Chapter 23 House overlooking the Purple Mountain

It is said that Zijin Mountain is so royal that when the sunset shines on the mountain, it is particularly beautiful, and the purple haze covering the whole mountain is like the gold that King Chu Wei buried in the ground for the sake of the country more than 2,000 years ago. It's like the auspiciousness that emanates.In autumn, the purple air looks even more beautiful.From the top of the mountain to Xuanwu Lake, an upright ridge line is formed, which is indescribably beautiful. When Taiming was tired of learning Beijing dialect, he would gaze at the beauty of the Purple Mountain from the window on the second floor of the Zeng mansion, and he would often be fascinated by it.Comparing it with the precipitous mountain postures that are common in Taiwan, it still has an upright posture that can only be seen in the mountains of the mainland.

The Zeng family lives on the third floor, and they don't come down except for meal time, so the second floor is often empty.The Beijing language teacher came to teach Taiming for an hour every day, and when he returned, there was hardly even a sign of him.In such tranquility, Taiming faced the mountain face of Jinshan, his thoughts fluctuated, and various thoughts continued to surge. Taiming has been living in Zeng's mansion for nearly a month, and because I don't understand the language, he seldom goes out.Zeng tried so hard to persuade Tai Ming to come to the mainland, and even found him a job as a teacher, but he was extremely afraid that the Taiwan origin of the two of them would be known.Therefore, when Taiming landed from Shanghai, he repeatedly reminded Taiming to pay attention.

'We will not be credited wherever we go, like fateful freaks.It is not fair that we should be treated this way when we have no sin in ourselves.But this is helpless.We don't want to have the stepchildren's roots of being excluded. We don't want to use words, but to prove with practical actions that we will not fall behind with the enthusiasm of sacrificing for the construction of China. ' He illustrated this complex position.When Taiming himself was studying in Japan, he was unexpectedly humiliated by honestly claiming to be a Taiwanese at the meeting of the Chinese Students Association for Students Studying in Japan. Because he had this experience himself, he really understood Zeng's feelings.But because it is "Sweet Potato Boy" (another name for Taiwanese), why must it endure such humiliation?Thinking of this, Taiming became gloomy.

However, despite this, living in the Zeng mansion every day is like being under house arrest, and he feels unbearable.At least you have to take a walk in the streets to get in touch with the fresh Chinese atmosphere.Like the current state, he doesn't know when he will be able to speak Beijing dialect. He hopes to be able to stand on the podium one day sooner.But Zeng said to him: "Hu Jun, the road to building China is long, so don't rush it."Look at the Yangtze River, which is long and long, but actually flows very fast. We must also have the style of this big river. Zeng's attitude was calm, but Taiming felt uneasy that his initial enthusiasm for China was about to lose in this waste of time.

He had nothing to do, thinking of the few days he had spent in Shanghai after the ship landed.Shanghai presented a vivid and realistic Chinese style, which made him feel that his preliminary knowledge of China was shallow and outdated.Especially the modern atmosphere of Western Europe in the French Concession area completely overwhelmed him who grew up in the countryside.The young women seen on the street, from their fashions, contain the cultural traditions that have been tempered for five thousand years, and it exudes an elegant fragrance. He took a bus in the Concession, and there were only three female students sitting on the upper deck of the bus, each of whom was holding a foreign magazine or book with a beautiful cover.A colleague once explained: "This is a popular trend among female students in Shanghai. Holding a book in hand is the only pride." 'He thought it was a remnant of the feudal ideology that scholars were proud of, but their sophisticated tastes caught his attention.The beautiful Shanghai shoes, socks, and handbags, from tops to bottoms, are all in a uniform color that suits you.They reveal the so-called golden mean of Confucianism, do not go to extremes, do not swallow up European and American cultures, and preserve their own traditions to reveal the rationality of Chinese women.Taiming looked at those female students attractedly and did not look away for a long time.The skin is delicate, the texture is delicate, and the flexible eyes make him look fascinated.One can't help but feel that they are higher than Taiming's society, like noble ladies.The poetic taste of Chinese literature is represented by women, and it is naturally revealed by the past history cultivated by Confucianism.These classical elegance make people feel living in modern civilization.He tried his best to hear what they were talking about, but no one was babbling, and the voices he heard occasionally were in extremely slow tones, and he was too clear to understand their language, but he could feel the style of their cautious words.Apparently, the rude conversation of Taiwanese women has a refined charm.He listened intently, hoping to hear a word they said, but he couldn't understand a word.Until now, he thinks that Taiwanese dialect has Hokkien dialect and Hakka dialect, both of which belong to Chinese dialect. Since he knows Hakka dialect and Hokkien dialect, it is easy to learn the language in mainland China, but it is too simple to think. Knowing that what I know is useless, I regret not learning Beijing Mandarin first.

