peace and prosperity

2.

One step away, Zhou Changshan and Chen Xiao did not get married after all.Grandpa Chen taught his daughter to be straightforward. When Zhou Changshan accompanied her to afternoon tea, she sat down and asked first, "Changshan, when will you propose marriage to father?"

Zhou Changshan held his breath and didn't drop the coffee cup directly, but he still shook his hand, and a small half of the cup was sprinkled on the white tablecloth. A light sprinkle was more harmful to Zhou Changshan than a wine bottle hitting his head.The several relationships he faced did not give him any room for buffering. Zhou Changshan didn't know the reason, but he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes.

He doesn't speak.

Chen Xiao waited for him to delay for a while, then lowered her head to stir her own cup.When the sound of clinking cups and spoons stopped, she asked again: "Is there any reason?"

Zhou Changshan stared at the coffee stains on the tablecloth.When it spread to the side, Zhou Changshan sighed in a low voice: "Before I came to Taisheng, I asked someone to tell my fortune, and my life is not good. If I stay with you, I will hurt you more."

"Nonsense," Chen Xiao smiled instead, "It's fine if you don't want to say it, and we will still be friends in the future."

Zhou Changshan was a little surprised: "Aren't you angry?"

"We've known each other for so long, so I already had a hunch. But even if many people don't like me, they still like the Chen family, and they never want to meet you." Chen Xiao propped his head and looked at him, "Idealism? Very charming."

Chen Xiao praised him as usual, but Zhou Changshan didn't follow along, he didn't know where to look and smile.Chen Xiao took out the cigarette case and lit it by herself. When she was lighting it, she added, "You don't have to worry about daddy. After the death of elder brother, daddy will treat you as a godson. It doesn't matter how many marriages you have."

Today is cloudy, and at the end of June, the cloudy day also leaks sunlight between the clouds.They sat in the one next to the window, which was the one with a square frame and an oval in the church. Only half of their table was exposed in front of the window, and the other half was hidden between the two windows, so that it could not receive light.Zhou Changshan was sitting under the sun, but Chen Xiao was different. She leaned on the back of the chair and completely separated herself from the sun. With contrast, it was darker than the surroundings.Zhou Changshan seemed to be under the sun for too long, he lowered his head and said, "Master Chen promoted me, I always remember it."

After only two puffs, Chen Xiao pressed the cigarette out in the ashtray.Before the last smoke dissipated, it floated across Chen Xiao's face, and the white mist covered the shadows, making her brows even more blurred.She said, "Chang Shan, you don't know much about fortune-telling, but your fortune is actually very good. The times make heroes, and you are the darling of the times."

The darling of the times, Chen Xiao did not speak ironically.After leaving the cafe, what Zhou Changshan should be in charge of is still under his control, and the accounts collected are all normal, but there are no further major events that link Zhou and Chen into a family, and many things become ambiguous.Both left and right are entangled, and Zhou Changshan fortunately goes to the old city more frequently.It doesn't matter if he forgets his key now, Yan Rongzhang is the same as the permanent resident, he can open the door for him every time.

Summer begins, and so does the unbelievably hot day, like the whole city is running a high fever.It's not better at night, and you have to wake up in the middle of the night when you lie down and sleep. When you go to the bathroom after finishing a game, Zhou Changshan can't wait to sleep in the bathtub.

Yan Rongzhang waited for him to come out and waited for more than half an hour. Seeing him brushing himself with a worried expression, he suggested to him: "It's too stuffy in the room, why don't you go to the roof to blow some air?"

Zhou Changshan shook the water droplets from his hair dry, and agreed, "Okay."

When he went to the rooftop, Yan Rongzhang licked his upper body, and he didn't hide the bite marks on his shoulders and necks. Fortunately, he didn't meet other people from the second floor to the top floor, and he didn't get weird sideways glances.Zhou Changshan's clothes and trousers were neatly packed, and when he stood with Yan Rongzhang, he looked very shameless.

The space on the roof was spacious, and the evening wind blew relentlessly. Someone came home late from get off work, pots and bowls collided in the lit window, and Zhou Changshan smelled the smell of pepper.

Standing in this corner where you can spy on the night, your mood is easy to relax, and your desire to talk increases. Anyway, you can talk to the night, and it seems that you don't have to bear the risk that the wall has ears.Zhou Changshan exhaled, and told Yan Rongzhang the whole story with Chen Xiao.After finishing the last sentence, he waited for Yan Rongzhang to respond, but Yan Rongzhang seemed to be stupid when he heard it, so he just stood with him and had nothing to say for a while.Zhou Changshan sighed: "Laugh if you want, I do do stupid things."

Yan Rongzhang sighed: "I can't laugh, you treat Chen Xiao better than me."

"Really?" Zhou Changshan stretched out his hand to support himself, and took a step back, "That's easy to solve, and I'll draw a clear line with you, so I won't disturb you in the future."

"Just joking and joking," Yan Rongzhang quickly pulled him back, "but to be serious, parting ways with the Chen family may not be a bad thing. The higher-ups recently replaced a new person in charge of work, and now they are hiding their names, so they may not be paying Mrs. Chen's account."

