Part 1

Soul of Ruins

1

Fang Siying walked onto the bridge.

Standing next to the railing of the bridge, she silently looked at the flowing water under the bridge. Under the bridge, the river is not too wide, but the banks of the river are covered with stones and small pebbles. The stream was babbling, and many towering rocks protruded from the water, standing there with a proud look. Flowing water flowed down from all sides of the rocks, stirring up countless small bubbles and swirls. The May sun shines all over the river, shining with a thousand lights. The sound of flowing water is like a gentle and soft song.

Standing there, Fang Si lingered for a while. The water, the foam, the rocks, and the whirlwinds dazzled her, moved her, and obsessed her. She stroked the railing of the bridge, and she breathed deeply in the air of the suburbs with the smell of pine, bamboo, and earth. Then, she walked slowly towards the other side of the bridge, which was far away from the city, and a wide dirt road stretched forward, and to the left of the dirt road was a hillside with pine forests and bamboo. On the right, there are vast fields and a few small farmhouses scattered around the area.

Having crossed the bridge, she looked back, and the pillars of the bridge were inscribed:

Shochiku Bridge

It was rebuilt in 1955

She frowned slightly, "Songzhu Bridge", the name is not bad, but why not build it with wood? The concrete bridge is a beautiful scenery! However, this is practical, she can see from the dirt on this side of the bridge that there are frequent car marks, this is the outskirts of Taipei City, many rich people do not like the hustle and bustle of Taipei City, but are willing to settle in the suburbs of Taipei, not to mention that this is a famous scenic spot! She believes that if she walks further, she will definitely find a lot of high-end residences, and even pavilions and pavilions.

She walked over, and a few steps away, there was a signboard on the side of the road that read:

Shochikuji Temple

The arrows on the sign point to a trail on the hillside lined with straight pine trees on either side. Shochikuji Temple! This is the temple that is famous, and it is frequented by many devotees and tourists. What about her? Do you want to check it out too? She paused for a moment at the entrance to the trail, and then, with a shake of her head, she left the trail behind, still walking along the wide dirt path.

The afternoon sun is bright and hot, and May is no longer the cool season. Fang Siying involuntarily slowed down, too slow to be any more slow, beads of sweat were already on her forehead, she stood still, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a small handkerchief. In front, there are several white buildings, very new, apparently built recently, very elegantly built, very beautiful. She looked at the houses, and then, with a slight frown, said to herself:

"What are you going to do? Where do you want to go? ”

She didn't give herself an answer. But she walked forward again mechanically, so slowly, so sluggishly. Beyond these garden houses, the fields on both sides are full of tea plantations. Tea garden! She looked at the tea trees in a dazzled manner, it was almost the season of tea picking! She thought vaguely. She walked for a long time, and then, suddenly, stopped, her eyes drawn to a building on the side of the road. Building? No, it was just a building — a pile of broken bricks, a burnt ruins.

She stared at the ruined building, which looked like it must have been a luxurious dwelling from the remaining bricks and the openwork iron doors of the garden. From the main road there was a gravel path leading to the openwork iron gate, and there was a tall willow tree inside the gate. Now the door was ajar, and weeds grew luxuriantly at the foot of the wall, and the openwork door was covered with unknown vines, dangling long tendrils and green leaves. On the side of the gravel road, there was also a wooden sign, which was almost overwhelmed by weeds due to overgrown weeds. Fang Si walked over involuntarily, brushed away the weeds, and saw the handwriting carved on the wooden plaque:

Smoky Hills

Was it this tasteful name that touched her? Was it the inquisitive nature of humanity that dominated her? She couldn't explain her emotions, but when she saw the words "Smoky Villa" at a glance, she felt a strange emotion from the bottom of her heart: Smoky Villa, Smoky Villa, what kind of people used to live here? What kind of story has happened? Who can tell her? A fire, how can there be a fire?

