Chapter 6 six
There was a frozen silence on campus.The bedroom was also frozen silent.
Everyone is preparing for the final exam.
On the eve of the exam, according to Lao Su's description, nine out of ten of these quasi-bachelors had plague. Lao Gao and Lao He in the same dormitory were the kind of plague students who gnawed on small books.Nansen and Lao Su are congenial in this regard, and they both adopt the coping principle, and they also put forward their mutual theories for research and discussion, and invent each other.
There are four of us, four looks, Lao Su said: You are energetic, narrow-minded, like to think wildly, and you are very popular, especially in front of girls.I'm the first one, and I'm too impetuous to eat things, but it's true that I don't have any evil intentions.
What are Lao Gao and Lao He's comments?Our Socrates.
Lao Gao is purely hiding in the utopia of knowledge. Sometimes his remarks are correct, but his human touch is relatively weak, and sometimes he is simply too superhuman, appearing mysterious and unreal. With his way, no one is willing to reward him with a job of.Lao Su shook his head in a Socratic manner and said, "Old He, hey, hey, it can be regarded as a movable bookcase, just load books in, a typical plague."how?
Hey, beg to differ.Nansen said.
With Nansen's backlash, Lao Su became very angry.
We are here to study, not to study grades. Obtaining grades by rote memorization does not represent true knowledge at all, does it?It's just that if the professor has a beautiful daughter in his family and doesn't want to marry unless he has a high score, then that's another matter!
In fact, no one in room 204 is a bookworm. Nansen said: It's just that the two of us adopted the superficial approach, and the two of them adopted the step-by-step approach, which seemed more cautious!
In fact, what Nansen said was very true. He has a strong desire to read books, and only Lao Gao can compete with him.Lao Gao is very specific, but he covers a wide range of subjects, especially in literature, political science, philosophy, and history. Of course, he often touches all the extracurricular books in the department and skims them quickly. This kind of quick skimming is called superficial reading.
Sitting in the dormitory and working hard, I feel very cold, especially in the rainy weather, my hands are wet and freezing, and I am numbly grasping the book, as if my heart is also numb.The taste of reading for the exam is a bit of that.Old Su came up with an idea, chose the welfare agency to read books, and talked while reading, which is a veritable superficial touch.
If I add a word of fire next to the test word, I will definitely support it. Old Su said: chatting by the fire in the cold weather is much more learned than the test!If I were the president of Dongda University, I would innovate and change the exam into a fireside oral exam, and allow students to drink old wine, in order to increase inspiration.
It's a pity that you, old Su, don't have that amount, and you won't be able to govern the East China Sea in this life.
Hey, so my old Su is putting lime on his mouth, for nothing.
Exams in winter are not too hard, and I am refreshed and froze out.Nansen said: Actually, except for the stress of fighting for the top three and the guys who skipped class all day, we are quite carefree.After the exam, go home for the New Year, seize the opportunity to eat extra meals, and prepare to add a few kilograms of fat to be used in the next semester. This can be regarded as an advance savings.
We really flew out of Zhuangzi's getaway. Old Su said: I have never been nervous about exams since I took the kindergarten exam with bare buttocks. Now you know what I am thinking about?
Your hometown in the country, I guess.
What's there to remember?It's a few hours away by train, and my old man's life style remains unchanged.Lao Su said: I miss the farewell dumpling party held by Mr. Chen for us. I think I should eat a hundred of them. When I go home, I won’t even have the bento on the train!
Nansen smiled dispensably. Old Su is really an uncompromising optimist. At this moment, he is still relaxed from the inside out. Compared with him, he feels that his relaxation is fake. On the surface He was laughing and joking like Lao Su, but there were many things in his heart.
The city rising rapidly and crashing towards us hurts people's consciousness, which can be regarded as nostalgia. The impression of the past has just been washed away by the blue color of Dadu Mountain, but now it has returned quickly, and it is gloomy. Pressed by people, that city is a kind of weight to Meizhen and herself, an invisible weight that is hard to shake off.After the exam, it's time to pack your bags and go home, to meet up with Taipei after a long absence, to reunite with family members, to see Meizhen and other friends from middle school, of course I long for it.However, looking back at the gloomy Dadu Mountain, the past six months have been so beautiful. Although the atmosphere here is a little soft and floating, it is always free and joyful. There are no rigid or even upside-down rules. That much educational red tape formed by so many wrong experiences.The days slipped by quickly and silently, and people have to feel some slight condolences.
I also thought about it: time will temper a person to become mature, but when a person matures, too many good times are hard to catch back.During the period when I was with Meizhen, both of them were very naive, pure and persistent, and promised each other more than once that I would be a person who would contribute to society in the future, no matter what kind of person I didn’t understand at the time. Contribute to society?The two still stubbornly adhere to this creed, always thinking that one day, as long as they climb up and shout, they will clean up the thorns in the whole world.This lofty, romantic, passionate dream that is almost frantic, powerfully promotes and oppresses people, making people bravely step on time to mature, and at the same time makes people often feel lost.Such youthful waves are surging, too busy to see the life of an ordinary person clearly, and ignore many basic facts that must be faced. They often explain everything beautifully according to their own concepts, even with Meizhen Emotional relationships included.
Brother Ha, what's wrong with you?Why do you always love to be in a daze?Just by looking at the slightly crooked corners of Lao Su's mouth when he spoke, one could tell that he was about to go astray again.
You miss home, but I do miss home!
How unhappy, Old Su said: Hang your emotions on your mother's nipples, maybe one day you will go to Africa, so what should you do?I don't advocate that everyone's emotions are frozen, but sometimes you need to get used to it, otherwise, if you stick to your wife in the future, you will be trapped in a cocoon.
Is it not as serious as you said?
As long as you know it in your heart, Old Su said: When you wake up at night, you still bring the precious biscuit box over, and read the love letters one by one.
It's not like that at all, listen to me
Forget it, it’s that cliché again, what a pure friendship, without any distracting thoughts, the facts speak louder than words, brother ha, since you are not in love with her, then it doesn’t count that you fell in love with the little fairy Heartbroken, empathetic, I ask you now, why did you pack up your emotions and take them back to Taipei intact, that is to say, you already have a subconscious mind in your heart that you will not marry.
Old Su, please don't shout.Nansen said.
Socrates spoke louder than that.
We are not giving lectures, we are reading books!
how?Only books are learning, isn't that considered learning?I encourage you to fall in love, it can be said that it is the foundation of helping things, and there is nothing great about it.
The days passed in this calm and relaxed atmosphere. When the exam was over, although I felt light, I was paralyzed by the sudden looseness.As Lao Gao described: With nothing to do, people become a bunch of disassembled machines, except dancing.