Zhou Changshan looked sideways: "To be the chief police officer, the police department is at the top, and there are still unclear names?"

"If I can do it, I'm just the chief police officer of Taisheng. Taisheng is rich and rich. Some people always forget that it is just a coastal city and think that they are emperors. In the end, they can't help themselves. It's better to become a monk in the monastery." Yan Rongzhang turned his head and saw that Zhou Changshan was already in his mouth. Cigarettes, I searched for the lighter all over my body and couldn't find it. I reminded him: "Don't look for it, don't you put it on the bedside table every time?" He said as he took out his own from his trouser pocket, and stretched it out to light Zhou Changshan's cigarette.Although he has a broken lung and cannot smoke, he always carries a lighter with him.When the flame came out, Yan Rongzhang went on to say: "But I am still useful. Do you know the human trafficking business in the delta? Originally, four people divided the business, and one of them died recently. Mr. Chen wants to join the game."

Zhou Changshan was stunned for a moment: "I don't know."

"You don't even know. The Chen family wants me to do things conveniently. As long as you put in the effort, there is still a difference. No matter what Chen Xiao promises to you, you must be more careful in the future."

Zhou Changshan looked at the buildings outside the rooftop and smoked.He was not thinking about his own way out, but thinking about the business of human trafficking.Although he didn't know Mr. Chen's wishes, he had heard about the business process, the abducted people suffered out of thin air, and the dealers made huge profits.He smoked for a while and said in a low voice: "Grandpa Chen has a wife and daughter himself, so he is not afraid of retribution."

Yan Rongzhang observed his expression and asked him: "Do you not like this business?"

"Isn't that right? You are the police chief. You should come to ask me if I like it? You—" Zhou Changshan took a deep breath, and suddenly stopped talking. .”

His chest was heaving, and Yan Rongzhang knew that he was really angry, so he patted him on the shoulder to comfort him: "Don't worry, the situation in Delta is not stable. The remaining three are old brands, and it is not easy for the Chen family to negotiate. Now the times are changing, and new times will create new ones." Hero, even if the Chen family has been prosperous for 20 years, it will be swept away by the big waves."

Zhou Changshan threw the remaining cigarette body over the railing, watched a little open flame disappear into the night downstairs, and finally laughed out loud: "Why do you talk like Chen Xiao?"

"Chen Xiao?" Yan Rongzhang saw that he turned his attention away, and asked down the line, "What did Chen Xiao say?"

"she says……"

Idealistic, very charming.

Zhou Changshan shook his head, shaking this sentence out of his mind.

"She said, I am the darling of the times."

"No, she said that?" Yan Rongzhang couldn't help laughing, the louder he laughed, he finally hugged Zhou Changshan's shoulders and laughed out of breath. Zhou Changshan was driven by him, and he also patted the railing and laughed loudly.His fate was indeed very good, the Chen family's son died in time, and other offshoots were useless, a nephew messed up Mr. Chen's three deals in a year and had his leg broken, which is how he was seen by Mrs. Chen.

The last time they talked about Chen Xiao's elder brother was also on this rooftop, Zhou Changshan sighed at that time: "The only son."

Yan Rongzhang was also beside him, admonishing him: "Don't sympathize."

"Sigh casually. Talking in the middle of the night doesn't count during the day," Zhou Changshan leaned on the railing with his backhand. He was looking at the stars, but now he looks at Yan Rongzhang. "We get together in the middle of the night, but don't we part ways during the day?"

At that time, Yan Rongzhang also hooked Zhou Changshan's shoulder.He was silent for a while for the last sentence, shook Zhou Changshan, shook his head and said, "The analogy is not good, it is still different."

"Is it different?"

"Different."

A few years later, Yan Rongzhang waited for himself and Zhou Changshan to recover, and led Zhou Changshan down.There are residents on the roof who have dried their bedsheets and have not taken them back. When they walk back, they have to pass through layers of flying broadcloth, some plain white and some patterns, all of which are buzzing in the night wind.They talked about a lot of things on the rooftop. When closing the iron gate of the rooftop, Zhou Changshan remembered that the first time he came here, there were so many sheets.He originally thought that he would be able to see the entire Taisheng City at a glance when he went up to the top floor, but the floor was too low, and on the top of the old building, he could only see other old buildings.He said unintentionally at the time: "This building is so short."

Yan Rongzhang asked him pointedly: "Then shall I take you to a higher place?"

"Okay, it's better to go to the Petronas Twin Towers."

The Twin Towers are known as the tallest in Taisheng, and this title has been maintained until the millennium.Yan Rongzhang laughed at him: "Aren't you afraid of heights?"

"If you're afraid of falling to your death and don't go up, don't you live underground all your life? Do you think I will?"

Yan Rongzhang rubbed his hair: "You can't. The Twin Towers are fine too. I'll take you there when I have a chance."

When I first came to this rooftop, although Zhou Changshan was in a low position, he was young and vigorous, and he was the best person to climb high.

He still remembers what happened at that time, and he wants himself not to forget.