Chapter 635 The Bet Is Reached
The house where the old editor lived during his lifetime was none other than the house that was converted into a doorway after the original west gate of Ma's Garden was blocked up.
This can completely show the downgraded treatment experienced by old editors who "made mistakes" in special years, as well as the shortage of housing in the capital.
Because there is no rear window, even the north room, which has the best orientation, is not that bright.
When the padlock, which was already a little rusty, was taken off, the door was opened with a "squeak", and a musty and earthy smell hit the face in the dark room.
Ning Weimin and Kang Shude had to cover their mouths and noses as they stepped into the room.
Needless to say, the first thing they did was to draw the curtains and open the windows to ventilate the room.
Under the sunlight, I saw a cloud of dust rising.
When the light cord was pulled and the light bulb illuminated, the entire contents of the house were finally revealed.
Because the area is limited, there is not much furniture in the room.
A single bed, a large wardrobe, a bookcase, a chest of five drawers, a writing desk, two chairs, a cupboard, that's all, not even a dining table.
The quality of these furniture is also not good, it is nothing more than red pine and ash.
A wall clock on the wall is made of hardwood, but unfortunately there are flaws. The clock has obviously been smashed.
The glass cover outside is gone, and the pointer has not moved, but it still stops at about 8:20.
This makes it look quite bleak, with a completely gloomy look.
Judging from the traces of dust left on the five-drawer cabinet, a TV should have been placed here.
The greasy and yellowed newspaper wall under the window, and a wire hanging with old towels in the air.
Shows that this was once the site occupied by a coal stove and washstand.
These things are gone now.
Even after opening the big wardrobe and looking inside, there were none of the more valuable coats, outerwear, or trousers.
There are only a few dozen books left on the bookcase, and several floors are empty.
Obviously, this hut has been raided by the editor's son like Japanese soldiers.
All the valuable money was taken away, and almost everything that could be sold was sold.
The rest are things that he is too lazy to touch. No wonder he is so generous.
But it is precisely because of this that the old photos and old certificates above the desk, on the wall and under the glass plate of the desk appear particularly dazzling.
The editor's son seems to have forgotten to take away the most important thing!
Ning Weimin walked over and looked at them one by one and found that they were indeed life records of the good times and memories of the old man's life.
It almost covers the most important moments in the old man’s life and the life trajectory of the family.
There are not only photos of the old editor and his wife when they were young, but also photos of the couple with their friends and relatives. There are also family photos of the family of three taken in the photo studio, as well as travel photos of their family outings and their children at school. Attending a theatrical performance, the couple celebrated their son's birthday together.
Then there are the son’s graduation photos, graduation photos, son and daughter-in-law’s wedding photos, son’s family photos...
The most important thing is that there is a portrait of the first lady of the family hanging on the wall.
Even if you hate your father because of what you have suffered, don’t you even want your own mother?
Ning Weimin could not understand or agree with the way the editor's son handled the old man's belongings.
This may be because he is an orphan himself.
I have never had true family affection, so I attach great importance to family affection.
Isn’t that what people are like?
We often don’t appreciate what we have, and always think it is natural.
This is just like how few people from Beijing can be seen in the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
Maybe it’s just because it’s so close, so it’s so convenient to go there.
So not many people in the capital would be so interested...
As for the saddest looking thing of all in the house.
I'm afraid it's the one hanging on the wall. Every day I have to tear off a page of the calendar.
The day above always stays on September 12, 1981!
"Hey, Weimin, what are you looking at?"
Kang Shude saw Ning Weimin standing in front of the writing desk for a long time without moving, so he couldn't help but come over and ask. "Ah? You ask me..."
Ning Weimin, who had just woken up from a dream, pointed at the thing that made him stunned.
"I...I see this, this...this is probably the day when the old editor died suddenly..."
People who died suddenly are similar to those who have been robbed. The house and everything in front of me showed the desolation of death like a lamp extinguished.
This feeling was so bad that Ning Weimin's mood was inevitably negatively affected.
However, his gloomy look and stuttering speech caused Kang Shude to misunderstand.
"Hey! What's the point? Don't care about this. You have to think like this, which old house hasn't had a death before? If you are taboo and afraid of this, then how can you live in a courtyard house? "
"Especially in the past, when medical technology was backward, it was not easy to die. It was too common for women to suffer from hemorrhage during childbirth, and many babies died prematurely due to "Four Six Winds". It is even more difficult for a child to grow up. If he gets sick at any time, he will be taken away by the Lord of Hell. What’s more, it happens to be a time of trouble, and human life is like grass. Who can be left alone? A whole corpse is already good.”
