The Complete Works of Xu Zhimo's Classical Prose

Chapter 11 Catching Duckweed on the Edge of Autumn Dream (10)
When Lian Feng arrived in Hong Kong, what he saw in Kowloon was the shallow tracks of several staggered freight cars, which seemed to have a head, a tail, a middle section, and hidden minions, and there seemed to be a misty cloud when the locomotive passed through the gate.The idea of ​​the Central Plains, although hinted at by the tall clock on the Canton-Kowloon Station, certainly cannot survive the clouds in Kowloon.In fact, this also saves a lot of unnecessary emotion.Therefore, looking at the other side, a mountain with houses in full bloom like cherry blossoms, as if facing the incarnation of hope, unexpectedly got on the ferry happily, transitioning from the back of the demon dragon to the incarnation of hope.

Wealthy, really rich, from the fruit stand on the corner, you can see the jewelry stores in Central and even Sheung Wan Street; from the hanging like Banyan.From the preserved food and seafood shops that proliferate like trees, you can see Cantonese women wearing new clothes with lace and colorful clothes; from the flower market on Shizi Street, you can see the "seasonal" flower raccoons and leopards on display at the entrance of the restaurant, and sleep in muddy water bowls. The only impression is an unanalyzable one: thick and colorful.Lian Feng seemed to be able to hear the sound of bells and chimes striking each other.Rich, really rich.

But to see Hong Kong, at least to play Hong Kong, you must take a lift truck up the mountain.It's kind of fun to hang up.The surface of the sea, the harbor, and the seaside all continued to sink amidst the sound of the reels.The mountain on the other side, like a dragon and snake hovering like a mountain range, is also sinking, but it is not surprising that the sinking is just straight down. Yilong Mountain, white square houses, tall and straight trees are all hung up at one end in a weird way, and the result is like a painting that is held at an angle.At the same time, the hilltops on this side changed from flat steamed buns to vertical ones, the houses on the hillside were tilted from the horizontal thorns, and the nearby trees followed in parallel.Very strange.It turns out that a person never thinks that his own position is not correct at times; when you are sitting in the suspension car, you only feel that everything in front of you has gone crazy and stood upside down.

But there are also things to pay attention to in the car of the crane.A woman sat on the first few rows of chairs in front of Lian Feng.She doesn't care about the world of big roofs, she has her world.She was sitting with one leg bent, her head was sometimes resting on the back of the chair, her eyes were looking towards the roof of the car, and she held a finger between her lips.This can not help but pay attention.She is a young woman between a young woman and a young girl.This can't be ignored, although the world outside the car is playing upside down there.

She goes ahead.up the hill.Turn left, turn right, take one.The arc of the mountainside, she walked ahead.Along the embankment, leaning against the rock wall, turned into the Aloe bush, walked around a house, took a small path, picked up several stone steps, and she walked in front.Ruqishan Road's posture is graceful, and so is hers.Flexible mountain waist, flexible woman's waist.Thickly folded, harmoniously loose.The magic of muscles!It's amazing!
The mountain scenery in Lian Feng's mind stretches out one by one, some with the sea behind, some surrounded by mountains, some with thick shade, and some with rocks, but no matter how fine or rough, the midpoint of each picture is always her, Her movement, the swing of her midsection.But when she turned into a more esoteric col, Lian Feng suddenly remembered Tannhuser's luck and fate—Venus the Soul Eater.Same plumpness.The front is not her cave.Oh, it's dangerous, be careful!
Sure enough, she entered her cave, and she turned her head to look, and she seemed to be showing a smile when she turned her head.Do you dare, kid?The straight stone steps of the cave go straight to the sky.She's in the hole.But at this time a new phenomenon occurred on the side of the road, which awakened Lian Feng's "Deng Haoran" reverie.An old woman asked him for money in the most broken Cantonese dialect. She was not a beggar, at least not professional, because she already had a decent job.She is a laborer.She is a brick and mortar.Pick bricks and tiles up the mountain because the red-haired man wants to build a house.What's new is that she is carrying more than one heavy burden at the same time, and her is the transportation of partial responses.Pick up a load, walk a section of the road, get down empty and pick up another load, and then go down and up again, down and up again.Not only is she old, but she is also a sick person. Her wheeze is asthma, not just the wheeze of climbing. She also coughs, and sometimes she coughs all over her body.But she could have explained it wrong.She thought that Lian Feng had taken pity on her by stopping in the road; she thought that he had taken a fancy to her!She really didn't notice that the young man's eyes once flew to the ladder in the clouds.She really didn't expect that there would be a conflict with her interests on this lonely mountain road.Of course she can't let her down, she should fulfill his compassion.She stretched out one of her seashell-like hands to him, whispering the softest tone to her.But "she" has already entered the cave.

