Chapter 13 twelve
Because he was the first to touch the body of guerrilla Xiaotang, Irie unexpectedly gained Yingxiang's respect and trust.Before that, she probably asked her uncle why he let the Japanese stay overnight when Irie was away.
In the past, even if they met, she seemed very cold, but now she no longer avoids it.
On the second day after returning from Danyue, when I entered the river and walked to the hanging tower, looking down at the light green field, Yingxiang also walked over.
It's a charming spring scene, look at it from here.She spoke.
Well, it is indeed very charming, and the wind is also very refreshing.
But now it's the time of war!
Staying here, I don't even know that the war is still going on.
After finishing speaking, Irie remembered yesterday's gun battle and the bang of the ammunition exploding on the carriage.
War is going on in this land.
Yingxiang walked to the side of the river, leaning on the railing, looking into the distance, as if talking to himself: War is not necessarily a cannon against a cannon, it is the people who suffer.
Irie was speechless for a moment, remembering what he had heard in Shanghai.
Although the Japanese army intends to maintain a state of point and line in mainland China, the line is often cut.
The railways between Shanghai and Nanjing and between Shanghai and Hangzhou are closely guarded because they are the most important lines.At intervals of one kilometer or one and a half kilometers along the line, small blockhouses were set up, and at least a small group of Japanese soldiers were stationed near the bridge, guarding around the clock.On both sides of the railway, there are barbed wire fences that pass through the current. People continue to touch the barbed wire fences and die, most of them are nearby residents.They did not intend to destroy the railway, but accidentally hit the power grid and died without knowing it.The real sabotage team will set up a special escalator on the barbed wire, and then easily step over it before destroying the railway or laying mines.
Innocent people are the victims of war.Yingxiang added.
I really hope the war ends soon.
Of course we hoped so too, but we didn't know how the war would end.
Yingxiang's white fingers resting on the railing are particularly bright in Irijiang's eyes.Standing side by side, Irie felt that Yingxiang was very far away, so far away that it made people want to cry.
Nationality and blood, like a vicious force, ruthlessly cut between him and Yingxiang, digging an irreparable gap.
After being silent for a while, Yingxiang stepped back and said in a low voice:
To be honest, although the Japanese soldiers are hateful, the local gangsters are even more hateful.The same goes for the Chinese traitors in Nanjing!
The so-called gangsters are people who are like guerrillas but are completely different. They are considered rogue groups.They took advantage of the instability of law and order during the war, took advantage of the fire and looted and did all kinds of bad things.They went to the non-occupied areas, claiming to be guerrillas assisting the Chinese government forces, expropriating food everywhere and taking away money.Then, he went to a place where the Japanese army could not take care of, and pretended to instruct the Japanese army to do the same thing.
It's a bunch of scoundrels who live off war.Ordinary people live a miserable life every day, but they are addicted to gambling, drinking and sex, and live their lives drunkenly.In terms of locality, as long as people who are a little passable have more or less connections with gangsters.
Recently, the Qingxiang Task Force formed by the collusion between the Japanese army and the Wang puppet regime ran amok everywhere, which is unbearable.
In Chinese, Xiang and Box have the same pronunciation, and the common people call Qingxiang Qingxiang.The rural cleaning team entered the houses and took out all the things they could see and hold out of the boxes, even the funerary objects in the coffins of the tombs.
Both Irie and Yingxiang are in the world of killing.
It would be nice if we didn't talk about war together.
Irie said.He thought so from the bottom of his heart.
However, if it were not for the war, we would not have met.Yingxiang replied.
Because I specialize in the history of oriental art, Irie will have the opportunity to come to China even if there is no war in order to do research.However, whether he will come to Yuling or not is a question.
From an artistic point of view, it has to be said that the Cliff Buddha in Yuling belongs to the third-rate.If the research is on Yin engravings (1), then the stone reliefs of the Han Dynasty in many places in Shandong Province are even more valuable.
Being attracted by childishness may be due to the longing for a free expression that is not limited to formalization and pursues individuality.Because we are in the era of war, we will be more and more eager.
Yeah, I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the war!
Irie thought.
The next day, Yingxiang went up to Yuling with Rujiang.
This is the first time the two have gone out alone.Even in Japan, Irie never walked side by side with women.I don't know what to say.The topic should not be too easy, because the other party is not an ordinary woman, but a girl who climbed a tall wooden frame as if nothing had happened.