Taiming followed him and had been sightseeing in Shanghai for a few days.Cultural construction is of course included in the visit, Liuguo restaurants, alleys, and even the flooded corners of the streets where pheasants (laughing women) are strolling. In Shanghai, Chinese, Europeans, Americans, and Japanese live in a mixture of people, forming an unharmonious harmony.He also wandered into the Common Concession, where monstrous high-rise buildings of money power that obliterate human nature towered over the scenery, and between the buildings, a torrent of people and cars ran wildly.The magnificence of the torrent, crossing the street from one side of the road to the other side is like risking your life.He made up his mind before crossing the road and jumping into the opposite Xianshi Company.And there is the crucible of all human desires.The artificial enjoyment atmosphere makes people feel like they will have a headache after being in it for a while.Taiming went up to the roof floor in search of fresh air, there were young men and women in the dim light, they whispered quietly, the sharp-eyed prostitutes were running around looking for clients, and some people pulled them in front of Taiming. The guest disappeared.Yong'an Company and Dashijie are also like Xianshi Company. These places only paralyze people's souls, and there is nothing that can calm people's souls.

Taiming returned to the dormitory as if fleeing.But on the second day, he walked out of the hotel again to see the city in action.He has seen all kinds of people, there are tall Westerners with pipes in their mouths, or Japanese who think they are smart without knowing Li Baizhi's dream, girls who worship Westerners, beggars, sick people on the road, etc. Sikhs who have been completely castrated are standing in armed postures with pistols in their waists in front of banks, companies, and factories.They now have no other way of living than to serve as faithful watchdogs to make ends meet.However, although the Sikhs are gentle, the black light steel killing weapon they hold - the pistol - is too unfamiliar, and they feel very scary.

When he finally left for Nanjing, Taiming didn't feel any reluctance to leave Shanghai, but wanted to leave that giant city earlier. The scenery reflected in the window of the train from Shanghai to Nanjing only saw a desolation. When the car passed Suzhou, Taiming still had no special emotion.It's just that Zhang Ji's poem "Hanshan Temple" flashed across his mind.When the train started, a woman appeared in front of his eyes like a flower.It was a young female passenger who got on the bus from Suzhou, probably a student still studying.However, that gorgeous demeanor attracted Taiming immediately.

'This is a typical Suzhou beauty! Thinking of this, Taiming felt strange that his heart had no response to the scenery, but he was immediately attracted to a young woman.When the train arrived in Nanking, she had to unload her luggage from the shelves, and she did so standing on the velvet seat with her shoes on.So there are two small but lovely traces of Shanghai left on the seat.Her act of acting like no one else has no sense of public morality, but because of the small shoe marks, she has a sense of cuteness, which is unbearable to blame.It was nothing more than this kind of thing, but the events of that time were always vividly engraved in Taiming's mind.

