Years

(One)

Late at night.Ji Feng wiped the last dining table carelessly, moved to the window, raised his left arm, and gently scraped the moisture off the glass.The cold of deep winter sent a dull tingling sensation through the round end covered with thin cocoons, like the monsoon at the end of the day, tired and numb.

He leaned close to the window and looked out, the snow was still falling, and large snowflakes swirled randomly in the halo of the street lamps.Ji Feng first thought of Tang Ye, at this time, he should have been resting at home; then he thought of himself, the bicycle crooked under the street lamp seemed to have taken root, and a thick layer of snow had grown--I am afraid that it will be here today. It's New Years Eve in the store.

There was a rustling sound from the padded door curtain, Ji Feng turned his eyes away and looked at the door, his voice came out from the gap in the curtain along with the swollen face under the down jacket: "Boss!..."

The man shouted, turned his head and saw Ji Feng standing by the window, he was stunned for a moment, and fell silent.Another figure appeared from behind the door curtain, it was a short girl wrapped up like a ball, holding the hand of the previous person, standing quietly at the door.

"Are you eating? It's still open." Ji Feng knew his current image. He didn't wear prosthetics. There was only a severed wrist under the cuff of his left arm, and the sleeve on his right was rolled up to above the elbow.

"Then, please have a bowl of shredded pork noodles with mustard greens, a big bowl." The two looked at each other, and the boy glanced lightly at the menu hanging on the wall before hesitating to speak.

"Okay." Ji Feng responded and walked towards the back kitchen.The right crotch moved forward vigorously, swung the stiff right leg and moved half a step, and the left leg dragged to keep up. "Please take it for yourself in a while, don't spill it for you." Ji Feng knew the mentality of the two people behind him so well that he said a word without looking back.When they come in at this time, they probably really want to eat this bowl of noodles, so let them fight mentally - if they haven't struggled, he will be free when he leaves.

After Ji Feng carefully put on his two hooks, a man and a woman were already sitting at the second long table near the back kitchen.After taking off his jacket, the boy's figure was thin and immature, with two blushes left by the cold wind on his cheeks, and he stretched his arms to wrap the girl's hands in his palms to keep warm; the girl was wearing a ponytail, and her profile still looked like a student.One could say that the two were young couples who sneaked out, but they couldn't see a trace of juvenile joy and publicity.

Ji Feng observed, opened the freezer, took the marinated shredded pork and mustard greens and put them in a bowl, turned around and placed the bowl on the counter, then limped back to the stove, stretched out his hook and dragged the bowl in front of him .

"I'll call you every day, wake you up in the morning, and say goodnight to you in the evening."

The boy's whispers reached Ji Feng's ears along the slowly waving heat in the room.He supported the table with his left hand, lifted his right leg slightly, leaned over with difficulty, dragged out a green onion with the hook on his right hand, put it under the sink and rinsed it.

"But I will miss you...can you stop leaving and look here again..."

Ji Feng took off the cleaned small pot from the wall, took half of the pot of water, put it on the stove and started a fire.While the flames were swaying, the soft voice flickered.

"Be obedient, I will come back when I earn enough money."

"I don't need you to make money, we make money together. I want you to stay with me."

Ji Feng held the kitchen knife with his left hand, pressed the green onion with his right hand, listened to the story, and cut the green onion meticulously.He was originally a right-handed man, but his right arm was missing too much—since he lost his limbs, chopping vegetables has become extremely troublesome.Although Sister Li usually helps, he still practiced cutting vegetables with his left hand. After all, the only interaction with that person now is to cook for him.

"But your father won't agree... I don't want you to be caught in the middle and feel sad."

"Then what if you see other girls outside..."

"How come, I can't live a day without you. You wait for me for a year, and I will definitely come back to find you!"

The crackling sound of shredded meat falling into the frying pan overwhelmed the conversation between the two, and the last sentence echoed in Ji Feng's mind like an earworm.

Oh, it's nice to be young.He sighed in his heart.

"You wait for me for a year, when I come back to find you." That's what he said to Tang Ye back then.He thought so too, a year later, he would be able to hold that person's hand, be the charge officer in front of him to withstand the wind and rain, and be the solid supporter behind him.Tang Ye held him in his arms and smiled lightly. There was no trace of hesitation or worry in his expression, and there was a firm breath in his gray and lifeless eyes: "Go at ease, I will wait for you to come back."

Who knew that three months later, he broke up with Tang Ye with a simple and unfeeling text message, and there was no news from him since then.When he mustered up the courage to turn back, the people who were waiting for him had already left alone.

The pickled mustard and shredded pork are slowly waking up in the hot pot, lazily exuding aroma; the noodles also got warm in the boiling water, and slumped at the bottom of the pot.Ji Feng turned around, took out a sea bowl from the cupboard, and carefully picked it out with his hooked hands.Put the noodles in, pour the shredded pork with mustard greens that are shining with oil, sprinkle with chopped green onions, tilt your head to appreciate it, and feel very satisfied.Cooking noodles well is Ji Feng's last obsession.

"The noodle is ready, please come and serve it!" Ji Feng called to the two who were still whispering, the boy answered, got up and walked to the stage, Ji Feng saw the girl quietly wipe the corners of her eyes.

"The chopsticks and seasonings are all over there, just take them yourself." Instructing Ji Feng, he wiped the stove, rinsed the hooks, and took them off to dry.Busy with others before and after every day, Ji Feng has not shy away from showing his stumped limbs.At most, they are the ones who are stared at, and they are the ones who respond - Ji Feng thinks so.Only when facing that person, he will always realize his own incompleteness and ugliness—even though that person can't see it at all.