Chapter 5 Chapter Four

The annual vacation is over, and the school has started. The first class of the Year of the Pig with AmeKo should also start. Coincidentally, this day happens to be the Lantern Festival. After changing the sunny weather for several consecutive days, the temperature dropped by six or seven degrees in the early morning of this day. Intermittent rain in the afternoon. I joked with AmeKo that it was God's will to choose to start the class today. "AmeKo, today is the Lantern Festival, I will take you to watch the fireworks after class?" 』 "Man-Zai! Chae-sang, A-Ri-Ga-Do."

"It's Chinese time now, so you can't speak Japanese. 』 "I'm sorry. Because I'm so happy." AmeKo stuck out her tongue. "Since today is the Lantern Festival, let me teach you a poem about the Lantern Festival, okay?" 』 "Okay! Thank you. But don't be too hard! I'm stupid, hehe." "Don't teach me to be humble.If you call me stupid, then I'm an imbecile. 』 "Yeah." AmeKo blushed, then lowered her head. Of course I won't pick poems that are too difficult, because I don't understand the ones that are too difficult.

I guess this is the biggest reason why Xinjie insisted on me being AmeKo's Chinese teacher. Because as long as I can appreciate the poetry, it must not be too difficult to understand. As far as the Lantern Festival is concerned, I only know Ouyang Xiu's "Sheng Chazi". So I have to teach slowly, otherwise if AmeKo gets addicted to learning and shouts "encore", then I will open the skylight. "The pronunciation of "Sheng Zhazi" sounds very similar to the Taiwanese "birth girl".But Shengchazi is the name of a poem, it has nothing to do with Ouyang Xiu having a boy or a girl, and Ouyang Xiu didn't write this poem because he wanted to give birth to a girl, do you understand? 』

"Well, I see." "Also, because "cha" is pronounced ㄓㄚ, not ㄔㄚ, and it sounds the same as the "scum" of scum.Therefore, the meaning of giving birth to Zhazi does not mean "giving birth to a child who looks like a scum".understand? 』 "Hehe—you seem to be talking nonsense!" "Ahem—really?Did you see it too? 』I coughed a few times in embarrassment. "That's why I say AmeKo is really smart. 』 "Why do you add "ice and snow" in front of "smart"? Is smartness related to ice and snow?" "You failed me.I only know that Bingxue's cleverness comes from Du Fu's poems. Maybe Du Fu thinks that things related to "water" are very clever!Since your name is "Rain", you must be very smart.And maybe rain is smarter than ice and snow! 』

"Hehe——Cai Sang studied water conservancy, and it's also related to water. She must be a smart person." Ah, very good.When he praised AmeKo, he accidentally praised himself, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. Then I wrote this poem on paper: On the first night of last year, the lights of the flower market were like daytime, and the willows were on the moon, and people made an appointment after dusk. On the night of the Yuan Dynasty this year, the moon and the lamp are still there, and the people from last year are not seen, and the sleeves of the spring shirt are full of tears.

"Eh? This word looks like a Tang poem, isn't it a poem?" "This is a song poem.Although the format looks like Tang poetry, it is still a word.It's the same way your canine teeth make you look like a vampire, but you're not. 』 "Cai Sang, you're making fun of me again." AmeKo exaggeratedly showed her canine teeth, and tried to bite me. Even though AmeKo is a vampire, she is the cutest vampire. If this vampire wants to drink my blood, will I do it? "Yes I do. Before I knew it, I blurted out "I do". "What? What do you want?" AmeKo was at a loss.

"I mean, I would like to teach you this word well. 』 "Hehe—Cai Sang, you're absent——" "Absent.Yan is a pronoun, meaning "this". 』 Of course I am absent-minded, because my heart is on the horse AmeKo. "The Lantern Festival is a folk festival in China. Lanterns are hung on the streets, so the lights are brilliant, and the night is illuminated as if it were day. It is both prosperous and lively.Because this day is the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the moon is particularly bright and shining.Taking advantage of the fact that the moon had just risen above the willow branches and the street was about to start to be lively, the two met to go shopping on the street.In Chinese poetry, willow is often a symbol of love, so the two sentences "on the willow's head on the moon, after dusk when a person makes an appointment" very implicitly express the affection between two people and the joy of meeting each other.This is the author's recollection of the warm and sweet scene of last year's Lantern Festival. 』

