1On August 7th, 923, with a long sound, the cruise ship "Yorkshire" departing from Shanghai for Seattle on the west coast of the United States slowly sailed out of Huangpu River. All the first-class seats on the cruise ship are occupied by China students, including 23-year-old Bing Xin.
August 1923, 18, the novelty of the first day on the cruise has passed, and Bing Xin suddenly remembered something entrusted by her classmate Wu Aimei. "She wrote to let me find her brother, Tsinghua student-Wu Zhuo on this ship. On the second day of the ship, I asked my classmate Xu Dishan to find Wu Zhuo, and he took Wu Wenzao. I didn't know I was mistaken until I asked my name! At that time, several students from Yanda University were playing a game of throwing sandbags, so we invited him to join us. From now on, I will lean against the railing, watch the sea and chat. I asked him what he wanted to study in America. He said he wanted to study sociology. He also asked me, and I said that I naturally wanted to study literature and take some classes of19th century English poets. He listed several books about Byron and Shelley by famous British and American critics and asked me if I had read them. I haven't even seen it. He said: If you don't read more extracurricular books when you are abroad, it will be a waste to come to America this time! His words hurt me deeply! This time on the boat, the friends introduced by people generally said politely: I've heard a lot about you, and I'm willing to be honest when I first met him, which made me regard him as my first friend and be afraid of friends! After listening to these words, Bing Xin felt anxious and extremely uneasy. This may really be advice when most needed is least heeded. At that time, she deeply remembered "? ? The name Wu Wenzao ". It's just that the boy named "Wen" has little interest in literature and art. Wu Wenzao was admitted to Tsinghua at the age of sixteen and is going to study sociology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire this time. Compared with other international students in Tsinghua, he is quiet and calm.
For a long time, Bing Xin, who looks good, has never lacked suitors. When studying in yenching university, Bing Xin made people stop with the words "as still as water, as warm as autumn wind". Two weeks of cruise life is no exception. At Wellesley University in Boston, Bing Xin suddenly received many letters. The contents of these letters seem to have been discussed collectively. In addition to expressing good feelings, I hope to have more contacts. It is a great honor to see you on board. But at this time, only one person didn't write to her, and that person was Wu Wenzao. He just euphemistically wrote a postcard to Bing Xin. Bing Xin felt immediately when he faced a lot of warm letters and a short postcard? Wu Wenzao is really special. Bing Xin is also a person who likes to do the opposite, so everyone who wrote to her at that time replied to the postcard, and only the postcard author wrote him a letter.
Second, love is on the right and sympathy is on the left.
Boston and New Hampshire are far apart, and it takes about seven or eight hours by train. They seldom meet, but they often correspond. It was at this time that ice-heart-lung-qi-branch dilatation recurred and he was admitted to Shaze sanatorium. In a foreign country, no matter how painful she is, Bing Xin is depressed. Although teachers from Wellesley University, Chinese and American students and male students from Boston often come to see her, Bing Xin still feels unable to comfort her.
Maybe it's time to believe in telepathy. That Christmas, Wu Wenzao wanted to take advantage of her annual leave to visit new york. When passing through Boston, he stopped to have a happy reunion with Bingxin, but he accidentally heard the news that she was ill in hospital, so he didn't think much. He and Gu and other friends made a special trip to the nursing home. Bing Xin in the hospital bed is pale, which is quite different from the pretty woman on the cruise ship. Wu Wenzao knew this very well, so she was specially instructed to cooperate with the doctor and take medicine on time. In this case, others say that Bing Xin will probably feel normal, but Wu Wenzao is not in Boston, but passing by Boston. It is meaningful to see what she said. To some extent, Bing Xin began to like and accept this man from the bottom of her heart.