Taiming read Beijing dialect diligently when he woke up in the morning, and also read Beijing dialect when he went to bed at night.His hard work was not in vain, and his Beijing dialect improved unknowingly.He has an urge to actually practice the conversation every day, but without a partner at home, he has to take to the streets.At first, I only walked around the pole, and gradually I went to a farther place. One evening, Zeng suddenly said to Taiming in Beijing dialect: "Let's go outside for a walk!" The two of them walked on the shadow of the moon, and the distance from the alley of Zeng Mansion to the street was quite long.Looking at the moon on Zijin Mountain, I once said: "After I came to Nanjing, I seldom walked and forgot the fun of walking."Walking with you tonight, I deeply appreciate the preciousness of nature. After walking out of the street, Zeng called a taxi immediately, and the rickshaw drove the two towards the Confucius Temple. The car stopped in front of the restaurant in Longmen, and the two went in.He has frequently told him news about the tense international situation.He felt a deep kinship with Zeng.Taiming talked freely after drinking, his melancholy mood disappeared and he became happy.Zeng also showed extraordinary kindness to Taiming.When I walked out of the restaurant, the moon in the south of the Yangtze River was hanging above my head.The two chose a quiet alleyway to walk, and when they reached the corner of Kangkang Road, a beggar came out of the darkness begging for money.He fumbled in his pocket, and happened to have no change in his pocket. He wanted to tell Zeng, but he was too embarrassed to say so.Zeng kept walking as if he didn't hear the beggar's begging for money.The beggar cried out in a mournful voice: "Master, sir!", and followed them for ten or twenty meters. Perhaps the beggar saw that they had no intention of giving alms, so he begged louder and intermittently, and followed them again. They were more than fifty meters away. Taiming couldn't stand the beggar's voice. He fumbled in his pocket again, but still couldn't find any change. There were a few ten-yuan bills, but his current income was not fixed, so he couldn't give a big bill. Why didn't Zeng give any money? What? He wondered, and at the same time felt embarrassed by his own contradictions. The beggar finally thought, and uttered a lament, almost tearful pleading, and the mournful cry sounded sad in the dark.