"Who knows that after a year, the two probably parted ways due to irresistible factors.When the author came to the lively market on the night of the Lantern Festival, he saw that the moon was still shining brightly, and the lights were still shining brightly all over the street, but among the crowded crowd, there were no people who met last year.The author looks at the dazzling colorful lanterns on the street, and feels even more lonely and sentimental in the lively atmosphere.Unknowingly, the sleeves were covered with tears, and the word "full" expresses the author's feelings vividly.Moreover, the entire poem does not explain why the two left, leaving room for the reader's imagination and helplessness. 』

"Ouyang Xiu's "Sheng Zhazi" is not about describing the lights and the moon on the Lantern Festival night.Instead, the scenery of the Lantern Festival night is the same in the past two years, but the personnel and affairs have changed a lot. Under the contrast between the present and the past, sadness and joy, I express my feelings and sighs in my heart.This is a good word with simple text but rich emotion. 』 After I explained this poem, I asked AmeKo to copy it again, and then told me my thoughts and feelings.Unexpectedly, when AmeKo wrote "full of tears", she actually shed tears!

"AmeKo, why are you crying? 』 "It's nothing, I just feel very touched suddenly." "There are no gorgeous words in this poem, but only ordinary and sincere feelings, which are indeed very touching. 』 "Cai Sang, where we will go later, will the "flower market lights be like the day"?" "Of course.There will be many people and it will be very lively, and the fireworks will be very beautiful. 』 "But after nine o'clock, the moon is not only on the willows. Will it be too late if we go then?" "Don't worry, this fireworks show will last until late, so we'll just make an 'after class appointment'. 』

