Chapter 9 7
Half a million people participated in the May Day parade, with gongs and drums blaring, and military bands and brass bands playing and beating.Traffic was cut off on the road. A sheep dealer led a flock of sheep. After waiting for a long time, he could not cross the road and tied the sheep to a tree by the roadside.The sheep were covered with dirty and ragged hair, lowered their heads and sniffed their noses, looking for something to eat in the small square of soil under the sycamore tree.They are not interested in the noisy world of people at all, and only occasionally glance at another sheep.
The parade stopped because the dragon lanterns were being played in front of it.In fact, it is not a lamp, but just a dragon body made of cloth. The shop assistants have just learned how to juggle it, like Peking opera fans clumsily dancing streamers.Looking from a distance, I can only see an earthworm-like white cloth cylinder emerging from the heads of many black people, moving up and down in the air.After dancing for a while, the white cloth cylinder was straightened. After a short rest, a light blue cloth cylinder over there fluctuated like an earthworm.
Liu Quan stood in the line, looking boredly at the sheep on the side of the road.He longed to touch them, to scratch their dark curls under their chins.
A kid watching the excitement by the side of the road suddenly squatted down in front of a sheep and grabbed a handful from its jaw.
Liu Quan was unexpectedly happy. "It can be seen that 'people have the same heart'," he thought.
The child crouched there looking into the sheep's face. "Mother sheep!" He called out suddenly, his voice squished down, like a sheep's cry. "Mother sheep!"
The sheep stared at him indifferently, "baa!", then turned its head away.
The line began to move forward again.Liu Quan and a correspondent in the agency pushed a prison cart together, and in the prison cart was Comrade Kong playing Truman.The other prison car is a counter-revolutionary played by Zhang Li.As soon as the tune of the band changed, Truman and the counter-revolutionaries rushed out of the limousine, wearing huge colorful masks and dancing, like a Tibetan "dancing god" ceremony.
All kinds of hawkers selling food, with baskets on their arms, walked through the parade, yelled softly, and peddled fried dough sticks, twisted twists, hemp balls, butter bread, and yellow sponge cakes.Sometimes I can't get into the center of the team, so I just walk with them by the side.Only these peddlers really took part in the parade automatically.
For the sake of economy, most of the marchers prepared brunch in advance, carrying bread, cold steamed buns, Shandong thousand-layer flatbread, and hard-boiled eggs in their pockets.In front of Liu Quan's unit are employees of a department store.Liu Quan looked at the food they brought and everyone exchanged it, tasting a little of each, and sometimes joking with each other, eating with relish.
"Anyway, no matter what the Chinese do, the result is always a meal for everyone," Liu Quan thought. "Even today, everyone thinks it is hard labor, and it still has a picnic nature."
However, no matter how good you are at making fun of suffering, from morning to noon, noon to afternoon, there is still a long distance ahead, so you can't hold your breath anymore.
"I can't do it, old Chen, hemorrhoids are coming!" Liu Quan heard a clerk in front of him groaning: "I got up at three or four o'clock in the morning, and it was still dark, so I came out of the house - the tram hadn't left the factory yet, You can only walk—go to the company to meet up. Count how many roads you have! My family lives in Tilanqiao—a full half of Shanghai!”
"I don't understand either. What are you doing gathering so early?" The old Chen said, "Standing in line and waiting for three hours before leaving. Next time, bring a small bench to sit on."
"Fuck that," the man cursed softly, "Where did you get all these things? Walking ten miles down the road, one catty weighs ten catties."
"Who says it's not? It's hard to even bring a raincoat. It's exhausting to hold it in your hand, but it's suffocating to death when you put it on. The weather may be unpredictable. The sun will come out and the heat will make you desperate."
"It must rain. Which parade doesn't rain?"
This is an old joke, saying that since the Communist Party came, every big parade has been met with rain.The study group has long pointed out that this is a kind of undesirable "changing the sky thinking", which clearly means that if God does not cooperate with the Communist Party, the Communist Party will not stand for long.
Old Chen didn't dare to speak up.Old Chen held a bamboo pole high, with a silver paper airplane adorned on the top of the pole.His colleague suffering from hemorrhoids is also holding a bamboo pole, but on it is a little white pig made of paper, like a character in a Disney cartoon, I don't know what the meaning is.
One of the lion dance apprentices put the paper-made cyan lion on his back and walked forward wearily with his head buried.The lion stood upright, with a very long waist and a round buttocks. Although it didn't look very human, it didn't look like a lion anyway.
The red and green paper flags held in people's hands gradually swayed from side to side, like reeds broken by a strong wind.Everyone dragged one step at a time, spitting into the ground now and then, like hired beggars in a funeral procession.
It started to rain in Xiao Xiao.Liu Quan saw Lao Chen and his colleague looking at each other, with a wry smile on their faces at the same time.Although it was a wry smile, there was still a look of satisfaction.
Seeing that smile, Liu Quan hated it. He thought it was Ah Q's kind of satisfaction.
There was a condolence station at the three-fork intersection in front, where they shouted loudly: "Salute to the comrades of Daxing Company! Comrades of Daxing Company. Come on! Salute to the comrades of Daxing Company!"
The employees of Daxing Company smiled wryly in embarrassment.It rained harder and harder.Only some bare poles remained of the red and green paper flags, but each flagpole stood upright.The clerks at the comfort station scooped up cold tea from the vat with magnetic gargles and handed it to their lips in the dense rain.
The team moves on.A woman standing on the side of the street holding a big black umbrella and watching the excitement suddenly came forward, said "Hi", and stuffed an old raincoat into Lao Chen's hand.
"Huh? The sister-in-law of the Chen family brought Lao Chen a raincoat!" There was a burst of laughter in the line of workers.
"Hey, Old Chen, your wife really loves you! Look, it's raining so hard and I'm still waiting here, lest you get caught in the rain!"
"Meng Jiangnu will send cold clothes, and Mrs. Chen will send raincoats!"
Everyone made fun of him, and Lao Chen blushed and said, "I'm an old husband and wife, what tofu do I eat!"
He held the bamboo pole under his side, freed his hands, and buttoned the raincoat with the other.The black umbrella has already left, the parade has already passed through more than a dozen stores, and his colleagues have stopped teasing him, but Lao Chen is still blushing and argues: "We have no feelings at all. Go back I never said a word." He laughed again, and said, "Why do you feel sorry for me—I'm afraid that I might catch a cold and give it to the children, that's not bad!"
No human interface.Everyone was cold and wet and tired.Only the person next to Old Chen muttered with a pale face: "Hemorrhoids must come out! I know it's wrong—it must come out!"
