Ambiguity in the circle of friends

This should be a comment from a co-worker who worked there a few years ago: It’s still the same as before, no changes.

After a while.

Aunt-in-law: It looks good. Let’s find a husband for her as soon as possible.

Wu Meilai frowned, turned off her phone, and went to sleep. The first thing she did when she woke up the next day was to check the new messages, then the comments, and finally the likes.

Then delete the dynamic.

She admitted that she was childish and posted selfies and deliberately mentioned He Xiao in the hope of attracting Zhou Qianling's attention.

But it was clear that her intention had failed. An hour after she posted the status, Zhou Qianling, as if in a formality, forwarded the college entrance examination news from XX High School. He left no trace in her life.

Wu Meilai suddenly wanted to cry. She didn't admit that it was because she realized that she had really become a stranger with someone. She only told herself: it was because her cold had not recovered yet.

Regardless of the feelings, life must go on. Wu Meilai rubbed her eyelids, got up, washed up, and opened the shop, briefly becoming an emotionless money-making machine.

It was more than a month later that I saw Zhou Qianling’s updates again.

Wu Meilai posted about the National Day specials on her Moments and casually scrolled down. After blocking posts about her baby and WeChat business, she saw a familiar face in profile within a few pages.

Zhou Qianling looked out the window casually. He was wearing a pair of glasses, his long hair was neatly tied behind his head, and his white shirt was buttoned up neatly.

Well-dressed, serious and abstinent.

Wu Meilai's heart was pounding.

She looked at the posting time, which was exactly the night after she posted the selfie.

People always have an illusion that "the people who pay attention to them are also paying attention to them."

Wu Meilai felt a tingling electric current in her heart, which was spreading throughout her body along with the blood.

She thought narcissistically, perhaps she was sending it to herself as well.

So when she had some free time the next day, she closed the shop, got on her motorcycle and went to a nearby tourist village.

In addition to the local customs and culture, the main tourist attraction of this village is a huge naturally formed cave.

Wu Mei came to buy a ticket to enter the cave. The cave hall was dozens of meters high, making the tourists inside look like a group of ants.

Wu Mei came looking for angles to take pictures. After taking a few pictures, she felt that there was nothing in her hands and she was not too serious. She went to the barbecue stall and bought a piece of grilled gluten.

After taking the photo, Wu Meilai saw a girl wearing a modified Miao costume in the background. She thought it looked nice and went to rent another one. But then she realized the grilled gluten in her hand was too unsightly, so she ate a few bites and replaced it with flowers. Only then did she go home feeling satisfied.

When publishing, she still spent half a day excluding the people who should be excluded.

【Give yourself a break [grin]】

After sending the message, he threw his phone away and opened a shop to do business.

It was not until late at night when she went to bed that she pretended to be calm and opened WeChat. She glanced at the new messages and found they were all spam. She opened her Moments again and saw Zhou Qianling's selfie from ten minutes ago.

Wu Meilai was stunned for a moment, then rolled around on the bed holding the phone, feeling as if she had won the lottery, and felt great joy and satisfaction.

It is almost certain that Zhou Qianling is indeed paying attention to him.

The photo seems to be just a casual shot. She is lying leisurely on a beach chair with messy hair, smiling at the camera.

When Wu Mei came, her heart was beating fast, and she always felt that she was smiling at her.

After that, the two of them started to act ambiguously in their circle of friends tacitly.

Wu Meilai began to look forward to the arrival of winter vacation. She didn't have any close friends or relatives in town, so she didn't have to worry about being caught.

——

As the days passed, the weather became colder and colder, and the high school students finished their exams and went on winter vacation.

For some unspeakable reasons, Wu Meilai closed the shop and took New Year's goods home. On the way back to the village, she took a photo of the scenery blurred by speed: going home for the New Year.

But there was no response after this photo was sent.

In fact, Zhou Qianling stopped posting updates about his daily life a month ago.

Wu Meilai couldn't help but think narcissistically that maybe one day, she would suddenly jump in front of her and ask her if she was surprised.

Such thoughts really made her blush, but she couldn't control herself.

But there was no surprise, as the old man Wu Ergou gave her a scare first.

After staying at home for a few days, he mentioned the old widower on the other side of the mountain intentionally or unintentionally: he was in his fifties and had beaten his wife to death when he was young. After that, no one dared to marry their daughter to him.

"He's from a wealthy family. I heard he spent all his savings on his coffin to get married, a whopping 150,000..."