"Really?" "Ok. 』 It seems that AmeKo's thoughts have flown to the "Flower Market". "Actually, the artistic conception of a poem by Cui Hu in the Tang Dynasty is very similar to this poem.Do you want to learn? 』 Looking at my watch, there is still some time, I simply want to mention the allusion of "Peach Blossom with a Human Face" to AmeKo. "Well, of course!" "But you have to promise me not to cry anymore. 』 "I don't cry that much, I just feel something when I think about it." "What's up? 』 "Nothing. I'll tell you when I get a chance, okay?" AmeKo's tone was a little sad.I think I'd better not ask. I wrote again on the paper: In this door last year today, the peach blossoms on the faces of people are red. The human face does not know where to go, and the peach blossoms are still smiling at the spring breeze. "This poem is also very simple. Ouyang Xiu is using the Lantern Festival to set off that the scenery remains the same, and the personnel and affairs are different.Cui Hu borrowed "peach blossom", and the situations expressed by the two are very similar. 』 "Chinese poems are really interesting. They also express the feelings of longing and helplessness in the heart. Some people use "tearful" to express it, while others use "laughing spring breeze" to express it." "Wow! AmeKo, you are really smart.Therefore, Chinese poetry should focus on the realm, rather than just piling up some gorgeous words and sentences.A six-and-a-half-step poem like the one you did last time would be great. 』 AmeKo nodded, then picked up the pen and wrote the poem again. This time I learned to be smart and observed her reaction carefully. "AmeKo, why didn't you really laugh when you wrote "Laughing Spring Breeze"? 』 "Huh? Why are you laughing?" "When you wrote "tearful" just now, you cried.Now it's "Laughing Spring Breeze", of course you have to laugh. 』 "Hehe—you just make me laugh." AmeKo finally burst into laughter, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Cai Sang, I didn't say "cry" just now, did I?" "You are in tears, why don't you cry? 』 "You taught me that crying with sound and tears is called crying without sound and tears without sound. That's why I can only call it "crying" just now." 『Hahaha——AmeKo, your wings have grown hard!He even started to correct the teacher. 』 "Don't dare." AmeKo stuck out her tongue again, and continued, "But now it's my turn to be the teacher." It turned out that it was already eight o'clock, and it was my turn to be a Japanese student. "ITAKURA-san, what are you doing today? 』I took out the textbook and respectfully listened to the instructions. "Let's go over the verb forms today, you don't understand them all the time." AmeKo is flattering me too much, because these are the things I don't understand. Ka-Yo-Bi (Tuesday, Fire Day) and Mo-Ku-Yo-Bi (Thursday, Thursday), I still get confused, I don’t know how many times I have been punished by AmeKo. Looking at AmeKo's expression, I knew she was also absent-minded. It turns out that whether it is Cai Sang or ITAKURA-san, they are very messed up in class today. "ITAKURA-san, why don't we just skip class and go out to play now? 』 "No, let's talk after class. You're not good today!" The Japanese are Japanese after all, so they are really dedicated. When I was dizzy with the past tense, present tense, and future tense, nine o'clock finally arrived. "Man-Zai! AmeKo, let's go watch the fireworks! 』 "Hai! Let's go!" AmeKo stood up excitedly, as if she couldn't wait. What a Ba-Ga (stupid), if you want to go so much, why insist on finishing the class? In fact, I don't like crowded places, it makes me feel like I'm joining in the fun. But if I stay at home, maybe I will invite AmeKo to watch TV together. The TV programs during the Lantern Festival are usually the kind of guessing lantern riddles. I'm afraid I have to bother to explain to her what "lantern riddles" are? And provide a set of rhetoric she can understand for the answer. If I encounter a lantern riddle that I don't understand, won't my face as a Chinese teacher be wiped out? Therefore, it is safer to take her to watch the fireworks. I drove AmeKo along the coastal road towards Tucheng Notre Dame Temple. There are no houses on both sides of the coastal road, and it feels very desolate. Although the timing is considered to be spring, the weather in the first month of the lunar calendar is still bitingly cold, especially tonight. When the sea breeze penetrated into the body through the gap in the clothes around the neck, it was so cold that the teeth chattered. There are no obvious indicators on the road, but as long as you follow the direction of the traffic, you will not get lost. And the bright fireworks in the night sky are more like the North Star, guiding us. Along the way, AmeKo kept talking and laughing with me. "do you know?Theoretically, the Chinese New Year is not over until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. 』 "Really? Then the Lantern Festival is a watershed for happiness." "Happy watershed?There is something wrong with your grammar. 』 "No, what I mean is that if Chinese New Year is very happy, then it shouldn't be happy after Lantern Festival." "Shouldn't be happy? AmeKo, you speak mysteriously. 