Why does Dunzhe Ling's prose The Girl Picking Apricots have a calm beauty?

There is indeed a calm beauty, very delicate. Language, simple words, is true. The ending can be seen as appreciation: the fate and encounter in the world may be like this. I'm coming, I'm coming. I went and went. However, I have to admit that passers-by like her left beautiful memories. The quiet of that afternoon was like a painting, with a light green color, fluctuating with the river. If I were a painter, I would draw a beautiful picture about her picking apricots. Finally, I want to say that I wish her lover to get married early, that her children will flock together, and that she will never shed sad tears on earth.

Recalling the past, there will always be feelings. The original text is as follows.

The girl who picks apricots

Dunzhe Ling

Time has passed so long that I have forgotten her appearance and her name. Let me call her an apricot picker. It should be late summer and early autumn. I went to my grandmother's house. My family lives in Suide, and my grandmother lives in a place called Nangoucha in Zizhou, which is about 100 Li apart.

I was about 12 years old. When I arrived at my grandmother's house, I sat on the edge of the kang. Just when I was bored, I heard someone calling outside: "Third Aunt, Third Aunt." Before the sound was finished, I saw a girl coming from the kiln. About my age, she was shocked to see me. I immediately lost my strength and asked me in a low voice, "Where is Third Aunt?"

I said it might be outside. She's out. I sat inside and wanted to go out, but I was embarrassed to go out. Sure enough, after a while, grandma appeared. I'm out. The girl said, "This is a newly picked apricot. They are all soft. My mother asked me to send you some. " My grandmother answered it.

He pointed at me and said, "This is the son of my second daughter. First time here. You don't know. " The girl looked at me. Grandma pointed to the girl and said to me, "This is the eldest daughter of your second Zhang Zi family. You don't know. "

Then let the girl sit down. The girl probably saw me here, so she said not to sit down and said I was going to pick apricots. My grandmother seized the conversation and said, "This is the time to take my grandson for a tour. He just arrived and felt bored. "

The girl is a little at a loss. Look at me. And say, "okay."

Grandma said to me again, "The opposite mountain is full of apricot trees. You can eat as much as you want. Don't throw the apricots after eating, and there are almonds that can be sold. " I was bored, so I nodded. I am secretly excited and happy.

The girl walked in front and I followed her out of the yard. I remember her as a thin and tall girl. He looks good, but he doesn't remember whether his eyes are big or not and his eyebrows are not long. Anyway, at that time, I was happy to follow her

If you want to cross the river, you have to cross it naturally. I met many people on the road and asked her, "Who is this?" Then she explained it several times, but she couldn't understand it herself. As for myself, I can't understand the relationship between Chinese aunt and Zhang Zi, so I am silent. But an aunt asked, are you the son of Er? I said yes.

She also smiled: "Ah, so soon, we will grow up with your mother. Unexpectedly, her boys are so big. " I just didn't say anything.

Then the girl took me with her, and we were separated by two meters. I don't know her name. Or know, but forget. I was very excited when I crossed the river. This river is very clear. I even want to jump in and swim. I was probably so excited that I slipped on the moss on the pebble and fell into the water.

The girl quickly asked, "Are you all right?" She stretched out a hand to pull me. I didn't answer. But I found that her hands were slender and even a little malnourished.

After crossing the river and going up the mountain, I didn't go far. I see a temple. I asked her, "What temple is this?" She said, "Niangniang Temple."

I asked, "What is Niangniang Temple?"

She said: "It seems to be a tube student's child. I have no idea. "

I said you take me in and have a look. She is reluctant, perhaps afraid of the temple. But I still took me to open the temple gate and walked in slowly.

She specifically told me: "You should go in quietly and don't disturb the gods."

I nodded and followed her in. The courtyard of this temple is not big, but it is not small either. There is a thick locust tree in the yard. She said, "My grandmother said this tree has been around for hundreds of years."

Of course I don't believe her. I don't think it's possible. But I haven't exposed her yet. There are only three rooms in the yard. One in the front and one on the left and right. At that time, there was sunshine, and cicadas in the trees kept barking, which was very quiet.

We wear very thin clothes, all with shorts and half sleeves. So as soon as I stepped into the room, I felt a cold air coming on my face. The door is a wooden step, which is used to kowtow. I said, "You kowtow."

She looked at me timidly and asked, "Why didn't you knock?"

I said I'll wait for you to knock before kowtowing. Sure enough, she knelt down and knocked on one. I made one, too. She urged, "Let's hurry."

I saw her scared, but I wasn't. If I come in alone, I will be afraid. Next to the statue are two men, probably Wu Caishen. Anyway, after a long time, it looks a little shabby and quite fierce. I went in first, jumped up, hid and stood behind the statue on a whim.

See I didn't come out, she came in. She came in to see no one, with an unnatural expression and a little timidity, and looked at the door from time to time. She asked in a low voice, "Where are you?"

I kept silent. She added, "Don't be so noisy, okay?" I am still silent. Cover your mouth behind the Buddha statue for fear of laughing. She said, "I'm coming out." Then I really went out.

