The people on the stage walked by, not seeing the old colors; the people on the stage sang, heartbreaking parting song.
The word "love" is difficult to ink, she sang the need to blood and.
The curtain rises, the curtain falls, who is the guest.
She was finally drunk in the play, never woke up ......
One
March, a yard of spring color, peach blossom burning, the breeze whisked by, petals rustling and fall awakened in the small courtyard on the chaise lounge nap people. The old man's temples gray but still can not cover the body of the elegant temperament, she raised her hand holding a handkerchief to cover her eyelids, looked at the warm sun, and closed her eyes. The old radio was playing a babbling opera.
I came out into the yard with a small thin blanket and gently covered her. She called out vaguely, Feast. Then, slightly hooked up the corners of her lips and smiled, so contented and peaceful.
Fei Zhi is the name I heard her recite in her sleep after I was hired to take care of her. I've been taking care of her for nearly a year now, and I once asked her about this name when she was awake, and she froze and didn't say anything for a long time. Later on, she told me some things about him one after another. For example, Fei Yanzhi's full name is Pei Yanzhi, is her senior brother, is also her fiancé.
Perhaps it's because she's old and loves to reminisce or because it's too hard for her to remember someone.
She always likes to lie on a deck chair in the small courtyard, one hand pulling my hand, one hand stroking my eyebrows and eyes, said, you really look like him, especially the eyebrows and eyes, simply from a mold carved out, and then rambled on about her and his story.
She liked to dress me in all kinds of costumes and told me to sing "Peach Blossom Fan" over and over again. She said it was her favorite opera and his favorite. She said that if he likes to listen to it, she will sing it to her and sing it to him for the rest of his life, but ...... Speaking, she even whimpered like a small child, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her eyelids slightly flapped a few times, slowly opened her eyes, raised the hand full of fine lines to straighten the white hair on the temples, looked at me fixedly, a long time before I opened my mouth, "When will you go?"
"Tomorrow's plane, today is the last day to accompany you." I straightened the small thin blanket that had slipped from her slight rise.
"Well, I've had a lot of fun with you these days ....... Would you like to talk to me about him again?" She raised her smiling face covered with nostalgia and looked at the distant sky, making it impossible to see beyond a single glance, as if her whole being was going to slowly fade and disappear into this vast sky.
"Good." I nodded and walked behind her to rub her shoulders gently.
II
The night of July 7, 26th year of the Republic of China, with the strong Japanese army ringing, the whole country is plunged into a kind of deep water, this fashion has not received the waves of war in the city of Anyuan County is peaceful.
At the beginning of the night, the lanterns have been on, the theater within the crowd, the hall is full, laughter. Today is the stage pillar Pei Yanzhi's play, full of people in the county to see the lively, only because Pei Yanzhi foreign claim that today he is going to sing the last play, after that he will no longer sing, only focus on the operation of the opera house, will be handed down by his father's generation of the theater to carry forward the development and prosperity of the house.
I stood beside Pei Yanzhi, watched as he carefully sketched out the diaphanous green eyeliner, slowly took out the rouge cream to smear on both cheeks. I looked at him in the mirror with complexity in my eyes, and opened my mouth with a slight question: "Yan Zhi, do you really want to quit the theater forever, and give up the full body of skills you have learned to be a theater owner full of copper flavor? You obviously love the theater so much, why do you want to quit?"
Pei Yanzhi did not turn around, just through the mirror and I stared at, a long time did not say anything, just to the end of a slight sigh said to me: "Zhi Zhi, you're still small, some things you do not understand, also do not need to understand, you only need to know that the elder brother to do so have the elder brother's own reasons is enough."
Hearing this, I was even more furious and said in a sharper tone, "I'm not young, I'm already eighteen, what don't I understand. Besides, if I really don't understand, wouldn't it be better if you explained it to me? You don't say anything, so how can I understand? All I need now is just a reason." Said eyes eyes staring straight at him, as if he does not give me a reason, I will never stop general.
This time, Pei Yanzhi did not say a word for a long time, just quietly looking at the mirror, do not know what to think. I see this, also no longer pay attention to him, raised his feet and went out of the dressing room behind the stage. I came to the corner of the second floor, looking for a corner to hide themselves in, although this place is remote, but can see the whole stage. I knew that Yan Zhi had always been a man of his word, and that he would never change what he had decided, so although I couldn't make him change his mind, I didn't want to miss his last performance.
