Song of Youth
The Spring Festival was the busiest time of the year, and the young couple were quite bored at home every day. Xu Tangmian thought that things had to be sustainable, and she couldn't really drain Yu Chunsheng dry, so she dragged him to the city for a shopping trip.
After locking the car, I saw that the entrance to the department store was already packed with people. Accompanied by the melody of "A Fire in Winter" playing in the mall, the red paper scraps from the firecrackers were scattered all over the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Xu Tangmian led Yu Chunsheng across the crowds and squeezed to the front of the line to watch the excitement. It turned out to be a newly opened music store.
A small open space was finally cleared in front of the music store, and the crowd had automatically formed an arc, completely enclosing the store.
The young man at the door, wearing a black cotton-padded jacket with the buttons undone, his face covered in sweat, was holding a wired microphone and shouting:
"The villagers are so hospitable! How about this, let's invite a few of them up to experience the sound of our instruments. It's okay if they don't buy anything, just have some fun. Come on! Anyone want to come up?"
These words sparked a chorus of jeers from the crowd. Some adults carried their children up, some old men held onto their erhu tightly, and others even tried to put their harmonicas in their mouths.
The host hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Hey, fellow villager, this won't do. If you fail, how are we supposed to sell it?"
The scene was chaotic for a while, with all sorts of things being played, but none of them were able to perform properly.
The old man who didn't get a chance to play the harmonica simply started dancing and singing at the top of his lungs: "We stride forward on the golden road of socialism~"
The song is good, but the voice... Xu Tangmian was both amused and exasperated, wanting to cover her ears but too embarrassed to do so.
"good!!"
As the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, led by the man beside her.
Xu Tangmian nudged him with her elbow and joked, "I didn't expect you to be someone who likes to join in the fun."
The more time she spent with him, the harder it became for her to see the reserved, shy man from before as the same person as the man in front of her who was always in heat and loved to join in the fun.
Perhaps her teasing gaze was too direct, because Yu Chunsheng, never one to miss a good show, pointed to the only piano behind the host and said with a wicked grin, "Why don't you give it a try!"
"I'm not going!" Xu Tangmian immediately denied.
Asking her to give a lecture is fine, but playing the piano in this kind of setting would just be showing off, wouldn't it? She doesn't like doing things that are just for attention.
"Trying it won't hurt you." He leaned down and tilted his head to look at himself. "So timid?"
"Who's a coward!" Xu Tangmian couldn't help but retort, laughing as she said, "Why don't you go?"
"You'll go if I go?" he asked.
“If you go, I’ll go!” Xu Tangmian replied stubbornly.
“Okay.” Yu Chunsheng took a step forward and sat down at the piano.
The host came up to him and asked, "Oh, this gentleman plays the piano?"
Yu Chunsheng leaned close to the microphone with a grin, "I don't know how."
"Hiss." The host laughed. "So, what's this?"
“My wife will come. She said she’d come if I said I would.” He pointed in Xu Tangmian’s direction.
As soon as the host cast a glance, all eyes turned to Xu Tangmian.
Xu Tangmian's face flushed red instantly, and she wished she could turn around and leave.
But she didn't leave after all; she couldn't let Yu Chunsheng "make a fool of himself" on stage alone!
"Come down quickly!" she hurriedly waved and mouthed.
Yu Chunsheng pursed his lips, looking indifferent, and pressed a row of "1234567" on the piano keys.
Hearing the piano music, he became even more smug, squinting his eyes and swaying his body as he randomly tapped on the piano, looking every bit like a piano master.
"Get down! Get down!" Some people below were already getting impatient.
The children covered their ears and screamed, "It sounds awful!"
The host jokingly said to her, "Lady, you should take your husband away quickly, our young people are already giving their opinions."
The child seized the opportunity to run onto the stage and howl into the microphone, enunciating each word clearly: "It's so...awful!"
Even the worst sound is better than your shouting! Xu Tangmian went up on stage with a heavy heart, grabbed Yu Chunsheng's arm and said through gritted teeth, "You're really something! Get out of here!"
"Hey, let me play a bit." Yu Chunsheng, with his bottom still firmly planted on the piano bench, quickly played a melody on the keys with his remaining hand.
Xu Tangmian was taken aback. "You can play the piano?"
