Chapter 9 chapter Five

Hung-chien wanted to call a car to the ship pier.The shrewd and capable Pengtu said that the price of a car has increased several times recently, and Hongjian's luggage is simple, and he is not in a hurry, so it is better to order two foreign cars, and Fengyi will send them off anyway.Nearly five o'clock in the afternoon on the 22nd, the two brothers went out, and the car was pulled to the edge of the French Concession. A French policeman led two Annan policemen to search pedestrians, and only cars could pass easily.Hung-chien took a look at the French patrolman, who had come to Shanghai with him last year, had talked several times on the boat, and seemed to know Hung-chien, so he waved his hand and let Hung-chien's car pass by.Hung-chien thought that the group of French policemen who were on the same boat were all countrymen who had just left their homes, and none of them were poor and embarrassed.Once upon a time, the one I saw just now has been colored and enlarged.His originally pale face was now as red as raw beef, his eyes were newly woven with red threads, and his belly was as fat as a frog puffing up.The French's international nickname is "Toad", which is truly worthy of the name, and what is surprising is that they have added a group of ferocious beasts.Shanghai is comparable to the Witch's Island in Greek mythology. When a person comes alone, he will turn into a beast.As for Annan's patrol, it is even more ridiculous.There are no eastern peoples who are unfit to wear uniforms like the Annan people.The Japanese just have too short legs to hang a command knife.Annan people have a dove-shaped face, black skin with scorched teeth, and a natural opium ghost appearance. The baton in their hands looks more like an opium gun.Hung-chien's thoughts seemed to be guessed by Annan's inspectors. He stopped Fengyi's car, which was lagging behind, and ransacked it in a vengeful manner.He tore through the biscuit box and canned meat floss, and secretly asked for three yuan, but finally the bedding bag remained intact.Hung-chien was in charge of two suitcases, large and small, and it was inconvenient to turn back on the road, so he got off the car at the pier, but couldn't find Fengyi, so he was in a hurry for a while.

Hung-chien and Hsin-mei were in the same cabin, and Miss Sun also met, but Li and Gu could not be found.As the boat sailed, there was no sign of them. Hsin-mei was sweating profusely, and Hung-chien's Miss Sun also helped him panic.While worrying, the waiter came to say that there was a guest in the third class cabin who wanted to talk to Xin Mei, and he could not come in the first class cabin, so he could only invite Xin Mei to go down.Hung-chien and Hsin-mei went to have a look. It was Mr. Gu who told them to come down with dancing.The two hurriedly asked: "Where is Mr. Li?" Mr. Gu said: "He is in the same cabin as me, and he is washing his face. Mr. Li's friend only bought three large dishes, so Mr. Li and I will give you all and take the cabin instead. Cabin." The two felt very sorry after hearing this.Mr. Gu said: "The cabin is comfortable enough, I will take the two of you to have a look around." The two of them entered the cabin with him, the cabin was full of luggage, and Mr. Li was washing his feet.Hsin-mei and Hung-chien solemnly thanked him for the accommodation.Mr. Gu interrupted and said: "Originally there were only two big dishes, Mr. Li begged his friend repeatedly, and finally got a third one." Xinmei said: "Actually, you two old gentlemen each have one. Young people should work harder." Mr. Li said: "It's nothing more than twelve hours. I have also sat in the big kitchen, and it is not much more comfortable than the cabin."

After dinner, the boat rocked a little.Hung-chien and Xin-mei sat side by side on a long chair nailed to the deck.Hung-chien listened to the sound of the wind and the water, looked at the darkness of the sea and the sky, and thought of the many scenes on the boat returning home last year that seemed to be twins with tonight, and he was filled with emotion.Hsin-mei smoked the big pipe that Hung-chien had given him, and suddenly said, "Hung-chien, I have a suspicion. But this suspicion is too despicable; if the suspicion is wrong, it will prove that I am a villain, and treat others with the heart of a villain." .”

"You say—as long as it's not me who is suspicious." "I think both Li and Gu are lying. They must be able to buy all the five big dishes. They want to save money, so they made up all these words out of thin air. You see, Li Meiting stopped to go to the ticket that day. Before boarding the ship, He didn't say a word about the difficulty of buying tickets. If he had, I'd send someone to do it. There must be something wrong with it. I'm angry that they made a trick and wanted our gratitude." "I think you're right. Why don't you tell the truth if you want to save money? We can also take the cabin. Besides, didn't the school remit one hundred yuan per person for the travel expenses? Gao Songnian wrote that the travel expenses are more than enough, what else can we save? Small money?"

Xinmei said: "That's not true. The two of us don't have a family; they are both elderly and have children, and maybe they need to arrange their household. Gao Songnian's words can't be accurate. It's not as easy to walk now as it is in peacetime. The cost is an estimate. Not sure, I'd rather bring more money. How much do you bring?" Hung-chien said, "I took all the money I had left in my pocket with me, plus the remitted travel expenses, it was 160 to 70 yuan." Xinmei said: "That's enough. I brought two hundred yuan. I'm afraid that Li and Gu left most of the school travel expenses at home, and the luggage they brought is so big. If they run out of money on the way, it will delay everyone. thing."

Hung-chien laughed and said, "I see they packed the whole family in the luggage, the wife, son, and even the house they lived in. Don't you see that Li Meiting's iron box is as tall as a person? They don't have to keep money at home." Hsin-mei also smiled, and said, "Hung-chien, I'm going to change my style on the road. I'm better at spending money than you, greedy for my mouth, and greedy for comfort. In the eyes of Li and Gu, we may be a pair of ignorant boys. I don’t know material resources, it’s difficult, and I don’t understand others. From now on, I will not be the master, and I will let them arrange everything about accommodation. I will not choose expensive hotels and restaurants and force them to accompany me to spend money. This time I bought the boat ticket. It was a good lesson."

"Old Zhao, you are amazing! You really have the spirit of democracy, and you will be the president in the future. We have already tired Ms. Sun when we bought the boat ticket this time. She is a very cheeky girl. She can't say anything. You are an 'uncle' You should think about it for her." "That's right. And Miss Sun's school didn't provide travel expenses, I forgot to tell you." "why?" "I don't know why. Gao Songnian's letter clearly stated that she was asked to go, but the remittance was only distributed among the four of us. Maybe the teaching assistant position is too small, and the school doesn't think it deserves the travel allowance. Anyway, there are plenty of such people."

"It's so unreasonable. We are already making money, so we don't have to pay for the travel expenses. It's the first time for Ms. Sun to work, how can I ask her to lose money? When you go to school, you must fight for her with the authorities." "I think so too, it's not a problem to make up for it." "Xinmei, I have a joke, don't be angry. It's the first time we've taken this road, and the traffic is not convenient. People like us who have no travel experience can't even take care of ourselves. Why do you take a fragile Miss Shanghai? If she can’t come after hardships and falls ill halfway, wouldn’t that be a burden? Unless you have other intentions, then—”

"Nonsense, nonsense! I don't know that there are troubles on the road, but it's just hard to get rid of it! She is from the Department of Foreign Languages, and I am from the Department of Politics. When I come to school in the future, she is the office wife of others. I don't agree with each other. And I told the girl in advance that the journey was very hard, no better than Shanghai, and she said she could afford it." "She can bear hardships, but you will be sweet on the way." Hsin-mei made a gesture to burn the pipe to Hung-chien's face, "You want me to introduce it for you, don't you? That's easy!"

