Spring song of the Temple of Heaven-

Editor's note:

Tiantan Park is a place of leisure and entertainment frequented by famous writer Xiao Fuxing all the year round. He often goes there for walks and paintings, and is keen to talk with fellow travelers, from which he understands the changes of seasons and the mode of life. This edition publishes a group of "Spring Songs of the Temple of Heaven" recently created by him for readers.

In the early spring morning

As long as the epidemic situation is slightly relieved, there will be more and more people in the Temple of Heaven. From this point of view, people's mood, the Temple of Heaven, is as good as nucleic acid testing.

In early spring and February, the weather gets warmer. Although the flowers are not in bloom and the leaves are not green, after all, the atmosphere is transpiration, especially in the morning, people who walk early enter the Temple of Heaven one after another.

There are many vines in the Temple of Heaven, which are divided into brown and white. Under the vines, it is generally the world of Beijingers. On the west side of the playground, there is a brown vine stand, in front of which is a large open field with several chairs around it. As soon as forsythia and winter jasmine bloom, the leaves of shrubs turn green, and the vines are covered with purple doodle, which is an independent small garden.

I'm not late. There are already three people here. The largest number of people, in the south of the open field, are more than a dozen dancing aunts, dancing with the music played by the tape recorder, uniform, repeated over and over again, tirelessly enjoying themselves. They all wear sweaters on their upper bodies and skirts on their lower bodies. Sweaters and skirts are different in color and are very bright. The chair beside me is full of backpacks, cups and coats. There are two clothes hangers next to the chair, and several faucet hooks are stretched out. The hooks are also covered with coats and scarves. Those coats and scarves are also very bright and dazzling, like spring flowers. Looking around, it is gray and not pleasing to the eye, and the colors of spring are painted in advance.

in the second set, inside and outside the wisteria rack in the north of the open field, there are old men and women playing cards. According to local conditions, people sit on the chair under the vine frame, the cards are left in the middle of the chair, and a piece of cloth is padded; Outside, I brought a full set of guys. People sat on Mazar-e, meeting head to head, and surrounded the small folding table like garlic cloves. Playing cards are flying around in their hands, jumping on chairs or folding tables, like birds falling down one after another, and occasionally hearing one or two shouts, they soon become quiet again. Compared with the dancing music over there, it is a static and dynamic contrast.

the third dial is at the west exit of the open stope, where there is a tunnel with some flowers and trees in front and Beitianmen in front. When the leaves are thick in spring and summer, you can't see Beitianmen from here. In the early spring, in the corner of the green-topped red wall of Xitianmen, you can see clearly, and you can also see one and a half of the three gates. Between the two doors, the golden Chinese knot hung during the Spring Festival is faintly visible.

a lot of people gathered there. I walked over and saw that everyone was watching a young girl painting oil paintings. The painting is the corner of Beitianmen in front of the sparse branches. The easel is supported on the grass beside the aisle. The girl holds a brush in one hand and a simple paint tin box in the other. The Beitianmen on the screen has been clearly formed, and the sky is particularly blue. Because of the bright colors of red walls and green roofs and Chinese knots, the dead branches are not so bleak, but a bit like a lot of small hands touching Beitianmen, filled with the breath of early spring. The girl is polishing the details, while supplementing color and light, while carefully sketching the cornice of the North Tianmen, as well as the gray wall and green tile of the inner wall connected with the red wall. People who watched it all said that it was really good, really like it! People who don't talk, their eyebrows are shining, and they express the same meaning.

I went in from Beitianmen, turned to Huajiamen, turned to Shuanghuan Pavilion, and walked around the inner wall. I came back here, and it was nearly noon. The two groups of people dancing and playing cards have all dispersed. Only the girl is still standing in front of the easel, painting her North Gate of Heaven. There are still a few young people watching and admiring.

A man came over and looked at the uniform he was wearing. He was a staff member of Tiantan Park. He glanced at the painting and said to me, I haven't finished it yet! I said to him: it's really good! He said: Yes! I came yesterday morning and painted all day!

The sunshine in early spring jumps on the screen, plating it with a faint golden color.

carers pushing wheelchairs

In the Temple of Heaven, there are more patients or elderly people in wheelchairs than in other parks. Probably the Temple of Heaven is located in the city with convenient transportation. Moreover, except for the prayer hall, there are steps up and down, most of them are flat and there are many tree-lined places, which are convenient for wheelchair to move, stop and rest.

However, Beihai Park is also in the city, and the transportation is very convenient. Most of them are flat. Why do you see fewer wheelchairs than the Temple of Heaven? On second thought, the Temple of Heaven is surrounded by residential areas, and these communities are tightly wrapped around the Temple of Heaven like a thousand layers of cakes. Naturally, it is convenient for people nearby to get to the Temple of Heaven, even just across a road, so they regard the Temple of Heaven as their own back garden. It is the best choice for the elderly or patients in wheelchairs to come to the Temple of Heaven to bask in the sun and breathe fresh air.

