After six years, I went to Yangzhou again. In the past six years, every spring, I always think of Yangzhou, the feelings of people with small bridges and flowing water, the graceful figure of Slender West Lake, the distant bells of daming temple, and the boundless waves of the ancient canal ... Such a city is unforgettable.
In mid-August, I took my son to Jiangnan. The Jiangnan I am looking forward to is not only Yangzhou in my memory, but also beautiful and light as a yarn. She is also affectionate and shy, with Zheng Chouyu's Dada horseshoes, bluestone streets touched by time, small windows opened by her, and beautiful mistakes I met ... I hope my sunny and energetic son knows that there are two kinds of beauty in the world, one is magnificent and the other is feminine.
On the third day, we arrived in Changzhou and then set off for Yangzhou. Although Li went to work normally, she made proper arrangements for me and my son's teacher to stay. This time, she said, we should feel the convenience of the Internet and the charm of traveling empty-handed. I volunteered to take my teacher to Yangzhou. In fact, all the expenses are paid online. Every scenic spot we want to visit is booked online in advance. We just need to bring our ID cards and don't lose ourselves. She posted our travel route online, looking for the right Didi taxi. And booked a home inn for us online, near the lotus pond campus of Yangzhou University. Not far from Heyuan, Ge Yuan and Slender West Lake. Yangzhou is a small city, and the place we are going to is in Yangzhou. As a tourist city, Yangzhou is suitable for hiking.
Facing Li, my son is young, inexperienced, knowledgeable and ignorant of the outside world. My teacher and I are too old to keep up with the pace of society, so we stumble. The spirit is in the prime of life, and it has become our dependence unconsciously.
When I first entered Yangzhou City, I found that roads were being built and demolished everywhere. Didi driver said that the next provincial games will be held in Yangzhou. Suddenly feel that Yangzhou is very humble. Among so many developed cities in Jiangsu, Yangzhou has ancient traces. This antiquity is not inheritance, but backwardness. It's different from Suzhou's antiques. Suzhou's ancient style has the glory of "rare things are precious", which is carefully protected, reserved and noble. Like an antique, Suzhou shines with enamel, while Yangzhou is covered with historical dust. It just stands alone. Like an inexperienced village girl, with a simple earthy taste, she smiled foolishly and simply. On the occasion of the upcoming provincial games, there is a kind of fear and joy. Yangzhou city was demolished in a mess. Many roads are isolated around colored steel tiles. Our car bumped in the center of the city, and dust covered our eyes.
My heart sank. Previously, I have been trying to describe the elegance, classicality and gentleness of Yangzhou, as if Yangzhou was my former lover, with watery skin and temperament, and everything in the world has nothing to do with Yangzhou. Now, in order to catch up with the times and show the charm of a modern city, Yangzhou is trying to change, just like a pupa that will eventually fly like a butterfly.
I was suddenly afraid that Yangzhou would leave a bad impression on the teacher.
two
He Yuan and Ge Yuan are determined to go.
In mid-August, the daily temperature in the south of the Yangtze River remained around 36 degrees Celsius. Maybe now is not the time to go out. Local residents who don't covet the cool indoor air conditioning. On the contrary, fools like us, in the scorching sun, in the scorching summer, in a sleepy summer afternoon, linger in the cold spots.
When entering Heyuan, there were really few tourists. Heyuan is also under maintenance, and many places are isolated and can't get in. This is somewhat disappointing. Fortunately, we are not too depressed. With fewer tourists, we can take photos as much as we like, although staying in our favorite place for a while is not as urgent as traveling with a group, so we are helpless.
The plants are still green. The growth mood will not be affected by the number of tourists. A heart of vegetation, ignoring human likes and dislikes, goes its own way. It's just that the hydrangeas in the yard were not in bloom when we went there. Looking back now, it seems that even the hydrangea tree does not exist. But the hole under the eaves of the attic still exists, and the stories of the girls in the boudoir still exist. Beautiful legends are touching in any season. We slowly look from one place to another, and the longest place to stay is still the "Chyi Chin Painting and Calligraphy Museum". We took photos in the pavilion and imagined the owner of the room singing and writing poems in the pavilion. Those chessboards, pen and ink are as warm as ever. Outside the window, a bamboo sticks out obliquely, just occupying more than half of the window, and bamboo leaves are flying. Standing in the pavilion is really a beautiful picture. At the foot is a spring eye, ding-dong, which passes through the pavilion from the depths and flows to the pool in front of the "flaky mountain house" At this point, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are all available.
