Chapter 6 sixth sense

A lost ghost, on the night of July 14th, because of the unfinished fate, swam to the human world, wandering in the wind, chasing a familiar breath of old clothes, entrusting its ethereal spirit on a costume ——Does such a story happen in real life? But it really happened to her. It happened in Shui Xiaowan's life, which was as ordinary as water in a bowl. It was not just as simple as the wind wrinkled a pool of ripples, but a real bowl of water would also cause huge waves. . Is life like a play, or is life a joke? Xiaowan spread her hands and carefully studied her own palm prints.It is said that the destiny of a person's life is written in the palm of his hand, but who can understand what kind of mystery is written in the vertical and horizontal palm lines?

Zhang Zhi also put his arms around her shoulders, and asked softly, "Still afraid?" "A little bit." Xiaowan replied in a low voice, resting her head in Zhang Zhiye's arms, and sighed contentedly, "I'm not afraid now." They are now sitting together on the railing at the entrance of the subway station, just like what she and Atao did back then, watching the endless stream of people side by side. However, the two sunny and youthful faces are talking about death. "Do you believe me? I really saw the whole process of Huber's death, and saw that hand, so beautiful and so terrifying..." Xiao Wan shuddered.

Zhang Zhi also felt it, and hugged her tighter. How grateful, he didn't suspect her nonsense, but seriously helped her analyze: "Many people have experienced psychic experience, but not everyone will experience it. You are a sensitive girl, and you are easily suggested , especially places with heavy yin, such as old theaters, movie theaters, crematoriums, etc., will communicate with the underworld." With Zhihu Zheye as an ally, Xiaowan feels much better. God knows, if she continues to struggle alone in the ghost realm, will she suddenly have a nervous breakdown one morning and go crazy.

After forbearance for too long, fear for too long, and loneliness for too long, she finally disarmed him and told all her thoughts. And he, in the midst of hesitation, finally made up his mind to catch her outstretched hands, her secret thoughts, and her pure feelings. "Wan'er, I will be with you at any time, there is nothing to be afraid of, no matter what happens, I will help you bear it." He took her out of the funeral home, walked on the most crowded and sunny place on the road, and encouraged her: "Psychicism is not a bad thing, it can only prove that you have one more channel for receiving information than ordinary people, which is also considered a supernatural power." One of them. Wouldn’t it be great if you think about it that way?”

They walked side by side in the crowd, walked under the big sun, talked and laughed, got on and off the car, and somehow, they came to this familiar subway entrance again. Perhaps, it is God's will that every love of hers must start from here? When a girl is willing to confide her thoughts to a man, she often confides her own feelings at the same time. Love happens so casually. "I don't understand why I suddenly have this sixth sense, and I can go to hell again and again. I really hate this ability, but I dare not tell people, for fear that everyone will laugh at me and lose my nerve."

"To untie the bell, you must tie the bell. Since you can't hide, you have to go up and try to uncover the secret truth. Generally speaking, the lingering ghost is mostly because of something on your mind. If you can communicate with the ghost face-to-face, help her Get over your worries, maybe she won't pester you anymore." "After all, I'm a reporter, and everything I analyze is in order." Xiao Wan pinched Zhang Zhiye's fingers, her heart was filled with tenderness and joy, and at this moment, she really thanked that ghost. "By the way, how is your investigation of the accountant nanny going? I'm eager to hear the story."

"Don't you hate digging people's privacy? Why are you so gossip?" Xiao Wan pouted: "This matter has something to do with Ruo Meiying." She told Zhang Zhiye about the conversation she had with Zhao Nanny that day, and asked, "Guess why Zhao Nanny became a self-comb girl? " "Are you testing me?" Zhang Zhi also smiled, "Let's investigate this case later. The most urgent thing now is to ask you to take me to visit your grandma." "My grandma?" "Of course. If you want to ask about Mei Ying, the most direct way is of course to ask your grandma. Besides, I really want to meet a real senior actor and do an interview."

Xiaowan couldn't help saying it again: "I'm a reporter after all, I think of the word 'interview' for everything." "Who said that? I don't just have an interview on my mind." Zhang Zhiye's eyes brightened, and his face approached Shui Xiaowan. Xiaowan was surprised and ashamed: "What are you doing?" "Aren't you afraid that you have too much yin energy?" Zhang Zhi also smiled wickedly, and hugged Xiao Wan even tighter, "I want to give you some yang energy." Their lips were tightly pressed together, and Xiao Wan only felt her mind "boom", and all her thoughts were stilled...