This is how the dumpling party started.
Teacher Chen is very enthusiastic, and there are many students who come here, Xiaocui, Dawa, Little Fairy, the four monsters from room 204, and several four-eyed frogs who love literature too much, all of which raised the temperature in the living room half a degree.The girls are always willing to show off their skills in making dumplings, and the boys are unwilling to be lonely, so they fight and come over to help, making dumplings and singing loudly at the same time.
Old Su made a lace dumpling, held it in his palm and offered a treasure, saying:
Look, the latest style in 1963 is my favorite masterpiece. This lace is completely inspired by Dunhuang and Yungang.
After talking about it for a long time, you didn't say what it is?A male student wearing glasses in the Chinese Department stretched his head, pushed the lens and said.
How nearsighted are your eyes?Old Su said.
Six hundred for the left eye and seven hundred for the right eye.
Go back and get some eye drops.Lao Su said: This is a dumpling, and some people in the north call it a dumpling.
My God, if you don't tell me, who would believe it is a dumpling?The classmate retorted and said: "Your abstract technique has no limits, and you missed all the stuff!"
No, no, Lao Su looked at it again, his face grew long and he said: It took me more than ten minutes to knead such a treasure by Seiko, and one guy missed the bottom, isn't it more sad than the National Palace Museum smashing the national treasure?
You young masters, lie down there and be sad, Xiao Cui said with sharp teeth: I don't need your services here, the more Idiot Guo helps, the more I help.
Do you know what daffodils mean when they say this?
According to your old Su, what does it mean.
Old Su pinched his nose with his dumpling hand, and it immediately turned into a white nose (animal name). He pointed to the girl and said:
She is pretending to be a good wife and a good mother, and she is advancing by retreating, luring us into a trap. This is an outpost of kitchen culture and living room culture. I dare say, whoever wants to walk through the wedding march with her in the auditorium will have a lot of time After being fascinated, even if you are really a lion and a tiger, you must become her captive.
How much money do you think you are worth?Xiaocui said: I don't believe it, I can bid you a price, a boy who makes a dumpling with leaking stuffing in ten minutes, sells it for three yuan, who would want it?Okay, now it's fifty cents cheaper, two yuan five, two yuan five, who wants it?Well, two dollars, one dollar five, one dollar, eight cents, fifty cents, and only one cent!There's no way, old Su, you're not even worth a dime.
The atmosphere became warm from here, and everyone hoped to dilute the short-term sorrow of parting with smooth laughter.In the living room, Lao Su confessed that the reason why he failed to make dumplings was because he was absent-minded, and he then explained that absent-mindedness was the meaning of a drunkard.
Too yellow too yellow!Lao Gao said.
It should be said to be very elegant.Lao Su said: Lao Su doesn't care about dumplings, but Xiaocui's white hands.
Don't play a buffoon there, Nansen said: Tomorrow morning we will pack our bags and go home. We should talk about some serious things tonight.
Is it possible to pretend to be serious?Even if it can be pretended, it is a kind of prudence.Old Su said: It's far less enjoyable than our casual talk.This semester is faster than a fast car, and it will be over in a blink of an eye. The past is gone, and there is no point in chasing after the horse. I advocate not looking back and sighing. Let's talk about how to use the winter vacation.
Just in time again?Lao Gao stood up, put his hands in his coat pockets, and walked back and forth.
That is your business.Old Su said: I want to sleep.
Somehow, Nansen suddenly got tired of this kind of talking and laughing.Since you can't pretend to be serious, you can't pretend to be funny either.He regretted why he didn't stay alone in the dormitory, but wanted to be with everyone, forcing a smile, but he didn't feel that way at all.
He walked over to the girl's side again, and the big baby stretched his legs to push a stool, beckoning him to sit down, and said to him softly:
Nansen, don't lock your eyebrows like you lost something, I think you should be happier.
Maybe I'm taking it too seriously and feeling empty inside.
Does Meiqian understand what he means?said the big baby.
It should be said that I got part of the experience.Meiqian raised her black eyes, looked at Nansen and said: Actually, I often have the same feelings as you. I was anxious and painful earlier.
What now?
The smile on Meiqian's face deepened, as if shining on her forehead, she said:
A friend told me like this: Don't tell us the great names in history. When we are young, it is the most glorious time. Although we know that youth is not durable, we will learn to master it patiently.I don't know what you think?
I know it's true, but I've never been used to accepting maxims.
I am also like this, I would rather explore and experience by myself.Meiqian said: But, sometimes, it also has unexpected uses, making us know that fantasy and urgency are also useless.
Nansen nodded, Meiqian's soft voice dripped into his anxious heart, and every bit of it turned into refreshing coolness.It was the first time he discovered that her clear wisdom was the power of her life.
If only I could be as sensible as you, that would be great!He moved the stool forward and said: I am Cheng Yaojin as the pioneer, and I always hope that the three axes can solve any problem.
Meiqian smiled and did not answer, but the big baby said:
What's the question that's worth swinging your knife at?Are you in love?In fact, you are not the ideal object in the eyes of girls. You can be said to be very indifferent to your Meizhen, even I feel sorry for her!
Several girls laughed out loud while pinching the dumplings, Nansen's white face turned red from their laughter.Yes, at school and at home, I am a potted plant that is held up and cared for, where the leaves are stretched out and the roots are stuck there. Until now, I haven’t really touched the vastness outside the pot. What kind of problems are there worth swinging an ax without living an independent life for a day?
The ideals set off by embracing concepts too eagerly may just show their immaturity.
The big baby is telling the truth.
At this moment, he made a very sudden decision: after the dumpling party was over, he immediately went down the mountain with his luggage and took the overnight train back to Taipei.He wanted to wake up from his dream and take advantage of the winter vacation to freeze his brain well, but he didn't tell the big baby what he wanted from the bottom of his heart.
Hey, Brother Ha, why did you suddenly become wooden?
Oh, maybe it's because of parting feelings.
The dumplings are ready, let's dance.Xiao Cui said: When the record player is turned on, the sofa jumps up as soon as it is dragged, so as to trample off the feeling of parting happily, so as not to be indigestible after eating dumplings.
Dance?Old Su's ears were very sharp, he was talking here, he was listening there, and shouted: "Let me dance, I am the teacher of the shoe dance, and I promise to be first-class."
Time passed in a cheerful atmosphere, and everyone seemed very happy. They turned off the chandelier, turned on the music, and danced in the small soft dim stage lights, one after another.Nansen used flat feet again as an excuse, sitting in a corner of the living room and watching, Xiaocui's dance steps are very proficient, Meiqian's dancing posture is still so graceful and light, but he is always a bit dull, even he doesn't understand why it is like this?At least he knew it wasn't parting.
