Under the care of several brothers in the "wheel war", Hong Yankang had a great time playing almost every day.
In the most relaxed way, he quickly eliminated the barriers between him and this ancient city.
In particular, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan took him through the streets and deep into the market.
It also gave him a rare experience of the taste and fun of ordinary people's life.
No, it was just two weeks after the Dragon Boat Festival, and Hong Yankang could clearly feel that the gap caused by time had narrowed.
Not only has he adapted to the way people in the capital dress now, as well as the cigarettes they smoke, the wine they drink, and the food they eat, he has even picked up the local accent.
His tongue actually straightened out.
He also regained the ability to use authentic Beijing dialects such as "fake moves", "ceng lengzi" and "quietly" to appropriately describe the things around him.
Only two points still caused certain obstacles in communication, preventing him from fully integrating into the cultural atmosphere in front of him.
One is that he is uncomfortable reading simplified Chinese characters.
For example, there is the "reply" of "reply", the complicated "reply", and the "reply" of reply.
They are obviously three different words, but if you change the three words into one "complex", the actual meaning will be completely different.
If it is composed of Chinese characters, it is completely unexplainable, which results in a disconnect between the characters and their meanings and a break with traditional culture.
Therefore, it is difficult for him to remove the obstacles in his mind and accept such "white words" calmly.
When talking about this matter, I always feel bitterly disappointed and dissatisfied.
The second is how to use the pronunciation of "er". His past habits are actually incompatible with the current situation.
Especially when it comes to place names.
For example, it used to be called "Diaoyutai", but now the capital only calls it "Diaoyutai".
What used to be "Liulichang" is now called "Liulichang".
This change is really confusing.
Often when someone laughs at him, he will stick to his point of view and pick a fight with others.
What’s interesting is that, regardless of how these two things are discussed, it’s hard for any linguist to explain it and give a convincing reason.
But the truth and reasons behind it were easily explained to his second aunt Wang Yunlin during a casual chat.
Wang Yunlin first affirmed that the change to simplified Chinese characters was correct.
Her reason is that as the most complex language in the world, simplifying Chinese characters has great benefits.
It makes it easier for people to learn and facilitates the spread of literacy, which increases the practicality of the language.
This saves a lot of unnecessary energy and gives people more time to study other knowledge.
There are also side effects, but there is no need to worry about them.
Because there are specialties in the art, it can be mastered by ordinary people as long as it has no impact on modern life.
Those who study history and traditional culture will never fail to learn traditional Chinese characters.
In that case, this can be regarded as a level of language and culture, just like the level of academic qualifications.
Don’t forget, even the ancients had different levels of mastery of writing.
People who don't care about fame naturally don't need to bother to memorize "Confucius' sayings".
Secondly, let’s talk about the application of Er and Er’s pronunciation in place names of the capital.
Wang Yunlin believes that it is actually a verbal habit developed by common names in the public sphere.
Its rules are not complicated. The key lies in the importance of a place in public perception.
Generally speaking, the distinction is made between "official families" and "private families".
For example, "Liulichang", "Taiji Factory", "Black Kiln Factory", etc.
Since they were all part of the "Five Major Factories" of the Ministry of Industry during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, these place names were no longer humanized due to official influence.
The "changdianer" where the middle and lower-class markets are concentrated must be transformed.
Another example is that because people fear gods, temples and sacrificial places all read the correct pronunciation.
"Fahua Temple", "Baoguo Temple", and "Temple of Heaven" do not contain "er".
But "Huang Si'er" is not among the righteous gods, and "Hei Si'er" is the opposite.
There is one last item that is even more important than the previous two.
That is, whether the landmarks in these geographical nouns still exist will be used as the basis for whether they are pronounced in Chinese or not.
For example, "Diaoyutai" is called that in Old Beijing because the fish platform made in the Jin Dynasty is no longer there.
But now the correct pronunciation is actually because the government built the "Diaoyutai State Guesthouse" and returned it to the official position.
"Liulichang'er" is equivalent to this principle.
Today is not the old dynasty, and Liulichang in the Qing Dynasty has long since disappeared, so it is natural to add "er".
It can even be inferred from this that the "Half-Step Bridge" no longer has a bridge, but the "Flower Market" still has a market.
"Shilihe'er" no longer has a river, but "Liulangzhuang" does still have a village.
