Chapter 7 The Novella Course-4

Lao Wang was very angry and replied: "Why don't you feel anything about that? Don't you smell incense wood?" "It's so dark here, there are all kinds of smells, how can I tell the difference?" "Be patient, you will see a light soon. Don't always complain, there are treasures everywhere on the roadside. When you were eight years old, didn't you get a woolen hat from your parents? Now your parents don't Not dead, they moved away, did they?" "I've lost touch with them for years." They walked and walked, but Pip did not see the light. Maybe it was just a trick of the old king?It is not pleasant to walk in the dark, especially the stairs that extend down this way, and Pip is trembling from fear of slipping under his feet.But Lao Wang walked very quickly, he knew the way, and he was humming a tune.Soon he felt a distance between himself and Lao Wang, and cold sweat broke out immediately.

"Please slow down!" he yelled. However, the distance was getting bigger and bigger, and he listened carefully, only then could he hear Lao Wang's voice in the distance, the voice buzzed and echoed very vaguely. Even though he was holding on to the side wall, Pip fell down and slid far away like he was on a slide.He heard Lao Wang say beside him: "We are here." A door opened, revealing light, and they returned to Lao Wang's house. "I told you that there is a light in front of you, but you are still so impatient." Old Wang said dissatisfiedly while locking the secret door, "Many people are like you, eager to swallow a hot bun. I just moved When I came here, there was no one to guide me. Do you know how many years I have been groping in the building? At that time, let alone a lamp, it was impossible to even have such an idea. Do you think I am not afraid of death? At the beginning, I was going crazy, until one day, I met the black cat sitting on the stairs, and my heart gradually calmed down. The black cat must have lived in these buildings since the building was built. It's in the secret passage. Miss Li's kitten is its son. Now read this section of the article again."

The article that Wang asked Pip to read had a subtitle: "Cats in Love". Pip read on, and the sentences always seemed to him to be confused and tangled.For example: "It made a series of ridiculous actions, and finally bit its own tail in one attack." And: "Every attack is a rout, and the scarred creature slid obscenely into the black hole , and then the scar healed so quickly that it was almost invisible." Pip was reading these sentences that meant nothing to him, feeling the tediousness of time again.As he read, he gradually realized that what he was reading was no longer a coherent sentence, but some words and words.Later, the ligatures and words were no longer there, but some vague and plausible syllables, which he could pronounce indiscriminately even without reading, so he simply closed his eyes and talked nonsense.What surprised him was that Pharaoh neither came to correct him, nor told him to shut up, but just sat there silently and listened.At last Pip-Zhun got tired of his own nonsense, closed the magazine, stood up and said good-bye to Pharaoh.Lao Wang said that he had something to tell him.

"Old Zeng wants to meet you at the place last time. The time is after dinner today. He said that maybe Miss Li will go. Please invite your two partners when you go, so that the possibility of meeting Miss Li will be greater. some." "Those two people, I don't know them, they were forced to live in the house." Pip said angrily. "Why are you so hypocritical? You are fifty-two years old, aren't you? At this age, you shouldn't look down on other old men. Besides, you have formed a partner with them. How can you get rid of them? You are a temporary If you get rid of them, they will make noise in your ears day and night, so it is better for three people to live together. When you have nothing to do, think about the black cat, and your temper will be much better." Lao Wang enlightened Say, "I also had a temper when I was young, what happened? I don't want to talk about it. As far as I know, the two of them are quite interested in you. They are willing to share the benefits of Miss Li with you. It's not very generous. ?"

"I'm going alone, I don't need this kind of partner." "So you are so timid." Old Wang mocked. When Pip came home, he saw two old men discussing something, their voices were low and low.As soon as he approached them, he stopped talking, and they both turned their backs, sneering.Pip stood for a while before going downstairs to eat.After dinner, it was already raining outside, and Pip was going to borrow an umbrella from Miss Li's mother, but the old woman handed him the flower umbrella that Miss Li put in the old Wang's room last time, and he His face turned pale.

"So Miss Li has come back?" "Nonsense!" Miss Li's mother stared at him with a half-smile. "Are you going alone? Isn't it strange to walk so far on a night like this, alone, in the rain?" "It's good and fashionable to go out for a walk on a rainy night alone." He replied with pretended ease. He hadn't gone far when he heard familiar noises behind him.Although it was raining lightly, the two old men walked bareheaded in the rain without umbrellas or hats, screaming like women with great interest.Pip must have quickened his pace involuntarily.The two old men also quickened their pace and followed him not far or near.

When they were approaching the town, Pip must have changed his mind and stopped, waiting for them to come up.The two dawdled for a while, and finally came to him. "What are you following me for?" "We followed you? You are the one who came back to monitor our actions, you are so naive." said the old man who always spoke, wiping the rain from his face. "We don't care about you, you meddle in your own business." "So where are you going?" "Don't ask me, we can go wherever we like, you know it very well, hum." Pip would have to go on.Fortunately, the street lights were already visible, and the window where women's panties were hung was open, and the light shone through the blue lampshade into the dark night sky. Dry Shen Xingzhong? Sweaty palms came out, and the old man behind was also silent.Pip couldn't help thinking that they must be ashamed of themselves?And he, who had already forgotten the humiliation he had suffered here, felt a sense of arrogance in his heart at this moment.With his head held high, he walked across the street with a "boom-boom" and finally went upstairs.

