Chapter3 childhood sweetheart
No matter what the process is, it doesn’t matter anymore, the important thing is that we all grow up well, and this is the best thing!
It was a dreamless night. When I woke up, I looked at my phone in a daze. It was almost nine o’clock.
I closed my eyes, and wanted to squint for a while, when Wu Julan’s face suddenly appeared in my mind, and I stood up abruptly, and looked towards the door—the upside-down beer bottle stood upright, as if A dedicated guard reported to the master that absolutely no bad guys tried to break in last night.
I really didn’t see the wrong person! Joy bubbled up from the bottom of my heart like bubbles, and I couldn’t help grinning. While giggling, he lay back on the bed again.
After sleeping for a full ten hours, the exhaustion of the past few days was swept away, and I even felt much better.
I stretched my waist, squinted my eyes and thought, is Wu Julan up yet? I don’t know how he rested last night… Just as I was thinking, I heard a voice coming from the yard, I jumped up from the bed, ran to the window, and looked down—the sky was blue, the sun was shining brightly, the yard The green trees are whirling, the flowers are in full bloom, and the colorful sheets and quilts are hung on the bamboo poles, fluttering up and down with the sea breeze. Wu Julan, in white clothes and black trousers, stood between the undulating sheets and quilts, hanging up the washed clothes one by one.
Maybe the sky is too blue, the sun is too bright, maybe the trees are too green and the flowers are too red, such a simple and ordinary home scene makes my heart soft and warm in an instant. With a smile in my mouth, I have been watching steadily.
The sheets and quilts fluttering in the wind are like undulating waves, rising and falling for a while, and Wu Julan’s figure also appears and disappears for a while. After he hung up the last shirt, he raised his head and looked at me, the broken gold sun shone around him, making his figure seem clear and blurry, I waved my hand lightly, and said loudly: “Good morning! “
Wu Julan smiled slightly and said to me: “Good morning.”
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
“No.”
As I tied my hair, I said, “Wait a minute, it will be ready soon.”
I rushed to the bathroom, washed up quickly, and then rushed to the kitchen to start making breakfast. It’s too late to make porridge at this point, I plan to cook two bowls of dragon beard noodles, fry a plate of tomato eggs, let’s eat tomato egg noodles!
While I was cooking, Wu Julan was standing at the door of the kitchen watching. I thought that he had already washed the clothes all morning, so I didn’t call him anymore.
Wu Julan asked: “Is this kind of stove used for cooking now?”
While looking at the noodles in the pot to prevent it from overflowing, I was frying the tomatoes and said: “We use liquefied gas tanks, and cities on the mainland generally use natural gas.”
When the meal was ready, the two filled a bowl of noodles each, sat under the eaves of the kitchen, and began to eat breakfast.
I secretly looked at Wu Julan, he didn’t have any expression on his face, he was eating slowly, but he wasn’t picky about his food anymore, he ate everything from tomatoes to eggs.
I couldn’t help it for a while, and asked: “How does it taste?”
Wu Julan glanced at me lightly and said nothing.
I understand, but I’m used to his dislike, and I made breakfast in a hurry, and I didn’t expect him to be satisfied. I muttered and defended myself: “Although my cooking skills can’t compare with the chefs in restaurants, I have been doing housework since I was a child, and I am good at home-cooked dishes. Even Aunt Yang who always picks me wrong also said that I The food is well done, you probably can’t get used to our taste.”
Wu Julan lowered his head and concentrated on eating noodles without saying a word.
I found out one of Wu Julan’s “virtues” very melancholy. He doesn’t lie, even if everyone thinks that it is a small lie that is harmless and used to lubricate interpersonal relationships, he will never tell. Facing such an “upright and upright” guy, I nag a few words resentfully, so I can only forget it.
After the two of them finished their meal, Wu Julan consciously cleaned up the dishes and went to wash the dishes. She had done a good job and didn’t need my reminders from time to time like yesterday, so I felt relieved.
