"We've finished reading 'Treasure Island' this semester, and we're going to read Tolstoy's 'Resurrection' next semester," said Kyaw-min to Jean, a smug smile on his face, as they walked out of the upper room, just down the stone steps, towards their room. "Next semester, our Chinese language faculty will be rehired to hire Wu Youling, who is the one who published the article "Cannibalistic Etiquette" in "New Youth".

"Wu Youling, I know, is the person who 'punches the shop with one hand'. You are so happy! Jean said excitedly and enviously. Our Chinese language teachers are always talented in the former Qing Dynasty, and the books they read are always "Ancient Literature and Views". Speaking of English, I have been reading a "Humble English Reader" for the past few years. It's always those old antiques! …… I wish your school would open for women soon. ”

"The English Reader of the Humble Prophet is also good, isn't there already a translation in China? I heard that it is called "Poet Xie Yiyu", and it is also from Lin Qinnan's handwriting," Juehui laughed in the back.

Qin glanced back at him and complained, "Third cousin, you always like to joke, people are talking seriously!" ”

"Okay, I'm not going to speak anymore," Juehui replied with a smile, "Let you two talk," he deliberately slowed down, letting Juemin and Jean enter the room, while he himself stood on the threshold.

The hall was dimly lit. The lights were lit in the upper room on the left and right sides and the wing room opposite, and the sound of signs came from the upper room on the left. There are voices everywhere. The patio is so beautifully decorated with snow, so pure. Jue Hui held her head high and looked around, her heart was unusually light. He wanted to scream, and he wanted to laugh a few more times. He waved his arms to indicate that there was a wide space around him, that his body was free, and that there was nothing to restrain him or hinder him.

He remembered that when the black dog in "Treasure Island" he played appeared, he used to slap the table and shout to the waiter at the inn to bring wine. This kind of pride suddenly surged into his heart again, and he unconsciously shouted: "Mingfeng, pour tea!" Pour three cups of tea! ”

Someone in the upper room on the left answered. A few minutes later, the girl came out of the upper room on the left side with two cups of tea.

"How can there only be two glasses? I told you to pour three glasses! He asked in a loud voice. Ming Feng was about to walk in front of him, and when he heard his loud question, he seemed to be taken aback, his hand trembled slightly, and he poured out a little of the tea in the cup, then raised his head to look at him, smiled at him and said, "I only have two hands." ”

"Why don't you bring a tea tray?" He smiled as he spoke. "Okay, bring these two cups of tea to Miss Qin and the second young master." He leaned to the left, leaned against the doorframe, and let her in.

Soon Mingfeng came out. He heard footsteps, deliberately let go of his feet, and stood in the middle of the door blocking her path.

She stood silently behind him and rested for a while before saying, "Third Young Master, let me pass." "Her voice is not high.

I don't know if he didn't hear it, or if he heard it and deliberately pretended not to hear, but in short, he didn't move.

She said the same thing again, and added that the wife wanted her to do something. But he still ignored her. He stood like a stone on the threshold.

"Mingfeng,...... Mingfeng! "Someone in the upper room was screaming, it was his stepmother's voice.

"Let me go, Mrs. is calling me," Mingfeng whispered anxiously behind him, "Go to Yan, Mrs. is going to scold." ”

"What's the matter of being scolded," he smiled, and said lightly, "you tell your wife that you have something to do with me." ”

"My wife doesn't believe it. If she loses her temper, she may be scolded when the guest leaves for a while. The girl's voice was still too low for anyone in the room to hear.

At this time, another girl's voice sounded, and his sister Shuhua said loudly: "Mingfeng, Mingfeng, Mrs. told you to go and fill the cigarette!" ”

He turned to the side of his body and made a way, and Ming Feng immediately ran out.

Shuhua came out of the upper room and met Mingfeng, so she asked reproachfully, "Where have you been?" Why do you call you, you always refuse to agree! ”

"I'll bring tea to the third young master." She replied with her head down.

"It won't take so long to serve tea! You're not dumb, why do you call you, you don't answer? "Shuhua is only fourteen years old this year, but she also pretends to be an adult to scold the servant, and her attitude is very natural." Go quickly, if my wife finds out, you will be scolded again. After saying that, she turned around and walked back to the upper room, and Mingfeng followed her silently.

These words were sent to Juehui's ears word by word, and they were very clear. They hit him on the head like whips. His face suddenly heated. He was ashamed. He knew that the scolding that the girl had received had been brought to her. His sister's attitude aroused his disgust. He wanted to come out and say a few words to defend Mingfeng, but something was holding him back. He stood silently in the dark, observing these things as if they had nothing to do with him.

