Chapter 2 Twenty-one Years of the Republic of China · Summer · Beiping

"Are you awake? Little brother." Zhigao heard a burst of indistinct human voices. "Hey, it's already dawn, hurry up and let the guests take their seats." Zhigao wiped the residual saliva from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. In a dream, it is full of satisfaction.Startled, I don't know where the world is, the sky is no longer cold, the night is no longer dizzy, and people are no longer young. When I woke up, the world turned out to have changed my youth. The summer of the 21st year of the Republic of China.In the fall of September 18, just after the accident happened, the Japanese gradually occupied the Northeast in half a year, and the common people who have been staying in Beiping still don’t know why.Chinese army?Foreign troops?Anyway, it's not a sharp pain.There are even some Eight Banners who don't want to pursue it. The original scenery haunts them like a dream. Although they have become mortals, their pomp and hobbies are still passed down.The eagle is their ferocious memory, hard to find in the sky, and finally returned to the master's hands inevitably.

Eagles are wild, never sleep during the day, only willing to sleep at night.If you want to make it wild, you can't let it rest, and you don't even have time to close your eyes.The eagle boilers bring eagles with them at night, five or six confidantes, and when they are full, go to the front door to Tiananmen Square, go to Xidan and Xisi along Chang'an Avenue, and go to the night teahouse in Ping'anli to have a party. Shade. Ying was afraid of the heat and could not enter the teahouse, so they sat on a bench outside, brewed a pack of leaves, drank a few bowls, brought two piles of peanuts, and chatted while eating in the middle of the day.

The east is dimly lit. Zhigao struggled with sweat all over his body, looked around, and heard a strange voice: "Huh, huh, huh, huh."The spirit of the eagle came, its body straightened up, and it flew around. Immediately, the person who boiled the eagle put on a sun-shading hat to make it wild, so accustomed to being popular, without ambition. Zhigao, who stayed overnight, had to get up again to give up a bench.It seemed that the bench was too short to accommodate Zhigao's grown body, but he was as nimble as a monkey, as if he could sleep peacefully anywhere, even a tree. He bounced up, rubbed his eyes, and while helping the teahouse wipe the tables and move the benches, tidy up in a very reasonable way, he chatted with the man:

"Is this eagle tamed? It's gone, yes, it won't fly far if you let it go!" "No," said the man, "I'm in a difficult situation. I put it up overnight, one for the night before, one for the night after, and I will hand over the day shift to take care of it later. The three of them worked in shifts, and it took more than ten days. , haven’t been tamed yet, so I can’t release it.” ——Yes, in the colorful world, eagles are just like people. Some are born and tamed, and some are always unwilling.Falconry is the vanity of falconers.The untamed hawk is the vanity of the hawk itself.

Regardless, life is indescribable. Dog days are so hot that even dogs stick out their tongues. These several acres of ponds have always been called "Yefu Pond" or "Nanxiawa". It is a lowland in the southwestern city of Beiping.Grease and sewage have been continuously poured into the pool for many years. After the rain, the sun clears and the sun evaporates, making it even more stinky and thick. Such a place is not worthy of its original good name: "Taoranting". To the north is a single-story house, to the east are numerous barren mounds, to the south is a bare city wall, and to the west is a reed pond.Even though there are some trees in the vicinity, they are scattered here and there, not to mention the shade, but only disturbed by flying insects.

Taoranting is not a "pavilion", but a mound with a small and exquisite temple built on it.Incense is lonely.The reason why Taoranting has gained such a great reputation is that it is a good place to practice martial arts and sing, and it is the "first carpet" for buskers and opera singers. I saw a handsome young man practicing with double hammers and hammering flowers. The two sledgehammers seemed to be stuck in his hands. After turning over, he immediately caught it with his back. For many years, maybe seven years, Tang Huaiyu has mastered eighteen martial arts under the guidance of his master Li Shengtian.The master was a martial arts student for a while, "nine long": long spear, halberd, broadsword, clang, axe, dagger, spear, 殳, 槊; "nine short": hammer, pestle, sword, axe, blade, shield, hook, bow There are sticks and sticks in one hand.But Huaiyu's unique skill is the hammer.

What he practiced hard on this day was the "top hammer". He threw the hammer high, rotated it in mid-air, and held it when it fell.He cheered up and insisted that the hammer spin twice in mid-air. Huaiyu tried many times, but couldn't stand it.Zhigao bit a hard dough, and raised his voice vaguely: "How is the 'lying zombie' lying down these days?" Huaiyu tossed and twisted the double hammers, twisted and picked them up, and didn't expect Zhigao, so he just uttered a word with one move: "How-how-lay-just-how-how-it hurts!" Zhigao laughed: "Okay, one day, I will really lie down like a zombie!"

It turned out that Li Shengtian started practicing with Huaiyu these days.Good skill, at night the Guanghe Building broke up, and then lay zombies on the blanket. On the stage, after a drama battle, Wusheng is about to die, he always refuses to die casually, and always comes as a "lying zombie". When he does this, the audience will applaud vigorously and praise him for his good death Sample. To do this work, you first hold your breath, and following the intense and shocking bangu, suddenly lower your body, with your straight face facing the sky and your back on the ground, and then you fall down.

Li Shengtian taught Huaiyu: "Be sure to hold your breath and not let it out at all, so that no matter how you fall or how you lie down, it won't hurt and your brain won't be damaged." But the first practice, who has the trick?Huaiyu lay in bed for a few days, either because her body was paralyzed, not strong enough, or her head hit the ground first - but she didn't dare to let her father know. The father is really just pretending, the son is grown up, he is nineteen years old, he has a brittle figure and a handsome appearance, he is also a piece of material when viewed horizontally and vertically.What's more, Master Li Shengtian treated him well and took care of him everywhere.This kind of master-student relationship with only status and no reciprocity has always been close.Boss Tang also gave Li Shengtian tea bags during the Chinese New Year.

