Chapter 11 Chapter 8 The Clear Rain in Arlington

Americans don't have Ching Ming Festival. A Chinese woman can never forget the Ching Ming Festival, even if she has become an American woman and an American wife. As the Ching Ming festival began to rain heavily, passers-by on the road wanted to die. Perhaps, the world is the same cool and hot, and the suburbs of Washington are also drizzled with spring rain, accompanied by a chilly spring; but there are no bustling tomb-sweepers, and this piece of green pines and cypresses, green lawns and tombstones are even more solemn and desolate. A black car was parked in an empty parking lot, not far from the old Meyer Chapel, where the last farewell ceremonies of many families and the dead are held every year.The sound of an organ floating in the rainy sky, which seemed to exist and seemed to exist, seemed to be the music of the sky in a trance.A woman covered in black got out of the car and stood there hesitantly for a while.

She is a Chinese woman.She is dressed in a white satin cheongsam that accentuates her slim and petite figure, a pair of white high-heeled shoes are delicate and exquisite, the large shawl and hairnet are made of white wool, and there are wool knots in the dense circles of eyes, as if there are countless unresolved knots. An open knot of sorrow!However, what she opened in her right hand was a bright red silk umbrella, and what she held in her left hand was a dozen bright red roses! She didn't look around, didn't look forward and backward, and walked silently and familiarly to the path lined with maple trees on both sides.In the spring rain in April, these two rows of old maple branches are full of green life again.She walked uphill alone, which was a bit strenuous, but she walked calmly and calmly.Since the last day of July last year, how many clog marks have she left behind?All I know is that in midsummer, the maple leaves are dark green and dense, and the dense shade covers her, as if to comfort her broken heart; when autumn comes, the maple leaves turn red, which is the fire of love burning at the end; when autumn is over, the maple leaves Wandering, so attached and so lingering, she picked up a piece, and tears splashed on the red leaves, which were clearly condensed from blood and tears; in the cold winter, white snow fluttered, and the bare branches stretched out to the sky, so helpless and helpless!All she knew was that the tears had turned to frost on her face.However, spring has come again, the buds are blooming again, and the leaves are green again. Has she also come out of despair?

She has climbed to the top of this green hill, and then crossed a small piece of grass and walked out of a narrow passage, which is her dead husband's cemetery.The cemetery is above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and from there you can see all of Arlington. Arlington National Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, and only American soldiers and their immediate family members are buried here.It is her idea to bury her deceased husband here.His family had insisted on burying him in the family cemetery in his hometown, but she refused. She thought that he not only belonged to his hometown, but also belonged to the United States and China.She is more determined, stubborn, and indomitable than them, even though she is only a small and weak Chinese woman.

She walked slowly across the grass, and the seemingly absent heavenly music floated in the air again. How could she not recall the tragic funeral? July 31, 1958, was a sunny day without rain. The low and slow sound of the drums sounded like they were going to break people's hearts; black horses with shiny black bridles and black girdles pulled the bronze coffin like drums; the coffin was covered with the American Stars and Stripes flag.The coffin was supported by Tax Hill, Edward Rector, Dick Rossi and the complainant's eldest son from the United States Air Force Volunteer Corps.There are many prominent American generals on both sides of the coffin: Wedemeyer, George Kenny, Curtis LeMay, Carl Spatz, General Nathan Twining, etc., as well as General Stone representing the US Air Force.Ambassadors from many countries, governors of the US states, generals and members of Congress also attended the funeral.The most emotional ones were the hundreds of members of the original Flying Tigers who came from all over the country and even abroad. Of course, Soong Meiling, Soong Ziwen and Huang Xianguang who attended the funeral were even more deeply saddened for the loss of such a loyal and unswerving man. A friend from China.

The flow of people and vehicles slowly walked up the hill under the scorching sun of July.Under the scorching sun, the hot sweat, the hot wet tears are dots of light, and I can't believe that he left forever like this, only thinking that the heavy drums of war are urging people to go out again! Sitting in the black car, she couldn't believe it even more.Her expression was sad and dull, she didn't wear black western mourning dress, but traditional Chinese white mourning dress, her black hair was covered with a white hairnet, because her husband wanted her to be a "Chinese wife" forever ".Her mind was still blank, this was the fourth day of her husband's death, but she hadn't woken up from the nightmare, she didn't believe that he would leave her alone!

The scene of the ancient church just now was really blurred.Numerous candles flickered, colorful flowers surrounded the bronze coffin, Beethoven's funeral march was sad and mournful, the pastor recited the tragic life of the deceased in a cadenced tone, and people walked around the coffin, making their final tribute to the deceased. farewell.How did she walk towards the coffin? She had lost her mind. Two tall and burly majors supported her from side to side. They were the eldest and second sons of her deceased husband and his ex-wife. They were more than ten years older than her!She walked towards the coffin, she wanted to pounce on the coffin: relatives!Tears have blurred vision.

