Chapter 83 at Shen Congwen's house

Depending on the situation, Changsha is definitely not a place to stay for a long time.Sicheng and Huiyin made up their minds to leave Changsha for Kunming. There is no train in Kunming, so it is extremely difficult to buy bus tickets. This time I missed buying a ticket by one day, and if I want to buy it again, I have to wait another week. In early December, the family left Changsha.Although it was early winter, the weather was very bright, the sun was shining warmly, and there was no wind at all. From Changsha to Kunming, you have to pass Shen Congwen's hometown.Shen Congwen was in Wuchang at this time, and wrote repeatedly to invite Sicheng and Huiyin to stay in his hometown for a few days.Sicheng and Huiyin decided to stop for two days when they passed by Yuanling, to see Xiangxi described by Shen Congwen, and to see Shen Congwen's hometown and relatives.

Lin Huiyin liked Shen Congwen's writing very much. She often told her friends that Shen Congwen's temperament was closer to the nature of poetry.Xiangxi in his works exudes pastoral beauty and poignancy.All of his prose and novels describing his hometown are poetry. "Arrived at Yuanling at noon today." Huiyin wrote in a letter to Shen Congwen, "I stayed in Guanzhuang last night. The beautiful and majestic scenery along the way reminded us of your second brother's love for these green skies. The deep and shallow hilltops, the emerald green water and the little naive man-made embellishments in between, I feel a kind of joy. The weather is so good that it can’t be better. If you are sad and sad, this journey has really been built in countless lifetimes."

Yuanling City is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful and quiet scenery.Huiyin told Sicheng that it is not surprising that a girl like Cuicui appears in such a place.They settled their mother in an inn in the city, took their two children, and found Brother Shen Congwen's home according to the map drawn in Shen Congwen's letter. The Shen family's house was built on the mountainside, with khaki-colored walls, black roof tiles, and vermilion railings on the porch that were recently painted. It was particularly eye-catching and unique in the green surroundings of the mountains.Congwen's elder brother greeted them warmly, and the third younger brother Shen Quan also came out to greet the guests on crutches.A few days ago, his unit fought against the Japanese army in Jiashan, Zhejiang. He was wounded and had just returned to his hometown from the front line to recuperate.

Both the host and guest sat down on the porch, with fresh camellia and dried and fresh fruits from the mountains placed in front of them.The leaves of the old tree in front of the house are deep green, and the chirping sound of many unknown birds on the tree makes people feel peaceful and comfortable. They chatted freely, listening to Shen Quan talking about the war, listening to Wen's elder brother talking about the bandits in the city.Huiyin felt that all this was familiar and cordial. The surrounding landscapes and the Congwen brothers in front of him seemed to have known each other and seen them before.Huiyin thought that it was because the mountains and rivers of Xiangxi were described in Congwen's words like a scroll, and the temperament of the two brothers was similar to that of Shen Congwen.

When it was time to eat, the food was also served outside.Stir-fried bacon with garlic sprouts in Hunan style, tender mandarin fish freshly caught from the river, and fresh and refreshing bracken in the mountains.Thinking of the situation of being bombed in Changsha a few days ago, Huiyin had a strange feeling. In a trance, he didn't know what time it was or where he was. As the sky darkened, the younger brother fell asleep on Huiyin's body. Huiyin and Sicheng bid farewell to Brother Congwen.They met and came here to meet again after the war was over.When they said this, they had deep parting and sadness in their hearts. The water and the sky were boundless, and the future was boundless. After this farewell, who knows if there is a possibility of reunion.Even if we meet again, this situation will never be repeated.