Embroidered Pillows and Paper Tigers

After Tang Doudou left, Li Shi'an looked at the opened suitcase and his mind went blank. He suddenly fell heavily on the bed as if he had been cramp.

I'm a little hungry now, but he didn't actually eat the plane meal. He said that eating it was perfunctory for Tang Doudou. First, he didn't want a bride to be distracted from taking care of him. Second, his current mood really didn't allow it. The noisy Tang Doudou continued to stay in front of him, because he had a quarrel with Li Qishan before leaving the lake area.

It is the end of the year, and there are a lot of people traveling to the lake area this season. In order to participate in Tang Doudou's wedding, Li Shi'an originally planned to close the shop for a few days. Who knew that Lao Zhongxuan had passed these few days, and gave Li Shi'an a special gift before the trip. Ann called.

Lao Zhong's article helped Li Shi'an a lot, and he couldn't refuse, so he asked Li Qishan to go in and look around the store for him for a few days.

Li Shi'an is still a bachelor who has been around for ten thousand years. Li Qishan thought that he was finally willing to let go of the personal issue that the two of them had been stalemate for several years, so he made a lot of fun in private and gathered several girls. I brought the information with me, and when I arrived, I found out that my son simply asked him to go and look at the store, and there was no other meaning.

Li Qishan was very angry. He sat on the balcony of the hotel's lake view room looking at the lake for a whole day. Li Shi'an had never seen an old man like that. He was afraid that he would lose his mind and throw himself into the lake, so he did a night of mental work before leaving.

Li Shi'an spoke dryly, Li Qishan was silent for a long time and finally replied: "You make so many excuses, are you still waiting for him?"

In one sentence, it seems to have found the ultimate reason for Li Shi'an's single life for many years.

Recalling the past is like opening the floodgates, and Li Shi'an is stuck in a longing mood for a long time after that, on the way to the airport, on the plane, and in Tangdoudou's car Too.

As soon as he lay down on the bed, he didn't want to move anymore, turned his phone to silent, and let his thoughts drift away.Tuo talked with Li Qishan about the blessing of the whole night, and fell asleep soon after lying down, and woke up at 03:30 the next afternoon.

The feeling of hunger swept over again, Li Shi'an lay on the bed and hugged the phone next to the bed and called to ask the main station: "Is there anything to eat?"

A sweet voice came from the other end of the phone: "Excuse me, sir, it's past meal time, now only pasta is provided if necessary."

"Okay, send me a copy..."

Before I had time to ask for the taste, I heard the customer service say: "Sorry sir, the pasta can only be dine-in."

Li Shi'an was so hungry that he lost his temper, and said, "Okay, I'll come down."

The other end of the phone said: "Sir, the restaurant is on the top floor of the hotel."

Li Shi'an: "..."

After hanging up the phone, Li Shi'an got up, took a shower, and left the room, because he didn't plan to leave the hotel, so he didn't bring a coat.

The mirrored stainless steel in the elevator only projects his figure. A black cashmere sweater with a half turtleneck fits tightly around his neck, and a well-tailored gray suit outlines his slender figure.

Of course, he didn't bring this kind of clothes for formal occasions, which are not useful in the Lake District. He asked Li Qishan to bring them to him. They were custom-made clothes when he was working in Zhongsheng, and they don't look outdated in the past few years.

Her freshly washed hair, half blown dry, just covered the tips of her ears.Before entering the Lake District, he had a short cut. Since the Lake District is a mountainous corner, he could not find a suitable barber, so he gradually had this slightly long hairstyle.

A pair of thin metal-rimmed glasses rested on the tall bridge of the nose. Shen Yan helped him choose this frame style. Over the years, he changed glasses many times, but they were all the same style every time.He doesn't have a high degree of prescription, but the blurry world always makes it hard for him to feel safe, and the thin lenses can slightly cover up his slightly ruffian eyes, so that customers won't feel like they've entered a black shop when they come.

He still looks very young, but he is no longer immature. He looks like some kind of industry elite who is used to going to high-end places.

Li Shi'an took out his phone in the elevator and pulled it twice. There was a small red dot next to Xiao Qian's profile picture on WeChat. Li Shi'an clicked on it. It was a photo. The girl has round eyes, and her skin is a little transparent in the sun. She is a natural beauty.

Behind it is the blue sky and green water that Li Shian is familiar with, and the colors are as saturated as PS.

The photo was sent at nine o'clock in the morning, and there was a voice behind it. There was no one else in the elevator. When Li Shi'an opened it, he heard a crisp voice: "Dad! Grandpa took me to feed the birds again this morning! The birds stopped today." It's in my hands, so happy!"

