Jiangnan Heavy Rain Memory Mother | Heavy Rain | Jiangnan
It is said that the misty rain in Jiangnan, but in my memory, what can stay in place is often the pouring rain with great opening and closing. In the eyes of others, it is a painting with drizzling rain. What I have experienced is only life, and only those who have lived in Jiangnan for a long time will know all the details related to life after the heavy rain. In the late 1950s, my grandfather performed at Cangzhou Bookstore at 470 Chengdu Road in Shanghai. Despite continuous heavy rain, the entrance of Cangzhou Bookstore was flooded into a vast ocean. My father, who was seven or eight years old, sat at the door playing in the bathtub. Coincidentally, the Cangzhou Bookstore was originally scheduled to open on June 28, 1941, but due to heavy rain and inconvenient access, it was postponed to July 1. Now looking up information from Cangzhou Bookstore, it can be found that in the performance advertisement of "Shen Bao" on July 5, 1941, there was an announcement of the performance lyrics "Pearl Tower" by my grandfather Pang Xueqing and his master Xue Xiaoqing. At that time, there were still 12 years left until my father was born. Cangzhou Bookstore moved to the east of Jing'an Temple Road in 1943, near Chengdu Road, and was called New Cangzhou Bookstore. Both the old and new bookstores seem to have low terrain. In heavy rain, the kings, nobles, generals, and prime ministers move eastward, and children play and play in the small river at the entrance, becoming their own fairy tale world.
When this child grew up, he also became a storyteller himself, traveling north and south in the wind and rain. When he arrived at some small dock villages and encountered heavy rain, he rolled up his pants and waded through the water. At this time, the most important thing is to protect the eating utensils - Sanxian and Pipa. Usually, these two utensils are wrapped in velvet and carried on their backs. When the water gets heavy, the village shakes a small boat to pick them up. My father and partner must pass the Sanxian and Pipa to the villagers first, properly place them, and then jump onto the boat lightly. Even if business is not as good as usual on rainy days, there are always a few old listeners who come to listen to books, carrying large oil cloth umbrellas, some wearing old-fashioned raincoat, with pants rolled up to their thighs. When they arrive at the bookstore, it is damp. They put away their umbrellas, take off their raincoat, wade into the water, sit down at their seats, and order a pot of tea as usual. My dad took a look on stage and couldn't help but feel moved. Some of their feet were resting on chairs, while others were still soaking in water, and he didn't care. They were immersed in the world woven by the storyteller. My father is away all year round, and we are the only ones at home. During heavy rain, there are always leaks here and there, so my mother took out various prepared plastic pots and wooden barrels to collect water. Water overflows into the house, so don't rush to grab anything else. First, move the coal cake and stove to a higher place. There is a rice jar for rice, and it won't get wet for a while. If the coal cake and stove are soaked in water, the rice won't be able to be cooked. Sometimes, when there is no time for transportation, one can only go to a restaurant to eat. The mother and daughter order one bowl of soup and two bowls of rice. I am always happy to have the chance to dine out, but my mother shows a worried expression. It took me a long time to understand what she was worried about. Looking back now, in a home without my father, my mother endured many rainy days alone. As a child at the time, I couldn't appreciate my mother's hard work and hoped for the heavy rain. In addition to going to a restaurant, I also had the opportunity to rob the "shrimp net" with my cousins while they were still in the water. After the heavy rain, the big river overflowed into a small ditch by the field. They used two bamboo poles and a wire to form a net, blocking the small ditch. The fish and shrimp that washed into the ditch with the water in the river had nowhere to escape and were often caught in one net. We had some fresh fish and shrimp on our dinner table for dinner, which was my proudest time. Although I couldn't help much, Pi Dian Pi Dian followed behind, feeling like he was also a member of the army of catching fish and shrimp. Every year, my mother takes a few days off and takes me to visit my father at the dock. She always buys various foods in advance and brings them to my father. One year it was also heavy rain, freeing up one hand to hold an umbrella and holding me in the other. The heavy rain washed down her bags of oranges on the ground. Fortunately, a sister-in-law passed by and helped me pick them up. At the age of 5, I was still tightly held, a bit confused, but the feeling of falling with my mother picking up oranges was firmly engraved in my mind. Even in middle age, when the elements of heavy rain and oranges collided, they would immediately return to the rainy day when I was 5 years old. My storytelling career was poor. Later, my father went from business and slowly renovated the house. The coal ball stove was replaced by a gas stove, and heavy rain would no longer invade the house. We overcame the most difficult times. Later, I arrived in Shanghai, where I drove to my hometown for an hour. The weather was almost synchronized. A few days ago, I was tossing and turning in the night of thunder rainstorm, so I called home quickly. Sure enough, my mother, who slept alone in th
