Chapter 4 Chapter Four

one The Eyre Railway is not only the artery of this large group of life, but also connects the Feng family with Chinatown in New York.Feng's second son chose this location because it was only twenty minutes away, and he could go to Chinatown where the Chinese people gathered.They had only to walk a few blocks to the train station at Eighty-fourth Street, catch the Ayr train, get off at Chasson Square, and there was Mott Street. The two ends of Mott Street are Bowery Street and Canal Street.Mott Street looked humble under the shadowy shadow of the soaring Milestone Building.From here, a block and a half further on, there is a Spanish church, and from here the street slopes to the left, forming a broad triangle with the tram tracks and the Bowery.On the left of Mott Street there is an alley called Bell Street, which branches into a winding alley called Drow Street.The ends of these streets are crowded with people, only the area not far from Zall Street, especially in the area of ​​the Christian Home for the unemployed, the number of people gradually decreases.

Except for this area of ​​Chinatown, the rest of the population is not large.This small place is only two blocks away, but the street is full of traditional Chinese medicine stores, printing shops, dry goods stores and more than 30 restaurants.These restaurants hang bright signs and are packed on Saturdays and Sundays.Chinese people crowd into these narrow streets on weekends to meet friends, do business or have a hearty meal of Chinese food.These uprooted people, reluctant to go home during the holidays, stand on the sidewalk, watching and smelling all this with forgetfulness, to soothe their tired hearts after a week of work, while thinking about old China.They spend their time idly looking and remembering with enthusiasm and luxury, as if time would stand still for them while they were remembering.They can stand motionless for half an hour, just like those white cranes resting on one foot in the swamp, looking at this bustling and hasty world with forgetful intoxication.

Walking a little distance north along Mott Street from the intersection of Canal Street, you will find Flora's natal family, which belongs to the Italian area, and the Italians occupy the area south of Mott Street in the core of Chinatown.The Chinese area stretches from the north of Mott Street into Canal Street, through Chasen Square, through Olivier Street, Catherine Street and East Broadway, until the Manhattan Bridge. Flora's natal family was here, Uncle Cheng also opened a shop here, and the second brother rented a room on Canal Street.If the El Railroad on Third Avenue is like the orbit of a planet, Kenal Street is like the Milky Way.In a window on the third floor of this street, there is a white signboard, which reads in English: Frederick. A． T．Feng, an insurance broker!

The Feng family often went to see Uncle Cheng in the shop opened by Uncle Cheng on Mott Street on Sundays.Relatives are relatives, sitting there all day, or helping out with business.His business is quite good, selling everything in the store, such as beef, poultry, various parts of chicken, pork trotters, pig offal, fish, shrimp, Chinese vegetables; and Chinese dry goods, such as salted eggs, preserved eggs, shiitake mushrooms, Nanjing salted duck, squid, shark fin, vermicelli, etc.; bowls, incense candles, soap, medicine, Chinese almanac.All in all, he sells everything the Chinese in the United States need.His house is very deep, with a storefront in the front and a cold room in the middle. There is a narrow passage beside the cold room, which can lead to the back. The back part is Uncle Cheng's sitting room and storage room.There was a table, some chairs, a recliner, and the walls were filled with bales, bags, cans, and bundles.In the place near the inside, there is also a large water tank, in which many bean sprouts hatched.Uncle Cheng's shop became the operational headquarters of the Feng family. When they separated to go about their own affairs, Uncle Cheng's shop was where they met or left messages.Tom and Eva were often sent by their parents to their uncle's shop, and left messages for the second brother, telling him when to meet them.When the family went to Chinatown, sometimes the uncle invited them to dinner, and sometimes the second brother invited them.

The second brother is a very good elder brother, he will take his parents and siblings to see places of interest in New York.Once they were standing on the top floor of the Empire State Building, he took a look and pointed out that his work area, from Chinatown to Thirty-fourth Street, was Frederick.Von, or where Frederick had insured for Corninius Insurance Company. The whole place, with a wave of his arm, included Woosworth Building, City Hall, Wall Street, and the Statue of Liberty.Counting from my feet, this large area is all my territory.Tom, Eva, and mother, the three new arrivals, were beyond moved.And I'm a self-made man.He added another sentence.

The second brother smokes cigars, as does Philip.Maurice brand cigarettes, Tom and his family don't know why he singled out Philip.Morris cigarettes.Tom liked to see him take out the shiny metal cigarette case and say, Come on, Philip.Maurice.Maybe the name of this cigarette has something to do with it.He likes to eat Chinese food, and he also likes to find out the faults of Chinese food, such as stewed turtle meat and bamboo shoot soup!He objected: There is neither nutrition nor vitamins, it is just delicious!He believed that beef, milk and tomatoes were the most nutritious things.He told Tom to drink more milk.

