Better than the Most Romantic Words

By Wu Sesi

I'm a cool-minded person by nature. I don't believe that people need to say a lot in their whole lives. You needn't chat in full swing with someone who really knows you； a smile between you two will do, no matter how long a time has elapsed.

During my summer vacation as a junior college student, I followed some seniors to make a documentary film on the earliest female diplomat in new China. What impressed us most during the filming was her relationship with her husband in their shared years.

She was born into an intellectual family and went abroad to study in her young age. Then she came back and shared her destiny with China and went through the turbulent years of the 20th century with her nation. Even at such an old age, she was still quick-witted and kept the good habit of making herself up before meeting people. Her husband was a scientist, who would happily follow her every day, bringing her bird cage around and carrying her bag. After three days of filming, I found there was little to say between them, but they would support each other each time they rose to their feet.

My manuscript was written in a brief manner, and I expressed to her that I was afraid that the film was not long enough and I hoped that they would behave as usual. The diplomat laughed heartily, “That's the way we live. You're still young, my boy. Life is long, and there are not so many romantic words to say. We're good as long as we can see each other.” It was the same as what my mother said. I think it's like traveling together by train. If you don't talk, it will be awkward, but it will be even more awkward if you talk too long, because there are only a few topics which we know how to start or end. Nothing is more boring than to keep up a dry conversation. When a couple can sit side by side to see the scenery as they make small talks, it is better than the most romantic words.

(FromThe Convexconcave Relativity, Beijing Joint Publishing Company. Translation: Qing Run)

我天性涼薄，不相信人和人可以一輩子有很多話說。和真正了解你的人，絕不需要天天聊得熱火朝天，而是無論隔多久，只需要相視一笑。

大三假期，我跟著前輩拍紀錄片。拍攝對象是中國最早的一位女外交官，她最引以為豪的是百歲之年和丈夫一直相處得和睦愉快。

女外交官出生書香門第，年輕時漂洋過海，一生和國家共命運，歷經崢嶸歲月。即便到了這個年歲，依然反應敏捷，保持著見人就化妝的優雅習慣。丈夫是個科學家，樂呵呵地每天跟在妻子后面，遛個鳥兒，提個包。跟拍了三天，他們之間基本沒什么話說，倒是每次起身都相互攙扶。

我的稿子寫得簡要，怕片子時長不夠，以為兩人拘謹，就希望他們按平時的狀態來。外交官笑了：“我們平時就這樣啊。孩子你還小，一輩子那么長，哪有那么多話，能看得見就好。”這和我媽說的一樣。我想，這就好像一起坐列車長途旅行，不聊尷尬，聊長了更尷尬，因為話題就那么多，找不到開頭，也結束不了，無趣的莫過于沒話找話。愛人之間，有一搭沒一搭，能并肩坐在一起，看看風景，勝過最好聽的情話。

（摘自《凹凸相對論》北京聯合出版公司）