Rockery, pavilions and pavilions are exactly the same as they were six years ago. These silent things receive many guests who come here to see how many walkers pass by. No matter how they leave Heyuan, they are unmoved! Now, the scenery is the same, so are people. The difference is that my son has grown into a big boy. My pale, white-haired and decadent state has first appeared on my appearance. Six years is very short and fleeting. Looking back, I found that I had traveled a long way. Six years ago, my son and Shu Xin, the daughter of the second child, went to Heyuan, drilled a hole and watched a fish swim. They were full of interest. At that time, they all stood on tiptoe, rolled up their sleeves and stretched out their arms to catch coins in a vat full of water in the yard. Six years later, my son stood in front of the jar again, just laughing.
In my feeling, Heyuan and Ge Yuan are always easily confused. Many landscapes will overlap, and you can't tell which one belongs to the garden and which one belongs to the garden. It takes a little effort to remember. In my impression, this garden is slightly wider than He Garden, and the bamboo here is different from other places. I have carefully observed the bamboos in Binhe Park, and the bamboo leaves are stacked one after another, so I can't tell the word "ge" clearly. Moreover, every bamboo leaf in the garden is a single "A", and it will never be complicated to squeeze together. There are four rockeries in the park, with four distinct seasons. No matter where we stand, these four rockeries show the characteristics of the four seasons. What can I say except lamenting the originality of the landscape architect?
The scenery is always getting deeper and deeper. The same winding cloister, carved beams and painted doors and windows; Pay attention to the layout of pavilions and the coordination of rockeries and ponds; The same fine workmanship and ingenious ideas; How deep is the same yard? I was thinking that when she was a girl in the yard, no one knew how disappointed and lonely she was in an inner room.
I don't want to repeat the amazing design embodied in the first garden in the late Qing Dynasty and Geyuan, one of the four famous gardens. Their owners made great efforts in building the garden, on the one hand, to live poetically, on the other hand, they did not forget to educate their children to "study hard and be an official". So the two gardens are designed around these two points. There is a bright moon and a cool breeze everywhere, and the family motto of reading and nourishing the heart is everywhere. Any big family will build their own garden in this way, if they have the strength. Pursuing an indifferent and quiet life while maintaining a smooth official career is also the' ideal' of literati. However, is a girl born in a big family lucky? Or misfortune? Only people in that place can understand. Now, whether it is brilliant or depressed, it is finally stained with commercial flavor, which is judged by us in history.
three
The next morning we went to Slender West Lake. Slender West Lake is the endorsement of Yangzhou, right? So graceful and charming, it is most suitable to describe Yangzhou. I went to Yangzhou six years ago, and when I came back, my friend joked that Jiangnan was good! I've only been there for a few days, and I've changed since I came back. The implication is that I will be beautiful after a trip to Yangzhou. One thing needs to be corrected. Yangzhou is actually not in Jiangnan, but belongs to Jiangbei. It is separated from Zhenjiang by a river. The so-called "a water room between Guazhou Jingkou" also applies to Yangzhou and Zhenjiang! But in our feeling, it's Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, and it's Jiangnan with humanity.
In my impression, the streets and alleys of Yangzhou are full of beautiful women. Although there are no clogs to tread on, I can always appreciate the croaking sound coming from the depths of the alley. At that time, I hadn't heard the real Suzhou Pingtan, but I was naturally intoxicated when I saw the Yangzhou girl holding the pipa, combing the classical bun and plucking the strings with slender fingers. This time, my teacher and I went to Dongguan Street, the most representative ancient street in Yangzhou, but we didn't find a beautiful woman and didn't hear a word about pingtan. Later, I walked along the Grand Canal without meeting a woman like water. But isn't there a Slender West Lake in Yangzhou? Where there is Slender West Lake, there should be such a woman. Their hands are soft, their skin is solidified, their collars are like salamanders, their teeth are like rhinoceroses, and their heads are like moths. They smiled and looked forward to it! Otherwise, we will fail the Slender West Lake! Anyone who touches Yangzhou should always be so light and moving. This makes me very unhappy. This trip to Yangzhou completely subverted my memory. Six years ago, the feeling of Xiaojiabiyu disappeared little by little. I was scared to death.