"Huaiyu, are you shouting?" Master asked. "Called." ——Actually, Huaiyu didn't shout.Since he was choked up, his practice was the first priority, and his throat was affected, so he couldn't open it.Every time you practice the sounds of "ah——" and "嘿——", you are not flexible, so you can't breathe freely when you draw, short, send, and hold sounds. Can't hit far, bright. "Come again." Huaiyu had no choice but to wash his face like a cat, and sang it hastily. Laugh three times first: "Haha, haha, ahhaha..." Zhigao covered half of his mouth and suppressed a smile.

Huaiyu sings "Water Fairy": "Yeah, you're beaming, beaming, laughing, laughing, smiling, polite soldiers will not be on guard. Well, well, you look like a god. How, how, how do you know that I am being strong today." Li Shengtian frowned, very dissatisfied: "Oh, is this called God? You pass over there before shouting. Go, put down the hammer first! Put it here. Let it go!" Watching Huaiyu finally listen, Li Shengtian's tense face widened.Everyone treats Huaiyu like this, this child is not to be spoiled.You obviously dote on him, but you can't let him know that he is born with arrogance, maybe this arrogance will harm him. Huaiyu glared angrily at Zhigao, who was leaning forward and back with a smile, and started to the wilderness that was open but full of graves: "Ah————————" Zhigao looked at him: "I don't understand what's so difficult? With just a few lines, I just yawned and sang it." "Forget it." "You do not believe?" Zhigao immediately sang casually, and sang "Narrison Fairy" just now: "Yeah, happy, happy. Smile and smile, the soldiers will not be on guard. Well, well, you look like a god. How, how, how do you know that I am being strong today." Zhigao's talent is loud and clear His voice is pure and round.Although he didn't practice hard, he listened to a lot of operas, and often spent time with Huaiyu, and he was able to sing several times.Still unfinished, I sang another song: "Only kill Liu Guanzhang to block from left to right, and I, Lu Bu, will be famous all over the world—" Li Shengtian heard this, came over, and patted Zhigao on the shoulder: "Zhigao, you are really a bit of a cat, clever." Zhigao is sorry: "No, no, no, I'm making a coat with pocket cloth—not enough material anyway." "Aren't you going to follow? Just follow." Huaiyu said. "Me? Singing is all about singing. Every time I make a sound and move my dantian, I'm hungry. Why don't you learn how to sing like a bird, and you can earn a lot of money by learning how to sing like a bird." Just as he was talking, another group of people came over there. There are men and women, about six or seven people, led by a middle-aged man who is not tall, and they are practicing separately. The space is spacious, so they are divided into several groups. Two young boys, aged seventeen or eighteen, practiced basic wrestling skills with the middle-aged man: lifting bells, handstands, somersaults...then they teased each other. The middle-aged man pointed out: "Give him a stumbling block, yes, you give him a few 'flashes', play, play, come on!" The other two women are playing diabolo. Diabolo is made of wood, and a disc is installed at both ends of the cylinder. There are two layers, hollow, and bamboo strips inlaid on the side. Shake the bamboo pole with both hands, and the disk will spin. The shaking is fast, and the rotation is also fast. There is a buzzing sound coming from the small hole in the bamboo stick, which is loud and pleasant.The two girls shook the diabolo into tricks, throwing it high and catching it quickly, which is a bit famous.They could only hear them shouting: "Monkeys climbed poles, Zhang Fei lied to horses, climbed crosses—" There is also a middle-aged woman with a bun, practicing double swords alone in the distance, with long tassels fluttering, she looks like a man's daughter-in-law. The girl next to her, her body is very limp, her waist is inverted, like an arch bridge, her head is stretched out from between her legs a little bit, a little bit... Huaiyu asked Li Shengtian: "Master, I don't know what this group of people do? I've never seen it before." "right." "They all practice acrobatics," Zhigao said. "Maybe he came here to seek a living." Li Shengtian said to Huaiyu, "Didn't it say that 'people can prosper the land, and the land can also prosper people'?" "I haven't seen them on the flyover." "If I don't see you today, I will see you tomorrow. Anyway, we will meet, and there is always a chance to meet." That group of people practiced several times, sweating all over, so they went to Taoranting's "Rain to San" teahouse together. "Rain comes loose" is actually a tea stand selling big bowls of tea, borrowing the shade of a few willow trees to set up seats. Zhigao suddenly pulled Huaiyu: "Huaiyu Huaiyu, look." "See what?" "That woman—" Shun Zhi pointed out that the group had already bent over and sat down on the other side of the willow tree, so they couldn't see clearly. They sat around a small low table, on which were several large bowls with missing teeth and a green porcelain pot for making tea, wrapped in a cotton sleeve.There is already pre-brewed tea in the porcelain pot, but it is just the powdered tea called "Gao Sui" or "Gypsophila". The girl