The door was left open, and he walked in. The room was still as messy as before, full of women's underwear, and the only bed was piled with bedding. "Maybe Lao Zeng went down to buy cigarettes." When he thought this way, the two old men had already entered the room, kicking and kicking the underpants up. "Don't make a fuss, okay? The master will be back soon." Pipzhun said. "His tone is as if he himself is the master, isn't that ridiculous?" The old man curled his lips, "No one wants to monopolize the benefits!" They jumped onto the bed without taking off their shoes, rolled around in the quilt, and knocked down the lamp.

Pip waited patiently, and every time he heard footsteps he rushed to the door to look, but each time it was in vain. It was already 12 o'clock at night, and there was no one on the street, only the lights of the all-night canteen flickered faintly, and it was pitch black everywhere.The two old men became tired from the fuss, fell into the mattress, and fell asleep listening to the sound of "cracking" rain.After a tiring day, Pipzhun's eyelids were also fighting, and finally he couldn't hold it anymore. He pulled a mattress, huddled with the old men, and fell into a smelly dreamland.He woke up several times during the night, heard thunder and someone's footsteps going upstairs, but Lao Zeng never came.Although he regretted his actions, he couldn't stop his drowsiness, entangled with the two old men, and fell asleep until dawn.When Pip woke up, he found that the silent old man was holding his neck tightly and snoring loudly.He remembered that the old man was very smelly, and he couldn't help being very angry.Just as he was about to have a seizure, he remembered that he was the one who was going to be squeezed together with them. At that time, he couldn't resist dozing off, and he had long forgotten about hygiene, and now he only regretted it.He broke open the old man's arm and stood up, jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, and wanted to leave. At the same time, he wondered in his heart: Was what happened last night a scam manipulated by the old man?

"Are you going now?" asked the old man who always talked, who was also up and dressing. "I don't think you need to be in such a hurry. Miss Li will pass by the intersection over there. Every day she goes to the stall over there to buy a few fried dough sticks for breakfast. Come, stand at this window, and wait a while. will see her." Pip went to the window, and it was so foggy that he couldn't see anything, and he felt that the old man was lying to him. "Don't be impatient, watch carefully, there will be a miracle." The old man said again.He had already dressed, and so had the silent old man. They bent down and searched for a long time in the pile of women's underwear before finding their leather shoes.Then he put on his shoes and left.

Pip looked at it for a long time, but there was no Miss Li at all, only fog.He stood alone in the room and thought about it, unable to figure out why Lao Wang, Miss Li and others were so ruthless, which made him dizzy, and then let him go, not letting him have the slightest hope.Now he stands here, unable to make up his mind what to do next.Should he go back?What are you doing back home?Who is waiting for him?While he was thinking this way, the owner of the soy sauce shop came in.The boss is a bald man, wearing a white cloth robe, very funny.He sneezed and said: "You man, how can you come to this kind of place casually? It's too bad now, you should leave quickly. I want to warn you: the way home is very far away, and all the roads you walked here yesterday have been diverted , This happened overnight. Now it’s hard to say whether you can find the way back or not. Just wait and see, try to choose a path with no one there, hurry up, there is still time.” Pip followed the boss downstairs, and he saw that the shop assistants in white robes were covering their noses and turning their faces away from him.He went out, into the thick fog outside, the boss pushed him hard into the middle of the street, and then retreated into the shop by himself.Hearing those shop assistants giggling for a while, the surroundings became silent.I couldn't see anything around, and far ahead, there seemed to be some vaguely noisy human voices, and it was like the sound of wind blowing leaves.Pip was groping his way there. He remembered that he was walking on a familiar street, but after a while, the vague noise moved to the far right, and he was facing an unfamiliar road ahead. wall.He bravely turned to the strange alley on the right, and