Chapter 19 (fifteen)

In January 1977, someone suddenly asked me to go to the office of the Faculty.A clerk handed me a bunch of keys, told me to look at the house and a car, asked my daughter to accompany me, and said to me: "If anyone asks, just say it's because you live in the office." My daughter and I went to see the house together.The house is the Shagou apartment in Sanli Henan where I live now.Our young friends were all happy for us when they heard the news. "All the gods work together" to help us move into our new home, which is the Spring Festival on February 4th. Zhongshu is good at "extending knowledge from objects", but he can't "extend knowledge" on "examining" his new home, and his skills are exhausted.We guessed a few people and found it impossible. We have lived in the "office" for two and a half years. Who told us to move to this high-end dormitory?

He Qifang also changed from a leader to a friend.He brought his wife, Mou Kuiming, to see our new house.He admired the mop-washing room the most, and he would like to have such a house.Obviously, the house was not assigned by him. In August, Comrade He Qifang passed away.At his memorial service, Hu Qiaomu, Zhou Yang, Xia Yan and other leading comrades all appeared. The "Cultural Revolution" is finally over. Ah Yuan did not take a vacation because of the earthquake. She helped us move and went back to school.Her husband's house is in Shicao, Xishicao, Dongcheng, a little far away from us.The two of us lived in four rooms, and felt very guilty and a little lonely.It is also troublesome for two people to tidy up four rooms.We took "Auntie" Grandma Zhou to live with me.Zhong Shu edited his "Guan Zhui Bian" leisurely, and I also re-read the manuscript of "Don Quixote" and handed it over to the publishing house.

In October, Comrade Hu Qiaomu suddenly visited and "asked" a question.He used to be an upper-level leader of the English-Maoist Translation Committee. Although Zhongshu and Zhongshu were classmates at Tsinghua University, they hadn't been friends for a long time, and they didn't know each other. Perhaps Hu only heard the name of Qian Zhongshu's arrogance. When Zhong Shu translated Mao Xuan, he once pointed out that there was an error in the original text.He insisted: "Sun Hou'er never got into the belly of the Bull Demon King." Comrade Xu Yongying asked his superiors for instructions, and Comrade Hu Qiaomu checked different versions across the country.Zhong Shu was not wrong.Monkey Sun turned into a bug and was swallowed by Princess Iron Fan; Princess Iron Fan cannot be said to be a "monster".Chairman Mao had to revise two sentences of the original text.Although Zhongshu is not wrong, he is also "arrogant".Comrade Qiao Mu once criticized him for "conservative clothing" without naming his name, because Zhong Shu still wore long gowns.

When we lived in the office, Comrade Qiao Mu sent prescriptions for asthma twice.Zhongshu accepted him, but he couldn't thank him.This time, he paid a sudden visit, we guess the house should be allocated by him, right?But he didn't say a word about the house. There are four rooms in our new house, one is the bedroom of our husband and wife, one is for Ah Yuan, the other is our living room or work room, or study room, which is also used as the living room, and there is a dining room.Grandma Zhou slept in the dining room.Grandma Zhou is Sister Shun. When my family lived in the school, she came to my house to help as a relative. Everyone called her Grandma Zhou.She said that she doesn't like sleeping and eating.She took a fancy to the corridor and put the bed in the corridor at night.

Comrade Qiao Mu occasionally came to talk at night, but there was a bed blocked by the gate.Comrade Qiao Mu later asked us whether the house was enough to live in.I said: "The first wish is not as good as this." This is what we thanked him for. Grandma Zhou said frankly: "I want to be free." She thought we went to her room to pour boiled water at night.We moved the hot water bottle into the bedroom and the house was adequate. Comrade Qiao Mu often came to talk to Zhongshu, and he was very happy.At first he brought a guard with him, but later he left the guard downstairs and came here by himself.He talked about academic issues, books, anecdotes, everything.Zhong Shu is an interesting person, and Comrade Qiao Mu also has his interests.He often brought his wife, Comrade Gu Yu, with him.Comrade Qiao Mu who came to our house was not a leader, and he did not hold any official position. He was just an old classmate of Tsinghua University.Although we didn't know each other when we were classmates, after the "Cultural Revolution", he probably thought of his old classmates at Tsinghua University and wanted to get acquainted with him.When he found Zhongshu, it was as if his old classmates met again.

An acquaintance of Comrade Qiao Mu told us: "Hu Qiaomu only shows you his best side." When we read books, we always appreciate and judge a book from the highest state.We use rope and always judge the quality of rope from the weakest section.A nerd sitting on the bench may wish to treat people like a book; politicians or entrepreneurs may have to use people as ropes.Zhong Shu treats Comrade Qiao Mu like a book. A friend of Comrade Qiao Mu said: "The most distressed person in the world is Hu Qiaomu. Because when he thinks about a problem, he always thinks from the first time to a hundred and eighty degrees, and often goes to the opposite of himself. Contradictory, distressed." Comrade Qiao Mu thinks that the problem will be so serious and responsible.But I think he came to my house to put down his political thoughts and take a rest for a while.He was giving himself a vacation, so he was very happy.He once asked his daughter to come and take pictures.I keep here a photo of him giggling. I don’t remember what Zhongshu said, but he smiled so happily.