took a porcelain jar with a mouth and filled several large bowls of tea.Too hot to dry.Several people talked and laughed. Seeing that Huaiyu was distracted, Li Shengtian was a little unhappy.Seeing that his face was about to turn green, Zhigao had no choice but to support him like this: "A woman is also practicing so diligently, look at you, not concentrating." Taking the opportunity to instigate, look at the master and add salt. "Master Li, I will take care of Huaiyu for you." Before leaving, Master said to Huaiyu: "Huaiyu, if you want to stand out, you have to make some changes." Huaiyu watched Li Shengtian and his senior brothers go away, and scolded Zhigao: "The god is you, and the ghost is also you." Zhigao ignored him, and hurriedly looked at the "Rain Comes San" teahouse, this kind of tea stall, when the wind comes and the rain comes and goes, the tea customers stay for a while, and then they leave soon. Before Zhigao could speak, Huaiyu also saw a shadow, followed by a group of people, jumping three steps at a time, five steps at a time, with braids dangling in the early sun. Yes, the long braid, like a tail, passed with a swish. Huaiyu and Zhigao looked at each other knowingly, without speaking, they took two steps forward. But seeing people have gone far away, how to chase after them?I caught up, if not, what should I do?What if she forgot?If she remembered, what should she do? ——Suddenly, I couldn't think of the right greeting. And, probably not. Zhigao turned around and looked at Huaiyu: "Come on, don't grind your teeth!" "Father is waiting. You are playing today, are you on the right track?" "—Ah, I have to play!" The two calculated the time, and when they arrived at Tianqiao, they first went to the stall to drink a bowl of soybean juice.The burden of the peddler has a stove at one end, on which soybean juice is boiled in a large casserole; at the other end is a square wooden plate supported by a basket, on which are placed several plates of spicy pickles, all of which are pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers, and pickled eight-treasure vegetables. , and a plate of pancakes. Zhigao put down two copper coins and each had a bowl of sweet and sour bean juice, coke rings, and glutinous rice balls. It was cheap and filling. Just as he was sucking, he heard a gong beating—— "Fellow folks, today is the first time we have come to Guibao Land—" Zhigao said: "Hey, it's also my first time playing." That's called raising the voice to continue: "Let's talk about it first. People make mistakes, horses make mistakes, and there is no one who can't lose rice grains when eating. If there is anything, please forgive me. Children work hard by their ability, and their kung fu is hanging. Now the little girl puts her kung fu on Kudos to everyone—" "Wow!" The voice suddenly ignited. The two of them didn't need to go into the venue, they also saw a vague figure in mid-air. It was a pole, straight into the clear sky, and it was barely steady, there must be someone on the bottom.On the pole, a girl was hanging, relying only on her long braid, the whole body was hanging straight down, she was lying down in mid-air, splitting, spinning... Finally, she kept turning, the center of gravity was on the end of the braid, turning around Turn, turn dazzled, face blurred. Everyone burst into applause. This is a new venue and new tricks on the bridge. Finally put the girl down, the girl clasped her fists and smiled with everyone: "Thank you guys for looking after me!" The middle-aged couple behind her also came out: "Okay, wait for the girl to slow down and sweat, and there will be other kung fu tricks later..." Huaiyu and Zhigao sneaked into the crowd outside the crowd, recognized a little bit, changed direction and looked again, changed direction again, tilted their heads, is it her?Is it her?Very worried. Very worried. The girl came to pick up the copper plates scattered on the ground with a wicker plate, and as soon as she picked it up, she stood up, although her eyes were drooping, and the mole between the eyelashes on the lower left eyelid flashed, it was her—— "Dandan!" Dandan raised her eyelashes and raised her head. Vague, gradually clear.No matter how far she's gone, she's "back". A pair of black eyeballs, still as dark as dark spots, like a baby.Fresh ink is preparing to write a fresh word.Haven't written yet. Opposite is brother Cie Cake, hey, his eyes are triangular with a smile, very proud and very naughty.It was the monkey-masked man who took off the mask, and the monkey eyes brightened, shone, and magnified—although they were originally small. And brother Huaiyu, Huaiyu is a bit shy, his eyes don't dare to focus on her, they always fall a little further away. Everyone's heart is excited to meet again. really? At the street stall in Tianqiao, we met. "Brother Cake Cake! Brother Huaiyu!" ——I don’t know how to say it from the beginning. "Oh, your braids are for hanging." Zhigao finally knew the secret, and immediately revealed it, "Hanging ghost!" "Zhigao, look at you, why hang yourself to death? It's outrageous!" Huaiyu stopped him. "Are you here for a stroll?" "No," Huaiyu laughed, "we are all in the industry." "real?" "Really, Zhigao is also on stage. We're setting up a stall