Extra four
The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines on the kitchen, and you can see that the refrigerator is covered with sticky notes, each with curled edges, and fixed with a variety of refrigerator magnets.
These enamel porcelain gadgets are both new and old, including the Oriental Pearl Tower, white magnolias and sycamore leaves. The oldest one is a Persian cat with heterochromia. The red and blue eyes have lost their paint and turned gray. In the sunlight, together with other shiny refrigerator magnets, it reflects quiet and gentle light spots like rippling water, which ripples and swims on the cracked wall. It is so beautiful that people can't take their eyes away.
All these were brought back by the young couple when they went to Shanghai for fun. The hostess was Zhou Nianxing and the host was Yuan Shouyue. Zhou Nianxing would get lost on Sinan Road every time she went to Shanghai. She said she was lost, but in fact she was just dazzled. She liked everything and wanted everything, but she was reluctant to spend money. She picked and chose for a long time, but every time she turned around, she saw Yuan Shouyue standing calmly in the surging crowd, as stupid as a wooden stake, holding her son in one hand and holding the things she had seen and the long bill in the other.
"What are you doing!" She pulled him over and took him under the sycamore tree, complaining to him in a low voice, "You are so stupid! You sell worthless things so expensively, just to rip off stupid people like you! Just pick one and buy it back as a token of your appreciation!" He endured her scolding with the expression on his face like an old ox eating grass. After she finished scolding him, she had no choice but to open the plastic bag and take out the things he bought for her one by one. She looked at them one by one, held them under the mottled shadow of the sycamore tree, admired the light and shadow flowing on them, and smiled happily: "They are just beautiful." The anger on her face also disappeared.
After strolling along Sinan Road and Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, the family of three decided to have some crab meat dumplings. It wasn't the popular Jiajia Tangbao, but a lesser-known dumpling restaurant down Huanghe Road. The interior was greasy and dusty, and the owner wasn't very welcoming, chewing on a toothpick as he took our order with a nonchalant expression. Only when he saw the little one did he smile, nodded, and said, "Looks like grandpa (dad)."
The dumplings were very delicious, with a basket of crab roe, a basket of crab roe, and an extra basket of fresh meat. The little guy was sweating while eating. At this time, Yuan Shouyue would quietly go out to the Lawson supermarket across the street to buy drinks for the mother and daughter. As soon as he left, the little guy's brain became restless. He would lie on the table, glance at the door after taking a bite, and after a while, he would simply stop pretending to eat. He would hold the bowl with chopsticks and stare fixedly at the door.
Zhou Nianxing sat behind her son, looking at the back of his head. The more she looked, the more she wanted to laugh. When he couldn't help it anymore, he looked up at his mother and asked in a low voice, "Where is he?" She pretended not to know, holding back her laughter, and lowered her head to eat her dumplings while replying, "Who is it?"
But the little guy kept his mouth tightly shut and just looked outside the door. Only when the tall dark figure pushed the door open did he lower his head and continue eating from the bowl.
After finishing their meal, the family of three went for a drive along Huanghe Road. When they turned a corner and came to a secluded residential area, Zhou Nianxing looked around and muttered, "Do you think we can run into Li Jia again?"
"She started working a long time ago." Yuan Shouyue smiled. "It's been so many years..." He was stunned at this point and looked up at his wife's face. "Do you still remember?"
"I remember! Of course I remember! Just kidding, my memory is not that good now!" She was carried away by success.
She does sleep less and less now, but she still has to take a nap at noon because the afternoon sun is too dazzling. Yuan Shouyue draws the curtains for her, closes the door, and works alone in the living room, rolling out dumpling wrappers, mixing dumpling fillings, picking vegetables... There is always work to do.
When he was alone, Yuan Tiantian suddenly appeared, holding a car. He didn't talk to him, but squatted beside him and played with it. The more he played, the closer he got. Finally, he sat on the sofa with the car in his arms. Yuan Shouyue didn't even need to look at him. He put the meat filling in the dumpling wrapper, wrapped it up in two seconds, and asked with a smile without even looking up: "Is it broken?"
I sat on the sofa every day, my entire body blocked by the tall black shadow. I looked up at my father's dark face, and his eyes, nose, and mouth, not counting the scarred corners of his mouth, were all hard, cold straight lines.
Finally, he lowered his head and said in a hoarse, small voice, "One of the wheels is broken."
Yuan Shouyue wiped his hands, picked it up and took a look at it, then stood up and went to the balcony to get the toolbox. He put the pliers into the groove of the front wheel and gently pulled out a small piece of wire. In fact, it was stuck. Then he put the car on the ground and let go. The car rushed out with a hum.
After repairing the toy car, the man continued to work, but the little boy did not run away this time. He sat in his father's mountain-like figure, humming a song casually, and swinging his legs.
"Is that big car downstairs yours?" He leaned on the sofa with one hand and moved closer to his father.
"yes."
They made some money running the restaurant during those years. In addition to the large truck for transporting meat and vegetables, the couple also bought a black Ford SUV, which was large enough to take their children out for outings.
