Chapter 2 Chapter two

Xing Le felt very bored and lonely, and didn't know how to spend the day.He will meet with Han Xing, but not until evening.When they first met a few months ago, Han Xing told him that she worked in a dairy shop on Orchard Road.She doesn't get off work until eight o'clock. Xing Le was wearing a vest and starched and well-pressed trousers, walking towards the spacious corridor.He rarely wears slippers like others.This is a habit, which shows that he was deeply influenced by his late father.Even at home, the hair is neatly combed, only a lock of hair often falls on the forehead. His indifference, shyness, and his distant eyes may all be related to his strong and special family ties. Later, he left that bond and went to Singapore to study, and now he is working as a lawyer.His sensitive eyes, sad, brooding expression and quiet demeanor made a good impression on his English employers.

Juna just said: a young lawyer who graduated from Malay University and worked in a British firm.Such a bachelor is eligible to be a candidate for the son-in-law of the Wu family.What a great irony, he thought! He left home at the age of nineteen, and his father was still alive when he came to study medicine.Later he changed his mind and studied law, because he felt disgusted when he saw the internal organs of the human body, whether they were real or colored pictures in anatomy textbooks, and he preferred the order and precision of law. When he was in college, his biggest goal was legal honors.Now that he has a bachelor's degree in law, the charm of the diploma has faded a lot.

His father was a poor teacher.Xing Le went to university, half relying on scholarships and half relying on the help of his uncle.His strict training at home in thrift, self-discipline, and reverence for books and learning made him a withdrawn, unsociable student. When he was in college, he didn't look at girls at all. Girls thought he was a weirdo because he was good-looking, with a good chin, and he was a good tennis player.His indifference and seriousness made them pay more attention to him, but he seemed to be single-minded in pursuing the scholarship of five hundred Singapore dollars a year. He was able to finish university only by this scholarship and his uncle's support.

Now he earns 200 Singapore dollars a month, sends money to his mother every month, and insists on slowly repaying the money that his uncle gave him to study in college. Uncle is really angry. Does uncle need a few thousand Singapore dollars!Isn't he his own niece!This is tantamount to denying the relationship between uncle and niece, not to mention that the uncle has no son, and he really wants him to inherit the business and share the results. Xing Le is not used to the easy life in his uncle's social circle.He felt that since he was born a child of the mountains, he would always be a child of the mountains.He envied some urban youths who could talk and laugh easily in front of girls, clapping their hands freely and full of confidence.These young men were from rich families, and some were his friends, but he could not be like them.

He only knew women like his mother, sister Mei Gong and Bai Ying.Their family is very special, poor but ideal, very happy, only care about spiritual things.He put aside his warm affection and went to study in Singapore, just because his father and uncle encouraged him, and he wanted to come too. Losing Bai Ying, he lost everything.So his face is always serious, his eyes are sad and distant, and he is not talkative, which makes his English employers and young girls pay special attention to him. Due to his loneliness, he falls suddenly and madly in love with a Eurasian girl who fits his ideal of womanhood.He was only twenty-five years old, but he felt like a thirty-year-old man, eager to get back everything he had lost.

He called his good friend Wei Sheng, a college classmate of his who now hosts a social column for Nanyang Guanbao, a major daily.Meet him at five in the afternoon. Then he suddenly remembered that he had promised to find Aunt Xiuying one weekend, she was free on Saturday, and he hadn't seen her in a month.Aunt Xiuying is his father's younger sister.She teaches Chinese and painting at a public school and looks young, unmarried.Like his father, she also loves books, literature, art and all beautiful and poetic things.She also writes poetry herself.Just like her brother, Xingle's father, she can be ecstatic about a great hero in history or a charming landscape, and she can also remain quite detached and indifferent to the interests that others are busy pursuing.Hsing Le thinks it is fine for her not to be married, and naturally, it would be very sad for her to marry a vulgar Singaporean rubber giant.She would be easily hurt.