“I want to hear you play Katyusha again, just like I heard you play it when I went to your school before. It was so beautiful.” Yu Chunsheng winked at her.
Xu Tangmian looked at the onlookers somewhat embarrassedly and whispered, "If you want to hear it, come to school when school starts and I'll play it for you."
“That belongs to the government.” Yu Chunsheng flicked her nose. “Try this piano. If you like it, we’ll save up and buy one later.”
Buy? Xu Tangmian glanced at the price from the side. It was too far away to see clearly. She could only see a "5" followed by three digits before she saw the decimal point.
More than five thousand yuan.
Yu Chunsheng used to earn a little over eighty yuan a month, but now he's unemployed. She earns at most sixty yuan a month. Together, even if they don't eat or drink, they wouldn't earn more than one hundred and fifty yuan a month. They'll have to wait at least three years to buy this piano.
This pie in the sky sounds like something out of a dream.
Seeing his genuine interest, Xu Tangmian reluctantly sat down, took a deep breath, and then, meeting Yu Chunsheng's expectant gaze, began to play Katyusha.
As soon as the music began, the crowd spontaneously quieted down, seemingly surprised that someone could actually play. The music grew increasingly lively as it progressed, and bursts of applause followed the sound.
Yu Chunsheng started smiling, but as he smiled, the corners of his mouth gradually drooped, and his eyes seemed to be looking through her at something.
He had done this several times already. Noticing that something was wrong with him, Xu Tangmian immediately stopped what she was doing and was eager to take him away.
As soon as the music stopped, Yu Chunsheng seemed to wake from a dream.
"Where are you going?" He gently brushed away Xu Tangmian's arm and walked towards the accordion beside him.
Yu Chunsheng naturally took off his accordion and put it around his neck, pressed the keys twice with his right hand, and pulled the bellows with his left hand.
A few off-key notes came from the accordion, and the child who had previously said it was bad raised his head and asked, "Uncle, do you even know how to play?"
Yu Chunsheng raised an eyebrow at him, then calmly started the bellows, playing a melody.
Xu Tangmian's eyes lit up, as if he had unearthed a treasure. Handsome, well-built, and with a big... thing, he can speak Russian and play the accordion. Yu Chunsheng, just how many surprises do you have that I don't know about?
In her memory, most of the men who pursued her played the piano, cello, or violin. The accordion... felt like a relic of the last century.
The music was melodious and powerful. As soon as the prelude began, the faces of the onlookers in the crowd immediately became solemn.
It's the national anthem!
Yu Chunsheng stood in the center of the crowd, a slight smile playing on his lips. His hands were busy at work, his body swaying gently to the rhythm of the performance, his eyes filled with pride.
With a "click," Xu Tangmian turned to look at a man in the crowd wearing a trench coat and holding a camera.
After the song ended, he excitedly walked to the front of the stage to shake hands with Yu Chunsheng.
"That was a fantastic performance, comrade! Let me introduce myself. I'm a reporter from the city's daily newspaper, and my surname is Qian."
Yu Chunsheng looked him up and down, seemingly wary, and asked briefly and forcefully, "What is it?"
"Your image perfectly matches our newspaper's publicity requirements. I saw that the audience's reaction was very good when you were playing, so I took a picture. I'd like to ask if you would agree to have the photo published. Of course, we will also give you a token payment."
"I disagree." Yu Chunsheng replied coldly, then pulled Xu Tangmian away.
"Wait a minute, comrade!" The host stopped him again, smiling and saying, "I didn't realize this comrade was such an accordion expert. Aren't you planning to take this accordion home?"
Xu Tangmian laughed and took two steps back: "This isn't a harmonica, does it mean we have to buy one just because we use it?"
"You've misunderstood!" the host said again. "I can tell from your appearance and demeanor that you two are no ordinary people. As the saying goes, 'A fine sword is given to a hero.' Our music store has just opened today, and if you two find something you like, the price is negotiable."
"Just say they're rich because they can play the piano and accordion?" Xu Tangmian pursed her lips and remained silent, her eyes full of a knowing and mocking smile. She exchanged a glance with Yu Chunsheng and tacitly left the stage.
Seeing that the two were really unwilling to buy, the host could only sigh and quickly adjusted his mood to start the warm-up activities.
