Back to 80: My literary life

Chapter 17 Visiting Chen Zhongshi’s home

Seeing Fang Minghua's surprised look, Song Tangtang explained: "Brother Red Army called my brother, but my brother had something to do, so he asked me to drive over in his car."

That's it!

Song Tangtang followed Fang Minghua into the guard room and saw Zhao Hongjun lying on the bed. She didn't rush to call him, but looked at the room furnishings.

I found a book beside the table and took it over out of curiosity.

"Selected Poems of Pushkin"

The girl picked it up and flipped through it, then said to Fang Minghua, "Can you lend me this book?"

"I bought it myself, okay, but not if it's from my employer." Fang Minghua replied.

"Thank you."

After Song Tangtang finished speaking, he picked up the book and went to wake up Zhao Hongjun. Fang Minghua hurried over to help. The two of them helped him out of the gate and put him into the back seat of the jeep.

"goodbye!"

"goodbye!"

Song Tangtang started the car and suddenly stuck his head out of the car window to look at Fang Minghua: "Come and dance when you are free. I will teach you other dances!"

Could it be ballet? I can't learn that stuff.

Fang Minghua wanted to make a joke, but the jeep sped away and disappeared into the night.

He couldn't help but shake his head, returned to his guard room, and couldn't wait to make a cup of Longjing tea given by Zhao Hongjun.

"It smells so good." Fang Minghua couldn't help but sigh as he smelled the tangy aroma of tea.

After drinking several cups of tea in one breath, until the tea was tasteless, Fang Minghua brushed his teeth and washed his face, and burned his feet with hot water. The cat picked up a book under the quilt and read it, and soon fell asleep.

When he got up the next morning, Fang Minghua waited for Wu Jiefang to change his shift and then went home. Of course, he did not forget to take the letter in the drawer.

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, and Fang Changhe's family wants his father-in-law to pay New Year's greetings.

Fang Changhe is from Northeast China. He came to Xijing in the 1950s in response to the country's call to support the Northwest. Zhang Fenglan is from Xijing. Her hometown is in the rural countryside of the western suburbs. The distance is not too far. There is no traffic to her hometown, so she just rides a bicycle back.

Fang Changhe and his wife rode a bicycle, and Fang Minghua took his sister on a bicycle, carrying the gifts he bought. The four of them in two vehicles passed through the east gate and headed east along Changle Road. They rode for more than two hours. We came to a village called Zhangjia Village in Maoxi Township (later renamed Baling Township), which is close to the Bahe River and quite remote.

Fang Minghua's grandparents were both over 70 years old and still in good health. When they saw their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren coming back, they were naturally happy from ear to ear. They brought out all the steamed buns, steamed bowls, and thick wine that they were usually reluctant to eat this time. .

The weather is nice today, the sun is shining brightly. My mother and sister went to the kitchen to help. My father and grandfather sat in the yard smoking and relaxing. Fang Minghua couldn't sit still so he walked around nearby.

The New Year celebrations in rural areas are quite lively these days. There are high swings set up in the village square, young people are playing on the swings, and there are children playing grid and jumping rubber bands nearby.

Fang Minghua walked around and came back. To be honest, he was not familiar with these people and had nothing in common.

You can't just sit in the yard and listen to grandpa and dad chatting, right? They were all talking about old things, and he wasn't very interested.

Suddenly, he remembered, isn't Chen Zhongshi's hometown also in Balin Township? It seems to be in a place called Xijiang Village.

How about going over there and taking a look? Want to pay New Year's greetings?

Just do it.

Fang Minghua asked his grandfather for the specific location of Xijiang Village. When he heard that it was not far away, he said that a colleague's home was there and he wanted to go and have a look, and then he got on his permanent car.

Of course, I couldn’t go empty-handed during the Chinese New Year. I first went to a supply and marketing cooperative not far from the village and bought two kilograms of pork for one dollar and sixty cents. I also bought a pair of paper-wrapped peach cakes for fifty cents. After thinking about it, I weighed two taels of fructose. I heard that Chen Zhongshi’s family has three children.

