National Tide 1980

When he woke up, the ceiling was already illuminated by the reflection of the sun.

The breeze lifted the curtains, and the blurred window frames moved with the light, like a slowly moving train, taking people to the distance.

In this lovely, comfortable and peaceful illusion, Han Yingming once thought that he had returned to his home in Tokyo, Japan.

However, when the sunlight penetrated the room through the gap in the curtains and shone on the three-drawer table from the white wall.

The cry of the thrush outside the house reminded him where he was now as his consciousness gradually woke up.

So he immediately knew that he had overslept in the courtyard of the capital again.

Although he still wanted to stay in bed for a while, watching the small dust flying in the sunlight, and being dazed for a while.

But the identity of a guest was a motivation that was enough to make people ashamed, so he had to give up this comfortable laziness and hurry up to get up.

Fortunately, he got up late, but he could also determine that the time would not be too late.

Otherwise, once it was past 9:30 and the temperature of the sun rose, the ceiling that was opened for stargazing and ventilation last night would have to be closed again, and there would be no trace of sunlight in the room.

It was just strange that people in unfamiliar places often did not sleep well.

Especially for an old man like him, who did not sleep much, and came to a foreign country without air conditioning, it was possible that he would suffer from insomnia.

But the strange thing was that he slept deeply and soundly from the first day in this place.

He had been here for so many days, almost a week, and he spent more time in his dreams every day than at home. This was really a puzzle for him.

Thinking about it carefully, the weather in Beijing was indeed hot, but it was quite cool in the morning and evening, which was probably the biggest blessing.

Moreover, there was a refrigerator and a fan in the house, and a pergola and a palm-leaf fan outside the house, plus a few ice basins placed from ten o'clock to six o'clock in the afternoon, so people would not be invaded by the summer heat at all.

In addition, the spaciousness and tranquility of the garden, the sound of leaves blowing in the wind at night, and the chirping of various insects are probably one of the reasons.

Such natural sounds can only be clearly perceived in a silent environment.

Just like the capital in the middle of the night, the stars are shining on the sky.

Yes, in the capital, you can see the Milky Way clearly across the sky.

Han Yingming can't remember how long he hasn't seen such a Milky Way.

But in the past, when Qingzi was just born, he could also see the Milky Way with his naked eyes in Japan.

It's just that in today's extremely developed and brightly lit Tokyo, due to the increasingly serious light pollution, all of this has become the most luxurious memory of yesterday, and people have to admit the truth that "there is gain and loss".

These gifts from nature are like a mirror that allows humans to examine themselves, clearly reflecting how human society has benefited from the development of science and technology while making the original pastoral life fragmented.

Or only the current capital can make people relive this almost forgotten happiness.

No, just like this morning when Han Yingming got up that day.

Although it was already half past eight in the morning, it was not hot at all. It was so refreshing.

The cool air shone with bright and joyful sunlight, and everywhere was black and white, light was light, and shadow was shadow.

The air was cool, and the sunlight was hot. When they touched one place, the cool was just about to warm, and the hot was just a little cool.

In the midst of the uneven cool and warm, the flowers spit out stamens, and the leaves were shining with dew.

Walking into the yard, the pomegranate tree in front of the east room was still covered in shadows, and the leaves were dark green.

But the lotus pots in the middle of the yard had already seen the sun.

Those pink buds turned orange, and white water droplets floated on the tender green lotus leaves.

When the breeze blew, the lotus leaves would tremble left and right, swaying like dancing in the morning light.

A few dragonflies flew back and forth in the middle of the yard, flashing like flowing lightning.

Suddenly, a blood-red one took a look at the pomegranate tree and flew out from the ceiling into the blue sky.

Suddenly, a one carrying a piece of jade on its back only teased the lotus bud and turned away.

Needless to say, with such good weather, Han Yingming must have been eager to go out for a walk after washing and having breakfast.

Or he could run west along the alley, climb the mountain and enjoy the scenery in Jingshan Park, and take a good look at the Forbidden City under the blue sky.

Or he could row a boat in Beihai Park in the west and rent a small boat to go boating in Kunming Lake.

Or he could just fish and have fun by the Tongzi River or the Shichahai Lake.

Or he could go to Lai Jin Yu Xuan under the old cypress tree in Zhongshan Park to make a pot of tea and listen to the cicadas chirping while drinking tea to relieve boredom.

This is still nearby, and the Reclining Buddha Temple, Biyun Temple, Summer Palace, and Yuanmingyuan in the distance are also good places to spend the summer.

In short, although the weather in Beijing is hot, people can avoid it.

