Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen
Manzhen was admitted to the hospital because of dystocia.Zhu's family originally invited an obstetrician to deliver the birth. It was a female doctor they knew well. She often played cards with Man Lu. The female doctor was also a top-notch person. She has seen a lot, and she is not surprised at all, so Manlu thinks she can be trusted.Her medical skills are not very good, but she encountered dystocia again.She advocated sending her to the hospital, but Zhu's family stayed close by, worried about letting Manzhen walk out of the gate, and only at the last moment did they rush her to a hospital by car.It was Manlu who accompanied her. Of course, Manlu wanted to live in the first-class ward and isolate her from the outside world as much as possible, but it happened that the first- and second-class wards were full, and she was afraid of delaying the time when she changed to another hospital. Lived in a third-class ward.
Manzhen had already fallen into a coma when she left Zhu's house, but the car door slammed shut, the car slowly drove out, and the big iron gate of the garden was also opened, and she suddenly felt clear.She finally came out.To die is to die outside.She hated that house and would never go back out this time, except in a nightmare.She knew she would dream of it.No matter how old she lived, she could never forget the magic house and garden, and she would return there again and again in her horrible dreams.
She gave birth to a five-pound boy in the hospital, and she didn't think he would live.The night shift nurse brought the baby to feed her, and she looked at his red face under the dim yellow light.When the child was not born, she hated him more than anything else, even though she knew the child was innocent.Even now, with the child here, in her arms, she still felt a slight shudder of disgust in amazement.Who does he look like?In fact, this newborn baby does not look like anyone, just like a red skinned kitten, but Manzhen seems to find some suspicious points on his face, which makes her suspect that he is a bit like Zhu Hongcai. —In any case, it's not like her, not at all.It is also said that when the child is in the womb, if the mother often misses someone, the child will look like that person in the future. ——Does it look like Shijun?I really can't see it.
Thinking of Shijun, she immediately felt confused.When Zhu's family lived in captivity, she was eager to meet him, and when she met, she would tell him everything, and only he could comfort her.She never seemed to think that she already had a child with someone else, would he treat her a little differently?That's normal, right?But she idealized him, and she believed that he only loved her more because of all the hardships she had suffered.Fortunately, she had such an absolutely reliable person in her pain, and she could always think of him in her mind, and that was her only comfort.But now, she was about to regain her freedom, and she might be able to meet him soon, so she was worried again.If he is in Shanghai and happens to visit a friend in this hospital, and sees her when he walks through this room—that’s great, he can rescue her right away, but—if he happens to see this nursing baby cuddling How did he feel by her side?It's really embarrassing to think about him.
She looked at the baby, who was just sucking on the milk with all his heart, as if he wanted to drink her whole.
She has to try to get out of this hospital as soon as possible, maybe tomorrow, but she can't take the baby with her.She herself has a bright future, and she doesn't know what will happen after she goes out.Don't worry about throwing the child to her sister, her sister will not treat him badly, didn't she always want a son?But the boy was too thin.She believed he would die.
Suddenly she leaned down and kissed him affectionately.She felt that their mother and son met in a hurry on the frontier of life and death, and they were about to separate, but for the time being, they were the closest people in the world.
When the nurse came to take the baby away, she asked the nurse for a glass of water.She had already said this when she came to measure the temperature last time, and she said it again now, but she never brought it.She was really thirsty, so she had to yell loudly: "Miss Zheng! Miss Zheng!" But it woke up a pregnant woman on the next bed, and she heard the man coughing.
There is a white cloth screen between their two beds.They once talked through the screen, and the woman asked Manzhen if it was her first child, whether it was a boy or a girl.She herself gave birth to a boy, on the same day as Manzhen's child, with a difference of less than an hour.The woman's voice sounds very young, but she is already a mother of four children. Her husband's surname is Cai, and her name is Jin Fang.That night Manzhen heard her coughing, and said: "Ms. Cai, did you wake you up?" Cai Jinfang said: "It's okay. The nurses here are broken, and begging them to do something is like a beggar." Miss "Miss" yelled loudly. I really hate it. Thinking about it, I can't bear the anger of my parents-in-law, so I came here to be angry with them!"
Cai Jinfang turned over and said again: "Mrs. Zhu, your sister-in-law didn't come to see you today?" When they sent her to the hospital, they probably registered her as Mrs. Zhu Hongcai.A few days ago, Manlu came to visit every day. Everyone in the hospital knew that her surname was also Zhu, and they regarded her as a member of Manzhen's in-laws.
Seeing that Manzhen couldn't answer, Jin Fang asked again: "Is it your sister-in-law?" Manzhen could only vaguely agree.Jin Fang said again: "Is your husband not in Shanghai?" Manzhen said "Oh" again, but felt very sad in her heart.
It was late at night, except for the two of them, everyone in the room was fast asleep.Outside the window is the dark sky, with a white cross embedded with white lacquered window lattices.Under the dim light, Manzhen told Cai Jinfang everything about her experiences.She and Jin Fang have never met each other until now, but she intuitively feels that he is a warm-hearted person, and she really needs help.Originally, I wanted to tell the doctors here as soon as I had a chance, that she asked to be discharged early without waiting for her family to pick her up.Or tell the nurses to tell them to pass it on, it's the same, but the doctors and nurses here obviously don't take the patients in the third-class ward seriously, who cares about your family disputes.
And her things are so bizarre, can people believe her?In case Man Lu insisted that she was mentally ill, and took advantage of her body not recovering and had no strength to struggle, she was forced to carry her back. Although there were many people in the hospital, who had the time to take care of these nosy matters.She does look a bit like a mental patient when she looks at herself, her hair grows very long and is draped over her shoulders in a mess. There is no mirror here, so she can't see her face, but she can see that her hands have become so pale now, and her wrists are so pale. As thin as a stick, a snail bone stood up high.
As long as her feet were a little strong and she could stand on the ground, she would sneak out by herself, but now she felt dizzy even when she sat up, and she only hated her body for not being able to live up to it.She discussed with Jin Fang, and wanted to ask Jin Fang's husband to send a letter to her family, asking her mother to pick her up right away. In fact, she also felt that this method was not the best way. She didn't know what her mother's attitude was, and she probably had She was bought by her sister, otherwise why didn't she try to rescue her after losing her freedom for almost a year?This is what she feels most distressed, she never imagined that her mother would treat her like this.On the contrary, it is not as good as a stranger like Cai Jinfang.
Jin Fang was very angry, saying that her sister and husband were not human, and said: "Drag them to the police station!" Manzhen hurriedly said: "Be gentle!" Jin Fang fell silent, listening to the other patients. Still sleeping soundlessly, in the huge room, only the bamboo needles of the nurse sitting at the door knitting could be heard occasionally making a slight "click--" sound.
Manzhen whispered: "I don't want to go to court with them. I don't have any confidence in the current law. In a lawsuit, the person who can afford them will always win." Jin Fang said: "You That's not bad at all. I was so angry just now. In fact, those of us who do small businesses have not suffered enough from the police arrest? I don't know what else--what's the use of dragging them to the patrol room? It's not whoever has the money who is the murderer! We will never sue them, at most ask them to take out some money to calculate compensation for the loss."