Mr. Irie, what's your favorite food?
Being asked such a question, Irie was so surprised that he inadvertently made a strange noise.
Because the problem is too domestic.No one expected that the girl who painted the lips of the colossus would ask about eating.
eat anything, anything
Irie answered in a panic.
Yeah?I thought Mr. Irie was a very paranoid person.
Why do you think so?
Heh, if I like the Buddha statues here so much, if I am not a paranoid person, I would not come all the way here.
No way, this is the same as the young lady who can climb the wooden frame without any effort, uttering ordinary words.
Yingxiang giggled non-stop.At the age of nineteen, she can't talk about charm, but her laughter is very rich.
On this day, they tested it on the hard rock face of the third peak of Yuling Mountain.
How hard it is, try it.
Irie took out his favorite navy knife from his pocket.
What do you want to engrave?Yingxiang asked.
No, just wanted to test the hardness.
Anyway, if you want to engrave, just engrave some words, such as the first letter of the name or something.
The first letter of my name is I, just draw a line.
I'm L, and it's also very simple. It's easy to engrave without curves.Hey, can the letters of our names be engraved side by side?
Well, good!
Irie turned his knife to the rock face.
Does it have a special meaning to engrave the first letter of the names of the two men and women side by side?Irie remembered the scene of Yingxiang and Wolong standing together in the courtyard of the Guerrilla House.No matter how friendly the first letters are lined up together, Yingxiang is still a girl out of reach for Irie.
Knowing that it might be all in vain, Irie still desperately carved the blade into the rock.
Still too firm.Irie said.
The rock faces were unaffected in the slightest.
The place where he stood was the embossed part at the foot of the third peak.
Maybe the top will be softer.
Irie raised his eyes and looked up.It feels good near the lotus seat of the Buddha statue on the lower floor.There are hollows everywhere on the rock surface, so climbing tens of meters should be no problem.
Are you going to climb up and carve?
Yingxiang asked with a smile.
Climb up and try it out.
Enter the river and climb onto the cave with one foot.
Be careful, it's dangerous!
Yingxiang exhorted worriedly.
It doesn't matter, there's room for the pedals.Besides, you don't have to climb such a high wooden frame.
Ah.Hahaha
The coquettish laughter made Irie's heart itch.
As he climbed the rock, he tried to carve it with a knife.Fairly hard, the blade is damaged, a piece is noticeably missing.
Irie had no choice but to give up and climb down.
No, the knife is not strong enough and the blade is damaged.
ah!Yingxiang looked at the knife in Rujiang's hand, but it still didn't work. Shi Neng's knife was also broken here, but it was really hard.However, it was so difficult, he carved it all, I really admire him.
She looked up at the huge Buddha statue and said.
Then the two went to the second peak together.
The destination of the day is actually the Cliff Buddha on the second peak.The small statues on the lower floor have been sketched, but the Buddha statues on the upper floor look very small, and it is impossible to trace the fine parts with the naked eye.Irie used a long-focus lens borrowed from a laboratory in Beijing, which was regarded as a treasure, and put it on the camera to shoot it.
After taking pictures, Yingxiang asked:
Irie-san is only interested in Buddha statues carved with thread?
No, that's not the case.Irie replied.However, at present, I only want to focus on this kind of Buddha statue for research.If you want to study this and that, if you are distracted, everything will be half-baked.
I am not tired of this kind of thing at all, I really admire it.
work.In fact, in the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, more than half of the garrison team will go to Xinlin Town to clean up the village.I heard that there are quite old Buddha statues in the temple in Xinlin Town. I originally wanted to go and see them, but now I have changed my mind.Looking at other things will distract you.
Very picky about research, but can eat anything, how weird!
Saying that, Yingxiang smiled.
She looks like an ordinary girl.
However, Irie treated her as if he saw a hedgehog, and his whole body was tense.For example, as soon as she approached, he was worried that his ardor would not be noticed, so he couldn't help tightening his body.
Let her know that my heart is not good?Even if it is a fruitless longing, you must convey your heart to her.
Even though I thought so, I was still very embarrassed that my mind was seen through.
He pretended to be happy on the outside, but as soon as he got back to Li's house, Irie was so exhausted that he fell on the bed and could barely get up.
Of course, it wasn't just physical fatigue.
︱ ︱ ︱
(1) An engraving method in which characters or books are in a concave state.Translator's note