After hearing that the girl from Changsha had once worked at Zoomall, Mi Cai’s expression turned slightly apologetic. Actually, I didn’t know why I had asked that either. After all, she had died in a car accident after work, which couldn’t be considered a work-related injury, and thus had nothing to do with Zoomall.
Mi Cai asked the coffee shop owner, “Did Zoomall provide any compensation at that time?”
He nodded and said, “Yes, Zoomall gave 30,000 yuan as compensation, and the counter where she worked contributed an additional 10,000 yuan. I gave the money to her parents.”
I recalled briefly; back then, Zoomall was still under the leadership of Mi Zhongxin. The 30,000 yuan compensation was a gesture of humanitarianism. In contrast, the hit-and-run driver not only destroyed a life but also the moral fabric of society, trampling on the law, yet he remained at large. Therefore, often times, it’s difficult to seek something called fairness from this world…
Looking at Mi Cai again, I could better understand her attachment to the Zoomall Group. Perhaps Mi Zhongxin had instilled in her such a sense of responsibility while he was alive—the responsibility to employees. Because life is tough, and Zoomall supports the livelihoods of countless people, so Zoomall’s salary and benefits were among the highest in the industry. Even some counters wanting to set up in Zoomall had to meet a basic monthly salary standard of 2,500 yuan for their sales staff. Additionally, Zoomall provided a 500 yuan monthly subsidy for sales staff and other service personnel. These were all signs of humanity-oriented policies, introduced only after Mi Cai took over Zoomall. Regardless of her contributions to Zoomall, she was definitely a good leader who cared for her employees.
After a moment of silence, I said to the owner, “Please keep running this coffee shop for the sake of those who care about you… As long as you’re willing to wait, even the area west of the old city will surely regain its vitality!”
“I can’t keep running it anymore… I should go to Changsha, visit her parents, and find a real job to fulfill my responsibility.”
Looking at him, bitterness filled my heart. When he said he wanted to find a real job, it meant he was denying his past self. What kind of sorrow must life have given to an artist to make him abandon his artistic career?
Mi Cai asked him, “Do you have any other skills besides painting?”
He shook his head…
“Keep painting. This is not only your dream but also her dream. I think even at the moment of her death, she dreamed that you would become a great painter…”
Looking at Mi Cai, I noticed her eyes were still red. Because Mi Zhongxin had also died in a car accident, she could empathize. I nodded and said, “Also, this coffee shop west of the old city is the continuation of your dreams. She only wished to buy a house in the dilapidated western district while alive; don’t you think you should fulfill her wish?”
He pressed his forehead painfully, choking back tears, and said, “I don’t want to leave, but I don’t have the ability to survive in this city. I also want her parents to live better…”
At this moment, Mi Cai took out a business card from her handbag and handed it to him, saying, “Firstly, I want to apologize. I am the chairman of Zoomall. It was our industry’s failure to provide better treatment for employees that led to such a tragedy… I know many art dealers. Whenever you have time, you can call me, and I will introduce you to them. Or I can even privately help you hold an art exhibition. More people should appreciate your paintings.”
Mi Cai’s identity surprised the coffee shop owner. After a while, he accepted the card from Mi Cai and said, “You’re too kind. Our tragedy has nothing to do with Zoomall. It was fate that didn’t give us a fair opportunity.”
Mi Cai didn’t respond but looked at a completed painting not far away, then approached to examine it carefully. I followed her gaze but couldn’t quite understand it, unsure of its artistic level or value.
Mi Cai softly said, “The upper half of the painting is rendered simply, but it enhances the downward pull of the buildings below. Therefore, I see a sense of oppression and suffocation, filled with taboos. Yet you still wait for hope, so beside an abandoned ditch, there is still a patch of green grass… Your painting skills are excellent. You have perfectly combined abstract and concrete expression in this painting. Those who truly understand it will see a lot of artistic language within. At least I felt the tactile value of this painting.”
He didn’t respond but took out another cigarette, lit it, and stared blankly at the completed painting for a while…
Mi Cai asked again, “May I ask, what is the name of this painting?”
“The City of Taboos.”
“Believe me, this is definitely a painting that can reflect an era and be passed down.”
“Thank you.” He said, covering the painting with another canvas, still showing little emotion, as if what was forbidden wasn’t just the city in the painting but also himself.
Mi Cai returned to sit beside me, while he remained by the painting titled “The City of Taboos,” smoking. I didn’t even know whether he would accept Mi Cai’s help.
After finishing the cigarette, he finally extinguished it and returned to us. After a long silence, he said, “I want to stay in Suzhou… I feel like she never left here.”
Mi Cai and I exchanged glances, each seeing relief in the other’s eyes. It was right for him to stay. If he had simply closed this “West of the Old City” coffee shop, the ending of this story would have been too heavy, and his departure too sorrowful!
I patted his shoulder, finally shaking off the sadness, and smiled, saying, “Let’s properly introduce ourselves. My name is Zhaoyang. This is my girlfriend, Mi Cai. She is from Suzhou, and I’m from Xuzhou, but I’ve lived here for a long time!”
He finally smiled and said, “My name is Xia Fanye, and I’m from Luoyang.”
“Great, now we’ve properly met. Tomorrow I’ll bring my friends to your coffee shop to support you. They’ll definitely enjoy your ‘West of the Old City’ coffee too!”
…
After leaving the West of the Old City coffee shop, Mi Cai and I walked in the drizzle under her floral umbrella. We walked silently for a long time before she finally asked me, “Has CC come back yet?”
“Yeah, she came back yesterday with Roben. You know, you’re really something now. Not only did you break up with me, but you also stopped contacting CC!”
“Contacting her reminds me of you… It’s a really painful feeling!”
I smiled. Actually, during this period, I preferred to bother Wei Manwen rather than contact CC because I felt the same way as Mi Cai…
Suddenly, an idea struck me when CC came up. I said to Mi Cai, “Hey, what do you think about setting up CC and Xia Fanye together? I really think they’re quite suitable for each other. After all, they’re both people who have truly experienced life!” Without waiting for Mi Cai to respond, I continued, “Definitely invite CC to have coffee at West of the Old City tomorrow. Both of them should move on from their past emotions and start a new life!”
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