Manzhen said: "I don't want their money." After hearing this, Jin Fang seemed to have a little more respect for her, and said: "Then you go out quickly, my family Lin is born tomorrow, and ask him to accompany you If you go out together, you will be considered me, and he will be here to pick me up. If you can’t walk, ask him to help you.” Manzhen hesitated for a moment, and said: “That’s good, but in case someone finds out, Don't want to trouble you?" Jin Fang laughed and said, "It's just in time for them to come looking for me, and I just happened to slap them twice." Hearing what she said, Manzhen couldn't say a word, My heart is overflowing with gratitude.Jin Fang said again: "It's just that you have only been born for a few days, so don't cause trouble by walking around like this." Manzhen said: "I don't think it's important. I can't take care of this much anymore."
The two discussed again carefully.Their voices are too soft, and they cannot be heard clearly when their heads are on the pillow, so they always need to hang their heads in the air, which is very difficult.Talk and stop, and see that the sky is already twilight.
The next afternoon, when it was time for family members to visit, Manzhen anxiously hoped that Jin Fang's husband would come soon, but before he came, Manlu and Hongcai came together.This was the first time for Hongcai to come to the hospital, and he hadn't shown up before.He held a handful of flowers in his hand, showing a very embarrassed look.Manlu was carrying a food basket, and she brought it every day with stewed chicken soup.Manzhen closed her eyes as soon as she saw them.Man Lu gently called "Second Sister" with a smile.Manzhen didn't answer.Standing there, Hongcai felt very uncomfortable, so he had to look around, frowned and said to Manzhen: "This room is really bad, how can I live in it?" Manlu said: "Yes, it's really annoying. The better wards are all full. I told them that as soon as the first- and second-class rooms become available, they will be moved there." With a bouquet of flowers in his hand and no place to put them, Hongcai said, "Call the nurse. Bring a vase." Man Lu laughed and said, "Tell her to bring the baby to you to see. You haven't seen it yet." Then she was busy looking for a nurse.
After a while of confusion, the child was brought over.Hongcai had a middle-aged son, and when he saw this child, he simply didn't know how to love him.The couple played with the child, and the child croaked and cried, and Manlu made all kinds of strange sounds to coax him.Manzhen always closed his eyes and ignored them.Then I heard Hongcai ask Manlu: "Is the nanny who came yesterday okay?" Opening her eyes, she said weakly: "I want to sleep for a while, you guys should go back." Man Lu was stunned for a while, and then softly said to Hongcai: "Second sister thinks it's noisy. You go first." Hongcai turned and left dejectedly, but Manlu caught up with him again, pinned him down and asked in a low voice, "Where are you going?" Feeling relieved, but helpless, he just said: "Then call the car back to pick me up when you get there."
After Hongcai left, Manlu got up silently, just hugging the child, sitting in front of Manzhen's bed, gently shaking and patting the child.After a while Fang said: "He wanted to see you a long time ago, but he was afraid of making you angry. Two days ago, when he saw you like that and heard the doctor say it was dangerous, he was so anxious that he couldn't even eat."
Manzhen remained silent.Manlu took out a bright red carnation from the bunch of flowers, and dangled it in front of the child's eyes, and the child's head followed it.Man Lu laughed and said: "Eh, I already know that I like red color!" The child grabbed the flower in his hand, but couldn't hold it firmly, and the flower fell on Manzhen's pillow.Manlu looked at Manzhen's face and saw that she didn't look disgusted, so she said in a low voice: "Second sister, do you hate a person for the rest of your life just because he's drunk and has no morals and done wrong things?" , sent the child to her side again, and said, "Second sister, now for the child's sake, you should forgive him."
Manzhen was feeling sore because she was about to leave her child behind, and she didn't expect to see such a side again after the last time.She did not look at the child, but silently put her arms around him, rubbing her cheek against his head.Man Lu didn't know her psychology.Watching from the side, she became happy, thinking that Manzhen had finally changed her mind, but she couldn't bear this face for a while, and couldn't turn her mouth around; at this critical moment, she had to be extra careful when speaking, so as not to offend her again.So Manlu also fell silent.
Jin Fang's husband, Cai Linsheng, has been here for a long time.Through a white cloth screen, they could be heard whispering, presumably Jin Fang had already told him all about Manzhen's story.They also listened intently to what this side said, and when this side fell silent, the other side began to talk again.Jin Fang asked him how many red eggs he had dyed, and who was entrusted to take care of the egg stand when he came here.They didn't have so much to talk about, Linsheng should have left long ago, but because he wanted to take Manzhen with him, he had to wait.Sitting there without speaking all the time seemed strange, so I had to think of something to say intermittently.Probably the couple had never had such a long talk before, and it was very difficult.Lin Sheng said that his older sister was helping out at the egg stand in the past two days, and her older sister also had a big belly.Jin Fang then told him how bad the nurses here are.
Man Lu just sat there and did not leave, the time for family visits was almost over.Some family members brought snacks and snacks for the parturient, and ate chestnut shells all over the floor. The family members left, and a worker in the hospital came to sweep the floor with a broom, sweeping rustlingly, and gradually came here, clearly There is a sense of expelling guests.Manzhen was very anxious.Seeing those chestnut shells, she remembered that the sugar-fried chestnuts were on the market, but it wasn't that it was deep in autumn, but the confused one had been imprisoned in Zhu's house for almost a year.She suddenly said to herself: "Maybe there are chestnut powder cakes now?" She suddenly became interested in food, and Man Lu felt more relieved, and quickly smiled: "You want to eat, I will give it to you if you want to eat it." You buy it." Manzhen said: "Maybe it's too late?" Manlu looked at her watch and said, "Then I'll go." But Manzhen became indifferent again, and said lazily: "Just for running, there is no need Already." Man Lu said: "It's rare that you want to eat something, but you still don't eat a little, because you eat too little, so your recovery is slow." Saying that, she has put on her coat and sent the child to the nurse , and left in a hurry.
Manzhen estimated that she had gone far away, and was waiting to knock on the screen, but Linsheng had already come here to hide with a roll of clothes.It's Jin Fang's plaid cheongsam, a woolen scarf and a pair of green cloth strappy shoes.He gave Manzhen his hands, and left without saying a word.Manzhen saw that both of his hands were bright red, presumably they were dyed with red eggs.She couldn't help smiling, and felt a little bit lost, because she and Jin Fang both had children, but her own situation was so bleak.
