Chapter 26 paper money jump

(When this article was published, there was no author’s note, the full text is as follows: "This short story is the continuation of "Shadow of Smoke" published by the author four or five years ago (in "Cold Ash Collection"). Those who read this article hope to take out that one and re-read it at the same time. One Notes to the author in July 1930."——Editor's note) A huge round of rising sun dimly rose from the east of the river, and the morning fog floating there on the river surface reduced the strong smell a bit.The clear blue sky is scattered here and there, and there are a few places where there are only a few very thin clear clouds, some are as white as newly picked cotton, and some are reddish like the color of drunkenness on the face of a beautiful woman.A gust of cold wind blows away the mist net in the middle of the river, revealing three or two fishing boats that look like leaves on the white water surface.When the sun shines, the complexions of the fishermen who are pulling the wire and lifting the net are even more vividly reflected in black and vivid, which proves that this group of water residents is living a healthy life.

I just came back from a long journey at night.Drinking with his mother during dinner, but drunk to the point of goodness, although a little moved and sad, but after all, Wen Pu, who had slept comfortably all night, also woke up happily under the thick quilt at this time.His whole body twitched and clicked a few times, and he spit out a mouthful of sticky, bloody and dusty phlegm into the sputum box prepared by his pillow, and slowly stretched out his hand to hook up one of the curtains, and moved his body upwards. , leaning her waist on the high pillow placed at the head of the bed, and looking out from the glass window facing the river on the tall building, she saw a picture that she was used to when she was a child, but she hadn’t seen it for many years. Peaceful and beautiful, the early morning view of my hometown on the river in early winter.

"Ah!..." After he involuntarily uttered this exclamation, which was also like the aftermath of a click, and also like an exclamation of appreciation for the beautiful scenery, that sad smile appeared on his greasy and thick face again. "Traveling all over China to see the two precepts, after all, Wushuang is home!" After watching quietly for a while, he yawned and snorted slightly, then put on his shoulders the set of cotton robes and jackets that covered the quilt, and took out another bag from the cotton robe pocket. Light a Jishi cigarette and smoke it. Leaning his upper body against the bed rail, staring blankly, he took a long puff of smoke, and slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke from his pointed mouth. There was a very calm and indifferent feeling of sorrow.But if you ask him, what is the reason for this, then at this time, even he himself may not be able to directly explain the reason for his pain.There seemed to be many, many reasons for his pain. From the time he could remember, to the present moment when he was waking up from illness and laying in bed in his hometown, in the past twenty-seven or eight years, what he had encountered seemed to be just injuries. Continuation of painful things.It seemed that what filled his mind and heart were only memories of sad past events.But these past events have been sublimated and dispersed, and condensed into an extremely pure and delicate gas.On the surface, there is only a round and smooth layer of wax wrapped around pills such as Wuji Baifeng pills.These past events have long lost the heat of fermentation, boiling, eruption, and bursting; so what is revealed on the surface is only silence, indifference, and absolute no waves like spring ice on the water.His inner state of mind at this time, in heaven and on earth, is actually only he who knows.If a second person comes out and asks him, "Are you in pain?", maybe he will smile without saying a word, shake his head, open his eyes, and deny you with satisfaction in his heart. This question is groundless.But when he inhaled and exhaled the first puff of cigarettes, his heart was indeed feeling sad in a hazy, silent way.

After slowly exhaling the first puff of smoke, the loosely rolled custard brand stayed between the index finger and middle finger of his right hand for a long time, and a piece of sesame-colored ash fell silently. on his mattress.When he raised his right hand again and took a deep breath for the second time, there was a sudden burst of smoke, breaking the silence around him.His old mother, who was sleeping in the back room, had already found her voice at this time, and walked into his bedroom dutifully. "Pu! How could you be so fierce? I heard that you were vomiting blood, but blood is coming out now?"