Before leaving, Yu Chunsheng quickly walked up to the reporter who had taken the photos earlier and emphasized to him again: "You are not allowed to publish this in the newspaper!"
——
One week later.
Li Yutao made a special trip to our house, excitedly holding up a newspaper as she ran up to Xu Tangmian, eager to show off: "Sister Tangtang! Isn't this it! Isn't it...?"
Xu Tangmian took the newspaper and looked at it closely. On the left side of a quarter of the page was a half-body photo of a man with his head slightly raised, engrossed in playing the accordion. Who else could it be but Yu Chunsheng?
He repeatedly and emphatically forbade the publication of this article, so how could this reporter be so unprofessional?
But he really is quite handsome.
Xu Tangmian closed the newspaper and looked at Li Yutao with a grin: "It was him. We went to town together that day and saw that the music store was opening, so we went to join in the fun."
Li Yutao looked dejected. "Oh, you guys are really something. You went shopping and had fun without inviting me. Otherwise, I would have gone on stage and played a song so that the reporter could take a picture of me."
"I thought you were going with Dr. Song," Xu Tangmian said, folding the newspaper neatly and placing it respectfully on the table, teasing her with a smile.
Li Yutao stood on tiptoe on the table, looking down at her, arms crossed, shaking her head: "Him? He's so busy every day. The female doctor at the clinic quit, so he's the only one left. There are so many people with colds and fevers in winter, I can only keep him company at the clinic. How could I dare let him go out with me?"
"That's just how doctors are, you have to be more understanding of them." Seeing that she was bored, Xu Tangmian said, "If you're free, you can come and play with me. There's an extra bed in the living room that you can use for the night."
Li Yutao just smiled and didn't say anything, a smile that sent chills down Xu Tangmian's spine.
Xu Tangmian couldn't help but ask her, "Is it not allowed?" But in her heart, she was thinking, "Could she already be living with Song Weidong? If so, it would be really presumptuous of her to make such a suggestion."
Li Yutao couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, then casually picked up the mirror next to her, pulled down Xu Tangmian's collar, and held the mirror in front of her.
When Xu Tangmian looked down, she saw that the red hickeys on her neck hadn't faded yet. They weren't visible because of her usual high-necked clothes, but Li Yutao, sitting on the table, could see them clearly!
She slammed the mirror on the table, pulled up her collar, lightly patted Li Yutao's leg twice, and said angrily, "Get down here!"
Li Yutao, with an "I understand" look on her face, jumped off the table, leisurely walked to the bedside and sat down, then suddenly remembered something and quickly sprang up to leave.
Xu Tangmian knew perfectly well what was going on in that lewd little head of hers, and said helplessly, "It's very clean there, and the sheets are changed every time. There's no other chair in the house, aren't you feeling cramped sitting on a small stool?"
Hearing this, Li Yutao turned back and sat on the edge of the bed, kindly saying, "The chair isn't expensive, but for the sake of our guests, please buy one."
Xu Tangmian stood up, bowed, and offered her a seat, saying respectfully, "Please take a seat, Your Highness. May I sit here?"
Li Yutao got up and walked to the desk, pointing cautiously to the back of the chair and asking, "Here, you wouldn't...?"
“We’re not as wild as you think,” Xu Tangmian said calmly.
Li Yutao laughed heartily, stood up, looked out the window, pointed to two women's bicycles under the shed, and asked, "Has the supply and marketing cooperative started work so soon?"
They didn't publicize Yu Chunsheng's resignation, so it's normal that Li Yutao didn't know. Xu Tangmian got up, glanced at the yard, sighed, and said, "He wasn't happy working there, so he resigned. Today, the village seemed to be discussing road repairs or something, and they called him over for a meeting."
"Huh?" Li Yutao looked surprised, but quickly realized that she had been a bit rude, so she quickly said, "It's nothing. Brother Yu is a talented person. He can shine anywhere."
Yu Chunsheng returned just as the sun was setting. The couple wanted Li Yutao to stay for dinner, but she refused, smiling as she pushed her cart home.
Seeing that Yu Chunsheng's expression was normal, Xu Tangmian casually asked, "What did they talk about when they called you over? What was the outcome?"
"Road repair? Each family contributes a few dollars, and in the spring, the main road will be repaved and widened a bit."