She hurriedly put Jin Fang's clothes on the outside, and then covered her head and face with the scarf, hiding most of her face inside. Fortunately, pregnant women are always afraid of the wind, so it doesn't look special.Dressed neatly, he was already sweating from exhaustion, standing on the ground, his feet fluttered as if they were stepping on cotton.She leaned on the wall and slipped to the screen, Lin Sheng helped her and left.She only had a quick glance at Jin Fang. Jin Fang had a long, yellow complexion, but his eyebrows and eyes were very pretty.Lin Sheng's appearance is not bad either.He helped Manzhen go outside, the nurse on duty sent Manzhen's child to the baby's room, but they hadn't come back yet, so they felt as if they were in no one's land.After going down this floor, of course no one knows them.Walking out of the gate, there were several rickshaws parked at the gate, and Manzhen got into one immediately. Linsheng asked the driver to put down the hood, saying that she was afraid of the wind, and covered the front with a rain cloth.The rickshaw pulled away, walked a long way, and crossed the bridge.It was already dark, and the eyes were full of scattered lights.Linsheng lived in a back alley in Hongkou, and the couple lived in a pavilion with several children at home.As soon as Linsheng got home, he settled Manzhen, and hurried out again to deliver letters to her home.At the same time, she asked him to make a call to Xu's house to find out if Mr. Shen Shijun was in Shanghai. If he was, she told him that a man surnamed Gu was looking for him and asked him to come here.
Linsheng left, and Manzhen was lying on their bed. The bed was very big, and there was a one-year-old child sleeping in the inner bed.On the walls with peeling plaster, various pictorials were pasted instead of floral papers. There were photos of famous ladies, photos of floods and droughts, comic strips and wedding photos. Some were colorful, some were black and white, and some were brown. As bright as a skirt.Next to the bed is a small long table, on which all daily necessities are placed, such as hot water bottles, oil bottles, mirrors, cups, plates and bowls, which are so crowded that people cannot put their hands in them.An electric light bulb was hung on the roof. Under the light, Manzhen looked at the lively small room. It was like a dream when she came here. There was still a child lying beside her, but it was not her own child.
Of the four children in the Cai family, the eldest was a six or seven-year-old girl. Before leaving, Linsheng threw some money at her and told her to buy some pancakes for dinner.The good woman in Zao Phi Jian saw Manzhen and asked him who the new guest was, and he said it was his woman's little sister, but this incident was really strange, which made people suspect that he was taking advantage of the woman's delivery in the hospital. I brought my girlfriend home.
The little girl bought soy pancakes and shared them with her younger siblings, then handed a large piece to Manzhen and put it on the edge of the table.Manzhen then asked her to pass a mirror on the table to her, took a look in the mirror, and he didn't recognize him at all, his cheekbones were raised high, his face was bloodless, even his lips were White, with large, lifeless eyes.She stared in the mirror for a long time, and combed her hair with her hands, but the more anxious she was, the more difficult it was to comb.She was very anxious, thinking that if Shi Jun was in Shanghai, he might come soon.
In fact, Shijun happened to be in Shanghai these two days, but he came to live in his uncle's house this time. He came to invite Shuhui to be his best man just to prepare for his wedding. Besides, he had a lot of things to buy.He went to find Shuhui at Yangshupu's dormitory, not at Shuhui's house, so the Xu family didn't know he was here.Linsheng called to ask, and Mrs. Xu told him that Mr. Shen was not in Shanghai.
According to the address that Manzhen gave him, Linsheng went to Manzhen's house again. A different family has already lived there. There is still a signboard at the door, and a dance school has opened.Lin Sheng went to ask the person in the alley, and the person said that the Gu family had already moved out, and it was at the end of last year.Linsheng came back and told Manzhen, and Manzhen was not surprised when he heard it.This is nothing else, it must be Manlu's plan to draw fire from the bottom.It can be seen that her mother is completely under the control of her sister. At this time, even if she finds her mother, it will be useless, or it will cause a lot of trouble instead.But what should she do now, not only has no relatives, but also penniless.Lin Sheng asked her to live here, and he himself stayed at his sister's house that night.Manzhen felt very dissatisfied.She didn't know that it is nothing for the poor to take care of each other in times of crisis. They live in perpetual ups and downs, so they can especially sympathize with those in distress, and their sympathy is not restricted by various scruples like rich people with.This was something she only realized slowly after she came here. At that time, she was only secretly glad that she happened to meet Lin Sheng and Jin Fang, a particularly loyal couple.
That night, she borrowed a pencil and a piece of paper from their eldest girl, and wanted to write a simple letter to Shijun, telling him to come quickly.She could see him as soon as she saw it, but she felt vague and uncertain about him.She remembered the reserved side of his character.Even if he completely forgives her, can he still love her as before?If he loved her desperately, they wouldn't have quarreled at all the last time they met, and the reason for the quarrel was also because he was too compromised with the family.His marriage, if his family couldn't pass it at the beginning, of course it can't be discussed now-if they knew that she had given birth to a child outside.
She held the pen in her hand, but felt at a loss in her heart.As a result, she wrote a very short letter, saying that she had been ill since the separation, and hoped that he would come to Shanghai as soon as possible after seeing the letter. She told him her current address, and said nothing else. The signature also has only one word "Zhen".She was also thinking that although Shijun had said before that no one would open his letter, what if someone else saw it.
She sent an express letter, and when the letter arrived in Nanjing, Shijun was still in Shanghai and had not returned.Although his mother is illiterate, Manzhen often wrote letters in the past. There was a time when Shijun lived in his father's small mansion, and his mother personally brought his letters to him, and she could tell that it was a woman. When I saw Manzhen later, I guessed it was her, and there was no one else.Now there is no letter for more than half a year, and suddenly there is another letter like this. When Mrs. Shen sees it, she is very uneasy. , I have to change my mind again.She hesitated for a moment, then opened the letter, and asked the young mistress to read it to her.The eldest young mistress read it again, and said, "I see this look, it seems that this woman has already broken up with him, and now she pretends to be sick and tells him to go see her immediately." Mrs. Shen nodded and remained silent.The two discussed for a while, and both said, "I will not let him see this letter."A match was lit on the spot and it was burned.
Since Manzhen sent this letter, she has been counting the days every day.Although they had had some grievances before, she believed that he would come as soon as he received the letter, which she was quite sure of.She calculated that he would arrive in three or four days, but after waiting for more than a week, looking forward to it from morning to night, not only did no one come, but there was not even a reply.She thought to herself, could it be that he has heard what happened to her from other places, so he doesn't want to meet her again?As expected, he is so heartless and ungrateful, it was really a waste of time to get to know him at the beginning.She was lying on the bed, although her eyes were closed, the tears just flowed out, and a large area of the pillow was cold and wet. Sometimes she turned the pillow over and slept on it again, and sometimes the other side was also wet from crying.
She thought about it, unless he never received the letter and was intercepted by his family.If that's the case, it's useless to write it again, and it will still be intercepted.I had no choice but to be patient and recuperate, and when my body recovered, I went to Nanjing to find him.But there is no money at hand, so I am really anxious.Living in Cai's house, eating other people's food for free, and occupying the only room, making Lin Sheng unable to return home, is really disturbing.She remembered that she still had half a month's salary in her office, which could be used as an emergency, so she wrote a note, and Tuo Linsheng sent it, and the factory sent someone back with him, and handed over the money Leave it to her.She heard the man say that they had already hired another typist.
