I added some more Chinese yam into the hot pot, while Jing Xiaosi poured some boiling water into the pot from the other side. That night, we all had a great appetite. We had already finished one entire pot of food and had shared eight bottles of beer, yet none of us felt full.
I was afraid that Mi Cai hadn’t eaten enough, so I kept telling her to eat more, because later we would have to walk back home—a long journey through the wind and rain.
After dinner, we continued chatting. In this subsequent conversation, Mi Cai and I learned about Jing Xiaosi’s career and family background. To be honest, I had misjudged her completely. Despite her model-like figure, she was actually a renowned performer of Suzhou storytelling, affiliated with the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group. Her parents were both professors at a music conservatory. She came from a prestigious family. This made us even happier for Xia Fanye, because with such a background, Jing Xiaosi was unlikely to be after Xia Fanye’s current fame—she had already lived in that kind of fame herself. Therefore, her love for Xia Fanye was pure and genuine, based solely on admiration.
Xia Fanye told me that before leaving, Luo Ben had given him a guitar, which had remained untouched until now. He wanted me to start a musical journey with this guitar, but when I held it, memories of Luo Ben flooded back—wandering, lonely, and living an absurd life.
I strummed the guitar strings and sang “Gift,” a song created by many artists in memory of the rock hero Zhang Ju. It contained reflections, criticisms, and guidance about youth. Luo Ben and I had sung it countless times in underground tunnels. Singing it now was also a way to reminisce about those difficult days when we struggled and looked forward with uncertainty.
“…In the end, you’re left with no strength, and I’m still trying to hold on… When no one in this world understands me, I’ll be lonely, but why are you so lonely too? Maybe we should switch places, so we can keep living for tomorrow…”
I sang every lyric with all my strength, because I loved this song, I loved the artist Zhang Ju, and I missed Luo Ben, who had gone through life’s hardships with me. Yet we always found strength in this song to keep going, continuing our absurd, wandering, and lonely lives.
After finishing the song, all three of my listeners gave me a warm round of applause. I lit a cigarette, letting the smoke drift, hoping all my departed friends would return here, so we could sing “Gift” together again, just like the lyrics say, embracing the sea and sky, waiting for the wind to come again… and we would surely rise again on the road, flying with the remnants of our youth!
…
In the wind and rain, Mi Cai and I walked home. She carefully avoided every puddle, not wanting to get her shoes wet again. Her footsteps seemed like a winding curve. I didn’t care, walking straight ahead, since I could just change my wet shoes when I got home.
Because she kept taking detours, Mi Cai couldn’t keep up with my pace. I mischievously refused to wait for her. After realizing my intentions, she became quite angry. She picked up a piece of stone from the roadside and accurately threw it into the nearest puddle near me, splashing water onto my pants. I turned around, ready to “beat her up,” but she immediately chose a straight path to run across the street. I couldn’t figure out her pattern between her straight and curved paths, so I stood still and warned her: “Be careful!” But she comfortably sat on a bench under the bus stop, smiling at me mockingly, clearly ignoring my warning. It made me wish I could rush over on a fiery wheel and “beat her up,” after all, I should be a powerful man in front of my wife!
But at that moment, my phone rang unexpectedly. I temporarily stopped playing around with Mi Cai, took it out, and was surprised to see that the call was from Yanyan.
I answered with confusion and asked, “Is there something wrong, Yanyan?”
“Are you in Suzhou now?”
I hadn’t told anyone I was coming to Suzhou, so I was even more confused and asked again, “How did you know?”
Yanyan’s tone was quite helpless: “Qin Yan told me… and he’s coming to Suzhou too. He insists on meeting me. This is making me anxious. What should I do? Should I meet him or not?”
“He’s coming to Suzhou!… Then who will take care of my coffee shop?”
“How should I know? You tell me!… Zhaoyang, I don’t care, this trouble was caused by you. You have to come to the train station with me to pick him up, and then you take him away!”
Worried about causing Yanyan trouble, I seriously replied, “Maybe you shouldn’t go. I can just go to the station to pick him up.”
Yanyan hesitated slightly and said, “No, I should meet him once, otherwise he won’t give up and I’ll have even more trouble!”
“Okay then, come pick me up by car. I’m wandering around Changjiang Road now…”
“Okay, I’m not far from you. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”
I acknowledged and ended the call with Yanyan. When I put my phone back in my pocket, Mi Cai thought I was going to get her again. She stood up, ready to run straight ahead once more. I shouted at her, “Stop right there! I promise I won’t hit you!”
“That won’t work. If I stop, what if you take revenge on me?”
I couldn’t help but laugh and said, “If you’re so scared, why did you provoke me earlier?”
“I was never good at school, so I don’t understand the meaning of ‘No zuo no die.’ Please forgive me!” Mi Cai said from a distance, full of caution, fearing I might attack her unexpectedly.
Of course, I knew she was only pretending to apologize, actually mocking my poor English skills, so I called her a “sea turtle” (a play on the term “sea turtle” in Chinese internet slang for returnees from abroad). Then she started speaking a bunch of incomprehensible English to me, probably either cursing or mocking me… So I responded with my broken English while slowly approaching her. When I was about ten meters away, I suddenly sprinted toward her. She panicked and ran too, but her feminine physique couldn’t match my explosive speed. In no time, I caught her, grabbed her, tripped her with my leg, and with both hands, she screamed and fell onto my leg. Of course, I didn’t really want to hurt her—just scare her a little.
With tears in her eyes and her eyes closed, she said to me, “Zhaoyang, you really hit me? How can I dare to marry you like this?”
I felt my heart melting, but still decided to take advantage of the situation and said, “You provoked me first. If I don’t teach you a lesson, how can I maintain my authority as a husband? Without authority, how can our family maintain stability? So disciplining you is for the greater good!”
“Who would believe you… It’s just a pretentious excuse for your own selfish interests.”
“To prove that I’m not a selfish person, I can let it go, but you have to agree to one condition.”
“What condition?”
“Kiss me once on each cheek.”
Mi Cai refused: “That’s typical child psychology. After getting hit, you come asking for a candy…”
“Then treat me like a child. Hurry up. Later, when we have our own child, you won’t even need to adjust, just use this method for education!”
“I really admire you. Even when you’re acting like a rogue on the street, you’re so convincing…!!”
“Are you going to kiss me or not? I’m really losing my patience here! …If I just move my leg, you’ll fall into a big puddle right under you. Then, a beautiful girl lying on her back in a puddle, the scene would be so beautiful I can’t even bear to look!”
Under pressure, Mi Cai finally pecked me twice on the face at the fastest speed. Satisfied, I kept my promise and helped her up. As my vision cleared, I saw Yanyan’s car parked not far away, and Jian Wei sitting in the passenger seat, witnessing everything that had just happened between us… I hadn’t expected her to come along!
She shouldn’t have come, but she did, which meant there must be a reason. Yet I couldn’t figure out what reason would make her come despite the potential awkwardness!
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