They went, and left him alone, and a girl's face appeared before his eyes again. This beautiful face always has that expression: submissive, uncomplaining, uncomplaining. Like the sea, it accepts everything and swallows everything, but it doesn't even roar.

From time to time, the voices of the women in the room came into his ears, and he saw the face of another girl. It's also a beautiful face. But its expression was different: defiant, passionate, and resolute, as if it could not stand anything. These two faces represent two lives, indicating two destinies. He compared them, and for some reason he always felt that he sympathized with the former face more and preferred the former. Although he saw more happiness and light on the latter face.

At this time, the previous face appeared larger in his eyes, and the expression of submissiveness and pleading became more moving. He wanted to comfort her and give her something. But he couldn't think of anything he could give her. He inadvertently thought about her fate. He understood that her fate had been arranged at the time of her birth. Many girls of her kind have the same fate, and she alone is certainly not an exception. Thinking of this, he felt unjust about the arrangement of fate. He wanted to rebel against it, to change it. Suddenly, a strange thought crossed his mind. But after a while he laughed again.

"No, it can't be done," he muttered to himself.

"What if there is such a thing?" He asked himself again. So he imagined the consequences, and his courage immediately vanished. He smiled again and said, "What a dream!" What a dream! ”

But this dream is also worth nostalgia, and he seems unwilling to abandon it completely at once. He asked a question hopefully: "What if she was in an environment like Sister Qin?" ”

"Of course it's not a problem!" He replied decisively. At this time, he really felt that she was in the environment of the piano, so everything became natural and reasonable between him and her.

After some time, he laughed again, he was laughing at himself, and he said, "How can there be such a delusion! …… It's not love, it's just fun. ”

Then the face of the girl with the expression of resignation faded away, and the face of another resistant, enthusiastic girl appeared before his eyes. But the face soon faded away.

"The Huns have not been destroyed, why should they be at home?" Although he didn't usually like this cliché sentence, at this time he felt that it was a wonderful way to solve all these problems! So he shouted it out in an impassioned tone. The so-called "Huns" do not refer to foreigners. He didn't mean to pick up real knives and guns and go to the battlefield to kill foreigners. He just thinks that being a "man" should abandon the family and go outside, and create an unusual career by himself. As for what this business is, he himself has only a little idea that he is not very clear. With that, he walked into the room.

"Look, the third brother is going crazy again!" In the room, Juemin was standing next to the desk, talking to Qin who was sitting on a wicker chair in front of the desk, and when he heard Juehui's voice, he looked up at him, and then said to Qin with a smile.

Qin also raised her head to look at Juehui and replied mockingly, "Don't you know that he is a hero?" ”

"Maybe it's the 'black dog', and the 'black dog' is also a hero!" Juemin said with a smile. Jean laughed too.

Jue Hui was a little annoyed by their laughter, and replied angrily: "In any case, the 'black dog' is better than Dr. Li, who is just a gentleman. ”

"What does that mean?" Juemin asked, half-surprised, half-jokingly, "Aren't you also a gentleman in the future?" ”

"Yes! Yes! Juehui replied resentfully. Our grandfather was a gentleman and our father was a gentleman, so should we be a gentleman too? He closed his mouth as if waiting for his brother's answer.

At first, Juemin was just joking with his younger brother, but when he saw that Juehui was really angry, he wanted to find words to comfort him, but he couldn't find a suitable word for a while. Jean didn't say anything beside him, just watched them silently.

"Enough, I've had enough of this life," Juehui continued. The more he went on, the more excited he became, and his face turned red: "Why does the eldest brother often sigh for a long time? Isn't it because I can't live this kind of gentleman's life, and I can't stand the idleness in this gentleman's family? You all know that...... Our big family has never been in the same house for five generations, but four generations have made it like this. It's obviously a family, but there is not a day when there is no fighting in the open and in the dark. In fact, it's just a fight for some family property! ......" He was even more angry when he said this, as if something had choked his throat, and he felt that he had many things to say, but for a moment he could not say them. In fact, it was not his brother who made him angry. There is another reason. This is the face of the girl with a submissive expression. He felt that he could have been close to her. But misfortune had erected an invisible wall between them, and that was this gentleman's family, which prevented him from getting what he wanted, and therefore he hated it all the more.

Kyaw Min looked at his brother's flushed face and two radiant eyes. He walked over and shook his brother's hand, patted him on the shoulder, and said movingly, "I shouldn't be joking with you." You are right. Your pain is my pain. …… The two of us brothers are together forever. ...... "He didn't know that Juehui had another girl's face in her head.

When Jue Hui heard his brother's words, his anger disappeared immediately, and he just nodded silently.