When she got the money, she rented a vacant pavilion on the third floor and moved upstairs. Linsheng bought two planks and two pieces of necessary furniture for her, and he still provided tea and meals.Manzhen gave him some of her remaining money as food expenses, and he would definitely not accept it, saying that she would pay them back slowly when she found something to do in the future.At this time, Jin Fang had already returned from the hospital and was recuperating at home. Manzhen must have forced her to accept the money, so Jin Fang decided to ask Lin Sheng to cut a few feet of thread. Put on the lining and hand it over to the tailor shop in Nongkou to make a jacket for Manzhen, otherwise she wouldn't even have a piece of clothing.Jinfang returned the extra money to her and asked her to keep the pocket money, but Manzhen couldn't resist her, so she had to keep it.
When Jin Fang was discharged from the hospital, she told her that when Man Lu came back from buying a chestnut powder cake that day, she found that Man Zhen had disappeared, but she didn't pursue it, but took the child back that day.Manzhen guessed that they must have a guilty conscience, so he didn't dare to speak out, as long as he could save the child.
After all, Manzhen was in good health at first, and even young people recovered quickly, and soon became healthy again.She immediately went to find Shuhui, wanting to ask him to find something for her, but also thinking that if she happened to be lucky, she might be able to see Shijun if he was in Shanghai.She picked a Saturday evening to go to Xu's house, because at that time there were more opportunities for Shu Hui to be at home.Walking in through the back door, I saw Shuhui's mother working in the kitchen. Manzhen called his aunt, and Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "Hey, Miss Gu, it's been a long time." Manzhen smiled and said, "Shuhui is at home, right?" Mrs. Xu said with a smile: "At home, at home. What a coincidence, he just came back from Nanjing." Manzhen let out a sigh, thinking that Shuhui went to Nanjing again, and Shijun always asked him to go.When she walked up to the third floor, the people in the room probably heard the sound of her leather shoes, when an unknown girl came out and looked at her with a questioning air.Manzhen suspected that she had gone to the wrong place, so she smiled and said, "Is Mr. Xu Shuhui at home?" As soon as she asked, Shuhui came out from inside, and said with a smile, "Hey, it's you! Please come in, please come in. This It's my younger sister." Only then did Manzhen remember that it was the girl Shijun used to tutor her in arithmetic.The girl smiled and nodded with her, but Manzhen felt at a loss.
After sitting down in the room, Shuhui smiled and said, "I was thinking about looking for you, but you came here." At this point, his sister brought a cup of tea in, and he stopped and didn't say anything. .Seeing him like that, Manzhen felt a little suspicious, thinking that he might have heard about Shijun and her breaking up, and wanted to make peace with them.Maybe it was Shijun who entrusted him.Immediately, she took a sip of the tea, and then accosted Shu Hui's younger sister.His younger sister was probably at a shy age, she stood beside her for a while with a smile, and then went out again.Seeing her leave, Shuhui went to close the door. He leaned against the door and whispered, "I'll tell you something. I won't tell you anything in front of other friends. It's okay to tell you——I'm going to the liberated area Go." Manzhen couldn't help being startled, and after a while he said softly: "Is it easy to go now?" Shu Hui said: "I think there is always a way." Manzhen looked at him and smiled and said: "You can do it!" Uncle Hui smiled and said, "Don't praise me first, maybe I won't be able to bear the hardships and come back." Manzhen remembered when he was together every day, his piquant temper and love of beauty so much, she couldn't help smiling.But she said, "I'm sure you won't."
She asked his parents if they knew he was going. Shuhui said: "My mother, I plan to keep her secret from her for the time being, and I told my father to tell her after I leave. Now I tell her that I am going to the north to do something. Actually This is also the truth, I do the same thing when I go there, but the work is more meaningful." Manzhen nodded, but sighed, and said: "I really envy you." Shu Hui said: "Hey , Actually, you can go too." At this moment, Manzhen thought of Shijun, if she could go with him, then she could leave her past behind forever, without having to worry about his family problems—— This is not an escape, she has a clear conscience, she is just afraid that he will embarrass her.She just thought blankly, Shuhui saw that she was silent, and he also knew that everyone had their own difficulties. She was always tired at home, and probably couldn't leave, so he didn't say anything further.
Seeing that he never mentioned Shijun, Manzhen felt very strange.Otherwise, she would have asked a long time ago, and for some reason, the more scared she was, the less she dared to ask.She picked up the teacup to drink tea, looked around because of flirting, and said with a smile: "Why has this room changed?" Shuhui said with a smile: "My sister lives here now." Manzhen laughed and said: "No wonder, I said, how did you pack it up so neatly—it was a mess for the two of you in the past!" The "two of you" she said, of course, meant Shijun and Shuhui.She thought that by saying this, Shuhui would definitely mention Shijun, but he didn't take the blame.Manzhen then asked him when he was going to leave, and Shuhui said, "Leave early in the morning the day after tomorrow." Manzhen smiled and said, "It's a pity that I haven't been able to come to you for a long time. I hoped to ask you to find something for me." Shuhui Said: "Why, aren't you in trouble? You're not there anymore?" Manzhen said: "I was seriously ill, they couldn't wait, so they hired someone else." Shuhui said: "No wonder, I said how do you You've lost weight!" He asked her what illness she had, and she casually said it was typhoid fever.
After talking for a long time, Shuhui never mentioned Shijun.Manzhen finally asked with a smile: "Have you been to Nanjing recently?" Shuhui said with a smile: "Eh, how do you know?" Manzhen smiled and said: "I just heard from my aunt." Still not mentioning Shijun, he lit a cigarette with a match, threw the match out of the window, stood there, faced out of the window, and took a deep breath of the cigarette.Manzhen couldn't bear it anymore, so she walked over too, stood beside him with her hands on the window sill, and asked with a smile, "Did you go to Nanjing to see Shijun?" Yeah. He got married the day before yesterday." Manzhen pressed both hands on the window sill, only feeling that the window sill was undulating. not firm.
Seeing that she seemed to be stunned, Shuhui smiled again: "I thought you must know." Manzhen smiled and said: "I don't know." Her lips suddenly became very dry. It stuck to the tooth core and couldn't come down.Fortunately, Shuhui also avoided looking at her, and only looked out of the window, saying: "He is married to Miss Shi. Have you seen her?" Manzhen said: "Oh, it was the last time we went to Nanjing to see her." That Miss Shi?" Shuhui said: "Ah." He seemed unwilling to say more about this matter, Manzhen of course thought of him because he knew about her relationship with Shijun, but she didn't know that he was too Full of depression, because of Cuizhi.
Manzhen sat for a while longer, and then said: "You are leaving the day after tomorrow, you must be very busy these two days, right? I won't confuse you." She stood up and said goodbye. Shuhui left her there for dinner and wanted to accompany her again. When she went out to eat, Manzhen smiled and said, "I won't farewell for you, and you don't need to treat guests, so you can avoid it." Shuhui said that he would exchange correspondence addresses with her, but he didn't have a definite address there. , and she is temporarily staying at a friend's house, so she has no choice but to forget it.
