Yu Lihua: See both palms and dreams of the Qinghe River

The author of this article poses with Yu Lihua. (Courtesy of Qiu Hong)

Qiu Hong

Time flies, and 2014 is like the old year. At the age of eighty-three, Mr. Yu flew back to his hometown of Ningbo from the distant United States, first, as a special guest to attend the first "Yu Lihua Literature Award" award ceremony, and second, his hometown has been "not close for many years", and then he made a small tour in the passing years.

The prestigious and elderly, the event organizers naturally attached importance to it, and designated me and a professor from a university in Ningbo as a companion. As a female scholar, Professor Ren is full of culture, rich in learning, and has a lot of intersection with Mr. Yu, and it is naturally very good to accompany me; as for me, it is estimated that because people reach middle age, they will not be too improper, the key is that there is always a male laborer on the side of an elderly man who always has more peace of mind.

However, "wandering" with Mr. Yu, there is no psychological obstacle, mainly at first sight, there is no difference between less and longer. "Don't treat me like an old lady!" In the end of the line, she is also quite "forgetful" attitude, whenever I get on the bus, I carry forward the style of respecting the elderly, leaning forward to support, she always smiles and swings her arms, does not give me the opportunity to "respect the elderly", such as twice, I suddenly realized: I am facing an "American old lady", americans are not supportive, only patients can do so.

At the end of the day, we are as good as ever. She would happily say how it felt to wander, and when the reader asked for an autograph, "Is it okay for me to sign this way?" When you go out, you say, "Am I going to wear this dress?" ”

In the past two days, we visited several places, including Tianyi Pavilion, Ningbo No. 2 Middle School, the former residence of Mr. Yu's family, Zhenhai Middle School, and Beilun District Government. Everywhere she went, she always calmly carried a little child's excitement, and a little old man's cuteness in sincerity.

In Tianyi Pavilion, she saw that there were many red lanterns hanging in the cloisters and eaves, and she asked me doubtfully: "Such a good ancient building, why do you want to hang these?" Is it festive, or does it mean? The aesthetic taste is so special. ”

I said, "This is a popular style, ancient villages and ancient towns, most of them are like this, their original intention may be to add some warm colors to the ancient meaning and gray light." ”

"Isn't this a kind of damage to the quaint taste of the whole environment?" Either don't hang it, hang it, hang some lanterns with calligraphy and painting like Japan, white or beige; the shape is not so uniform and common, anyway, it should be a little innovative. I'm going to talk to the person who manages it. ”

I immediately answered: "Find an opportunity for me and the manager to talk and convey what you mean." ”

"It's good to be good." She nodded vigorously.

As a writer, observation and judgment are important traits and abilities, and although she is in her early eighties, she is still full of concern for the things around her.

Once, when I returned to the hotel, I went into the lobby and saw several men sitting on the couch smoking, and she said to me like a miracle: "Oh, smoking is not allowed here." I was thinking of a few perfunctory words, such as "Yes, quality, no way", such as "Okay, wait until I go to the waiter, you go upstairs first", but she could not allow me to hesitate, opened her eyes and said to the group of smoking men: "Oh, it's not good to smoke here!" Pollute the air. ”

A cry stopped, and the group was stunned. She repeated it solemnly.

Fortunately, one of the people in this group I knew, so I hit the round field and "scolded" them: "Yes, not environmentally friendly, pinch!" ”。

Seeing that they had grabbed a cigarette and squeezed it, Mr. Yu "smiled" and said to me as he walked: "These children are still good." ”

Yu Lihua was undoubtedly a patriot. She lamented that the appearance of the motherland has changed rapidly over the years, and she also lamented that the environment of Ningbo No. 2 Middle School, where she once studied, was cleaner and more beautiful than before. But she is always skeptical of the "good words" said by our escorts, and she is also interested in the "bad words" said by the escorts, of course, this "bad words" only focus on customs, etiquette, aesthetic orientation, environmental ecology and so on. She said: Of course, I am patriotic, but I have heard too many good words and seen a lot of worrying and unbearable status quo, and I just want to look at my country and my hometown more objectively and truly.

Sometimes she would secretly say: "This leader's words are a bit fake, will it be bragging?" "This man must have treated me like a foreigner!" The tone is like that of a narrow child.

And this kind of honesty is more and more intimate. At least for me.

The eighty-three-year-old still shows the tension of life, making you ignore her age scale, but aging will still be irresistibly exposed, such as tidying up the luggage, but leaving the album given to her in the guest room, "spirited" for a day, as soon as you return to the resting place, fatigue will strike. However, her straightforward personality and straightforward way of doing things will always bring her more understanding. For example, after many rounds of interviews with many media, physical exhaustion will make the mood worse, afraid of hurting the media reporters, she asked me to tell the reporters her polite refusal and apologies for not being interviewed.

She said: "I have become accustomed to a self-sufficient lifestyle, and it is best to do it myself without asking for others. She thinks that being in her eighties is not a sign of old age, and that if you rely on the old and sell the old, you will really be old." Therefore, she insisted on serving her own plates at the buffet, and when she got off the car, she supported the armrest herself without being supported by others. She says she exercises every day, wants to keep herself in better shape, and strives to protect and drive her mental strength.

She said: Good health is the capital to see the world.

She is full of enthusiasm for the world, because the world is always so rare and fresh, which gives her a spiritual uplift.

Perhaps, as an elder with a rich belly, a cultivator who has experienced the polishing of time, his mentality is closer to the purity of innocence. She never skimps on praise for others, praise for the scenery, and she never pretends to be modest, but when there is doubt, she will say very sincerely: "Oh, this you counsel me." "I am not secretly puzzled by some of the new words in the text and in oral communication, and I am very diligent in asking them.

She did not shy away from the love memories of the green years, and did not hide her seventeen years of age, happily and slightly self-deprecatingly recounting her own persistence and willfulness in that year. She said that the male classmate she fell in love with was a Ninghai person, at that time, her parents wanted the whole family to move to a distant hometown, love came, her parents' words did not work, she insisted on staying in Ningbo. Talking about these is like telling the story of all the boys and girls in the flower season and the rainy season and the love season. Of course, the name of the first lover, she did not reveal.

At the waterfront railing of her alma mater, Ningbo No. 2 Middle School, the camera reporter asked her to "look up", sometimes looking up, sometimes looking at each other, and she ridiculed herself as an unqualified "old" actor. I quipped to her: Just think of the male classmate, and she immediately smiled like a peach blossom.

As the originator of international student literature, Mr. Yu is best known for his works "See Palm Again, See Palm Again"; and her early masterpiece "Dream Back to Qinghe" is a semi-autobiographical novel about the joys and sorrows of a large family in turbulent times, set in her hometown of Ningbo Zhenhai.

The stars are dim, and the Scythians are gone. Writing these words counts as a lament for Mr. Yu. The western road on earth is far away, but there is a time to arrive; the western road in heaven is far away, but it can only be blessed from afar.

Dreaming back to Qinghe, seeing palms again, between leaving and saying goodbye... Mr. Yu, the words you left behind are like phosphorescent light in black, they are alive, and the glory of life is not asked.