Chapter 24 Chapter 24 The Crescent Moon

It turned out that the early autumn in Sichuan was extremely dry. Under the sun, the living grass was also scorched. After the candle that the rooster knocked over, it rolled into the tall grass and burned it, burning the living grass as well. .The living grass was burning, extending outward like the edge of a fan.Surrounding the ravine, there are thatched roof houses on the left, right, front and back. If the fire spreads upwards, the thatched houses will not be safe.So Mrs. Zhen and Wu became anxious when they saw it, and they took water and poured it on the grass.After Li Nanquan joined the fire brigade, he added a new force, which prevented the fire from spreading.After the fire was extinguished, the three gentlemen were all walking in the corridor of Xi's house, keeping their eyes open to the fire.Mrs. Xi burned this stick of horse king incense, so it turned out to beg the third eye of the horse king god, so that he could take care of the disputes in the family.I don't want to make troubles one after another.She could only stand blankly in the corridor and watch.At this moment, the fire had already been extinguished, so she nodded deeply to the three gentlemen, and said with a smile: "Thank you very much. If the fire becomes too big, our place will be full of thatched houses, which will be a problem." Li Nanquan said with a smile "Probably Mawangshen is not at home today, and he went to a meeting somewhere. And the one who passed by just now was the God of Fire. So..." Wu Chunpu shook his head and smiled, "That's not right. If the God of Fire passed by Passing by here, Mrs. Xi cut chickens and dripped blood to respect him, why is he still setting fire here?" Li Nanquan said: "Maybe when Mrs. Xi offered incense and blood just now, she said something in her mouth, which shows that she is respecting the prince of horses. The fire god heard this. Of course I don’t want to. Why do you respect the horse king knowing that the Vulcan is passing by here? Isn’t that an insult?” Mrs. Xi, holding her bare arms, was listening in a daze, so she shook her hands and said: “ I am wronged, how could I know that it is Vulcan passing by here?"

Wu Chunpu smiled and said: "This is Mrs. Xi's bad luck. When you burned incense, you muttered something to worship Lord Ma. If at that time, God of Wealth passed by here, if he lost his temper, he would at most fall from the cloud for a long time. What are you afraid of if you get a gold ingot." Yen Ziming laughed and said, "If the God of Wealth is angry and hits people with ingots, he is so bold and reckless, he is willing to make the God of Wealth angry." So all the people present laughed .Only Mrs. Zhou pouted her old lips, holding the dead rooster in her hand, and stood blankly at the end of the corridor, looking at everyone.Mrs. Xi said: "What are you doing in a daze? The chicken is dead, so I'll just buy it. How much is it worth? How much will I give you? Isn't that okay?" Mrs. Zhou raised the dead chicken and said in one fell swoop. "This is the Baoxiao rooster from Liu's family. Don't sell it." Mrs. Xi said: "What do you mean, do you want to blackmail me?" Mrs. Zhou said: "Don't say that. Don't Borrowing the rooster and worshiping God, is that a good intention! He is not a chicken dealer, what is he blackmailing us for?" Mrs. Xi said: "The chicken is dead, what else can I do besides discounting the money? If they are willing to wait In two days, I will buy a rooster to compensate them." Mrs. Zhou said: "Of course, but the size must be the same, and the hair must be the same." Mrs. Xi said: "I don't have gold ingots. If I have gold Yuanbao, I will definitely take it out and reward you randomly for a while. You can find the same thing as compensation for other things. Living things always have different sizes and colors, so how can you find the same thing as compensation? This kind of unreasonable person can only hit him with gold ingots." Li Nanquan laughed and said, "It's such a rich luck, you have to use gold ingots to hit people."

Wu Chunpu said with a smile: "I'm afraid the steel tycoons and kerosene tycoons in the United States will be embarrassed by this style of work, right? Why bother to hit people with gold ingots, even with coppers, it's enough to get angry for a while." Sister-in-law Zhou heard them like this joking.Yen Ziming smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Zhou, don't you understand a little bit? Hitting someone always makes people angry. If they throw money at people, will they still be angry? You can fight for nothing." Where can I find foreign money and copper dollars? If you hit me with a ticket, you will get it!" Li Nanquan said in Sichuan dialect: "You are so crooked! The ticket is one yuan, ten yuan a piece. It doesn't hurt to beat someone, and it is worth money. Why don't you make a fuss?" Saying this, everyone laughed, and Mrs. Xi couldn't stop laughing with her shoulders on her shoulders.Seeing that the fire was out, the three gentlemen went on their own way.Mrs. Xi also walked into her room.Mrs. Zhou picked up the dead chicken, followed her into the house and asked her, "Madam, what do you say, will you pay for the other one?" Mrs. Xi was fascinated by the chicken, and looked Seeing that there was no one in the house outside, she smiled at her in a low voice and said, "You mean, I am willing to suffer this loss for no reason, and kill a chicken to eat? I should take this opportunity to invite a guest." Mrs. Zhou has since After the rooster died, her lips were pouty, her hair was loose, and fell onto her wrinkled face and cheeks.Hearing Mrs. Xi's words, he suddenly became happy, so he stretched out his hand to touch the hair on his face and put it on his ears, took two steps forward, and said with a smile: "Yes! Those ladies play cards every day, and if you take a lot of money, you'll be fine." Tens of dollars. Our family invited them to a game of cards, saying that they would kill chickens for them to eat, and they would definitely pay a few more coins. My wife invited guests, and I also gave some change. I insist on it!"

Seeing her like this, Mrs. Xi couldn't help laughing.Yin said: "You are much smarter than me about this kind of thing. I only mentioned half of it, and you know the whole thing. For playing cards, don't mention it first. You can go to Mrs. Shi's place to have a look. It is said that today is her birthday. If she says to invite me to dinner, you can just say that I will invite her to breakfast tomorrow. Wish her a birthday." Sister-in-law Zhou said: "Eat breakfast, can you make it in time?" Mrs. Xi said: "Our chicken, this afternoon It must be stewed. The weather is cool at night. We put the earthen pot of stewed chicken in cold water and freeze it, or you can save it until tomorrow morning. If you invite them to lunch, you must wait until two or three o'clock tomorrow. It’s such a big chicken, so it’s going to be rotten.” Mrs. Zhou said, “It’s just asking people to eat a dead chicken?” Mrs. Xi said, “Nonsense. What can be eaten alive? Isn’t it all killed and eaten?” What is a dead chicken? There is bacon and cured fish at home, and three fried eggs, do you think this dish is not a treat?" Mrs. Zhou said: "Speaking of bacon, I remembered something. When my wife sacrificed the bacon and salted fish to the Bodhisattva, they fell into the ditch. I picked them up and put them on the table in the kitchen, ready to wash them with water. Everyone rushed to put out the fire, so I..." Mrs. Xi clapped her hands together. Pat said: "Oops. The kitchen door is open, wild dogs and cats can go in. Quick!" She said, and ran into the kitchen.Finally, she had the foresight: a big tabby cat held the salted fish with its two paws, and stretched its neck to chew.she cried out.The big tabby cat rushed out of the door with a fish in its mouth.Mrs. Xi shouted: "Help me, help me!"