She walked to the openwork iron gate, and looked in through the open doorway, and saw a garden ravaged by weeds, and among the weeds everywhere, there were still one or two red roses in bloom, and several tall banyan trees, unpruned for many years, hanging down with aerial roots, like the long fluttering hair of some old men. The trees are shady, giving people the feeling of "a little deep in the courtyard". Behind the banyan tree, the building had been burned down, with its walls down, its roof collapsed, and the windows mostly shattered. However, it is still evident that the house is very exquisitely designed, it is a two-story building, and there seems to be many rooms, with curved cloisters, small balconies, carved balustrades, and stained glass windows. It can be imagined what a prosperous scene was here at the beginning, the garden must be full of strange flowers, and the house is ...... What kind of people will live in the house? She looked intently at the empty shell of the house, at the blackened exterior walls, at the blackened doors and windows, at the beams that fell to the ground...... Weeds grew haphazardly, and thorny vines climbed from the window from the inside out, from the outside to the inside...... Yes! This house! This pile of ruins! Now there is no one! She sighed deeply, all "ruins" will give people a bleak feeling, bringing people a depression and loneliness that is difficult to dispel. She stepped into the garden (if it was a garden) and walked over to the two red roses. May is the season of roses, and these two roses are also blooming quite gorgeously. It's just that mixed with these weeds and thorns, it seems that there is a strange and pitiful taste. She leaned down, plucked two roses, held them in her hands, and gazed at the delicate and bright petals, and couldn't help but sigh again. The scent of roses was strong and rich, and she took them and walked towards the ruins.

She was quite tired, she had been walking in the countryside for almost an afternoon, and it was two o'clock in the afternoon when she came out of the hostel, and now the sun was already setting in the west. She walked up a few stone steps, and then, sitting down on a section of the collapsed stone wall, holding her rose and holding her chin, she looked around, shocked by the desolation around her.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting like this, but the twilight had come in imperceptibly. The setting sun was stained with a soft golden hue on the ruins, and the evening wind brought a hint of coolness to her. She clasped her bare arm in her hands, watched as the shadow cast by the towering remnants of the wall grew bigger and bigger, as a long-tailed lizard passed through the vines, and as the roses in the barren vines fluttered in the evening breeze...... She looked at it and couldn't help but think of two sentences she had read before:

"It turned out that it was all over the place, and it seemed like this to pay for the broken wells and the ruins......"

And so, a wave of heat rushed into her eyes for no reason, and her vision blurred, and she began to fantasize about the joy that existed in this room, the original laughter, and the ...... Original love. She fantasized so realistically, a story, a story of annihilation...... She almost believed in the truth of the story, saw the love life of the hero and heroine, and of course, there was pain, struggle, tears, misunderstandings, and outbursts...... Tears rolled down her cheeks, she closed her eyes, and involuntarily, let out another deep sigh.

Suddenly, she was startled by a squirming sound, and when she opened her eyes, she looked at the source of the sound and couldn't help but be startled. There, in the shadow of broken walls and bricks, a man was slowly standing up...... She was so astonished, so startled that she almost screamed, for she had not noticed that there was another person here besides her, and that this man had apparently arrived here before her, and who was silently crouching in the corner like a ghost. She covered her mouth with her hands to stop her own shouting, and stared at the man with wide eyes. The man came out of the shadows, holding a cane in one hand and leaning against the wall in the other, facing her. Her heart was beating hard and hard, and she knew that she was bathed in the light of the setting sun, and that he had seen her, or had seen her a long time ago, for he had been dormant there! Immediately, however, she realized that she was wrong, and that the man was moving forward slowly, tapping his staff on the ground and groping the walls around him with his hands, his eyes wide open, but he ignored them...... He's blind!

She let out a long breath, and then slowly lowered the hand that was covering her mouth, but was seized by another feeling of melancholy. She still stared at the man, watching him stumble, bumble, stagger through the ruins. He was not very young, about forty years old, and life had clearly carved its mark on his face, and his countenance was very clear in the afterglow of the setting sun, a melancholy face, a face full of sorrow, and a vivid and susceptible face. And, if it weren't for those godless eyes, he would be almost pretty. He has thick black eyebrows, a straight and characterful nose, and a closed mouth that gives people a sense of stubbornness and bad temper. His costume was not ragged, but rather well-dressed and neat, with a well-dressed suit and tie, and his black lacquered gold-tipped cane. Everything shows one thing - he is not a vagabond, but a gentleman of high society. But why did he huddle in the ruins?

