Chapter 18 eighteen
The scorching sun on Chenggong Ridge turned everyone into roasted red shrimps. The scorching sun pierced their freshly shaved scalps, and the sweat dripping from their mouths tasted bitter and salty.Lao Su always has the most vivid description, calling it the new way of drying salt.
We are receiving the distillation of the sun!He said: Three months of sweat can produce two taels of salt.
Two taels of salt is equivalent to the price of two cents.Lao Gao said: It is a pity that due to the decree, the use of cash is not allowed.
Lao Su and Lao Gao, two ordinary people, were punished because they often made jokes, and they have become prominent figures. The captain said that one of them is Laurel and the other is Hardy.On the first day of assembly, Lao Su was late and his mouth was full of foam. The captain thought he had a heart attack, so he raised his hand in salute, holding a toothbrush in his hand.
Report, I have a good heart and I am brushing my teeth!
Brushing your teeth is too slow, why not go faster?
According to the report, I used the latest three-three system of scientific brushing methods, brushing inside for three minutes, outside for three minutes, tooth plate for three minutes, and one minute, I ran 300 yards, stopped halfway, and tied my leggings twice.
You should reduce the establishment, change the three-three system to three-two system, and you can still have four minutes left to beat the leggings like leggings.
When the assembly was held the next day, Lao Su was still one step late, his leggings were loose and he didn't have time to hit them again. He was holding one in one hand, flying in the air, like a celestial girl scattering flowers on the stage of a Ping opera.
The captain issued the password:
Those who are not listed, kneel down!
The people around followed the instructions. Old Su stepped on his leggings, fell forward, and fell down with a good posture. The captain said: I didn't tell you to lie down!Old Su sucked in his teeth and said: Report, I am surreal, I didn't have time to kneel down, so I had to roll on the spot!
For this matter, the captain fined him to be grounded on Sunday, and the philosopher Gao was also grounded at the same time.Lao Gao was caught reading a book while on the night watch. The sentry officer asked him why he didn't call out his password when he saw people coming in the dark. He muttered for a long time, quoting an idiom:
Report, I'm afraid to scare the snake!
am i a snakeThe officer said: You use this idiom in a way that is neither a donkey nor a horse.
Report, you are just a mule!
It just so happened that the officer was from Hunan, so he confiscated the old master's book, and it happened that the book was neither the Infantry Manual nor Sun Tzu's Art of War, but Lady Chatterley.The officer registered his name for him to have a Sunday without leaving the house without the company of Mrs. Cha, and he said:
It doesn't matter, I'm mentally prepared, and I'm not the kind of eminent monk who can't stand facing the wall for nine years, at least for a short day.
We are grounded in the camp, and it would not be enough without Brother Ha.Old Su said: This kid was originally a romantic school, but now he has changed his direction to a realist school. He seems to be very suitable for being a soldier.
Do you think he won't be grounded?Lao Gao said confidently: If he can't last for two days, I guarantee he will be on the list.
That's good, the old roommate in room 204, three-quarters of the feet are grounded!Old Su was a little out of breath and said: The incident spread back to the East China Sea, we are all cartoon characters on the poster!
It doesn't matter, Lao He went out on behalf of us. When he came back, he gave us a vacation briefing. Wouldn't it be like we were on vacation?Lao Gao said: This is called a scholar who can know the world without going out!
Lao Gao made a good estimate, and on the third day, Nansen was also on the list. The reasons were: the housekeeping was untidy, the quilt was folded into buns, and there was a problem with the latest method of cleaning guns he invented.Brother Ha's style of cleaning guns, which is widely circulated in the team, is to pour gun cleaning oil into the barrel of the gun, and then apply a piece of butter to seal the muzzle of the gun.Nansen’s theoretical basis is: at present, when cleaning a gun, it’s basically just taking off your pants and farting. The sealing method not only saves time and energy, but also does not worry about the barrel getting rusty; at first he only smeared butter, but later he simply used the barrel as a small storage room, and stuffed large and small pieces of gun oil cloth into it!Unexpectedly, there was a surprise inspection from above, and until the end, Nansen defended his method by saying:
I'm not shooting targets, or using live ammunition, so I think my method
Don't tell me this.His squad leader said: You'd better convince the headquarters first to revise the regulations on weapon maintenance.
It doesn't matter, Lao Ha, Lao Su said: We are tired of shopping in downtown Taichung, so I don't care this time.
Yes, Nansen said: Besides, wearing this military uniform and smelling sour after drying out, those old guys who go shopping under the sun are the idiots!The above intends to make it perfect, and wants us to squat next to it, to be really cool and cool, to be cool and sweatless, and to eat a few more bowls of dry rice, wouldn't it be very happy!
I would rather have a good sleep with it, Lao Su fancied: Maybe I will have a sweet dream.I dreamed that we were surrounded by wildfires, dancing strange dances in Dream Valley, and eating chicken legs and barbecue.
Is there such a good thing?Lao Gao gave him a slap in the face: You are too outrageous!In my opinion, when other people go shopping for a holiday, we will gather together to do labor services in nine out of ten cases, or else just have a little exercise, and the sun will steam the water in your bladder from your head. Chenggong Ridge is purely realistic, isn’t it? where you dream.
Well, then I'll face reality.Lao Su said: accept this holiday special program!I'm still optimistic to the end.
Nansen also felt that the training camp life in Chenggong Ridge was not as tense and boring as imagined. Of course, it was not as quiet and beautiful as Dadu Mountain, full of lush greenery.On this bare loess mountain, the plain carved out by hand and sweat is wild, and there are wild grasses trampled by footsteps and yellowed by the sun everywhere, giving a feeling of waiting to be burned.Life is always dynamic, busy with exercises, classes, and labor every day, talking to the sun and sand, and it is extremely rare to find time.But these bachelors and soldiers have a great sense of humor. Under any circumstances, they are able to sneak in, pass some lace news, or find some jokes to entertain themselves in the gap of time.He dare not say that he has fallen in love with this kind of life from the bottom of his heart, at least he is sure that this kind of life is a very powerful training for young people.
