Chapter 7 Second Incense

We came to Changde Apartment for the second time. But that room has completely changed, no, maybe it should be said, it’s the same again - the elegant sofa, the nostalgic furnishings, the rich wife in the photo is her mother, and there is Duo Yunxuan on the table. Paper, a pair of dragon and phoenix soft-soled embroidered shoes are scattered on the corner of the bed, and even black cheese tea and sweet and salty pastries are placed on the coffee table. This is the room that once made Hu Lancheng feel "military spirit", "modern freshness and brightness are almost irritating", and "luxurious enough to make me uneasy".

The biggest difference is that in the middle of the wall hangs the God of Time. My heart moved, and I looked at Shen Cao in surprise: "Have you made any progress in your experiment?" "Bingxue is smart!" Shen Cao praised me, "In order to make your visit more accurate, I decided to revisit the site. According to the magnetic field, Zhang Ailing's life and emotions in her youth were recorded here, and experiments were carried out here. The magnetic field must be very strong, and the effect will be twice the result with half the effort." "Smart? Since I was a child, my mother often laughed at me for being stupid. Just like now, Shen Cao, am I stupid if I 'follow the map' like this?"

"It's no more stupid than 'wasting food because of choking'." Shen Cao stared at me, but with a smile in his eyes, which weakened half of his sincerity.He said, "If you use it as a reason to reject me because you have been in a relationship for ten years, then you are really stupid." I looked at him, hesitated to speak.My relationship with Zijun didn't happen overnight, so how can I explain it clearly in a few words? Fortunately, Shen Cao didn't get entangled in this topic, his expression became serious, he pressed the time switch, and solemnly announced: "Let's start. This time, I promise you will go back exactly sixty years ago. I have checked According to the information, Hu Lancheng's first visit to Zhang Ailing was at the beginning of 1944, and I will send you back to that era, and for the rest, I will ask you to adapt accordingly to see if you can stop their meeting."

What, am I going to meet 24-year-old Eileen Chang today, discuss love with her on an equal footing, and try to reverse her life's destiny?I suddenly felt that I was not ready yet.The so-called "feeling timid near the hometown" turns out to be the same for people. I didn't expect Aileen to be waiting for me. She is already a famous woman in her prime. She wears a waist-cut chick-neck half-sleeved jacket trimmed with an improved little phoenix-style jacket in the early Republic of China, but it is matched with a Western-style wide skirt sprinkled with flowers. She has strange clothes and bright eyes.The hair has been permed, the eyebrows are curved and thin, and the makeup is exquisite and generous.Before a person becomes famous, brilliance is written on his face. Her expression is like a phoenix about to fly, a woman who has been favored by God.

The layout of the house is much more modern than her original home, and the table is full of flowers, probably given by admirers? It's just that the fame and flowers have healed the scars of her childhood?And at the end of the road covered by flowers, does it lead to happiness or disaster? Seeing me, she smiled happily: "Sister, you really came." "You know I'm coming?" I was a little surprised, "Are you waiting for me?" "That's right, I dressed up like this specially to entertain distinguished guests." She talked and laughed in a graceful manner, and when she turned around casually, the hem of the dress fluttered slightly.She said, "We made an appointment, you said you would come to see me again this year."

"Oh? What year is it? What's the date today?" "February 4, 1944, you obviously came to the appointment, but you don't know what happened today?" February 4, 1944?I was slightly taken aback, yes, I know this day, when traveling through time, I once saw the back of a man in the time tunnel, he stood downstairs and rang the doorbell, and that day was February 4, 1944 day.But I don't remember when I made an appointment with her to meet on this day. Could it be that in the long river of time, I came back to find Ai Ling more times than I knew?Or, in future experiments, I went earlier than today and made an appointment to meet today, so many things were done upside down.However, if this is the case, everything today should be a story that happened yesterday to me in real life, why is there no such episode in my memory?