"What kind of tofu are you eating!" Lao Chen was still blushing and protesting.He was clearly very pleased with himself, his eyes twinkling with pleasure.
Liu Quan walked behind them and saw the scene clearly.These people are people who survived in the cogs of the times, he thought wistfully.At present, they are just living a harder life, but they can still be allowed to live as usual, and they can get a little comfort in the taste of life.Great changes like land reform have not yet come upon them.Sooner or later it will be their turn, they are just stealing life now.But although it is stolen, it is real life after all.Thinking of this, Liu Quan suddenly felt an embarrassing emptiness.
The team ahead turned the corner.From a distance, he saw the torch line in front of him moving in the cold rain. The yellow-red flame tongue on the torch head shrank very small, running in the rain, licking the gray blank sky, like a dog's tongue licking an empty saucer. , once or twice.
Liu Quan was probably overworked. When he came back from the parade in the rain that day, he fell down with a cold and the fever persisted for a long time.When people in their organization fell ill, they were all diagnosed and treated in a municipal hospital.Liu Quan went to the hospital once, and the doctor said that he was suspected of having a lung disease, and asked him to come back for another X-ray tomorrow.
Many young students and cadres suffer from lung disease, because life is too hard. "Every cadre has bedbugs on them, so we call them 'revolutionary bugs'—then tuberculosis bacteria should be called 'liberation bacteria'," Liu Quan once thought.Finally it was his turn.
The outpatient department of that hospital was very crowded. At seven o'clock in the morning, one had to register for a shift, and stood there waiting. The consultation started at two o'clock in the afternoon. When it was Liu Quan's turn to see the patient, it was already dark.Going to Fenglin Bridge to take a bus, there were two women standing there waiting, one old and one young, Liu Quan felt that they looked a little familiar, probably they had just come out of the hospital, either patients or visitors. sick family members.Although the two were also talking with each other, it seemed that they didn't come all the way, they also met in the hospital.The young woman was wearing an old calico cheongsam, very plain.The other woman was in her fifties, wearing glasses, with a plump figure, and carrying a magnetic food basket in her hand.
The area was quite desolate, with only one dim street lamp by the bridge, illuminating the gray and white expanse of the bridge, and nothing else could be seen, not even the water under the bridge.
Liu Quan suddenly heard a burst of sobbing.It's that young woman.
"Mrs. Zheng, don't do this," the old woman urged.
"Mrs. Lu, you said that what he said made people feel uncomfortable," the young woman said while crying, "Today he said again, 'I'm useless, what should I do without you? Starve to death! You have to promise me no matter what, get married right away, don’t leave a single child behind, and dedicate them all to the country.” She suddenly let out a laugh amidst sobbing. "I have nothing to say—it's so big, dedicated to the country, does the country want it? I really don't want it! I have to wait until you raise them up. Hmph, when you say yes, you can't do it if you don't give it!"
The old woman didn't make a sound at first, but when she spoke again, her voice was unexpectedly strong and piercing: "Isn't it? You have to wait until the 16th, 17th, and 18th grades, when you graduate from middle school—children at that age are just the most stupid." At that time, I was really willing to work hard, and I didn’t grunt when I died! That’s when it’s most useful! Isn’t that what my child is like. Last year, he participated in dry medicine and couldn’t bear the hardship. He suffered a serious illness and was immediately sent back. Hey, what can I do? Even if I have to ask a doctor to take medicine for him, he needs to take good care of him. Afterwards, he finally got better. He ate chicken soup and beef juice every day, which made him fat. This time, he suffered from typhoid fever and was sent back. Parents are stupid anyway. Even if they drink porridge, they have to find a way to put him in the hospital, and boil chicken soup for him every day. .Finally see each other these two days. Well, he is leaving again!" Speaking of this, I couldn't help but shed tears.
The three of them are just three black shadows, reflected on the gray-white hump of the bridge?Liu Quan took a few steps away.Strangely, his first feeling was just: "Shanghai people are really—and they don't know to be afraid at all! Probably they have always been very tolerant to them. In the countryside or other cities, I would never dare to say such nonsense. ──Do you know who I am? It may be a special agent of the Political Security Department, and they can be arrested immediately.”
"You have to force me to agree to him immediately! Tell me what to say, you say!" The young woman sobbed.
"Don't be sad, Mrs. Zheng, how can you take what a sick person says seriously?" The old woman seemed to have calmed down as she persuaded others.She held the food basket in one hand and the leather bag in the other, and raised the hand holding the food basket to wipe away her tears. The empty foreign magnetic drawer slid out to the side with a loud sound.She lowered her head to tidy up the food basket. "Oh, well, I have to go again!" she said.
The foreign magnetic drawer slid out again with a loud sound.
"I am also the same as this old woman's son," Liu Quan thought, "we are lucky, the country 'want' us. Now there are more than tens of millions of homeless youths in China, who have dedicated their lives to The government. Everything is lacking in China, only life is cheap. Cheap things are indeed useless," he thought sadly and angrily: "Many people developed lung disease very quickly and were immediately thrown into the garbage dump go up."
Tomorrow he will go to the butt yard to have a X-ray, and then he will know his fate.
Finally the bus came rumbling, wobbling and carrying a load of lights.Liu Quan squeezed into the car under the dim light, just now he felt that he had returned to the world.The sobbing voices of the two women by the gray bridge in the darkness just now were really inhuman.
The car is very crowded.Now most people are delayed when they go home every day, working hours are extended, and they have to study after get off work, so the bus will be crowded until eight or nine o'clock every day, and then gradually become empty.
The two women by the bridge were squeezed next to Liu Quan.The young woman stared straight ahead with red eyes.The woman in her fifties still had a thin layer of makeup on her face, and there was a habitual smile on the corner of her mouth, but there was a trace of tears on the lower edge of the glass of the glasses.They didn't talk to each other in the car.
The side of the foreign magnetic food basket was yellow and full of chicken fat, and it was touching the young woman's body. With the vibration of the car, it was rubbed against her clothes.She pushed hard in disgust.
"Ai—ai—" the old woman said angrily, and hurriedly supported the foreign magnetic drawer that had slid out.
The slick ticket seller yelled in the crowd: "Beep, everyone squeeze in! What are you doing at the door? There are no tigers to eat you!" ——Hey, please come in, please come in, sit in the living room !"
Someone sneered.But most of the people ignored it and just stood and dozed on the bus bars with their tickets in their mouths.With a tired pale yellow face, the long and narrow rose-red ticket hangs from his mouth, like the tongue of a hanged ghost.
the next day!Liu Quan went to the hospital to schedule shifts at seven o'clock in the morning.
