In the late 1920s, a six-year-old girl named Lin lived in a small alley in the south of Beijing. Xiuzhen, a "crazy" woman who often stands in the alley looking for her daughter, is Eiko's friend. Xiuzhen once fell in love with a college student, Si Kang. Later, Si Kang went back to his hometown and never came back. Xiuzhen's daughter, Xiao Guizi, was sent to the foot of the city wall by her family and disappeared. Eiko was very sympathetic to her, so she promised to help Xiuzhen find Xiaoguizi. Eiko inadvertently found that the girl's life is very similar to that of the little devil, found the scar on the back of her neck, and quickly took her to Xiuzhen. After Xiuzhen recognized her daughter who had been separated for six years, she immediately took her to her father. But in the end, both mother and daughter died under the train while catching it. Eiko had a high fever and was in a coma for ten days, almost losing her life. Later, Eiko's family moved to Lan Xin Hutong. Eiko met a young man with thick lips in a nearby desert garden. In order to pay for his brother's education, he had to steal. Eiko thinks she is kind, but she can't tell whether she is a good person or a bad person. Soon, Eiko found a small bronze Buddha on the grass, which was found by plainclothes police. They took the young man away with patrol police. This made Eiko sad because he lost a friend. Later, Aunt Lan came to Eiko's house. Eiko found that his father's attitude towards Aunt Lan was wrong. Eiko thought of a way to introduce Aunt Lan to Uncle Dexian. Later, they fell in love, and finally they left together in a carriage. When Eiko was nine years old, her nanny Ma Song's husband came to the Lins' home. Eiko was very sad when she learned that Ma Song's son drowned two years ago and her daughter was given to a childless three-wheeled couple by her husband. She couldn't understand why Ma Song left her children to wait on others. Later, Ma Song was picked up by her husband with a little donkey. Finally, Eiko's father died of lung disease. Because of his father's departure, Eiko realized his responsibility and felt that he had grown up.
The 600-word "Old Things in the South of the City" tells five stories that happened in the hutong in the south of Beijing when the little girl Lin was 6 years old to 13 years old: Huian Pavilion, we went to see the sea, Aunt Lan, a donkey was rolling, my father's flowers fell, and I was no longer a child.
Xiuzhen, a crazy girl in an alley, is Eiko's first friend. Xiuzhen was originally in love with a college student for life. Later, the college student went back to his hometown and never came back. Xiao Guizi, born in Xiuzhen, was left at the foot of the city by her family, and her life and death are unknown. When Eiko knew about it, she promised Xiuzhen to help find her daughter. Later, I heard that Xiaoguizi and Xiuzhen had exactly the same experience, so I asked Xiaoguizi to show her the back of the neck. Sure enough, there is a blue birthmark. Xiaoguizi is Xiuzhen's daughter. Xiuzhen dressed Xiaoguizi carefully and took her to find Xiaoguizi's father. Unexpectedly, he was stabbed to death by a train, and Eiko was mentally deficient when he came home, so the Eiko family moved to Xinshuang Hutong.
Eiko met a young man in an abandoned garden. He had to steal to pay for his brother's tuition. Eiko thinks he is very kind, but she can't tell whether he is a good person or a bad person. Eiko found a small bronze Buddha in a wasteland. Then the police spy found out and took the young man away. Eiko is very sad.
Aunt Lan, who was driven out of the house, came to Eiko's house. Eiko's father introduced Uncle Dexian, who used to live in Eiko's house, to Aunt Lan. They later fell in love and rode away together.
When Eiko was nine years old, she learned that one of Ma Song's two children had drowned and the other had been sold. Eiko doesn't know why Ma Song has to wait on others, leaving her children alone. Later, Ma Song was picked up by her husband.
"Outside the pavilion, on the edge of the ancient road, the grass is blue ... when will you come here? Don't hesitate to come. ..... "This poem reminds people of sadness and reluctance when leaving. Now Eiko is going to graduate, and the junior students sang this song to them. When Eiko came home happily, she learned that her father had passed away, and everyone kept saying that Eiko had grown up. This made Eiko really realize that I am no longer a child.
These are all true stories that happened at that time. The author did not use gorgeous language, but described the face of old Beijing with ordinary words, recording the people and things at that time, emotions, joys and sorrows, faint sadness and heavy acacia, and recorded the childhood of the soul in the author's pen.
Childlike heart, enthusiasm and ideal in 800 words —— Thoughts on Reading Old Things in the South of the City
"Summer passed, autumn passed, winter came again, and the camel team came again, but my childhood never came back ... I said to myself, write them down, let the actual childhood pass, and the childhood in my heart will last forever." With his love of innocence and expectation of reality, Lin wrote a painstaking work, Old Things in the South of the City.
At the age of five, Lin came with his parents to live in an alley in the south of Beijing, where he lived for 25 years. "Old Things in the South of the City" describes trivial memories of these 25 years. In the book, Eiko (Lin) spent a dramatic childhood with Xiuzhen, a madman in Huian Pavilion, a girl who was often beaten, a thief in the haystack, a father who stayed with her day and night and died of lung disease.
Xiuzhen often leans against the door wall of Hui 'an Pavilion and always throws a bright smile at the passing children, just to miss Cassia lost in childhood. Life has never been soft on Xiuzhen, but she has learned to treat the world gently in pain and sorrow, with pity and memories.
"Walking through the yard and looking at the falling oleander, I said to myself: Dad's flowers have fallen, and I am no longer a child." Just as Eiko happily received her primary school diploma, her beloved father could no longer resist the erosion of the disease. With the falling of pomegranate leaves and oleander leaves, my father's breathing gradually weakened and his consciousness gradually blurred. Finally, he left the world with deep fatherly love for Eiko and nostalgia for life. How did Eiko, who was still a child, face the ups and downs of his life when his loved ones left forever? She can no longer see her father's kind smile, hear his affectionate teachings and touch his warm palm. Eiko once fell to the bottom, crying for help, praying that it was just a game of life and a dream. But the reality is always ruthless, and the gods will never see the human suffering. In grief, Eiko regained the courage to live. Because she understands that if life can't make her love all the time, let her love life actively and appreciate the training and pain that life has brought her. It is with this belief and mentality that Eiko became an independent "little adult".
Eiko's childhood included laughter and tears. Just like our childhood, there are entanglements and laughter.
We always complain about too much homework, and all we see when we look up is "words count as English"; We also complained that the teacher was strict and cried for a carefree childhood. But have we remembered the profound famous saying that "knowledge is power" and "black hair doesn't know how to study hard early, but it's too late to regret it." As we all know, reading is the lowest cost way to acquire wisdom. What's more, the schoolwork in primary schools is not an "obstacle" at all compared with the long road of life. Looking ahead, our study career is still very long, and the knowledge in the future may not be easy to digest. So we should learn from Eiko and face the challenges given by life positively and optimistically. When we get old and look back, there will be a sea of flowers behind us
Close the book, the room seems to be filled with faint fragrance. I am still immersed in the old things in the south of the city, as if Eiko was sitting opposite me, writing her story and telling me from time to time: "Study hard and study hard while you are young and naive. Words have temperature and power. As long as you read more books, your heart will be strong enough ... "I said to myself: Learn from Eiko and March towards your ideal!