Chapter 28 "The Thief Waiting for Opportunity" - Tell us about it!

This new Rodenbaud book, apparently, was written in the aftermath of September 11th in New York—I mean, you don't have to look up the author's writing chronology, and it doesn't directly deal with any September 11th. "One by one" related things, including, for example, that Rodden Barr occasionally passed by the former site of the World Trade Center Double Starry Sky to pay his respects, nothing, as if nothing had happened, but the novel itself, in an inadvertent corner, still clearly left A time stamp of its own, a tiny but sharp stone of time, which we would see if our readership contained some necessary element of detective reasoning.

It has been a full ten years, and there is a book that is still selling well in Taiwan. The title of the book is "Song of Garbage". I remember an interesting passage in the book, which is the so-called "archaeology of garbage" in it.We know that garbage is the remnants of all objects in people's lives, so it contains rich clues, and in our current era of excessive packaging, a lot of waste, and almost every behavior has to produce garbage, garbage is even more important. It extends to everything about our food, clothing, housing, transportation, and entertainment.In addition, for some suspicious people, the production and disposal of garbage is a natural behavior inadvertently and without any deliberate cover-up. Therefore, through some not difficult investigations, comparisons and reasoning, garbage can be found There are so many things that allow us to reconstruct the behavior, habits, hobbies and even the overall appearance of a specific person, family, community or even a society.To use a customary syntax, it is called "garbage can talk". In fact, in a cold-blooded way, human corpses are also useless remnants of human life. Corpses can talk, which is just one of the garbage that can talk. isn't it?

OK, so then we have to ask, when is the garbage.The confirmation of time is an indispensable work in archaeology. For this, people have long used various subtle methods, such as the determination of carbon isotopes, etc., but garbage archeology is a bit different. The scale is not that big, and the garbage that has been tracked for only ten or twenty years is obviously unable to easily apply the ready-made methods of hundreds of thousands or millions of years in archaeology. It has to find its own time detection method. But these are not difficult. In fact, there are too many methods for it, without using complex scientific analysis instruments and so on, and without trained professionals.

The book "Garbage Song" says that in the United States, the time determination of garbage archaeology simply relies on a small thing that can be seen everywhere in garbage and is extremely difficult to corrode and disappear, that is, the pull ring of Coca-Cola cans.For nearly half a century, Coca-Cola’s separate, water-drop-shaped pull tab has undergone small but clear changes every once in a while, and each change has a clear time record. Therefore, Every batch of garbage inspected is thoughtfully marked with the time, so you don't have to think about it. Very, very interesting time footprints are left in unexpected but reasonable places.

This new book of thieves, time seems to leave its hasty track inadvertently, where is it?In the bar, while Rodden Barr and Barbara were chatting, the two of them accidentally caught the name of French fry, from the undoubted French fry to the absurd Freedom fry-we know that this innocent potato The name of the article was changed because after "September 11", France did not want to keep pace with the two leaders of the United States and Britain, who always misspelled words and had serious IQ problems. Some crazy but equally dumb American who must eat chips.I believe that this French fries will be famous in history. It not only records the time, but also records another collective ignorance, insanity and injustice of human beings. Moreover, it also vividly confirms the history of that sentence that has become a common saying Famous words, sure enough, many crimes have been committed in the name of freedom, and it will never be the last time.

Of course, today Coca-Cola’s cans have changed to non-separable pull tabs. Those who are careful not to cut their wounds and those who are thirsty and impatient will have to find another way, but don’t worry, I think the same is not difficult, time is a sloppy Heck, it ticks and ticks and keeps leaving too many tracks, as the mystery novels say, "leaves a tail that's a full mile long." The Burglar on the Prowl, the thief who searches, the thief who swims back like a shark with his dorsal fin, the thief who has locked his prey and is ready to go but looks like he is doing nothing and whistling, this has always been Rodenbahr's kind of virtuosity One of the standard operating procedures of the craftsman's thief is an important part of Rodenbahl's aesthetics of breaking through the empty door-on the street at night, a Rodenbahl who is indistinguishable from you and me walks around.But he has his own unique thoughts, unique goals, and unique and unparalleled skills, just like the lockpicking tool hidden in his pocket.

