Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Flowing Wind

It has not rained for several days, only a slight breeze at any time.The fiery red sun climbed into the sky from the morning and never flickered.The sky was as blue as an indigo vat in a dyeing room.Occasionally, a few white clouds that look thin and light float over it, and then come again. On the ground is a piece of green grass seedlings, at a glance, there is no end in sight. The sunny weather is hot, but still refreshingly hot. Chu Yong's blue foreign cloth gown was not draped over his shoulders, but hung loosely on his left arm.An umbrella is held in the right hand.I was walking forward along a red sandstone road on the right side of the road with my head down.

It's called the main road, but it's actually only four or five feet wide. Except for a row of stone slabs on the right, the rest is a dirt road.The characteristic of the dirt road is that it rains and thins the mud, and the sky is sunny.Fortunately, there is a narrow red gravel road, on which feet wearing white cloth socks and blue tweed shoes can still walk on sunny or rainy days. Just before one o'clock in the afternoon is the quietest time on the road.There are almost no gaps in the morning and evening, such as sedan chairs, pickets, and squeaky carts. At this time, there are not as many cattle and yo-yo horses ringing big bells and string bells, carrying rice sacks, and being yelled into the city by a few countrymen.

Everyone in the city believed the sedan chair company's calculations, saying that it was five miles from the south gate to Wuhou Temple.In fact, it was less than three miles away.After crossing the Nanmen Bridge—that is, the Wanli Bridge, turn to the right, and it is a not very long West Alley. In recent years, some high street houses have been built, and the street sign made by the police station has been renamed Randi Street. .To the left of the west entrance of Deran Indigo Street is a very unremarkable street, most of which are rotten thatched houses, and a small part of them are low tile-roofed houses that are falling down. The poor people live in it and run chicken feather shops.This street is even shorter, but only one or two hundred steps lead to a small stone arch bridge. The street is called Liangshui Well, or there was a well many years ago, but it is gone now.Crossing the stone arch bridge to the left is the agricultural testing ground that Quanye Road opened in recent years.Among them, some new varieties of vegetables and flowers were cultivated, and there were also a few merino sheep brought back from foreign countries for breeding after a lot of trouble.In the past, visitors were allowed to go in and visit. Recently, the director has been changed, and earthen walls have been built around it. The big black characters on the mouth of the bowl: The farm is an important place, and idlers are not allowed to enter.From then on, even the farmers in the left and right were not allowed to enter, and only the officials who came in the big sedan chair could shout to open the door, and officials rarely came during the year.After crossing the stone arch bridge and turning slightly to the right, it is the main road leading to the south of Shangchuan and the south of Xiachuan.The main road is very winding, bypassing two graveyard slopes, and you will see endless fields in one go.At the same time, there is a red wall, and the lush jungle mountain inside the wall stands in front of the eyes, which is the Wuhou Temple.

Wuhou Temple is the busiest only during the three days from the third day to the fifth day of the first lunar month.Tourists from the city came from the south gate almost in a line.The yo-yo horse no longer has a bag of rice, and is hired by some teenage buddies wearing new clothes with money to ride it, desperately running back and forth on the dirt road.The dry soil was kicked up by horseshoes, like a dusty dust belt that was ten feet high, and people, sedan chairs, and squeaking cars were all squeezed away under the dust belt.The situation in the temple is not so chaotic. Most of the dignitaries, gentry, merchants, and merchants are drinking tea and looking at camellias in the hallway of the large garden.Devoted men and women are kowtowing to the statues everywhere, especially to ask Zhuge Kongming for a horse lottery, hoping to get some hints from him, to see if the luck is good this year, how the girls' marriages are, and whether the grandmas are pregnant or not. A noble son.Some made wishes, and some fulfilled their wishes. The annual living expenses of dozens of Taoist priests all depended on Mr. Zhuge's ingenious calculations.On both sides of the corridor under the main hall are the gathering places for the teams playing the gongs and drums of the New Year. There are always dozens of teams almost every day, composed of adults, but most of them are composed of younger brothers. They fight each other to see who can play new tricks. Played neatly.The little buddies are very angry, no matter how advanced the adults are, they have to give in, otherwise they will fight and be criticized by the audience, saying that they don't understand the rules.The kids don’t care about these things, they always run to the temporary stalls set up all over the place as soon as they enter the mountain gate, eat cold noodles, bean curd, small spring rolls for the occasion, fried peanuts, red sugar cane, and sweet potatoes from Muma Mountain ; Eat this, eat that, but also roll the dice, turn the sugar cake.Some children play for a day, use up the hanging money, and have not yet entered the second gate.

It was originally Zhaolie Temple, so it is said in the chronicles, and the plaque on the mountain gate is inscribed like this. The statues on the main hall are also Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the statues on the two verandahs. Needless to say, they are all famous civil servants and generals in the Shuhan period , Anyone who has seen it will recognize it at a glance; after one sentence, if your travels only reach the main hall, you really don't understand how it is called the Wuhou Temple, which is clearly the Zhaolie Temple in memory of Liu Bei?But you'll know it as soon as you turn around the main hall.The solemn statue in the shrine of the apse is Zhuge Liang, and the couplets hanging outside the door of the latticed hall and on the pillars are chants of Zhuge Liang. Among the several stone tablets embedded in the walls of the hall, the most familiar one is Du Fu's poem "Where can I find the ancestral hall of the prime minister, Bai Sensen outside Jinguan City?" Based on this poem, it is determined that this is not Zhaolie Temple but Zhuge Liang's ancestral hall.Having said that, a large tomb outside the east wall is still Liu Bei's tomb Huiling, and Zhuge Liang's tomb is still far away in Dingjun Mountain in Mian County, Shaanxi.

Compared with the Zhaojue Temple outside the north gate, the temples and forest pans of Wuhou Temple are much smaller; even the Wenshu Monastery inside the north gate is far inferior.However, its structural layout has another style: one entrance and two gates, a wide and tall corridor built with bricks and stones at the end of the pen, matching the Chonghong main hall, with spacious two verandahs, and the corridor. There are a few big cypress trees in the dams on both sides, which gives people a chic and solemn feeling; turn around the main hall, go down a few stone steps, and pass a short corridor, which is a more majestic and solemn apse The two corners of the hall are the bell and drum towers with flying eaves; to the west of the corridor, separated by a courtyard dam and a few big trees, is a row of boat houses, one bright and two dark, and outside the flying railing chairs on the west, there is a vast area. The lotus pond is large or small, with a dark ditch connected to the stream outside; around the pond is a veranda, a waterside pavilion, a piano pavilion that cannot be climbed, and a small porch used to cover the big stone tablet; the earth wall facing the boat house across the pond Above, there is a small door, which used to lead to Huiling's small sleeping hall, without having to go around the Taoist's warehouse and then enter through the main door.In this small place, because of the high and low stone steps, the zigzagging fences, the sparse flowers and trees and the tall and rigorous temple corners, no matter you are What kind of person, once here, would rather sit down in front of the old-fashioned Eight Immortals square table on the boat house and drink a bowl of mao tea sold to you by Taoist priests, rather than go to the big garden at Nantou.