Shen Cao said that the past and the future are relative, and the universe runs on different planes. Then, or, it is another me in another plane who made today's appointment with Aileen?And I come to the appointment instead of me? "Sister, what's wrong with you?" Zhang Ailing stared at me with a look of judgment, "You seem to be in a daze." I was a little uneasy, and at the same time noticed that the arrangement of the hidden flowers on the sofa was actually different from that of Shen Cao. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "I think you don't seem to be a person in our world. There's a kind of... how should I put it, you are not human, but you are very kind; but you are flickering, and the dragon can't see the end, it's not real. Feeling." She frowned, and then found something new, "I saw you several times, and each time was many years apart, but why didn't you seem to have changed. You have a good face, youthful and not old? Or, are you a fairy at all? "

I smiled: "Okay, then you can call me Sister Shenxian, just like Duan Yu called Wang Yuyan." "Who?" "Ah, you don't know, the characters in the novel." I was afraid that she would continue to ask, so I quickly turned back, "Auntie is not at home?" "She took a part-time radio job and read journalism and editorial." "By the way, I remember she said that she said a lot of meaningful things every day, but she didn't get a dime; but she went to the radio to say meaningless things for half an hour, but she could get tens of thousands of salary."

"Yes, my aunt said so. How do you know?" "I read it in your "Aunt's Quotations." "My sister also reads my article?" She frowned, "But have I ever written an article like "Quotations from My Aunt?" Ah, it's February 4, 1944. In which year was Zhang Ailing's "Aunt's Quotations" written?I really can't remember this one.I could only say vaguely: "That's probably what I heard from you. You said that you were going to write an "Aunt's Quotations". I have read every article of yours, many times. You don't know how much I have I like your novels to the point of madness."

