Chapter 20 Chapter Seven: Another Letter

Before leaving, Miss Alice was very satisfied to see Miss Yibin, the mother, and the second elder brother.She became interested in talking to the family.She was often shy when she spoke, thinking of the stupid things she said when she divided herself into two.When the second elder brother, Tong Yibin, talked about it, she couldn't help but blush. Everything is as Miss Yibin said, after all the troubles, she followed Miss Yibin's second brother to act, pretended to be sloppy, pretended not to pay attention, and sometimes she had to pretend to be so dignified and proud as a foreign princess, intimidating the ignorant China People, so to a place.

Needless to say, this is Miss Yibin's hometown.Everything was as Miss Yibin said, so Alice didn't feel any inconvenience here. This place is not as good as China's big places, because no one asks for speeches, there are no poets, no gentlemen who speak in rhymes, and there are no plays. In short, it seems that you will never see everything in a big place here, but everything here is just right. It has never been seen in a big place. In this place, the management of all human beings and animals is slightly different from the general situation in China. The first is the heavenly king and Bodhisattvas below the heavenly king;Everyone is more afraid of Bodhisattvas than officials, because officials are inseparable from relatives and friends.Although every child in every family always has one or two powerful ghosts and gods as godfathers, it seems that godfathers can only bless their godsons with longevity and wealth, and they cannot help when encountering important problems with the family.Since the magistrate still sits in the second place, in terms of income, the bodhisattva is much better than the official.A person who maintains integrity is no match for a person who guards temple gates for Bodhisattvas, nor can he earn more than a gatekeeper for ghosts and gods. This is a family with many sons and daughters in that place, and they are very particular about choosing their son-in-law. .

Apart from having a seat in the yamen, an official is by no means better than a temple official. This comparison can be counted by any old lady who is a matchmaker. Local people, they eat ordinary white rice as dry rice, three or two meals a day.Vegetables Rich people eat fish and meat according to the rules, while poor people eat spicy and sauerkraut. What's strange is that even though it's just spicy and sauerkraut in his belly, he still looks not bad, and he can talk and laugh.Alice was amazed that they ate different food and lived in different houses, but it was difficult to distinguish the two states of mind.Their outlook on life of resigning to fate, in this life at the mercy of fate, they have children and children independently of each other. They have hope and resentment, so they go to any temple to complain to God, and they take it when they turn back. God made an appointment to deal with this unjust heart, and lived the days to come in peace.When a person is sick, he also consults with God, asks God for help, and heals his illness. This method is not understood by Europeans.

Alice, who came to Yibin's country, called Miss Yibin's second elder brother the second elder brother, because it was much more convenient. The place where they live is the city center.In the center of the city, it means that you can hear twenty different voices of peddlers every morning, fifteen after breakfast, eight for dinner, and one hundred and eight when the lights are on. Alice calculated it based on the comparison of three days, and the difference will never be far.The deliciousness of the locals can be understood from this statistics.However, half of these things that can be used as snacks are mixed with chili peppers, and 2/10 should be soaked in chili pepper juice, which Alice only knew after asking her second brother.

Alice stood by the gate and looked out at the street, and could see all the people walking in the street.There are no cars or sedan chairs in this place, and everyone's feet are responsible for their feet, so all the old ladies go to the streets on foot.Those who have paper money in their hands will go to the in-law Bodhisattva in the temple to offer incense, and if they bring copper coins, they will go to another kind of in-law mansion to play cards-there are only two things for old ladies in this place.Most of the children who go to and from school walk barefoot on the rocky ground, carry their schoolbags under their sides, and carry a shoe in each hand.They are everyone who has learned fifty or sixty kinds of wonderful curse words.