But when Chu came to the boathouse to take a look, it was a coincidence that all the square tables were occupied by people; they were not like ordinary tourists who just left after eating a bowl of tea, but a group of people who came to enjoy the cool and relax with peace of mind. There are old businessmen and craftsmen; most of them are wearing cloth sweaters and smoking tobacco leaves.There are quite a few people, but it is not as noisy as ordinary tea shops, and the people who set up the dragon gate are all soft-spoken. Today, Mrs. Huang invited female guests, and there were two tables for her sisters from her natal family.Chu Yong was very happy. He got up early and helped everyone clean up here and there. Even the moss in the fake cave was scraped off with a flower knife, for fear that any female guest with little feet would slip and fall if they were not careful.He tried his best to show off his abilities in front of the female guests, not because he had any expectations for the female guests. He knew that the female guests who came today included Mrs. Ge, Mrs. Hao, and some wives who were not often heard of. Of course, there were also young ladies. , there is Miss Ge, there is the second miss of the Hao family, and the older one is said to be Miss Long San, the younger sister of my cousin's aunt.He is so attentive, just to show that he is interested in everything about his cousin.

Near noon, the cook's banquet burden had already entered the door, the two children and the cousin changed into new clothes, and the cousin even put on an embroidered skirt.He washed his hands and was changing clothes in the room with a cigarette in his mouth.A fine white linen gown had been taken out of the suitcase, and my cousin came to the door with a smile. "Where are you going to play today?" "Where are you going to play?" He didn't quite understand the meaning of this question. "Oh! You still don't know the rules of Chengdu. You don't invite male guests to accompany you, unless you are a junior in your own family, so you don't need to avoid it. Look, even your cousin is not coming back today."

"Cousin, why didn't you tell me earlier?" He put the fine white linen shirt back in the box pretending not to care, grabbed the blue cotton gown from the hook, and draped it over his shoulders. "I don't think you know. Where are you going?" Mrs. Huang looked very concerned. "Today Wang Wenbing and the others originally invited me to visit Lequn Park in Caotang Temple." He pondered for a while, and had to lie like this, "Then, I will come back honestly." "Why do you want Yan to come back? The female guests just play cards for fun, and they leave early, and they finish before the second watch." Mrs. Huang glanced at him keenly, and then explained to him, "I I originally wanted to keep you at home. Thinking about it, it is still inconvenient for you. Because there is a card table in the small living room, should you be locked up in the room like a girl for a day? The big flower hall outside is separated, and you sit alone There, it's meaningless."

She smiled again and said, "That's true! Now everywhere is arguing about the equality of men and women. I see it in schools, on the street, and in Shaocheng Park. It's about the same. In the opera garden, the division is so strict. Not to mention. If you don’t follow the old rules, everyone’s weird talk will start. I’m not afraid of me alone, but your cousin, just speak well, but he has more worries.” Although Chu Yong was unhappy, he had no choice but to follow her words: "Old rules should be followed. Thank you for being considerate for me. In fact, let me spend a day with those female guests who I don't know well. I'm not used to it!"

He left Huang's house without looking for Wang Wenbing. Do you know where he is at this time of year?Visiting Lequn Park is just a word of mouth.So, who to go to?He only has these few classmates who have contacts in Chengdu.Apart from the Huang family, he has no relatives and no other friends.Chengdu is such a big city with a population of more than 200,000. At this moment, in his mind, it seemed smaller and more lonely than his hometown.He felt a little regretful when he strolled down the street under the fiery red sun.Why didn't he join his classmates and fellow villagers to fight for the road?Go to a gay meeting?Just saying that it's boring to do these things, why doesn't he go home, chat with his sisters and brothers about school life and some news in Chengdu, and visit mom and dad, okay?Why do you want to live in Huang's house with an excuse?What's the benefit of living in Huang's house? "What's the benefit? Is it really like what Peng Jiaqi ridiculed: eat well, live well, have someone take care of you, and sleep late? Alas! This is too small! Then, why? What is it that makes people nostalgic? ?” He searched his heart again, and couldn't help but blushed impatiently, shaking his head several times: "Maybe it's because of this bad idea? This is a bad idea that is not allowed by the laws of nature, human feelings, and the state! How can it be?" Let it be used as a reason? And you just look at what she said today: the old rules can't be a little bit worse. Even the old rules of treating guests are not a little bit worse, and I'm afraid that people will say strange things, how can I talk about other things?... Sigh! In that case, why didn’t you say it a few days