Serious thieves are the most beautiful, as beautiful as cats. In the past, there were two old sayings of self-pity and self-pity in Taiwan: "When you are a thief, you will watch it once, and if you catch a thief, it will be dark." Not true, and completely unintentional and incapable of appreciating the beauty of being a thief.This reminds me of an old joke about Picasso. It is said that at a certain banquet, a white-eyed lady recognized Picasso and took a napkin on the table and asked Picasso to draw two random strokes for her. Afterwards, The woman asked Picasso how much he should pay him. "One million dollars." "But you only spent three seconds!" "No, ma'am, I spent seventy years."

Italo Calvino tells a similar story in his "Literary Memorandum for the New Millennium" speech about Zhuangzi drawing a crab for a certain king: "Once the king asked him to draw a crab. Zhuangzi said he needed five years Time, a country house, and twelve servants. Five years later, he has not started to paint. He said: "I need five more years." The king agreed. In one stroke, I drew a crab, the most perfect crab I have ever seen." Speaking of Zhuangzi, let us take advantage of the opportunity to recall the famous defense speech about thieves in the book, so as to completely clean up our ignorance and misunderstanding of the thief's skill.This passage is recorded in the outer part of the "Xiaoqi". The speaker is Robo Zhi, a symbol of a thief billboard in ancient China. He answered the question of his little thief apprentice about "Do robbers have a way?" Lecture content of the first lesson: "A man's delusional intention is to hide in the room, which is holy; to be first, to be brave; to be out later, to be righteous; to know whether it is possible, to know; to divide evenly, to be benevolent. There is no one in the world who can become a great thief if he is unprepared. Yes." Today we are so used to not paying attention to the old idiom that the so-called robber also has a way, and its source and content are this.

For those who are not used to it today, or are impatient, or refuse to read ancient classical Chinese due to various unhealthy thoughts, here, we are willing to considerately use Rodenbahr's specific actions to translate it into the vernacular—it is necessary to understand the great New York in advance. Is there any household in the city that has cash and jewelry collections worthy of serious stealing, and the owner's family was out that night, Zhuangzi said this is a prophetic virtue, calling it "holy"; Keep an open mind, not only to rule out any possible accidents and mistakes, but also to find more concise and safe ways and methods (that is, the rigorous technical follow-up steps still imply every current creativity), and, in the face of the last Turning the door and staring at it twice, you still have to listen and "intuitively" (actually, the judgment cultivated by long-term technical experience) to confirm that there is no one on the other side of the door. Zhuangzi said that this is wisdom and wisdom, and he called it "knowledge" ;Do not drink alcohol on the night of the attack, such as fasting cautiously, so as to maintain the best state of mind and body. Passing away, one has to resolutely pass through the building administrators, surveillance cameras, security alarm system and heavy door locks. Zhuangzi said this is fearless courage and calls it "courage"; Considering the sale and sale of stolen goods, the owner’s emotional situation must also be considered gently. Zhuangzi said that this is the most appropriate choice that takes into account the actual situation and self-worth beliefs, which is called "righteousness"; The informant gets the biggest share, and Caroline, who is worried about the outside world, also gets a lot of money. She doesn't cheat, don't steal, and doesn't bully the dark room. Zhuangzi said that this is honest, affectionate and benevolent, which is called "benevolence" and so on. Wait.

Chuang Tzu, who raises the level directly to the level of abstraction and universal virtue, is very hearty, but I personally still like the way Rodenbaud enters the room the most, as if the thinker finally found the answer, or like a person who has traveled a long distance after arriving. The appearance of being happy, satisfied and letting go of everything to rest, of course, there is still The Burglar on the Prowl, the wandering night before the start—— Yes, there are aesthetic issues involved. Of course, there is no need to remind Brock that thieves are bad people, stealing from others is a bad thing, and so on. This is something that elementary school students know best. How could Brock, who is as smart and sophisticated as he is, not know?However, the world is so big, the human heart is so vast and complex, and there are endless possibilities and ways to appreciate things, what are we going to do?Will you always be a primary school student and see everything in terms of narrow and monotonous "good/bad" and "right/wrong"?Doesn't it bother you all the time? Don't you feel bored?Do we really expect our society and people's wisdom to stop at this immature stage forever?

