Chapter 69: How Long Is Life?
"My grandparents' generation was really slow in terms of the pace of life."
Holding the Vila mobile phone that the program team allocated to Weng Huaijing, Zhou Peipei tried hard to restrain the end of his Wu Nong's soft words, and read the script for Shao Qing, who was sitting on the sofa.
"After all, it will be an era when there will be no planes, no high-speed rail, no telephones, no postage stamps, and it may take a week to contact someone from out of town."
"Smack!"
In the smoke, Shao Qing put down the lighter and said strangely: "Old story? β
Weng Huaijing, who was sitting upright, operated his mobile phone, lowered his head and replied lightly: "A missing person notice." β
Shao Qing leaned over and glanced at the screen in Weng Huaijing's hand, and raised her eyebrows at Zhou Peipei on the side.
"In the eyes of that generation, it would be the best era, when people were all choosing a city and dying old, and choosing someone to entrust for life."
"Easier said than done, can anyone really do it?"
After laughing at herself, Shao Qing saw that Zhou Peipei was a little swaying again, she smiled and said, "Why are you stunned, Pepe, you continue." β
With some embarrassment in her expression, Zhou Peipei continued with a sneer:
β¦
Some people may be tempted to ask, "Can anyone really love someone for a lifetime?" β
I am a native of Zunyi, Qianzhou, and in our county, there is a centenarian Du Huzhen, who has been with her husband for only half a year, but has been waiting for him all his life.
That person had disappeared into her world for a full eighty years.
The image of her husband that remains in her memory is still that young man in a military uniform and full of spirit.
At that time, when the national disaster was at hand, her husband Huang Junfu put on a military uniform and enlisted in the army with honor.
Yang Liu is still in the air, and the eldest husband cuts off the love of his children and leaves his hometown.
This farewell is eighty years.
The waiting days were long, and her husband could not be heard from, so she could only weep alone in the long night.
The days of waiting are also sad, her son is still young, and she can only carry the burden of the family on her weak shoulders.
That's 80 years.
We all know that waiting for a person may be difficult for three hours, and time does not slow down the flow rate because of the feelings of a single individual, and now eighty years have passed, and the fourth world is full of people who are missing the same person back then.
Zeng Tongyan, the great-grandson who didn't know more things, asked her if she wanted her husband, she always shook her head gently, but she stubbornly lived in an endangered century-old house.
That's her and his home, she said.
She said she was afraid that he would not find the direction of his home when he returned.
Sometimes she would whisper, when will she find the man, is he still there, can he come back? No one knows the answer......
However, there is no clichΓ© "abandoning wife and child" plot in all this
Sealed in the dowry box in the attic, a piece of gray and yellow letterhead, signed "The handsome man you love outside", tells the deep affection that spans time.
"To be a human being is to put the nation first, and education to come first... Wandering away, who doesn't want to return to their hometown for reunion... In my dream, I saw a child who was less than a foot old, how could you tell me not to miss him... You are responsible for all the family responsibilities, and I am very sorry for you... There will always be a time to meet... Please forgive me for giving up my small family for everyone and not being able to be a good father and husband. β
The image of the strange man that jumps between the lines is:
A hot-blooded man who loves the country and misses his family!
A husband who misses his wife and feels guilty!
A father who misses and cherishes his children infinitely!
In the dowry box, the grandmother also carefully kept the wedding dress and jewelry when she got married, her son's belly pocket, horse clip, private teacher appointment certificate and various certificates and awards.
After the vicissitudes of time, although the clothes have faded and the paper has begun to turn yellow and break, the old grandmother still hides it at the bottom of the box like a treasure.
She said that this is a token of love and a proof of love.
Objects waited quietly in the attic, watching the sunrise and sunset, the moon and the full moon. The old woman in the courtyard downstairs also often looked at the end of the road, hoping for a familiar figure to appear.
Professor Weng, when you read this, you will not have doubts?
Why am I so familiar with all this?
Yes, I, who wrote to you, am actually a granddaughter of this old man named Du Huzhen. I hope to use this platform of "Talent Co., Ltd." to tell my grandmother's story to more people......