Hung-chien covered his face with his hands and said with a smile, "To tell you the truth, I didn't look at her directly, and I didn't see her round face clearly. Really, we are so rude! When we eat, we talk our own words, I ignored her, and ran to the deck after eating, leaving her alone. It was the first time she left the family, and it was even more uncomfortable to be deserted." "We have suffered from women for the first time, and we are all frightened birds. We are afraid when we see a woman's shadow. But your gentle thought has already planted love in your heart. Let me report to Miss Sun and say: 'Mr. Fang loves you! '"

"Don't worry, I will never be your 'sympathizer'; you have wine, save it for me to drink when you have a wedding with Miss Sun." "Don't talk nonsense! Did you hear me? I've come to my senses recently, and I will never love urban women who are college graduates. I've had enough of serving Su Wenwan, and I want a woman to serve me in the future. I'd rather marry an honest, simple country girl, You don’t need to have advanced education, as long as your body is healthy and your temper is obedient, let me be her Lord and Master comfortably. I don’t think it is necessary to let love play such an important role in life. Many people live the same way without love.” "If my father heard your words, it's time to say 'children can be taught'. But you will be an official in the future, and this kind of country girl is not expected to be an official's wife. She will not help you socialize and win you over." "I'd rather be an official than she is not worthy of being an official's wife; don't want her to want to be an official's wife, forcing me to be an official or a corrupt official. For example, if I marry Su Wenwan, I won't be able to go to Sanlu University with you this time." Now, she wants to force me to go where she likes to go." "Do you really love to go to Sanlv University?" Hung-chien asked in amazement, "I admire your spirit, but I am not as good as you. You have more confidence in marriage and work than I do. I still remember that time when Chu Shenming was still Su Miss is talking about the "siege". I have this feeling about everything in life recently. For example, I really hoped to go to Sanlu University, so I accepted the letter of appointment. Recently, the more I think about it, the more boring it is. At this time, I regret not having the courage to return the original ship. Shanghai. I passed by this time. I don’t know when and what month I will get married, but I think you really married Miss Su, and the taste is just mediocre. In order to pursue the shadow of the fleshy bone in the water, the dog lost the fleshy bone to the mouth I got married with my lover as I wished. I am afraid that at that time, I will be full of flesh and bones, and I will feel sorry for the water that I can't see again. Let me ask you, after Cao Yuanlang got married, his wife forced him to do something, do you know? " "He is the director of the 'Wartime Supplies Committee'. The new father-in-law arranged for him. This is part of his daughter's dowry." "Okay! Country, country, country is home! You married Miss Su, isn't this decent job yours?" "Bah! If he relies on nepotism to be proud, that person has no backbone." "Maybe people say that you are like a fox, and if you can't eat grapes, you will say that the grapes are sour." "I'm not jealous at all. Let me tell you, on Miss Su's wedding day, I went to watch the ceremony—" Hung-chien would only say, "Huh?"—"There was an invitation from the Su family, and I gave a gift—" —” "What gift did you send?" "Big basket of flowers." "What flower?" "Anyway, just pay the florist to deliver it, don't care about the flowers." "It should be apricot flower, which means that you love her, but she doesn't love you; there is also daffodil, which means that her heart is too hard; plus wormwood, which means that you will suffer for her all your life. In addition, it should be matched with carnation flower to aggravate the meaning. strength." "Nonsense! How can there be apricot blossoms and daffodils in summer? You are just talking on paper. Well, since you are an expert, you can send someone to get married like this in the future. The purpose of my going there that day is to test whether I have the courage to see it for more than ten years. The woman I love married someone else. Hey! After I left, I didn’t feel sad. I had never met Cao Yuanlang. At first I thought Miss Su appreciated him, so he must be better than me; Seeing such a strange thing that day, Miss Su would actually like him! To be honest, a woman with such vision is not worthy to marry me, Zhao Xinmei, and I don't care for her either." Hung-chien patted Hsin-mei's thigh and said, "Have fun! Have fun!" "The two of them had been engaged for a few days. Mrs. Su came to see my mother and said a lot of good things. She said that Wen Wan was a stubborn child. It was useless for her to persuade her daughter. Even better—you’ll laugh when I tell you—every morning when she burns incense in front of the Bodhisattva, she silently prays for my happiness—” Hung-chien couldn’t help laughing—“I I asked my mother, why didn't she read a few scriptures to save me? My mother thought I was very concerned, and asked me about many boring things. This time, Su Hongye was busy in Chongqing and couldn't come back. She wrote a letter saying that everything was done by her daughter It's up to her, as long as she likes it. This couple is very foreign, and they oppose the old-fashioned marriage of picking auspicious