Thinking that Lin Yiqing might end up with the same ending as Xu Jishe, Li Sizhu couldn't help but worry about him again. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

However, when she thought that Lin Yiqing was not in Beijing, Yoko Shimazu's behind-the-scenes planning was quietly winning thousands of miles away, and she felt a little settled in her heart.

I wish I could be like Yoko Shimazu and be his help!

At this time, Li Sizhu had already made up his mind to become Lin Yiqing's help like Yoko Shimazu.

On October 14, 9086 (the 12th year of Daqian Guangxu and the 19th year of Meiji in Japan), Lin Yiqing and his entourage arrived in New York on the "Umbria" luxury cruise ship of the Chunard Company, and immediately went to Washington, the capital of the United States, to start a visit to the United States.

New York, autumn, night.

More than 100,000 residents crowd the city's central business district, with heavy buildings and high walls, but there are not many people on the streets now.

There was a small group of six people on this rather deserted street. One was a short, stocky man in his mid-forties, with thick hair escaping from under his round black fora. The man was not good-looking, and he carried with him a small portable organ commonly used by missionaries and singers along the street. With him there was a woman, about five years younger than him, taller than him, not as stout as he was, but with a strong body and a lot of energy. Her face and clothes were ordinary, but not too ugly. She carried a seven-year-old boy in one hand and a Bible and several hymns in the other. With the three, but behind each of them were a fifteen-year-old girl, a twelve-year-old boy, and another nine-year-old girl—all of them obedient, but not at all aggressive, but just following.

The weather was cool, but there was a hint of tiredness.

They were walking down the street at right angles to another canyon-like street, where there was a weaving of pedestrians, a shuttle of vehicles, and the clanging bells of horse-drawn carriages, speeding forward in the rush of pedestrians and vehicles. However, the small group of people seemed to be unconcerned about this, and only wanted to squeeze past the scrambling vehicles and pedestrians that passed by.

When they came to the intersection with the next street, which was actually just a passage between two rows of tall buildings, they were silent. As soon as the man put down the organ, the woman opened it, set up the music stand, and laid a thin, large book of hymns.

Then they handed the Bible to the man, moved back, and stood in a row with him.

The twelve-year-old boy placed a small folding stool in front of the organ. The man, who was none other than the father of the children, opened his eyes wide, and seemed to glance around with confidence, and said, whether there was an audience or not:

"Let's start with a hymn. Those who are willing to praise God may wish to sing with us. Anabel, I'll take you to play the piano, okay? ”

The eldest girl, who was quite slender but not yet fully developed, tried to pretend to be indifferent and composed. But as soon as she heard this, she sat down on a folding stool and played the piano while reading hymns.

Then her mother said:

"I think it's best to sing Song 27 tonight: "How Sweet Is the Love of Jesus."

At this time, all kinds of pedestrians of different identities and occupations who were walking home noticed that this small group of people appeared in such a hurry, some just glanced at them hesitantly, and some ...... Just stop and see what they're up to. The man, seeing this hesitation, apparently thought that this had attracted the attention of the passers-by (though a little undecided), and seized the opportunity to speak to them, as if they had come here to listen.

"Come on, let's all sing Song 27 together: "How Sweet is the Love of Jesus."

As soon as the little girl heard this, she began to play the piece on the organ, and played a melody that was accurate but faint; At the same time, along with her rather agitated soprano, there was also her mother's soprano and her father's rather suspicious baritone. The other children brought hymns from a small stack of books on the organ and sang alongside them with a feeble breath. While they were singing, they were stunned by the strange things that the indescribable, cold-eyed people in the streets stared at - such an insignificant family should sing in unison in public, protesting against the suspicion and indifference that pervades the world. Some people have an interest in or sympathy for the rather effeminate and under-plump figure of the little girl who plays the harp; There were also those who were interested in or pitied for his father's clumsy shabbyness, whose listless blue eyes and rather loose-skinned, poorly dressed figure were enough to show that he had already fallen into disarray. In this group of people, only the mother shows such courage and determination, even if it is blind or wrong, so that she will not be able to hand over the good luck in her life, but she can save herself. More than the others, she exuded such a convicted demeanor, which, though ignorant, was somehow always admirable. If you look closely at her, and see the way she holds her hymn by her side, her eyes fixed on the front of her, and people will surely say, "Yes, she is such a person, and whatever her faults may be, she may try to do what she believes." Her smile, every move shows that she is full of praise for the god who unmistakably rules and sees everything, and she also believes in the wisdom and benevolence of the god.

