One
In the history of modern Chinese literature, Yu Dafu is an unavoidable name. I once loved Mr. Yu's "Autumn in the Ancient Capital" and thought that it was the peak of the lyrical articles of the literati and scholars of the Republic of China. I was born in the northern country, and I know more about the autumn of the northern country than others, and reading Yu Dafu with such feelings always has a kind of cheerful and refreshing energy. Autumn in the old capital, like autumn in New York, has the depression of the northern wilderness and the tranquility of the hustle and bustle of the city.
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of Uddhav's death. Originally, there was a commemorative event for the Huamei Association, and Dr. He Yong, former head of the United Nations Chinese Group, asked me to write a commemorative article and interview Ms. Wang Yongqing, the daughter-in-law of Mr. Yu Dafu in New York. But because I had something temporary, I didn't dare to accept it.
Time flew by, nearly a year passed, the biennial Yu Dafu Novel Award selection began again, my brother who teaches at Indiana University in the United States, that is, the son of the writer Xiao Fuxing, Xiao Tie, won the Yu Dafu Novel Award for his magical novel "The King of the Mole". "The King of the Mole" covers the surroundings of North American cities from the perspective of animals, which is amazing. Because my friend was shortlisted for the Uddhav Prize for Fiction, the name "Uddhav" appeared repeatedly in my mind and vision, making me once again eager to visit Uddhav's family. Therefore, when I contacted Dr. He Yong not long ago, I mentioned my wish to visit again, and I got a reply from Ms. Wang Yongqing who gladly agreed.
Unexpectedly, I have been busy since then, and work and writing are intertwined. When the body is tired, I almost forget the appointed time. Fortunately, I was sober in time, and I rushed all the way to Flushing in a car, and finally arrived on time, of course, I did not forget to bring a bouquet of flowers.
It's a nice apartment building in downtown Flushing, and after a short wait downstairs, I saw a smiling lady in an oil-green sweater who raised her hand to greet me. It doesn't seem to be a half-strange feeling, but rather like seeing a long-lost relative, or an old friend who has been friends for many years, such a meeting is only the most familiar moment in each other's long life. However, another thought, the shaping of my writing style, the influence of Doto Yu's literature, such a meeting, let my heart be full of reverence and yearning. "Did He Yong introduce you here?" He and Wang Hailong, one like the 'military attaché' and the other like the 'political commissar', are indispensable to new York's cultural activities. "Ms. Wang Yongqing is full of spirits, and her body is full of youthful vitality that does not match her age.
Take the elevator upstairs to the bend in the corridor and see the view of Flushing's surroundings through the window. Ms. Wang told me that to the east, the two bridges in White Rock are clearly visible, on the other side are New Jersey, the Bronx, and then in the past, Shangzhou, and on the south side is Connected to Joan Meka.
From Wang Yongqing's home, look at Qiongmeika in the distance.
When she said about Joanmeika, I suddenly thought of Mr. Mu Xin's "Chonmeika Capriccio". However, I lived in new York, and I just happened to rub shoulders with Mu Xin's tracks in New York. And now, Yu Dafu's family is in front of me, kindly introducing Joan memeka, although there is no literature in the conversation, I feel that there is literature everywhere.
The corridor was empty. "It seems that after the epidemic began, it was empty. During the day, I did not dare to walk alone in this corridor, no one came out, let alone at night. Wang Yongqing explained as he led me toward the door. I suddenly read a lot of melancholy and dazed ambivalence on her warm and optimistic face. This kind of observation makes me feel even more that it is necessary to communicate with seniors in depth, even if it is just to talk, talk about the heart, and give each other warmth and encouragement, which is good.
Ms. Wang Yongqing is at home
Two
Wang Yongqing's residence is not large, but it is quiet and warm enough. Entering the door is a living room full of classics and paintings, which is no different from the home of most of the writers' descendants I imagined. However, there are many traces of Yu Dafu and Yu Fei, the son of Yu Dafu.
A corner of the study in Wang Yongqing's home
On the two rows of bookshelves in the living room, there are many different editions of Yu Dafu's anthology neatly arranged, especially the most classic "Autumn in the Old Capital", which has several copies.