Taiming thought about whether to give a ten-yuan bill, and hesitated again.The beggar could feel Taiming's patrolling appearance, he followed more stubbornly, and his wailing became louder. 'There is no way, give this up! ' Taiming grabbed a ten-yuan bill from his pocket. 'Nasty guy, here, take it! Zeng made a sound at this time and gave the beggar money.The beggar said: "Thank you!" Exaggerated thanks, and he no longer followed them. Seeing what he had done, Taiming felt a little uneasy. Why didn't he give it earlier? Turning a blind eye, Taiming couldn't understand Zeng's nerves. However, this may be a common thing in China. He thought this way, and the alcoholism has completely disappeared. That night, he couldn't sleep for a long time, thinking about all kinds of things, his thoughts were ups and downs.Thinking about what I saw in Shanghai, what happened in Taiwan, what happened in Japan... the time, place, and people are all confused.It wasn't long before I finally fell asleep. There are three kinds of tears in life: tears of poverty, tears of sickness and suffering, tears of gifted men and beautiful women who cannot meet｜but which kind of tears is the deepest? As he was thinking like this, he fell asleep unknowingly, and it was dawn when he woke up. One of the most difficult things for Taiming to accept in his life in Zeng Mansion was to eat porridge every morning.He has never liked to eat porridge.But as a diner in someone else's house, you can't be picky.In the morning, they had to eat porridge. What was unbearable was that everyone in the Zeng family ate only one bowl of porridge.However, even if Taiming ate three or four rice bowls, he was very hungry before noon.When the people in Zeng's family finished eating, no matter how fast he ate, he could only eat two bowls, so he had to finish three bowls of porridge before everyone finished eating, which required a lot of effort. When Xin Shui drank the hot porridge that would burn his tongue, he deeply tasted the useless life of diners. In order to get rid of this useless life as soon as possible, he must have his own home as soon as possible. Unknowingly, the autumn in the south of the Yangtze River is deep, and it's time for the red leaves of the Arctic Pavilion to fall.People in Nanjing are preparing for the winter.In the lanes with few pedestrians, women can be seen everywhere sewing quilt covers while basking in the sun.Taiming also made a cotton robe.He wore a newly made long padded robe, and felt the trouble of wearing a suit.The robe has the advantage of its inconspicuous appearance, it is loose and unrestricted on the body, and it is free.With a coat like this, you can wear anything underneath.You can wear a few layers underneath when it's cold.It can also save the trouble of shirt collar and tie.Sometimes I lie with my clothes for a while without wrinkling.Really good attire and he became an instant fan of robes.It was as if his mood had changed in his robes.Wearing a robe and going out on the street, no longer were people looking at him intently like before, and he began to feel that he was a member of the same society as them.And his Beijing dialect can come in handy.He hoped to take up the teaching position earlier, but Zeng took it easy and ignored Taiming's impatience.He sometimes took Taiming to the Confucius Temple, but the number of times he went, Taiming lost his energy.Since Taiming had an urge to concentrate on going out and doing activities, even if he had time, he was not in the mood to go to the movies or listen to the theater. There was catkin-like snow floating in the sky.The second floor of the Zeng Mansion was deserted and empty without a stove.He got under the covers to keep out the cold and read, but his heart was still not calm.People in my hometown must be talking about him...Especially Ah San or Ah Si must use him to show off, it must be very proud to brag about him in the village...He thought so, fidgeting.It has been snowing for days, and he can't read a book in a closed room, which makes him restless.Looking at Zijin Mountain from the second floor, the whole mountain is covered with snow, and as far as the eye can see, there is a vast expanse of white silver light.In the afternoon of this day, a young gentleman with a large suitcase came suddenly. He was also a Hakka. He was a graduate of Fudan University. He spoke fluent English and knew a little bit of Japanese.It is said that they moved here because they wanted to entrust someone with a relationship to work in the Propaganda Department of the National Government.This young man is very cautious, he locks the door every time he leaves the room.Clearly shows the habits of the Chinese people.Because living with Taiming on the second floor made him feel no longer as lonely as before.The young man named Lai is an overseas Chinese in Nanyang. It is said that his father donated a huge amount of sports expenses to the revolutionary movement.He is a very big and natural person, he often laughs, and there is a kind of childishness in that laugh.Lai liked to talk and play, so he and Taiming got acquainted very quickly.That night, when he was eating, he immediately pestered Mrs. Zeng to bring him a drink. That rash behavior made Taiming speechless.Lai Tao talked a lot, but he didn't talk about the meaning. He talked about playing mahjong, watching operas, dancing, etc., which were all things he didn't understand. The next day, Lai said to Taiming: "Mr. Hu, you don't have to worry. Only by playing when you are free can you understand the society."Just politics cannot be practiced without social knowledge.You can't dance or play mahjong, so there's nothing to say, being a teacher is a very suitable personality. 