after walking not far, he came across a big pit with a small road on one side of the pit, and when he stepped on the small road, the noise ahead disappeared.This time he walked farther, he felt that he was advancing like a blind man on the road, he was a little timid at first, but later he simply ignored everything and just walked in a daze.The fog was still as thick as in the morning, and Pip could no longer remember how many turns he turned, whether he turned left or right. He forgot everything in the unnatural silence, but he still remembered the words of the soy sauce shop owner.He no longer needs to choose the path where there are no people, because there are no people on these paths he walked, and he doesn't know what the boss means by "it's still too late" to go home?Or meet Miss Li?The boss gave no clues at all.He walked like this, turning when he should turn, turning right when he should turn right, and turning left when he should turn left, because he cannot choose anything. Towards noon he heard a shrill meow, when the fog had thinned a little, a black cat was squatting on a tiled house by the roadside, and Pip must have smelled the privet tree in the air.The door of the tile house opened with a "squeak", and a white-haired old woman came out from inside. The old woman held a wooden comb in her hand and combed her messy hair vigorously. "You came to see me?" she asked without looking up, and motioned Pip to come in. "I'm not..." said Pip, hesitating as he walked inside.The room was empty, with a candle burning in the dark, and there was a strong musty smell. "I'm the one you miss day and night, right?" the old woman said again, brushing her hair vigorously, with a slightly mocking tone. "No, you're not, she's a young girl." He took courage suddenly. "What? Do you think I'm old?" The old woman raised her voice, "Look at yourself, touch your hair, where are they? You are so old, and you can't change your childishness. I've been waiting here for you, and I'm getting impatient for you to wait until today. You're not doing yourself any good by pretending like this. Touch the back of your head." "What's your name, please?" Pip asked in desperation. "What does it matter? You think in your heart that whatever my surname is, my surname will be the same. So what if my surname is Guoli? , can't tell what the last name is now. You scared my cat because no one has passed this place for many years. I heard that you live in a very fancy building. Is it true?" There were no chairs in the room, so the two of them stood and talked. "Who told you that?" "Who? Let me see--it happened to me ten years ago, and a passer-by told me about it. It was a clever fellow, and there is a story between us, but it won't interest you. Now you're finally here, a bit late, but still in time. How about you come up to the roof with me?" The back room was the old crone's bedroom, and there was a huge bed strewn with colorful rags, on which a ladder was strung up to a hole in the roof.The crone led Pip Zhun up to the roof, and stood on the ridge, where the black cat crouched.After standing for a while, the old woman beckoned to Pip to go down, and they went down the ladder to the old woman's bed. The old woman removed the rags to clear a place for the two to sit. She lowered her head, as if she was thinking. "Did you see it just now?" she said. "What did you see?" "So you don't see anything?" she retorted, a little sullenly. "You don't have any illusions about your age, I'm not older than you. You can't see anything because you're full of fancy ideas, you It's a little too late. Now I'm going to put this ladder away, because it's no longer needed." She directed Pip to get out of bed, and carried the ladder to the corner of the room. "The historical mission of this thing has been fulfilled," she said. "What about the cat? Can it come down?" Pip asked foolishly. "This is a special cat," whispered the old woman confidentially, "he can understand us. I'll tell you the truth: he never goes down the roof, never eats, I've seen him since the day I moved in On the roof. Have you ever seen such a creature anywhere? I can assure you that it never was." "I read about the same cat in a magazine." "But you didn't see it! Now you see it with your own eyes and you don't see anything. Hush, keep your voice down, I sleep here every night thinking of it squatting on top of me, and we've spent years like this ." "Really no one has ever been here?" "Except for that clever fellow. He's the one who told me about your building." "Is his surname Zeng?" "It's the surname Zeng. You