days, and advocate picking foreign dates. They say that May in the Gregorian calendar is the most unfavorable for marriage, and June in the Gregorian calendar is the most suitable for marriage, but they got engaged in June. It is said that the date is also very particular, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are good days for marriage, especially Wednesday; every day of April, Friday and Saturday is like a bad day, and they finally chose Wednesday—" Hung-chien laughed and said, "This must be the trick that Cao Yuanlang came up with." Hsin-mei smiled and said, "In short, you European students are the most annoying, and you have the most tricks and tricks. But on the Wednesday when you got married, the weather was autumn tiger, and it was extremely hot. I thought on the way, luckily, I'm not the bridegroom today. Although the auditorium was air-conditioned, Cao Yuanlang was wearing a black woolen dress and was sweating from the work. I saw that the white stiff collar he was wearing was yellow and soft from the sweat. I was afraid that his whole fat body would be soaked in sweat. It looks like foreign candles have turned into a puddle of oil. Miss Su is also nervous and ugly. During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom's faces were full of tears and smiles. , that’s right, that’s right, it’s like the expression in the photos of criminals under the sign of “Beware of Hands-on-hands” in public places. I suddenly thought, even if I salute my wedding, under the eyes of all eyes, I will inevitably look like a cracked criminal So I suddenly realized that the kind of happy wedding photos with eyebrows and smiles were not taken at that time." "Big discovery! Big discovery! What I'm interested in is how Miss Su saw you that day." "I didn't let her see me. I just spoke a few words to Miss Tang—" Hung-chien's heart pounded heavily, as if a package had been thrown to the ground when the truck was unloading. It was strange that Xinmei didn't hear— —"She was the bridesmaid that day, she saw me, and asked me if I was here to fight, and said that after the ceremony, when everyone sprinkled five-colored papers on the newcomers, I was the only one who was not allowed to do anything, lest I take the opportunity to throw a grenade She asked me about my future plans, and I told her to go to Sanlv University. I thought she might not want to hear your name, so I didn’t mention you a word.” "That's best! Don't mention me, don't mention me." Hung-chien said mechanically, as if a prisoner in a dark prison was groping for a match. As soon as he struck it, the match went out, and he couldn't see clearly. One piece slipped back into the darkness.For example, two boats pass by each other in the dark night, one is on this boat, and sees the face in the light of the opposite cabin that he has never forgotten.This moment of closeness, on the contrary, it seems that the distance is slim.At this moment, Hung-chien secretly hated Hsin-mei for being confused. "I didn't talk to her too much. The best man, Cao Yuanlang's friend, never let go of her for a moment. I think he is very interesting to Tang Xiaofu." Hung-chien suddenly hated Miss Tang, his heart ached like a thorn, and suppressing the trembling in his voice, he said, "I don't like to hear about such people, so don't talk about them." Hsin-mei was surprised when she heard this, she was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood, she put her hand on Hung-chien's shoulder and said, "We've had enough sitting. The sea wind is very strong at this time, go back to the cabin and sleep, we have to go ashore early tomorrow morning." Say it, yawn.Hung-chien followed him, and as soon as he turned the corner, Miss Sun stood up from the bench to greet him.Xinmei was startled and asked her how long she had been alone on the deck. The wind was very strong, so she wasn't afraid of the cold.Ms. Sun said that the child brought by the woman in the same cabin was upset by crying and making noise, so she came out to change the air.Hsin-mei said: "There's a bit of wind and waves at this time, are you seasick or not?" Miss Sun said: "It's okay. The wind and waves encountered by Mr. Zhao and Mr. Fang must be much worse than this." Hsin-mei said: "It's very bad. .But Mr. Fang and I are not on the same path." As he spoke, he touched Hung-chien with his hand, implying that he should speak and not be so impolitely silent.At this moment, Hung-chien's heart seemed to be racing against the pain in his heart, and he wanted to run fast to prevent the pain from catching up. He babbled irrelevant words, as if throwing some obstacles to temporarily stop the pain from catching up. There are a lot of scenes on the ocean-going ship.When he mentioned flying fish, Miss Sun had never heard of it, and asked if she had seen a big whale.Hsin-mei felt that this question was undoubtedly naive.Hung-chien said: "I see, there are a lot of them. Once, the boat we were on was almost embedded in the teeth of a whale." The light illuminated Miss Sun's amazed eyes, which opened like "〇" painted by Giotto. Hsin-mei's suspicion deepened, and he said, "Listen to his nonsense!" Hung-chien said, "What I said is absolutely true. This fish is taking a nap after lunch. Miss Sun, do you know someone?" They use their mouths to listen, talk and see. They open their mouths to listen, open their mouths to see, and open their mouths to sleep. This fish has a cold and stuffy nose, so when it sleeps, its mouth is open. Thanks to it The gaps between the teeth are full of meat