血缘的重建与家园的回归

成向阳

《石燕》是重庆作家强雯2021年11月出版的一部新著，由《石燕》《百万风景》《功德碗》《清洁》《水彩课》《单行道》《旗袍》七个中短篇小说构成。在我看来，这本小说就像一面奇异的镜子，它抵近生活，放大并映照出时代生活中日渐变异的人际关系，以及从种种变异关系中出走的人的心灵。

强雯在16万字的篇幅中，用7个完全不同质的故事，从不同职业、不同阶层、不同时间背景中的人物所经历的生活中，抽取并呈现出一种令人触目惊心的疏离感。这种不同生活洪流中几乎同质的疏离感，紧紧把住了时代生活中人际关系的脉搏，也构成了这部小说集呼之欲出的灵魂与真正质量。

Shi Yan is a new book published by Chongqing writer Qiang Wen in November 2021， consisting of seven short stories： Shi Yan， Million Scenery， Merit Bowl， Cleanliness， Watercolor Class， One-way Street and Cheongsam. To me， this novel is like a strange mirror， close to life， magnifying and reflecting the changing relationships in the life of the times and the hearts and minds of people who have gone out from all kinds of changing relationships.

In 160，000 words and with seven stories of a completely different nature， Qiang Wen extracts and presents a striking sense of alienation from the lives experienced by characters in different professions， classes and time settings. This almost homogeneous detachment in the flood of different lives keeps the pulse of human relations in the life of the times， and also constitutes the soul and true quality of this novel collection.

于當代生活中的大多数人而言，关键时刻真正可以依靠的已只剩下家庭与亲人。但是，被疏离感深深渗透的人际关系，其实早已侵入家庭，浸入血缘，割裂自我，使亲人之间甚至自己与自己之间的关系也变得那样陌生与岌岌可危。你看，《石燕》里的父子关系，《百万风景》与《水彩课》中的父女母女关系，《清洁》中的情侣关系，《单行道》与《功德碗》中的夫妻关系，以及《旗袍》中自己与“另一个自己”的关系，这些传统观念中血浓于水的牢不可破的打断骨头连着筋的亲人关系，在强雯笔下一下子就撕开脸皮，断了筋骨，悬在了半空。

“他避免看父亲的脸、眼神，他害怕那种亲情的探询，害怕自己突然就手足无措，他们要互相客气，才不会彼此伤害。”这是《石燕》中高级技工华小超与考古学家父亲华绵的关系。而在父亲华绵那里，“这世界没什么可安慰的，亲人都是讨债的”，“都是给自己添麻烦的人”。父子关系如此，父女母女关系亦然。“艾云丽也不和母亲说话了，每次碰上关键问题，母亲总会向着父亲。她走到厨房里，拾掇起自己的卤菜，想，这一家人真是自私，不仅克扣别人的生活，还克扣自己的生活。现在害得一家人还在这阴暗、耗子成堆的破屋子里住着。” 这是《百万风景》中卖卤菜的年轻女孩艾云丽的内心苦楚。

在这些形形色色的人生故事中，传统意识中至为亲近、可靠的家庭-血缘关系被撕裂，被瓦解，如失手砸碎的杯盘碎屑，沾泪带血，无法直视。随着家庭-血缘关系的瓦解与破碎，我们透过小说就能看到时代社会生活中人际关系的某种真相。这真相令人隐隐不安，却又因真实而具有充分的说服力。

For most people in contemporary life， the only people left to rely on in critical moments are family and relatives. However， the interpersonal relationship deeply penetrated by the sense of alienation has actually invaded the family， dipped into the blood， and cut the self， making the relationship between relatives and even between oneself and oneself become so strange and precarious. See， the father-son relationship in Shi Yan， The relationship between father and daughter and mother and daughter in Million Scenery and Watercolor Class， The relationship between lovers in Cleanliness， the relationship between husband and wife in One-way Street and Merit Bowl， and the relationship between self and “another self” in Cheongsam， are all unbreakable relationships that are traditionally considered as blood and water， but under Qiang Wen’s writing， the skin is torn off， the bones are broken， and the relationship is suspended in midair.

“He avoids looking at his father’s face， his eyes， he is afraid of that kind of affectionate inquiry， afraid that he will suddenly be at his wits’ end， that they will have to be polite to each other so as not to hurt each other.” This is the relationship between Hua Xiaochao， a senior mechanic， and Hua Mian， his archaeologist father， in Shi Yan. And according to his father， Hua Mian， “there is nothing comforting in this world， loved ones are debt collectors and people who give me trouble”. This is true for fatherson relationships， as well as father-daughter and motherdaughter relationships. “Ai Yunli also does not talk to her mother. Whenever there is a critical issue， her mother always takes her father’s side. She goes to the kitchen， picks up her braised food and thinks， “This family is so selfish， not only withholding life from others， but also from ourselves， causing our family still living in this dank， ratty， broken house.” This is the inner suffering of Ai Yunli， a young girl selling braised food in Million Scenery.