Go higher.Go to the top of the summit.Head to the sky, feet to the tip of the ground, looking to the boundless horizon.This viewing is not an ordinary viewing.This is not Hong Kong, this is simply the fairy island of Penglai. Lian Feng's whole body, his whole being, his whole mind, felt intoxicated and shaken.The magic of the physical body of the universe.The magic of movement in stillness and stillness in movement.In an instant, in his eyes, in the eyes of his whole being, this present scene was transformed into a divine smile, a perfect song, a cosmic flower.A cosmic viburnum suddenly sprouted all its splendor on the cactus where time and space cannot be separated.The ups and downs of the mountains, the sea, and the light; the colors of the mountains, the water, and the light form an incomparable emptiness, an incomparable rhythm, and an incomparable harmony.A gemstone, a ball of pure crystal, a bead, and a blister.

But this is only a moment, maybe only a moment.At this moment, Lian Feng felt that his pulse stopped beating.He melted into the pulse of the universe.In this instant, everything is fused, everything is absorbed, and everything stops the action of its own phenomenon to participate in the great metamorphosis of "momentary magic".At this moment, the mixed images and thoughts accumulated in his mind since he went up the mountain disappeared like a dream.The corner of the sea hanging upside down, the dragon's claws, the young woman's waist, the old woman's hands and the trivial things of begging, and Venus' cave are all gone.But the world of fleeting phenomena repeats itself.A layer of veil, the layer of veil that was suddenly removed when I opened my eyes to take a look at it just now, has repeatedly covered the ground without question.After you have recovered your own sense of recognition, the scenery is beautiful, extremely beautiful, but it is no longer the whole supernatural being just now.Another grammar, another key, another meaning; maybe, but not that anymore.Its coming and going, just like love, just like faith, is not something that can be controlled and decided by the will.At this time, he can appreciate that this peak is a beautiful lotus bud, that island is like a squatting seal, or that bay is like a crescent moon; he can also appreciate the color and harmony of this natural painting. The arrangement of lines, the uniformity of perspective, or something else, but all he sees is a mountain peak, a bay, or a drawing.He was particularly amazed at the beauty of the waves, some of which were green jade, some of which were amethyst, some of which were amber, and some of which were emeralds. This wave of light continued with the mist of the mountain mist and turned into a strange pearl, sweeping across the boundless blue sky. , A kind of poetry that can be compared to the friends around you is no longer what it was at the beginning.This layer of veil is covered.

Therefore, when Lian Feng walked down the mountain, the comfort and comfort in his heart were not mixed, although it was faint, some nameless melancholy.When he crossed the mountainside, he glanced at the "cave house" again, and looked for the old woman carrying bricks and tiles on the side of the road. She was still busy carrying her inexhaustible burden.But she still treats him as if his interest in "her" is not as strong as when he went up the mountain.When he sat down to rest on the balcony in the middle of the mountain, his thoughts almost completely stopped.

Originally published in January 1929, "New Moon", Volume 3, Issue 2, included in "Roulette"

"Dead City" (One Night in Beijing)
Lian Feng stood on Qianmen Street in a daze.When the lights were on, there was still a scorched yellow leaking from the side of the West River.The wind has blown, but the vehicles passing by all the way can't let the dust on the road rest in peace.What are they busy with?The policeman with leather ears turned up not only had to use his fingers, but also had to yell with his mouth, and he had to turn his body to the left and right.It's not his fault that he overturned the car and hit someone?The sound is very mixed, but if you listen carefully, this even piece has never lost its rhythm; there are ups and downs, twists and turns, and intermissions.The sound of the tide in the sea of ​​people.Lian Feng felt that he was riding a small boat from one peak to another.His toes could not help but press down on the place where he was standing, as if he couldn't believe that he was standing on solid ground.

