Chapter 84 comrade in arms

It had just rained and the weather was still gloomy.In this big room, the four floors are on the ground, and a row of large bookshelves on the west wall higher than the door frame are piled messily with books and newspapers. Yellow persimmons, lined with a few dead leaves, swayed in the evening wind.On the row of short holly tree tops near the window and on the sparse green grass on the ground, there are shimmering raindrops. Keiko Ito pushed away the pile of books on the desk and put a cup of tea for me on the corner of the desk.She drew back an open window, hurried out again, brought in a lighted gas stove, and set it in the middle of the room.The room gradually warmed up, and there was a slight smell of fresh lime and paint.

She pulled a low stool by herself, sat opposite to me, and put the teacup in her hand on the ground beside her. She smiled and said: "These rooms have just been built and haven't been furnished yet, so I really can't entertain guests. However, you are an old friend, and at the same time, I still have some things that are inconvenient for me to say to you in public, so when you When I called in the morning and said you were going to visit me before the party, I said yes." I looked around and asked with a smile, "When did you rebuild these houses? I remember that it wasn't like this when I came here last spring..."

On a spring night the year before last, I was deeply impressed: the car entered a narrow street, the driver got out, illuminated the house numbers of each house with a flashlight, walked into a dark alley, and then came out to say "The door of this house is closed, please go to the side door." At this time we saw Keiko Hiroka sticking out her head from behind the driver, holding a flashlight in her hand. Apologetically, "This place hasn't been cleaned up since it was bombed during the war. You follow me and watch your feet..." In the darkness we entered a board door, passed a short stone-paved path, and entered the house. The room was gloomy, and there were large bookshelves on both sides, full of all kinds of books!After passing through three such rooms, he entered a brightly lit living room.

This is a Japanese-style house. "Between the beds" hung a long strip of plum blossoms, and on a piece of red sandalwood board on the mat, there was a white porcelain vase with a few narcissus and a cat willow sticking obliquely in it. Maybe it's for the convenience of the guests. We don't have a place to sit on. There is a small carpet in the middle of the room, a few comfortable chairs, and there are small coffee tables beside them.The old lady Hirooka, Keiko's mother, got up from the one-seater sofa next to the charcoal brazier to welcome us, apologetically saying that she couldn't stand for a long time because of the arthritis again in spring.We hurriedly asked her not to be polite, we are old friends with Keiko, she should treat us as family members.The old lady smiled and sat down again.

This old man was wearing a dark brown kimono, with thick and white hair tied into a small bun at the back. His eyebrows and conversation gave people a warm and kind feeling.We had a lively conversation that night; Huizi was especially happy. She brought out many small dishes, such as fried peanuts, sliced ​​beef jerky, etc., and opened a bottle of Wuliangye, which she brought back from China.The old lady was also very talkative, she talked about the struggle against the US-Japan treaty, also about the Second World War, about the bombing of Tokyo; In the corridor, there is no way to clean it up to now.This room is the dining room and living room during the day, and the bedroom at night; she, Keiko and Keiko's daughter have lived here for three generations.Speaking of this, she told me: "There are many people in our situation. However, there are more people with the same background as us and different situations. Like Keiko, those who have studied in the United States, regardless of men, Regardless of whether they are women, almost all of them are very powerful. They work for the US military and do business for American businessmen... More or less they always want to get a little credit from the American rulers, but what they earn is all Japanese working people Keiko was talking with two other Chinese friends about the struggle against the US-Japan Treaty, about the Asian-African Writers Conference in Tokyo, and about her trip to China two years ago. Drinking wine, the room seems to be getting warmer. I suddenly realized that it was getting late. This is their bedroom, which delayed the rest of the elderly. It was not very good, so I slowly suggested that we should go. Keiko repeated She stayed with us and even said, "It's not busy, my daughter hasn't come back yet. "However, we stood up anyway. Knowing that we couldn't stay anymore, Keiko smiled and said, "Let's take you through the front door this time." "

She opened the paper door and led us down the porch. The old lady smiled and bowed farewell to us by the paper door. At this time, there was a faint moonlight in the front yard, and a persimmon tree and clumps of short black shadows were seen in the moonlight.Now the tree with a few persimmons hanging from it is the tree I saw that night, so this new bookstore is the old site of the Japanese-style house from the year before last. I was staring out of the window, Keiko pressed my shoulder from behind and asked me to sit down, and she sat behind me by herself.I can't see her face.She said: "You know, my mother is very ill. She hasn't gotten up for half a year, and I run outside all day, so I have to hire a nurse to take care of her during the day, and my daughter and I take turns at night. My mother is ill. Of course, it costs more, and my manuscript can’t be sold. People refuse to use my manuscript, trying to make me give in—choke me when I am most difficult. But, I . . . I will not give in. I have chosen a path of struggle,"

