Can't Save the World by Pretending to be Dead

Even if one string is broken, the remaining three strings will continue to play. This is life.

—Emerson.

***

Near the Sanhe labor market in Longhua District, Shenzhen, there is a group of people called "Sanhe Great Gods". They live on their daily wages and eat this meal every day without rest.No house, no family, living in a 15 yuan a night black Internet cafe Tongpu, eating a bowl of clear soup hanging noodles for [-] yuan.

Life is just living in such a muddle every day, with no hope or tomorrow.

But it's also life.

In 2000, when Gao Jiaxun was about to leave for Sioux City to work, a fellow villager who came back from Shenzhen asked him if he wanted to visit the south.

"People like us have no culture and no background. They are not as good as those college students. What can we do in a big city? We can eat and drink enough every day, go to Internet cafes to surf the Internet at night, and have loose cigarettes that cost [-] cents a piece. It's very refreshing. Immortal Sai."

Gao Jiaxun didn't even think about it, and rejected the invitation from the fellow.

"I still want to try harder."

So he came to Su City with a tattered backpack on his back.

Little people have a world of little people, a group of eight people live in a rented house, and they can't play computers or watch TV, but it's better than living without a meal.

Every choice in the world may seem inconspicuous at the moment, but when you look back a few years later, you are standing at a turning point in your life at that moment.

Who would have thought that a country boy who lived in a group rented house and made money by giving massages would eventually become the current President Gao?

Lianjia Real Estate Agency Huating Community Store.

In the shop with bright and clean windows, the old senior said to Xiao Liu with emotion while drinking tea: "Let me tell you, I introduced Mr. Gao to our community when he rented it, and I took him a sum of agency fees. At that time, our company had not yet been established, and I was just a wage earner in a small intermediary shop. Now life is better, and Xiao Gao has become Mr. Gao.”

Xiao Liu: "Then Mr. Gao's house, you also sold it to him later?"

Senior: "Yes, I bought it for Mr. Gao a few years ago. I'm afraid he wanted to be a Nianxiang." Thinking of this, the senior sighed in his heart. Only Mr. Gao survived, who would feel better about it? How can you think of a normal couple arguing, and turning on the gas tank when they are free!"

Xiao Liu thought of the document he had seen, and sighed: "Has the couple been released from prison yet?"

Old senior: "Who knows! Moved away early, I don't know what happened. Back then they opened a gas tank and blew up four of them on the spot, but it turned out that the two of them were lucky and didn't get blown up. The police took them to the police station to mediate the dispute Yes. Half the building was blown up, three neighbors and a policeman were killed! I remember that one of the three neighbors who died was a little girl from 1103 upstairs. The girl was only in fifth grade at the time, and she stood on the balcony every day I went to play the violin. I just finished my homework and went to the balcony to play for a while. When there was a bang, the little girl fell from the balcony window. Others could be saved, but the girl couldn’t be saved at all. My mother was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the explosion and ran to the balcony, and when she saw that half of the balcony was gone, she knew that the girl had fallen, and she almost jumped, but was stopped by her father."

Xiao Liu worried: "Didn't there be fifteen dead in total? There are only four. How could so many people die? Don't you run away after the bombing?"

The old man glanced at her, recalling the hellish scene in the world.

Yes, it's over, why don't you run away?

Isn't this a fool!

At that time, his real estate agency opened on the street opposite the community, and the explosion shook the whole street twice.He hurried out the door thinking there was going to be an earthquake, but when he looked up, he saw flames bursting into the sky.

13, Building 803, Huating Community, is not a side household, but an intermediate household.

As soon as it exploded, the fire burst into flames.With it as the center, the balconies on the upper and lower floors were all blown up, and this is not over yet.The blazing fire swept across the entire 8th floor, and the fire spread upwards, threatening to overthrow everything.

The elevator must not be able to go, there are stairs, and the flames have not yet been engulfed. Many high-level people ran down, but many people did not have time to run down, and the corridors were all on fire.

