Costume Mountains and Rivers

At the beginning of the night, the small square in front of Qianmen Station is full of people in disorder, and people in robes are carrying suitcases, waiting for the whistle of the train to enter the station with blank eyes.

Speaking of the history of this railway station, I am afraid that it is ten years older than Mo Qinghe. More than ten years ago, it was the most prosperous business center in old Beijing, with teahouses, medicine shops, tobacco shops, and theaters. Rows upon rows of foreign firms and restaurants, black and greasy plaques hung on every house, old locust trees at the door, small alleys, red lanterns, ladies and wives come and go in rickshaws, big smokers sit begging on the side of the road, car bells and Shouting with a Beijing accent rang out.

Compared with the pure Chinese-style crowds around, the European-style station built by a British designer in the middle of the square looks clumsy and abrupt.Mo Qinghe remembered that when he and his fellow apprentices hadn't left their teachers, a group of boys shaved their green bald heads and were driven by their master to sing at a wealthy family's house. Passing through Qianmen Street, they always stopped for a while to laugh at this weird house.At that time, Hang Yunyang was still in the team, timidly pulling the corner of Qinghe's clothes, smelling the aroma of roast duck wafting from Quanjude, his mouth was salivating greedily.

Later, the situation in North China was turbulent, and the place gradually became depressed. The former teahouses were converted into large open-air tea sheds to entertain some poor people who were struggling for a living. Except for a few long-established brands, most of the shops closed early.

Mo Qinghe looked out of the window, thinking that this Qianmen station is very similar to today's China, where the poor people can't read, can't eat enough to eat all day long, and the upper class are rich and rich, and they advocate "foreign" all day long, " Self-made", "New School".

Maybe it won't be long before even the Peking opera, which the young and old in the capital are obsessed with, will be squeezed out of space.

The car stopped at the side of the road, one master and one servant got out of the car, the driver followed Mo Qinghe with two brown suitcases, walked quickly while looking around, trying to find Shen Peinan's identity in the chaotic crowd figure.

Some theater fans recognized him and shouted for Boss Mo from a long distance away, while others rushed to him and took out his photo to ask for his autograph.

Mo Qinghe took a look at the photo, the photo was artificially colored, the lips were bright red, the skin was blue, the background was black and white, but the person was wearing a sapphire blue satin jacket, as if he had been dead for many years.Mo Qinghe took out the fountain pen and painted the word "Lotus" casually, but then heard the rustling voices behind her, as if they were talking about the son of a fart and a rabbit.

The chauffeur acted as a bodyguard, waving his hands to drive people away. When Mo Qinghe looked up, he saw several figures in olive green military uniforms among the crowd in front of the station. He was anxious and threw the photo to the passerby. Pull the driver and drive forward.

When he got close, it was indeed Shen Peinan. Standing beside him was Xiao Gu, the adjutant who was taken aback by Mo Qinghe the first time he met with the troupe, looking around with his suitcase.

Seeing Mo Qinghe from afar, she shouted frivolously: "Come on, come on!"

Encouraged, Mo Qinghe grinned and trotted away from the crowd, and ran into Shen Peinan's arms like a sparrow, staring at him happily.Shen Peinan was obviously waiting impatiently, and finally waited for him to appear, but immediately turned gloomy, and said harshly: "You still know, I just walk away, and then you can't wait to run somewhere and steal a man."

After speaking, he suddenly saw the driver carrying the suitcase, and turned his head to look at Qing He again, only to see that he was not wearing the white bamboo cloth gown when he went out in the afternoon, but changed into a beautiful serge suit, the shirt collar was very starched He is neat, with greasy hair and noodles, like a young master who has returned from studying abroad, and he can't help laughing: "Boss Mo is going to travel far away? Do you want to do business?"

Mo Qinghe signaled the driver to hand over the suitcase to an accompanying adjutant, put his hand on Shen Peinan's left arm, walked with him to the platform, raised his face with a smile and said: "Not doing business, here to steal men. "

Shen Peinan stopped suddenly, Mo Qinghe saw that he didn't seem to want to agree, glanced around, and begged in a low voice: "I can't leave you for a day, take me with you."

Shen Peinan turned her head and ignored him, but her lips that had been tightly pressed all the time raised an arc involuntarily, having had enough of secretly laughing, she raised her hand and pushed hard on his forehead, and said with a cold face: "Follow, just follow, the rules are strict at home. , don’t cry when I don’t care about you.”

