Chapter 22 Chapter 19 Sisterhood, Motherly Heart

In the winter of 1978, the early morning fog in San Francisco was filled with chills. The sky is ruthless, and the passenger plane from Washington landed safely at the airport. Chen Xiangmei walked down the gangway anxiously. The eldest sister Jingyi had already picked her up at the airport. The two sisters embraced silently, with tears streaming down their cold cheeks. Their father had passed away. Chen Yi wore a black thin wool trench coat, black high-top leather boots, and a green ribbon tied on her fluffy curly hair; Chen Xiangmei wore a dark navy blue thin wool trench coat, navy blue high-top boots, also dark green The georgette scarf tied crookedly on the right shoulder, like a clump of green pines and cypresses.In the endlessly sad green, there is a tacit understanding between the sisters.

Language is redundant. The two sisters drove towards the Bay Bridge, and the father's final resting place was in a small building in the hills of Oakland. The Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge are two magnificent bridges in San Francisco.The bay connects San Francisco and Oakland. The Golden Gate Bridge is the bridge with the largest span between piers in the world. The golden bridge railings stand tall.People can't help but think of the name of the city. Some gold grains were accidentally discovered on January 24, 1848. Within eight years, gold worth more than 400 million U.S. dollars was produced. This place is really a veritable gold mountain!In order to distinguish it from the new gold mountain in Australia, it is named San Francisco.

The temptation of gold, the brilliance of gold, the heaviness of gold, and the shackles of gold have all been here.The realization and disillusionment of the dreams of the self-conscious gold diggers, the blood, tears and struggles of the gold diggers who were deceived and driven, are deposited in the pages of history here.Now the immigrant area here seems to be condensed and shows these page numbers. The largest immigrant area is Chinatown!At the entrance of the street is a Chinese-style archway, and the plaque under the glazed eaves is inscribed with Sun Yat-sen's "The world is for the public".Entering this "China Town", the couplets with red eaves, green tiles, corridors and columns are completely Chinese ancient architecture; the ancient temples are full of cigarettes, the Chinese signature Chinese restaurant is booming, and the crowds of people are rolling, but they are all Chinese. live!In a daze, I don't know where I am!Who knows whether it is the solution to the nostalgia complex or the nostalgia disease!

As the years went by, when Chen Xiangmei was also getting old, she understood more and more why her father lived in Oakland on the other side of San Francisco after his retirement. To dilute the blood relationship, the father cannot do without the breath of China!Father Ai and stepmother Bixi came to Chinatown arm in arm and walked slowly up and down. Sometimes they went to Shuangxi Building to taste local delicacies, and sometimes they bought a bag of bright red amaranth at the grocery store. Fresh vegetables in the vegetable basket, the roots are covered with soil, and the leaves are still dewy!The old days will not reappear.Beside the fire on a winter night, he looked at the dark red fire, and seemed to be talking to himself: "What I love most in my life is still being a teacher. The teaching career at Peking Normal University is the most memorable, but it is a pity that Chinese studies are not fundamental. He was so deep that he couldn’t compete with others, so he gave up teaching and went into politics.” The daughters knew that the father was suffering from nostalgia, and that the father was “sick of home”!When the leaves fall back to their roots, people are always homesick.

When can I go home?Xiangmei clearly remembers that in the building on the Piedmont hill where her father lived, the epoch-making event of the founding of the People's Republic of China shocked her heart. However, twenty-nine years have passed, and New China has steadfastly fulfilled her oath. The Chinese people have stood up. , the United States set off a wave of China fever, Chinese silk, porcelain, calligraphy and painting have become hot spots for people to pursue, "going to China" has become the latest hot target for Americans who love to travel, but they are still outside the hot spots.She is also "homesick". Apart from worrying about her family and country, her childhood nostalgia is increasing day by day. When will she be able to return home to Peiping, which is haunted by dreams and souls?She didn't expect that her dream would come true two years later!After her dream came true, her regret was: If her father was still alive!

The milky white fog is misty and mighty, and the car passes the Bay Bridge, the bay is misty, the bridge is misty, and the thoughts are also misty.The winter fog in Hong Kong is like spilling a giant bucket of milk, so thick and sticky. During the days when their mother was there, they clearly smelled the sweetness; during the eighteen days of the siege, what they felt was white terror.On the three-thousand-mile exile road, the thick and faint morning fog is the endless melancholy that cannot be driven away.The winter fog in Kunming and the thick fog in Chongqing are changing times and unpredictable situations.What kind of mood did the fog in Shanghai and Taipei stir up in her?The past is like a dream like smoke!