After wrapping a tray of dumplings, Yuan Shouyue looked to his side. The little guy was still looking at him with his neck tilted up, his delicate little fox eyes blinking slowly, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.
"The truck is broken too. Should we go and fix it together?" Yuan Shouyue asked with a smile.
Tiantian lowered her head and smiled sweetly, revealing her small white teeth. She leaned against him shyly, "Yeah!"
So on such a sunny afternoon, two dark figures, one big and one small, squatted on the dilapidated dirt slope. The big one hid under the car, and the small one squatted beside it and watched, curled up in a small ball, holding a lot of things in his arms.
The man lay under the car, stretched out a hand and said, "Something like a tiger's mouth." The little boy handed him the pliers. He said, "Something pointed." The little boy handed him the screwdriver.
The little boy smiled brighter with each time he was handed something. Beads of sweat the size of beans trickled down his dark little face. Every time he wiped it away, his face became even darker. When the man finally crawled out from under the car, the little guy had become as black as charcoal, with only his teeth, which were grinning, remaining white.
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When the sun sets, two black shadows, one big and one small, squatting on the ground look like two mountains, one big and one small.
The man gulped down a bottle of mineral water and handed it to his son. The little boy took it with a shy smile and, imitating his father, tilted his neck back and took a big gulp, as if he were drinking a bottle of wine. After finishing the drink, he wiped his mouth and heard his father's hoarse voice say, "Thanks to you, it's fixed."
His voice was like sand and gravel bathed in the sun, rough yet warm. It was different from the voices of all the other children's fathers, and he was also different from all the other children's fathers.
The little guy hugged his knees and looked up at the tall car body, as if he was looking up at a great feat.
The two of them squatted in silence for a while, and then they saw the small black shadow quietly move to the side, merge into the big black shadow, and called out "Dad" in a baby voice.
Yuan Shouyue is such a mysterious man with unknown origins. He was one when he was five years old and he was still one when he returned. People who know him or not always pause for a moment, sigh, or admire him when they mention him.
He was as silent and heavy as this declining industrial city. He had gone through hardships and tortures but never wanted to talk about it with anyone. He had traveled all the way over mountains and hills and returned home exhausted. Everything turned into a smile on his lips, lighter than the wind and deeper than the mountains.
In short, he blended into this place quietly. You could meet him when you went downstairs for a walk after dinner. There was a little boy sitting on his shoulders, and he was holding the hand of a smiling woman who was looking around everywhere. He held her hand tightly as if he was afraid that she would run away, and their fingers were intertwined.
That woman is talkative. Once your eyes meet, she can't avoid you. She will pull you aside and chat with you as if you haven't spoken to her in years.
After she finally lets you go, you walk away and sigh with the people around you, "These two really know how to name things. One guards the moon, the other reads the stars. One is mute, the other chatters. They're a perfect match!"
But even the most loving couples will have their quarrels sometimes. Even when they quarrel, the woman is usually the more aggressive. Her roar can even make the stairs fall into the ground through the door.
So what was the quarrel about today? Yuan Shouyue went to the market one day to buy goods. Pulling goods was a physical job, so he was usually alone at such times. On this day, he deliberately walked two more blocks and went to the city department store.
The clerk was quite enthusiastic when he saw him, and greeted him from a distance: "Brother Shouyue, are you alone today? Didn't you bring Sister Xing with you?"
"Yeah." He smiled and looked through the window at a bright red fox fur coat inside.
"Sister Xing has come to see me several times." The clerk was very experienced and knew that people like him would not come without making up their minds.
"Yeah." He still smiled dully and walked in. His broken hand hesitantly touched the bright red fox fur collar. It was so prosperous. No one deserved such a prosperous life more than her.
He was scolded all night for this dress that cost 28,000 yuan.
But while she scolded him, he did his work, washing dishes, doing clothes, and bathing his son. Wherever he went, she would scold him. At night, he would lie down on the bed, cover himself with the quilt, and look calm and peaceful under the desk lamp.
"Get up! Do you hear me? You're starting to get burned by all the money, right?" She grabbed his arm and was about to pull him up, but he hugged her and rolled her onto the bed. The louder the quarrel under the bed, the more intense the tossing and turning on the bed. The man was tongue-tied and couldn't explain himself, so he just kept his head down and worked hard. After a few strokes, the rage in the "tiger's" eyes turned into red and soft fluid. She kept calling him "brother", which gave him the upper hand.
The next morning, the two of them were even more affectionate than usual, lying on the bed with their limbs intertwined and refusing to get up. When they finally got up, their son was already standing at the door.
It was a Saturday, and he was waiting for Uncle Zhao to pick him up. Zhao Feng was the captain of the city's criminal investigation detachment. His wife ran away with someone a few years ago, and he became a bachelor. He also had no children. He usually liked to play a few games of chess. He was smart and could understand things at a glance. He was his best chess friend.