Yu Fei and Wang Yongqing lived in China until 1992, when they moved to New York because of their relatives. After coming to New York, Yu Fei, who was not as healthy as before, found a job as a janitor at the Great Policy Club in Manhattan's Chinatown. Later, his friend really couldn't see it, so he recommended him to apply for the New York City Government, and finally in the Children's Bureau, Yu Fei found a job in collecting and sorting out child adoption cases. "It's still overkill. Yu Fei was full of knowledge, so he went to send and receive children's case emails every day, and he had no energy to engage in literary creation and research. You can think of how tormented his heart is. Wang Yongqing told me.
After 1998, Yu Fei's physical condition was not as good as before, and he could only stay at home, and his life was taken care of by Ms. Wang Yongqing. Before retiring, Yu Fei also published twelve volumes of the Complete Works of Yu Dafu, translated and published many foreign literary works such as "Hai Oath Mountain League", "Napoleon's Biography", "Madahari", and also created works such as "My Father Yu Dafu" and "Yu Dafu's Three Years of Star Continent". Later, Yu Fei even completed the work "Instantaneous Jinghua" translated by Lin Yutang hoped yu Dafu, which was a literary dream that spanned centuries. In the last decade of Yu Fei's life, affected by many conditions such as Parkinson's and stroke, he remained bedridden at home. Even so, he still wrote many essays recalling Uddhav.
Wang Yongqing always remembered Yu Fei's love for her, so under such a special circumstance, she also firmly loved Yu Fei. Ten years of hospital bed life, Yu Fei did not have long bedsores, and Wang Yongqing's careful care played a great role. "When you are young, it is love, and when you are older, you get along for a long time, it becomes family affection." Wang Yongqing recalled emotionally.
Yu Fei and Ms. Wang Yongqing have a deep affection. The purpose of my visit, although I did not have too much literary ambition, I never thought that the biggest gain was touched by the love of Yu Fei and his wife.
In his later years, Yu Fei, who knew that his physical condition was not good, once told Wang Yongqing that I could not speak. Wang Yongqing listened, and quickly helped him pull his tongue, trying to keep Yu Fei's ability to speak, but no amount of effort could help, and Yu Fei never said a word again. Yu Fei, who could not speak, still touched Wang Yongqing all the time. Hearing someone enter the door and open the door, Yu Fei knew that Wang Yongqing had returned home, and his gloomy face immediately smiled. When Wang Yongqing went out to run errands, or occasionally when he was not at home, when he heard his wife's name, Yu Fei cried helplessly like a child. In the end, at the end of his life, Yu Fei lost almost all consciousness and recognized only one person, that is, Wang Yongqing. Wang Yongqing said that now sometimes thinking about things on the sofa, often involuntarily looking back to talk to the people around him, turning his head to find that the person he loves the most is no longer around. Later, Wang Yongqing figured out that he couldn't always remember Yu Fei, just like Yu Fei couldn't always remember his father Yu Dafu.
Photos of Wang Yingxia and Yu Fei in Wang Yongqing's home.
Three
When he spoke, the tears swirled in Ms. Wang Yongqing's eyes several times. She said, I'm 79 years old and often forget what I said. I didn't want to add too much sadness to the cordial conversation, so I hurried to praise her for her good spirit and good maintenance.
Wang Yongqing said that where he is well maintained. Over the years, I didn't eat well, didn't sleep well, and spent every day in the thoughts of Yu Fei. Fortunately, she also has the skills of dancing. In her free time, Wang Yongqing likes to participate in community dance and social activities, which is her rare way to relax and relax. I remember that a few years ago, the Chinese organization in New York filmed the cheongsam scroll, and everyone danced with Ms. Wang Yongqing, which attracted a lot of admiration.
I knew that my hands and feet were clumsy, and I couldn't summon up the courage to dance with Teacher Wang, but I also used the dancing head to soothe the old man's mood. Wang Yongqing will dance belly dance, when her dance style shocked the Taiwan Guild Hall in New York, won awards in the Chinese community, led a number of uplifting Chinese trends, and foreign young friends were looking at it. The photo of Ms. Wang dancing ballroom dancing with a white boy gave me a new layer of admiration for this elder who had gone through all the storms. New York's literary and artistic activities are so colorful and prosperous, Ms. Wang Yongqing is definitely one of the most dazzling bright colors.
