"Coria" movie script
Text/ [Czech] Z. Svilak
Translation/Dai Guangxi
The string quartet played Dvorak’s music in harmony. The acoustics of this hall are very good, but it is not like a concert hall. The concert hall should be more spacious, and the first violinist will not have a bottle of beer at his feet, the cellist will not take off his shoes to play, and the second violinist will not let people see an electric tea kettle behind him. There was just a puff of steam coming out of the spout.
After looking around all four players in turn, we fixed our eyes on the cellist. He should be observed carefully, because he is our protagonist Frantisek Lauuka.
Take a look at Lauuka’s beard and hair. Not long ago, it could be said to be like "black pepper mixed with salt", but now there is probably only "salt" left, and even the "salt" on the head is almost gone, because His hair has fallen very thin. Experienced people would guess that his age is about 55 years old. However, the two eyes under Lauuka's high forehead are still very impressive. In general, he is a vigorous person.
For example, now, the whistle of the sound of the kettle pierced Dvořák’s intoxicating and harmonious music like a sharp cone. Lauuka immediately caught the half-beat pause, and used the bow of the cello to flex the whistle. The lid of the pot fell to the ground.
The lid of the ringing pot rolled to the side of a pair of high-heeled women's shoes. In these shoes are the feet of two very beautiful women. We followed the feet curiously and scanned our eyes from bottom to top, and then we saw a skirt with attractive buttocks wrapped around it. This is the buttocks of 45-year-old blonde woman Clara Kouzkaya. With a sweater over her shoulders, one hand stretched out to the front, holding a page of score in her hand (Clara should have worn glasses, but she doesn't want to wear it now), and she began to sing.
Her beautiful mezzo-soprano lingered on the beams of the room and bounced back from there. Now, her singing fell to the depths of the hall and into the ears of the relatives of the deceased. They were gathering In the funeral hall of the Strasnitsky Crematorium, the coffin covered with wreaths was staring with tear-stained eyes.
The cellist paused again. Lauuka flipped over a page of music, and he took advantage of the gap to reach out and touch the female singer's tight ass as he sang hard. It was obviously not the first time that Lauuka did this, but Clara was suddenly attacked anyway. She suddenly sang an 8th high note, and several relatives of the deceased who knew a little music even exchanged questioning glances.
While singing a high 8th note, the female singer took a step forward, she wanted to leave this dangerous zone, but to no avail. The next few beats didn’t require the cellist’s performance, so the shameless old man took the opportunity to use the cello’s long bow to pick Clara’s skirt, and kept picking it up. His three colleagues were interested in it. He squinted at the play, but the music of Dvorak was not affected by it.
The music stopped, and a curtain closed behind the coffin next to the stove, and several band members began to pack their belongings.
The female singer Clara turned around. She looked at Lauuka who was hurriedly putting on her shoes and let out a sigh of relief.
Female singer: You hate! When will you grow up? !
When she walked past these players, she slapped Lauuka on the back of the head, but it was not vicious, but friendly.
Bekarek (the first violinist, bending over to the teapot while asking): Who wants coffee?
Clara: I want.
The musician who played the viola also agreed with her to ask for coffee.
Bekarek: What about you, Franta (Note 1)?
Lauuka: I don't want it anymore, I'm busy leaving.
Lauuka puts his large musical instrument in a worn-out violin case.
Bekarek: Ah, you always have your own show. (Pours boiling water into the cup) Lauuka, you will be rich. You make money everywhere...
Lauuka (lowered her voice and begged): This is also for subsistence! Yalta (Bekalek’s nickname), lend me 100 crowns and I will pay you back on Monday.
The first violinist looked in his wallet and gave him a green banknote of 100 kronor.
Lauuka (he promised him): I will pay you back.
The cellist carried the violin case on his back, like a thick and heavy gun tied to a belt.
Bekarek: I know, or I wouldn't lend it to you (I am busy pouring coffee while answering).
When Lauuka went out and the door behind him slammed shut, Bekarek shook his head.
Bekarek: Look at his life! Such a performer...
Clara: Who of you knows what he did?
The female singer asked, putting a small sugar substitute into her cup.
A crowded tram stopped at the "crematorium" station. Although it was a bit weird, Lauuka, who was carrying such a heavy violin, squeezed into the car. When the car door closed, the hem of his windbreaker was clamped, and a corner of the hem was exposed outside the car door.
Now Frantisek Lauuka has hurriedly walked through the crowd in black mourning clothes like a clever ghost. He carried his violin case along an uphill road towards the Motortsky cremation. field.
The sound of stringed instruments came from the sound of playing lingering under the beams of the funeral hall.
This time the relatives of the deceased asked to play Phoebeh's (Note 2) "Poems".
Panting, Lauuka hurriedly took the cello out of the box. On the way to the music stand, he tightened the ponytail on the bow and immediately joined the ranks of the players.
Musil (pipe organ player): Ah, you are finally here.
The organ player greeted Raúuka, and his two short-sighted eyes looked at Raúka with reproach from the top of his glasses.
In the car parking lot, Lauuka puts his musical instrument into Musir’s "Walterburg-Comby" car, while continuing to flatter Musir.
Lauuka: Your car is really good. So spacious...
Musiel: Then you should at least buy a "Trabant" (close the door of the suitcase angrily), or you can't make it anywhere. Franta, don't feel wronged, it's a fact. There are cellists around me. Of course it's not as good as you, but it's okay to play at the funeral. What else can you ask me to do for you?
Lauuka (getting into the car): I understand, please forgive me.
Their car drove along the bustling streets of Prague. Passing by the gates of many agencies and enterprises, groups of workers happened to come out of these gates and crowded on the sidewalk. However, only female employees can attract the attention of these two friends in the car. A female worker wanted to run to the safety island in the middle of the roadway, but at the last moment she changed her mind and Musiel nearly ran into her.
Lauuka: It is a sin to crush such a girl.
When the car's brakes stopped screaming, the girl smiled apologetically and ran to the tram.
Musil (agreeing): You are right, that's it.
In an instant he took off his glasses, breathed a sigh of relief towards the lenses, and wiped them with the welt of his shirt.
Lauuka looked back at the girl again.
Lauuka: She is a beautiful girl.
He then asked Musir a question.
Lauuka: Listen, how much does it cost to buy a Trabant now?