earlier? It’s abominable to be so intentionally or unintentionally amusing!... It’s better to go home, don’t look at it, don’t worry about it. Yes! Go home! Absolutely go home! Tomorrow just go!" He stomped his feet, stopped his thoughts, and looked up: "Ah! Why did you come to Mancheng!" There is only one place to go in the whole city, and that is Shaocheng Park.Been there many times, nothing interesting.Some alleys are really elegant and cool, but can you walk on your toes for a whole afternoon?Then, the time is not right for watching a big show or watching lights.Why spend this boring half day?It's better to go to Lequn Park honestly.I remember that when the project was just completed, I went there with Luo Jigong and the others.A large mud pond was dug in the midst of a hundred acres of paddy fields, most of which was muddy, and the soil from the dug pond was piled up and down on the ground. I have planted some flowers, trees and bamboos, but they have not yet taken root. Standing on the pavilion in the center of the pool and looking around, except for a few red and green painted houses with wooden frames and mud walls, the rest are newly built loess walls.At that time, I felt that Lian Shaocheng Park was not as good as it was. Now that it has been a few months, it may be a little different.Who cares, in order to find a quiet place to relax, it's also right to run to drink a bowl of tea. After leaving the south gate, I have already walked towards Liuyin Street.The red-hot sun was baking down from the thin umbrella, sweating profusely, and a thick braid of hair was dragging on the vest, making it even hotter.Suddenly, I thought: It’s hot weather, why run to Lequn Park!It’s more than four miles to Qingyang Palace. In the past, there were still three miles up and down. I ran more than ten miles back and forth, just to have a bowl of tea and spend an extra 20 yuan for park tickets. Why not go to Qingyang Palace and Erxian Nunnery? These are the places to sit and sit.But then I thought of the closer Wuhou Temple.It's also a place I don't go to very often, although I have to pass by its mountain gate every year when I come back to Xinjin from the province.Its lotus pond is the same as the lotus pond in Du Fu Thatched Cottage, with big red fish and big turtles.Then I thought of a witty saying by Chengduer, which is also known as Lianbazi: "Go to the Caotang Temple of Wuhou Temple to see the tortoise and drink tea." This can be a pause, and you can read the sentence of watching the tortoise, and the sentence of eating tea, Naturally, there is no bad meaning in it. If you read it in one breath, the meaning becomes that the one who eats tea is a turtle. "Haha! Chengdu is just so smart!" But when he came to the boathouse, there was no empty table.There were only two craftsmen sitting at a table, both wearing horn-rimmed presbyopic glasses and doing work, and there were two empty sides, which could have sat together for a while.He didn't want to.Then he walked towards the side of the waterside pavilion, muttering in his mouth: "Isn't the time today unfavorable? After traveling so much, I can't even get a bowl of tea. Well, I won't eat it!" Walking out of the water pavilion, stepping into the convenient door, there are two low earth walls, and a five-foot-wide earth path with a half-moon curve flashes in the middle.The compassionate bamboos outside the two walls are all several feet high, and the bamboo tips converge to form a long bamboo hole.You can't see the sky when you look up, the fiery red sun is blocked by thick bamboo leaves, and only a few moving spots of light can be filtered through a few gaps.Many bamboo leaves also reflected a kind of emerald-like appearance, and even the air was almost dyed green. The scenery is different, but also very cool.There is no wind, and what blows to the body, face, and nose is a burst of fresh air. "I didn't expect such a good place. It seems that today's time is not bad." It's actually still bad.He had only stood there for less than two minutes, and he wanted to paint some poems, words, and weird things that tourists had scribbled on the walls on both sides with ink, charcoal, earth red, or even broken tiles. After looking at the strange pictures, paintings, etc., I still haven't seen the tricks, and suddenly I feel that my wrists, fingers, ears, cheeks, neck, and all the exposed skin are itchy and painful.what!It was attacked by clusters of midges!Only then did I suddenly realize why no one came to sleep in such a good place, and no one even came to sit? It is not good to use umbrellas to expel people; it is better to use palm-leaf fans to expel them, but if you care about the east, you can't care about the west.It made Chu Yong's hair scorched, so he grabbed the long gown, shook it open and slapped it in all directions, it really worked.But he couldn't stop, as soon as he stopped, the clumps of little things came to attack him again.This is a war.The more Chu Yong fought, the more impatient he became, and then he seemed to go crazy, waving his long gown while walking backwards with his heels. In military terms, it is called backing forward, and in fact he was defeated. "Look! What is that for?... Hee hee!... Haha!..." It was the voices of several women. Chu Yong turned around, facing three young women with short braids behind their heads, long bangs on their foreheads, and white