Leaving Mr. Chen's house and returning to the dormitory, he was busy packing his luggage. Old Su dragged him and said:
Brother Ha, your bed cost money, and tomorrow morning, there is still a steamed bun to eat, why do you have to wear a moon and a star to rush back?
Let you eat a double portion, okay?
It's a pity it's not the right time.Lao Su rubbed his stomach, hiccupped and said: My dumplings haven't been digested yet.
What time do you plan to take the car?Lao He said: I will help you carry the suitcase and give you a ride.
Whatever time it is.Nansen said: Anyway, there are a lot of buses at night, I bought the ticket, and when I have time, I will go shopping and take the Carmen.
Alright, Lao He will send you off on our behalf.Lao Gao wiped his eyes, yawned and said, "I'm going to find Duke Zhou, we can meet in Taipei."
I just rubbed my feet to see off.Old Su said: After rubbing two pieces, you have arrived in Hsinchu.
If you think the night train is lonely, you can change your mind now. Lao Gao got into the bed and said: Tomorrow after eleven o'clock, we will be on the same train. There are many students returning to Taipei, which can fill up a car.
Forget it, he is a character with a hazy character (meaning in love), and he is absent, why do you keep him?Let him go as soon as possible!Old Su sat on the edge of the bed, crossed his legs, grabbed the toe of the sock with both hands, pulled out one of his socks like a snake in a tree hole, waved it in his hand and said: Goodbye, brother Ha, there is sugar Send it for me, so that our roommates in the same dormitory can also share a little bit of the sweetness of love.
Let's go.Lao He carried the box for Nansen.
They both came out laughing.After dark, the campus is always so bleak and mysterious. Star-like lights are dotted among the bushes, and there are colorful leaf shadows everywhere. Footsteps step on them, as if they are traces of time, step by step, suspiciously true and unreal Step over.
Hey, how are you going to spend your winter vacation when you go home?Nansen said.
Practice tennis.He Liangtang said: I am also planning to go to Alishan.
That's great!Nansen said enviously: Near Taipei, there are no mountains that are so high that people can enjoy the snow. The winter in that city is the rainy season, and the mold is very wet and greasy, and the bones are all soaked in water.
It is always a joy to celebrate the New Year around the fire in the house.He Liangtang said: There are a lot of people in Taipei City, and if one person exhales the heat, it will also heat up the place. If you squeeze together, people may be more satisfied.
It had no choice but to be like that, but unfortunately it lacked a climax.I mean the climax of life.
He Liangtang changed the box from hand to hand, and said with a hint of sarcasm:
Life is always plain and complicated. It is not a romantic novel, not a so-called moving story with twists and turns. If we can grasp the passing days and make it more real, it is already good. Where will there be any climax? !
Lao He, this is the first time, I found that you are very good at speaking.
Just don't want to talk about it, do you?
correct!I mean it.Nansen said: But I don't know why you don't want to talk more?
Earn from being obedient, pay by speaking, are you willing to earn?Still willing to pay?He Liangtang said very gently: That's why I always keep my mouth shut when there are many people.
Dude, you should be a banker!
The two walked out of the school gate and stopped under a row of dark tree shadows. Nansen took the box and thanked him:
See you in three weeks, Lao He, first of all I wish you a happy new year!When I return to Taipei, I will stop writing to you.
That's fine, I'll save you from replying.
Lao He smiled and walked away.Now, Nansen was left alone under the shadow of the black tree waiting for the highway bus.Loneliness is sometimes a kind of happiness that allows people to enjoy it. When you taste it carefully, the taste is like an olive, with a slight bitterness and a little sweetness.
There are not many passengers on the highway bus at night. Maybe it is because the weather is too cold or it is close to the end of the year. This road with thick shades looks strange and gloomy, which makes people want to whistle.
When I arrived at the train station, I bought a ticket and sent my luggage. There are still more than three hours before the time to drive. Where should I spend this time?Let's go to Carmen!It wasn't until I got out of the station that I realized that it was raining suddenly; the rain wasn't heavy, but it was scattered and slanted by the wind, and it fell silently, hitting people's faces with a bone-chilling chill.Nansen shuddered, then retreated back down the corridor, stretched out his hand to turn up the collar of his woolen jacket, and stared at the square in a daze.
Some people came running through the rain.The bus drove past under the street lamps that flickered like balls. A girl was carrying several pieces of heavy luggage and strenuously crossed the square. The small suitcase kept kissing her knees. .
This time it was he who called out first!
Meiqian, why are you catching the car tonight?
Is it Brother Ha?Here we are again!She gasped.
Let me help you with your luggage.
It was a coincidence that the rain fell, as if it was deliberately playing tricks on people.She pouted and said, "It doesn't fall early, it doesn't fall late, it landed just as I was getting off the road bus, which made me walk through this square, and my whole body was soaked."
Don't complain, he said: Tomorrow, I will remember the Dragon King once.
Are you taking a ride back tonight too?When she walked to the corridor, she asked this question.
Well, why else would I be here?
That's great, she said: We happened to be in the same car.
It should be said that it is the same station.He said: I go back to Taipei, and you go back to Kaohsiung. It happens to be one south and one north. How could they be in the same car?
Do you know where I am going?
Isn't it home?New Year approached.
I went to my aunt's house in Tamsui to celebrate the New Year.Meiqian said: My aunt’s child has gone abroad, and she is very lonely by herself. She wrote to my father asking me to accompany her, and I received the letter in the afternoon.
Is it appropriate?Your fiancé also stays with you in Taipei during the winter vacation, and won't go back to Kaohsiung?
What's wrong?He was very relieved, knowing that I couldn't escape.Meiqian blushed and said with a smile: I am not with him during the holidays, I am happy to be quiet and quiet, his personality is soft and sticky, the standard brown candy, being with him is very hot, but also very tired .
You like to eat brown sugar, so how can you blame it for sticking to your teeth?Nansen said: Hurry up and buy a ticket to send your luggage, change our seats together, and we can have a good chat tonight.I feel like I should learn a lot from you.
I'm so surprised that we meet each other by such a coincidence every time.Meiqian said: Are there really so many coincidences?
Maybe it's because I'm not brown sugar, so you don't have to get bored and avoid me on purpose.Nansen jokingly said: That's why after one chance, two chances follow. When we play cards, don't we often catch three aces or three kings?Once you get used to it, it's not surprising.
After the two bought their tickets, Nansen suggested:
On Christmas Day, we took the carmen, and we didn’t have time to sit for a while. Tonight is very rich, and we still have three hours to listen to music and chat, how nice!
Another glass of boiled water?Meiqian said: "Meeting you in a coffee shop is considered a lucky star. If there is good luck, there is no wealth."
