Erquan Yingyue (short story) Zhang Baotong

Ah Bing has never had a good impression of these fancy prostitutes and demonic women. He came here to inquire about the place of the troupe that played the commentary. Because he knew that ships and passers-by from other places always had to stop here, and that it was also a place where all kinds of news and information were exchanged, and people always came here to inquire about what they wanted to know.

Although this place is only half a street away from Ah Hong's house, Ah Bing has never been here, even if he passes by the dock, he always hides far away, walks fast, for fear of being entangled by the fairy woman on the boat. Therefore, now it is very embarrassing and embarrassing for him to go to the ship to ask someone about something. Moreover, Ah Bing often buys art at the Plum Garden Tea House, and almost no one in the town does not recognize him, and he doesn't want people to think that he wants to get on the boat to find those women. In order not to be noticed, he pretended to be indifferent, and slowly walked towards the nearest ship over there, so that people would think that he had come here for a walk with nothing to do.

When he was still about twenty meters away from the ship, a fairy woman on the boat saw him, shook a flower handkerchief in her hand at him, and shouted at him in a cool voice, "Ah, it's Ah Bing, you're also in the mood to come here today." Seeing her talking to him in such a loud voice, I couldn't help but feel terrified, so I looked around, and saw that no one was paying attention to him, so I beckoned to the woman and said, "Hey, this eldest sister, come here, I have something to ask you." ”

The woman walked to the side of the boat, smiled flatteringly, and said, "What's the matter?" But Ah Bing didn't dare to get on the boat, so he made a very anxious appearance and said, "I won't get on the boat, so you should come down." The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment, then twisted her waist, shook her handkerchief, stepped on a wooden plank and went down from the boat to the bluestone slab on the shore, and asked Ah Bing, "What do you have to ask?" Ah Bing said, "Do you know where the troupe from Suzhou has gone?" The young woman shook her head and said, "I don't know, I've been very busy lately, and I haven't been in the street for a long time." Ah Bing couldn't help but be a little disappointed and said, "Then forget it." But the woman said, "Wait here, and I'll find someone to inquire about you." Ah Bing said, "Then I'll trouble you." ”

The woman inquired about the moored boats in turn, and after about seven or eight questions, she saw the woman walking towards this side and said, "A boatman from the Taihu Lake said that he saw an opera troupe singing and commenting in Yuantouzhu last night, singing "Queqiao Immortal" and "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai". When Ah Bing heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, it's that troupe." So saying, he took out a few coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the woman. But the woman raised the handkerchief in her hand in front of him and said with a smile, "How can you pay for this little thing." When you bring the erhu to us and play a few songs, it can be regarded as your affection. With that, he turned around and staggered towards the boat.

In the afternoon of the same day, Ah Bing went to Yuantouzhu to find the owner of the troupe. The boss of the troupe was naturally very happy when he saw that Ah Bing was going to join the gang, and said that they would leave for Yangzhou early tomorrow morning to tour the performance, and asked Ah Bing to go back immediately to make some preparations, and be sure to come in the evening. Ah Bing accepted him so quickly when he saw that the boss was so happy, and offered to give him a salary of ten yuan a month, and if the income from the performance was better, there would be a red envelope of five yuan. Therefore, he thought that with this money, he would be able to bring Ah Hong out to live together, and he would be able to get rid of Uncle A's control and bullying from now on.

He trotted all the way back to the house, and when he saw Ah Hong sitting under the lamp by the bed, looking worried and sad, he asked what was wrong. After he asked, Ah Hong said, "At noon today, the rich man surnamed Wu asked him to invite his father to drink. Daddy drank until the afternoon before coming back drunk. As soon as I came back, he told me that I don't have to go out to perform in the future, that the surname Wu wants to marry me as a little wife, and that the surname Wu has shops in and outside the city and in Yangzhou, Shanghai, and that there is so much money that I have to use a car to measure, if I go to his house, it will be equivalent to becoming a nobleman, who eats all day long, has endless treasures and silver money, and enjoys endless glory and wealth. As soon as I heard this, I said, you go and tell the person surnamed Wu to let him die of this heart, even if I jump into the river and hang myself, I won't give him a little wife. But my father said viciously, everything is up to you, why do you want me to be a father. After that, I went to the Peach Red Temple. ”

When Ah Bing heard this, he was not surprised, and his heart immediately became depressed, and he pondered for a long time before he said, "The troupe asked me to rush over tonight and take a boat to Yangzhou early tomorrow morning." But if I'm really gone, and I don't know when I'll be back, what are you going to do? Your father is an open-eyed man who can do anything for money. ”

Ah Hong shook her head helplessly and said, "I don't know what to do." Otherwise, I'll go with you and get out of here. But Ah Bing felt that he had just gone to someone's house, and he brought an unmarried girl over, for fear that it would arouse the suspicion and disgust of the boss and the guys of the other people's troupe, in this case, you would definitely not stay long there, so after thinking about it again, he said to Ah Hong, "This is the first time I have gone to someone's house, and I can't take you over immediately." Otherwise, I'll come back and take you there when I'm firmly established. Ah Hong nodded silently, but she was still worried, so she took Ah Bing's hand, looked at Ah Bing with that kind of affectionate gaze of attachment and grievance, and said, "You have to come back early, you are not here, I always have nightmares when I sleep at night." Ah Bing hugged Ah Hong tightly in his arms, and said in a relieved and earnest tone, "Don't worry, as long as I stand up over there, I will come back to pick you up in only ten days and a half months." Ah Hong answered, and put her face tightly in Ah Bing's arms.

Because it was almost dusk, Ah Bing was in a hurry, so Ah Hong helped Ah Bing prepare a few musical instruments and covers briefly, and sent Ah Bing on the road. After leaving the town, descending the embankment, and walking through a muddy field path, the two of them went up to a mountain called Pine Slope. At this time, Ah Bing took the cloth bag containing the musical instrument from Ah Hong's hand and said to Ah Hong, "Send you a thousand miles, and there will be a farewell, so don't send it again." Ah Hong grabbed the placket of her clothes and bowed her head silently, but said, "Xiulan's sister Xifeng gave it to someone a few days ago, have you heard about it?" Ah Bing was stunned and said, "So fast, did it give it to the young teacher?" Ah Hong shook her head and said, "Where? Her father gave her to the Chen family who opened a porcelain shop in Jiangbei Town." I heard that the son of the Chen family is eighteen or nineteen years old and still drooling, which makes people look so uncomfortable. Ah Bing couldn't help but be a little surprised, and asked, "Then Xifeng herself is willing?" Ah Hong said, "How can she be willing, it's not that the family bully wants to do this." Ah Bing couldn't help but say sadly, "When parents only want to make a fortune through their daughter's marriage, then they still care about their daughter's feelings and happiness." ”

Of course, Ah Bing knew what Ah Hong meant when he told him about this, so he said to Ah Hong, "You go back, wait for me, more than half a month, less than ten days, I want to come back for everything." As he spoke, he walked towards the slope below the ridge without looking back. All the way down to the bottom of the slope, and then up to the opposite slope, you can still see Ah Hong standing on the mountain and waving at him. He came to a halt at the top of the slope, waved his hand to the opposite side, and then walked towards the twilight into the distance.