Internal medicine patients lined up in a long line, tossed and turned in the vast waiting room with dark green and pink walls, turned several turns, and lined up in the corridor.At noon, some of the people on shift had family members to replace them and went out to eat.
The afternoon outpatient clinic finally started.
Liu Quan suddenly saw Ge Shan from Jiefang Daily squeeze in hastily, and squeezed straight towards the door of the consulting room.
Does she have priority?How undemocratic!
"Why are you here at this time?" A young man in line called out. "I've been waiting impatiently, it's almost my turn."
"Look at how accurately I kept the time. It's neither early nor late. It just happened to be at this time," Goshan said with a smile.She was carrying a large dark yellow cardboard envelope, which seemed to contain X-ray photos.Presumably she also had lung disease.
The young man had a small square face with a plump mouth and nose, and his eyebrows were always drawn.Liu Quan remembered seeing him anxiously looking out just now.He may also be a laborer in the newspaper office, coming to the hospital early in the morning to replace her in scheduling shifts.Now everyone is wearing liberation attire, and it is impossible to tell what his identity and industry is.
But when he rolled up his sleeves, he revealed a swimming watch on his wrist, which a workmate couldn't afford. "Look, look, it's almost three o'clock!" He put the watch in front of her face, complaining with a smile: "It's hard for me to ask for half a day off. I'm going to be late again in the afternoon──"
"Who told you to come, isn't it the same as calling a worker?"
"What do you old women know? If you make a wrong schedule later, you will be assigned to tissue therapy, or surgery, or obstetrics. It doesn't mean that you will make a trip in vain!"
She chuckled. "You won't go to the obstetrics department by mistake! If you make a mistake, someone will drive you out!"
The people next to him burst out laughing.The young man's face turned slightly red, and he also smiled.
"Come on, let's go now!" She inadvertently flicked the big yellow paper envelope twice like chasing flies, and drove him away, and she stood in his place by herself.
Although Liu Quan was behind her, far away, the line was winding, and he was standing near them.Goshan turned around and happened to see him. "Hey, Comrade Liu! Long time no see!" She immediately ran over to shake hands. "I was looking for you, I couldn't reach you when I called—"
"Oh, sorry, I've been on sick leave for the past two days."
"Why are you sick? It's not serious, is it?"
"It's nothing, it's a little hot."
As soon as Geshan ran away, the young man had no choice but to take her place again.He grew impatient. "Hey, Goshen, I really have to go!" he yelled this way.
"Is Comrade Ge looking for something for me?" Liu Quan asked hastily.
She lowered her voice a little. "Now I plan to compile a few booklets. It's best to make a surprise attack."
"Oh."
"Come to the newspaper later today. I'm always there after seven."
She nodded to him and returned to her post.The young man could get away now, but he stood by the side and did not leave. "Ask carefully," he ordered, as if afraid that the doctor's diagnosis would not be detailed enough.
Goshen just fanned the big envelope, as if he didn't hear him.Then she turned her face, as if seeing him suddenly, she immediately frowned and stared. "Not leaving yet!"
The young man hurriedly squeezed out among the crowd.
Seeing their expressions, Liu Quan obviously had an unusual relationship.This young man is not like a cadre, but like an ordinary salaryman.Of course, it may also be a new cadre whom Goshen particularly favors.With her qualifications and status, she might be able to have a little lover like Ding Ling.
The door of the consultation room opened with a bang, and a patient struggled to squeeze out.It was Goshen's turn to go in.
A few minutes later, Goshen hurriedly buttoned his chest again and came out.The door is covered with a half piece of milky white glass, reflecting her silhouette. Her long disheveled hair hangs over her back, her chest is high, and she wears a blue-gray summer Lenin suit with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing her plump white arms.She really doesn't look like a tuberculosis patient.Except that her cheeks seem to be particularly rosy, with a kind of "northern rouge" feeling.
She turned away, waved her big yellow envelope slightly at him as a greeting, and disappeared among the crowd.
The young man who lined up for Geshan came out of the hospital, called a tricycle, and rushed to the China Textile Company where he worked.As soon as he entered the office, Ma Haoran, an accountant on a desk near the door, yelled.
"Lu Zhonghao is here! ──Hey, you old man, you are very happy! Today everyone helped to count the cloth, and I was so tired that my back hurts, but I just escaped you!"
Before Lu Zhihao could answer, another colleague, Xu Zitong, explained on his behalf: "It's a business, and he will accompany his wife to the hospital to see a doctor."
Everyone was used to joking, Lu Zhihao couldn't let go of his face for a moment, he just cursed "Don't talk nonsense!" and punched him.
A red gang tailor saw Lu Zhihao coming and came over to collect the bill from him.The workers here are all contracted to this tailor, and each of them made two sets of summer liberation clothes.
Ma Haoran has not yet paid the money, took out his wallet, and kept complaining: "This trip is really wronged, it's all for the parade, I took care of it and told everyone to wear new liberation clothes—not that later, Beijing is all wearing A suit parade! If I knew this, there are two sets of old suits at the bottom of the press box, so I can take them out and use them!"
"Do you know why Beijing changed its policy?" Xu Zitong, who "knows everything about astronomy and geography", immediately shrugged his shoulders, stretched his head forward, leaned forward and said softly, "It was the last time the Soviet writer Ehrenburg came to When I came to China to visit the parade, I saw that the people in the parade were all wearing liberation uniforms, so I asked the interpreter next to me: "Are these people cadres?" The interpreter said: "No, they are ordinary people." Ehrenburg said: "Ordinary people should wear People’s clothes are too neat and tidy, which is not good. It’s like a military exercise, and it doesn’t seem like they are going to participate in the parade spontaneously.” So this parade in Beijing, drink! Men wear suits, women wear cheongsams, high heels, cheongsams and The more colorful the better, I heard that I went to the barber shop for a perm in those two days, and I couldn’t squeeze in.”
"Oh, I should have known──" Ma Haoran grumbled, counting out a stack of banknotes and handing them to the tailor.
"Hey, Ma, I'll discuss it with you," Lu Zhihao put his arms around his shoulders with a smile on his face. "There is an urgent need in the past two days. You can accommodate one hundred and eighty thousand, and the salary will be returned at the end of the month."
Ma Haoran hurriedly shook his head and picked up the wallet, and patted his pocket with a smile. "I lent you this little money, the family can't afford food!"
"Why? It's only been a few days since I got paid?"