remind me of it, Lao Zeng. No, it's Lao Tan, yes, it's Lao Tan. That time I also went to the house with him and used this ladder. It was Lao Tan who told me I, someone will come to use this ladder and ask me to keep it. I have kept it as it is, how many years? Ten years, until you come, and now its historical mission has finally been completed. This old Tan, is A man beyond description, we had a wonderful time together. Let me confess to you, it was the cat that connected Old Tan to me, and the details need not be said. Thankfully that time Old Tan told me that you were coming here, so I kept the ladder, otherwise I would have thrown it away, and you would not be able to go up today. Hey, what should I call you? In my impression, you seem to be If your surname is Mi, I will call you Daddy Mi. Daddy Mi, no matter how I look at it, I think you look like an old playboy." "I don't spend money," said Pipzhun, "I've always been a very down-to-earth person. Although I'm more selfish..." "Stop talking, it's disgusting." She waved her hand resolutely, "Just sit on the bed and wait for that person. I'm going out for a while and I'll be back soon." "Who are you asking me to wait for?" "How do I know? You're not pretending, are you? I'm not the roundworm in your stomach." Pip must have heard the front door close, and she was gone.He surveyed the semi-dark room and saw many wooden boxes along the walls, rough and unpainted, which gave people an ominous feeling.He sat on the bed, recalling the day's trek, and remembered waiting for someone.Who is he waiting for?I fell asleep thinking about it.I fell asleep until the next morning. Pip must have woken up, but the crone did not come back.Walking around in the two-room house, he suddenly remembered the old woman's words: "From the day I moved here..." It turned out that she also moved here from elsewhere.He finally understood that the old woman would not come back, and that he had taken her place in this house in the wilderness. This was just a temporary residence, his home was in the eight-story house on Five Mile Street, Pip must have thought.Strolling to the door, he saw a completely unfamiliar sight: the fog had lifted, and he discovered that his house was in a side street.This is a town he is not familiar with. There are teahouses, pastry shops, department stores, bathhouses and many grocery stores along the street. There are strings of firecrackers hanging in front of the grocery stores. A face he didn't recognize; a girl came out of the teahouse with a bucket of boiling water, crossed the street to another shop, workers on the night shift in twos and threes, making fun of them as they walked; someone looked at him indifferently, like looking at an electric wire Same as rod.Pip must have been dazed with hunger, and found two dollars in his pocket.He went into the pastry shop to buy bread, and the proprietress gave him the bread and gave him a fierce look.He took two pieces of bread and quickly backed out. When he came out, he bumped into the girl carrying the boiling water, and knocked the empty bucket in the girl's hand to the ground.The girl said something, and stooped to pick up the bucket, and Pip must have heard what she seemed to be saying as "a pervert," and his cheeks burned. After returning to the house and eating the bread, and drinking a few mouthfuls of water from the crock, Pip must have felt strangely empty and nervous inside himself.There was no doubt that he must go back, but he did not know where he was.Before him was a town he had never seen before, where he knew no one at all. Pip was out again, and strolled down the street.He saw a lot of people in green robes hurrying in and out of a large teahouse, and he thought that maybe there could be some clues there.He walked into the teahouse, but no one noticed him. Those people were talking about something enthusiastically, with solemn expressions.Pip looked around, but could find no one to ask, for all were discussing some great question, and no one was idle.Pip stood there, bumped and bumped by the shuttle-like waiters from time to time.At last he plucked up his courage and called out to a boy who was speaking: "Excuse me—how far is Wuli Street from here?" The young man rolled his eyes and stared at him unhappily, but said nothing.Pipzhun immediately became timid, lowered his head, and walked out the door without saying a word.When he got to the street, he saw the people at the table in the teahouse staring at him through the glass window and talking among themselves.Pip must hastened his pace. Escaping from the location