深夜电话 （海外原创）
深夜电话
李公尚
前不久，我去亚洲公务旅行，到达北京的第四天，因时差的原因，晚饭后不久在宾馆房间的沙发上睡着了。一阵电话铃声把我吵醒，我瞥了一眼床头桌上的电子表，已是深夜两点多。我拿起电话，对方报上姓名，是一位朋友的女儿打来的。这位朋友家住四川，托我带了几份史料，说带到北京后，他让他在北京读大学的女儿来取。他自豪地告诉我，她女儿是学新闻的，现正放寒假，将来毕业后做电视节目主持人。他说他女儿是那所学校百里挑一的学生。
朋友的女儿在电话中说，她爸爸托我带的东西，前两天就让她来取，她总忘记，因为她觉得她爸爸要得东西都是些老古董，没什么要紧的。刚才她突然想起来，怕再忘了，所以连夜给我打电话。她希望我明天中午给她送去，并告诉我她的住址。我一边记录她的地址一边想：新闻和古董难得相互通融。我告诉她，晚饭后我和她爸爸通过电话，如果再不来取，我就打算把他要的资料直接寄给他。她女儿听了说：“那更好，就请你直接寄给他吧，省得你多跑一趟，我也省得麻烦。”
放下电话不久，电话铃又响了。我拿起电话，对方说：“请找任可欣。”任可欣就是半个小时前打电话来的那位朋友的女儿。通话的是位女士，带有明显的外地口音。我告诉她：任可欣不住在这里。
对方告诉我，她在京广中心饭店外的公用电话亭里捡到一个手提包，里面有钱包、手机和iPad。手机没电，钱包里的证件上有任可欣的名字和像片，还有一张写有我电话号码的纸条。
我告诉对方：任可欣半个小时前曾给我打过电话，可能是用这个公用电话打的，手提包很可能是她丢的。请留下地址，我想办法尽快通知她去取。对方犹豫了一下，让我记下她的电话号码，说：“我就在附近，她来取时打我的电话就行。可是过了早晨八点，我就离开了，我会把手提包交到附近的呼家楼派出所，她可以到派出所去取。”
放下电话，我通知服务台帮我订了一辆出租车，匆忙穿好衣服下楼出门。天下着蒙蒙冻雨，上了出租车一问，要去的地址离我住的宾馆较远。我心里奇怪，她深更半夜到京广中心去干什么？京广中心离我住的宾馆只有几站公共汽车的车程，她既然已经到了京广中心，为什么不顺便到我住的宾馆来一趟？
任可欣给我的地址是一个小区里的出租公寓。小区的保安陪着我，在她住的门外按了很长时间的门铃，一个身穿睡衣的男人焦躁地把门打开一条缝，伸头看了看，见是小区的保安，发火说：“半夜三更敲门干吗？你们保安吃多了撑的？想夜闯民宅入室抢劫啊？”保安指指我说：“这位先生想找任可欣，有急事……”
男人看了看我，学着一口京腔没好气地问：“你哪的？干什么的？知道不知道现在是深更半夜？有什么急事不能等到明天？火烧房子了还是死人了？火烧房子找消防队，死了人找救护车……”说着就要关门。我赶紧用脚顶住房门，告诉他任可欣的手提包丢了，现在有人找到了，让她抓紧去取。
男人愣了一下，转身回到房里。过了一会儿，任可欣衣冠不整地出来，我向她说明来意，她吃惊地说：“我的手提包丢了？不可能吧？你是给我爸爸梢东西来的吧？不是说好你给他寄去吗？我寒假不打算回家了，我在这里有很多事要做呢。”
我把我接到电话的事对她说了一遍，她身后的男人说：“别是骗子吧！现在又不是雷锋那年代，哪有拾金不昧的？”任可欣打断他，对我说他是她的学长……同乡……男朋友。她的男朋友说：“绝对是骗子，你的包一直是由我拿着来的……”
任可欣转身回到房里，找了一会儿，大声喊道：“真的，我的手提包不在！我打电话时是你抢着要给我拿的！”男人说：“我……我当时去招呼出租车……和出租车砍价，可是……？”任可欣对他发怒道：“包里有一万多块钱呢，是我这些天主持夜总会挣的……”任可欣转向我：“给你打电话的那个女人是干什么的？怎么会从深更半夜傻等到天亮？你说，那钱还能拿回来吗？”
看着这对年轻人，我无言以对。陪在旁边的保安说：“在京广中心饭店，到早晨才离开，应该是干我们这行的。一般保安捡到东西，都会交还给失主。”任可欣的男朋友说：“你们？交还失主？哼！那个女人为什么只说手提包里有钱包、手机和iPad，不说钱包里有钱？如果她把钱包里的钱私吞了，说捡到时就没有钱，谁能替我们证明！”任可欣狠狠瞪了男朋友一眼，说：“都怨你！整个晚上一直用手机玩儿游戏，你的手机没电了，又用我的玩儿！如果我的手机有电，也不会满世界去找公用电话！”男朋友委屈地说：“我一直在用手机给你联系业务…….”