"Hey, if you don't believe me, let me tell you: monthly donations to resist the U.S. and aid Korea—this is also your brother who challenged me by name; the democratic challenge, I have no choice but to challenge it democratically. I pledge to donate 100 units every month until the American emperor until they are driven out of North Korea.”
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zhihao said with a smile, "I still need your help this time, please help──"
"Well, there are a total of 150 units left. After receiving the salary, we walked out of this room, and the People's Bank of China set up a small stall in the aisle, waiting to accept deposits—calculate the day when we will pay the salary."
"It's really pervasive now," Xu Zitong also interjected.Shaking his head and sighing, he said, "The People's Bank of China also set up a stall at the entrance of the movie theater to collect deposits. That's not enough, have you seen that? The People's Bank also rents out the second-hand carts with glass cabinets that sell garter belts. I used it as an activity counter──I pushed it all over the street.”
Zhihao couldn't speak for a long time, so he had to strike up a conversation and walk away.Xu Zitong quietly pushed Ma Haoran with his elbow. "Old Ma, you are also the same---'wealth is not in vain', you know that he borrows money from everyone these two days, and it's too late to run away after seeing him, so you spend a lot of money to greedy him!"
Ma Haoran frowned and said, "I don't understand, what big loophole does he have to drag such a huge amount of debt!"
"It's not for women!"
"Why are there so many troubles because of a lot of women. Now on the beach in Shanghai, nothing is cheap, but women are cheap."
"You don't know, his partner, it's a shame to mention this—" Xu Zitong hurriedly stopped, and turned his head to look around.
"What's the big deal? The most famous courtesan is very accommodating now."
"Hey, you don't know, his fiancée is a party member. She used to work in northern Jiangsu and suffered from severe tuberculosis. Now she is an editor of the Jiefang Daily. Since I met Xiao Lu, I moved to live with him. Then, the second floor will be used as a sick room, and the medical expenses will be entirely borne by him.”
Ma Haoran was a little skeptical. "Aren't they in charge of taking care of them in the organization? Why doesn't the editor of the Liberation Daily, who is a dignified one, get sick?"
"Imported acupuncture and medicine are so expensive. Depending on the organization to treat, at most some kind of "sleep therapy" or "exercise therapy" can be expected to heal without medicine."
Ma Haoran closed his mouth and let out a sigh. "Must always be very bright," he said at last.
"Of course. But I heard that he has a big temper. He always brings out Maren and Lies to teach Xiao Lu a lesson."
"Xiao Lu is really stupid. It's not worth it."
"I said that he was like those who believe in Buddhism "asking for sutras", and invited half of Marxism-Leninism to his home for offering."
Ma Haoran kept shaking his head. "It's too bad!"
Xu Zitong nodded and smiled. "As far as I know, it's not entirely worthless."
Ma Haoran understood it as soon as he heard it, and smiled at him knowingly.
Seeing the furtive and eye-catching expressions of the two of them, Zhihao guessed that they must be talking about him.He sat in his seat, he couldn't sit still, he looked at his watch and it was already almost six o'clock, so he simply arrived late and left early today, and demolished the mess to the end, at worst he would be punished.Go back earlier, so that you can see and say a few words to Geshan before she goes to the newspaper office.Every day, she was already out when he went back.
He stood up and went to get his coat.In the past two days, the weather has turned warm, and everyone is wearing shirts indoors, hanging their coats on a hook on the wall.The blue-gray Lenin uniforms were piled on top of each other, completely identical and unrecognizable.He pinched his hands outside a pocket, heard a slight noise from the carton of a pack of cigarettes, took it out and checked, it wasn't the brand he was smoking.After searching a few pockets, he found a blue and white checked bandanna, which belonged to him, and of course the jacket belonged to him too.Occasionally, when he turned around, he saw a whole room of people looking at him.He blushed involuntarily.
"If you don't touch your pockets, you don't know which one belongs to you," he murmured as he took off his clothes and put them on.
No one spoke, and everyone lowered their heads to go to work again, but they still seemed to pay attention to his actions.Zhihao felt that he had suffered a great insult invisibly.He walked out silently.
When he got home, his mother heard him come back, and shouted from the sitting room downstairs: "I came back early today!" went upstairs.
Geshan sat under the lamp, disassembled a small flashlight to install dry electricity, and seemed to be preparing to go out.
Zhihao sat down on the sofa next to her. "What did the doctor say just now?" he asked.
"It's not the same thing." She turned on the flashlight and pointed it at the balcony outside.A light yellow light that was as thin as the rim of the wine glass passed through the dark balcony.
He felt that she had followed the light out. "Going out again!" He gently bit the soft muscle on her arm with his lips. "Relax at home. The doctor didn't say it, the most important thing is to rest. If you run around all day like you, taking medicine and injections will be in vain."
"It's for nothing, it's for nothing, you feel bad." She turned back the light of the flashlight, and shot aimlessly in the room.
"Why do you say such things?"
"Oh, I was wrong. You don't care about money, you care about me, don't you?──Be less nasty!"
She suddenly pushed him hard, and a desk lamp next to the sofa was knocked over and fell to the ground, and the milky yellow water ripple glass lampshade was smashed to pieces.
"What is this for?" Zhihao said loudly.Ge Shan simply picked up a teacup and threw it back and forth on the ground. When there was a loud sound, the teacup shattered into three or four pieces. "Don't you love money? What are you shouting about if you don't?"
"Zhihao!" His mother shouted downstairs, seeming to panic. "Zhihao!"
Goshen grabbed another thick glass ashtray and threw it at the full-length mirror. "It depends on whether you feel bad or not!" she said.
Zhihao walked to the balcony and stood there, leaning on the iron railing and looking at the small courtyard below.
Goshen put the flashlight in his pocket, went to the big cracked mirror, brushed his hair, tightened his belt, and went out of the room.
She went downstairs, Mrs. Lu went upstairs, and met her at the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. Lu asked with a smile. "Scared me, I heard Xiling ringing loudly."
"I smashed two bowls," Goshan said with a smile.
"Hey! Let Mama Li sweep it out. Wear slippers in the house and don't step on the broken magnets." Then he called out "Mama Li!" and said, "Ms. Ge is going out without eating? It's time for dinner!"
Mrs. Lu is always polite when meeting her, but she is very opposed to Ge Shan moving in, thinking that such a person is "not to be provoked", which is tantamount to inviting wolves into the house.However, the objection was ineffective, her son was too old to control her, and she was rushing to the age of independent marriage, and the other party was a Communist Party, and now she was gaining power, so she had to figure it out for herself, if there was such a daughter-in-law, This troubled world is also a talisman, which can be regarded as "fighting poison with poison".
