double struggle

After shopping, it was almost dinner time, so Chu Wendao simply took Xu Qingzhou to find a time-honored restaurant nearby.

This restaurant is very popular, and you have to queue up to get your number every meal time.The decoration of this restaurant is not good, and the storefront is not big, but the taste is authentic enough.

It was still early when they arrived, and there were still empty tables in the restaurant.Chu Wendao was aware of Xu Qingzhou's dietary preferences, picked up the menu and ordered several dishes familiarly, and at the end reminded the waiter to try to lighten the taste, and put less garlic and coriander.

Xu Qingzhou paid attention to the ordered menu, counted from the beginning to the bottom, and there were six dishes in total including the soup.

"Teacher, is it too much?" He didn't think two people could finish it.

Chu Wendao poured tea into the teacups of both parties, and said nonchalantly: "It's okay, just take it if you can't finish it. The food here is authentic enough, and it won't hurt to eat it for an extra day."

"Teacher often comes?" Xu Qingzhou asked.

Chu Wendao seemed to be familiar with this place.

"I used to come here often when I was a child. This store has a history of decades. My parents were there when they were young." Chu Wendao took a sip of Tieguanyin, and pointed to a couplet behind Xu Qingzhou, "See that? That's still From my father's handwriting."

It was the first time Xu Qingzhou saw Father Chu's calligraphy, and the couplets were well packaged in the picture frame.The ink characters are strong and powerful, and the strokes are smooth.He had taken an elective course of calligraphy as an undergraduate, and although he still didn't know much about it, he knew that this calligraphy must be a masterpiece.

Chu Wendao continued: "The original boss still looked after me, but now he has retired and his son is taking over. But he happened to be away today, otherwise I would ask him to come, then you can use it when you come to eat later. The face is consumed."

In the past, this place was not as prosperous as it is now. The most ordinary bungalows, the most ordinary old streets, the neighbors who live here do not see each other when they look up, and almost everyone has become close friends.Children from every household run around when they have nothing to do, even if they are separated by a street, they can gather together to play together.That's how Chu Wendao got to know the current restaurant owner, even if he moved later, and now, they still keep in touch occasionally.

At that time, there were not so many electronic devices, and there was only face-to-face communication between people.Now the older generation always say that the friendship concluded in this way is the most sincere and long-lasting, and Chu Wendao actually thinks so.

Involuntarily, Chu Wendao began to tell anecdotes about the past in this old street.The Tangshui shop at the street crossing has moved and changed to a clothing store; there used to be an elementary school there, but it was replaced by a new campus two years ago, and now a department store has been rebuilt on the original site; kapok trees are planted on both sides of the road, and in early spring there are It's red and beautiful, and when the kapok falls, their children will pick up a bag and take it home to boil sugar water to eat.

Such piles of past events are like vivid and specific pictures. Xu Qingzhou listens intently to Chu Wendao's lecture, feeling a childhood that he has never experienced before.

They were sitting by the window, with an open-air balcony outside.It's winter now, the night is coming in a hurry, the hazy moonlight mixed with the dim yellow of the setting sun, dyed Xu Qingzhou's pupils a light purple.

Chu Wendao met Xu Qingzhou's gaze, and gradually stopped talking.He felt that Xu Qingzhou seemed to be envious, but he didn't know why Xu Qingzhou was envious.

He thought of the conversation a few hours ago, Xu Qingzhou said that he didn't like children.He said it was not surprising, but he was secretly surprised.Xu Qingzhou is so good at taking care of people, it seems that there is no so-called difference in anything in his heart.It is such a person, and it turns out that there are aspects of himself that he hates.

Chu Wendao slowly understood Xu Qingzhou's loneliness and silence from time to time.

Everyone has everyone's life, everyone can be dissatisfied with what they have now, that's all.

"teacher?"

Chu Wendao was startled, and unconsciously lost his mind.

"Accidentally talked too much, isn't it boring to listen to?" He smiled to hide his uneasiness.

Xu Qingzhou shook his head lightly: "No." He propped his chin up and looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky. "It's really good." He said again.

At this time, the waiter brought up the dishes, and the steaming mist separated the two of them.This is not the best time to talk about things, Chu Wendao picked a piece of fish belly and put it in Xu Qingzhou's bowl.

"After dinner, I'll take you somewhere." He said suddenly.

The river divides the city into north and south districts, and the buildings on both sides face each other quietly and far away.The lights are bright at night, and the neon lights hanging on the trees are like dyed flames, from light to bright, and then from bright to dim.A cruise ship passed by slowly, cutting through the ripples on the river surface, and even the reflected shadows became fragmented.

The wind blowing from the river carried obvious moisture, and Xu Qingzhou shrank her neck involuntarily.Chu Wendao originally walked one step faster than Xu Qingzhou, but then slowed down, and finally walked side by side with Xu Qingzhou, sideways to block a little chill.

"There will be more and more people ahead, follow me closely," Chu Wendao said.

Xu Qingzhou nodded, and moved the hand hanging by the side two inches to the side, as if touching Chu Wendao's cuff inadvertently.He glanced at Chu Wendao, seeing that the other party didn't respond at all, he confidently grabbed the corner of the clothes with his thumb and index finger.

Walking along the river, the night is getting colder and colder, but there are more and more people, laughter, singing, hawking, whistle blowing and so on are intertwined.There should be some activity, Xu Qingzhou thought.