』 "It's nothing, just talking casually." AmeKo smiled again. The square of Tucheng Notre Dame Temple was already crowded with people.At this time, Shi Zhiming, the mayor of Tainan, had just finished whipping the spring cattle. The degree of crowding must be worse than Ouyang Xiu's Northern Song Dynasty. Fortunately, watching the fireworks is looking up, not forward, so there is not much inconvenience. The frolicking sound of the crowd is mixed with the crackling sound of the fireworks soaring into the sky, and there is a scene of joy and frolicking everywhere. The red, yellow, green, and blue fireworks are even more brilliant against the background of the black night sky. "Look, it's so beautiful!" AmeKo's hand pointed to the colorful fireworks flying in the sky. "Yeah, it's really pretty. 』 I looked up at the sky, and when I looked back at her cheeks reddened by the fireworks, I also praised her beauty. "After the fireworks disperse in the sky, it looks like it's raining!" "Yeah, and it's colorful rain! 』 I raised my head again, admiring the fireworks rain in the night sky. I can't help but wonder, what is beautiful is the fireworks rain in the sky?Or the little rain standing beside me? I took her around and told her about the various gods that the temple worships. In front of the statue of Mazu, AmeKo clapped his hands vigorously, then closed his eyes and bowed his head to pray for blessings. Her act of praying was so pious, so I stopped and looked at her: "What are you praying for?" 』 "I hope next year's Lantern Festival, I can come here to watch the fireworks." AmeKo opened his eyes, turned his head away, and told me firmly. Walking out of the temple gate, AmeKo was humming softly, I asked her puzzledly: "AmeKo, it is best to make a wish that is impossible to achieve but you really want to achieve, so that the gods can help you." reason.Why do you need to rely on gods for easy-to-achieve wishes? 』 "The wish I made is really difficult to achieve." "how could be?I will definitely bring you again next year.Therefore, there is no need to ask Mazu Niangniang at all. 』 "Cai Sang——" AmeKo stopped and was silent for a while. Before I could ask, she continued, "I'm going back to Japan next month." There was a loud "bang", and without warning, another group of fireworks suddenly exploded into the sky. Startled, AmeKo approached my arms subconsciously and grabbed my clothes. I hugged her waist and patted her shoulder to comfort her. In fact, I was also taken aback, but what shocked me was not the sudden fireworks, but AmeKo's words just now. The fireworks just blew up the black night, but AmeKo's words blew up all my joy. I finally know the reason why AmeKo cried when he was transcribing "Sheng Cha Zi". "I hope Mazu will bless you." AmeKo looked up at me in my arms and said softly. "Well——I also hope that Mazu Empress can help me fulfill my wish. 』 "What are you praying for?" "I can't say.Because it is not easy to achieve a wish once it is said. 』 "Then you just asked me?" "I thought what you wanted was for Japan to continue to prosper! 』 AmeKo froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "You are so cunning." Taking advantage of this playfulness, we gently broke free from each other's embrace with skill. It also avoided the problem of imminent separation. "I'll buy you a lantern for you! 』 "How dare I ask you to spend money?" "It's not easy!I can even talk about "expenses". It seems that I am really good at teaching. 』 "Hehe, Cai Sang is a good teacher in the first place!" Now that the separation is coming, I hope to give AmeKo something, and hope that she will miss me occasionally every Lantern Festival in the future. I bought a red pig-shaped lantern from a vendor next to the temple. This year is the year of the pig, the red pig looks cute, although most of the lantern photos are Crayon Shinchan. "Cai Sang, thank you, A-Ri-Ga-Do, thank you." "You're welcome, just treat it as my "Shu Shu" who honors Itakura-sensei! 』 AmeKo hugged the red pig lantern and smiled happily. "Unfortunately, this year is not the Year of the Tiger. 』I looked at AmeKo's tiger teeth. "Am I like a tiger?" "Your teeth are like a tiger and your personality is like a pig. 』 "how about you?" "I'm the opposite of you, with a personality like a tiger and teeth like a pig. 』 "Haha—you really love to joke." The climax of the party was probably the high-altitude fireworks released by Shantai Company. Shantai Company won the championship in the previous two international pyrotechnic competitions, and their high-altitude fireworks are particularly brilliant and beautiful. At the same time, there are rotating fireworks flying freely in the air, just like thousands of colorful flying snakes dancing in the air. When the last light was swallowed by darkness, I looked at my watch: "AmeKo, it's time to go back. 』 "Well. Tonight goes by so fast, like fireworks. Beautiful things are always fleeting." AmeKo sighed, and continued: "Sakura (cherry blossoms) are also, as long as the wind blows and the rain drenches, they will fall in all directions without any hesitation." After leaving the noisy and colorful Notre-Dame Temple, we kept silent on the way back. The sky started to rain.Very small, like a mosquito that has practiced light kung fu. The raindrops lightly touched the cheeks, and the little accumulated became more, and after gathering into raindrops, they slid down the face at the speed of tears. When the first drops of rain flowed from the corner of my mouth, I thought it was time to put on my raincoat. "AmeKo, let's wear raincoats! 