Look at Wu Julan who is washing the dishes, and then look at the yard, the clothes bought for Wu Julan yesterday, the sheets and quilts he changed last night, and the sheets and quilts in the room where his father and stepmother lived are all washed clean , drying on bamboo poles, crowded the yard to the brim.
In today’s society, if you are serious about recruiting, you may not be able to find such a diligent person. For the first time, I felt that being a good person deserves good rewards. I made a very wise decision, and I became more and more puzzled. How could such a good-looking and hard-working person end up in ragged clothes and fainted at my door?
However, my childhood experience made me understand that everyone will have some experiences that are not humane to outsiders. If he doesn’t tell me, I won’t spy on him.
I greeted Wu Julan and went to work in the study.
When I passed the bathroom next to the stairs, I stopped suddenly. The bathroom was clean and didn’t look like it had been used at all. The power indicator light of the washing machine was black, and when I opened the lid to check again, it was dry without a drop of water.
I couldn’t calm down anymore, I ran out of the living room in a few steps, “Wu Julan, how did you do your laundry in the morning?”
Wu Julan looked at me through the kitchen window, not understanding what I wanted to ask.
I asked: “Have you used the washing machine?”
Wu Julan shook his head.
Although I have already guessed it, but I can personally confirm it, but I still find it hard to believe. I pointed to the yard and asked in surprise: “You wash all these clothes by hand?”
“Isn’t it right to wash by hand?” Wu Julan asked back.
“It’s not wrong. But, don’t your hands hurt? The next time you wash big things, use the washing machine. It’s not such a waste of energy!”
Wu Julan said blankly: “My hands don’t hurt, so this kind of strength is nothing to me.”
I was so choked that I didn’t know what to say for a while, so I said arrogantly: “Anyway, the next time I wash the sheets and quilts, I will use the washing machine. My washing machine can’t be bought for nothing!”
Wu Julan was silent for a moment and said, “Okay.”
I turned around and walked into the study room, sat in front of the computer desk, waited for the computer to turn on, and looked at the sheets and quilts in the yard in amazement, feeling that Wu Julan was so inconceivably diligent.
There are still many people who wash clothes by hand, but there are very few people who wash sheets and quilts by hand.
However, it is not impossible, just like the neighbor on this street, Granny Li, in order to save water and electricity bills, she has not bought a washing machine at home until now. Of course, Granny Li’s family is the poorest family on this street. one.
Wu Julan’s family should be very poor, too poor to have a washing machine, so they are used to washing sheets and quilts by hand.
The computer started up, I collected my mind and started to work hard.
After going through my mind, I listed the things to do one by one. The first thing, of course, is to apply for a business license and other documents related to running a private inn. I’ve inquired about it before, and it’s not difficult, though a bit cumbersome. Now the island government is vigorously developing tourism, and supports local residents to do some unique small businesses and develop cultural tourism and green tourism. It is only a matter of time before an “indigenous” like me handles these. What worries me is the decoration and future operations.
Although the old house is old, it is quite comfortable for self-occupation, but living by yourself and letting guests live are two concepts. At least every room needs to be refurbished, TV and Wi-Fi installed, curtains, bed sheets, quilt covers, bath towels Everything must be prepared for new ones.
I have worked in Beijing for three and a half years, saving a total of 120,000 yuan. After resigning and returning home, he spent more than 10,000 yuan one after another, and now there are more than 100,000 yuan left in the bank. This is all my assets except for the old house. I have to consider that the inn may not make money at the beginning, so I keep some living expenses and the initial operating expenses of the inn for myself. The money that can be spent on decoration is very limited, so I must plan carefully.
I looked up other people’s decoration experience on the Internet, and learned more about it. I can avoid detours and save more money, and I can also supervise the construction and prevent being deceived.
I was watching a video and taking notes when I suddenly saw a white and slender hand stretch out and poke the portrait on the computer screen. A few pokes were not enough, so I picked a few more times. I seemed to be curious why There will be vivid people on the screen.
What is the situation?
I stayed there for a while, then turned my head and looked at Wu Julan who was standing behind me at some point, speechless.