foreign gauze shirts, all looking at him and smiling.Immediately, he felt feverish in his ears, looked around in a panic, and found that he had already entered the stone steps of the small dormitory in front of Huiling, which looked like a hall.If someone yelled and took half a step, he would fall down on the corridor. Chu Yong lowered his head, shyly dragging his gown, and was about to turn around when another young man came over and shouted, "So it's King Chu Xiang! Why can't he walk a little bit, and he's retreating and dancing. " It was Lin Tongjiu, the little fat man.She was wearing a lake-colored Chunluo gown beautifully, with snow-white foreign socks and brocade off-the-road shoes under her feet.In comparison, I looked more and more like a country bumpkin.Say hello in a hurry, or go. The little fat man smiled and said, "Why do you have to leave? Since I'm lucky to meet you, let me introduce you. Come, come, this is Ms. Fan Shujuan..." Chu Yong was at a loss with his hands and feet, and his face flushed again.Facing Fan Shujuan, who was about eighteen or nineteen years old and taller among the three girls, I really didn't know how to salute, should I bow or bow? As if deliberately trying to embarrass him, the little fat man giggled and said, "King Xiang of Chu has always told him to open up, and told him he has seen battles before, why don't you make a new salute with Ms. Fan and hold hands?...Hi! Let me tell you, Ms. Fan is a student of Yixing Women's School, and she is a classmate of her sister and her cousin. Not only is she civilized, she is also very good at Chinese, she is an outstanding student in their school." Fan Shujuan is really amazing, there is no shyness on her face, and she opened her mouth with a slightly too short upper lip, exposing her pink gums, and said to Chu Yong, who was almost half a head taller than her: "Send it in two days." Here are some Chinese essays, give me some pointers. I know that your school has a high level of Chinese literature." Lin Tongjiu squeezed his eyes at Chu Yong and said, "Look at how generous he is! King Chu Xiang, what do you use to ask him for advice?" Then he introduced his younger sister Lin Tongying.It doesn't look like it's only sixteen years old.She is fat and strong, with a round face, thin eyebrows and small eyes, just like her brother.She is shorter, fairer, and loves to laugh, not as generous as Fan Shujuan.When his brother introduced him, he was so ashamed that he hid his face behind her cousin Du Nuanyun.When Chu Yong bowed his head deeply to Du Nuanyun, he stretched out his eyes to look at her brother's classmate again. After the initial restraint, it was because of half a year's experience with his cousin that Chu Yong lost his excessive shyness in front of women; he gradually stabilized his mind and answered Lin Tongjiu's question: "Oh! I just haven’t gone back to Xinjin yet! I’m going back too. Not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow.…Nothing! To be honest, it’s not that I’m not patriotic, because…how should I put it?…I’m sure in the Comrades’ Association I wrote my name, but I didn’t hold any position. Of course, I’m not as enthusiastic as Wang Wenbing. … Is it Wang Wenbing? I’ve never been clear about what position he holds. He, he also has him in the speech department, and he also has him in the negotiation department, probably because he himself said that those who can do more work! Are you looking for him?" "I'm not looking for him! More than half of the one-month summer vacation has passed, and I haven't been stretching and shaking for two days. Are you still looking for something worthless to cause trouble?" Chu Yong couldn't help laughing: "Fortunately, I said this in front of me..." "Just in front of Wang Wenbing and the others, I would say the same thing. At most, I would be called a cold-blooded animal. In fact, as far as I know, just shouting opposition at the venue may not be able to keep the right of way. Since Sheng Xuanhuai won the regent He is favored by the king and backed by foreigners, but some Sichuan mice are hiding in the hole and screaming, do you scare him? I don’t believe it!” Chu Yong's views on this trend were basically the same as Lin Tongjiu's.But after Lin Tongjiu said it without any taboo, he felt it was wrong.Just as she was trying to find a reason to refute him, that Fan Shujuan, as if on purpose, hugged a pair of black lacquered and gold-lettered woodcut couplets hanging on the pillars of the temple, and read aloud: "A piece of clay, still majestic! Ask him about the bronze sparrow Desolate platform, where is the suspected tomb of the Zhang River? Three-legged tripod, where is it today? The ancient stone forest road makes people think of the official ceremony of the Han Dynasty!..." Not only read, but also asked the little fat man, "Tong Jiuge , Is this really a couplet written by Chongshi? Do you think it is okay?" "I'm not the only one who agrees. Many famous people have made judgments. Of course, it wasn't written by General Chong. Everyone knows that it was written by his friend Gu Fuchu and Gu Ziyuan, a famous scholar in the south of the Yangtze River. Mo Guang admires Lianyu, look at this handwriting again, how well written it is." It turned out that although Lin Tongjiu's family also opened a small silk shop like Fan Shujuan's, his father was an old scholar who had done so many things. He