"You, you are adults..." Tiantian had not slept well that night and was so sleepy that he could not open his eyes, but he still dressed himself, and carried his small schoolbag and a kettle full of water neatly. He stood at the bedroom door with a resentful look on his face. The couple sat on the edge of the bed, covering their bodies with the clothes they had casually draped over them, and looked at each other in embarrassment.
When Zhao Feng arrived and took Tiantian away, the room fell silent again. Zhou Nianxing blushed with embarrassment and pushed her husband hard, yelling, "Did you hear me? I'm talking to you! You're so old, and you have no shame!"
After yelling, she turned her head away. The more she thought about it, the redder her ears became, until they turned purple. After a while, she felt no movement around her, so she turned her head and glared at him with wide eyes: "What are you looking at?"
Yuan Shouyue was as obedient as a submissive young wife, and looked at her with a smile, "I'm looking at Yueyue, she's so cute."
"What did you call me?" She glanced at him, "Who told you to call me that? Now I'm the star! You're the moon!"
He smiled innocently when he heard it and corrected himself: "I was looking at the stars. They are so cute."
Seeing his silly look, she also smiled, her anger vanished, and she leaned close to him and whispered delicately, "Yueyue is so cute too."
The two looked at each other, their ears burning, their breathing becoming heavier, and before they knew it, they were kissing again...
New Year's Eve in 2025 falls on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, and it seems to be colder than in previous years.
This small city is also different from before. There are many more skyscrapers, and every time a shopping mall opens, there is always a crowd of people.
The people here love to be lively and also love to join in the fun. If you stay here for a while, you will probably find a couple that is so ordinary that they couldn't be more ordinary in any of the newly opened shopping malls: the man has heavy scars on his face, the most serious of which is a scar that runs from the right corner of his mouth all the way to the base of his ear. One of his eyes is blind, covered with a layer of white film, as if he has cataracts. He almost never speaks, and when he does, he doesn't have a northern accent, but speaks something closer to standard Mandarin.
A woman should be very beautiful when she is young, but when she reaches her late thirties, aging is a secret that cannot be hidden. She has no waist, and in her own words, "her crotch rubs against her when she walks." Her face is as pale as a silver plate, her black hair is casually tied up, and she wears a red fox fur coat that she has worn for who knows how many years, left open. The fluffy collar is knotted into clumps, but the bright red color remains the same.
Whenever you see her, she is always eating. She really can eat. She has a candied haws in her left hand and Mixue Bingcheng in her right hand (among the milk tea shops that have flooded into this small town, she still likes Mixue Bingcheng the most). You can hear her barbell-like laughter from far away. The man next to her, the black jacket and belt around his waist are so old that the skin is peeling and covered with cracks like his exposed skin.
But his eyes, when he looked at her, shone with concentration, a glint that even the white film couldn't block. It was as if he had picked up a great treasure. Even if he did nothing, just looking at her like this for the rest of his life would be an incomparable happiness.
The two people's clasped hands were covered with thick calluses. They worked from dawn to dusk, washing, picking and cutting vegetables, and scrubbing the stove. Their hands had long been soaked in detergent and turned white. In winter, when they were frozen, their hands became red and swollen, as swollen as dried radishes. When they held hands like this, the gaps between them were connected.
Some of the people passing by recognized them and greeted them with a smile: "Xingxing, are you out for a walk? Is that Tiantian and Jingjing?"
The woman's eyes were invisible on her round face as she smiled. She pointed behind her and said, "Here!"
Not far behind me, I saw a little boy about ten years old leading a delicate little girl, about four or five years old, no more, wearing a pink princess dress, squatting next to the fish tank. One of her plump, white and tender hands was holding her brother's hand, and the other was holding her cheek. Her big, round eyes like black grapes were staring at the colorful tropical fish, and she was so excited that she couldn't close her mouth.
Her brother bent over and supported his knees, looking at his sister with a doting smile, pointing at the fish in the fish tank one by one, and explaining to his sister in a baby voice: "This is a parrot fish, this is a clown fish, this is a blue medaka..." Although his sister didn't hear anything at first glance.
There are four people in this family. The two younger ones are incredibly pretty. It is hard to find any trace of them from their parents who are so ordinary that they look like working people, especially their father.
In recent years, many young people from big cities have come here to seek the weathered, cold beauty of declining industrial cities. This man's temperament undoubtedly fits this theme. In their words, "This man is either a policeman or a policeman. He is either a state-employed person or a state-employed person."
So some people went from street to street asking, but the aunties and grandmas who sat on small stools at the entrance of the alleys, who would even discredit a passing dog, now had cold faces, cracking beans with a loud sound, and spoke in a lukewarm tone: "Why are you so picky at such a young age? What's it to you to talk about a couple's affairs?"
The old man wearing sunglasses on the recliner behind them woke up with a loud snore. He spun walnuts in his hand, yawned, and said leisurely, "Young man, mind your own business. Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."
In a word, don’t ask too much about what’s going on in the underworld!
Only those who live in this small town and those who have read this story know that Yuan Shouyue and Zhou Nianxing are good people, very good people, who deserve this peaceful and prosperous age, and deserve a life without worries and in Chang'an.
(End of full text)
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