Musir: The old one or the new one?
Lauuka: The old one.
Musiel: You should buy a "comby"... well, twenty thousand to twenty five thousand.
Lauuka blew a whistle.
On the pavement on the right in front of them were three girls in miniskirts. Musiel slowed down, so the two old satyrs greedily watched the common pedestrians on the street as they watched some rare things.
Musir saw in the rearview mirror that a car behind with the headlights signaled him not to stop.
Musil: Okay, I'll drive, I'll drive, urging ghost.
The organ player increased the throttle. When the "Walterburg" car caught up with the girls, Musiel looked back and wanted to see the girls from the front, but he immediately regretted it.
Musiel: Let me tell you, they look better from the back.
Lauuka (smiling): But I didn't look back. To me, they are beautiful forever and to death.
Musiel: Listen, Franta, you have followed your symphony orchestra all over the world... How did you play with women in those places? Those French women, Italian women, mulatto women...
Lauuka: Oh, no. I do not understand a foreign language. Anyway, I can always please those women at first, but how can I talk if the language doesn't work?
Musiel smiled.
Musil: Isn't that also possible for Russian women, huh? Do you want a Russian woman?
Lauuka: I don't understand even Russian. Ay, you mean, you can buy a car with twenty thousand crowns? Oh no, I can't figure out this number...
Frantisek is climbing the stairs of his home in the community with his musical instrument. He is still holding a bottle wrapped in paper and a bag of food. He is tired from walking and intends to take a breath.
A neighbor in work clothes ran downstairs from him.
Neighbor: Hello, master of art!
Lauuka: I'm afraid I can't afford this title.
Neighbor: Are you coming back from the concert? How did you react there?
Lauuka: Nothing better (more like answering yourself).
Neighbor: I'm going to fix the brakes (I have already walked downstairs).
Lauuka: Do you fix it yourself?
Neighbor: Yes, I do everything by myself.
On the fifth floor, the wide staircase became a narrow staircase leading to the top floor. Lauuka is now climbing up.
He opened a dilapidated door with a few handwritten characters on the door:
"Don't ring the bell! Knock on the door!"
He picked up the newspaper and two bills from the ground and sighed sadly, as if to say:
"Bills, bills, you are green monsters, you can't fill it up!"
So we saw Lauuka living in the top floor.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, you can see the spine of a book on the shelf, an old-style hanger and a wide bed that was not made up in the morning. Lauuka opened the window to let the room ventilate, but the two pigeons outside the window were frightened and flew. When we looked out together with Lauuka, we felt that it was indeed worthwhile to climb this top floor. What we saw before our eyes seemed to be the baroque bell tower of the Saint Nicholas church written by the old craftsman. Adjacent to it, like a fine double-horned hat, is the Prague Castle.
Lauuka was lying on the bed without taking off his clothes. He grabbed the phone, put it on his chest, and dialed the number.
Raulka; is that you, Guerenka? This is Lauuka. I'm a little sad for some reason, do you know, who am I thinking about? Miss you! Come on...you won't be frustrated and spend the night on my top floor, will you? Ah, you are going to the theater! I don't blame you, how can I blame you...Of course, I will call you again. Okay, go ahead. goodbye!
Frantisek pressed the button of the phone and dialed another number from memory.
Lauuka: Is that you, Ruzi? This is Lauuka. I'm a little sad for some reason, do you know, who am I thinking about? Miss you! Ah, he is at home! Okay, goodbye!
The unlucky flower-seeking person who asked Liu hung up the microphone, sighed, and got up for dinner. He took out two croissants and a piece of jelly from the paper bag. After sitting down at the table, he turned on the transistor radio. Obviously, he often listened to the "Free Europe" radio station. He put a "Youth Front" newspaper upright in front of him, and read the newspaper while eating ham.
The announcer of the "Free Europe" radio station broadcasted this content: The communist system is dying in Czechoslovakia. But a headline in the newspaper is quite different from this: "Socialism-Our Unshakable Pillar." Observing carefully, you can find that the sound from the radio made the newspaper tremble slightly.
Lauuka uncovered the one-liter bottle of "Wavrschnetsky" red wine, but after a while, he changed his mind and wrapped the paper again.
He flipped through the newspaper and turned to the page where the advertisement was posted. The small type of these notices forced him to wear glasses, through which we can see:
If you want to buy a "Flixwagen" car, you can also use an old car.
Willing to sell the "Trabant" 601/77, with deflated wings, priced at 20,000 yuan.
Raulka: A car with a deflated wing sold for 20,000...This is simply plunder...
Frantisek muttered angrily. While continuing to read the newspaper, he took off his pants and went to bed. The little lamp above my head illuminates a picture hung on the wall in a frame. This is a group photo with an inscription below: Prague Music Association. 1986. Among some cellists, we saw Lauuka. He was wearing a tuxedo with a bow tie around his neck, and a happy smile appeared on his face.
early morning. The birds tweeted and sang. There were no people on the cemetery outside the Strasnicki crematorium, only an old lady was cleaning a tomb with a rake.
Lauuka: Hello!
He talked with the old lady.
Old lady: Hello...
The widow was a little at a loss. She straightened up, and was a little dizzy when she stood up. She shook.
Lauuka: I'm looking at your inscription, and I think: It's better to fix the inscription.
Lauuka nodded to the tombstone, and the words on the tablet were only damaged: Otto Goracic...
Old lady: Of course it can be repaired. Otherwise, the inscription is all worn out.
This Mrs. Gorachkova agreed with Lauuka's view.
Lauuka: I can do exactly this.
Old lady (do not understand): What are you doing?
Lauuka (patted his bag): Fix the inscription.
The old lady looked at him suspiciously.
Lauuka: And it's not expensive. (To be more explicit) 5 crowns for each gold letter and 3 crowns for the silver letter. I suggest you use gold letters, because silver is easy to disappear on this kind of stele.
Old lady (echoed): Silver is not good. So, how much does it cost to complete the whole job?
Lauuka: The amount of work is not large (a finger sliding on the inscription):
Otto Goracik
Sleep here and rest
1905—1979
Lauuka: 36 letters, a total of 180 crowns. And it will look great after repairing!
Old lady (surprised): Why is it so expensive?
Lauuka opened his bag and took out a vial with golden paint. He took the vial in front of Mrs. Gorachkova. The paint flickered in the sun.