Qin also stood up and said excitedly: "Third cousin, I shouldn't laugh at you, I want to be with you forever." I should fight more, my situation is more difficult than yours. ”

They both turned to look at her, and a melancholy light shone from her big beautiful eyes. It was as if something was rippling in her eyes. Her usual lively posture was invisible, and her contemplative, gloomy facial expression showed her inner struggle. The first time they saw her expression, they immediately understood what was bothering her. She was right that her situation was more difficult than theirs. Her sad countenance, because it is uncommon, is more moving than her usual joyful posture. At this time, they had a desire to sacrifice everything they had, just to make the girl's hopes come true as soon as possible. But this wish is vague, they don't have any specific means, they just feel that it is their obligation.

They completely forgot about their troubles, and all they thought about was the matter of the piano.

Later, Juemin spoke: "Sister Qin, it doesn't matter. We'll do it for you. You just have to rest assured. I usually believe in the saying 'where there is a will, there is a way'. Do you remember that when we were going to school, wasn't Grandpa extremely opposed at first? In the end, we won. ”

Jean took two or three steps back, one hand propped up on the desk, the other hand touched the corner of his forehead, and leaned against the desk. She stared at them as if she had woken up from a dream.

"Sister Qin, the second brother's words are good, you just have to rest assured," Juehui also said to Qin earnestly; "Just do your homework. Learn more about English. As long as you are admitted to the 'foreign specialist', there is always a way to solve other problems. ”

Jean gently picked her sideburns and smiled slightly, but said with a little anxiety, "I hope so." Mom is not a problem. She will definitely promise me. I'm afraid that my mother-in-law will object. And relatives also gossip. Even in your family, apart from the two of you, other people will oppose it. ”

"What does this have to do with them? Your study is your own business, and besides, you are not from our family! Jue Hui said half surprised, half angry.

"You don't know that for me to enter a female teacher, my mother has been a lot of idleness. Relatives said that such a big girl walks on the street every day and shows others what she looks like, which is simply a loss of everyone's style. My fifth aunt laughed at me once last year. I don't feel anything at all. But my mother was bitter. Mom's thinking is completely old-fashioned, although a little more clever than other ordinary people, but not much smarter. My mother loves me, so she is willing to take the responsibility on her own shoulders, regardless of the gossip of ordinary relatives. It wasn't because she believed it was right to go to school. …… It's enough to go to the school, but also to go to the men's school and take classes with the male students! Do you think, which of our relatives dares to say that this is right? The more she spoke, the more excited she became, and she straightened up, her eyes shining in her face, as if she wanted to find an answer from him.

"Big brother won't object," Juemin said unintentionally.

"What's the use of having him alone? The eldest aunt will object. And the fourth and fifth aunts have gossip again," Jean continued.

"Whatever they say!" Juehui said, "They have a full meal all day, and they are too idle to do anything, of course, they can only say that the east and the west are short." Even if you don't do anything, they'll make it up for you. In short, we can't gag them, we should make fun of them, let them talk about it, just don't hear it. ”

"The third brother's words are very reasonable, Sister Qin, just decide," Juemin said encouragingly.

"I've decided now," Jean's eyes suddenly lit up, and she regained her vigorous, resolute appearance, and then said resolutely, "I know that the success of any reform will require a lot of sacrifice. Let me be a victim now. ”

"If you have such determination, things will definitely work out," Juemin reassured her.

Qin smiled slightly, and still said in a resolute tone: "It doesn't matter if you succeed or not." Anyway, I'm going to give it a try. Brother Kyaw Min both looked at her with admiration.

The bell in the next room rang for nine strikes.

Jean cut her sideburns and said, "It's time for me to go, and it's time to finish the four rounds." She went outside, and beckoned them with a smile: "Come to our house when you have time, I have a very empty day at home." ”

"Yes," the two brothers replied in unison. They sent her out the door, watched her back into the upper room, and then turned around.

"Jean is such a brave woman," Kyumin remembered Jean and spat out such praises unconsciously. He is still indulging in fantasies. Later, he suddenly said, "A woman as lively as Jean also has her pain, I can't imagine it." ”

"Everyone has their own pain, and I have too," Jue Hui suddenly stopped in the second half of the sentence, as if she had said something she didn't want to say.

"You also have pain? What pain do you have? Juemin asked in surprise.

Jue Hui blushed, and hurriedly argued: "It's nothing, I'm talking about playing!" ”

Juemin didn't say anything more, just looked at his face suspiciously.

"Mrs. Aunt's sedan chair!" Someone was screaming outside, and it was Mingfeng's crisp voice.

"Mrs. Tigu's palanquin!" The voice of the middle-aged servant Yuan Cheng then rang out. After a few minutes, the middle door opened, and the two palanquin drivers came in with an empty sedan chair and lowered it on the steps in front of the hall.

In the middle of the street, the gong sounded, heavy and sad, and the second gong struck.