坐在书桌旁往外看，我的窗外周围只是一座一座的长长方方的宿舍楼，楼与楼之间没有一棵树木！窗前一大片的空地上，历年来堆放着许多长长的、生了锈的钢筋——这是为建筑附近几座新宿舍楼用的——真是一片荒凉沉寂。外边看不到什么颜色，我只好在屋子里“创造”些颜色。我在堂屋里挂上绿色的窗帘，铺上绿色的桌布，窗台上摆些朋友送的一品红、仙客来，和孩子们自己种的吊兰。在墙上挂的总理油画前，供上一瓶玫瑰花、菊花、石竹花或十姊妹。那是北方玫瑰花公司应我之请，按着时节，每星期送来的。我的书桌旁边的窗台上摆着一盆朋友送的还没有开过花的君子兰。有时也放上一瓶玫瑰。这一丝丝的绿意，或是说春意吧，都是“慰情聊胜无”的。

我想起我窗前的那片空地，从前堆放钢筋的地方，每到春来，从钢筋的空隙中总会长出十分翠绿的草。夏雨来时，它便怒长起来，蔓延到钢条周围。那勃勃的生机，是钢铁也压不住的。如今，这些钢条都搬走了，又听说我们楼前这一块空地将要种上花草。春寒料峭之中，我的期望也和春寒一样地冷漠。

前几天，窗外一阵阵的喧哗笑语，惊动了我。往外看时，原来是好几十个男女学生，正在整理这片空地呢！女学生穿的羽绒衣、毛衣，红红绿绿的；男学生有的穿绿军装，有的穿深色的衣服。他们拿着种种工具，锄土的锄土，铲土的铲土，安放矮栏的就在场地边上安插下小铁栏杆。看来我们楼前这一大片土地，将会被这群青年人整治成一座绿草成茵，繁花似锦的公园……

窗外是微阴的天，这群年轻人仍在忙忙地劳动着。今天暖气停了，我脱下毛衣换上棉袄，但我的心里却是暖烘烘的，因为我得到了春的消息！

Signs of Spring
Bing Xin

Looking out of the window from where I sat at my desk, all I could see were rows and rows of tall apartment buildings, with not a blade of green between them. As to the empty lot beneath my window, for years it had been the dumping site of rusting iron bars left over from the construction of apartment buildings nearby. A desolate sight. The outside being devoid of color, I had no choice but to create some color indoors. I hung up green curtains in the living room, and covered the table with green table cloths. On the windowsill I put out the poinsettias that friends had given me and the bracketplant that my children had cultivated. In front of the oil painting of premier Zhou Enlai hanging on the wall, there was always a vase with roses, or chrysanthemums, or carnations. They were from the North Rose shop, which had contracted to supply me with flowers of the season every week. On the windowsill near my desk was a friend’s gift of a pot of orchids that had not yet flowered, or sometimes there would be a vase of roses. All those signs of green, or rather signs of spring, were makeshift compensations for the lack of green in general.

I thought of the empty lot beneath my building, the dumping site of rusting iron bars. I remember that with the coming of spring, blades of jade green grass would sprout between the iron bars. When the rains come, they would grow at a furious pace and overwhelm the rusting iron bars. Even iron could not keep down the force of bubbling life itself. By now the iron bars have been removed, and it is said that the empty lot will be planted with flowers. But in the chill of early spring, my expectations were just as dull and listless.

A few days ago, however, I was disturbed by sounds of laughter wafted through the window. I looked out of the window, and what do I see but groups of young men and women; they were students clearing out the empty lot! The girls were in colorful woolen sweaters and downcoat, the boys in khaki or dark colored clothes. Tools in hand, they were digging and shoveling while others raised an iron fence on the outskirts of the lot. Hopefully, the empty plot in front of our building will be turned into a beautiful garden of green shades and multi-colored flowers, all through the handiwork of these young people…

The sky outside is overcast, but the groups of young people are still busy at their work. The heating in the apartment has been turned off today, and I had to replace my sweater with a cotton-padded jacket. But my heart is suffused with warmth because I have seen the signs of spring.