Lauuka: Because this is crushed pure gold. Do you see these scales? This shows that these are all pure gold.
Old lady: Of course, it should be...
The old lady hesitated looking at the half-worn inscription.
Lauuka: Unfortunately, there are two T letters in your husband's name (pointing to the tombstone), or you can save a full 5 crowns! Do you think this should be done? I will give you a free gilding of the number, which will be added to the company's account. That is to say, you can subtract 40 krona, the one-word line symbol, don’t count... the total is 140 krona. How about this, okay?
Old lady (with a relaxed sigh): All right, do you have to pay in advance?
Raulka: Don't worry... the next time you come back, hand over the money, here, that guy will do it, he will pass it on to me.
Lauuka put on the blue overalls that he took out of his bag.
Lauuka: You have to remove the old paint from the beginning (wipe the inscription with a rag dipped in solvent). If your husband is enlightened, he should not object (a sentence pops up suddenly).
Old lady: Oh, then you don't know him! He spends every krona...Ah, what are you talking about!
The old lady remembered that her husband was dead, and waved.
A shout: Franta!
The shout came from the funeral building of the crematorium. Lauuka turned around.
Violinist Bekarek was standing on a path, and he gestured to play the violin. Lauuka nodded. He took off his work clothes and explained to the old lady.
Lauuka: I still have some jobs there. But trust me, Mrs. Gorachkova, when you come here next time, you won't recognize this tombstone. It will all be shining golden light!
They are playing Dvorak’s music again, and Clara Kouzcaya, the female singer in high heels, has also taken her place.
She swallowed and spit, and began to sing. Although her attractive butt is within reach, and there are many beats in the performance of the "hymn" without the cellist's participation, Lauuka did nothing this time. What is going on here? Clara seemed to step back slightly to the cellist. Lauuka discovered this, but he had no response to it. So Clara looked back at him, as if asking him, "What's the matter with you today?" She continued to step back, so close to Lauuka, so close that if she didn't slap her, it would be impossible. Fight for nothing. However, Lauuka restrained herself and gave up the opportunity to dip her into the bargain.
Clara: How great!
Clara and Lauuka lie on the bed together, they are resting after the passion of sex has passed. How strong is the passion? The vibration of the floor can explain: the women's and men's shoes on the floor are like shredded tiles falling from the roof, and their coats, underwear and other clothing are rolled into disorder. A lump. A bottle of red wine was only half drunk, and it seemed that they couldn't even bother to chat.
Clara (again): Lauuka, idiot, you know what, how long have I been looking forward to this, for two full years (the eyeliner she painted with purple eyeshadow extends from the eyelid to the bridge of the nose)! It has been two years since the funeral of Kaykova, the ticket inspector of the National Theater. It was the first time that I sang with the accompaniment of your band.
Lauuka: How terrible this is!
Clara: It's been a long time since I felt terrible (hiccuping, propped up).
Lauuka (explained clearly): It's terrible because our time is counted at the funeral, as if we were a funeral service!
Clara kissed his forehead like a mother and used her index finger to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead.
Clara: So, so to speak, you never married once?
Lauuka: No. My late father persuaded me: If you want to achieve something in music, don't get married. A musician must remain virgin.
Clara: Keep your virginity and kiss me, don't be mysterious... (hiccups constantly)
Lauuka (smiling): What's the matter with you, hiccups?
Clara: Whenever...whenever I feel good, I always hiccup.
Lauuka grabbed one of her hands.
Lauuka: You bite the tip of your little finger with your teeth, don't relax. There is the source of hiccups...
Clara obediently followed his advice, and at the same time Lauuka continued on the topic.
Lauuka: Well, later...when my youth years passed...I didn't want to get married myself. I hope you are not going to marry me, are you?
Clara: Thank you, I'm already married (hiccuping again).
Raulka: Raise the left leg and right arm at the same time to allow blood to flow back, which can also stop hiccups.
Clara (surprised): Raise her left leg and right arm?
Lauuka was happy to help her straighten her beautiful left leg upwards.
A strange sound came from outside the window, which seemed to be a claw. Clara listened.
Clara: What is this?
Lauuka: Pigeons. The pigeon's beak is pecking iron.
Clara: Why did you kick you out of the Music Association? Know that you are such a good performer.
Lauuka: I'm prohibited from going abroad, and the band doesn't need a cellist who can't leave the country.
Clara: Just because your brother lives abroad?
Lauuka (nodding): You all know... Yes, because of brother. But the main reason is that I am a fool. Generally speaking, I don't want to talk about this topic.
Clara: Then stop talking (still holding arms and legs, the hiccups seem to be gone). Listen, it really takes care of holding it this way! (Then think of the pigeon again) Why does the pigeon peck iron?
Lauuka: I will tell you now. (Silent for a while) This is to make the mouth sharper.
Clara: You are such a fool (hiccups while laughing).
The inscription on Mr. Gorachek's tombstone was almost completely gilded. Only the last two letters are left, Lauuka has not been plated.
A green self-loading and unloading truck drove up on the path of the cemetery. Driving the car is 18-year-old Rajek, and sitting next to him is the 35-year-old gravedigger Bloche. His knees are almost touching the windshield of the pickup truck. The car stopped in front of the tombstone of Gorachik, and Rajic stopped the motor.
Bloch (greeting Lauuka): Work is glorious!
He got out of the car and closed the door with a snap.
Lauuka: Christ bless you!
Bloche: Listen, I'll find you a lot of work (take a piece of paper out of your pocket), three inscriptions to be gilded, and two to be silvered. You can see that it is written here: Roman numerals are the tomb numbers, and Arabic numerals are the tomb numbers.
Lauuka: That's great! Mr. Bloch, you are really the hope and pillar of the cemetery, thank you (put that piece of paper into your pocket).
Bloche: Your situation is good, too. (Rajik who has turned to get out of the car) What do you think?
Rajk nodded.
Lauuka: I worked hard.
Lauuka turned to work, but the two guests did not intend to leave yet.
Bloche (a moment of silence): Mr. Lauuka, can you tell me about the concert in America.
Lauuka (surprised): Haven't I already told you?
Bloche: But this Rajek hasn't heard of it.
Lauuka turned his gaze to the young man, and saw that he had greasy hair and blue eyes like geese.
Lauuka: That was in New York. We play "Our Motherland"...