He groped his way through the rubble and thorns on the ground, he tossed and stumbled several times, and struggled to stand still, and the setting sun cast his shadow long and thin and lonely among the weeds. The groping and struggling seemed bleak, helpless, bordering on despair. Tears moistened Fang Siying's eyes again, what a tragedy! Is there a greater sorrow in life than cripplement? Seeing him crash straight into a pile of broken bricks, Fang Siying couldn't help but jump up, and without thinking, she rushed forward, just before he tripped over the bricks, she gasped and shouted:

"Oh! Be careful! ”

The man was startled, he stood still, stunned, and then, looking in vain at Fang Siying with his godless eyes, said in an alert and powerful voice:

"Who is it? Who is it? ”

For a while, Fang Siying didn't answer, she just looked at the male face in front of her in a daze, she had lived for thirty years, and this was the first time she saw a man's face, with such deep pain and eager anticipation. Unable to receive an answer, he exclaimed:

"Who is it? Who was it just now? ”

Fang Siying came back to her senses, took a breath, and said in a steady voice:

"It's me, sir."

"You!" The man said in a bad temper, "But, who are you?" ”

"My surname is Fang, Fang Siying." Fang Siying reluctantly introduced herself, but she had a ridiculous feeling in her heart. Introduce yourself! Why did she introduce herself to him? "You don't recognize me," she said in an indifferent tone, "I just passed by here, saw this post-fire ruins, and was curious, and walked in to have a look." ”

"Oh," he listened intently to her, "then, isn't the sigh I just heard hallucinating?" So, there's a living person here, and it's not a ghost? He said sullenly, as if to himself.

"Ghosts?" Fang Siying frowned and looked at him thoughtfully, "Are you waiting for a ghost?" She said with a burst of disappointment, for there was a clear look of disappointment on his face.

"What?" There was a little exasperation in his voice, "What did you say?" ”

"Oh, nothing." Fang Si replied, looking at the face in front of him with a study of it, this is an irritable person! "I'm just wondering, why are you sitting in a pile of rubble?"

"What about you? Why did you come to this pile of ruins? ”

"I said, I'm curious." She said, "I was supposed to go to Songzhu Temple to play. ”

"Alone?"

"Yes, I don't have any friends in Taiwan, I'm an overseas Chinese, I came to Taiwan for a vacation, and I've lived in the United States for more than ten years."

"Oh." He didn't seem to be in the slightest interest in her origins, but he still listened to her carefully, with a concentration that belonged to a blind man, "But your 'Chinese' is very good." ”

"Really?" A faint smile crossed her lips. She knew that her "Chinese" was not very good, and for five or six years, she lived in a place where there were no Chinese at all, and did not speak a word of Chinese, so that today, her "Chinese" has a somewhat foreign accent.

"Yes, that's good." He said distractedly, sighing, "Do you have a rose on you?" I smell the flowers. ”

"There are two roses, which I picked in the garden."

"Garden—" he froze, "are there any flowers there?" ”

"Yes, there are two roses, growing in a pile of weeds."

"Wild grass—" his eyebrows carved into the center of his eyebrows, "There are wild grasses everywhere here, right?" ”

"Yes, weeds and ruins."

"Grass and ruins!" His voice was desolate and hollow, and he whispered, "This place used to be a place of flowers and trees. ”

"I can imagine." Fang Siying was a little moved, and the man's expression shook her, "You must be familiar with this place." ”

"Familiar?! Isn't it familiar? This is my place! My house, my garden, my home. ”

"Oh!" Fang Siying glared at him, "So, you've lost a lot of things?" ”

"One world." He whispered, almost exclusively audible.

"How did the fire start?" Fang Siying couldn't hide her curiosity and concern, and without waiting for an answer, she asked eagerly, "Has anyone been buried in the fire cave?" ”

"No, there isn't."

"That's fine." She exhaled, "Gardens and houses can be rebuilt. ”

"Rebuild!" He snorted, "No one can rebuild Smoky Hills, no one anymore!" Unless......" he swallowed, turned his head to the sky, and said as if suddenly awakened, "it's not early, is it?" ”

"Yes, the sun has already set."