The holidays are here, and most of the students went to Taichung in neat attire. The duty officer gathered a few grounded couples, assigned a task to clean the toilets, and said:
After cleaning, report immediately. I will check it myself. If the work is done thoroughly, I may ask the captain to let you have a chance to go out in the afternoon.Did you hear me?
heard it!A few people agreed, the tone was full of sadness, it was comparable to Lettie's Yingtai Crying Tomb, the cruel-hearted star officer didn't want to turn into a butterfly who knows and understands, but frowned and said:
This kind of crying without a nipple in his mouth doesn't look like a soldier. This is just cleaning the toilet, and he hasn't played the drums yet to go to war.you!He pointed to Nansen and said: You lead the team for me, and you have to clean it until it smells good, and then report to me, otherwise, I still have errands to kill you gentlemen.
yes!Nansen stood at attention on his legs and said.
The star officer waved his hand and walked back slowly.
What should we do, Brother Ha?Lao Su said: Even if you dump all the stock from the MSG factory into the cesspit, it will not turn into chicken soup. Where does the fragrance come from?He chose to be picky on purpose!
Unless he suffers from a severe cold and stuffy nose within an hour, Lao Gao said: However, the possibility is not high, there is only a one-in-a-thousand chance.
Leaving gossip aside, Nansen shrugged his shoulders: Bring your work tools, let's march to the toilet!We are now responding to the Sweep Up Yellow Campaign!
The job of cleaning the toilets can’t be considered too hard, but the bitterness comes from the nose. The strong ammonia smell is like mustard. When I smell it, I even sneeze, as if some relatives in the distance are missing them.
Hey, this is still 1.8 million miles away from Xiangxiang. If you invite Monkey King to do somersaults, you will be tired and sweaty.Old Su said: It was the first time that we had our feet grounded, and we encountered such a rich and beautiful shortage. We are really blessed, and the monkey has met the Tathagata Buddha.
Look at your hard work, don't you call yourself a locomotive?
The distance is too far, what's the use of the locomotive?I'm no Saturn Rocket!
It doesn't matter.Nansen said: The more we are afraid of suffering, the more proud the star officer will be.Now, we hold a labor and recreation meeting, and sing while cleaning to express our willingness, and he has nothing to do.
Well, then let's be happy right away!
They were really happy like that, and sang a song Nansen improvised:
Cleaning the toilet, really happy, really happy!
The sun outside, I can't catch it, I can't catch it!
We are born, love to work, love to work!
One side works, one side is happy, one side is happy!
Happiness does have a hint of happiness, but work is indeed exhausting work.After working hard for more than an hour, everyone was sweating profusely before cleaning the toilet.The star officer on duty may have listened to their singing very enthusiastically. Before Nansen ran to report, he came over with a smile. Seeing that the toilet was spotless, he nodded in satisfaction and said:
You students have worked hard.
We don't feel tired at all.Old Su said.
We love to work.Another classmate chimed in.
The star officer looked at his watch and said with a smile:
It's ten o'clock right now, and it's still early to leave for dinner. I originally planned to let you dismiss and rest, but since you are willing to work and regard work as entertainment, then it's better to go to the sun to have fun.Now!He raised his voice and announced: Disband now, disband slowly, put away the working equipment, exchange each person for a sickle, and go to the playground to mow the grass!
Once the dismissal password is given, everyone can't run anymore.
I said, Brother Ha, your romantic style is not good enough, and the star officer silenced your brother, we are miserable!
The grass is mowing slowly.Nansen said: Ah Q, you can treat sunbathing as taking nutritional calcium tablets.
Fart, the sun is the sun, how can it become a nutritional calcium tablet?
You are not advanced enough, the star duty organ can humor us, why can't we humor ourselves?
I reluctantly agree.Lao Gao panted and said: Anyway, the whole morning is called humorless, let Ha Lao Ge perform to the end.
The weeds on the other side of the playground are very patient, as soon as footsteps don't trample on them, they will jump up angrily and become a breeding ground for gnats and small black bugs.Every night at night, they are dispatched from the base to attack people's faces, arms, ankles and other places in a large scale, making people's skin red, swollen and itchy. Keep your eyes on the left without blinking, but the kung fu of mosquitoes biting your legs and not moving your body seems to be more difficult; the fundamental way to eliminate mosquitoes is to eradicate the weeds in the camp area, and weeds are: the sickle can't cut it all, and it can't be cut in the blink of an eye. It grows again and again, as if trying to train the patience of the soldiers, so that every master who is sentenced to ground will have to work hard.
Five or six people squatted in the grass nest, mowing the grass like crows hatching eggs.The heat under the sun on a summer day makes people think of the coolness in an air-conditioned coffee shop in the urban area, but the heat in the nearby places is just hot, especially the heat in the grass, which is sticky, humid and steamy. After staying for a long time, sweating The flow is like sinking, and there is a sense of collapse.I don't know which one accidentally stepped on the red ant nest, and those red ants the size of rice grains rushed out of the nest, biting people screaming.Lao Su used his hands to pull the grass, and when a guy met a thorny mimosa, he was the first to get the color. Lao Gao was not to be outdone, and cut his own finger with a small knife.
Brother Ha, are we still happy now?Lao Gao said.
As long as you are interested, we will sing a new song. Nansen said: Otherwise, we are really being manipulated by the star officer!
My throat was about to dry out, Lao Gao said: Can a different program make it?Best not to yell.
Then I have to play poker and play the game of arching pigs.
It sounds good!We are here to mow the grass!
What’s the matter with mowing the lawn? The six of us are divided into two groups, one group plays cards, the other mows the grass, and the three cards are changed once. Asked for it!
But where are the playing cards?
There it is!Nansen took off his hat, and on the top of the hat was a new pair of gold-edged 808 poker.
Press the cards on the head, whoever is teasing will follow whoever, I learned it from the veterans in the kitchen.
You are really amazing!Old Su said.
If you don't understand this, you don't want to be a good platoon leader in the future.Nansen said: These are much more important than shouting passwords with a straight face.You must know how to be mischievous, so that you can lead mischievous soldiers in the future.
They started to play hogs, and just two cards before the shift was over, when a fellow over there yelled and said:
Look, a large group of girls has come into the camp, and they are holding flags!Each of you has to take a look to see if you have your own Miss!