"You wish! Anyone who dares to marry his daughter to him will be drowned in spit! Only a conscienceless and shameless person would dare to do such a thing." Liu Guiyan interrupted, saying with the utmost contempt.

Wu Ergou didn't expect her to say that. His face turned pale and he finally smiled and talked about other things.

"My sister is not young anymore, it's time for her to look for her in-laws."

This time, Liu Guiyan also agreed, "I'm almost 30. If I don't find someone soon, the good ones will be picked up by others."

It was drizzling outside, and the food in Wu Meilai's mouth had no taste.

Feeling a little wet on her face, she looked up and found that Zhulouba was dripping.

"Is the house leaking?" she changed the subject.

When it came to their own immediate interests, the two of them did not continue with Wu Meilai's plan for a lifelong affair.

Wu Ergou's eyes rolled, and he said, "In the fall, the strong wind blew down a lot of tiles, and with the hail a few days ago, there are a lot of holes in the roof."

He sighed, "It would be so comfortable if I had a son-in-law. I could just ask him to replace the tiles."

Wu Meilai couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"When the weather is good, I'll ask someone to renovate the house." After saying that, he finished his meal and went out.

Since going to live alone in town, she has found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her family atmosphere.

Sometimes when Wu Meilai thinks back on it, she even feels surprised. How could she have managed to work so hard and take the blame?

However, today's conversation also made her feel a sense of crisis. She couldn't always spend money to shut Wu Ergou up.

What to do?

While she was thinking, she heard someone calling Boss Wu.

Wu Mei came back to her senses and looked over, and saw Lin Yue kneeling in front of the stone mortar, holding a tin pot sideways. Not far from her, a dark and thin middle-aged man was stepping on the pedal of the mortar.

"Are you making glutinous rice cakes at home? Is uncle back?"

Wu Meilai didn't notice that she had actually strolled into Laowa Village.

"Yes, the return ticket is cheaper now, so let's leave on New Year's Eve."

Walk?

A thought flashed through Wu Meilai's mind: leave Qianzhou and make sure Liu Guiyan and the others can't find her.

But the idea was quickly rejected. She had lived in this small place for nearly thirty years, knew very little about the outside world, and simply didn't have the courage to go out. The last time she left Biji was ten years ago, when she was forced to follow the village adults on a long-distance bus to work.

She once told Zhou Qianling that if necessary, she would leave on her own.

But it's not that easy.

She was afraid of going to an unknown place alone.

She doesn't even know how to take a train.

Wu Meilai thought dejectedly: Only when Wu Ergou dies can we get rid of his bloodsucking, but unfortunately we have to wait for decades.

!

Wu Meilai was shocked by her own rebellious thoughts and quickly shook her head to shake it away.

She crossed the ditch and climbed up to Lin Yue's house. She watched as one of them pounded glutinous rice on a pedal while another used water to scrape the sticky rice cakes from the mortar back into the mortar. She asked, "Do you sell glutinous rice cakes? I'd like to weigh two pounds."

"It's not something rare or not."

Wu Mei didn't refuse when she came. She chatted with her about family matters and asked casually, "Zhou Qianling hasn't come back this year?"

"Well, mother and daughter came back last year specifically to pay respect to their ancestors. It will probably be more than ten years before they come again.

But Xiaoling is dating someone now, so I don’t know if she’ll be back for the wedding.”

Boom.

There was a loud thunder in the sky.

"Oh, so that's it." Wu Meilai turned around and left.

"Boss Wu, do you want more glutinous rice cakes?"

Ignoring the shouts behind her, Wu Meilai walked faster and faster.

Yes, for the small mountain village, Zhou Qianling was a brief burst of bright color; but in Zhou Qianling's eyes, Laowa Village might just be an inconspicuous light gray in its colorful world.

Wu Meilai returned home. In the dam, Wu Ergou was beating Wu Han again for some unknown reason. Liu Guiyan screamed to stop him.

Wu Meilai passed by them and got on her motorcycle.

"Where are you going?! Have you found someone to replace the tiles?"

The humming sound of the engine was heard and the car had already reached the foot of the mountain.

As the rain fell, Wu Meilai shifted gears expressionlessly. A lone motorcycle sped along the winding mountain road, sending dead leaves flying.

She already has a partner, so what do those selfies mean.

Pure sharing?

Or are you laughing at yourself?

It was raining heavily, and the rain pressed on my eyelashes, dripped into my eye sockets, and then flowed out.

The cold wind made her face hurt, but Wu Meilai didn't notice it at all.

She must have thought herself ridiculous.

Maybe she'll even share with her lover the temptations she's afraid to bring to light.