scraps, otherwise our boat would be really dangerous." Miss Sun said, "Mr. Fang is teasing me, Uncle Zhao, isn't he?" Xin Mei made a contemptuous snort. sound.Hung-chien said, "It's true that a fish slipped into a big boat through its teeth. If you don't believe me, I can turn over—" Hsin-mei said, "Stop messing around, we should go to sleep. Miss Sun, your father handed you over to me, and I will force you to return to the cabin, don't catch a cold—" Hung-chien laughed, "That's really good 'Uncle'!" Hsin-mei took advantage of Ms. Sun's inattention, and slapped Hung-chien on the back fiercely, "Mr. Fang loves to lie the most. He tricks you with stories from fairy tales." Lying on the bed, Hung-chien felt the pain in his heart rushing up, so he said urgently, "Hsin-mei, you beat me until this time, and it still hurts!" Xinmei said: "You have no heart! Just now I was a bystander and saw it clearly, Miss Sun——ah! This girl is very cunning, I brought her here, she was fooled—Miss Sun is like that Whale, open your mouth, you fool is like the boat delivered to your door." Hung-chien rolled over with laughter and said, "Nervous! Nervous!" After the real laugh, he continued with a fake smile to scare away the pain in his heart. "I believe this girl listened to everything we said. It's your fault for raising your voice so high—" "You yourself, I don't." "Do you think a college graduate would be so naive? 'Mr. Fang is coaxing me, isn't he?'"--Xinmei bit her throat, imitating it with confidence--"I can't be fooled by her! Only You fool! Let me tell you, you can't judge by appearance. Did you notice that I told her that all you told were fairy tales? If I hadn't said that, she would have asked you to borrow a book—" "I don't even have to borrow it." "That's not the case. We all know that women don't want to spend money on books. Men are willing to buy sugar, clothing, and cosmetics and give them to women. But they are only willing to lend books to her. If they don't buy them, they don't want them to give to her. What's the reason? Borrowed and repaid, once borrowed and then returned, a book can be used as an excuse for two contacts, and there is no trace. This is the inevitable beginning of a relationship between a man and a woman. Once a book is borrowed, the problem will become serious." Hung-chien laughed and said, "You are really scary! But what you said about Ms. Sun is completely a dream." Hsin-mei smiled triumphantly at the cabin roof, "That's not necessarily the case. Well, don't talk any more, I'm going to sleep." Hung-chien knew that today's sleep was as unattainable as Tang Xiaofu's, thinking about the difficulty In the long night, I feel the fear of a lone traveler in the wilderness late at night.He tried his best to find something to say to Hsin-mei, but Hsin-mei ignored him, and Hung-chien let the pain eat away at his heart without any resistance or help. Early tomorrow morning, the ship stopped far away before entering the port.When it was almost noon, the shipping company sent two gasoline boats to ferry the guests ashore.The first, second and some third-class passengers get on the first boat first.The deck of this ship is five or six feet lower than the deck of the third-class cabin of a large steamer. Passengers have to jump off. As soon as the water ripples, there is a distance of about a foot between the two ships, as if opening their mouths and waiting for someone to fall in.The passengers all scolded the shipping company for being a jerk, but everyone jumped in without thinking about their own safety, and nothing went wrong.Many people who felt pain in their stomachs came and pressed their hands on their stomachs, frowning, and remained silent.Hung-chien was only worried that he would get appendicitis.The boat was crowded with small people, and all the way I heard shouts: "The boat is on its side, the people on the left go to the right." "It's not good! There are too many people on the right! Do you want your life?" Every word was shouted by the whole boat. Then, it rolled over everyone's mouth like a snowball, and the outline became more and more bloated.Chatting with people, Hung-chien realized that it was difficult to find hotels on shore, and that nine out of ten hotels were full.Hsin-mei said that there were hundreds of guests on the same boat, and Li and Gu were on the second boat, and they had to wait until they were all there before looking for a hotel, and they might have to sleep in the open today.When the boat docked, Hsin-mei and Ms. Sun took their luggage to find the hotel. Hung-chien stayed on the pier and waited for Li and Gu. Hsin-mei would pick them up after they settled in the hotel.Hsin-mei and the others had just left when an air-raid alarm was issued, and Hung-chien became anxious, thinking that bad luck was due to his companionship, and that he was in unlucky luck, and there was no guarantee that he would not be killed, so he was worried on behalf of Li Gu on the boat.After thinking about it, this ship is the property of the Japanese ally, the Italians. It will not be bombed, but it is important to escape by yourself.Seeing that the people on the pier did not run away, Hung-chien stayed behind, luckily the emergency siren was not set off.After more than an hour, the alarm was lifted, and Xinmei also rushed over.Not long after, the second boat approached the shore in darkness and noise.Hung-chien saw Mr. Li's big iron box at a glance, lining the narrow bow of the ship, as if a big nose and wide mouth were born on a small face, which made people surprised