"That's—I've got to go." He said hurriedly, touching the weedy and gravel ground with his cane, and this helplessness aroused deep pity from Fang Siying, who instinctively held him up.

"Where do you live?" She asked.

"It's nearby, just a few steps."

"Well, I'll send you back, I'll be fine anyway."

"No!" He said quickly, almost exasperatedly, "I can walk on my own, I know this place as well as my fingers!" And I don't want to go back yet! I'm going to pick up my daughter. ”

"Daughter!" Fang Siying paused, staring at the man in front of her tightly, "Do you have a daughter?" How old is it? Where is she? Where are you going to pick her up? ”

The man's eyebrows quickly locked together.

"Is this your business?" He said bluntly, "You're a nosyman!" ”

Fang Siying's face turned red. She turned around and looked at the sky, the sun had sunset, and the last of the colored glow was still hanging on the top of the distant mountain, leaving a faint red.

"I'm just asking," she said softly, "I said I don't have any friends here, so I'm ......."

She hadn't finished her sentence, but the man had clearly understood her loneliness, for the knot on his brow had loosened, and an almost gentle expression had risen to the corners of his mouth, one that softened the stiff muscles of his face and made him look kind and kind.

"I'm sorry." "I've always had a bad temper," he said hurriedly. In order to make up for his rude just now, he automatically replied to Fang Siying's question, "My daughter is ten years old this year, and she is studying in the national primary school here, and she usually walks home by herself, so since I came out today, I might as well pick her up." ”

"I'll send you there, okay?" Fang Siying said eagerly, "I'm fine, nothing at all." ”

"If you're happy." The man said, but the tone was indifferent and not very enthusiastic.

Fang Siying glanced at him, she knew that he must have thought he had met the most boring person, a nosy person who had nothing to do! But, she didn't care what he thought. Looking at him, she said:

"Attention, there's a pile of rocks ahead of you, you'd better go this way!" She helped him up, "I'll take you away, okay?" ”

"No!" He said loudly.

Fang Siying stopped talking, and they walked around the pile of ruins. As soon as he reached the garden, where there were no stumbling woods or stones, the man's steps quickened. Fang Siying realized that he was indeed familiar with this place, and it was only then that she realized that there was a concrete path in the middle of the garden, which she had just overlooked, but it was not entrenched in weeds, apparently because of the frequent walking. So, did he really come to this ruins so often? What does a blind man often do in a pile of ruins? Is it to hang on to the past, or to look for the past? She couldn't help but quietly, and deeply, studying the face of the man next to her. Now, the man walked intently, seemingly oblivious to her presence, and his face was melancholy, cold, serious, and unfathomable.

They had not gone far along the main road when Fang Siying saw a rather luxurious garden house on the side of the road, with two large red doors, a high wall, and a banyan tree pruned like a small pavilion peeking out from the top of the wall. Inside the enclosure is a two-storey building with elaborate tiles, beautiful sconces and chic round windows. On the red door of the wall hung a sign with gold letters on a black background, which read:

Kashiwa House

Fang Siying glanced at the man beside her again.

"Is this big house on the side of the road your home, Mr. Kashi?" She asked.

The man jumped.

"How do you know my surname is Bai?" He asked quickly.

"It's very simple, you say your home is nearby, this house is the only elegant building in the neighborhood, and judging by your attire, you should be the owner of this elegant house. And on the door of this house, there is a sign of 'Kashiwa House'. ”

"Well," the man relaxed, his facial muscles relaxed, "but you're very associative. What do you do? A writer? ”

"I don't have that talent, but I'm very interested in writing." "I studied education in the United States and worked as an elementary school teacher for five years," she said. ”

"You can learn to write instead, and you're looking for a story! You visit a ruin, you find a blind man, and you want to find a story from him and write a book of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or Butterfly Dreams. He said coldly, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Humph!" Fang Siying snorted involuntarily, "You're wrong, Mr. Bai, I'm not interested in your story. ”

"Really?"

