Outside the window
Where do we start? When you want to speak, you can’t find a source for everything you say.
At this moment, just under my eyes are the backs of four countrymen: one with a dark white cloth wrapped around his head, two with faded blue cloth, and one with a bald head. They propped up their knees, half squatted and half sat, and rested on the short wall along the stream. Each had a simple thing in his hand; one was a stick of white wood, and one was a basket, and the two I could not see clearly under the shade of the trees. Undoubtedly, they have already walked a long way, and in a moment, after smoking a tube of dry tobacco, they will have a long way to go. The scent of orchid smoke hits my senses frequently along with the breeze, and there are a few tones of Shanxi clappers in the blur, although they are sitting outside the iron screen window on my porch.
Beyond the barred screens, the words don’t stop here. It is always outside the window, either the screened window or the glass window, in short, outside the window!
The colors, sounds, and tastes of life are all there, and it’s not that you can’t see them, but they are always outside your window. How many miles of plain land, how many areas of rolling hills, came into your eyes from the window yesterday, where so many lives are active day and night; every stalk of green wheat or millet has been sweated by someone; Every grain of yellow rice or millet is eaten by someone; there are still twists and turns, excitement, and tension! But you may not be able to see it, because all the twists and turns, excitement, and tension are all unfolding outside your window.
At home, if you are sitting in the study, the scenery outside the window is limited. There are two lantana trees and a few lilac trees; a large branch of elm plum blossoms with crazy branches; because of lack of sunlight, only two or three flowers of crabapple bloom each year-the leaves are full of scars eaten by insects and ants, and they are still a little burnt yellow. The porch is beautifully opened with fans, and the hexagonal lattice windows let the sunlight through the outer courtyard and the noise of the outer courtyard. Some coal delivery came, and by chance you saw one or two faces stained black by coal; some rice was delivered, and a man walked slowly through the screen door with a big bag on his back; there was also running water, The electric light and telephone company came to collect the bill, with a leather bag slung across his chest, and a bicycle in his hand; sometimes the cook came to a friend, and walked into the concierge with a smile on his face, “Okay, okay!” What Zhao Ma’s husband came to get the money, it was not bad at all on the 1st of every month, if you came early, you would hear the sound of two people quarrelling. It’s not that there is no color, sound, and all the activities of life, but there is always a window between them and you-fan-shaped, hexagonal, gauze, and glass!
You put down your pen and said, what kind of life is this! You stand up and put on shoes and socks that are not too expensive, but the price of this pair of shoes and socks is more than—what do you want to do with them, anyway, some people’s monthly salary must be only half of this price or even less. You went out to hire a foreign car, and of course the price that the driver said was much higher than the price. Did you agree like an idiot? No, no, thirty-two sons, pull it, pull it, don’t pull it, pull it down! I also understand in my heart that if you really want to be an expert, you should say, twenty-six sons, just pull it-but you are ashamed to argue!
The car starts to roll, and the world is still outside your window. In a long alley, each gate is tightly closed. Even if it is open, it only reveals a corner, and you can vaguely see a pumpkin shed inside, a woman sitting on a small stool sewing at the bottom; Come and call the cabbage seller passing by. As for how much a catty of cabbage is, then you can’t hear it, the car has already driven a long way, and you don’t need to know. Among your monthly expenses, food must take up a certain amount. In that sum of food expenses, cabbage is such a small amount. Do you know how much a catty of cabbage is sold at the door, and you really called your mournful cook to reprimand him, telling him that for every catty of cabbage he fired you an extra “big son”?
The car went farther and farther, and there was a dung truck in front of you. Immediately, you took out your handkerchief, frowned, and covered your nose tightly, not knowing who to blame. Blame the sky for doing too weird things; good and beautiful rice and wheat need dung to water them! Complaining that the country people are too afraid of smell and dirt, they invented two baskets, put them on the trolley in front of their noses, and pushed them slowly! You blame the city’s administrative staff for not being serious about their work, and the old habit of being so dirty and unsanitary cannot be improved: Is there really nothing you can do about this dung truck for more than ten years? Because the strong stench is not far enough from your window, so you think about how social sanitation is not doing well.
The road gradually improved, and there was a big yamen with a high wall in front. Here you have more than just a window, and the high walls in this area are not ventilated. You don’t know how many clerks there are, and what they do; how many big-eyed ones are yelling at the country people doing business; child to eat. Deceive yourself, what kind of tricks are you playing every day? But if there are really two or three people fighting there desperately, fighting for a little convenience and justice for many people, you have no way of knowing!
When you arrive at the busy street, you are still watching a play in a special box, you don’t know how to participate in the play, and you don’t need to participate in the play; leaning on the railing, you are enjoying the aesthetics, and you have a lot of leisure. But if the rickshaw driver here asks you where you got off, you will be surprised and will not know what to answer in a hurry. What is most necessary for life, you don’t lack anything, and you come out with unnecessary activities.
When I looked up, I saw the people in the middle of the street and in front of the shops across the street. They were all in a hurry to buy what they needed for life under the constraints of time and money. Two women were frantically supervising the shop assistants weighing the scales. Two catties and four taels, two catties and four taels of something, don’t worry about it, anyway, judging from the seriousness of the two women, it must be a very important and life-threatening commodity. And if they weighed a little less, the two women would definitely feel great pain because of the small loss; if they weighed a lot, the guy knew that the loss was really not small on the employer’s side these days. So the quarrel between the two sides was heated and necessary, and everyone’s voices were higher; the woman’s face was red, and a lock of hair fell down, and she grabbed it with her hands; No, no mistake!
Enthusiastic, necessary, in the middle of the street full of cars and horses, suddenly two people rush out from beside your car. Both men and women raised their feet and ran quickly. What is this for, you think, the trolley is making a sharp turn. Those two people were chasing the tram, passing by the side of the track, talking to the ticket seller on the tram while chasing. Trams are not easy to catch. You can’t help worrying about running around in the street when you’re on a rickshaw. But you also know that if this trip is missed, they may stand on the side of the street for half an hour. Those who would rather look forward to life than hire a rickshaw, that is, because of their livelihood, they must care about and save on the price of a rickshaw and a tram. number of differences.
Now the rickshaw is running fast, and you continue to wonder in your mind the purpose of your trip, what kind of necessary goods to buy. Seeing men and women crowded in the market, one by one coming out of the door, one by one going in, all holding packages in their hands, although not all of them are necessary for the day, but if there is a box of slightly extravagant items in it, then It must also be a joy that shines brightly in their lives! Didn’t you hear what that person said? The straw hat inside cost one yuan and eighty-five cents, which is more expensive, but “it’s not bad”! He raised his hat box to greet his friend, stroked his clean-shaven head, and smiled all over his face. The sparkling pleasure at that time, of course, belonged to him to enjoy, without a doubt, because God knows, how many times in this year he has been self-denial and frugal, so that he has earned this wonderful and bold luxury. !
