The Pentium Era - South to North

You Guodong's home is on the 19th floor of a 28-story apartment building. The house is not small, about more than 200 square meters. What surprised He Hongmei and Xiang Nan was that You Guodong's home didn't look like a house at all. If the Japanese's home were not in Tokyo, they would think they were walking into a home in Shanghai or Hangzhou.

The room layout and furniture inside are all Chinese style. Hanging on the wall of the living room is Lu Yanshao's four-striped landscape screen. On the other wall, there are four large characters "Youlong Aijuan", signed by Jiang Dongshu Yijiu. In March 1992, when the calligraphy and painting were written by the West Lake, Xu Aijuan and Xiang Nan said that the calligraphy and painting were given by Lao You's classmate when they got married, and they had them framed in China and sent over.

Even the dining table in their house is a square table. Today, because there were so many people, a round tabletop was placed on it.

Xiang Nan introduced He Hongmei to You Guodong and his wife, and they talked about several movies and TV series. Xiang Nan and his wife had never heard of them, but You Guodong and his wife had even seen their children and knew that the clothes in them were He Hongmei's. The design is greatly appreciated.

He Hongmei looked around and said to You Guodong and Xu Aijuan, I have rarely seen such a Chinese-style family in Japan. Even the Chinese in Tokyo have a Japanese family style in their homes. Everyone has the same style, and they are afraid that they will not be able to live as soon as possible. Feeling included.

You Guodong and Xu Xiujuan both laughed after hearing this. You Guodong said:

"There is no way. Who told us to come out of the Yongcheng ravine? What does that say? It's easy to change one's nature but hard to change. I have been in Japan for more than 20 years, and now I am asked to kneel or cross my legs to eat. I Still not used to eating.

"It's just that I spent a little time looking for these pieces of furniture. Did you see this round table top? It was given to me by the owner of a Chinese restaurant whom I know well. However, I haven't used it a few times. Come on. Now, it can finally come in handy.”

Xiangnan He Hongmei and the others came from Ginza, while You Guodong and his family lived in the Meguro District of Tokyo. It took more than fifty minutes to walk. Because they were worried about being late, they set off early. Unexpectedly, the whole journey was smooth and they arrived early. Xu Xiujuan has just started cooking.

He Hongmei and Xiang Nan went to the kitchen to help her. Ding Yousong and Yin Tao were chatting with You Guodong and their children in the living room. You Guodong knew that Ding Yousong was a composer and insisted that he play the piano for a while. Ding Yousong did not refuse and just After they started playing, in the back, it was Ding Yousong playing the piano and Yin Tao singing.

The son and daughter applauded at first, and then the daughter sat next to Ding Yousong and started playing four-handed ball with him.

Xu Xiujuan couldn't help but laugh when she heard the noise outside in the kitchen. She said that the house hadn't been so lively for a long time. Hongmei should know that Japanese people rarely go to other people's homes to have any social interactions. It is solved outside.

Xiang Nan originally wanted to say that people in China don't like to visit each other anymore. They usually go to hotels to treat guests to dinner, and go to the chess and card room to play cards. It's not like living in a theater troupe when she was a child. She remembers that when eating, she held a The small plastic bowl went to several houses. If anyone had something delicious, they would put it in her bowl.

Xiang Nan thought about it, but didn't say it. There were some things buried in his memory, so it was better not to destroy them.

The three of them cooked together and worked very quickly. In a short while, the dishes for the table were ready. Before eating, Xiangnan was invited by You Guodong to sing a song. After that, everyone sat down to eat.

You Guodong and his wife felt some emotion when they saw Xiang Nan and the others, and they felt another emotion when they saw He Hongmei. Not Xiang Nan and the others could understand this kind of emotion, but only people like He Hongmei and You Guodong, who had been living in a foreign land for a long time, could understand. Only people can empathize with it.

Although they have all become Japanese citizens, in daily life and work, no matter how hard you try, there will always be people or things like this, reminding you explicitly or covertly that you and them are still the same. The difference is that you are still a stranger in a foreign land.

But when it comes to China, I still have some hesitation and palpitations. I feel that it is getting further and further away, and it is increasingly difficult to grasp. After all, in the eyes of the Chinese people, you are already Japanese, and especially you are Japanese people and people in the country also have a different view of people who have become Japanese nationals, which is different from those who have become American or German citizens.

This feeling was mentioned by He Hongmei when Xiang Nan and He Hongmei were together that night at the izakaya, and today, during the conversation between You Guodong, Xu Aijuan and He Hongmei, Xiang Nan felt it again.

He Hongmei has also won several awards in the United States and Europe in recent years. She said that if someone else wins the award, whether it is from the media or their film company, they will think it is the pride of Japan. But when He Hongmei wins, it is different. I just want to congratulate you for winning this award. I don’t feel like I’m honored.

