The golden light of the rising sun scatters the smoky dawn mist that shrouds the river; the peaks on both sides of the river are now showing their original turquoise.The east wind played a soft tune.The yellow and turbid river rushes down in the tight bundle of the mountain gorge, and small eddies appear one by one from time to time. There was a faint whining sound, like the roar of a giant beast, coming from behind the upstream mountain wall.A few minutes later, the indistinct sound suddenly expanded into a long, malevolent cry, which folded into rumbling echoes between the cliffs on both sides of the bank.A light green steamer majesticly broke through the remaining fog and sailed down briskly. Immediately, the river was filled with the noise of heavy engines.

This is the famous Ryumo Ferry that travels along the Chuan River.We set off from Kui's mansion at dawn today and arrived in Yichang at two or three o'clock in the afternoon. Although it was only eight o'clock in the morning, the railing on the side of the boat was already full of people.These are third-class friends out for some fresh air.The corridor outside the dining room on the highest floor is not so lively; there are only two women leaning on the green iron railing, overlooking the majestic and beautiful scenery of Wu Gorge. They stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the bow of the ship.The one with her waist twisted obliquely, leaning her left forearm on the railing, looked to be only in her twenties, wearing a moon-white soft satin waist-length singlet, with a long black skirt underneath, full of pregnancy. In the wind, her slender figure looked extraordinarily graceful.She had her hair cut, a pair of dark sideburns hanging curvedly beside her oval-shaped cheeks, lined with slender and long eyebrows, a straight nose, sultry eyes, small and round lips, Everywhere shows that she is an unquestionable oriental beauty.If you look from the back, she is the embodiment of gentleness; but there is a heroic spirit between her brows, and her often closed mouth also shows her firm character.She is the type of person who sets a goal and never looks back.

Her companion was a fat, short, middle-aged woman; the position of the features was not very ugly, but the flat and wide lips with two downward-drawn corners formed a gloomy face.She was dressed in fine material but old-fashioned clothes.A pair of tangled and loose little feet, set in too big black leather boots, the arched insteps are like two balls.Compared with her female companion's long and narrow feet, it gave off an air of loneliness and forlornness. Neither spoke.The magnificence of the mountains and rivers has already washed their hearts; empty and thoughtless, they are intoxicated in this nature.

The ship's siren blared again.Far in front of it stands a cliff blocking the river, towering high into the air; on the left and right, there are two peaks facing the Jiajiang River, forming two very high embankments.It seems that there is no way ahead!The sunlight is like a smear of gold, sparingly painted only the tips of those peaks, here is an example of dark green.The ship was still moving forward firmly, but the whistle sounded more frequently.The cliffs blocking the river approached slowly, getting taller and bigger, and the trees growing halfway up could be vaguely seen. "This is the first peak of the Twelve Peaks of Wushan Mountain!"

The middle-aged woman looked at her companion and said; at the same time, she nodded arrogantly frequently, making the rather large but not strong bun on the back of her head almost crumbling. The young woman replied with a smile, then turned her face away to avoid the stench wafting from the big bun.She moved slowly, looking ahead more attentively.The oncoming precipice is now even closer, and its top can no longer be seen; a clump of emerald cypress trees spreads slightly obliquely in the middle of the mountain, like a wall, and further down is a dark ocher stone wall that plunges directly into the water. , and some vines such as scallops adhered mottledly.All of this, the screen of the cliff, is slowly enlarging, slowly moving closer, and then swaying a few times, turning around cleverly, as if to show off the wonderful scenery on the other side.

Po boom!The whistle blew happily, and the boat turned.The soaring cliffs are out of the way on the right, and in front of it is the endless river flowing between the cliffs. "The waterway of the Chuanjiang River is like this! From a distance, there is no road, but when you get there, you know there is still a road. I don't know how many such twists and turns! Miss Mei, this is the first time you see it, you must find it very interesting stop?" The middle-aged woman shouted loudly from behind.But the east wind was too strong, and it was a pity that this talk of experience was blown away.Ms. Mei stared blankly at the river flowing eastward, but heard nothing.

