Catalpa tree flowers
Liu Xinwu
I don't know why it's so hard to see catalpa trees in Beijing right now. This is a tree that is easy to cultivate and can grow straight up to 20 meters high, forming a large green umbrella on top, and it is very suitable for both as a garden tree and a street tree. In my old mansion in Beijing, I have seen the hanging flower door carved from catalpa wood and the Taishi chair made, and I have heard that this wood is particularly resistant to moisture, and the rain and blisters will not deform. But I was particularly impressed with catalpa trees when I was in elementary school. Once, when I walked with my mother and sister to a large catalpa tree in Longfu Temple, I looked up and shouted happily: "Ha! What a morning glory! My sister, who was already in middle school, rushed to tell me: "It's not a morning glory, it's a mandala flower!" Mom smiled and told us kindly, "Morning glory and mandala flowers are both herbs, and where will they bloom on this tall tree." Yes, these flowers do look a bit like them, but do you look at them for a while, can you see clearly? Its open top resembles two symmetrical lips, the morning glory resembles a round trumpet, and the mandala flower resembles a funnel. This is the catalpa flower. Pretty good looking, isn't it? ”
The place name of Longfu Temple is still there, but the temple has disappeared, and the catalpa tree next to the main hall does not know where it was sacrificed. I will never forget the catalpa tree, especially the clusters of pale reddish lips between its branches in early summer. Another memorable reason is that under that tree, I was beaten.
When I was in elementary school, I had to go through Longfu Temple every day to go to school, and many other students did the same. At that time, most of the halls of Longfu Temple doubled as warehouses, and there were stalls next to the passageway, which was a department store market that was open every day. After school, I ran around the temple with a group of boys, watching the hilarity and playing games. There was a boy in the class, with a small brain shell, but the two flailing ears were very large, because the family's economic conditions were poor, and he retired to the temple to set up a stall to sell socks. For a while, the boys we were still in school, led by the biggest "iron fist", always had to go to the sock stall after school to harass. Iron Fist is certainly a nickname. Most of the boys in the class had nicknames and shouted openly. Boys also secretly give nicknames to some girls, but they dare not use them in public. Most of the nicknames aren't very ugly, and I sometimes follow them. But "Iron Fist" to the socks seller of the same age nickname pronunciation is "bikido ear", meaning two ears more than the man's crotch of the thing, he often far away from the sock stall began to scream strangely, many classmates should be reconciled, but also have to be promised to him. I played with the Iron Fist and them, played Tibetan cats, took pictures, played glass balls and so on, all very comfortable, but when the socks were spread out, I was not very willing, as for calling people like that nickname, I had a in my heart. I remember that one summer, the "Iron Fist" found out that I was determined not to follow the call of the nickname, and forced it to come to me, not to let me also call. What he thought at that time, I still have difficulty understanding, but for me, I know very well why I can't say it. "Iron Fist" pushed me to the thick trunk of the catalpa tree, grabbed me by the neck, roared, forced me to scream, I was forced to look up, just in time to see clusters of blooming catalpa flowers, mother's face stacked on those flowers, I breathlessly told "Iron Fist": "My mother will not allow me to swear." He grinned at me with disdain, cursed rudely, and hit me the cheek with his iron fist, and I immediately had a salty taste in my mouth...
I can't remember how that thing ended. In short, I didn't tell my mother about the "Iron Fist" beating me, nor did I tell the teacher, and the next day the "Iron Fist" still told me to play, and I still hid the cat with them. Later, at a class meeting, the teacher said, "The girls in our class didn't swear and say dirty words." Boy..." He named me and praised me, "He never scolds people or says dirty work." "I've basically maintained such a language habit ever since. I don't mention this now to praise myself. It was only a matter of nostalgia to remember my parents, who had died long ago, especially the mother who had lived with me the longest, and their demand that their children must not swear and say dirty words was integrated into countless words and deeds similar to pointing out catalpa tree flowers. When I grew up, I understood that I had acquired a kind of upbringing that respected every ordinary life.
My parents were very ordinary intellectuals, and in their entire lives they never made a career worthy of social remembrance. Many years have passed, my sideburns have been white, at an exhibition, suddenly someone called out my name, I looked at him for half a day, only to recognize him from his pair of ears that seemed to never change shape, he held my hand, and the first sentence he asked was: "Is my aunt still healthy?" Before I could answer, he said, "You forgot, didn't you?" I still remember that you said that your mother did not allow you to swear... It's under that big catalpa tree at Longfu Temple... I've been narrow-minded since I dropped out of school... If you called them that time, maybe you wouldn't see me today! "Ah, he still remembers my mother, but they haven't actually met!" Catalpa blossom Catalpa flower, my tearful eyes are full of your brilliance!
Excerpt from Gymnastics of the Mind
Illustrations from the web
WeChat Editor of this issue: Meng Xiaoshu