I didn't come out immediately after she went out. She stood outside the door and said, "I really went out." I won't wait for you. "I am still silent. After a while, I looked at it and nothing happened. I was bored and scared, so I came out by myself.

I went out and didn't see her, so I called her. I didn't see her until I left the yard. She said you were so bad that my mother wouldn't let us in.

I asked why. She said: "Temples are places where adults enter. The child won't go. We are still young. "

I said, "I'm not young." She smiled, only naturally this time. Before her smile, her every move was shy. When you look at me, you always look away. Me too. I'm always embarrassed to see her. Much better now.

She wasn't angry that I scared her just now and said that we should hurry to pick up apricots. I asked her how long it would take, and she said it would take another 20 minutes. I'm a little disappointed because the slope is steep and I'm tired of walking. After walking for a while, I saw some apricot trees and called to her, "Isn't this an apricot tree?" Look, it's all yellow. "

She said, "It's not mine, it's someone else's. Your grandmother's is not here either. "

I said, "Nothing, let's steal some." Because I used to steal things in the country.

She thought about it. I don't know. I said you didn't steal it? She said she stole it from my brother. I ran under a tree without her permission. You don't have to climb a tree to pick it.

Picking apricots is actually picking apricots. If there are many people, they will be knocked down with a stick and picked together. I picked some and sat under the tree, ready to eat. She also sat down. She said, "Watch out for bugs." As a result, I ate the worm first and I wanted to throw it away. She said, "You don't understand. It is delicious to have bugs. "

I smiled when she said that. I said, "Then you can eat."

She took it, threw away the bugs inside, and carefully picked out the dirty things inside with her hands, very seriously. Finally, gently bite off a corner with your mouth and eat it in one bite. Give me a smug smile at dinner. This is the first time I have seen a girl eat like this. I used to throw them away in the country.

I ate a few in the back, and then I ate bugs. I ate the same one as her. Not bad. She said, "Delicious. Worms are better than any of us. Not sweet, hard apricot worms don't eat. " Come to think of it, it's true.

Looking at the river at the foot of the mountain, I asked her, "Why don't you swim?"

She said, "swim. My brother, they must have gone swimming now. Over there, the dam. " Say that finish, she pointed me in a direction.

I asked her, "Can you swim?"

She said, "No, we girls swim in shallow water. Men swim on it. "

I nodded and wanted to ask her if she was not afraid of being peeked by boys? I didn't ask. Because girls in our village are afraid of boys peeking. They always wait for the boy to swim back before they go into the water.

After eating, I picked some more and sat down to eat. She said, "You can't eat more apricots. Eating too much will cause diarrhea. Still heartache. "

I said I know, but I have a good stomach and a strong digestion. She didn't say anything. Then I suddenly wanted to tell her a joke. I said I would tell you a joke, and she agreed.

But I thought for a moment, this joke is too dirty. Just say I forgot. I'm afraid of ruining my impression in her heart. I must think so. Because of this joke, here's the thing. One day I stole apricots and took a shit under them. Then I buried it with soil. The result happened to be seen by the son of the apricot owner, who came up to arrest us. We all ran away.

But after a while, he cried and complained to my mother that his hands were full of shit. Say your Wang Yin is too bad. It turned out that he thought I had buried apricots, so he dug them by hand, and they were broken. This is the real thing I have experienced. But I didn't tell her.

We talked a lot, as if we had asked the school, talked about dogs, talked about rabbits in the mountains and talked about pheasants. During the period, she was bitten by a mosquito, and she scratched with her hand, resulting in blood. I only remember that her face is beautiful, but I can't think of a specific outline. She is always shy and her eyes are a little uneasy. Maybe I am the same.

Later, I picked a bag of apricots, and when I went down the mountain, I ran fast and lost a lot. She said, "Never mind, you can pick it up tomorrow. I'll give you a big basket so that you can't finish it for a few days. " I smiled happily.

After crossing the river and getting on the expressway, she said she would go home. I said okay. Then she turned and went back. I went home and my grandmother said, "Come back? What about that mountain? We have more apricots here. "

I said, "Come back and have fun."

Get up the next morning. My stomach is upset and I have loose bowels. It hurts. I remembered that she said that she had eaten too much and had diarrhea. Sure enough, she was right.

But in the afternoon, I think she might come to me. But she never came again. I don't have the courage to ask my grandmother, what is her name? Where is her home? How old is she?

When I get back to the highway, I may be awake and think I may never meet again. I said you can come and play with me when you are in town sometimes. She said yes with a strange expression. I wanted to make sure that she would come to me for apricots tomorrow, but I didn't ask.

In the next few years, I also went to my grandmother's house several times, but I never saw the girl again and asked her anything.

Perhaps this is the fate and encounter in the world. I'm coming, I'm coming. I went and went. However, I have to admit that passers-by like her left beautiful memories. The quiet of that afternoon was like a painting, with a light green color, fluctuating with the river. If I were a painter, I would draw a beautiful picture about her picking apricots. Finally, I want to say that I wish her lover to get married early, that her children will flock together, and that she will never shed sad tears on earth.

Excerpted from the prose works of Dunzhe Ling, an independent scholar, writer and famous sinologist.