』 "It's okay. The rain is very light, and it's very comfortable to splash on your face." AmeKo smiled, noncommittal. I heard a slight vibrato mixed with her laughter. 『AmeKo, are you cold? 』 "Hmm. A little bit." "Put on a raincoat! 』 AmeKo didn't answer, I think she was probably afraid that I could feel the chill from her voice again. I parked the car on the side of the road, turned to her and said, "AmeKo, I insist on wearing a raincoat. 』 "Cai Sang, you said "persist" again." "yes.I insist. 』 "Have you forgotten the story I told you?" "Because I haven't forgotten, I persist. 』 "You should already know what this means to me, so you still—" "Yes, of course I know.Yu Ji, put on your raincoat! 』 When AmeKo heard "Yu Ji", he was stunned for a while, and then said softly, "I am Yu Zi, not Yu Ji." "No, you are Yuhime.And I also decided to take a Japanese name, Kato Satoshi. 』 I put on my raincoat, opened my back, and motioned for AmeKo to get in. After hesitating for a long time, AmeKo finally got behind me and put his hands in the pockets of my coat. Not long after, the rain intensified, and the feeling of being hit on the face was already a little painful. Although my body is cold, I feel very warm. Fortunately, I was riding along the seaside, otherwise I had to be careful not to drop the motorcycle off the cliff. Back in the urban area, I deliberately circled around Chengda University three times, and then rode downstairs to AmeKo's house. "Good night.See you Thursday night. 』 "Yeah. Thank you for showing me the fireworks and giving me the lantern." "You're welcome. 』I waved my hand and prepared to leave. "Cai Sang——" In the sound of the locomotive's engine, I vaguely heard AmeKo's voice. "Did you call me?I should change my surname to Kato! 』I turned the car around and returned to her side. AmeKo blushed and smiled, and brushed her rain-drenched hair: "You—wait for me, I'll give you something too." AmeKo quickly ran upstairs, and when she came downstairs, she had an extra packaged item in her hand. "Can you take it apart? 』 Ame Ko nodded.I unwrapped the red wrapper and found that it was a piece of chocolate the size of a palm. The chocolate is shaped like a little pig, and the word "Little Rain" is written on it with your oil. "Wow!This pig is so cute! 』 "Oh, thank you." "What a coincidence, I gave you a pig, and you gave me a pig. 』 "I made this myself, go back and try it." "You are so amazing, you can make your own chocolate." 』 "It's nothing. In Japan, it's common for girls to make chocolate today." "why?Are Japanese girls particularly boring during the Lantern Festival? 』 AmeKo looked at me and smiled like I asked a stupid question. Since it's a stupid question, it's better not to know the answer, or it will make me feel even more stupid. Back at the residence, the memory of the high-altitude fireworks explosion seemed to still be buzzing in my ears. Looking at the calendar, tomorrow is Wednesday, February 15th. The first period has a "Fractal and Chaos" class, so I have to get up early. I had a great time with AmeKo tonight, and I want to hold on to that feeling and make a permanent memory in my diary. It took me half an hour to finally find the diary hidden in a pile of old newspapers and magazines. When I opened the diary, I couldn't help being a little ashamed. The last time I wrote a diary seriously was September 10, 1994. That was the day I first met AmeKo. The diary reads: Saturday, September 10, 1994.Weather: Cloudy in the afternoon and rainy in the evening, windy in the morning. Today is Xinjie's birthday, he called me in the afternoon and asked me to go to the party and asked me to bring gifts.What should I give?The only thing Xinjie lacks is women!Ha ha.I randomly picked a book at the bookstore, and I didn't even bother to buy the wrapping paper, so the book was only wrapped in a piece of paper with a rubber band attached to it. Besides Chen Yingzhang, Yuji, and me, the people who helped Xinjie celebrate his birthday included Chen's Tainan girlfriend and Yuji's poor boyfriend.And a girl I've never seen.She looks shy and always sits in the corner.He didn't interrupt, as if he was just a bystander.I actually wanted to know who she was, but I was too embarrassed to ask her directly until Xinjie introduced us to each other. If you don't introduce it, you're done, and if you introduce it, you will scare me.It turns out she is Japanese! The first time I heard her talk, it was just a single mouthful of words, which made me a little embarrassed. Especially she always bowed while speaking, as if she was canvassing candidates. I can only blame that I grew up in a state of etiquette, and had to abide by the old saying that "it is inappropriate to come but never go". But after bowing so much today, will my back hurt when I wake up tomorrow? Today is the day I met my first Japanese, Shizhi. After reading the 9/10 diary, I recalled the embarrassing appearance of meeting AmeKo for the first time, and I couldn't help laughing. What I wrote afterwards was very messy and lazy, and sometimes I just wrote down what happened in a week: "Well-nothing happened.Even if there was, I don't remember it.Things that cannot be remembered by me must not be important. 