Old Su raised his eyes and looked over there, the pig stopped arching, and said in a panic:
It's too bad, it's from Donghai, isn't that Lao He?
It's Lao He, and the one holding the flag seems to be my younger sister.Lao Gao said.
Well, this guy is making a fool of himself!Nansen said: The cards are packed, we mow: only when it's our turn.
A bald man is hairless if he is hairless, so don’t force the hairs on his head. Old Su said: Foot restraint is foot restraint.That guy Lao He may have turned our tail off. He is that kind of person, and he will never tell a lie.
At this time, the damned old He Dong didn't point, he didn't point to the west, but stretched out his hand to point to this side, the little girl and the others rushed over as if they were looking at a baby, and greeted with a smile from afar:
Hey, Brother Ha, Lao Gao, Lao Su, we are here to work on Chenggong Ridge!We didn't write a letter beforehand to make an appointment, so we almost missed out. We ran into Lao He in the urban area, and he brought us here.What are you doing?
We are mowing the grass now.Lao Gao said.
Like the nature of participating in a work camp, Nansen went on to say: On Sundays and holidays, we participate in voluntary labor and exercise to avoid getting fat.
We brought some fruit.said the younger sister.
Then we're welcome, let's eat first!As Lao Su said, he picked a big apple, didn't wash it, just wiped it with his trousers, and then gnawed it.
Maybe the girls have a big face, and the star officer allowed them to end their work.In this way, they took some small benches, found a shady corner, and chatted with them. The jokes and various life fragments they talked about were new to the girls, and they giggled every once in a while.This kind of crisp, clustered laughter of girls is often heard in Donghai, and there is no special feeling, but in this kind of place, it sounds particularly warm.This made them forget the hard work just now, but really feel lucky. If they hadn't been grounded, they would definitely not be able to eat fruit, nor would they have a pleasant chat with them.
Little sister, how did you come here to see us?
Why can't I think of it?The little girl said: Several of us came from Taipei, and they all said: We are going to see if the boy with the newly shaved monk's head looks like a soldier.
Look like?Old Su said.
It’s a bit different, the younger sister said: It’s not like a bachelor, it’s not like an ordinary person, it’s not like a monk, and it’s not like a soldier. In short, I can’t say it, I just think it’s funny and fun.
It was fun!Nansen took off his hat and waved it. With a bang, a pack of poker was scattered all over the place. The girls were dumbfounded, as if watching a novel magic show.
What are you doing?Brother Ha?
me?We are going to participate in the bridge competition, and we have to find time to practice at any time, so I press it under the shell for easy access.
At noon, the star officials kept the girls for dinner. Because of the holiday, the tables were very empty. During the meal, the younger sister told Nansen that she saw Meiqian near the Zhonghua Mall a few days ago.
She looked haggard. She said: She didn't go home during the summer vacation and stayed in Taipei to take care of Chen. I heard that Chen's illness was getting worse!She wants me to greet you, saying that she doesn't have time to come here to visit you, she will write a letter when she is free, and copy the mailbox number here, don't forget.
No, he said: I will copy the address to you now.
After the younger sister and the others left, Nansen felt empty again.Meiqian wrote a long letter three days later, and she did not hide her current situation: Chen Chengtian was lying on the bed, and she stayed with him all day long, reading scriptures for him, and telling some interesting things; Only on Sundays, I barely spared a little time to go to church to worship. Prayer seemed to be no prayer, but she always poured out her sorrows to God over and over again. Finally, she said: The closer the day of graduation and leaving school, the more I feel. It is difficult to settle myself, I know, God accepted my prayer, but He is far away from me, I am not complaining, I am just thinking, thinking about how to use my own meager strength to survive in God's far-off look Over my own troubles?Or give up lifelong ideals and happiness, and sacrifice to the end for a patient like Chen?Or open up a new path?But that would break Chen's heart. At least for the time being, I am trying to love Chen. I believe that love can be cultivated slowly over time amidst hardships.
He was really sorry for Meiqian, but he couldn't solve this boring old problem.He understands Meiqian's character and her state of mind, and at the same time, he also understands that he has never forgotten his love for her. He is unwilling to stand up to win her love, and it is difficult to even say words of comfort!Fortunately, life in the military camp was so tense that he had no time to think about things outside of him. He could only respond to her letter hastily according to the general concept, telling her to cherish herself no matter what.
He tried to settle himself down.
Gradually, they integrated their lives into the rules of the group, and being able to adapt to that kind of tension and busyness, they also learned to use the spare time, so that their lives became more colorful.
For some reason, in the short summer training life, everyone tends to remember the easy side of life: the busy night emergency assembly, some people can't even touch their own pants.During the night march, the superiors repeatedly demanded to be quiet, but Liezi was always confused and made many strange noises.Myopia hit the target, scored seven points, but hit another target.The veteran in the kitchen said: You are young soldiers, just like passengers in the carriage, you get off when you arrive at the station, but we are carriages, and we only walk one way in our life, not like you laughing and watching the scenery.Although the words are rude and rude, their meaning is very profound, and they arouse a feeling of admiration.
Three months passed in such a hurry.
When they first came, some people complained, but when they left, many people missed the life of the training camp. Nansen bid farewell to Chenggongling with this feeling.After all, life has a hard and serious side. From the stories of many battles and the real life experiences of many officers, he revisited his childhood dreams; The bits and pieces revealed in their narration gave him a heavy impact; this impact gave him a natural sense of responsibility in his whole life, and its weight was enough to hold people down and make them no longer float.
Let's go back and spend the last year well.He said.
When I went back, it was just in time for the start of the construction of the Lusiyi Cathedral.Lao Su said: We also have to start working in time and work hard to build ourselves. After leaving the school, we have to stand firmly in the society, just like that church.
Lusiyi Church grows with time.
Colleagues in Donghai know that the design and construction of Lu Siyi Church went through many twists and turns, and it was almost on the verge of collapse. However, with the efforts of the dean of the Faculty of Engineering and I.M. Pei architects, the design was finally completed. , broke ground!Nansen still remembers that there was a period before the summer vacation when everyone was talking about the Lu Siyi Church every day. Most of the students hoped that the church would be completed soon so that they could pay their respects before leaving after graduation.Especially the students in the Christian fellowship, every time they held a fellowship meeting at Pastor Ball’s house, they prayed specially for the building of the church.
