Original text and appreciation of "Novel, Drama·Painted Walls"
Pu Songling
In Menglongtan, Jiangxi, I stayed in the capital with Zhu Xiaolian. Occasionally, I walked into a Lanruo temple. The Zen room in the temple was not very spacious, except for an old monk hanging in a bamboo mat. When guests come in, they come out in solemn clothes and greet them with joy. There is a statue of Zhi Gong in the hall. The two murals are exquisitely painted and the characters are lifelike. The east mural depicts a goddess scattering flowers. In the middle, a young lady holds flowers and smiles. Her lips are about to move, and her eyes are about to flow. Zhu stared at it for a long time, and suddenly felt his mind swaying and thinking. The body suddenly floats, like riding on clouds and mist, and has reached the wall. Seeing the many palaces and palaces, it is impossible to return to the human world. An old monk said that there were many people who were looking around at the sermon. Come and stand among them. After a while, someone seemed to be holding his train secretly. When I look back, I can see that I have gone away calmly. Just follow it. After passing the curved fence and entering a small house, Zhu Ci did not dare to go forward. The woman looked back, waved the flower in her hand, and made gestures from a distance, approaching him. There was no one in the house. He suddenly hugged him, but he didn't refuse him very much, so he made love with her. After closing the house and going away, I was told not to cough, and night came again, and so on for two days. The female companion realized that he was searching for a baby, and he jokingly said to her: "The boy in your belly is already very big. How can he still imitate a virgin?" The female companion held up the hairpin and ordered the servant girl. The woman was shy and silent. One woman said: "Sisters, sisters, we should not stay here for a long time, for fear of being unhappy." The group laughed and left. When she is born, she looks like a girl, her bun is high with clouds, her hair is hanging low, she is especially beautiful when her hair is hanging down. Seeing no one around, it gradually becomes obscene, orchids and musk deer smoke in the heart, and the joy is not over. Suddenly I heard the clang of Jimo's boots and the clang of his locks; there was a loud and loud sound. The woman got up in shock and peeped with Sheng. She saw a messenger in gold armor, with a face as black as lacquer, wearing a sash and holding a mallet, surrounded by many women. The messenger said: "Not all?" He replied: "It's all complete." The messenger said: "If there is anyone hiding in the lower world, please come out immediately and don't cause trouble." He also said in the same voice: "None". The messenger turned around and looked around, as if he was going to search and hide him. The girl was so frightened that her face was ashen. Zhang Huang said to Zhu, "You can hide under the bed in a hurry." Then he opened the small door on the wall and fled suddenly. Zhu Fu, dare not rest less. Hearing the sound of boots, he came into the room and came back. After a while, the troubles and noises faded away, and my mind felt a little more at ease; however, there were frequent commentators outside. Zhu Ju has been lying in bed for a long time. He feels the cicadas chirping in his ears and the fire in his eyes. The scenery is almost unbearable. He can only listen quietly and wait for his daughter to return, but he no longer remembers how he came to be. At that time, Meng Longtan was in the palace. Zhu was nowhere to be seen for a moment, so he asked the monk if he had any doubts. The monk laughed and said, "I'm going to listen to the Dharma." He asked, "Where?" He said, "It's not far." When he was young, he flicked his finger on the wall and called out: "How long has it been since Zhu Tanyue wandered and never returned?" Immediately he saw a Zhu statue on the wall and stood there with his ear bent, listening if he could. The monk called out again: "You have been waiting for me for a long time." Then he suddenly descended from the wall and stood there, discouraged and stunned. Meng Dawei asked him calmly. He lay down under the couch and heard the sound of buckles like thunder, so he came out of the room to listen. I look at the flower-picking man, his bun is like a snail with wings, and he no longer has a lot of hair. Zhu Jing paid homage to the old monk and asked him why. The monk laughed and said: "Illusions are caused by life, how can a poor man solve them." Zhu Qi was stagnant but not rising, Meng Xin was horrified and had no master. Get up immediately and go out through the steps.
This is a fantasy story. A young scholar, while visiting a temple, was moved by the beauty of the goddess holding flowers on the mural. He "unconsciously felt his mind swaying, and suddenly thought about it." In the blink of an eye, he actually floated into the painting. There, he not only met his beloved and gained her love, but also received help from the fairy. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and soon he encountered a messenger in golden armor patrolling, and he had to return to the world. The whole story begins with Zhu Xiaolian entering the painting and ends with him leaving the painting. It can be said that the whole story is a fantasy.
However, when narrating this illusory story, the author did not resort to the magic power of fairies, demons and foxes like other chapters. He didn't even call Sifan the fairy underworld, nor did he let the infatuated scholar dream. Even when he wrote about the fantasy world in the painting, he didn't exaggerate how bizarre the scenery there was and how magical and strange the characters were. In fact, except for the simple statement "There are many palaces and palaces, it is impossible to return to the human world", whether it is the Qulan cottage or the old monk, everything is just like the human world. Especially the group of flower goddesses, who are innocent, lively and compassionate, just like the girls in the world. According to records in Buddhist scriptures, the duty of the Flower-Spreading Goddess is to sprinkle smallpox on the Bodhisattvas when they are listening to the Dharma, in order to verify whether their determination to follow the path is firm. "If the habits are not exhausted, the flowers are attached to the body; if the habits are exhausted, the flowers cannot be attached to the body." However, they themselves do not seem to be bound by these laws and precepts. The flower goddess can take the initiative to express her love to the person she likes and have a tryst with her lover; after the female companions discover their affair, they not only do not interfere, but enthusiastically help and protect them.