The quiet dawn, the quiet white mist, the quiet foreign land, the quiet two sisters holding hands, their hearts connected.They all think about the past, their parents and their sisters, generations are intertwined, life is unstoppable, and death is unavoidable. After crossing the bridge and driving across the road, the two sisters got out of the car and walked up the hill and entered the small building.Father lay peacefully among the flowers.An old man at the age of eighty-three is dying. According to Chinese customs, it is a popular and happy event.A gorgeous wreath of a big red camellia is placed in the center, and the white wreaths on both sides are also nested with red flower cores.The six sisters were all present, and although they were all sad, the atmosphere was not heavy and oppressive.The Chinese view of life and death is actually more open-minded and unrestrained than Westerners.

Apart from failing to return home, the father was content. Three years ago, the three sisters all came to this small building in Auckland to celebrate their father's 80th birthday. It was a joyful birthday celebration in Chinese style.In front of the hall, red candles are shining brightly, and the stars of Fu Lu Shou Sanci are smiling. The old birthday star Chen Yingrong is wearing a brand-new Chinese-style double-breasted satin jacket and trousers. Eating longevity noodles, the noodles were so long, the daughters and grandchildren yelled in unison: "Longevity and longevity, a centenarian is a father!" Chen Yingrong was so happy that he couldn't keep his mouth shut. After all, his family drank too much foreign ink. There will also be a foreign smell when the soil gets slag off.But gradually, the eyes of the old man became moist, and he vaguely remembered the tenth birthday. Their hometown in Guangzhou was noisy and jubilant, the red candles were shining brightly, birthday peaches, birthday cakes, birthday cakes, and relatives and friends flocked endlessly. His mother was leaning on him with his little feet, and she was so happy that her words were as crisp and melodious as a bell swaying. The mother's hair was full of gold hairpins and pearls, and the pleated pomegranate dress that dragged the floor was always rippling like a breeze passing over the lake. It was an unforgettable scene. From then on, he understood that "a mother is more valuable than a child", but it is a pity that he is no longer in this life!From then on, the family fell into ruin and bad luck came. Even the wedding held in Havana, Cuba, he did not feel the real happiness and joy, and it was completely Western-style.The scene in front of him is nothing more than fragments of Chinese local folk customs, but he is still satisfied, full of children and grandchildren, and full of prosperity, he is still a typical Chinese old man.Although he only has six daughters, times have changed. All of his daughters are strong and filial. Suddenly, he recalled that he had given birth to six daughters, and the tears of nostalgia came. It splashed on the silk clothes, like dewdrops on the lotus leaves in the morning. However, the aging heart finally reaped a satisfaction.

A year ago, the eldest son of the three daughters, Xianglian, got married in Texas. His grandson brought his grandson and daughter-in-law to San Francisco to visit his grandparents.The grandson's daughter-in-law blushed and thought to herself, why is this old diplomat also an old Chinese?But Chen Yingrong is looking forward to the day when the four generations live together.The Chen family can be regarded as a tree with many branches, and its branches and leaves are flourishing. His eldest daughter, Jingyi, has always been his favorite, and has always only called her by her nickname, Beibei. His eldest son-in-law, Li Youhou, is also a doctor. The couple share the same goals and are harmonious and happy.I used to serve in Taiwan's civil aviation company, but now I run a clinic at home, which is very popular.One son and two daughters are also successful. Now his grandson is teaching at the Australian Academy of the Arts. He is versatile and suave. I heard that he is very close to a well-known singer.Today's young people can't figure it out.

The third daughter, Xianglian, has a poor physique since she was a child, and she doesn't like to talk. She just loves to play the piano. She didn't become a pianist when she grew up, but a typical good wife and mother.She is still as weak as a willow blown by the wind, and her attire retains the flavor of Chinese intellectual women in the 1930s and 1940s. Among the six sisters, she does not have a perm, and her hair is combed into a neatly pressed bun, which is very gentle, courteous and thrifty.Her husband, Fang Zhongmin, worked in Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and was stationed in Southeast Asian countries. She followed her husband and worked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.A pair of sons are promising. The eldest son is a computer student. He has done a good job in a computer company in the United States. He is the first in the third generation. Chen Yingrong is very happy.