Xing Le feels closest to her, she has known him since she was a child, so they know each other.With her, he could feel the atmosphere of home.He felt that she was a lotus flower in the mud of Singapore, emerging from the mud without being stained. He called and said he was going to meet her at the school, which was near Fort Channing.Later, he can easily come over and meet his friend Wei Sheng on Shancheng Street. Her room is exactly what it is.Facing the window is a spotless desk, on which there are neatly arranged an inkstone, a bottle of writing brushes, a lotus-leaf shaped fine jade shallow water bowl, and a white copper inscription.The pillows and sheets on the bed were neatly folded.On the wall is a landscape painting of the Ming Dynasty and a work imitating the Tang Dynasty.There is a dressing table and some cosmetics in one corner of the room.Sparse and light, everything is just right, everything is placed in the right place, and even such a small space leaves plenty of room for movement.A birdcage with a pair of parakeets hung by the window, and a miniature landscape of moss, rocks, pebbles, and lead dust was printed on a light brown china plate on top of the window sill.The green light seeping in from the window brings a cool atmosphere to the room.

How ridiculous it would be to let a rough man or a loud man live with her, throwing things around in such a quiet, tidy environment, where there is no vibration except the heart! Xing Le thought to herself again, she should never marry. You would think that she is strict and doesn't care about Xing Le's troubles.In fact, he knew that she was quite human and could always understand him. Xing Le happily talked to her about the banquet last night.She finds it very interesting. Xing Le, your temper is exactly like your father's.Your father and your uncle will never understand each other.What do you think uncle?

He was furious.He asked Juna to call me to apologize.do you think i should go Unless you want to be Mrs. Wu's son-in-law, it's not necessary. Her crisp answer satisfied him very much. Xingle's father is the eldest son, and his uncle is the second son, so he is called the second uncle, and Xiuying is called the third aunt. Third Gu, why didn't you come last night?Second Uncle invited you.He wants you there. He didn't tell me why he wanted to treat me.He only said that people from the Wu family would come.His voice sounded excited.I don't think it's interesting to meet Mrs. Wu.

She stared at her nephew and said, "Why don't you come to see me often?"How are you doing these days? So-so.I think the company kind of likes me. I don't mean those. What do you mean? Last night's dinner reminded me of your personal problems. You seem sad. real? Not really sad either.Just something on my mind. I've always been like this. Not really sad, but not happy either.I can see it.Your uncle talked to me the other day.He thinks it's time for you to get married and ask me why you don't work hard.Do you have a girlfriend? Xing Le didn't answer.

