Old things in the south

Chapter 32

I often think of the old beggar on Hufang Street, and I often think that one day I will write him into my novel.He is dirty and fat.Dirty, of course, but the fat man became a beggar, but I have never seen it before or after him; I feel that it does not match his identity, so I have an indelible impression!I often see him in the winter morning, sitting in front of my house in a big hollow padded jacket, picking up lice in the morning sun.His saliva is more useful than ours, that is, put the index finger on the tongue to lick it, get the saliva on the body, and then touch the lice on the body, squeeze the lice between the nails of the two thumbs, "da" With a sound, the lice was crushed.Then spittle, then lice.I heard that lice have long tails, how disgusting!

Beside him was an uncovered casserole containing leftovers from begging.No, the rice is put in another place, and he also has a black, dirty and shiny canvas pocket, and dry things like rice, steamed buns, dumpling wrappers, etc. are all put into the pocket.Holding a casserole of leftover soup in his arms, he raised his head and ate all of it.Every time I saw him eating, I ran home, and I really wanted to vomit.

By the way, he still has a pocket.What's in there?It's a waste of foreign money!He picked up the lice, was full of leftovers, and was about to leave with the casserole in his arms. When he stood up, the pocket tied to the waist of his ragged cotton trousers fell down, and the sound of foreign money rolling in it made a clinking sound.I was so surprised, I pulled Mama Song's skirt, pointed at the pocket that made the noise and asked:
"Mother Song, he still has a lot of foreign money, where did he get it?"

"Hmph, do you think it was stolen or robbed? They saved it themselves."

"I saved it myself? You said that beggars were rich at the beginning, and they spent all their belongings because they were lazy and lazy, so they had to beg for food."

"Yes! But if you ask for food, you will know that you have learned well, and you know how to save money!" Song Ma replied to me pretending to know everything.

"Since he is learning well, why doesn't he want to wash his face and take a bath, and spend foreign money to make a new cotton-padded jacket?"

Mama Song didn't answer me, so I have to ask:
"Is he still unwilling to do something?"

"Haven't you heard? I have been asking for food for three years, and I am not worthy of it for the emperor."

Although he doesn't want to be the emperor, I remembered that he was also working as a deacon in the funeral procession to make money!Wearing a white mourning jacket over the rotten padded jacket, it was an indefinite distance from the mourning house to the cemetery. He was fat and old, and he was still holding a flag and an umbrella.Moreover, the most important thing is that he still has a bag of foreign money hanging around his waist!How strenuous it is to walk such a long distance in this suit!Is this why he squandered his family property and learned from scratch?I don't understand, so I have to ask questions, and the adults don't seem to be able to answer me satisfactorily, so I have to think about it in my heart.

My family lives in Hufang Bridge, which is a colorful street. There are too many people and things that I see from morning to night every day, so that I often think about it.At that young age, my heart was full of doubts, sympathy, injustice, emotion, interest... all kinds of emotions towards the real life in the world.

If I say what kind of direction I have in writing later, it may be that I lived in Hufang Bridge for a few years when I was young, which gave me my first observation and experience of real life!

There is no street that contains so many aspects of life and life; in the years when I lived in Hufang Bridge when I was young, it was the time before and after the Northern Expedition.One afternoon, as usual, we sisters and brothers took a shower and changed into clean clothes, then followed Mama Song to watch the fun at the gate.At this time, two Japanese came, one with a photo box, and the other with two small flags, the Blue Sky and White Sun Flag.The red, yellow, blue, white and black five-color flag has just become a thing of the past.The little Japanese can speak Japanese-style Chinese, and the one holding the flag came over and said to me with a smile:

"Is the picture of the little sister good?"

I didn't know what was going on, and my sister and I flinched straight back.He added:

"It doesn't matter, I'll give you a big gift after taking the picture." Then he looked at the house number of my house and muttered something.

I looked at Song Ma, and Song Ma said:
"You gentlemen are—?"

"Oh, ours is from a Japanese newspaper, it doesn't matter, we took a big picture."

Seeing that the two of them seemed to be harmless, Mama Song said to my sister and me, "If you want to take a photo for you, just take it!"

So my sister and I each held a flag of blue sky and white sun, stood in front of the door and took a picture. At that time, we didn't know why we took such a picture.When Dad told him when he came home, instead of getting angry, he joked and said:
"Not good, someone took a picture and sent it to Japan, maybe it's for something, what should I do?"