Ge Shan is very clear about her mentality, and even Zhihao can't help but have similar thoughts.Human beings are strange animals; even the most secret and sincere feelings are sometimes mixed with some snobbish elements. In Zhihao's eyes, she is the conqueror of the city and a member of the ruling class. She is a mysterious, heroic and romantic female fighter.He couldn't help feeling like he was climbing the dragon and the phoenix.And what embarrassed her most was the fact that she was absolutely not as important as he imagined.Her political life was no more than that, she knew it.In the past, she ruined her health for the sake of the party, but now after the overall victory, she still has to sell her remaining youth to pay for her medical bills.This is something she doesn't even want to admit to herself.
She always told herself that it was not that she didn't love Zhihao.But she really hates his mother-in-law's warmth.Always be cautious and sneaky, thinking that it is harmful to her health.What she needs is a bone-destroying passion that can destroy her, and destroy her before death.And he kept reminding her of death.Sometimes he made her dead, he was a babe lying on his mother's corpse and sucking her breast.
She is the only "Night Returner" in this alley, and neighbors can hear her come back late at night every day to ring the bell and call for the door.But I came back very early today, not even eleven o'clock.
And not coming back alone.She asked Liu Quan to talk at the newspaper office, discussing the compilation of some pamphlets to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. The first book was tentatively titled "History of U.S. Imperial Invasion of China," which blamed the U.S. for all unfortunate events in Chinese history in the past century.
"The minions of American imperialism are hidden, not exposed like the German and Japanese imperialists," Goshen explained.
They spent a lot of time discussing how to prove that the United States is the mastermind behind Germany and Japan.There is a book in Geshan for reference, but she just got out of a quarrel at home and forgot to bring it out in a hurry, so she asked Liu Quan to follow her back to get it.
"Do you live in your dormitory?" Liu Quan asked.
"No, I'm staying with relatives."
Liu Quan didn't ask any more questions.You should not inquire about the details of the comrades you come into contact with at work, it is a violation of discipline.But Liu Quan couldn't help wondering whether her so-called relative was the young man in the hospital today.He finds it amusing.Today he had a X-ray in the hospital, and his lungs were completely healthy, so he suddenly felt relaxed, as if he had spent decades in vain, and his mood was very leisurely, as if he was sightseeing wherever he went.
The relatives of Geshan lived in a semi-Western-style alley house, and they entered and exited through the back door.A maid came to answer the door.Ge Shan led him in, and they went upstairs together, when they heard an old woman in the downstairs room shouting: "Mama Li, who is it?"
"It's Miss Ge," the maid replied.
Calling Miss Ge but not Comrade, it can be seen that this is a standard petty bourgeois family, Liu Quan thought to himself.In the hall below stood an old-fashioned coat-rack, and the doors on either side were open to let in light.In one room, the radio was turned on, and the violin was playing solo, and the music was very sad and melodious.
As soon as Ge Shan heard that the radio was on in Zhihao's room, he knew that he was angry and wasn't waiting for her upstairs.The more resentful, admiring, weeping and complaining the music sounded, the more annoying she felt.
In the upstairs room, Goshan turned on the light and saw that all the broken disks on the floor had been swept away.She asked Liu Quan to sit down, found the book and handed it to him.
"Let's take a quick look at it first. If you have any doubts, you can ask them now, and everyone will study and study."
She took out a cigarette to salute him, lit a cigarette herself, sat down on a sofa chair, and slid straight down, as if she was extremely tired, with her hands in her trouser pockets, two The legs are stretched out flat and stretched far.
The maid suddenly appeared at the door, but she didn't bring tea.She coughed and said, "Miss Ge, listen to the phone."
Seeing her embarrassed face, Ge Shan guessed that Zhihao must have sent a servant to call her downstairs in the name of listening to the phone, so as to make a noise with her.She knew that he must find it very exciting. It was so late, and she took her boyfriend home. It was already past twelve o'clock, and his radio had stopped.
In front of Liu Quan, she naturally couldn't say anything, so she had to stand up and walk out, but she closed the door behind her, and said to Mama Li outside the door: "No matter who it is, you go and get him back for me, just Said I was working right now and told him to call back tomorrow.”
"I don't understand, you should go and talk to the young master," the maid murmured, "It was the young master who asked you to come out──"
Geshan interrupted her impatiently: "Tell you that he is busy at the moment, and he is still talking! Just return him."
The weather has been hot for the past two days, once the door was closed, the room felt stuffy, Liu Quan thought she would close the door when she went out, probably because their phone must be installed in the corridor on the second floor, she didn't want people to hear her say.When she came in, she still closed the door casually, but he didn't notice it, because something more noteworthy happened at this time.As soon as she came in, she walked up to him, sat down on the arm of his sofa, and looked down to see what he had read in his book.This shouldn't be a big surprise, but she didn't seem to be wearing a shirt under her Lenin suit, and one button was missing.From this angle, one can clearly see the two white balls hidden in the deep V-shaped collar.It is a place where the sun cannot be exposed, and the skin turns from yellowish to white, just like an ice cream ball out of an egg roll.At that time, Liu Quan just felt shocked and regretted, like a child who sees a cream cake in the window and suddenly realizes that there is no glass on the window, and he can get it as soon as he reaches out.