that the part was bigger than the whole, and seemed to overturn the principles of geometry.It is a miracle of physics that the big box can be transported from the big ship.Mr. Li's black glasses were missing from his face, and his two big white eyes looked like hard-boiled eggs with their shells removed.Hsin-mei hurriedly asked where the glasses were. Mr. Li took them out of his pocket and put them on, saying that in case the glasses slipped off his nose and broke when he jumped off the boat. Mr. Li missed the first boat because of heavy luggage.But in Li Meiting's tone, it seemed that the horror of the air raid on the ship just now was for Xinmei and the others; if he hadn't given up the cooking room to Xinmei, he would have the priority to board the ferry, and he wouldn't be caught in the middle of the water and fire, "nervous." hit."Xinmei's ability to pretend and socialize was almost bankrupt at this point, and they couldn't express their gratitude.Gu Erqian's interest didn't diminish, and he yelled together: "I'm lucky today, I really escaped from death! At that time, I never expected to meet you two again. I think everyone on the ship today is relying on Mr. Li's blessing—— Mr. Li, you are on board, so the plane did not visit. This is not absurd, I believe in fate. Mr. Zeng Wenzheng said: "I don't believe in heaven, I believe in luck." "Mr. The gentleman complimented me so much in public that he was full of spring energy, wriggling about to live, and he actually smiled and said: "People who do great things believe in fate. Before I went out this time, a friend told me that I am in good luck, and I will meet you all the way." Turn bad luck into good luck." Mr. Gu clapped his hands and said, "Isn't that right? I'm not wrong at all." Hung-chien couldn't help but said, "I've also counted my fortune. This year's luck is very bad. Are you not afraid of getting hurt?" Mr. Gu nodded. Putting it like a rattle in a child's hand, he said: "Where is it! Where is it! Alas! Today is so lucky! The people living in Shanghai are really drunk, how do you know that going out is so dangerous. You must come to the mainland. Let's find a restaurant to celebrate tonight, my brother is Xiaodong." Everyone rested in the hotel for a while and then went out to have dinner.Li Meiting drank a few more glasses of wine, and he came back to life. He was just a reptile at the beginning of spring, but now he is a reptile around the Dragon Boat Festival.He asked Ms. Sun about her problems and told a lot of gossip. Hsin-mei shared a room with Hung-chien, and when they returned to the hotel, they lay on the bed and chatted.Hung-chien asked Hsin-mei if he had noticed Li Meiting's ugly behavior towards Miss Sun.Hsin-mei said: "I saw through him a long time ago that he is a pervert. He didn't wear smoky glasses when he came ashore. I looked at his eyes carefully. They are more white than dark. They have a lewd look. I heard my old man say it many times when I was young." Hung-chien said : "I'd rather he is lewd, he's still a little popular, otherwise he's almost impersonal." Just as he was talking, he suddenly heard a woman's husky voice in Li Gu's room next door; it turned out that the walls of ordinary Chinese hotels are thin and leaky , Although the body lives in this room, the ears seem to live in the next room.As usual in the hotel, there are blind women smoking opium, arranging rooms to solicit business, and inviting guests to sing Shaoxing opera.Mr. Li was negotiating the price with them, and Mr. Gu knocked on the wall, asking Hsin-mei Hung-chien to come and listen to the play.Hsin-mei said that it could be heard through a wooden wall, but she didn't come.Mr. Gu laughed and said, "It's too cheap for you, you'll have to pay for it. Ahhh! You two gentlemen, this is a joke." Hsin-mei and Hung-chien pouted at the same time and made faces without saying anything.Hung-chien didn't sleep well last night, and he was tired again today. Although the neighboring room was full of strings and songs, his sleep was pitch-black. When the hood was put down, he suddenly fell asleep until dawn. , like the wrinkles and creases on clothes after a soldering iron.He suddenly thought, it's really not easy to be a real lovelorn who suffers from insomnia and goes on hunger strike.The pain of the day before yesterday seemed to be so severe that it wiped out all the hurt emotions, all the pain was brought out, and now he is stubborn and weak, and he has no energy left to ache for Tang Xiaofu anymore.Hsin-mei stretched out on the bed and said, "It's hard to suffer! You snore after the Shaoxing opera next door is over, that's great! You're lucky if the roof didn't blow your nose off. I didn't fall asleep until dawn." Hung-chien always thought that Sleeping very quietly, she shyly said: "Really? I don't believe it, I never snore. Maybe it's the neighbor who snores, but you misunderstood me. You know, the wall is very fragile." Xinmei said angrily: "You are such a scoundrel! Don't you say that I snored myself, relying on you? I just hate that I couldn't ask someone from the record company to record your voice into a film." If it was recorded into a film, the sound would be loud Wow, it's like surging wind and waves, and it's like wolf gobbling, with a sharp and thin sound in between, up and down, endlessly curling up.Sometimes this thread goes up and up, until it is as thin as a kite string that is flying full, and it seems to pass a peak for some reason, before landing and stabilizing.Zhao Hsin-mei was so excited that he would hang it