Still miss Bo Ying? Maybe.She also sent a Michelle flower two weeks ago. Yes I know.Mimiya told me that she sends you flowers according to the season.What a special girl, that Bo Ying. Xing Le's eyes suddenly lit up.He shook his head and called Bo Ying!Also, is she happy?The last time you saw her, what was she like?Xiuying returned to Xiamen during the summer vacation. You know.She is so busy doing things every day that she has no time to think about whether she is happy or not.Always busy, always with a silent smile.I believe she is almost learning to read and write.It is said that she wants to learn to read and to be ahead of her son Wangzai so that she can teach him homework. Xing Le raised her eyes, stared at her face to face, and paused for a while.i think you know Yes I know.Mimiya told me. Wang Zai is the child of Xing Le and Bai Ying.For him, she had to hastily marry her current husband, Gan Cane. Xing Le was silent for a while.Then I said: You know it just happened and we were very much in love.Mimiya knows.As far as I know, Bo Ying's mother does not know. That's why you didn't marry her? That was my last vacation from middle school.I am going abroad.She found out that she was pregnant and had to marry in a hurry.Sugarcane works on their family farm.It took me months to find out.Her grandfather is blind, she is indispensable to her family, she can't and won't come out with me Xiuying deftly changed the subject and said: The last time I saw them, her grandfather was completely blind.I have never seen a granddaughter take care of her grandfather so patiently, she is very filial to him. I know, Xing Le pondered.Everyone didn't understand, and I didn't understand why she couldn't leave her family behind and follow me.She always thinks about her family.Her grandfather needs her every day, every moment He said incoherently: I will never forget that she used to put the peeled lychees in her mouth, and without using fingers, she spit out a clean kernel from Nunu's lips, faster than us boys.If we spit one, she can spit three.She also hits targets more than 5 feet away.Her lips are so flexible.We often squat on the ground and hit lychee cores as marbles.You should have seen the smug look on her face every time her nub hit the fort. Yes.I remember that you children often play in the lychee forest.You and her are always together, hunting butterflies or lagus in the canyon below, and your brother Xingqing is always by your side. They are all caught up in happy memories.Xing Le was eloquent. When our boys come to the heron's nest, she will be the master.She often drags me there. After eating a lot of lychees, she will drag us to the kitchen, take out soy sauce, and ask us to have a sip, saying that it is better to drink soy sauce after eating the fruit. What do you mean we? Xingqing, Gancae and I, as well as other boys from the same school.She was generous as hell.Once I asked her why her teeth were so white. I knew she didn't use a toothbrush. She said that she wet her fingers first, dipped them in salt, and then brushed her teeth with her hands.The most interesting thing is that after the lychees were picked, we climbed to the tree and shook the branches.Adults usually climb up, cut off the branches and leaves, and throw them on the ground, and we children catch the branches and leaves before they hit the ground.Do you remember?After harvesting, there are always some loose fruits left scattered on the tree, and there are also a few bunches that cannot be picked on the top of the shoot.We all shook the branches vigorously.Boying often said that fruit trees like this.The more we shake it and tease it, the better it will grow next year.She said that fruit trees are like human beings, a new year comes after a new year.They also need to rest. I watched you two grow up, Aunt Xiuying said: I remember a summer afternoon.I don’t know if you remember, I was sitting on a small stool in the lychee forest with your mother and her mother.It's beautiful and cool there.Eagles circled against the setting sun.On the right is the heron's nest.The two of you headed for the hillside to the west.After a while, we saw two little heads going up and down.You climbed up hand in hand, and the golden light in the distance shone on layers of mountains and mist. I saw her raise a hand and gently flick away the teardrops in front of your eyes.She asked why are you crying?You said it was so beautiful, but she said hey, why are you crying because of this?You say yes.Maybe you don't remember. I remember. Oh, your mother and her mother both say you two are the perfect couple.I think it was Bai Ying's mother who first mentioned it, and your mother immediately agreed. Is she happy with sugar cane?Last time I went home, she said she was very happy. She's not one to brood over the past.She is happy, sugar cane is kind and honest.Now she has another child, it should be one year old, right?I must tell you.Last time she came to Zhangzhou, she also made a cheongsam.Cheongsam was very popular at that time.She was startling in her gown, completely transformed.You absolutely can't think of it! She won't wear it when she goes home. Of course, it's not okay to do farm work, but every woman has vanity.When she