The arrival of Zhang Zhiye made Xiaowan's mother quite nervous. This was the first time her daughter brought her boyfriend to her home. She couldn't help running back and forth, and asked about the eight generations of her ancestors by bringing tea and fruit. . Zhang Zhi also sat in a well-behaved manner, and answered each of them respectfully: "My father is an engineer, and my mother is a teacher. They are both retired... They gave birth to me when they were in their forties, but they are not spoiled. What kind of job do I have?" I can do it... It’s been more than three years since I graduated, and I’ve been working part-time outside since I was in college, and now I’m a reporter, mainly doing interviews, occasionally advertising, and my income is not bad..."

Xiaowan gradually couldn't sit still, and coquettishly said, "Mom, what are you doing?" "Ah, you talk about it, I won't bother you." Mom was also a little embarrassed, and she packed up the wool and bamboo needles to avoid them.Before leaving, he paid special attention to Zhang Zhiye's feet—the young man politely changed his slippers at the entrance, and now his feet were covered with a pair of snow-white linen socks.A young man with snow-white socks is cultured and detail-oriented, and he can learn as little as he can. At this time, the well-bred young man stood up: "Auntie, you are busy with your work. I am here to visit grandma and do an interview."

"Go and go, I won't bother you." Mom walked away with a smile. Obviously, she was very satisfied with this white-socks youth. Xiao Wan frowned: "My mother doesn't usually gossip like this." Zhang Zhi also grinned: "It seems that my aunt's route has been quite successful." Xiaowan pretended not to hear, and pulled him up and walked to grandma's room. Compared with her mother, grandma seemed more graceful and calm, she sat solemnly, let Zhang Zhi also bow to say hello, only raised her eyelids, and said "sit", a posture of Empress Dowager Cixi receiving Li Lianying. Zhang Zhi also winked at Xiao Wan, meaning: "Your grandmother is very handsome." Xiao Wan secretly laughed and wrinkled her nose in answer. And so the interview began. Zhang Zhiye's question cut to the chase: "Which year did Ruo Meiying come to Beijing?" "That's not certain. Ms. Ruo is a famous actress. One year she sings in Beijing and another year she sings in Shanghai. She can go wherever she pleases, and run in both places. There is no certainty. Old Beijingers and Shanghainese, everyone knows Ms. Ruo of." "Among those movie fans, is there someone surnamed Hu?" "Then who remembers?" Grandma replied quite proudly, "Zhao Qian, Sun Li, Zhou Wu, King Zheng, there are so many theater fans, who is patient enough to remember their surnames?" Xiao Wan secretly smiled, her grandma's answers to reporters' questions were not as straightforward as her granddaughter's, she paid attention to roundabouts, and her accent was a bit of a show.She couldn't help reminding Zhang Zhiye, "He is Huber's father." Grandma rolled her eyes and replied disdainfully, "Who is Huber's father?" "He is about ninety years old this year, with long and short legs, and he is crippled." Xiaowan reminded, thinking, whether old man Hu's lameness was congenital or acquired, if he was lame during the "Cultural Revolution", then it has nothing to do with Hu Berke can be called "father and son hero". "The cripple?" Grandma was taken aback for a moment, "I don't know if it's the cripple." "Which cripple?" After getting the answer, Xiao Wan couldn't believe it, "Do you really know a cripple?" "Yeah, that's what I told you, the owner of the tailor shop who made clothes for the lady. Once the lady had a chrysanthemum banquet..." "Chrysanthemum feast?" "That's right. At that time, most actors liked to tend flowers and plants, like Xun Huisheng loved jade hairpins, and Jin Shaoshan loved wintersweets..." Grandma became energetic when she talked about these prosperous old things, squinted her eyes, and looked back to the distant 1940s. "My lady, I like chrysanthemums the most. Because I like those two sentences: 'I would rather grow old on a fragrant branch than dance with the yellow leaves in the autumn wind'. The chrysanthemums she raises are many and rare, and they are also famous in the whole of Kyoto. There are also 'Drunken Concubine', 'Luo Chang Wu', 'Liu Lang Hearing the Orioles', and 'Sweeping Crescent Eyebrows', as well as 'Willow Line', 'Laughing', 'Nian Nujiao', 'Wuling Spring', 'Shuangli Chanjuan', 'Moon shines on the snow'... There are more than one hundred kinds of them. Every autumn, they are placed all over the garden, filled with white jade pots, decorated with fake rocks and landscapes, and how unique they are. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and singing hall in the garden, and the dignitaries and dignitaries will be proud to participate in our lady's chrysanthemum banquet." "I'd rather grow old in the arms of incense sticks than dance with the yellow leaves in the autumn wind." Xiaowan thought carefully about these two lines of poems, which contained arrogance but also helplessness.Perhaps, this is Mei Ying's inner voice? But Zhang Zhiye didn't follow the question, he just followed a line and asked to the end: "Grandma, do you still remember the name of the shop that Lame Hu opened?" "Remember, it's called 'Rouge Square'." The signboard of the store is called "Rouge Square". Rouge Square does not sell rouge, but cloth. Dark flowers, brocade, plain weave, twill weave, spun silk, crepe satin, ironed velvet, silk cotton... rolled on the ruler board, arranged together flatly, converging into a river of colors.Both gorgeous and humble, like a beautiful girl waiting to be married, waiting for guests to choose. Once it has gone through knife ruler, silk thread, hemming, embroidery, and becomes a piece of clothing, it has an independent life and a fixed future. The boss of Rouge Workshop stood in front of the colorful river, the crutches in his hands were like oars for punting, and there was a flattering smile unique to businessmen on the corner of his lips, but hatred in his eyes.Under his tongue, there was a name pressed for a long time: Ruo Meiying! The teeth are sour. Ruo Meiying gave him another soft nail yesterday, this is already the hundreds or dozens of times.In order to support Ruo Meiying's performance, he followed him from Shanghai to Beijing, throwing out a lot of money and sending baskets of flowers on the stage, but she never even gave her a smile. All the presents were thrown out the door, and the mouth was still unforgiving, teasing coldly: "How about giving me Ruo Meiying with these crowns? It's too shabby to reward people. I really feel insulted just by looking at it, Qing'er Where did you go? You still haven’t fetched water to wash my face.” He's just an actor, why should he abuse people so badly?After playing the role of princess and concubine on the stage for a long time, I really think of myself as a princess! Hu Lizi hated it, hated it so much that his gums itch, he was a man of reputation and wealth, and he could speak loudly in Shanghai Bund, how could he endure such ridicule? On that day, when it was confirmed that there was a chrysanthemum appreciation feast at Ruo Meiying's residence, she traveled thousands of miles to entrust a clerk to deliver the brocade box there, pretending to entrust a high-ranking official with a generous gift, and asked Ms. Cheng Ruo to face her.The concierge didn't know there was any fraud, so he sent it to the hall happily, and reported that the gift giver was waiting for a reply outside the door.If Meiying opened it in public, she saw that it was wrapped in a brocade burden, her hands were soft, and she didn't know what it was. She shook her hand, and everyone in the room screamed and became a mess—— What rolled out of that bundle was a snow-coloured cat whose head had been smashed and its heart disemboweled! "This person is too nasty!" Xiao Wan was angrily.She finally understood that it was not Hu Bo, but Hu Bo's father who had a relationship with Ruo Meiying, which was a disaster for the children and grandchildren.So, what kind of grievance is it? "What happened later? Did Ruo Meiying take revenge on Cripple Hu?" "No. There are countless idlers, and if you think about it all, how can you still have leisure?" Grandma sighed, her anger still lingering, "It's not been a year or two since Lame Hu has been currying favor with Miss. , The basket of flowers was sent to the sea. I bothered him to make clothes, and every time he would bring them to the door in person, saying that it was a gift for the lady, and he didn’t charge money. How could the lady like it? Give him twice the workmanship and let me send him there. After that incident, I will never go to his shop again." "If Meiying is so proud, won't she offend many people?" "That's unavoidable. Most of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries are unruly when they open a meeting. Ordinary actors can't be provoked, so they always try to win them over a little bit. But Miss Ruo is naturally arrogant, and never refuses to pretend .At that time, there was a battalion commander who came to give gifts every three days, and was kicked out by the lady..." "If Meiying married someone in the end?" "A commander. A big warlord, a Cantonese. At that time, he was the most ferocious chasing lady. He came to cheer every day. Every time he came, he brought a dozen orderlies, armed with knives and guns. He rushed backstage after the show. No matter whether you accept it or not, once you say "reward", the gold and silver head will be thrown on the table, and you will say that it is a dowry gift for the young lady. If you want to marry the young lady and go home to be the fifth concubine, the young lady will of course not agree, but how can you be stubborn ? Later, he got very tight, and told me in private that he wanted to run away. But one night, for some reason, he suddenly complied." "Yes?" Xiaowan was surprised, "She agreed by herself? Didn't someone force her?" Grandma shook her head with a confused look on her face. After so many years, she still wonders when she thinks about it: "That night was the last time Miss appeared on the stage. Her voice was so bright that the whole audience shouted hello like thunder, but later I couldn't even shout out, look at me, I look at you, the lady's voice was too high, no opera singer has ever sung like that, singing to death. As a result, before the end, the lady's voice broke, equal to I can't eat anymore..." "Is she on purpose?" "I don't know either. For an artist, the most terrible thing is to lose one's voice. Some famous actors suddenly lose their voices when they are the most popular, and the newspapers will immediately report that it is the result of jealousy and poisoning by colleagues, but Miss' But she sang hoarsely by herself, and even the reporters were alarmed. At that time, there was a lot of noise in the