Its building location is on the left front of Sunset Avenue, and it is also in the middle of the grassland. The girls' dormitory is hidden among the trees on one side of it. On the shaded path, young laughter is often heard. Come up the prairie.From here, you can vaguely overlook the west district of Taichung City. Around the grassland, acacia forests and green trees are densely arched, and the dry creek winds at its feet.
Workers are constructing, and the sound of steel knocking is like a piece of modern music.The thick steel frame roof of Lusiyi Church is growing unpretentiously. Every student who passes through the grassland to go to the classroom or library will look up and watch its growth with joy and eagerness.
Nansen originally had the most intimate and special love for this grassland. Every time he walked on this vast lawn, he would have such a wonderful feeling, feeling the green grass in the lawn, and his Young lives echo each other and blend with each other.Since Lu Siyitang lived here, he often wandered on the grassland.
The entire steel frame, which has not been fully erected, looks like a giant eagle that has just landed and has not yet gathered its wings. It is majestic and masculine, but the dense structure of the steel frame itself shows a delicate and delicate beauty. , contrasted with this piece of green grass, it is very harmonious.Lao Gao called the steel frame that had not been covered with glazed tiles a scaffolding, and he described it as a symbol, a symbol of a group of students studying in school, all of whom are breast eagles waiting to spread their wings and take flight.
None of the baby eagles were content to live in their old nests, and Lao Gao became philosophical again: they are nurtured here, grow up slowly, and will finally fly out from here.When the church is finished, it will be our turn.
Most of them climbed to the scaffolding in groups at dusk after the workers rested, or at night when the moon first rose, standing in the air, whistling in the air, or taking different postures, sitting on the steel frame and talking, Looking into the distance.The evening wind blows head-on, and occasionally there is a rootless cloud, sprinkled with a few light raindrops, giving people a kind of coolness that moisturizes the skin and sticks to the skin.Lao Su praised this kind of feeling as pleasant, but Nansen was thinking about the future, but he had emerald sleeves and red scarves, and was disappointed that he couldn't get the hero's tears. Maybe it was the feeling on the eve of the milk eagle leaving the nest and soaring far away?
To graduate!Old Su said: I will remember this, and I will also remember the big baby who often squints.And you?Brother Ha.
me?I have more to remember.Nansen said: Every place I stepped on the campus, the scarf in the wind, the umbrella in the rain, every beautiful boy and girl, every grass, every tree, every building, every little flower, and you Three live treasures.
I like the morning here the most, Lao He said: the breeze and morning light when playing tennis, I am afraid that those of you who sleep early and go to bed early have never experienced it. The whole court is all rose-colored under the morning glow, So beautiful!
I like the pure white architecture of the art center.Lao Gao said: It has a detached tranquility.
Memories are all there, what about the future?Has anyone planned for the future?Stop for a while, Old Su said.
You first announce your plan.Nansen said.
me?Maybe run for county councilor, maybe run for township mayor.Lao Su said: I want to replace the local self-government of the old cow and broken car with the local self-government of the locomotive, and I will do it as soon as I say it, and I will never procrastinate.In case of touching the nose, you can go back to Donghai to be a teaching assistant and practice again.
Lao Su and I are both from Chiayi, and one mountain cannot contain two tigers. If I also run for election, if two tigers fight, one of them will be injured?He said: I like a simple life, so I might as well go to Chiayi Girls' High School to teach!
Obediently, you young man, where is it not easy to teach, why do you want to teach in a girls' high school?
How is Lao Gao?Nansen laughed for a while and said.
go abroad.
Do you like to go abroad?
Who likes to come?Lao Gao sighed: In China, there is no room for me to develop in the literature and drama I am passionate about. It is good to take the opportunity to go out and learn more.I am an exile student who came from the mainland. No one is more eager to fight back than me, but I can't wait for that day.
You're right, it's just me now!Nansen said: After graduating, I still have no fixed plans. I want to go back to Taipei and spend some time before talking about it.I always feel that in the fourth grade, immaturity is also suppressed into maturity.
What Nansen said was indeed true. Everyone in the fourth grade seemed very busy, and even Xiaocui, who was jumping around, became a frequent visitor in the library.There are many boys who feel discouraged in their studies and simply chase girls desperately, especially the pure freshman girls as their main targets.However, the four people in Room 204 are different, He Shi never cares about this matter; Lao Gao has given up on the platonic love for Xiao Cui, and has devoted himself to studying Joyce all day long; Lao Su no longer thinks about it The big baby started to gnaw on his thesis materials; Nansen's heart was surging with emotional tides, and he couldn't decide what to do for a while.
It stands to reason that graduation is something worth celebrating. It symbolizes the completion of a stage of study and a new beginning, but he can't create a sense of completion in his heart.That evening, he walked down from the library with his books in his arms, and saw the scaffolding from a distance, holding it silently in the dark blue twilight. Who was looking up under the scaffolding, he couldn't see clearly, people, in that kind Against the huge background, it was just a small hazy white dot.
When he got closer, he recognized it was Meiqian.
You go to the library?I just came out.He said.
Meiqian smiled at him with a gentle expression of concern.
No, I went to Taipei and just came back.Seeing him shivering in the wind, she said: "It's getting colder, you're dressed too thinly, you should go back to the dormitory and put on some clothes."
I'm thinking about something, and if I freeze it, I'll look more sober.He said: Let's sit and talk on the scaffolding, shall we?
Meiqian hesitated, with a troubled look on her face, but Nansen didn't pay attention; in fact, Meiqian was also a little worried about being alone with Nansen now, but she couldn't help wanting to be with him, even if it was silent.The two walked to the middle of the grassland, the wind was blowing, the acacia tree was whimpering in the gradually deepening twilight, and the scaffolding also made clanging metal sounds.