is very proficient in writing couplets and these small ways; he is also familiar with the anecdotes of Chengdu, especially the anecdotes of Chengdu's three schools; Not a layman. "What's the benefit of cooperating with Brother Nine so well?" "King Chu Xiang, you come to answer this question." "It was you who were asked." "Ask Ms. Fan to tell herself, which one is she asking, you or me? Although she mentions my name, she intends to test you. This is called making a fuss." Everyone laughed. Fan Shujuan seemed a little embarrassed and said: "Brother Tong Jiu is the one who hates this sharp mouth! Regardless of strangers or acquaintances, he always likes to joke. To tell the truth, I just asked you." Lin Tongying went on to say: "Brother knows about it. He helped Dad copy couplets of famous places in Chengdu the day before yesterday. Dad has annotated the allusions to each pair and told him about it." Du Aiyun is three years older than Lin Tongying. She is fat, fair, and short.Immediately he also said: "I have never heard my aunt talk about this pair, that's why Cousin Nine panicked and shot at the tree!" Another burst of laughter. Lin Tongjiu pulled the silk braids from his armpits, twirled his fingers in circles and said, "It's no fun just bickering here, go have some tea." Chu Yong said: "The square tables in the boat house have been taken. I just walked from there not long ago." "It's really what a born country bumpkin said! Come to Wuhou Temple to have tea, and go to those tea places to be squeezed and spend money?" "Then what can you do?" "Of course there are! Find the head Taoist priest and say hello. He will naturally invite us to the solitary reciting pavilion in the big garden, and respectfully make the best Qingcheng Maoting tea for us to drink, and put out a special Please invite us to eat vegetarian snacks made with sesame oil. When you have enough food and drink, wipe your mouth and leave without spending a penny, and you are considered a role." It was his younger sister who exposed the secret again and said: "Yes! The head Taoist here can write, and he often comes to our house to study with Dad, and Dad often gives him pens, ink, and paper. Last month I sent him One of his posts is said to be photocopied by Zhonghua Book Company. So my brother recognizes him. We are here, and he wants to entertain us." Lin Tongjiu laughed and said, "This ghost girl is just trying to set me on fire! I won't take you out again!" This has never happened. A section of cornice is added to the back of the main room, turning the shallow half of the house into a spacious and bright inverted hall——completely remodeled according to the pattern of Hao Dasan’s family, and the dining room with two stacks of latticed glass windows is especially installed. Usually, all the food and vegetables were prepared on the square table for dinner. When Huang Lansheng's family was waiting to raise their chopsticks, Chrysanthemum came back and said, "Master Chu Biao said that he doesn't eat. His head hurts, and he needs to sleep for a while." Like the Hao family, the Huang family follows the same old rules: don't talk when you eat, don't talk when you sleep.If you have to speak up during meals as a last resort, it's just talking about things that are worthless.So when everyone was about to finish eating, Huang Lansheng said while drinking the soup: "You seem to have something on your mind in the past two days, right? You set up a dragon gate array at night, and you rarely talk to each other; when you snack, you don't have much energy for drinking. Last night I took a closer look at his expression, he was quite gloomy. Madame, don't you think so?" Mrs. Huang just nodded, and waited for the two children to get off the table, and Mrs. He took them to the ear room to wash their faces, rinsed their mouths, took the hot water washcloth twisted from chrysanthemums, and wiped their lips and fingers, and then went to wash their faces again. Said: "Why don't you think? Waiting for you to ask?" "So, for what?" "I must be tired of living here and homesick." "Homesick? Just go back! It's not that we want to keep him, it's because he is afraid of being involved in the Comrade Association, so he excuses himself not to leave." "Then I don't know. I'm not a roundworm." "You should ask him." "If people don't tell me, how can I ask?" Huang Lansheng also washed his face, stood up, and followed his wife into the back room of the bedroom.This is where the wife does her grooming and the occasional knitting and sewing.Sometimes the master can't afford to sit in the study, but comes here to play with the two children.Now the wife is sitting on the marble-topped square stool in front of the dressing table, and the master is sitting on a grand chair with armrests not far from the opposite side, each holding a shark-shell brass hookah made in Guangdong, concentrating on smoking the hookah after dinner. In the end, the old man blew on the cigarette butt, held the shredded tobacco in a copper clip, and said, "I said, madam, you should find out. Zicai is of course twenty-one or twelve years old, no more than a child, but he is a relative after all. It’s the younger generation again. Since we live in our house, we have the responsibility to take care of it. If there are three illnesses and two pains, how can we explain to his mother and father?” Mrs. Huang smiled, and sprayed a thick puff of blue-white smoke wrapped in her mouth directly on the master's face, saying: "You man, say you are good! You are really good! You are a strong and strong boy Son, if you don’t feel well for a few days, you won’t fall out of bed. What’s more, what’s more, it’s just a heart disease. Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. I’ve already made it clear, so there’s no need to ask.” "Heart disease? What kind of heart disease?" Huang Lansheng blinked and asked. "Then I'll tell you the truth, I'm mad at you!" Mrs. Huang smiled with her lips pursed. "! How did this start? I think you treated him well, being polite and affectionate, what else is there to be angry about?" "You don't know, the day I invited a female guest..." Mrs. Huang gave an overview of the situation that day, and then said: "I think he was reluctant to leave. I originally asked him to come back early, but I specially left two dishes for him, which meant to comfort him and give him more details. He talked about the atmosphere of Chengdu, some places are so closed; Not only can they figure it out for people from other states and counties, even I also feel uncomfortable. But you can see, he didn’t come back that night. The next afternoon, you hurry down He didn't come back until the situation was over. From then on, he straightened his face and frowned, didn't ask him, and didn't say a word; when he asked him, he just said that he was playing at a classmate's house. Take Compared with before that day, I have become two people. To be honest, before, my son was more suitable for me, and his appearance was also sincere. Not to mention my son, he really looked like a brother who shared the same breast. Now It's skinny. It's okay to have you by my side, talking and laughing after all. If others come back early, when I'm alone, I won't look for me like this and say that like before. It's me I went to the small living room to find him, and he also wanted to hide from me, not because he was hiding from me, but because he was facing me, and he also looked at other places. This way, it didn’t make me angry, and deliberately put on face I see, what else is there? You asked me to ask him. Think about it, how can I ask? Could it be that I kowtow to him and apologize to please him? Hmph! It’s too much! Anyway, After all, I am the elder brother!" Huang Lansheng blinked his eyes and thought for a while, then shook his head disapprovingly and said: "Madam, I think you are too focused, and this arrow will inevitably miss the target. You should turn around and think about it, because you are really ashamed You are angry, why doesn't he go home now? Why does he stay here to be angry with you? He doesn't make a show of face to offend you. I think Zi is the only one who is not so confused. Just say At night, when you put on a dragon gate and have a midnight snack, he is still respectful and kind to you. If you say something is wrong with him, it is because of your prejudice. When I said he had something on his mind, I could see it from the expression on his eyebrows when he was not paying attention. You said that he didn’t look at you. According to my guess, it’s not because he doesn’t care about you, but because he has something wrong. Tell someone, lest you see it in his eyes..." "Hee hee! Haha! I'm just that capable! Then I can change my career to look at physiognomy!" "Don't you believe it? Mencius said, 'A regular eye in the chest is clear, and an irregular eye in the chest is thin.' I worked as an errand in the Public Prosecution Bureau, and I have experience. Really, a person who does something bad can never hide it from others. It's the eyes." The wife took another puff of smoke on the master's face, and said with a smile: "Look at my eyes. Have you done anything bad?" "Hey! That's how you interrupt me! . . . You don't have to look at your eyes to tell it from your mouth when you've done something bad. . . . Come on, come on, let's get down to business. You're almost as good as you say." He plays at his classmate's house every day, and even doesn't return at night. Have you ever asked him what his classmate's name is? What does the family do? Is there any old man? There was no relationship before, why is it so close now? And it's not a relationship , is going but not coming. I wonder if the classmate you mentioned is really there? Even if there is such a classmate, there will be some ulterior affairs, right? Ma'am, look at my arrow Could it be that he missed the target too?" Mrs. Huang's smile gradually faded.From the way she lowered her head and smoked, she knew that she admitted that the master's arrow had hit the target, and maybe even hit the red heart on the target. Huang Lansheng said more vigorously: "A young man of 21 or 20 years old is unsophisticated, and he just happens to be out of business. It would be great if all his classmates are as decent as Wang Wenbing. There are good and bad in the school. There are bad guys, there are honest gentlemen, there are dirty ruffians, and there are even revolutionaries who plot rebellion. The revolutionaries are gone in all schools now, but Ding Weinian was uprooted once, so don’t worry about him. It’s worrying, They are those dirty ruffians. Once you get your hands on this kind of thing, whoring, gambling, chewing, shaking, and opium smoke, which one can't drag people into the muddy water? Chewing, shaking, and