When she walked out of Shu Hui's house, she felt that the world had changed.I really didn't expect that she had been imprisoned in Zhu's house for nearly a year, and when she ran out, the world outside had changed.In less than a year, has Shijun married someone else?
She walked under the street lights, and it took a long way before she remembered that she should take the tram.But she took the wrong tram again. The tram crossed the bridge and stopped at the Bund, so she had to get down and walk by herself.It had rained a few minutes ago, and the ground was a bit damp.Gradually walking to the head of the bridge, the electric lights on the steel bridge were brightly lit. The huge black shadow of the bridge, with big black bars, lay across the grayish-yellow water.There are many small boats moored under the bridge, and the big strips of shadows also fall on the boat decks.There was not a shred of light on the water.How deep is the water here?The flat surface of the water was like gray-yellow cement, and it was impossible to know whether to fall or drown if you jumped into it.
Trucks rumbled past the bridge, and the ground trembled, making the soles of your feet numb.She just stood by the bridge with her back turned, staring blankly at the water.No matter how bad others treat her, even her own sister, her own mother, has not made her sad like Shijun.I heard about him at Shuhui's house just now. She seemed to have been given anesthesia during the operation. She was confused, but she didn't feel much pain. Now she is gradually waking up, and the pain is just beginning.
The boat under the bridge was so dark and without lights, everyone on board must have fallen asleep.It was probably very late, and Jin Fang told her that she must go back to have dinner, because today's food is very good, and their child is full moon today.Manzhen thought of her own child again, wondering if he was still alive? ...
I really don't know how that night passed.But since people are alive, they just go on living like this day by day.Not long after this, she found a job, teaching in a school, and the salary was not good, so she wanted it to have a place to live.She moved out from Jin Fang's house and lived in the teachers' dormitory.She used to teach in a Yang family, and the two children had a very good relationship with her. Now this matter was introduced to her by the Yang family.杨家他们只晓得她因为患病，所以失业了，家里的人都回乡下去了，只剩她一个人在上海。
现在她住在学校里简直不出大门，杨家她也难得去一趟。有一天，这已经是两三年以后的事了，她到杨家去玩，杨太太告诉她说，她母亲昨天来过，问他们可知道她现在在哪里。杨太太大概觉得很奇怪，她母亲怎么会不晓得。就把她的住址告诉了她母亲。曼桢听见了，就知道一定有麻烦来了。
这两年来她也不是不惦记着她母亲，但是她实在不想看见她。那天她从杨家出来，简直不愿意回宿舍里去。再一想，这也是无法避免的事，她母亲迟早会找到那里去的。那天回去，果然她母亲已经在会客室里等候着了。