These "rescue" calls, of course, alarmed the neighbors.Everyone thought it was the long grass in the ravine, which had revived.So everyone ran out.But they didn't see anything, and they were startled.But Mrs. Xi ran after her bare feet to the corner of the house, picked up stones, and threw them into the ravine.Fortunately, there were a few children hunting pigweed in the ravine, and they met the wild cat snatching fish from a distance. Everyone shouted in unison, which frightened the cat, so it put down the fish in its mouth, and the pigweed kid picked it up. At that time, Mrs. Zhou was catching up, shaking her hands and saying, "Our wife wants to invite someone to have birthday wine, so you can't take it." A child with a face full of snot came running over with a piece of salted fish in his hand.Standing at the bottom of the ditch, throw the fish upwards until the dry skin makes a "plop".He said: "It's so strange! Who wants this property from you? It's harder than bark!" Mrs. Zhou bent down to pick it up, held it up to Mrs. Xi with a smile and said, "It doesn't matter! It can also make more than half a bowl of vegetables." The wife said: "Take it to the kitchen and put it away. I can't let the cat drag it away." Mrs. Zhou took the half salted fish and walked slowly to the kitchen. The meat was picked up by wild dogs again, and it weighs two or three catties." Mrs. Xi let out a strange "wow" and ran into the kitchen.Sure enough, a yellow-haired dog, with a knife of bacon in its mouth, was half dragged on the ground, ran along the corridor here, and ran towards the main road.Seeing Li Nanquan standing in the corridor of their house, Mrs. Xi clasped her fists, clasped her hands and said, "Mr. Li, hurry up! Do me a favor and stop that dog." Li Nanquan saw that her face was pale, so she couldn't just stand by and watch , I had no choice but to yell at the dog, and at the same time stretch out my hands in front of me, as a gesture of obstruction. The dog belongs to the neighbor's house, so I can't help but often come to buy some wild food.It was unwilling to give up, and seeing that it was in a hurry to catch up, it put the meat on the roadside stone slab, and ran away with its tail between its legs.

Li Nanquan ran to the road and picked up the piece of bacon.Bacon in Sichuan is usually hung on the wall of the earthen stove, so that the firewood smoke in the stove can be smoked day and night.The surface of the meat was covered with a piece of black paint.And the oil on the piece of meat was leaking out one after another.At this time, when it fell on the ground, it was covered with a layer of light ash, and the black surface was covered with a layer of ocher dust.Looking at it like this, there is simply no way to start.But there is a black rope on the head of this piece of meat.He hooked one finger on the rope, and stretched it out far away, so as not to touch his body.Mrs. Xi saw that the piece of meat had been snatched by the dog's mouth, so she ran forward quickly, hugged it with both hands as if she was holding a prince to the throne, and took it home.When Mrs. Zhou saw that his wife was busy in person, she ran over to relay the relay, reaching out to catch the piece of meat.At this moment, her nose was busy with yellow snot, she threw the back of her hand under her nose, and made a monkey fist with her right hand, pinching the tip of her nose, and said "hoo hoo" to squeeze out the snot, and then He fell to the ground.The snot swirled in the air and made a circle, neither crooked nor slanted, and landed right in the middle of the piece of bacon.Mrs. Xi stamped her feet and let out a heavy "ah".Sister-in-law Zhou turned her head with a smile and said, "It should be crooked! It's more accurate than bombs dropped by planes, and it landed on bacon. It doesn't matter, it always needs to be washed with water." Mrs. Xi said: "That's Of course, do I cook bacon and boil snot for people to eat?" Mrs. Zhou said with a smile, "Quietly. Don't yell. It's embarrassing if you yell out and let others know." Take the piece of bacon and leave.Laughing as he walked, twisting his pale hair.

When Li Nanquan saw it in the corridor, he secretly calculated in his heart that the two of them, master and servant, were a bit deceiving in front of each other.The yelling chickens here are kicked to death, and the salted meat and salted fish are snatched by cats and dogs.And the bacon still has mother's snot on it.They are going to treat this to a guest.No matter who the guest is, the source of this delicacy will surely reach the ears of the guest.Doesn't this make the guests sick?Naturally, if the person she invited was a stranger, she would not have to pay attention to it.If you invite a group of wives, including your own wife, she must not be allowed to attend such a banquet.Thinking this way in my heart, I brought a smile home at that time.At the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, there was a slogan in Chongqing that day, called "Bombing Season".When there is no big moon, it starts from ten o'clock in the morning and ends at three o'clock in the afternoon.It was also the time when the enemy planes were attacking, so when the sky cleared, within a few hours, it was time for everyone to be in fear.To forget the danger at this time, only the ladies play cards and the gentlemen read books.The Li family and his wife did exactly that.Li Nanquan ate lunch with the children under the mountain window of the thatched hut, and prepared the lock for the door and the stool and bag for evading the alarm. Until 3:30 in the afternoon, there was no alarm.He put down his book, took a walk in the corridor, and said with a sigh to himself: "Today is one more day." Wu Chunpu replied in the room: "Is Mr. Li a little impatient waiting for the alarm?" Li Nanquan said with a smile: "Brother Chunpu can be said to know the elegant meaning after hearing the stringed songs. I just said this, and you will know that it is because of waiting for the alarm." Wu Chunpu laughed and said: "This is just experience. My colleague, Mr. Zhang, Afraid that the children would make noise in the air-raid shelter, they always prepared some fruit biscuits. At 1:00 in the afternoon, the children often ran to the hillside to see if the red ball was hung. They asked their mother why the alarm did not come. Zhang The wife said she was frustrated, so she gave up the fruit biscuits."

Li Nanquan said with a smile: "I think this is also a kind of irony to the Japanese. They use the means of air strikes against the Chinese people as a psychological attack. But these children are interested in air strikes, and they hope to come sooner." In fact, this is the failure of the Japanese. Because there are still many people in the countryside who think like children.” Wu Chunpu smiled and said: “That is true, but this is still the spirit of Ah Q. The most realistic thing Nothing is better than our wives here. They can spread out the table to play cards in the room after letting go of the alarm. The reason is that when they see thirteen cards, they forget the plane bomb on their heads. Excuse me, the pilot of the enemy plane If he can predict that the card game is going on below, won’t he throw bombs down there?” Li Nanquan said: “That’s not Ah Q’s spirit. Isn’t the enemy threatening us with death? We are not afraid of death at all. What can you do to me? " Just as I was talking, I saw Mrs. Shi in front, and Mrs. Xiajiang led the battle, leading a large group of wives, walking towards this side along the road.Mrs. Li had a smile all over her face and walked among the crowd.Wu Chunpu laughed in a low voice: "What does this mean?" Li Nanquan laughed and said: "I can't guess their style. The story of offering sacrifices to the horse prince like Mrs. Xi is not something we have seen with our own eyes. Who would believe it?" Saying this, the wives suddenly burst out laughing.Even though it was in the sun, they were still two or three entangled in one place, beautifully dressed, laughing so that everyone twisted together.In this regard, Wu Chunpu is an absolute layman and doesn't know what's going on.It was Li Nanquan who always paid attention to his wife's actions. He didn't know what his intention was at this time, but he just opened his eyes and looked at them.Finally, I saw them laughing for a while, then turned around and walked back in the original direction.