Fang Siying stopped talking, and they walked a long way in silence. Then, Fang Siying saw the elementary school, where groups of children were rushing out of the school gate in twos and threes. The school is located at the top of a small town and has a sign on the door:

Zhengxin National Elementary School

Apparently, they were late, the children were already out of school, most of the children were running into town, and one or two were going in the direction they came. They stopped, and Fang Siying looked carefully at the children, dressed in white shirts, blue shorts, or blue skirts, and these children chirped like a flock of birds, chasing each other, playing, and playing...... What a lively and joyful bunch!

"They're out of school." The blind man said.

"Yes," Fang Siying's breath was a little rapid, she was anxious to see what kind of child this man's daughter was, "Your daughter may have come home." ”

"Possibly." The man said, not paying much attention.

"Is she tall? Is it short? Is it pretty? Fang Siying eagerly searched among the children, "What is she like?" ”

"I wish someone had told me what she was like!" The man muttered.

"Ahh Fang Siying looked at him in amazement, "You don't even know...... Yes! A wave of pity and compassion welled up in her chest. Yes, he is blind! He didn't know what his daughter looked like! But...... Has he been blind for many years?

"I'm going back, she must have arrived home early." The man turned.

"Oh, wait!" Fang Siying shouted, because she saw at a glance that there was a little girl at the school gate, walking out of the school gate alone, it was a thin and small and pale little thing, with long braids and a precocious face. Is this the kid? Her heart was beating, trusting her own judgment, it was this child! Definitely! The child looked so much like her father, she had never seen anything like it! With thick eyebrows and big eyes and a straight nose, even that melancholy look is a reprint of her father.

"I see your child!" She gasped and said, "She's a beautiful child!" ”

"How can you be sure......" Before the father could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an exclamation from the child. The girl had already spotted them, and she cried out, and ran wildly, panting and shouting:

"Daddy! Father! ”

She rushed to her father's side at once, and with her two small hands she grasped her father's hand, which was not holding a cane. Her eyes were large and bright, and with a look of ecstasy and flattery, she looked up at her father. Her little pale face was now rosy, dyed red with joy and excitement. Her breathing was rapid and short.

"Daddy! Are you coming to pick me up? Is it? Father! She cried out, wrapping herself around her father's knees. How skinny she was! Ten years old? She looked to be less than six years old, like a grass that would break when the wind blew. The pale skin was almost translucent, what a fragile little life!

"I'll go out for a walk and come to see if you're out of school." The father said that he was not infected by the ecstasy of his daughter, and that his tone was flat. This blandness almost angered Fang Siying. Can't you see how much your daughter loves you? Fool! Don't you know how her little heart longs for love? Fool! Have you ever taken good care of this child? Cruel father! If you can't see, you can at least feel it!

"Oh, Daddy!" The child was not disappointed by her father's blandness, and her eyes shining with simple trust and adoration as she looked up at her father, in addition to trust and adoration, there was also a thin layer of awe. She quietly leaned her cheek on the back of her father's hand, and said excitedly:

"Did you come alone? Didn't Yazhu and Lao You accompany you? ”

"That aunt came with me, you go and thank her!" The blind man pointed out exactly where she was standing. The little girl turned her face to her, and for a moment, Fang Siying actually had the urge to take her into her arms. What a beautiful little thing! What a cute little thing! She was willing to sacrifice everything in the world to win the smile of such a small thing.

"Oh, Auntie, thank you!" The child bent slightly over her, but she was reluctant to leave her father's side, her little hands still clasping her father's hand tightly. With such a so-so explanation, she turned her little face, which was burning with joy, to her father, and said happily, "I'll take you back!" Father! You have to be careful, watch out for your feet, there's a hole there! ”

"Okay, you can take me away, Tingting." The father let his daughter hold his hand, but, apparently, he was only trying to soothe the child, he didn't really need help, "Let's go back!" It's getting late. ”

"Goodbye! Aunt! The boy did not forget to say goodbye to her, and then, taking her father's hand, she walked down the wide dirt road.

Fang Si lingered at the back of the father and daughter. The twilight had already shrouded in the sky, and the figures of the two seemed to be walking in a thick fog, floating and illusory. At this moment, Fang Siying's heart swelled with an inexplicable sourness, and she had a strong feeling of abandonment. Seeing that the father and daughter were smaller, far away, and swallowed up by the twilight...... She stood still, unable to move, but her eyes gradually moistened.