Chapter 16 a party

A party was held on a certain day in July at a certain school in Xicheng. Everyone happily held it.This venue is usually specially prepared for bearded professors whose mouths are turning green. On the stage of the venue, there are wicker chairs, and countless famous professors and celebrities have sat there.Today, in order to welcome a young literary author who came from the north and south, the whole venue was adorned with floral paper lamps, which was extremely lively.After the clock on the wall rang seven times, the sky outside was still glowing black and blue. Ladies and gentlemen, many of them were just running from the movie theater to the market to buy snacks and ice cream. The population flowed into the four venue deacons.Young, handsome, neatly tidied up, with the three regular script characters "receptionist" written on the white silk on the lapel, with a fat, white and lovely face.

When they entered the venue, they seemed to be discussing something at first, but they separated immediately. One person walked to the edge of the podium and flipped the light switch, and the whole venue was brightened.On the podium, four rattan chairs with backrests are lined up, each of which looks different.On the blackboard at the back, some white spots like sores can be seen where the paint dust has peeled off.On the blackboard, there is a shadow of flowered paper in the shape of wisteria blocking the light. The strip of paper is swinging in a breeze, and the shadow is also shaking.All the seats in the arena were still empty, and the shadows of those flowery paper swayed on the back of the long wooden chair.

After some time, many listeners with various faces and clothes came one after another at the entrance of the venue.After entering the arena, groups of people immediately dispersed and disappeared into the backs of the chairs in the front row, leaving only a twirling head to see each other.They took their hats off their heads quite naturally, to occupy an empty seat for the convenience of later acquaintances.Some people also have some shadows of the floral paper strips hanging on their heads printed on their faces. A clock on the wall is walking slowly. There were more and more people, and the heads of the deacons who were busy dealing with all parties kept nodding from one side to the other.And the hands are raised from time to time.Seeing a woman coming in from the entrance, he quickened his pace, rushed over, and found a seat for the woman with a flattering smile.

Before long, the heads of the first dozen or so rows had been planted as densely as pineapples to the back of the chairs, and the seats in the back row were filled with people one after another. Everyone chatted and laughed casually, expecting this young man to appear on stage with the mood of looking forward to the opening of a movie or dance. It was a quarter past seven. At the back, a little far from the podium, a young timid man sat there, admiring the excitement in the arena.His body was dirty, his clothes were gray, his head was half-hidden between the chairs, and his messy hair was like a pile of dried algae.Who is this person?No one pays attention.

His body was so small, and when he stretched out his head, he still had to swallow half of the backs of those chairs.Even if others pay attention, from a distance, they can only see half of a small head with long hair protruding from the back of the chair.When he looked up, here and there, he saw the heads of many women with short hair in a mess.There was a slight smile on his lips.Everything is for him.Others longed to see him. Others are prepared to be shaken by the kind of moving words in his speeches with an honest heart.Everyone's palms are specially made for him, as soon as they come on stage, they will clap wildly at the same time.Many have given up better dates just to see him.Women, so many women, are his admirers, this meeting is for him alone!

Young man, in a kind of glorious anticipation, his heart was beating so hard that he could barely support it. He was worried and afraid, and when the clock on the wall struck eight o'clock, he didn't know what he should do.Just walk on the stage so shyly, it's hard to say whether you will have the strength then.On the podium, there was a row of rattan chairs with backrests, one of which was prepared for him.But as soon as he entered the arena, he saw the serious look in the arena, and although he wanted to rush up without hesitation, he was discouraged because of a shy mind, and stuffed himself into an empty seat in the back row. .After sitting down, he hoped that someone who was a little more familiar would come and relieve him.But when I lifted my head from the back of the chair and looked around, I was disappointed.

A group of people, in anticipation, are extremely boring.When this and that saw such a small and extremely ridiculous head, everyone focused their attention on it.This time, the fear suddenly increased a lot under Sensen's cold gaze, so he became even more uncomfortable. After lowering his head, he heard someone nearby studying himself. "A head that can represent Chinese culture!" The words were soft. He turned his head carefully and carefully to inspect the person who laughed at him, with a round white face, there were about three rows away from him.Although he was uneasy, but when he saw that this person was sincerely looking forward to getting to know him, he forgave this person.

