米子

695，巨鹿路上一里弄號。

2017年初春去上海，又不知不覺走向695。

是個陽光淡淡的日子。走進弄口，吹來一陣冷風。是風寒？是心境？天色有些陰沉下來，下垂的雙手撫摩褲縫，不知邁步拾階，還是并攏佇立。抬頭瞥見朱紅木門，拜識畫界前輩賀友直先生的諸多往事，尤其是他濃濃的鄉(xiāng)情，像打開了記憶歲月的錄像機，一一回放。

初次拜訪是2009年的一個夏日，那時因為在組織策劃《慈孝句章》連環(huán)畫創(chuàng)作，欲聘請賀先生為顧問，便從寧波去上海。拜訪的三人都與賀先生不熟。作為具體聯(lián)系人的我，怕生頭陌腳的窘迫，特意從收藏連環(huán)畫的朋友處拿來賀先生繪畫的《十五貫》《李雙雙》等影響數(shù)代人的連環(huán)畫，一方面想請賀先生簽名留念，一方面用以聯(lián)絡感情、拉近距離。

進得賀先生家門坐下，我們說明來意。接著，我興致勃勃地恭敬遞上連環(huán)畫。

“是我的作品嗎？”對著家鄉(xiāng)客人，賀先生笑瞇瞇地問，但沒有接手，而是立起站到書桌前，拿過新出版的《賀友直說畫》，邊翻邊談他對連環(huán)畫創(chuàng)作的見地：人物構造，畫面細節(jié)，還有小動物、小道具、小動作之類的“小四”……賀先生婉轉作了拒簽。我有些尷尬，也不免沮喪，怎么向朋友交待呢？我很快意識到自己的冒失，就專心聽賀先生說畫，他說的是畫，而對我的寫作亦有所啟發(fā)。說著說著，賀先生又讓我們欣賞了他白描大半幅的《黃浦江圖》。

家鄉(xiāng)之情勝過一切，賀先生爽快答應擔任顧問。我們一直沉浸于賀先生的畫論與他的畫作之間，已記不清那天告別離開的情景，只記得車上了高速沒多久，賀先生打來電話，告知我的眼鏡遺忘在他那里。那語音似乎映出先生一臉的和藹并坦然，耳邊又響起他的發(fā)問——是我的作品嗎？驀地，我釋然，婉拒簽名中包含著前輩的謙遜。

再去695，莫約在一個月后，是為請賀先生作序一事?？邕M書房，我看到書桌上放著我的眼鏡，由一塊半舊的淡黃色的擦鏡布墊著。我戴上眼鏡，不知該說什么，只是眼巴巴望著賀先生。賀先生給我倒好開水，笑瞇瞇地疊好擦鏡布。

談完事，我拿出素描本請賀先生留墨寶。賀先生接過去嗖嗖幾筆，潔白的紙上留下自畫像。由此我才知道，那年先生米壽。

印象還是在2009年，拙作《慈城年糕的文化記憶》撰著接近尾聲，有文友提供賀先生曾繪有年糕畫的信息。我打電話表達將該畫用作插圖、以期蓬蓽生輝的意思，賀先生直爽回應：“寧波人的東西自然要給寧波用的。”真的好感動。我當即萌發(fā)人如其名“友（愛）直（爽）”的感想，反復絮叨幾遍。

打那以后去上海，我大都會去695，探望賀先生，送上一些夏日的楊梅、冬至的年糕等土特產(chǎn)。一次，賀先生說，楊梅真甜，可惜血糖高，不能多吃。聽說血糖高宜吃火龍果，以后我就在695口子上的水果店買幾只火龍果，以表對先生的敬意。

2012年的冬日，我因另一拙作《再尋麒麟童》去上海，想請賀先生談談周信芳先生，用于書中“名家談名家”一節(jié)。賀先生是個戲迷，小辰光學生意時，就在黃金大戲院看過麒麟童京戲，他說周先生的戲演得真好，人家多稱麒麟童為“麒老牌”，但那辰光勿曉得麒麟童祖籍寧波。他又說自己不懂京劇，若要了解戲劇界的情況，他可介紹這方面的行家。熱心可見一斑。正聊著，來了電話，沒講幾句，賀先生以接待家鄉(xiāng)客人為由掛了電話。他已視我為忘年之交。