over there. Would you like to come and see?" "Okay, I'll come find you!" "must?" "Sure! It's what you say. Where is it?" Boss Tang was a little annoyed when he saw that the two of them were late today.He just played the Green Dragon Saber, one hundred and eighty catties.It was fine a while ago, but recently I was panting, and the sweat was pouring into my crotch. After so many years in Tianqiao, the number of spectators is decreasing day by day, and people come and go in this place, and the first-timers are always new, and many people are stuck to the mouth as soon as they spout. Huaiyu still not coming?That kid Zhigao, yes, is careless. Huaiyu flew into the arena. He came up with a new trick first, which was a combination of soft and hard tactics—— Artists in the rivers and lakes pay attention to running the pier and breaking into new places, so if you want to wait in the same place for a long time and compete with the flowing water, you have to change your job, so that your life can be muddled, and you don't need to go out of your way. What Huaiyu is playing today is the red spike sword and the nine-section whip.The nine-section whip is a long whip strung together with iron chains. The whip can be straightened only by the use of dark force;Whenever the whip and the knife, one left and one right, one soft and one hard, one long and one short, are used alternately, Huaiyu's cunning and lightness always win praise. I saw him playing, a little anxious, is there a new spectator in the arena?Is she here?In which corner, are you watching his tumbling and tumbling?When grabbing the back, the knife almost hurt himself. He didn't want her to come. He didn't even think about her - as long as, unbelievably, he and her were in the same place, each showing off their abilities and consuming each other. In the end, Huaiyu ended up with the eagle spreading its wings.When he put away the knife and whip, he saw Dandan, who smiled happily at him and clapped his hands.Fortunately, there was no delay, so Huaiyu let go of her worries.It turned out that he wanted her to come. He was a little naive, stepped forward and said: "You didn't play well, it's too sloppy, next time it will be better." Dandan said: "You are so proud!" "To tell you the truth, this whip is very difficult to get. You can carry it, right?" Huaiyu scratched Dandan's palm with the tip of the nine-section whip, once, twice, and three times. Dandan bit her lip and hurriedly grabbed it, shaking it vigorously and pulling: "Hey, you kid 'tahini', who made fun of you—" Just as he was laughing and cursing, he suddenly heard a bird chirping. It's really a bird chirping, a clear and sweet bird chirping, very bright. Only a few "chirp, twitter, twitter—" stopped. Zhigao pretended to be serious, opened a large folding fan with a "wow", took the sheep from nowhere, winked with Huaiyu Dandan first, and then proudly entered the stage. Zhigao first bowed his hands to the guests who had watched the martial field all around: "Dear elders and folks, I'm Song Zhigao! Also called 'cut cake'—" Seeing that Dandan paid attention, he continued to blow: "People gave me the nickname 'Angry Bird'. I have always grown up here, and now I have an empty stomach, take the stage of Boss Tang, perform some stuff, and eat a big cake on the flat ground. Please support and help Cheer up, if you don't see it well, you can also help someone, don't turn your head and leave. If you look good, I will reward you with a few coins. This is my first time. Today, I will open the ear world for everyone." He said it clearly and logically, so if he thought it was familiar to him, he would come up with a set. Zhigao fiddled with the folding fan a few more times, like a few treasures: "Birds include cuckoos, larks, larks, and thrushes. Now this fan is the right wing of a bird. When the lark calls—" He put the fan back, stretched his neck, made two "cheeps", and the fan flapped twice. "Oh, it looks so good, it looks so good!" There was a commotion in the crowd. Seeing that this was a new trick, a few people even came for a walk with cages and birds.The picture is fresh and exciting, and more and more people gather around it. Zhigao was proud, rolled his eyes, and thought about it. Then he said: "When the thrush calls, the two wings are closed—" Those who listened were glued, their eyes and ears pricked up.There was an old man who was also listening with a cage in his hand. He didn't move his hand stroking his beard. He just waved his hand to see him off.Zhigao is alive in the field, a bird enters the forest, like a hundred birds pressing down on the sound, and makes a fluttering shape... Suddenly, I saw the old man shouting in the middle of Zhigao's performance: "Hey, my bird is dead!" He lifted the cage up, and everyone could see that the thrush had kicked its legs.After a while, he died. The old man is screaming strangely: "How did you mess it up?" "Old man, you thrush is very aggressive and aggressive. When I heard that I learned how to learn from birds, I was called Ying, and I was so angry!" Zhigao laughed. "Look! How good, look! How good is this Pirate Bird!" The onlookers were all exclaiming.There are also more copper coins thrown into the field. The old man said angrily: "You bastard, pay