Xu Tangmian pouted, "A few dollars doesn't matter. I'm thinking of spending a few more dollars to build a road from the main road to our yard. It doesn't need to be very wide, but at least we shouldn't have to ride our bikes on the ridges between the fields!"
"I'll take care of it when spring comes." Yu Chunsheng casually opened the drawer to put the change in, but his peripheral vision was drawn to the newspaper on the table.
They didn't subscribe to newspapers, and Yu Chunsheng was wondering about it when he opened the newspaper and saw his own photo printed on it. He immediately understood what had happened and looked helplessly at Xu Tangmian, saying, "That unscrupulous reporter, did he really think I wouldn't sue him?"
Xu Tangmian chuckled, "What beautiful photos! Print them if you want, I don't mind more people knowing how handsome you are."
But the fact that the photo was published in the newspaper left Yu Chunsheng feeling like a knife was hanging over his head, making him constantly overthink things. Hearing Xu Tangmian's words, he felt somewhat helpless, but also a little better.
There was a bag on the table. Yu Chunsheng picked it up casually and asked, "Did you just buy this?"
Xu Tangmian glanced at it and said, "That belongs to Xiao Tao." She opened the bag and found that there were no keys, coins or anything else inside except for a book, so she guessed that Li Yutao wasn't in a hurry to take it.
The book was rather strange; it looked worn and tattered, and the pages had even been re-stitched together, suggesting that it had been read many times by its owner.
The stitching is all white, without any signs of wear, indicating it's a recent piece. The cover features a black and white vintage illustration of a group of people dressed in long gowns and wearing flowing scarves, looking like a group of progressive students from the Republican era.
Directly below are four large characters written in the default, unadorned font:
"Song of Youth".
It looks very vintage.
Xu Tangmian turned the book over, and the publication date on the back told her that the book was indeed quite old. It was from 1959.
Xu Tangmian opened the cover, but Song Weidong's name was not below the title.
The powerful yet elegant calligraphy, reminiscent of the slender gold style, pierced through the pages and imprinted itself on the next page, bearing the original owner's name—Kong Lin.
There is another passage in the same font in the blank space:
"To Comrade Weidong: May you compose your own song of youth! Kong Lin, Summer 1967."
Xu Tangmian curiously flipped through a few pages and was quickly drawn in by the story.
Yu Chunsheng was about to cook when he caught a glimpse of Xu Tangmian standing in front of her desk, engrossed in reading, and couldn't resist teasing her.
He slowed his pace, tiptoed up behind her, and spread his fingers, "Ah!"
"Ah!!!" Xu Tangmian was so frightened that she threw the book away.
"What are you doing!" Xu Tangmian slapped Yu Chunsheng, both angry and amused, after realizing it was Yu Chunsheng who was playing pranks, and bent down to pick up the book.
"What are you looking at?"
"It's all your fault!" Xu Tangmian shook the books that had been smashed into pieces in front of him. "These are the books from Xiao Tao's bag. She left them here and will probably come to pick them up next time. How am I supposed to explain this mess now?"
Yu Chunsheng noticed the white cotton thread in the book's pages and said dismissively, "This book is so tattered, why don't we just buy a new one? Or sew it back on? It was already sewn on anyway."
"You make it sound so easy," Xu Tangmian snatched the book and rolled her eyes. "What if this is a book that holds sentimental value for someone? How are you going to compensate them? Besides, if anyone's going to sew it up, it's you who's doing it. You're the one who scared me!"
"I'll sew it, I'll sew it." Yu Chunsheng snatched back the book, glanced at the cover, and his upturned lips suddenly fell. As if he had thought of something, he murmured, "This person has quite good taste."
Xu Tangmian was about to tease him when she saw him suddenly freeze after opening the cover, his eyes filled with shock and a hint of panic.
Before she could ask what was going on, Yu Chunsheng turned to her excitedly and asked, "This is Song Weidong's book?!"
Xu Tangmian was confused. She turned the page and looked at the inscription in the book before replying, "It should be... It looks like it was given to him by this person named 'Kong Lin'."
Without saying a word, Yu Chunsheng grabbed the tattered book, rushed out the door, and rode off on his bicycle.
"Where are you going!" Xu Tangmian called out to him from behind, but he couldn't come back.
