National Tide 1980

After so many years, Majia Garden is like a piece of incomplete and dusty pearl, which has been submerged in the urban alleys and rarely known.

But even the formal main entrance to the garden was blocked with bricks.

The gardens inside were damaged to a considerable extent and the scenery became very bad.

Only about 30% of the rocks remain, the pond has been filled in, the sculptures have been lost, and nearly half of the plants have been lost.

Most of the existing buildings have peeling paint, broken doors and windows, and even many privately built small houses have popped up in the garden.

At first glance, there are too many miscellaneous things.

But in general, since most of the houses are still there, the overall structure and mountain veins of the whole park are still basically intact.

This place can still make Kang Shude feel emotional about the scene, and clearly revive the past events through memories.

So from the moment he entered this garden, he couldn't help but tell Ning Weimin what happened back then.

However, it must be said that it was completely different from the purely show off purpose when Ning Weimin took him to see No. 5 Courtyard of Dongsi Si Tiao this morning.

The old man just regarded Ning Weimin as his closest relative and wanted to get rid of the past that had been dull in his heart for so many years.

"Oh, the original car room is gone, which is a pity. Today, there are several rooms at the entrance, which are dedicated places for parking cars. I think back then, before the July 7th Incident, there were only 100 private cars in Beijing. There are four cars parked here all year round, and they are all good cars. The cheapest one is a Ford, which cost 2,770 yuan. Where is Baiyang..."

"Ah, by the way, there was a Japanese Nissan in this garage back then. We all called it the 'Potato Car'. It belonged to the Ma family's tenant, Mr. Jiang Qimingjiang. Like Mr. Song, Mr. Jiang's family also rented in the Ma family. Garden. The yard where they live is next to Mr. Song’s..."

"Have you seen the three rooms here? They are all concierges. This concierge faces north. Hey, it is quite nice to live in. Is it suitable for someone to live in this house? Even the glass windows must be installed in the back. This is too It’s ugly. In the past, there were window lattice with auspicious patterns and were pasted with Korean paper..."

Kang Shude couldn't help but walk over as he spoke, opened the door and took a look.

But as many springs, summers, autumns and winters passed, the inside naturally changed, and there was no trace of what it was before the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The walls were plastered with whitewash, and many places on the ceiling and walls were made of old newspapers.

It can even be seen that when the residents moved out, there were traces of photos, calendars, or certificates posted on the wall, all left by the previous resident.

Kang Shude shook his head, closed the door and exited without any interest, and continued walking eastward.

Ning Weimin continued to follow suit.

"...to the east of the concierge is the gate. Look, right there, the sealed gate of Ma's Garden. In the past, this gate would always be open from six o'clock in the morning to ten o'clock in the evening. People came and went. , there is an endless stream of people. Therefore, the Ma family has a lot of concierges. At least ten people are here to guard the sky, headed by Xiao Wu, Li Qing, Yang Deming and several old family members, who take turns as the foreman..."

"Hey, actually Mr. Xiao Wu was the nicest to me. His son Xiao Zhong was about the same age as me, and we were friends. Later, with the help of the Ma family, Xiao Zhong became a police inspector, and he was older than the inspector. He was responsible for these alleys. Unfortunately, his life was short-lived. In 1943, the Japanese conducted bacterial experiments at the Temple of Heaven and Divine Music Department. He was unlucky, and he was infected with 'Tigerella' (cholera), which was taken away by the Japanese. He never came back. Otherwise, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he would have been the deputy director of the police station..."

"Li Qing's son is called Li Li. He is good at acting and is another friend of mine. But his voice is not good enough, so he can only learn opera from Li Zi. Later, he gave up and learned to drive a car. He became the son of Master Sun of the Ma family. Special driver. I learned to play the huqin from Mr. Song. When he was learning opera, I was often dragged into the garden to perform with him. But this guy is very bad. When I first came here, he loved to tease me. He always scolded me by counting. 'I am king one, you are king two...' and kept counting until 'I am king seven, you are king eight...'. I didn’t know the difference between odd numbers and even numbers at the time, and I was fooled by him many times..."

"The few rooms to the east of the gate are the counting rooms. At that time, there was a counting house in the Ma family named Xia Jinyuan. He once worked in an engraving shop and was good at writing official script and engraving seals. Because he loved to tease crickets, and I also knew how to catch song insects. , we have become friends all year round. I often catch crickets for him, and he teaches me how to practice Chinese calligraphy in his spare time. By the way, he also taught me nine out of ten how to carve seals..."

"Look over there, it's the east end of the garden, and further south is the big kitchen of Ma's Garden. In the past, there were several tables and benches in the courtyard of the big kitchen, which were used as dining places for the servants in the garden. . Mr. Song and I sometimes come back late from doing errands outside. If we haven’t eaten out and are too lazy to go home and cook, we go there as a convenience and pay two bucks to the big kitchen for a meal.”