我劝任可欣：“不妨先给捡到手提包的人打个电话问一下情况。”任可欣的男朋友说：“不要打电话，现在就直接去找她，免得打草惊蛇。”
我们找到京广中心饭店外那个电话亭，周围悄无声息，见不到任何人。远处几个身影，是清洁工，刚才我们的出租车路过他们，他们正各自在铲路边下水道口的积冰。任可欣的男朋友掏出电话，按我记下的电话号码拨过去，夜幕中几十米外的一个街角处，隐约响起了电话铃声。我们相互对视了一眼，循着电话铃声找去。
街角的路灯下，一团黄色物体正在地上蠕动。走近一看，是一个身穿黄色雨衣的清洁工，正从下水道的竖井里，头朝下脚朝上地往外退。电话铃声正是从那里发出的。
这名清洁工上身钻进下水道的竖井里，在用铲子敲打里面的积冰。她从冰冷的泥水中爬起身，摘下破旧的手套，抹一把蓬头垢面的脸庞，去掏腰间的电话。借着灯光，我看清这是一位五十多岁的女人，杂乱花白的头发贴在前额。她透过前额上流淌下的雨水，平静地看着我们。我向她说明来意，她仔细看了看任可欣，没有说话，转身走向附近停着的一辆人力三轮车。她挪开车里的工具，从底层拿出一个用几层塑料袋仔细包裹的手提包，默默交给任可欣。
任可欣接过手提包，他的男朋友急不可耐地说：“快看看，钱还在不在。他们这些外地民工最贪钱……”
女清洁工污浊沧桑的脸，顿时僵住了，悲苍地看着我们，目瞪口呆。等任可欣和她男朋友查验完手提包，她慢慢低下头转过身去，喃喃地说：“我想要钱，我通过干活能挣，我每天都挣钱，没想要别人的。”说着，戴上手套，趴到地上，默默将上身钻进下水道内。
我不由一震，心中无限苍凉。敢问：在这个最初以为底层最广大劳动者谋幸福作为立国之本的国度里，劳动者的后代还信奉“劳动者最高尚”吗？
我怜悯地看着身边的两个年轻人。任可欣从手提包里抽出一叠钱，捡起掉在泥水里的塑料袋包好，对着清洁工大声说：“谢谢你，大姐……这些钱……”
女清洁工用铲子不停地敲打着下水道里的冰块，始终没有抬起身来，甚至不回头看一眼。
2012年2月17日
于美国弗吉尼亚
这段见闻的英文版发表在CNN网站和EPISODE网站。附录英文版如下。我想，类似的事情曾发生在日本，有人记下发表后，读者无不颂扬。现在同样真实的事情发生在中国，中国人相信吗？但无论如何我还是写出来，传开去，因为人们的生活中需要美好，也需要发现美好。愿美好永存！
Calling at Night
By Li, Gongshang
Not long ago, I went to Asia for business travel. After four days of my arriving in Beijing，China, sometime after dinner I dozed off on sofa in my hotel room due to still the effect of time difference.