賀先生拿出金黃色的獎狀似的本子，說是寧波美術館聘他為藝術委員會專家。我請賀先生與聘書拍張照片，說：“賀老師是阿拉寧波寶貝?！辟R先生忙說“瞎講瞎講”……賀師母告訴我，賀先生新繪一幅做年糕圖，被寧波一收藏家收藏，她讓我去拍照留存……

之后，逢年過節(jié)雖都向賀先生電話問候，但那天下午的拜訪竟成最后相見。2016年我在法國探親，從電子報上看到賀先生仙逝的消息，想起近年來我們的交往，不禁傷神悲慟。初夏回國，我專門去695，很想親手遞交幾張照片給賀先生。站在朱紅木門所掛的綠皮信箱前，我不禁自問：“此能通往天堂嗎？”

2017年初春，我再次從695的弄口走向弄底，耳邊不時傳來上海人家糯滴滴、軟綿綿的“儂”音，又回想賀先生由“儂”引出的一席話。賀先生說的是地道寧波話，從麒麟童說到京劇流派，又談到甬劇金彩香，他說：“阿拉寧波甬劇口白的‘你不是嘔（叫）‘儂，而是嘔‘魚糯也……”好一個“魚糯”（音近寧波話中“5”的讀音），恍惚是時空的穿越，那不是童年刻錄于記憶里的老阿太的叫法嗎？賀先生緩緩而道，言語間含著他對家鄉(xiāng)傳統(tǒng)的永不能割舍的情感。

695，是一條普通的里弄，有普通的小樓房，它曾讓我走近，讓我回首，讓我悼念一位來自家鄉(xiāng)的普通的藝壇前輩。

Setting foot in Shanghai again in the early springtime chill earlier this year， I couldnt help walking into an alley off Julu Road. Walking up the stairs that lead to a scarlet wooden door with the doorplate numbered ‘695， I felt the chill in my heart and my mind was full of flashbacks.

On a summer day in 2009， my two colleagues and I visited He Youzhi at his home in Shanghai for a comic book project I was working on， bringing with me two comic books borrowed from a collector friend of mine.

The artist greeted us with a smile on his face and happily agreed to take the role as the art advisor of the project we were working on – probably because of the feelings for his hometown， but declined to sign the comic books I brought. Instead， he stood up and showed us a reprinted . Flipping through the book， he shared his thoughts about character design and the presentation of graphic details such as animals and props. He then showed us his recreation of the famous painting Huangpu River.

On our way back， I got a call from the artist kindly telling me I left my glasses at his home.

I met He Youzhi again about a month later to talk about possibilities of his contribution to the books preface. I saw my glasses covered with a used lens cleaner on his desk. I put on my glasses， not knowing what to say. After clumsily explaining why I was there again， I took out a sketch book for the artist to draw. He finished a self portrait within a few minutes.

Also in 2009， I phoned the artist for possibilities of his contributing to my book about the rice cake tradition of Cicheng. Much to my surprise， I got his quick reply assuring me that he was happy to do something for someone who is also from his hometown.

Ever since then， Id try my best to visit him whenever I got a chance to go to Shanghai， bringing him seasonal fruits and snacks， such as waxberry and rice cake， from Ningbo.

The following years saw our friendship intensify. In the winter of 2012， we had a chat about famous Peking Opera artist Zhou Xinfang during my visit to his home. Excusing himself as “not know much about Peking Opera”， he offered to recommend other Peking Opera experts for me. Again I was moved by the mans kindness， and felt his love for his hometown in his strong Ningbo dialect.

At the end of the talk， the artist showed me a certificate granted by the Ningbo Art Museum. “Why not go find the collector who purchased one of his recent works about the rice cake of Ningbo and take a picture of the work， if you are interested？” The artists wife chipped in.

The visit in 2012 turned out to be our last meeting with each other. The news about the illustrators passing away at the age of 94 came when I was visiting my family in France in 2016.