up and down, and when he thought about it, he wanted to break Hung-chien's nose, warning him to be careful next time.Hung-chien said, "Okay, don't settle the score anymore. I was tired yesterday, but you are so unforgiving, God will punish you to marry a wife who breathes like thunder and plays the trumpet next to your pillow every night." Hsin-mei smiled. "To tell you the truth, I heard you snoring yesterday, and I thought that in the criteria for choosing a match that I told you on the boat, I should add one: No snoring while sleeping." Hung-chien laughed and said, "It can't be tested before marriage. ——" Hsin-mei said, "Please don't talk about it. I think if a person snores or not, you can tell from his appearance." Hung-chien said, "Of course. Marrying a woman with a rotten nose is not a problem. Hsin-mei jumped up from the bed, trying to pinch Hung-chien's nose. The journey that day was from Ningbo to Xikou, first by boat, then by rickshaw.When they got on the boat, it was raining lightly.Sometimes it's one o'clock or two o'clock, it seems that the world is overhead, but when you look closely, it's gone.After a while, the raindrops became denser, but it didn't look like rain, just like many small water droplets were naughty in the air, rolling and jumping, naughty enough, and then took advantage of the situation to fall to the ground.Hung-chien and the others huddled together on the bow to guard the luggage, and one after another took out their raincoats to put them on, excluding Mr. Li, who said that it was not raining heavily and it was not worth opening the suitcase to get the raincoat.The rain became more and more mature as the rain fell, and the water spots were continuous and silky. The surface of the river seemed to have acne, and there were countless dimples like bruises, which came and went with each other. in long hair.Mr. Li cherished his newly bought raincoat and was reluctant to wear it on a trip, so he blamed himself for being confused and said that he should not have put the raincoat at the bottom of the box. When he opened the box, his clothes would all get wet.Miss Sun was very knowledgeable and said that she had a rain hat and lent him the small green silk umbrella in her hand.This was originally an umbrella that Miss Sun used to cover the sun when the sun was shining. She was afraid that it would break her bones if she got caught in the luggage, so she often carried it in her hand.When we landed, Mr. Li went into the teahouse and put away his umbrella. Everyone was startled, but couldn't help laughing.The green silk was discolored by the rain, and Mr. Li's face also turned yellow to green, and there was a green stain on the white shirt on his chest, like a remnant of a watercolor painting.Miss Sun blushed and hurriedly apologized.Mr. Li reluctantly said it was okay, but Mr. Gu repeatedly asked the waiter to wash his face.Hsin-mei negotiated the price with the rickshaw driver, and Hung-chien took good care of the umbrella for Miss Sun, distributed it to the waiter, squeezed the water, and put it in front of the tea stove to dry.Mr. Li looked at the gray sky and said that the rain had stopped and there was no need to hold an umbrella on the road. After snacks, everyone boarded the car.The waiter handed the umbrella back to Miss Sun, and it was steaming and wet.It was already two o'clock in the afternoon, and a group of people urged the rickshaw driver to hurry.After walking for less than half an hour, there was a very steep gravel slope. The driver who was pulling Mr. Li's big iron box was slippery on the load road and couldn't stop downhill. He fell and the car overturned.Mr. Li jumped out of the car he was in in a hurry, yelling: "You broke the box." He also called the coachman an idiot.The coachman asked him to look at the bloody knee, but he didn't speak.With great difficulty, the coachman was dismissed and another car was called.When we reached the long bridge tied with rattan, everyone got out of the car and walked.The bridge had no railings, and the sides slumped down in the shape of a slender saddle.Xinmei stepped onto the bridge first, took two steps, then retreated, saying that her legs were weak.The coachmen laughed at him and encouraged him.Mr. Gu said: "Let me show you how I look." He crossed the bridge calmly, stood at the bridge, and called them over.Mr. Li cheered up, took off his glasses, walked carefully, and when he got to the other side, he called, "Mr. Zhao, come quickly, don't be afraid. Ms. Sun, do you want me to come back and help you across the bridge?" , very alienated from Miss Sun.At this time, he was deeply afraid that it was his duty to be an "uncle" to help the poor and help the poor, so he would let Hung-chien do this kind and tender job, so he went there first with trepidation.Hung-chien knew Hsin-mei's intentions, so he scolded himself for being cowardly in a hurry, and feared that he would make trouble by helping her, so he smiled wryly at Miss Sun, "We are the only two cowards left." Miss Sun said, "Mr. Afraid? I don't care. Do you want me to go ahead? You follow me, lest you look out, empty, the more you feel that the bridge is endless, the less courageous you will be." Hung-chien could only feel admiration, thinking of women. , to be considerate of people, she is really meticulous, and she is tender in the folds of sweat pores.Followed up the bridge, the slippery bridge surface sank slightly with his feet, and deep dark green water was exposed from the countless crevices of the vines. He ordered his eyes to only focus