There are uses for this kind of knowledge.For example, when two students meet and walk together, they will find out a little reason and scold each other until they break up.When they accidentally meet on the road, they can also take time to stop and stand under the eaves of others, or simply sit on the stone steps under the eaves of others, scold each other, and break up after scolding is very common. .When children encounter fights, adults (of course, there is no shortage of township guarantees) will draw up a circle for them to be fair, and ask other children to watch from outside the circle. He can also apply medicine on his behalf.It is common for adults to fight with swords on the street, and children can follow behind and watch casually, and will never hurt them by mistake (those who compete with swords are very accurate).Alice also saw a mother who told her son to stand a little farther away when she was sending her son off to school. The son laughed, thinking that the mother was too timid. Just stand by the gate and look around, and you will have a chance to meet them all!

In most other places, adults are ten times smarter than children, but this place is just the opposite.Elderly people here only have five kinds of gambling, and children can bet on more than fifty kinds of bets to win or lose.They put all their entertainment in gambling, which is practical and interesting.With a little money in hand, you can guess the year number on the back of the money, or the number of "Zhiguan" in the character "Tong" of Tongbao.If you are holding a kite, you can stand at one place, one in one city and one outside the city, try your best to get the kite rope twisted in one place, and then quickly draw up the line, be faster and stronger than anyone else.You can also gamble with a section of sugar cane. The method is to stand the sugar cane upright and let it sway. When it is swaying, you can chop it with a small steel sickle. If you can split the length, you can eat the sugar cane without spending money.Raising crickets to fight, raising quails, raising chickens and raising ducks and geese can all be compared to win or lose.The strange thing is that things that are not good at fighting in many places seem to be particularly easy to get angry and get angry when they get here.The genius of the children in this place is amazing, there are really too many.When there is no domestication of living things, no sugar cane and spinning top kites, there are still ways to maintain their gambling!They each hold a piece of wood, and they can build a "board" in front of a stone step; they can distribute money by hitting the wood up or down the step, which is one of the easiest ways.When they are all empty-handed, they can still use their empty hands to roll sand treasures and touch each other.Come to fight, come to water, come to fight, and if you lose, you will be given a punch in the back, five chisels on the forehead, or even three "pig's heads" and the loser will agree.Many people understand that money is used for gambling, incense sticks, tiles are used to round things, and clam shells are used.They also invented the use of fists, chisels, and all kinds of ingenious curse words, which is very rare.

At this time, Miss Alice missed Mr. Nuoxi who stayed in Fuling Hotel.She thought he was a little too lonely.Even as she imagined, Mr. Nuoxi went to the park all day long to sit in the teahouse where there were most people of the upper class, of course he was very lonely compared to herself!What she saw, Mr. Nuoxi couldn't see, it shouldn't be.Such a long journey, so many companions, but unable to come to this place together, Alice couldn't help being a little surprised by this second brother. Alice finally asked him this opinion.She said, "Second brother, why don't you let Mr. Nuoxi come with me?"

"Isn't it convenient for him to stay at Fuling Hotel?" "He's lonely, yes." He laughed and said, "No way. Now I'm inviting people to give lectures in various places all day and all night. Where will it be? What I worry about is that he will be too busy!" Alice still thought it inappropriate, and as he was not going to speak, it seemed even more inappropriate not to come. This is really impossible. It’s not good to come, and it’s not good to not come.If I was with Miss Alice first, the troubles on the road and the difficulties in getting there were also serious.However, let Mr. Nuoxi stay alone, and some Chinese societies and groups send representatives to invite Mr. Nuoxi to the venue every day (although the purpose of inviting him to give a speech is just to appreciate Mr. Nuoxi's appearance in detail , you can listen to what you are talking about or not), just like that, you are kidnapped and put on the podium of the venue, where a thousand or five hundred pairs of mice, foxes, apes, and all kinds of eyes are gathered here. Mr. Nuoxi, who is very modest and calls himself a rabbit in a small town in Scotland, this rabbit can still calmly stand for an hour or two without blushing or panting like the great philosopher Russell. Find some flattering words about Chinese culture?Once or twice, you can still support the past, but if you go to ten and a hundred times, can you handle it?