In these various life stories， the traditionally close and reliable family ties are torn apart and disintegrated， like the crumbs of a broken cup or plate， stained with tears and blood， which is unbearable to look at. With the disintegration and breaking of family blood ties， we can see through the novel a certain truth about human relations in the social life of this era， a truth that is vaguely disturbing， yet fully convincing because it is true.

但強雯的笔却并不到此为止。作为阅读者，我认为瓦解并非她的目的。面冷心热，她在呈现一种瓦解与土崩的同时，亦在塑造一种新的“生长”。毕竟，人是顽强的，耐活的，春风吹又生的，尤其是女人，以及那些有着女人心的男人们。在已然变异或跌至谷底的家庭-血缘关系中，我们看到了那些依然没有被打倒被毁灭、依然在倔强中保持傲然、决然、毅然的人们。她们更为清醒，更为笃定，也更为顽强，就像因接种了疫苗迎风生出了抗体。

我尤其喜欢《百万风景》中的艾云丽，这个卖卤菜的24岁女孩，独立、坚强、心思细腻而敏锐，在困顿的底层生活与日益疏离的家庭关系中，她努力营建、维护着一种最低质量的家庭亲情，并在与百万高档小区保安队长的一点暧昧关系中始终保持自己身为女性的高傲与自尊。何况她还另有打算，有存款，有对未来生活的新希望。小说的结尾，“她要回家，和父亲回家，然后把那两张票藏在抽屉里，信封中的游泳票递给父亲，她知道父亲未必会收下。可是，她还是要递给他。”我相信，读到这里的大多数读者都会多少动容，因为女儿坚持要递给父亲的并不只是两张高档小区的游泳票，而是一种“征服”困顿生活的雄心，是一个女儿在疏离的血缘关系中向着父亲的单方面靠拢与接近。

与此相似的，是《水彩课》里我对“前画家”父亲的凝视，“他大概是微醉了，想要睡会儿。我扶他在沙发上躺下时，他提出想抱抱自己的女儿。我僵硬地把身体迎了过去，肩头上落下一个软弱的父亲。‘你是我此生最亲的人。’他低声道。”而这个被父亲忽视半生的女儿，在父亲睡下之后，“坐在他对面的椅子上，目不转睛地看着这个绝好的模特，沙发上的老者疲惫、浑然、坚持、隐忍，一动不动。我想，我应该可以把他画下来，只需要好好地观察下，再观察下。”这种抵近观察、再观察的意愿，既是一个女儿对暮年老父的垂怜，同时更是一种血缘关系破碎之后意欲重圆的冲动。这里面，有一个女儿突然涌现的柔情，更有一个女性在洞悉生活的无所依靠后内心突然生长出来的新担当。

But Qiang Wen’s writing doesn’t end there. As a reader， I don’t think disintegration is the purpose of her writing. With a cold face but a warm heart， she is also shaping a new “growth” while presenting a kind of disintegration and collapse. After all， people are tenacious and resistant to live， especially women， and those men who have a woman’s heart. In the midst of family ties that have mutated or hit rock bottom， we see people who are still not beaten or destroyed， who remain proud， determined and resolute in their stubbornness， who are more awake， more certain and more resilient， as if they have been vaccinated and have developed antibodies to the wind.

I especially like Ai Yunli in Million Scenery， a 24-year-old girl who sells braised food， independent， strong， delicate and sharp-minded. In the troubled bottom life and increasingly distant family relations， she tries to build and maintain a minimum quality of family affection， and in a little ambiguous relationship with the security chief of the million dollar upscale community， she always maintains her pride and self-respect as a woman， not to mention that she also has other plans， savings， and new hopes for her future life. The novel ends with the words，“She is going home， going home with her father， and then handing him the two swimming tickets in the envelope hidden in the drawer， knowing that he might not take them， but， nevertheless， she is handing them to him.” I believe that， when reading this， most readers will be more or less moved， because what the daughter insists on handing to her father is not simply two swimming tickets to a highend neighborhood， but an ambition to “conquer” a difficult life， a daughter’s unilateral approach and proximity to her father in an estranged blood relationship.

Similar to this is the gaze of “I” on my “ex-painter”father in Watercolor Class. “He is probably slightly drunk and wants to take a nap. As I help him lie down on the couch， he offers to hug his daughter. I stiffen my body to meet it， and a limp father falls on my shoulder. ‘You’re the closest thing I have in this life.’ He whispered.” And the daughter， who has been neglected by her father for half her life， “sits in the chair opposite him after he has fallen asleep， staring unblinkingly at the superb model， the old man on the sofa， tired， muddled， insistent， stoic， motionless. I think I should be able to draw him down and just observe him well and again.” This willingness to observe and re-observe closely is both a daughter’s pity for her elderly father in his twilight years， and at the same time an impulse to reunite after a broken blood relationship. Here is a daughter’s sudden emergence of tenderness， but also a woman’s sudden growth of new responsibilities in her heart after realizing that there is nothing to rely on in life.