I like it crazy.I like to come to Shanghai when I leave my hometown.I like to travel through time and space to find her.I like it so much that even now that I'm sitting face to face, I still can't believe it's real.However, maybe this scene was not real, but just a dream of mine. "There are many people who say they like my things, but sister, you also say the same, I am very happy." She blinked with a little joy. "There are more people who admire you than you can imagine. Because your influence on readers is not only in this world, but also lasts for more than half a century, or even farther." I saw letters piled up on the table like a hill, " These are letters from admirers, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't even have time to read it." Aileen showed that thoughtful look again, "Sister, why do you say everything like a prophecy? It seems that you know a lot of things because we didn't know Got it. If you're not a fairy, then you're a genius, wise man." I was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly thought, maybe all wise men are people who travel through time?It is because of foresight and foresight that the thinking is deep and broad.No matter how ordinary the future man is, he is still wiser than the extraordinary man of the past, because he already "knows". The servant came to change the tea, and it really was cheese black tea. I couldn't help smiling, but then I heard the report: "Mr. Hu Lancheng is asking to see you." "Hu Lancheng?" Aileen was a little happy, "I've heard of this person." In a hurry, I blurted out, "Push him away." "Why?" Aileen was slightly surprised, but immediately said clearly, "That's right, I finally saw my sister once, so don't let anyone disturb you." She turned around and ordered, "Tell the guests that I'm not at home." I breathed a sigh of relief, but soon became nervous again.What if Hu Lancheng doesn't give up?If he comes a second time and a third time, can I stay here to stop him every time? The servant went down for a while, brought up a piece of paper, and said, "Mr. Hu has left, he asked me to give you this." I peeked at the handwriting on it, it was elegant and elegant, and the talent was overflowing on the paper.The ancients said that "calligraphy and painting have the same origin". From these few lines written by Hu Lancheng, I can clearly see the meaning of painting, and I can't help but have mixed feelings.This is indeed an incomparable talent, I am a bit regretful that I did not see his true face.The historical turmoil and political vicissitudes have painted this man with a layer of mystery, which makes me curious: what kind of man is it that can make such a beautiful and intelligent woman like Zhang Ailing fall in love with him? Although, when spinning in the time tunnel, I saw his back, but that can't be regarded as acquaintance, right?He stood downstairs and rang the doorbell, begging her to see me.And I stopped this meeting in time, and hoped to stop all future meetings. Best, he and she never knew each other. However, Aileen looked at the note repeatedly, feeling a little stunned.Clearly feeling sorry for the loss. My heart sank a little bit, they hadn't even met yet, but I clearly felt that something had quietly happened between them. "Aileen, can I ask you something?" I looked at her and asked urgently, "Can you promise me not to see this person." "Didn't I push him already?" "I'm not talking about today, I'm talking about the future. In the future, never see this person." "Forever? You said it so seriously." Aileen was a little uneasy, "Why did you make such a strange request? Do you know Hu Lancheng?" "I don't know if this counts as acquaintance. But I know that he is a harmful person. For you, he means disaster. You'd better stay away from him, the farther the better." Even myself I felt that my tone sounded like a wizard, but I didn't know how to express my confession. After thinking about it, I just went straight to the point, "He works for the Japanese and Wang Jingwei's Nanjing government. He is a...cultural traitor." "Cultural traitor? But not long ago, he was imprisoned by Wang Jingwei because he wrote an article asserting that Japan would fail and the Nanjing government would fail." Aileen retorted disapprovingly, "He is Su Qing's friend. That time, I I went to Zhou Fohai's house with Su Qing, wondering if there is any way to save him." I froze again.Once again, I feel my lack of history.To be honest, I am just an obsessed reader of Zhang Ailing's novels, but I know very little about Hu Lancheng's story, and I only have a superficial understanding of the history of Shanghai's isolated island period.I also can't tell exactly which year Hu Lancheng was imprisoned, which year he became the deputy director of the Wang government's propaganda, and what specific things he did to betray the country and the nation. There are very few positive reports on Hu Lancheng, and all the biographical stories The "cultural traitor" is just a superficial mention here. What about the historical truth?What the truth is, I don't know.All I know is the relationship between him and Eileen Chang.With such a poor understanding, my persuasive power to Eileen Chang is too weak. And, 24 years old.No matter how smart a woman is, she is stupid at the age of 24.I was also 24 years old, and I clearly understand the rebellious enthusiasm, the fanatical curiosity about my unknown things, and the involuntary temptation and yearning for a mysterious "bad man". To pay attention to a person, first pay attention to his strengths, but to really fall in love with a person often starts from falling in love with his shortcomings. For a bright and sensitive 24-year-old girl, the "bad deeds" of a bad guy are often more fascinating than the heroic characters. The crisis of fate is already looming, like a snake's letter, approaching "sizzling". I have a sense of hopeless desolation. "Aileen," I