Wu Julan looked at me blankly, calmly, even with a kind of superior indifference. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would definitely feel that the **** poking and digging at the computer screen just now is definitely not the one in front of me.
I couldn’t help asking: “Have you never used a computer? Did you have to send home the money you used to work?” Although computers have been widely used in modern society, in many poor places, not to mention computers, The color TV is still unaffordable. Based on my judgment of Wu Julan’s family situation, it is normal for him not to have a computer, but even if the family cannot afford a computer, there is still a place called “Internet Cafe”. Many wage earners who can’t afford a computer can still play games and chat on QQ, unless they, like me, need to save money and cut off all consumption activities.
In a flash, I made up a lot of brains, and even came up with the touching plot of “Wu Julan’s parents are terminally ill, Wu Julan has to mail all the money from part-time jobs home”.
Wu Julan didn’t answer my question, but just looked at me with disdain, and said coldly: “You think too much, not because you can’t afford it, but because you don’t need it.” The straight back shows: Uncle is not rare!
Looking at his back, ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped past in my heart, which was both funny and uncomfortable. This arrogant man, even if his self-esteem was hurt, he would not lie that he had used a computer, but would simply cover himself with disdain and indifference. I thought of myself when I was a child. I was six years old that year, and my parents were arguing and fighting for divorce. No one cared about me, and no one even noticed that my pants were short. The mother of the children who were playing with me noticed my embarrassment and kindly bought me two pairs of pants, but I was not grateful at the first time because I was sensitive, but was embarrassed by being poked at the sore spot, and refused to accept the pair of pants. He also emphasized over and over again that my mother bought me a lot of new pants, but I don’t like to wear new clothes, but I like to wear old clothes.
I jumped up, ran over a few steps, and stopped Wu Julan, “Dish finished?”
“It’s finished.”
I pushed Wu Julan to the computer desk, “I have something for you to do, come here!”
Wu Julan looked at me without moving. It’s like I’m pushing a big mountain, no matter how hard I try, it won’t budge.
I was annoyed, and looked at him, “I’m the boss, don’t I tell you what to do?”
Wu Julan followed me to the computer desk.
After I sat down, I pulled a stool and signaled Wu Julan to sit down too, with a businesslike look, “I’m studying how to decorate the inn, you have to learn too, this is what we two will live on in the future, if you want Eat well and drink well, you must pay attention.”
I opened the web browser and demonstrated how to use the search function. As long as you learn to use search, you will learn everything else slowly. I deliberately slowed down, Wu Julan sat beside me, watching silently.
It suddenly occurred to me that he had never used a computer before, and he might not know how to type on a keyboard. “Are you good at pinyin, or are you good at writing?”
Wu Julan thought for a moment before saying, “Write.”
I immediately downloaded a Wubi input method tutorial, and after a brief demonstration, I said to Wu Julan: “As long as you memorize the roots of this thing, you can get started after practicing for a while.”
The book that my grandfather used to teach himself computer is still there. I took it out from the bookshelf and put it in front of Wu Julan, letting him learn from the book.
Wu Julan picked up the book and flipped through it quietly. I stood beside him and glanced across the yard inadvertently. When I saw the sheets and quilts fluttering in the wind, a thought popped into my mind: Wu Julan doesn’t need a washing machine. Couldn’t it be because he couldn’t use it at all?
I was startled by this thought of mine, but I thought it was very possible, where did he come from? An old village in a remote area? Electricity is not popular yet? No wonder he had such a strange accent when he spoke for the first time… Although I was a little curious, I did not plan to develop Wu Julan into a boyfriend, and I would not be responsible for the second half of his life, let alone explore the first half of his life. The important thing is to solve the immediate problems question.
The electrical appliances at home include air conditioners, microwave ovens, refrigerators, rice cookers, TV sets, DVD players… I don’t know what he used or didn’t use.
