Chapter 41 outside the window

Lin Huiyin Where do we start?When you want to speak, you can't find a source for everything you say. At this moment, sitting under my eyes are the backs of four countrymen: one with a dark white cloth wrapped around his head, two with faded blue cloth, and one with a bald head.They propped up their knees, half squatted and half sat, and rested on the short wall along the stream.Each has a simple thing in his hand: one is a white wooden stick, and one is a basket. I can't see the two under the shade of the tree.Undoubtedly, they have already walked a long way, and in a moment, after smoking a tube of dry tobacco, they will have a long way to go.The scent of orchid smoke hits my senses frequently along with the breeze, and there are a few tones of Shanxi clappers in the blur, although they are sitting outside the iron screen window on my porch.

Beyond the barred screens, the words don't stop here.It is always outside the window, either the screened window or the glass window, in short, outside the window! All the colors and sounds of activity and the taste of life are all there. It's not that you can't see it, but it's just outside your window forever.How many miles of plain land, how many areas of rolling hills, came into your eyes from the window yesterday, where so many lives are active day and night; every stalk of green wheat or millet has been sweated by someone; Every grain of yellow rice or millet is eaten by someone; there are still twists and turns, excitement, and tension!But you may not be able to see it, because all the twists and turns, excitement, and tension are all unfolding outside your window.

At home, if you are sitting in the study, the scenery outside the window is limited.There are two lantana trees and a few lilac trees; a large branch of elm plum blossoms blowing out of the wind; due to lack of sunlight, only two or three flowers of crabapple bloom every year-the leaves are full of scars from insects and ants, and there are also some burnt yellow curls. Side; the porch is beautifully opened with fans, and the hexagonal lattice windows let the sunlight through the outer courtyard and the noise of the outer courtyard.Some coal delivery came, and by chance you saw one or two faces stained black by coal; some rice was delivered, and a man walked slowly through the screen door with a big bag on his back; there was also running water, The electric light and telephone company came to collect the bill, with a leather bag slung across his chest, and a bicycle in his hand; sometimes the cook came to a friend, and with a smile on his face, he walked into the concierge with "Okay, okay"; What Zhao Ma's husband came to get the money, it was not bad at all on the 1st of every month, if you came early, you would hear the sound of two people quarrelling.It's not that there are no colors, sounds, and all living activities, but there is always a window between them and you--fan-shaped, hexagonal, gauze, and glass!

You put down your pen and said, what kind of life is this!You stand up and put on some not-too-expensive shoes and socks, but the price of this pair of shoes and socks is nothing more than—what do you want to do with them, anyway, some people’s monthly salary must be only half of this price or even less.You went out to hire a foreign car, and of course the price that the driver said was much higher than the price. Did you agree like an idiot?No, no, thirty-two sons, pull it, pull it, don't pull it, pull it down!I also understand in my heart that if you really want to be an expert, you should say, twenty-six sons, just pull it-but you are ashamed to fight!

The car starts to roll, and the world is still outside your window. In a long alley, each gate is tightly closed.Even if it is open, it only reveals a corner, and you can vaguely see a pumpkin shed inside, a woman sitting on a small stool sewing at the bottom; Come and call the cabbage seller passing by.As for how much a catty of cabbage is, then you can't hear it, the car has already pulled a long way, and you don't need to know.Among your monthly expenses, food must take up a certain amount.In that sum of food expenses, cabbage is such a small amount.Do you know how much a catty of cabbage is sold at the door, and you really called your mournful cook to reprimand him, telling him that for every catty of cabbage he fired you an extra "big son"?

The car went farther and farther, and there was a dung truck in front of you. Immediately, you took out your handkerchief, frowned, covered your nose tightly, and didn't know who to blame.Blame the sky for doing too weird things; good and beautiful rice and wheat need dung to water them!Complaining that the country people are too afraid of smell and dirt, they invented two baskets, put them on the handcart in front of their noses, and pushed them slowly!You blame the city's administrative staff for not being serious about their work. Such a dirty, smelly and unhygienic old habit cannot be improved. Is there really nothing you can do about this dung truck for more than ten years?Because the strong stench is not far enough from your window, so you think about how social sanitation is not doing well.

The road gradually improved, and there was a big yamen with a high wall in front.Here you have more than just a window, and the high walls in this area are not ventilated.You don't know how many clerks there are and what they do; how many big-eyed people are yelling at the country people for business; How many pitiful wretches with yellow faces, mixed up half a bowl of rice and shared it with the whole family.Deceive yourself, what kind of tricks are you playing every day?But if there are really two or three people fighting there desperately, fighting for a little convenience and justice for many people, you have no way of knowing!