Nansen jumped up onto the scaffolding, Meiqian could only stand below, looking up at him, she was wearing a white woolen sweater, a gray narrow skirt, and a white turban on her head, the corners of the turban fluttered from time to time on her cheek.November on the island is exactly the time when the weather is already cold as described in the poem, but in the hazy evening, when people are blown by the evening wind in an open place, they will feel a threatening winter cold.
Come up, Meiqian, he shouted: This scaffold is an eagle waiting to fly, you will feel the howling of time when you are on the eagle's back.
If it hadn’t been for Meiqian putting down the book and adjusting the narrow skirt in a difficult way, Nansen would not have noticed her difficulty: a girl in a narrow skirt with a book in her hand, how to climb up the eagle without help? shelf?He jumped down, took Meiqian's hand with one hand, taught her how to step sideways, and finally climbed up the scaffolding slowly with his hand, until she sat down on the steel beam, Meiqian let out a sigh of relief.The wind on the top of the shelf was stronger and colder, and the two sat a square apart, keeping a distance.
At first, the two didn't say anything, but the wholehearted emotion fermented in silence, and each seemed to understand what the other was thinking.After a while, Nansen said in a low voice:
The church is almost finished and we are graduating!
Well, it’s always like this. Every year, many people go out from Mount Dadu, drifting away from all over the world.She lowered her head and seemed to have infinite feelings.
Do you choose to write a thesis?Nansen said: I want to write, and I am busy collecting information now, and I am going to go to the Wanhua area of Taipei for a field investigation for a week or two, and I want to dig out some things from there.
I am simpler, and I am going to find some topics in poetry.
A silvery white moon bud sticks to the sky, and the shadows of the scaffolding are some fantastic large grids, netting two distorted and fuzzy figures. misty.Nansen didn't dare to ask Meiqian if she would get married after graduation?In fact, he was also very afraid to think about this question. He and Meiqian had been together for three years. Although they were often together, now they became more polite and seemed unfamiliar. He had better not touch her.
So, he looked at the empty moon and explained his plan for writing his graduation thesis, how to divide chapters and paragraphs, and how to confirm the theory and actual investigation. She listened quietly, but she was a little absent-minded.
Chen struggled on the sickbed, and almost used up all the youth he could have, leaving only a pale and fragile skeleton that could barely breathe, which made her yearn for Nansen to give her a power of relief.She didn't abandon Chen. Emotionally, she always regarded him as a brother, but she really didn't dare to entrust her lifelong happiness to him and bury her in the soil with him.When she was sad and sad, God arranged for her to meet Nansen, was it a test for her?Or give her a choice?Of course, she will never beg for each other, love is not alms, it is already wrong for her to give alms to Chen like that, she is just waiting, waiting for the dawn to come soon.If he really said something, maybe she would be relieved, really, leave Momo to fate!
And the dawn never came.He talked about his thesis without thinking, and asked again:
and you?Do you have a writing plan in place?
oh!She opened her eyes, a century had passed, the wind made her heart cold, but she had to cheer up and say: Not yet, but it will be soon!I will write it very carefully.
Do you seem to have something on your mind?Only then did he hear something in her voice, and asked: How is Chen's illness?
Meiqian shook her head vigorously, her heart ached, she really wanted to say desperately: It's all for you, Nansen!for you!But she couldn't speak, not a single word.
Meiqian.Nansen whispered to her in an emotional voice: I know that you have suffered a lot because of Chen’s illness, but I will always be your friend. From now on, we will eat together at noon and go to the library together in the afternoon. We only have We stayed together for a few months, but after graduation, we went our separate ways.Alas, time flies so fast, like a dream.
It was nothing if he didn't say these things, the more he said, the more uncomfortable Meiqian felt, almost crying.Is he a fool?He wasn't, but how could he be so stupid and say silly things like coaxing a child?What she was waiting for was not these, and what she wanted to hear was not these, but after all, she was not the kind of girl who would cry in front of others, even if she was excited, she controlled it.Whatever he said, she would say yes, she could only nod like this.Nansen still couldn't figure it out, and mistakenly thought why Meiqian became so indifferent tonight, so she stopped talking.The two were silent for a while, the moon had risen to the top of the zenith, reflecting the grassland white, and the cool dew wet the skin.
The days are getting cooler.Meiqian said: You should go get dressed, let's go.
I am not cold.Nansen said.
If the eagle frame is really a mythical giant eagle, that would be great, they will ride the wind unrestrainedly, swim across the blue sky like a blue sea, and this is just a momentary illusion, Meiqian has already stood up and waited for him .He took her hand and walked slowly down those grids. Her soft little hand was very cold in his palm. He really didn't want to let go, as if he had that strong desire to smash the lamp again. A vague feeling surged up in his heart, as soon as he was afraid, he let go.Meiqian didn't seem to feel anything, she walked naturally through the small peach grove, crossed the path, and walked towards the round door of the girls' dormitory. Nansen sent her outside the round door, and when they said goodbye, her voice was as low as a whisper.
Maybe she was in some kind of mood, and then he thought, in a few days, she'll be all right.
Wind season is here again.
Dadu Mountain seldom rains in winter. In early December, there are occasional sparse light rains on the grasslands, woods and red soil. The whistling all night seemed to take away the little time left.
For several days, Nansen hid in his dormitory and buried himself in writing the outline of his thesis.The wind outside the window made him vigilant that time was no longer there. He felt that there was no need to go outside to endure the coldness and coldness that penetrated into people's hearts.According to the plan, he must use the time around Christmas to go to the Wanhua area of Taipei to do social surveys. He hopes to complete the survey and statistics as soon as possible, and bring back the data for sorting out.It seems a pity to sacrifice the last Christmas Eve in Donghai in order to work on the thesis.
On the day before his departure, as usual, he left class earlier to wait for Meiqian, and invited her to Laowang noodle shop for lunch.Meiqian seems to be preoccupied these days, and she has lost a lot of weight. When he talks to her, her answers are a little vague and far-fetched.It wasn't until after lunch that the two of them went for a walk in the cemetery that Meiqian said softly:
There is something that I really want to discuss with you, okay?
Of course!Nansen said: Where there is merit, I will go through fire and water.
Meiqian became even more timid when she saw Nansen playing in a joking tone again.