I thought about it, rummaged through the cabinet, took out the manuals of all the electrical appliances that were pressed at the bottom of the cabinet, and put them on the corner of the desk, “Here are the manuals of all the electrical appliances in the house, you can read them when you have time.” I was afraid of hurting him For my self-esteem, I hastily added another sentence, “Different brands of electrical appliances and products produced in different years have different usage methods. Take a look, so that you won’t take it for granted based on previous experience and damage my things.”
Fortunately, Wu Julan is not as sensitive and abnormal as I was when I was a child. After listening to my orders, he simply replied: “Okay.”
I took my ID card, household registration booklet and other documents that I thought might be useful, and went out to apply for a document license to operate a private hotel.
At first, I thought it would not take much time for such a small matter, but I didn’t expect that the procedures would be quite cumbersome. Sometimes I want photos, and sometimes I want a recent medical certificate. Fortunately, I am an “indigenous” islander. No matter where I go, I can always meet my classmates, or classmates of classmates, which saves me a lot of time. But just like that, I ran around and tossed and tossed for a whole day before I got it all done.
At almost six o’clock, I returned home exhausted with a watermelon I bought along the way. Weakly yelling “I’m home”, he collapsed on the wicker chair.
Wu Julan glanced at me, and without saying a word, brought the watermelon into the kitchen.
After a while, he came out with a fruit plate of peeled and cubed watermelons, and a fruit fork was thoughtfully placed on the edge of the plate.
I’m a little surprised. His behavior this morning doesn’t look like someone who knows how to use a fruit plate and a fruit fork. I happily forked a piece of watermelon with a fork, “Thank you!”
After eating half a plate of watermelon slowly, I felt recovered and said to Wu Julan: “I have an appointment with the decorator. He will come to see the house tomorrow afternoon and estimate the renovation price. You must clean the house tomorrow morning , can save a little money is a little money.”
Wu Julan gave a “hmm” to express his understanding.
It was already dinner time, and I was thinking about cooking some noodles to make up for it, when there was a sudden “bang bang” knock on the door.
As I got up, I asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me!”
Jiang Yisheng’s voice, my old neighbor, the two grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. Because I have a very high IQ since I was a child, I still got the first place in my grade even if I didn’t take classes, killing me and other mortals in seconds. When I was young, I was nicknamed “Miracle Doctor”, and now I am the chief surgeon of Haidao People’s Hospital. “Yi Sheng” and “doctor” are homophonic, even if it is called “Jiang Yisheng”, it sounds like “Doctor Jiang”, so everyone simply screamed.
Usually, I had already run to open the door, but now I stopped, saying “here we come”, looking at Wu Julan hesitantly.
Wu Julan was very keen, and immediately noticed my doubts, and turned around to avoid the room. I stopped him and made up my mind in a split second, I was doing business and hiring people aboveboard, and I had nothing to hide.
I whispered to Wu Julan: “My good friend, he is very nice, I will introduce you to each other later.” After speaking, I ran to open the door in a few steps.
“Xiao Luo, don’t cook, go out to eat tonight.” Jiang Yisheng walked in the door while talking.
There are two people behind him, a young woman in a dress, with long hair and a shawl, a slim figure, and a beautiful face; lawyer.
I was stunned for a moment, and first greeted Zhou Buwen politely: “Lawyer Zhou, hello.”
Jiang Yisheng laughed loudly, put Zhou Buwen’s shoulders and said, “It’s so pitiful, I really don’t know each other! Xiao Luo, take a closer look, you really don’t know him?”
Zhou Buwen looked at me with a smile, completely different from yesterday’s distant and polite professional smile, his smile was full of real joy, even a bit of nervous anticipation. I was full of confusion and wished I could kick Jiang Yisheng who was playing tricks, but I was used to putting on airs and politely said with a smile: “Lawyer Zhou, we just met yesterday, how could we not know each other?”
Jiang Yisheng sighed in a strange voice, and just about to speak out, Zhou Buwen pulled Jiang Yisheng’s arm to stop him from speaking. Zhou Buwen stared at me, smiled and said, “Little Luo, it’s me, Big Head.”
The polite smile on my face disappeared immediately, and I looked at Zhou Buwen in shock.