The road of waiting was long, but the grandmother never gave up hope of finding her husband.
But that figure never appeared, and all that was left for grandma was to continue to wait indefinitely.
How long she can wait, no one knows.
β¦β¦β¦β¦
"Sister Qing, I'm done reading..."
Glancing at Shao Qing, who quietly stuffed a cigarette into his mouth, Zhou Peipei squeaked timidly.
In fact, Shao Qing was a round of raids, and after a few professional classes on Wednesday, Weng Huaijing walked home accompanied by Zhou Peipei, only to find that she had entered the door with the newly assigned key.
There were a few extinguished cigarette butts scattered in the ashtray, holding the equipment that Zhou Peipei deliberately left at home, and the draft selection work made Shao Qing a little anxious.
Weng Huaijing took out the mobile phone issued by the program team from his handbag and shook it to Shao Qing, and said lightly that it had been picked to make her feel like a rain.
By the time she finished reading the last sentence, the hands of the clock dial in the 3005 living room had slowly turned to half past four in the afternoon.
"I'm still a little worried when I'm moved, after all, this story has a strong sense of age."
"Smack!"
Lighting a cigarette as if nothing happened, Shao Qing continued to Weng Huaijing after considering his words: "The plot is very moving, but will this kind of story with a sense of age be more suitable for movie scripts..."
"Ding Dong!"
Weng Huaijing received a new text message on her mobile phone, and after glancing at the content, she put down her mobile phone and looked at Shao Qing generously.
After making eye contact, the two spoke almost at the same time:
"Smoke less..."
"Don't be deceived..."
Weng Huai Jing'an Ruosu said: "It's just to ask for peace of mind and do your part." β
Shao Qing looked at him in shame and said, "Pepe, keep holding your phone, do you have anything to say?" I remember what Sister Qing taught... Be brave enough to express yourself! β
Taking advantage of the time to speak, Shao Qing obediently pressed out the remaining large cigarette in the ashtray very honestly.
"I also think that our draft selection can't blindly succumb to the voting tendencies of the audience of the whispered program and Luo Bing's big data analysis report on their side."
Zhou Peipei finally bravely participated in the discussion with Shao Qing's encouragement.
The screen on her mobile phone lit up was a statistical result of the voting activity launched by the official blue V account of "Talent Co., Ltd." after the first episode of the program was broadcast.
"What type of music would you most like to hear?"
On this issue, 49.8% of whispered netizens voted for the theme of love.
Zhou Peipei, who has been working hard and has grown a lot recently, took the initiative to connect with Luo Bing's intelligent big data team for some analysis work related to Weng Huaijing.
"The results of big data analysis do support the mainstream opinions of netizens, and love-themed works will be more popular, but I recommend that Sister Jing'er continue to do some dreams, careers, feelings and other works."
She confidently and calmly swiped the contents of the table on the screen of her mobile phone, and analyzed it in a clear and coherent manner: "In the long run, it is more ...... for artists to have independent values than to condescend to mainstream opinions"
"Being single and taking the initiative to ask for dog food to eat, it is worthy of whispering netizens, there are really them."
Shao Qing, who glanced at the screen, immediately snorted his poisonous tongue, and said with a little resentment: "In addition, what you said Pei Pei said is not equivalent to setting up people, didn't our show have already decided not to set up people." β
"Isn't that what you want me to think boldly?"
The attacking Zhou Peipei immediately wilted, and she muttered in a low voice: "Although it is said that it is good to set up a person, the audience will still think like that." β
Glancing at Shao Qing, Weng Huaijing still affirmed Zhou Peipei, who had become brave enough to use his brain to think: "Peipei has a heart, but I don't plan to think about it so much, the manuscripts are all picked and liked at first sight." β
"Pepe, hurry up and write it down, your sister Jing'er is teaching you how to choose a manuscript."
Shao Qing teased again: "It's not to teach the selection of men, don't make a mistake in your notes." β
Weng Huaijing glanced coldly: "Shao Qing... You're not poor."
Aggrieved pouting and frowning, Shao Qing pretended to be aggrieved, she complained: "Okay, Weng Huaijing, I think you are Sister Qing, Shao Qing has nothing to do." β
Weng Huaijing called helplessly: "Sister Qing...... Don't make a fuss."