It was 2 o’clock AM while I glanced at e-clock on beside table when a phone ring woke me. I picked up the phone, it was the daughter of one of my Chinese friends who is a college student in one university of Beijing, connected me for fetching something for her father that I carried from US. Her father, my friend, living in Sichuan province, had asked me bring some stuff for his historiography studies during my travel to China, was always proud of his daughter，and stressed that the girl is studying journalism now and host will do after graduation in the future. I was told that his daughter is cream of the crop in the college. Now she was on her winter vacation.
The girl explained that her calling me at midnight is for her always being so absent-minded that she fluffed her connecting to me for fetching her father’s something, which she though not worth a fig, now she suddenly remembered to should; otherwise she would forget it soon.
She asked me send the fig that she called to her by the noon of the next day, and then told me her address. I jot down the address while I assumed rare the bones and the feathers could mutual accommodation between her father and her.
I told her that I just called her father after dinner time this evening; he agreed if you couldn’t show up by tomorrow, I would mail the stuff to him. The girl was so glad after the hearing, said: “Please! That so much the better, please directly to him. So you would save a lot of trouble and me either to.” Then she hung up me.
But the phone rang once more lately, I picked up the phone at, connected each other, the opposite end was a lady with heavy accent: “Could I talk to Miss Kexin Ren, please?” She said. Kexin Ren is the girl who called me for her father’s carry on half an hour before; I told her that Miss Ren is not here.
“I found a handbag in a public phone booth outside the entrance of the hotel Jing Guang Center,” the lady said: “the handbag with wallet, cell phone and iPad, the cell phone had no power, and some ID cards in the wallet have Miss Ren’s name and photo, still there is a note with your phone number now I called to.”
I told the lady Miss Ren phoned me half an hour ago, it must probably be the public phone by which she called me and the handbag in the booth was likely to be her. I asked the lady give an address and I would inform Miss Ren as soon as possible to get. “Well, I’m in the neighborhood,” The lady said after a little wavering: “when she coming, just call me, please.” She gave me her number: “But I have to leave by eight o’clock in the morning,” the lady added: “while I’ll give the handbag to police station Hujialou nearby, and she can pick it up there.”
The phone was hung up and I informed the front desk for booking a taxi right away, then got dressed and went downstairs to go out in a hurry. It was drizzly freezing rain, and the address I want to go was far from my hotel the taxi driver told. I wondered why Miss Ren came to Jing Guang Center at midnight. And Jing Guang Center only a few stops away from my hotel, since she had been there why not come to my hotel by the way?
I reached the address; Miss Ren lived in a neighborhood of apartments. One of the community security guards with me rang the doorbell outside the residence until a man in a nightgown testily opened the door a crack. The man headed out to look at, while he found it was a security guard outside, shouted angrily: “you a not nosed bastard had enough support! Are you trying to house robbery?” The escort pointed at me: “It is emergency call; this gentleman needs to talk with Miss Ren.”
Talk to Miss Ren?” the rude man howled with some accent while copied Beijing accent: “Who hell are you? Gentleman! And where you stupid come over? Don’t you know it is damned deep night right now? Someone is dead or something is afire? Get out of here bastard and call either ambulance or fire brigade if happened one of the both!”
I resisted the closing door with my foot while the young man was discourteously about to close the door, and told him: “Kexin Ren had lost her handbag and was found by somebody now; she had to go fetching it.
The man got an awkward pause after my words, and then turned back in the room. After a while Miss Ren came into view with a sloppy joe. I explained to her the reason I was there while she was gawking at me. “I lost my handbag?” She said with surprise: “How it comes? You are just taking something for my dad, right? Hadn’t I gotten your consent for your mailing it to my dad directly? But you know I’m not intending to go back home during my winter holiday, I have a lot of work to do.”
I told her the whole thing about the strange call I got, the man behind her scrambled to say: “it must be crooks! Now is not an age of revolutionary heroes, where have so much great?” Kexin Ren introduced the man behind her with embarrass: “this is my……schoolmate……fellow townsman…..actually, boyfriend.”