In the blue sky where the dust dances wildly, the tower of the front gate stands out, like a head, like a skeleton.The square with white characters on the blue background looks like a hole in the face of a skeleton, showing infinite melancholy. Lian Feng never thought that the front door would have such a face.What melancholy does it have?What melancholy it can be.But it's hard to say, don't you sometimes worry about the stone men and stone horses in the Ming Mausoleum, and the victory of justice monument in the park?It always seems to have a belly full of words and nothing to say.This kind of thing is really spiritual, can talk, and can laugh at people coming and going, how interesting is that?But the front door can only be silent now, can only endure the darkness, endure the long night.Even if it has something to say, it will have to speak later, and its own brains have already been given over to bats and mice. At this time, they are active, so even if it can speak, it cannot speak.Every city gate has unspeakable secrets these days, really!In the approaching night, its magnificence, its vastness, how far it can be seen, how lonely, and how cold.

The look on the street was neither lonely nor cold at all.This is the world of mortals, a battle field of color and light, which is pretty enough.If you cover your face with a piece of silk and look at the redness of this street, it will be a completely different scene.You haven't seen the evening photos on the Grand Canal in Venice, have you?You haven't seen Admiral Nelson bombing Napoleon's fleet at the mouth of the Mediterranean, have you?You have never seen the morning glow of Qingcheng Mountain in Sichuan, the foggy scene on the Thames River in England, right?Alright, now use a handkerchief to protect your eyes and look at Qianmen Street, you will see everything!What a coincidence to unravel the infinite realm of imagination in a change of hands!Lian Feng rubbed his square silk.It's not that I'm proud of his unexpected discovery.But when he turned around, he caught a glimpse of a corner of the Qianmen tower, looming in the gray.

Let's go to town.What is there to see on the street?The bustle on the outside reminds people of the advocacy of funerals, and the more noisy it is, the more desolate it looks.What's more, his own heart was filled with a big pie of cold, which was so cold that it hurt.It was as if snow had fallen in his inner world, and the branches beside the road were dipped in silver frost.The ice flowers on the trees beside the road are really beautiful; straight ones, horizontal ones, fat ones and thin ones, the plum blossoms also owe him a bit of crystal, and they still have that peaceful expression, suffering or smiling.It's not suffering, the little life hides in the most central fiber of the branches and endures the wind and snow. They also have a big pie in their hearts, but they don't complain; they understand, they wait, and when the spring breeze arrives, they will be happy But looking up, they know that glory is continuous and life is long.

Life is long.In this cold weather, the snow wind is stabbing at the base of your neck, the bugs are lurking in the soil waiting for the thunder, and there is a pancake of coolness in your heart, where are you going?Wouldn't it be good to go up the city wall and have a look?The roof is covered with silver, and there is no annoying spring on the dead trees. Besides, isn't the bright moon on the southeast corner rising?There is a tacit understanding between the moon and the snow.Spots of remnant snow remained on the broken city bricks, like nameless scars, and the moonlight slanted faintly, caressing its desolate companion as if it had fingers.Liefu Xing was turning over from the sky, with his quiver cocked at his waist, showing off his bravery.You can even see the screens of the West Mountain. The gloomy dark colors are outlined by the green strands, and the dazzling precious light of the Taibai Star hangs above it.The leaves of Lingguang Temple, the silence of Mimo Rock, the frozen springs of Xiangshan Mountain, the clouds of Biyun Mountain, and a star or two of fire in the valleys; there are bleak human traces dotted in the bleakness of snow... This is a good calculation, go to the city wall Go, suffer from the cold, brave the night.It was dark and lonely, seeing how the moonlight placed my figure in the snow. Lian Feng was approaching the city root on the side of Jiaomin Lane. Hearing a burst of laughter in the skating rink of the American barracks, he suddenly remembered this place. It is a forbidden area for imperialism, and the Chinese are afraid that they will not let them go there.Sure enough, the six-foot-tall goalkeeper with a bad face just shook his head at him, rubbed his mouth full of rubber, and walked back and forth with his chest puffed out.

Don't let it in, let it down, this deserted city, this cold moon, this place's silver frost.The pie in my heart still cannot be evacuated.Yu got colder.Unless you are in a proper situation, you dare not let yourself out as much as possible, you dare not face yourself; you dare not dissect yourself.It seems that there is also a bad face holding the door.He won't let him in.Someone's going to have to drink enough to knock down that ugly face.Some people have to look up to the intoxicated moonlight.Man is so weak.I am afraid of everything, and I dare not recognize everything in person; I am most afraid of seeing myself.have to!Where else is there to go?Dare to go?