Dai Mei stretched out, and Shao Qing said proudly: "So this time I called Sister Qing, are you going to trouble me to send this manuscript to your think tank?" β
"No, I'm going to fill in a few words, and you can send them to him again." Weng Huaijing picked up the pen on the desktop and began to write on the blank manuscript paper, but the few words were floating like clouds, and he soon stopped writing.
Shao Qing picked up the manuscript paper and looked at it:
"You know my life
Just for you to be persistent and waiting
I have a deep affection for you, a strong meaning, and a lot of love
Waiting for you to hug me tightly
Tell me you only have me in your heart
Love me forever
I want nothing more than me."
Shao Qing's eyes became more and more interested: "What is this...... The love letter you wrote when you were together, was that you? β
"No, it's not..."Weng Huaijing denied it, her tone was still cold, but there was a faint blush on her face.
"Not long after we got together, he wrote a song that was similar to the situation, which was very suitable for these few lyrics."
The opportunity is rare, how can Shao Qing let go easily: "This is a love poem!" β
A trace of compassion quietly slid across his cheeks, and Weng Huaijing gently closed his eyes: "Sister Qing, Grandma Du's story is very similar to my mother's experience. β
"I'm sorry, Huai Ming..." Shao Qing blamed himself.
Weng Huaijing quickly restrained her emotions and talked about her mother's past lightly: "My father left our mother and daughter when I was very young and disappeared without any news. β
Shao Qing sighed: "I always thought that the elders in your family were living in New York..."
"My mom was treated when I was a freshman, and it didn't take long to..."
Weng Huaijing's voice changed stiffly: "The only thing I know about my father is that they met in Pengcheng, eastern Guangdong, and my mother taught me Cantonese." β
Zhou Peipei muttered to herself: "No wonder the setting of Li Na's role, Teacher Yan Qing..."
Weng Huaijing said with relief: "Like the Ms. Du in the story, my mother also loved him all her life before her death, waited for him all her life, and did not have the slightest resentment towards him. β
"Smack!"
Shao Qingmu lit a cigarette.
Weng Huaijing glanced at Zhou Peipei, and only after she moved the cigarette case away knowingly did she continue: "Every time I talk about him, my mother is full of love, and even before she died, she was begging me not to resent him, there must be hardship..."
Weng Huai raised the thin piece of manuscript paper: "Oh, these sentences were written for him by my mother before. β
Shao Qing was a little distressed by this understatement and hidden condolences, she buzzed her red lips and tried to say something, and she was a little short of words.
As if she understood what she was thinking at the moment, Weng Huaijing's expression was calm: "My mother has never regretted this relationship, it was difficult for me to understand before, but slowly, I think now I can understand her mentality at that time." β
Shao Qing pondered the words: "That Yan Qing, does he know about this past?" Let's use this manuscript for sure, right? β
Weng Huaijing nodded: "Well, he wrote that tune specifically for me after knowing this." β
β¦β¦β¦β¦
After a simple vegetarian dinner, Shao Qing drove out of No. 1 Courtyard on Wanshousi Road.
Weng Huaijing, who was covered with green hair, sat on the high stool in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, playing the acoustic guitar in the evening breeze of the imperial capital in mid-autumn, and singing a French chanson song that Zhou Peipei didn't understand or heard with her unique tactful singing voice.
Weng Huaijing's thoughts at this moment are drifting back to many years ago with this chant.
Back to the innocent childhood...
At that time, her mother Weng Yu's words can finally be understood:
"Mom, how long is your life?"
"Jing'er, my mother's life....
From the day I met my dad...
Until the day I never see your father again..."
β¦
This wisp of flying thoughts also allowed it to flow back to the time when he was usually sober, and Weng Huaijing didn't dare to recall it again, the Big Apple City on the other side of the Pacific Ocean six years ago.
There was Yan Qing, who played ukulele and comforted and accompanied her: "It's enough for her to love happily, Weng Xiaoge, you have to understand Auntie, this may be her life that blooms like a rose." β