He thought it would be ridiculous if he got up and walked away in embarrassment immediately.And like all innocent people, he has a competitive mentality, and he doesn't want others to know his innocence.他要装出满不在乎的神气，彷佛并没有注意到这些，然后借一个借口，很自然地站起来告辞。
戈珊彷佛嫌坐得不稳，伸出一只手臂来搭在沙发背上，另一只手伸到刘荃前面来替他掀着书页。那本书渐渐地越写越不通了，莫名其妙，不知道在说些什么？刘荃的肩背上彷佛热烘烘地贴着两只灯泡。然后他忽然发现她掀书的那只手被他握住了。他听见她笑。她的笑声那样近，近得只是一阵暖热的鼻息，然而那声音听上去又像是异常遥远，像是云里雾里隐隐听见一种金属品的叮当。
她挣扎着不让他抚摸她的手臂，但是越是挣扎，接触越多，他甚至于可以分明地感觉到那两只乳头，像柔软的掀起的小嘴，钝钝地在他背上擦来擦去。
他突然阖起书站了起来说：「我得要走了。」
「为什么突然要走了？」她微笑着望着他，搭在沙发背上的一只手臂折过来，把香烟送到嘴里去吸了一口，不经意地弹了弹身上的烟灰。
「回去太晚了，宿舍叫不开门。」
他检点刚才记的笔记，折叠起来夹在那本书里。有一张纸，不知道什么时候被风吹到阳台上去了，吸在铁阑干脚下贴着。他走出去拾。
戈珊把他的帽子从桌上拿起来，顶在手指上呼呼地旋转着玩，也跟到阳台上来。刘荃伸手来接帽子，她却把手一缩，藏在背后。他伸手来夺，她从这只手递到那只手。他抢帽子的结果却是抱住了她，他自己不知道抱得多么紧，只觉得在黑暗中她压在他胸膛上，使他不能呼吸，像一个绮丽而恐怖的噩梦。
「为什么突然要走了？」她仍旧问。他觉得她在笑他。当然她知道他要走是因为冲动得太厉害。
他一次次地吻着戈珊的腮颊与耳朵，与肘弯里面。他自己觉得很奇怪，在这样的狂热里，仍旧有一部分的脑筋清醒得近于冷酪。他不吻她的嘴唇，因为她有肺病。刚才在她房间里看见许多瓶瓶罐罐，PAS与肺病特效药。同时他也感到不安，那阳台上虽然黑暗，房间的灯光正把他们的剪影映在一个明亮的背景上，而且他开始注意到楼下的小院子里的人──黑暗中现出红红的一点火星，是香烟头上的火光。的确是有一个人吸着烟走来走去──现在似乎倚在铁门边。
「楼底下有人，」刘荃低声说：「看得见我们。」
「去把屋里灯关了，不就看不见了？」他真的去关灯。
「你知道开关在哪儿吗？」戈珊一路笑着，也跟了进来。「别揿错了叫人铃。」
「你就说得我那么胡涂。」
一片黑暗拍地打在脸上。
戈珊不知道在哪里。他几乎绊倒了一张椅子，终于在房门边上捉到了她。
然而这间房间里电灯一灭，简直像一个信号似的，立刻把楼下的志豪召唤了来。
Someone knocked on the door outside.
「你看，一定是你刚才揿了铃，把佣人叫上来了！」戈珊吃吃地笑着。
「没有没有，我没有！」
敲门之外又霍霍地旋着门钮。幸而刚才电灯一灭，戈珊就去把钥匙转了一转，把门锁上了。
「什么事？」刘荃轻声问，心里却已经明白了一大半。「失火了？」他嘲笑地问。
「也许，」戈珊说。
「那是什么人？」
「管他是谁！怎么，你害怕？」
「我怕什么？」
「不怕，那你老问干吗？」
蓬蓬蓬，更加疯狂地拍着门。
这样才够刺激，戈珊想。她在黑暗中像是关闭在一只丝绒垫底的神奇的箱子里，在波涛险恶的海洋上飘流着。
真正的危险是也没有的，她知道志豪的为人。小资产阶级的文明限制了他，他失去理性也只到这地步为止，徒然在仆役面前出这么一场丑，决不会再进一步拿斧头来砍破房门。明天一早她送刘荃出去，也不怕楼梯口有人握着手鎗躲在阴影里等候着，但是也难说，有时候狗急跳墙，把人逼到真正无法下台的时候，是什么也干得出来的。她喜欢危险的气氛，它使她身上每一根神经都苏醒了过来。刘荃这小傻子也实在是可爱。而且她知道，对于他，她是开天辟地以来第一个女人，至少是第一个裸体女人。她做了他的夏娃。
此后刘荃没有再去找她。他告诉自己这仅只是一个偶然发生的事件，如同汽车肇事。但是事实上他无时无刻不想到她。不一定想到她这人，而是单纯作为一个女人的肉体。他对自己这种心理觉得惊讶、羞惭，但是也拿自己没有办法。
戈珊曾经打电话给他，说她搬了家，把她的新地址告诉了他，他也没有打算去。但是有一天终于还是去了。
戈珊在一家白俄咖啡馆背后赁了一间房间住着，那白色的房子后面架着个小楼梯，绿漆铁阑干，水泥梯级，一直通到她房门口，所以也可以说是独门独户。大概她也就是图它进出方便。
房间是阴暗而不整洁的，苍绿的粉墙，椅背上与床阑干上永远挂满了衣物。到处是污秽的玻璃杯，一撮撮的烟灰。阳光蒙蒙地从紫红布的窗帘里透进来。在那薄明中，这一切是有一种浪漫气息的。
刘荃每次抽空溜来一遍，永远是在上午或是午后两三点钟。戈珊这样干报馆工作的人是以昼作夜的，他来的时候她总是从床上爬起来，睡眼惺忪来开门。他走的时候她又在酣睡着。他觉得他只生活在她的梦境中。
一天到晚昏天黑地的鬼混着。想到黄绢的时候，他觉得说不出来的惭愧，但是心里的矛盾太多了，不愿意想到的事情也太多。也就像「蚤多不痒，债多不愁」一样，日子也就这么过下来了。
这一天下午，他为了一点公事，到楼上赵楚的办公室里去，在房门上敲了两下。里面一只摇头电扇嗡嗡响着，他彷佛里面叫他进去，只是被风扇的声音盖没了。
他把门一堆，却怔住了，看见赵楚与周玉宝夫妇俩郑重地握手。这赵楚生就一张赤红的长方脸，粗浓的眉毛，也说得上一貌堂堂，他微微躬着身，放出那最诚恳最热烈的笑容向他太太望去，玉宝也浓浓地堆出一脸笑容，眼睛里射出愉快的光辉，两人紧紧地握着手，一上一下用力摇撼着。
刘荃急忙把房门轻而缓地掩上，没关上之前，听见玉宝在说，「再来一遍。」
「来，拥抱一下，」赵楚说。