Li Datou, formerly known as Li Jing, was my best friend in my boyhood. In his memory, he had a thin body, a big head, long legs and long feet, with a ferocious expression on his face. No one in the school dared to provoke him. The man in front of him was tall and well-mannered. Upon closer inspection, except for his brows and eyes, which seemed somewhat familiar, he couldn’t find the appearance in his memory.
When I was ten years old, my grandfather took me back to my hometown because my father remarried and my stepmother became pregnant. I can’t speak Hokkien, nor can I speak Li dialect, and I can speak Mandarin well, which attracts people’s attention in school. At first, my classmates were curious and envious of me, but soon the news that my father didn’t want me and my mother ran away with the wild man spread in the school, and the students’ curiosity and envy turned into pity and contempt. At that time, like a hedgehog, I used sharp counterattacks to protect my fragmented self-esteem. It didn’t take long before I became a thorn in the eyes of my classmates, and my homework was thrown into the toilet. I caught the snake and put it in my schoolbag… Looking back when I grow up, it was just a child’s prank, but those pranks made me feel like I was in **** back then, until Li Datou moved here.
He, like me, can speak Mandarin well. He has no father or mother, and lives with his grandma. However, he has no parents, not because his parents divorced, but because his father died. For a certain period of time, I thought very radically that I would rather be like him, at least when I thought about it, my father had to leave me instead of abandoning me voluntarily.
He, like me, is a person who must take revenge, but maybe because he is a boy, maybe because he has no experience living with his stepfather and stepmother, his counterattacks are all aboveboard, unlike me, who always beat around the bush. He is very good at fighting, and he can defeat three senior boys who bully him by himself. No matter what you call him, he will fight until you subdue him. He uses pure strength to make everyone dare not mess with him again.
Li Datou is three grades higher than me. Although they both live in Mazu Street and can often see each other when they go to and from school, they have no intersection at all. Until one time, I was besieged by my classmates in the small woods of the school and forced to ask me “did your mother run away with a wild man?” Li Datou suddenly appeared, drove everyone away roughly, and warned them not to provoke me again, Otherwise, he will fight once when he sees each other.
Since then, I have followed Li Datou. Gradually, we learned the Hokkien dialect and also spoke a little bit of Li dialect, and integrated into the island life. Later, he also became good friends with Jiang Yisheng, a real native on the same street.
The three of them played together for more than three years. They were so close to each other that they almost wore the same pair of pants. It wasn’t until I received a love letter from Datou Li when I was thirteen that I suddenly realized that I was a girl and he was a boy. . Facing Li Datou’s crooked words “I like you”, I was completely dumbfounded and didn’t know how to reply.
When I was struggling with how to respond to the first love letter in my life, Li Datou’s grandmother died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. His mother came back to pick him up and left in a hurry, even before saying goodbye to us. The love letter Naturally, there is no need to reply.
I heard neighbors gossip that his mother was lucky and married another rich man. She was an overseas Chinese from Nanyang and treated her very well, but she never had children. This time Li Datou went there, as long as he was liked by his stepfather, he would definitely enjoy himself.
With the passage of time, Li Datou has gradually faded away in my memory, but because he accompanied me through the most difficult three years of my life, and the love letter that I have never replied, he is in my memory. A corner has always been firmly occupied in the increasingly blurred memory.
Jiang Yisheng pushed me, “Why are you in a daze? Do you remember?”
When I came back to my senses, I had mixed feelings in my heart for a while, and I was even a little embarrassed, so I smiled reluctantly, “How can I not remember my friends who have been playing together for more than three years? Come in and sit down.” Let’s go!”
I was busy moving rattan tables and chairs, calling them to sit. Jiang Yisheng told me not to rush around, but I turned a deaf ear to it. I ran into the kitchen and cut up the remaining half of the watermelon. After neatly stacking the slices of watermelon in the fruit bowl, my mood really calmed down.
