1
Xiangyun deliberately closed the stall early.
Her new hairstyle is a sign of maturity. Mei Mei from the hair salon told her that this is the most popular hairstyle nowadays.
Exquisite makeup, big waves with her almond eyes, a little aggressive beauty. Seeing the beauty in the mirror gradually come alive, Xiangyun couldn't help gesturing to the mirror.
Today is their tenth wedding anniversary-it was this beauty that touched him more than ten years ago.
"Di-di-di-di", an old clock handed down from this family, makes a monotonous and rhythmic sound. In the yellow clock face, the hour hand points to nine o'clock in the evening.
"DuDu, DuDu, DuDu", the compact knock on the door made Xiangyun a little flustered. She hurried to the kitchen to see if the food on the stove was still hot, then hurried to the porch to set the slippers, rushed to the mirror to cut her hair before her forehead, and then slowly turned the door lock.
At the moment the door opened, the biting cold outside and the unpleasant smell of alcohol made Xiangyun retreat several steps.
"Why do you drink?" She whispered reproachfully.
"Same, class reunion, drinking, drinking a few cups." Xiang Yun's husband, Liangzi, said with a big tongue.
"Come on in." Xiangyun gathered her thin clothes, closed the door with a chill, squatted down to put on slippers for Liangzi, and turned to help him take off his coat soaked with vegetable stains.
Liangzi, like a clumsy bear, bumped into the sofa and didn't notice the difference of Xiangyun.
"Hello." Xiang Yun gently pushed Liangzi away, and looked at Liangzi who was drunk and unconscious, a little disappointed.
"hmm? What are you doing! " Liangzi knocked Xiang Yun's hand off and snorted on the sofa with his eyes closed.
"Nothing." Xiang Yun took back her hand and rubbed her red and swollen hand. She went back to the bedroom and found a blanket to cover her body. She silently took her coat and went to the bathroom.
The rotating sound of the washing machine temporarily offset Xiangyun's unhappiness, and she was used to becoming as silent as a machine in chores.
She put everything in Liangzi's coat pocket in the glove box to avoid getting wet in the laundry process: several crumpled hundred-dollar bills, a pack of cigarettes that had been smoked for more than half, a mobile phone and a paper towel with the phone number written on it.
Xiangyun picked up the napkin doubtfully and looked at it. The number above is a foreign number, and there is a faint perfume on the napkin.
At this point, Liangzi, who was nestled on the sofa, changed her prone posture and chanted, "Don't go, don't go …"
Xiangyun tightened her hand with a napkin, kneaded the paper into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket.
She was silent in the same place, then squatted down to find paper towels from the wastebasket, unfolded them little by little, sorted them out, and put them in the storage box with other items.
2
Xiang Yun and Liangzi are the same workers who were recruited into the steel mill. At that time, Xiangyun was 20 years old, watery and lively, and there were many boys around her. But she just likes Liangzi. Unlike other boys, Liangzi works hard, is skilled and is not glib. Xiangyun felt that she was shining everywhere.
Liangzi has a sweetheart named Cenfeier. The family conditions are good, and both parents are university professors. Liangzi, a single parent or a worker's family, is unworthy. Phyl, as its name implies, is like a figure in a painting. He is very kind to Liangzi. Sometimes Xiang Yun greets him when he comes to see Liangzi in the factory.
When the cold comes and the summer goes, Xiangyun sees that Phyl has come and gone, and she has come and gone. Liangzi just greeted and sent away, sent away and welcomed. She's happy for Liangzi, and she hopes Phil won't come here often. One winter, Phyl really didn't come again. Liangzi spent the whole winter, didn't go out much, made a mistake at work and was reduced to an ordinary worker.
Xiangyun's cousin Huai Hua warned Xiangyun not to rush to find a man.
Xiangyun didn't listen, who let that person is Liangzi?
So, at the age of 22, she married Liangzi as she wished, even though she knew there was someone else in his heart.
three
Early in the morning, the deserted living room made Liangzi sneeze.
He rubbed his nose, stood up from the sofa and patted his groggy head to the bathroom.
Turning on the tap, he grabbed a handful of water and wiped it at random. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face in a hurry. When putting the towel, he just caught a glimpse of the paper towel in the storage box with the phone number written on it.
He stopped, reached for the paper and looked at the string of black numbers over and over again. Every word is like a beating note. The perfume smell on the paper towel hasn't disappeared yet, so he can't help but put the paper towel on his nose and smell it, taking a deep breath.
Ten years later, Cenfeier is still so beautiful and has become a middle-aged uncle with vicissitudes of life.
In recent years, he has done a good job in steel mills. He became a small section chief, able to eat meat, drink some white wine that is easy to go to the top, and three or four disciples who love to brag.