said with difficulty, "you wrote it, you wrote it, but have you ever tried to fall in love?" "Love?" Aileen smiled mischievously, "Our understanding of life is often second-round. We always see pictures of the sea first, and then the sea; we read love stories first, and then know love." I was a little disappointed: "Usually, this is how you answer reporters' questions, right?" She is too smart and agile. The 24-year-old Eileen Chang is far more witty and active than I can do. But because she is still young, she has not had time to truly appreciate the gains and losses of love and the vicissitudes of politics, and she is still enjoying honor and praise. Surrounded by him, he still can't calm down to answer questions calmly, and can't face his heart squarely. A person's wisdom exceeds his age, just like his soul surpasses his body, it cannot bear it, and it is dangerous to others and himself. I can talk about everything with 8-year-old Zhang Ying, but there is an insurmountable gap with 24-year-old Zhang Ailing. And this kind of discord, Zhang Ailing clearly felt it, she seemed uneasy, so she talked about him, stood up and went to the balcony to say hello: "Sister, come and see, Hartung Garden is holding a party again. " I nodded, stood up and walked towards the balcony, and when I stepped out, I suddenly felt dizzy, with stars flashing in front of my eyes, as if the elevator was out of control, and as if all the lights downstairs were flying up and entangled me. Fortunately, it was only for a moment. When the eyes were clear again, I saw that I was standing firmly on the balcony. Looking down, the lights of thousands of houses had been reset, and the neon signs in the distance were scrolling and changing. The picture was a poster of Chow Yun Fat.I was more dazed.Brother Fa?He also came to old Shanghai?The "Shanghai Beach" he starred in tells the story of Zhang Ailing's contemporaries, right?Could it be because of a TV series that he was also sent here? "Brilliant box! Beautiful box!" Who is calling my name? The balcony door was pushed open again, and it was Shen Cao who came out of the room. He greeted nervously: "Jinhe, what do you think?" I stared at him blankly, and gradually came to my senses. It turned out that the experiment was over. However, I was clearly standing in the middle of the room before the experiment started, so why did I run to the balcony now? In the alley downstairs, the sound of huqin could be faintly heard from some corner, which made everything seem real and unreal. Shen Cao was very confused: "Jinhe, there is a new problem this time. Halfway through the experiment, you suddenly stood up and walked out, like sleepwalking, opened the door and walked out. I was scared and worried, and I didn't dare to shout loudly. You, afraid of the consequences. I have to quickly turn back the time switch and come out to find you again. How do you feel?" "I..." I was still in the conversation with Zhang Ailing and couldn't come back to life, "Shen Cao, if you don't pull the time switch, will I stay in that era forever? Do I just live according to the time of that era So? Then I leave Zhang’s house today, and I can continue to visit tomorrow. I can always make friends with Zhang Ailing, stay with her, watch her, and prevent her from interacting with Hu Lancheng.” "I don't know. But if that's the case, wouldn't your body in this time and space become a vegetable?" "Vegetable? Could it be that the thoughts of a vegetative person, like me just now, have entered another time and space and are unwilling to come back, or are they unable to come back for some reason, so they become a vegetative person?" "This... probably belongs to the medical field. Vegetative people and sleepwalking are still unknown in medicine. The human brain is still an unfamiliar field for humans." I sighed: "Human beings are so helpless. They can't do anything about themselves, and they don't understand anything. How can they talk about changing the world?" "It's so ambitious, it's human nature." Shen Cao smiled wryly. We didn't speak for a while, we just looked into the distance side by side. It is the intersection of night and day, the voices of people and the city are floating in the dusk, and there is a sense of unreality like a dream.The afterglow of the setting sun dyes everything with a layer of soft light, green houses, blue rivers, crimson pedestrians and beautiful purple cars, like a castle in a fairy tale. I suddenly wanted to cry.Zhang Ailing and Hu Lancheng must have stood side by side on this balcony, have you seen it? Who wants the west wind to be cool alone?Xiao Xiao and Huang Ye close the windows, meditate on the past and stand in the setting sun. Those past events were written in books, in the wind, and even more so in the dusk of the setting sun. Zhang Ailing met Hu Lancheng, Gu Jinhe fell in love with Shen Cao, everything is fate, right?Who knows whether the Shanghai we see at this moment is a real scene or a dream?The moon fifty years ago is the same as the moon fifty years later. Is the Shanghai fifty years ago the same as the Shanghai fifty years later? Shen Cao said: "Starting from the Bund of the Huangpu River, from Fada Avenue to Jing'an Temple, it is called Shili Yangchang. This house happens to be on the side of Shili, and it also happens to be on a high place. You can see the whole picture of Shili Yangchang clearly." He said. Pointing down, "Here, that's Hartung Gardens, and that's Keshilin Cafe." Qi Shilin is not Orpheus, Gu Jinhe is not Bai Liusu, and Shen Cao, could it be Fan Liuyuan? The sky darkened layer by layer, and the lights came on bit by bit. Looking down from this angle, the whole city is composed of little lights and windows one by one. The houses are the lights that are not moving, and the cars are lights that are moving. They are twinkling and swimming together from the world to heaven. Shen Cao sighed and