opium smoke are not harmful, and they can be prevented. Quit. The only two things like whoring and gambling will cause endless harm. Zi is as if he doesn’t live in our house, so we don’t need to worry about it. Jackie Chan is a child of his Chu family. But since he lives in our house, we should take care of it Yes, you say right?" "You're too worried." The wife seemed a little untrustworthy, "Just talk about whoring and gambling, and you don't have any money, is that okay? Zi just doesn't have any extra money. I even asked him if he wanted money, and he said no. See Get up, those two things, um! I'm afraid not necessarily?" "You can't say that. You don't know that there is such a person in the world. Before he seduces other people's children into the water, he doesn't want you to spend a lot of cash. When you get into the trap and become fascinated, he will give you a solid treatment. Don’t make people bleed, and don’t let go. This is called throwing the nest first and then hooking the fish. The methods of the bad guys can’t be more vicious.” "You are someone who has experienced it, no wonder you are so clear!" The wife joked again. Luo Sheng coughed outside the hall door. "What's up?" "Someone in the bureau said that Mr. Rao is going to the bureau today, please go immediately." "Okay, ask Daban to carry the sedan chair to serve you." Chrysanthemum didn't wait to be called, she brought her official boots, conveniently put away the hookah, and handed Luo Sheng the copper basin for washing her face, and even the foreign kudzu towel. When the wife personally served the master to put on the wire gauze jacket, she said, "Didn't you say that Rao Fengzao is going to be transferred? Why are you making trouble again?" "The adjustment is accurate. I heard that it is the counselor of the Civil Affairs Section of the governor. This is a newly established staff job with great power. Today's game is over, and it must be here to check the transfer." "He's gone, who will be the next general manager?" "No news yet. There are so many alternates, there will always be one." "Shouldn't you take off your errand?" "It's hard to say. At present, there are a large group of candidates for the state and county teams. There are not many people like me who have property and don't have to worry about food, clothing, and housing. Seeing that I haven't let go of errands in the past few years, how many are not jealous? It’s an opportunity to change my mind now, and there are naturally people who seek business, but I’m not in love with it. One is that a monthly salary of tens of taels of silver is really not enough for my social expenses; It’s impressive to see the director come down. Just one thing, I heard that the bureaus in the 16 prefectures and counties in Chengdu are already overcrowded, with big calves. For example, there are many people like Tang Yutong, and I can’t win. The easier it is for remote places, like Youyang and Xiushan..." "Forget it, don't talk about it anymore. You, Xiu, Qian, and Peng are all in the mountains, so far away, it's better to go to the army!" "Naturally! You, Xiu, Qian, and Peng are too far away. Ge Huanzhong said that it is not the place where I went. According to his tone, the south of Xiachuan and the north of Xiaochuan are only a few hundred miles away, which is neither far nor near. County, or can." Mrs. Huang still shook her head and said: "It's only three days away, I still won't go with you, I've never been out. But I know, it's always good to be at home, but it's hard to go out for a while. Unlike the eldest sister, I am willing to be a husband烟荷包，连贵州省那样远的地方，也不怕辛苦，跟着丈夫爬山涉水。我就不相信，当婆娘的难道当真就一年半载离不开男人了吗？总之，话说在前，不管你将来的局长在哪一县去当，近也好，远也好，我一定留在成都，替你照顾门户，管教儿女的。我决计不走！” 黄澜生笑道：“局长还在未定之天，太太先就辞差不干。这官，还有啥做头！好吧，等我再去同葛寰中从长计较一下。” 黄澜生走后，振邦也由何嫂送往同街一家私塾上学去了。婉姑在耳房里，由菊花伴着，拿几块碎绸子学着给洋娃娃做衣裳。 黄太太照着镜子，略为收拾。心里一面想着，老爷果真当了局长，譬如地方并不远，就在下川南的嘉定府那几县，一水之便，上路并不坐轿，并不早行夜宿，而且一路上又可观山玩水，雇一个好手艺厨子随着，还可做鲜鱼吃，这又走不走呢？但是举眼把房间内外一看，陈设得这么整齐，收拾得这么漂亮，叫把这些丢了，到一个陌生地方，别说起居行动没有家里方便舒适，就平常要找个熟人摆谈下子，也不容易呀！作客的苦况，她大姐说得多了。何况要丢下这所公馆走开，心里也不好受！一下，又想到楚用。适才老爷揣测的那些，自己确乎没有想到。这小伙子虽然不像一些世家子弟聪俊，可也不像一些世家子弟轻浮。乡下人也有乡下人的可取处，那就是诚恳朴实。半年来，这小伙子常在身边周旋，仔细想一想，还找不出什么大毛病。如其真像老爷所料，被下流痞子勾引下水，未免可惜了。老爷只叫问清楚，没说到问清楚之后如何办。想来，也只是切实告诫一番，把他送回新津罢了。但这也不是办法呀！送回新津，难道就不要他再来进学堂了吗？难道从此就不许他再到这里来走动了吗？都办不到的！告诫哩，要是迷了窍的人，哪怕你就口里说得流血，他也只会当成苋菜水。那么，怎办？黄太太因而想起她那个死去的哥哥。听母亲说起来，也是在十九二十岁时，在外面胡乱嫖赌，简直没法管得住，后来由孙雅堂孙大哥做主，把嫂嫂接过门来，果然一下子就拴住了野心，就归了正。看起来，还是该对症发药啊！但是这药呢？ “三妹子今年不是已经二十二岁了！比子才大几个月，也算相当。把她说给子才，他家没有话说，去年他老子便曾拜托过我们；妈也不会有话说的，只要我作了硬保；就只澜生这个人有点迂执，一定会说行辈不同，怎好匹配？其实亲戚已经是瓜葛亲了，就在亲戚中间，这样的例并不少，孙大哥的堂嫂，清起来还高两辈哩！” 黄太太想到这里，很是得意。再把楚用和他的三妹混同着一思考，脑子里立刻出现了一对新夫妇。男的好像略为有点傻气，女的是一脸的狡猾样子。“女的强点，男的正该弱点，这才配合得起。大姐懦弱，正好配一个精明强悍的孙大哥……” 她决定去找这个小伙子。假使黄澜生所料不差，她当然要照她设想的去做。即令黄澜生料错了的话，她也要把这头亲事提说出来。为啥子？“为了把这小伙子拴住！” 小客厅里阒无人影。再朝通客房的门上一看，天蓝哔叽门帘纹风不动地垂着。 “咦！还在睡！这小伙儿莫非当真病了？” 把门帘撩起，花格子门扉原来大开着，房里也没人。床上的蚊帐门已经高高地分挂在帐钩上；猩猩红呢面夹铺盖已折叠整齐，摆在凉席上。再看衣钩上挂着的长衫和洋伞都不在。显然人起来后，并非上茅房或到后院去洗脸漱口，而确实上街走了。 黄太太赶快走进房间，再把放在后窗台下，也就是放在单人架子床旁边的条桌一看，果然，经常和人在一处的钱包、纸烟、洋火，俱已无踪无影。桌上地上到处都是纸烟灰、纸烟头、洋火梗。 一下就生了气，黄太太不由大声喊了出来：“嗨！真是哟！也太自由自在了！我这儿是客栈吗？就是客栈咧，出去进来也该给掌柜娘打个招呼呀！……” 恰恰何嫂回来，拿着扫帚、鸡毛掸帚、小水桶和抹布走到小客厅，一面挂门帘，一面应声说道：“那倒莫怪人家楚表少爷！我头一道进来收灯盏时候，人家刚起来。才穿鞋，就问表婶呢？我说正在吃饭，你去还赶得上。人家说，昨夜不晓得啥缘故，老半晚睡不着，清早一睡，就头痛，胃口上也有点翻，不想吃饭。劳烦我跟表婶表叔说一声，他剃头发去了。说是老毛病，在学堂里总是找剃头匠通通头发，再周身搬打下子就好了。是我进去忘记说了，跟手你们吃完饭，我又去经佑两个小人子，一直就没记起人家说的话。人家原本打了招呼的，只怪我没有替人家传到。” 何嫂旋打扫旋说，黄太太也便旋听旋气散。到末了，何嫂快要打扫完毕，黄太太才笑着说：“像你这样旋说旋忘的记性，以后还不知要误多少事哩！幸而这里只我们两个人，楚表少爷该不晓得我在骂他吧？