Bloch (explained to Rajk): This is Dvořák's music.
Lauuka (corrected): No, it's Smetana (note 3). In the Carnegie Hall where we were performing, it was so crowded that there was no place to drop an apple. We received more than just a very cordial welcome, they applauded us very politely. At that time, we felt very tired after the journey. But the fatigue disappeared slowly...
Bloch (remind Lauuka): You haven't said that there are even audiences of all skin tones.
Lauuka: Oh, yes, there are Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, blacks sitting in this huge hall... There is a black man who is so big that the people sitting behind him can't see the stage at all.
Bloch (additional explanation): Like a boxer or a heavyweight athlete.
Lauuka: I said to myself, what does a stupid man with a flat nose and hair like a ball of fibers have to do with our Vltava River and Tabor? Because they don't even know where the river and the city are.
Bloch (to Rajek): Now you listen carefully.
Lauuka: Yes, our fatigue quietly disappeared, so we tried our best to play. The sweat bead on the conductor's forehead flew to us, and when he directed "ensemble" and "strong play", he was shaking like a wet dog.
Rajek, who was taciturn, smiled.
Bloch: What's so funny? Do you know how much weight does such a conductor lose during a concert? (To Lauuka) Tell him.
Bloch asked Lauuka to explain it completely, and also asked for comments.
Lauuka (submissively): This kind of conductor performance can lose up to 3 kg in one night.
Bloche glanced at Rajek, meaning to say: What do you say, so Rajek nodded in understanding.
Lauuka: When our performance ended, there was silence in the hall, and there was no sound at all for two or three seconds. Then it sounded...
Bloch (explaining to Rajek): Applause, understand?
Lauuka: Yes, but we were even frightened by the applause. Applause rushed straight to us like a torrent! When we bowed, I looked for the black man with my eyes. Did you know, he patted his red palms, big tears like pea grains rolled down his African cheeks. Although he didn't know: Vltava was a river in Europe, but music conquered him. Because music doesn't care about skin color or ethnicity, music infects everyone's heart. Well, that's it.
Lauuka wiped off a drop of golden paint under the last letter with a rag, and turned to the two listeners.
The string quartet plays "Stories in My Life". The sound from the ensemble of the four instruments was stern, but at the same time calming. The sound was like a thread in the hands of a puppet performer, lifting the audience high above the sun-shining graveyard.
The sun shone into the dim area under the arch of the crematorium, and four players were weaving their magic carpet under the arch. (Note 4) The snow-white rosin powder fell from the bow of Bekarev onto the neck of the violin. Lauuka rubbed the strings with his left hand, so that the disobedient instrument could make a bitter and sad sound. The four players were so absorbed in their performance that they forgot to be in the crematorium.
The atmosphere of the funeral was inconsistent with Clara's appearance. When a woman reaches her age, everyone knows that the face grows faster than the body. Time ruthlessly left wrinkles on the corners of the eyes and lips, but for the time being, it was embarrassed to get into the dress to affect the body. When the female singer leaned over the four cups and planned to invite these musicians to drink coffee, her breasts almost didn't show up.
Clara looked at Lauuka who was playing. Frantisek also felt that she was looking at herself, so their eyes met in an instant.
A big black bird yelled in the cage: "Belestan! Belestan!"
Lauuka observed the bird with interest.
Lauuka: Who is it called?
Bloche: Loboton, a devout believer.
Bloche answered Lauuka while opening a bottle of white wine. Hearing the familiar sound of bottle opening, the bird yelled again:
"I wish you health! I wish you health!"
Lauuka (appreciatively): It speaks very well!
Bloch: It's even too good. It's endless.
He poured the wine into two jars that had been filled with mustard greens, and explained clearly why he had invited Lauuka to the house.
Bloche: That's the case, tell me, a "Trabant" car is very suitable for you...
Lauuka: Appropriate is appropriate, but where can I get the money, Mr. Bloche?
Bloche: Yeah, yeah, I'm just going to talk about this. You have never taken so much extra money. You can get 30,000 kronor in one day!
After arousing the curiosity of the guests, the gravedigger walked to the glass tank to feed the little fish.
Raúuka turned to the glass tank with a chair, but after a pause, Blouch asked Raúuka to observe how the fish that surfaced in search of dried fish and insects opened their mouths.
Bloch (finally came to the topic): You are a bachelor anyway, are you?
Lauuka nodded.
Bloche: Look, the 30,000 crowns fell on you from the sky. You just need to pick up the money.
As he spoke, he mocked the pile of money he imagined on the table.
The host's two little daughters ran into the kitchen. 5-year-old Juica held a puppy tightly to her chest, while 3-year-old Tanya yelled.
Tanya: Dad, An Jia (dog name) has lice!
Juica: The lice have sucked enough blood. Look, what a fat lice (put your finger under the dog's collar)!
Bloche took a bottle of external oil from the shelf. The two kittens followed the children into the kitchen, and they rubbed against Lauuka's feet. Lauuka endured awkwardly.
Tanya (asked Lauuka): Do you also have animals in your house?
Lauuka: Animals? No no.
Tanya: What about the kid?
Lauuka: No children either.
It can be seen from the expression on his face: He is not used to chatting with children.
Tanya: So who is in your family?
The performer shrugged, obviously he hoped that the interrogation would end soon.
Bloche: Go play, I'll take the puppy out.
The two little girls walked out, and after closing the door, Bloch bent over the puppy's neck to look for lice, and then he returned to the topic that was interrupted earlier.
Bloche: Let me tell you bluntly, Mr. Lauuka, what I want to say is about marriage. There is an older person in our family...how do you call her...just call her aunt.
Lauuka (panicfully): No, no, Mr. Bloche, I don't plan to get married, let alone with an older aunt, let alone.
Bloche: Don't worry! She is a Russian woman...
Lauuka: And it's still a Russian!
Bloch: You are not allowed to marry that aunt at all, but her niece.
Lauuka (shaking his head): I don't even want a niece.
Bloche (lowering his voice): Listen, Mr. Lauuka, only the two of us know what I want to say to you, understand?
The gravedigger grabbed Lauuka's hand with his oily palm.
Bloch: This is a fake marriage.
The bird intervened in their conversation: "Good health! Good health!"