The teacher doesn't look as depressed as I do. This is her first visit to Slender West Lake. Although the blooming season of Qionghua has passed, it is also very cheerful.
The water surface of Slender West Lake is bright and clear, and several cruise ships chug past. The red colonnade and the yellow canopy look gorgeous, which is particularly eye-catching against the scenery on both sides of the lake dominated by cyan. Occasionally, when the wind comes, the weeping willows on the shore will twist their waist, which is extremely charming. In this way, I can't count how many pots of lotus there are. They stood in the thick air, in a word and a song. Just after the Lotus Festival in Jiangsu Province, we were not at the most beautiful time of Slender West Lake. But from the charm, you can still feel the grand occasion of the Lotus Festival. Most of the lotus flowers have withered, showing a dilapidated state. Lotus leaves are no longer so green, the leaves turn yellow, and some lotus leaves roll up at the edge like a spreading heart. These lotus flowers are arranged on the shore, which also gives birth to infinite loneliness. However, there is a water area in the center of Slender West Lake, and the lotus leaves are still lush from a distance. In the middle of the lotus leaf, there is a crimson lotus. They are jiaozi, in the middle of August in the Slender West Lake, in front of a group of broken people, in the eyes of tourists, naively open.
Not suitable for taking pictures. Flowers are the least photogenic. The flowers in the photo are far less beautiful and shocking than in reality. The more crowded together, the more tacky the photos are. It is the proof that "you can see from a distance, don't be ridiculous". But it is very rare for my son to take pictures of crowded lotus leaves with his mobile phone. Usually he doesn't like to take pictures of others, and he doesn't like others to take pictures of him. He said that when you go out to play, you see mountains and rivers, and the beautiful scenery is kept in your heart instead of in your photo album. Maybe he has a point?
Unconsciously, I walked around the lake embankment. It is hot enough. On the Wu Ting Bridge, the wind suddenly became stronger. Almost all the tourists from Slender West Lake gather here. The so-called tourism is also a matter of willingness to fight and endure! Everyone is sweating like a pig. They all want to stay on the Wu Ting Bridge for a while, or even sit on a bench and never walk again. However, didn't we buy it ourselves? Better get up!
I took some photos at random on the Wu Ting Bridge, as if in a hurry, and got off the bridge to continue my arduous trek.
You can see twenty-four bridges in the distance. Small and exquisite appearance makes people fall in love at first sight. Twenty-four Bridges straddle the lake, just like a plump young woman, charming and shy. This is the widest place on the surface of Slender West Lake. So, standing on Bridge 24, you can feel the peace of breeze and waves. Standing on the bridge, I can't help thinking of this poem by Du Mu, which is full of romance and talent. I took my son to the bridge and looked far on both sides. I just feel relaxed and happy, but I don't know how to express it. Language is pale in many cases. I drive the civil and military officials in the Qing Dynasty, but unfortunately I can't arrange suitable positions for them.
But then the teacher's mind was not on Bridge 24. I thought we were far away from the fireworks and complicated things. Who knows that a phone call will still pull her back to trivial life. It seems that no matter where we go, our hearts are tied and there is no good place in our eyes.
four
Yangzhou six years ago was as jade as jade in my heart. There is a meaning of "choose a city to die, meet one person with a white head" and "break a string and leave a song". Now it is found that the romantic bleak thing with long mountains and high waters and a long road, full of wind and rain, and safe mail route to hear your news, may not happen in Yangzhou. Yangzhou city is also smelly and sweaty, and hawkers sell and bargain ... how can it be less than the world!
Life is really before us. The so-called escape, travel, put your heart on mountains and rivers, or crawl at the foot of nature, listen to the pines and watch the water swim, but it is wishful thinking. Not to mention traveling through the city. A city without people is an empty city and a wasteland. With people, I feel that everything is destroyed. However, I have infinite pity for Yangzhou. I don't know where this sympathy comes from. Among the few cities I have been to, Yangzhou first gave me poetic germination. And this germination later changed my lifestyle. I yearn for Yangzhou again and again, and I really want people to let go of her beauty. Living in seclusion by the Slender West Lake, singing in the forest, drinking tea and whistling before the waning moon in Yang Liuan is also an elegant life. But at present, there is nothing but a little pity.
It's all right, after all, it's not indifferent, it doesn't matter.
After a night, we left Yangzhou the next afternoon. I don't know when this farewell will last.