When the splashing water waves touched the ground, I was riding a bicycle passing through this intersection. The sun in Shenzhen in the afternoon seemed a bit weak. When I was still wondering which path to take, there were already countless delivery drivers on their electric bikes whizzing past.
To adapt to a city is to be familiar with its temperament, familiar with the distribution of every lane and sidewalk. It's automatically heading towards one of the ABCDEF exits after getting off the subway; it's knowing which road to avoid the most puddles when it's pouring rain and the streets are flooded, and which big tree can provide the thickest shade; it's walking halfway without opening the navigation and starting to doubt if I've taken the wrong path.
If only it were in Shenzhen, when the afternoon sun shines on the distant buildings, I would be briskly passing by a square, and I would accidentally hear a familiar voice, irresistibly drawn to it, forgetting where I originally wanted to go, just discussing with the two teachers of the present moment the overseas exile of Liang Qichao more than a hundred years ago, Kang Youwei's extravagant and arrogant lifestyle, and Tan Sitong's bloody sacrifice for reform.
"How do you manage to be so sentimental in your writing, but so optimistic when giving speeches or running a bookstore?" - a reader asked.
"Just be sentimental when doing it," Xu Zhiyuan pursed his lips and answered.
"In fact, when we do anything, we need to mobilize all our resources. Look at eating a piece of cake. Do you recall some childhood experiences of eating cake?"
"Even for that small piece of cake, you have to use all your life's experiences to deal with such a small thing."
I don't know much about Xu Zhiyuan, probably just limited to the program "Thirteen Invitations" and the book "Let's Talk More About Problems" recommended by Xiaojinko - selected for the 2023 Douban reading list (there may be an article discussing the issue of the list).
I really like the layout of the event venue, it has a great atmosphere. It's in an open space where anyone can listen, whether they bought a ticket or not. The exchange among readers is so casual and open. Once the sound is made, there's no need to create a certain atmosphere using high-tech techniques like reflection. It naturally dissipates and permeates the surrounding air.
Just like in Yu Qiuyu's "Letter Guests," in the mountains and fields, the endless conversations of old and new letter guests, those words containing wisdom of life, rural customs, and various aspects of life, float away like that, and the quiet sky is the witness.
So I envy those passers-by who pass by, their faces showing surprise, then immersing themselves, stopping to listen.
Although at first glance, this person with messy hair seems no different from an ordinary person when speaking, they may stumble, say "then" several times, and their body language may not be rich enough.
But do we care? Maybe some people do, the disparity between reality and false beauty is always defeated by simple sensory pleasure, and the need for energy-consuming thinking is always defeated by simple sensory pleasure.
Xu Zhiyuan said a lot, and I remembered a lot.
I really like this kind of sharing that incorporates personal experiences and emotions, a bit like the "please relate to your own experiences to answer" in Chinese reading comprehension questions.
"Just be sentimental when doing it."
"I really want to know what individuals in the midst of an era transition can do, how much vitality they can burst out."
"Maintaining optimism is for others to see."
"We are shaped by what we have experienced, the people we hate, the people we love, and our own fears."
"It was a brave era, with nothing to lose."
"When doing anything, you have to mobilize all your resources."
"Of course, when you write history, you definitely have your own projection. No one has experienced the lives of historical figures, so writing history often relies on one's imagination."
"You walk on the street, holding a book, how cool is that? Isn't that cooler than all of you holding phones?"
"Because they didn't come to Guangzhou to invite me, I didn't come to open this bookstore."
"Young people should do many absurd things, otherwise, they won't be able to live when they get old."