of the teahouse, he turned into another street.This street was very similar to that street, and there were also teahouses, pastry shops, and many grocery stores lined up along the street. There were also people walking in twos and threes on the street, and no one he knew was likewise.A child set off firecrackers at the door of the grocery store, making a deafening noise, and the whole street was filled with gunpowder smoke.The string of firecrackers was so long that it couldn't be set off for half an hour, so it was useless to ask people in this street, no one could hear him talking.He had no choice but to retreat back to the original street. As soon as he turned around, he saw a familiar face flashing, and he quickly followed closely. "Hello!" he called, but his voice was faint over the sound of firecrackers. When the man turned his head, Pip was almost dismayed. It was an unfamiliar face. "Excuse me, how far is Wuli Street from here?" He still didn't give up. The man moved his lips and spoke in a strange language, which Pip did not understand a word of.He made a few more gestures, and Pipjun saw that he was signaling to follow him. Somehow, those gestures were also familiar to Pipjun, but he couldn't remember where he saw them.He walked fast ahead, and Pip was about to follow, and they turned several streets, all of which looked alike. "Excuse me, are we going to Wuli Street?" The man glared at him, and seemed to be muttering something. When they turned to Fourth Street.Pip must have been anxious that he might not find his way back, and who knew where this man took him?When he thought this way, he found that the fourth street was completely different from the one he walked on: no one could be seen in any of the houses, the doors were closed, and the whole street was empty, only the mechanical footsteps of the man in front of him. The sound is booming.Pip was about to turn and run, but the man turned and chased him.He ran back based on his memory. After running for a long time, he looked behind him, and the man was gone. The girl carrying the boiled water across the road stood in front of him, patted his bald head, and said loudly: "You're lonely here, aren't you? Because you're new here. You have to get rid of your bad habits. I'm going to deliver boiled water now, so I don't have time to chat with you. Come to this gate tonight at eight o'clock to talk to me." Let's meet. I shuttle here and there every day, so be careful not to get in my way. You haven't eaten yet, have you? It's two dollars, and you can buy something to eat." She gave Pip the money and said gone. Pip must have been very tired, and went back to the crone's house to sleep.He slept on that wide bed and dreamed of miracles.The miracle was the black cat on the roof. In the dream, he and the black cat squatted on the roof without saying a word, and seeing the sky full of red and green clouds, he understood the old woman's intention to let him stay here.When he woke up, it was already half past seven in the evening, and he suddenly remembered that the girl wanted him to meet at the door of the teahouse, and found the two yuan in his pocket. When he walked to the door of the teahouse, the whole street was already dark, sporadic firecrackers were set off at the door of the grocery stores, and the dim blue neon lights flickered on and off.The girl was looking anxiously at the door, and when she saw him coming, she grabbed him and walked into the shop.When the customers in green robes saw him and the girl, they all shut up all of a sudden, and the whole shop was silent.They went through the shop into a small dark, tar-smelling room next door, and the girl closed the door behind her. "Who are you?" Pip asked. "You have to completely get rid of your bad habits." She said, "You listen outside the door, those people don't talk at all, because you are an outsider, understand? They don't want outsiders to eavesdrop on their words, I will lead you When your hands come here, they can see: you need me to lead, so you are an outsider, and they don't like to mess with outsiders. I'm just a small person here, but I'm not an outsider, so I can lead you .I'll give you two dollars a day, and you can live on." "Where is Wuli Street?" he asked. "Are you talking about a street? Have you figured out its real name? You must be talking about it from memory? This is your vice." She waved her hand and tapped him hard on the bald head a few times , Knocked his eyes staring. "I live in a building on Wuli Street. There are many secret passages in the building. A girl named Li lives on the