in the center of the universe

"What stimulated your Uncle Ma?" Yan Keji asked.

"I fell out with my grandfather. It's not so much that he doesn't want me to go abroad, but he doesn't want me to live a life controlled by my grandfather—like my mother." Guan Zang lay on the bed with his ear against his chest , Listen to his heartbeat.

"I'm not going to elope with you, don't let me get caught up with someone for no reason!" He said viciously, "I'm going to be upright with whoever I'm with, if you don't fucking solve it, don't look for me, take the money!"

Guan Zang chuckled and put his arms around his waist: "I know. It is impossible for me to leave Uncle Ma to face my grandfather."

"You have true love for Uncle Ma."

Guan Zang paused for a while because of this: "Actually, I sometimes resent him a little bit."

"Why? Monitoring you?"

"No," Guan Zang shook his head, "I blame him for not having the courage to pursue my mother."

After the phone call, Ma Qian's family remained silent, Zhuang Baixin didn't rush, and waited for him to speak.Compared with the last meeting, Ma Qianjia seems to be older, with more gray hair.His face was exhausted, his brows were frowned, his beard was unshaven, like a retired veteran cadre, far away from the work unit, at odds with his family, loneliness, resentment and sorrow filled his whole body, but his sorrow was the same as his, and no one cared about it.

"I don't know what you want to know. I don't have any connection with Guan Da. I'm just, just Guan Zang—an elder." Ma Qianjia was a little drunk, and the word "elder" made him even more drunk.

"Then tell me about Teacher Guan, if you think I misunderstood him." Zhuang Baixin said.When she received the call from Ma Qian's house, she had just finished half of her meal and came out in a hurry.I asked for a small private room at the stew restaurant, and Ma Qianjia came by taxi, and drank without eating anything.

"How much do you know about Guan Zang?" Ma Qianjia asked back.

"Not many, except for the previous murder incident, and his high school female classmate sued him for 'attempted murder', and later withdrew the lawsuit and reconciled—his mother and grandmother both suffer from mental illness, although Guan Jingyuan has always denied it. "

"So you think this is a story about a psychopathic rich man whose crimes are covered up by his family background?"

"I have such a guess."

Ma Qianjia laughed, trembling all over, and shook his head while laughing, and looked at Zhuang Baixin after laughing: "Guan Zang is normal, his only crime is that he was born in Guan's family, making you think he is abnormal , it shouldn't be normal."

Zhuang Baixin remained silent, thinking of what his father Lao Zhuang said at the dinner table just now: "In the eyes of people like you, there are only two kinds of people in the world - those who can be used and those who can be sacrificed. There is no middle ground .”

"I can't give you the big news or inside story you want to hear, so just pretend to be me and tell a story. A story about two fathers, two mothers, and two children." "It's just a story. It's not as fun as entertainment and gossip, and it's not as important as political and economic news. You can listen to it if you want, believe it if you want, and don't force it."

Zhuang Baixin also poured a glass of wine, drank it, his throat hurt and his stomach was hot.

"Who lives is not a story."

When Ma Qian's family called, they called Guan Zang back.Leaving the car in the local area, Yan Keji changed into men's clothes, and the two of them took the car, staying for another night and playing for a day, and arrived in three days.Guan Zang went to Ma Qian's house, Yan Keji went straight back to the dormitory, and saw Lingling weeping and packing up her things.

"Meimei, I can't stand it anymore, if you come back late, you won't be able to see me!"

"What are you doing, baby girl?" He took out a photo frame studded with small conch shells and a string of necklaces and earrings from his luggage, "Don't cry, what can't you talk about?"

Lingling raised her chin, cried and shouted: "Ask him! Ask him! I don't like me, I don't like you! Who can't find a partner! There are so many people chasing me I don’t know how many rich and beautiful people are there!” Raising his voice, he didn’t know who to shout at.

He didn't know what was going on, so he asked Jin Xiang to ask.Jin Xiangke caught someone listening, and told him eloquently and emotionally. In the end, he only had one sentence: Xiaohao and Lingling were beaten by Sister Xiangxiang.After chasing after Xiaohao for a long time, he finally moved his heart. Just as he was about to officially start dating, Miss Xiangxiang simply said: "No. You have to find a real girl."

"Real girl", when Lingling heard these three words, her eyes turned red on the spot, her face flicked, and she went back to the house to pack her things.

Xiaohao is stubborn and doesn't do it. He insists on Lingling and won't let her go.After two days of delay, Miss Xiangxiang took back his car keys and found a new driver. She wanted to send him to a technical school in other places. Lingling simply found another house and couldn't live anymore.

"I didn't like him at first, so I agreed after chasing me desperately! I'm not a real girl, someone is not a fake old man?!" Lingling couldn't stand this humiliation, and decided not to have any contact with Xiaohao.

He went into Sister Xiangxiang's room and hung up the wind chime first.The room is clean and tidy, the air smells like lemon freshener, and there are family photos of my brother and sister-in-law hanging on the wall.Sister Xiangxiang sat on the bed, no makeup, wearing pajamas, expressionless, rolled her eyes when she saw him coming: "If you can't do it, you can't do it."

He grinned, pulled a stool and sat in front of him, opened a bag of Tangerines, and peeled a bag of Sai Xiangxiang's hand: "I don't want to get involved with other people. I don't want to fight for this stuff. What can others do?" Son. Me, I just came to ask my sister, why?"

"There is no reason. I have thought about it a long time ago. I will set up a store for him in two years. I can do whatever I want. The house left by his parents will be renovated for him in the future, or I will sell it for more money. Money for new ones." Sister Xiangxiang stuffed the orange into her mouth, "I won't let him have anything to do with the troupe in the future."