on the back of Miss Sun's cheongsam, not daring to look at it. next to.Fortunately, when the bridge was finished, Ms. Sun turned her face and smiled triumphantly. Hung-chien jumped off the bridge and shouted, "I didn't go to hell, I have punished Naihe Bridge! Is there another bridge like this ahead?" Gu Erqian asked. Waiting to say: "You people who have gone abroad are not used to walking the Chinese way." Li Meiting asked him in a low voice on the stage if he had read "Article Game". very.Hsin-mei laughed and said, "Miss Sun, are you leading him at the front? Or is he taking care of you at the back?" Hung-chien suddenly understood that people may not see his cowardice and futility, there are two explanations for following Miss Sun , hurriedly said, "Ms. Sun led me across the bridge." This was honest to Ms. Sun, and it was difficult to refute it, but others felt that Hung-chien was being polite.Hung-chien's vanity led him to cover up the facts with the truth; Miss Sun seemed to see through his intentions, she only smiled and said nothing. The sky was getting dark and heavy rain was about to come. The coachman hurried on, saying that the sky was about to change.Tian seemed to have heard this sentence, and answered with a rumble in midair, like dozens of bronze drums rolling on the floor of Tiangong.Since the morning, the air has been stuffy, as if obstructing breathing. Suddenly, there is a hole in the sky, and the fresh air from outside rushes in. The half-yellow grass and trees wake up from the drowsiness for a while, and they generally sigh slightly, rustling. Trembling, the earth lifted its lid like a steamer.The rain followed, and it was cool and refreshing, not like the rain in the morning, just like the sweat from the hot sky.The rain is getting heavier and heavier, just like the water drops are rushing to the ground, I can't wait to line up, I squeeze you, you join me, forming a whole block of cold water, pouring it down without thinking.The coachmen ran a few steps and dragged their wet clothes to the water on their faces. The heat generated by the running could not withstand the force of the rain. They shivered and said to each other that they would like to drink some soju later, and asked the passengers to lift their bodies to get out of the car seats. Take out your clothes and wear them.Those in the car huddled together, regretting that they had no clothes to add, and Mr. Li asked Ms. Sun to borrow an umbrella.The rain thickly dyed the night, the water became dark, and the sky also darkened moment by moment.A group of people seem to be on their way in an inkwell used for mechanical drawing.The night was so dark that I couldn't see my fingers!In this kind of night, ghosts have to touch their noses and turn corners, and cats will hate themselves for not being able to serve as antennae for insects with their good beards.All the coachmen had matches, but only two had lights.It was not easy to light a lamp in the dense rain. The matches were all wet, and even a few strokes only aroused the fire in my heart.The wilderness at this moment is like the world before Suiren was born.Hung-chien hurriedly called out, "I have a small flashlight." He opened his suitcase and took it out, and shot it toward the ground, creating a circle of yellow light the size of his palm, and countless rain-lined moths rushed towards the circle of light as if seeing a fire. Come here.Miss Sun's large flashlight shone brightly for more than ten feet, digging a tunnel out of the dark heart.So Hsin-mei got out of the car and asked Miss Sun for a flashlight, and told Hung-chien to get out of the car as well.After walking for a long time, Li and Gu got out of the car to replace them.Hung-chien returned to the car, dozed off from exhaustion, and suddenly woke up. He opened his eyes and looked out. He was lying on the ground together with white light, and only heard Mr. Li yelling.车子都停下来。原来李先生左手撑伞，右手拿手电，走了些路，胳膊酸了，换手时，失足掉在田里，挣扎不起。大家从泥水里拉他上来，叫他坐车，仍由鸿渐照路。不知走了多少时候，只觉雨下不住，路走不完，鞋子愈走愈重，困倦得只继续机械地走，不敢停下来，因为一停下来，这两条腿就再走不动。辛楣也替了顾先生。久而久之，到了镇上，投了村店，开发了车夫，四个人脱下鞋子来，上面的泥就抵得贪官刮的地皮。李梅亭像洗了个泥澡，其余三人裤子前后和背心上，纵横斑点，全是泥泪。大家疲乏的眼睛给雨淋得粉红，孙小姐冷得嘴唇淡紫。外面雨停了，头脑里还在刮风下雨，一片声音。鸿渐吃些热东西，给辛楣强着喝点烧酒，要热水洗完脚，倒头就睡熟了。辛楣也累得很，只怕鸿渐鼾声打搅，正在担心，没提防睡眠闷棍似的忽然一下子打他入黑暗底，滤清了梦，纯粹、完整的睡眠。 一觉醒来，天气若无其事的晴朗，只是黄泥地表示夜来有雨，面粘心硬，像夏天热得半溶的太妃糖，走路容易滑倒。大家说，昨天走得累了，湿衣服还没干，休息一天，明早上路。顾尔谦的兴致像水里浮的软木塞，倾盆大雨都打它不下，就提议午后游雪窦山。游山回来，辛楣打听公共汽车票的买法。旅店主人说，这车票难买得很，天没亮就得上车站去挤，还抢买不到，除非有证件的机关人员，可以通融早买票子。五个人都没有证件，因为他们根本没想到旅行时需要这东西。那时候从上海深入内地的人，很少走这条路，大多数从香港转昆明；所以他们动身以前，也没有听见人提起，只按照高松年开的路程走。孙小姐带着她的毕业文凭，那全无用处。李先生回房开箱子拿出一匣名片道：“这不知道算得证件么？”大家争看，上面并列着三行衔头：“国立三闾大学主任”、“新闻学研究所所长”，还有一条是一个什么县党部的前任秘书。这片子纸质坚致，字体古雅，一点不含糊是中华书局聚珍版精印的。背面是花体英文字：“Professor May Din Lea”。李先生向四人解释，“新闻学研究所”是他跟几位朋友在上海办的补习学校；第一行头衔省掉“中国语文系”五个字可以跟第二三行字数相等。鸿渐问他，为什么不用外国现成姓Lee。李梅亭道：“我请教过精通英文的朋友，托他挑英文里声音相同而有意义的字。中国人姓名每字有本身的意义，把字母拼音出来，毫无道理，外国人看了，不容易记得。好比外国名字译成中文，'乔治'没有'佐治'好记，'芝加哥'没有'诗家谷'好记；就因为一个专切音，一个切音而有意义。”顾先生点头称叹。辛楣狠命把牙齿咬嘴唇，因为他想着“Mating”跟“梅亭”也是同音而更有意义。鸿渐说：“这片子准有效，会吓倒这公路站长。我陪李先生就去。”辛楣看鸿渐一眼，笑道：“你这样子去不得，还是我陪李先生去。我上去换身衣服。”鸿渐两天没剃胡子梳头，昨天给雨淋透的头发，东结一团，西刺一尖，一个个崇山峻岭，西装湿了，身上穿件他父亲的旧夹袍，短仅过膝，露出半尺有零的裤筒。大家看了鸿渐笑。李梅亭道：“辛楣就那么要面子！我这身衣服更糟，我尽它去。”他的旧法兰绒外套经过浸湿烤干这两重水深火热的痛苦，疲软肥肿，又添上风瘫病；下身的裤管，肥粗圆满，毫无折痕，可以无需人腿而卓立地上，像一对空心的国家柱石；那根充羊毛的“不皱领带”，给水洗得缩了，瘦小蜷曲，像前清老人的辫子。辛楣换了衣履下来，李先生叹惜他衣锦夜行，顾先生啧啧称羡，还说：“有劳你们两位，咱们这些随员只能叨光了。真是能者多劳！希望两位马到成功。”辛楣顽皮地对鸿渐说：“好好陪着孙小姐。”鸿渐一时无词可对。孙小姐的脸红忽然使他想起在法国时饭桌上冲酒的凉水；自己不会喝酒，只在水里冲一点点红酒，常看这红液体在白液体里泛布叆叇，做出云雾状态，顿刻间整杯的水变成淡红色。他想也许女孩子第一次有男朋友的心境也像白水冲了红酒，说不上爱情，只是一种温淡的兴奋。 辛楣俩去了一个多钟点才回来。李梅亭绷着脸，辛楣笑容可掬，说明天站长特留两张票，后天留三张票，五人里谁先走。结果议决李顾两位明天先到金华。吃晚饭时，梅亭喝了几杯酒，脸色才平和下来。