This time is an exception, I call coffee, the whole pot.Nansen said.
Through the window pane, the rain reached out from the darkness and tapped, more and more urgently.
Tropical fish and algae still draw quiet colorful patterns. On this rainy night, they wonder if they have dreamed of the ocean, shells, rocks and multi-eared corals that grew in the past.
What the music is playing is Du Buxi's sea.
What do you two want to eat?
Nansen raised his head, and Xiaoqiu was standing beside him with a smile. His white waiter's coat was quite neat, and the colorful flower scene set off his shadow, making him even more energetic.
Xiaoqiu, don't you go home for the New Year?Nansen said.
It's still early, there are only three days of rest here.Xiaoqiu said: What to eat?Is it still plain water?Senior.
A pot of coffee, three cups, if you have time.
Thanks, I don't have time.
We are here waiting for the bus to go to Taipei, two hours later, please say hello.
Sure, sure, we were close to closing then.
The faint aftertaste of loneliness did not disappear in Nansen's feeling. He looked at Meiqian and thought of Meizhen, and he could clearly tell that his missing for Meizhen was only for friendship, not for love. Haven't experienced love yet.
The music flowed smoothly, with some Arabic flavor.
He suddenly felt strange, every time in a crowded place, he and Mei Qianxi had never been as close as they were in Carmen, and only when two people faced each other would he feel her many enviable advantages: Frank, funny, sometimes very witty, sometimes gentle and tolerant, he really needs such a friend.
She sipped her coffee and started talking to him about Meizhen.
Brother Ha, I really shouldn't ask you any more, she said: What's going on with your relationship with Meizhen?Don't just use friends and friends to perfuse me, even friends can go further.
I don't know why you are asking this?Nansen pondered for a while, then raised his head and said: Do you think we need to go further?
Of course, Meiqian said slowly: I imagined it for her. Although she is calm and strong, she is struggling alone with misfortune on her shoulders, but she needs your comfort and encouragement.The power of love is the greatest.
However, you know my situation. Work camps, K books, and exam preparations have all taken up my time. I think that when I am studying, it is not suitable for dating. I don’t have the time and energy to go further. Even her I haven't been able to reply on time.
My God, who gave you the nickname Romeo?Meiqian said: Don't you feel ashamed?
Hehe, I just feel disrespectful.
The more I look at you, the more I feel that you are a Lu man who doesn't understand love at all.
Maybe yes, Nansen said: I have never been a mandarin duck or a butterfly, and I am born without that romantic temperament.
A person who only falls in love once in a lifetime can be interpreted as romance?Your words are somewhat sour.Meiqian added: Do you sometimes feel that Meizhen is in love with you?
That was something on her mind, how would I know?At least, in the letter, she never said so.
Hey, you don't mind if I call you a fool?
Will not.Nansen said: Wheat melon, watermelon, pumpkin, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, call them whatever you want, I never mind these.
You're nothing but a fool!Meiqian said: How can there be such a girl in the world who directly writes the words "I love you" in the letter?At least in our country it is rarely heard.She will make a lot of hints, for example, she is lonely, remembers your birthday, and never forgets the festival, making you feel that she often misses you, cares about you, is careful and gentle, and so on, that's it.
You are just a general concept, ten dollars can buy several books like this.Nansen said: Meizhen's character, I know best, she never bends around, and neither do I.Let's not talk about this anymore, shall we?The coffee is almost cold.He said that and felt sorry again.
I'm sorry, Meiqian said softly: Are you upset about this?Finally, I would like to persuade you to take advantage of this winter vacation to visit her sincerely, even if you are friends, if you don't move around often, you will gradually become indifferent.
Meiqian's words were a reminder. Nansen remembered that in the past six months, he had devoted all his enthusiasm to Dadu Mountain. Only when he was lonely occasionally would he think of Meizhen. What he really gave her was just a few letters. A few lines of words, if you don't move around often, you will gradually become indifferent. Didn't those lovers who were once very close in elementary school all naturally become indifferent during the passing years?
Of course, he said: I should see her.
If possible, I also want to meet her. Meiqian said: Didn't you say that Meizhen would like to know me?
Yes, I believe you will become very good friends in the future.Nansen said: Although the two of you have different personalities.
Chatting also has a very strange and magical nature. The two chatted speculatively, and the conversation deepened and cut off. They started talking about Meizhen, talked about society, talked about literature, and kept talking about Carmen's closing.
We should go.Meiqian said.
Where are you going?We still have a full hour.
It's raining heavily, shall we go wandering in the rain?
Let's go to the station, the station with Swallow's Nest is very emotional.Nansen Lun: We chatted all night, I couldn't sleep in the car, how about you?
accompany.Meiqian said: Staying up late chatting is much easier than staying up late on exams.
He and she stepped out of Carmen and called a tricycle with the awning up.The cold rain swept and fell like smoke, and the light balls were flowers that bloomed in the night rain, and they were arranged brilliantly.Meiqian's smile is also a flower, and the lights from the transparent plastic sheet are all gathered on her face and forehead. In her deep black eyes, there are no words that can express a person's youthfulness. Color, it should be a living and floating dream, even she can't describe it herself.
It doesn't matter whether it's a coincidence or a coincidence, this night's conversation made the friendship between Nansen and Meiqian subtly closer, and the speed was just like the night express train they took.
When Nansen returned home, he fell into hibernation depressed.
The entire Taipei Basin is soaked in the winter rain, the sky is like a huge lead plate, and the haze is so lifeless; the vehicles are like some hard shell insects, crawling on the streets full of water, and the pedestrians passing by , all under the umbrella, showing a dull feeling of being oppressed by the weather.
My family lives on the hillside of Zhishan Rock, where there is no winter and no worries. The rough stone steps are covered with moss after layer of moss in the perennial dampness. As time goes by, they turn into dark brown spots. In winter, it is rainy. In those days, those moss trails became sticky and slippery, like a layer of grease. At the foot of the mountain, the freshwater river like a gray belt tied the familiar city.
Some people like to visit here and there when they go home during the winter vacation. The aunts here and the aunts there are full of friendly greetings. They always feel that they have entered the university and come home. .Nansen didn't necessarily think it was too vulgar, but he just felt bored from the bottom of his heart.
Let's just hold up an umbrella and go down the mountain to go shopping, but there is no place to go. The prosperity of the new district of the city seems to be developing in the direction of sightseeing and entertainment, which is not my favorite place at all.
In the lonely and dusty small study room, there are boxes of beloved literature and art books, which are enough for my own mind to wander.In addition to the suffocating weather outside the window, there is a reassuring and lazy warmth at home after all.