He carefully peeled off the veins on the orange petals: "Then he is also your nephew, can there be any relationship?"

Sister Xiangxiang's eyes flickered, and she paused for a while and said: "I'm just like this, Xiaohao can't do it. He has to find a serious girl in the future to have a child, so he can't go this way. I have to treat his father Mom has an explanation."

"He didn't go this way in the first place. Isn't Xiaohao that serious young man? Lingling... can't have children. Sister, we are all like this, so why don't we understand?"

"It's all about understanding!" Sister Xiangxiang roared, and the man's voice suddenly came out.The orange has not been chewed in the mouth, and the juice pops out, and it seems to be crying, which has the illusion of a woman. "I won't let him touch this path at all!"

He suddenly froze.Put the orange petals in your mouth and chew them like fruit candy.

"My parents didn't recognize me back then, and my elder brother and sister-in-law provided me with food and clothing. They are gone, and I will raise Xiaohao as my son. After my death, except for the theater company's family property, it will all belong to Xiaohao. I can't let his parents down."

"Then I know, sister." He shook sister Xiangxiang's fat hands, which were still a pair of men's hands. "Don't be unhappy with Xiaohao, you are a family no matter what, let's talk about it."

Sister Xiangxiang wiped her eyes and didn't look at him, "There is no need to discuss this matter. Tell Lingling, blame me, blame me, not just look down on her, everyone is the same. Do you think I don't know what Lele thinks? You Thinking about him and Xiaohao, I agree? No one will do."

He nodded silently, and went back to the house to help Lingling pack her luggage.There are not many things, a few snakeskin pockets can be packed away by renting out.

"Where are you moving?"

Lingling folded the clothes, "The women's apartment is not the only one."

"Have you inquired? Is it a mess?"

Lingling snorted and laughed: "It seems that there is no chaos here, there is no distinction between men and women! At worst, I will type it out for others. I don't believe it, the sky and the earth are too big for me?"

"Is there enough money?"

"Enough, I'm changing jobs."

He glanced at the big bag of nail polish and manicure supplies, "Why, I'm done with manicure, don't you learn well?"

"It doesn't make a lot of money, and I don't have a lot of capital to open my own shop. A customer introduced me to a job—" She suddenly smiled triumphantly, "The receptionist in the hotel lobby! Wearing a white shirt, suit skirt, high heels, and training on manners, too. After the probationary period, you can get room and board, a basic salary of [-] yuan a month, bonus plus commission! You can earn [-] yuan a month at most!"

"It's not easy to be a hotel host. There are everyone who can open a room."

Lingling stared straight at him for a while, then suddenly asked: "Meimei, don't you think of me too?" He didn't speak, Lingling asked loudly: "The theater troupe doesn't like doing it, and manicures don't like doing it either. Do you think I can’t do anything? I just want to be a white-collar worker? I’ll grab the opportunity. Look, I’ll make money for surgery soon! I’ll show you a real woman!”

He was not angry either, he lowered his head and continued to clean up: "At that time, I will give you a particularly nice set of underwear. The Japanese brand is cute and looks good." Lingling pursed her mouth, cried, and immediately hugged him.

"Meimei, please give me a hug."

He folded his slender shoulders in his arms and hugged the sobbing little girl.Lingling grabbed his hand, squeezed it, raised her face and asked, "Meimei, do you think I'm a girl?"

"You've always been a girl."

"Then can you be a man today?"

Yan Keji smiled, "I'm originally a man, I like my dick, and I don't want to change my gender."

"Then can you... touch me?" She bit her lip, her eyes were dim with tears, her face flushed, "like a man touching a woman?"

He was stunned, and Lingling mustered up the courage to put his hand into his clothes and touch up.He touched the warm breathing skin under his hand, and the lace of the suspected bra, pulled it out as if it was burned, and pushed Lingling a step away.

Lingling burst into tears and squatted on the ground crying.

He scratched the back of his neck, "That's right... You have to let the boy you like about this matter, just, your partner——" Lingling stood up, pushed him violently, and stared at him.Yan Keji blinked his eyes, and saw Lingling wiped away tears, and packed the bag quickly. "I don't think about you anymore."

He sent Lingling to the taxi, but Lingling refused to let him go to the new place, and whispered before closing the door: "I liked you only once." Watching Lingling go away, he went upstairs alone, and Xiaohao went upstairs He rushed up from the bottom, not knowing what to do, with a paper bag in his hand, sweating from running.

"Mei, Miss Meimei, where is Lingling?"

"Moved away."

Xiaohao rushed into the house to have a look, then turned to look for Miss Xiangxiang.I don't know what he said, but Sister Xiangxiang slapped him across the face and shouted: "Fuck, are you sorry for your parents?!" Jin Xiang poked his head out of the door, listened carefully, and winked at him.

He closed the door.

Guan Zang didn't find Ma Qian's house, so he opened the door without anyone.There was leftover shredded roast chicken on the table, half a bottle of wine, and only Zhuang Baixin's business card in the trash can.

Ma Qianjia's eyes were opened, and his mind was in a daze. There were people coming and going around him, and he couldn't hear clearly what was being said.

He went home, went to do something, forgot.

With a headache, he closed his eyes again, and wanted to sleep for a while, as if he had dreamed of Guan Lehua just now.

"Uncle Ma, you are late." 13-year-old Guan Zang said to Ma Qianjia. Ma Qianjia didn't ask "Why is it late", but just lowered his eyes and said "Yes".