The fourth daughter, Xianglan, is simple and unpretentious, rigorous and capable. No wonder, she loves mathematics, and of course she is meticulous.Husband-in-law Dr. William Huang is also an engineer. Both of them work in the California state government, so they have entered the mainstream life in the United States. The pair of sons are motivated in their studies, and they are gratified to be grandfathers. The fifth daughter, Zhu'er, is the tallest among the six sisters. Thinking back to when she was exiled for thousands of miles, she was still a little girl of eight or nine years old. boldness!She is also very effective in her career. As the research director of a large oil company in Houston, Chen Yingrong would laugh out loud when she imagined her image of a commanding and powerful strong woman. The daughter of the Chen family is stronger than the man.Of course, Zhu'er is also a good wife and mother, her husband and son-in-law are a banker, and the couple love each other and live a sweet and happy life. Mannu Xiangtao is a flower among the sisters. After forty years, she still retains the innocence of a female college student, with a beautiful appearance and a graceful figure. It is not too much to compare with "clean water comes out of hibiscus, and it is carved naturally".This full girl is like their biological mother's sweet words, often causing him so many memories and so much sadness!Mannu’s life is not like her biological mother’s. Her luck is as smooth as Homer’s poems. Her husband-in-law Feng Xincong once developed in Taiwan’s diplomatic circles, while Mannu is fighting the world alone in Hong Kong. I really can’t tell that she is petite and exquisite. She has great energy .There are also two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter studies medicine, the second daughter studies mass communication, and the son is still young. Full daughters are really blessed.Of course he couldn't predict the various changes in the world and family in more than ten years! All these years, the second daughter Xiangmei has been on his mind!Meizi, who is stubborn by nature, has had pimples with him since she was a child. After being hit by the death of her biological mother, she was almost "at odds with him"; she made her own decisions about her marriage, and became a widow at the age of thirty-three. Her two daughters were under ten years old. But vowed never to marry again!Chen Yingrong shook his head and sighed, what time is it, is it possible that she still wants to follow the old grandmother's path?It's ridiculous.Every time Meizi came to visit him, both he and Bixie had to persuade him, but she just smiled and didn't answer.He knew that he could never change her!He pays special attention to everything about the second daughter, he reads her column articles carefully, he searches for sporadic reports about her in the newspapers, and he firmly remembers her and Meihuamei's birthday, as well as the birthday of her husband Chennault. I forgot to send something, maybe he is making up for all the regrets in the past, maybe he found the shadow of his thirteen-year-old self-improvement from Meizi's perseverance?Who can figure it out.In his later years, what he cared most about was plums.He is a little superstitious, plums belong to cattle, toil; plum fragrance comes from the bitterness of frost. Now, he sleeps in the sea of ​​flowers without worry or thought, and his six daughters stand beside his father sadly, saying their final farewell. Death is a silent river, containing too much. Of the six sisters, the oldest is fifty-six years old, and the youngest is forty-three.The death of their father was not like the death of their mother, which was heart-piercing and frightening to the extreme. They had already touched the mystery of death, which was life, and they should open their hearts to the flesh of life. The one with the heaviest heart is Chen Xiangmei. In front of her father, she has always been a rebellious daughter.It is known that people died, she prayed for her father's forgiveness, and she also knew that her father had forgiven her early on, and seemed to love her even more. However, she is still a rebellious daughter after all, she can't forget her mother!She still couldn't explain why her mother was seriously ill and her father didn't come home until she passed away.Father is by no means the kind of irresponsible male, so, this unsolvable mystery was brought into the coffin by father. Nearly forty years passed between mother and father's death, and their tombs are 10,000 miles away. In another world, it may be difficult to meet each other. In 1994, the six sisters rebuilt the cemetery of their biological mother in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Lonely mother, the six daughters will miss you forever. In the spring of 1986, under the drizzle, the Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing was full of willows, and the water and the sky were blurred. Chen Xiangmei, who was over 60 years old, held a Hangzhou flower silk umbrella and a pair of purple rain boots. He was walking