The wonders of the Wu Gorge really moved her.Thinking of her past, she was treacherous and changeable, and she had survived several desperate times; she had bravely drawn half of the thread of life intertwined with light and darkness.What's next?This mysterious "future"!She had no fantasies, nor was she pessimistic; she just waited quietly, like an old boxer waiting for his opponent after setting up his steps.This is the deep imprint of Dianpei's life on her young age! Perhaps many people envy her life.But Ms. Mei gave her posthumous posthumous title of "Dianpei".In the past four years, she has suddenly become a "famous upstart" who attracts attention. There is "Miss Mei" in southern Sichuan and western Sichuan. She is an extraordinary daughter, and she is a rainbow-like figure. , and why is she happy to do so, she just rushed forward with the spirit of a warrior according to the changing times!Her characteristic is "Forward!" Her only ambition is to conquer the environment and conquer fate!For several years her only purpose was to restrain her full-bodied femininity and even stronger motherhood!

On bright spring days and bleak rainy nights, she sometimes felt the heredity of women for thousands of years swaying in the depths of her heart; at that time, she embraced her temples, sank into the depths of lingering resentment, and at that time she had a terrible fate. At that time, she regretfully called her life Dianpei; however, Dianpei's experience had condensed her life into a new model, and the crazy "May 4th Movement" had already blown her away. She is no longer allowed to look back, she can only resolutely suppress the roots that have eliminated the tradition, and strive to adapt to the new world and new life.She does not stop, she does not wander, she has no contradictions.

Now the Yangtze River, struggling to cross the Wu Gorge, seems to be a symbol of her past life, and her future life should be as mighty and unrestrained as the Yangtze River below Kuimen! Madam Mei couldn't help smiling to herself.She turned her head and saw her companion was looking at her with narrowed eyes, and then she remembered that she seemed to have heard some words from this old-fashioned lady just now.She doesn't like this disheartened companion very much, but she doesn't want to offend her casually; and as long as she doesn't smell the horrible smell of hair, she has never been unwilling to listen to her nagging.

"Mrs. Wen, the wind is very strong, aren't you afraid?" Ms. Mei approached lightly; deliberately standing in the upper hand, said very affectionately. "I'm an old bone, what kind of hardships have I never tasted? Are you afraid of the wind! When the suffrage took place this spring, the wind was even stronger than this, and the rain fell hard. I am not afraid! I don't have an umbrella. I brought a Sisters, go to the governor's office to petition!" Mrs. Wen said excitedly, shaking her round head in a big bun. Ms. Mei pursed her lips and smiled, but she also put on an air of admiration.

