What happened to Gu Cheng's son?

I haven't read Gu Cheng's poems, and I don't know his life. It's just that after I came to New Zealand, many domestic friends asked me if I had ever been to "Rapids Island", so on a rainy morning, I took a boat to this idyllic island with a sense of loss and curiosity.

The moment I set foot on a foreign guest, I was more excited than confused. Although I'm not sure why I came here, I think it should be a pleasant trip.

Waihek is an island in the north of Auckland. Industry and commerce on the island are not very developed. There are no crowded traffic, high-rise buildings, large supermarkets, or even KFC and McDonald's. Locals say it's like Auckland in the 1960s, and everything seems so quiet and peaceful. There are 23 vineyards, large and small, all over the island. Most tourists here will never miss the opportunity to taste wine, so vineyards and wine have become the unique and beautiful scenery on the island.

I thought it was easy to find the information about Gu Cheng on the island, but when I asked in the information center, the other party refused to tell me the address of Gu Cheng's former residence on the grounds of "private events". Finally, I can only take out a business card that my friend gave me before leaving, and dial a phone call to the owner of this business card with a try attitude.

The owner of this business card is Kevin, an Australian immigrant of about 60 years old. He served in the navy when he was young. After retiring, he married an Italian girl and lived on the island, running a real estate agency. Kevin is very enthusiastic. After hearing my purpose clearly, he invited me to his office and offered to drive me to the former residence of Gucheng himself. In the face of his enthusiasm, I am a little at a loss. When I drove to the door of Kevin's office, I saw a tall and burly man in black standing on the side of the road looking around. After a brief introduction, I got on his car and started my journey of "looking for Gu Cheng".

Kevin told me that although he lived on this island for nearly thirty years, they didn't know Gu Cheng before he died, but after Gu Cheng died, they suddenly seemed to have a wonderful relationship. It turned out that about ten years ago, a couple from China visited Gu Cheng's former residence and stumbled upon him. The couple can hardly speak English, but Kevin understood the purpose of the couple's visit with a book of poems from Gu Cheng and some simple English words, and took them to the house where Gu Cheng lived before his death. In the following days, every year or two, people would ask around and ask Kevin for help. Kevin said it was a very amazing thing.

Kevin first took me to meet a local on the island, Jeff. Jeff's son and Gu Cheng's son are very good friends. Gu Cheng's son often goes to Jeff's house. Jeff told me that Gu Cheng's son is very old now, but he can't speak Chinese and doesn't like to talk about his parents with others. It turned out that Gu Cheng entrusted him to a Maori before his death, but after Gu Cheng's death, Gu Cheng's sister filed a lawsuit with the Maori for the custody of the child and finally won the case. But now children still live on both sides, both sides. According to Jeff, Gu Cheng is a strange person in their eyes. He often walks around wearing a tall hat. Gu Cheng never speaks or learns English. Most of their daily life depends on their wife Xie Ye to communicate with people in English. Jeff also said that Xie Ye is a very nice lady. She is very friendly and popular with everyone. Of course, there are still people on this island who sympathize with her, because Gu Cheng still lives with another woman. Although they say that this woman is Xie Ye's sister, everyone knows that that woman should be his lover. When I was saying goodbye to Jeff, he suddenly asked me, do you China men live with many wives at the same time? In the face of this simple island resident, I can only answer him with a wry smile, saying that men in China long ago could do the same.

After saying goodbye to Jeff, Kevin and I continued our journey. A large flat land disappeared behind us and we drove all the way up the mountain road. It took Kevin about ten minutes to park his car on the mountain road. He pointed to an old house hidden halfway up the mountain and said to me, this is what I have been looking for. I walked up a slope covered with weeds on both sides, and a red and green two-story building appeared in front of my eyes. The house is made of wood and is somewhat damaged. I looked through the window on the first floor, and there were some articles scattered on a single bed. It seems that someone once came back to live here, perhaps Gu Cheng's son came back occasionally. There is a lot of rubbish left under the porch. I tried to connect these things with Gu Cheng, Xie Ye and Yinger, but it is still hard to imagine how these three people lived an unimaginable life here. One man and two women, is this love really love? Whether mentally or physically, maybe they are torturing each other. I couldn't bear to think about it any more, and I couldn't bear to see it any more, so I took a picture in a hurry and left.

When I came back to town from the mountains with Kevin, I suddenly felt as if I had returned to civilization from primitive people. I asked Kevin, aren't these people who live in the mountains lonely? Kevin told me with a smile that in fact, many people on this island live a semi-secluded life, perhaps for different reasons, but they enjoy everything here, which is enough. Finally, Kevin invited me to his house to meet his wife and little daughter. Seeing the closeness of their family, I feel a little sour. This photo reminds me of my parents in China. When I was about to leave, Kevin hugged me and kissed me politely. He repeatedly told me that if a friend came to Gu Cheng next time, I would call him one day in advance and he could pick me up at the dock. I don't know why Lei Feng's name suddenly appeared in my mind at that moment. Perhaps it was because Kevin was kind and warm to a strange friend like me.

Before I set out by boat, I drove to a small vineyard, sat on the terrace with a white shed, sipping mellow white wine, but I felt a sense of uncertainty in my heart. In order to visit the ancient city, I came to this small island and met a strange but enthusiastic Kevin. Although they once lived on the same island, they had two completely different fates. The happiness of life is actually very simple. A soul imprisoned by itself will never find true happiness. Facing life, we really should be happier and stronger.