"Flocks of Wives and Concubines": Don't overestimate the relationship between people's hearts, don't underestimate the rules of human nature

Author | Fan Deng Reading · Zhang Deli

Anchor | Fan Deng Reading · Chu Qiao

Interpret the trailer

Meet · Meet your unknown self in the book.

Good evening to all book lovers, welcome to the reading column "Encounter" produced by Fan Deng Reading.

Today, I would like to share with you the most famous novella of Su Tong, the winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize, "A Flock of Wives and Concubines".

In 1991, it was adapted by Zhang Yimou into the movie "The Big Red Lantern Hangs High", which won numerous awards in the world.

This book tells the story of human nature thoroughly, and has been successfully selected as the most influential novel for the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up.

In the Chinese conception, the red lantern represents joy.

However, in Zhang Yimou's "The Big Red Lantern Hangs High", the red lantern symbolizes pedantry and feudalism.

The film is adapted from contemporary writer Su Tong's "Flocks of Wives and Concubines".

In the book, the young girl Song Lian took the initiative to marry into the high-walled deep courtyard because of her father's bankruptcy, but she did not want to sink and rise in this "group of wives and concubines" in the open struggle and secret struggle, and step by step towards "madness".

Romain Rolland once said: "Man cannot live by feelings alone." ”

Feelings have never been to plant melons and melons, and to plant beans to get beans.

After reading "The Flock of Wives and Concubines", I found an iron law in the emotional world of adults:

Don't overestimate the relationships of the human heart, and don't underestimate the rules of human nature.

Don't overestimate the relationship between the human heart

After her father went bankrupt and left, her stepmother gave Song Lian two choices, either to work or marry.

Song Lian finally chose to marry, or to make a concubine for the elderly Old Master Chen.

At first, Old Master Chen patiently took Song Lian to know his wives, and also arranged for the maid Yan Er to serve her.

The grace of the old master made Song Lian once think that she was a unique being.

It wasn't until she got into an argument with The Goose that she realized that this was not the case.

Although Yan'er is a squire, she is not willing to live under people, and always thinks that she can ascend to the sky one step at a time.

But because Song Lian was one step ahead, the geese cursed Song Lian with straw paper into the toilet.

When Song Lian found out, she humiliated Yan'er and asked her to choose to eat the straw paper or leave the Chen residence.

However, Yan'er was reluctant to give up all opportunities to become Mrs. Kuo, and resolutely ate the thick straw paper.

That night, he was taken to the hospital because of abdominal pain.

When Old Master Chen learned of this, he scolded Song Lian without asking the reason. Song Lian defended her grievances, and Old Master Chen not only did not listen, but even snubbed her because of this.

The naïve Song Lian once thought that Old Master Chen could find out the truth and even agree with his own behavior, but in the end what he got was cold violence.

When it first touched people's hearts, some people were full of expectations for it and looked forward to a better life in the future.

But when you really touch the deep level, you will find that the human heart actually has a "second face".

It's like a simple lotus.

On the day of Mr. Chen's birthday, the family gathered together to prepare dinner.

Only Song Lian was late, and Old Master Chen was very dissatisfied with this.

Song Lian didn't know this, and she took out a gift to give to Old Master Chen.

Unexpectedly, Old Master Chen not only did not pick up, but also let the housekeeper put it in the gift pile next to him at will.

Song Lian was not willing and continued to be close to him, but as a result, Old Master Chen pushed her away sternly, ignoring the presence of everyone and shouting loudly.

She did not expect a piece of her own sincerity, but she was pushed to pieces by the other party.

There is a line in "Chongqing Forest":

"I don't know when it started, there is a date on everything, saury will expire, canned meat will expire, even plastic wrap will expire."

I began to wonder, what else in this world doesn't expire? ”

Food expires, drinks expire, and everything has a shelf life.

In the same way, feelings will not remain static, and no matter how deep the affection, it will not be able to resist the speculation of time.

Don't overestimate the relationship between the human heart, it is not absolutely perfect, and there is no complete flaw.

Don't underestimate the rules of human nature

Newton once said:

"I can calculate the orbits of celestial bodies, but I can't calculate the madness of human nature.

