不会笑着告诉妈：“表姑忘了说过钉梢的事，又讲了一遍。”不是实在憎恶这故事，妈也不会这么快就忘了——排斥在意识外——还又要去提它？ 荀太太似乎也有点觉得伍太太不大感到兴趣，虽然仍旧有条不紊徐徐道来，神志有点萧索。说到最后“他还趴在那还往里看呢——吓死了！”也毫无笑容。 大家默然了一会，伍太太倒又好奇地笑道：“是个什么样的人？” 荀太太想了想。“像学生似的。”然后又想起来加上一句： “穿制服。就像当兵的穿的那制服。大概是个兵。” 伍太太恍然道：“哦，是个兵！” 她们俩是无望了，苑梅寄一线希望在绍甫身上——也许他记得听见过，又听见她念念不忘再说一遍，作何感想？他在沙发另一端脸朝前坐着，在黄黯黯的灯光里，面色有点不可测，有一种强烈的表情，而眼神不集中。 室内的沉默一直延长下去。他憋着的一口气终于放了出来，打了个深长的呵欠，因为刚才是他太太说话，没关系。 （一九五○年）