came to Zhangzhou, she bought some face powder and fiber flowers. These are the famous products of Zhangzhou. No!Fiber flower!She used to wear a red rose or seven lilies in her hair.You remember the creek that ran along the road to her house?We used to play a game when we were kids.There are many butterflies and dragonflies on the shore.She puts a flower on her head, hides in the bushes, and finally a butterfly will land on her head.So she got up slowly and walked away.The point of the game is to see how far she can go without scaring the butterflies away.The orange, red and black butterflies, king butterflies are easy, but the gorgeous blue and green swallowtails are sensitive and alert, and they fly away in no time.Dragonflies are also easy, we often catch dragonflies on the heather branches of small purple flowers Xiuying smiled.Her gaze made Xingle very embarrassed, he was like a little boy playing on the river bank at the moment.Xing Le stopped suddenly. What are you laughing at?he asked. You men are hopelessly romantic.I suppose in your mind she is a girl with a butterfly on her head.In fact, I often see chaff and straw in her hair.There is also mud on the feet. Xing Le completely let go, and I adore the dirt on her feet.Then laugh.You think I'm stupid, don't you?Not a single girl in Singapore is qualified to kiss the dirt on her feet. oh!The little aunt also laughed with him. At this time, he suddenly remembered the scene of Han Xing walking barefoot on the beach at low tide. But he said: You are a Christian, I am not.There is a sentence in your Bible that I really appreciate and agree with.How beautiful her feet are among the mountains!Not his God-fearing feet.That is her foot.She played barefoot until the age of thirteen or fourteen.She often quietly stepped across the grass, stood behind me, blindfolded me and said, who?I said, of course it's you!Take her by the hand.Then she broke free and I chased after her.How beautiful her feet are among the mountains!She gets up at five o'clock every day, and after the rainy night, she will accompany her grandfather to check the water level of the rice fields. Life in the mountains is so beautiful! Don't be so sentimental.You beautify everything.You're a poet, and farm life isn't all beauty.I can see that you don't like Singapore. I don't like it, nor do I hate it.You can't force everyone to like it.I am alone.Singapore is an exciting metropolis.Everything and everyone here is tense.Hot, hot, hot!Eat sand tea, and then eat cucumber.I am not glorifying farm life or country life.I'm talking about the heron's nest.i mean what do you mean I mean Boying, her farm, her grandfather, her mother, her ducks, her lychee grove and heron's nest.Bo Ying was very hardworking, as hard as an olive pit.She doesn't pretend to be sentimental.Once when she was busy, his younger brother Tiankai made trouble with her, and I saw her beat him up.Farm life made her strong and made her know the necessity of hard work and survival.It's just that Shan Jian's work and play are beautifully blended, I always feel like she is playing when she is working Xiuying was delighted to see her father's poor and conceited spirit in her young nephew.She smiled and said: I think I should portray you as a fisherman, wearing a hat and coir raincoat, holding a pole in hand, standing on a small boat in the river.That's who you really are. Xingle smiled.Thank you. The young lawyer in the eyes of others is not the real you.That's why you're so out of your mind.However, Bai Ying is already married.I understand her place in your heart.But you gotta find a nice girl to marry, right? What are you going to do this afternoon? Xing Le looked at his watch and said: I have to go.I made an appointment to meet Wei Sheng. Walking out of the empty campus on Saturday afternoon, he hailed a rickshaw and ran down the steep slope to the square near the museum.He found his friend in a second-floor building on Shancheng Street.The sun was still hot on the sidewalk. Wei Sheng said he wanted to go to the bar of the Adelphi Hotel to cool off, but Xing Le would rather go to Nantian in China.They walked down the New Bridge Road and through several crowded alleys.There are many shops behind the columns of the sidewalk, and upstairs is the residence of the shopkeepers.The whitewashed walls of these houses were mixed with blue, and were washed regularly by the rain, and most of them peeled off in pieces or turned into rows of bluish water.Except for a few shops in the lottery mall, the city has no Hong Kong or Shanghai-style high streets, with big glass windows displaying bright items catering to the middle-class rich. Weisheng and Xingle soon found themselves in the crowded, wet streets of China Quarter, lined with shops, vegetable stalls, food stalls, and a large group of Cantonese and Teochew maids with braided hair and clogs, half-naked children, and shirtless men. . Xing Le felt very uncomfortable.This isn't China, but it doesn't look like a modern Western metropolis either. He and Wei Sheng climbed to the top floor of Nantian Hotel, where Cantonese fast food and refreshments were served all day long.Waitresses in clogs came and went, rattling on the red brick floor, some with