Li Shi'an was a little worried about Li Qishan at first, but seeing that he was able to take Li Qianxun to feed the birds and take photos, it proved that the old man was still alive and well.

The elevator made a "ding" sound and arrived at the top floor. Li Shi'an put the phone back in his pocket and walked out.

Because he was too hungry, Li Shi'an didn't taste much of the bowl of seafood noodles that was slightly exaggerated. He looked out of the tall floor-to-ceiling windows in the emptiness that his stomach was filled but his appetite was not satisfied.

The hotel set up the restaurant on the top floor to let the guests have a taste of the scenery of City C. Although the view is good, it is a pity that it is gray everywhere, making people confused whether it is about to rain or the smog is too heavy.

Li Shi'an fumbled for a cigarette out of boredom, and just rubbed the flint of the lighter twice when a waiter came over from the opposite side.

Almost forgetting the rules of a civilized society, Li Shi'an raised his hand sensibly to signal the waiter not to come, got up and walked to the place guided by the smoking area signs placed everywhere in the restaurant.

The smoking area of ​​the hotel is in a corner. Before Li Shian entered, he saw a huge poster. From the movements of the people on the poster, it could be seen that it was a promotional poster for a ballet performance. He couldn't help but take another look. After one glance, the eyes couldn't move away, and the whole person moved closer, as if wanting to see more clearly.

The waiter in the smoking area may have never seen a customer whose entire face is pasted on a poster, so he hurried over and asked, "May I help you, sir?"

Li Shi'an's heart was beating violently, and even the hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly. He grabbed the waiter and asked, "Where is this ballet performing?"

"XX Grand Theatre, there are some gentlemen here." The waiter pointed it out to him.

Li Shi'an followed the direction of the waiter's finger and saw the date of the ballet performance, February 2-16.

February 2th is today, the last game at 20:07 tonight, Li Shi'an checked his phone, it was already 30:[-].

He took a taxi as soon as he got out of the hotel, and said to the driver, "XX Grand Theater."

As soon as the car drove out, it hit the off-duty rush hour. The car stopped and stopped along the way. Li Shi'an looked at his phone anxiously, but the time passed silently as if deliberately annoyed him, and their car was waiting at a big intersection. It took two rounds of traffic lights to pass, and it took less than 3 minutes to drive out, followed by another red light.

Li Shi'an experienced the feeling of "when you know where you are going, the whole world will come to block you", he took out a cigarette irritably, put it in his mouth, and then remembered that the air conditioner was on in the car, so he could only put the cigarette in his mouth. Hold it in your hand and turn it upside down on your long legs without rhythm.

This block goes directly from twilight to the beginning of the lights, and the time has reached 06:30. Li Shi'an couldn't sit still looking at the long queue of cars that hadn't moved for a long time. Signal.

Li Shi'an lit a cigarette without hesitation, but after one cigarette, the convoy remained motionless.

Although he hasn't been to City C for a few years, Li Shi'an vaguely remembers the old road in the city center. The traffic jam should not be far from the XX Theater. At this time, running there should be more reliable than waiting for the road to clear up.

After several oncoming cars honked their horns in the center of the road, Li Shi'an finally walked to the sidewalk. He didn't care about his image as an "industry elite" and ran wildly.

The close-fitting suit is not conducive to running. He took it off and held it in his hands. The leather shoes were too hard, so he hesitated for a while. In order to prevent himself from looking like the leading actor in a big rape scene, he finally didn't take it off.

I bumped into the courier delivery guy and the girl who just came out of the office building. I stumbled into the Grand Theater. It was already 52:[-], and there was already a long queue waiting for the ticket check at the entrance.

Fortunately, they arrived, and Li Shi'an found the ticket office before he could catch his breath.It was probably the first time that the lady at the ticket office saw someone with such great enthusiasm for art, and even watched ballet so hard. She first showed a standard smile with eight teeth, and then said: "I am very happy to serve you, may I help you?" Yours sir?"

"Excuse me, do you still have tickets?" After speaking, Li Shi'an went to touch his wallet.

Before I took out the wallet, I heard the conductor say: "Sorry sir, our tickets are sold out during the pre-sale period."

Li Shi'an was taken aback, then took two steps back and looked at the poster in the lobby that was exactly the same as the one in the hotel. When he saw the familiar figure, he rubbed his face hard and turned to look in the right direction of the ticket gate.

He first grabbed a young girl who looked easy to talk: "Girl, can you sell me your ticket? I'll pay three times the price." He rummaged through his wallet while talking, and failed to find the wallet for the second time. Finally realized that the phone was in the coat, and he came out too hastily without a coat, and finally raised the phone and said, "I pay with the phone."