me a bird!" Zhigao hurriedly said: "I'm really sorry, I made you so angry, I'll apologize, but we entertainers earn our living by performing the stuff well, what we learn looks like—" "That's right," the onlookers were all standing on Zhigao's side, "It's because of his high skill that your old bird can't swallow it all in one breath!" Just as he was talking, he suddenly heard a shout from outside the venue: "Hey! You fell into my hands today!" A rascal in his forties, Ding Wu, came in. Seeing his triangular eyes drooping at the corners of his eyes, his flat nose with a forked nose, and two yellow teeth bared from his lips, he stepped in majestically.He grabbed the cage with one hand and pointed: "Look, what's the 'pissed off bird'? I saw this bastard holding a stone in his hand, and while everyone didn't realize it, he hit the target. Here, isn't the thrush lying next to the stone?" The public was in an uproar. Ding Wu also said: "I think you are quite familiar. You can't say that you haven't met Lao Tzu, can you? To be honest, it seems that you haven't said hello before. What are you talking about?" Zhigao couldn't hold back anymore: "Don't talk about it, I called mine, you go yours, what are you doing here?" "Oh? Then hurry up, you pay the old man a bird and pay me the land fee, and everyone will stop being clingy." "I just played, I haven't earned a few coins yet, no!" "Ask Boss Tang and the others, what are the rules?" "You don't have to ask, I'm a loner, I'm not with them, and I'm not afraid of you, if I have money, I'll throw it into the cesspit!" As he was talking, the May Fourth gangsters started fighting. Seeing that the situation was not right, Huaiyu immediately entered the arena, pushed Ding Wu away, and the three of them beat him up, but Boss Tang couldn't stop him. Huaiyu's eyes were red from the beating, and she turned around and picked up the guy.On the other side, Ding Wu smashed whatever he saw, and Zhigao was hit on the head, bleeding all over his face.Things got serious, and he refused to stop twice. When Boss Tang saw that Huaiyu was going to copy someone to show Zhigao, he was very flustered, so there must be an accident, and he was dragging his teeth to prevent Huaiyu from bullying him. On the one hand, he told a few spectators who were hiding aside to hold him back, and went up to push and pull Ding Wulian, saying good things and bad things, and asking him to get some kindness and then show his hands high. A rough guy like Boss Tang was still a tough guy, so the three of them were divided in one fell swoop.There was the sound of grinding teeth from Ding Wu's teeth, and there were bruises and bloodstains on his face and hands. Boss Tang gave him some money: "Please bear with me. Children don't know the rules of the world. Don't be as knowledgeable as them. Don't forget to bring some money for cigarettes. Thank you! Thank you!" Huaiyu didn't know what else his father was muttering to Ding Wu, but the two of them pulled away from the scene. Dandan couldn't help Zhigao who fell to the ground. Zhigao supported himself, but his face was covered with blood, and the pain was so blurred that he couldn't get up, and couldn't get up. The blood smeared his eyes again, Dandan wiped him with his sleeve, and it didn't stop. The spectators saw that an off-screen fight was over without any pain, so they came closer again - also because of their kindness. There was even a girl who hugged the child in one hand, teased him to urinate without saying a word... Zhigao pissed the boy all over his head and face, and immediately bounced back in pain, screaming strangely: "Wow! This pee is really wolfish! What the hell?—" This kind-hearted woman was so frightened that she was full of grievances: "Tongpi, it stops bleeding. Our family uses it to stop bleeding and reduce swelling. It's good for you." Everyone couldn't help laughing. Zhigao was angry. "Damn it! Get the hell out of here!" Zhigao wiped the urine roughly, the blood seemed to be a little thinner because of it, maybe it was just some old traces mixed with urine, but it really stopped. Huaiyu and Dandan made some cloth strips to tie them up.The stall next to him sold Dali pills and medicines, and the enthusiastic people immediately grabbed some pills and pills and wanted to apply them on him. Before opening the bag, someone came up again. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Suspecting that the guest was slow to let go, the man barged in roughly, shouting: "Hey, bring back the medicine powder!" It turned out that it was the man next to him who sold Dali pills and medicines. He snatched back the pack of medicine powder that was waiting to be applied, and replaced it with another pack. "That doesn't work! I'll do it!" Then he skillfully applied medicine to heal his wounds.Zhigao's head was bleeding, and the pain was restless, so he was held down with one hand: "Sit properly for me! Why do you move!" But it turns out that the medicines he sells at the stall are nothing but fake medicines, and the hype is exaggerated, such as dog skin ointment, hemostasis powder, toothache medicine, and medicines for men with kidney deficiency and kidney cold, and women with red and white vaginal discharge... are also fake.In order to cure