"The love of Jesus saved my whole body and mind, and the love of God guided my steps."

She was in the middle of the towering walls on either side, singing loudly in a slightly nasal voice.

The boy stood idly on his feet, his eyes looking down, humming half-heartedly at best. He was a tall, thin man, with a very pleasant head and face—white skin, jet-black hair—and he seemed to be particularly observant, and certainly more sensitive than the others—and it was evident that he was indeed annoyed, even painful, by his present situation.

He was most interested in the secular life, not the religious life, although he was not yet fully aware of it. Anyway, the most correct description of his state of mind at this moment is nothing more than this: what he wants to do at the moment must not be in line with his heart. He was too young, and his mind was indeed too sensitive to all kinds of beauty and pleasure, but these things, perhaps even out of step with the distant, hazy realm of fantasy that dominated his parents' minds.

Truth be told, the boy's living conditions at home, and his material and spiritual experiences so far, could not convince him that the doctrine which his parents seemed to believe in and propagate was really so real and powerful. On the contrary, their lives, at least material, seem to be somewhat worrying. My father was always going everywhere - especially to the "mission" not too far from here and in partnership with my mother - to recite and preach to the congregation. As far as he knew, they were also collecting money from all sorts of businessmen who were interested in preaching or who were philanthropic - and it seems that these businessmen believed in this kind of charity. Despite this, the family has always lived a "tight" life, good clothes have never been worn, and many of the pleasures that seem ordinary to others have not been touched. From time to time, however, their parents praised God's love and concern for them and for all living beings. Apparently something is wrong. He didn't know all this at the moment, but he couldn't help but be in awe of his mother: you must know that her perseverance and enthusiasm, and her gentleness, were attractive to him. In spite of her busy ministry work and heavy household chores, she always tried to appear cheerful, or at least able to hold on, especially in times of extreme scarcity of food and clothing, and she used to say in a very firm and powerful tone: "God will give us," or rather, "God will show us the way." Still, he and the other children saw clearly that God had never shown them a clear way out, despite the desperate need for God's loving gifts in their families.

He didn't understand how his father, who was obviously a top student at the Annapolis Naval School, could end up in such a field as he is now.

My father used to be a real captain of the Navy!

Tonight, he walked down the street with his sister and brother, wishing they would never have to do it again, or at least he himself would not be involved.

This kind of thing, other people's children don't do it at all. Besides, doing this kind of thing somehow seems to be very cold, even inferior. On more than one occasion before he was forced to take to the streets, other people's children had called out to him and ridiculed his father, who had always preached his religion, or rather his unwavering religious convictions, among the public. Just because every time his father spoke to someone, he always opened his mouth to "praise God," and he heard the neighborhood children shouting, "That old guy who praises God, Cooper is here again." Sometimes, the children shouted behind him, "Hey, you little one, it's your sister who plays the organ." Does she play anything else? ”

"Why is he going around saying 'praise to God'? People don't even talk about it. ”

It was the mentality of wanting everything to be exactly the same as everyone else for many years that not only played tricks on his children, but also distressed him. Whether it was his father or his mother, it was different from others, because they had been talking about religion all day long, and now they have finally taken religion as a business.

That night, on the street full of cars, people, and tall buildings, he felt so ashamed that he had been dragged out of the normal atmosphere of life, ridiculed, and embarrassed. At that time, beautiful four-wheeled carriages galloped past him; The idle pedestrians were all looking for (for him) the pleasures they had to speculate about; Pairs of cheerful young men and women, talking and laughing, noisy and noisy; And the "little guys" stared at him—all this distressed him, and he felt that if it were to be compared with his life, or more precisely, with the life of their family, the life of the other people was a little different, and it was much better and more beautiful anyway.