third floor. We are very close..." "What happened later?" the girl who turned on the water interrupted him, "Didn't you come here? What's the point of talking about those old sesame seeds and rotten beans now? I'll say it again: you are an outsider, from now on you All actions must be under my command. As you can see, I am young and energetic. I lifted a bucket of boiling water lightly. I have plenty of strength. You are welcome to disturb me." Later, the girl who turned on the water took Pip Zhun to eat in the shop.They chose an empty corner, and the girl asked for two dishes and a box of lunch, which was specially made for them, because this is a teahouse and does not serve meals.Pip looked up and saw that the room was full of people in green robes.They didn't leave all the time, but they didn't speak, and they all sat there with their heads down drinking tea. Another strange thing happened while Pip was eating.He raised his eyes and saw a middle-aged man with a crew cut and glasses sitting not far from him, reading a magazine in his hand.Pip must have thought the magazine looked very familiar, so he stood up to identify it. After looking at it for a long time, he finally recognized that it was the thing called "Urban Oddities" that he had once owned.He was about to go over to talk to the man, but the girl stopped him: "Please don't act casually." She said unhappily. Pip would not listen to her dissuasion, and went straight on that way. He leaned up to the man and said: "Excuse me, have you read the article about the Midnight Lander? That article is really subtle! You think, the Lander has a fish head, but when he walks into the soda shop, everyone just hangs down He turned his head and stopped talking, what is the reason for this?" After Pipzhun finished speaking, he suddenly realized something, he glanced at the middle-aged man, and found that the edge of the man's lens was shining coldly, and then looked at the book A magazine, not an "Urban Oddity" at all, but a notebook with blank pages.Pip couldn't speak, and stood there in a daze.At this time, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him away from the middle-aged man's table. "You want to die?" said the girl who opened the water. "You talk nonsense like that. It will never do you any good. Do you think other people are fools?" The girl scolded him for a long time, and then escorted him back to the place where he lived.She went to the back room, jumped up on the wide bed a few times as if she was playing, and told Pipzhun with a serious face: "Don't stare at me and think I'm going to sleep with you, people like me don't sleep with you, and you're too ugly, you old guy. Now I'm going, before I go Say goodbye to old friends." The "old friend" she was talking about was the cat. She found a tile and threw it towards the hole in the roof. She threw it on the roof, and heard the cat run wildly for a while, making the roof tiles "squeak". There was a loud bang, and then everything was silent again. "I wish you a sweet dream." She said and left. Pip was about to lie down when she came in again, and stood in the middle of the room and said solemnly: "Why do you say that the midnight lander has a fish head? How do you know? Don't talk nonsense. No one can talk nonsense about this kind of thing. It's better not to talk about this kind of thing. A sender like me The person who boiled the water knows it well. Now that you have come to this town, stop talking nonsense. Someone will watch your every move. For example, it is night, do you think everyone outside is asleep? That is not the case at all, this People in the town never sleep, and they become more active in the middle of the night. Because of this, I can't sleep with you. I can't stand the thought of people seeing me sleeping with an old man like you. I have no impulse at all. So now I'm leaving." This time she did. Pip must have heard the night shifters walking and talking in twos and threes in the street, the firecrackers at the door of the grocer, and the cries of peddlers; a woman across the street was cursing and spanking her little boy. , the boy burst into tears; a girl in the pastry shop screamed hysterically because a centipede blocked her way;The night here is really lively, he has slept here for two nights, this is the first time he noticed.Now that he is lying here, is anyone really paying attention to his actions?Is it the old man at the door?Pip was tossing and turning in bed, and the old man stayed at the door, coughing every few minutes.Pip was getting more and more suspicious as he thought about