Here we have to have a major premise of cognition—in our world where gods conflict and value units are plural and often contradictory, beautiful things can be kind and warm, but there are also paranoid, unruly things. Stable, violent and even dangerous, therefore, the pursuit and preservation of beautiful things always have varying degrees of price, the master of liberalism, Little Mill, reminded us that some tolerable inconvenience and even risk should be paid by society . Especially when these inconveniences or risks are not put into practice and become clear and immediate actions, but appear in the form of speech, in the form of thought, or, more plainly, loaded up and closed in the form of a book.We should all know and remind ourselves every once in a while that freedom is supposed to approach the maximum here, and those dangerous, poisonous and beautiful things should have their place here, otherwise they will become extinct, or more overwhelmingly likely If we don't, we will rush into the real world even more uncontrollably, which is what we should be afraid of. it is good.We have said that it is not the first time in mystery novels that Bullock writes Rodden Barr, a thief in New York, and to be honest, he did not respond to the increasingly weak reasoning novels because he successfully synthesized the dual identity of "thief/detective" again. Boundaries have been pushed (compared to his Matthew Scudder, Rodenbaud returned with a bit of irony to the "finally the detective finds everyone to explain the case and point out the murderer" classic mystery ending).What is really special about Rodenbauder's novel, and what is really interesting about it, I personally think, is that Bloch, in the world of speculative fiction, actually writes a thief, a thief, even though we know he will end up being a twenty-something. A detective who solves crimes around the page, but all other times he is a thief, his thinking logic is a thief, his behavior is a thief, his position in life and the way he sees the world is also a thief.With Rodenbaud, we suddenly discovered that all the thieves we saw in mystery novels in the past were just verbally told us that he was a thief. Besides, he was just a thief from beginning to end Detective, terrific, has a taste of a ranger. The identity of a thief is only convenient for him to disappear, freely enter and exit the boundaries of the law, and the realistic restrictions of the novel itself. In Taiwan, especially at this moment in Taiwan, it is difficult for us to point out out of thin air and convince others that craftsmanship itself, skills from all walks of life, can have their own complete and moving beauty, which can be appreciated alone without utilitarianism The purpose is to put aside some innocuous little right and wrong, good and evil, and don't be nervous. Going to the Palace Museum in Waishuangxi and Haosheng to see the creations of those "anonymous" craftsmen of the past may be one of the ways, but it is not that easy to be honest, because some necessary links have been lost for a long time, no If you say you want to cross, you can cross.For example, first, they are all finished products, and it is difficult for us to reconstruct this exquisite manufacturing process in our hearts; "National Treasure" (the treasure of the enemy's country? Add some pirate-like plundering fun?), it is difficult for us to wash off the layer of magical additions that seem to fly from the sky, and look at them in a simple, realistic, and focused manner; third, These beautiful things that were also practical items in life at the time, today, with the change of lifestyle and living equipment, have withdrawn from our life scene and even memory, thus losing their rich sense of reality, and the harmony with our nature. A necessary part of the cohesive bond of behavior, and become a kind of rare, isolated, professional "foreign body" - these lost connections can only rely on our imagination to try to fill up.But imagination cannot be without reason. As García Márquez said, imagination must have the pedal of reality, especially physical caress or even a certain degree of technical practice, just like the one who does not touch the ball at all. It is difficult for a person to become an expert fan of the real thing. Even for pure appreciation, it is not enough to rely on the eyes alone, the skin, especially the fingers (biologists tell us that this is one of the densest sensory nerves in our body, and also It's one of the torturers' favorite parts) the touch is very, very important. Now where is there an alternative link to find him in the crowd?Where can I ask for courtesy?Seek places that are vulgar but still smokey, places that are present.Personally, I suggest that you might as well watch some Japanese programs on cable TV channels, cooking east and west army, or TV champions, as well as special episodes of reports by some professionals.Those shrine carpenters who only use wood to joint tenons without moving a single nail, those origami masters who folded out of a piece of paper while watching others play violins in the park on Sunday, those who want to grow "self-rooted" (without grafting) in