newspapers, saying everything. But after so many years, no one knew why she did this. It was me, the whole Tian is serving her personally, and she is in the dark about this matter, with only a half-knowledge." "Then do you still remember anything special that happened before 'Down the Throat'?" "I just remember that the lady didn't go back to the theater to sleep the night before. Everyone thought she had run away and kept questioning me. I was so scared that I just cried. But at night, the lady came back dressed by herself. The theater owner is so happy." .Who knew it would be the last time the young lady would appear on the stage..." That was Ruo Meiying's last performance on stage. Gorgeous makeup, gorgeous clothes, amazingly beautiful.There was a ball of fire in the eyes, burning all the time, burning people dry.Still singing "A Chinese Girl Lies Soul", the voice is more than twice as loud as before, and even the sound of gongs and drums can't be suppressed. After singing the full version of "A Chinese Girl's Departing Soul", I bowed automatically to announce the curtain, saying that in order to thank the fans, I would like to present another song "A Dream in the Garden", followed by the full version, "Li Huiniang", and then "Sinking River"... The audience applauded Pincai at first, then booed everywhere, and then they all became dumb.The luthiers had already stopped the strings, Qing'er came up to persuade the girl to rest, the team leader also urged five or six times, the owner of the theater had already started to drive the audience out, but Mei Ying just ignored everyone, still singing, composing, reciting, Fight without bullying. The reporters were startled, and they came to take photos and interviews overnight. Mei Ying acted enchantingly in front of the spotlight, but her face was cold and expressionless, and she ignored the reporters' many questions.The team leader muttered to the boss: "Is she crazy? She doesn't look like that."... In the end, Commander He sent someone to the stage to forcibly pull her down. After the play, his voice was already hoarse, and he couldn't say a word, only shaking his head and nodding. The commander asked: "I want you to marry me, do you agree or not?" No one expected that Ruo Meiying would nod. She personally took the commander to the hotel to open a room, and said that it was booked, the bedding and furnishings were all ready, it was very new and beautiful. Soon, he returned to Guangdong with the commander. Since then, Ruo Meiying's name has disappeared from the theater industry. "Is that how she left?" "Just left like that. I left the theater with a sedan chair, didn't say goodbye to anyone, didn't cry, didn't ask me a few words, just left like that. I ran after the sedan chair crying, trying to make her Take me away, she didn't speak, just shook her head, she usually hurts me so much, she didn't even look at it that day..." More than half a century later, when grandma recalled the parting in those years, she was still wronged and sad, and shed two lines of old tears.Mei Ying's vocals have become extinct, but they still remain in the memory of old Beijing opera fans, and remain in Qing'er's sadness. The young girl Qing'er did not follow Mei Ying into the He Mansion, she still stayed in the theater to clean and do chores, and soon after liberation, she became a master and became a government employee.However, she can't forget her Miss Ruo, and the sad farewell half a lifetime ago. What is meant by "alive even though dead" and what is meant by "presence in voice and appearance", Xiao Wan understood today.She felt sorry and couldn't help crying with her grandma. Zhang Zhiye didn't know how to act emotionally. He lowered his head and wrote a few lines, and suddenly asked: ""A Chinese Girl's Leaving Soul", "A Dream in the Garden", "Li Huiniang"...how could it be such a coincidence that all the singing was ghost plays that day?" "It's very simple, because it was the fourteenth of July." "July 14th?" Xiao Wan was startled suddenly, and couldn't help secretly admiring Zhang Zhiye's carefulness. "Yes, that day was the fourteenth day of July, and the troupe had to perform ghost shows according to the rules, so there were these regular programs. I still remember the appearance of Miss Li Huiniang in plain clothes and crying for grievances. To use an old saying, it is really shocking and weeping ghosts and gods." where." Zhang Zhi also nodded, and asked again: "Does grandma know Zhang Chaotian?" "Zhang Chaotian? That's the reporter. He wrote a lot of flattering articles for Miss." Xiao Wan understands it, no wonder it sounds familiar, Grandma also mentioned it last time. "Is there any story between him and Ruomeiying?" "Story?" Grandma was troubled again, "Isn't it? Although he came to support the lady every day, he never came backstage. He was very polite. The lady mentioned him a few times, and it seems that he went out to eat with him. But I didn’t hear anything happened, and the man disappeared later, since the young lady got married, he hasn’t appeared in the theater again..." Xiaowan understood somewhat, what grandma said was by no means the truth of the story, at least not the whole truth.Sixty years ago, Qing'er was still a child, and even though she was Mei Ying's confidant, she only served her daily clothes personally, and she still had no chance to participate in the young lady's private affairs. Behind this story, there must be more secrets hidden.What are those?