Lian Feng looked up at Wang Xing.There are not many sparse ones.Nor is it bright.The Seventh Sisters can be seen, they are tightly packed together like a ball of beads.Wouldn't it be better to go east?Going east is smooth.So does the earth.But at night, this strange alley feels so deep and far away.Just this silence makes people afraid.For a long time, I didn't see a pair of small loads selling radishes or miscellaneous food.Their small fire, which shows whether the red is red or the green is green, looks so amiable and exquisite in the deep alley, and their hawking sound, although sometimes so long that it makes people hear sad, is also in the deep alley. An essential embellishment.It's like hanging calligraphy and painting on the blank wall, no matter how fine or rough, it adds a little bit of human interest.You can see that they rest their burdens at the door of a house, stand up straight, hold their heads high, and sing with a big grin until the muscles in their necks are strained.No one in the neighborhood can fail to hear it.The tune was spinning in the air, and a cloud of white clouds dangled between their mouths and noses.

Nothing tonight.Not a single dog was to be seen.The doors are all shut tightly.The oil lamps and millet fires on the wall looked like they were lit by ghosts.It's convenient.Under the shadow of the will-o'-the-wisp, the snow ground crushed by the mules and carriages was full of ghosts.Ghosts danced.The Huazi asked Xue to bury them.There are coppers in the pocket, and if you want to see Huazi, in this year, there are still people who don't give?Quietness: the quietness of emptiness, the stillness at the bottom of the tomb.This alley has no bottom.Did you abduct it just now?Lian Feng looked at Wang Xing and knew that the direction had not changed.There must be an end, let's go.

After walking through the alley, we came to an open field.white.Overhead stars appear more numerous and brighter.The hunter was already fully clothed and set up, and the dog led the way at the other end.The big bear also met.Lian Feng shivered.He came to a cemetery.Foreigners, in this city root.For some reason, the door didn't close.He entered the door.The snow on the ground here is much whiter than that on the road, fluffy and full of spots.The moonlight was shining, and there were quite a few tombstones, lined up sparsely, all the way to the towering black city root.Some are tall, some are short, and some are carved with images.Quietly wearing snow caps and snow quilts, quietly lying down.This is interesting, when Yue came down to pay a visit to the foreign devils, Lian Feng sighed.He approached a tomb mound, brushed the snow off the stone, and sat down.The stone is engraved with words, perhaps in gold, but it is not easy to identify.Lian Feng touched the handwriting with his finger.It's very cold!The snow-stained slate sucked the heat from his fingers like pecking ink paper, he was so cold that he lost all feeling.He breathed a sigh of relief and touched again, as if he didn't want you to have to ask for your name.I touched it, and it turned out to be a girl. FRAULEIN ELIZA BERKSON.You have to ask how old you are, it's more troublesome if the word is smaller, but you have to know it.28 divided by six is ​​22 who died three years earlier.Ah, a young girl, only 22 years old!Lian Feng felt a strange trembling, from his fingertips to the tips of his hair; as if a black shadow was shaking behind him.But there is only pale moonlight on the snow, and the black shadow is his own.

It is not easy to dream of such a realm.I will accompany you, girl from a foreign country.Lian Feng's limbs were numb from the cold in the night, but his heart was beating warmly in his chest, matching the twinkling stars above his head.People are so weak that he has to sympathize.Those who are entrenched in the depths of their livers must have a chance to pour out their hearts.He can't get it when he's alive, and when he's dying, as long as he keeps breathing, he still has to confess. His eyes have faded, and he can't pronounce clearly. He also has to repent.Only when you have obtained eternal life will you have the courage and no scruples.There's a little lie in every soul Can a lie get into heaven?Didn't you say what you wanted to say to the old gentleman in the black robe with the golden cross on his chest before you rested under this rock, didn't you, Miss Beckson?I'm not dead yet.But what a temptation this quiet night scene is!I feel like my body is dead, just a bit of my spirit floating like duckweed in the waves of a dream world.Ethereal, at ease.The dream world is not surrounded by walls.There is no Ya Huan.You have to forgive me for being shameless, sitting in your bed in the dark, girl.But I already feel a kind of extraordinary tranquility, a kind of liberation, a kind of crystal clear freedom.Maybe this was your inspiration for You and the Moon Shadow on the Snow.

(End of this chapter)