it, so he got out of bed and went ahead to have a look. He looked out through the glass window and saw the old man with his back to the room, wearing a caramel-colored padded jacket, and there was another person beside him whispering to him. This person could not be seen from the window, but he could hear the voice, which was a voice. female.They talked for a while, and Pip saw the woman wrap a scarf around the old man's neck again.The woman's hands are white and soft.Suddenly the woman screamed, saying that she was extremely dizzy.Pip was startled at the cry, for it was the girl who turned on the water.He pushed open the door and saw the girl lying in the old man's arms. The old man turned his face—it turned out that he was not an old man at all, but a young man in his twenties with a mustache—and yelled at Pip Zhun: "Hurry up and help me carry her into the house!" Pip walked over quasi-mechanically, and under Mustache's command helped him carry the girl to the bed, while they stood by and watched.About five minutes later, the girl who delivered the boiled water woke up, her face flushed, and she gazed affectionately at the mustache next to her. "Why don't you lie down with me?" she said to Mustache, and he lay down too.They hugged and kissed and rolled into a ball, panting.After one round, the girl who delivered the boiled water pushed back the messy hair on her face, found Pip Zhun, and felt very angry: "It turns out that this person is still standing here, so he saw what happened just now, we were too careless." "It's all right." Mustache reassured her, "And where are you going to let him go? There's not even a place to sit in this room." "I think he can go up on the roof and be with the cat," said the girl excitedly. They got up, fetched the corner ladder, set it up on the bed, and asked Pip to climb it. "This ladder has long since fulfilled its historical mission." Pip would not go up. They set out to convince him. "The two of us are doing this kind of thing, so it's inappropriate for you to watch from the sidelines?" the mustache said, "Although this is your bed, but now we borrow it, you shouldn't stay here, you stay here It’s not necessarily healthy here either.” "If you can't do it yourself, you should let others do it, so that your heart will gradually expand." The girl also said. Pip stood there thinking for a long time, not knowing what to say, until at last he repeated the commonplace: "I'm a selfish person. Now that I'm older, my desires are not particularly strong... Where did I say it? Yes, don't worry about my health. It's fine for me to stand here. If you feel uncomfortable, I will You can also go to the front room. Ever since I met my neighbor Miss Li, I have found that my desire has disappeared, maybe something is wrong with me. Miss Li is a wonderful woman, but I I don't want to talk about her here, but I want to talk about an old woman, the owner of this house, whose name I don't know, because she says it's all the same to call her..." "Aren't you done yet?" cried the girl, "have we come to listen to your nonsense? You have forgotten what I told you! Go away!" Pip must have arrived in the front room, and the two people in the back room were making a fuss, making the bed boards rattle and rattle, and Pip must have felt bored, so he opened the door and walked outside. At night, the lights in the town are shining and it is very lively.A woman led the tap water to the street with a rubber hose. She was washing fish.Another man was performing qigong, slashing at his belly with a steel knife, surrounded by many watching people.Pip was about to join the crowd, but as soon as he stood there, everyone stared at him, and the performers swung their knives threateningly at him, and he backed away in fright.When he was walking forward, he felt someone chasing him from behind. Looking back, he saw a customer in a teahouse wearing a green robe. "I've heard your talk in the teahouse. How can you talk nonsense in public about monsters with fish heads? Everyone heard it. Now you're not safe, and you don't feel it?" said the man. "Then why are you telling me this?" "Me? I'm their messenger. From now on, you will get all the information about yourself from me. You must be careful and avoid all the rough waters. Are you still wandering outside at this late hour?" "The house was borrowed, so I had to come out for a walk." "That's a stopgap, too," he agreed, nodding his head. "If you don't feel safe, you can go out into the street. That's another stopgap. I'm sorry for you while you're talking nonsense in the teahouse." You are sweating." At this time, a helper in the grocery store took out a string of extremely long firecrackers and set them off. The deafening sound rang out, and the green robe could not speak.They wandered all the way to the street where the firecrackers were still ringing.Then they walked from the street to the end of the street, and from the end of the street to where Pip would live, and stopped at the door.The firecrackers were finally set off, and so was the woman washing the fish. She put the fish into a basket and carried them into the house with a young man.