You can never imagine how frightening the evil that people hide in their bones is. ”

The world is unpredictable, and human nature is like a chess game, and the game is new.

The wives of the Chen family each had a completely different attitude towards Song Lian.

The eldest wife is as cold as ice, the second wife Zhuo Yun is as enthusiastic as fire, and the third wife, Mei Shan, is as cunning as a fox.

YuRu and Mei Shan had no interest in Song Lian's arrival, only Zhuo Yun was very enthusiastic, pulling Song Lian like a sister and greeting her intimately.

Song Lian has always treated her as a sister because of Zhuo Yun's kindness, and has told her anything about her heart.

However, he did not expect that Zhuo Yun was outwardly concerned about Song Lian, but in fact he was secretly causing harm.

Once, Song Lian was drunk, drunk and unobstructed, and accidentally poked out Mei Shan's ambiguous relationship with the family doctor.

Coincidentally, zhuo yun, who came to look for Song Lian, heard it.

Zhuo Yun waited for the opportunity to move, so he took the domestic servant to Mei Shan's dating place to catch the adulteress, and quickly informed Old Master Chen without concealment.

Unbeknownst to her, Mei Shan was not only humiliated by Zhuo Yun in public, but also thrown into a well and died of hatred.

The belated Song Lian witnessed all this.

She didn't expect that her unintentional words would actually kill Mei Shan.

A well-known host once said:

"Do not overestimate human nature and underestimate the evil of human nature, the most poisonous thing in the world is the heart."

Human nature is like an ocean, too deep to be understood.

In our daily lives, there are countless personal tests lurking.

It can make us lost, but it can keep us awake even more.

Some people are like wolves, although they can share benefits, but when the disaster comes, they bite back.

Those who underestimate the rules of human nature will eventually be devoured by the dark side of human nature.

Adult feelings are fragile

In the book, Mei Shan saw that Song Lian was sad because of her future in the Chen family, so she gave her a trick to get pregnant and give birth to a child.

Song Lian then came up with a fake pregnancy in an attempt to gain the favor of Old Master Chen again.

Unexpectedly, Yan'er found the blood on her underwear and told Zhuo Yun about it.

Zhuo Yun immediately exposed Song Lian in front of Old Master Chen.

Old Master Chen was furious and immediately arranged for the next person to seal all the red lanterns of Song Lian.

After being turned off, Song Lian often put on the same student clothes as when she first entered the door, and wandered around the courtyard, and her spirit was already abnormal.

At the beginning, Song Lian was sincere to Zhuo Yun, but he was hit hard by the other party's backhand.

The emotional maintenance of adults is ultimately closely related to interests.

The great Roman poet had a reasonable saying: "The pain of the heart is deeper than the pain of the flesh." ”

Old Master Chen ignores Song Lian's love, and the young Song Lian will meet Fei Pu, the eldest son of Old Master Chen, by chance.

Song Lian and Fei Pu are similar in age, and they can even speak.

Thinking that he was in love, Song Lian planned to go further with Fei Pu. However, Feipu saw the tricks and retreated step by step.

After Fei Pu suddenly left, Song Lian woke up like a dream.

What she thought was "mutual goodwill" turned out to be nothing more than her own wishful thinking.

The philosopher Nietzsche once said, "Man can control his behavior, but he cannot restrain his feelings, because feelings are fickle." ”

We always think that adults' feelings are solid and strong, and they feel sorry for each other.

But in fact, feelings are staged, and there are gains and losses.

A cruel truth of adult socialization: feelings are fragile, and if they are broken, they are broken.

Write at the end

Feelings are a scale, which can weigh people's hearts and measure human nature.

As the saying goes:

"Life is a road from the plains to the misty forest, and the plains can be walked together happily.

Once you enter the thorny forest, you can only walk your own path. ”

Don't overestimate any relationship, keep the expectations to yourself;

Don't underestimate any trace of humanity, the human heart is always elusive.

Warmth looks at people's hearts, and rationality looks at human nature.

May we see through this multitude of human beings, gentle and powerful, rational and profound.

Click "Watching" and encourage your friends.

Author | Zhang Deli, writing in-depth articles, is a woman with connotations.

Column Director | Come slowly

Typography | Zheng to the north

音乐 | More Than Words Can Say