braids and some with modern hairstyles.A Cantonese maid knew them as they were regulars. It was a large room with twenty or thirty tables.The tables near the door are full of customers drinking tea, eating ice cream, and drinks.They chose an inner corner table facing the sea.Wei Sheng ordered a draft beer, and Xing Le ordered a ginger juice. They have been close since college.Weisheng and Xingle come from the same town.He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and twill trousers.The man was thin, pale, and had thin fingers.Why do young Chinese who are good at literature have pale faces and thin fingers?It didn't quite match his unruly, carelessly combed curly hair, which gave him a rebellious, even poetic look. Both are good at both Chinese and English; their topics often shift from trendy topics to ancient Chinese history and literature, which many modern college students know nothing about.Xingle feels that Weisheng can be negotiated.Both respect each other's education. Wei Sheng has a habit of holding a cigarette to his lips when talking, letting the smoke ring blow across his face, and squinting his eyes.He always sat there with his eyelids down and his head tilted back slightly.Coupled with a neat mustache, he has the expression of a red card reporter, as if he knows everything but believes nothing.Occasionally, he opens his eyes, looking brightly at the world around him which he finds interesting. Xing Le heard him say many times: As a reporter, I only report the truth, but God forbids me to tell the whole truth.Or else: I haven't said anything untrue, but I can't say every word of truth either.Otherwise, I won't be able to keep my job. He loves his job, but is not self-indulgent.I am very interested in Singapore.Simply mesmerized.I know the ugly side of life, and see through braggarts and patriotic civic leaders, but not too much.I listened to all their beautiful speeches and detailed reports, and I always felt like the husband of a fake tits and false eyelashes actress.I love all of this because it's so easy to write.But I should go to hell for thinking that the bullshit I utter every day will be taken as true.I'm just keeping a living, that's all. On the contrary, Xing Le's straight body, neat hair, and flat ironed white shirt give people the impression of a neat, well-dressed, well-educated sports youth.Even Ah Hua, a Cantonese girl at home, knew that he was working in a British company, and she took special care to iron his shirts and shine his shoes, so as to match his status with the British.Each of them admired the other's unique temperament that he lacked in himself. Wei Sheng took a big sip of beer and scratched his stiff, messy hair with his fingers.Just like yesterday, I attended a gathering of Chinese business companies.Liupi is giving a speech.He spoke in a loud voice, as impassioned as usual, and waved his thick black hands from side to side.What a great speaker.I listen.Yes, I am listening.Most of the audience are highly educated people.our own people.old generation.Mr. Lin was also sitting there in a neat coat and trousers, touching his white beard and opening and closing his fan.The kind, red-faced, chubby, and most popular banker Chen Kaisong also went.There are also serious-looking businessmen, not so wealthy, driven by a sense of duty. They are discussing the issue of setting up more Chinese girls' high schools.Do you think these people don't know what Liupi is like?But everyone sat still and listened.His topic was the moral depravity of Singapore and the need to preserve the morals of our Chinese teenage girls.Everyone looked at each other and exchanged glances.Others were giggling.He mentioned European women's hideous one-piece swimsuits, please. The roll-your-own cigarette was still on his lips, but it got wet as he spoke.Sustaining often lacks matches and forgets to bring other things.His friend lit one for him, and a small puff of white smoke rushed into his eyes again, but he continued: Of course there are no Europeans in the audience.Everyone listened quietly.Nobody wants to get in trouble.I found that the illiterate Liupi, who received sparse applause, actually wore glasses.You could tell the glasses didn't match his taut, bearded face.It can be said that he is full of flesh. Your uncle also went, sitting upright on a wicker chair, staring fiercely at the speaker, motionless like a statue, as if he was judging him. I know he doesn't get along with liuuria.You know that old bronze statue in our hallway?You can see it as soon as you walk in the door.Uncle especially liked that bronze statue, and put it there on purpose, because he bought it at an auction by overwhelming Liu Xi. Your uncle sat upright on the chair, holding on to the armrest.But he didn't move. He actually heard Liu Niu talk about the importance of protecting a girl's chastity!God, if you were a reporter like me, you'd never believe anything again.But we, the four representatives of the press, sat in the front row, desperately taking notes.After the meeting, Liupi came to ask me if I heard clearly.I repeated it.He was very satisfied after hearing it. You saw the headline this morning. Look, the conclusion is this, we need a new Chinese woman, and the