At this time, the crowd wandering through the streets, constantly changing around them, seemed to realize that it was a psychological mistake to involve these children in this: because there were people in the middle of the crowd who nudged each other with their elbows in disdain; There are some people who are more sophisticated and indifferent, raise their eyebrows, and only smile contemptuously; There are also people who are more sympathetic, or more experienced, but don't think it's compelling to let these children show up.

"They're a bunch of people, almost every night, I always see them here, two or three times a week," said a young clerk. He and his girlfriend had just met, and they were accompanying her to the restaurant, "I guess this group of people is nothing more than doing something deceptive in the name of religion." ”

"The biggest boy doesn't want to stay here. He thought it was awkward, and I could tell it at a glance. If this kid himself is not happy and insists that he come out, it really makes no sense. Anyway, he doesn't know anything about this set of things. These words were spoken to a seemingly mild-mannered passer-by by a homeless man in his mid-forties who often begs for food in the city's central business district.

"yes, I don't think so." The passer-by echoed as he scrutinized the boy's distinctive head and face. As soon as the boy lifted his face, he showed a look of anxiety, and people naturally thought that it was only for the older and introspective people to serve such a profound spiritual sacrament, but now it would be a little unkind and futile to insist that an ignorant child appear in public.

As everyone knows, this is the case.

As for the rest of the family, the youngest boys and girls, they were too young to understand what was going on, or rather, it didn't matter to them anyway. The eldest daughter, who plays the organ, seems to be indifferent, but she is very proud of the audience favor won by her own appearance and singing. Because not only the strangers watching, but even her parents have encouraged her more than once, saying that her singing voice is very sweet and moving, but in fact, this is not entirely true. You know, her voice isn't necessarily that good. Her parents didn't really know how to play music, either. In terms of physique, she is pale and weak, but she is also not enough; There is no real potential or depth in the mind. Presumably she thought it was a perfect occasion to make herself stand out and get a little attention. As for her parents, they were determined to do everything in their power to purify people's hearts and make them otherworldly; As soon as the hymn was finished, the father began to repeat the old tune, saying that if he received God's mercy, Christ's love, and God's forgiveness for sinners, the sinner could be freed from the pain that weighed heavily on his heart, and all kinds of joy could be obtained.

"All men are sinful in God's sight," he said, "and they will never experience the happiness of being sound and pure in heart unless they repent, unless they believe in Christ and receive Christ's love and forgiveness for them." Ah, my friends! Christ was born for you and died for you, and every day He walks with you all the time, day and night, morning and dusk, always watching over you, giving you the strength to overcome the hardships and sorrows that you have in the world all the time, and only when you really understand the above truth, will you feel peace and satisfaction in your hearts! Ah, beware of the snares and pitfalls that surround us! It is enough to comfort us that Christ is always with us, persuading us, helping us, motivating us, bandaging our wounds, and making us whole! Ah, that peace, contentment, comfort, and glory is what we sincerely pray for! ”

"Amen." His wife replied solemnly. Daughter Anabel felt that everyone in the family needed as much help as possible from everyone - and her mother answered.

The eldest boy was named Frank, and the two younger children just looked at the ground and occasionally at their parents, and thought to themselves: what he said might be correct and important, but somehow it was not as meaningful and engaging as some of the other things in life. He had heard so much that it seemed to their young and eager hearts that they expected much more to live than to preach in the streets and churches.

Later, as soon as the second hymn was sung, Mrs. Cooper spoke, mentioning in passing that they had preached a passage in a nearby street, and had prayed for the preaching of Christ, and then sang a third hymn, and distributed some pamphlets about the salvation of souls in the church, and then his father, Cooper, collected the automatic donations from the listeners. They closed the organ, folded the stool and gave it to Frank, Mrs. Cooper put away the Bible and hymns, and the strap-on organ hung over Cooper's shoulder, and they went straight to the mission.

All this time, Frank had been thinking to himself: he wasn't going to be happy to do this thing anymore. He felt that he and his parents had just looked stupid and not normal. In a word, as long as there is a way, he will never want to do this again. What good is it for them to just hold on to him? His life wasn't supposed to be like this.

He still remembers the days on the gunboat "Dolphin". (To be continued.) )