Bloch: The bird is right: the two of us haven't even had a drink yet (clinked glasses with Lauuka). This niece is now living in Czechoslovakia at the invitation of her aunt. She needs our nationality, understand? Because she doesn't want to go back to Russia.
Lauuka: Who needs our nationality? Is this niece?
Bloche: It's a niece. By the way, she is even pretty good. Caught (finally caught a louse and looked at it in disgust)!
Then Bloch burned a small piece of newspaper in the ashtray and threw the lice into the fire.
Bloche: Cremate your body, you parasite!
Then he went on.
Bloche: You will get divorced in half a year, and you will be free again like a bird.
The phone rang. Although the telephone was at Bloche's hand, he didn't care about it at all, but waited to hear what Lauuka would say. After the second ringing, Lauuka glanced at the phone.
Lauuka: Call!
Bloche: This is its business (nodding to the birdcage). It will imitate all kinds of sounds. It's a very smart bird, but the droppings are everywhere, here, look at it (pointing to the bird droppings around the birdcage).
At this time, we saw that the back of the owner's shirt was stained with bird droppings.
Lauuka: So how long can this bird live?
Lauuka wants the gravedigger to leave the absurd topic that he intends to match.
Bloch: Let them fly freely and live for 30 years or so. Keep them in a cage and live for 20 years.
Lauuka: Look, you still want me to get married (return to the original topic for yourself). Our old man can live freely to grow old. If he gets married, he should be in the coffin soon.
Mrs. Blorova looked into the kitchen. She also hugged a puppy on her big belly about to give birth.
Mrs. Blorova: Is An Jia not here?
Bloch: Isn't this here? It brought a louse from somewhere (put the dog off its knee).
Mrs. Blorova: Oh, how dirty it is! I was so frightened that I thought it ran away...Hello (to Lauuka)!
Mrs. Blorova obviously did not object to speaking to this guest, but the gravedigger wanted to chase her away.
Bloche: Marussia, let us stay alone, we still have things to do.
Mrs. Blorova: Well... come to me (to the puppy Anjia)! I thought you were crushed to death by a car, you stupid thing!
Mrs. Blorova kindly placed An Jia on her belly, and before she walked out of the house, she said again—
Mrs. Blorova: Joseph, you know what I think about this issue.
Bloche: Maruchia, don't interrupt!
He interrupted his wife, and when his wife had just walked out, he came to force Laouka again.
Bloch: Fake marriage! Just behave! You can get 40,000 kronor!
Lauuka (correctly): Didn't you say 30,000?
Bloche: There will be 40,000, and she will give it even 40,000. So after you buy a "Trabant-Combim" car, you can still have some money left. Listen to me, this business is better than you mending gold letters on the tombstone.
The bird wanted to attract people's attention, so he said:
"Grave digging! Always digging graves! Damn career!"
Then suddenly something ran on the ground.
Lauuka looked under the table suspiciously, and he saw a rabbit.
Lauuka: Do you have many small animals?
Bloche: Being a gravedigger, you can't do without these. I mean you can’t live without live animals at home. You see, this little rabbit's name is "Hope", which is the simplest way to take auspiciousness from the surface. How about this, Mr. Lauuka?
Lauuka: Nothing can be said, Mr. Bloche. I'm not suitable for this kind of thing, really, it's not suitable for me.
The train rushed away rumblingly, and a powerful wave of air slammed the dry straw that grew along the railway embankment to its knees.
Frantisek Lauuka was sitting in the carriage by the window reading the newspaper. He has read the last page, so we can see some headings on the first page:
"Reform is everyone's and everyone's business."
"After years of skidding and idling, I finally started to move."
"The flower of fragile irony."
Lauuka rubbed his eyes, put the newspaper on his knees, and turned to the scenery outside the window.
Frantisek walked along the small town in his hometown. He is holding a cello in one hand and a suitcase in the other. Small bungalows are mixed with two-story villas. Lauuka greeted a cyclist, and then spoke to a female postman.
Female postman (smiling): Come to see mom?
Lauuka (nodding): Yes.
The luxurious building of the Municipal Party Committee is very novel and unique. There are two "Tatra-613" cars parked in front of the building.
A disabled man with a beard yelled to Lauuka from his scooter--
Handicapped: How do you like this building, Franta, huh?
Raulka: Hello, Goenza, how is it going? Is it going well?
Handicapped: We don’t call it going here, it’s taxiing.
Lauuka: Why is it called sliding?
Handicapped: Going downhill... Do you know what do we call this building? (Whisperly) We call it a total of heaven.
Lauuka: A total of heaven?
Handicapped: Yes, this means: Communist Catholic Church.
Goenza made the hoarse laugh of the smoker. Soon, his laughter turned into a cough, and he coughed so badly that Lauuka had to pat him on the back so that the poor man would not be suffocated.
Handicapped: Are you going to your mother?
The cheerful man asked, wiping tears.
Lauuka (answered rigidly): Yes.
He walked across the square, and the red tulips planted in the middle of the square formed a five-pointed star. Lenin on the pedestal in the center of the flowerbed seemed to be tanned, with his beard up to the sky.
A marching music was played on the speakers of the local radio station, and then a woman’s voice was heard, which was accompanied by repeated echoes from the distant streets:
"Rabbit raisers should pay attention to the increasing frequency of disease and death of rabbits, so they must be vaccinated immediately. The chairman of the Small Domestic Animal Breeding Association, Comrade Biley, will brief you on the details.
Serious music lovers, please come to the town hall auditorium to listen to a concert of composer Verdi at 8 o'clock tonight. Performed by cellist Frantisek Raúuca and students from the Brno Conservatory of Music. The fare is 15 crowns. "
At this time Lauuka was walking to an old villa and pushed open the fence door.
The surface of the heavy door leading to the house was covered with speckled lichens covered with paint that had fallen off. The door creaked shut after Lauuka entered, and the noise made the local stand. The march that played at the end of the news report was interrupted.
The piano was playing in the room. An unskilled piano player often makes mistakes, then returns to the wrong beat and plays again.
Lauuka put the cello down against the wall. On the wall was an old poster with a picture of a college student string quintet. The young man playing the cello in the photo showed that it was Frantisek.