people, he was full of passion and forgot about his livelihood, and immediately took the "true medicine" from the wooden box behind him... In a short while, Zhigao was handled properly.After being thanked by Huaiyu Dandan and Boss Tang, he just realized it and blushed. Of course, there were also clear people among the crowd, but seeing that he was eager to manage people, he stopped talking. And most of the simple and honest people can't think of it at all, they only praise him in whispers, forgetting why he "changed" the effective medicine. When the ruler left, the common people forgot that Zhigao ended up like this because of trickery. The old man who died of thrush suddenly realized what he had lost, and muttered again: "You pay me the bird, pay me!" "Forget it, old man," they tried to persuade them, "don't let him pay. Didn't you see that he was injured? There are several scratches on his body, red and red, so pitiful!" "That's right, forget it?" Boss Tang had no choice but to come over, gave the old man some money, and said a few words of comfort to him, and the two of them pulled away from the venue. Seeing such a situation, Zhigao feels very sad. I have never played before, once I played, I thought I would lay a solid foundation and establish a strong foundation, but who knew that I was a piece of mouse droppings-spoiled a pot of soup. It doesn't count if you ruin Boss Tang's place, this is the first time you show some ability, and your ability is not bad, but it's just that people are not as good as God, and the stage collapsed for Dandan to see!Seeing Dandan, I don't know how much she looked down upon, maybe she was making fun of her in her heart: "You're still running around, don't be a fool." Just now, he just stood proudly in the arena for his part, and when Zhigao thought about it, he wished there was a crack in the ground for him to burrow into and shelter, and never come out again.And Huaiyu, how did Huaiyu expect him to perform well, and everyone will join hands shoulder to shoulder. Alas, under the watchful eyes of everyone, with nowhere to go, how should he pave the way for himself to step down?In nineteen years, I have never encountered such a problem. Do your best to cheer up, clasped your fists and saluted: "Uncle Tang, I'm sorry, I will definitely pay you back this little money! Fellow folks, elders, I'm sorry, just forget about me! Just treat me as dead!" "Hey, don't—" Zhigao staggered away from here.Along the way, Huaiyu and Dandan supported him.Zhigao said: "You two go back." Seeing that he was unstable, Huaiyu insisted: "Go to my house and lie down for a while." "I still have the nerve to go to your house?" Zhigao also insisted, "No!" Seeing that he is covered in blood and stars are flying around, now that he has fallen into such a field, he has lost all face, and is still acting like an eagle?Stomach upset, upset, and another burglar was beaten to death, and the whole body hurts from twisting the rope. It is necessary to find a peaceful place to lie down and sleep until the sky is dark. Really, it's not desperate.Anyway, his reputation has been ruined, and he is happy to go all out—— "I'm going to my sister's place!" "Send you there." Huaiyu refused to leave. "Send it. Dandan go back!" "I want to send it too! You drive me away!" Dandan said savagely. "Give it away, let's go together. Anyway, I can't escape!" I can't escape—— Zhigao became angry and quickened his pace. In broad daylight, everywhere is bustling and bustling, but this Yanzhi Hutong, where the morning and evening are reversed, is quiet instead. More than half of the people didn't get up.When I got up, I was also like a sleepy lost child, tired and unreliable. Hong Lian yawned loudly, and said lazily to Cai Dieer next door: "Hey, I'm free today, I've got a 'bad thing' coming." Yawning endlessly, he half opened his mouth, and suddenly saw these three people. "Hey, Zhigao, what's the matter?" Honglian hurried in and sat down. "Where did the gas fly? There was a fight?" While going in and out to wash Zhang Luo's face, he asked, "Where is the injury? Does it hurt?" "It hurts." Zhigao said, "This is Dandan. My sister." "Dandan sit down." When Dandan saw his sister, she was really old, forty, right?Wearing a top shirt full of purple and blue flowers on a green field, he is thin, and the gown is big and skinny. It looks like a dried vegetable field, and the color of the vegetables has changed. Strange, a face with sallow cheekbones and stiff cheekbones, with a little makeup and powder remnants, which can't be washed off in a lifetime, seeping into the crevices. Honglian often laughs, and also smiles when she goes in and out.There is no smile, it seems to be a line, which was tattooed on the corner of the mouth early in the morning and cannot be removed. Honglian asked timidly but hospitablely, "Is Huaiyu hungry? Would Dandan have something to eat?" In fact, she has only one heart, and she only cares about Zhigao's injury. Seeing that his mother was so at a loss, Zhigao only made her flustered when he came back.It seems that he hasn't slept well, and his eyes are swollen.Because he concentrated on washing the blood on his face, and leaned close, Zhigao only felt that it was a pair of long-lost eyes.When he was