Drums and gongs sound, the opening of the play, only to see from the backstage out of a brow heroic, delicate body to, light arms, clothes with body movement, hand holding orchids, foot wrong step, walked a back to the scene, water sleeve light fling, hand holding a fan, lightly open the lips, babbling singing: "loaded with endless laughter to sell endless singing, fireworks career break people's intestines, afraid of fear of urging the flower letter tightly! Wind and rain rush, falling red have, wild, I have also learned red apricot wall peeping ......"
The voice of the soft place, like water gurgling, gentle and moving; high-pitched place, like the sea of mountains and clouds, straight into the clouds, the audience listened to the audience were mesmerized, even applauded to forget. Some people even hold their breath, as if an inhalation will disturb the person on the stage, will let him feather fairy-like far away; some people stretched their necks, eyes wide open, ears up, for fear of missing a movement, wrongly listening to a beat; some people squinted back on the seat, immensely comfortable to cross his legs, his hands are still constantly playing the beat, the mouth is a small voice humming, oblivious to me.
Third
After the song, the play ended and the people on the stage went away step by step, and the people under the stage seemed to be still immersed in the opera, and could not come to their senses. I looked at the back of the step away Yan Zhi, and looked at the people under the stage, saw them still immersed in the theater look, not at all surprised, Yan Zhi itself has this charm is not it. I thought at first I didn't know anything about opera, wasn't I also y attracted by him like this? Looking at this kind of Pei Yanzhi, I more and more do not understand what he did, thoughts flying, gradually far away.
That was the first time I met him, still remember the master led me just stepped into the door, the small he was spreading orchid fingers, do graceful wrist flowers. He sometimes stood up three inches of golden lotus, gracefully ferrying the lotus step; sometimes wiggle fingers pointing peony, cloud hand back to the eyes, through the palm of the cheeks gazing; sometimes winks like silk, throwing out all kinds of flavors. At that time, he really did not want to dress up as a woman, the master even forced him to sing "Sifan": "The little nun was two eight years old, is the youth of the master cut off the hair, every day in the Buddhist temple to burn incense and change the water, to see a few of his children Game Under the mountain gate, he looked at us with his eyes, we looked at him with his eyes, and he and we, we **** him - - both more attached to each other. -He and we, we **** him..." The voice is sharp, curling, sad and confused, distant and childish afterimages around the corner of the theater. Look at my stunned, do not know how to react, the paws seem to have grown roots like, a movement is not moving.
Or he practiced a complete set of movements, walked to the master and I in front, raised his head crisply said: "Father, she is the disciple you find, my sister?" And looking at me with those two grape-like black eyes, he muttered in a small voice, "Why does she look dumb and silly, it can't really be a silly one, right?" Hearing his words, I blushed even redder, all comparable to a monkey's red ass.
While I was in the middle of being groundless, Master's stern voice rang out, "From now on, Anzhi will be your senior sister, both of her parents have passed away, she is now alone, and will be living with us in the future. As a senior brother, you have to have the responsibility of a senior brother, you have to take good care of your little sister, got it? And have you finished your homework today?" He immediately stood up straight and patted his chest with his small hands, "Father, don't worry. I finished my homework a long time ago, and even did some extra. As a senior brother I will definitely take up the responsibility of taking care of my little senior sister, father, you don't have to worry."
Looking at his childish appearance of pretending to be an old man, I slightly dispelled some of the feeling of being anxious about entering a strange place, and couldn't help but smile. As if he had discovered a new continent, he stared at my face, looking at me thinking that there was something dirty on my face, and was at a loss for words when he suddenly spoke out, "Hey, Zhi Zhi, you look so pretty when you smile, and there are actually two dimples on your face." Hearing me froze again, reacted, and couldn't help but smile again. When he saw me smile, he also couldn't help but grin a little, revealing his white teeth. Master saw us laughing as a group, a face also emerged a little smile.
After a few years, I have been with the master to learn opera. May be my nature stupid, obviously are masters teach, Yann Zhi is basically a little on the way, a learning will be, and I sometimes in the case of the master to teach a few times or not the way. And the master is in charge of the whole theater things, simply do not have so much time to teach me one by one, so teach me the heavy responsibility fell on the body of Yan. Because of this, in addition to sleeping, half of Yan Zhi's time was basically spent practicing opera, and half was spent teaching me opera. In the process, also more understanding of his love of opera, he would get up before dawn to practice voice, will be under the scorching sun Za Ma Bu to consolidate the basic skills, will be in the late night time is still pondering those singing ......