原来他们到车站去见站长，传递片子的人好—会才把站长找来。他跑得满头大汗，一来就赶着辛楣叫“李先生”、“李所长”，撇下李梅亭不理，还问辛楣是否也当“报馆”主笔。辛楣据实告诉他，在《华美新闻》社当编辑。那站长说：“那也是张好报纸，我常看。我们这车站管理有未善之处，希望李先生指教。”说着，把自己姓名写给辛楣，言外有要求他在报上揄扬之意。辛楣讲起这事，忍不住笑，说他为车票关系，不得不冒充李先生一下。顾尔谦愤然道：“这种势利小鬼，只重衣衫不重人——当然赵先生也是位社会上有名人物，可是李先生没有他那样挺的西装，所以吃了亏了。”李梅亭道：“我并不是没有新衣服，可是路上风尘仆仆，我觉得犯不着糟蹋。”辛楣忙说：“没有李先生这张片子，衣服再新也没有用。咱们敬李先生一杯。” 明天早晨，大家送李顾上车，梅亭只关心他的大铁箱，车临开，还从车窗里伸头叫辛楣鸿渐仔细看这箱子在车顶上没有。脚夫只摇头说，今天行李多，这狼犺家伙搁不下了，明天准到，反正结行李票的，不会误事。孙小姐忙向李先生报告，李先生皱了眉头正有嘱咐，这汽车头轰隆隆掀动了好一会，突然鼓足了气开发，李先生头一晃，所说的话仿佛有手一把从他嘴边夺去向半空中扔了，孙小姐侧着耳朵全没听到。鸿渐们看了乘客的扰乱拥挤，担忧着明天，只说：“李顾今天也挤得上车，咱们不成问题。”明天三人领到车票，重赏管行李的脚夫，叮嘱他务必把他们的大行李搁在这班车上，每人手提只小箱子，在人堆里等车，时时刻刻鼓励自己，不要畏缩。第一辆新车来了，大家一拥而上，那股蛮劲儿证明中国大有冲锋敢死之士，只没上前线去。鸿渐们瞧人多挤不进，便想冲上这时候开来的第二辆车，谁知道总有人抢在前头。总算三人都到得车上，有个立足之地，透了口气，彼此会心苦笑，才有工夫出汗。人还不断地来。气急败坏的。带笑软商量的：“对不住，请挤一挤！”以大义晓谕的：“出门出路，大家方便，来，挤一挤！好了！好了！”眼前指点的：“朋友，让一让，里面有的是地方，拦在门口好傻！”其势汹汹的：“我有票子，为什么不能上车？这车是你包的？哼！”结果，买到票子的那一堆人全上了车，真料不到小车厢会像有弹性，容得下这许多人。这车厢仿佛沙丁鱼罐，里面的人紧紧的挤得身体都扁了。可是沙丁鱼的骨头，深藏在自己身里，这些乘客的肘骨膝骨都向旁人的身体里硬嵌。罐装的沙丁鱼条条挺直，这些乘客都蜷曲波折，腰跟腿弯成几何学上有名目的角度。辛楣的箱子太长，横放不下，只能在左右两行坐位中间的过道上竖直，自己高高坐在上面。身后是个小提篮，上面跨坐着抽香烟的女主人，辛楣回头请她抽烟小心，别烧到人衣服，倒惹那女人说：“你背后不生眼睛，我眼睛可是好好的，决不会抽烟抽到你裤子上，只要你小心别把屁股撞我的烟头。”那女人的同乡都和着她欢笑。鸿渐挤得前，靠近汽车夫，坐在小提箱上。孙小姐算在木板搭的长凳上有个坐位，不过也够不舒服了，左右两个男人各移大腿让出来一角空隙，只容许猴子没进化成人以前生尾巴那小块地方贴凳。在旅行的时候，人生的地平线移近；坐汽车只几个钟点，而乘客仿佛下半世全在车里消磨的，只要坐定了，身心像得到归宿，一劳永逸地看书、看报、抽烟、吃东西、瞌睡，路程以外的事暂时等于身后身外的事。 汽车夫把私带的东西安置了，入坐开车。这辆车久历风尘，该庆古稀高寿，可是抗战时期，未便退休。机器是没有脾气癖性的，而这辆车倚老卖老，修炼成桀骜不驯、怪僻难测的性格，有时标劲像大官僚，有时别扭像小女郎，汽车夫那些粗人休想驾驭了解。它开动之际，前头咳嗽，后面泄气，于是掀身一跳，跳得乘客东倒西撞，齐声叫唤，孙小姐从座位上滑下来，鸿渐碰痛了头，辛楣差一点向后跌在那女人身上。这车声威大震，一口气走了一二十里，忽然要休息了，汽车夫强它继续前进。如是者四五次，这车觉悟今天不是逍遥散步，可以随意流连，原来真得走路，前面路还走不完呢！它生气不肯走了，汽车夫只好下车，向车头疏通了好一会，在路旁拾了一团烂泥，请它享用，它喝了酒似的，欹斜摇摆地缓行着。每逢它不肯走，汽车夫就破口臭骂，此刻骂得更利害了。骂来骂去，只有一个意思：汽车夫愿意跟汽车的母亲和袓母发生肉体恋爱。骂的话虽然欠缺变化，骂的力气愈来愈足。汽车夫身后坐的是个穿制服的公务人员和一个十五六岁的女孩子，像是父女。那女孩子年纪虽小，打扮得脸上颜色赛过雨后虹霓、三棱镜下日光或者姹紫嫣红开遍的花园。她擦的粉不是来路货，似乎泥水匠粉饰墙壁用的，汽车颠动利害，震得脸上粉粒一颗颗参加太阳光里飞舞的灰尘。她听汽车夫愈骂愈坦白了，天然战胜人工，涂抹的红色里泛出羞恶的红色来，低低跟老子说句话。公务员便叫汽车夫道：“朋友，说话请斯文点，这儿是女客，啊！”汽车夫变了脸，正待回嘴，和父女俩同凳坐的军官夫妇也说：“你骂有什么用？汽车还是要抛锚。你这粗话人家听了刺耳朵。”汽车夫本想一撒手，说“老子不开了”！一转念这公务员和军官都是站长领到车房里先上车占好座位的，都有簇新的公事皮包，听说上省政府公干，自己斗不过他们，只好忍着气，自言自语说：“咱老子偏爱骂，不干你事！怕刺耳朵，塞了它做聋子！”车夫没好气，车开得更暴厉了，有一次险的撞在对面来的车上。那军官的老婆怕闻汽油味儿，给车一颠，连打恶心，嘴里一口口浓厚的气息里有作酸的绍兴酒味、在腐化中的大葱和萝卜味。鸿渐也在头晕胃泛，闻到这味道，再忍不住了，冲口而出的吐，忙掏手帕按住。早晨没吃东西，吐的只是酸水，手帕吸不尽，手指缝里汪出来，淋在衣服上，亏得自己抑住没多吐。又感觉坐得不舒服，箱子太硬太低，身体嵌在人堆里，脚不能伸，背不能弯，不容易改变坐态，只有轮流地侧重左右屁股坐着，以资调节，左倾坐了不到一分钟，臀骨酸痛，忙换为右倾，百无是处。一刻难受似一刻，几乎不相信会有到站的时候。然而抛描三次以后，居然到了一个小站，汽车夫要吃午饭了，客人也下去在路旁的小饭店里吃饭。鸿渐等三人如蒙大赦，下车伸伸腰，活动活动腿，饭是没胃口吃了，泡壶茶，吃几片箱子里带的饼干。休息一会，又有精力回车受罪，汽车夫说，这车机器坏了，得换辆车。大家忙上原车拿了随身行李，抢上第二辆车。鸿渐等意外地在车梢占有好座位。原车有座位而现在没座位的那些人，都振振有词说：该照原车的位子坐，中华民国不是强盗世界，大家别讲抢。有位子坐的人，不但身体安稳，心理也占优势；他们可以冷眼端详那些没座位的人，而那些站的人只望着窗外，没勇气回看他们。这是辆病车，正害疟疾，走的时候，门窗无不发抖，坐在车梢的人更给它震动得骨节松脱、腑脏颠倒，方才吃的粳米饭仿佛在胃里铮琮跳碰，有如赌场中碗里的骰子。天黑才到金华，结票的行李没从原车上搬过来，要等明天的车运送。鸿渐等疲乏地出车站，就近一家小旅馆里过夜。今天的苦算吃完了，明天的苦还远得很，这一夜的身心安适是向不属今明两天的中立时间里的躲避。 旅馆名叫“欧亚大旅社”。虽然直到现在欧洲人没来住过，但这名称不失为一种预言，还不能断定它是夸大之词。后面两进中国式平屋，木板隔成五六间卧室，前面黄泥地上搭了一个席棚，算是饭堂，要凭那股酒肉香、炒菜的刀锅响、跑堂们的叫嚷，来引诱过客进去投宿。席棚里电灯辉煌，扎竹涂泥的壁上贴满了红绿纸条，写的是本店拿手菜名，什么“清蒸甲鱼”、“本地名腿”、“三鲜米线”、“牛奶咖啡”等等。十几张饭桌子一大半有人占了。掌柜写账的桌子边坐个胖女人坦白地摊开白而不坦的胸膛，喂孩子吃奶；奶是孩子吃的饭，所以也该在饭堂里吃，证明这旅馆是科学管理的。她满腔都是肥腻腻的营养，小孩子吸的想是加糖的溶化猪油。她那样肥硕，表示这店里的饭菜也营养丰富；她靠掌柜坐着，算得不落言诠的好广告。鸿渐等看定房间，洗了脸，出来吃饭，找个桌子坐下。桌面就像里范进给胡屠户打了耳光的脸，刮得下斤把猪油。大家点了菜，鸿渐和孙小姐都说胃口不好，要吃清淡些，便一人叫了个米线。辛楣不爱米线，要一客三鲜糊涂面。鸿渐忽然瞧见牛奶咖啡的粉红纸条，诧异道：“想不到这里会有这东西，真不愧'欧亚大旅社'了！咱们先来一杯醒醒胃口，饭后再来一杯，做它一次欧洲人，好不好？”孙小姐无可无不可，辛楣道：“我想不会好吃，叫跑堂来问问。”跑堂一口担保是上海来的好东西，原封没打开过。鸿渐问什么牌子，跑堂不知道什么牌子，反正又甜又香的顶刮刮货色，一纸包冲一杯。辛楣恍然大悟道：“这是哄小孩子的咖啡方糖——”鸿渐高兴头上，说：“别讲究了，来三杯试试再说，多少总有点咖啡香味儿。”跑堂应声去了。孙小姐说：“这咖啡糖里没有牛奶成分，怎么叫牛奶咖啡，一定是另外把奶粉调进去的。”鸿渐向那位胖女人歪歪嘴道：“只要不是她的奶，什么都行。”孙小姐皱眉努嘴做个颇可爱的厌恶表情。辛楣红了脸忍笑道：“该死！该死！你不说好话。”咖啡来了，居然又黑又香，面上浮一层白沫，鸿渐问跑堂是什么，跑堂说是牛奶，问什么牛奶，说是牛奶的脂膏。辛楣道：“我看像人的唾沫。”鸿渐正要喝，恨得推开杯子说：“我不要喝了！”孙小姐也不肯喝，辛楣一壁笑，一壁道歉，可是自己也不喝，顽皮地向杯子里吐一口，果然很像那浮着的白沫。鸿渐骂他糟蹋东西，孙小姐只是笑，像母亲旁观孩子捣乱，宽容地笑。跑堂上了菜跟辛楣的面。面烧得太烂了，又腻又粘，像一碗浆糊，面上堆些鸡颈骨、火腿皮。辛楣见了，大不高兴，鸿渐笑道：“你讲咖啡里有唾沫，我看你这碗面里有人的鼻涕。”辛楣把面碗推向他道：“请你吃。”叫跑堂来拿去换，跑堂不肯，只得另要碗米线来吃了。吃完算账时，辛楣说：“咱们今天亏得没有李梅亭跟顾尔谦，要了东西不吃，给他们骂死了。可是这面我实在吃不下，这米线我也不敢仔细研究。”卧房里点的是油灯，没有外面亮，三人就坐着不进去，闲谈一回。都有些疲乏过度的兴奋，孙小姐也有说有笑，但比了辛楣鸿渐的胡闹，倒是这女孩子老成。 这时候，有个三四岁的女孩子两手向头发里乱爬，嚷到那胖女店主身边。胖女人一手拍怀里睡熟的孩子，一手替那女孩子搔痒。她手上生的五根香肠，灵敏得很，在头发里抓一下就捉到个虱，掐死了，叫孩子摊开手掌受着，陈尸累累。女孩子把另一手指着死虱，口里乱数：“一，二，五，八，十……”孙小姐看见了告诉辛楣鸿渐，大家都觉得身上痒起来，便回卧室睡觉。可是方才的景象使他们对床铺起了戒心，孙小姐借手电给他们在床上照一次，偏偏电用完了，只好罢休。辛楣道：“不要害怕，疲倦会战胜一切小痛痒，睡一晚再说。”鸿渐上床，好一会没有什么，正放心要睡去，忽然发痒，不能忽略的痒，一处痒，两处痒，满身痒，心窝里奇痒。蒙马脱尔（Monmartre）的“跳蚤市场”和耶路撒冷圣庙的“世界蚤虱大会”全像在这欧亚大旅社里举行。咬得体无完肤，抓得指无余力。每一处新鲜明确的痒，手指迅雷闪电似的捺住，然后谨慎小心地拈起，才知道并没捉到那咬人的小东西，白费了许多力，手指间只是一小粒皮肤屑。好容易捺死一个臭虫，宛如报了仇那样的舒畅，心安理得，可以入睡，谁知道杀一并未儆百，周身还是痒。到后来，疲乏不堪，自我意识愈缩愈小，身体只好推出自己之外，学我佛如来舍身喂虎的榜样，尽那些蚤虱去受用。外国人说听觉敏锐的人能听见跳蚤的咳嗽；那一晚上，这副尖耳朵该听得出跳蚤们吃饱了噫气。早晨清醒，居然自己没给蚤虱吃个精光，收拾残骸剩肉还够成个人，可是并没有成佛。只听辛楣在床上狠声道：“好呀！又是一个！你吃得我舒服呀？”鸿渐道：“你在跟跳蚤谈话，还是在捉虱？”辛楣道：“我在自杀。我捉到两个臭虫、一个跳蚤，捺死了，一点一点红，全是我自己的血，这不等于自杀——咦，又是一个！啊哟，给它溜了——鸿渐，我奇怪这家旅馆里有这许多吃血动物，而女掌柜还会那样肥胖。”鸿渐道：“也许这些蚤虱就是女掌柜养着，叫它们吸了客人的血来供给她的。我劝你不要捉了，回头她叫你一一偿命，怎么得了！赶快起床，换家旅馆罢。”两人起床，把内衣脱个精光，赤身裸体，又冷又笑，手指沿衣服缝掏着捺着，把衣服抖了又抖，然后穿上。出房碰见孙小姐，脸上有些红点，扑鼻的花露水香味，也说痒了一夜。三人到汽车站“留言板”上看见李顾留的纸条，说住在火车站旁一家旅馆内，便搬去了。跟女掌柜算账的时候，鸿渐说这店里跳蚤太多。女掌柜大不答应，说她店里的床铺最干净，这臭虫跳蚤准是鸿渐们随身带来的。 行李陆续运来，今天来个箱子，明天来个铺盖，他们每天下午，得上汽车站去领。到第五天，李梅亭的铁箱还没影踪，急得他直嚷直跳，打了两次长途电话，总算来了。李梅亭忙打开看里面东西有没有损失，大家替他高兴，也凑着看。箱子内部像口橱，一只只都是小抽屉，拉开抽屉，里面是排得整齐的白卡片，像图书馆的目录。他们失声奇怪，梅亭面有得色道：“这是我的随身法宝。只要有它，中国书全烧完了，我还能照样在中国文学系开课程。”这些卡片照四角号码排列，分姓名题目两种。鸿渐好奇，拉开一只抽屉，把卡片一拨，只见那张片子天头上红墨水横写着“杜甫”两字，下面紫墨水写的标题，标题以后，蓝墨水细字的正文。鸿渐觉得梅亭的白眼睛在黑眼镜里注视着自己的表情，便说：“精细极了！了不得——”自知语气欠强，哄不过李梅亭，忙加一句：“顾先生，辛楣，你们要不要来瞧瞧？真正是科学方法！”顾尔谦说：“我是要广广眼界，学是学不来的了！”不怕嘴酸舌干地连一赞叹：“李先生，你的钢笔书法也雄健得很，并且一手能写好几体字，变化百出，佩服佩服！”李先生笑道：“我字写得很糟，这些片子都是我指导我的学生写的，有十几个人的手笔在里面。”顾先生摇头道：“唉！名师必出高徒！名师必出高徒！”这样上下左右打开了几只抽屉，李梅亭道：“下面全是一样的，没有什么可看了。”顾尔谦道：“包罗万象！我真恨不能偷了去——”李梅亭来不及阻止，他早拉开近箱底两只抽屉——“咦！这不是卡片。”孙小姐凑上去瞧，不肯定地说：“这像是西药。”李梅亭冰冷地说：“这是西药，我备着路上用的。”顾尔谦这时候给