I found this phenomenon when I went to the Temple of Heaven. Whenever I saw a wheelchair passing by, I would pay special attention to it, and I couldn't help feeling that it was a blessing to live at the foot of the son of heaven.

One afternoon, on the south side of the tunnel leading from Xitianmen to Danbi Bridge, I saw a lot of wheelchairs gathering here one after another as if they had made an appointment. The warm sun in spring is particularly warm, hitting them and wheelchairs, drawing a bright light and shadow outline.

Very few people come in wheelchairs by themselves, most of them are pushed by people, some are their own families, and some are hired nannies. They all know each other very well, met and greeted each other with laughter, and the parents chatted briefly. Obviously, they often come here. The Temple of Heaven became their public living room.

a young man leaned down and said a word to the old man in the wheelchair, then he came to me and sat down when he saw that the chair was empty. I looked at him. He was in his thirties. He was not tall, but he had fine eyes. I asked him: Are you the old man's ...

The young man said: I am his nurse.

I'm a little surprised. Pushing a wheelchair out for a walk like this usually asks for a nanny, but I haven't heard of asking for a nurse. Nanny is paid a monthly salary, and the care worker is paid every day, and the cost is much higher.

The young man saw my doubts and said to me, You know, because of the epidemic, the patient was hospitalized and had to ask for a nurse. I was assigned by the hospital to be a care worker for the old man. I lived in the hospital for more than half a month. The old man saw that I cared for him well. When I was discharged from the hospital, I was asked to follow him home to continue to be a care worker.

I said: the care worker counts money by the day. How much does the old man have to spend?

The young man said: The old man is not short of money. He has two sons, one is abroad and the other is in Beijing. They both run their own companies and are rich.

I asked him: What's the price of a care worker now?

He told me: We are all under the control of the company now. The hospital has contact with our company. If you need a nurse, you can call the company. The company will send someone. The daily charge for each person is 26 yuan and give us a nurse, 19 yuan.

The company deducted 7 yuan, which is equivalent to more than a quarter of the wages.

it's not bad to find this job in Beijing. Also manage to eat and control, well done, the patient is satisfied, and the patient's family can also give some money privately.

The young man showed a very satisfied expression on his face and said to me: It's not bad to come to the old man's house. Every day, he is guaranteed. After he leaves the hospital, he recovers well. He cooks at home and his wife does it. I just care for the old man's daily life, take him to the hospital for review regularly, and push him here for a walk every day. This job is not tiring. In the company, if there is no work to do, there is no pay.

The young man told the truth. I said to him: You are lucky to find a family like the old man!

The young man nodded and said, Yes! Yes! The old man is a kind man and treats me well. When I was in hospital, he asked me how much I earned, just like you. He knew that the company didn't insure us against three risks, and if I had to spend some money on my own, I would definitely insure myself against three risks. I didn't understand either, so he told me why I had to take three insurances and how to take three insurances, which was quite concerned.

over there, the old man was chatting with people, and the young man and I talked more and more. I know, the old man lives near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. When the weather is fine, he pushes the old man to the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon to get together with everyone and have a chat, which is better than being depressed at home.

Old people and old ladies who come to the Temple of Heaven are divided into groups. The young man told me about his discovery of pushing the old man to the Temple of Heaven.

I said to him: Really? Tell me!

It's a group of people who exercise, and they usually gather in the sports ground in the East Gate. Dancing is a wave, usually gathered under the poplar trees in the north gate; Those who throw rings are usually under the trees on the west side of the promenade; Playing the piano is a wave, usually under the shade of cypress; Occasionally, people who get together to eat, drink and take photos are usually in Shuanghuan Pavilion ... People in wheelchairs usually come here to get together at this time of the afternoon.

The young man is quite proud of his statement. Indeed, the Temple of Heaven is a big place, so let's find our own Le Er. I think, apart from preferences, such a wave naturally comes into being, mainly because of age and body, especially the elderly people in wheelchairs who come here are in the same boat, and there are no established or deliberate factors such as status and reputation in other places. Illness has eliminated these things, except that the color and price of wheelchairs are not the same, and wheelchairs have become a symbol of equality. Especially the old people who came back from the line of life and death, suddenly saw the end of life in front of them. The feeling of sitting in a wheelchair is very different from that of sitting on the sofa before. Wheelchairs, but also help you reduce the weight of money desire, eliminate the anxiety of identity, and even reduce the expectations of children who are far from being thirsty. Sitting in a wheelchair, everyone seems to be generally tall, and the brilliant blue tile roof of the Hall of Prayer for the New Year in the distance is out of sight. I can't see it, and it's nothing. Let's talk together, and we can have happiness that can't be found elsewhere, and appreciate each other in illness and aging.

The young man pushes the old man to come to the Temple of Heaven often. The old man is happy, and he can also have a look at the scenery. If he hadn't been a care worker for the old man, he had never been to the Temple of Heaven, and he never thought about visiting it.

