After San Mao and Jose moved from Sahara to Canary Islands, their living comfort was much higher than that in the desert, as if they were in heaven at once.
In the Sahara, looking out from home, there is a large piece of yellow sand outside. Although there are some customs, they are not suitable for living. Going out is just sand with a face and a mouth, and fresh water in the desert is expensive, so bathing has become a luxury. Many times, people can only endure the discomfort caused by sand. The climate in the desert is also very bad. During the day, the temperature is high enough to go through the wall, and at night, people will be shivering with cold. Even San Mao, who loves the desert, was particularly uncomfortable when he first lived in the desert. Living in the desert, you need to fight against the harsh environment with wisdom in order to enjoy the desert customs.
Gran canaria is a comfortable and lazy holiday island, which is very suitable for living. When Sanmao first moved to gran canaria, she often spent day after day in a bikini. Although gran canaria is only100km away from the Sahara Desert, it has a different scene from the desert. Surrounded by warm sunshine all the year round, the climate here is warm and pleasant, which is the place with the smallest temperature difference in the world. At the southern tip of gran canaria, there is a Mas Palomas dune. If you miss the desert, you can also feel some desert customs in the comfortable subtropical climate there. This island attracts many tourists, and many old people from cold countries such as Northern Europe choose to spend their old age here.
In the Sahara, flowers and plants are luxury goods. Even when Sanmao married Jose, they didn't even have a flower, which is a pity from Sanmao's heart. Sanmao likes green plants, so when the neighbor's sheep ate her leaves, she slapped the sheep angrily. For her, it is not as simple as a green leaf or two. That kind of green is an encouragement for her to live in the desert, and it simply devours her hopes.
On the other hand, all kinds of plants grow wildly in gran canaria, and all kinds of flowers are in full bloom all over the island.
After moving to gran canaria, they chose the house in a seaside community more than 20 kilometers away from the city-near Playa del Hombre, east of Tilda Town, with the address of No.3 Vega Street. Because San Mao said that Jose can't live without water.
This is a Spanish-style white house with a separate yard. The walls of the yard are painted pale yellow, and there are two tall acacia trees in the yard, which rustle when the wind blows. San Mao once wrote to his parents to describe the house:
There is a hall, a bedroom, a small guest room, a small bathroom, and a big window facing the sea ... hundreds of small bungalows are completely built on the hillside, inhabited by residents of more than 40 nationalities, and no one can be seen in the street during the day. Quiet and noble, not vulgar, people are also noble, it is simply a paradise on earth, and the public security is so good that there is no police. ...
They planted many large and small green plants and bonsai at home, and also planted many vegetables in the yard. The climate on the island is very suitable for plant growth, which does not need special care, and the small vegetable garden is full of vitality. Sanmao loves this house very much. It's Sanmao's "dream house". She wrote in an article-
Our present home is located on the top of a sloping hillside. The back window of the kitchen is simply a picture frame. The breeze is blowing in the beautiful valley, and the sunset is slowly turning red on the sea. On the distant horizon, the first star always seems to rise at sea. What's even more strange is that the honeysuckle under the wall must start at dusk before it emits a faint fragrance.
She revealed her love for this house between the lines, and she also spent a lot of thought on this house. In those years, all kinds of gadgets she collected were in it, and the layout inside was not as simple as in the desert. One year, a reader named Sanmao Xisha made a special trip to visit her on the island. In an article, he described in detail the appearance of San Mao's living room:
An old-fashioned floral sofa is lined with a yellow carpet, and many cushions are scattered on the sofa. The antique lace-like white tablecloth is covered with an old-fashioned round coffee table, and the rattan lampshade is hung very low. Against the wall on the left is a bookcase that occupies almost the whole wall. A set of carved wooden dining table and chairs of the same type are placed diagonally opposite the sofa. On the right hand side of the room is a row of bookshelves with an arched round door leading to another bright living room.