Seeing this, Mr. Li couldn't help but not speak, so he raised his hand and waved at Mrs. Li twice from a distance.Mrs. Li didn't see it, but Mrs. Xiajiang did.She turned around, nodded her head and said, "We are not protesting, nothing serious. Let's go to the street for lunch. Just now we went the wrong way and took a road towards the mountains. See you later." , see you later!" As she said that, she also turned around and walked towards the main road on the street.Wu Chunpu smiled and said: "What's going on here? The sky is bright and the day is bright, and there are such a large group of people on the road at the gate, so they went in the wrong direction." Li Nanquan laughed and said: "That's so strange, their nerves are all over the place. The land is placed on thirteen cards. As you walk, you may regret that the dragon took a wrong card just now, so you didn’t draw. If you missed a card, the hand might be drawn. You think, they If you put your heart on the card, then you will have the heart to see the road in front of you." As he spoke, he looked at the road in the village, and there was still laughter from far away.Wu Chunpu smiled and said: "Sure enough, they are so happy, they must have a strange harvest. But I don't know what the harvest is?" As he spoke, he supported the pillars on the corridor, stood up on his toes, and just looked at the road with.The ladies walked the whole way, and there was a kind of giggling in the distance.Wu Chunpu said: "This is a piece of news. Mrs. Shi has always had a different style of work from these wives. Why did the sudden change in the past two days make everyone get along like this?" Li Nanquan said: "Isn't the reason very clear? This is It came from within." At this point, Mrs. Xi changed into a white lapel shirt with a blue silk skirt underneath, and carried a flowered paper umbrella on her shoulder, but she used a small umbrella in her hand. A small flower folding fan like a palm, walking slowly on the road.

Li Nanquan smiled and said: "Mrs. Xi, the problem in your house has been solved?" She stood up and waved her fan twice, and said with a smile: "Is there any problem in my family? The rooster makes trouble, I cook it and eat it In short, the salted meat and salted fish have been brought back. I cook and eat them. When the rice falls on the ground, I wash it with water and eat it. Is there anything else?" Li Nanquan laughed and said, "It can be solved in this way. Simply put. No wonder your attitude is so unrestrained and easy." Mrs. Xi was naturally very happy when she was praised like this, and she completely put aside the funny scene of sacrificing the horse prince just now. He took the small paper umbrella on his shoulders and shook it in a circle around his body.Of course, that umbrella opened.This umbrella is not complete, there is a big hole missing, and when it dances, it looks like a lion opening its mouth.Seeing this, Mrs. Xi immediately folded the umbrella.Still carrying it on his shoulder, the other hand stretched out the small fan and stretched it on the temples, slightly covering half of his face.Li Nanquan understood now, the reason why she carried the umbrella on her shoulder and refused to open it was because she wanted to carry the umbrella, hoping for a decoration.At the same time, this umbrella cannot be opened, so it can only be carried as a walking stick.It is inconvenient to ask this matter again, and said with a smile: "Just now I saw your democratic comrades, in groups, went to restaurants on the street. Did Mrs. Xi also join this front?" She laughed: "Oh, forgot One thing, today is Mrs. Shi's birthday, she treats herself, I will celebrate her birthday with her tomorrow, please accompany your wife. Of course you are not willing to join our group, in order to show my sincerity, I will make my home tomorrow I cut a special plate for you to taste." Li Nanquan thought of her sister-in-law Zhou's nose falling, and she couldn't help saying "Oh".

Mrs. Xi laughed and said, "Why are you so surprised?" Li Nanquan said with a smile, "You don't understand, I am forbidden to eat bacon in summer. If you give me bacon, I will accept it, and I can't eat it. I didn't accept it, and returned Mrs. Xi's favor. I was flattered, so I groaned." Mrs. Xi laughed and said, "I know you disliked that bacon and snatched it from the dog's mouth. You Think, I'm an idiot, and I don't know how to do things like that. Can I give you that meat?" Li Nanquan really had nothing to say, but stood in the corridor and smiled slightly at her.Mrs. Xi looked at his situation, opened the small fan, brought the edge of the fan to her lips, and bit it slightly.Although they are standing quite far from each other, you can still see the corners of the two eyes, radiating many crow's feet.The rouge powder on the face just shone along with the wrinkles.The expression on that jujube face can't be described in