Are you dreaming or waking up?she does not know.She was numbly helped into the black car. There were too many people and too many cars. This was a grand funeral, but how did the deceased know such glory and magnificence?From the window of the car, she caught a glimpse of a familiar woman—Song Meiling, probably the car was going too slowly, and Soong Meiling had already stepped out of the car behind, and was standing watching the funeral procession under the scorching sun.Her thoughts came alive, she turned the knob at the elbow, the window fell, and she whispered, "Please—sit with me."

Song Meiling entered the carriage and patted her hand: "Thank you." She was speechless, and she thanked this woman from the bottom of her heart, not because she was noble and gorgeous, but because at this moment, in this situation, this woman was a symbol of her natal family. Sure enough, Song Meiling said very sincerely: "Please remember that you have a family in Taipei, and you are always welcome there." It was Song Meiling who held her by the arm, and walked to the railing in front of the tomb through layers of dense mourners. The scorching sun in July is still shining brightly after noon; the spotlights of groups of photographers are crackling, and the light is shining between the sky and the earth; the priest is reciting the last prayer, and the bronze coffin is slowly descending into the grave, dressed in military uniform The soldiers rolled up the national flag; this was the last heart-piercing moment, she couldn't hold back her grief any longer, she fell on the railing and wept aloud!

All the people shed tears, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or skin color. No matter from which perspective, the buried person was an outstanding man, a fearless fighter against fascism. The heavy drum beat again and again.On the ancient battlefield in China, drumming out to fight, and gold to withdraw troops, is he making the final journey of no return?The sound of a rifle pierced the clear sky in July, which was the last solemn salute to the soldiers.People helped her, who almost fainted from crying, to leave the cemetery. Since then, she has sacrificed to the spirit for seventy-seven forty-nine days according to Chinese customs.Every day she puts a bouquet on his grave, red roses for you, white chrysanthemums for you, the flowers that adorned their wedding.She still doesn't believe that what in the world can block his love with her?

Until one day, when the white marble tombstone chosen and designed by her stood erect in the cemetery, she woke up from the nightmare: he will not return!No matter how she refuses, she has to accept the ultimate meaning of death. This tombstone is unique in Arlington Cemetery.Its front and sides are in English, engraved with the glory of various medals and medals received by the deceased; on the back, there are seven vertical Chinese characters.Because of this Chinese language, special permission must be obtained from the US Department of Defense. Of course, I got my wish. She came to the grave.A month ago, she personally transplanted two acacia trees on both sides of the tomb; in the rain, the green branches and green leaves appeared full of vitality.In China, red beans are born in the southern country. They are firm, round and bright red, as crystal clear as coral. Southerners often use them to inlay ornaments.Wang Wei has a poem: "Red beans are grown in the southern country, how many branches come out in spring? May you pick more, this thing is the most lovesick." She believes that American red beans are also lovesick.

