After Lan Ruling finished talking about the past, Song Siyuan carefully recalled the details. Lan Qingping's death was probably due to the loss of hope, so he chose to end his life. She comforted: "Lan Ruling, this foreigner did say that he would come back." I'll pick you up, but you also have to understand that maybe his mind will change after a few years."
"You mean, my old man cheated on my mother?" Lan Ruling's eyes were full of disbelief. Eager to prove to Song Siyuan that Joseph was not like this, he took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to her.
Song Siyuan took the photo. This photo was only the size of a palm. Due to the poor photography skills more than 20 years ago, the picture looked a bit blurry. Even so, you could see that the photo was as beautiful as a heavenly blue and green screen, and that she was one taller than her. Joseph on the shoulder, this man has a Sanqi oil head, and his face can be said to be upright and handsome even among foreigners.
Lan Ruling pointed at the photo and said in a rather aggrieved tone: "My mother said that old man Joseph had not gotten married yet. He said that he would come to pick us up when he returned to his country. Do you mean that those words were all lies? "?" Speaking of this, the Gu girl looked a little angry. Song Siyuan shook her head at her and retorted: "I'm not necessarily lying to you. According to your description, when Joseph invited your mother to return to China to settle down, it was because she disliked life in a foreign country. You are not familiar with the situation and refused. Under such circumstances, Joseph still wants to take you back, which shows that he has true feelings for your mother."
"If he has no feelings for you, there is no need to mention it. Anyway, the two of us were destined to separate at that time. Why would he bother to say that he would come to pick you up? I guess what he said at that time was true, but his mood changed over time. Something has changed. After all, the two of them just had a casual marriage, and it can't be considered a deep love. Gradually, this idea faded away."
"Or!" Song Siyuan changed the topic: "The most likely scenario is that Joseph is probably no longer alive." These words made Lan Ruling feel hurt. Even though he had never met Joseph, this person was her after all. The person my mother liked was even remotely related to her by blood. When I heard that he was no longer alive, I still felt sad.
"In short, times have changed, temperament has changed, and death or death is possible. You don't have to take it too seriously. Even if you really find him, what else do you want to say to him? You and Joseph are two different people. Are you willing to go to the Magnesium Country?" Lan Ruling heard her mention this and quickly shook her head: "That's impossible, I don't even know how to sing a bird, how can I go to the Magnesium Pot? I don't even know the language. It doesn’t make sense, and I don’t know how to reminisce about old times with a foreign old man, so I can only stare at him with big eyes and small eyes!”
"At least your mother and he are really in love. Some people are not so lucky. They also fall in love with foreigners, but the end result is not good." Lan Ruling became curious and urged her to continue. She wanted to know What happened to other women who were seduced by foreigners: "Are there other women who were friendly with foreigners? What happened to them?" Song Siyuan coughed a few times, took out her notes, and explained: "When I was studying abroad, I went to I have watched operas at the opera house. There is a Western play called "Madama Butterfly". This is a musical and dance drama that was released in 1904. It tells the story of..." At the beginning of the twentieth century, a naval captain came to Japan with the Magnesium fleet. Sakishima, an officer named Pinkerton, suffered from the boredom of life on the island. In order to get daily care, he met a Japanese girl Qiaoqiaosan, nicknamed Butterfly, under the introduction of the people on the island.
After Pinkerton saw the butterfly, he was surprised by the beauty of the butterfly. At the same time, he was captured by her gentleness and charm. The virtues of the butterfly, such as gentleness, courtesy and frugality, were all to his liking. At the same time, this kind of exotic Oriental woman Her gentleness and restraint are also different from the bright and enthusiastic Western women.
Chinese website Pinkerton decided to pursue Butterfly. Under his romantic offensive, Butterfly fell in love with Pinkerton and married him in Japan and became a real couple. While the two were immersed in their sweet married life, Pinkerton... Being ordered by his superiors to return home, he had no choice but to return to his own country.
Time flew by and three years passed. Three years later, he had the opportunity to return to Japan again. When he saw Butterfly, he realized that Butterfly had given birth to a child for him.
"Then, isn't this exactly the same as my mother?" Lan Ruling's eyes lit up. Perhaps she saw an ending that was different from her own, and she seemed extremely happy. Song Siyuan couldn't bear to hurt her and deliberately concealed the ending: "Yes, Butterfly Madam waited until Pinkerton, and at Pinkerton's request, she took her son back to Magnesia with him for a family reunion." After that, Song Siyuan picked up her notes and showed Lan Ruling a group photo of the actors at that time. This person Next to the tall and handsome foreigner was a beautiful Asian woman in a kimono. The two of them were holding a child in their hands, and outside the baby's body was a flag of Japan.
Lan Ruling held the photo, with joy in her eyes: "Isn't this a good ending? How can you say it's not a good ending?"
"There are many women like butterflies on Nagasaki Island, but they did not wait for their Pinkerton. They can only live alone and be looked down upon by others." Song Siyuan's words made Lan Ruling's eyes dim. She did not expect that she Others have already experienced the fate of my mother Lan Qingping.
"Yao Meier, according to what you said, foreign men are not good things." Ren Peacock tidied the bed, his tone was very angry, thinking he was trying to defend Lan Qingping, but also feeling sorry for Lan Ruling.