The second brother felt difficult and regretted it.He said that it is best not to go anywhere, and if he does not give an example, the Chinese will have nothing to say.The Chinese used to give examples.For anything that is beneficial, the Chinese can cite many different examples to prove the continuation of this interest, such as the corruption of officials, the cheating of college students who are taking exams, and... After all, of course, Alice can only forget it. They passed another day, that is to say, another day passed in this country and city.Play all day.I've seen water rollers.I saw a large group of slaves pounding clothes in the rushing water by the river.Standing barefoot in shallow water, he hit the washing thing with a big wooden mallet.I have seen a woman call home the soul of a child from the Earth Hall with a chicken and a small sieve. This way of calling is very unique.I also saw a very fat butcher going home, carrying a big money tube, accidentally dropped the money tube, and the round money was scattered all over the street.Some clever passers-by picked up the money and put it in their shoes when the butcher was not paying attention.When picking up money, it is in the situation of pretending to buckle shoelaces.

Miss Alice was still thinking about Mr. Nuoxi who was staying at the Fuling Hotel, because during a dinner, she discussed with her second brother to ask permission for her to write a letter to Mr. Nuoxi.She meant that even if Mr. Nuoxi was embarrassed by being invited there, he might feel a little better after reading this letter.And she should also apologize to Mr. Nuoxi, because she left the protector without even notifying her, and felt extremely sorry for him. The second brother naturally agreed. It was a month after Miss Alice started writing that letter before Mr. Nuoxi.If we wait until then to read this letter from the back of Mr. Nuoxi's chair (needless to say, Mr. Nuoxi must read this letter on the red sandalwood inlaid snail chair in the living room), it will be too late, it is better to come here. Listen to Miss Alice reading the letter herself. The letter begins with "Dear Mr. Nuoxi".The letter said: ... I don't expect to come to this place to write a letter to my dearest Mr. Nuoxi.I have come to a place that you can't guess, and I, Alice, can't guess myself—(It's clear, and it's not a dream!) Who can tell everything about this place?Five Turgenevs, three Cervantes, or two more—help me to think of the most famous people in the world who can describe strange customs, strange people and strange weather in Canada. ——In short, I dare to conclude that if you invite this group of great men to this small place and write about it for a hundred years, you will not be able to write about this place!If you believe me - please believe me - this is not a lie, you can know my interest at this time. There is still a copy of "The Arabian Nights" hidden here, in the hearts of all people, on the surface of all objects, only the person who records is missing.There is also a Compendium of Human History.A divine book.A...well, where do I get the name from.I really can't say enough, forgive me. Mr. Nuoxi, please believe in my honesty—this is my second request, and I have to say "please believe me" almost every word I write, because it is too absurd. ——Believe me, I closed my eyes here and looked at the things in front of me for a minute, and I could talk to my aunt—that Mrs. Gregory Foyce for a year!I have come here only to use a strange talent to familiarize myself with all the books that are not seen in the world. I am only worried that if I live here for a while, I will never be able to complete this process in my life.If you say "I want to know" something, or say "I want to know" something, then I will be happy to explain it to you.Just to mention this one thing, I was afraid that I would not be able to write about Mr. Jing Nuoxi after the candle in front of my desk was lit (by the way, this is not a place with electric lights). Get used to it, you know it too.But it is really impossible for me to write something you need to understand under a candle.Besides, you can't tell me what I need to understand, so it's even harder for me.I don't know what to write that can be shortened enough that you can read it in an hour.One o'clock, exactly, I can only write at one o'clock and I should go to bed, because I am tired from playing during the day, and I can't do without rest.But I dare not say that I can finish writing a small story in this one hour! Let me think for you, and see what is best for you to hear.What you like to talk about is like what you like to eat. I can still estimate it. ... Let me just give the outline.The first is my arrival.The second is that I live in this place... well, I can't say enough. Okay, I said gambling.Listen to you, the "China Travel Guide" written by my friend Mr. Habu said that Chinese people are very good at gambling.This is true.It's just that his basis is not completely reliable, and