How did he make the decision to leave the theater? I was puzzled, but he refused to explain to me why he would make such a decision. After the days, I was bored with anger, see him to avoid walking, really can not avoid the past, but also do not pay attention to him, only from his side to brush shoulders. A few times he grabbed my arm, I gave him a cold look and said in a cold tone, "If you can't give me a reason, let go of me." He pulled my arm and did not let go, I looked ahead, even if I did not look at him, I could feel his complex vision looking at me, but he finally decamped and lowered his hand. My heart is even more stifled, thinking to myself, am I not his senior sister, not the person he grew up with, not the fiancée of the master who asked me to be his bride before he died, not the person he is closest to? Why didn't he say anything, why did he have to hold it all together by himself? I feel both aggrieved in my heart for his lack of explanation and heartbroken for him to bear it alone.
肆
A few months later, the war stretched to this place, the Japanese then surrounded the small county, everyone is afraid. At this time, no one wants to listen to what opera, the theater is a cold and bleak, the door can be sparrow. But the theater is always open, my brother told me that even if there is only a spectator is also to open the door, but also to perfect interpretation of each piece of opera.
Now the theater has long been no longer early light, laughing around the spectators, littered with a melon skin has disappeared, leaving only a few crooked wooden chairs are still placed in the lobby, there are a few shoulders with a white towel hanging in a corner of the room leaning boredom and waiting for the guests of the summons. The theater is still babbling and singing the "Peach Blossom Fan" of sorrow and happiness, and you are singing me on the stage, but I don't know whose sorrow and happiness and whose happiness are being sung in and out of the theater.
According to theory, such a depressed day Pei Yanzhi should be more free, but I do not know how, he is more and more busy, often a few days can not see people. This day during the day, according to reason should not have someone door, I am bored with my cheeks thinking about my elder brother, but by the sound of a few broken door disturbed thoughts. Turned to look, but dressed in Japanese military uniforms, shoulder long gun of a few Japanese.
I have doubts in my mind, thinking that although the Japanese into the county, but we have never messed with the theater ah, what is today. The first side towards the small two wink, let them prepare tea.
A few military officers did not sit down, just looked around, arrogantly said: "Where is your boss, let your boss out, we have something to inform your boss." I fake smile does not change, so that people can not see a trace of cracks, "a few military masters, it is really unfortunate, today our boss happens to be absent, you and I say the same, and when our boss comes back, I will be the first time to tell our boss."
A few officers looked back and forth at me a few times and said, "It doesn't matter if I tell you, it's just to inform you a bit anyway, not to discuss with you. Our commander is fond of opera, I heard that Mr. Pei's opera skills can be described as superb, three days later, to come to this opera house to personally listen to Mr. Pei singing opera."
I changed my face, my face showed some difficult look, said: "A few military masters just arrived here, may not know that our boss a few months ago has decided to stop singing opera, you see this ......"
One of the Japanese officers did not Listen to me finish then said: "Our commander has an order, who dares not from, go" said, then raised his step across the threshold, the rest of the several officers also followed one after another to go out, leaving me and a few small two face to face in the lobby, my face fake smile a moment can not be taut, and took off to go.
In the evening, when Yan Zhi came back, I told him about this matter. I had thought that with his unswerving personality and straightforward character, he would flatly refuse. But I didn't expect him to just smile and directly open his mouth to agree. I stared at him in a daze, as if I didn't recognize him somehow, but when I looked closely, my brows were still the same clear and familiar brows as before. Yan Zhi touched my head and whispered, "Zhi Zhi, in the future if I am not by your side anymore, you must take good care of yourself."
I came back to my senses, suspecting that I had misheard him, and opened my mouth, "What, what did Yan Zhi just say, what I must take good care of, won't you take care of me." I laughed and glared at him, I couldn't help but be annoyed that I was disturbed by the news of the Japanese entering the city that came from outside in the past few days, how did I also start to be suspicious, and just now I actually had a hallucination, how could Yan Zhi somehow say this kind of words, it must be that I just misheard it. Thinking of this, I can not help but shake my head. Yan Zhi just looked at me with a light smile, did not say anything.
Wu
That night, Pei Yanzhi sat in front of the dressing table and traced her eyebrows. I still stood behind him as before, looking at his every move. I looked at the face covered in oil and color, and asked softly, "Yan Zhi, what happened tonight, do you have to do it?"