Photo of Ms. Wang Yongqing dancing ballroom dance
Unconsciously, the sunset was oblique, and Teacher Wang advised me to drink coffee quickly, otherwise it would not taste good when it was cold. I turned my head and saw that behind us, the calligraphy works of the painter Huang Miaozi were impressively displayed. The work in the middle, written by Wang Wei's poem "One night in the mountains rains, the branches of the trees are a hundred springs", flanked by the famous sentence of Jiang Guanyun, a poet from Zhejiang in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty, "Blood waters the big trees, and the sunset returns to the sunset." "This time node is well chosen, and when admiring the poems, the sunset of New York just happens to reflect in every corner of the living room study, forming a dazzling golden edge that shines on the faces of me and Ms. Wang Yongqing.
I think of the original text of this poem, "Everyone rises and falls is responsible, and I am particularly patriotic." Yang Liu is a good person, and the wind and clouds are strong. Blood poured on the trees, and the sun sank. Alone on the top of Kunlun, the chest LuoWan strange sen. "I don't feel sorry for the beauty of the calligraphy given by the artist. Huang Miaozi wrote one of these sentences alone, not directly showing patriotic feelings, but also full of respect for the glory of the life of Yu's father and son.
Ms. Wang Yongqing also has to take out another book, and I see that the name is "China Fuyang Yujia Album". This is a family self-engraved book, which is very precious and has aroused my research interest. "Chen Zishan, a university scholar in Shanghai now, also liked to come to our home when he was young. Yes, just like when you were older, and like you, you liked these books so much. After Wang Yongqing finished speaking, he continued to look through more materials for me to read. I was worried that talking too much about words would make the old man more tired, so I stared at a few grains of candy on the round table in front of me and proposed to enjoy it with Ms. Wang.
"The epidemic has made people less emotional." Wang Yongqing told me so. In the family photo, it looks like it is happy and harmonious, and the children and grandchildren are full of halls, but in real life, it is lonely. Nowadays, there are fewer contacts between friends, fewer community activities, and the nursing aunt at home will leave in the evening. I can't imagine how Teacher Wang faces this incredibly quiet study and misses the person she loves so much on every sunset night. I was shocked and wrapped up in a lot of emotions, I hoped to see Teacher Wang every day, and I hoped that she was busy every day, so busy that I could not see me as a junior.
Wang Yongqing's honors in the United States
After drinking the coffee cup, I wanted to take it to the kitchen to rinse myself. Wang Yongqing refused to let me, the guest, work. I have drunk coffee many times, and Mr. Wang Yongqing's coffee has the most mellow taste in the world. There were a lot of Sachima on the table, and the old man was desperately trying to put it in my backpack. I only left the candy, I have never liked to take things as guests' houses, tell Ms. Wang, because I like and respect you, I want these candies to bring more beautiful blessings and sweetness to my future life. I wanted to stay and eat with Ms. Wang Yongqing, but I was afraid of disturbing her rest, so I had to pack my bags and wave goodbye.
After coming out, I met my friends Xiao Chen and Xiao Yuan. He took out a handful of candy and told them that it was a gift from the descendants of the famous Chinese writer Yu Dafu. "Is it the writer Yu Dafu in the middle school textbook?" "Yes." "Are his descendants also writers?" "No, but in my heart, she is a greater woman than a writer."
If I were also in the war-torn era of Sin Chew Indonesia, would I also go to the battlefield with Yu Dafu and have another boy's roar? Yu Fei's talents will always be remembered, and if I had met him in New York, I would have done my best to help him do a good job in the study of Yu's literature, and would this not make his heart full of loneliness and sorrow?
Once, Yu Dafu and Yu Fei suffered many misunderstandings in history, but the wheel of time rolled, and history would eventually make the great soul shine forever. Time is the best answer in this vast galaxy.