这种坦然担当，《功德碗》里的女仆白桂有，《单行道》里首婚被弃二婚丧夫的陶玉丹也有。当然，还有《清洁》中的小海，以及《石燕》中的华绵，他们虽然都是男人，年龄和职业也都不同，但却都有一颗女人心。前者誊抄碑文，性好一尘不染的清洁拂拭，后者癡迷修补文物，喜欢在幽暗的灯光下“把暮尘缓缓地吸入鼻内”。在时代生活中，他们同样遭遇家庭-血缘关系的破碎，同样遭遇时代生活里的漩涡与谜团，但亦不放弃，不随波逐流，而是以不同的方式选择了回归——华绵在生命的尽头与珍藏的石燕同归歌乐山。而小海，则“看见一块岩石向着朝阳的方向，岿然不动”，他因而一夜梦醒，找到了木塔下的北方老家。

“夜晚清浅，银河落在河里，流水汤汤，残露滴落在松梢。”那些因早年失去亲情失去家园而流离于人世艰辛中的人们，在这个星辉灿烂、松露轻响的良夜，重新找到了回家的依稀之路。这是一部小说带来的热力，亦如劝世功德。伴随阅读，这股暖流缓缓植入我对时代生活、对血缘亲情的体验库存，并在我心里抽出了一棵新苗。我为此感谢这部小说的作者强雯女士，她的经验与书写，不但为当代文学提供了女性视野中家庭-血缘关系的崭新镜像，更面向着未来，为血缘亲情之外的无数孤魂游子荒草野人，以微光照亮回家之路。

除此之外，《石燕》亦是一部值得珍视的文化小说。书中，作者围绕历史场景呈现的重庆地域文化风景令人惊艳。《石燕》故事中的西南考古、《百万风景》中曾经的湾云村自然生态、《功德碗》中的武陵山区古建与乡俗、《清洁》中的南北佛寺建筑与碑拓文化、《水彩课》中的美术之乡乌雅镇风情，以及《旗袍》中的古典生活情趣，都貼着时代生活的表面写出了地域文化的熠熠光彩，而强雯小说家之外的地域文化学者身份亦因此而展现。这进一步增强了《石燕》这部小说的文化认识价值，使其真正成为近年来中国女性小说领域值得深入研究的一部力作。

This kind of frank commitment is found in Bai Guiyou， the maid in the Merit Bowl， and in Tao Yudan， who is abandoned in her first marriage and loses her husband in her second marriage in the One-way Street. Of course， there is also Xiao Hai in Cleanliness and Hua Mian in Shi Yan， both of whom are men and of different ages and occupations， but both of whom have a woman’s heart. The former is keen on transcribing inscriptions， clean and spotless， while the latter is obsessed with repairing relics and likes to “breathe the twilight dust slowly into his nose”in the dim light. In the life of the times， they also suffer the same broken family blood ties， and are also caught in the whirlpool and mystery of the life of the times， but do not give up， do not go with the flow， but choose to return in a different way - Hua Mian returns to Mount Gele with the treasured Shi Yan at the end of his life； while Xiao Hai，“sees a rock standing firm towards the direction of the rising sun”， he thus wakes up from a dream overnight and finds his old home in the north under the wooden pagoda.

“The night is clear and shallow， the Milky Way falls in the river， the flowing water is soupy， the remnants of dew drip down on the pine tips.” Those who are displaced in the hardships of the world due to the loss of family and home in their early years， find their way home again vaguely on this fine night of brilliant starlight and soft sound of truffles. This is the heat brought by a novel， which is also like the merit of persuasion. Along with the reading， this warm current is slowly flowing into my inventory of the life of the times， of the experience of blood and kinship， and is pulling out a new seedling from my heart. I am grateful to Ms. Qiang Wen， the author of this novel， for her experience and writing， which not only provides a new mirror image of family ties in contemporary literature from a woman’s perspective， but also looks toward the future， illuminating the way home for the countless lonely souls beyond blood ties.

Besides， Shi Yan is also a cherished cultural novel in which the author presents a stunning cultural landscape of Chongqing around historical scenes. Southwest archaeology in Shi Yan story， the once the natural ecology of Wan Yun Village in Million Scenery， ancient buildings and local customs in Wuling Mountain area in Merit Bowl， Buddhist temple architecture and tablet calligraphy culture in Cleanliness， and customs of Wuya Town style， the home of fine arts in Watercolor Class， as well as the taste of classical life in Cheongsam， are all written against the surface of the life of the times and reveal the glory of regional culture， and Qiang Wen’s identity as a scholar of regional culture beyond the novelist is thus revealed， further enhancing the cultural awareness value of Shi Yan， making it truly a masterpiece worthy of in-depth study in the field of Chinese women’s fiction in recent years.