The visitor who entered the room looked around the hall. A peculiarly shaped flowerpot stand stands in the hallway. From the exquisite flowerpot, the green stems of asparagus are hanging upside down. A horizontally tied water trough can be used to pour the cactus underneath. There are embroidered tapestries hanging on the wall, and the embroidered scenery is: on a white background there is a small blue river and a small bridge over the river. There are two birch slices hanging beside the tapestry, and a pair of unknown hands embedded in the middle of the slices several colorful postcards with famous places such as the holy hills and holy mountains. In the corner of the house there is a cane engraved with figures of famous Czech palaces and castles.
Lauuka hung the windbreaker on the copper hook next to the mirror. The mirror was so old that the image that it photographed became more and more distorted. The mirror surface was slightly sunken, which proved that the effect of the mirror distorting the image was inevitable. Although this effect has made Lauuka found very interesting in his childhood. After putting on the windbreaker, Lauuka opened the door leading to the back room without knocking.
The first person who discovered him was a 6-year-old girl sitting at the piano. She stopped playing as soon as she saw Lauuka. Then Lauuka's mother also turned to the door.
Mother (calling excitedly): Franja (Frantisek's nickname)?
With one hand on the piano and the other on the shoulder of her student, the old woman stood up and hugged her son.
Mother: You came by train at 11 o'clock! I'm so happy! I didn't expect you to arrive before 3 o'clock. Maruchia, the lesson is over. Practice this tune well and come back on Tuesday. Don't be lazy, you didn't play very well today.
Marussia packed up the score, whispered "goodbye", and left. The old lady walked towards the kitchen, and she was nagging endlessly because of her enthusiasm.
Mother: Do you know, what do I cook for lunch? I said it in the pharmacy, and I said Franja was here, and I would give him horn-shaped biscuits.
Lauuka: That's great.
He looked around curiously: Is there anything new in this room?
In addition to the piano, there is a high-backed easy chair and heavy furniture from the 1930s. There are several paintings scattered on the wall: the sceneries on the paintings include a turbulent sea and a still life of a bunch of flowers. There is also a painting with an inscription: "Communicator of Czech". The paintings gather some national giants who vowed to be loyal to the language of the motherland. On the top of the bookcase, there are three busts of plaster statues: Masalik (Note 5) Benezh (Note 6) and Štefanik (Note 7).
Through the glass of the bookcase, Lauuka saw an envelope with a foreign stamp, so he took it out.
Mother (screaming in the kitchen): This is a letter from Vidulka (Vidula's nickname). The letter in the glass door was received yesterday. Those photos sent are so beautiful!
Frantisek looked at these beautiful pictures carefully. In a picture his brother, sister-in-law and their 10-year-old son are smiling. There was another one they were sitting by the fireplace, another one they were sitting at the festive table, one they were in the garden, and another one was next to their own car. The colors in the photos are even brighter than in life... how nice it is to get tanned!
Mother (stands by the stove and counts Lauuka): You never even sent me a postcard once! Your music association went to Belgium to play, and you don’t seem to go with them! If you weren't listening to the radio, I didn't even know that you were there too. Look at Vidulka, write me a letter every two weeks.
Lauuka (lied while packing up the photos): There is no time, mother. The Belgians have troubled us.
Mother: What a good letter from Vidulka. He now has a new office. If you want to read his letter, read it aloud.
Lauuka put the letter and the photo back into the envelope.
Lauuka: I'm not going to watch it. Maybe, watch it again next time, mom.
The mother and the son were eating "corner cakes". This is a mixture of potatoes and dough, topped with fried green onions.
Mother: Sometimes I think you don’t like Vidulka because he makes you in a bad situation, right? But no matter what, he is always your brother.
Lauuka: He ran away, and this is what he did.
Mother: What's the matter? Can he be blamed for this? He got there penniless, but now he has a bank account.
Lauuka: He has a bank account, but I'm a shit pile.
Mother: You will also have good luck. Franja. If you play so well, you will have a future of your own (stroke your son's beard with a shriveled hand). The interesting thing is, I don’t know how many people will come to listen to your performance tonight? By the way, Franja, I almost forgot, Mr. Goletchik said that we should replace the drain pipe.
Mother said as she walked, a row of Frantisek's dentures had fallen off.
Lauuka: Drain pipe? !
Mother: Yes, the old ones are all broken and all leaking. Change all of them, using his material, he asks for two kilograms of lang.
Frantisek put down his knife and fork.
Lauuka: Forget it, mom, where do I get this money? For your house, I am too poor to wear pants. The car was sold and all the deposits were used. Where can I get the money again?
Mother: You are not afraid of sin when you say that, Franja (the fork in your hand is shaking with anger), this house is now yours. You don't need to buy his share for Vidulka, he has been deprived of everything from us. Because your brother is an immigrant! You can't let your mother live with others when she grows old without her own house...
Lauuka: Let's not spoil each other's appetites (and eat again).
Frantisek changed into old flannel jeans and a sweater with holes, and climbed up the roof along a temporary ladder. The drain pipe was stuffed with sludge and broken tiles, some areas were covered with grass, and in other places small birch branches were drilled out of the pipe. Lauuka took a shovel from the garden to clear the drain, and he shoveled the garbage into the bucket.
Mother (calling below): Franja! Look, don't fall off. Don't forget that you still have a concert tonight.
A man in his 40s with a suitcase in his hand walked past their house. This is Frantisek’s friend Govczek. He raised his head and shouted.
Gowczak: Hello, Franta! How are you? Are you always playing for the dead?
Mother couldn't understand what he was saying.
Lauuka was panicked and almost didn't fall off the ladder. He didn't know how to prevaricate, so he blocked his question by asking questions.
Lauuka: What about you? Are you still playing for those gastric ulcer patients?
Gowczech: Yes, we are a band in the sanatorium...or else, would you turn to us? We are happier here anyway! Well, I should go to the station. goodbye! Goodbye, Mrs. Laukova.
The old lady watched Gouczek suspiciously.
Mother (calling behind him): So that's it! You have become an actor who pleases convalescent people! (To son) What happened to the dead he just said?
Lauuka: That is when the audience at the concert has no reaction, we call them dead. The drain here is blocked, I cleaned it up. In this way, the drain pipe can still be used.
He wanted to persuade his mother, even though his shovel almost didn't pierce the iron sheet of the drain pipe through the hole just now.
Something flickered in the black mud. Lauuka removed all the stubbles that were wrapped around the thing that he picked up, and wiped it with a sweater. Surprisingly: He didn't make a mistake, there was a woman's ornament studded with polished gems in his palm.