Of course, this language change will never be completely consistent with the actual situation, and there will be a certain delay in time.
But logically speaking, it generally follows this pattern.
So in the final analysis, Hong Yankang was right, and so were others.
This is just a misunderstanding caused by knowing it but not knowing why.
And no matter what, there is actually no need to be too deliberate and serious.
Because regardless of language, writing or folk customs, it must have public recognition and a mass base.
To put it bluntly, the majority of people are always right and the minority is wrong.
As long as it is harmless to world conditions and ethics, it can be derived and changed at will.
So next, Wang Yunlin used this incident to persuade Hong Yankang that there was no need to be obsessed with perfectionism.
She said that life is like a fleeting moment, and time flies by quickly.
If someone lives a tired life, it is usually not because he has less, but because he cares a lot.
Only by being calm with yourself, tolerant of the people around you, and tolerant of many things can you live happily.
Otherwise, it is not that you are having trouble with others, but that you are having trouble with yourself.
Hong Yankang was sincerely impressed by this insight.
He felt that the old lady came from a noble family, and her knowledge, understanding of the world, and attitude towards others were different from others.
It was a great regret for him that he could not grow up with such relatives.
Otherwise, he should be more calm when facing many problems now, and his path would be more steadfast.
That's it, Wang Yunlin's casual chat had an effect on Hong Yankang as if it were moisturizing everything silently.
After that, he indeed lived a more relaxed and comfortable life, and fell more and more in love with the capital.
Although when buying peaches in the capital, you have to bring your own bag to buy them, and you are not allowed to pick them, so you only get some bad ones.
Even though the taxi driver in Beijing is very smart and acts like an uncle every day, he will only work hard if he sees the foreign exchange coupons.
Although the restaurants in the capital are now in complete chaos, Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, and Hunan cuisine are all mixed together and sold indiscriminately.
Although the younger generation in the capital is becoming more and more advocating for foreigners, their birthdays are no longer based on the lunar calendar, but the solar calendar.
Although the Quanyechang and Guangde Theater that he was most familiar with at home are gone and can no longer be operated.
But Hong Yankang was able to look past all of this.
He understood that these chaos were the product of the cause and effect of the times. He could not resist and could only adapt.
As long as the capital still has a strong sense of humanity, courtesy and politeness.
Even if the skin of this city has changed and the bones have not changed, it is still a place worthy of his deep attachment.
The capital should be like the "big wine tank" run by the Hong family.
Despite the red gourd hanging on the wine front, there is not even a serious signboard, and the shop is not wide, with thick tables and hard benches.
The wine is just the cheapest Erguotou. The food is just pig ears and peanuts.
It's simple, casual, the price is not high, and you can drink it for just 80 cents. You can't make a lot of money from this kind of business.
But whether young or old, they use it as a shade to rest and a harbor to return home.
Come here to sweat in the summer, and warm up in the winter.
Whether it's an old drinking buddy or a stranger you meet by chance, after three glasses of wine, you become an old friend.
Hong Yankang still remembers that the first time he followed Hong Yanwu to the "Red Gourd" for a drink, it happened that an old man opposite met with something troublesome. At that time, he could only see the old man sighing and crying, sitting alone and drinking.
This unusual sight soon attracted inquiries from the drinkers, and they found out that the old man was having a quarrel with his family.
When I was sad, I came here to pour wine on my heart.
As a result, everyone tried their best to persuade each other and came to the solution one after another.
When the words and wine were taken down together, the old man's mood turned from gloomy to sunny and gradually became cheerful.
When I left, I thanked everyone with my fists in my hands.
And everyone present was in a happy mood, feeling the unique flavor of life in the tavern, and the human kindness like mellow old wine.
This is the lining of the capital, the flavor of the capital that Hong Yankang is obsessed with.
He felt that even if he visited bars all over the world, he would not be able to find a place like this.
Therefore, his relatives in the capital kept saying to him, "It's good to come back. This is my hometown after all. No matter how bad the capital is, there are still people. If you can't help but leave, don't leave."
He was really tempted.
At least, I hope I can restore my ancestral business here.
Not only did I have an explanation for my relatives, but it also gave me something to think about, and I felt that I was still tied to the capital.
And for so many years in Hong Kong, he has struggled to support his family business by himself.
When he got here, he really wanted to experience the worry-free feeling of hunting tiger brothers.