After half a year's rest, with the comfort and encouragement of Wu Wenzao, Bing Xin finally recovered in the following summer and returned to Wellesley Women's University, which made her miss it. The power of love is undoubtedly estimated. During Bing Xin's illness, she not only did not delay her studies, but also created many excellent children's literature works. In Nineteen Poems for Young Readers, she wrote: "Love is on the right, sympathy is on the left, walking on both sides of the road of life, sowing seeds at any time, blooming at any time, decorating this long journey with fragrant flowers, so that pedestrians who wear branches and brush leaves will not feel pain, there will be no tear drops, and they will not feel sad." Yes, from now on, she is willing to bloom like a flower in his love at any time.
1925, China students headed by Liang Shiqiu decided to perform a China play Pipa in Boston, and invited Bing Xin to play a role. Bing Xin was very excited and wanted to share the news with Wu Wenzao, so she sent a performance ticket with the letter. So far, they have been writing for more than a year. Wu Wenzao appreciated Bing Xin's elegance, and Bing Xin liked his erudition, but no one definitely broke this further relationship. Bing Xin could not take the initiative to point out because of her daughter's shyness, while Wu Wenzao was worried that her poverty could not guarantee her happiness. So, after receiving such a letter from Bing Xin, Wu Wenzao hesitated at first, and finally decided to refuse on the grounds that he was busy studying.
On March 28th, 1925, The Story of the Pipa premiered at Boston Art Theatre. Although Wu Wenzao has made it clear that he can't come to see it, Bing Xin still hopes that a miracle will happen and that Wu Wenzao will suddenly and unexpectedly appear in front of him like when he is ill. She watched the audience several times on the stage. When she fought back tears in despair, Bing Xin found the familiar figure in the stands. I couldn't say it, but I came anyway. In the final analysis, I can't bear to hurt her heart. Bing Xin's surprise is beyond words.
Third, life and death are generous, Zi Cheng said
"Love, this is not a heart beating another heart, but a spark when two hearts collide." Bing Xin and Wu Wenzao have the fate of meeting and knowing each other, but they don't know how to grasp and continue this fate. What they lack is being together. Opportunities are for lovers. This summer vacation, an unexpected encounter made their love blossom.
At that time, the graduate school of American universities stipulated that students must master two foreign languages besides their mother tongue before graduation, and Bing Xin took French as an elective course. So in the summer of 1925, Bing Xin met Wu Wenzao, who also took French as an elective course, in the French cram school of Cornell University Summer School. Smiling at each other should be the legendary "you can't hide."
The beautiful colors in summer are a pink and green world, which is most suitable for the growth of bitter fleabane bitter fleabane love. This time, Wu Wenzao and Bing Xin don't want to miss it again. One day, on the picturesque Lake Keyoujia, they paddled as usual and floated quietly in the water, but Wu Wenzao was no longer in the mood to miss the lakes and mountains. He hesitated again and again, and finally got up the courage and said solemnly to Bing Xin, "Can we live together most intimately?" It is my greatest wish to be your lifelong companion. Of course, you may not answer right away. Please think about it. ".
Is this imaginary courtship? Bing Xin only felt her heart beat faster than ever before, and her face turned into a braise in soy sauce cloud. But this man is really good and has a good personality. He can study hard and give up. Where can he entrust his life? I've been thinking all night. The next day, Bing Xin said frankly to Wu Wenzao, "I don't have any opinions, but I can't make a final decision. Before I make a final decision, I must get the consent of my parents. " Wu Wenzao understood Bing Xin's cautious attitude.
The red rose of love was harvested as scheduled, and Bing Xin wrote a once-in-a-lifetime love poem: avoiding lovesickness/putting on Qiu Er/walking out of the quiet room/walking on a brightly lit path/staring at the bright moon/dead branches covered with snow/writing about lovesickness.