Although my father said jokingly, I was very scared and worried in my heart.Until one day, my father brought back a pictorial, which was full of Japanese characters. On one page, there was a picture of my sister and I holding a flag, which was impressive!Dad told us that it said that the children on the streets of China were holding up their new flags.This is a picture book printed by the Japanese that records the success of my country's Northern Expedition.

Regarding the Northern Expedition, I didn't understand anything at a young age, but just because I lived in Hufang Bridge, I unconsciously imprinted a feeling of a different era in my mind.On the eve of the successful Northern Expedition, there seemed to be such a tense day. There was a sudden commotion on the Hufang Bridge Street at dusk. It was said that students were being arrested, and the hospitable father often lent the extra house at home to young students. Well, something like "Uncle Dexian" (a character in the novel "Old Stories in the South of the City") must have something to do with the new era that is about to usher in. He has appeared and disappeared in my house because of the wind. situation.

In the era of the Beijing government, Hufang Bridge was a street leading to the most prosperous area. No matter you went to Qianmen, Chengnan Amusement Park, Eight Great Hutongs, or Tianqiao, you all passed through here.Therefore, very late, there are still constant traffic and pedestrians here.It is also lively in the morning, especially on the day of "going on a red business trip". Early in the morning, people flocked to watch the "lively" from all over the street.The red mission is to take the prisoner to the Tianqiao area to be shot. How can shooting a person be called watching the excitement?But at that time, people really regarded this event as "excitement".They followed the prisoner's car, and the prisoners in the car shouted in response to each other. It didn't look like they were going to die, but it was like a group of friends sending off.Instead of sympathizing with the dying strong man, the prisoner shouted: "After 18 years, he is a good man again!" The crowd followed suit and shouted: "Okay!" It's the same.Every morning when crowds flooded the street, we knew something was going on, and my curiosity inspired me to hide on the stone pier in the doorway and look around.At this time, my mother would try her best not to let us watch this kind of "hustle and bustle", but it often happens throughout the year. In any case, I have seen a lot of them, and I have many questions about human beings in my heart: A dead person can still shout those words?Why do you want to shout hello to him?Are there any relatives and friends of his in the crowd?Shall they shout too?
In the same situation, for a big funeral, this is almost the only street that must be passed through, because the rich and powerful people have to go to a big funeral when they die. Make a final show!Some shops along the street set up sacrificial tables on the side of the road, and dutiful sons dressed in hemp belts walked here and kowtowed to say thanks, which made the shop feel supremely honored.And it can be seen that the people at the funeral did not intend to mourn, but were in the mood of watching the excitement, revealing such mourning and infinite envy for the afterlife.And in that long queue for miles, sometimes the fat old beggar would be seen.He walked silently, with no expression on his face, was he thinking something in his heart?If he hadn't squandered those family properties when he was young, why wouldn't he be able to have this honor after his death, wouldn't he think so?
I also saw the deception thing on this street.The tall, thin man in the blue coat was selling fake tickets.Because he often stayed in front of my house, he knew Song Ma very well, and did not shy away from what he did.Mama Song is so strange, she doesn't take it seriously when she sees him cheating those country folks, as if she is watching a game.When one day I knew what was going on with him, I couldn't help it. I stared sullenly, with my hands on my waist, and stood aggressively at the door.The seller of fake tickets actually said:

"Miss, when we are talking about business, don't say anything!"

"No!" I was so angry that I let out a cry of injustice, "It's not allowed to deceive people!"

My unyielding personality seems to still exist to this day.In fact, my views on the so-called right and wrong were not the same before and now.In short, we have seen more of the world, and we will never be indifferent.

There is also the most beautiful thing in Hufang Bridge, and that is the flower event in spring.Often when I come back from school, my father is buying flowers, and the whole load of flowers is brought to the yard. My father is negotiating the price with the flower seller. My father originally wanted to buy a pot of Ophiopogon japonicus or asparagus, but the load of flowers was left behind. .The flower seller took the money and didn't turn around. He would stay and help Dad plant in flower ponds or flower pots, while talking about flowers with Dad.Influenced by my hardworking father, I also helped move pots, soil and water.

When I wake up in the morning, I like to see the purple morning glory under the wall unfolding her face, and there is a row of sunflowers turning with the sun. In the flower pond at dusk, hosta flowers are lined up quietly, waiting for you to pick them.

The childhood life in Hufang Bridge was rich, and the little girl in Daheimen liked to think. Maybe it was these that led her to embark on the road of writing for happiness!
(End of this chapter)