Pei Yanzhi's hand that was dressing up paused, as if he did not understand the deep meaning in the statement, and just said to me seriously, "Today's play, I must sing." I lowered my eyelashes and just brought over a cup of tea, saying, "Good. Have a sip of tea to moisturize your throat before you go on stage, after all, you'll be singing all night in a while." He did not doubt me, raised his hand and took the tea and drank it in one go.
Looking at his face as if asleep, I gently stroked every inch of him, whispered: "Yan Zhi, I do not understand what you say the national righteousness, I only know that you live can do more things, I do not want to see more casualties, although I did not go out in the past few days, but I also know that the Japanese killed a lot of innocent people, so live well, with my share, go to do those who are responsible for the people to the people. share, go and do those things that are good for the people and good for the country." After saying this, I gave him a deep look, turned toward the door curtain, and whispered, "I leave him in your hands, and I hope you will take good care of him."
After saying this, he turned to face a corner of the room and never looked back. Eyes blind, ears especially sensitive, I listened to a rustling behind me, and then the room fell silent again. I sat where he had just sat, doing what he had just done, watching myself in the mirror as I dressed myself. Thoughts, however, slowly drifted back to last night.
Last night, the thoughts are difficult to rest in peace, I think left and right can not think through the decision made by the Yan Zhi, then dress up to get up and want to walk a little bit, quiet a quiet mind. I found that the light in Yan's room was still on, so I took a step towards his room and tried to solve the problem, but I found that there was a sound of speech.
My heart is more doubtful, this time who will be in the room of Yan, then did not knock on the door, standing in the door, want to wait for them to finish and then go in, but did not want to learn the content of their conversation. It turns out that Yan Zhi has long joined the ****production party, he has been collecting intelligence for the ****production party, even this theater is one of their contact points. Think about it, the theater is an important place for people to come and go, set it up as a contact point for intelligence, it is not too noticeable.
Originally, all the places that could not be figured out, now have an explanation. Yan Zhi does not continue to sing opera, is to have more time to do what he has to do; to take over the position of the owner of the theater, carefully operated, is to provide more medical equipment and munitions to the comrades on the front line of the ****production party; these months of early morning and late night is to contact the connector, to develop more comrades of the revolution ......
And the purpose of this night's discussion is to make sure that tomorrow's plan to assassinate the heavily protected commander by the Japanese is foolproof. Because only once the commander is dead, the next step in the battle plan he produced can be postponed, and only then can we win a step ahead for our ****productives on the front line. But this commander has always acted in a careful and cautious manner, no bad hobbies, only cool love of opera, so Yann Zhi will go against his usual principles, agreed to sing again.
All the causes and consequences are clear to me, my mind did not settle down, but more chaotic. I quietly retired, back to the house, lying on the bed, thinking a lot. It turns out that the words I heard that day were not my hallucinations nor my mishearing, there was an incident in which the commander was killed in the opera house of the elder brother, how can the elder brother who is the boss be able to get away in one piece.
The sound of knocking on the door yanked my thoughts back, only to see a little maid timidly venture into a head and whisper, "Boss Pei, have you put on your costume? It's time for you to make your appearance." I "hmm" a sound, the little maid did not find any abnormality, obediently retreated.
It's also true that Yan Zhi and I grew up eating and living together, and all the operas I learned were basically taught by him, and in order to meet the standards he required, I even learned all the operatic cadences and makeup from him. Coated with heavy ink and oil paint, coupled with today's song is "Peach Blossom Fan", I want to disguise as Li Xiangjun, but also no one can recognize us. I think that even the master often mistakenly recognized us in the costume.
Land
I raised my arms on the stage, water sleeves fluttering, I slowly chanting; under the stage of the Japanese drinking wine and eating meat, laughing and talking recklessly. On the stage sang is not know what love, a deep; off-stage sitting is a jackal, wolf, tiger and leopard, evil ghosts in the way.
With the drums getting more and more intense, my singing voice is also more and more grief. Those jackals and tigers under the stage seem to be stunned, just at this moment, I looked at the hall was surrounded by many Japanese sitting in the center of the commander, shouted "light the fire."
I moved lightly, eyes flow, singing their own tune, as if just that "ignition" only exists in the opera.
Until the Japanese found the fire, the fire has long spread, want to escape but found that the door has long been blocked tightly. The whole building is immersed in their enjoyment of the time, unknowingly was splashed with oil.