it seems that he didn't explain it very clearly.I thought if you would like to do a study on gambling, I could contribute some material.This is an anecdote, and people in other parts of China may not be very clear about it.I heard from a girl in the housekeeper of a Bodhisattva that she understands this situation more than professors in graduate schools.In other things she knows, she is actually better than two university professors. But this need not be said.Keep saying that university professors are inferior to little girls, this is a crime of distrusting sacred education, as if there is such a thing in the law, as if remembering to pay a fine, I will not say it. There are fifty or five hundred kinds of gambling. The number cannot be determined accurately.These are all children's things.All of them have to use a kind of knowledge, a good experience, a kind of hard work, and at the same time, in this kind of gambling, understand the common sense of this behavior and its relationship, so as to be able to win.It is said that a child who is good at gambling should develop a mind for Sinology and study in an orderly manner to get good grades.For example, if you use wet sand to make a round treasure, how can it be hard and not easy to break?When it comes to digging a long hole and colliding with other sand balls, how to roll down so as not to fail, and how to draft water after cracks are formed, is all learned. The effort will never be more than this. They gamble with money, such as rolling money, rolling dice, and playing cards (not winning or losing more than a dime).Secondly, use food, such as splitting sugarcane and guessing oranges.Secondly, use clam shells, tiles, ... from using money to scratching the palm of your hand, there are so many gambling tools that it is impossible to count, and the gains and losses are not ordinary. of. The children in this place grew up completely through a kind of gambling behavior, and through a kind of gambling behavior, they obtained knowledge that children of the same age in other places could not get.Children who don't understand how to bet with their peers on winning or losing in various matters must be very clumsy people, and they will be very clumsy when they grow up. There are many examples.Although they swim, play for a while, touch fish, climb trees, climb mountains, and other risky behaviors, most of which involve gambling, their specialties cannot be matched by other children after all.They are no more stupid than the boys in other places, and neither are the grown-ups.Children's wildness is also a kind of wisdom in parents.Although children learn all common sense in a sense of winning and losing, fathers and brothers do their best on the negative side.Since there are countless ghosts and gods in controlling the conscience, all gains and losses are based on doing one's best and obeying the fate of heaven, so children have never learned the behavior of stealing in big places, except for studying all kinds of decent gambling.Mr. Nuoxi, if it is possible for me to participate in the opinion here, I will tell you that this custom is very "lovely". I love it.The ghosts and gods developed in another place, which only made the children's spirits deteriorate. Here, because of the constant supervision of ghosts and gods, they can use their strength and ingenuity to find victory with integrity.I don’t mean to be perverse when I say this, I really don’t. They scold each other, which is a kind of gambling, but the gambling tools used are the things that win or lose, so after the scolding is finished, the victors go away, and the losers go too, and they never hear such things as debt collection. .Calling each other counts as gambling. According to the gentleman who came here with me, this method was introduced from Changsha, which had never existed in this place in the past. I have personally seen three children around eight years old in a game of throwing dice. Six flower bones are spinning in a large earthen bowl. Shouting out the name and color, the wind quickly threw the second hand, I thought it was playing magic! Endorsing a book or doing math problems in school can also be used to gamble three or two small money, which is very common.Students who don't know how to make fun of others. It is said that before the Lantern Festival—unfortunately, I never caught up with it—the lion lanterns or dragon lanterns played in this place were all shirtless.The shoulders are exposed, the back shoulders are exposed, and the chest is also exposed as usual.They were all boys under the age of fifteen.Bravely and fearlessly enduring the blizzard and cold, when I go back to a house, I use fluffy drums to beg for warmth, and then I give them small firecrackers full of red firecrackers, pyrotechnic tubes of four liang of nitrate, mother-in-law cannons, yellow smoke,... (all are Burning to death!) Under these bright flowers, amidst these deafening sounds, the shirtless people all wore red kerchiefs on their heads, greeted