A glass of milk has the same nutritional value as a pound of beef.He said so. In other words, a pound of beef is as nutritious as a glass of milk.That's what he'd say again when he egged Tom on beef. When he urged Tom to eat sour and astringent foreign tomatoes, he would say this again: Four tomatoes are equal to a glass of milk and the nutrition of a pound of beef. So far he has not mentioned his love of raisins, and soon after he stated: A box of raisins is equal to the nutrition of a pound of beef, a glass of milk, and four tomatoes.It's just that he didn't make it clear whether the conjunctions of these things are and or or.

Among the few books sold in my uncle's shop, there is a Chinese booklet of less than fifty pages, the title is "Good Life", the author is Frederick. A． T．Feng, an insurance broker, heard that this book was sponsored by Corninius Insurance Company of America.When you turn to the first page of the book, you can see the photo of the author, sitting at a desk with a telephone, looking at you with steady, confident and friendly eyes.This book collects some useful maxims, most of which have to do with thrift, patience, and exertion.There is an interesting chapter: Ways to Get Higher, which includes some aphorisms about courage and how to make up your mind, and (this part is written by the second brother) the secret to impressing others, especially how to impress Americans. Think you are a motivated person.The secrets are a strong, strong handshake, keeping an eye on your collar and smiling.He also talked about why many Chinese cannot compete with others in this country. He believes that the reason is that the Chinese are too withdrawn and they don't know how to boost their confidence.Then the next chapter turns abruptly to the question of loving your fellow man.The chapter begins with an undeniable and deeply pleading maxim: Help yourself by helping others.The content of this chapter is that Christ, Bodhisattva, and Confucius all taught us to love others.He also excerpted some maxims like the universal brotherhood.At the end of the chapter he says: Are all men brothers? (He did not answer this question himself.) If we follow the teaching of Confucius and treat all people as our own brothers, it will not only enable us to strive for the top, but also inspire our confidence.Finally, it has something to do with the last chapter.

What are really useful to Chinese readers are the three appendices at the back of the book: one is about the etiquette of eating western food, the other is about the precautions for general social interaction, and the third is about the waiter's instructions.It was a colleague of Corninius Insurance who suggested it for him.He suggested that adding these three appendices will make Chinese readers interested in reading this book. The etiquette of the western table is generally correct, for example: (1) Hold the plate with your left hand and pick up the spoon with your right hand.The spoon is held like a paintbrush.Then scoop up the soup and drink it, and put the spoon up on the right side of the plate after drinking.

(2) Cut the bread with a knife before eating it.You can also use a knife to take some cream or jam and spread it on the bread, and then eat it. (3) Eat slowly and don't make any noise even if the food is delicious.Eat your food quietly, don't discuss it. (4) Cut the meat into small pieces and don't spit your mouth on the plate.If it's bone-in meat and you can't cut the meat out, leave it alone. (5) Don't talk when you have food in your mouth.After you swallow it, say, sorry!Then answer other people's questions. (6) At a dinner party in the United States, you must never stand up or leave your seat.