Hokkaido The lunatics who cook ramen noodles, make kites, pick wild mushrooms from the mountains, process tuna with sharp knives, bake bread, burn pottery, blow glass... as far as I know You know, many TV stations in Taiwan have repeatedly tried to imitate but have never been able to imitate. The key is not the planning or shooting ability, but the inability to source materials. Just like a Japanese national treasure-level pottery master who insists on not burning useless things all his life, craftsman skills are carried out on the first scene of immediate and practical life, and the results are basically daily necessities, not something like a shadow flying away The so-called works of art or even treasures, therefore, we often say that this kind of creation is "anonymous", which does not necessarily mean that we must not know the name and surname of the creator, but rather precisely points out its "impersonal" aesthetic characteristics .Moreover, it is not the so-called "collective achievement of the working people" that left-wing poverty culture theorists like to talk about, no, it is not this kind of horizontal spatial flattened collective coordination, it can and often is formed by a pair of lonely but focused and stable Manufactured by hands, its collective mystery lies in the manipulation of time, which is explored, adjusted, and polished bit by bit between the maker and the user from generation to generation and almost every moment, until Every step and every link is so proficient and comfortable that it is like a flower blooming.Therefore, it is not only a current, newly completed, and newly-appreciated object, but also has a long history without any luck. Its beauty always has a certain sense of comfort that is reasonable and fits into our bodies and natural behaviors. . Its labor and manufacturing process are even more interesting - if you have also watched the above-mentioned TV programs. The so-called not being lucky means that it is quite common that a society can suddenly burst out a certain genius for no reason, even with its own backwardness, poverty, ignorance and even suffering, and compose the best Musical poetry, writing top-notch novels, painting unparalleled paintings, like a flower blooming abruptly in a field of thorns or even blooming proudly on a barbed wire fence.But craftsman skills are not like this. It always discusses with the society collectively and follows suit. Of course, it can have transcendent geniuses, just like when the Japanese talk about the inheritance of a certain skill in history, they will also mention that a certain generation of masters has made it. A great innovation is generally made, but such an outrage is not too far away, it will wait patiently for society to catch up, to return to the intimate relationship and its flowing rhythm of progress.Craftsmanship skills in this area are conservative and safe, because this skill belongs to him personally, but at the same time he is only a "temporary" user and custodian, and he has to be responsible for protection, so there is a superior The norms of personal gains and losses must be explained and followed, just like every generation of craftsman, even if his technical achievements have surpassed those of his predecessors, the first thing he talks about when he is questioned is usually memories, history, the master who taught him, He climbed up the stairs like an iron chain, and the uninterrupted history of skills and even the original source. In fact, the ancient teachings written by his ancestors are often hung high in his workshop or living room, and they must be hung on the most eye-catching and respected place. The position is sometimes a sentence or a four-character mantra full of philosophical gatha, and sometimes it is the tireless rules of Zhu Zi's family motto. Therefore, craftsman skills, in turn, often become the most irrefutable basis for us to understand and appraise a social collective level, especially the aesthetic level, and it is also the most clear basis that can be penetrated by the eye, because its result is the ubiquitous life. Objects range from ordinary people's houses to small personal equipment, public like streetscapes and market signs, private like decorations of other people's homes, which cannot be escaped or hidden. Speaking of which, apart from waiting patiently for Taiwan's poverty, frailty, and even ugliness, what can we do or remind? What can Rodenbauder, or Bullock, teach us? There may be.Bullock not only writes about Rodden Barr's thief, but also writes about Keller, the cold-blooded professional killer who is even more exciting. He doesn't just take advantage of their different or even shocking identities, he writes them into their professions, that is to say, It's not just a gimmick or a clever design, nor is it just based on imagination. Writers have to stand in their position to see the world and think about things to a certain extent, and they must also be familiar with their livelihood skills and the way they do business to a certain extent.However, Rodenbaud and Keller's careers are too far away from our "normal" people. Therefore, writers have to do a lot of