Chu Wendao seemed to remind something again, but Xu Qingzhou couldn't hear clearly, and then he felt his hands were loosely wrapped.Xu Qingzhou paused obviously, her mouth closed tightly, for fear that the sound of her heart beating faster would be noticed.

Heel to heel, arm to arm.Xu Qingzhou inexplicably felt that it was getting hotter and hotter, and his forehead was covered with loose sweat.

They shuttled through the crowd, and when they walked on, those noises were left behind, and finally there was only heavy breathing left in their ears.

Chu Wendao let go of his hand, but he didn't realize it just now, and found that his palms were covered with sweat.He put his hands back in his pockets and stepped onto a curved platform.Xu Qingzhou rubbed Kongkong's left hand with his right hand, pursed his lips and followed.

"Did you see that bell tower?" Chu Wendao pointed to the direction across the river.

The light here is not as bright as before, but Xu Qingzhou can still clearly see the protruding triangular roof.There is a large round clock on it, and the pointer is aligned with the "X" in Roman numerals.He turned on his phone, and it was five minutes before ten o'clock tonight.

Chu Wendao said: "There used to be foreign embassies. Some were used for catering, and some were kept as tourist attractions. You can visit them someday."

"Ah."

Xu Qingzhou approached the fence and answered casually.

After that, no one spoke, and the pointer under the light and shadow moved silently.During this short period of time, the river water was pushed by waves, Xu Qingzhou looked at the reflection of Chu Wendao, stretched his fingers involuntarily, and copied the ever-changing outline from the air.He thought, so that Chu Wendao would not find out.

"Bam—"

A crisp sound from the air exploded beside his ears, and Xu Qingzhou saw in a daze that the dark river water was suddenly dyed with color.Before he could react, the sound came one after another, like a sudden symphony.He raised his head, and dazzling and bright fireworks bloomed, disappeared, and bloomed again in the dark night.

He stared blankly, his vision blurred by the white mist he exhaled.

Chu Wendao turned his face and stared at the people next to him. He had seen such a fireworks feast many times, but it was the first time Xu Qingzhou saw such a feast.

Her soft hair was disheveled by the scarf, her ears and cheeks were flushed by the wind, and her eyes were dark and bright with the fireworks in the sky.When he saw Xu Qingzhou for the first time, he felt that the boy had delicate features, which was quite pleasing to the eye.A few years have passed, he is old, but Xu Qingzhou is still as young as before.

After a long time, the sky returned to its original silence again.Xu Qingzhou turned her head to look at Chu Wendao, the excitement that was too late to restrain remained in the corner of her eyes.

"A few years ago, the government banned fireworks, but later it relaxed the policy. Every three years during the Spring Festival, the government will hold a fireworks feast." Chu Wendao said, "I just remembered that there will be tonight when I was eating, so I will bring you Come and see, do you like it?"

Xu Qingzhou bent his eyes: "I like it."

Chu Wendao rubbed the top of Xu Qingzhou's head habitually: "Just go back if you like it." He turned around and walked away a few steps, but he couldn't help but stop when he didn't hear the familiar footsteps behind him.

Xu Qingzhou grabbed the two corners of the scarf, her eyes moved, her mouth opened and closed.Chu Wendao stood where he was, curling up his lips helplessly.The distance between them was neither far nor close, he only needed two steps back and two more steps forward, and they could return to the original distance.

They all know, so they all do it.

The heel stepped on the elongated shadow—thump, boom—whose heart was beating.He slammed into his arms like this, his breath lingering in the sound of turbulent rushing water.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Chu Wendao said dumbfounded.

He didn't expect Xu Qingzhou to run over. In order to catch him, he couldn't help but staggered two steps back.

Xu Qingzhou buried her head in his neck, her tone seemed to contain the night's moisture.

"Teacher." He called.

Chu Wendao said "um", and then hooked out Xu Qingzhou's hair hidden in the scarf.Xu Qingzhou's hair has a faint floral fragrance. He guessed that Xu Qingzhou should use jasmine-scented shampoo.

Xu Qingzhou asked sullenly: "What do you mean..."

"Hmm - guess what?"

Xu Qingzhou raised her head abruptly, her wet eyes widened unwillingly.Chu Wendao just smiled, and the soft light melted into the smile, Xu Qingzhou choked up, and covered the lower half of his face with his hands.

It is very similar to Tagore's poem - "At this moment, I feel your eyes are falling on my heart, just like the silence in the morning sun, falling on the lonely field that has been harvested."

"I may never be able to respond to your heart like you do, do you mind?" Chu Wendao pulled Xu Qingzhou's hand and pressed his forehead together.

Xu Qingzhou shook his head, why would he mind?He felt he had gotten the greatest luck in the world.

"Qingzhou, my most impulsive and desperate time has passed. Those persistence and pursuit of love have been exhausted a long time ago." Chu Wendao said the cruelest truth in a soft voice, "I like you The me I was on will never come back again, do you understand?"

Xu Qingzhou opened his eyes and remained silent.

Chu Wendao sighed deeply: "Can't these make you retreat?"

"No." Xu Qingzhou smiled lightly, and slightly opened the hands held by Chu Wendao, inserting them between his fingers.

He stared quietly at Xu Qingzhou's eyebrows, and suddenly smiled.

"Try it then," he said.