a very small child, he had been so close to her—who would have thought that those eyes seemed to be a thousand years old. "Does it hurt? Don't bear the pain, hum a few times to get the pain out, huh?" A warm feeling stirred in her heart, she still regarded him as a child... Zhigao immediately said: "It hurts to death!" And said: "Sister, give me something to eat. I'm hungry. After a big meal, my stomach is empty again." Hearing his request, Guren was very happy. Dan Dan said: "Brother Qie Gao, you rest, I have to go back and tell Master Miao and Mrs. Miao, and I will come to see you later." "It's not good to come late!" Zhigao hurriedly replied. "We've closed the stall and we're here." Huaiyu and she were about to leave when a man with his head tilted and a big pimple on his neck came outside the door. Zhigao was stunned. Huaiyu watched coldly, without saying a word, she dragged Dandan away.Fortunately, Dandan couldn't see the visitor clearly either. Zhigao saw that this short man had a short stature, and there was a big callus around his neck, which seemed to be born with people, and it gradually grew bigger and raised, and finally grew into a fleshy tumor, which hung around his neck. Even if you straighten your back, you can't straighten your back. People who were originally short will become even shorter. The big fleshy bump was hammered on his head one by one by a big hammer protruding from the sky. If he was not careful, the hammer was skewed, and the person who was crushed would be crushed even more unseemly. This short man has a silly smile and big eyes. When calling Honglian, he looks like an old baby looking for his playmate. Zhigao couldn't help but take another look. "Go back first." Honglian chased him away. "What's up?" "Tell you to go back first - something happened to my brother." "What happened?" "Forget it, fight, it's better now." Zhigao heard Honglian's response inside, and immediately pretended: "It still hurts - the legs are too numb to lift, hey - what a bad thing, Shen Delu. Alas -" "You come in three days." Honglian was concerned about Zhigao. "Is it going to be done in two days?" "It's done, it's done." "Your brother, see if I can help you?" Hong Lian flocked him out, he was not as tall as her, coaxing a child like: "Go and go, the dog takes the mouse, my brother is a mess, the bandit leader, you can't help. Lu Daha, come and intervene. Damn, don't talk!" After seeing off the guests, Hong Lian returned to the house, the two of them were relatively silent, chatting to each other.If he hadn't been injured, he wouldn't have stayed so long.She had to find some work to do and get some food. "Do you eat post pancakes?" The kitchen became busy.The voice came again: "Let's warm up a few steamed buns. Oh no, pancakes? There's pork head meat, wrap it up and eat." "It's just a little easier." Zhigao tested his mother by surprise, "Then what does Wu Dalang do?" "It's a wok." "What are you selling?" "Hey, what are fried sunflower seeds, fried pine nuts, big peanuts, five-spice melon seeds... the most famous one is strange-flavored melon seeds." "The neck is the one to blame." "He used to be a dick." "Oh—I thought something was wrong with my body." Zhigao wrapped the pork head in pancakes, and ate it bite by bite, enjoying himself. Honglian sat across from him, and hadn't looked carefully at the grown-up child for a long time. He came to eat one meal, and after a while, he came to another meal-it was because he couldn't find anything to eat. Hong Lian didn't talk to him about homework, and there was nothing homely to say, but just chatted around the short man's neck, as if finding a third party, so that mother and child could have a common conversation. "You know, in their business, they always use their necks to bear loads of more than a hundred kilograms. After walking for more than ten miles, they can't raise their heads along the way, nor can they unload and rest." "Who is not allowed to rest?" "Moving and transporting, they are all porcelain mirrors, washbasins and so on. They are expensive. The owner bundled them up, put them in a safe place, and put them on the neck with wooden boards. From now on, they have to carry them on the road. It's not easy. " Zhigao remembered that he might have endured for many years, and he had been in business for half his life. As the days went by, the big fleshy lumps were the result of torture—another bent-backed person.The addition of a thick neck sarcoma was sent by God. It must have made him more like Wu Dalang, and he couldn't push it away. "Is Wu Dalang's surname Wu?" "Shh, what Wu Dalang?" Zhigao didn't mind his mother spitting at him, remembering that when she was a child, one day, she dressed up resolutely and put a flower on it.Zhigao stared at her with small eyes.Mother spat at him: "Boy, what are you staring at? If your father is here, how could you not recognize mother?" She said with tears in her eyes: "Call me sister from now on, remember? Call, call 'sister' '!" "Sister!" "Huh?" Hong Lian responded, Zhigao's spirit had just settled down, so he could only ask, "What's your surname?" "The surname is Ba." "Ba?" Zhigao laughed, "A 'Ba' that is not as tall as a palm?" "Don't be wicked." "What a weird surname, not as good as mine." Hong Lian didn't know what was thinking in her heart, and suddenly pulled it softly.Hesitating, how about going back up?