Chapter 33 Feelings of rain

There is not much rain in Beijing between summer and autumn this year. Although the fields are not dry and the city is not very rainy, this is a good thing.The annual rainfall in Beijing is quite small, but it falls in a special way. Two-thirds of the whole year falls between June, July and August, and the rain in July almost accounts for the total of these three months. half.According to this situation, the bitter rain in summer and autumn is inevitable.In the thirteenth and twenty-sixth years of the Republic of China, the rainwater in the yard went up the steps and entered the west study, confirming the name of my Kuyuzhai. These were all in the middle and late July. The sound of rain is still very annoying when I think about it, so I don't have a good impression of the rain in Beijing. For example, this year's rainfall is not much. Although it is a trivial matter, it is naturally very thankful in my opinion.

But when it comes to rain, it is not something that can be dismissed outright, thinking that it must be disgusting.This has to be said separately. It depends on the place rather than the season.There are places where rain is not an abomination, if not necessarily a welcome one.I’m afraid I won’t get the point by talking about the south in general. I think it’s better to explain in detail that in places where there are rivers everywhere and the streets are stone-paved roads, the rain is not annoying. It doesn't make people feel like bitter rain.My hometown is Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang, which is a good example of this.In the city, almost every road has a small river parallel to it. As a result, there are many bridges on the streets, large and small boats are used for transportation, and folks rely on river water for food and washing. Everyone has their own wells to store rainwater for drinking.The banks of the river are about four or five feet high, and although there is as much rain as it can accommodate, only the upstream floods, and the sluice gates are silted up, blocking the downstream flow, causing floods.Therefore, people who live in the city do not have to worry about the water pouring into the house when it rains for a long time, because all the rainwater flows into the river. Of course, the river will not be full, but the water can continue to flow without stopping in the yard. Or those on the street are all related to the cobblestone road.We have never heard of the name of the sewer ditch, but the structure of the flagstone road seems to include the plan of the sewerage, and the bottom of the flagstone is probably framed by stone strips, no matter how much rainwater flows through the crevices, it will always go to the river .The passages and courtyards in the house, the so-called bright halls, are all made of stone slabs, and the interior is only built with large square bricks, commonly known as the ground.There is a rectangular yard in my old house, which bears the rain from the buildings on the north and south sides. Even if it rains for more than forty-eight hours, I don’t see him staying in an inch and a half of water. Now that I think about it, I think it’s very special. When it rains in autumn, I sleep in the In a small building or in a study room, listening to the continuous sound of rain all night is indeed a kind of noise, but it can also be said to be a kind of silence, or it’s okay if you feel it’s fun, in short, it won’t make people worry. .Mr. Lianxi from my family has a poem about Ye Yu Shuchuang:

The autumn wind sweeps away the heat, and it rains in the middle of the night. Surrounding the house are plantains, surrounded by a pillow of ten thousand sounds. Just like a fishing boat, when sleeping under the canopy. What is written in this poem is not about eastern Zhejiang, but the scene is roughly similar. In short, it is okay to say that it is the night rain in the south.There is a kind of taste here, and I feel that listening to the rain in the study is like sleeping in a fishing boat, which is very fun.No matter how long it does not rain, the roads will not be muddy, and the courtyard will not accumulate water. There is no need to worry about it. The only worry is the fear of leakage.Heavy rain and rapid rain pour in through the cracks in the tiles, and the tiles are soaked in long rains, which can be soaked in. If the roof is damaged, let alone, so it is common to move basins and buckets in the rain, line them up all over the floor, and undertake house leaks. thing.Folklore says that if you are not afraid of tigers, you are only afraid of leaks, and disputes between thieves and tigers and monkeys arise. There are also legends about tigers, wolves, and leaks in ancient houses in Japan. It can be seen that this fear of leaks spreads far and wide.

Rain and inconvenient transportation are very related, but this is not necessarily the case in the places mentioned above.Since boats are mostly used for general transportation, they can still drive when it rains, but the windows of the awning cannot be opened. People who take the boat cannot see the scenery of mountains, rivers and villages, or they may feel stuffy, but sit with the windows closed and listen to the rapid rain. Having said that, it is not always interesting.Then there is Zhouzi, no matter what kind of rain or snow he encounters, he is always just a straw hat and a hat, standing behind and swaying his oar, not to mention poetic and picturesque, but it is not ugly to look at, just feels hard work Rustic, without the muddy feeling of a coachman.Another layer is that the water travels smoothly in the rain as usual, and it will not be as dangerous as the land travel, because the river water cannot increase suddenly, even if it does increase, as the saying goes, there is no harm when the water rises, the only possibility The main effect is that the bridge gate is low, and it is difficult for large ships to pass. If it is a small boat with one person and two oars, it can still come and go.The danger of traveling on water lies in the wind. In spring and summer, storms often arise on clear afternoons. Small and medium-sized boats are in the wide places of the river port, and because the boatmen are inexperienced, they are prone to accidents. If it rains, it doesn't matter at all.Other than boat transportation, there is also walking.Walking in the rain is difficult for ordinary people, or at least not very pleasant.Where there are paved roads, the situation is slightly different.Because it is a cobblestone road, there is neither water nor mud, so there is almost no difficulty in walking. The rest is just to prevent moisture, and rain gear will help.In the past, people always brought spiked shoes and umbrellas when they went out. It was for this reason that as long as they had rain gear and strong feet, they could walk as many miles as they wanted in the rain. Anyway, the ground was made of stone slabs. Needless to say, the towns and squares were the villages. The avenue has at least one stone slab wide to walk on, unless it turns into a small road, and there is no muddy place.Originally, the best way to prevent moisture is not to be afraid of wetness, and to wear straw sandals with bare feet, which is convenient and safe everywhere, but the best strategy is always difficult to implement. Ordinary people have to wear spiked shoes, hold up an umbrella, and then walk into the rain with peace of mind.I have walked in the heavy rain many times like this, and went to the street to buy food. It took two hours to go back and forth, and I didn't feel any difficulty at all.What I hate the most is the showers in summer. When I go out, it rains heavily, and the stone slab is full of running water. The tall spikes step on it, like a low slab bridge, which is quite interesting. After being exposed to the sun, it dried up immediately. When we walked back, we rattled our spiked shoes on the stone pavement.This is a common experience of people who go out after the summer rain, or it can be said to be the most unpleasant thing about spiked umbrellas.

The above are my thoughts on rain, which was caused by the lack of heavy rain in Beijing this summer.But the situation of the place I mentioned was still in the early years of the Republic of China, and it must have changed a lot now. At least the stone slabs on the road may not be preserved, and it has probably been changed to a crappy road.Then walking in the rain is a bit impossible. If boats can still sail in the river, the gutter under the house is not blocked, and you can listen to the rain safely under the window at the bottom of the awning, then it will be very gratifying.In Jiashen of the Republic of China, it was the summer festival in August.

(written in August 1944, from "Before the Beginning of Spring")