The girl shook her head apologetically and said, "This is the last match, sorry."

Li Shi'an was not discouraged: "Ten times, twenty times, how much do you say?"

The girl still shook her head: "It's not a question of money, this ballet company is from abroad, if I sell it to you, I have to go abroad if I want to see it."

Li Shi'an walked a few steps behind the line and asked a boy, the kind of person who seems to have no attachment to ballet, but the boy replied with a smile: "Sorry, I came with my girlfriend. If I am alone, I will leave." Here it is, I can’t understand it anyway.”

Then a middle-aged man, an old man, no matter how many people he asked, he always gave the same answer.

It was already seven o'clock, and no tickets could be bought. Li Shi'an glanced at the prompt at the ticket gate saying "stop checking tickets 10 minutes before the opening", walked to the steps outside the hall and sat down dejectedly.

A man wearing a ragged hat and a brown leather jacket has long seen this young man behaving strangely in the hall. He watched defensively as the security guards who would come out of the hall at any time and chased them away like thieves, showing a breath of smoke Huang Ziya asked: "Sir, do you want to buy or sell? I've stocked up a few copies here. The performance is about to start. I'll sell you a cheap price."

Li Shi'an raised his head in desperation, took out his mobile phone from his pocket and asked, "How much?"

The man said: "The original price is 680, I sell you 400."

Li Shi'an said: "No problem, I will pay with my mobile phone."

The man shook his head and said resolutely, "That won't work, I don't know a lot of Chinese characters, I don't know how to use a smartphone, and I only accept cash."

Less than an hour after leaving the venue, Li Shi'an didn't think about it. He saw a flower shop across the street from a distance, hesitated a little, and said to the man, "Wait for me."

After he finished speaking, he ran to the opposite side of the road, when it began to rain lightly.

When he came back, Li Shi'an was holding a bunch of fresh birds of paradise. He handed the man a few thin sheets of cash. The man smiled happily. He paid him the money and delivered the goods, and then disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Li Shi'an walked into the ticket inspection line with the bird of paradise in his arms. The time was [-]:[-]. He breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that he was really lucky, from seeing the poster to the ticket in his hand.

The line was much shorter than before, and Li Shi'an was soon in line. He handed over the ticket, and the ticket inspector took a look at his ticket, and looked at the man dressed like a dog in front of him with disdain. The young man said: "Sir, the ticket is fake."

"Fake?" Li Shi'an seemed to be struck by lightning, took a look at the ticket, and couldn't tell whether it was true or not, and glanced at the ticket in the hands of the people behind him, it was indeed different.

He seemed to understand why the man refused to trade on his mobile phone.

The staff member said coldly: "Sir, please let me go, time is running out, and the people behind still have to check tickets."

Li Shi'an walked out of the theater dejectedly. The rain outside seemed to be getting heavier. He came to a flowerbed, and he put the bunch of birds of paradise on the fence of the flowerbed, like a silent mockery.

It's really a new level of stupidity. A few minutes ago, he thought he was lucky. Comrade Li Shi'an, a country bumpkin who just left the lake area, had someone teach him a lesson on his first day in the city.

Thinking of this, he smiled wryly, and wanted to take out the cigarette case to light a cigarette, when the phone rang, it was Tang Doudou, Li Shi'an remembered that bachelor party.He tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder, fumbled out the cigarette and lit it.

"Hey, why haven't you come yet?" Tang Doudou urged.

Li Shi'an listened to the loud music on the phone and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "No, you can play and have fun."

Tang Doudou seemed to have changed to a place with fewer people, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Li Shi'an heard her say: "Is it raining so I can't take a taxi? How about I come pick you up?"

"No, I have something to do, you don't need to worry about me." Li Shi'an was about to hang up the phone after speaking, but Xie Chen's voice could still be heard when the handset was away from his ears. Ten's? Ten's! Where are you? Talk!"

Li Shi'an still hung up the phone.

The rain was a little heavy, mixed with imperceptible fine snow particles.It was very cold outside the hall, this straight suit looked handsome like a dog, but it also made him freeze like a dog.

Li Shi'an came here with Shen Yan before, looked around, he walked around the theater building with flowers in his arms, found the backstage exit according to his memory, walked over and waited against the wall.

After smoking one cigarette, he lit another, pinching it between the index and middle fingers of his right hand, his frozen hand showing a cold white color under the street lamp.

The curling smoke circle was hidden in the dark night sky, Li Shi'an was careful not to let the ash fall on the bouquet in his hand, and looked up to see the profuse snowflakes falling down.

Such a snowy night seemed to be the same as that night many years ago.