He found a woman like Xiangyun and lived a life that was neither salty nor light. Originally, he thought this was his life, but he didn't expect it to be worse.
Steel mills have survived the market test by living on their laurels. He went bankrupt at a young age in his thirties. The factory gave a lump sum of money, and everyone settled tens of thousands of dollars.
Tens of thousands of dollars, for workers who are used to being locked up in factories, can't solve the re-employment problem at all. Both men and women go to odd jobs, and life is shaking.
I worked hard with a group of people who are my brothers, and finally pieced together a courier station to make a living by piecework.
Last night's class reunion, I don't know who contacted Tsenfell. When I saw her, Liangzi's glasses had not appeared.
Phil has taken root in big cities, and this time he came back to invest in a city project on behalf of the group company. Phil is still so slender, soft and pleasing to the eye. When she reached out and shook hands with him, Liangzi was almost unwilling to reach out-her hands were full of calluses and her face was already deeply weathered.
He should have drunk too much in the end, but it was Zenfer who sent him back. Phil gave him a gentle hug, then went upstairs and stuffed the tissue with the phone number in his jacket pocket.
"What are you doing?" Xiang non-success has been puzzled to see the tap water.
Liangzi came to her senses, hid her napkin and replied perfunctorily: "Nothing, I drank too much yesterday, and I was a little confused."
Xiangyun yawned in her pajamas and walked past him, leaving a faint sentence: "The rice is in the pot."
Liangzi creaked and suddenly found Xiangyun's big curly hair waves: "What an ugly hairstyle, like the second aunt next door."
Xiangyun's figure just floated back and gave him an infinite look of bitterness: "Who are you talking about?"
Liangzi's mind flashed that Phil's long hair was curled properly, and he shook his head, thinking how could the difference between women be so big?
He put his mobile phone and a few hundred-dollar bills in his pocket, tried to pull the zipper of his jacket, put some moisturizer on the mirror, carefully pulled out a new long white hair, and then turned to Xiangyun and said:
"No, the shop is very busy today. I will leave early. "
Say that finish, bypass the sweet non-success, changed shoes in the porch, humming a little song out of the door.
The door slammed shut. Xiangyun looked at the door for a long time and finally could not help crying.
four
In the largest five-star hotel suite in a city, a thin woman stood in front of the French window. Lotus silk shirt, black trousers, ponytail tied at will, and long eyelashes rolled up, which looks like a touching silhouette from the side.
Starry sky is playing on the laptop on the desk in the room, and the piano sounds like recalling the meditation of an old friend. Liangzi, a man who once shone like a bright moon in her heart, was worn beyond recognition by time.
Ten years ago, she left a city with her parents and had to break up with Liangzi. Originally, after returning to a city, she was not going to attend any class reunion. It happened that this cooperation was facilitated by an old classmate who attended the party last night out of courtesy. To her surprise, Liangzi was at the party, and she almost didn't recognize him.
She hates wine fairs, especially gatherings of a group of middle-aged students. There is no friendship at all, and it is even more boring. Very easy to stay until the end of the party, sent away the students who helped to promote the project, she wanted to go straight back to the hotel, just about to open the door, she saw Liangzi drunk.
In fact, she is measured, and she didn't take the initiative to say a few words to him all night, all of which were greetings. However, seeing that Liangzi was the only one who vomited in front of the hotel, she couldn't help dragging him into the car.
Liangzi's home, or the family building built by a steel mill ten years ago, has been destroyed.
Very easy to wake him sleeping all the way, help him out of the car, but Liangzi refused to go upstairs. She felt that it would take another day to catch up, so she took out a tissue from her bag and left her phone number on it, so that he could call her after waking up. Liangzi stared at her as if she were watching an illusion and didn't want to move at all. She had to give him a courtesy hug before driving away.
The music ended and the cell phone rang. CenFei son back thoughts, turned on the phone. The caller is Liangzi: "Phil, I'm in the lobby of your hotel now. Are you free? "
"I'm free. I'll come down now. Wait a minute." CenFei son answer hung up the phone.
On the sofa in the reception room of the hotel lobby, Liangzi had drunk three cups of tea. When he picked up the fourth cup of tea, he saw Cenfeier coming towards him with a smile. He quickly put down his teacup and got up to meet him.
"Have you been waiting long?" Phyl's tone is still as soft as it was ten years ago.
"Soon, I will arrive." Liangzi is a little confused about where to put his hand.
"Let's sit down and talk." Phil motioned him to sit down.
"Good, good, you also sit down." Liangzi is self-effacing. Phil sat down on the sofa opposite him.
The piano music in the hotel lobby was just playing "I love you very much". Two people silently drinking tea, Liangzi has been low head.