Then I rode my bicycle quickly north along the field path, and soon came to the edge of the Bahe River. I saw a small village. Before I entered the village, I heard people singing from the dilapidated Guandi Temple next to the village. the sound of. Fang Minghua pushed the cart in and saw a large group of men, women and children sitting under the stage. A middle-aged man in his forties wearing a cotton-padded jacket was singing an opera on the stage.

Fang Minghua took a closer look.

oops
  Isn't this Chen Zhongshi?
  Although he was not wearing a costume, he was pacing, fluttering his sleeves, and arranging his beard. Accompanied by gongs, drums, and erhu, he sang in an orderly manner:
  The prince-in-law came closer to take a closer look.

It says Qin Xianglian is thirty-two years old.
  Sue the prince-in-law of the dynasty for bullying the king and despising the emperor.
  A man who regrets his marriage marries his mistress.

Killing his wife and sons has lost his conscience,

After listening to it for a while, Fang Minghua thought it was the traditional Qin Opera "Guillotine".

Qin Opera sounds effortless if you know Guanzhong dialect.

Although he didn't understand much, but seeing the audience in the audience listening intoxicatedly, it seemed that Chen Zhongshi sang quite well.

After singing a section, the audience shouted "Okay" and started applauding. Fang Minghua stood on the side and also applauded.

After Chen Zhongshi finished singing a section, he stepped off the stage to take a rest. He soon noticed Fang Minghua standing beside him and walked over.

Fang Minghua was the first to say with a smile: "Director Chen, I wish you a happy new year."

"Xiao Fang, I also wish you a happy New Year." Chen Zhongshi replied and asked strangely: "Why are you here?"

"My grandpa's family lives in Zhangjiacun. Today the whole family is coming back to celebrate the New Year. I heard that your hometown is here, so I came over to wish you a happy New Year."

"Zhangjia Village is very close to us. I have a cousin who lives in your grandfather's village.
  "Why is the director not the director? When we had mutton dip that night, didn't you call me Brother Chen?"

"That's because I drank too much." Fang Minghua was a little embarrassed.

Chen Zhongshi is currently the deputy director of the Cultural Bureau of a certain district in Xijing, so Fang Minghua is right to call him Director Chen, but Chen Zhongshi doesn't like others to call him Director, especially when writers and literati are together.

But it's really hard for Fang Minghua to call people "big brother". After all, he is already 40 years old, and he is still 20 years old, which is a generation behind him.

So I called him Teacher Chen. Anyway, Chen Zhongshi was once a teacher.

"Teacher Chen, I didn't expect you to sing Qin Opera so well." Fang Minghua said.

"I don't know anything else, just this one." Chen Zhongshi replied: "Let's go, follow me to my house."

Fang Minghua followed Chen Zhongshi into the village and came to a small farmyard.

Before Fang Minghua was reborn, he once came to the memorial hall of Chen Zhongshi's former residence, but it was not in this place but in Bailuyuan Film and Television City. It is said that it was copied from the prototype at a one-to-one ratio.

Standing in front of this small courtyard now, it does look like it, but the one in front of me is much older than the replica. There is a huge and thick plane tree next to it. The thick branches and leaves cover the main entrance. The bamboo forest on both sides of the entrance, the big The road to the door is covered in deep shade of trees.

It’s Chinese New Year time now, and there’s a couplet on the door.
  Intensive farming and good harvest
  Be diligent and thrifty for many years

It was written by Chen Zhongshi.

I followed Chen Zhongshi into the small courtyard. This is a typical rural house in the Guanzhong Plain - the houses are half-built, and there is a magnolia tree on the right side of the front yard.

At this time, a simple Guanzhong woman, Wang Cuiying, Chen Zhongshi's wife, came out. When she saw her husband coming in with a young man, she greeted her with a smile.

"Cuiying, prepare the meal. This is my colleague Comrade Xiaofang, who is also a writer."

As soon as she heard that she was a writer, Wang Cuiying hurried into the kitchen to prepare. During the Chinese New Year, the meals were relatively rich, so she quickly prepared several dishes and brought them out.

(End of this chapter)