"Friends," he said softly to himself, "thank you for your sincerity today!" He also thought, if he walked over at this moment and told that person, the person you are laughing at is exactly the person you hoped for, this round-faced boy would be seized by shame, and he would not know how to express his happiness. And upset!Maybe I'll run away in embarrassment immediately, so I just think about it. The young man is a literary author, and he has a fair judgment on modern society with a child's loyal and knife-like vision.His arbitrariness won the sympathy of all parties, so his name surpassed his life and expanded day by day.Half of them belonged to this academic group, everyone wanted to see this young man, so he piled up a bunch of flattering words on the letter, and because he was usually honest, he didn't know how to refuse properly, so he used it for this group. The enthusiasm of the mouth caught the speech.

Since the morning, he has been very familiar with reviewing the humble thank-you speech that should be due. He originally planned to contact the deacon as soon as he arrived at the venue, and he would honestly let the deacon lead him to the stage.In a situation of being at a loss, he began to talk according to the prepared speech.However, when he entered the arena, the procedures he had prepared were shattered by the paper lights in the arena.At this time, since I had already sat in the ordinary audience, I had to regain my courage and climb up to the stage after the chairman introduced himself to everyone!

Only thirty minutes left.The acquaintances I hope to meet, but I have never met one.Gradually more and more people.On the table, there was a man who looked like a servant, and placed a golden flower teapot between two pots of tuberose on the table. He turned his head around again.As a result of this time, he found that the number of seats in the venue has gradually decreased, and there are still many people flowing in from the entrance. However, there is no one in the row of empty seats near his seat. It is obviously a special seat, which is really wrong. !If I don't come on stage, these people won't be ashamed to sit around, right?When I think about it, I feel very sorry.