Chen's health is not good, and his condition has gotten worse recently. A few days ago, his family sent a letter to ask me that Meiqian's voice was trembling. When encountering real difficulties, he restrained his joking attitude and asked:
How about the letter?
What his parents mean is to celebrate the wedding, and if it is held in this way, maybe Chen will get better, and at the same time, the wedding date will be set for winter vacation, that is to say, do you agree to it in three weeks?
As soon as Meiqian uttered these words, Nansen seemed to have been hit by someone on the head, his mind was buzzing, his eyes were full of clouds and smoke, he stood there dumbfounded for a long time, then shook his head and said:
I don't know, I don't know what to say!This is impossible, this is simply impossible!
Meiqian is waiting, waiting for the other party's answer, this will be her last moment to choose her own destiny.If there is really love between Nansen and her, his answer will show his attitude, even if he only said a short sentence, or even uttered a word of no, she would have the courage to put aside everything. Worried, put his future in his hands.She waited, trusting God's best for her.
但南森卻像墜入五里霧中，辨不清方向，他不知道美倩為何要這樣問他，也不知道他應該怎樣回答才好，祇管獨語似的喃喃著。
這是不可能的，陳的父親是醫生，怎會這樣講迷信？沖喜？如今是什麼時代了？我並不是說咒陳，萬一他在結婚形式後有個什麼好歹，妳怎麼辦？
我是的，也覺得陳家太迷信，而且不合於我的信仰，但我母親也同意了，他們逼陳寫信來問我的意見，時間這樣急迫，我心裏很慌亂，所以想找你商量
美倩還沒說完，南森就打斷她的話說：
妳還沒畢業，這樣太沒道理了！
那你不同意了？she says.
不不，我不知道。妳是一定要問我的意見？
美倩一直是低著頭說話，因此，也就低著頭點了點頭，把下唇咬得緊緊的。她自覺彷彿是攀登在絕壁上，上面是危峰高聳，下面是深崖萬丈，亟需要獲得有力的攀援，這攀援就是他明明白白的肯定。
那，那我過兩三天，想清楚了再告訴妳好不好？他拍拍腦門說：最近熬夜忙論文，頭腦有些迷迷糊糊的，不靈光了。
好罷，南森。三天後我再回陳的信。
為了趕聽下午第一節課，兩人匆匆分開了。那一節上的是什麼課，南森根本沒有注意，思緒像千百縷風裏的游絲，有時互相纏繞，有時各自飄盪，自覺外面的世界都不很真實。他也不知道為何不敢面對著美倩，美倩所說的那些，他連想都不敢朝深處去想，因為他想不出什麼結果來。他同意與否一點也不關乎緊要，陳和美倩結婚，反正是遲早的問題，而在他感覺裏，早或晚並無不同，現在離寒假還有一段日子，他決定不再去想它了。
第二天，他搭車北上萬華，也打消了同學校過聖誕節的心思，這樣，他可以暫時不見美倩的面，容她冷靜的選擇她自己的前途。
聖誕夜，校園裏仍到處彌漫著歡樂的氣氛，那是新同學造成的，南森卻不在東海。他走時急急匆匆，並沒告訴美倩，美倩還一直等待著他肯定的回答呢！三天了！天知道在這三天裏面，她忍受了多少情感上的煎熬？她數著白天，數著黑夜，數著白天和黑夜中的每一分秒，她常常在深夜跪在床上做禱告，祈求神能使她心境平安，不管她選擇或是被選擇黃昏時，她在室外的樓欄邊徘徊，望眼欲穿的覓取南森的影子；平常他多半是在黃昏時穿林而來，用奇特的口哨吹出的曲子是她早就聽熟了的。但一天，兩天，她聽著的不是那曲調，祇是林梢上的風號
最後一天，同學們拉她去聖樂團練唱聖詩，她和幾個女孩一起到藝術中心去，大家很熱烈的練嗓音，選歌曲，她都沒有表示過一點意見。她一直很喜歡音樂，更喜歡唱歌，她不慣於唱挺拔高昂激烈如潮的歌，但卻非常愛唱幾首平靜的敘述式的聖歌；因為在那種以人的卑微，俯伏在上帝腳下時的那種歌讚和傾吐，能使她獲得安靜和快樂；她能在那些歌裏，把內心一切的情感經由自己輕微的低音，柔柔潤潤的釋放出來。然而今天，她剛練唱兩遍就覺得頭痛，提早回寢室休息了。
當真得著休息呢？陰沉欲雨的天，她站在樓廊間，手撫著冰冷的欄杆，望著風裏的樹群發呆，到如今她才知道，愛情是自然產生的，無法刻意製造，即使勉強能夠，基礎也非常脆弱。該來的，終於來了，兩種不同的歸宿要她選擇，兩種不同的未來要她面臨，她該怎麼辦？what can we do about it?頭頂上的灰雲，一塊一塊的壘壓著，像無數碎冰，風繞著她發出來空洞的嘶喊。
她不願對人打聽南森的行蹤，又不能放下心來不理會；一逢男孩子的聲音從圓門外傳來，她就會覺得心跳，一看見樓下花牆外有人影閃過，她就以為是他來了，但是沒有發現他的影子。
現在她才覺得，早年在那軍官身上所付出的情感，尚不及她對南森所付出的濃烈；在不知不覺間，她對南森的愛已經到了深不可拔的程度，為什麼他不來呢？她想：也許南森也在矛盾裏掙扎著，也會和她一樣在忍受煎熬；他原可以交到很相知的女友，像小妹就是個頂可愛的女孩子，為了她，使他失去了很多機會，正因為她自己有很深的情感存在，使她以前的決定變得脆弱了。
她重新走回寢室，翻開聖經來讀，希望藉著神的話，啟示她，導引她，讓她有所決斷，把心情安定下來。但有一股悲淒朝上湧泛，淚水把聖經滴濕，所有的字跡在她潮濕的眼裏都變得朦朧了。為什麼以前要和陳訂婚？為什麼後來又遇上南森？她覺得自己對自己的信仰快要崩潰了。
下午她孤獨的走出去，到路思義堂的鷹架下散步，也在文學院的廊前徘徊了很久，盼望能夠碰到南森，但沒有。她跑到圖書館，從閱覽室找到書庫，希望南森會在閱架那兒翻書，但沒有。圖書館裏有些人，都在準備著晚上的節目和參加狂歡舞會，她的心裏卻在結冰，即使裹緊厚厚的大衣，仍然冷得要命。
她心神恍惚的走到水塔那邊的樹林，又一直跑到夢谷；那寬寬的谷地，曾經印有過他和她併行的足跡，但現在它是空寂的，一無人影。從夢谷再跑回來，又是傍晚了，在路上，她下定決心，直朝男生宿舍走過去，她要看看南森究竟在不在寢室？
上樓時，在梯口碰到老蘇，她停下來，掌心貼在背後的牆上，問說：
哈老哥在不在？Where did he go?