these iron juices and explosions with their backs and chests, and cheered and shouted without sparing their strength and effort. Painful, complete this savage spectacle.This is gambling.Their bet is one breath.In this place, losing gas is more important than losing money. It's so strange that it's hard to believe. For those who study in private schools, playing truant has also become a kind of gambling behavior.The opposite is Mr.Comparing with a group of students, Mr. is the one who sets the scene.If you lose the bet, you will move the bench back and get beaten, and if you win, you will play happily all day; oh, I said something wrong, this kind of bet can be played whether you win or lose.However, those who are not clever should be punished by the dealer.This kind of gamble is something that all the children in this place can't or will not dare to do, of course it is the so-called hopeless children. Use very ingenious techniques to go to the butcher's table where the business is closed, catch one or two flies, put the flies on the ground to attract two groups of ants, and let the ants angry for power fight duel , I just stayed by the side and watched the war, met the weak who were happy and could help a certain place, and the resistance was victorious. When two chickens were fighting on the street, someone would yell loudly beside them, uttering very pleasant words, such as "Flower chickens have five coins, and three are also enough to accompany them", "Black bobtail chickens have ten coins, promise to come down." Let's pay half of the money", ... This is a price reduction auction gambling.As long as there are other people around, there is no need to worry about no one responding to this bet.They were beating two dogs, or two people, but they didn't ask, they still naturally declared their decision on the actions of the two fighters, and didn't ask whether the fighters agreed or not.However, it is necessary to be familiar with this warrior, in order to understand the glory and heroism of the past, so as not to feel guilty when calling out.They know everything about each other, and they understand each other's fists more deeply than Zhang Zuolin, Wu Peifu, and many new Chinese warlords recently. (The names of various people are listed above, all of them are great Chinese men, all of them are very capable of training the army, and have been fighting and killing people in various places in mainland China for many years. They also understand international law and can protect outsiders during civil wars. In addition to using various slogans to encourage their own men The Chinese, except for killing the Chinese under other great men, seldom do indecent acts to outsiders.) Mr. Nuoxi, don’t think that the Chinese are stupid.It is wrong to have this notion. At least I admire the ingenuity of these gambling.I also heard that gambling can also bet on your wife. This is similar to the story of the Lion King in fairy tales. I don't quite understand what it means.The girl who talked to me about this matter also didn't seem to understand it very well. If you want to understand this, please ask again when you have a chance. ... Farewell, sir.There is only one inch left of this candle, and I have to end this letter.I'm going to sleep.There are so many rats here that this dwelling is almost their dwelling.During the day, they walk on the floor so generously. If they didn't rent out the house to the landlord, I can't believe they are so bold.I have to keep at least one inch of candles when I go to sleep every day, just to dismiss them. I don’t think this rule is strange, but if I encounter foreign lights, I feel a little sorry for them. They ask for candlesticks like elementary school students ask for money, just to gamble, I guess. ... Ha, you still don't let me go to bed, so you come to ask me for money.Mr. Nuoxi, let me tell you, these little things, all dressed in gray, are much more beautiful and tidy than the uniforms of the elementary school students here. At this time, a representative was sent to my table, and I couldn't sleep. goodbye. ... Miss Alice hurriedly took off her velvet jacket, shoes, socks, and vest after she had finished her belief... some little mice in gray uniforms unceremoniously snatched a piece of the candle away, causing Alice After Si went to bed, she couldn't find a pillow anywhere. She took care of her going to bed like her aunt, Mrs. Gregory Foyce, and was a little angry.I taught some naughty mice secretly, saying what should be done and what should not be done.These rats, like their sisters, laughed and made noises, and ignored them. Yes, they were making noise, and would not come to hear what Alice had to say.Note that piece of residual wax, they are five together, in the lair under the floor, playing with a deck of cards to catch the emperor's stuff (every emperor has to eat a candle).It turned out that the rats in this place would not make mistakes when they encountered playing cards and many other gambling tools.