She leaned the red silk umbrella beside the acacia tree, she presented the red roses in front of the tomb, she called him over and over again softly in English, telling her how much she missed him; then, she walked to the back of the tombstone, bent down, and gently Gently touching the seven vigorous and fresh official script characters, this was inscribed by Dr. Ye Gongchao. Dr. Ye also wrote a eulogy for him with more than 3,000 words, which moved people to tears and moved the heart.And this Dr. Ye, who was the same generation as the deceased, was her veritable Uncle Ye! She didn't tell any more, just wept bitterly.There are too many blank spaces in the white marble, like the unspoken implicitness that Chinese people like.The seven Chinese characters are particularly eye-catching! He is her dead husband? He is her true love. Life is amazing.Life is like a lamp, like a mystery, sometimes even like a dream. At the age of 17, she was on the top of Duxiu Peak in Guilin, persistently and confusedly looking for the way of life and love; at the age of 34, she was on the top of the green hill in Arlington, thinking about the happiness and misfortune of life and love equally persistently and confusedly!Bill was the innocent first love she would never forget in her life, and that first love also experienced the trials of war and death, but she did not walk with Bill after that. At the age of 19, she met Chennault and fell in love again. Perhaps it is too absolute to say that "a woman only loves once in a lifetime", but no matter how many times a woman has loved and been loved, there is only one love that is unforgettable and eternal. Only once is the deep affection that makes you die and live, and live and die, and it is obtained after going through thousands of tempers and twists and turns.This time belonged to Chennault, not Beale, nor would he come later! Yes, she has spared no expense to purchase a cemetery next to Chennault's cemetery as her own burial place in the future.She made an oath: she will not remarry in this life, and she will not change her surname "Chennault".Relatives and friends in the United States and China shook their heads worryingly: You have to think calmly, you are just in your early thirties, and you have to raise two young daughters, it will be very difficult for you. She is not impulsive, nor is it the result of romantic feelings.She knew it was difficult. In less than a year, the newly widowed orphan had already tasted the warmth and coldness of the world.But the power of eternal love sustains her.Pain and tribulation made her eyes very clear. Don't talk about many well-known love stories in ancient and modern China and abroad, but think about the story of the old grandmother and the second uncle not long ago. Until then, she didn't understand them a little bit. They are so common that there are no stories, but they are by no means feudal women in feudal shackles.Once the sea was too difficult for water! She has no regrets.A young Chinese woman fell in love with an old American man, and there were 35 years between them!This is the wall of time and space that no one can overcome!Moreover, he is older than her father, and she is younger than his son, how unreasonable this is.However, when the 19-year-old met the 54-year-old him for the first time, her heart was shaken. He was her sun!As for him, his heart is broken, this is the black eyes of his dream, the lover of his dream.He waited for fifty years, and met her after fifty years old, could it be a coincidence? They have hardly ever been in love with tenderness and tenderness, and three years have passed away; when the union of soul and body, their marriage is only destined for ten years and seven months!How extreme is the sky, so far! No one can cross the wall of time and space.She recalled a past event.It was the deep winter of 1951, and she had followed him to the United States for four months.This time I went from Washington to New York on business, stayed for a few days and bought a plane ticket, and had to fly back to Washington in three hours.She flipped through the newspaper in a recreational way, when suddenly he stood up and dragged her to the outside—to catch an old movie "Spring Remnant Dream Broken" in a small cinema!This is really unprecedented, he has never been interested in movies, even the hit "Born Yesterday", he also dismissed it, let her taste the tearful smile in the movie theater alone.But today, he said categorically: Even if the plane ticket back to Washington is refunded, this old film is a love tragedy adapted from Tolstoy’s famous book. He, he was concentrating on the screen, his eyes were wet and bright, were they tears?At that time, she really didn't understand the meaning of it, but now she had an epiphany: Spring is gone and dreams are broken! Spring is broken and dreams are broken. The rain has wet her black hair, leaving mottled water stains on her white satin cheongsam, like sad tears! In the cold spring, alone in the cold rain, she yearns for warmth and love.Who else would eagerly hold up an umbrella for her, and say distressedly: "Don't be naughty, come under my umbrella! You spoiled girl." She straightened her waist, overlooking the tombstones everywhere, desolate , Desolate and sad.His words sounded in her ears: "I believe that love exists beyond the grave." She walked to the acacia tree and held up her umbrella. She had to go home and take care of their daughter; When the day comes, her name will be worthy of his. The red umbrella is like the red sun on her head in a rainy day.For a traditional closed Chinese woman, her husband is her heaven.She's not exactly that kind of woman.But she adores him, he is the sun in her heart; and she is the moon in his heart.In the days when they were in love, when the secular concept believed that there was an insurmountable ancient wall between East and West, she once wrote romantic verses: the sun is salty, the moon is sweet; the sun is a majestic military music, the moon It is a short poetic song; the sun shines high all over the earth, and the moon quietly covers the world; this is the difference between Western beauty and Eastern beauty.However, we love both the sun and the moon.In a big way, she loves America and China; in a small way, she respects Chennault and cherishes herself.She has never forgotten her own independent existence and independent value.She never forgot Bill's wish: "You are an extraordinary girl, just like this Solitary Beauty Peak." The rain is heavy, the rain is urgent, the rain is rustling on the silk umbrella, and in a trance, there seems to be a cuckoo's voice: "It's better to go back—it's better to go back—" The American cuckoo is also heartbroken?It's getting late, she should go home, two lovely daughters are waiting for her. She went downhill along the trail flanked by maple trees and came to the parking lot.When she opened the car door, she couldn't stop looking at her husband's grave.The entire cemetery was in a torrent of white rain, and the towering trees seemed to be pouring hundreds of springs. For a while, her thoughts were activated again, and she silently recited Wang Wei's poem: "The trees are towering in the valley, and the cuckoos are resounding in the mountains. One night in the mountains Rain, the end of a tree, a hundred springs." She was overwhelmed, she wanted to write, she could write. She has gone deep into the frontline of the battlefield for interviews and written many touching reports; she has also written the girl's distant dream into pearly prose, and she has also written long and short novels about mysterious love and mysterious life, However, she has never written about her emotional life.She wants to write about her acquaintance, acquaintance and love with Chennault, and her sincere memories of endless lovesickness, not to seek life from the past, but the passing moon did not take away love, this love will continue to illuminate and Inspire her future. She lived with Chennault for ten years and seven months.There are four seasons in a year, and there are nine hundred and ninety days in eleven springs, and each day is a spring, a thousand springs! "Hundred springs at the end of a tree" translated into English means exactly one thousand springs! A thousand springs.This is a love sentence bestowed by heaven, and it is the eternal blessing of love. In the late spring of 1962, the biographical literature "A Thousand Springs" was published in English and Chinese respectively in New York, USA and Taiwan, China.The beautiful writing style, the true love, the turbulent background and the lingering love between life and death quickly won the attention and love of the literary world and the readers, and immediately became the most popular bestseller. 22 editions were sold. "A Thousand Springs" is the most memorable passage in Chen Xiangmei's autobiography.