1926 In July, Bing Xin successfully completed her studies in the United States, accepted the invitation of Si Tuleideng, and decided to return to yenching university to teach. Wu Wenzao decided to study for a doctorate at Columbia University. Before Bing Xin returned to China, Wu Wenzao rushed to Boston to give a long letter. That's Wu Wenzao's formal proposal, but it's not for Bing Xin. Instead, he asked Bing Xin to take it back to China, and reported it to Bing Xin's parents, asking for the consent of the Xie couple.
In this proposal letter, Wu Wenzao first wrote affectionately: "If you love someone, you will never change. Your love is a perfect person with both new ideas and old morality. I know that virtue can be fresh, and I shouldn't have loved sex. But the love of beauty is human nature. My eyes have long been attracted by the beauty of her personality. The soul I inspired has long been pinned on her spiritual beauty ... I admire from admiration, love from admiration, and propose from love, but it is full of sincerity. " The true feelings between the lines are touching. That's not enough. Then, he made a solemn vow to the two old people and wrote, "I swear to work hard for her and sacrifice everything, and then I dare to beg your acceptance and make contributions to the two old people!" " In any case, this is a serious and carefully worded proposal. Two enlightened old people saw Wu Wenzao's sincerity and simplicity, and readily agreed to their marriage.
1929 June 15, Bing Xin and Wu Wenzao held a western-style wedding in Linhuxuan, yenching university. The headmaster is Si Tuleideng, who is wearing a black robe. On that day, on an unnamed lake with tender feelings, the groom, Wu Wenzao, was gentle and handsome in a dark suit and tortoiseshell glasses of the same color. Bing Xin, the bride who was held in the middle by flower girl and the bridesmaids, was wearing a white wedding dress and a corolla, holding a bouquet of delicate roses in her hand, snuggling beside Wu Wenzao with a happy smile that could not be concealed. All the guests present praised them as a natural couple. This year, Bing Xin was 29 years old and Wu Wenzao was 28 years old.
Four, this life together
After marriage, Yanyuan's daily life is dull and happy. Wu Wenzao was obsessed with academic research, while Bing Xin took full care of their small family and raised their children. Just "on the road of life, it is not only the family that has difficulties! And worrying about the country ",1in April 958, Wu Wenzao was wrongly classified as a rightist. This sudden disaster is a serious blow to him and Bing Xin! Later, Bing Xin wrote in his article: When he was accused of "anti-Party and anti-socialism" and asked to write inspection materials, he dug out his thoughts seriously and wrote many pieces of paper! While digging painfully, he looked at me with puzzled eyes and said, "If I am anti-party and anti-socialism, I will go abroad instead. Why go back to the motherland in the name of going to the United States? " At that time, I was as "wronged and depressed" as he was, but I didn't say what I thought. I only encouraged him to "dig!" Because he is a very serious person, if you arouse doubts in his mind, his mind will be more confused. It is also Bing Xin's understanding and fearless in times of crisis. 1February 959, 19, Wu Wenzao was dismissed as a rightist.
1983, they moved into the new home of Kochi Building, which was newly built in the Institute for Nationalities. This is a good time for rambling. "All day, we looked at each other across the table. He writes about him and I write about me. Acquaintances and classmates came and sat among us, talking and laughing, enjoying the pleasure of growing old together.
Unforeseen things happened. 1On June 27th, 985, Wu Wenzao was in a coma after being admitted to Beijing Hospital for the last time because of cerebral thrombosis. He doesn't know how heartbroken and helpless his jade-like stone is. Maybe he thinks it's just helpless, too On September 24th, Wu Wenzao died in Beijing as soon as possible with his love for Bing Xin, at the age of 84, holding hands and never walking together again.
Two-winged birds are most afraid of loneliness 1February 28th, 999, Bing Xin, who lived alone 15 years, died at the age of 99. After his death, they were buried with the ashes, realizing Bing Xin's last wish of "dying in the same cave". The urn reads in parallel: Wujiang Yinwenzao, Changle Xie Wanying. This is probably a beautiful but unrepeatable love legend in the world. Even if we become bones in the wind, we will stay together for life.