』 I laughed for a while before preparing to write today's diary. First convert 1995 to Heisei 7, and then fill in February 14th in the Date column. Huh?This day is so familiar. this is not--? I finally know why AmeKo laughed at me stupidly. Because today is not only the Chinese Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, but also Western Valentine's Day on the 14th day of the second lunar month. I fill in "rain" in the weather column of the diary. And wrote at the beginning of the diary: "On February 14, 2017, the night sky of the Temple of Our Lady in Tucheng was full of fireworks and rain—" Yu Ji soon found out that AmeKo was going back to Japan. "Why does AmeKo want to go back to Japan?" Yuji asked me as if asking for help. "You ask me, I ask who. 』 "What did you say?" "You ask me, who do I ask? 』I spread my hands. The Japanese occupied Taiwan in 1895 and left Taiwan 50 years later in 1945. After another 50 years, AmeKo also left Taiwan in 1995. History seems to favor the number 50 in particular. To help AmeKo farewell, Xinjie and I, as well as Yu Ji, Wada Naomi and Inoue Rena, went to the "Hollywood KTV" on Dongning Road. Chen Yingzhang did not come, he went back to Taipei to see his Taipei girlfriend. AmeKo is a very shy girl, she seems to feel that the microphone is powered, and refuses to sing with the microphone. Wada and Inoue were very lively, singing, dancing and clapping. Laughing wantonly as if there was no one else around.Just like at the Christmas Eve party last year. Later Yu Ji also joined their madness. And AmeKo always looked at the screen with a smile, and moved his lips occasionally. I really want to help AmeKo order a song that only she can sing. After much deliberation, I ordered Jiang Hui's "Drunken Voice". That was the first song I taught her when AmeKo taught me to sing "Momotaro". 『AmeKo, today you are the protagonist.just sing! 』 I handed her the microphone and gave her an encouraging smile. AmeKo took the microphone timidly, and began to sing solo under the surprised eyes of Xinjie and the other three girls. AmeKo's singing voice is very sweet, a bit like Seiko Matsuda, but fortunately she doesn't have the same personality.Although the articulation is not very clear, it can already bluff people.Especially sang the line: "Concentrate your heart and don't be afraid of the thick wine, drink it like a raging sip, it's better to be drunk to death—" Really authentic!I couldn't help applauding. AmeKo is really talented and a fast learner. Of course, I, as a teacher, also contributed a lot. Concubine Yu, who can't sing Taiwanese songs, wanted to hit the wall in shame and indignation. It's no wonder, which Taiwanese can tolerate Japanese singing Taiwanese songs they can't sing? Xinjie and I pulled her shoulders symbolically, not because we cared about her life, but because we didn't want to have to lose money to repair the wall in the box later. After AmeKo finished singing, facing the thunderous applause, she smiled shyly. After that, she had no reason to procrastinate, so she sang pop songs with the girls. But she always sat quietly and sang without making any noise. Grabbing the microphone with a girl in a KTV is like trying to take a bone from a mad dog's mouth, and life is in danger. So I sat innocently with Xinjie. But more innocent, are our ears. Before my ears were about to die, I gave the songbook to AmeKo. "AmeKo, you haven't ordered a song yet.You order a song, and I will insert it for you. 』 Although AmeKo shook her hand, I still acted like a teacher and ordered her to order a song. She flipped through the songbook and gave me a number. Not long after, a Japanese song called "Lovers Yo" appeared. Amid everyone's astonishment, AmeKo picked up the microphone. She seemed to like the song very much, so she stood up and looked at the TV screen intently. "Ka-Ra-Ba-Ti-Ru, Yu-Gu-Re-Ha——(Twilight with fallen leaves)" Huh?This melody is so familiar.This is the song of Mayumi Mayumi on the Japanese song tape I bought. Different from the careful singing of "The Voice of the Drunken Heart", AmeKo appears to be very natural when singing in her native language. The deep female voice of Mayumi Gorin, the original singer, is interpreted by AmeKo's clear voice, which has a different flavor. AmeKo sang seriously, I almost forgot how shy she was when she first entered the box. And when she sang "Ko-I-Bi-Do-Yo—Sa-Yo-Na-Ra—" her eyes slowly shifted from the screen to me. In the dim box, AmeKo's eyes were particularly bright. Maybe I'm too sensitive!I seem to see tears in her eyes. Actually, AmeKo forgot one thing. She only knew that I was a brilliant Chinese teacher, but she forgot that I was also a smart Japanese student. The Chinese meaning of that sentence is: "Lovers! Goodbye." This day was February 27th, 2017, and it rained all day in the sky of Tainan——