along the embankment at dusk. Lonely again.Accompanying her was a young and handsome foreign man, maybe 1.85 meters tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, wearing a beige raincoat, very stylish.A face with clear facial features, thick eyebrows, blue eyes, high nose bridge, Alain Delon-style wide mouth, coupled with a head of slightly curly black hair that reaches below the ears, the first impression is that it is a foreign man movie star.He followed Chen Xiangmei respectfully and docilely, several times he wanted to hold an umbrella for her, but Chen Xiangmei refused, this kind of filial piety is the traditional oriental style.He is Chen Xiangmei's second son-in-law, Paul, a Belgian, a professor of physics at Stanford University and the director of the physics department.This is his first visit to China.Everything in China is really old and new, and his blue eyes are kind of half-drunk and half-awake. "The river is raining, the river is full of grass, the six dynasties are like a dream, and the birds are singing in the sky; the most ruthless is the willow in Taicheng, and it is still a ten-mile dike in a smoke cage." Chen Xiangmei gently recited Wei Zhuang's "Jinling Picture", after all, it has passed through the long years. The river, the tides ebb and flow from spring to spring, and how many regime changes she has witnessed, she can't be sentimental.Besides, she is now actively preparing for a Sino-US cultural exchange delegation, and is preparing to transport cultural relics unearthed from China to the United States for a touring exhibition, called the "Tianzi Cultural Relics Exhibition", which are fragments of China's 5,000-year civilization-historical relics, can she feel that it is related to it? what?The majestic terracotta warriors and horses, the luxurious and exquisite golden jade clothes, are the exhibitions of the supreme, noble, extravagant and lustful of the Chinese emperors?Or the wisdom and talent of unknown laborers and the living conditions of hardship and humiliation? "How many things have happened in the rise and fall of the ages, the endless flow of the Yangtze River"!Splendid culture is eternally influenced by the long river of time.At first, Chen Xiangmei discussed with the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, but the museum was worried that there would be trouble if the ancient relics were transported to the United States.This kind of worry is not unreasonable, but it also reveals the weakness and fear of Taipei's lack of world status.After Chen Xiangmei negotiated with the Mainland Administration of Cultural Relics, the US government was very interested and privately told Chen Xiangmei that she hoped that she could be the chairman and make the exhibition spectacular. China's 5,000-year history of civilization has an irresistible charm for the young United States.However, when Taiwan heard about it, it was not happy, and begged Chen Xiangmei not to interfere.Chen Xiangmei was in a dilemma.Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are my family. She has withdrawn in name, but in fact she is still making unremitting efforts to introduce ancient Chinese civilization to the West. This is her loyal emotion.She also hopes that these cultural relics of the Son of Heaven will be transported to Taipei for exhibition in the near future, because they are the ancient relics discovered in the mainland in the past 20 or 30 years. The call of the root. The son-in-law seems to understand the poems and moods recited by his mother-in-law, half-understanding.He knew nothing about China, but his wife, Xue Diya Louise, Chen Meili, has a Ph.D. in Oriental Languages ​​from Stanford University. She has studied for this Ph. · Poetry research.This beloved half-Chinese wife naturally often recites ancient Chinese poems. When he understands the pain and helplessness of ancient Chinese poems that lose their original flavor once they are translated into foreign languages, he also gradually understands the charm of the Chinese language. The reading of ancient poems is pleasant and pleasant to listen to, just like the ding-dong of spring water in the mountains.His mother-in-law's recitation under the willows by the lake in the rain and the scenery in front of him made him suddenly realize what Chinese poetry and painting are! But he has no worries. Could it be that sorrow only belongs to the previous generation?Especially the women of the previous generation? After a rainy day, on the lush campus of Nanjing University, when a tall Belgian man accompanied a young woman, people turned their heads back.In the universities of the 1980s, foreigners were no longer a surprise, and Chinese college students with high self-esteem would no longer show their ignorance and superficiality.This rate of turning heads is not because of the man's handsomeness, nor is it because the woman is over 1.70 meters tall, but because of the woman's past tense dress!Wearing a purple floor-length cheongsam with a purple pipa button, the chest and cuffs are covered with clusters of violets embroidered with purple