I walked out of the kitchen with a fruit plate and a fruit fork, and saw Wu Julan, Jiang Yisheng, and Zhou Buwen sitting together, exchanging greetings. Wu Julan smiled and introduced herself, “My name is Wu Julan, and I’m Xiaoluo’s cousin. I just came to the island yesterday afternoon.”
I staggered and almost dropped the fruit plate on Wu Julan’s head. But Wu Julan seemed to have expected it, supported me steadily with one hand, took the fruit plate with the other, put it on the rattan table, looked at me with a smile and said: “Xiao Luo has always been independent and strong, and doesn’t like to trouble others in everything, but The more she behaves like this, the more worried I become, since I am free to work anyway, so I simply come to accompany her for a while.”
Zhou Buwen asked: “What does Mr. Wu do?”
“Programmers, commonly known as code workers, our kind of work is the same wherever we do it, as long as we turn in the work on time according to the customer’s requirements.”
Are you still a programmer? Who was poking and digging at the computer this morning? I stared at Wu Julan.
Wu Julan glanced at me with a smile, dragged me to sit on the rattan chair beside him, and said to Zhou Buwen very politely and kindly: “Just call me Wu Julan, otherwise I have to call you too.” Mr. Zhou.”
Jiang Yisheng complained half-truthfully: “Little Luo, you never told me that you have such an outstanding cousin.”
I laughed dryly and said, “Everyone eats watermelon.” I never knew that I had a cousin, but he explained his appearance very reasonably and entered my house without causing me any trouble. I decided to take back my evaluation of him being “upright and not lying”. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to lie, but he is too shrewd, so he doesn’t even bother to tell harmless lies.
Jiang Yisheng and Zhou Buwen saw that I didn’t seem to want to talk more about my cousin, and they both knew that my relationship with my mother was awkward, so they wisely stopped talking about it.
Zhou Buwen pointed to the beautiful girl beside him and said, “Xiao Luo, let me introduce you. Zhou Buyan is my cousin.”
I smiled and said, “Hi, I’m Shen Luo. I used to be Zhou Buwen’s neighbor and good friend.”
Zhou Buyan smiled sweetly and said, “Hello, Sister Shen, I often hear my brother talk about you, but I always want to see you!”
I think there is something in her words, but I can’t figure out what it means, so I can only smile politely.
Zhou Buwen apologized to me: “I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I knew it was you, but I pretended not to know you at all.”
I said: “I understand, you are doing it for my own good.” With my stepmother’s temper, if she knew that I knew the lawyer handling the estate, she would definitely suspect that the will was forged.
Jiang Yisheng said: “Stop just chatting, let’s talk about what you want to eat tonight!”
Zhou Buwen and Jiang Yisheng were discussing where to eat, I ran outside for a day today, I was very tired, I was not very interested, I just agreed with “hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”
Zhou Buwen said with a smile: “Running around is a lot of trouble. We focus on getting together with old friends. It doesn’t matter what we eat, as long as we order takeaway.”
I still want to be polite, Jiang Yisheng glanced at me and said, “I just don’t want to run away, let me call!” Not to mention the shops that deliver food, even the shops that don’t deliver food, he will deliver the things if he makes a phone call.
Jiang Yisheng asked everyone about the food they should avoid, and called to order takeaway.
More than half an hour later, a guy riding a battery scooter delivered the food, and Jiang Yisheng called for a barbecue. Two large plastic boxes, one with all kinds of barbecues, all wrapped tightly with double-layer aluminum foil, clean and warm, when the aluminum foil is opened, it is still steaming; one with ice cubes, chilled With wine and beverages.
I looked at the grilled fish, grilled shrimp, grilled oysters, grilled mushrooms, grilled corn on the table… more than 20 kinds of grilled, dazzling. This barbecue restaurant is very famous in the island because of its fresh ingredients and good taste. There are long queues every night, not to mention delivery, and they don’t even accept reservations. He bowed his hands to Jiang Yisheng in admiration.
Jiang Yisheng turned to customers, and greeted everyone with a smile, “Eat it while it’s hot. If it’s not enough, we’ll order again. The delivery time is about the same as the waiting time in the store.”