"At that time, Miss Mei, why didn't you come to participate? Oh, you are the personal secretary of the governor, you are a celebrity, and you have already become an official. But, Miss Mei, being an official is not participating in politics! Participating in politics is—" Speaking of the last sentence, the lady paused for a while, and moved closer to Ms. Mei, preparing for a longer speech. Ms. Mei also took half a step back, cautiously maintaining the upper hand, but quickly cut off Mrs. Wen's words: "There are some governesses who are governors. People laugh at me for being a secretary. I even talk nonsense, so I have to laugh it off. Mrs. Wen, you lost your husband when you were young, and you always know those frivolous things." Tongues are designed to slander women and create rumors." Mrs. Wen's mouth twitched, but she didn't answer.The mention of her youth always seemed to her to be very disappointing; although the days of "fear of gossip" were long gone, she now participated in political campaigns without scruples, but when she broke into the Provincial Assembly, she heard the guards swearing secretly behind her back. Saying something like "the tigress is evil", somehow the vigor was frustrated a bit.She subconsciously felt that the dark shadows of the past had tarnished her bright future.The only necessary condition for her to function in society as a woman is to be innocent.In the opinion that women can only be one and the same, she is really comrades with many people who oppose suffrage. "The Premier is a new thinker. He has a special perspective on gender issues. Perhaps Mrs. Wen has also heard it? " Seeing her companion's discomfort, Ms. Mei smiled and changed the direction of the conversation.However, the term gender issue was probably still unfamiliar to the ears of this eloquent suffrage enthusiast, so she looked at Ms. Mei in confusion and did not answer. Ms. Mei's beautiful eyes glanced alertly, and she continued: "This special view is: a wife is also a lifelong partner; a partner is also a friend; The more friends the merrier! " Suddenly the ship's siren blew again; first two short bleats in succession, followed by a long hoarse blew at exhaustion.The alarm bell on the bow also rang frantically.This is because some bandits fired guns at the ship in the valleys on both sides.This is what happens as a rule.The chaotic footsteps of passengers immediately filled the whole ship.When Ms. Mei grabbed Mrs. Wen and hurried into the passageway in front of the dining room, she had already heard the intermittent sound of beeping coming from the left.Passengers in the upper cabin of the first class had already got up at some point, scrambling to get on the small ladder leading to the cabin below.A crew member gestured for Ms. Mei and the two of them to go down as well.Ms. Mei instinctively moved a leg when a burst of stench rushed into her nose, and she stopped immediately. "I won't go down. The boat launching into the water is so fast, the bullets of the bandits can't reach it!" Ms. Mei said with a smile.She didn't wait for Mrs. Wen's answer anymore, she walked into the dining room, went to her own room, lay down on the couch, and picked up a book to read.Her room happens to be on the right.The shadow of the sun flickered by the window.Ms. Mei got up and wanted to close the curtains when she saw a wooden boat on the water with its awning fully drawn, walking close to the edge of the cliff, and it passed by in an instant.She listened intently, but there was no more bubbling.She went back to lie down on the couch and yawned.She had many dreams at night, she couldn't sleep well, and she got up too early this morning, so she felt very sleepy.She folded her hands under her head and closed her eyes. There was a light knock on the door.Ms. Mei lazily opened her eyes and saw Mrs. Wen standing in front of the couch.Probably because she was squeezed in the crowd, the lady's big bun was about to come loose, hanging down the back of her neck wearily.There were still a few drops of sweat sticking to her forehead. "Bang Er Er even wants to shoot foreign ships! Scary! But, Miss Mei, you are too bold; bullets have no eyeballs, and sacrifices are not worth it!" Mrs. Wen sat down heavily on the couch and said angrily. Ms. Mei smiled sweetly, sat up and walked to the window, leaning against the vanity table.She really wanted to persuade Mrs. Wen to comb her hair into a tighter bun first, but she changed the topic to start her conversation: "It's a pity that we interrupted our conversation. Mrs. Wen, did you read what the governor said?" "Big men have different opinions after all." This language can be said to be perfunctory, but Mrs. Wen's attitude is very serious.Madam Mei smiled softly.She raised her left foot and lightly kicked the tassel at the lower end of the curtain with the pointed toe of the high-heeled white canvas shoe, at the same time she seemed to say to herself more tactfully: "But he only said 'wives are lifelong partners', not that 'husbands and wives are lifelong partners." Mrs. Wen's eyes widened in confusion. "His life partners are now five," Mrs May went on quickly. "He is very considerate, very equal, and very cautious; his famous big garden almost uses eunuchs. It's really his Efang Palace!" Mrs. Wen didn't catch the central point of this conversation.But the number "five" aroused many "anecdotes" she had heard, and thus