silk thread, purple crystal earrings, purple embroidered shoes, like a purple dream in the past era, dream Haunted violet's dream of love!Maybe it involves the love story of her parents and mothers in this land?Although this woman has black hair and black eyes, at first glance, she is still an authentic American girl. If an old man who was familiar with the Flying Tigers saw her, she would be stunned, because her face resembles Chennault !Of course, this is Chennault's beloved little daughter, Chen Meili. She also came to China for the first time. Is she looking for her father's lost dream here?Is it the dream of looking for the Chinese classical poetry that my mother is obsessed with and she is also obsessed now?The gunpowder, war, and bloody wind that my father experienced in the past have long since disappeared. When the economic tide and western literary theory are surging in this land, she quietly touches the roots of ancient Chinese culture, the roots that nourish her mother, and the own roots. She is very smart, like her never-before-seen grandmother, and is proficient in seven languages ​​including Chinese, English, Belgian, Japanese, German, French, and Portuguese. She regards English and Chinese as her mother tongue.She chose to study ancient Chinese poetry, which is not only the long-term influence of her mother, but also her own hobby. She was intoxicated by the rhythm of Chinese characters early on.She loves the freshness and beauty of Xie's poetry, and loves to explore the fate of this short-lived poet who died in prison at the age of thirty-six. The first opportunity was my mother's love of Li Bai's "Xuanzhou Xie Lou Jian Farewell to School Secretary Shu Yun": "Those who abandon me will not keep the day of yesterday; those who disturb my heart will worry about today. Autumn geese, you can indulge in high-rise buildings. Penglai’s articles are built with solid bones, and Xiao Xie’s hair is clear in the middle. Both are happy and strong, thinking about flying, and want to go up to the blue sky to embrace the bright moon. Pulling a knife to cut off the water makes the water flow more, toasting to relieve sorrow and sorrow. Life is alive Unsatisfactory, the Ming Dynasty spread out and make boats." Gradually, she felt a hazy but clear feeling in her heart, which could not be replaced by American trendy science fiction or even fantasy novels and movies, nor could it be replaced by the fierce competition and the real world of Washington DC. After being run out, she became obsessed with Xie, whom even Li Bai admired. In her eyes, Xie's words are poetry and dreams.Looking at it, ancient books refer to the moon appearing in the west at the end of the lunar calendar.The eternal moon is dreaming of the east in the west, Chen is as beautiful as a poem like a dream.As for the festivals of the Chinese lunar calendar, Chen Meili also knows a lot. Her mother was born on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is a festival to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan; Pedestrians want to die!"Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year's Eve, and Lantern Festival, my mother always looks forward to the family reunion, and always describes the night scene of Lantern Festival for their sisters, "Dongfeng night puts flowers and trees, and stars blow down like rain", and always prays "I hope people will last forever, and there will be cicadas for thousands of miles" Juan".She feels that Chinese festivals are more homely and poetic than American festivals. The acquaintance and love with Paul can also be said to be poetry as a match.Just like the details in a movie novel, she passed him by with a large stack of books in her hand, and with a light bump, the books fell down, and there was thunder in the silent library, she panicked to clean up, and he helped her , but he squatted down and flipped through the thick book, it was in Chinese!He looked at her in amazement, China is a mystery, and the black-haired woman in front of him is a mystery.By the lakeside of the campus, he saw her again. She recited Xie's poems, not chapters, but only good sentences. "Yuxia is scattered into beautiful scenery, and Chengjiang is as quiet as practice." "The sky knows the return of the boat, and the trees of the river are discerned in the clouds." "" "If you know your hometown with love, who can change your temples?" He didn't understand, but he was clearly intoxicated.She said mischievously: "You can only feel it, but you can't express it in words. I tried to translate it for you. Xie himself said: a good poem is round and beautiful like a bullet." He was hit by a bullet called Chinese Cupid. In the spring of 1981, Paul and Chen Meili held a grand wedding in Washington.A large group of cousins ​​from the Chen family came, and several uncles came to congratulate them. The six Xiangmei sisters gathered in Washington again. The six sisters wore the most beautiful and colorful cheongsam, and the most rare and expensive jewelry, because this is the Chen family. Being the first to get married among the women of the