'He mocked Taiming like this. But what he said was naive, and Taiming didn't feel any guilt when he heard it.This afternoon, the two met to go to the bathhouse to take a bath.As soon as I walked into the dressing room with dirty curtains, I immediately felt very warm, and there were several stoves burning in the room.Several bathers were comfortably asleep in the big easy chairs.Taiming sat down on a chair near the fireplace, feeling like spring when his cold body was warmed up by the snow.Lai raised his feet swaggeringly, and asked the waiter to take off his shoes and socks, even his clothes and shorts for him, looking like a gentleman.Then the waiter wanted to serve Taiming, but he didn't like it, so he quickly took off his clothes, wrapped himself in a big towel and went into the bathroom.The steaming bath is divided into three pools, and he soaked in the warmest bath without moving.Soon the waiter came and asked him to lie down on the long wooden board beside the bath, and the waiter carefully wiped off the dirt from head to toe with a thick towel.His skin, which had shrunk from the cold, was restored to its original shape after being soaked in hot water, and then the waiter rubbed it lightly and gently with a towel, which made him feel itchy and a little painful.After taking a shower, he went back to the chair in the locker room and sat down. The waiter came to beat his legs.Lai still had a dignified air, watching pornographic news while being beaten on his leg, so Lai fell asleep as if he had been hypnotized.Taiming fell asleep unknowingly with the rhythm of the massage, and had already forgotten everything.The bitterness of the process of learning Beijing dialect, the beggars he saw wandering the streets, the world of pheasants, the animals destroying the park, the playboys who only knew the number of cannon... At this time, no matter how many rude people or watchdogs there were, he would It didn't matter, he felt as comfortable as a prince, and he finally fell asleep lying in a corner of the bathroom.It was dark when I woke up from the dream.Lai frequently proposed to go to dinner, play cards (mahjong) or listen to an opera, but he was not confused and said that he would go back to the Zeng mansion. Lai had no choice but to go back together.On his way home, Lai uncharacteristically talked about his childish theory of freedom and equality to Taiming.Taiming only wanted to keep his ears quiet about those naive comments, and didn't listen to them much at all, but he felt the strange charm of Chinese-style bathhouses, and he couldn't help feeling a little contradictory.When he was taken to the bathhouse at first, he only felt that it was unclean and disliked it, but now he has completely immersed himself in the atmosphere of the Chinese bathhouse. 'Are Chinese bathhouses as addictive as opium? ’ He thought of the strange assimilation effect of Chinese society that unconsciously paralyzes the senses or nerves of outsiders. Since Lai's arrival, Zeng's mansion has suddenly become lively.After Zeng got off work, he returned to the mansion and stopped going out to play.Lai finds someone to play mahjong every night, especially Mrs. Zeng who likes to play mahjong very much.When the number of people is not enough, pull Taiming to make up for the mahjong table.Taiming felt bored playing mahjong, but as a diner it was inconvenient to refuse.Playing mahjong is not as difficult as learning Beijing dialect. After listening to some explanations, you will be able to master it.This may be because when he was a child, he often watched the opium barrel or Ah San and Ah Si playing four-color cards for gambling.He felt that mahjong was easier to understand than four-color tiles, and in less than ten days, Taiming was already as proficient at tiles as Mrs. Zeng.However, every night, it takes time until midnight for this entertainment.Usually it will end after hitting the 'first ring', unless the interest is very high, it will not hit the 'second ring'.But if you ever lose a card, you must hit the 'second ring' and 'third ring'.If you hit the 'Second Ring', it will not end until 1:00 or 2:00 in the middle of the night.No matter how interesting it was, until two o'clock in the night, Taiming felt very tired, wondering why he had to deal with it like this. One night, during a mahjong game, Zeng's baby probably caught a cold, sneezed and cried. The mother hired to take care of the baby walked carefully to Mrs. Zeng with the baby in her arms: "Ma'am!The son seems to be hungry. ' she said urging the baby to be fed. 'Okay, feed him milk! Without looking back, Mrs. Zeng said that she was concentrating on making a set of 'all-in-one' cards, because there were four pairs of cards and two cards of the same kind in front of her, and she was very happy to think that it would be all-in-one.If this last Beifeng circle is all in one color, she is thinking in her heart that not only can she win back the money she lost earlier, but she can even win two thousand more.The baby was crying loudly in the next room, but the mother couldn't soothe the baby, and the baby was still crying, so she came over and said, "Mrs.The son seems to have a fever! Mrs. Zeng acted as if she didn't hear it. She hoped for a "drum", and her eyes were focused on the number of "drum" cards on the table. She was very happy to see that there was only one card. She handed There are already