words.Li Nanquan couldn't help laughing, so he had to read a poem and said: "If you want to compare the West Lake to the West Lake, light makeup and heavy makeup are always suitable." Mrs. Xi actually understood these two lines of poetry, put away the small folding fan, and held the fan from a distance He smiled and spat at Li Nanquan, then turned his head and walked away.Standing in the corridor, Li Nanquan was still staring blankly, but there was a burst of laughter behind him.Looking back, Wu Chunpu bent over, covered his mouth with his palm, and ran out with a smile.Li Nanquan asked, "Why are you laughing so much, bro?" He said, "You can't help laughing at such a wonderful thing, but I can't help laughing. But when the war of resistance is difficult, it's rare to have such a light-hearted gimmick. It's not bad to have this neighbor who makes us laugh twice a day." While Wu and Li were talking, Mr. Yen Ziming, the neighbor over there, also came out, and said with a smile: "These ladies seem to be having a nervous battle these two days. I don't know what new accident will happen." Li Nanquan said : "It's not that there will be any accidents in the future, but accidents have already happened." Yen Ziming said: "These wives are acting collectively. Could it be that the families of these wives also had accidents as a group? For example, Mrs. Li was among them In this group, but at Mr. Li's house, nothing happened." Hearing this, Wu Chunpu stood behind Li Nanquan, shrugged his mustache, and smiled with his teeth bared.Yen Ziming smiled and said, "Could it be that Mr. Li's family has..." At this point, Mr. Wu raised his hand and shook it again and again.Donnie Yen saw it, so of course he didn't say anything.Wu Chunpu said: "Mr. Li, there are guests at your house. You are walking on the main road!" When Li Nanquan looked back, it was Yang Yanhua and Hu Yuhua who were walking one after another.Both of them were bare-armed and bare-legged, wearing black copy silk gowns, carrying a floral paper umbrella on their shoulders, opening it to block the sun behind them, smiling and talking.Li Nanquan said: "You are talking about those two sisters, they may not come to see me, they have many acquaintances in this village." When they were talking, the two ladies were already standing on the opposite road with.Ms. Yang smiled and said, "Mr. Li, didn't you go out? We came to see you." Wu Chunpu stood beside him, nodded to him twice, and still smiled slightly.That means: what I said is not wrong, right?The two ladies were talking, and they were already walking up the corridor.Li Nanquan said: "Miss Yang is all smiles, there must be something happy about it?" Hu Yuhua said: "She came here specially to give you a good news." Li Nanquan knew what was going on when he heard the word "good news", so he smiled and nodded twice to Yang Yanhua and said, "Congratulations." He said, and cupped his fists twice.Yang Yanhua stood there in a daze, then glanced at him.Looking at the situation, Li Nanquan knew that this matter had reached the stage of completion, he smiled and nodded twice and said: "Then, please sit in the room." The two ladies followed into the room, Yang Yanhua said: "Master isn't at home?" Li Nanquan said, "She's a busy person. She's going to a celebration party." After hearing this, she knew there was something else in it, so she couldn't ask further.She smiled and said: "I have nothing to do, but invite her to have dinner." Li Nanquan laughed and said: "Is it a wedding?" She smiled and said: "I invite you to a meal. What's the reason? Look at Adjutant Liu, who eats and drinks once every three or five days, so what's the point? How can there be so many happy events in his family?" Li Nanquan looked at Hu Yuhua and just smiled.She smiled and said, "She is a girl after all. This is a bit different from throwing colored balls on the stage to recruit relatives. It would be very generous to invite you to a wedding in person. You must explain it clearly. Go too far." Li Nanquan said with a smile, "Okay. I'm going to drink the wedding wine. What day is it?" Hu Yuhua said, "Five days before the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's the most reasonable and ideal way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival." Yang Yanhua patted her on the shoulder twice, first smiled, then sighed slightly and said, "It's unreasonable for you, Hu Yuhua, to make fun of me when others make fun of me. How can there be another one about my business?" I can't hide the words from you. Even Mr. Li can understand me very well. I am definitely not a woman who is willing to regard marriage as a job search, but it is not my original intention that I have embarked on this road." Said and said slightly Sighed.Seeing her appearance, Li Nanquan seemed to be holding a lot of grievances, so he said with a smile: "Are you two okay? You can sit with me and talk