Chapter 5 in Harbin

We had to live in Harbin for a few days to buy food for the long journey on the train.This was something almost everyone had to do at the time. This is my first time to Harbin.First impressions are that the city is interesting.The buildings are towering, the streets are spacious, and Russians can be seen everywhere. The so-called White Russians escaped from the Soviet Union after the October Revolution.There are nobles and commoners among them; some lives are good and some are bad, and the difference is quite large.I have heard about Belarusian names for a long time, and I only saw them in Harbin now.I feel very interesting in my heart.

We first found a small inn to stay and let our nervous spirit relax.At the station, in addition to the stimulation given to me by the "North Korean" wearing long riding boots, there was also a Mr. Dun Futang who was traveling with us.This man is studying psychology, but his psychology is really hard to understand.Just as he was about to claim his luggage and leave the station, he suddenly discovered that he had lost the receipt for his checked luggage, and he couldn't get his luggage out.All six of us classmates were very anxious, so we went to the administrator and the station master, and finally used the documents of the six people to prove that the man really didn't want to claim the luggage, and the problem was solved.When we arrived at the hotel, our lingering fears were still there, and our spirits were still high.However, Duke Dun stretched out his hand into his pocket, and there was a checked baggage ticket.We are really dumbfounded, but Duke Dun is content.During the long-distance travel of more than half a month, this situation was repeated several times.Therefore, I came to a conclusion; this man must throw away everything that can be thrown away once, and in the end he always saves danger and saves danger.Regarding such matters, we will not discuss them further below.

When going through the formalities at the inn, there was a little white Russian boy driving a carriage sitting beside the counter, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.I became interested in him all of a sudden and asked him a few words. He rolled his eyes, pointed at the old man on the counter with presbyopic glasses and a mouth full of gummies, and said: "I understand with him, but I don't understand with you." I understood what he meant and laughed it off. There are many Shandong people in Harbin, from the bosses of department stores to street vendors, almost all of them are from Shandong.Most of them can speak a little pidgin Russian, which they can understand with White Russian.Because there are so many White Russians here, and the Russian language is quite popular, some Russian transliterated words have emerged, such as calling bread "Crackba" and so on.The Russian spoken by the Chinese generally does not pay attention to the correct grammar and very authentic tones. As long as the other party "understands", the goal will be achieved.It suddenly occurred to me that communication between people cannot be separated from language; communication with foreigners cannot be separated from foreign languages.But language is also a strange thing.If a person wants to be proficient in his own language and a foreign language, he must put in a lot of hard work; even if he spends a lifetime of energy, he may not be able to master it.But it seems very simple to achieve the purpose of general communication.Pidgin doesn't matter.Sometimes I only know one or two foreign words, but I can move freely.An ambassador of the Kuomintang government to Italy could only speak the word "this" in Italian, and he could also command Italian servants.For example, when the window is open, he says "this" and points to the window, and the servant immediately closes the window.Conversely, if the window is closed, the ambassador will say "this", and the servant will open the window immediately.The window is nothing but opening and closing, there is absolutely no third possibility.A word of "this" is perfect and unobstructed, which is a hundred times better than Buddhism.

Talking too far, let's come back and talk about Harbin. After resting in the hotel, we went out into the street to buy food for the train.It's a no-brainer to do.There are many shops opened by Belarus on the street. You just need to walk in and explain your purpose, and you can buy a large basket of food immediately.The main body is a few large "cracks" weighing about seven or eight catties, supplemented by one or two sausages that are almost the same size, plus a few catties of dry cheese and butter, and a few cans, a total of about four or five It weighs ten catties, enough for about eight or nine days on the Siberian train.It turned out that there was a dining car on the train.But according to past experience, the food on the dining car is very expensive, and only US dollars are accepted.Its guiding ideology is clear.The Soviet Union is a country under the dictatorship of the proletariat, and it must "never forget class struggle."Foreigners are generally seen as the bourgeoisie, the antithesis of the proletariat with whom one must "struggle" whenever given the chance.Expensive meals are nothing more than a form of struggle.It's a pity that we "bourgeois" are so cash-strapped that we really can't pay that many dollars.So the Belarusian food store in Harbin is still alive. 