At that time, he was so frightened that he stood still.

But in this world, there are always people who will rush to death without hesitation and save their lives.

Senior: "Mr. Gao and his eight boys had already escaped, but when they went downstairs and looked up, at least 20 people above were trapped inside and couldn't get out. They turned around and ran back to rescue them without even thinking about it." People. It took a lot of effort to go up and down. They rescued twelve people. They ran up and down, and the fire truck was about to arrive. When they went to rescue the last wave later... The fire spread to the next door, and the The gas tank of the family next door exploded.

"Of the eight people, Mr. Gao survived alone.

"Later, Mr. Gao said that when his brothers ran to the eighth floor, they suddenly found a strong smell of gas, and hurriedly told them to evacuate. When the explosion finally happened, Gao was always pushed out from behind. He didn't I don't know who pushed it, but after waking up in the hospital, he was the only one who survived.

"Tell me, can Mr. Gao feel better?"

Xiao Liu panicked in his heart: "There are still many good people in this world, and good people will definitely be rewarded. Look at Mr. Gao, he is now prosperous and rich."

Old Senior: "Well, Mr. Gao has always helped the seven young men who died that year to support their parents, which is considered to be the most benevolent."

……

It was getting dark and the lights were on.

After drinking a cup of bitter coffee, listening to a long story.

Lian Xi and the two stood at the door of the coffee shop. The successful man in a suit and leather shoes took out a business card from his card holder and handed it over.His eyes were slightly red, but with a gentle smile on his face, he said, "I always feel that I have met you two before, and I feel like I have known each other before. If you need, you can come to me with this business card at any time, and I can listen to you." Tell me about your project."

This time, Lian Xi did not refuse, saying that he had no entrepreneurial project.

He took President Gao's business card.

Mr. Gao smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll go first."

A luxury car slowly parked on the side of the road, Mr. Gao got in the car and left.

After watching the tail lights of the car going away, after a while, Lian Xi asked, "When did you know who he is?"

Hearing this, the handsome man lowered his eyes slightly, and raised an eyebrow at the young man beside him: Huh?

Lian Xi looked at him: "At the door of the bun shop, I decided to follow him. Could it be that you found out at that time that he is the guy who lives opposite us?"

Yes, from the beginning to the end, even Xi didn't recognize that Mr. Gao was the guy who lived opposite them, until he received the information from Xiao Liu.

Because Mr. Gao looks so different from that guy!

The guy opposite is young and sunny, always smiling, and his eyes are full of vigor and hope for the future.

But Mr. Gao has experienced many vicissitudes.He doesn't look like a man in his 40s or [-]s at all. He seems to be in his fifties, with white hair on his temples, wrinkles on his brows and eyes, and even his steps are very heavy when he walks, as if something is pressing hard on him. on his shoulder, making him breathless.

Lian Xi decided to follow him, but he subconsciously felt that the guy opposite might have something to do with this person, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the same steamed stuffed bun shop to buy breakfast at the same time.He is an intuition.

Jichen: "You can't see?"

Lian Xi: "What?"

Jichen: "His soul."

Lian Xi showed a dazed look.

Lord Heiwuchang shook his head slightly, disappointed and said: "You really lost your memory." You can't even do this, "His soul looks exactly like that person."

Lian Xi was slightly startled.

——My heart hasn’t changed, so I’m still the boy I was back then.

***

Back home, the shorty roommate has been waiting at home for a long time after class.

As soon as Lian Xi and Jinchen came back, Su Jiao came over very excitedly: "How is it? Do you have a clue? What's going on at the other door, it must not be a ghost." Seeing that Lian Xi didn't refute his intention , The dwarf roommate suddenly gained confidence, glanced at Mr. Jin quietly, and hummed: "I said, if this is a ghost, why am I also a Xuanxiu, can I not see it?"

Jichen smiled, didn't bother to talk to him, turned and walked to his bedroom.