顾太太一看见她就流下泪来，曼桢只淡淡地叫了声“妈”。顾太太道：“你瘦了。”曼桢没说什么，也不问他们现在住在什么地方，家里情形怎样，因为她知道一定是她姊姊在那里养活着他们。顾太太只得一样样地自动告诉她，道：“你奶奶这两年身体倒很强健的，倒比从前好了。大弟弟今年夏天就要毕业了。你大概不知道，我们现在住在苏州——”曼桢道：“我只知道你们从吉庆坊搬走了。我猜着是姊姊的主意，她安排得真周到。”说着，不由得冷笑了一声。顾太太叹道：“我说了，回头你又不爱听，其实你姊姊倒也没有坏心，是怪鸿才不好。现在你既然已经生了孩子，又何必一个人跑到外头来受苦呢。”
曼桢听她母亲这口吻，好像还是可怜她漂泊无依，想叫她回祝家去做一个现成的姨太太，她气得脸都红了，道：“妈，你不要跟我说这些话了，说了我不由得就要生气。”顾太太拭泪道：“我也都是为你好——”曼桢道：“为我好，你可真害了我了。那时候也不知道姊姊是怎样跟你说的，你怎么能让他们把我关在家里那些时。他们心也太毒了，生小孩的时候要是早点送到医院里，也不至于受那些罪，差点把命都送掉了！”顾太太道：“我知道你要怪我的。我也是因为晓得你性子急，照我这个老脑筋想起来，想着你也只好嫁给鸿才了，难得你姊姊她倒气量大，还说让你们正式结婚，其实叫我说，你也还是太倔了，你将来这样下去怎么办呢？”说到这里，渐渐呜呜咽咽哭出声来了。曼桢起先也没言语，后来她有点不耐烦地说：“妈不要这样。给人家看着算什么呢？”
顾太太极力止住悲声，坐在那里拿手帕擦眼睛擤鼻子，半晌，又自言自语地道：“孩子现在聪明着呢，什么都会说了，见了人也不认生，直赶着我叫外婆。养下的时候那么瘦，现在长得又白又胖。”曼桢还是不作声，后来终于说道：“你也不要多说了，反正无论怎么样，我绝对不会再到祝家去的。”
学校里当当当打起钟来，要吃晚饭了。曼桢道：“妈该回去了。不早了。”顾太太只得叹了口气站起身来，道：“我看你再想想吧。过天再来看你。”
但是她自从那次来过以后就没有再来，大概因为曼桢对她太冷酷了，使她觉得心灰意冷。她想必又回苏州去了。曼桢也觉得她自己也许太过分了些，但是因为有祝家夹在中间，她实在不能跟她母亲来往，否则更要纠缠不清了。
又过了不少时候。放寒假了，宿舍里的人都回家过年去了，只剩下曼桢一个人是无家可归的。整个的楼面上只住着她一个人，她搬到最好的一间屋里去，但是实在冷清得很。假期中的校舍，没有比这个更荒凉的地方了。
有一天下午，她没事做，坐着又冷，就钻到被窝里去睡中觉。夏天的午睡是非常舒适而自然的事情，冬天的午睡就不是味儿，睡得人昏昏沉沉的。房间里洒满了淡黄色的斜阳，玻璃窗外垂着一根晾衣裳的旧绳子，风吹着那绳子，吹起来多高，那绳子的影子直窜到房间里来，就像有一个人影子一晃。曼桢突然惊醒了。
她醒过来半天也还是有点迷迷糊糊的。忽然听见学校里的女佣在楼底下高声喊：“顾先生，你家里有人来看你。”她心里想她母亲又来了，却听见外面一阵杂乱的脚步声，绝对不止一个人。曼桢想道：“来这许多人干什么？”她定了定神，急忙披衣起床，这些人都已经走了进来，阿宝和张妈搀着曼璐，后面跟着一个奶妈，抱着孩子。阿宝叫了声“二小姐”，也来不及说什么，就把曼璐挟到床上去，把被窝堆成一堆，让她靠在上面。曼璐瘦得整个的人都缩小了，但是衣服一层层地穿得非常臃肿，倒反而显得胖大，外面罩着一件骆驼毛大衣，头上包着羊毛围巾，把嘴部也遮住了，只看见她一双眼睛半开半掩，惨白的脸汗滢滢的，坐在那里直喘气。阿宝替她把手和脚摆摆好，使她坐得舒服一点。曼璐低声道：“你们到车上去等我。把孩子丢在这儿。”阿宝便把孩子抱过来放在床上，然后就和奶妈她们一同下楼去了。
孩子穿着一套簇新的枣红毛绒衫裤，仿佛是特别打扮了一下，带来给曼桢看的，脸上还扑了粉，搽着两朵圆圆的红胭脂，他满床爬着，咿咿呀呀说着叫人听不懂的话，拉着曼璐叫她看这样看那样。
曼桢抱着胳膊站在窗前朝他们望着。曼璐道：“二妹，你看我病得这样，看上去也拖不了几个月了。”曼桢不由得哼了一声，冷笑道：“你何必净咒自己呢。”曼璐顿了一顿方才说道：“也难怪你不相信我。可是这回实在是真的。我这肠痨的毛病是好不了了。”她自己也觉得她就像那骗人的牧童，屡次喊：“狼来了！狼来了！”等到狼真来了，谁还相信她。
房间里的空气冷冰冰的，她开口说话，就像是赤着脚踏到冷水里去似的。然而她还是得说下去。她颤声道：“你不知道，我这两年的日子都不是人过的。鸿才成天的在外头鬼混，要不是因为有这孩子，他早不要我了。你想等我死了，这孩子指不定落在一个什么女人手里呢。所以我求求你，你还是回去吧。”曼桢道：“这些废话你可以不必再说了。”曼璐又道：“我讲你不信，其实是真的：鸿才他就佩服你，他对你真是同别的女人两样，你要是管他一定管得好的。”曼桢怒道：“祝鸿才是我什么人，我凭什么要管他？”曼璐道：“那么不去说他了，就看这孩子可怜，我要是死了他该多苦，孩子总是你养的。”
曼桢怔了一会，道：“我赶明儿想法子把他领出来。”曼璐道：“那怎么行，鸿才他哪儿肯哪！你就是告他，他也要倾家荡产跟你打官司的，好容易有这么个宝贝儿子，哪里肯放手。”曼桢道：“我也想着是难。”曼璐道：“是呀，要不然我也不来找你了。只有这一个办法，我死了你可以跟他结婚——”曼桢道：“这种话你就不要去说它了。我死也不会嫁给祝鸿才的。”曼璐却挣扎着把孩子抱了起来，送到曼桢跟前，叹息着道：“为来为去还不是为了他吗。你的心就这样狠！”
曼桢实在不想抱那孩子，因为她不愿意在曼璐面前掉眼泪。但是曼璐只管气喘吁吁地把孩子挜了过来。她还没伸手去接，孩子却哇的一声哭了起来，别过头去叫着：“妈！妈！”向曼璐怀中躲去。他当然只认得曼璐是他的母亲，但是曼桢当时忽然变得无可理喻起来，她看见孩子那样，觉得非常刺激。
曼璐因为孩子对她这样依恋，她也悲从中来，哽咽着向曼桢说道：“我这时候死了，别的没什么丢不下的，就是不放心他。我真舍不得。”说到这里，不由得泪如泉涌。曼桢心里也不见得比她好过，后来看见她越哭越厉害，而且喘成一团，曼桢实在不能忍受了，只得硬起心肠，厌烦地皱着眉说道：“你看你这样子！还不赶快回去吧！”说着，立刻掉转身来跑下楼去，把汽车上的阿宝和张妈叫出来，叫她们来搀曼璐下楼。曼璐就这样哭哭啼啼地走了，奶妈抱着孩子跟在她后面。
曼桢一个人在房间里，她把床上乱堆着的被窝叠叠好，然后就在床沿上坐下了，发了一会呆。根本一提起鸿才她就是一肚子的火，她对他除了仇恨还有一种本能的憎恶，所以刚才不加考虑地就拒绝了她姊姊的要求。现在冷静下来仔细想想，她这样做也是对的。她并不是不疼孩子，现在她除了这孩子，在这世界上也没有第二个亲人了。如果能够把他领出来由她抚养，虽然一个未婚的母亲在这社会上是被歧视的，但是她什么都不怕。为他怎么样牺牲都行，就是不能够嫁给鸿才。