more." Yang Yanhua smiled and said: "To be honest, since yesterday Since then, I don’t know what’s sad, I’m always fidgeting. I can’t think of anything when I say something is wrong. I say nothing, but there is always a knot in my heart.” She sighed slightly, sitting on the chair Sitting down, just as his butt was touching the edge of the chair, he stood up again, and said to Hu Yuhua, "Let's go." Li Nanquan looked at the two ladies, guessing that there was a deep inside story, and nodded. She nodded and said: "Okay, when my wife comes back, I will ask her to invite you to have a talk. I believe she can give you some advice." Yang Yanhua seemed to be unable to bear the itch in her heart, and lowered her head with a "chi" laugh.Li Nanquan said: "Do you think I'm joking? I can't be so boring. It's too unkind to joke with you when you are saddest. Now among the wives in our village, there is a Invisible gatherings, when the family has something to do, everyone comes up with ideas. Although you have not joined this group of wives, you, Yang Yanhua, can be very popular. If you are willing to hold hands with them, twenty or thirty of them will swarm up when problems arise. It’s quite powerful.” Hu Yuhua laughed and said, “That’s true, just now I saw this group of wives go to restaurants on the street. But if women don’t want to be wronged, they can ask them to come out to fight against injustice. If you are willing to suffer If you feel wronged, what else do you have to say? It’s too unreasonable for someone to show up to meddlesome things and make a fuss!” As she spoke, her face became serious.Yang Yanhua said: "Yuhua, you don't forgive me in the same way. I..." Speaking of the word "I", she choked up her throat and couldn't continue, two lines of tears hung on her cheeks. Li Nanquan unconsciously let out a soft "Yo", and said to Yang Yanhua: "Miss Yang, I know you very well. But that Mr. Chen Xishi is young and mature, and I see him, rain or shine, he always comes every day Seeing you once is a good way to show his sincerity!" Yang Yanhua took out a handkerchief from the button of her skirt, wiped away her tears slowly, and sat silently.Li Nanquan said: "Everything in the world is caused by each other. Now you feel a little wronged about this marriage. Maybe ten or eight years later, you feel that this wronged is right." Yang Yanhua still sat silently, looking at herself Li Nanquan smiled and said, "Miss, you should know that I am not a fortune-teller. I It’s based on life experience. You’d better think about it a little bit.” Miss Yang said with a smile, “Isn’t that a lot of thinking? If I can’t think about it, I won’t treat guests myself.” After she finished explaining this sentence , and sat silently on the chair again.Hu Yuhua smiled and said, "If you have anything to say, talk to Mr. Li right away. Keeping silent like this will embarrass not only Mr. Li, but also the people I sit here with you." She still sighed softly He took a deep breath and shook his head slightly.Li Nanquan felt that it was not good to talk to her face to face, and there was no reason for it.So I only talked to her about art from the side.First I asked her how she learned art since she was a child, and then she talked about how many plays she came to Sichuan that were popular.Finally, I asked her which scene she felt most proud of.Saying this, Yang Yanhua's face became gentle, and she often smiled. Li Nanquan relieved Yang Yanhua's words, and slowly returned to the topic, smiling: "Miss, there is nothing completely satisfactory in the world. People are always dissatisfied with the environment. According to my personal experience, the relationship between men and women , there are three titles, the first is friends, the second is lovers, and the third is husband and wife. This friend of the opposite sex can get along with each other as long as they are somewhat similar in career, temperament, or even environment. There is no time , and there is no space limitation. The second is the lover, Ms. Yang, Ms. Hu, please forgive me for being a little rash. This is the development of a desire between men and women, and it is facilitated. This desire is ever-changing. Some belong to the spirit Some of them belong to the physical aspect. The purpose of being a lover is to enjoy, to be happy, and to vent each other's desires as much as possible, and to ignore everything else. It is purely emotional, not rational. The third is husband and wife. Don’t talk about the old-style marriage, it’s a kind of tragedy and comedy of the Chinese. In the new-style marriage, men and women become husband and wife, but there are only two ways, one is from ordinary friends, and the other is from lovers, because the former seems to be combined It’s not mature enough. But I’ve seen a lot of it. The husband and wife who turned from an ordinary friend, the union progresses from the first step to the