homework and spend a lot of time before writing. We can barely imagine this pre-writing assignment—I imagine that, many, many evenings, Brock will have to spend many, many evenings in this or that cafe or bar, listening quietly and with great interest until he has a general grasp of the thieves and The basic world pattern of a professional killer, until the characters in his heart slowly take shape and come alive or adapt to this heterogeneous world, knowing how to act, until he masters the "language" of this world, how to talk, how to accurately make up This is the moment when he starts to ask questions and take actions—far from writing, but asking, reading books, checking materials, trying to practice to a certain extent, and most importantly, Continue to carry this thief or professional killer in his heart, let him understand by analogy in life and "mature" in the flow of time. Listening comes before inquiry, and before action. This is the first song of understanding, which cannot be skipped or completed in a hurry. The traditional left-wing literary view knows the incomparable importance of this pre-work. Their fatal mistake is to skip listening and asking, and directly demand action, calling it a necessary and even noble life experience, so that "understanding" Confused with "changing jobs".I guess Brock himself will probably get a few locks, go home, dissect them and try to open them, and maybe go to the shooting range and shoot a few shots to feel the sound, smell and recoil, but it shouldn't be so true. Like Dembhal, he went to break into empty doors or killed people like Keller to supplement his family. He wanted to write about thieves and killers, but he didn't want to change careers to become thieves and killers. There are too many things in life that cannot be "experienced", such as death, but it is not impossible to feel and understand, and there is always a need to feel and understand. "Tell us!" - this is what Milan Kundera told us in his novel "Ignorance", borrowing the myth of Odysseus's ten-year return home, with a lot of grief and indignation: "Leave Kalu After Pousso, on his return journey, Odysseus was cast adrift to Pheex, where the king received him in his palace. There he was a stranger, a mysterious stranger. Confronted with a strange People, people would ask: 'Who are you? Where did you come from? Tell us!' So he told them, and he spent eight long volumes of the Odyssey, dumbfounded. He described his adventures in minute detail before the Phaeeks. But in Itsica he was not a stranger, he was one of their own, and that is why no one thought to say to him: 'Tell us!'" What Kundera said is very good and correct, the only problem is that Kundera doesn't know that in Taiwan today, people don't say "tell us!" It's not because we don't have foreigners and people standing in front of us. Stories from foreign lands, but we don't want to hear them, we are not interested in knowing them. In Taiwan, especially stories about people from other lands or foreign lands, basically we always regard them as the same thing as strange germs and viruses, they (should use "they") are always dirty, aggressive, dangerous, if not To eliminate, at least drive it away, if you can't drive it away, at least know how to avoid it from a distance. Regarding Taiwan's selfishness, narcissism, and self-abased arrogance that is forced out, based on the mood of not showing off family ugliness, we won't say much. Here, we just point out calmly that everyone in Taiwan who has eyes We can see the ugly appearance everywhere (and as Professor Xia Zhujiu, a master of the Institute of Urban and Rural Studies of National Taiwan University, said: "I don't know that I am ugly."), there is a reason, we live on an isolated island the size of a small bullet , and made up his mind to erect a high wall around it, completely closing it into an isolated island. So we say that there is an aesthetic problem, not a dispensable adornment to keep you full, but an aesthetic problem of listening, understanding, and blooming because of understanding. You know, the story of Rodenbaud always reminds me of something that is stored in the Imperial College in Beijing. It is a product used for cheating in the imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty. It is an ordinary robe with neat and beautiful small characters on it. I copied the Four Books and Five Classics in a dense manner-everyone was amazed, and everyone always thought, with so much time and meticulous work, why not just memorize it?Isn't it easier and safer? However, how many serious but boring test papers are left in the imperial examination for hundreds of thousands of years?History has been wiped out, but this innocuous robe, which has neither shaken the foundation of the country nor brought down the society except for his master's arrest and sentencing, has passed through time and become, in my opinion, more fertile than emerald jade cabbage or white jade bitter gourd. Fortunately, the more beautiful treasures are placed in front of our eyes, telling interesting stories about them. Next time you go to Beijing, remember to visit it and tell it what Kundera said—tell us!