Even reporters come to interview her like this. After congratulating her on winning the award, they will definitely ask her how she feels after coming to Japan for so many years. He Hongmei really wants to tell reporters, don't ask me how I feel, I and you Likewise, I am a Japanese citizen, but I also feel guilty and I just can’t say these words.

You Guodong was also very emotional about this. He said that he was like this in school. Other professors felt that it was something to be proud of when they were invited by Tsinghua University or Zhejiang University to give lectures. On the contrary, if it were him, he would It will only attract strange looks, as if he wants to sell some academic achievements to Tsinghua University or Zhejiang University.

As a result, even that year, when Zhejiang University invited him to serve as a visiting professor and use his summer vacation to return to China to give lectures, he dared not accept it.

"Now, some of us really seem to be two-faced people." You Guodong said with a bitter smile, "I can't please you on both sides, and I'm not a human being inside and out. My original teachers and classmates in China thought that I was a big-headed person, so I came out and became a student at Tokyo Institute of Technology. Once you become a professor, you treat yourself like an onion, but here, people don’t treat you like an onion at all.”

"Actually, the country is doing pretty well now. If Professor You could go back and become a professor at Zhejiang University, it would be great too," Xiang Nan said.

You Guodong smiled and shook his head:

"At our age, we don't dare to move, not only for ourselves, but also for the family and the children. Even if we can adapt, it's hard to say whether the children can adapt. The competition among children in the country now. I heard from my classmates that it was even more intense than us adults. Every step was empty and every step was empty. They couldn't adapt to that kind of competition all of a sudden.

"If we go back to more than 20 years ago, when I first got my doctorate, I would have returned to China without saying a word and would not have stayed in Japan. But at that time, people in China were running away, and we These classmates who are outside and in China call us and they are all extremely envious. How can we go back? This is all a matter of a temporary situation and there is no way to do it."

When You Guodong said this, He Hongmei remained silent. Xiang Nan knew that she must also feel sad.

"By the way, Professor You, do you have any brothers or sisters in Yongcheng?" Yin Tao asked.

"Yes." You Guodong said.

"Then why don't you go back and have a look?" Yin Tao said, "Take your children and go back more often. Maybe you can get used to it gradually. The competition for children in China is indeed fierce, but the little brothers and sisters are very smart. , I think that as long as they are given a certain amount of time, they will definitely be able to adapt, and they will not be worse than other children. Children's ability to adapt is much faster than that of us adults."

You Guodong shook his head and remained silent. Xiang Nan touched Yin Tao with his foot under the table, signaling her to stop talking.

Everyone has their own life. From the first time he met Professor You and his wife and communicated with them, Xiang Nan felt that Professor You seemed to have something unspeakable about returning to Yongcheng.

Sure enough, when You Guodong got up to go to the bathroom, Xu Aijuan said to them: "Lao You is actually very afraid of going back, especially to Yongcheng."

"Why?" Ding Yousong asked.

"It breaks my heart." Xu Aijuan sighed and said to them: "The last time we went back was when his mother passed away. You all know that in Yongcheng Funeral Home, there is no mourning hall. After a person dies, it has to be laid out for two days, and the family members have to leave. Is there a wake there?

"That night, while his mother was still lying there, his two younger brothers and his sister-in-law had a big fight and almost got into a fight over the house left by his mother. No matter how much he tried to persuade him, it was of no use. When it came time for his mother to be cremated, When he arrived, they simply got angry and didn't even come. We sent his mother up the mountain, and immediately took the bus to Shanghai and returned directly to Japan.

"He said that he no longer has these two younger brothers. They have nothing to do with him whether they go to heaven or to earth."

Xu Aijuan's words made everyone sigh, and He Hongmei sighed:

"My family is not that bad. When I went back, my family members were also polite to me, but I just felt that there was a layer in between and I couldn't fit in. Maybe, contrary to Professor You, it was them You must be disappointed with me, my family was very opposed to me coming to Japan at that time."

Xiang Nan looked at He Hongmei, and she still remembered that although she didn't know much about adults' affairs at that time, she knew that everyone really wanted Aunt Hongmei to be with Uncle Zhang Chen. I heard that even she Wenwen and Qianqian also tried their best to get them together.

It can be said that Aunt Hongmei flew to Japan alone under the unanimous opposition of everyone.

Xu Aijuan smiled and said: "I am similar to Lao You, but I am simpler than him. My family is from the countryside of Yongcheng. The concept in our hometown is that when a daughter gets married, a basin of water is thrown out. So after my parents died, I My elder brother and younger brother didn't even ask me when they were dividing the family property.

"By the way, last year they said they were going to move the grave. Then they remembered that I was here. They called me and told me that my daughter also had to contribute a share of the money. Haha, I told them that it didn't matter. I would pay for it. It’s not easy for you either.”

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