She has two living rooms, one bright and one dark, and the bright one is completely painted white. Exquisite rattan furniture, bamboo curtains, and the old-fashioned "stone leakage" in the Canary Islands are placed on a beautiful and extraordinary high wooden frame, with a red and white plaid cushion on the rattan chair and two dolls made of rags. A pile of rusty cowbells, African musical instruments and Afghan hand-painted leather hung on the wall. There is a big rocking chair in the corner, the roof beam is a string of brown and black logs, and countless bonsai are hanging in a patchwork way. In the white room, she is covered with a straw carpet, and an old colorful bookshelf leans against the wall.
Xisha later went to Sanmao and wrote an article called Fairy Tales. Probably in his view, people living in this kind of residence are like living in a fairy tale.
Sanmao spent the best time of his life in this house.
At that time, her day was often spent like this: getting up in the morning to make breakfast for Jose who was on the early shift. After Jose went to work after dinner, she sat at the living room window, watching the ships drifting on the sea, or writing. Many of Sanmao's works were completed in this home. Sometimes, she will drag a long hose barefoot to water her small garden. In the afternoon, she went into the kitchen and prepared dinner for two people. Outside the kitchen window, the sunset is slowly setting on the hill, and the flowers under the window are blooming, emitting a strong fragrance. In the afterglow of the sunset, while cooking, she waited for her husband to push through the door after work. Even when there is nothing to do, just sitting in the living room and watching the flowing pictures outside the window is a wonderful enjoyment.
During his stay in the Canary Islands, Jose's works traveled to the three islands of Gran Canary, Tenerife and La Palma. Every time Jose changes jobs, Sanmao will pack up simple daily necessities and follow Jose. When they were in La Palma, they rented an apartment hotel with one room, one living room and one kitchenette, not far from their work place in Jose, and also by the sea. Because it is a temporary residence, there are not many things in it, and most of the daily necessities are left in gran canaria. They moved there with only some necessities and a cage of canaries. Living on this island is their most sticky time. Sanmao often goes to work at the seaside with Jose. Jose's colleagues often see such a scene: a person working in the water and a person squatting on the shore.
On the island of Alabama, they don't travel as often as before. San Mao described their life in La Palma Island like this: "Go to the old theater on the island to watch movies during the day ... Jose got off work at four o'clock in the afternoon, and then it was all our time, so we didn't go out for a while. On the balcony at dusk, facing the sea, half a glass of red wine, a few dishes and a game of chess, play chess quietly until the stars in the sky rise from the sea. "
In fact, a person's life is like this, living in the residence day after day.
San Mao and Jose are both romantic people by nature. Romantic people live a poetic life even in poor material conditions. Although talking about romance, Sanmao said that neither he nor Jose are romantic people, but it should be the greatest romance to live such a poetic life. I often feel that many people often fail to see some of their good qualities. Maybe they are in it and feel that they are born with nothing to show off. The romance between San Mao and Jose can also be seen from their residence. Both of their long-lived houses have circular arches. When she first arrived in the desert, when Sanmao saw a row of small houses on the roadside in the distance, she felt telepathically that "that small house with a round arch must be my home". Circular arches are always reminiscent of palaces. Maybe every romantic girl has a dream of living in a palace, living in a house like that, imagining that she is a princess and a queen, and her heart will become strong.
Living in gran canaria is probably the happiest time in Sanmao's life. Living in such a house, she may not be a writer who is tired of fame and fortune. When you are happy, sit by the window and watch the sea; When you are unhappy, close the curtains and live your own life. She can water the flowers in the garden with plastic pipes barefoot, without shoes, be a barefoot queen, and play with the sunset. At that time, she had a quiet and beautiful life and a full heart. As Xisha wrote: "There is nothing precious here, but you know, the people who live in it are not poor."
After Sanmao died, many of her readers found this house to visit. Now, more than 20 years later, the two acacia trees in the yard are still lush, and the sea breeze still rustles. All her neighbors are still here except her. They will enthusiastically show the visiting guests the photo taken with Sanmao that year. In their eyes, she will always be a happy woman.
Excerpt from San Mao Biography: As soon as you let go, I fell into the vast universe? Bi cheng