Her soft question this morning sounded full of infinite love. ——Hehe, a mother and a child are still a mother and a child after all—while he was still thinking of this in his mind, his flushed face was already full of tears from the madness. "Ho-hyuk-ho-hyuk-mother!--ho-hyuk-no,-no-no-it doesn't matter.-I-I-cause I took a puff of cigarette now.-Smoke-wasn't It should be shot. ——Last night, I was bored on the train, so I bought this pack from the waiter, and I don’t want to smoke anymore.” She took another step closer, picked up the spit box placed beside his pillow, lowered her fluffy white hair, looked carefully at the light outside the glass window, then turned around, frowning deeply. Shen said to him:

"Pu! This is not right. You have to go and cure it right away. Mr. Xu Zhuyuan of Dongziguan is famous for curing this disease. When you get up, take a boat and see if he prescribes a prescription. It was cured immediately." "Mom! Don't worry, I want to go to the hospital for treatment. This disease is not very serious. I'm afraid it will be a little sticky after taking traditional Chinese medicine." "Mr. Xu Zhuyuan, you should know, right? He was the one who cured me last year when I had a blood clot." "He, of course he is very good, but I am a little relieved in the end, but I can't care about Chinese medicine."

"What are you talking about? Get up, oh, get up. It's very fast to take the early boat, and it's only thirty or forty miles from here to Dongzi Pass." Her tone of voice is exactly the same as when Wen Pu was a child more than twenty years ago, she was coaxing him. "Mother! Don't worry, I will go to the foreign hospital in Hangzhou and Shanghai for medical treatment. This illness is nothing serious." "No, no, you'd better get up quickly and go to Mr. Zhuyuan's place today." As she spoke, she reached out and groped for a while in a small jacket pocket inside her own several layers of clothes, and from the interlayer bottom of the pocket here, she took out a well-wrapped black satin money pouch.Carefully moving her trembling hands, she opened the money bag, and took out two brand new five-yuan banknotes from the Industrial Bank. She walked half a step closer, stretched out her withered hand holding the banknotes, and threw herself into Wen Pu's arms, saying:

"Pu, I know about you too. Maybe you've run out of money, right? Well, you should use it first, go to Mr. Xu's to get a prescription, and the medicine will be taken in Mr. Xu's Chunhe Hall by the way." Already, tonight I will spend the night at Mr. Zhuyuan’s place, decoct it for a while, and wait for the Ming Dynasty to transfer a prescription, and then I will decoct it when I get back with the medicine.” Wen Pu also stretched out his left hand, squeezed her withered hand that was holding the paper money that was still warm, looked at her blankly, and said eagerly: "Mother! What, what is this? I, although I am worthless, I have only been a poor teacher in a school, and I have no money to send home to your old man to enjoy the blessings, but, but, a little travel expenses to Dongziguan, and The money for the dispensing is still here.”

"Hey, don't talk about it, the disease must be cured first. After you are cured, you can also send it back to me." Wen Pu gently squeezed her hand tightly and pushed it away, she also loosened her hand, and two brand-new banknotes fell onto his quilt with a "thud".She gave Wen Pu a wry smile as if she was crying, and hurriedly said to him, "You can go today!" She turned her back and went to the outer room immediately.Hearing the sound of her footsteps, Wen Pu walked away step by step, walked through several empty bedrooms one by one, and walked down the stairs step by step.Sunlight shone into the room from the side of the glass window, and shone on the top of the curtain on Wen Pu's bed.

He was still sitting blankly under the quilt in a fluffy robe, but there were many thoughts arranged intermittently in his silent mind.The neighbors on the left and right criticized his mother harshly behind her back, saying how stingy she was, how she didn't pluck a hair; The behavior of not being able to bear the chopsticks for vegetables, and the conversation she blamed him for having no money to send home after drinking last night, he recalled one by one.Thinking of the end, his two eyes were fixed on the quilt, and suddenly he saw many overlapping red and blue banknotes jumping on the quilt, because the sun had already shot into the bed, and the high ends of the banknotes were also on the quilt. A ray of light shone on him, but at the same time, a few big, bright tears overflowed from his cheeks like loose beads, because the light was refracted and reflected there.

July 1930 (Originally published on June 6, 1930, No. 12, Volume 4, "Beixin Semi-Monthly" (this issue will be published later), according to the first volume of "Duff's Short Stories Collection")