fingers of musicians

The sky has just dawned, one side is a little pale, and the other side has a pale moon that has not yet set, like a watermark on the horizon.

The old mute pedaled the tricycle vigorously, and Wang Bin's few luggage was placed on the car: washbasin, mug, lunch box, a quilt, and some odds and ends.

Wang Bin was carrying a backpack. On one shoulder strap hung a flat kettle with paint peeling off, and on the other was a pair of half-worn rubber shoes, which were much newer than the faded ones on his feet. They were from the factory. If the leader doesn't want it, give it to him.

He is leaving.

He won the fight and was stopped and dragged by several people. He still had red eyes and beat up the second monkey with a black nose and a swollen face.But he also only won that fight.

He knew he couldn't stay in the china factory any longer.

He Shenping walked beside Wang Bin, holding a jar of plum wine in his hand, which he had dug out from the plum forest the night before.When he got off work the day before, Wang Bin ran to him and stood quietly watching him write a hymn on a plate.

"It's so beautiful." Wang Bin opened the corner of his mouth, "Mr. He, I can recognize all these words now. Oh...can you write a picture for me too?"

Before He Shenping could answer, he added: "Praise and praise me too, at least I became a hero once."

He Shenping's pen tip paused, and his voice was a little heavy: "What do you mean?"

The corners of Wang Bin's mouth got bigger and bigger: "I admit it. I stole it all. It doesn't matter whether he has fifteen or twenty-five. Let those grandsons rob me..." He laughed until his eyes were red, "I won't go, Mr. He, although I haven't read any books, I still understand a reason."

He stared at the hymn on the plate and said: "The reason why heroes are heroes is because they didn't come back. So I won't see them anymore. I'm going to pack up and go to the train station tomorrow morning... Mr. He, I'm leaving, can you finally write me a letter, don't write too much, just write two words: hero, okay?"

He Shenping has read so many books, but now he can't speak a single word.

After Jiang Helai's death, he became even more reticent.Sometimes he would think of some past events, how his father asked him to learn Western philosophy and art and how he did not forget the Eastern heritage, how he went to Europe by boat to study, and studied those classical music on the ancient piano and modern piano. With different performances, what kind of thoughts does he come back with, hoping to inject a touch of oriental soul into western musical instruments...

Now he only has a flute that he sharpened himself, and dozens of pages of new scores written under the plum tree, which are now hidden in the pillow.Hiding it is not because you are afraid of being stolen. No one will steal the music score, but this way you don’t have to explain why you have to spend energy on things that you can’t eat or drink.

He Shenping didn't go to eat either, he went back to the house with Wang Bin.

It was meal time, and there was no one in the house.

He Shenping found a piece of uncut paper, spread it on the floor, and wrote two big letters with a brush:

hero

Later, He Shenping never wrote such big characters again.

After writing, when the ink is dry, fold it up and give it to Wang Bin: "Change the world, I wish you..."

He Shenpingyuan wanted to say "May you become a hero", but when he looked at Wang Bin's young face and watched Wang Bin put the paper carefully in his inner pocket close to his chest, he sighed and remained silent for a long time before making a low voice Said: "May you not have to be a hero."

Wang Bin had already turned around to pack his things, but he didn't know if he heard it or not.

The porcelain factory is not close to the train station, and it takes more than ten miles to walk.

When Wang Bin picked up his luggage and was about to leave, he found that He Shenping was already waiting for him at the door.When the two went out, they met the old mute who had just opened the door to the boiler room in the morning.Wang Bin didn't know how strong this hunchbacked old mute was, so he dragged the luggage off his back and put it on the tricycle, gesturing to send them to the train station.

In the porcelain factory, the old mute was like an invisible man. He couldn't speak, and he didn't fight with others. He turned on the boiler room to boil water every day, locked the door of the boiler room, swept the floor, cleaned the windows, and did everything. No one noticed anything.Even people like Wang Bin who have been in the porcelain factory for several years have never dealt with him.

The old dumb pulled Wang Bin and He Shenping, and insisted that they get on the tricycle and take them to the train station.Wang Bin and He Shenping were in a stalemate for a while, Wang Bin said that he would not be able to catch the train if he continued to fight, the old mute let go, and rode on the tricycle sadly, kicked his feet and turned around, fearing that the two of them would not be able to keep up. superior.

By the time they got to the train station, the sun was already out.

This train station is small, but there are only three platforms, and the tracks are rusty.

He Shenping uncovered the wine jar, he didn't know whether he brewed it in the wrong way or the time was too short, a jar of water is not like plum wine, but a bit like plum vinegar.

Wang Bin smelled it and said, "Mr. He, are you following Mr. Jiang's lead and brewing a jar of plum wine to drink when you are about to leave? Plum wine needs to be brewed for at least half a year. It's a pity that you dig it out now, it's a pity."

He Shenping poured the wine into Wang Bin's lunch box, the lid of the lunch box, and the mouthwash cup: "It's a pity, plums are available every year, and the wine can be re-brewed." As soon as they parted, they didn't know when they would meet again.