"I still remember that the big kitchen master's surname was Chang, and he used to work in Dongxing Building. Because he was lame and couldn't cook the stove every day, he came to Ma's house instead to save money. There was a handyman named Xiao Zheng who was better than me. He is three years older, but he came two years later than me. When he first came, the cooked meat was so oily that it oozed out. Everyone said he had no talent for cooking. Unexpectedly, he was not convinced and secretly practiced hard in his heart. He was stunned. Jin'er was attracted by Master Zaotou Chang and took on an apprentice. Decades later, the business was passed down from father to son. By the time I bought Ma's Garden, it already had the reputation of 'Zheng's Kitchen'. I heard that both father and son later became Went to the cafeteria of the large unit..."

"Hey, look, there is a Chinese toon tree with wisteria wrapped around it. It's a pity that now all that's left is this bare flower wall. It's ugly, it's ugly. Fortunately, the gravel path and rockery rocks at the foot are still there. Don't underestimate these decorative things. Let me tell you, this kind of corridor with stones on both sides and square bricks in the middle is exactly the same as the one in the Summer Palace. There are only private gardens in the capital here. The architecture here The focus of the scenery is the mountain stones. Most of them are fine lake stones and bluestones transported from the abandoned Old Summer Palace, especially the lake stones. There are several excellent ones with Qianlong's imperial inscriptions in the garden. I don't know if they are still there today. …”

As Kang Shude walked, he pointed at what he saw along the way and told Ning Weimin the past events.

In this immersive situation, the old man's life experience stood out in front of Ning Weimin's eyes as if it were floating on the surface of the water.

Listening and watching, Ning Weimin was not only deeply attracted, but also suddenly discovered.

The Ma family who built this big garden back then was nothing like the richest man in the capital he imagined.

For example, the door is closed all day long, and I hide at home and feel bored.

He marries a little wife when he has nothing to do, and a maid who buys flowers without showing off.

Organize a private armed force, be unkind for the sake of wealth, and treat your subordinates harshly.

On the contrary, the people who live here seem to be able to live happily and enjoy themselves regardless of their status.

This creates a considerable contrast between historical reality and his imagination.

He couldn't figure this out, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Old man, why did the Ma family rent their house to others back then? Isn't their family the richest man in the capital? It's definitely not because of the lack of money? Don't you think it's okay to let outsiders live in such a beautiful garden? Is it a loss?"

Unexpectedly, Kang Shude's answer was so logical.

"Of course it's not due to lack of money. First, it was due to the prevailing atmosphere at the time. People back then were very mobile. Even those who had lost their status could not buy a house in one place, especially those who were officials. They could be transferred at any time. .So renting is the norm.”

"Second, the Ma family is a businessman. What they need is connections, but what they lack is real power. Especially businessmen whose roots are in the capital. Since they can't develop elsewhere, the most important thing is to be friendly. So this is the shrewdness of the Ma family. He rents out extra houses to powerful people, or people who can be linked to powerful people."

"This is exactly what he said, a solid camp with flowing soldiers. Making friends with powerful people is the only way for the Ma family to ensure the prosperity of the family. Whoever is in power has to have some friendship with others. Otherwise, they can rely on their power. How do you become the richest man in Beijing? Renting is of course a very clever way. The relationship between landlord and tenant is also very delicate."

"Think about it, if you don't do it for profit, treat each other as distinguished guests, and interact politely, you can naturally accumulate some good relationships. If the children can get along with each other on a daily basis and live and play together, they will have a better relationship with the Ma family. It’s of great benefit.”

"Don't forget, although Mr. Song is just the owner of an antique shop, he also went to university in Japan. Not only did he have Japanese classmates, but he also married a Japanese wife. He was not just an ordinary person, but a Japanese lady. , after a famous family."

"That Mr. Jiang is also an engineer who has returned from overseas and is engaged in Western architecture. Not only can he and the Ma family help each other in business, but he has also greatly helped improve the level of the Ma family's gardening. Moreover, before the fall of Peking, Mr. Jiang, in addition to working in He teaches at Yenching University and is also a consultant to the Construction Committee of the National Government. He is a person who can be called a brother-in-law to the mayor of the capital city of the National Government."

"In the past, Dai Li even lived in the garden here. In 1945, when Dai Li returned from the liberation of Peiping and went to Beijing on business, he lived in the south study room where Ma Huitang lived in the south of the garden. Later, the Ma family helped Dai Li He bought a courtyard in the Assorted Garden not far from the South Study and renovated it into a brand new one. Dai Li then moved away. Otherwise, how could the Ma family not be harassed and liquidated just because they married the daughter of the pseudo-Beiping mayor? "

"In fact, even the Ma family's theater is often rented out for big shots in power to hold parties and celebrations. That makes a lot of good friends. The Ma family has a humble and hospitable appearance that hides the unique characteristics of businessmen. shrewd and practical.”

After hearing this, Ning Weimin's doubts were all gone and he couldn't help but nod his head frequently.