刘荃知道他们演习的是俄罗斯式的拥抱，很快地把两边面颊各吻一下，这是现在通行的国际友人间的仪节，讲究的是抱得要紧，吻得要快。难处就在谁先吻谁，不经预先约定，而又一味要快、快、快，很容易双方的动作起冲突，撞痛了脸和鼻子。在宾客众多的大场面里，大家蜂拥而上，一连换上一二十个人，都是刮辣松脆左颊一个响吻，右颊一个响吻，把头左一转右一转，真要转昏了。的确需要事先下一番苦功练习。刘荃并且听见说，中共最重视的就是酬应苏联友人的礼节，一点都错不得。中级以下的干部，稍有一点失仪的地方，当场就会吓得魂不附体，知道要受最严厉的处分。就连赵楚这样有军功的人也不是例外。想必他们夫妇总是要赴什么重要宴会，所以在这里私下演礼。
刘荃捏着一把汗走下楼去，心里想幸而没有被他们发觉。如果知道被他看见了，不一定马上当面发作，但是总有办法收拾他的。他回到自己的办公室里，没有一会工夫，忽然有个通讯员来叫他。
「周同志请你上去一趟。」
刘荃不觉皱眉，心里想到底还是被她发现了。他惴惴地走上楼去，来到玉宝的办公室里，她却是一个人在那里，此外还有一个裁缝。玉宝这一向常常叫裁缝来做旗袍，在举行晚会的时候穿，特别是有国际友人在座的场所，这也是最近一般政府首要的爱人间的一种风气。这裁缝是苏州人，和玉宝言语不通，所以总是把刘荃叫上来当翻译，刘荃勉强可以说几句上海话。这一类的差使总是落在他头上，张励还因此取笑过他，屡次说：「上司太太这样离不了你，你小心，上司要吃醋了。」
「上司倒不一定吃醋，」刘荃心里想：「同事倒吃醋了。」
这一天他看见那裁缝在那里，方才放下心来。裁缝送衣裳来，他那大白包袱里还包着些别的主顾的衣服，内中有一件织锦缎旗袍，被玉宝看中了，叫刘荃问他这衣料什么地方有得买。
那裁缝身材矮小，一张柿子脸，又是黄橙橙的横宽的「铜盆柿」？脸上永远是一种微带讽刺性的微笑，穿著一身旧绸衫裤，背剪着双手站在那里。「这种花样外面没有的，」他酸溜溜地微笑着说：「毛主席太太在杭州一家厂家定织了一件。一共两丈料子，剪剩下来还够做两件，这是此地一个银行经理太太买到了一件。」
刘荃觉得替他照翻不大妥当，但是玉宝一味追问，刘荃只得把他的话复述了一遍，又说：「这话毫无根据。可能是个那主顾吹牛。」
玉宝却说：「听说北京她们是穿得非常讲究。应该的嘛──一天到晚有国际友人请客应酬，不然气派不够。现在人民生活改善了，大家穿得好些也是应当的，上级应当起带头作用。」
她把那件旗袍摊了开来，仔细翻来覆去看着。「国际友人尤其赞成织锦缎，」她说。
这是件黑缎子上面织出小小的金色花瓶，隔得不远不近，八四平八稳一只只一寸来高的金瓶。空处穿插着一些金色云头，与短短的金色飘带，排列得很扳滞。但是就连刘荃这样外行的人看来，也觉得确是花样别致，似乎从来没有看见过。那裁缝的话大概是可信的。
裁缝早已把玉宝新做出来的那件花绸旗衫拣了出来，放在沙发上。
「好，好，你们都出去，我试衣服，」玉宝说。
她撵他们出去，那裁缝却先忙着把那件名贵的织锦缎袍子折叠起来，收到包袱里，把包袱一扎，提在手里匆匆地往外走。
「干吗带出去？这么一会儿工夫，搁在我屋里不放心呀？」玉宝生气地嚷了起来。
那裁缝也确是怕她要拿着穿一穿试试，他尴尬地苦笑着，喃喃地连声说「哪里哪里，」把一个柿子脸撮得像个柿饼似的，灰暗而有深的皱折。
刘荃乘她那一撵，早已走得无影无踪了。
黑色的背景上，小金瓶的图案……他常常想起它。
其实毛主席的爱人在杭州定织几件衣料，又算得了什么，究竟他们并没有像满清的皇帝制定一个「江南织造」的官衔，专司供应御用衣料。他们这并不算怎样豪奢的享受，不过他想到他们这一点享受是无数中国青年的血换来的，他不由得痛心。
玉宝积极准备着参加的那宴会，就在这两天内。在宴会的次日，玉宝又为了要出席一个会议，叫刘荃给她拟一篇演说稿。他拟好了给送上楼去，却老远就听见赖秀英的声音在玉宝的办公室里，两人一会率率索索，一会又大说大笑的，似乎亲热异常。刘荃非常诧异，因为一向知道这两个人是水火不兼容的。
「真没瞧见过……」
「还扭上去朗诵普希金……」
「──进『破鞋』！」
老区称荡妇为「破鞋」。她们似乎是在议论着昨天宴会上的一个浪漫的女性。有了一个共同的攻击目标，无怪她们同仇敌忾起来，忽然谈得这样投机。
「真不要脸！你看见她对那苏联专家那神气？」周玉宝说：「净找着他闹！」
刘荃走了进去，玉宝就接过那篇演说稿来看。赖秀英还在旁边说：「她自己也灌了不少伏特加。」
刘荃一离开那间房，又听见赖秀英带笑高声说：「是他们社长说的：『我们的戈珊同志不会说俄文哪？──人家眼睛会说世界语！』」
「还他妈的怪得意的呢！」周玉宝说。
刘荃怔了一怔，心里想原来是说戈珊。「他们社长」总是解放日报的社长了。
他虽然明知道戈珊是什么样的人，但是听见这些话，不免总觉得有点刺激，当天下午就借了个借口溜出去看她。
已经快到她上报馆的时候了，她还没有起床。
「酒醒了没有？」刘荃微笑着说，在床前的一张椅子上坐了下来。
「也没喝多少。」她咳嗽得很厉害。「你消息倒灵通，怎么知道的？」
「那苏联专家告诉我的。」
戈珊稍稍呆了一呆，随即笑了起来。「别胡说八道了！」
「怎么？就不许我认识个把苏联专家？」
戈珊恨恨地横了他一眼。
「我不懂世界语，」刘荃笑着说。
"what?"
「世界语我没学过，你用眼睛对我说话是白说了。」
戈珊探身过来打他，用力过猛，往斜里一裁，倒在他的身上格格地笑。「你这家伙真可恶，越学越坏了！」
「跟谁学的？」
戈珊嗤嗤地笑着。「我知道你是跟谁学的？」她把头枕在他膝盖上，仰着脸望着他，伸手抚弄着他的面颊。
他扳开了她的手。
戈珊知道他心里仍旧感到不痛快，就噘起了嘴说：「不行，你得告诉我，是哪儿听来的这些话。」
「我不是告诉你了么，是那苏联专家说的。」
「什么苏联专家？我知道，还不是你们那儿两个姑娘们造的谣言！那两人都是道地的土包子，见了外国人吓的没处躲，看见别人出风头可又要吃醋，背后就去糟蹋人家，什么话都说得出来。」
刘荃觉得这话倒也很近情理，周玉宝与赖秀英恐怕也的确有这种心理。
戈珊从他的脸色上看出他已经摇动了。「女人都是妒忌心最强的，」她又说。
「是吗？我也听见说。」刘荃微笑着说。
「女人像我这样的真少，」戈珊说：「我倒是从来不妒忌的。」
"yes?"