她不打算在这里再住下去了，因为怕曼璐会再来和她纠缠，或者又要叫她母亲来找她。她向学校提出辞职，但是因为在放寒假前已经接受了下学期的聘书，所以费了许多唇舌才辞掉了，另外在别处找了个事做会计。她从前学过会计的。找到事又找房子，分租了人家一间房间，二房东姓郭。有一天她下了班回去，走到郭家后门口，里面刚巧走出一个年青女子，小圆脸儿，黄黑皮色，腮颊上的胭脂抹得红红的，两边的鬓发吊得高高的，穿着一件白底子红黄小花麻纱旗袍。原来是阿宝。——怎么会又被他们找到这里来了？曼桢不觉怔了一怔。阿宝看见她也似乎非常诧异，叫了声：“咦，二小姐！”阿宝身后还跟着一个男子，曼桢认得他是荐头店的人，这才想起来，郭家的一个老妈子回乡下去了，前两天他们家从荐头店里叫了一个女佣来试工，大概不合式，所以又另外找人。看样子阿宝是到郭家来上工的，并不是奉命来找曼桢的，但是曼桢仍旧懒得理她，因为看见她就不免想起从前在祝家被禁闭的时候，她也是一个帮凶。固然她们做佣人的人也是没办法，吃人家的饭，就得听人家指挥，所以也不能十分怪她，但无论如何，曼桢看到她总觉得非常不愉快，只略微把头点了一点，脚步始终没有停下来，就继续往里面走。阿宝却赶上来叫道：“二小姐大概不知道吧，大小姐不在了呀。”这消息该不是怎样意外的，然而曼桢还是吃了一惊，说：“哦？是几时不在的？”阿宝道：“喏，就是那次到您学校里去，后来不到半个月呀。”说着，竟眼圈一红，落下两点眼泪。她倒哭了，曼桢只是怔怔地朝她看着，心里觉得空空洞洞的。
阿宝用一只指头顶着手帕，很小心地在眼角擦了擦，便向荐头店的人说：“你可要先回去。我还要跟老东家说两句话。”曼桢却不想和她多谈，便道：“你有事你还是去吧，不要耽搁了你的事。”阿宝也觉得曼桢对她非常冷淡，想来总是为了从前那只戒指的事情，便道：“二小姐，我知道你一定怪我那时候不给你送信，咳，你都不知道——你晓得后来为什么不让我到你房里去了？”她才说到这里，曼桢便皱着眉拦住她道：“这些事还说它干什么？”阿宝看了看她的脸色，便也默然了，自己抱住自己两只胳膊，只管抚摸着。半晌方道：“我现在不在他家做了。我都气死了，二小姐你不知道，大小姐一死，周妈就在姑爷面前说我的坏话，这周妈专门会拍马屁，才来了几个月，就把奶妈戳掉了，小少爷就归她带着。当着姑爷的面假装地待小少爷不知多么好，背后简直像个晚娘。我真看不过去，我就走了。”
她忽然变得这样正义感起来。曼桢觉得她说的话多少得打点折扣，但是她在祝家被别的佣人挤出来了，这大约是实情。她显然是很气愤，好像憋着一肚子的话没处说似的，曼桢不邀她进去，她站在后门口就滔滔不绝地长谈起来。又说：“姑爷这一向做生意净蚀本，所以脾气更坏了，家当横是快蚀光了，虹桥路的房子卖掉了，现在他们搬了，就在大安里。说是大小姐有帮夫运，是真的呵，大小姐一死，马上就倒霉了！他自己横是也懊悔了，这一向倒霉瞌盹地蹲在家里，外头的女人都断掉了，我常看见他对着大小姐的照片淌眼泪。”
一说到鸿才，曼桢就露出不耐烦的神气，仿佛已经在后门口站得太久了。阿宝究竟还知趣，就没有再往下说，转过口来问道：“二小姐现在住在这儿？”曼桢只含糊地应了一声，就转问她：“你到这儿来是不是来上工的？”阿宝笑道：“是呀，不过我看他们这儿人又多，工钱也不大，我不想做。我托托二小姐好吧，二小姐有什么朋友要用人，就来喊我，我就在对过的荐头店里。”曼桢也随口答应着。
随即有一刹那的沉默。曼桢很希望她再多说一点关于那孩子的事情，说他长得有多高了，怎样顽皮——一个孩子可以制造出许多“轶闻”和“佳话”，为女佣们所乐道的。曼桢也很想知道，他说话是什么地方的口音？他身体还结实吗？脾气好不好？阿宝不说，曼桢却也不愿意问她，不知道为什么这样羞于启齿。
阿宝笑道：“那我走了，二小姐。”她走了，曼桢就也进去了。
阿宝说祝家现在住在大安里，曼桢常常走过那里的。她每天乘电车，从她家里走到电车站有不少路，这大安里就是必经之地。现在她走到这里总是换到马路对面走着，很担心也许会碰见鸿才，虽然不怕他纠缠不清，究竟讨厌。
这一天，她下班回来，有两个放学回来的小学生走在她前面。她近来看见任何小孩就要猜测他们的年龄，同时计算着自己的孩子的岁数，想着那孩子是不是也有这样高了。这两个小孩当然比她的孩子大好些，总有七八岁光景，一律在棉袍上罩着新蓝布罩袍，穿得胖墩墩的。两人像操兵似的并排走着，齐齐地举起手里的算盘，有节奏地一举一举，使那算盘珠子发出“咵！咵！”的巨响，作为助威的军乐。有时候又把算盘扛在肩上代表枪支。
曼桢在他们后面，偶尔听见他们谈话的片断，他们的谈话却是太没有志气了，一个孩子说：“马正林的爸爸开面包店的，所以马正林天天有小面包吃。”言下不胜艳羡的样子。
他们忽然穿过马路，向大安里里面走去。曼桢不禁震了一震，虽然也知道这决不是她的小孩，而且这一个弄堂里面的孩子也多得很，但是她不由自主地就跟在他们后面过了马路，走进这弄堂。她的脚步究竟有些迟疑，所以等她走进去，那两个孩子早已失踪了。
那是春二三月天气，一个凝冷的灰色的下午。春天常常是这样的，还没有嗅到春的气息，先觉得一切东西都发出气味来，人身上除了冷飕飕之外又有点痒梭梭的，觉得肮脏。虽然没下雨，弄堂里地下也是湿粘粘的。走进去，两旁都是石库门房子，正中停着个臭豆腐干担子，挑担子的人叉着腰站在稍远的地方，拖长了声音吆喝着。有一个小女孩在那担子上买了一串臭豆腐干，自己动手在那里抹辣酱。好像是鸿才前妻的女儿招弟。曼桢也没来得及向她细看，眼光就被她旁边的一个男孩子吸引了去。一个四五岁的男孩子，和招弟分明是姊弟，两人穿着同样的紫花布棉袍，虽然已经是春天了，他们脚上还穿着老棉鞋，可是光着脚没穿袜子，那红赤赤的脚踝衬着那旧黑布棉鞋，看上去使人有一种奇异的凄惨的感觉。那男孩子头发长长的，一直覆到眉心上，脸上虽然脏，仿佛很俊秀似的。
曼桢心慌意乱地也没有来得及细看，却又把眼光回到招弟身上，想仔细认一认她到底是不是招弟。虽然只见过一面，而且是在好几年前，曼桢倒记得很清楚。照理一个小孩是改变得最快的，这面黄肌瘦的小姑娘却始终是那副模样，甚至于一点也没有长高——其实当然并不是没有长高，她的太短的袍子就是一个证据。
那招弟站在豆腐干担子旁边，从小瓦罐里挑出辣酱来抹在臭豆腐干上。大概因为辣酱是不要钱的，所以大量地抹上去，就像在面包上涂果子酱似的，把整块的豆腐干涂得鲜红。挑担子的人看了她一眼，仿佛想说话了，结果也没说。招弟一共买了三块，穿在一根稻草上，拎在手里吃着。她弟弟也想吃，他踮着脚，两只手扑在她身上，仰着脸咬了一口。曼桢心里想这一口吃下去，一定辣得眼泪出，喉咙也要烫坏了。她不觉替他捏一把汗，谁知他竟面不改色地吞了下去，而且吃了还要吃，依旧踮着脚尖把嘴凑上去，招弟也很友爱似的，自己咬一口，又让他咬一口。曼桢看着她那孩子的傻相，不由得要笑，但是一面笑着，眼眶里的泪水已经滴下来了。