Phyl put down her teacup and asked softly, "How are you?"
Liangzi also put down his teacup and sighed, "Not bad."
"Sweet non-success? Why don't you bring her with you? We haven't seen each other for a long time. " Phil noticed that Liangzi was not only fat, but also could not hide the gray hair on his head.
"Oh, she's going to pick up the children from my mother today, so she didn't come." Liangzi rubbed his hands and remembered Xiangyun's untidy appearance in pajamas.
"Are you children, boys or girls?" Phyl thinks that if he has a child, he will be very big.
"Boy, 8 years old, skin. Usually placed at grandma's house. " Liangzi replied, as if talking about other people's business.
"Your mother, are you still strong?" Phil asked again.
"Ah, many minor problems over the years. I was seriously ill again years ago and had a major operation. " Liangzi's look dimmed. Years ago, his mother found out that he had a tumor on his liver. After several rounds of medical treatment, he had an operation, which cost a lot of money and was all self-funded medicine. He is preparing to mortgage the house where he opened the shop, frowning to raise money to pay off debts.
Seeing him thoughtfully, Phyl asked with concern, "Is there any difficulty?"
Liangzi immediately denied it: "No,no."
Seeing his expression, Phyl guessed that his business might be related to money. He said on his own initiative: "I have just returned to City A, and many jobs are left unattended. I remember you did a blank quality inspection in the steel plant. If possible, help me check the quality of several suppliers. I will pay you 5000 yuan every month. You can take a part-time job. What do you think? "
Liangzi made a quick calculation, looked at the quality of the supply and gave him 5000 yuan. Where to find such a good thing, he immediately promised: "OK, I'll do it. But, Phyl, is this the back door? " He felt a little guilty.
"No, this work is very important. I am more at ease when I give it to you. " Phil found a reason to convince him.
"Oh, that's great. When do I go to work? " Liangzi's excitement is beyond words.
"Don't worry, you should settle down at home first. This work must be carried out all over the country. You can take office in a week. " Phil said as he continued to pour him a cup of tea.
five
Xiang Yun, who was tired of crying, went to the bathroom to wash her face again, put on a light makeup, found a beige coat from the closet and black-gray plaid pants she wore in peacetime, put the big waves in a bun behind her head, and went to her cousin's house to borrow money.
Liangzi's mother was heavily in debt for surgery. Xiangyun posted all her savings for many years, but she still couldn't solve the problem, so she had to borrow them everywhere.
I can't borrow it at home. Her parents have been subsidizing their lives for years. The old man and the old lady have a monthly pension of less than 3 thousand, and they have to provide food and drink for their brother's family. She didn't have the courage to speak. Although my cousin is not rich, she promised to lend her 20 thousand yuan.
Xiangyun arrived at her cousin's house at noon, and her cousin invited her to dinner. At the dinner table, my cousin talked rudely about Liangzi's fault.
"I didn't ask you to find it, you did, didn't you?" Cousin complained for her.
"Elder sister, stop it. Children are so big, what's the use of saying this? " Xiangyun bowed her head and grilled rice, and her attitude was very worship.
"That bright child have what good? Why not set up a small express station and get him done? It is a man's business to get the money back, and it is nothing to rely on women to raise it! " Cousin scolded tightly, and her hands were not idle, so she gave Xiangyun a bowl of soup.
"Elder sister, he didn't. His shop is not making money now. Isn't that supplemented by odd jobs? " Xiangyun speaks with insufficient confidence.
Where does she do odd jobs? Obviously, she is trying to make money, such as building cleaning, hotel service, small table management aunt, massage therapist in Ziyue club and technician in beauty shop. Her day is worth a month's use of others, and she has to set up a stall to sell Guandong cooking at night.
"Eat quickly, stop that now. I'll give you 30 thousand. Your brother-in-law doesn't know. You can use it secretly first, and I will help you later. " Cousin whispered to her.
Xiangyun gratefully replied "Ah" and finished the remaining half bowl of rice with tears in her eyes.
In the afternoon, in Liangzi's mother's residence, Xiangyun picked up the child. Xiaoxu is eight years old. Because his parents are not around at ordinary times, he is more difficult to discipline than other children of his age. Xiangyun took the child home and told him to do his homework quickly, but Xiaoxu was still sitting at his desk.
"Why don't you do your homework, boy?" Xiangyun patted the child on the back as a punishment.
"Mom, the school allows online classes, and students have tablets, but I don't." Xiaoxu stared at her innocently with big watery eyes.
"When to use? Buy another one later. " Xiang Yun asked.
"I'll use it the day after tomorrow, mom. Are you going to buy it tomorrow? " Xiaoxu asked expectantly.
