Lu Qingjiu hit the road in his transformed pickup truck. After more than a dozen bumpy hours, he finally returned to the city he had chosen to leave. Half a year had passed, and the city hadn't changed much. The tall buildings still stood, and the roads were bustling with traffic, creating a bustling scene.
Accustomed to living in the quiet countryside, Lu Qingjiu was still a little uncomfortable returning here. The small truck was also much more well-behaved, perhaps because it was frightened by the unfamiliar scene.
"Sake, Sake! Over here!" Zhu Miaomiao arrived at the place agreed with Lu Qingjiu early in the morning and waved at him.
Lu Qingjiu saw her and drove over.
Zhu Miaomiao asked, "How long have you not slept? How about I drive?" Lu Qingjiu set out in the morning and arrived this evening. He must be tired after driving on the highway all day.
"No need," Lu Qingjiu said, "I'm not that tired." In fact, he didn't drive for too long. The small truck controlled the direction and speed. He even took a nap while holding the steering wheel...
"Oh, okay." Zhu Miaomiao said, "Then let's go to my house first."
Lu Qingjiu nodded.
Although Lu Qingjiu had lived in this city for many years, she hadn't bought a house here. Her previous home was also a rental, and she had already given it up because she was returning to her hometown. Lu Qingjiu had originally wanted to stay in a hotel this time, but Zhu Miaomiao refused, saying that her family clearly had guest rooms available, so why would Lu Qingjiu join in the fun of staying in a hotel? Wouldn't it be much more convenient to stay at home?
Lu Qingjiu couldn't persuade her and could only agree.
After parking the car in the garage, Zhu Miaomiao took Lu Qingjiu to the gate of the community for dinner. After being used to eating home-cooked food, Lu Qingjiu felt a clear difference when trying food outside.
"Ah, the food there is still delicious." Zhu Miaomiao also sighed, "The food in the city is always not as good."
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, "I brought you some raisins we made there. They're delicious. Try them first."
Zhu Miaomiao grabbed a handful, put it in her mouth and was amazed: "It's delicious, these grapes are so sweet."
"Yes." Lu Qingjiu said, "When you have time, you can come to our place and play again."
Zhu Miaomiao smiled and nodded.
Because they had been driving on the road all day, Zhu Miaomiao was afraid that Lu Qingjiu was tired, so she took him back to the guest room at home early. The two said good night to each other. After Lu Qingjiu finished washing up, he entered the guest room prepared for him by Zhu Miaomiao.
Zhu Miaomiao lives in a 20-story building in the heart of the city, not far from the bustling commercial street. Looking up, she sees a sea of lights, the cars passing by like streams of light. This is the nightscape of the city, completely different from that of Shuifu Village, yet each possesses its own beauty.
Lu Qingjiu watched for a while and then went back to bed to sleep, as he had to get up early tomorrow morning.
The next day, the alarm clock woke Lu Qingjiu from his dream. After he got up, he saw Zhu Miaomiao was still sleeping, so he washed up quietly and went out alone.
Lu Qingjiu went to the garage and drove out the pickup truck, and the two of them headed towards the cemetery.
The cemetery is in the suburbs and it takes about an hour to drive there.
Arriving at the cemetery, Lu Qingjiu first bought incense, candles, and paper money, then a bunch of fresh chrysanthemums. Since it wasn't a holiday or a weekend, the cemetery was quiet. Tall pine trees stood neatly on both sides of the path, creating a solemn atmosphere. Dewdrops from the mist still hung on the leaves of the low-growing evergreens, leaving wet marks on Lu Qingjiu's trouser legs as he walked through them.
He soon found his target, a tombstone in the corner.
Because my parents died at the same time, they were buried together. Their names were outlined in gold on the tombstone, and above them were two black and white photos. The man was handsome, the woman was gentle, and one could only praise them as a perfect couple.
Lu Qingjiu put down the flowers in her hand, inserted incense and candles in front of the tombstone, then half-knelt down and began to burn the paper money in her hand bit by bit. The paper money turned into gray ashes in the flames and disappeared into the air with the wind. Lu Qingjiu said, "Mom and Dad, I'm back to see you."
Naturally there will be no answer.