Lian Xi glanced at his back, and said to Su Jiao: "It's really not a ghost."

Su Jiao: "I told you!"

Lian Xi: "But they are not human."

Su Jiao: "Huh???"

Lian Xi thought for a while: "Perhaps human obsession is stronger than ghosts."

……

Carrying a bottle of wine, Lian Xi knocked on the opposite door.

It was the very righteous young guy who opened the door—that is, Mr. Gao.

Seeing Lian Xi, he was stunned for a moment, and then he said angrily: "What are you doing, you still have a bottle of wine, do you want to make an apology? It's useless for you to come, and it has nothing to do with you, call the man in black to come over."

Lian Xi smiled and said, "No, it's just that I haven't said hello to you guys since I moved here for a long time, so I just want to have a meal together."

Mr. Gao asked suspiciously: "Just you, don't you take your sick roommate?"

"Without."

President Xi, who hid behind his own door and eavesdropped with Su Jiao: "...heh."

The young guy looked at the door behind Lianxi several times, and after confirming that Lianxi was alone, he touched his nose and opened the door: "Okay, then come in. Hehe, how do you know that we are eating pig's head tonight?" The meat smells old."

The dark door opened slowly, Lian Xi pondered for a moment, then walked in.

With a click, the door closed.

In the empty room, without any furniture, only eight young men stood there blankly, staring at Lian Xi curiously with their eyes wide open.

But they didn't seem to think it was an empty house.

The guys were very enthusiastic and helped Lian Xi move the "chair", took him to the "table", and took out a plate of "pig head meat" from the kitchen.

"By the way, do you like pork head meat?"

Lian Xi: "I can do it."

"Okay, let's go together. What kind of wine are you bringing?"

"I bought it casually, you guys try it."

"Okay."

After taking nine "cups", the young man began to pour wine.When he was about to pour the last cup, Lian Xi stopped him.

Lian Xi: "I don't drink."

The young guy was taken aback: "Then you just watch us drink?"

Lian Xi: "Yes."

Young guy: "Uh, that's fine."

Eating "pig head meat" and drinking white wine, everyone said it was enjoyable.

"The store will give out bonuses next week, Xiao Gao, and this time you will definitely be the number one in terms of performance."

"hey-hey."

"The surname is Wang. Xiao Gao works the most every day. He never rests from morning to night. He doesn't deserve a bonus. Why are you jealous?"

"I'm jealous. It doesn't look like Xiao Gao is working hard. Do you want him to rest more?"

"It's a good thing, someone like Xiao Gao will definitely be promising in the future, unlike us."

"Xiao Gao, you are working so hard to make money, do you want to save money to go back to your hometown to build a house and marry a wife?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

The young guy Xiao Gao was also teased by them, his face turned red and he couldn't lift his head.

"Don't tell me, Xiao Gao is the youngest among us. Just nineteen, I remember? You should learn from others."

"I've always regarded Xiao Gao as our younger brother."

"Hey, you think it's strange. Why doesn't the girl upstairs play the violin today? I feel uncomfortable if I don't listen to her play the violin during dinner."

"Don't let people get tired and don't want to stretch today?"

"All right, all right, I'm afraid that her mother will scold her again." Then, the boy pinched his throat, imitating the girl's mother's voice: "Mom paid you to learn the piano for my own good, isn't it all for you? .You haven't practiced well yet, all your money is wasted, ah, I'm so mad..."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Xiao Gao: "Next week I will give out bonuses, and tomorrow morning I will treat everyone to breakfast!"

The seven young men suddenly regained their spirits: "What you said, I want fried dough sticks and soy milk."

"I want a big meat bun!"

"I want fried dough sticks and buns, but I want the one from Old Street Wangji!"

Xiao Gao: "Okay!"

Everyone ate and drank with great interest. Xiao Gao suddenly caught sight of Lian Xi who was sitting quietly by the side. He was taken aback and smiled, "I'm sorry, I was so happy that I didn't pay attention to you. Eat more, your wine is really delicious , I haven’t had a drink since I came to Sioux City.” While talking, Xiao Gao picked up the “wine glass” and was about to pour it into his mouth.