只是她不知道他跑到哪里去。一个男人不要一个女人，她往往是在被弃之后很久，方才醒过来，但没明白过来。这世界阴沉而又凄寂，仿佛一切前景转身化作一堵墙。 “你姓好，命不好。”红莲对志高道，“我是活不长了，只担着心，不知你会变成个什么样儿的。唉。” “过一天算一天，有什么好担心？别说了。”志高不愿意重复方才刁刁叨叨，束手无策的话儿。他最拿手的功夫是回避，马上想以一觉来给结束了前因后果。 红莲喊他进房里，他道： “我睡这。”指指墙角落儿。有意地不沾床边。 “睡床上吧？”红莲又赔着笑，也不勉强，“要不我也躺一会。” 好久没逮着这般的机会了，红莲像有好多话，待说从头。母子一高一下地对躺，稀罕而又别扭。志高一蜷身子面壁去。 “我也不想修什么今生来世。前一阵，四月八日不是佛祖过生日吗？庙里开浴佛会呢，我去求福了。我没敢进去，只在外头求，诚心就灵了。我求佛祖指点你一条明路——” “不管用，狗头上插不了金花。” “你会有好日子的。” “好好好，要我有好日子，那你就不干这个了——”志高没说完这话。说不下去。哪有什么好日子？漫漫的一生，起步起得冒失，都是命，跟个灯篓风儿似的，一点儿囊劲也没有。比一个卖身的女人更差劲。志高想，唉，烂眼睛又招苍蝇，总之是祸不单行。 红莲倒是捡了这话：“说真格的，要是不干这个，也不致饿死，我是对你不起。” “你倒是让多少个男人睡了？”志高冒猛地回身问她。 红莲正思量该当怎么回答。 志高再问了：“你倒是让多少个男人睡了？” “怎的问起这个来呢？” 红莲迟暮的眼睛垂下来了，垂得几乎是睡死了，嘴角那微弯却是根深蒂固的，看清楚，原来这是天生的“笑嘴”。红莲也没看志高。儿子盘问起她的堕落经来了。 “志高，”她只得淡淡地道，“你长大了，难道不晓得，我只跟'一个'男人睡了！要不怎么有你呢？也许，你是到死都不原谅我，那由你——” “姊——” “哎，没人，你就别喊我姊！” “不，喊着顺溜了，改不了。”志高试探： “那姓巴的，瓜子儿巴，对你倒是不错吧？” “都是买卖嘛，零揪儿的。”红莲道，“别胡说了。” 志高马上拿腔儿，装得欢喜轻松。 “喏，你当是为了我，别当为自己，对吧？你瞧你，擦了这许多的粉，还干巴疵裂的，打了这么多的褶子。嗳，再过一阵，穿得花巴棱登的，都不管用——” “你看你这张损人的嘴——” “不呢，我说的是真心话，你要是专门侍候一个，你想呢，哈，要不知道是谁得了美。我们都是断了腿的蛤蟆了——跳不了多高，我又没办法养活你……” 才在笑，打哈哈，志高没来由一阵心酸，这样的话，不知是什么话，志高说着，缓缓地把脸别过墙去。 转一下身，轻轻打个呵欠，再用手掌掩一掩嘴，手顺势往眼角一抹，就这样，把那将要偷偷窜出来的泪水不经意地、也不着迹地，给抹掉了。 “我困了。”再也不打话。 红莲看不出什么来： “不再聊一阵？”好不容易母子聊了一阵话，他竟又困了。 志高一睡，解了千古忧困。 黄昏时分，丹丹一个人来了。 志高还没有醒过来呢。丹丹摇晃他，唤：“切糕哥，天亮了，起来了！” 他接近软化的四肢，开始有点知觉，腰酸背疼的，也不知睡了多早晚，太阳确已西下，还是熬人的，背上也就汗濡一片。志高擦擦眼睛，又醒过来了，以为是一天了，谁知还没过去。见着丹丹，只一个人，问： “怀玉呢？” “还说呢，唐叔叔生气啦，骂你，怀玉帮他收拾烂摊子，还不巴巴地跟着回家去？” 志高听了，口鼻眼睛都烦恼得皱成一团，像个干瘪老头儿，无限地忧伤。How to solve it? 只好把汗臭的上衣给换了，披件小背心，领丹丹出来。回头跟红莲道： “姊，我走了。” 红莲眼看一个大姑娘，跟自己儿子那么地亲近无猜，心中不无拈酸醋意，到底是什么人？她一来，他就待不住了？也是个吃江湖饭的标致娃儿，轻灵快捷，几步就蹦出胡同口了。红莲目送二人走远。 “你姊真怪，不笑也像笑样。嗳，她瞪着我看，好愣，你姐怎么这么地老？那你娘不是更老了吗？你没娘，对吧？” “丹丹——” "what?" “没什么了。”志高回心一想，急急地说了，怕一迟疑，又不敢了，“丹丹，我还是告诉你吧，瞒下去是不成的，反正你迟早都会知道，我非卷起帘儿来唱个明白——” “你说吧，啰里啰嗦的，说呀。” “好，我说。”志高坚强地豁出去了，“刚才的，就是我娘。” “哦？怪道呢，这么地老。” “她是我娘，因为——她干的是'不好'的买卖，管我喊她姊……我此后也是喊她姊的。你就当给我面子，装作不知道。怀玉也是这样的。” "OK." "accepted?" “好呀，我不告诉人家，我也不会瞧不起你们，你放心好了。” “丹丹你真好。” “我还有更好的呢！” 志高放宽了心，人也轻了，疼也忘了。自以为保了秘密，其实北平这么一带的，谁会不知道？不过不拆穿便了。亏志高还像怀里揣了个小兔子，一早晚怦怦直跳——也因为她是丹丹吧？ 如今说了，以后都不怕了。 “你怎么不跟黄叔叔呢？你黄哥哥呢？现今下处在哪？来这耽多久？” “哎，”丹丹跺足，“又要我说！我呀，才刚把一切告诉怀玉哥了，现在又要再说一遍。多累！”末了又使小性子，像她小时候，“我不告诉你。” “说吧？”志高哀求似的，逗她，“我把我的都告诉你了。” 原来丹丹随黄叔叔回天津老家去，黄叔叔眼看儿子不中用了，也就不思跑江湖，只干些小买卖，虽是爱护丹丹，但小姑娘到底不是亲骨血儿，也难以照拂一辈子的。刚好有行内的，也到处矗竿子卖艺，便是苗师父一伙人，也是挂门的，见丹丹有门有户地出来，一拍胸口，答应照顾她，便随了苗家一伙，自天津起，也到过什么武清、香河、通县、大兴……大小的地方，现在来了北平，先找个下处落脚，住杨家大院，然后开始上天桥撂地摊去。 丹丹又一口气地给志高说了她身世。 “你本是黄丹丹，现在又成了苗丹丹。怎么搅的，越活越回去了？还是苗呢？过不了多久，倒变成籽了，然后就死了。”志高道。 丹丹嘟着嘴，站住不肯走了。 也不知是什么的前因后果呀。丹丹，她原来叫牡丹。“牡丹本是洛阳花，邙山岭上是我家，若问我的名和姓，姓洛名阳字之花。”——丹丹是没家的，没姓的，也配不上她的名的。花中之王，现今漂泊了，还没有长好，已经根摇叶动。真的，在什么地方扎根呢？是生是死呢？这么小，才十七，谁都猜不透命运的诡秘。志高被她的刁蛮慑住了——就像头憋了一肚子气的猫。明知是装的。 “你别生气，我老是说'死'，是要图个吉利，常常说，说破了，就不容易死了。”志高慌忙地解说。 “要死你自己死！” 丹丹说着，辫子一甩，故意往另一头走，出了虎坊桥，走向大街东面。 “丹丹，丹丹！”志高追上去，“是我找死，磕一个头放三个屁，行好没有作孽多，我是灰耗子，我是猪八戒……” “哦，你绕着弯儿骂你娘是老母猪？”丹丹道。 “不不不。”志高急了，想起该怎么把丹丹给摆平？他把她招过来，她不肯，他走过去，因只穿件小背心，一招手，给她看胳肢窝，志高强调： “我给你看一个秘密：我这里有个痣，看到吗？在这。嗳，谁都没见过的，看，是不是比你那个大？” “嗳，真像个臭虫，躲在窝里。” 志高笑起来。 他很快活，恨不得把心里的话都给掏出来，一一地告诉了丹丹，从来没那么地渴望过。 真好，有一个人，听几句，抬杠几句，不遮不瞒，不把连小狗儿龇牙的过节儿记在心里，利落的，真心的，要哭要笑，都在一块…… 咦，那么怀玉呢？ ——忽地想起还有怀玉呀。 “丹丹，你先回家，我找怀玉去。” 志高别了丹丹，路上，竟遇上了大刘。他是个打硬鼓儿的，手持小鼓，肋夹布包，专门收买细软，走街串巷找买卖。许多家道中落的大宅门，都经常出入。 这个人个头高高，脸长而瘦，在盛暑，也穿灰布大褂，一派斯文。敲打小鼓儿，一边吆喝： “旧衣服、木器，我买。洋瓶子、宝石，我也买……” 见到志高，大刘问： “你姊在吗？她叫我这两天去看她的一只镯子。” “不在。”志高回大刘： “她不卖了。” “'不卖'的是什么？”大刘乜斜着眼问。一种斯文人偶尔泄漏出来的猥琐。 “镯子。” "Oh--" 志高只想着，娘仅有一只镯子，猜是下落不明的爹所送。卖了，反悔了，难免日思夜惦，总想要回东西。志高估摸娘实是舍不得，马上代推掉了。然后心里七上八落——钱呀，想个法子挣钱才是上路。 来到了怀玉的那个大杂院，远远便听得哭喊声，见一个呼天抢地的母亲，把孩子抱出来，闹瘟疹，死掉了。在她身后，也有四个，由三岁到十一二岁的。穷人就有这点划算，死掉了一个，不要紧，还有呢，拉拉扯扯的，总会得成长了几个，然后继承祖先的“穷”，生命香火，顽强地蔓延下去。 那伤心的母亲领了他兄弟姊妹，拿席子卷了尸首去——死了一个，也省了一个的吃食呀。志高心头温热，他竟是活着呢，真不容易。 敲了唐家的门子，一进去，不待唐老大作声，也不跟怀玉招呼，志高扑一下给跪下来：“唐叔叔，我给您赔罪！” 唐老大气还没消，这下不知如何收拾他。 志高又道：“对不起您，以后我也不敢搭场子了。” 说完了，起来逃一般地走了。 唐老大也不好再责怪什么了，看着他背后身影：“这孩子就是命不好。” 怀玉跟他爹说： “命好不好，也不是没法可想的。虽是谋事在人，成事在天，也得去'谋'呀——爹，我也不打算永远泡在天桥的，我明天跟李师父说去，让他给我正正式式踏踏台毯。” “你去练功，我不数算就是，不过你去当跑龙套的，什么时候可以出头？连挣口饭吃的机会都没有！” “我要去，不去我是不死心的。” “你不想想我的地步？” “爹，撂地摊吃艺饭又是什么地步？圣明极了也不过是天桥货。” “没有天桥，你能长这么大？”唐老大气了——他也不愿意怀玉跟随他，永不翻身，永永远远是“天桥货”。但，怀玉的心志，原来竟也是卖艺。卖艺，不管卖气力卖唱做，都是卖。不管在天桥，抑或在戏园子，有什么不同？有人看才有口饭吃，倚仗捧场的爷们，俯仰由人，不保险的，怀玉。 唐老大要怎样劝说那倔强的儿？ “谁有那么好运道，一挑帘，就是碰头彩？要是苦苦挣扎，扯不着龙尾巴往上爬，半生就白过了。” 他说了又说，怀玉只是坚持，强强老半天：“千学不如一唱，上一次台就好！” 唐老大明知这是无以回头的。当初他跟了李盛天，早已注定了，怎么当初他没拦住他？如今箭在弦上。唐老大一早上的气，才刚被志高消了一点，又冒了： “你非要去，你去！你给我滚！” 一把推走这个长大了的儿子。 怀玉踉跄一下，被推出门去了。 唐老大意犹未足： “你坍了台就别回来！” 然后重重地坐下来。孩子，一个一个，都是这样：以为自己行，马上就坍台了，残局还不是由连苍蝇也不敢得罪的大人来收拾么？早上是志高，晚上是怀玉，虎背熊腰的粗汉，胡子就这样地花白起来了，像一匹老马，载重的，他只识一途，只得往前走，缓缓地走着，是的，还载重呀，终于走过去。他多么希望他背负的是玉，不是石头。怀玉，自己不识字，恳请识字的老师给他起个好名儿呢，怀的是玉。没娘的孩子，就算是玉，也有最大的欠缺。唐老大想了一想，便把门儿敞开，正预备把怀玉给吆喝进来了。 谁知探首左右一瞧，哪里还有他的影儿？做爹的萎靡而仓皇。 ——孩子大了，长翅了。 从前叫他站着死，他不敢坐着死。 赶出门了，却瑟缩在墙角落，多么地拧，末了都回到家里来。 啊一直不发觉他长翅了。 他要飞，心焦如焚急不及待地要飞。孩子大了，就跟从前不一样了。 怀玉鼓起最大的勇气，恭恭敬敬地等李盛天演完了一折，回到后台，方提起小茶壶饮场。觑着有空档，企图用三言两语，把自己的心愿就倾吐了——要多话也不敢。他一个劲地只盯着师父一双厚底靴： “——这样地练，天天练，不停练……不是'真'的呀。反正也跟真的差不多了，好歹让我站在台上，就一次……” 李盛天瞅着他，长得那么登样，心愿也是着迹的：要上场！ “哦，你以为上台一站容易呀？大伙都是从龙套做起。” “您让我踏踏台毯吧，我行。” “行吗？”师父追问一句。 “行呀行呀，一定行的，师父，我不会叫您没脸，龙套可以，不过重一点的戏我也有能耐，台上见就好。” 李盛天见这孩子，简直是秣马厉兵五内欢腾，颜面上不敢泄漏出来，一颗心，早已飞上九霄云外。 师父忍不住要教训他： “你知道我头一回上场是什么个景况？告诉你，我十岁坐科，夏练三伏，冬练三九的，手脸都裂成一道血口了。头一回上场，不过是个喽啰……” 李盛天的苦日子回忆给勾起来了，千丝万缕，母亲给写了关书，画上十字，卖身学习梨园生计，十年内，禁止回家，不得退学，天灾疾病，各由天命。他的严师，只消从过道传来咳嗽声，师兄弟脸上的肌肉会得收紧，连呼吸都变细了——全是“打”大的。一个不好，就搬板凳，打通堂。 那一回夏天，头上长了疥疮，上场才演一个龙套吧，头上的疮，正好全闷在盔头里，刚结的薄痂被汗汇水洗的，脱掉了，黄水又流将出来。就这样，疼得浑身打颤，也咬着牙挺住，在角儿亮相之前，跑一个又一