Wang Bin picked up the mouthwash cup and took a sip: "It's so sour..." He slammed his mouth, trembling with sourness, and after a while he twitched the corners of his mouth, looked at He Shenping and the old mute and said, " Do you think it's strange?" He raised his glass to He Shenping, "Mr. He, a cultural person who plays the piano;" he raised his glass to the old dumb, but he didn't know what to call it, "...the one in the boiler room ;” Finally, he pressed the cup to his chest, “There is also an egg thief! Such three people would drink together, I never dreamed of it.”

The old mute looked even more sad, with a wrinkled face covered with age spots, and bloodshot eyes in cloudy eyes.He bent down, took out an old five-pointed star in his left sock, and quickly stuffed it back in, then took out a little money in his right sock, and stuffed it into Wang Bin hand.

Just the money for ten eggs.

Wang Bin refused, and the old mute stuffed it again, and the two couldn't get along. Finally, when the train came, the old mute stuffed the money into Wang Bin's backpack while Wang Bin was watching the train.

When the train stopped, Wang Bin picked up the quilt washbasin and all the odds and ends on the tricycle, as well as the cups and lunch boxes that were still smelling sour, and got on the train.

He waved his hand in the car window and saw the flute in He Shenping's pocket, so he shouted: "Mr. He, play a piece of music, the one you always play to the train station."

He Shenping took out his flute, and played it in the direction of the green leather train.

He remembered that when Yuge and Yulou were very young, Gu Jiapei taught them to sing:

Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road

Green Grass and Green Sky

Evening wind blows the sound of the willow flute

sunset mountain

Yuge likes the phrase "don't hesitate when you go", but Yulou prefers "don't hesitate when you come".

He thought about the past, with a long-lost smile on his face.

Amidst the continuous sound of the flute passing through the entire platform, suddenly, a probing "Dad—" unique to teenagers came from the carriage behind He Shenping.

The sound of the flute stopped abruptly.

A louder "Dad!" came from behind again, this time the voice was closer, and hit He Shenping's back faster.

Before He Shenping could turn around, he was hugged by a pair of arms from behind.

When he turned around, he realized how strange the posture was: He Yulou hugged Wen Yuean, unable to free his hands, Wen Yuean's outstretched arms were hanging in the air, and after a while, he immediately retracted them, and whispered: "Mr. .” He still had a childish voice, but his tone didn’t sound like a child’s.

He Shenping nodded.

Maybe the miss really accumulated for too long, and after he opened his mouth, there was only one sentence of blame: "Yulou, why did you bring Yue'an out?"

Wen Yue'an said, "Teacher He, I'm asking my senior brother."

He Shenping asked: "Does Jia Pei know?"

He Yulou said: "My mother is on a business trip, and Yuge is arguing to go with her. It's just me and Yue'an at home. Dad, don't worry, we're leaving tomorrow. See what I brought for you?"

He didn't bring anything beside him, but he brought a whole backpack of books, all of which He Shenping liked to read in the past.

"There is also a dictionary, Dad. You said in your letter that you are teaching people how to write, so Yuean asked me to bring one over."

He Shenping picked up the dictionary and said, "Wait for me."

He walked to the window and handed the dictionary to Wang Bin before the train left.

Wang Bin picked it up, and was so happy that he didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, he said in succession, "Thank you, Mr. He, thank you."

He Shenping nodded, and said: "I should have taught you that day. Mr. Jiang wrote the last three sentences in Su Shi's "Settling the Storm" that day: "Looking back at the bleak place, there is neither wind nor rain nor sunshine." '"

Wang Bin read it silently a few times, and when he smiled, it was not like the mocking smile he had before. He had a dark face, and he looked a bit naive: "Going home, there will be neither wind nor rain...it is better than being a hero."

As the train started, Wang Bin shouted to the few people left on the platform from a distance: "Take care."

When returning to the porcelain factory, the old mute was still pedaling the tricycle, and this time it carried the books brought by Wen Yuean and He Yulou.

When they were about to reach the porcelain factory, the old dummy stopped the car, gestured to them to wait, then carried the dry firewood and coal piled up on the side of the factory wall onto the tricycle, and asked the two children to hide in the pile of firewood and coal. People successfully brought into the porcelain factory.

During the day when the workers went to work, He Yulou and Wen Yuean hid in the boiler room to read, and the old mute took care of them.After all the workers got off work, the old mute took them to the place where He Shenping was painting.

He Yulou took out the cup that Wen Yue'an had drawn on the paper earlier, and He Shenping looked at it, his eyes lit up, obviously satisfied, but he was not in a hurry to praise, he just asked, "Who drew it?"

He Yulou said, "Yue An."

He Shenping took a closer look and said, "Yulou, look, Yue'an also drew your name in."

He Yulou glanced at Wen Yuean and laughed.

Wen Yuean looked aside.

He Yulou said, "Dad, can you make two identical cups, one for Yue'an and one for me?"

He Shenping said: "I promised you in the letter earlier that when I glazed and fired the kiln, I kept two extra cups. I bought them from the factory. I kept two because I was afraid that the painting would be damaged. Then you should be more careful. It's all done."