second step, and it often becomes a little better. The love between men and women has developed to its peak The man accommodates the woman, and the woman also accommodates the man, and the boss breaks up. As a couple, there is no such concern, and they will not accommodate each other. As long as the man has a career, he has to bear the burden; the woman has to maintain the family, You also have to accept the burden, like in the days of lovers, going in and out arm in arm, it's just an intimate kiss, this time is gone." At this point, the two young ladies couldn't help but smile.Li Nanquan said: "This is the truth. Foreigners say that marriage is the grave of love, and it is for this kind of people. Therefore, it is a step backward from a lover to a husband and wife." Hu Yuhua laughed and said, "We have come to Mr. Li for a tutorial class today. It turns out that there is such a trilogy of friends, lovers, and husbands and wives. We have learned a lot." Li Nanquan has not yet answered this sentence, Someone outside answered with a smile: "Sorry, sorry, when did the two ladies come?" Following these words, Mrs. Li walked in with a smile on her face.Yang Yanhua said with a smile: "Master's wife is back? I came here specially to invite the teacher and the teacher's wife to have dinner." Mrs. Li said: "Don't you see that my face is red, and I have been drinking for a while. I only drank two-tenths of the drink. A glass of wine makes me dizzy. Thank you." Li Nanquan said with a smile: "You are really a little drunk. I didn't invite you for today. There are still two days left." Yang Yanhua said with a smile: "This is me. I'm in a hurry, I'm sorry. The day after tomorrow, please invite teacher and teacher's wife to go down to the house for a glass of light wine. Be sure to appreciate it." Mrs. Li said: "Why are you so polite?" Li Nanquan said: "Miss Yang is engaged. This is a wedding wine. Mrs. Li said repeatedly: "The wedding wine must be drunk." Yang Yanhua didn't plan to sit here for a long time, but because of Mr. Li's persuasion, she listened to the words and did not leave.Now that the conversation has come to an end, and the guests have been invited, she nodded to his wife and said, "I'm taking my leave. Please come the day after tomorrow." Hu Yuhua smiled at Mrs. Li again: "She didn't make an appointment, so please come. We will invite Mrs. Li when she comes back." Mrs. Li liked the two young ladies in person, so she said a few words politely.After the two left, Mrs. Li scooped up water to wash her face, and Mr. Li took a random book to read.Mrs. Li came out from the back room, and suddenly asked six words: "What's going on?" Mr. Li put down the book and looked at her in astonishment.Mrs. Li said: "I'm not at home, you chatted and laughed with these two ladies, and talked endlessly. When I came back, you were sullen and silent, didn't you hate that it's not the right time for me to come back?" Li Nanquan smiled and said: "Preemptive strikes, and then strikes others. You are giving me a blow first, leaving me speechless." Mrs. Li said: "Joke, why should I preemptively strike? I am just celebrating my friend's birthday. Join It's a banquet, and there's nothing to fear you." When she was talking, she picked up the teapot on the table to pour tea, but she didn't see the cup, and put the teapot down heavily on the table.She said: "I can't even drink a glass of water when I come home, so I'll go." Li Nanquan stood up, cupped his hands and said to her: "Wait a minute, I have two sentences to explain." The hand rolled bag was stuffed into the pocket.On the one hand, she calmed down and said: "You can just say what you have to say." Li Nanquan smiled, not angry at all, and said with a smile: "I understand very well that you didn't come home to deliberately make this preemptive gesture. It's just that you will take advantage of the opportunity when the time is right. I guess, in today's birthday mahjong, you will be completely wiped out, so you have to go home to replenish food and ammunition. After replenishing, you will go to the battlefield again. But you I'm afraid I don't want to. Because the cash at home was exchanged for my birthday preface. Under the vegetable oil lamp, my eyes are dim, my upper body is sweating, and my lower body is bitten by mosquitoes on my thighs. This money is said to be easy to earn, but it is not easy It’s not very pleasant. Besides, mentally, I’m reluctant. For a few dollars, what’s the difference between complimenting someone irrelevant with words and calling him a gentleman or a lady? With the money we get like this, we don’t buy some daily necessities. , giving it away on the thirteen sheets, it’s really not worth it. But I’ll tell you how hard it is. You definitely know that the reason why you have to come back to replenish food and ammunition is entirely because of the momentum of riding a tiger. In fact, it’s