aroused her emotion; Suddenly she asked quietly: "I heard that there are also extremely ugly ones, is it true?" Now Ms. Mei doesn't know much about it.But after she glanced at Mrs. Wen in astonishment, she immediately came to her senses; she smiled.She stretched her waist and replied coldly: "There is a woman who wrote the poem 'Originally a concubine of a hero, but not a wife of a common man', who can probably be regarded as the number one negative beauty in Tianzi!" The light outside the window suddenly dimmed, as if the boat had entered the bridge hole.Ms. Mei hurriedly put her head out to look, and saw a very high mountain peak on the right bank slowly receding; The trunk is straight and thin like a hemp stalk.Ms. Mei retracted her head, looked at Mrs. Wen's bewildered face, and added: "The special thing about General A Fang Gong is that his partners are almost all ugly people." Silence joined in.Mrs. Wen, who likes to talk, seemed to have received a strange feeling, and suddenly fell back on the couch, covering her face with her hands. Her bloated figure and unnaturally small feet reminded Ms. "The characters who lived deeply in the "Efang Palace".So the impression of the past slowly solidified, blocking Ms. Mei's consciousness like a light smoke.In a daze, she was working as a tutor in that big garden again, and she saw the familiar lakes, mountains, rocks, fish ponds, and small Western-style octagonal pavilions; heh!This unforgettable little pavilion!There, she once rejected the temptation of money and jewels; she loves luxury, but also loves freedom, and she especially does not want to be a captive in the "Efang Palace".It is also here that she fully understands the root of women's jealousy formed by thousands of years of dependent life.A small round face with a pair of murderous triangular eyebrows suddenly appeared in Ms. Mei's bewilderment; then there was Browning's smooth muzzle, like strange eyes wide open. Ms. Mei let out a half-sneer from the bottom of her heart, shaking away the melancholy memories that filled her consciousness.This half-sneer was just the young owl's reply of "scare" to the owl clinging to the rotting rat as its baby.Ms. Mei’s last lesson as a governess is this fable of “the rotten mouse”. A slight snoring sound came from the couch.Mrs. Wen has fallen asleep.Ms. Mei looked at the window, then quietly walked out of the room, went to the corridor outside the dining room, and sat down on a wicker chair placed there. On both sides of the river are still those uninhabited high mountains piercing into the sky, rising from the turbid waves of the river, like two high walls.In the corridor of the mountain, Long Maolun walked forward panting, walking in a straight line in the heart of the river alone.From time to time, one or two sailboats appear on both sides, but they are all close to the cliff, as if the people on the boat can climb the vines on the rock wall with their hands.There are some small wooden boats under the cliff protruding far ahead, which seem to be jammed motionless on the narrow river with almost no way out; but a few minutes later, in the majestic long cry , the Longmao ship had already driven past, only then did I see that the river was still as wide as four ships could accommodate.The two huge waves stirred up by the dark wheel rushed towards the cliff wall, and the wooden boats that were stuck to the rock wall like snails began to shake like intoxicated people. Ms. May looked at these wooden boats and smiled. She praised the great power of the machinery;She trusted the huge monster that carried her very much.She is deeply aware that this monster, the birth of modern civilization, will bring her a new "future".Although the world ahead is unknown and unfamiliar, it must be bigger and more intense: Ms. Mei is unconditionally convinced of this. Yet she had no illusions.The lesson she learned from the experience of the past four or five years is: don't be attached to the past, and don't dream about the future, just grasp the present and work with all your strength.Her life in the past was like sailing in the Wu Gorge; she often saw a cliff blocking her way, and suspected that there was no way to go, but when she went there, she knew that the road was still very wide, but after a short walk, there was a cliff again. It was further ahead, and there was no way to see it. Looking back at that time, it was already Yunshan Gaosuo again.The past is unbearable, and the future is confusing and dangerous. She can only hold on to the present and struggle down-to-earth; she is a "present believer". The wind blew with a hot smell.The river smashes the sun's rays into thousands of pieces of gold.It was nearly noon.Ms. Mei leaned on the high back of the wicker chair, gradually feeling her eyelids heavy.Although the scenery in front of her is very meaningful, she is a little bored now: there are always such high barren hills standing on the left and right, always such tortuous and fast-moving rivers, always so mysterious. But it's a reenactment itinerary!And there was always the sound of a whistle that was both triumphant and whining! She slumped on the chair, letting her sleepiness digest those monotonous hours.There was no past to disturb her equanimity, no new vision to excite her. The waiter has come to invite her to lunch.She asked and found out that she could only arrive in Yichang at around 3:00 