By Yue Daiyun

In 1927,my father Yue Senwei returned to his hometown after graduation.Some of his schoolmates had attempted to persuade him to work in Nanjing or Wuhan,but he insisted on going back to Guizhou Province,to his hometown.He planned to start a family and enjoy a happy and leisurely life there.

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My father enjoyed a sweet and happy life when he settled down in Guiyang,the capital of Guizhou Province.

He was a neophile.He liked wearing Western-style suits and often held a gentleman’s walking cane.He taught foreign languages,played violin,hosted dance parties,and criticized the local warlords in newspapers.He also made friends with church ministers and priests,practicing oral English,exchanging stamps,reading magazines,and drinking coffee with them.

His proudest moment after returning to his hometown was marrying my mother.She was ten years younger than him,and was the campus belle of the School of Art in the Women’s Normal University.They made their family the warm haven he had dreamed about for ages.

My father had four brothers.When my grandpa passed away,they decided to divide the family property.My father asked for nothing but the small back garden tended by my grandpa in his late years.

In the garden,there used to be an old building with upturned eaves,on which hung a plaque that read “Xiang Xue Hall,” where rows of magnolia and bauhinia flowers were grown,a big stone tank with golden fish was lying inside,and an old ginkgo tree towering over the scene.

1927年，父亲乐森玮学成还乡。同学中有人劝他去南京，有人劝他去武汉，他都不听，一心要回贵州家乡，建立小家庭，享人间温暖，尽山林之乐。

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回到贵阳，父亲很是风光了一阵。

他穿洋装，教洋文，手提文明棍；拉提琴，办舞会，还在报上骂军阀，都是开风气之先。他喜欢和教堂的神父、牧师交往，练练口语，换换邮票，看看杂志，喝喝咖啡之类。

父亲当年回乡最得意之事，就是娶了我母亲，比他年轻10 多岁，她是当年女子师范艺术系的校花，从此筑成他多少年来朝思暮想的温馨小家。

祖父去世，五兄弟分家，父亲放弃其他一切，只要了祖父晚年刻意培植的小小后花园。

花园里原有一座带飞檐的旧楼，挂着“湘雪堂”的牌匾，种着许多玉兰花和紫荆花，还有一口养金鱼的大石缸。高大的银杏树有很多年头了。

My father renovated the garden thoroughly.He first bought a lot of magazines on Western architecture and interior decoration,and then designed a beautiful building in Western style,which was quite rare in Guiyang in the early 1930s.

My father was very satisfied with his work.He often threw family parties on weekends.The invited guests danced the waltz,foxtrot,and tango there,and he himself taught the new dances to others.While the adults joined in the dances,we kids ate up all the prepared candies and cookies.

It was the happiest time in my father’s life.

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Unfortunately,all the schools had to be relocated to evade Japanese bombings in late 1939.The No.1 High School in Guiyang,where my father worked,was moved to Wudang Village,about 3 miles away from downtown.They first had classes at a local temple,and then built some thatched cottages as classrooms.The faculty and staff had to live in the small,leased farmhouses.

In such a hard time,my father still maintained his romantic nature.He rented a grain barn against a hill.The barn was built on high ground,with no other buildings around—only a spacious threshing floor in front.

Our family of four lived almost one year in this barn.Despite the turmoil of war,my father managed to create a happy and carefree life for us.We often watched the sunset and had picnics on the hilltop.My brother and I had a lot of fun rolling around on the grassy hills,picking up wild flowers and red pod beans,and pulling bulrushes.My mother would knit the bulrushes to make whisk brooms to sweep the barn.

父亲对这个花园进行了彻底改造。他买来许多外国建筑和室内装饰杂志，自己设计了一幢美丽的小洋楼。那还是20世纪30年代初期，在贵阳确是绝无仅有。

父亲对自己的杰作满意极了。他常常举行周末家庭舞会，宾客云集，华尔兹、狐步舞、探戈，都从这里传播开去。他们在里屋舞兴正酣，我们几个小孩则在外屋把准备好的糖果点心吃个够。

这是父亲一生中最快乐的几年。

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好景不长，大约是1939年末，学校疏散的命令下达，父亲所在的贵阳一中奉命迁到离市区10 余里的农村乌当。先是在一个大庙里上课，后来又修建了一些简陋的草房，教员则挤在租来的民房里。……