The train was stuffy and hot as usual. Even if the compartment was booked alone, I still couldn’t sit comfortably for the first few hours. When night fell, the temperature gradually dropped, and it started to rain lightly, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

After walking for nearly a day and a night on the road, Mo Qinghe didn't find it difficult to sit so badly. Although he and Shen Peinan usually lived together, they slept in separate bedrooms. He had classes during the day, and Shen Peinan had business to attend to. , socialize with the mahjong game at home in their spare time, stay up late into the night, and may go to the theater or dance hall with a large group of well-dressed modern men and women. But I can't even squeeze out the time to talk alone.

The long time on the train was fully utilized. Taking advantage of the excitement of going out for the first time, Mo Qinghe fluttered like a live fish, talking about the knowledge he had learned in school, tilting his head to ask questions, and kept going. It was so noisy that Shen Peinan dragged him over and pressed him on his lap, and slapped his butt hard before he stopped.

In the evening of the next day, the group arrived in Hangzhou.

Mo Qinghe had never been to the South, and his impression of Suzhou and Hangzhou came from Shen Peinan's description of his hometown and Hang Yunyang's coquettish complaints. He came here in person this time, but he didn't think the streets and passers-by were so fashionable. It feels wet, probably because it has just rained, it is wet everywhere, the leaves reflect the water, and the face seems to be covered with a layer of fine water beads, no matter how you wipe it, it can't be wiped clean.

The air is very clean and cool, unlike Beiping, where there is a strange smell of rancid food everywhere.

As soon as Mo Qinghe saw an outsider, she immediately lost the liveliness she had when she was alone with Shen Peinan. She looked like a young man who had just graduated, deliberately keeping a distance from him. Unless someone knew the details, it would be difficult to see The secret relationship between the two.

As soon as the group walked out of the station, they surrounded a large group of rickshaw drivers in white jackets as usual, vying for business in the local dialect. They managed to get rid of their siege, and immediately saw the car coming to meet the Shen family.

Immediately, because the ostentation of the Shen family is too big to be ignored, obviously only Shen Peinan was picked up, but three identical black cars arrived, and an old man dressed as a housekeeper was standing Wait by the side of the road.

The man was about 60 years old, wearing a melon cap, and a gray and thin braid hanging down the back of his head.Seeing Shen Peinan's figure from a distance, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, and turned around to make gestures. The doors of the three cars opened at the same time. What's interesting is that the old man is so old-fashioned, but the drivers are all the latest young people, all dressed in suits , very imposing at first glance.

The old man walked up to Shen Peinan, bowed his waist and saluted, but didn't speak, rubbing his two bark-like hands, looking at him from head to toe, then from foot to head, as if he couldn't believe it, grabbed Shen Peinan's hand Rubbing with one hand repeatedly, looking back and forth a few times, a pair of old eyes became watery.

"Third young master, you are really back."

Before he finished speaking, his throat felt choked.

Shen Peinan took off his white gloves, patted the old man's withered back affectionately, called Uncle Zhao, and introduced to Mo Qinghe that he was a housekeeper who had been at home for more than 40 years and had grown up watching the Shen brothers and sisters.

The old man was sobbing for a long while, but he was still rambling: "My wife said that I am in poor health and won't let me come. If I don't come, can I be the first to see the third young master coming home..."

Mo Qinghe saw that this person was not much older than Lao Liu, but had a completely different attitude towards Shen Peinan. Knowing that the relationship between the two was not inferior to that of blood relatives, Mo Qinghe nodded with a smile, and called out politely.

Shen Peinan exchanged a few words with the old man, and immediately inquired about his mother's condition, but the housekeeper didn't seem to hear, took out a handkerchief and wiped away his tears, then shifted his gaze to Mo Qinghe, as if he had discovered something new, and circled him half a circle, Complimented: "Which young master? You look really good."

After finishing speaking, he let out a sigh: "The third master is just confused. He didn't notify in advance when he brought friends back. Many families sent a car to pick them up."

The old man is old and has bad ears, so he speaks slowly and loudly. Although he has a local accent, it is not difficult to understand.