But we have a different status and status from him.He may not take airs, but we know our identities.He can come at will, but we must not go at will, unless it is to pick us up.We can only "come and not go".We are sheltered and grateful.But what Zhongshu can repay is only to polish a few words for him.Zhong Shu felt ashamed. I finished translating Don Quixote.The leader of the Institute of Foreign Languages ​​understands that I will make mistakes when I write an article, so I asked the "young man" to write the preface for me.But the publisher insisted that I write the preface myself.The manuscript was suppressed for a year without being published.I don't know much about business.Since the manuscript is not going to be printed, I want to get it back so that I can revise it at any time.It is said that the publishing house will lose money. Don Quixote was published without a preface.Later, Comrade Qiao Mu blamed me for not using a certain article before the "Cultural Revolution" as the preface, so I revised the old article as the preface. The second printing of "Don Quixote" had a preface.

Because of the support of Comrade Qiao Mu, "Guan Zhui Bian" was immediately typeset in traditional Chinese characters.Zhongshu said happily: "Guan Zhui Bian and Don Quixote are our last books. You write me a three-character inscription, and I will write you a four-character inscription. Let's exchange. " I said: "You are at a disadvantage, do my characters stand up?" He said: "It's fun to keep it as a souvenir. You can write it as you like, but you don't have to put your name on it anyway." We concluded an unequal treaty. Our Ah Yuan can also go back to live with his parents on weekends.In the past, the office we lived in could only accommodate their young couple.

In 1978, she received a scholarship to study in the UK.She used to be a teacher in the Russian Department.When the Russian teacher changed to English, she transferred to the English department.She said to me: "Mom, I can't take the exam. They have already prepared for a semester. I made up for me because someone gave up the place temporarily. The proviso is that I can't delay the teaching. I have no preparation at all. I can take the exam." Can you do it?" But she passed the exam.Of course we are happy for her. But she went abroad for a year, and we miss her so much.After one year, another year will be added. On the one hand, we hope that she can study abroad for one more year, and on the other hand, we have to endure the taste of parting.

During this period, Zhong Shu and I each visited several times abroad with the delegation.Every time Zhongshu was separated from me, he would write down in detail what he saw, heard and missed.After Ah Yuan came home, I went abroad and he was at home with Ah Yuan, and he also wrote down the details of the family in detail and added Ah Yuan's comments.We call such trivial things "pebbles" and compare them to pebbles left on the beach by the ebb and flow of the tide.We occasionally went out for a day and a half, or Ah Yuan went on a business trip for ten or eight days, and when we got home, we would always bring back handfuls of "stones", and bring them out to watch and play with when we got together.The usual household chores are trivial, but now they have become "pebbles". I have selected some of the "pebbles" in my house and attached them in Appendix III.

We just want to stay together every day and don't want to go abroad again.In 1990, Ah Yuan visited England for half a year.She is attached to her parents and does not want to go abroad again.She has been on business trips all over the country again and again, and I am always concerned about the farewell. In June 1982, there were slight changes in the personnel of the Academy of Social Sciences.The Director of the Literature Institute changed, and Zhong Shu was hired as a consultant of the Literature Institute, but he resigned.That night, he said happily: "No official is light, and a consultant is an official even though he is small." The next morning, the Academy of Social Sciences called him to a meeting, and a car came to pick him up.He went without thinking.Unexpectedly, Comrade Qiao Mu suddenly had a whim, and asked Xia Nai and Qian Zhongshu to be the vice presidents of the Academy of Social Sciences, saying that the academic atmosphere of the Academy of Social Sciences was not strong enough, and asked them to add some academic atmosphere to the Academy of Social Sciences.Comrade Qiao Mu had already negotiated with Comrade Xia Nai, but he suddenly attacked Zhongshu.He said: "You two look at my old classmate's face..." Comrade Xia Nai had already agreed, but Zhongshu said anxiously that he didn't have time.Comrade Qiao Mu said: "Firstly, I don't want you to sit in class, secondly, I don't want you to draw circles, and thirdly, I don't want you to hold meetings." Zhong Shu said: "I just resigned as a consultant at the Literature Institute last night. People will laugh at me as 'resigning from a young age is a big thing'." Comrade Qiao Mu said: "I promise to refute the rumors for you." Zhongshu had nothing to say, so he had no choice but to look at his old classmates and stop refusing.When I went home and told me with a bitter face, I could only laugh at him for "this time arresting the generals." I have a very strange superstition, thinking that this is a joke made by God on someone who framed Zhongshu.This position was what he was looking forward to, but it was taken by a person who never wanted to be the vice president.There are often such strange things in the world. Zhong Shu refused to go abroad for visits.The Academy of Social Sciences has held two international conferences, one for academic exchanges with the American academic delegation, and one for commemorating Lu Xun.He served as the host of these two conferences.I found that Zhongshu was very competent in his work.He held a small meeting for half an hour and solved many problems.He presided over two meetings, and spoke well and beautifully. A year later, he submitted his resignation to Comrade Qiao Mu, saying that "the corpse is a vegetarian meal, and I feel uneasy."Comrade Qiao Mu lit Zhongshu to me and said: "If you don't write a word, you can be romantic." The resignation was not approved.Anyway, Zhongshu only put up an empty name, and still received the salary of a researcher.He doesn't have an office, doesn't need a secretary, and doesn't use a car unless he goes to the hospital to see a doctor. The apartment in Sanlihe is not only spacious and comfortable, but also has a beautiful environment. Because it is close to the school, Ah Yuan has a lot of reference books with us, so she often lives with us, and only goes back to her mother-in-law's house on weekends.And my son-in-law's workplace is near us, so we come here often, which is very convenient.