Especially people like Han Yingming who have a lot of free time, don't have to worry about the morning and evening, and have someone to take care of food and drink, and live in the Garden Hotel for free.

Whether he is in Yunyuan, in the park, or outside the city, he can perfectly avoid the summer heat.

There are too many places he can go and too many sights to see.

To be honest, his mentality has completely changed now.

Even though he still felt that Beijing was generally backward, the bustle and fun of this ancient city in summer had already touched his heart, allowing him to experience the leisurely and simple life pleasure that he could not find in Tokyo, Japan.

Especially the Temple of Heaven Park, which made Han Yingming like it from the bottom of his heart.

For no other reason, except that the Temple of Heaven Park had towering ancient trees and pine and cypress forests, it was originally one of the royal gardens and the best place for Beijing people to escape the heat in summer.

The more important reason was that his son-in-law had invested a lot of effort there, and it was a park planned by Ning Weimin.

After so many years of development, the Temple of Heaven Park has become a leader among Beijing's tourist attractions, whether in terms of infrastructure, tour content, entertainment projects, shopping, food and drink, and it is almost a place that Beijing's travel agencies must recommend to foreigners.

The number of tourists visiting here every day is almost catching up with the Forbidden City.

Cultural relics, costume photography, various exhibitions, amusement rides, folk music, music performances, book sales, antiques and second-hand goods...

There is everything to see, everything to hear, everything to play, everything to visit.

Cold drinks and snacks, Chinese and Western food, pastries, fragrant tea and coffee...

There is food to eat, drinks to drink, rest to rest, and everything to sit.

In fact, let alone Han Yingming, a foreigner, who likes to visit the Temple of Heaven, even the locals in Beijing, young and old, male and female, how many people don't like it here?

In addition, the Temple of Heaven Park is almost the same as Ning Weimin's own territory.

Just because of his face, Han Yingming, as his father-in-law, is treated with special treatment wherever he goes.

Not to mention Zhang Shihui, Luo Guangliang, Xiao Tao, those who spend every day in the Temple of Heaven Park to make money are very respectful to Han Yingming, calling him "uncle".

Luo Guangliang and Xiao Taozi would take the initiative to ride their tricycles to see him off when they saw him, and Zhang Shihui would even eat and drink well to curry favor with him.

Even the people in the Temple of Heaven knew him, and the employees of the Temple of Heaven from top to bottom all remembered Ning Weimin's kindness, and everyone's income had increased.

So no one dared to charge him for the ticket, let alone make him queue up.

They all coaxed him, worshipped him, and praised him like a god.

This kind of enjoyment was so pleasant, and it was no wonder that he had a special liking for this time.

To put it bluntly, for Han Yingming, because he had a son-in-law like Ning Weimin, he was treated as a VIP wherever he went in the Temple of Heaven Park, and he enjoyed privileges wherever he went, and he didn't even need to ask for it.

Even if the emperor visited China and came to this place, he probably wouldn't be as comfortable and happy as him.

So when the wedding preparations entered the final stage, even Matsumoto Keiko and her daughter had serious things to do.

There was no one to accompany Han Yingming when he really went out these days, but that didn't matter.

He could still enjoy himself and be free.

He didn't have to squeeze into the bus when he went out, because he could call a taxi and ask Luo Guangliang and others to pick him up.

In particular, Jiang Nianyun prepared twelve bicycles at the gatehouse of Yunyuan for the convenience of Yunyuan's guests.

If he wanted to save trouble, he could just choose a bicycle to ride. Isn't it as convenient as it can be to be self-reliant?

Han Yingming rode his bicycle out on this day. He didn't go anywhere, but went to the Temple of Heaven.

He was familiar with the roads and could find them by himself.

It didn't matter if he didn't know Chinese. He knew all the Chinese characters on the streets, and eating, drinking, defecating and urinating were no problem.

And for the sake of insurance, he carried Yunyuan's promotional leaflets with him. At most, he could contact by phone if he encountered any situation.

He would definitely not get lost.

Interestingly, he even dressed in accordance with the local customs and let himself go.

Now he rarely wore formal clothes, but like ordinary old people in Beijing, he also wore a big white vest, shorts and cloth shoes.

He also brought a folding fan, a newspaper and a big teapot filled with tea in the basket.

To be honest, if he didn't speak, no one would think he was Japanese.

When he arrived at the Temple of Heaven, he would at least walk along the central axis from north to south and then from south to north.

No matter whether it was the Zhai Palace, the South Kitchen, the North Kitchen, or the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, he would find a place to sit down and rest, sweat, and solve the problem of lunch.

For him, there are many choices at this time.

There are ways to eat in the park, and there are also benefits outside the park, which will directly affect the activities in the afternoon.