Miss Ren turned back to the room for a while and soon shouted: “Yes, my bag is not there, I did find it nowhere, it’s gone! She moaned at her boyfriend: “It was you who jostled to take my handbag while I was calling in phone booth.”
“I…..I was going to call taxi then,” Ren’s boyfriend disputed with her: “I was busy to bargain with the driver then…… and……”
“There was more than ¥10,000 in my handbag!” Miss Ren shouted angrily: “it was my earnings that I hosted nightclubs these days.”
Her boyfriend seemed seeing a wolf with opened mouth. Miss Ren turned to me looked very prickly: “What is the woman who called you? Why would she be so silly waiting to me at midnight till dawn? Do you think I can get the money back from her?”
To the tow young guys, I could say nothing. “Jing Guang Center, to leave in the morning,” The community security guard beside me took the words: “I think the lady should be a security guard just like me. Generally, for security reason, each of the security guards picks up something would definitely return them to its owner.”
“Do you? Returned to owner?” Ren’s boyfriend said contemptuously: “Why did the woman mention only the purse, cell phone and iPad in the handbag, but never talked about there still are so much money in the wallet? If she pocketed the money and told there was no money inside the bag, who can testify for us?”
“It was all you made so much trouble!” Miss Ren glared her boyfriend and quarreled heatedly: “you used mobile phone playing games all night till your phone dead, and then continued playing by my cell phone. If my cell phone had power, never did I to find public phone all over.” Her boyfriend wrong to excuse: “I’ v been contacted business for you by the cell phone……”
“Perhaps you should call the lady who picked up your bag to ask first.” I advised Kexin Ren. “No! Don’t!” Ren’s boyfriend snapped back: “don’t call her now! We should go direct to her immediately, lest the sleeping dogs lie.”
Three of us went to find the phone booth outside the Jing Guang Center, where was silence by surrounded and not to see any person. Several figures in the distance, we took a taxi just passed by them, who were a few cleaners, were shoveling ice chunk mounted up on roadside sewer drain.
Ren’s boyfriend dialed the lady who had left the number; it seemed there was vague ring voice come over from a corner of a street dozens of meters away. Three of us looked at each other, and followed the ring reached there.
At the corner under a street lamp, a yellow body was squirming on the ground; we approached it while saw a cleaner in a yellow raincoat was drawing back her upper body out from the sewer chimney drain. The phone ring was out there.
The cleaner was breaking down the lump ice with a shovel while put her upper body into the chimney drain. She crawled up and got out of the cold water on the ground, took off her worn out gloves, wiped her dirty face with the back of her hand and then touched her cell phone in her waist.
By the light, I saw this is a woman about 50 years plus old, with some thin messy gray hair on her forehead. She watched three of us friendly through the rain water flowing down on her face. I explained the reason that we looked for her, she looked thoroughly at Kexin Ren, did not say any words, and soon turned into a rickshaw which parked nearby. She moved some working tools in the top of the cart and took out a handbag covered with several plastic bags, silently handed over to Kexin Ren.
Kexin Ren received the handbag while her boyfriend was eager to push: “Check it immediately, to see if the money still be there! These migrant workers are usually the greediest for money.”
Suddenly, the face in cleaner was straight and stiff with mess and hoary, she looked at us dumbfounded. After both Kexin Ren and her boyfriend checked on the handbag, the cleaner slowly lowed her head and turned away, murmured: “I need money, but I can earn it through my work, I make money every day, didn’t mean to others.” With the words, she put on her gloves, and lying on the ground, silently put her upper body into the sewer.
There was a great shock and countless sadness in my heart, I watched the both young guys with pity. Kexin Ren then took a bundle of money from her handbag and wrapped it with the plastic bags she picked up from dirty water, spoke to the cleaner: “I thank you, lady……this money……”
The cleaner kept banging on the ice in the drain with a shovel, and never lift up, didn’t even looked back over us.
February 16th , 2016
Arlington Virginia