Several people held beers and clinked glasses first, celebrating the reunion of old friends after many years. After drinking a glass of beer, the atmosphere became warmer.
Zhou Buwen handed me a bunch of grilled squid, “You liked to eat this the most when you were young, I don’t know if you still like it now?”
I smiled and took it, “I still like it.” I ate a bowl of rice noodles outside at noon, and I was really hungry now, and it was my favorite food again, so I took a big bite immediately.
While I was eating contentedly, I looked at Wu Julan. I was worried that he would not be used to it, but I didn’t expect him to smile at me after taking a bite of grilled fish, and took a second bite, showing that he liked it too. The food at this store.
While I was relieved, I sighed depressedly, it seems that I am indeed not good at my craft.
Wu Julan and Zhou Buyan both knew that they were just accompanying guests tonight, so they ate quietly all the time.
I was not a good talker since I was a child, and I didn’t talk much. I always listened to Jiang Yisheng and Zhou Buwen talking. From their chat, I got a rough idea of Zhou Buwen’s situation—he first went to Malaysia with his mother and father. After graduating from high school, he went to study in the United States. Now he lives in Fuzhou City and works in a well-known law firm. I work, my parents are in good health, and I don’t have a girlfriend.
From his description, he could feel that his stepfather treated him very well, so he called him “Dad” in an affectionate tone. If it weren’t for an old friend who knew the details, he would definitely think he was his biological father.
Jiang Yisheng and I are both smart people. No matter whether Zhou Buwen minded it or not, we deliberately avoided the past, and never asked him when he changed his name. Calling him “Big Head” is like calling him Zhou Buwen all the time.
After Jiang Yisheng and Zhou Buwen finished chatting about their affairs and talked about me worriedly, I belatedly realized that the two of them are now social elites who lack everything except a girlfriend. In comparison, I was the most bleak one. In Beijing, where talents are abundant, I have mediocre qualifications and a very ordinary job. Now I don’t even have this job, and I am unemployed.
Zhou Buwen asked with concern: “What are your plans? Do you plan to return to Beijing to work?”
I said: “I’m not used to living in Beijing, and I don’t want to go back to Beijing.”
Zhou Buwen said: “You can consider Fuzhou. If you want to find a job, I can help you.”
Zhou Buyan interjected with a smile: “My brother is usually good at fooling people, but he is so conservative when talking to sister Shen. Sister Shen, don’t listen to my brother’s modesty, he will definitely help you get a good job, at least, Uncle has a company in Fuzhou, so he definitely needs finance.”
Before I spoke, Jiang Yisheng had already seriously thought about it, “Fuzhou is pretty good, not too far away, and the food and climate are similar. But, Xiao Luo, you are leaving, what about this old house? There is no one living in it, It won’t be long before it will be barren.”
Zhou Buyan said: “Sister Shen, I happen to have something to discuss with you.”
I asked puzzledly: “What’s the matter?”
Zhou Buyan bit his lip and said, “I’ve been wandering around the island for the past two days, and I found the old houses here are very interesting. I like this place very much, and I also like these old stone-built houses. I wanted to buy them at first. One set, but after chatting with the owner of the inn, I realized that the old houses here are not commercial houses. The government does not allow buying and selling, and outsiders can only rent them for a long time. The owner of our inn is a long-term lease, with a 20-year lease. I As soon as I walked in, I liked this house very much. Since my sister is going to work in other places, the house is vacant, so why not rent it to me for a long time, and I am willing to pay 100,000 yuan a year in rent.”
I was a little surprised to hear the rent of 100,000. As far as I know, the annual rent for those old houses with excellent locations and views of the sea is only 70,000 to 80,000. Regardless of whether Zhou Buyan has money but no place to spend it, or because of Zhou Buwen’s face, he is very sincere. I smiled and said, “Thank you for liking this house, but I currently have no plans to rent it out.”
Zhou Buyan glanced at Zhou Buwen, and said pleadingly, “Sister Shen, is she afraid that I will damage the house? Sister Shen, don’t worry, I don’t intend to rent it for business, but come here every year by myself. Live for a few months, at most rearrange it, and never change the layout.”