On the stage, I am still singing, is singing: "I have seen the jade hall of the Jinling warbler crowing dawn, the Qinhuai water salon flowers bloomed early, who knows that it is easy to ice disappearance! I watched him build a vermilion building, watched him banquet guests, watched his building collapsed! This moss and blue tile pile, I have slept in the wind, will be fifty years of rise and fall to see full. ......" The people under the stage were running in a panic, screaming, and everyone was in a mess. The commander did not know who took advantage of the chaos to hit a shot, right in the head, before dying that pair of eyes wide open, as if they have not reacted back to what happened. I was shot by a person next to the commander, dressed in costume like a limp butterfly slowly fell on the stage.
Looking at the gurgling blood in the abdomen, I thought: the old ancestors once said, once the play begins, even if there is no audience under the stage, but also must be sung to the end , mortals do not listen to, does not mean that the ghosts do not listen to. But the disciple sang this play will not be finished after all. With more and more blood underneath my body, my consciousness is gradually confused.
When I woke up again, I was lying on a hospital bed, and the wound on my abdomen had been properly bandaged. I later realized that the people outside saw the theater on fire, and when the fire is small, there are good people to put out the fire, which will be dying I pulled out, sent to here. Sent me over to the goodwill also said that fortunately I was on the stage, no kerosene, the fire is small, unlike under the stage of some people have been burned to come.
Later, after my injury healed, back to the theater to find Yann, but there is only a piece of wreckage, nothing left. I searched all over for Yan Zhi, and nowhere to go, so I stayed in the temporary army garrison, learning to be a field dresser, and after that, I have been flowing with the army. Although I have been inquiring about him during the period, I also know that Yan Zhi is a ****production party, but also do not know his specific identity, so there has been no reply.
Seven
There was a wind through the hall courtyard, and she pulled down the plush blanket on her body. A few peach blossoms fell between her gray hair, and I twisted them for her.
"It's a bit cold, help me back to the house."
I went to the house to bring out the wheelchair, and helped her slowly sit on the wheelchair. I pushed her to the house and the gramophone had stopped. I got a disk of sandalwood incense and put it in the burner and lit it.
"Zhi Zhi, help me put one down, just that Peach Blossom Fan."
I nodded and turned on the phonograph to put in that record. The opera instantly spread into every corner of the house, and she hummed along. I moved the recliner from the courtyard into the house and helped her lie down.
"You should take your medicine, I'll get it." I covered her with a blanket. I poured water while I took a closer look at the room, not expecting to leave so soon.
"Eboshi, did he mention me?"
My hand paused and I replied softly, "Uh-huh. He had said you ......"
She interrupted me, "I'm a little tired." I stopped talking and handed her the medicine, which she took and drank with the warm water in the glass.
For a long time, she asked out loud, "Did he go peacefully?"
I looked at her for a long time, so she knew ah, know that she read all her life he has gone, know who I am. In the end I did not say anything, just nodded my head in silence.
Her eyes through me across the front of the hall, fell in the distant sky, she seemed to see again the unique pair of clear and elegant eyebrows, smiled at the yard, a line of clear tears across her creased cheeks.
I dragged the suitcase out of the yard, looking back at the yard I stayed nearly a year, looking at the yard of the peach blossom in full swing, as if through the distant time, saw the young man picked a peach blossom saved in the temples of the young girl; the young girl in the young man tired of learning to serve a bowl of handmade peach blossom soup.
The first time I've seen this is when I've had a chance to see a lot of people in the world, and I've never seen anything like it. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on some of the most popular products and services in the world, and you'll be able to do that with the help of your own personal computer. She is living well and has been remembering you. She is, as you said, a very, very good woman. She has remembered you all her life, and you have remembered her all your life, and even the name of your granddaughter, "Jiezhi," comes from her name, "Anzhi," because only when you call "Jiezhi," will your eyes light up differently. Because only when you call "Zhi Zhi" will there be a different light in your eyes. In this life, you have loved each other for a lifetime, but you have been separated for half a lifetime. I hope that in the next life, you will meet each other soon, and you will not suffer from separation, and you will love each other for a lifetime, and you will be with each other for a lifetime.
Epilogue
The people on the stage don't know that they are in the theater; the people off the stage don't know that they are in a dream.
A throw of the water sleeve and a sigh, the people who acted are obsessed, the people who watched are drunk.