Lian Xi stretched out his hand to block his wine glass.

Xiao Gao was stunned and looked up at him.

In the dimly lit room, the bustling lights of the outside world seemed unable to reflect it, only quiet and peace enveloped the room.

Lian Xi looked at the bewildered young man in front of him, and said, "The living should not drink the wine that is given to the dead."

Xiao Gao was startled suddenly.

Lian Xi's voice was quiet and soft: "I have heard of a disease. For example, survivors of wars and earthquakes and natural disasters, after experiencing major and terrible disasters, they will be depressed and fall into nightmares. I feel guilty and blame myself, and I always ask myself unconsciously——

"why me?

"Why did I survive?

"Why me?"

Xiao Gao's pupils trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his lips wide.

Lian Xi: "It's called survivor syndrome."

In the spacious house, the voices of the seven guys making fun of each other stopped abruptly. They turned their heads silently, just like Lian Xi, quietly watching the man holding the "wine glass" with his mouth open, not knowing that he was already crying. full-faced people.

Lian Xi: "It's not your fault, they are also very happy that you survived. It's never wrong for you to survive, this is the luck that the seven of them are willing to give you.

"You are not a shameful survivor, you are a lucky one who worked hard.

"They're underground and happy for you too."

There is a long silence in the room.

a long time.

Lian Xi turned his head and looked at the place where the seven guys were "sitting" just now.I saw that there were no "tables" and "chairs" there, and there were no "bowls" or "glasses".On the ground, there were only seven wet traces.That is wine, in memory of the martyrs, in memory of the seven people who saved their lives regardless of their own lives.

"Thank you."

Lian Xi turned his head and looked at the young man.

I saw him slowly let go of the hand holding the "wine glass", looking at Lian Xi with a warm and sad smile.

"Thank you for the wine, it's really good."

The sound stopped, and the figure of the young boy disappeared in the air.

At the same time, in a high-end apartment on the other side of the city, a middle-aged man in pajamas suddenly woke up from a nightmare.His forehead and body are full of sweat. He is only 38 years old, but his forehead is covered with wrinkles, and his temple hair is also white with endless dyeing.

He was panting heavily, his fingers trembling.

After a long time, he suddenly let out a low growl, covering his face with grief and weeping.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... why was it me, why was I the only one who survived..."

"I'm sorry for you guys!"

The words that have been in my heart for 19 years, at this moment, all roared out, with tears and guilt.

However, it was also at this moment that he seemed to really come alive.

No longer so heavy and sad, no longer so stuck in the past, unable to extricate myself.

The next morning, Su Jiao got up early to go to class, and when passing by the old street next to the neighborhood center, he suddenly saw a shiny luxury car.

"Fuck? Mercedes?!"

The car stopped in front of Su Jiao.

A middle-aged man in a high-end suit got out of the car and came to a shop called "Wang Ji Baozi Shop". He laughed loudly and said, "Old Wang, a deep-fried dough stick, a meat bun, and a cup of soy milk."

Hearing this, the boss who was busy in the store stopped kneading the dough and turned to look at the middle-aged man in surprise: "Hey, don't you buy so much today?"

The middle-aged man said with a smile: "If you don't buy it, they should have had enough."

Boss: "Haha, okay."

The middle-aged man turned around and walked towards Daben with his breakfast in hand.

Su Jiao wiped his eyes, suddenly he saw the figure of the middle-aged man overlapping with the young man who should have been sent to reincarnation by Lian Xi at the opposite door.It's just that one turned to the west and the other turned to the east.The young guy didn't hold anything in his hand. He walked briskly, humming a little tune, with a bright smile on his face, and his figure gradually disappeared into the air.

Under the bright and warm sunshine, Gao Jiaxun straightened his back and looked up at the bright morning sun.

What a beautiful day!