next generation, it arouses too many memories and fantasies for them.The elder sister Jingyi was especially excited, her niece's name was her Christian name Xue Diya.Blossoms look forward to bearing seeds, no matter how westernized Chinese women are, they are still Chinese women at heart. Mothers and aunts all bless the bride and groom in this way, and the couple are both over thirty. Five years later, the bride and groom are still living an endless honeymoon. Chen Xiangmei feels relieved. Now that the stability of marriage and family in American society is being shaken frequently and in multiple directions, the harmony and beauty of the young couple is really rare.But at the same time of relief, there is also anxiety. When will I be able to hold my grandson?But you can't help being anxious, how many young people today are anxious to have children? When they arrived in China, the couple traveled to Nanjing, and then went to Xuancheng County, Anhui Province. In 495 AD, Xie Wei became the prefect of Xuancheng. Nearly a quarter of his poems handed down came from his two years as the prefect of Xuancheng. written in.Later, when he returned to the court to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, he was imprisoned and died because of his involvement in the matter.This great talent from aristocratic background was born in 464 and died in 499. His verses are the rainbow of life. No wonder Li Bai would write such fierce and generous verses when he boarded the Xie Tower hundreds of years later! Chen Meili is obsessed with Xie. It is the sense of vicissitudes that cannot be rejected in the life complex, and it is even more difficult to let go of the sense of identity and belonging to Chinese culture. When she returned to the United States, she was pregnant with a child.His son’s name is Little Paul. He showed extraordinary talent at a very young age. He was extremely gifted in language and mathematics. As a gifted child, I recommended him to go to a gifted school, but grandma Chen Xiangmei was not willing, let him enjoy the fun of childhood and youth like an ordinary child, life is better to be calm and plain.Little Paul also has a younger brother, Michael, who is three years younger. He is also smart and mischievous, but his talent is not as good as his brother's.As long as she has free time, Chen Xiangmei will come to the home of the second daughter of Stanford University in Holder State, bringing good books and new toys to the two grandchildren, as well as Chinese-style snacks made by herself, such as pearl balls, orchid root shepherd's purse dumplings, etc. The grandson is so happy to act like a baby with his grandmother and pretend to be crazy.She also talked about being a teenager, playing hide-and-seek with them and playing war games; when she had enough, she would hug one of them and teach them to recite Tang poems, Song lyrics and Yuan songs; An old nursery rhyme.This is a complete and happy little nest, filled with family happiness, but sometimes confusion and pain appear in her eyes.At this time, Chen Meili often leaned against the window, crossed her arms, and watched all this quietly.The sunlight diffused into the room, and the golden dust trembled softly in the light, like a dream, and time flowed backwards.She knew that her mother, like her, remembered the childhood of the two sisters. Happiness and misfortune were intertwined, development and confusion were intertwined, and she walked out of the confusion. Where is her sister, Claire Anna—Chen Meihua? Ding dong ding dong, ding ding dong, boom boom, boom boom.Sometimes it is like a clear spring flowing in a mountain stream, sometimes it is like a waterfall falling three thousand feet, sometimes it is like the rustling of spring rain, and sometimes it is like thunder rolling across the sky.If you listen carefully, it is an irregular and chaotic combination of many world famous songs, such as Beethoven's, Debussy's "Moonlight", Mendelssohn's "Spring Song", Tchaikovsky's "Symphony of Sorrow", etc. Strauss' "The Blue Danube" jumps and changes at will, very familiar and inexplicable.Follow the sound of the zither, and enter the green field with verdant trees and lawns. In the depths of the green is a red house with red walls and red tiles covered with ivy, leaving only dots of bright red like flames. Push open the concealed vermilion door, the color of the living room is light green and peach red, all kinds of big dolls are scattered on the floor on the sofa, withered dried flowers are stuck everywhere on the window sill on the coffee table, on the shiny piano There is always a large bouquet of blooming flowers, and in front of the piano is a woman with black hair like a waterfall, she is beating the keys intoxicated, as if everything around her does not exist.She is beautiful, she likes to close her eyes lightly when playing the piano, her long eyelashes can cast a circle of shadows, her high nose, small mouth and round face, she is more like her mother; her hands are also beautiful, with slender and strong fingers, tapping hard As beautiful as flowing clouds