Four or five ladies came in, and as soon as they entered the venue, they ran over when they saw that there was space in this area.But when they checked out the little head from the backrest of the wooden slats, they immediately walked far behind.Hearing other people's laughter, he turned his head, only to see the ladies walking away from close. ……ah!There are a few more, because it is inconvenient for me to sit together! I'm so sorry to think about it.The time was only fifteen minutes away from eight o'clock, "What should I do?" After raising this question in my heart, I thought, besides waiting for the chairman's introduction, I should just stabilize myself and not be shy red face. I had the guts to look for it, but I couldn't find it, so I had to scratch my hair with my hands. Because those ladies stepped forward and then retreated to arouse everyone's interest again, they cast their eyes on the young man from afar.In this, he was terrified like a child, at a loss in front of a group of rams with sharp horns. The ladies retreated to the wall, and one of the younger ones pointed to the side of the young man, "It's a monster, I really scared me!" The monster that startled her just turned its head, and saw The hand with a gemstone ring pointed to him. "Such a rather serious meeting," the girl felt new disgust after seeing the little head that had turned back. "Shouldn't you limit yourself and let this type of people participate?" The companion only smiled slightly. "That's the responsibility of the usher," said another woman. "Maybe he came here with the same sincerity as us." "I heard that Miss Zhou recited Mr. Hong's poems today and introduced his literary thoughts to us." "The monster probably only came here because he wanted to rest at the meeting place, or to brush some things!" "The usher should be a little responsible." The woman mentioned the usher a second time. As for the usher, he seemed to be doing his duty there!One of them, a boy in his twenties, was dressed in a light gray suit, with a white stiff collar, his waist was slightly bent, and his face was just shaved. The pillar was talking about something with a middle-aged man in long gown. The young woman left her companion and walked towards the receptionist. "Please, sir, find a seat for us." The woman said delicately, and she smoothed the short hair on her forehead with her slender white hands. The gemstone ring was shining in front of the receptionist's eyes. "Okay, okay," he nodded to the four of them with a smile on his face. "I'll look for it for Mies," he brushed a line in the field of vision again with his eyes, "it's not bad in the middle." The woman followed the receptionist and approached the young man, "Because there is such a gentleman, (pointing to the young man) no one dares to sit near him. It seems that he is still sick!" "Oh, that's not bad!" As he said, he rushed forward. The boy was reviewing his speech. The receptionist knew how to show his sense of responsibility in front of women, so he grabbed the boy's shoulder with one hand, "Sir, please go to that side, this is the seat for the ladies!" and shook it vigorously, until the boy's extremely pitiful eyes looked at him. When he was talking to him, he would show the young man a very displeased and solemn face. "I'll take it to the stage at this time..." The young man thought, got up and walked forward. "Ah, no!" The waiter grabbed his shoulder for the second time. "Go this way! You can't let people walk in front of you! "After the young man was scooped by his arms, he was pushed and shoved to an empty seat in the back. On this side, the five young ladies had already dusted their silk handkerchiefs and sat down on the empty seat in front of him. "Sir, this meeting is for me..." I wanted to say something to the receptionist, but the receptionist took it, "This meeting was originally open, not for a certain person, I know. Although you come first, that row is specially set up for the female members of this association. It is very appropriate for you to be in this place, please be quiet. " I want to say one more thing, "Then let me go to the stage!" The back of the young receptionist disappeared into the middle of many chairs. On the other side, a group of ladies who had just sat down were still discussing the status of monsters in everyone's impression. "Who is it? Student, it can't be like that." "I'm afraid he's a madman." "I thought he was a tuberculosis" "Crazy, my heart beats when I see it. Consumption can infect people!" "I'm not afraid of lunatics, there are so many people here." "I'm afraid of both." "I'm afraid that the wallets of the people in this venue will fly away with this kind of people." "The receptionist was so irresponsible." "Fortunately—" The young woman, in order to study whether the young man was crazy or consumptive, turned her head away, but found the young man who had been chased away by the usher in the far corner. The boy sat silently, forgiving the disrespect for him amidst all misunderstandings. He thought that the waiter was showing respect to him in order to make the woman get a higher seat, so that he could see him better.The women who drove him away also came because they admired him.And think about all the people who looked at him with contempt just now, if this kind of people know that it is him, they will feel a lot of shame, and wait a moment, they will repent with even more enthusiastic applause. ...I don't know, it wasn't a mistake!Stay for a while and they'll know, just a few minutes later! ...Thinking and laughing. At eight o'clock, the venue was full, the chairman rubbed his hands, but the expected speaker hadn't come yet.Outside the