Lauuka: This is really weird! How could this be here? Did it fall from the sky?
Lauuka got down from the ladder and walked to his mother's side.
Mother: Where did you find it?
Mrs. Lauukova put the glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Lauuka: How about...
Mother: This is just a small accessory, Franja. Not a real thing. Even the gems are fake.
Raulka: I don't understand... I don't understand... But how could this thing get on the roof anyway, huh?
Lauuka cleaned the little accessory in a bucket, and it gleamed in the sun.
In the auditorium of the city hall, a string quintet is playing Verdi's work. Except for Lauuka, all the players are very young. Frantisek could be their father, but it was not easy for him to catch up with them. These young people treat a complicated piece of music like a thoroughbred horse, and they are familiar with the horse's vices. They also knew clearly where the music would stump them, so they bypassed these hard-to-play places in time and hurried forward happily. Lauuka squeezed his eyes at his energetic colleagues, letting them understand: It is a pleasure to chase and play with them.
Unfortunately, there are only 6 audiences in the auditorium, mainly elderly people. It was Lauuka's mother who watched the band particularly excitedly. Her eyes never left her son. So it is not surprising that the person sitting to her left angered her, that person could not appreciate the wonderful performance, fell asleep, and now his soft snoring disturbed Mrs. Laukova.
Mrs. Lauukova: Mr. Sjoulek, I ask you to do it! ...... (pushing him with his elbow in disgust)
The sparse applause stopped, and these players put their instruments in a small storage room behind the stage, where International Women’s Day, "May 1st" and the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution were stored. And other festive flags and placards.
Belankova (cultural officer complaining): Comrades, don't expect us to have many listeners. We also posted the poster, and I notified it on the radio, but the auditorium was still empty.
College student playing the cello (laughing): We are used to this. But we played well, didn't we?
Lauuka (contrasted): That's great, lads! I am very satisfied!
Belankova: What about the money, Mr. Lauuka? Of course we have to pay for the travel expenses for these young people, but I only collected 90 crowns for the fare. Mr. Lauuka, I feel very embarrassed in front of you...
Lauuka: Let's treat this as a benefit concert, Mrs. Belankova.
He soothes the sad cultural officer.
Belankova: Then don't you feel wronged?
Lauuka (a liar): For the sake of God, no.
The elderly Mrs. Lauukova stood in the doorway, leaning on the cane that we had already seen engraved with pictures of Czech landmarks.
Mrs. Laukova: This is great! It's so touching! Such things cannot be measured by money.
Raulka: Unfortunately, it is not measured by money.
The college students laughed.
An appraiser in an antique shop on Prague’s Nazionale Street was carefully examining an ornament through a magnifying glass.
Appraiser: Where did you get this from?
Lauuka: I found it.
Appraiser: I found it, that is to say (muttering, holding the magnifying glass harder), how much do you think it is worth (testing Lauuka's patience)?
Lauuka: You know the market better.
Appraiser: Well, I can give you...5 crowns, the highest price is 10 crowns (unhappily returned the ornaments to Lauuka).
Lauuka: 10 crowns?
He asked another question uneasy, and then walked out of the store disappointed.
During the break between the two funeral ceremonies, the first violinist was eating a small enema mixed with mustard while carefully examining this mysterious ornament.
First violinist: The only explanation is: this was bought for his wife by the person who cleaned the chimney. He went to your house to clean the chimney, and he lost the chimney in your house.
Lauuka: Anyone who cleans a chimney will not go on our roof. Because our chimney was cleaned below (negate the explanation of the first violinist). Yalta, I know, I haven’t paid you back the 100 crowns, but can you lend me 100 crowns?
The organ player, who served as the captain while playing at the Strasnitsky Crematorium, picked up the telephone receiver placed on the reception desk next to the organ.
Organ player: "Golden Sun"? Well, we haven't played this piece for a long time, so let's play "Old Mom" at the end. (Greeting to my colleagues to work immediately) Everyone, enough rest! Hurry up and play "Light up me, golden sun".
The players picked up their instruments one after another.
Tombdigger Bloch has another view.
Bloche: Two people, one man and one woman, are walking down your street. They quarreled. The woman yelled, taking off her little accessory to destroy it! So the man snatched it angrily and threw it into the drain. I think so (return cheap accessories to Lauuka).
Lauuka was concentrating on silvering the letters on the tombstone in front of him.
Lauuka: Mr. Bloch, well, I agree.
Bloch: What else can you disagree with! Because other explanations simply don't exist.
The gravedigger turned around, turned his back to Lauuka, and planned to leave.
Lauuka (explicitly stated): I mean I agree with your false marriage.
Following the gaze of a lonely, boring, sleepy waiter, we saw the only customers in a coffee shop in Prague's Spolsilov district for a few mornings. Four people sat at a small table: Lauuka and Bloche sat on one side, and the old fat woman Aunt Tamara and her niece, Nadezhda, a beautiful brunette woman of about 33 years old, sat on the other side. The man is drinking coffee and the woman is drinking tea.
In order to see the fifth customer clearly, we had to bend down. Obviously, a large glass of lemonade on the table was for him. We saw a 5-year-old boy kneeling on the ground. He spread a piece of paper on a chair and used brightly colored crayons to draw on the paper.
Bloche and Aunt Tamara smoked cigarettes one by one, and Tamara smoked more fiercely. The pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray strongly shows that the negotiation has been going on for a long time and it is very difficult. The waiter quickly and skillfully changed the ashtray, and together with the waiter, we approached the small table.
Aunt Tamara: If you know German, you can talk to Nadezhda in German because she is a German translator (her Czech has a Russian accent).
Lauuka (shrugs): Unfortunately, I don't understand German or Russian.
Aunt Tamara: I understand. You hated the Germans at first, and then the Russians (slapped Raúka's hand with understanding, and then repeated what had been said to Nadezhda in Russian).
Lauuka: I don't hate anyone, it's just that I don't have the ability to learn languages.
Bloch (interrupting): It's okay anyway. Who will pay attention to how the two of them communicate. Every Czech speaks a little Russian (seeing that Nadezhda did not understand, translate the last sentence into Russian for her).
Lauuka: Except for me.
Bloch: Except for Mr. Lauuka, every Czech speaks a little Russian (to the final conclusion).