two cards in the book, and the other one is not a pair. Someone will definitely type it out. She is very happy when she thinks so. Grandma said again in an anxious tone: "Young master has a fever, madam!" "Okay, Put him to sleep!' She replied, anxiously waiting for someone to play one or three cartridges. But Zeng waited for the whiteboard, if the whiteboard came, it would be "big three yuan", he stretched his neck and waited. Taiming saw But I went over and said: "Mrs. Zeng! The child is not feeling well, how about taking a break?" But Mrs. Zeng still looked down at her cards and did not answer. The baby in the next room was crying more intensely. Grandma had no choice but to go back to the next room. Then For a short time, no one spoke, only the cry of the baby was heard. Everyone was engrossed in watching the cards played on the table, and anticipating what cards others would play next while rehearsing their strategies. Especially Zeng had put the 'two yuan' on the table, so everyone was careful to play the cards lest he become a 'big three yuan'. Then it was Zeng's turn to play cards, and everyone watched him with bated breath. Zhang Santong, ah, Mrs. Zeng couldn't help shouting happily, she was waiting for Sanliujiu. Lai stood up suddenly: "Who can play cards like this?" Zeng made a mistake, and he should have played the card 'one bird'. The penalty for making a mistake was that Zeng had to pay all the money he lost, so he lost 13,000 dice. Zeng held the junior Yuan's card is very regrettable. Lai thinks that pointing out Zeng's mistake is meritorious. At that time, everyone was vying to talk, and once proposed to play another ring. Neither Lai nor Taiming had any intention of playing again. The baby in the next room was probably tired of crying. He was too young, but the grandma ran over in a panic and said, "The child seems to be very sick..." Zeng didn't seem to care, and frequently messed up the mahjong tiles and rearranged them. Mrs. Zeng seemed to be shocked at this time. Yes, ran to the next room, looked at her back and said loudly: "Don't slow down, come back quickly!" But she didn't answer. Taiming couldn't stand it even more: "The child seems to be unwell, It's getting late, let's call tomorrow night!' He followed Zeng's personality and persuaded him politely. Zeng said 'hmm' and went to the next room, but came back immediately: "Hu Jun, you Can you call Changchun Hospital on Taiping Road for me? Ask the doctor to come!' He said with a worried expression on his face. But it was already past one o'clock, and the phone was still unavailable. When he finally got through, the doctor came home , It was already half past two. According to the doctor's diagnosis, it was acute pneumonia, and the fever reached 39 degrees five minutes. Parents must be careful and take care of him. Taiming couldn't help feeling sad, thinking that playing mahjong was as addictive as smoking opium. The first month is here.The children in Nanjing use two small sticks to tie the ends of strings, and skillfully pull the "diabolo" to play. The children wear thick cotton clothes, and in the cold air, their mouths and noses exhale white breath. Listen to the pulling of the diabolo. Buzzing and happy. During the first month, the children in Zeng Mansion were also having fun. Taiming had no interest in celebrating the New Year, but was relieved to be able to go to school to teach after the first month. His mood, which had been as cold as winter until now, became brighter. Lai was still enjoying himself leisurely, not in a hurry, and always embraced the principle of waiting for officials. One day he explained a big truth to Taiming: "The principle of waiting for officials has not changed from ancient times to the present. Because foreign students are full of energy, they are anxious when they return home." I want to find a job. But what is the use of being anxious? Not only is it useless, but I think it is harmful. "Rome was not built in a day", you are eager to seek good things, but if others do not work together, it will have no effect. How many times have you left the country? I just came back in 2009, and I don’t know much about domestic affairs, and I haven’t been able to use the language very well. Even if I successfully find a job, I may not be able to do it happily. So it’s better to wait a year or two with the principle of waiting for the official. It seems that It seems to be at a disadvantage, but in fact it is not necessarily so. It is not uncommon to encounter an unexpected good opportunity while waiting. This is Lai's opinion. But Taiming doesn't take his opportunism and planning seriously. .For example, he often said "being an official to get rich" and so on. In his concept, he only regards being an official as a means of making money. He has neither ideas nor ideals. But he is very familiar with the affairs of the officialdom. He said: "Mr. Hu! You don't have to worry. If I was the head of the income tax department for one year, it would be enough to support you for a lifetime." He also said: "Chinese officials are not staged. It’s interesting to become a high-ranking official in a sudden change. So I think the first is to rely on opportunities, and the second is to rely on opportunities. As long as you find a strong and good leader, your status will not be a problem. It’s okay to be the governor for ten years. In short, being the finance minister is the best, followed by the mayor of Shanghai. You don’t understand this kind of thing.” He said these things with a very proud expression.