“I’m not trying to scare you. I saw with my own eyes that there were about thirty people sent away in the Ma family’s garden. There are wives, concubines, servants, and relatives in each house. Let’s be more objective. Because of the age of your uncle’s courtyard, there are indispensable number of coffins sent out from there. I'm afraid it must be eighty, this is normal..."
After saying this, Ning Weimin couldn't help but exclaimed - "Ah!"
"Old man, where are all this? I'm really scared when you say it. Just my courtyard, it almost makes you say the feeling of "Liao Zhai".
Follow him He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
"You don't know, this is not why I feel uncomfortable. The main thing is that I feel that this life is really too short for a person to be wiped out in ashes. "
"Just like this old editor, he obviously existed, but no one remembers it now. Even his son didn't want these things he left behind. This result is too tragic. ”
“Especially for people like us who enter the house at will behind their backs, rummage through their personal belongings, and touch the privacy of their lives. Isn't it a bit inappropriate? I feel like I'm taking advantage of someone's misfortune..."
These words made Kang Shude look serious.
After a moment of silence, the old man said, "It's good that you kid can think like this and know how to respect the deceased. This is called empathy."
"But you must also understand , there are lives and deaths every minute in this world, life and death are really ordinary. No one can escape this day, and everyone’s belongings must be dealt with by others. "
"At that time, I have no other relatives. Aren't you the one who picks and picks up my things? How can you keep all my things? You also have tattered clothes and rotten socks. Want? This is impossible. As for the things I love and care about, I can only rest assured if you take them away."
"As for this matter, it's actually the same. It makes sense. After all, the person who once lived here was a cultured person, and it is inevitable that we would leave behind some valuable things that ordinary people don’t know about. It’s better than those who just ignore them and treat them like junk. He is doing good deeds. It can be said that he and the original owner complement each other. Even if there is any rudeness, his spirit in heaven will not mind. ”
"Besides, to put it bluntly, in order to avoid committing sins and getting ill-gotten gains, the rules of the second-hand goods industry are nothing more than 'three no-buys'. Don't buy bronze Buddha statues, especially those with 'dirty' in their stomachs. That's called 'dumb' '. Don't buy clothes that are just taken off by passers-by. Don't buy medicines that are made at home. Besides, everything can be bought and sold without harming one's moral integrity, so I would say. , If you have any obstacles in your mind, don’t worry. On the other hand, it really depends on your ability to arrange these things properly.”
The old man’s words are to the point. , which relieved Ning Weimin's awkwardness a lot.
When he thought about it, this was indeed the truth. After all, tidying up the house is a technical job that requires vision and vision.
Even though there is no grudge between father and son, the son of the old editor carefully packs away his father's belongings.
It is not possible to really identify the true value of these things in your home.
Now that he and the old man are screening it again, they can at least eliminate the possibility of good things being wasted, which should be considered a good deed.
In this way, he nodded in agreement and braced himself to get started.
The clinker man still has something to say.
"Hey, don't be busy yet. I say apprentice, it's so boring to just start looking for things like this. Let's make a bet today and compare our eyesight."
"As for the things in this room, you pick first. Every time you pick one thing, I pick another one. Let's take three pieces per person as the maximum. Let's see who picks the most valuable thing today. How about it?"
"If you can beat me, not only will everything I pick out today belong to you, but I will also keep my word. The small courtyard in Shan'er Hutong will be renamed after you, and it will belong to you from now on."
"But if you lose... Hehe, I'm sorry. Even if you deserve to be unlucky, you have to work for me in vain. I just have to wait for you to get the rest of the yard back to me, and I will fulfill my promise and reward you..."
Seeing Kang Shude looking at him with a half-smile, Ning Weimin clearly felt the old man's motivation.
So he didn’t back down, he simply rolled up his arms, rolled up his sleeves, and stretched out his palms.
“Master, I listen to you, and that’s what we will do.”
After finishing the conversation, the master and the apprentice gave high-fives and the bet was concluded.
An unprecedented on-site battle of skills began, a competition in eyesight between master and disciple.
(End of this chapter)