她急忙别过身去，转了个弯走到支弄里去，一面走一面抬起手背来擦眼泪，忽然听见背后一阵脚步声，一回头，却是招弟，向这边拍哒拍哒追了过来，她那棉鞋越穿越大，踏在那潮湿的水门汀上，一吸一吸，发出唧唧的响声。曼桢想道：“糟了，她一定是认识我。我还以为她那时候小，只看见过我一面，一定不记得了。”曼桢只得扭过头去假装寻找门牌，一路走过去，从眼角里看看那招弟，招弟却在一家人家的门首站定了，这家人家想必新近做过佛事，门框上贴的黄纸条子刚撕掉一半，现在又在天井里焚化纸钱，火光熊熊。招弟一面看他们烧锡箔，一面吃她的臭豆腐干，似乎对曼桢并不注意。曼桢方才放下心来，便从容地往回走，走了出去。
那男孩身边现在多了一个女佣，那女佣约有四十来岁年纪，一脸横肉，两只蝌蚪式的乌黑的小眼睛，她端了一只长凳坐在后门口摘菜，曼桢心里想这一定就是阿宝所说的那个周妈，招弟就是看见她出来了，所以逃到支弄里去，大概要躲在那里把豆腐干吃完了再回来。
曼桢缓缓地从他们面前走过。那孩子看见她，也不知道是喜欢她的脸还是喜欢她的衣裳，他忽然喊了一声“阿姨！”曼桢回过头来向他笑了一笑，他竟“阿姨！阿姨！”地一连串喊下去了。那女佣便嘟囔了一句：“叫你喊的时候倒不喊，不叫你喊的时候倒喊个不停！”
曼桢走出那个弄堂，一连走过十几家店面，一颗心还是突突地跳着。走过一家店铺的橱窗，她向橱窗里的影子微笑。倒看不出来，她有什么地方使一个小孩一看见她就对她发生好感，“阿姨！阿姨！”地喊着。她耳边一直听见那孩子的声音。她又仔细回想他的面貌，上次她姊姊把他带来给她看，那时候他还不会走路吧，满床爬着，像一个可爱的小动物，现在却已经是一个有个性的“人物”了。
这次总算运气，一走进去就看见了他。以后可不能再去了。多看见了也无益，徒然伤心罢了。倒是她母亲那里，她想着她姊姊现在死了，鸿才也未见得有这个闲钱津贴她母亲，曼桢便汇了一笔钱去，但是没有写她自己的地址，因为她仍旧不愿意她母亲来找她。
转瞬已经到了夏天，她母亲上次说大弟弟今年夏天毕业，他毕了业就可以出去挣钱了，但是曼桢总觉得他刚出去做事，要他独立支持这样一份人家，那是绝对不可能的。她又给他们寄了一笔钱去。她把她这两年的一些积蓄陆续都贴给他们了。
这一天天气非常闷热，傍晚忽然下起大雨来，二房东的女佣奔到晒台上去抢救她晾出去的衣裳。楼底下有人揿铃，揿了半天没有人开门，曼桢只得跑下楼去，一开门，见是一个陌生的少妇。那少妇先有点侷促地向曼桢微笑道：“我借打一个电话，便当吗？我就住在九号里，就在对过。”
外面哗哗地下着雨，曼桢便请她进来等着，笑道：“我去喊郭太太。”喊了几声没人应，那女佣抱着一卷衣裳下楼来说：“太太不在家。”曼桢只得把那少妇领到穿堂里，装着电话的地方。那少妇先拿起电话簿子来查号码，曼桢替她把电灯开了，在灯光下看见那少妇虽然披着斗篷式的雨衣，依旧可以看出她是怀着孕的。她的头发是直的，养得长长的撸在耳后，看上去不像一个上海女人，然而也没有小城市的气息。容貌生得很娟秀，稍有点扁平的鹅蛋脸。她费了很多的时候查电话簿，似乎有些抱歉，不时地抬起头来向曼桢微笑着，搭讪着问曼桢贵姓，说她自己姓张。又问曼桢是什么地方人，曼桢说是安徽人。她却立刻注意起来，笑道：“顾小姐是安徽人？安徽什么地方？”曼桢道：“六安。”那少妇笑道：“咦，我新近刚从六安来的。”曼桢笑道：“张太太也是六安人吗？倒没有六安口音。”那少妇道：“我是上海人呀，我一直就住在这里。是我们张先生，他是六安人。”曼桢忖了一忖，便道：“哦。六安有一个张慕瑾医生，不知道张太太可认识吗？”那少妇略顿了一顿，方才低声笑道：“慕瑾就是他呀。”曼桢笑道：“那真巧极了，我们是亲戚呀。”那少妇哟了一声，笑道：“那真巧，慕瑾这回也来了，顾小姐几时到我们那儿玩去，我现在住在我母亲家。”
她拨了号码，曼桢就走开了，到后面去转了一转，等她的电话打完了，再回到这里来送她出去。本来要留她坐一会等雨下小些再走，但是她说她还有事，今天有个亲戚请他们吃饭，刚才她就为这个事打电话找慕瑾，叫他直接到馆子里去。
她走后，曼桢回到楼上她自己的房间里，听那雨声紧一阵慢一阵，不像要停的样子。她心里想慕瑾要是知道她住在这里，过两天他一定会来看她的。她倒有点怕看见他，因为一看见他就要想起别后这几年来她的经历，那噩梦似的一段时间，和她过去的二十来年的生活完全不发生联系，和慕瑾所认识的她也毫不相干。她非常需要把这些事情痛痛快快地和他说一说，要不然，那好像是永远隐藏在她心底里的一个恐怖的世界。
这样想着的时候，立刻往事如潮，她知道今天晚上一定要睡不着觉了。那天天气又热，下着雨又没法开窗子，她躺在床上，不停地扇着扇子，反而扇出一身汗来。已经快十点钟了，忽然听见门铃响，睡在厨房里的女佣睡得糊里糊涂的，瓮声瓮气地问：“谁呀？——啊？——啊？找谁？”曼桢忽然灵机一动，猜着一定是慕瑾来了，她急忙从床上爬起来，捻开电灯，手忙脚乱地穿上衣裳，便跑下楼去。那女佣因为是晚上，不认识的人不敢轻易放他进来，那人穿着雨衣站在后门口，正拿着手帕擦脸，头发上亮晶晶地流下水珠来，灯光正照在他脸上——是慕瑾。
他向曼桢点头笑道：“我刚回来。听见说你住在这儿。”曼桢也不知道为什么，一看见他，马上觉得万种辛酸都涌上心头，幸而她站的地方是背着灯，人家看不见她眼睛里的泪光。她立刻别过身去引路上楼，好在她总是走在前面，依旧没有人看见她的脸。进了房，她又抢着把床上盖上一幅被单，趁着这背身去铺床的时候，终于把眼泪忍回去了。
慕瑾走进房来，四面看看，便道：“你怎么一个人住在这儿？老太太她们都好吧？”曼桢只得先含糊地答了一句：“她们现在搬到苏州去住了。”慕瑾似乎很诧异，曼桢本来可以趁此就提起她预备告诉他的那些事情，她看见慕瑾这样热心，一听见说她住在这里，连夜就冒雨来看她，可见他对她的友情是始终如一的，她更加决定了要把一切都告诉他。但是有一种难于出口的话，反而倒是对一个萍水相逢的人可以倾心吐胆地诉说。上次她在医院里，把她的身世告诉金芳，就不像现在对慕瑾这样感觉到难以启齿。
她便换了个话题，笑道：“真巧了，刚才会碰见你太太。你们几时到上海来的？”慕瑾道：“我们来了也没有几天。是因为她需要开刀，我们那边的医院没有好的设备，所以到上海来的。”曼桢也没有细问他太太需要开刀的原因，猜着总是因为生产的缘故，大概预先知道将要难产。慕瑾又道：“她明天就要住到医院里去了，现在这儿是她母亲家里。”
他坐下来，身上的雨衣湿淋淋的，也没有脱下来。当然他是不预备久坐的，因为时间太晚了。曼桢倒了一杯开水搁在他面前，笑道：“你们今天有应酬吧？”慕瑾笑道：“是的，在锦江吃饭，现在刚散，她们回去了，我就直接到这儿来了。”慕瑾大概喝了点酒，脸上红红的，在室内穿着雨衣，也特别觉得闷热，他把桌上一张报纸拿起来当扇子扇着。曼桢递了一把芭蕉扇给他，又把窗子开了半扇。一推开窗户，就看见对过一排房屋黑沉沉的，差不多全都熄