meeting place, a school official rang the bell for a meeting and walked under the window of the meeting place.When the bell stopped, everyone in the audience could find out what they were looking forward to immediately, and their hearts were all tensed into a tense string. In the second row in front, a man who looked like a journalist, with a bald head and a thin face, took out his notepad and fountain pen from his lapel, and hurriedly recorded everything in the venue before today's meeting. Some women whispered to each other. Some people who had admired the young author very much on weekdays were rubbing their palms, ready to give a polite welcome. Some receptionists, with a casual look, leaned against the wall and pillars, their eyes flicked around, admiring the women casually. Two girls from a technical school of fine arts, with their sketchbooks on their laps. As for our timid boy, he was sitting on a three-legged chair by the wall. Fortunately, he leaned against the wall so that he would not fall over.When the bell rang, he pressed one hand to his chest, hand and heart, trembling with excitement at the same time.You have to calm yourself down so that you don't make jokes when you go on stage. "Ah, everyone," a person came out from a door next to the podium, and came to the stage.After the welcome applause subsided, the man gave the opening speech. "It is our honor and everyone's honor to have Mr. Hong come to our meeting to give a speech today!" A slap. "We all use a kind of enthusiasm, hoping that this writer will enlighten me on the direction I should go..." When the chairman finished his speech, the wall clock was ten past eight. When the young man heard the chairman say how it took all his sincerity to invite Mr. Hong, he was so moved that he was about to shed tears.Seeing everyone clapping, I couldn't help but follow others to clap wildly.There is a kind of sadness in my heart, but also a kind of gratitude, joy and fear.Said, "Mr. replied us in the letter, saying that he can always arrive at the meeting before eight o'clock anyway. Now, it's time. Our venerable Mr. has not come yet. Is he sick or something else?" ?" Hearing this, he couldn't bear it any longer, and wanted to stand up. "I think Mr. Hong won't miss the appointment, or he's already at the meeting!" Hearing this, the young man thought to himself, it's time to go on stage!So, I tried my best to pull myself up.As soon as he got up, a person behind him hissed.During this booing, he sat down slumped, feeling grateful and aggrieved in his heart, turned his head away, and looked at the person who booed him very pitifully.That person, who was standing up for him, was afraid of blocking his view of the speaker, completely unaware that what he was waiting for was the person in front of him.He also expected that the boy's head would turn back after the whistle, which would hinder his work, so he made a very disgusted face first, putting some displeasure, contempt, and all kinds of bad looks on his brows.Seeing such a rotten face, the young man let out a sigh of relief. "This is also a sincere respect for my personality! Those who hate me love me very much, because they are dirty, so they misunderstand!" He forgave this person again. "I can talk to him a few words," he couldn't help himself, he turned around again.The man was waiting very anxiously, when the young man turned his face to him, he really wanted to punch the young man, and at the same time gave the young man a vicious look. "It's a misunderstanding, it's a ridiculous misunderstanding, my friend, you'll find out later." After talking to others on purpose, he secretly squinted and saw a face like an owl. sneer. "The waiter eats too much!" the man said to himself. The teenager heard another person say, "What the hell is here! He even said responsibility." Indeed, the responsibility of the hostess!A speaker was invited, but he didn't know him, and he was driven to sit in a corner! On the podium, two young women arrived, in white skirts, which attracted everyone's eyes. These are the two ladies who introduced the speaker's poems today. The women each held a bunch of manuscripts in their hands. When they got to the stage, they heard the occasional joking applause below. They probably thought of something else. After sitting down, their faces turned red. Soon, He walked through the small door next to the podium again. The chairman stood up again. "Everyone, our respectable Mr. Hong has not come here at this time. I don't know why. Maybe Mr. Hong disdains to come here, I don't think it will be. Although the husband and us are very unfamiliar, we are sincere to him , Mr. always understands very well. I made a phone call just now, in the apartment, and said that Mr. has come out early. If Mr. does not come, we are really unlucky, and we will never see Mr. Mr.'s words and talents..." The young man couldn't bear it anymore, and he ran Standing up, the fierce man behind stretched out a big hand from behind to hold him down. "Sir, be quiet! If you do this again, please ask sir to go out!" The young man blushed and smiled at the man, "Friend, this is a misunderstanding, can't you look at me with a more kind eye?" That man was disdainful. He wanted to say something more, but the man's face was turned in another direction. He stood up again. "Receptionist! Receptionist!" the man actually shouted.He had to sit down. Another waiter in a long gown walked up to the man, waving a fan. The man said angrily, "Excuse me, sir, what does it mean to stand up and obstruct others repeatedly!" The young man said, "I, I'm inviting..." "We have to ask the receptionist to invite this gentleman out for everyone, if a