Mo Qinghe was stunned when he heard that, thinking that three cars were not enough, should they block the road like welcoming the generalissimo.Shen Peinan seemed to have expected it a long time ago, shook his head and said that this must be the work of the eldest brother, turned around and greeted the few soldiers who came with him to take the last car, and took Mo Qinghe to the middle car, needless to say, the first car It is reserved for the housekeeper.

Calculated in this way, the arrangement of the three cars was just right, but it was too extravagant, Mo Qinghe was secretly surprised, and when the car drove onto the road, she turned to Shen Peinan and said: "Your family is no less particular than the former Qing prince in Beiping. "

Shen Peinan didn't make a sound, and his expression didn't relax at all. He crossed his fingertips and lightly touched his forehead to think. After a while, he stretched out his hand and pinched Mo Qinghe's cheek, and said in a low voice: "This is not right, let me help you first." You find a hotel, and I will pick you up after you arrange your home."

Mo Qinghe said with a smile: "It turns out that the bandits will be timid when they see their family members. You think I won't deal with it. Do you show your feet when the time comes?"

After speaking, she wanted to make a fuss and laugh at him, but Shen Peinan didn't have the intention to block his hand and said, don't mess around, with a serious expression on her face: "I'm afraid they will make things difficult for you."

Shen Peinan knew his family well, and he could tell the clue from an abnormal detail, but Mo Qinghe didn't understand what he meant.From his own point of view, he is well aware of the attitude of such a family towards actors, and suffered a lot in his youth, so he is very reluctant to come.This time I insisted on going together, one is to organize the task of getting close to the little sister of the Shen family, and the other is to fear that Shen Peinan will never return to Beiping. Thinking of this, he couldn't help sighing, turned his face and pretended to look at the street scene outside the window, and said lightly: "I'm not afraid."

Then he grabbed Shen Peinan's hand and squeezed it vigorously, not knowing whether to borrow a little courage or to comfort him, he said in an emphatic tone: "People like us have always been looked down upon by others, we have long been used to it, I am not afraid, what kind of treatment It doesn't matter."

After saying this, his cheek was suddenly touched, it was soft and warm. Mo Qinghe touched the skin that was kissed, and turned to look at Shen Peinan in surprise, but the other party looked like he had nothing to do with him. After snapping the knuckles of both hands, he leaned back comfortably on the back of the chair, closed his eyes and rested his mind.

The Shen family's cars drove slowly through the downtown area one after the other. Gradually, there were fewer passers-by on the street, and the shops and houses were not as dense as before. The air was filled with the bitter aroma of Longjing, a long road The whitewashed walls cut off Mo Qinghe's line of sight when looking out, as if he was passing the outer wall of a deep house somewhere, the white roses were blooming lively, the flower waterfall made of vines and creepers hung from the top of the wall, like little hands groping outside .

The car drove a long way along the whitewashed wall, turned a corner, and the wall was replaced with a European-style black carved fence. Through the gap between the railings, you can clearly see the scenery inside.I saw small Chinese-style courtyards covered by well-proportioned trees. The houses are old and uniquely built. The terrain varies from high to low. There are rockeries and flowing water around. There are stone bridges on the water surface, and a veranda is built along the water. Winding around the lake into a half circle, there is no way to go, and there is another round door opening opposite to the secluded part of the winding path.There are half-hidden scenes everywhere, and it is impossible to estimate the size of this house.

This is just the scene seen from the outermost perimeter. When the three cars slowly drove to the end of the fence and turned into the main gate, there was a large area of ​​neatly manicured lawns in front of them, and the road paved with gravel was wide and flat. Enough for the two cars to drive side by side, and after a while, they finally stopped.

In front of you is a pure Western-style three-story white western-style building. On the second and third floors, you can see exquisite European-style curved balconies everywhere. Clusters of flowers and trees are so beautiful that they can't wait to spray out from the gaps in the railings.

In terms of grandeur, compared with this house, the Zhou Mansion in Beiping can only be regarded as insignificant.

Mo Qinghe claimed to have seen the world, but she couldn't help but hold her breath for a while when she saw this mansion like a palace garden, and asked Shen Peinan: "Do you really live here?"

The driver opened the door, Shen Peinan was about to get out of the car, turned around and said, "What's the matter?"