"If you really need it, buy it tomorrow." Xiangyun promised. She thought, don't go to the cleaning company tomorrow, take a vacation and buy a tablet computer for Xiaoxu first.
Xiaoxu was overjoyed: "Then I'll do my homework at once! Mom, that's very kind of you. "
"You are poor." Xiangyun scolded a sentence and went into the kitchen again, intending to give the child a pie.
six
Liangzi bought a roast chicken in the evening, but he couldn't hide it even if he was in a good mood.
"Xiaoxu, look what Dad bought you?" He hugged his son intimately and kissed him, knowing that he usually called Xiaoxu Rabbit grumpily.
Xiangyun saw the spring breeze from the corner of her eyes and brow, and forced him to eat at the table.
Liangzi washed her hands, combed her hair at the temples, sat at the table and smiled, showing off a woman's craftsmanship for the first time: "Hey, pie? Not bad, not bad. Hey, you have a good hairstyle today. "
Xiangyun is in distress situation. The same big wave is my second aunt next door in the morning, but it looks good at night.
After dinner, Liangzi took the initiative to wash dishes and tidy up, and then sat down and said, "Well, I have something to do with my classmates and I will start work next week. I will pay 5,000 yuan a month for going and staying, but I have to travel frequently. Please help me pack my things. "
"Which classmate?" Xiang non-success deliberately asked.
"Just former classmates." Liangzi is playing haha.
"A man or a woman?" Xiangyun knows perfectly well past ask.
"Go to work, why ask men and women?" Liangzi got up and went to the bedroom.
Xiangyun followed in and continued to ask, "You said, I don't agree, are you still going?"
Liangzi looked at her like a monster: "Why can't I go? This opportunity to make money can still see the world. Why shouldn't I go? "
Xiangyun slammed the door with anger.
seven
Cenfeier is talking about cooperation with China Merchants in a city, and a strange number comes in frequently. Phyl blacklisted that number by using the mobile phone vibration mode.
Talking about the finished work, Assistant Xiao Wang asked her where to go next. Phil pondered for a moment and settled Xiao Wang: "You go to the bidding office to receive the bid first, and I will go later."
Xiao Wang was ordered to go to the bidding office first.
Phil took out his mobile phone, thought about it, took the number out of the blacklist and dialed it back. Sure enough, it was Xiangyun who called.
The two met in a nearby cafe.
More than ten years have passed, and Zenfeier saw Xiangyun face to face for the first time. She thinks Xiangyun is almost as beautiful as before, but a little haggard, and her hair is as black and dense as when she was young. Big waves make her look more mature and beautiful.
"You know I'm back?" Phyl asked.
Xiang non-success nodded. She wanted to say something to Cenfeier, but this woman was so beautiful when she was young that she can't arouse her mood of looking for trouble now.
"Liangzi told you?" Phil asked again.
Xiangyun shook her head: "I saw the note in his pocket."
Phyl suddenly said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I should have contacted you first. What made you and your wife misunderstand? "
Running around in the workplace in recent years, Cenfeier mostly knows men's minds, but she never put down her dignity and bottom line to pursue fame and fortune. Although there is an immature marriage, they get along well and break up well, and her life is still in her own hands.
"In fact, it's nothing. Is Liangzi said to find a job, to travel frequently ... "Xiang non-success trembles, in front of this woman is too open, let her regret to find someone today.
"Well, I arranged the work. Come to me the next morning. I saw that you two might be in trouble and deliberately asked him for something to do. Don't worry, my colleagues on business trip are all men, so I can't go with him. I have many other things to do in a city. " Zenfeier answered very simply.
"Well, then I'll be fine." Xiangyun felt a fever on her face and got up to go.
"Wait a minute." CenFei son stopped her.
"Xiangyun, I will only stay in this place until the preliminary work of project cooperation is over, and then the company will send new people over and I will leave a city." With that, she took out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from her bag, which was fifty thousand yuan.
"This, as part of the money for you. In these years, you have suffered with Liangzi. " Phyl stuffed the wrapped money into Xiangyun's arms.
Xiangyun pushed back her reluctance: "Phil, you were originally a person standing on a branch." I envy you and like you. Liangzi, I chose it myself. Marry a chicken and follow a dog. You, don't laugh at my short knowledge. "
And smiled and said, "you're right. Marry a chicken with a chicken, and marry a dog with a dog. I wish you a long life. "
Xiangyun also nodded with a smile. She still refused Phyl and didn't accept money from Phyl, but she was relieved.
Liangzi thought the inspection was easy, and maybe he could catch up with Phil.
When he went to the quality inspection team appointed by Phyl, he found that he was cheated alive by this woman. (Novel title: Floating World: Going Home, by Bai Ye Ling Xuan)