The young man told me that he is 46 years old this year. I didn't expect this. I was surprised and said, where are you so old? I thought you were a little over 3!

He said to me: I have two children, the eldest is 2, and the second is 13.

The young man is from Zhumadian, Henan Province. He has worked as a nursing worker in Beijing for 7 years and hasn't been home for more than one year. I want to go home, but I'm afraid I can't come back. Anyway, working as a nursing worker in Beijing earns more money than in my hometown, and the whole family relies on him to earn the money.

after he said these words to me, he sighed softly.

the old man waved and greeted him. He stood up and walked towards the old man, hitting him through the sunshine of the sparse branches. In the backlight, long shadows were left on the ground, intertwined with mottled tree shadows.

A professor basking in the sun

At noon, the people in both booths are the most popular. After the beginning of spring, the weather is getting warmer and warmer, and the sun is warm and the vision is wide. Many old people sit on long chairs in pavilions and corridors, just like old cats, lazily basking in the sun, eating, taking a nap, or squinting their eyes to think about the past, secretly cursing those wicked people who hate to gnash their teeth.

At noon that day, I was sitting in the Shuanghuan Pavilion drawing, and suddenly I heard a song coming, singing "Three Cars". The voice was rich and in Russian, so I couldn't help looking back. The singer sitting in the corridor actually knew him and was surrounded by people, applauding him. I went over, greeted him and shook hands with him. The Temple of Heaven is a big place with many people. It is not a high probability that people who meet by chance will meet for the second time in the Temple of Heaven.

The other day, at noon, I met him in the Shuanghuan Pavilion and painting. At that time, I was talking to another strange man. He bent down to look at my painting and repeatedly praised me: I knew at a glance that you drew well and practiced sketching ... Before I could be modest and say that I had never practiced sketching at all, he couldn't say anything, and then he said to me: I like this, too, but it's not painting, it's calligraphy!

I quickly praised him: then you are amazing!

as he spoke, a tall man came down the corridor. Pointing to the tall man, he said, I'm a professor!

We chatted together, knowing that they often come here to bask in the sun, and they gradually got to know each other. His family lives in Shazikou, and the professor lives in Songjiazhuang, which is not far from the Temple of Heaven. He bent over and said with a smile, it's better to bask in the sun here than anywhere else! Then, he asked me how old I was. I asked him to guess, and he said, not as big as me anyway. I asked him how old he was and he said 67. The professor has been listening to us all the time, when he cut in and said to me, Look, you are not as big as me. I asked him how old he was. He said he was born in 5 years. I said, my 47-year-old ...

In this warm winter sun, we three little old men are older than anyone else, just like when we were young, who peed far away in a competition, and still full of childhood innocence.

When the 67-year-old man left, the professor suddenly asked me sharply: Are you studying liberal arts?

I nodded.

he went on to say: I majored in engineering and forging. Then he asked me: which university did you graduate from?

I told him it was the Central Academy of Drama. Without waiting for me to speak again, he went on to talk about himself, as if he had no chance to speak just now, which made him want to get it off his chest: I graduated from Jilin University and taught at Shijiazhuang University of Technology. This allowed me to ask him: Did you go to Shijiazhuang after graduation? He waved his hand: no, I went to the third-line factory to design first ...

At this point, he suddenly paused, and then changed the subject: Professor, that is to say, it is useless to have a good reputation. Man, you can't always transfer your job. It's good to work in one place for a long time. Like one of my classmates, he has been designing in Shanghai and now earns 3, yuan a year. Another classmate of mine, who retired like me, is still engaged in design in the original unit, and he can still get 15 thousand a month without retirement salary.

I advised him: Don't say that either. Being in a good mood and in good health is more useful than earning money!

he said, yes! When I started talking in class, I forgot my age and everything, and I was in a particularly good mood.

The two of us have been sitting on a bench in the corridor talking, facing each other. He is quick to talk, and his speech is very jumping. He has experienced ups and downs in his life. In his heart, he suddenly felt a little sorry for his life.

Suddenly, he said he studied Russian and asked me what I studied. I told him that he studied English. As soon as the words sound just fell, I saw him suddenly stand up like a whirlwind. The black tower stood in front of me, and immediately blurted out and read a long Russian aloud. The voice was loud and powerful, rich and loud, like thunder on the ground, which scared me. He didn't look at me, and no matter whether I understood or not, his eyes were fixed on the front, and a piece of trees outside the promenade was overcast. He was full of passion, and the echo echoed in the quiet corridor in the afternoon.

After the recitation, he told me that Gorky's Haiyan was recited. Then, he added emphatically: Maximovich Gorky.

Paper-cut Girl

On March 8th, the highest temperature rose to 17 degrees, and there were many people in Tiantan Park. Think about it, the epidemic has been going on for another year. A few days ago, around the Spring Festival, several communities in Beijing had repeated epidemics and went out.