nothing , It’s just ill-gotten gains, if you lose, you lose, and I didn’t spend money to get it.” Mrs. Li listened to his long explanation, and the more she said it, the more she got it right. For some reason, the face that was pretending to be angry couldn't stand up anymore, she shook her head with a smile and said, "It's nothing, you are fine now If you can do it, you can study women's psychology. You can write a book on women's psychology." Li Nanquan said: "That's not it, between husband and wife, you can't use any political tricks. Feel free to say anything. Life If you are alive, you cannot avoid having friends, and if you have friends, you cannot avoid entertainment. Since you spent some money for entertainment today, it is also a legitimate purpose. If you lose all, it will always end. It is understandable to come back to withdraw money. I am so understanding today, I think you must know. When you come back, just tell me that you can get the money when you come back, why bother..." Mrs. Li stretched out her hands and shook them at the same time: "No need to mention it, no need I mentioned it, just count it as my mistake, isn't that okay?" When he said it, his face was naturally full of smiles.李南泉笑道：“那就行，只要你说实话就行。那末，刚才两位小姐来请我们去吃饭，并不算我什么规外行动了。”李太太笑道：“你要作什么规外行动，也不得行了。人家一位是早有主儿的，一位是要订婚了。人家都要找她的青年如意郎君，会找着你这半老徐娘？”李南泉笑道：“半老徐娘？还是城北徐公那个故事，妻之美谀我也。”他说着话，还是站在房门口。李太太道：“站开点罢，让我出去。吃饱了饭，两口子在家里耍骨头，什么意思？”李南泉回到椅子上坐着，将桌上放着的那本书举着，叹了口气道：“我还是这个打算，预备一点稿费，交给你去当应酬费。”李太太一面笑着，一面向外走着。 石太太正在这张做梦的桌上占庄，看到李太太来了笑道：“你不忙来呀，我还要永久地占庄下来呢。今天我赢几个钱，好作明天的赌。哦！我还没有告诉你，明天老奚请我们吃饭，你一定要到的。”李太太猛然想起李先生对她谈过的那些话，连连摇着手道：“罢了罢了，我不想吃她那高贵的菜了。”石太太正将手上一副大牌看定了神，把两手遥遥地围抱着，回转头来问道：“怎么回事？她是你的近邻，你不会不肯赴她的约会呀！”李太太一看里面两间屋子有十几位女同志，怎好当着人说明奚太太家的咸肉，是有鼻涕扔在上面的？这就笑道：“没有什么。不过我想她请的客一定不少。我和她是近邻，随时都可以在一处吃饭，又何必挤到一处？”石太太倒不疑心她这是什么用意，这就向她笑道：“你这叫多余的顾虑。奚太太请多少客，她必有一个统计。有多少人，她自然就安排多少座位。何至于挤着了你？”正说着这话，奚太太由外面屋子里走了来，高高举着手，向大家招着道：“不成问题，不成问题，我预备下两桌，每桌坐六个人，可以坐得松松的。”石太太笑道：“我得问问你，你到底预备了什么菜？”奚太太道：“有辣子炒鸡，有咸肉、烧肉，有四川烟肉，有鸡蛋……”她说到“有鸡蛋”，觉得这项菜，未免太平凡。便拖着口气，没有把这话说完，转了话锋道：“反正总够大家饱啖一顿的罢。” 李太太一听她所报的菜，正是李先生所说不可过问的那几项菜。这就望着她苦笑了一笑。奚太太道：“你不赏光吗？”她笑道：“只怪我口福不好，明天我正要到城里去取一笔款子，恐怕不能赶回来吃你这顿四川烟肉。”奚太太将身体扭着道：“那不好，少了你，就不热闹了。我们希望你能在吃饭之后，来一段余兴。”李太太向她望着道：“你为什么这样高兴呢？你今天敬的是马王菩萨，并不是敬的财神爷呀！”奚太太道：“你不要问这些，关于这些，那我完全是失败的。我现在只是需要找一点麻醉。过一天是一天。若是明天开始第二次疲劳轰炸，一下子把我炸死了，我大吃大喝之后死去，倒也落个痛快。”说着，白太太在隔壁屋子里插言道：“不要说丧气的话了，街上已经挂球了。”石太太在牌墩上摸了一张牌，正是堪当二筒的自摸双。将牌摊了下来，连连摇着头道：“不管了'不管了，我又和了。”说着，把摊下来的牌，一张一张向下扒，口里念着：“不求人，姊妹花，无字，八将……”白太太摇着手道：“不要算了，已经放警报了。”石太太道：“放警报怕什么？放了紧急，我们进防空洞。”白太太提着个旅行袋，举了一举。脸上带了忧郁的样子道：“你看，我已经准备长期抗战，又预备了一批干粮了。城里有人来，说是听到敌人的广播，这次疲劳轰炸，要两三百架飞机，炸两个星期。这可是受不了。” 奚太太一拍手道：“这话不假，我向来不大躲警报的人，今天可要远远地躲着了。”石太太究竟和她是最友好的。看了她这样子，倒也有几分相信，便停止了牌，站起来问道：“你又是哪里得来的消息？”她道：“消息我虽是没有得着，据我的观测，日本人会这样办的。因为他们上次疲劳轰炸，相当得意。而且知道了我们的防空力量究竟有多大。一次走熟了，就有二次。”石太太道：“我以为你真是得了什么确实情报，原来你是神机妙算。”奚太太道：“你看我是神机妙算吗？请你看看外面罢。”说着，她把对着大路的窗子打开，将手向外一指。果然，今日的情形，有点特别，逃警报的人，除了成串地由山下向这山谷里走来，而且那脸上的神色显得十分惊慌。石太太看到人阵中一个老头子，是街上摆零食摊子的，倒相当的熟识，就问道：“王老板你今天怎么也向山上跑？山下的洞子不好吗？”老人家都是喜欢说话的。他就站着向里面道：“今天情形厉害，听说有三百多架飞机，要分无数批来联珠轰炸。从今晚上起，要轰炸两个礼拜。”石太太道：“你要准备准备呀！这不是闹着玩的呀！”说着，将手向天空乱指点道，好像敌人的飞机，就在头顶上乱飞。他更不答话，扯腿就走了。奚太太本来就有点惊慌，听了那王老板的话，立刻脸上青一阵白一阵，直了两只眼睛的视线，两手扶了椅子靠背，手掌心里的冷汗，像泼水似的向外流着。望了石太太道：“这这这……”说着。嘴唇皮子直管抖颤。 李太太平常对于警报，就不大安神。现在听了这紧急的消息，而手摇警报器的悲鸣，又刚是由耳朵里经过。这就摇着手道：“不打了，不打了。等解除了警报，再算账罢。”她反正是没有上桌的，扭转身躯，就向外走。一个人走动，全体也走动了。石太太家里的热闹场面，立刻一哄而散。奚太太看到李太太放快了步子走，跟着在后面叫道：“老李，你今天躲哪里？我们躲到一处罢。”李太太道：“我原来都是躲村口上这个洞子的。不过传来的消息，有点吓人，洞子里坐久了，人是不舒服的，我打算躲到山里人家里去。”奚太太赶上前两步，握了她的手道：“这话说得对极了，我和你同去。我还有点重要的东西带着。”说着话，抬头向天上看看，笑道：“不要紧的。今天是初七，月亮很小，只有一把钩。而且在十二点钟以前，它就落山了。没有月亮，敌机还是不能来的。我们还是可以回来睡觉。我希望你们全家和我全家，今晚上同回家。”她说这话，李太太也不懂什么意思，只是含糊答应着。李太太回家时，李先生和王嫂，已把逃难的包裹预备好了，大家都在走廊上等着呢。李太太道：“我们就走罢，今天我们应当走得远一点。有人听到敌人的广播，说这是二次疲劳轰炸开始。”李南泉手里照样拿了两本书，举了一举道：“疲劳轰炸有什么要紧？你有你的抵抗武器，我也有我的抵抗武器。听说二条暗二坎叫高射炮，回头在防空洞口，摆起场面来，多来几回二条暗坎，就把敌机打跑了。”这时，奚太太在她家门口“哎呀”大叫一声。 大家都是在心惊肉跳的情形下，突然有人大叫，自然都向那里看了去。只见奚太太两只手乱抓，有时摸着前胸，有时又摸着后背，好像有一只耗子钻到她衣服里去了，不由得她不伸手乱摸。李南泉跑过来，正要开口去问，奚太太两只手，却摸到了肩膀上，忽然笑道：“在这里！”李南泉看那情形，好像她身上有什么东西，失而复得，所以立刻之间，神色屡变。笑问道：“芳邻，发生了事情吗？有要我为力的地方没有？”奚太太将右手按了两下左肩膀，又把左手按了右肩膀，笑道：“没有什么事，我有点东西，放在身上，怕是失落了。还好，依然在身上。”李南泉听了她这话，向她肩上看去，发现了两只肩膀上，各各高起了一块，因道：“这是什么东西，可以拿出来看看吗？”奚太太向前后看看，并无别人，这就抓着他的手，低声笑道：“你是我们邻居的老大哥，我有什么事，也不能瞒着你。我有十四两金子，这是早已对你说过的，这是我全家的第二生命，平常我不大逃警报，就为了这金子不好带走。因为夏天衣服穿得少，十几两东西，无论揣在什么地方，人家也是看见的。现在我一定要去躲警报，这就不能不把这东西带着了。原来我是用个袋子盛着，挂在脊梁后衣服里的，我试验了几回。实在不好受。现在分着两个包，在左右肩膀各捆着一包，每肩七两，倒是舒服的。不过两只肩膀，都高出了一块吧？你看不看得出来？” 这时，李家一家人，已经各拿着逃警报的东西，走上了大路。李南泉见奚太太还表示着亲密的态度，只管低声说话。心想这样子肯定是引起太太的不快，就向她大声笑道：“你若是小心过分，就跟着我们一路走罢。最妥当的办法，你不如花几个钱雇一乘滑竿。”说着，扭身就走。奚太太为了两肩的金子，倒真是需要两人保护。看到他要走开，伸手一把就把他手臂扯着，笑道：“不忙不忙，带了我们这小队人马一路走。”她说话急促，手上用力，也就过分一点，那右肩上绑着的一只小布口袋，脱了绳索，由衣服里面坠将下来，打在地上，“扑通”一声响。李南泉看那口袋，是青布缝的。四四方方，有豆腐块那么大。她“哟”了一声，立刻蹲在地上，把那只布口袋捡了起来。可是就在她弯腰的时候，左肩上那个小布口袋又落了下来。她再捡起来，两手托着，却是没有个作道理处。李南泉明知道这两只小口袋里都是金子，一来避嫌，不敢看人家的东西。二来太太在路上等着，他不敢久耽误，就离开她向大路上赶了去。李太太皱了眉向他低声道：“你大概有这么一个毛病，见了女人说话，不问好丑老少，都是话越说越多。”李南泉笑道：“这样的人，不但我没有法子对付，你是女人，不也无法对付吗？”李太太道：“你也应当知道放了警报多久了。紧急警报一放，可能敌机马上就临头。拖儿带女这样一大群，你是对人家的安全要紧呢还是对自己的安全要紧呢？” 李南泉对于这位奚太太，在闹笑话上是感到兴趣的。无论在什么场合上，他不会遇到这样一个妙造自然的小丑。