不过也难说，你们这些人的嘴！……” “好啊！太太，你莫一竿子把人打尽了！我就不是那种吊起下巴乱说话的人！我帮了十几二十年的人，连到你这里，算是帮过七家了，我从没有遭主人家说过我口不稳，爱翻是非。就因为我晓得人家说话，哪里没有一点轻重，有的说得，有的说不得。太太，像菊花和灶房里老张这两个人，你倒要留心。张大爷呢，越老越糊涂，平时嘴喳喳的，听见啥子，就说啥子，凭你再骂他，也更改不了。菊花呢，也学得一张寡嘴，有的说，没的道，好比那天……” 黄太太连忙止住她的话头说：“我晓得了，不要你再来指教我。打扫完了，快点去把衣裳洗起来吧！” 看着何嫂放下门帘走后，黄太太才冷笑一声，自言自语道：“好人！就只她的嘴最不稳，就只她最爱翻是非，得亏我晓得她的脾气……这是啥？” 黄太太正待转身，忽然看见枕头角下塞了一件东西。她不禁伸手拉出来一看，一张大白纸包成一个扁平的纸包，皱得像老太婆的脸。大概包好了又打开，打开了又包好的次数过多，同时又经枕头压过的缘故。纸包不大，并且是软的，一面寻思：“是啥子好东西包在里面？”一面就放在桌上去拆。没粘糨糊，很容易拆，只是拆一层纸，又一层纸，外面是白对方纸，里面是白洋纸，是蜡光纸，是花纸。最后显示出来包在里面的，并不是什么稀奇东西，才是一张普普通通的抽纱编花白洋纱手巾。 黄太太起初还只是笑了笑，心想：“好傻哟！一张手巾嘛！也值得这么珍重！”但是展开一看，心里就犯起疑来。原来是一张女人用的小手巾，并且不是新的，甚至还染有几团红色，很像是嘴唇上的胭脂。 “噢！这小伙儿硬是有了外务啦！这不是那些啥子坏女人、烂婆娘送的。难道还……” 说不下去了，并且立刻感到脸颊上顿然有点发烧。同时不自觉地把右手手背堵在口上，好像要把刚才低声骂出的那些不好听的字眼给挡回喉咙里去似的。因为她看见手巾角上有一小朵用蓝丝线扎的兰花。这是她的手巾呀！兰是她的名字。她姊妹三人，大姐叫梅君，她行二叫兰君，三妹叫竹君，因此她们的用动东西，从手巾到裹脚布，都用各人名字打下记号：一朵梅花，一朵兰花，一片竹叶。It has become a habit. 再下细一看，并且记起了这手巾是七八天以前才失落的。那天，是楚用特特邀约她到悦来戏园看京戏。演戏当中，楚用在男宾堂座内写了一张字条，叫服务的幼童送到女宾楼座上给她。蚕豆大的楷字，写得一笔不苟：请她不要吃点心，散戏后他在梓潼桥西街女宾出口处等她，一同到劝业场前场门口去吃水饺。因为她从楼栏边向着楚用微笑点头，表示同意，还引起堂座中好多男宾的注目；并引起服务女宾的一个老妈子的误会，故意来献殷勤，问她要不要给楚用送个纪念东西去；甚至引经据典地讲出某知府大人的姨太太、某知县大老爷的小姐、某女学堂的几个女学生都是在这里搭上了男朋友，都是她同某一个幼童传书递柬送纪念品的。黄太太当时又好气又好笑，还故意给那老妈子开个玩笑，凑着她耳朵说：“那个小伙儿早就是我的朋友了，我们的交情正酽哩！等我耍厌烦了，二天要另找新朋友时，再请你拉皮条，只要服侍得这些太太们喜欢，锭把银子的赏号不在乎的！”还逗得那坏东西连屁股上都是笑。吃水饺时候，她曾悄悄地把这故事告诉过楚用。他笑得满脸通红。现在回想起来，这手巾就是那时掉的。“那几团红颜色，有点油渍，不是从我嘴上揩下的红油吗？” 她一扭腰身就在床边上坐下来，把手巾握在手上想道：“一条脏手巾，偷了来不为出奇，还像宝贝样用这些好纸包着，塞在枕头底下，这是啥子意思？” 这是黄太太自己欺骗自己的想法！难道她真果不晓得楚用怀的是啥子意思吗？这，也有她的理由。她从自己的经验，从许多大小传子书上所讲，她认定女人从十四岁到二十岁，算是一朵花，这时节，才应该风流放荡，才应该得到男子的迷恋，和享受男子的奉承。过此到二十八岁，算是花已盛开，只有一些狂蜂浪蝶，偶来照顾，如其女人本身还存什么妄念，那就该鄙薄了。二十八岁以后，更不必说，没有出嫁的，称为老姑娘，不但嫁人无望，就想胡行乱为，除了老头子外谁还愿意招揽？嫁了人的，大家都称为子孙婆婆，换句话说，只应该给丈夫生男育女，管理家务，平平静静、本本分分做一个内助。当了贤内助而尚要像二十岁以前那样来荒唐，这岂止要招人议论，自己想起来也会害臊的啊。 黄太太今年将近三十岁，已经当了十年的官太太，有儿有女，在乡党和同寅中间，谁不恭维她是一个又能干又正派的女人？她仗恃这一点，有时便不免有些不羁地方，别人以为她在卖弄什么，其实她是出于无心。比如在悦来戏园那段故事，她为什么要告诉楚用？只不过以为是谈笑资料，只不过要证实老绅士们訾议成都风俗败坏，由于周孝怀之开办娼厂唱场确乎不是冤枉他的话。她那天不但告诉了楚用，还告诉过黄澜生。黄澜生听后倒一笑置之，并不认为稀奇；楚用这个年轻小伙子，却花了心，动了邪念，居然把她使用过的手巾偷来当宝贝！ “这小伙儿真是一个没有开过眼的乡巴佬儿，连我这个老娘子也看上了。唉！早晓得这样，那天实在不该把那笑话告诉他。说不定这乡巴佬儿还以为我心里已经有了他，故意捏造一番话来逗他哩。” 既然形迹已露，这事怎么下台哟？ 黄太太反反复复想了好一会儿，不理会是不行的，闹开来也不好，严厉地责备一顿吧，会伤人家的心。不管怎样，人家总归是好心肠。若是不教训几句，又不免宽纵了他。只有这样：轻言细语来讲道理，又要把人家说得心服口服，又不要伤人家的感情，何况“还要替三妹子撮合哩！……噢！太难了！莫非这一回又是命中注定的？” 黄太太猛一抬头，糟糕！这个该挨板子的小伙子不知什么时候，竟自轻手轻脚地溜了进来。洋布长衫已经脱下，提在手上，头发果然剃得光光生生，发辫也梳得油光水滑。但是青春焕发的脸上，却红一块，白一块，牙巴咬着，额上青筋暴起，从眼里流露出来的，更是一种又羞愧、又恐惧、又惊惶、又粗暴的复杂神情。显然他已看见她手上握着的东西了。他这样子，要出事！是的，要出事的！ ... 字示用儿知悉，光阴迅速，日月如梭，放假以来，不觉二旬有余。我与汝母汝姐，汝妹汝弟，天天望汝回来，家庭聚首，吾儿然何留恋锦城，乐而忘返？日前有吴凤梧管带来县，带回汝之安禀，始知汝已移住黄表叔府上，我与汝母方才放心；并知汝加入保路同志会，为国为川，我极高兴。现在县中亦已成立同志会，大家公举我为文牍部长，汝之外公也慨然出山，担任会长。有许多要事，因汝在省熟知，极想与汝商量，兹特写信催汝火速回县一行，不得迟延！若汝三日不回，我只好来省…… 楚用眉头打着结，把刚由邮差送到的一封家信念与表婶听后，便走到美人榻前，紧紧挨着黄太太坐下。同时把两张土纸信笺向她膝头上一摊道：“你看，糟不糟糕，偏这时候催我回去！” 黄太太把头一扭，恰好和他面对面地对着。眼睛眯成了缝，嘴唇微微翘起，在唇角上挂出一种又高兴又狡猾的笑意。说道：“我看，并没啥子糟糕的。叫你回去，就回去好了。说起来，原应该早些回去嘛，哪个叫你赖在这里，舍不得走？” “就是舍不得你！” “舍不得？你能跟我一辈子吗？莫再说那些傻话。好儿子，你娘是历练过来的，这些傻话听得多了。你是才出林的笋子，嫩得很哩！好好听我说，还是回去的好，赶快走，莫要三心二意！” 楚用急得连眉梢都红了，一面折叠着信笺，一面气哼哼地说：“真可恶！我们才打了交情，你就这样推搡我，你把我的情爱看成了臭狗屎了吗？” “！骂起我来了？”黄太太还是在笑，不过两眼已经大大张开，自然而然流露出一种冷冰冰的光芒。 楚用赶快分辩说：“我怎敢骂你。是我有点着急，把话说错了，我的意思是……” “不要花言巧语。你还老实，骗婆娘诳婊子的话莫那么容易就学得会的。我们打开窗子说亮话，我也晓得你这个小伙儿才接近了女人，自然有些吃不够的意思。不过也该明白，我到底不是你的老婆，也不是你包得了的坏女人，我们的情好只能逢场作戏，不唯不能随心所欲，连命都不要了的样子，就在平日还应该更加抑制，这样下去，一则细水长流，在热的时候，大家也才感得十分有趣；二则也才不致胆大妄为，在人面前露出马脚。我叫你赶快回去，是推搡你吗？难道我是没良心的人，才同你情好了两天，就不要你了？我不是那样下贱女人，光图你的青春年少，巴不得一下子就把你吞在肚里，车过背又记不起你这个人了。不是的，我为我打算，也为你打算。设若这个时候我留你不要走，你自然高兴。但你想想，三天过后你老子真个来了，追究起你不回去的原因，你拿啥子话来搪塞？你敢说舍不得表婶这一句话吗？那时，你老子要生疑心，你表叔难道又不生疑心？你莫把你表叔当成一个没出息的老好人，要是晓得这顶绿帽子是你送给他的，哼！你看吧！……” 她又眯上眼睛笑了起来。并且把手放在他肩头上一摇，道：“设若你是他的上司，能够给他一点好处，那他倒巴不得你同我好！……我们不要说得那么深沉，总之，我叫你回去，并不是坏心肠，这一层你该明白了吧？” 楚用从肩头上拿下她那只柔若无骨的手，紧紧握在自己又大又粗、又热又汗的掌中，诚恳地说道：“是的，好婶娘，你为我好的意思，我怎么不懂！走，只好走啰！但是，咳！……不怕就只十天半个月的分离，叫我如何舍得？” “又来了。我问你一句，你舍不得的，是我这个人哩？还只是我的身体？” 楚用想了想，仍然不懂她的语意，只好问：“你说的是……” “譬如说，前两天被你估逼着答应和你情好的，是另一个女人，不是我。你今天心里舍不得的，是你黄家表婶哩？还是那个同你睡过的女人？” 楚用也笑道：“这何消问？舍不得的，当然是你这个乖乖婶娘！难道还有另一个人？” “唉！你真个不懂我的话哩？还是假装不懂？我再问你一句，在同我情好以前那几天，你硬是在你同学家里看他老子画画写字，硬是除了这个外，便没有另外的人，也没有另外的事吗？你平日对字画一窍不通，我们家到处都有字画，从没见你留过心。我打赌，挂在客房里的那幅张船山写的单条，你就背不出。若我说了冤枉话，你立刻背出来，我让你亲一百下。……背不出来吗？不要脸红！要你脸红的话，就来了！……那么，你那同学家里必有一个什么人，必有一桩什么事，使你着了迷，因此，你才舍不得冲回新津去。看人家老子画画写字，全是假话。老实告诉我，使你着迷的，到底是啥？” 楚用果然满脸通红。并且颇为尴尬地笑也不好，不笑也不好，只是垂下眼皮，低下额脑。 黄太太从他掌握中抽出手来，用两根指头端起他的下巴，笑吟吟逼着他的脸道：“怎么？说着心病了吗？你表叔教过我看相，说是一个人的心事，全可从眼睛里看出来。我今天倒要试一试。把眼睛抬起来，看着我！……不准躲闪！……啊！果然，我看出了！好儿子，你同学家里原来有一个女人！……唔！还是个年轻女人。……唔！说不定还是一个梳帽根儿的女子。好儿子，你着了迷的，就是这女子。你瞒得我好！你还骗我说，活了二十二岁，除了我，没有爱上别一个女人。说是除了我还没和别一个女人勾搭过，我相信，说是除了我没有爱上别一个女人，那就诳不着我了！……不准分辩！等我再看一下这女人是谁？……唔！好像是你同学的姐儿妹子？说不定是姑姑？是嫂嫂？……” 楚用忍不住大笑起来，仍然把她的那只手紧紧捏着道：“好婶娘，莫捣鬼了！老实告诉你，林同九的妹妹还是个没长成人的黄毛丫头，同我谈过话、研究过一篇文章的，是他妹妹的一个同学和他的表妹……” “哦！还是一箭双雕啊！”不等他说下去，她抢着说，“难怪不冲回新津去，连我家也可回不可回的了。说真话，设若那天你发疯的时候，我偏不肯答应你，一直到眼前，你还是你，我还是我，我们仍然是规规矩矩的一个表婶一个表侄，试问，你这时候还舍不舍得走？若说舍不得，我敢说必不是因为我。我是太太，我是有儿有女的妈妈，我是三十岁的老娘子，我是一个啥都认真、啥都看得明白的泼辣女人。人家哩，又是女学生，又会研究文章，顶吃香的是又年轻，想来都是二十岁以下，花骨朵儿样、掐得出水的、又标致、又嫩气的美人，性情一定又很温柔。何况左拥右抱，一来就是两个？何况现在打了朋友，不几天就可男婚女嫁，一个娥皇，一个女英，白头偕老，子孙满堂？……” “让我说两句，好不好？”楚用蹙起眉头，很着急的样子。 “不，等我说完了，你再说。……现在说舍不得我，很明白只是眼馋肚子饿。好儿子，你这些鬼八卦骗不了我的，我在男女关系上，过的桥也比你走的路长。所以我说，你舍不得的，何尝是你喊的乖乖表婶娘，只是一个普普通通的、叫你挨过边的女人。设若这女人不是我，是你同学家那两个年轻妖精，好儿子，那你才当真舍不得走！……这不是冤枉话，设若你在同学家早得了手，早挨着了那两个女子的边，恐怕那天也不会发疯……唉！简直不会再回我这里来的了！好儿子，天理良心，我们的情好只算是逢场作戏。我并不懊悔这两天和你过了一些糊涂时间。我也不故意说，是你估逼我，是你勾引我；我也不贪图你的青春年少，要把你连皮带骨地捏在手心里不放。可是你也不要贪恋我，更不要诳骗我。留点余味在口里，有时吮一吮，倒有趣得多。现在只一句话要嘱咐你，不管你将来怎样，对我是真心是假意，我们的事，总不应该当成龙门阵摆。设若要摆，也不应该提名道姓。我不怕人家笑话，我本来不想立贞节牌坊。只是你表叔晓得了，却不会答应你，将来邦娃子长大了，说不定还会杀死你的，我是为你的好啊！” 黄太太越说越激动，越说越凄凉，说到后来，几乎语不成词。楚用定眼看着她，心里只觉得突突地跳个不住。等她住了口，不由感叹一声道：“好婶娘，你心思真细！不过也太弯曲了！像这样无中生有地想事情，你自