Nadya (Nadezhda's nickname): Except for him (Guessed the Czech phrase happily)?
Bloche (to Tamara): Don't worry, aunt, no one doubts or anything. As long as Mr. Lauuka firmly believes that everything will be done according to the promise and not cheating. What is right is to divorce after half a year and go on separate things.
Aunt Tamara (putting her hand on her chest): I swear by the soul I was saved! Fake marriage is to confuse others. For you, we have nothing to hide: Nadezhda has a son, and you have seen him. Nadya is younger than you, you can be her father. What's the point of her being with you? What can she and you do?
Lauuka glanced at his "fiancée" and nodded sadly to agree with this statement. Nadezhda didn't fully understand what her aunt said, she smiled politely at Raulka, and then suddenly remembered something.
Nadezhda: Tamara, you tell him everything has to be like a real marriage!
Aunt Tamara: Nadya wants to remind you that everything has to be like at a real wedding. Because they will observe carefully. Nowadays, many people engage in fake marriages, and they are not fools. So there should be a wedding ceremony, and the newlyweds have to spend the first night together. Everything must be done according to routine.
Lauuka: The first night (turning to Bloche in panic)?
Bloch (to comfort him): I spent the first night in the same house, just the same house. Everyone lives in their own house. This is just in case, otherwise they will come to check suddenly to see if you will go away immediately after the wedding.
Lauuka: Waiter, a glass of brandy...I want to drink.
There was a strange humming under the table. This was the little boy playing a car game. He happened to drew a car on paper. We looked at him and found that the child had forgotten to draw a picture. He was watching: how a thick envelope was transferred from Aunt Tamara’s lap to the gravedigger Bloche’s knee, and from Bloche’s The knee continues to pass elsewhere.
Bloch (softly, barely opening his lips, quietly placing the envelope on Lauuka's knee): Deposit.
When Frantisek put the envelope in his pocket, Aunt Tamara leaned over to him trustingly.
Aunt Tamara: Do you know how much bribe we have to give to Russian officials, big and small?
Frantisek shook his head, saying that he didn't know.
Aunt Tamara tugged at his sleeve and pulled him closer to herself.
Aunt Tamara: Then don't ask!
There are already thousands of happy men and women walking like a bridge on the red carpet paved road leading to family life in the wedding hall. Two paths have been stepped on the red carpet. The one on the left was stepped on by a man, which can only be seen if you look carefully, and the path on the right, which is much more obvious, was stepped on by a woman. The red carpet is full of traces of the brides’ pointy heels. Today, walking on this carpet that determines the destiny of a person’s life is Frantisek Raúka, who is striding unsteadily and wearing brightly polished black lace-up shoes, and his steps are slightly firmer than Raúuka. Nadezhda Ivanovna Biliukova in white high heels.
The organ player played the music of Brahms and Mendelssohn (Note 8), and an official read a gorgeous sentence about how beautiful the marriage of this man and this woman was; the photographer took pictures; the groom Nodding and saying "agree" with the bride. Aunt Tamara and the little boy watched the wedding, and the little boy grabbed Aunt Tamara's hand. The little boy is interested in everything: a strange beast on the city emblem, a pipe organ, a photographer, a carved back of an old chair.
Only one regrettable little thing disrupted the process of the ceremony: when the rings were exchanged, Nadezhda’s small wedding ring was worn effortlessly, and when the larger ring went to Franti When Xieke's finger was worn, it couldn't fit in, and it got stuck in the middle of the finger.
Lauuka's gray lips and mustache touched the bride's rosy lips.
Frantisek signed in Czech. Nadya signed her name in Russian. Immediately afterwards, the witness also signed. The witness on the bridegroom's side was the gravedigger Bloche, and the witness on the bride's side was her Russian girlfriend Baxia. Baxia wore a pair of big gold earrings, and so did her front teeth. Golden.
After signing her name, Baxia turned to the little boy and grinned.
It was not the wedding ceremony itself that he had effectively avoided for many years that disturbed Lauuka. It was the organ player, who looked at him from time to time through the glasses. He wanted to prove exactly: His eyes didn’t see the wrong person. The organ player even changed the pair of glasses he was wearing when he was playing, and replaced them with glasses with a deeper power that can see farther. Before wearing these glasses, he used a coat of The welt wiped the lens. Lauuka lowered his head, but it didn't help. Now Destiny made a prank joke with him, allowing him to meet with his colleagues at the Motorsky Crematorium. When the ceremony was over and the two witnesses and Aunt Tamara went to congratulate the newlyweds, Musiel couldn't help leaving his organ and ran to Lauuka.
Musil: Ay, Franta, you are really good! I wish you happiness. What a beauty! Beauty (winking foolishly)!
Lauuka: You dead fellow, nothing can do without you.
The bridegroom expressed his gratitude sourly. From the time when only the music of the pipe organ rang through without a word, these are the only two conversations.
Guests attending the wedding ceremony quietly ate their meals in a private room of a restaurant. Only the monotonous jingle of the spoon touching the plate cut through the silence, and inconsistent with the jingle was the rattling sound of the gravedigger Bloche.
Aunt Tamara: This red cabbage soup is the same as ours.
Nadya (nodding): Yes (drinking soup with the groom in a plate).
There was another silence, followed by the jingling of spoons against plates and the clicking of mouths.
The 5-year-old boy was sitting next to Aunt Tamara. He felt boring. He didn't like red cabbage soup.
Aunt Tamara: Drink, Corey, drink.
Aunt Tamara urged him to drink, but the little boy refused. He put his head on his aunt's knee, the old woman stroked his curly hair, and then she bent down to get her handbag under the table.
Aunt Tamara (to Lauuka): Nadezhda doesn't like me saying this, but she really doesn't have time to take care of Coria. She studied first, became an interpreter later, and participated in some international conferences. So who will educate the children?
Aunt Tamara finally found a picture from her handbag.
Aunt Tamara: Do you know who this is?
Lauuka (presumably): Is it you?
The old woman in the photo is indeed very similar to Tamara.
Aunt Tamara: This is my sister, Nadezhda's mother, and Corea's grandmother. She died in Novosibirsk a year ago. She was the one who brought up Corea. After Koreenka (Kolia's nickname) was brought here, I immediately became his grandmother, his grandmother Tamara. K
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