(7) If the host only invites you alone, don't bring your children with you. (8) Although the fruit is already on the table, you cannot touch it until the dinner is over. (9) Be courteous and courteous, and you should behave as you would at any memorial service. For the social etiquette section, it is recommended: *Women are given priority, let women go first when boarding a car, bus or entering an elevator or underground train. *Don't ask a woman's age, or if she's married or engaged.This question would embarrass her because many American women are unmarried. *Generally speaking, talking about age is impolite, especially for older people, they don't like others talking about age.Words such as old and revered should be avoided. *If Americans praise your wife and children, don't feel embarrassed, you can also praise other people's wives and daughters, and be courteous to your own wife in public. *Shave every day. *Business calls, be concise and to the point, state your purpose directly, Americans like this, they don't have time to chat with you. The last part of the book is a full-page advertisement for Corninius Insurance Company, Frederick. A． T．Feng's office address is also prominently printed. On the whole, this pamphlet is a popular book, and its advertisement is quite eye-catching. two Summer in Chinatown is beautiful and exhilarating.Whenever the Feng family went to visit their uncle on Sunday, Flora would always go to church and then go back to her natal home to visit her parents.There are only two parents left in her family, and it never occurred to her to invite her parents-in-law to her house.Tom and Eva have been arguing to go to Flora's house to see her parents.The two children were partly because they really liked Flora and wanted to know everything about her; partly because they had never been to an American home.So they went to her house with their eldest brother and Flora. This is a house on the fourth floor, the sitting room is empty, and the chairs are very worn out.There are some chinaware and a bust on the piano, and pictures of the Duomo of Milan hang on the wall.Flora's father Gisippi.McGeo was a peddler of apples and peanuts in their shells, and he used to push his cart up and down Mott and Bayan Streets.When chestnuts were on the market, he switched to selling fried chestnuts. The people nearby couldn't remember how long this bearded old Maggie had been selling here. It seemed that as far as they could remember, he was here.Sometimes Flora or Flora's mother would come to the stall and let him rest.The eldest brother often buys peanuts from this old man, and he often stands on the street corner hoping that Flora will come. Dad, you go home for dinner!Mom is waiting for you!Flora once said that to the old man. When the eldest brother heard these words, his heart seemed to be hit violently.This sentence is like what a Chinese girl said to her father.From Flora, he saw the filial piety of a Chinese girl, and her simple Italian family also fascinated him.How he hopes that this healthy and lively girl will marry him one day. Every Sunday afternoon from one to three, Flora would sell apples and peanuts on the corner of the street, and at this time my eldest brother would go to the stand to talk to her.Two months later, there was no sign of Big Brother and Flora on this street corner, only Old McGonagall or his wife was there. This was three years ago, and old McGill did not interfere with his daughter's marriage.Flora was twenty-two when she got married.Old McGeo had seen thousands of Chinese people over the years, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with Chinese people.If Flora couldn't find a husband, it was her own fault; if she did, why should he hinder her?People of their ordinary class have no need to pretend to be gentlemen.And the Italians and the Chinese also have similarities, such as they care about face, value honor and live a slow-paced life.Something from the old world that connects Big Brother to Flora. In addition, the earning power of Chinese people in Chinatown is second to none.Flora dreams of Lowe opening a restaurant in Chinatown one day.After they got married, Flora felt that her married life was very happy, especially Roy was proud of marrying a white woman. Roy respected her very much and loved her almost with some admiration.Roy was fascinated by the Western clothes she wore, which showed off her slender and supple figure.Flora's hair also has a magical power for Roy. Whenever Flora's hair brushes against Roy's neck, Roy feels an electric shock.He loved stroking Flora's neck, feeling her hair in his hand. Feng Laoer has always been a taciturn person.When Lowe got married, he was happy, and he already had grandchildren in hope.He expected of Flora what an old trunk expects of its new branches, that it would bear fruit.He could only hope that his daughter-in-law was a reliable, secure woman, and God gave the rest.He was happy to see Flora become a good help to her husband. He had always distrusted American women, but Flora could still meet the standards of the old world.The only few times he reprimanded his daughter-in-law was for neglecting her husband.Flora automatically helped to settle accounts and fold clothes, which was a benefit he hadn't thought of.He himself had no hope of gaining any favors.He felt that he was destined to leave his hometown and go to a foreign country to iron his clothes, until the day when he retired from his old age and returned to his hometown with fallen leaves. But now things have changed, and his home has been established in this country.He's starting to feel like this is his home, and he's starting to plan for his children's future. It was a big change for Flora, too.She had been worried.Living with the mother-in-law is also one of the Italian traditions.She had seen many Italian families where the parents had always lived with their married son, but she didn't know what it would be like to live with a Chinese mother-in-law.As a result, her mother-in-law helped her a lot, and they got along well.She also does not need to kneel or kowtow to her mother-in-law.She can still go to church on Sundays to attend mass, and a portrait of the Virgin still hangs in her bedroom.The whole family does not interfere with her faith.Her mother took over the cooking, Eva helped with the dishes, and both children adored her.All in all, when she knew her status in this family, her life became more leisurely, and she really liked this lively family life from the bottom of her heart. Loy!One night she told her husband, when will we save enough to live independently? What did you say? I said we have our own home and our own store, you know, we don’t depend on our home to live independently! Live independently?You don't think about it! Loy!Honey! What's wrong with that?Mom likes you very much, and you like her very much! not like this!I like this life very much.Your family is really nice and I have nothing to complain about.But, you know what I mean, I mean are we always like this? Honey!don't you knowAll of us are a family and we help each other out.As for the money, it's yours, mine, and father's.It makes no difference anyway, we work together, eat together, and spend money together.Tom and Eva are going to school, but when they grow up, they will help too, maybe help our children to school.We should do our part to work and help.Whoever is more capable will help more.If you need a coat, you buy a coat; if I need a pair of shoes, I also buy a pair of shoes. But will it be like this forever? Nothing lasts forever.As long as our parents are alive, we are a family.When they are too old to do anything, it is our turn to take care of them, because they took care of us when we were young.This is the ideal family. Roy was right, he was in charge of the family's money and income.It's just that it's not his money, it's the family's money.