天上升起了几个星星，这异地的夜空，忽然使皮普准有些伤感，他已经几十年不曾有过这种感觉了。但那感觉马上就消失了，因为绿袍子正注视着他的后脑勺。 "原来你秃顶了。"他说，"我还不知道呢。原来你的年纪不小了嘛。你住在这里，这很好，这个地方是我们全体经过商量，让给你住的。" "请你告诉我，"皮普准急煎煎地捉住绿袍子的手，"我在什么地方？这里离五里街有多远？我急需这方面的信息。" "这不属于我的传达范围，"他冷冷地甩开皮普准的手，"我们派了三姑娘（就是送开水的那位）来照顾你的日常生活，有事你找她，我要走了。"他往前走了一段路，又进了茶馆。 皮普准正打算进屋看看，小胡子和三姑娘穿戴整齐地出来了，两人都是满面红光的样子。 "我们完事了，"三姑娘说，"床就留给你了。我们刚才还在担心你要出什么事呢，你这个人，没人照看是不行的，这里是两块钱，给你。我听见你在同傻瓜谈话，茶馆里的那一个。那家伙冒充骑士，你不要听他的，听他的话要吃亏。他一定和你说了危险呀、陷阱呀什么的吧，这是他惯用的伎俩，他惟恐天下不乱。多年前，有个人被他吓死了。实际上，这个镇的秩序好得很，从未有过凶杀什么的。只是你刚来，一举一动受到监视，你可能不习惯。时间长了就好了。" "时间长了就好了。"小胡子也说，肯定地一点头。 "那人要我来问你。"皮普准没头没脑地说。 "问我？"三姑娘一皱眉头。"问我什么？不会是那些陈芝麻烂豆子的事吧？我最讨厌别人问那种事了。那个傻瓜一定想故意刁难我，办得到吗？我年轻，又有朝气，一只手就能提起一大桶水，他算个什么东西？你不要听那种人的话，照我说的去做不会错。今夜你会有个客人来。" 三姑娘最后的那句话使皮普准陷入数不清的猜测之中。他在黑暗中睁着眼，在那张大床上滚来滚去，他听见了街上各式各样的喧闹声、脚步声、碗碟碰响的声音，但那些声音都与他无关，他听了又听，始终没人进他的屋子，数不清的脚步声全从门口过去了。 黑猫在屋顶叫了几声，那声音尖利、凄苦，犹如在诉说相思的苦闷。皮普准记起这是他第二次听见它叫，自从他住进这间屋子，它一直在上面沉默着，如化石一般。皮普准睡不着，就爬起来，走到灯光闪亮的街上。他又看见了三姑娘，她正在街上游荡。 "你也睡不着吗？"她问，"我以为只有我们这里的人才睡不着呢。" "你认识一个名叫老曾的男人吗？我就是为了去与他会面才迷路的。" "老曾？"她双眼一亮，"为什么你不早说呢？他就住在此地，不过你只能在夜里找到他，天一亮他就不知去向了。现在离天亮还有两个多小时，我们抓紧时间吧。" 他俩手牵手来到一所带阁楼的小房子里，房里黑乎乎的，阁楼上却有一盏灯。三姑娘牵着他，沿着狭窄的楼梯上去，他们的重量压得单薄的梯子"吱呀"作响。一位老者戴着眼镜，正坐在简陋的书桌边读书。 "这就是老曾，"三姑娘捅了捅皮普准，"这一带的神秘人物，他耳朵有点聋。" 老者抬头看见了他俩，伸出一个指头朝门外指了指，皮普准努力想猜出他的意思。回头一看，三姑娘不见了。老者又将指头向他自己面前勾了勾，皮普准凑上去，与他一道读那本书。皮普准随着老者指头的移动读了一些句子，始终莫名其妙，无法将读到的东西加以理解，读着读着，他就走神了。外面有人在做木工，敲得"嘭嘭"直响。这时老者用指头敲了敲桌子，严肃地看了他一眼，他又继续随他往下读，还是不知道自己读了些什么。他只觉得心神涣散，免不了东想西想的。他想，这世上姓曾的大概全是些神秘人物吧，这个老曾与酱油店楼上的老曾有什么相似之处呢？外面有人叫卖馄饨，皮普准觉得自己肚子饿了，想去买馄饨又不好意思，犹豫了一阵，那小贩已走远了。收回眼光一看老者，还在聚精会神往下读，又觉得惭愧。为什么这些词和句子他都眼熟得不得了，却偏偏看不懂呢？ "这篇文章就是你从前读过的午夜的登陆者。"老者那一大蓬白胡须中发出了声音，那声音似曾熟悉。"现在你失去了耐心，所以再也看不懂了吧？我只是想试探你一下。" "请问五里街离这里有多远？"皮普准不失时机地问。 "难道这还用问吗？"老者若有所思地捋了捋胡须，"现在是凌晨四点，是这个小镇上最为激动人心的时刻，多少疑问都在这个永恒的时刻得到了解决。" "我睡不着，因为有五里街这个疑问。" "这种问题很快就要水落石出。"他微笑着，凝视着眼前那些建筑物的黑影，似乎陷入了遐想之中，不再理会皮普准了。 皮普准又在阁楼上坐了一阵，终于耐不住乏味，就轻手轻脚地下了楼，打算去买馄饨吃。他走了不远，就叫住了一个馄饨担子，然后坐下来等。卖馄饨的在一旁忙碌着。那人头上包一块很大的白手帕，把脸部遮掉了一半。皮普准觉得也在哪里见过他似的。 "你认识阁楼上的老曾吗？"皮普准边吃边问。 "什么？老曾？你指的是阁楼上的白胡子吗？" "他不姓曾吗？" "他？哈哈！他姓什么都可以的。我怎么不认识他呢？他原来也和你一样，是个外来户，从另外一个市镇上搬来的，那是好多年前的事了。既然你叫他老曾，我也叫他老曾吧。这个老曾，你想了解关于他的什么事呢？我不得不坦白告诉你，我无法回答你的问题，这种事你得去找信使，就是那个穿绿袍子的，他是专管这种事的。" 吃完馄饨，天已经快亮了。皮普准一抬头，看见一个人一闪就从他面前过去了，看那背影正是老曾。 "这人行踪不定。"卖馄饨的说，"天一亮，他就钻进一个地道里去了，谁也无法找到他。有一回他高兴起来告诉我，他原来住在一栋楼房的暗道里，不过这种事你得去问信使，他会告诉你详情。" 天完全亮了，皮普准走进茶馆，他想去找信使。一眼望去满堂都是绿袍子，他一进去那些人就不说话了，低着头，一动不动，只有跑堂的在穿梭。皮普准绕着厅堂走了一圈，一个挨一个地打量那些人。但信使不在他们中间，整个厅堂里寂静得十分怪异。他正要出去，一个人抓住了他的手，将他向后拖，拖进厅堂边的存衣室里。那个人是三姑娘。 "我要找信使。"皮普准说。 "你这白痴！"三姑娘呵斥他，"你以为他是可以找得到的吗？他和你之间并没有约定!他和所有的人全没有约定，你与他见面的事，是由我来决定的，你还没感觉到吗？" "请你安排我和他见面。" "异想天开！这种事，不能随便安排的。他来去无踪，我也只是隔一段时间与他见一次面，不是想见就见。假如你改掉恶习，使我满意，我会在适当的时候安排你与他见面的。现在你这样乱跑乱钻，搞得大家生气，我怎么会对你满意呢？" "那么老曾呢？不是你带我去他家的吗？我并没有乱跑乱钻。"皮普准委屈地说，"原先我在一个城市当一个小官员，每天去上班，后来有一天，一位年轻的姑娘叩了我的门，就一切都改变了。那位姑娘姓离……" "行了，行了！"三姑娘挥着手，"你怎么不害臊，一遍又一遍地说这些陈词滥调。我要是你的话，会害臊得恨不得地上有个洞钻进去。唉，你真是无可救药了。你表现得这样差，我怎么好意思向信使开口呢？我们去吃早茶去吧，请你记住，今后一定要谦虚谨慎。" 他俩在厅堂的角落里坐下，三姑娘严肃地低着头，于是皮普准也低着头。喝着茶，皮普准偷眼一瞟，又瞟见了那位平头、戴眼镜的中年人，那人手中捧着一份杂志，那杂志皮普准再熟悉不过了，杂志封面上有四个黄色醒目的大字"都市奇闻"。皮普准看了又看，觉得自己已看得十分清楚，便忍不住站了起来。三姑娘用力将他按了下去，低声而清晰地说： "你又想寻衅闹事吗？你这蠢货！" 那人似乎是有意地将书页翻得"哗哗"作响，皮普准全身的血随之涌到脸上。这时他又看见那本杂志的封面缺了一个角，正与他以前保存的那本一模一样。上次他看见的明明也是这本杂志，是不是当他走到那人面前时，他就用一本笔记本掉换了呢？也许这人是个职业魔术师？他自己的杂志是怎么到了他手上的呢？他又是怎么从五里街弄了杂志来的呢？这一连串的疑问也许只有那位信使能回答。如果他轻举妄动，也许真的如信使所说，周围潜伏着凶险。想到这里，皮普准低下了头。 "这就对了。"三姑娘赞同地说，"我会安排你与信使见面的，你不要急躁。" 当皮普准再次偷眼瞟视时，平头已收起了杂志，低头喝着茶。此时，橱窗外面已经站了很多人，那些人都把脸贴在玻璃上，观察着里面的动静。皮普准的心紧缩着，三姑娘却泰然自若地喝着茶。 "这些人都是来监视你的，"她平平淡淡地说，"不过不要担心，有我在呢。你只要好好听我的嘱咐，谁也不敢动你一根毫毛。我是这个镇上的人，土生土长的，不像你，这么老了才来，当然别人怀疑。明显的差别就在于：我一只手轻轻巧巧就能提起一桶开水，你呢，什么都干不了。" 外面围观的人越来越多了，窗户的玻璃上贴满了脸，门也被堵死了。厅堂里仍旧鸦雀无声，穿绿袍的顾客们似乎全都变成了化石，一动不动的，皮普准只觉得心中一阵阵发紧。 "我终于发现了老曾的行踪。"三姑娘悄悄地说，"我这就带你去看他。" 她紧紧抓住皮普准的手，领着他往外走。他们穿过厅堂的时候，所有的绿袍子都垂着眼睛，门口的围观者则自动地让开一条路。三姑娘神情严峻，如入无物之境。到了街上，三姑娘又说； "我必须紧紧抓住你的手，免得丢失。" 他们拐过了几条街，在人群里穿来穿去的，最后又走上了一条田间小道。那小道的两旁栽着玉米。走完小道，他们到了一座荒山下面，那里有一个简陋的茅棚子，棚子里放着一些食品，一个水壶，一把椅子。三姑娘说老曾就在这里充当守林人，不过他已经躲起来了，他不喜欢别人看见他干这个工作，她也是侦察了好长时间才发现他的行踪的。他俩站在棚子里，外面风呼呼地吹着，连个人影也没有。站了一会儿，皮普准问三姑娘： "他每天夜里都在镇上，又怎么守林呢？" "对！"三姑娘两眼闪闪发光，"问题的关键就在这里！他并不像一般人设想的那样在守林，他这种守林只是一种形式，或者说一个幌子也可以。他每天就如一个游魂一样来一下此地，完全没有什么实质性的内容。我们今天大概见不到他了，我只不过是让你来看看他的棚子罢了，其实这也没什么好看的，我们走了这么远来看他也不过是做做样子。如果你真想见他，可以每天夜里去那阁楼上，他会让你读书，偶尔与你谈心。"