p.m., and she felt that the Longmao fast boat was really just a slow boat.She looked forward to leaving Kuimen immediately.The closer the time is to Sichuan, the more impatient she feels; she feels that everything that belongs to Sichuan is narrow and tortuous, just like the current river. After lunch, Ms. Mei hid in her room and went to sleep while Mrs. Wen was still talking.She had long seen that the well-known "master" of the suffragette movement was not very interesting, and now she found it repulsive.I hate her vulgar demeanor, I hate her eyes that are only an inch and a half long, I hate her appearance that looks noble but actually vulgar, I hate her extremely chaotic feminist thoughts. Half-consciously comparing herself with her companions, Ms. Mei suddenly remembered the problems she would face after she came to Shanghai; she asked herself in her heart: "We are representatives, but what do we represent together? How can we accomplish our common mission?" She couldn't help laughing.She admitted that she just used the name of attending the National Student Union to avoid the entanglement of the short general. She knew that if she didn't get away, she would inevitably be forced to become a member of the "Efang Palace"; as for whether the companion, Mrs. Wen, had any personal goals , she is naturally more unwilling to infer. Drowsiness is fleeing.From Mrs. Wen, Ms. Mei thought of other acquaintances.Ms. Xu, a good friend from middle school until two years ago when she was a teacher in southern Sichuan, suddenly jumped out and became the center of Ms. Mei's memories. "She's in Nanjing!" Ms. Mei thought excitedly.So many incoherent memories and gratitude came one after another, and finally pulled Ms. Mei out of the couch. The rumbling sound also came from the deck.The footsteps outside the window were very dense.Mrs. Wen poked her head halfway through the window and shouted happily: "Don't you want to see Kuimen? It's almost there!" Ms. Mei responded with a smile.The vigor of the people outside made her feel hot; she changed into a gauze shirt, wiped her face with a towel, and ran briskly into the corridor. It is still the high cliffs on both sides of the strait, but it is not as steep as before, and it is slightly in the shape of a pit.Behind the high cliffs are piles of higher peaks like screens, which are now shining golden yellow in the sun.The wind just fanned gently, as if he hadn't woken up from a nap. The boat seemed to be moving slower, and the water hissed evenly.The siren yelled loudly from time to time, like the majestic shouts of old officials when they came out. There are many people around the iron railing, including Mrs. Wen, all looking forward.Ms. Mei stood in the aisle, clasped her hands behind her head, and shook her shoulders gracefully; the short sleeves were removed to her shoulders, revealing two white arms forming an equal pair on both sides of her head triangle.Many eyes were attracted.Mei Nugan bit her lips and smiled, showing the air of no one else around.Then, her long eyebrows suddenly raised, and she jumped forward and ran forward, passed through the group of several passengers, and reached the side of the captain's cabin. About ten feet away from the bow of the ship, two facing stone walls rise up, square and straight as if cut by a knife.There are no trees, no vines, and no fern-like grasses, just black and gloomy-looking large rocks, standing upright like a door frame without a roof.Connecting the strange rocky cliffs are tall, wavy mountains.The river water churned up and threw waves, scrambling to get to the door of the cliff first, rushing against the foot of the cliff. The whistle on the ship was another deafening long blast, and the ship sailed into Shimen.Ms. Mei looked up.The strong sunlight dazzled her.She felt that the high rocky cliff that was retreating rapidly seemed to be about to collapse.Instinctively closing her eyes, she saw a red light and then endless darkness. Ms. Mei lowered her head and put it in her hands, thinking to herself: "Ah, this is Kuimen, this is the gate of Sichuan, and this is the gate of hell that separates Sichuan from the rest of the world!" The sudden feeling of gratitude temporarily confused Ms. Mei.It wasn't until the ship's siren woke her up again that she raised her head and suddenly felt her eyes light up.The mighty river unfolded in front of her, and the bank could not be seen.Only in the distance are some gray cloud-like things spread out at the junction of water and sky.As if a layer of restraint had been lifted from her chest, Ms. Mei smiled and raised her arms and took a breath.She praises this great nature!Only then did she realize the galloping might of the Yangtze River. She looked back to the right.The stone wall of Kuimen is still faintly visible.Now it is only a gap between the peaks of the Wanshan Mountains; inside the gap is a mysterious darkness. "From then on, we can no longer see good scenery; the Yangtze River beyond the border of Sichuan is nothing special! Kuimen is the natural boundary." Mrs. Wen's voice came from the left.Ms. Mei turned her face away, and saw Mrs. Wen coming over, moving her little feet with great difficulty and frantically, with her head tilted.Ms. Mei pursed her lips and smiled, then continued softly: "From then on, I left the winding, narrow, dangerous and mysterious road, and entered the vast, empty and free world!"