Not only that, even the envoy in golden armor, whose face is as black as lacquer, and who holds a hammer in his locks, looks majestic and arrogant on the surface, but in reality, there is no big difference between him and the valiant warriors in the world. Obviously, the author deliberately erased the spiritual light on the heads of these immortals and transformed them into human beings and daily life.
The article describes Zhu Xiaolian's entry into the painting, using only 12 words: "The body is floating suddenly, as if riding on clouds and mist, and has reached the wall." It is very simple. This is because this process is only the result of his own "automatic human mind" and is not noticed by others. However, by the time Zhu Xiaolian painted, the situation was already very different: Meng Longtan had already discovered the disappearance of his friend and was looking for his whereabouts with wide eyes. In this case, if we simply let him "float" and arrive in the palace, the whole story will be boring. Moreover, Zhu Xiaolian's entry into painting is the result of "people's automatic mind", and his paintings cannot violate this premise. That is to say, his paintings must have their own psychological basis. It is indeed not easy to achieve these two points. But the author seems to have done it without much effort. In fact, when the author was still describing Zhu Xiaolian's adventures in the fantasy world, he had already made full preparations for his painting. When the golden armored envoy was inspecting, the Flower Goddess fled in a hurry, and Zhu Xiaolian had to hide under the bed. As you can imagine, this is by no means a comfortable place. "Zhu has been lying in bed for a long time, and I can feel the cicadas chirping in my ears, and the fire in my eyes. The scene is almost unbearable." In this case, he was naturally eager to leave this "terrible situation". Fortunately, he was not discovered in the end, and "the troubles and noises fade away, and the mind calms down a little." Only at this time could he grab him from under the bed and walk out of the room to find a way out. Next, the author wrote:
(The monk) flicked his finger on the wall and called out: "Zhu Tan Yue, how long has it been since you traveled without returning?" When he saw a red statue painted on the wall, he stood there with his ear bent. If anyone listens. The monk called out again: "You guys have been waiting for a long time!" Then he suddenly descended from the wall... Meng Dahao asked calmly. When I was lying on the couch, I heard the sound of buckles like thunder, so I went out to listen.
The old monk "flicked the wall with his fingers", and Zhu Xiaolian "heard the sound of buckles like thunder"; Zhu Xiaolian "came out of the room to peep", and Menglongtan saw "there were red images painted on the wall". Just like a movie, it is sometimes real and sometimes illusory. It is described clearly in just a few words, and no trace of ax is revealed between the alternation of reality and fantasy. At this point, I could have stopped here, but the author added one more word: "The woman looks down at the flower-picking person, and her bun is no longer hanging down." This line may seem casual, but it is enough to make people feel thrilling. . Zhu Xiaolian just left the illusion and was still in shock; Meng Longtan saw the miracle and was doubtful. They all turned their attention to the mural, only to see that the flower-carrying goddess had suddenly changed her hairstyle and attire. Is it really true? Who can tell clearly? It’s no wonder that one of them is “frustrated but not proud” and the other is “frightened but without a master”.
The language in this novel is concise, accurate, and very expressive. Only 12 words were used to describe the appearance of the goddess Nianhua: "Nianhua smiles, her cherry lips are about to move, and her eyes are about to flow." The image of a silent, affectionate, beautiful and moving girl is ready to be revealed. In particular, the word "desire" and the word "general" give people a sense of movement and are used very cleverly. There are only a few sentences about the meeting between Zhu Xiaoqian and the flower-carrying goddess: "When I was young, someone seemed to be secretly holding his train. Looking back, I saw that the young girl was hanging up, and she went away. She followed her as soon as she walked." There is no dialogue, no gestures, There is not even a psychological description, but the subtle mentality of the two people's "understanding" is very accurately outlined. Especially the use of the word "邹", it seems that the word "following" is not "people", but "邹", which vividly depicts Zhu Xiaoqian's infatuated and involuntary demeanor and state of mind. A passage about a group of girls having fun in the bridal chamber is particularly wonderful:
The female companions realized that they were trying to survive, and the play said to the girls: "The boy in his belly is already quite big, and his hair is still shaggy." Are you a virgin from Peng School?" He held up the hairpin and ordered the servant girl to come up to him. The woman was shy and silent. One woman said: "Sisters, sisters, we should not stay here for a long time, for fear of being unhappy." The group laughed and left.
The bride’s timidity, shyness, and half-reluctance, while the female companions’ naughty, funny, considerate, vivid, and vivid qualities are vivid on the page. Especially the characters' language is lively, humorous, popular yet elegant, and full of a strong flavor of life.
The phrase "Fantasy Life" is a footnote made by the author to this strange and grotesque story. This means that illusions are caused by people's selfish desires.
Because Zhu Xiaolian had an admiration for the flower-handling goddess, the "obscene" situation of the two "having sex" appeared; because this idea was "unfair" and it was in the solemn fairy world, he couldn't help but feel it in his heart. He was wary of fear, so the "terrifying situation" where the golden-armored envoy patrolled appeared again. There is some truth to this statement. However, the author also believes that all this is just "Bodhisattva's enlightenment of ignorance", and feels sorry that the male protagonist cannot "enlighten his words and go into the mountains wearing a servant girl", which shows the author's "color and emptiness" side of thought. However, whenever the author writes about the innocent love between young men and women, no matter they are immortals, humans, foxes or ghosts, he can't help but express his sincere praise. This one is no exception. It can be seen that he did not fully believe in the teachings such as "form is emptiness and emptiness is form". It is no wonder that he finally did not ask Zhu Xiaoqian to go into the mountains with his hair spread.