sighed, and suddenly said: "Since I was a child, what I fear most is seeing the lights in other people's windows. Because I think, behind the lights, there must be a very warm and happy home, and those warmth and happiness , none of which belong to me. I'm very jealous..." I was so surprised, so surprised that I fell silent.Happy Shen Cao, excellent Shen Cao, talented and famous Shen Cao, I always thought he was the kind of fairy tale born with a silver spoon, the whole life is smooth sailing, everything you ask for.However, his childhood turned out to be so unhappy!It's no wonder that under his handsome appearance, there is always a hint of gloom inadvertently revealed. The wounds in my youth were internal injuries, which were not so easy to heal.It is the invisible scar and inherent loneliness that give him a unique charm that is very different from others. I didn't ask.I know he is telling and releasing, I don't want to interrupt him, I don't want to ask him.If he trusted me, if he would talk, he would tell it all. He was silent for a long time, as if he was clearing his mind, and then continued: "When I was young, I used to sneak out at this time and throw stones at people's windows. Once I was caught by a big man. Like an eagle carrying a chick, it lifted me into the air. I was scared to death. But at this moment, a woman passed by, and she persuaded the big man to put me down, and said to me softly: 'Little friend, it's so late Come on, don’t make trouble outside, go home, mom will find you.” I cried at that time. You know? When I was young, I was very good at fighting. Sometimes I won and sometimes I lost. Whether I won or lost, I would always be injured. I was bruised and swollen, but I never cried. But I cried that day. I cried that I had no home to go back to, and no mother would find me..." Shen Cao.Oh Shen Cao, it turns out that behind your beauty lies such bitterness and suffering.My heart ached weakly.What he saw in his eyes was no longer the tall Shen Cao in front of him, but that poor naughty child who smashed glass everywhere, that stubborn orphan who was full of hatred and unwillingness in his heart.My tears flow down.Shen Cao, how much I want to cherish you and make up for all your past unhappiness, loneliness and resentment. Shen Cao raised his head, looked at the deep night sky, and continued in a pious tone like worshiping a god: "That woman is very beautiful. Although I was young at that time and didn't understand anything, I clearly remember her. The appearance of her is really beautiful, very beautiful, she is wearing a white dress, I have never seen that style of material, her smile, like the moon in the sky, has a soft light. She pulled my hand, ask me: 'Who painted this painting on your clothes?' At that time, I always liked to scribble on all white things, whether it was white paper, white wall, or white cloth. So I myself There are also paintings on her clothes. She looked at those paintings and said to me: "You draw really well, better than many people. You will be a very outstanding person in the future, and you will have many great inventions. Everyone who knows Your people will respect you and admire you. You can’t destroy yourself just because you got into trouble.’ I grew up in an orphanage. Cao is the surname of the director of the orphanage. I don’t know why my biological mother abandoned me , there is not even a simple note in my baby. When I grow up to this age, everyone discriminates against me, except Dean Cao. But even he has never said such warm words to me, words of encouragement. That beautiful She made me believe that I am a good child, and she gave me a hope. In my mind, she is as beautiful as a fairy, and her words are the express of fate..." I don't know why, but my heart suddenly felt a little sour. Hearing Shen Cao's praise of a woman with such warm words made me feel a little inexplicably jealous.Although I know that the woman is ten or twenty years older than him, who doesn't want to be the only goddess in the eyes of his lover? This time I couldn't help interrupting him: "Did you meet her later? Did she adopt you and change your life? What is her relationship with you now?" Shen Cao was amused by my series of questions: "According to your logic, the draft of a long-form TV series is probably finished. Do you think she is my adoptive mother? No, it's wrong, I only met her I never saw that side again. I still stayed in the orphanage, but since then I became a good boy who kept his own life and studied painting even harder. A year later, an overseas Chinese wanted to adopt a boy in the orphanage, although I am a little older, but he took a fancy to my painting talent and vowed to train me to be a painter. And, he gave me a new surname..." "Shen." I gently said the answer for him, lowered my head, and smiled embarrassedly. However, Shen Cao held my face and forced me to raise my head again. "Look at you, the tears haven't dried yet, and you laughed again. Like a child." His words were teasing, but his tone was gentle and sincere, and his eyes, his eyes, so clearly expressed his burning desire love. I melted into his eyes, sympathy, shock, touch, admiration... All kinds of emotions gathered in my heart, making me lost. His eyes approached me eagerly: "Jinhe, would you like to give me a lamp so that you and I can live a warm and happy life forever under the lamp that belongs to us?" The last line of defense also collapsed, like a flood. He said it!He said it!He finally clearly expressed all his love and promises! Only I know how difficult it is for a man like him to confess his history to a woman. It means that he piled up his past and future in front of this woman, asking her to accept, ask her to accept, ask her Take his hand, and we will grow old together. Two lonely souls finally collide, unwilling to dodge each other any more.I put aside all my worries and kissed him desperately...