In addition to food stores, there are many Russian restaurants in the basements of high-rise buildings on both sides of the street, and the owners are all White Russians.The hostess is often fat and tall, wearing a white coat, like a white giant.However, the service is warm and attentive.The meals are exquisite and cheap.I have long admired the name of Russian cuisine in Peking, but I just didn't have the chance to taste it.Unexpectedly, when I arrived in Harbin today, there are Russian dishes everywhere, and it is really a joy to get them by accident in a simple basement.We have eaten borscht, oxtail, ox tongue, pork chops, steaks, these dishes are not necessarily "big", but the owner is Russian, the chef is also Russian, there is enough guarantee, this is a big Russian dish.It seems that we ate these things every day in Harbin. I don’t remember what we ate in that small hotel.

At dusk, we went out for a walk on the road.Many of the roads are made of small crushed stones, very wide and very long, the electric lights are not very bright, and people are everywhere.The little Belarusian boy—the one I saw in the hotel mentioned above—drives a western-style carriage, sees off guests, loads goods, and gallops along the long street.The carriage is extremely tall, and the horse is also extremely tall. The little boy's short body sits high on the carriage, as if he is sitting upstairs, and his size is extremely uncoordinated.However, the little coachman sits majestically, full of air. At the sound of the whip, the horse gallops, and the hooves of the horse hit the gravel, bursting out a row of sparks, like a group of fireflies dancing, gradually fading away, accompanied by the neighing of horses and the sound of wheels. , Converging into a sound and light ensemble.We outsiders really have never heard of it, have never seen it, and can't help but enjoy it.

Harbin is such a place. Whoever comes to Harbin will probably not visit the Songhua River.Of course we will not rest on our laurels, and we went too.At that time, when summer and autumn alternated, the temperature was not high.A few of us rented a boat and put the boat in the middle of the river. It was really a flat boat on the chaotic river.Looking at the line of the iron bridge and across the river, it looks like a rainbow without color.At this time, the surface of the river is calm, the waves are calm, tourists are like crucian carp, and noise is everywhere.We were all extremely excited, chatting and laughing happily.Looking back at the two little white Russian boys who were rowing, it turned out that the one holding the sculls was a blind man, and the other boy with eyesight was at the helm, deciding the course of the boat.We were all very surprised.The Songhua River seemed to disappear all of a sudden, and there was only this white Russian blind boy in front of him.We really want to know the truth, but we "don't understand" with them, so we have to guess for ourselves.Things are very clear.The blind boy's family was poor, and he had no other choice. His parents—if there were parents—let their beloved son risk his life to do this kind of boating for a living.The river is wide and the water is deep, and there are dangers everywhere. A discerning person still needs to be vigilant at all times, let alone a blind person!However, this blind boy, since he couldn't see anything, only had the sculls in his heart, and he was contented with a smile on his face.At this time, I didn't know what it was like.Looking around, the scenery remains the same, but I only have this blind boy in my heart. All tourists, water waves, iron bridges, and scenery have all disappeared.I thought to myself: the father, mother, brother, sister, etc. of the blind child’s family may all be waiting eagerly for him to come home, and use the few money he earned to buy a big "crack". Hungry.When did his family escape to Harbin?I am not sure.He might still be a nobleman in the tsarist era, a marquis or earl.Judging from his age, he might not be able to enjoy the glory and wealth of that day.He might have been born in Harbin, and he would never have any feeling that "the homeland is unbearable to look back on in the moonlight". ...... I was thinking about it, the more I thought about it, the more I thought about it, the more chaotic I was.I raised my head again, and saw that the Songhua River was still full of tourists, and the iron bridge spanned the sky, which was a summer scene.

At this time, the sun has already set in the west, and it is time for us to go back.We got off the boat and did what we could to give the two white Russian kids who were rowing as much as we could for the drinks.Seeing their satisfied smiles, we are also satisfied, and feel that we have done a good deed. Back at the hotel, I kept thinking about the White Russian kid.Even in the future until today, I still think of that child from time to time.What will happen to him in the future?After decades of vicissitudes, it is almost impossible for him to live in this world.I still wish that the Orthodox God of Belarus will bless him!