老蘇被她問得怔住了，他從沒看見美倩像這麼急迫緊張過，她的臉是蒼白的，呼吸也很急促，彷彿發生了什麼重要的事情。
哦，過一晌他才說：他去台北找論文資料，已經有三四天了！
美倩比較平靜了些，只搖搖頭，又問：
他今晚回不回來？
這這不知道，他沒跟我說過。老蘇說：找他有要緊的事嗎？
沒有什發事，我走了，謝謝。
老蘇一時也摸不清南森和美倩之間發生了什麼事？樓梯附近已經很黯很黯，美倩說完話，很快下樓跑走了，老蘇還在那兒呆站著，做夢似的望著一閃即逝的美倩嬌小的背影。她也許找他去報佳音，他想。
報佳音的行列在夜晚出發時，老蘇又碰上了美倩；她仍像平常那樣微笑著，顯得很虔誠，很熱切，她手裏捧著加上玻璃風罩的蠟燭，在燭光中唱著讚美的詩歌，那含著淚水的黑眼，滿含著感恩的光，真像一個即將飛昇的天使誰會知道她內心的感覺呢？
南森沒有來，他在她最最孤絕的情況中逃避了。當然他不久會回東海來，那時候，他永遠不可能再和她在一起了！機緣，這彷彿就是，放棄它的是南森，不是她自己，他的逃避對於她就是一種既顯明而又肯定的回答。
聖誕節那天她寫了一封信給陳。
她答應他，寒假就結婚。
把這封信擲進郵筒，她反而平靜下來，她現在所忍受的，不過是一種死心塌地的悲哀。當然，她和南森之間的友誼仍然存在著，不過，暫時她需要休息，不願和他多見面了。她等待精神康復，好使她快樂安甯的負擔任何的命運。
一個星期後，南森才回到東海，他的論文資料，已經蒐集得很豐富了。他決定把美倩問他的問題，再詳細和美倩談一談，必要時，他打算表明他對她的真情。
離開她時，他認真的考慮過，他對她的情感是自然形成的，熱烈而且真純。陳的存在祇是一個阻隔他們的幻影，她沒有理由因為憐憫僅僅是憐憫，去和一個纏綿病榻的人結合，用那種灰黯的歲月作成她一生的背景。
恰逢著星期天的晚上，老蘇告訴他，美倩到宿舍來找過他的事，南森立刻就跑到女宿舍去找美倩。這該怪他太粗心，他該在北上時通知她一聲，她需要他幫什麼忙，他都肯，他並不存心逃避什麼。
Meiqian!Meiqian!
隔著那個圓門，他仰望著美倩的窗口喊著，又急促的吹了幾聲口哨。
小窗裏有燈光在亮著，但悄無聲息。
他又叫了幾聲，仍不見有人回應。美倩靠著枕，正在讀著詩，她明明聽出南森在叫喚她，她不願意下樓去，也不願再理睬他，她好不容易才甯靜下來的心，禁不得他再來擾亂了。同寢室的幾個女孩結伴下山看電影去了，她甯願一個人枯守著燈。她以為她不答應，他就會回去的，誰知他越叫聲音越大，她趕快丟開書本，躲進被子裏，雙手蒙住耳朵，默默的啜泣。
他來遲了！一切都過去了！
終於有別的寢室的同學開門跑到走廊上去了。
哈老哥，你真大膽，哪有會客不經門房，這樣大聲叫喊的！
有人來敲美倩的房門，敲幾聲便跑出去回說：
不在，她不在，可能下山看電影去了。
南森興沖沖的跑來，一聽這話，便懊喪的低下了頭。樹影在他身邊搖曳著，不知是木麻黃還是相思樹，他默默的轉臉朝回走，風迎面吹刮著，她當真會下山去了麼？
他匆忙的跑到陳教授那兒，問起美倩，教授告訴他，說是聖誕夜美倩來過，有些失神的樣子。
你跟她很要好，教授說：你總該知道她的心情的，可不是？
我從台北剛回來。他說：我得下山去找她。
他冒著黑跑出校門，搭車到山下的市區去。在鬧區的街道上找她，在每家影院裏打幻燈找她，最後他找到了卡門，也許她會在那兒看熱帶魚或者聽音樂的，她不在，但他卻找到和她同寢室的幾個女孩子。
美倩沒跟妳們一道兒下山？he asked.
No.我們拖她來，她不來，要留在寢室裏看書。一個說：哈老哥，你是不是跟美俏嘔了氣了？這幾天，她枕頭全被她眼淚滴濕了！
不會罷？他說：我去台北剛回來，從來也沒跟她嘔過氣。
你不妨仔細想一想。另一個說：據我所知，大多數男孩子都很粗心大意，也許你在什麼地方，不知不覺的刺傷了她，而且真的傷了她的心了！美倩的性格一直是最溫和，最纖柔的，她從沒有像這樣難受過，人都變得有些癡傻了。
他窘迫的猶豫著，不知道怎樣說才好。他頓然明白剛剛他去女生宿舍找她時，美倩確在房裏，她應該聽到他在叫喚她，她卻不願答應，解釋是多餘的，他和美倩之間的另一種情感，是到此為止，正式的結束了。
回到寢室，把虛軟的身體擲在床上，他想：既然這樣，就讓她按照她自己的心意，安安靜靜的度過最後一段光陰罷！在大度山，他們所餘下的日子，已經是寥寥可數的了。
一段曲折過去之後，在南森心裏結下一大把疙瘩，二◯四室的老蘇，和老室友老高都責備過南森。老蘇說：
戀愛的烏龜主義是要看對象的，跟那些認真的女孩子，千萬玩不得，你臨陣退縮，她真的拿安眠藥當作花生米吃！這年頭，連製造悲劇都講求速度，今晚服藥，明天見報，沒有什麼哀感淒豔，纏纏綿綿那一套。你當初跟美倩好，就該正面強攻，到佔領陣地為止的。
哈老哥，你小子太不現代，老高說：所以嚐到了苦果。
你不是標榜現代的嗎？so what?