When you arrive at the lively street, you are still watching a play in a special box, you don’t know how to participate in the play, and you don’t need to participate in the play; leaning on the railing, you are enjoying the aesthetics, and you have a lot of leisure.But if the rickshaw driver here asks you where you got off, you will be surprised and have no answer in a hurry.You don't lack anything that is most necessary for life, and you come out with activities that are not necessary. When I looked up occasionally, I saw those people in the middle of the street and in front of the shops across the street. They were all in a hurry to buy what they needed for life under the constraints of time and money.Two women were frantically supervising the scales of the shop assistants.Two catties and four taels, two catties and four taels of something, don't worry about it, anyway, judging from the seriousness of the two women, it must be a life-threatening commodity.And if the scale was a little less, the two women must have felt great pain for that little loss; if the scale was too much, the man knew that the loss was really not small on the employer's side these days.So the quarrel between the two sides was heated and necessary, and everyone’s voices were higher; the woman’s face was red, and a lock of hair fell down, and she grabbed it with her hands; No, no mistake!

Enthusiastic, necessary, in the center of the street full of cars and horses, suddenly two people rush out from beside your car; a man and a woman, each raising their feet and running quickly.What is this for, you think, the trolley is making a sharp turn.Those two people were chasing the tram, passing by the side of the track, talking to the ticket seller on the tram while chasing.Trams are not easy to catch. You can’t help worrying about running around in the street when you’re on a rickshaw.But you also know that if this trip is missed, they can stand on the side of the street for half an hour. Those who would rather wait for the autumn water than hire a rickshaw, that is, because of their livelihood, they must care about and save the price of rickshaws and trams. The difference in number.

Now the rickshaw is running fast, and you continue to wonder in your mind the purpose of your trip, what kind of necessary goods to buy. Seeing men and women crowded in the market, one by one coming out of the door, one by one going in, all holding packages in their hands, although not all of them are necessary for the day, but if there is a box of slightly extravagant items in it, then It must also be a joy that shines brightly in their lives!Didn't you hear what that person said?The straw hat inside cost one yuan and eighty-five cents, which is more expensive, but "it's not bad"!He raised his hat box to greet his friend, stroked his clean-shaven head, and smiled all over his face.The sparkling pleasure at that time, of course belonged to him to enjoy, without a doubt, because God knows, how many times he has restrained himself and frugal during this year, so that he earned this wonderful and bold luxury !