"This is strange, why such a strong reaction?" Xu Tangmian couldn't figure it out no matter how she thought about it, and kept muttering to herself, "Kong Lin... Kong Lin... Lin... Lin?"
She then took out her grandfather's pocket watch, inscribed with the words: "To my brother Zhilian: May our revolutionary friendship endure forever. Your younger brother, Lin Liuba, spring."
Could it be that the "Lin brother" who gave the pocket watch to his grandfather is the same "Kong Lin" who gave the books to Song Weidong?
Xu Tangmian put the pocket watch in her pocket, put on her gloves, scarf, and hat, and was about to leave. Just before leaving, she saw Yu Chunsheng's scarf and gloves still hanging on the clothes rack, so she took them with her and rode her bicycle towards the clinic.
Yu Chunsheng rode very fast, arriving at the clinic in just a few minutes. He didn't dare go in and ask Song Weidong directly, but instead gazed at the limping figure inside from afar. Gradually, the figure blurred, eventually overlapping with the hazy image of the boy in his memory.
Twenty years ago, in the Kong Family Compound, summer sunlight filtered through the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the brick floor. Seven or eight students huddled together, gesturing animatedly as they spoke.
"If you ask me, Lin Daojing is a member of the lower class. She was forced onto the path of revolution by others and never had any independent thought of her own!"
"What do you mean by that? Does anyone know they're born destined for death? Did no one guide her on this path? Are you self-taught?"
"You're using a fallacy!"
"You are!"
"Alright, alright!" A young man in a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows shook hands with the two men, laughing and saying, "Brother Zhilian, Brother Xingyao, this is an academic discussion, let's not ruin the harmony."
Xu Zhilian and Liu Xingyao then smiled and hugged each other again.
Kyoto University has a long tradition of holding seminars. Today, taking advantage of the summer vacation, a few of us got together and went to Kong Lin’s house to discuss the book “Song of Youth” from several aspects, including political, economic, and social impacts. However, we almost got into a fight during the discussion.
During the break, after their heated debate, the group got up to stretch, some to drink water, others to chat. Kong Lin picked up the largest apple from the table and walked towards the 14-year-old boy sitting on a small stool by the door.
"You're Xingyao's nephew?" Kong Lin squatted down to be at eye level with him, handed him the apple, and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
"Song Weidong," the boy replied, his words muffled as he munched on an apple.
"Oh~" Yu Chunsheng teased him with a smile in his eyes, "After listening for so long, did you understand everything?"
Song Weidong shook his head, then suddenly asked seriously, "Brother, is Lin Daojing really from the lower middle class? And why is this book called 'Song of Youth'? What is youth?"
Kong Lin was taken aback, then laughed heartily, walked to the table, picked up the book, took out a pen from his pocket, quickly wrote a few words, and handed the book to him.
"Your question is good, but I hope you will find the answer yourself. When you find it, please tell me, okay? This book is for you. I hope that when you grow to the age where you can think about these questions, it can help you."
"Why don't you go over there?" Xu Tangmian's sudden voice startled Yu Chunsheng from his reverie.
"It's nothing." Yu Chunsheng composed himself and turned to leave.
Xu Tangmian felt confused, but when she saw Yu Chunsheng's handsome face turned red from the cold, she forgot everything.
She quickly took out a scarf from her bag, stood on tiptoe and tied it around his neck, then tugged it to cover his face, muttering, "Dr. Song isn't a petty person, and besides, with Xiao Tao's connection, you don't need to be so nervous even if you break his book, right?"
Yu Chunsheng's attention returned to what was in front of him, and he felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't help but bend over and revel in Xu Tangmian's kindness to him.
Xu Tangmian grabbed his hand again, cupped it in her own hands, and breathed on it. Not satisfied, she then pulled his hand under her clothes and placed it on her lower abdomen.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Seeing that someone in the clinic was looking at them, Yu Chunsheng said embarrassedly, "We're outside, so be careful."
Xu Tangmian didn't take it seriously: "We're legal, what's there to be afraid of?"
Even so, she obediently let go of his hand and took out gloves from her bag: "Here, put them on quickly when you're warm! You were in such a hurry, you forgot about something so important."
“Nothing is more important than you.” Yu Chunsheng put on gloves, put his arm around her, and walked towards his bicycle.
But before leaving, he turned back and glanced at the figure in the clinic.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