甭說了！老蘇說：咱們完全是有福同享，有難同當。四年前一個人來，四年後仍一個人走，好在還落下乾淨利落四個字。
我們天生是啃書本的命，老高說：轉了一個大彎兒之後，還是回到老路上去。在這方面，我們全不及老賀聰明。
天寒得緊，風整日整夜的狂號著，使他們除去上課而外，就躲在圖書館或是寢室裏，這段寒假前的日子過得很夠落寞，尤其是南森，幾乎悶鬱出一場病來。自從台北回來後，他就沒再見著美倩了，連上詞選課時，她都沒在課堂上出現過。顯然她存心避著和他見面，他知道，自己一時的疏忽已鑄成了大錯，他連找美倩當面解釋的勇氣都沒有了。
路思義堂在時間裏不斷的生長著，鷹架朝天空昂起，展露出它萬千細緻雄渾的鋼鐵網格，時間就是那樣的一把彫刀，彫出這巨鷹般的建築形象。
終於有一天，它披著金黃色的琉璃的羽毛，在那塊碧色的草原當中安靜的佇立著，它已經完成。
把一切都交在神的手上罷，他凝望著教堂的尖頂，鬱鬱的想：她能夠安心，我為什麼不能？
獻堂那天，難得是無風無雲的晴朗天，南森和很多同學，都列隊在教堂兩邊等待著，等待那兩隊聖樂團的男女團員來唱出聖詩，以及擔任剪彩的慈藹的夫人輕輕一剪，來啟開路思義堂的玻璃門。
他知道，這是假期前唯一和美倩見面的機會。
聖樂團的團員們分兩隊魚貫走過來，潔白的袍子在碧色的草原上飄漾著，金灑灑的太陽光在這裏那裏遍照著，輕風在四周的林叢間細語，每個人的眼裏都流露出興奮的光彩，彷彿領受了神的祝福。
管風琴徐緩沉重的聲音流瀉著，聖樂團的團員們唱起美妙的聖詩來。南森一眼就看出，美倩是右隊的第一個，她的頭髮梳得很光潔，用一支辮髮式的髮帶給束著，她溫柔沉靜的白臉在寬大白袍的比映下，比平時略顯清瘦，但她湛澈的眼神充滿了虔誠，也充滿了盼望，那樣凝視著高聳在半空的路思義堂的尖頂，和那兩片像西歐姑娘帽葉一般拱起的堂蓋。金黃色的琉璃瓦上，每片瓦都映出一個金黃色的太陽。
樂聲鳴奏著，伴合著聖樂團合唱的歌，變為一股柔和而莊嚴的仙聲，處處飄響。美倩全神貫注的唱著聖詩，她仰望著教堂尖頂上的陽光，彷彿正一步一步的走近上帝，向那安慰她，並平復她心靈創痛的上帝皈依。她已經不復記取過去，也不復留心堂頂的哪一支鷹架、哪一個網格，曾經網過她和南森，讓月光在草原上描影她懷著破碎的心走向另一個世界精神的世界。雪白的聖袍使她顯得孤獨而美麗，莊嚴而淒涼。
她不會發現，從他們一踏上草原時起，那個頭髮蓬亂，眼神憂鬱的男孩就一直看著她。南森站在遠遠的角落上，憂鬱的眼神吞飲著面前的景象，儘管多時沒跟美倩見面了，他仍能從她莊穆的背後，看到她傷心欲碎的樣子。如今，她是一尊由水晶塑成的女神，透明又瑩冷，遠遠的離開了他，朝高處飛去。她，在他感覺裏正像傳說中奔月的嫦娥一樣，甯願獨自忍受高處的淒寒，是不會再回首塵寰，重返人間的了。
音樂和人潮流過他，流向啟鑰的教堂去，他還在原地呆立著，兩眼熱辣辣的，幾乎要掉下淚來，但都被他抑止住了，在這樣歡欣的場合，他不能太不調和。白衣的行列飄進教堂去，他默默的跟在背後，人影晃動著，常遮斷他的視線，他依稀看見美倩排列在聖壇前面，他能憑感覺分辨出她在合唱中的低哼和高唱。
讚美禮拜繼續進行著，南森獨自坐在堂內最後一排木椅上，嶄新的地毯好柔軟，把人軟軟的陷著。他抬頭望著魚網似的堂壁，以及高處那一長條透過陽光的玻璃天窗，鷹架的回憶刺激著他，他的感傷更重了！他無心唱讚美的詩歌，他好像一個失落物品的人，想在這兒再把他所遺落的重新撿拾回來。
他望著美倩，但她不望誰，她祇是在望著教堂頂上那一排彷彿是通向上帝的窗，陽光的微波在她黑眼裏盪漾，漾出一種屬於聖靈的慈和的光彩。聖樂合唱聲又起，南森完全被新湧來的孤獨浸溺著，好像美倩和他是陌生人像他第一次在銘賢堂注意到的仙女，那麼高貴可愛，又那麼冷漠無情。這美麗莊嚴的路思義堂把美倩完全吸引住了，她拋開一切惱人的塵俗，很安甯的接受了小路思義的愛顧和保護了。他原以為有機會在這兒找她談一談的，但如今他完全絕望了。
他在音樂聲裏，悄悄的退了出去。他不能忍受那種感覺的煎熬，教堂裏面燈燭輝煌，鮮花吐豔，而外面的草原上，祇有他一個人在呼吸著冷風。他看著路思義堂，悲哀絕望的覺得他這種不開花的愛情算是結束了。
教堂，在萬人眾目的盼望下完工。
他和美倩完了。