Years ago, Lao He wrote a letter in which he talked about his trip to Alishan, the forests covered with snow, the valleys stacked with ice edges, the small wooden buildings surrounded by clouds and mist, and the literary feelings. It is so luxuriant that it can be put on the school magazine, so that those who have not been there can wander; Lao Su also made a postcard to meet the occasion, with a few crooked lines, justifiably wasting a postage stamp.
Brother Ha:
I have enough sleep and enough eggs. If my old man is not careful about candles, he wants me to be Mr. China. This is the standard of health in his mind, and I am being forced to move towards his ideal.
I don't have to reply to my letter, but I have to write a love letter. I wish you all the best!Old Su
Maybe it was to kill boredom, Nansen took the letterhead, and still wrote back to them. He told He: Alishan’s frozen milk-like air can be bottled and shipped to sooty Taipei to be sold as a tonic. You can breathe for free. It can be said to be very luxurious.He told Lao Su:
Old Su:
Helpless, I'm hibernating, although I'm not that kind of animal.
I stay in a small room all day long, with the house on my head, and the roof is covered with moderate rain. The air seeped by water is moldy, and the goods cannot be returned. Our lung lobes have undergone chemical changes. This is what happened to me. winter.
I really don't have the mood to think about the love you often talk about.
The building blocks of our cells are different.
Nansen
He thought the last sentence was too ridiculous, so he crossed it out after writing it. After writing the letter, he realized that he had to run down the mountain to send the letter. Why didn't he and Meizhen write a letter and send it together?
It was the same stack of letter paper, the same pen, and he wrote two words: After Mei Zhen, he didn't know how to write down.No matter what he was writing earlier, the pen in his hand had never been so heavy, which made him uncontrollably troubled, and even he couldn't figure it out, was it because Meizhen's environment made people's emotions heavy?Or was it that damn old Su's damn word that affected his mood?
love?love?love!
No, that won't happen, Meizhen and I are just acquainted friends, and there is such a voice in his heart, but this voice is becoming weaker and weaker; the fierce thunderstorm night, the strange trembling flashes, the roaring The rushing waterfall-like eaves, the thin black shadow with delicate brows emerging under the dark porch, in that short and vague glance, there is indeed concern and a very strong love and affection, but it is not as good as the general description So sweet it turned out to be bitter.
It's been several days since I went home, and I haven't even written a letter to her. Didn't I promise to go to Meizhen during the winter vacation when I was in Carmen that day?If Meiqian knew how lazy she was, what would she say!
With such distress, I finally wrote a short letter:
Meizhen: I’ve been home for several days, trapped by the rain,
There are many things in my heart that I want to tell you. Before New Year's Eve, I will definitely visit you and bless you.
Nansen
In addition, he also gave Meiqian a note:
Meiqian: How does winter in the Taipei Basin taste?
Eating more red bean soup can prevent rheumatism. In such a damp and bitter rainy season, I have to disclose the secret recipe.Around the New Year, we should seize a sunny day and go somewhere to get some fresh air, otherwise, our lungs will become vacuum cleaners.Nansen
Holding an oil-paper umbrella, he went down the mountain to Shilin, and sent the four letters together. Only then did he feel more at ease and refreshed, perhaps because the sense of guilt in his heart was lessened.
When you send a letter, you have to wait for a reply. Psychologically, there is always a feeling that you will reap melons if you sow melons, and you will reap beans if you sow beans.The postman with the parcel had to climb the hillside twice a day to deliver letters to the residents in this area in the rain. The dogs were so bored that they were locked up. When they heard the sound of footsteps stepping over the water-logged stone steps, they barked frantically together. , the bark sounded three parts to join in the fun and two parts to welcome guests.
Letters came every day, mostly business letters from father and brother, tax bills, real estate quotations, etc., until I realized that my neck grew longer, and Meiqian in Tamsui wrote back, but Meizhen had no paper or words at all.
Are you mad at yourself?Nansen's heart has been hanging.
The days in front of me seemed to be empty and blank.
It was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye, and the sky still had a gray face, and it was raining like weeping. Even though he was a little afraid of seeing Meizhen's angry face, he still gritted his teeth, took an umbrella, and decided to go down the mountain and enter the city. Ridge Street to her house.
Rainy days cannot prevent people from being busy with the Lunar New Year habit. On the corridors of Taipei’s city streets, there are still old and rich scenes of the year: women with umbrellas and vegetable baskets constitute a busy and joyful landscape; piled up on the glass windows A large number of New Year's goods outside, brightly colored balloons, dazzling posters, greedy fruits, and clusters of flowers meander here and there, flashing outside the shaking window glass through some thin rain and fog. Move, into a hazy landscape.
But in the area around A Brighter Summer Day, it was much more desolate than usual.