If he was in the park, he would usually go to the cafe in the Zhai Palace to eat some simple Western food.

He was not picky, and did not mind whether the sandwich or macaroni tasted authentic. The key was that it was easy to eat.

Unlike when he went to the Tangong Restaurant, even if he said "keep it simple, don't make it too much trouble."

But Zhang Shihui always pretended to obey, and every time he brought him at least four plates and eight dishes, and a bottle of wine, he kept saying "It's just a simple meal, I'm sorry, I treated you badly."

In fact, to be honest, an old man of his age did not have a big appetite in the summer.

In fact, just a bowl of noodles, a few fried dumplings, or a bowl of lotus leaf porridge, a few buns at noon were enough to satisfy his appetite.

This is the same for both Chinese and Japanese.

Looking at a table full of dishes but not being able to eat them, and having to waste them, it is really a sin, and he will blame himself for such extravagance.

So he dared not go there again, usually drinking some coffee at noon to fill his stomach.

As for the afternoon after dinner, the weather was getting hot, and he would sweat all over if he moved, so he could not go shopping.

At this time, he would mostly go to the teahouse in Beishenchu ​​or the teahouse outside the east gate to sit.

Those places are well chosen, and there are gentle breezes.

Have a pot of tea, eat a few pieces of watermelon, and listen to the folk art program, it is very comfortable.

Everything will be discussed after avoiding the scorching sun before two o'clock.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't understand those programs.

Because whether it is a big drum or a qin book, there are rhythmic tunes and singing.

To him, those special melodious rhythms were like an exotic opera, and he didn't need to know what to sing to appreciate it.

And he also liked to flip through the newspaper in this melodious atmosphere, and maybe write one or two articles in the notebook he brought with him.

Now he has to write almost every day to record everything he experienced in the capital in detail.

Not only did he not want to easily forget such a wonderful life here, but he also wanted to go back to Tokyo to tell those who made him afraid of the capital - they didn't know this city well enough. The capital of China is much more interesting and enjoyable than they know. The capital is actually a very magical place.

After 2:30 in the afternoon, he can go out again.

At this time, he either goes to the second-hand book stalls or the second-hand goods stalls, and almost every time he has to bring something back.

He couldn't tell whether he was influenced by his son-in-law and now really began to like Chinese culture.

Or because Ning Weimin and Kang Shude both like to collect cultural relics, he consciously catered to their preferences.

Anyway, when he did this, he did feel a kind of cultural pleasure, and he did gain something.

Just like today, he found some original Japanese books from the war period on the bookstall, and also took a fancy to a cat-shaped porcelain pillow.

He only spent more than 50 yuan to buy all of them, but he knew that these books alone could be sold for at least 50,000 yen when brought back to Japan.

And the cat-shaped porcelain pillow was his favorite thing, and it was actually not about money. Whether it was used for a nap or as an interesting decoration, it made him very satisfied.

In this way, he rode his bicycle back home contentedly.

However, this beautiful day was far from over, but just beginning.

Because he knew that when he returned to Yunyuan, there would be a dinner full of reunion waiting for him.

This dinner was when the most people were together, and those who were busy during the day would come back.

Whether it was Kang Shude, Jiang Nianyun, or his son-in-law Ning Weimin, and his wife and daughter, no one would be absent, and they would definitely gather together under the ceiling in the yard to eat this dinner.

Maybe the dinner was not very sumptuous by the standards of a banquet.

Maybe it was just some home-cooked meals such as pancakes, tofu, fried eggs, fried mushrooms, and winter melon meatball soup, but the feeling of everyone getting together, drinking some wine and chatting was the best.

And after dinner, they would sit in the yard to enjoy the cool and talk as usual.

When the sky gradually darkened, the ceiling above opened, a little bit of starlight would flash among the lotus leaves, and the cool breeze would send fireflies to the ceiling, like stars falling, and the tuberose would gradually emit fragrance, further rendering the romance of the summer night.

This kind of family happiness is actually what the elderly need and yearn for the most.

Especially for him, it is actually rarely enjoyed in Japan, which is really precious.

Therefore, how could he not be happy, how could he not be happy?

He didn't know what heaven would look like, but if he looked at his life experience for most of his life, the few days he spent in Beijing were like being in heaven.

Such a capital city is really great. Not only is it fun, lively, and colorful everywhere, making this old city seem to be full of magic, but it also gives him happiness that he could never imagine in Japan.

Even though he may only be able to sit with his wife and daughter for a few hours after dinner every day.

But the magical thing is that his relationship with them has never been so harmonious and harmonious.

To be honest, if he can always be so happy, he would be willing to settle here for a long time.