Afraid of being discovered, only a small lamp was lit in the room, He Yulou was holding a cup to ponder patterns under the lamp, Wen Yuean was holding the other cup to look at He Yulou under the lamp.

He Shenping painted blue and white flowers on an unglazed white porcelain paperweight. While painting, he told He Yulou and Wen Yuean the difference between overglaze and underglaze colors, and what they should pay attention to.

He Yulou practiced on the paper many times, and when he was sure, he drew the lines on the cup.

He didn't lift his eyes after he finished painting, but he curled his lips as if he could see everything with an eye on the top of his head, "Wen Yue'an, what do you see me doing if you don't draw?"

Wen Yuean withdrew his gaze, picked up a pen and carefully began to draw his Yuexia downstairs.

He Shenping glanced at the cups of the two of them, and said: "You can fill in the paint after painting. The color doesn't need to be very strong. Once it is fired in the furnace, the color will be brighter than the original painting."

The two cups are both the moon and the building, but the two cups are completely different.He Yulou's brushstrokes are arbitrary, and the painting is of the eastern city tower with a murderous look, and a cold moon above it in the eternal sky, watching the rise and fall of the world.Wen Yue'an's brushstrokes are neat, and the painting is a western building, like a concert hall, reflected by the full moon in the night sky, and the concert hall is glowing with soft light.

The two cups went into the low-temperature red oven together.

When it was out of the oven, the two took the cups drawn by each other at the same time.

Wen Yuean looked at it carefully, only to find that He Yulou had quietly written on the bottom of the cup, writing his usual Wei Kai with a very fine pen, and even copied almost all the words from "Liuzhou Getou" on the bottom of the cup:

The young man is chivalrous, and he makes friends with Wuduxiong.Liver and gallbladder hole, hair towering.In the conversation, life and death are the same.A promise is worth a thousand dollars.Push Qiaoyong, show pride and indulgence.Qinggaiyong, Lianfeijie, Doucheng East.Boom drinking wine, spring floats cold urn, absorbs the sea and hangs down the rainbow.Freely call the eagle and the dog, the white feather picks the carved bow, and the cunning hole is empty.

Only the last sentence was not written: happy in a hurry.

Later, Wen Yue'an wrote his memoirs, and wrote down here: Shi Ge, he should have written those three words.

That night He Yulou and Wen Yuean lived in the old mute's room.Because the old mute lived alone in a small room, and did not live with other people in the Datong shop.

Wen Yuean also recorded another stroke in his memoirs.

He was still asleep that night when he heard someone knocking on the door, knocking so hard that it almost seemed to be knocking on the door.The old mute hid him and He Yulou who was already asleep in the cabinet.He heard something banging against the cabinet door with a loud bang.Through the crack of the cabinet, he saw that it was the old mute who was pushed against the cabinet and fell to the ground again.

He Yulou who was woken up held Wen Yuean in his arms with one hand, and pressed against the cabinet door with the other hand.

"Hey, where did you go today?" A young man with a wound on his face scolded, "Damn it, you won't go to the fat man to complain? Let me tell you, you are the only one in charge of the boiler room in the whole factory." Yes, if someone finds out that I boiled eggs in the boiler room, it must be you, an old bastard. Hmph, how dare you come to me and tell me to admit my mistakes? What does that idiot Wang Bin have to do with you? Let's go, the matter is over here, old man, don't bother."

The old mute had a lot of strength and got up, as if he wanted to fight back. The young man took a step back: "You want to hit me, right? The old man is quite capable. You forgot, your dead comrade has a daughter who works in a textile factory, right? I told you a long time ago, if you dare to speak out, I will go to her every night. If you dare to hit me, if you hit me once, I will go to her once. You said that if your comrade-in-arms knows that his daughter is because of you ... Hehe, do you think he hates you? Can he survive underground?"

The old mute let out a few meaningless roars in anger, but he really didn't dare to do anything.

The young man kept uttering obscenities, and the old mute gasped in anger, unable to refute. The young man saw that the old mute would not dare to do anything, so he immediately took two steps forward triumphantly, and gave the old mute the top of his head. A slap on the face.

The muscles in He Yulou's arms were tense, and he was about to open the cabinet door to help the old mute, but Wen Yuean grabbed his hand, and pressed his fingers lightly on the top of his wrist.

He Yulou looked at Wen Yuean.

Wen Yue'an silently reminded: "Brother, don't cause trouble for Teacher He."

As soon as they came and went, the people outside had given the old dumb a few times and left contentedly.

He Yulou pushed open the door and went to help the old mute. The old mute shook his head, carried Wen Yuean out and put them on the bed, gesticulating for them to sleep.

I don't know if the windows in this room are too broken, the moonlight comes in and reflects on the bed, it's too bright, so bright that Wen Yuean can't sleep at all.

Leaning in He Yulou's arms, he heard irregular breathing, and his senior brother was not asleep either.

Wen Yuean called softly: "Brother."

He Yulou was awake, but didn't respond.

After a long time, he called out again: "Senior brother."

He Yulou turned around, leaving him with a back. After a while, he turned back again and hugged Wen Yuean in his arms.

"Sleep." He Yulou said.