Song Siyuan retorted: "It's a matter of opinion. Foreigners have different concepts of relationships than Easterners. They think that Eastern women are casual. Who knows that they are thinking of being together for life, and in the end they can only end tragically. The cultural differences between the East and the West are too big." It’s too big to be bridged.”
"Oh, forget it, it doesn't matter whether Joseph's turtle son is a hypocrite or a real one, we have to go to bed early, and we have to leave for the dock tomorrow." After hearing this, Lan Ruling also knew what the fate of her mother and Joseph was. What's going on? I sighed and was no longer curious.
"You guys go to bed first. I have to go to Yue Guanchao to discuss something." Song Siyuan saw Yue Guanchao outside the door, wrapped her own blanket and walked out of the room. When she walked to the outdoor corridor, Yue Guanchao was standing by the railing and staring at the lake. , the wet and cold lake wind blew, making people shrink their collars unconsciously.
"Where's the second artillery piece?" Yue Guanchao pursed his lips toward the room, and a vague purr came from inside, which was a response to her inquiry.
"Then Madam Butterfly, didn't she die in the end?" Yue Guanchao had read most of Song Siyuan's notes. When Pinkerton returned to Japan, he was not only alone, but also brought his wife from Magnesia with him, even though he knew Butterfly had given birth to a child for him. The son just decided to adopt the child and did not want to be responsible for the butterfly.
As a result, Butterfly, who was loyal to Pinkerton, lost all hope. After giving the child to Pinkerton, he committed suicide in despair.
It can be said that in this relationship, Butterfly is the only one who is truly passionate. Even Pinkerton's love for her is mixed with curiosity about the exotic Oriental culture. In essence, it is similar to understanding the folk customs. The marriage with Butterfly has never stopped. In the end, it's just a joke, just to be taken care of.
"If I really tell the ending of Butterfly, then Lan Ruling will be so sad. I also want to give her a thought. Besides, Joseph is not Pinkerton, so as not to cause any harm to Lan Ruling again. When I get back, I have to help her publish it in the newspaper." Seeing that she had this idea, Yue Guanchao didn't quite understand: "She just said that, and you really took it to heart."
"That's right, this thing has become a piece of Lan Ruling's heart ailment. If it can help her solve it, it can be regarded as curing her illness. At the same time, the heart ailment still needs to be treated with heart medicine. No matter whether we find someone or not, what will happen in the future? I won't be obsessed with looking for the foreign old man. As long as Joseph is not dead, everything is possible." As Song Siyuan spoke, she picked up the camera and took a picture of the dock that was interrupted by Lan Ruling just now. When the ship was completely extinguished, the dock gradually became quiet. Then they went back to rest.
There was a cold wind blowing one night, and it rained continuously the next day. When they woke up, the weather was obviously not as good as yesterday. After opening the square window, they could see black mist rolling into the sky. Those who didn't know it thought they were in a trance. The sky and the cold lake were connected into one piece, and the boundaries were blurred.
Yue Guanchao walked into the corridor and looked up. Hundreds of clouds were as gray as field ridges, and it was like dark clouds were looming over the city.
"It's going to rain today. Is it okay to sail at this time?" Song Siyuan asked Xiang Ren Peacock: "Oh, it's going to rain. My mother is getting married. Don't worry. This rain is brought by the water vapor of Dongting Lake. It's out of Yueyang. That's good, but we still have to leave early to avoid getting caught in the rain halfway." After all, it was cloudy and they were afraid of rain. Yue Guanchao and the others hurriedly packed up their things and rushed to the pier. The boatman they agreed to yesterday was already waiting at the pier to meet them. Their figures frequently waved to the shore.
Yue Guanchao got on the boat and carefully observed the structure of the current boat: the widest part of the boat was about 20 meters wide in the middle, and 30 meters long in the front and rear. The hull was narrowing and tapering like a small boat.
There are three sets of craft poles on the deck, one large and two small, which have been stretched out by the wind. The three sets of masts are used as boundaries. At the widest position in the middle, there are ten cabins separated by wooden boards, which are covered with rain-proof grass and tiles. It looks like like a row
Common people's tiled houses in the shape of "tian". In order to avoid rain and water, the tiled house has a one-meter-long eaves, which is like a skirt covering the outside of all houses. Wooden pillars are supported below to form a corridor around the house. In summer, bamboo curtains can be put down for ventilation, and in winter, they are closed with linoleum cloth. Use it to keep warm!
There is a passage on the deck that can go down. There are many wooden boxes inside, as well as salt, rice noodles, grain and oil. Most of the debris behind the boat are fishing equipment, tied tightly with linoleum cloth.
"Oh, look, we often fish on this boat, and the smell of fish and rotten shrimps won't go away for a while. Please be patient. It's going to rain soon. You go to the house first."
"Let's go this way~" The boat woman wiped the handle and led them to open the middle room. The four rooms here have been opened up and look quite spacious. There are simple tables, chairs, benches and other old wooden furniture inside, as well as a stove, Daily sundries such as teapots, coir raincoats, teacups, etc.
"Come, drink tea, drink tea. We boat people make boats our home. This place is the living room, and from here is our roof. The other rooms are guest rooms. You don't have to worry about where to live, just sit on the boat with peace of mind. "