Nansen got off the car on Nanhai Road, covered in rain and fog, and walked slowly along the corridor, looking into the distance with confused eyes. On normal days, there are at least dozens of houses under the wooden sheds on this street.半露天的書攤子，挨挨擠擠的連接成一個頗為特殊的文化市場，有人戲稱其為垃圾堆上的仙人掌。他曾經犧牲過若干可以嬉遊，可以休閒的假日，頂著風，冒著雨，或是曬著秋七月的大太陽，終天在這兒留連、瀏覽或選購。他跟大部份的書販們攪得很熟悉，他一來，認識他的書販都會主動的招徠他，揀幾本估量他會適意的舊書，而且在價錢上算得很寬。如今，街還是那付老模樣兒，木棚都覆下了，布篷也收拾了，只有一些用肥皂箱和雜木板釘成的書架還鎖在那裏，使那些書籍，像擠在一間沒窗的悶屋子裏躲雨乞丐一樣。
雨落著，天是鉛灰色的，雨也是，街也是，一道長長的圍牆裏，探出一些園樹鬱綠的枝幹，覆著冷寂無人的人行道，綠葉子的尖緣滾滴著淚粒樣的水珠，灰裏滲著陰黯的綠，那份光景是惹人回憶的夢色，往日那種親切的、熟悉的情境，又都在雨裏慢慢的浮現了，高中時代的腳印彷彿並沒被雨水沖刷掉，一切都恍如昨日，而自己明明知道，凡是過去了的，都難得重回了。
記得有一次，和眉珍一起去學校，路旁有家木材行，戟齒似的大杉木排列著，眉珍頗有感觸的說：
看看這些木頭罷，它們也森林過呢！
於是，他們就這樣的推演起來：
看看這老太婆罷，她也曾少女過呢！
看看那躺在棺材裏招搖過市的死人罷，他也曾活過啊！
她踢起一塊紅陶碎片，指說它曾盆過，在他們默契的笑聲裏，時光和激雨，紛紛的沖刷而下，那時候雖然有些覺得，卻並不耽心什麼。如今，一個人在雨裏走，越是接近眉珍家的巷口，這感覺越是化成一片寒冷，一直滲進入的骨縫去。
走到眉珍家門口，看著那條破舊狹窄的巷子並沒有什麼改變，這才放了心，吐出一口氣來。
那間自己常來的小書肆還開著門，屋裏還是那樣陰黯，連書架的放置位置也似乎沒見更動，只是眉珍常坐的書桌前，坐著一個面孔很陌生的老年人，他約摸五十來歲的樣子，胖敦敦的，圓臉上有一雙習慣瞇起的眼，給人一種和善的印象。
南森進了屋，朝四周打量了一陣，才彎著身子，靠近那老人問說：
對不起，老先生，眉珍還沒回來？
噢，美女神，（法、美里美的小說名）有的，有的，老頭兒不笑的時候像笑，真的笑起來，又嫌皺紋太多，更增加老態了：那邊架上就是，前天剛買回來。
您弄岔了，老先生，南森比劃說：我是來找人的。
Find someone?老頭兒眨眼說：警察分局就在那邊，喏，看得見的，你最好去問問分局裏的先生。我剛剛來這兒不久，人生，路不熟，問我算白問了，我沒法子幫你的忙，啊，雨又大了！
原來他耳朵有重聽的毛病，人又木木訥訥的有些顛倒，雨大了，雨點在鐵皮的棚簷間叮咚敲打著，更使南森費了很大的力氣，抬起手，湊在對方耳門上說了半天，老頭兒才聽明白。
噢，你要找陳小姐，她搬家了。
搬家了？you say?南森有點兒不相信，便自己跟自己說：不會的，她假如搬家，一定會寫信告訴我的！
她的房子賣給我了，老頭兒說：書鋪也盤給我了，她母親身體不好，要一筆錢醫病，她真是個孝順的女孩。
眉珍就是這樣的性格，她每回去信，信上都沒提到過這些，也許她以為不該把自己的憂愁分給朋友罷？南森苦苦的搖了搖頭。她母親病著，在這種年根歲底的時辰，若不是萬分拮据，她是不會賣房子搬家的，一個在城市裏落腳的貧苦家庭，一幢克難的小屋該多珍貴？甭瞧它狹小，低矮又破爛，它卻是一個根生的窩巢。她爹在世時慘澹經營的小書鋪，也算得生活上的依靠，她賣了這些，何處是她一家人的安身之所呢？
您知道她搬到哪兒嗎？He said.
三重。老頭兒說：她臨走跟我說，她在三重後街美奇服裝店的對門樓上租的房子，門牌號碼？那我可就記不得了，她祇說，有信放在我這兒，她會順便來拿的。
老頭兒推給他一隻圓凳，南森無可奈何的坐了下來，沒命的搓握著兩手。老頭兒望著他。
你這辰光來找她，有什麼要緊的事嗎？
我我，嗯，沒什麼事，我是她的同學，趁假回家的時候，來看看她。
美奇服裝店，對面樓上，你記著，新年不妨去三重找找看，今天不行，雨這麼大，又趕上年三十。老頭兒很熱心的說。
南森原想起身告辭，等車回家了，抬頭望望外面白花花的雨，便坐著沒動身，三重地方很大，街道又多又窄，沒有門牌，找人到哪兒找去？看樣子，祇有等著眉珍來信再說了！
這位小書肆的新主人，把被雨留住的南森當成一個可以聊天解悶的對象，碎碎叨叨的拉住他說了很多話。他抱怨好些偷賣黃色小書的同業，賺錢賺得沒品，把好些沒成年的孩子都害了！抱怨真正懂選書看書的越來越少，這門生意也越做越艱難了。
您早先也在做舊書生意？Nansen said.
老頭兒點點頭：
我是高雄來的，早先是在軍隊裏，照看馬匹，退下來擺書攤子，也有七八年了。這兒沒有早先那樣多的馬匹，要不然，我甯願幫人釘馬掌，還爽利些。你說可不是？賣舊書，我是外行，好幾年都不知定價錢，那時刻。
是的，舊書很不容易做的。
不過，我做得久了，也做出經驗來，那也是一個大學生跟我講的，他說這些花封面，印得花花朵朵的玩意，全不值錢。拿女人打比方好了，良家婦女，有幾個奇裝異服，坦胸露臂的？有幾個塗胭脂抹粉、妖模怪狀，把臉搽成猴子屁股似的？
對，對，老先生，您說得對。南森說：您這種看法，又爽快，又透澈。
老頭兒樂開了，呵呵的迸出一串笑聲。南森很喜歡這個老年人，但他心裏不定當，總是想著眉珍的事，門外的雨小了些，他就得趕回士林去了，他告辭了那老人回到家裏，心仍沉甸甸的。
桌上放著一封信，淡水寄來的，他拆開之後，才知道那是美倩寫來的，信上形容她姑媽家是一個溫暖但卻寂寞的籠子，她是金絲雀，唱著過日子，為了打發寂寞的歌唱原來是這樣，所以她開始同情籠鳥，並認為：有時候，歌唱並不能代表快樂。
我的寂寞是連綿的陰雨天造成的，她在信上說：真希望新年時，能有一兩個晴天，你能不能再約幾個同學，我們一起到郊外去爬爬山，透一透氣。當然，我說的是假如不落雨的話。
他回信說：
美倩：我每天都要爬山，而且風雨無阻，那並不能認明我愛好爬山，祇因為家在山上，即使在無可奈何中，環境左右著人，但也不能算是悲劇，尤其對於年輕人，那該是一種考驗，一種鍛鍊，眉珍就是一個例子。
她為了替她母親治病，把房子賣了，書鋪也讓了，聽說搬到三重埔去了，我渴望能在新年去找她，比爬山更為迫切，妳能來嗎？
年初二，我在等妳。 南森
因為是除夕了，他不得不立即下山去，用限時把這封信發掉。他知道美倩的性格，如果有她來，一道兒去看看眉珍，眉珍一定能得到更多的安慰。
This is very important.