and flowing water.She didn't close the piano cover until she was really tired from playing, sat with her chin in her hands and lazily opened her eyes, blue eyes!Of course, this is Chen Xiangmei's eldest daughter Claire Anna - Chen Meihua. Chen Meihua chose music, Chen Meihua chose Chinese classical literature, and Chen Xiangmei finally got her wish. Isn’t that how mothers imagine the future when Meihua was born not long ago and Meili was still in the womb?After she settled in the United States, she has actively participated in the mainstream life of the United States, and on many occasions she has enthusiastically called on Chinese people to actively participate in American politics, believing that only in this way can they be recognized by society.However, she is still soberly aware of the contradictions in her heart despite being involved in politics and not in the cabinet: "Politics is not my interest, I like writing, reading and literature, and everything else is incidental. Put it down one day earlier.” Literature is her infatuated dream, and music is her deep regret in her unfortunate girlhood. Now, the younger daughter’s dream is fulfilled, and the eldest daughter makes up for the regret. What is there to be satisfied with as a mother? Shakespeare said, O woman, thy name is weak.Chen Xiangmei was unwilling.But what is a strong man?She has her awareness.She thought that a woman is a woman, as long as she is an upright woman, she doesn't have to be an inferior man, and she doesn't have to imitate a man.The true meaning of equality between men and women is to enable women to have the opportunity to serve the country and the people in addition to serving the family, and also have the freedom to choose a career, so as to receive equal pay for equal work. For decades in the political arena, there have been ups and downs. At the same time as the emperor and courtiers, the first lady is also turning around like a windmill, and the White House is a dream of vicissitudes.The young and beautiful Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy once turned the White House into a happy blue tone. Speaking French, wearing French fashion, and eating French cuisine have become fashionable in the White House, but Jacqueline is so keen on running for office in her heart!If my husband does not become the president, I am afraid that he will not die unexpectedly!Mrs. Johnson loves yellow and gardening. She is capable, comprehensive and exquisite. Everything she does is for her husband. What kind of symbols have yellow and gardening become?Nixon's wife, Biter, was calm and generous, and she made silent contributions when Nixon was in power or in opposition.But there was eternal sadness in her smile.Nixon once wrote her a written guarantee to "never participate in politics". Doesn't this justify her greatest wish?Mrs. Ford, Patty, is honest and kind, and she has worked hard to raise her children. Her use of alcohol to relieve her sorrows and her public welfare activities in the future are just the reflection of this kind of woman's lonely and depressed heart.President Carter's wife, Lusa Peanut Farm, is known as the Iron Lady. People say that she has a great influence on Carter's behind-the-scenes, but the memory she left when she was the first lady was just walking from Capitol Hill to the White House with her husband, which is inappropriate. The impression that the first lady is still committed to social welfare work is even better.Mrs. Reagan, Nancy, is active in the American political arena as a slender movie star. She is unknown in the history of film. , but the children of her and Reagan and the children of Reagan and his ex-wife are almost against them, and the family reunion is rare!On the night of the White House, she and Reagan guarded the empty West Wing room. Although there are mountains of gold and silver, a world without popularity is too lonely.As a mother, isn't she lost and desolate?Mrs. Bush, Barbara, is the most popular among the public, so that Bush was "jealous": "You welcome her so much, why didn't you elect her as president?" And her popularity is her family style, she cares about children's education, and cares about the people Healthy, she loves dogs, she is a real housewife.When Hillary Clinton, the cat-loving Mrs. Clinton, becomes the housewife of the White House, what she gains and what she loses will make thinking women ponder.She was a lawyer in Arkansas, earning two or three times as much as her governor husband.Her first impression on the TV screen during the campaign was aggressive: "I'm a professional, I can't bake cookies or drink tea at home." This made many housewives feel ashamed and angry, but she To tell the truth, she is an independent professional woman with an independent career.People in the Democratic Party's campaign circle are determined to transform her image, from hair style to dress to gestures, they all want to sing the gentle and graceful image of husband and wife.Clinton claimed: "Buy one get one free", that is, if voters elect him, his capable wife will also serve the public.She