「是吗，是吗──干吗这样阴阳怪气的？」
她继续抚摸着他的脸，他也抚摸着她。
她怕痒，身子一扭一扭，头枕在他的膝盖上，也溜了下去，倒挂在空中。那美艳的脸庞颠倒着看，彷佛更加美艳。刘荃想起小时候在校园里，在金黄的夕照里把头向后仰着，仰到不能再仰了，倒看着满天的霞彩与青葱的园地，一切都特别显得鲜艳欲滴。
他忍不住伏下身去吻她的白嫩的喉咙。
「真的，我从来不妒忌的。你有别的女朋友我绝对不干涉，」戈珊说。
「哦。」他吻到别的地方去了。
「你从来不把你过去恋爱的事情讲给我听。」
「我没什么可说的。」
但是她一定逼着他说。
「你自己的事从来不告诉我，倒尽着查问我。」刘荃说。
「我告诉你你要吃醋的，你告诉我我不会吃醋的。」
「你这种态度真好，可惜遇到我这么一个人，根本就没有吃醋的机会。」
「还耍赖，还耍赖！」两条白蛇紧紧地匝住他的颈项。「勒死你！今天非得要你把那女朋友的事招出来！」
「什么女朋女？」刘荃并不是存心欺骗她，但是他实在不愿意在她面前提起黄绢的名字，尤其是在这样的情形下。
但是后来戈珊说：「告诉你，我早已充分掌握了材料，不过是给你一个坦白的机会！」
刘荃笑了起来。「你这一套逼供的手段我也会。」
「真是不识好歹，」戈珊在他额角上重重戳了一下。「──不要你了！给你头上贴一张邮票寄到济南去。」
刘荃震了一震，笑着说：「济南？」
她向他笑。「寄给济南团支部黄绢同志。」
「你怎么知道有这样一个人？」
「哼，告诉你：我的情报网比你深入，而且我的情报是绝对正确的，不像你，听了点没根据的话就来跟我乱发脾气！」
那天他离开她那里的时候，一直在那里猜测着她是从那里打听到的。他觉得实在有点奇怪，因为黄绢和他的事根本可以说没有一个人知道。然后他乘电车回去，在电车上掏钱买票的时候，忽然灵机一动，把他装零碎钞票的那只旧信封拿出来看了看。黄绢寄给他的信很多，他一向总是利用那信封装钱，可以随身带来带去，彷佛也是一种安慰。已经成了习惯。那信封上的邮戳虽然可看出是济南寄出的，寄信人的名字却只有「黄缄」两个字。但是在这励行节约的时候，大家写信都是把旧信封翻过来再用一遍，所以她这封信也就是他寄给他的，里面赫然写着她的姓名住址。戈珊当然有很多的机会翻他的口袋。信封破了就再换一只，她可以看出他们是经常通信的。一定就是根据这一点线索。不过他知道，下次他问她，她一定仍旧故作神秘，不肯说实话的。
他把那破旧的信封又揣到口袋里去。近来越来越怕写信了，也怕接到她的信。虽然大家说来说去只是几句冠冕堂皇互相鼓励的话。
他觉得他应当把实话告诉黄绢，叫她不要等他了，他不值得她爱。会有比他好的人去爱她的。至于他，让他去吧，他已经习惯于黑暗。少女是光，妇人是温暖。眼前他所要求的只是一点温暖。他对于戈珊没有存着什么幻想，但是他觉得她也很可怜。她是和他一样被欺诓的，在学生时代就跟着共产党走，现在她什么都完了，她不但有病，心理上的病态也很严重，所以她把男女关系看得那样随便。他觉得她需要一个人去爱她。她或者会好起来。
有时侯他这样想。有时候他又怀疑他只是贪恋着那迷人的肉体，而又不能正视这单纯的事实，所以要加上这么许多解释。
在一个酷热的下午，他到她那里去，突然天色阴黑，下起雨来了，而且下得很大。刘荃扶着阑干，沿着那露天的小楼梯走上去，潮湿的水泥梯级已经成了暗黄色，上面黏着一两片洋梧桐娇黄的落叶。他揿了半天铃没有人开门，她一定是出去了。他从口袋里掏出笔来，又找出一张纸条子，抵在那绿漆小门上匆匆写了两行字，「来访不遇。明天下午或者能来。」下面没有署名。她会知道是他。他把那张纸双折了一下，弯下腰来从门缝里塞了进去。
一阵狂风吹过来，她那紫红布窗帘突然鼓荡着，从窗户里飞了出来，飘在半空中，像是向他挥手。跟着就又往里面一吸，吸了进去。密密的雨点也跟着往里扫射，可以听见她沙沙地打在桌上，像撒豆子似的。刘荃不禁有些担忧，想起他们编的那小册子的校样，前两天看见她从报馆里带回来搁在那张桌子，不知道还在那里不在，恐怕全打湿了。那窗户离那楼梯有好几尺远，也没法替她关窗。
他转过身走下楼梯，快到人行道上了，忽然隐隐地听见一声「砰！」回过头来一看，那玻璃窗已经关上了。成片的雨水在那玻璃上流着，那紫红色的窗帘静静地被关闭在玻璃里面。
刘荃站在那里，茫然地向上面望着。然后他很快地走了，心里充满了愤怒。
她那里向来除了她自己，什么人都没有。听她说有时候叫白俄房东的女佣替她打扫打扫房间，但是如果是那女佣，外面揿铃揿得这样啊，也绝对没有不开门的理由。
第二天他再到她那里去，有一个黑红肤色的青年在那里，是文化局警卫科的人。戈珊的态度很自然，替他们介绍之后，大家随便谈着。但是刘荃憋了一肚子的话要质问她，对于这种浮泛的应酬式的谈话实在感到不耐烦。那青年虽然也不大开口，却老是坐着不走。大家就这样干迸着，等着看谁把谁迸走。
谈话一直延长下去。刘荃有意无意地抬起手来看了看表。他趁着出差，弯到这里来一趟，实在应当走了。
「你别性急，」戈珊说：「魏同志大概也就快来了。他们这些忙人，约了时候向来不算数的。」
「哪个魏同志？」那青年问。
「还有谁？」戈珊笑着说：「就是你们的老魏。」
「他要上这儿来？」那青年显然吃了一惊。
戈珊似乎不愿意多说，含糊地应了一声，然后把下颏微微向刘荃努了努。「喏，这位刘同志有点事找他，我约了他们在这儿见面。」
那青年像是