新年在爆竹的鼎沸中來了，做母親的為南森準備了一套新的灰黃色的西服，硬逼著南森灌進那套筆挺的硬殼子裏去，人模人樣的去三親六故那兒拜一拜年，離家進大學的人，總得世故點，有些成人味兒，南森很懂得老年人的心裏，即使很怕虛應世故，也一口答允了。
媽，要去就揀年初一。南森說：都是長輩，年初一顯得恭敬些，哪怕多花些計程車錢呢，也不要緊，晚了見不著人，去了等於沒去，人家也有應酬。
做母親的一聽，樂得闔不攏嘴來，真比喝了四神湯還滋潤，誇說：
進了大學，究竟不同些，懂事多了這是車錢，你多帶些，就快去罷。
其實，年初一悶在家裏，也是悶在家裏，也許母親催自己不動，反而氣惱了，不如這樣做，既得母親的歡心，也把初二以後的時間空出來，好跟美倩一起去看看眉珍，豈不是一舉兩得的事情？
拜年的風俗也不知哪一朝哪一代興出來的，用意很好，可惜如今變了質，皮笑肉不笑的恭喜發財之外，就很少找出旁的字眼兒。好像一年不見，互相差了對方這麼虛情假意的一揖。更有些成群呼嘯而來，上塌塌米懶得脫鞋，站著又怕腳底有釘，唱一聲就走，那簡直不像拜年，而像是普查戶口。
他就這樣東呀西的普查了一通，下午回來，真像還清舊債那樣的輕鬆。要不是鞭炮太便宜，就是孩子們的荷包太豐滿了，爆竹聲仍然在山上山下響個沒完。空氣裏凝結著一股久久不散的硝粉味道，很膩人，淅淅瀝瀝的階前夜雨，更使人煩躁。他不願在雨天去三重找眉珍，希望明天一早能夠放晴。
為了抑住內心的煩躁，南森抽出湖濱散記來，靜靜的閱讀著，他早就嚮往著梭羅的世界，那自然的原野比桃花源真實得多，一個人在一生裏，真都該有一段那樣自得其樂的生活。
不知何時睡著了的，一覺醒來，枕角上竟鋪了一片夢裏見著的陽光；從東窗射進來的一小片陽光，並不是金黃燦爛的那種，彷彿被凍病了，有著幾分憔悴的白，微帶點兒虛弱的黃，跌落在枕上呻吟著。
終究算是陽光。
美倩要是除夕接到信，該會在今天來的罷？他這樣一想，便不想再睡了。
起了床，還沒漱洗呢，就聽見客廳裏有美倩說話的聲音。她用那種磁性的聲音，親切自然的，不知跟母親說了些什麼，使母親高興得只是笑，好像她完全不是第一次來的陌生的訪客。
南森哪，懶蟲哪！母親這樣叫喚著：你東海的同學林小姐來看你啦，還不起來呀！那調子或高或低，帶一種聽熟了的特有的尾音，像一首兒歌似的唱出來，有一種自然的波浪，充分表示出這時候她內心的快樂。近些年來，她已經難得有這樣的快樂了。
就讓他再睡一會兒罷，怕母，昨天拜年跑了一整天，一定很累了。
哪裏呀，放假回來，每天都這樣，捧著書本賴在床上，好像得了愛睡病似的，就祇年初一有精神。
今天的精神更好，媽。南森出來說：因為外面不再下雨了，昨天去長輩伯叔那兒去拜年，我想跟美倩趁今天去看看同學。
should.做母親的說：剛剛林小姐還和我說，有個同學的母親在生病，更該先去看看。我就怕你成天關在家裏。
母親要南森招呼客人，下廚去了。
美倩一臉都是煥發的笑，她用黑眼盯著南森，低低的問說：
噯，你去看過眉珍？怎知她搬到三重去了？
我前天去過，回來才跟妳寫信。
三重什麼地方？
沒有門牌，南森聳聳肩，攤開手：祇知道在後街，一家叫美奇服裝店的對面樓上，我簡直沒有把握找得到她！
沒有這回事，美倩說：祇要誠心誠意的去找，有一個美奇就儘夠了，多問人嘛！
好，南森說：我們就動身怎樣？
出去也不用這麼急，做母親的端著熱騰騰的煎年糕出來說：你跟林小姐，都吃掉年糕再走！
美倩一聽，急忙說：
伯母，我是吃了早飯來的，您別這樣費神。
這可不成，做母親的說：大新年裏，又是初次上門，又是家在高雄的遠客，不但該多吃，吃了還得吃，沒有空坐的道理。吃罷，剛煎的好吃，冷了就硬了，這兩盤不夠，我去下湯圓去，一定得吃得飽飽的。
她說完話，真的又下廚張羅去了。
吃罷，美倩，南森說：我母親就這樣子，妳不吃完，不要想走。
天知道，美倩說：我胃裏已經裝了多少東西，現在，只怕連一根針也擠不進去了。
我不信比本市的公共汽車還擠，再怎樣，還能推幾塊進去，腸胃多少有些伸縮性。
實在不成，美倩說。
我有辦法了，妳的提袋可以借用一下，美倩拎過提袋來，南森伸手取了幾張報紙，迅速的把一整盤煎年糕倒進去，捲了幾捲，塞在那隻提袋裏。
Both of them laughed.