is his partner and they will work together.As a result, cartoons appeared in the newspaper. The Clintons sat at a desk, and Clinton asked Hillary: "Should you use your own desk?" Xiangmei thought, it was Hillary who should ask: "Have I lost own desk?" These women with different looks and personalities, after becoming the first lady, do they still have themselves?Is there still women's independent consciousness and independent pursuit?Even if it is noble and noble, it is still just the green leaves as a foil. When the bustling things are gone, what is left is what color each person likes, what is the pet, and the bits and pieces, who remembers it clearly?It seems to be full of sound and color, but in the depth of the excitement is the desolation of the loss of women's independent consciousness! Look at those hostesses in Washington who are all the glamorous, in the end, who doesn't spend their own money?The once prominent Lady of the Pearl, Belle Mesta, also wrote the play "Call Me My Lady" for her life on Broadway. However, the age is like water, and the beauty is old, and the inheritance of the oilfield magnate in Ohaho is probably spent similarly. She sold her house in Washington to Johnson, who was the vice president at the time. She moved several times, smaller and smaller, and farther away. , isolated from the hustle and bustle, and died alone.Another hostess in Washington, Mrs. Letvi Carfredge, is the wife of a leading real estate developer in Washington. Joy and the most painful focus moment.She likes to comb the lady's bun of the past, has the arrogance of domineering, and has had a grudge with Belle Mesta for twenty years.In the 1970s, Chen Xiangmei was naturally promoted to the position of hostess in Washington. She actually invited these two friends to a banquet together, saying that the three of us were in no particular order, so these two old enemies turned their battles into friendship.Life is short, take a step back, the sea and the sky will be brighter, Chen Xiangmei believes it.After Calfridge's death, the son had a lot of trouble fighting for the family property and a lawsuit. Who still remembers the mother's all-powerful back then?There is also a hostess in Washington DC, Mrs. Post. Her father started by selling cereal and food. She inherited her father’s property. A woman, young and beautiful, is indeed capital. If money is added, it can really make countless men fall under the pomegranate skirt, but these are unreliable.What is reliable is morality plus wisdom, and the changes of the years not only can't wear away morality and wisdom, but also make it more brilliant.Virtue and wisdom enable women to obtain eternal inner beauty.This is the principle of being a woman that Chen Xiangmei believes in, and she also uses it to teach her two daughters. In the early summer of 1988, at the meeting of the International Association for Friendship and Exchange held in Hong Kong, members of the awards committee of the conference were arguing over who should be awarded the World Peace Service Award.This worldwide organization holds a meeting every two years, taking turns in the Eurasian region. It has established a peace service award to be awarded to a person who has made a special contribution to world peace services, and some service awards are awarded to outstanding figures from various countries.For the only peace service award, most of the winners are political figures with world influence, but Chen Xiangmei stood up and nominated Teresa.Who is Teresa?The committee members looked at each other.身为颁奖委员会主任委员的陈香梅并不慷慨激昂，而是轻声说：“她是谁？她是一个默默无闻的修女，几十年如一日，哪里最贫穷哪里遭受天灾人祸，她和她的修女伙伴们就出现在哪里，行医治病，救苦救难。她不辞劳苦，不求闻达，一身奉献圣主耶稣，时时处处解脱人间疾苦。眼下，她可能在印度的一个贫穷小村落，那里正蔓延着肠道传染病，治病救人是她的天职。”周遭静悄悄，陈香梅拿出了德雷莎的照片，委员们默默地传递着。这是一个年老又粗糙的修女，白色的头巾包扎得厚厚实实，眼睑低垂，双手合十。看不见目光慈祥，只见纵横皱纹刻下了岁月的沧桑。那双辛劳的大手简直叫人目不忍睹！那不是女人的纤纤玉手，就是养尊处优的男人也不会是这样的手！粗拉到极点，像千年的老树皮，青筋爆起且盘根错节，可只有这样的一双手，才能抗拒死亡！在荒瘠穷困的深山小村，在瘟疫流行的恐怖地带，在地震的废墟，在洪水肆虐的灾区，她与她的女苦行僧们苦行苦行，为的是救苦难的人出苦难！委员们再也争论不起来，一致赞成德雷莎获奖。盛情难却，德雷莎答应亲自来香港领奖，但就在此时，尼泊尔发生地震，德雷莎急赴尼泊尔救灾。前来领奖的是她的四个修女伙伴。盛大的晚宴中，珠光宝气的参宴者们兴致勃勃，以一睹这些不可思议的修女们为快吧，但是修女们委婉又坚决地拒绝参加宴会，因为她们从不参加宴会，她们就是苦行僧。陈香梅震惊了，参宴者们是否汗颜？她陈香梅这辈子怕也达不到德雷莎的崇高，但是，她崇拜崇高、呼唤崇高、学习崇高。她也以此来教导两个女儿。 值得欣慰的是，两个女儿在美国这种社会背景中站了起来，得到接纳，得到尊重。她知道，异族通婚的子女，聪明，但太敏感，很小的挫折都会使他们一蹶不振。她特别注重加强对两个女儿的心理教育，既让她们了解陈纳德家族的骄傲，又让她们明嘹廖家、陈家的艰难坎坷和种种光荣，拥有不同的血统，但都是优秀的。 然而，就在她感到欣慰的同时，不幸却降临到她家中。美华患了自闭症，她回到少女的天地，只与钢琴为伴。粉红葱绿，布娃娃音乐，她只要这些。她的蓝色的眸子满是蓝色的梦幻和蓝色的感伤。也许在襁褓中，体质孱弱又经常患病的她就落下了病根，很小很小她就爱听音乐方能安静；也许父亲的去世对她刺激太深，美国社会重视父亲所给予的人格塑性，中小学都有“父亲日”，每逢父亲日就得由父亲陪着孩子上学，而她们没有！也许她虽只比美丽大一岁，但身为长女她成熟得太早，她过早地理解了母亲的痛苦和坚韧，她不能接纳别的男人来替代父亲的空缺，可她又太渴求父爱，于是她的心很早很早就碎成了瓣瓣。也许高中毕业舞会她看得太重，依照美国社会习俗，毕业舞会的第一支舞须由父亲伴舞，她没有父亲，她留在家中，母亲与她相对垂泪，她太责怨命运的不公。也许乔治州大学几年的音乐陶冶为她拓开了另一片天地，只有在钢琴声中她才寻到了灵魂栖息的家园。她不知道，逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜，她的秀发依旧漆黑，她的眸子依旧碧蓝。她的母亲却老了，母亲为女儿焦虑，母亲为女儿求医，母亲为女儿祈祷。母亲说，我一生最大的遗憾就是这事。我愿舍弃我的一切幸福和成功，只要女儿幸福。 绿野深处是红色小屋，小屋中琴声叮咚，葱绿配桃红，或许，自闭者才是最幸福的呢？ 1993年夏，陈美丽又来到南京大学，整整一个暑假，她都在南京大学图书馆用功，并与古典文学学者进行了学术探讨。这回，她给延安小学希望工程捐助了两千美金；她希望普天之下的儿童都幸福。 陈香梅越来越关注教育。中国教师节，每年她都要来到广州、南昌、南京、武汉等处颁赠陈香梅杰出教师教授奖。 十年树木，百年树人。她以一颗真诚的母亲心体悟最深。 让陈香梅感动的是，在长女患自闭症的过程中，郝福满给了她真挚的父爱。