Early Spring February - China's Centennial Film Classics [Text and Images]

Author: Yao Kang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: After the New Year, the weather gradually warms up. Everywhere in the fields, new sprouts push through the soil. From a distance, it truly is a scene of "green grass seen from afar, yet invisible up close." The willow branches also begin to turn green, and with the mist over the river adding to the effect, they take on a somewhat "exquisite misty willows" ambiance. However, these landscapes are not visible on the general deck of the ferry heading to Furong Town. The general deck is a completely different world, crowded with people. Most of them are merchants, peddlers traveling between cities and villages, and women and elderly women coming to the "Women's Mountain" to pray and worship. The entire deck buzzes with talk about the weather, harvests, prices, market conditions, and the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, interspersed with the occasional cries and laughter of children. Adding to this is the thick and thin smoke from the endless water pipes and, making the deck even more packed with no gaps. Despite the smoky and hazy atmosphere, almost everyone seems content, as if this is how traveling by boat should be. Only a young man squeezed against the left side of the deck stands out from the surroundings. He is under thirty and dressed like a Western student. The old suitcase at his feet is covered with shipping labels from places like Beijing, Wuhan, and Shanghai, indicating he has traveled to many places. He endure the crowd with a sense of propriety, only turning his head occasionally to the window in search of some fresh air. Next to him, a fat merchant-looking man keeps dozing off, his round head repeatedly resting on the young man's shoulder. Although he doesn't snore loudly, his heavy breathing, especially the occasional drool that escapes with each exhale and the "gargle" that comes out of his throat, makes the young man increasingly unbearable. He keeps shaking his shoulders or bending down to try to avoid the weight and drool. When the fat man's head falls off, he is briefly startled, his eyes opening with some surprise. It seems to him that resting his head on the shoulder is perfectly normal, while avoiding it is inconsiderate. Thus, the fat man dozes off even more boldly, justifying his use of the shoulder as a pillow while also letting out occasional drool and the continuous "gargle." Finally, the young man can't take it anymore. He struggles to pull himself out of the crowd and pushes his way onto the deck. On the deck, the scent of spring and the pleasant scenery on both banks fill him with a sudden sense of clarity. He greedily breathes in the fresh air and stretches his stiff body, his mood gradually becoming lighter. His name is Xiao Jianqiu, and he has been invited by the principal of Furong Town Middle School to teach there. The quiet and peaceful spring atmosphere and scenery evoke the beauty he had long been away from, making him feel that this journey was the right decision.
A small orange rolls to Xiao Jianqiu's feet. He bends down, picks it up, and looks up to see a girl of about seven or eight standing in front of him. Her gaze is pure, without a trace of impurity, like the spring in his heart. The spring looks at him, reaching deep into his softest place, stirring up an inexplicable sense of emotion and pain within him. He gently places the orange in the girl's hand almost tenderly, his eyes following the girl as she runs toward her mother, and then settling on the mother herself. The mother sits facing the river, resting on her luggage, still holding a two-year-old boy in her arms.