所以尽管太太不满意，他也不能忘情这位奚太太，他很了解，这决不会让自己太太疑心到别的事情上去。尽管把她看下去，并没有关系。所以他走着路的时候，不住回头向奚公馆看。果然，不到五分钟，奚太太带着一群儿女飞奔而来。她在跑警报的时候，不能穿着花的衣服。她穿了件蓝夏布长褂子，腰身紧紧的，在瘦小的身上箍着。老远就看到她胸面前，异乎寻常的女人，拱起了三个峰包，那左右两个，自然是给小孩子吃的粮库。而中间一个，正在胸口，却很是触目。人像枯树，顶起了个秃节。马王爷有三只眼，不能奚太太有三只乳。于是大家都望了她。她气喘吁吁地跑到了面前，向李太太道：“老李，今天你要帮我一个忙，我们要在一处躲警报。”李太太笑道：“这也是很平常的事。躲警报的地方，大家都能去。”正说到这里，街市的紧急警报声，顺了风吹进这山村里来。这时，太阳已经偏西，照着乱草丛山，是一片黄黄的颜色。热风由谷口吹到山村里，草木发出瑟瑟的响声，似乎就有股肃杀之气。这紧急警报的声音，是“呜呀呜呀”地叫着，十分凄惨。李氏夫妻看到奚太太胸前，顶起了三个包，本来是忍不住笑的。听到了这悲惨的叫声，把心里那股子高兴，就完全消失了，大家还是开了步子快走。他们害怕，当然，奚太太也害怕，她就跟着他们后面跑，但终于没有跟上。 奚太太见人都对她胸口望着，她也就感觉到这三个峰包在胸前顶着，一定是不雅观。正自想分辩自己为什么胸前有这个大包。现在看到李氏夫妇跑走，而在这路上的人，也在找地方藏身，只得也就跟了人群走。这人群寄居的山，依着一条长谷，稀稀落落地盖着房子，拉长了总有两里路长。现在跑着，只走了村子的三分之二，还有些人家，散聚在村子的尾上和村子中心区，隔了一段空地。所以奚太太这群人虽是跑了几分钟，依然未跑出村子去。放了紧急警报以后，这些住在村子尾上的人，也都开始疏散。他们所以这时候才疏散的缘故，就是出了村口，完全是空山空谷，总有两里路长，没有房屋。而且人行路两旁，随处山上山下，都有石槽和石洞。飞机临头，就可以随时随地把身子掩藏起来。奚太太和李氏夫妇脱了伴，却和这村子尾上的人相连起来了。那些人看到奚太太胸前堆着三个大包，走快了路，就不免把胸脯顶得更高些。而且走起路来，三个包都随了步子的高低，上下颤动。因为她那三个包颤动得厉害，连带着周身肌肉也颤动起来。谁看到都觉得是件怪事。有多嘴的小孩子看到，就指了奚太太道：“你看奚太太哟，人家逃警报，把包袱褂在衣服里面，这是什么缘故呢？”奚太太见人家指明了，倒不是有什么难为情，她觉得收藏金子让人看到了那却是老大的不便。天色晚了，可能让人把金子抢了去。 奚太太看到大家都向她注意，又难为情，又害怕，而胸前的这个大包，一时又想不出一个遮掩的法子。小孩子手上，正拿着一把雨伞，她立刻取了过来，将伞面撑开，就在胸面前顶着。其实这个时候，太阳偏了西，不在前，也不在后，却是在左手旁边山头上，雨伞在前面顶着，一点儿都没有遮挡着。反之，却是挡住了自己的视线。在发警报的时候，大后方的人，都是神经过敏的，看到任何不顺眼的东西，都说是给了敌人的目标。雨伞的纸面是黄的，而伞骨子外面，又是绿的，看去却是圆圆的一大块。奚太太这样顶了伞走着，好几处有人叫着：“把雨伞收起来，汉奸！”奚太太因那吆喝声甚厉，而且天空中又遥遥地传来飞机的马达声，可能敌机快要临头，只好把伞收了。也不知道什么缘故，伞柄上的撑子恰好在这时候卡住了，尽力量伞也收不下。两旁山坡下的石缝里，随处都藏躲着人。四处都发来了轻轻的吆喝声道：“敌机来了，快躲下，快躲下。”奚太太情急智生，看到人行路旁边，是庄稼地里一条干沟，四围长着乱草，把山沟大半边遮盖了，就把伞向里面一扇，因为用力太猛，人也随了这伞，向干沟里栽了下去。所幸这沟里没有水，都是些湿土。沟又只有四五尺深，两三尺宽，人跌在里面，倒像是藏在防空壕里。这时，飞机马达声，哄哄地破空而至。她在沟里，由乱草堆里张望出来，就看到三架日本战斗机，成品字形，在谷口山顶上，顺着长谷飞了来。 奚太太伸出一只手来，对小孩子乱招着，三个小孩也都吓慌了，像蛤蟆跳井似的，跳进干沟里去。她的一个男孩子，跳得最猛，头先向下，正撞到她胸口这个小包袱上。小孩子头加上那包袱里的十四两金子，齐齐地向她胸口上一撞，正是一根金条的尖端，在小包裹里面突起，把她的胃部外面皮肤，重重扎了一下，她“哎哟”了一声，痛晕过去，两行眼泪齐流。小孩子的头，碰到包金子的小包裹上，原来也是要哭的，看到母亲流泪，将手揉着眼睛，撇了嘴没有出声。大孩子轻轻喝道：“飞机在头上，不要哭，不要哭。”奚太太忍住了声音，只有牵着衣裳角擦眼泪。呆坐在沟里十来分钟，听不到头上的飞机响声了。奚太太才由沟里的乱草缝里伸出头来。周嫂已不知所之，看到行人路上，有一位穿灰布衣服的防护团丁，料着无事，才把小孩子一个个送出。那把伞垫着坐，已是稀烂了。她走出沟来，团丁也是本村子里人，向她挥着手道：“奚太太，你带着孩子走远一点罢。今天上半夜有月亮，一定是接着夜袭，时间长得很呢。小孩子在这里会闹的，受别人的干涉。”奚太太四围一看，深长的山谷里，除了这位防护团丁，并没有第二个人。看看胸面前那个盛金子的小包裹，正是顶出来几寸高，再看看那团丁脸上，很带几分笑容。她一时敏感，很怕这位团丁起非分之想，立刻在地面抓了几次土，然后故意把手摸着脸。把那张枣子脸，变成了蜜枣的颜色，然后牵着个孩子，由团丁身边冲过去。 那位团丁，看到她这样子，倒忍不住哈哈大笑。奚太太看了这样子，牵着孩子，就径直跑去。出了村子，两边是山，中间夹着一条人行石板路。在紧急警报后，一切声音停止，便是乡下人也停止了行动。太阳已经落到山后去，长谷里显着阴暗，十分寂寞。他们一行四人，跑得那石板路“啪啪”作响。山上有个天然石洞，正躲着一群人，被这脚步声惊动着，早有两个人由石头洞口子里伸出头来吆喝着：“不要跑，不要跑。”人家越吆喝，她越跑得厉害。一口气跑了两小里路，到了她的目的地。这里是两个套着的山谷，在四围山峰中，有七八户人家，让紧密的竹枝和高大的树木遮掩着，不露目标。人家后面，到处有水成岩的深浅石槽和石洞，也很可以当防空壕。村子里下江人到此躲警报，喝茶，喝酒，看书，下棋，打牌，都相当自由。尤其是对付夜袭，大可以在这里打开铺盖卷睡长觉。奚太太到了这里，算是放下了心，放慢了步子走着。这村子口上，就是一大丛竹林子，她的意思，也就是想在竹林下休息片时。这时，竹林子里先有人“哟”了一声，然后下江太太和白太太同时走了出来。奚太太跑累了，已经把脸上的那两片黑泥给忘记了。下江太太执着她的手道：“我的太太，你这脸上是怎么回事？你成了女李逵了。”奚太太两只乌眼珠，在黑脸上转着，笑道：“我好害怕哟，我这样年轻，我怕在路上遇到了歹人，对我强行非礼。急中生智，就把脸抹黑了。” 下江太太回头看看，左右还没有别人，笑着低声道：“真的，前几天，为了逃夜袭，离我们这里二十多里路的地方，就出了一个强奸案子。是一位二十多岁的少妇……”奚太太将手连摆了几下，笑道：“说得这样的粗鲁。”白太太笑道：“对了，要说强行非礼。奚太太你若不抹这一脸泥土，身段是这样苗条，面孔是这样漂亮，你在无人的山缝里走，那真不敢替你保险。所以在这离乱年头，女人长得太漂亮了，实在不是什么幸福。你们奚先生对于这样漂亮的太太，用那广田自荒的手腕来对付，实在是错误。奚太太万一出了事情，是应当负责任的。”奚太太抓住白太太一只手，另一只手捏了个拳头，在她肩上乱敲着，笑道：“你这个死鬼！”三位太太，于是笑着滚成一团。这时候听到竹林子外面，有人咳嗽了一声。这声音听得出来，正是李南泉。奚太太摔开了白太太手，回手就向竹林子下的田水沟里蹲下去，两手捧了田沟里的水，向脸上乱抹着。先抹了一遍，然后再把头伸到水面上，将水在脸上乱泼，泼了四五分钟，然后掀起一片衣襟，将脸子抹着。她这分化妆工夫的耽误，李南泉已走到竹林子里了。看到她蹲在田沟边洗脸，这就笑道：“奚太太，高雅得很。你还在做这样有诗意的动作。”奚太太站起来笑道：“躲在防空洞里，揩了一脸一身的泥土，所以在这田沟里找点清泉洗洗。”李南泉笑道：“这也很好。泉水里面有落花香，你这无异用花露水洗了一把脸了。” 下江太太听了这话，明知道是李先生打趣奚太太的。这就故意走近她一步，将鼻子吸了两下，笑道：“让我闻闻，是不是有点花露花香？”奚太太将手向她轻轻推了一下，笑道：“飞机又在响了，还要开玩笑哩。”下江太太道：“在这里不怕飞机，你看这是个有诗意的环境，又遇到你这富有诗意的动作，我们是应当轻松一下，不要放过这机会。”原来这时，越是暮色苍茫了。仅仅是西边天角，略有点淡红色的云脚，反映出一片轻微的红光。其余当顶的天幕，已变成了深蓝色。一弯镰刀似的月亮，配着三五粒灿烂的星点，已经是像白铜磨洗出来一样。这四围小山绕着的平谷，就落在幽暗的深渊里。这竹林子更在这幽暗的环境中，发出苍黑的一群影子。人在这种地方，本来就很少听到嘈杂的声音。这又是警报期间，乡下人虽不听到警报声，但是这些躲警报的难民来了，也就给他们带来一种恐怖的压力。所以在这情景中，他们也是停止了一切声音。这个山谷里分明藏着很多人，却是连这四围的山，都一同睡过去了。李南泉在太太群里，自也有些不便，就向下江太太道：“天色已经晚了，三位可以到人家草屋子里去坐坐。我在这竹林子下给你们作防空哨，万一飞机临头，我去给你们作报告。”三位太太听了他这样说了，环境也实在过于悄静，大家都走到乡下人家去了。李南泉自站在竹林下，心里静下来，但听到四处草里的虫子，发出各种响声来。 他心里想着，这大自然的美丽，并没有因为战争而减少。好山，好水，好月亮，好的一切天籁，人为什么不享受，而要用大炮飞机来毁灭？世界上的侵略国家，用大炮飞机去毁灭别人的国家，他自己的国家，也就未必能安然置身事外。日本本土，现在一切大自然，还是顺着天然的秩序前进，可是能永久这样吗？天上这一弯月亮，照着此地躲警报的人，也照见日本国内在拼命制造军火的人。虽不知道日本国内现在是什么心理，可是他们会替警报声中的中国人设想一下吗？人间天上这一弯月亮，她也许知道。因为她同时也正照临着日本。他这样想着，不免抬起头来，对天上那一弯月亮注意地看着。天色已完全昏黑，那月亮虽是半弯，倒显得格外发亮。她的浅薄的光辉，洒在地面的深草上，洒在树上，洒在山上，都像淡抹了一层粉痕，较远的地方，就模糊着带点似烟非烟、似雾非雾的情景。那草里的虫，在这种光辉下，更是兴奋，大家在暗草丛里，都振动了它的翅膀。有的作啷啷声，有的作喳喳声，有的作叮叮声。李南泉听到这响声，更是引起他心里那番空虚寂寞的观念。正抬头观察着东边天脚，却发生了轰轰轧轧的响声，这是敌机群又已来临的象征。他心里立刻紧张起来，对西边天脚下注视着。就在这时，对面山峰的后身，一道白光，向天空、山上射去。那白光在天空中笔直一条，在半空里摇撼了几下。平地又是一道白光直射上去。 山后那两道白光，在天空里来回摇撼，最后就在天空里把敌机照着。那敌机像是一群白燕子，在巨大的白光条里向上升，可是第二道也照到了，正好像夜空里拦上了个十字架。随后第三道、第四道白光，都由山后涌起，全像架花格子似的，把这群白燕子照着。敌机走，这若干条白光，也随着移动。那群敌机，除了尽量升高，同时也向外兜着圈，用高和远，躲开白光的探照。最后，它们逃出了白光的花格子。但在更远的地方，又在平地向半空里射出了几道白光，每道白光同时晃动着，又把那群敌机捉住了。这次不是仅仅捉住而已，顺着这白光十字架的交叉点，地面上已发射了高射炮。那高射炮像联珠一串，向天空里发射着小红球。那红球就在那群白燕子中间射去。可是并看不到有一只白燕子碰在这红球上。由肉眼看去，有一个红球，在两只白燕子中间穿过去，相隔简直不到一尺。李南泉看到，不住顿着脚说：“可惜可惜！”这威胁给予那敌机群大概是不少，机群分开了。白光所笼罩的，现在只有一架敌机，其余都以爬高战术，逃出了天罗地网。不到三分钟就听到“哄隆哄隆”，一阵炸弹声，分明是敌机已于目标所在地投弹。李南泉站在竹林下手扶了一根竹枝，对天上一弯冷月，不由得叹了一口气。心里想着，这一片响声中，又不知道有多少人已经丧失了生