ghost invites him!" Another man in the same row as the man said. "Okay, everyone, please be patient. Sir, please don't stand up like that again," the receptionist raised his hand again to invite another seated person to sit down. "Everyone, I'm fine. Everyone, please be quiet. Our respectable Mr. Hong will be here in a while!" The heads of the audience, shouting loudly for the man, have all fallen to this side.When negotiating here, everyone heard another man say that he wanted to invite the boy out, so everyone shouted "yes" and "agreed" here and there.And whistled and booed everywhere, and shouts were heard everywhere: "Get out! Get out!" When the young man heard these good words, out of respect and love for him among the young people who came to listen to the speech, his head seemed to faint, and he quickly covered his ears with both hands. The chairman spoke again on the stage, "Everyone, please be quiet, it's okay! It's okay! Our beloved Mr. Hong will be coming! Please maintain order and sit quietly, otherwise, our Mr. Hong will see this My son, I will make a joke!" The boy stood up again, still a powerful hand stretched out from behind and pressed him down. "What are you doing?" He murmured, "Friend, please let me go, I'm leaving!" The man's hand was released immediately. He stood up and looked around.The round big black bright eyes hidden under the many black hairs are also looking at his side.He smiled coldly and sadly, turned around and disappeared into the crowd of people at the entrance of the venue. Seeing the young man left his seat, the man seemed to have relieved a lot of burdens, he sighed heavily, and his face immediately became happy and peaceful.Some young people, seeing the young man squeezed out beside him, whistled them off, and the ladies also seemed to be sending away an abominable thing.A gray shadow finally left the venue! "Everyone, just wait a little longer, it's only 8:45." Everyone applauded to sympathize with the chairman's proposal, so they still waited. The man who chased away the young man said to the person next to him, "I'm afraid he won't come. We really don't have the good fortune to listen to this gentleman's talk!" "Those who want him don't come, and those who don't want him come, but it takes a lot of effort to drive them away!" Another person continued. The man laughed when he thought of that scene in Shijian.The man also laughed. "Anyway, ten o'clock is not too late!" A woman said to her companion. "We can also listen to Miss Zhou reading poems," the companion replied. Someone is already dozing off. In addition, a reporter rubbed his camera case that had already loaded the film and was only going to take pictures as soon as the magnesium wire was ignited.I struck the match prepared to light the magnesium wire and smoked. I have already smoked three cigarettes. Another reporter took the pen out of his shirt and recorded a whole picture of the venue, including the speech of the chairman, but at this moment he was extremely bored. The chairman just sat on the rostrum in a daze. Those two art school students couldn't stand it anymore, but they competed to draw the heads of the women and men in the front row. At nine o'clock, the chairman stood up again, "Our Mr. Hong hasn't come yet! In my brother's humble opinion, everyone wait another half an hour. Even if you don't come, it also shows our respect to Mr. Hong. We will send a representative to invite Mr. Hong tomorrow. I don't know what you think! " The audience clapped their hands and shouted their approval. After the applause stopped, the man behind the boy suddenly stood up. "I still have something to say!" the man said loudly, "Mr. Chairman proposed to wait another half an hour, and everyone agreed. Mr. Hong is the most respectable friend among our young people and a pioneer of thought. It is a bright light, a person worthy of our admiration, especially the brother, who has a deep admiration for Mr. I thought that the thirty minutes should be doubled, and it should be changed to one point. If you don’t come by ten o’clock, everyone will disperse I ask Mr. Chairman to make another appointment with Mr. Hong to give us a chance to get close. Please give us more spiritual food so that we can enrich our lives. I don’t know what you think—" "I agree! I agree!" Without letting him finish speaking, The applause fell like a rainstorm on the plenary meeting hall, and immediately calmed down in a new kind of anticipation. Besides, we teenagers squeezed out of the venue, and saw many people outside the venue who had no way of entering the venue, leaning against the wall. "It's all a lovely group of friends," thinking, all anger melted away.On the other hand, there was a piece of yellow paper pasted under the electric light at the gate of the meeting place. When I walked closer to look at it, I realized that it was a welcome order list. Slowly out of the school gate, found a way out among some foreign carriages and carriages, walked along the road, and arrived at Shanpailou Street.On the road, all kinds of cars were walking in a row, and the bells were tinkling.The watch shop and the pastry shop are much more brilliant than in the daytime.The lamps hung high in the bathhouse are like stars in the sky. Walking slowly, he finally came to the door of a pastry shop.There are five-color candies on display in the glass cabinet, loaves of loaves, ox tongue jesus, butter rolls... He hadn’t had dinner yet, so he had to let these things lure him into the small oilcloth table covered with many scars . The group of idiots in the venue really waited until 10:05 before announcing the end of the meeting. Completed in Beijing on August 20, 1926