美倩照樣拿起筷子，夾了另一盤裏最小最薄的一片，裝模作樣的吃著。做母親的又端來兩碗湯圓，每碗四個，瞧見一隻空盤子，便滿意的笑著說：
林小姐，妳來這兒，跟在家一樣，千萬不要客氣，讓妳出門餓著了，我可不願意，還不是吃了！來，把湯圓再吃下去，就是不飽也差不多了。
這一回，她沒有再離客廳，美倩沒有辦法，只好體驗一下擠公共汽車，把四個湯圓硬擠進胃裏去了，一直等到和南森出門，她還按摩著胸口。
我們的老一輩人，勸人吃東西，都有點好客成性，又熱情過火，美倩說：就不知被勸的人有多為難？假如你不想出這辦法，我只怕要送進醫院去了，準會鬧上半個月的消化不良。
這還是極平常的，南森說：我嫂嫂們生孩子坐褥，她強迫她們每頓要吃掉一隻雞，半碗飯，一把麵線，四個鹽水蛋，一碗雞湯，說是不吃足這麼多，奶水不夠，虧了大人，又餓著了孩子。
我不信她們真能吃得下去。
當然吃不下。南森說：通常都有一半是我偷分掉的，這就是我這樣胖的原因，假如全部由我代辦，只怕我會比劉恩甲還胖，去演電影啦！
凍病的太陽，穿著白色的雲衣，在緩緩的散步。天仍然很冷，泛著虛軟的淺灰白色，石級兩邊的樹叢裏，有著快樂的鳥鳴聲，頗有點兒春來的意味。
兩個一路談到車上，從善意的強迫吃東西，談到傳統的觀念問題，南森以為那是根蒂。
其實不光是吃東西，而是觀念問題。南森說：通常是這樣，年長的一代慣用他們各各不同的個別的經驗去看待人生，他們不放心，也就是過份關心年輕的一代。無論是精神、思想、觀念和行為，他們都要過問，而且處在一種協助的，同時也是指導的地位。
我們的年長一代太熱情了一點，美倩說：你如果拒絕接受這種熱情和關顧，他們就會傷心得要死。無論如何，我們要了解這一點。
但是，經驗有時是錯誤的。南森說：有一回，一個五十歲的男人擠公車插隊，旁邊一個四十歲的男人說話，五十歲的那個瞪眼說：你夠什麼資格說話？論年紀，我大你一大截兒，我得先問你，你懂得敬老尊賢？你說我插隊擠車沒有文化，你更沒文化了！
hey-hey!旁邊有個乘客笑說：要照他那樣說法，那麼，小學生就甭上車了。誰都比他們年紀大呀！
我還是主張耐心些，美倩說：真有這樣錯誤觀念的人並不多，主要是在於我們這一代，既然受過這種苦楚，就不要再朝下傳，讓我們之後的年輕人鬆快些，不就成了嗎？
雖然一直談不出什麼樣驚人的結論來，但兩人都覺得這是滿有趣味的問題。車到三重後，美倩笑指著胸口說：
結論有了，談談講講，問題已經完全消化掉了。我是指那四個額外的湯圓。
真有意思，我佩服妳的口才！
應該說是見解。美倩說：時間，加上一點兒耐心，再添點兒心安理得的愉快，沒有什麼問題不能迎刃而解的。
三重埔是擁擠、雜亂的地方，很多彎彎曲曲的街巷，牽牽結結的張成一面蛛網；長年吹刮著的東北季風，把大台北盆地上空的煙塵都掃落在這裏，使得那些參差的街屋、招牌，都泛出黑黝黝的顏色。它就這樣的生長著，繁榮著，大大小小的工廠，長長短短的煙囪，無分日夜的吐著濃煙，掩覆著十多萬擁擠著的居民。
真像蜘蛛結的網，這些街。美倩說。
我們可像落在蜘蛛網裏的蒼蠅了！南森說：天知道美奇服裝店在什麼鬼地方？
不用著急，多問一問人，總會知道的。美倩揮動她的提袋說：既來之，則安之，著急沒有用，假如一問就問著，那就不是來找人了。
好罷，萬一找不著，我們就當是逛街好了！
你何不說是參觀三重市的市政建設呢？美倩笑著說：對於社會系的學生，這都是最好的機會教育。像這樣雜亂的城鎮，你想，你該怎樣建設它？
看得我眼裏噴火！Nansen said.
打算重演羅馬焚城嗎？美倩說：我建議你真的噴火之前，應該先檢查消防設備，自來水的水壓。現在，我們還是先找美奇服裝店罷！
新年裏，窄街上一群一簇的，全是穿新衣戴新帽的孩子，在玩槍遊戲，燃放沖天炮、水鴛鴦、摜炮和串兒鞭；偶爾有些牽著抱著的拜年的人走過，或是你攙我扶的醉漢，一路灑落下鬨鬨的笑聲。南森問過一家開雜貨店的商戶，美倩問過兩位在人家拜年出來的太太，得著的全是同樣的回答，不知道。
我再去問問三輪車伕，看看他們知不知道，南森說：假如知道在哪條街就好了。
正好那邊有個三輪車班子，幾個車伕約莫也喝過幾盃早酒，臉孔紅紅的，正圍在那邊的廊下賭紙牌，南森問他們時，有兩個倒是很熱心，但連他們也弄不清什麼美奇服裝店。
這兒，沒人比我們更熟了，你只要說什麼街巷，我們全知道，至於什麼服裝店，誰也弄不清楚。一個年紀較大些的漢子說：連在哪條街也不曉得嗎？
就是不曉得才問的。Nansen said.
後面有幾家服裝店，你不妨去問問。那車伕說：也許他們同行同業，會知道也不一定。
這樣的跑著，問著，找著了一家美琪，卻不是美奇，倒是一家燙髮院的女孩子，說她知道那地方，要穿過一座騎樓，走過一條窄巷，再經過一塊正在蓋房子的工地，左轉後再朝右轉，那邊有一條斷街。
好像就在那街上。她說：隔壁有一家豆腐店，你們自己去問問看罷！
南森和美倩依照她所指的路，七彎八拐走到那條單獨的小街上，雨後的泥濘沒乾，鞋都踩髒了。但他們總算找到了美奇服裝店。在那條很髒很亂，貧民窟似的小街上，大都是些古舊的紅瓦建築，黑蒼蒼的屋頂，斑斑點點的紅磚剷牆，就彷彿長年沒洗過臉的乞丐，披著一身襤褸，半躺半坐在泥濘當中。他們要找的美奇服裝店，祇有一間九台尺寬的窄門面，簷上橫架著一塊油漆剝落的招牌。對面是有著一幢黯色的紅磚樓房，那還不知是那年那月建造起來的。磚柱傾斜，牆壁也多處龜裂了，裂隙裏生長著一些已經枯萎了的無根草，透著湮荒冷落的味道，長而狹的窗子，有些玻璃破損了沒有換補，卻用些薄紙貼著，遠望過去，像貼在黏瘡腿上的膏藥。
眉珍約莫就住在這樓上了，南森說：即使她賣了牯嶺街的房子，也不該住到這僻角上來的。
也許鄉下房子的租金便宜些。美倩說：她實在很懂得儉省。
他們問明樓下的房東，確定眉珍是住在三樓，便像探地穴似的，順著一條暗無天日的通道爬樓梯。二樓另有看來不止是一家住戶，一個嬰兒在鬧著，一個穿著揉縐了的睡衣的男人，走到二樓的木欄杆邊，咳嗽，朝街心吐痰，彷彿欄杆下面放著的是一隻痰盂。
三樓是靜寂的，梯口外就是一間狹小的客室，煙黃的牆壁，褐色的隔板，幾件簡單又古舊的家具，構成一種很蒼寒的氣氛，不過卻是那樣整潔，角几上面，立著一隻彷古的磁瓶，瓶裏插著一些櫻枝。
眉珍，眉珍在家嗎？南森輕輕的問詢說。
噯，誰呀？眉珍的聲音在後面傳來：喔，是是南森，我就來了！
她在廚房做著事情，出來時，兩手都還是濕的，一邊走，一邊撩起圍裙擦拭著。
我來替妳們介紹罷，雖然我在信上提過了。南森說：這就是我說起過的我們中文系的同學林美倩，這就是我的老同學陳眉珍。美倩留在淡水她姑媽家過年，我特意約她一道兒來看妳。
我很高興見著妳，眉珍說。
Me too.美倩說：這兒很難找，我們畢竟找到了。
腿全跑痛了。南森坐下來說：事前沒接到妳打算搬家的信，到牯嶺街去過，問那老頭兒才知