Back to 80: My Literary Life

Fang Minghua trotted along the railway. After running for a while, he still didn't see Haizi.

He gasped for air, his heart sinking little by little.

But he didn't give up.

Because so far, no train has passed.

still have a chance!

I couldn't run anymore, so I walked. After walking for more than ten minutes, night began to fall. The railway turned a corner, and Fang Minghua suddenly saw a person in front of him, walking forward on the rails.

Like Haizi!

"Haizi." Fang Minghua shouted.

The figure in front paused, did not look back, and kept walking forward.

At this moment, Fang Minghua's face turned pale when he suddenly heard the whistle of a train coming from ahead.

"quick"

Fang Minghua started running wildly.

People on the railway track were still walking leisurely, less than 400 meters away from the train.

The driver on the train seemed to have noticed someone on the track and began to whistle and slow down, making a harsh brake sound, but the huge inertia kept the train running wildly.

Haizi stopped, looked at the oncoming train, and then looked back at the people running behind him. He recalled a poem written by the Russian poet Yesenin before committing suicide:

Goodbye, my friend,

No need to say goodbye, no need to shake hands,

Don't be sad, don't be sad——

Death is nothing new in this world

Of course, it is even less rare to survive.

Smiling, Haizi faced the speeding train and opened his arms.

Fang Minghua ran as hard as he could. He felt that this was the fastest he had ever run in his life, no, in his two lifetimes. However, the short distance of twenty meters felt so long.

desperately

Haizi closed his eyes.

He could already feel the vibrations coming from the railroad tracks, and he could imagine the moment his body collided with the train, and his flesh and blood flew everywhere.

It won't hurt, right?

No, because my soul and poetry went to heaven together.

The sharp whistle and harsh brakes became fainter and fainter in Haizi's ears, and he felt that he had gone to heaven.

A group of angels were surrounding him chanting verses from the Lord.

Suddenly, a huge force suddenly pulled him to the side, and before he knew it, he fell outside the railway track, followed by a huge roar.

When he opened his eyes, he was already lying on the roadbed outside the railway track, Fang Minghua bent over and gasping for air.

He felt like his chest was going to explode.

Paralyzed.

It seems that I will have to run and exercise well when I get back.

"Is it you?" Haizi finally saw clearly that the person who saved him this time was Fang Minghua, whom he had only met once.

"It's me! Damn, I'm so exhausted." Fang Minghua sat down on the ground.

At this time, he had already seen a group of people running towards them with flashlights, it was Station Master Wang and his friends.

Well, at least Haizi won't die this time.

Fang Minghua took Haizi and left Longjiaying Station overnight for Yanjing.

Before leaving, Fang Minghua expressed his gratitude to Webmaster Wang. Stationmaster Wang is an enthusiastic person and even called Haizi to his office to educate him.

"Young man, haven't you married a wife yet? Don't you have children yet? I'm a rough man with no culture and no poetry, but there is an old saying in China that says, "There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no heirs is the most important." So just leave right now. , who is the saddest? It’s not your so-called readers, it’s your parents! The white-haired people send the black-haired people. It’s sad to think about it.”

Haizi came out of Stationmaster Wang's office and remained silent, but Fang Minghua noticed that his eyes were red.

Fang Minghua first took Haizi to the noodle shop to have a bowl of noodles each, and then returned to the small hotel to take his luggage. At about ten o'clock in the evening, he boarded a local train from Qinhuangdao to Yanjing.

Still a hard seat.

The two sat across from each other. Haizi remained silent while looking at the dark night sky outside, and Fang Minghua did not chat with him.

After sitting for a while, he felt bored and couldn't sleep. He suddenly thought of something and said to Haizi.

"Bring it to me and let me see it."

"What?" Haizi was startled and said casually. Then he thought of something and took out a crumpled note from his schoolbag and handed it to Fang Minghua.

Fang Minghua took it and saw that it was a suicide note.

"My name is Zha Haisheng. I am a teacher in the Philosophy Teaching and Research Section of China University of Political Science and Law. My death has nothing to do with anyone."

Damn it!

"That's not it." Fang Minghua was angry and funny.

"I wanted to read the book you brought to pass the time."

"oh"

Haizi quickly took out four more books from his schoolbag and placed them on the small coffee table.

"The Bible", "Walden", "Selected Novels of Conrad" and "A Raft on the Ocean".

Sure enough, they are the four legendary books.

Forget the Bible, we don’t believe in Jesus. He had read "Walden" and "Selected Novels of Conrad", but this was the only one left.

It is a documentary work about the Norwegian scholar Thor Heyardal and five Norwegian and Swedish companions who crossed the Pacific Ocean on a raft.

"I leaned against the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the distant starry night sky of this big city. I could only see a small patch between the high walls above my head. Even though the place on the raft was small, no matter what, we were Above, there is plenty of room for the sky and stars.”

As he watched, Fang Minghua fell asleep lying on the small square table, snoring slightly.

When I woke up, it was already dawn, and Yanjing Station was in front of me.

The two got off the car and left the station. Fang Minghua told Haizi to follow him. Yanjing has been in chaos recently, so don't run around.

After eating fried dough sticks and soy milk, Fang Minghua made a phone call at a public phone in a store on the street. It was to Xichuan.

The phone was connected, and Xichuan's familiar voice came.

"I am Liu Jun, who is this?"

"Xichuan, this is Fang Minghua."

"Editor-in-Chief Fang." Xichuan's voice became enthusiastic.

"Are you in Xijing or Yanjing now?"

"I'm in Yanjing." Fang Minghua glanced at Haizi outside the store: "I'm with Haizi now."

"Did you go to Changping to find Haizi?"

"Not Changping, it's Shanhaiguan."

"Ah, Shanhaiguan, why did you run so far?"

"I was on a business trip for a meeting. Haizi was about to commit suicide by lying on the railway tracks. I accidentally ran into him and saved him back." Fang Minghua said the excuse she had prepared.

"Ah?! Suicide?!" On the other end of the phone, Xichuan was shocked and speechless.

"It's hard to explain it in a few words over the phone. Let's find a place where it's convenient to talk. I'll bring Haizi over to talk in detail."

"Okay, okay, let's go to my dormitory. Haizi knows the place."

Fang Minghua put down the phone and came to Haizi.

"I just called Xichuan. He asked us to go to his dormitory. He said you know the place.

Haizi nodded.

A few minutes later, the two got into a taxi.

In Xichuan's single dormitory, Fang Minghua met not only Xichuan, but also another one of the Three Musketeers of Peking University, Luo Yihe.

He came with his wife and is the only one of the three who is now married.