The joy that that idea extravagantly produced on that person has completely lost its effect on you, and there is no hope of shining a star!Do you think that what you spend for a whole year and a month, compared with the living standard of the surroundings outside your window, is not strictly calculated as a very wasteful use?Every time you spend extravagance, you will only feel sad once, so those glass windows that the car passes by will only make you more panic, more empty, more suspicious, wandering back and forth without knowing the end.And looking at the various goods in the store, unless you are really a fool, don't you know that most of them are made in the factories of that country!Extravagance can't bring you happiness, it can only increase your fear and worry.Every foot of yarn is more beautiful, and each piece of fresh handicraft! You curse city life, unnatural city life!Checked my luggage and said, let's go, let's go, this dull and lifeless life is really unbearable, I want to live in a different way.Healthy travel can not only see the scenic spots of mountains, rivers and ancient temples, but also know a little about the simple human customs in the mainland. After leaving, the weather is not too bad, even if it is worthwhile to go for six weeks a month. No matter where you go, you will always be sitting in the window.It is true that many fashionable scholars often proudly put on an "investigation" look, put on scientific glasses and accidentally go to a strange place to look around, but the invisible window still exists.If you don’t believe me, check their luggage, if anyone doesn’t bring canned food, cot, and other odds and ends to prove that you are still inside your window, then touch their purses, there must be some money; In one place, all you have is a small world of lifting beams.No matter where your window is facing, most of what you see is still outside your window, the partition glass, or the iron screen!Dimly you see some colors, hear some voices, if you are satisfied in private, that’s fine, just don’t get excited and talk about getting in touch, getting acquainted with some things and people, God knows it’s a sin!The superficiality of the foreign devils must never be learned. You are still sitting inside the window, whether it is the window of the train, the window of the car, or the window of the inn, or the window that you are accustomed to invisibly, putting you in it.It is impossible to talk about contact and understanding, and the unique leisure life is not for you.The same is traveling, if you carry a little money for business instead of a camera on your back, you need to walk with all your energy: you have to pay attention to where you stay; When you meet colleagues, greet each other tremblingly, show sincerity to each other, and help each other when you encounter difficulties. When you arrive at a place, you really take your whole flesh and blood body to try your luck. The tense situation does not allow you not to struggle. Keep away from the flesh and blood of other strivings until experience has made you known. There was a row of hard faces on the bus the day before yesterday, and those conversations contained a lot of weight in life.The old man who came to Shaanxi for business and the politeness sitting beside him had no choice but to do so; the passengers who got off the bus in Jiaocheng insisted on handing over the red-packed paper cigarettes to the car dealer for many reasons, and the old woman in a cotton vest silently threatened them. Living in a blue cloth bag and a wallet, she used up all her claims. Sure enough, when she arrived in Jicun, she missed the stop, and thanks to another guest, she asked for a driver to drive the car back two miles. She is not very old. Looking at the village station with confidence, he murmured how different this place was from last time.While driving, he complained and climbed to the roof of the car to carry the luggage for the old woman. His experience gave him a kind of self-restraint. There are old ladies who can’t know the way when traveling. This principle is the same all over the world. from the old ladies and children. Having said so much, you are still sitting under the porch, with the noise of the stream coming from outside the window, the smell of orchid smoke has long since disappeared, and the four countrymen should have arrived in front of the upper-class "Qingheyi" mill by this time.The guy at the mill yesterday had wheat flour all over his face in a funny way, letting you look at the structure of the mill; the wooden wheels under the mill, the rotating stone mills in the house, and in the high and low courtyards, looking back and forth that you have never seen before. farm implements lay in the shadow of the sun.In the yard, there is an old locust tree, a cluster of bright miscellaneous flowers, and a zigzag ditch for water diversion, and the staff gossiping in a friendly manner.Using a Shanxi accent, he told you that more than 5,000 packages of wheat flour can be produced there a year, and the price of each package is about two yuan.He also said that in the past ten years, due to the sudden loss of mountains and rivers in this area, many mills have been closed, and foreigners have rented those mills as their summer villas.You are ashamed to say that you live in a mill. He put a smile on his face and let the wheat flour shine in the sun, saying that he recognized him. It turned out that the owner of the mill you rented, a foreign pastor, treated the village very well. He is friendly, the country people and he still have a good relationship. This is really rare, and there is evidence for the origin of the good impression.It was that morning when you accidentally went out to explore the ancient times. This province has beautiful mountains and rivers, and the ancient temples and temples are the originals of Song and Liao. The year name of Wanli was originally given by Wanli to the descendants of King Qingcheng in this village, but somehow it fell into the hands of antique sellers.Seven years ago, the pastor bought it and played it at night. The loud and clear bell was heard by the villagers, and they rushed to inquire about it, and wanted to buy it back at the original price.Speaking of it being an ancestral treasure of their Lu surname, it must not be allowed to be exiled abroad, so the priest really returned Tieduo to them, and it has been enshrined in front of the God of Guandi Temple ever since. In this way, a romantic picture unfolds in front of your window, which arouses your curiosity. Regardless of whether it is separated by one or two floors of windows, you can't help but ask for some details. People will be surnamed Lu!Now the article is longer. If your ancestor is the emperor's direct brother, you will not, and will not, forget it.It is said that King Qingcheng is Yongle's younger brother, and everyone in Zhaozhuang Village is his descendant.But it was because they remembered too clearly that the emperors of the other dynasty were a little worried. Yongzheng ordered them to change their surnames from Zhu to Lu, but they still had a method of ranking with twenty characters, so that they would not mess up. It's wrong that they are descendants of this faction. This will make your heart skip a beat. Didn’t the person you hired to fetch water and wash clothes yesterday also come from Zhaozhuang Village, and his surname is Lu!Sure enough, that rustic, round-faced and big-eyed boy is a nobleman of royal descent, which is really disrespectful.Then this village must not be poor, but in fact it is not necessarily so. There is a piece of land, and the harvest is not bad every year.There is a special fence at the door of every house, like a small fortress - it was used to prevent bandits at that time.Inside the room are large lacquered wardrobes and suitcases with polished cupronickel doors; the red and green quilts on the kang are also brightly colored.But it is said that there has been no opera singing in Guandi Temple for four years, although the stage is still facing the main hall majestically.The village has been impoverished in recent years, and a grandson told you that performing operas costs too much money, especially if the top uses money.Here is another window, you don’t understand, the harvest is good every year, why the village has been poor in the past few years, only vaguely heard that the army has been stationed for more than three years, let alone that the village has been raised for a year For entertainment after hard work, singing in the Guandi Temple, do you get money from the higher-ups?Since you can't understand through the window, you should breathe a little and don't ask. How many things do you want to understand through a window?Yesterday I hired a surname named Lu to pour water, and today I am walking around like a foreign devil. I ran to a house with chickens and sheep and a Wukui plaque on it. Let them greet you with a local accent you don’t understand, and sit on the kang. , sat for a long time and went out to the door, dealt politely with the woman who saw you off, and then suddenly realized that she is the mother of Lu Wangsun who poured dirty water and washed your clothes for you, and she even brought cakes to your house the night before! You are confused here.Forget it!You can just sit in your window obediently. It’s useless for you to look at things outside the window. Most of the time you don’t understand, and you won’t understand. Originally published September 5, 1934 "Ta Kung Pao. Literary Supplement"