She held my hand tightly, "Don't laugh at my arrogance, I regard myself as a 'fire maker', I got the fire of truth from you: there is only struggle, only to drive out the American imperialists, The Japanese people have a way out..." At this moment, the door opened slightly, and we all turned around. A fat girl with single eyelids and a red face came in with a large plate, which contained fruit juice, ice water, snacks, peanuts, and a long-necked dog. Glass vase with two red roses in it. The melancholy expression on Keiko's face disappeared all of a sudden. She looked at the girl with loving and proud eyes, and called, "Jingjiang, this is Aunt Xie, come and meet me." I quickly stood up, Jingjiang But she smiled shyly, stood far away at the table and bowed, set the cups and plates, and went out quietly.

Keiko pulled me back, sat down at the table, and poured me half a glass of fruit juice and some ice water.She poured herself a glass too.She raised her glass and smiled at me: "This glass of water is to tell you that I'm not so poor that I can't afford fruit juice... Seriously, I finally figured out a way, which is to 'eat tiles I gritted my teeth and sold all my father's books, borrowed some money, demolished the old house, and built these houses. I will show you around later: bedrooms, bathrooms, small kitchens, everything you need. I got a lot of rent. In this way, I have a fixed income every month, and I can work on my job with confidence. Now the three generations of our grandparents and grandchildren live in the two huts next to the house that have not been demolished. Mother's condition can be stabilized, or..." At this point, she shook her head, as if she wanted to shake off some unfortunate thoughts, "Where is Jingjiang, I will graduate next spring, so I don't have much burden."

I looked at her silently, thinking about her current environment... She stared at the water glass and said: "It is not easy to be a progressive writer in Japan today. Think back to your own situation more than ten years ago, You can understand it. However, I had a very painful experience that almost made me lose my confidence. You may find it funny. It was during the first demonstration of the struggle against the US-Japan Treaty that some of my The friends I know who have studied in the United States are standing in a row with me. We are shoulder to shoulder and holding hands, as if we can feel the boiling blood communicating in our bodies. My heart is full of hope and full of hope. Happy. However, in the next few parades, I found that my classmates and friends were less and less each time. I held the flag in my hand and looked around, and I felt a sense of loneliness...” She said Here, after a pause, I saw a smile suddenly appear in her tear-filled eyes.

She stopped me: "You don't need to comfort me, I know what you are going to say. However, I remembered and remembered a truth, that is, 'If intellectuals do not combine workers and peasants, they will achieve nothing'. Now we are in the ranks The masses of workers and peasants are not fewer, but more. Now, when I look around, I only look at those holding big flags made of straw mats and wrapping their heads with cloth scarves. They have given me hope and I am happy... Once, as if a miracle had happened, I found my daughter, Jingjiang, in the youth ranks! She didn't see me, she just waved the flag vigorously, shouted slogans, and her face was dripping with sweat Yes, a light of anger and excitement that I have never seen before."

She lowered her head and wiped away the tears of joy that fell, and said, "This child, I have only seen her quiet look when she came back late in the afternoon, and her eyes studying silently under the lamp. I only saw her coming from me in the morning." I gently stood up beside my mother's sick bed, hurriedly picked up the schoolbag and the "bento" box, and whispered to me "Mom, I'm leaving". I didn't expect... What is the trend of this era? I pushed a young man forward. I gave speeches and propaganda to others everywhere, but I didn’t have a heart-to-heart talk with my daughter. This is not my power, but the power of the people to move forward. The comrades-in-arms, quietly sent to my side! What worries do I have, what loneliness do I have..." She raised her glass to me, and said: "Let us fight for the great era ahead, for the millions Wan's successor, cheers!" The evening sunshine shot out from the gaps in the clouds, and the slowly dissipating dark clouds were covered with a thick and brilliant golden border; the crimson rays of the sun made the persimmons on the top of the tree even redder. eye-catching.The street lights on the street outside the wall have already been turned on, it is time for us to go to the party together... We walked out in a hurry.Barefoot and wearing clogs, Jingjiang girl saw us off at the gate, with that quiet and shy smile on her face.I couldn't help but walked over and held her hand tightly.Her grasp is powerful and fiery.I feel that what I have touched is not just a fiery and powerful hand, but the hearts of thousands of Japanese young people who are advancing bravely in the great era. (This article was originally published in Guangming Daily on November 30, 1965.)