It was difficult for Mo Qinghe to associate his image of an open-mouthed old man with a closed-mouthed bastard with this luxurious mansion. He sat without moving, shook his head, and sighed: "It's great to be the young master of this kind of family, why do you want to be a soldier? .”

Shen Peinan didn't have time to listen to his comments, so he dragged him down like carrying luggage, and said in a deep voice: "Defending the country, if only you, the elm-headed person, knew how to save the country, China wouldn't even be able to survive the current situation." arrive."

Seeing that Mo Qinghe was still sitting in the car meditating, Shen Peinan had no choice but to lean in again, pointing his finger at his forehead, nose to nose threatening: "Ugly daughter-in-law, come out to see your in-laws, this is my territory, if you dare to play tricks on me, Be careful I'll kill you tonight."

Mo Qinghe glanced at the lapel of his military uniform, suddenly filled with a sense of crisis, closed his mouth tightly, and quickly got out of the car.

The roof of the gate of the Western-style building sticks out in accordance with the style of European architecture. There are two rows of Greek-style milky-white columns, painted with white paint, and painted with golden patterns. Many people have gathered in the corridor, both men and women. , The age span is very large, and they all stand at the door with smiles.

Mo Qinghe raised her head and took a look, only to feel that the people who came here were all well-dressed, and it was really not easy to tell who was who based on Li Mosheng's brief introduction.

Having said that, they looked happy at this time, but they didn't look like they were taking care of patients at home.

Shen Peinan also noticed this, stepped forward full of doubts, hugged everyone one by one, patted the back and greeted loudly, Mo Qinghe was embarrassed, and stepped aside to observe silently.

I saw a glamorous woman wearing a black gauze mask standing in the front. The crimson red platinum fine flower cheongsam wrapped her body exquisitely, but she was wearing a thin gray coat that reached her calves outside, as if she deliberately put all her beauty Inside, she was holding a middle-aged man who looked very similar to Shen Peinan, with the same broad shoulders, tall stature, and slightly sunken eye sockets, but he looked much older and thinner, without Shen Peinan's military background. Bandits, with the appearance of a shrewd and ambitious businessman.

Shen Peinan was the first one to rush to hug him, and next to him was a tall and tall man, this man was quite interesting, wearing white serge trousers, a light blue silk shirt, white leather shoes, smiling like a new-style literati.Mo Qinghe thought, they are probably Shen Lisong and Shen Shuzhu, Shen Peinan didn't know what they talked with everyone, he was in a very happy mood, put his hands on the shoulders of the two, and walked in, laughing loudly, Mo Qinghe He followed from a distance, looking for the shadow of the little sister of the Shen family in the chaotic crowd, but he couldn't be sure for a while.

Just as he was hesitating, a young woman's clear voice suddenly came from the depths of the porch: "Third brother!"

Mo Qinghe shivered, squinting her eyes to find the source of the sound.

A pretty figure pushed aside the crowd and quickly squeezed down the stairs, failing to see her face clearly, Mo Qinghe first noticed that she was wearing a white suit and a big straw hat on top of her head, her hair was cut short, very boyish and neat.

This is Shen Piaoping, right? Mo Qinghe recalled Li Mosheng's description carefully, and then heard a few clicks of high heels. pushed out.She seemed reluctant, she looked up and saw Shen Peinan, her face blushed suddenly, she turned around and was about to run back.

Looking up, Mo Qinghe saw a beautiful face with big eyes, the arrogance of a good family background and a trace of shrewdness hidden in the eyes. Mo Qinghe has been in and out of various places over the years, and her ability to judge people is not bad. With just this one glance, he was inexplicably a little uneasy.

Shen Peinan was also obviously a little uncomfortable, frowned, took a step back, and looked back at Mo Qinghe.

Shen Piaoping grabbed the cheongsam girl's wrist to prevent her from leaving, and continued to yell at Shen Peinan: "Third brother, everyone misses you, and my future third sister-in-law misses you too!"

Everyone seemed to be waiting for this scene, and cheered ambiguously together. Mo Qinghe stood outside the crowd, as if her throat was choked, and she suddenly forgot how to breathe.

He thought he had guessed the meaning behind that telegram.

Shen Peinan stared at the lady who appeared suddenly, her dark and stern eyes lost heat, her face was so dark and scary, she restrained her emotions for a while, nodded coldly, and said, "Hello."