Zhou Buwen chimed in and said: “Not to mention painting since elementary school, now she is designing jewelry. She likes old houses, old furniture, and old jewelry very much. She cherishes these old things very much. If you rent them to her, do you really like them?” You can rest assured.”
Jiang Yisheng was obviously moved, and also persuaded: “Xiao Luo, old houses need popularity, and they will deteriorate faster when they are empty. Anyway, if you want to go out to work, it will be empty if it is empty. Why don’t you rent it out! The big deal is the lease Keep the signature short, we are friends anyway, and everything can be discussed.”
Zhou Buyan nodded frequently, “Yes, yes!”
It’s all said and done, I have no choice but to say frankly: “If I plan to leave the island and go out to work, I’m definitely willing to rent it out, but I want to stay and live by myself.”
Several people were shocked. Apart from tourism and fishing, there is no economic industry on the island. Except for Jiang Yisheng’s special job, the young people on the island go outside whenever they can. After all, there are many opportunities and money. Also many.
Jiang Yisheng asked: “What are you going to do when you stay?”
I am embarrassed to say: “I plan to open an inn.”
Jiang Yisheng picked up a skewer of barbecue, and while eating, he said slowly: “Although I think it’s a bit unreliable, but if you are really determined to do it, I support it.”
“Thank you!” I raised my cup and toasted Jiang Yisheng.
Zhou Buyan was sullen and had an ugly face.
Zhou Buwen picked up the wine glass, said with a smile: “Xiaoluo has opened a hotel, you can come and stay whenever you want! Isn’t that better?”
Zhou Buyan came to his senses, hurriedly picked up the cup, and said with a smile: “Then I will wait for Sister Shen’s inn to open.”
Several people drank their glasses and wished my inn an early opening and a lot of money.
Eating, drinking, talking and laughing, Zhou Buwen and Jiang Yisheng didn’t get up until after ten o’clock in the evening to leave.
Standing at the gate of the courtyard, Zhou Buwen looked at me, hesitant to speak.
Jiang Yisheng is a fine individual, he immediately heard the string song to understand the elegance, coaxed and dragged Zhou Buyan to go first, creating a chance for Zhou Buwen to talk to me alone. It’s a pity that Wu Julan was standing behind me all the time, Zhou Buwen had to suppress his hesitation and left melancholy.
I lived with my stepfather first, and then with my stepmother. The days of being dependent on other people taught me to observe words and emotions at a young age. It’s not that I didn’t feel that Zhou Buwen wanted to say something, but his appearance today was sudden enough. I was not ready to have a deep talk with him, so I simply pretended not to feel it.
I closed the courtyard door and went upstairs in a trance.
Sitting blankly on the bed for a while, he suddenly rummaged through the box and cabinet, and found the things from his childhood from the storage cabinet under the bed. An old tin biscuit box, which contains some odds and ends, and at the bottom is the first love letter I received in my life.
I didn’t read it carefully, I just held it in my hand and rubbed it. After a long time, the letter paper has turned yellow and softened, and the words on the paper look more and more childish, but the time condensed between the lines is a good time for two panic-stricken children to rely on each other to keep warm.
I watched and couldn’t help but smile slightly, the joy of reunion after a long absence really emerged at this moment.
In those years, when I lived a peaceful and warm life by my grandfather’s side, I worried about him countless times. I am afraid that he will be rejected by his stepfather, that he will not be able to continue his studies, and that he will accidentally learn bad things and go astray.
Time separates us, and time brings us together again.
I know, his stepfather is very kind to him, he not only continued to study, but also went to a prestigious university abroad. He now has a warm family, a good career, and a cousin who gets along well.
I smiled and thought, no matter what the process is, it doesn’t matter anymore, the important thing is that we all grow up well, and this is the best thing!
What has been on my mind for so many years is finally letting go. With a smile on my face, I folded the letter paper and put it back in the old tin biscuit box.