reason for it is to keep their virgin hearts. The headline is on the first edition. Of course, it was his own newspaper.He was nice to us and he spent a lot of time with us.If he had anything to say to the press, he invited us to his club.Explain why he wants to do so much for Chinese society.He reminds me of General Dog Meat, holding a White Russian girl in his arms to meet the American adviser.Sometimes I almost believe he is sincere. Xingle smiled.Don't you think he is? Wei Sheng lowered his head and put out his cigarette, pursing his lips.Come on, come on, you don't believe every news in the paper, do you? Sometimes I also read the tabloids. He can also buy off the tabloids.Do you know Miss Yu Wen, that female writer with excellent writing skills and the most sarcastic?She wrote two articles on Liupia in a tabloid, and he immediately offered her a job at our newspaper.Let me tell you, Liu Ui is one of the smartest people in Singapore Wei Sheng shook his head to attract the waitress' attention.Said: Hey, another draft beer. Have a glass of ginger ale!Xing Le said. No, I don't like mixed drinks. Xingle mentioned that his uncle wanted him to marry Wu Aili, and what he himself did. You are such an idiot, Wei Sheng said: If it were me, I would have no time to snatch it, since she is a girl anyway, what difference does it make? Xing Le didn't know whether his friend was too superficial or too deep. Wei Sheng said again: Ai Li is a good girl!I would be happy to be Wu Enxi's son-in-law.God, I could not have wished for it! What if you can't stand that fat old mother-in-law? I would ask her to spend money, to spend a lot of money to separate from her daughter.Dear Xingle, you are an idealist, I will go to see her and reconcile with her, even if you don't want her, it doesn't matter, hurting feelings is nothing, this is the world. Tell me about Liupi. Do you mean the ones that have not been published or cannot be published in the newspaper? My uncle talked a lot about it.He often sent actors to his club, and every time he played with a woman for only a few months, he dumped her and replaced her with a new one. Wei Sheng frowned.I don't care that he chases girls, especially girls from poor families.Yesterday's speech sounded funny, and that's why the audience knows it.I wouldn't be surprised if he smuggled weapons and ammunition into Indonesia for girls from Batavia and Surabaya.The men at the receiving station will do it for him.Our legitimate businessmen will never do it. Then why is he the president of a Chinese business company? Because he wants to be, others don't. What did he do? As I have said, I don't care about those things.What really surprised me was that his wife was in the hospital for surgery and he refused to go to see her, and when she did, the sons begged him to go. anything else? There are many things that legitimate businessmen refuse to do.We Chinese are law-abiding citizens. When the British make good laws, we obey them obediently.The prosperity of the Chinese in South Asia depends entirely on diligence and law-abiding.We respect the British because they obey the law themselves.Our merchants all make their fortunes from legitimate business.Sometimes they would like to slit each other's throats, merchants all alike, but they don't smuggle, and they don't cheat at cards. gambling? When playing mahjong, you keep it a secret, and I will tell you one thing. Their club has a perfect flashing signal system, and a Mr. Lin from Penang Island was robbed of 100,000 yuan overnight. how? You know that when mahjong is played in the club, there are waitresses coming and going to deliver wet towels, drinks, cigarettes and fruits.He would instruct one of them to peek at the other party's cards, and then go upstairs to make a call, pretending to be a call from outside, and Liu Ui would pick up the nearby microphone to listen. If you try to confuse him with something, the other party will have no chance at all. Of course, you can't use this trick too often.There are other tricks, the waitress can come up and ask the other party if they want water, beer or whiskey. These words represent different sets of cards. Have you been there? Once or twice. It's a big square room, you know, with windows on three sides facing the sea.Little electric lights red, green, blue, and yellow hung outside the window.The blue light flashes, indicating that the other party is about to blow the wind.A flashing red light means bamboo and so on.The lights inside were too bright, and the other party was unsuspecting and couldn't see the small lights outside. Lost one hundred thousand in one night! Guess what?Mr. Lin became his slave for life, as long as Liu Niu threatened to recover all the debts, he had to obey him obediently. how do you know? Oh, many people know that his accomplices can't help telling good friends about such things, and some of the maids who have left their jobs will tell. Xingle stood up, walked to the phone, and called Juna to tell Juna that he was going home for dinner.He went back to the table, paid for the drink, left a tip of fifty cents for the waiter, picked up the sun hat, and they walked out.Xing Le walked briskly, the girls couldn't help but look at him more.