Golden Greenery

It's already chilly in Beijing in November, and the wind is much stronger than in autumn. It always seems very smart. As long as there is a slight gap in the clothes, it will immediately find it and immediately get in and hide it.

After Guangde Building has undergone several renovations, it has actually become somewhat nondescript, with a mix of modern and ancient exteriors and a mixture of earthy and foreign interiors. However, a large number of preserved carved beams and painted buildings and some old-fashioned red lanterns can still satisfy the nostalgic psychology of old Beijing among those who come here, such as Hou San'er.

As a senior veteran, Hou San'er is familiar with the theaters of all sizes in Beijing. These places themselves can make them feel that Beijing is still a city for Beijingers.

In the past few years he has been with Lao Mu, he has really taken care of Lao Mu as his boss. He has visited Dashilan, Tianqiao, Sanlitun and other old and new theaters and guild halls in Beijing, including Guangde Building. First time here.

The large air conditioner in Guangde Building was blowing warm air, and the warmth inside seemed to be strongly separated from the cold air on the street outside. Lao Mu took off his leather trench coat, and Hou San'er quickly took it and hung it on the hanger in the box, stretching it at the same time. Lao Mu doesn't like turning on the air conditioner for heating in winter. He always feels that the hot air from the air conditioner never merges with the original dry cold, making the indoor air quite awkward and stiff, far less like the feeling of winter than the heating.

After his father passed away, Lao Mu was like a puppet on strings in those days, being ordered to do this and that by the funeral committee and Uncle Xing. I clumsily changed my father into a shroud, which was a new old-fashioned military uniform with a red five-star collar badge, which is commonly known as "three dots of red" within the army.

A mourning hall was set up in the small auditorium of the cadre rest house in the compound, and Old Mu observed the mourning rituals for three days. During these three days, there was an endless stream of people, from generals to workers, from the central government to local governments. Lao Mu returned the favor to everyone and listened to everyone's comfort.

Uncle Mu's rank was not high, but on the day of the farewell ceremony, the largest VIP room in the funeral home could not accommodate all the people. At the memorial service, the army gave my father a very high evaluation, which was called the final word. My father’s body was covered with bright party flags.

On that day, many people burst into tears, and my sister even fainted from crying. On behalf of his family, Lao Mu expressed his gratitude to all the guests. Uncle Xing also wrote the manuscript and gave it to him.

Uncle Mu was a retired cadre who participated in the revolution before liberation. According to regulations, Lao Mu personally placed his father's ashes in the Xi'an Martyrs Cemetery. Lao Mu felt that his father must like this place very much because there are many of his old comrades here. Marshal Chen Yi once wrote a poem: Go to Quantai to recruit old troops, and kill Yama with a hundred thousand banners. I don’t know if my father and the others will continue to follow Luo Shuai and Grandpa Mao in that world.

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There were not many guests in Guangde Building today. There were only two or three tables in the cafe on the first floor, and there were only a few in the individual customer area. There seemed to be only two private rooms with guests on the second floor where Lao Mu was located, which was quite deserted.

These theaters are now doing business, but the business is not very good, and the folk art market is far less prosperous than that of film and television. Nowadays, except for Deyun Club, which is rapidly becoming popular, other music artists can only live a makeshift life.

There are no big shows, just a hodgepodge of artists from various grass-stage troupes, including cross talk, sketches, drums, storytelling, and Beijing commentary. To be honest, Lao Mu was not interested in these, could not understand or appreciate them, he just wanted to find a place to hide and meditate. Sometimes he would have fallen asleep before the show ended.

After Lao Mu finished his busy days in Xi'an, waited for his father to finish his first semester, and stayed there for another two days, he couldn't wait to return to Beijing. When he left, he could even describe it as fleeing.

Everyone was mourning and shedding tears, but Lao Mu didn't shed a single tear from beginning to end.

He knew he should cry, but he just couldn't cry. His mind was empty and his body was numb. I'm not sad or sad, I just feel depressed. Lao Mu knew that his behavior was inappropriate. He was a son, and he should act like a filial son at this time. However, he couldn't cry no matter what, and Uncle Xing later criticized him tactfully.

"Your father... although his way of educating his children was very rigid, he was a great soldier and a great man."

Lao Mu was a little frightened. He felt that he had no intention of complaining about his father. After working hard in society for several years, Lao Mu somewhat understood his father and his generation. He had no tears and couldn't cry. He was also very anxious.

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"Shihan, talk to Mr. Mu more and tell him all the jokes you know." Hou San'er said.

Shihan is a young actor in his twenties, who belongs to the periphery. According to her own words, she graduated from Beijing Film Academy. No one would take this stuff seriously anyway. Just like her stage name of "Shihan", others didn't bother to ask her real name.

After Lao Mu came back from home, Hou San'er invited some "Shihan" to accompany him when he was invited to watch a play to relax. Lao Mu did not refuse anyone who came, and after watching the performance, he asked "Shihan" to do whatever he wanted. What to do, how to do it.

At this moment, several Pingtan people on the stage below were singing "Qinhuai Scene" in the tune of "Qin Huai Jing". The twists and turns were gentle, lingering and soft, which could make people feel chilled to the core. The same tune, "Qinhuai Scenery" is sung in the Yanghuai area, and there is a famous song "Exploring Qingshui River" in the north. But the three people in the box obviously couldn't understand the tenderness inside.

Lao Mu has always been in a state of confusion. He was unable to cry when he needed tears most in his life, which made him feel very frustrated. His own disappointment in himself, the numbness after emotional confusion, the depression of being sad but unable to express his sadness, filled Lao Mu into a body that was at a loss what to do.

Lao Mu needs a place to vent his emotions. He needs an emotional trigger after the incident.

The program arrangement of this kind of theater performance is very chaotic and has no structure at all. Next is a piece of Peking Opera veteran singing "Wild Boar Forest" a cappella. The actors on stage only sang a small part of the whole play. Lin Chong was assigned to sing the anti-Erhuang song "The Snow is Falling" in which he returns home after drinking on a snowy night at the Cangzhou Forage Farm.

"...The mountains and rivers are dark under the red clouds, and the sparse forests are desolate and withered..." The hero's end is heartbreaking.

"...The message from my wife has been broken even though the message has been broken for thousands of miles, and the two hearts are hanging apart due to the separation of mountains..." Being ruthless does not necessarily mean you are truly heroic.

"...Speaking of ambitions that want to bring the stars together, but empty ambitions that have not yet been hoeed." It was sung in a low voice, which was desolate all over.

"...Ask the sky when will the three-foot sword be wielded again? Execute all the traitors in the temple!" The pain cuts through the skin, and the grief breaks the bones.

"...It is difficult to bury the grievances of a hero, so I will temporarily take shelter from the wind and cold in the Temple of Renguangangshan."

Hou San'er and Shihan listened indifferently. When they turned around to look, Lao Mu had tears streaming down his face and was sobbing. His sadness permeated the entire box.