Lu Qingjiu continued to murmur, "I'm back home now and living well. Don't worry. If you need anything down there, remember to send me a dream. I haven't dreamed of you in a long time."
He paused for a moment, his voice a little low: "I don't know... if there is still a chance to find you."
At that time, a landslide occurred near Shuifu Village, and Lu Qingjiu's parents, who were still on the road, were directly buried in it. Even their bodies could not be found, only some personal belongings were found. At that time, Lu Qingjiu could not accept this fact at all, and rushed back to Shuifu Village overnight, hoping to retrieve his parents' remains. However, when he saw the collapsed mountain, he realized that this idea was almost impossible.
In the face of the power of nature, humans are too weak, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. They lose their lives without even having the chance to resist.
Lu Qingjiu burned paper money while mumbling some details of his life. When the paper money was burned and he had finished what he wanted to say, he reached out and touched the tombstone, saying gently: "Mom and Dad, I'm leaving first. Come back next year during the Qingming Festival. If you miss me, just tell me."
It was silent, and the men and women on the tombstones still had gentle smiles on their faces.
Lu Qingjiu packed up his things and left the cemetery. He got in the car when his cell phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Zhu Miaomiao's number.
"Sake." Zhu Miaomiao said, "Would you like to have dinner with us tonight? We're having a company dinner, and Brother Yun and the others are here too."
Lu Qingjiu said, "It's not a good idea for me to go to the company dinner."
Zhu Miaomiao said: "It's okay, the person you hate is not here. I told them you are back, and they are all very happy."
Lu Qingjiu thought for a moment and said, "Okay." He actually liked his colleagues at work; they all got along well. He hadn't resigned voluntarily, but had been fired. Of course, Zhu Miaomiao and the others didn't know about this, as there were hidden secrets that Lu Qingjiu didn't want to discuss. Since the person he hated the most wasn't there, going out for dinner was fine, so Lu Qingjiu readily agreed to Zhu Miaomiao's invitation.
The meal was set at a restaurant near the workplace. Lu Qingjiu had nothing better to do, so he took a walk around the city and bought some snacks for Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu.
Shuifu Village was still too small, and many things were unavailable. For example, Lu Qingjiu's favorite soft candy filled with jelly was nowhere to be found in town. Although it could be purchased online, it was quite troublesome to have to go to town every time to pick up the package.
Lu Qingjiu bought several large bags of soft candies, and when he put them in the car, he suddenly remembered something. He patted the head of his car and said, “Do you eat candy?”
The pickup's lights came on, fanned, and honked again.
"Eat? Then where is your mouth?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
With a click, the car's hood opened. Lu Qingjiu looked inside and saw that the place where the engine should be was empty. The hood was even cleaner than the trunk... This scene was really a bit exciting. Lu Qingjiu was also afraid that others would see it, so he quickly tore open the bag of candy in his hand and stuffed it in. After stuffing it in, the hood closed again. Lu Qingjiu was about to ask the small truck if he liked it when he saw his family's car, which was originally painted black, began to flash in various colors - almost the same color as the candy.
What does this mean? Is it so delicious that it changes color? Lu Qingjiu quickly called the small truck to calm it down, otherwise it would be doomed if someone saw it.
The truck calmed down at this point, but he didn’t know if it was Lu Qingjiu’s illusion, but he always felt that the truck was happier after eating the gummy candy than usual…
At around six o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Qingjiu arrived at the address Zhu Miaomiao mentioned. Seeing that there were many familiar faces sitting in the restaurant, he put on a smile and walked towards them.
"Sake, you're back!!"
"Qingjiu, you finally decided to come back to see us!"
"Brother Lu, come and sit here!"
When everyone saw Lu Qingjiu, they greeted him warmly. Lu Qingjiu had a gentle personality, was steady and responsible in his work, and was very popular in the unit. His sudden resignation had puzzled everyone, and his subsequent departure from the city and return to his hometown had given rise to countless speculations.
Lu Qingjiu sat next to Zhu Miaomiao and said with a smile: "Hello everyone, long time no see."
The old senior, Brother Yun, was also at the table. When he saw Lu Qingjiu sitting down, he slammed the table and said, "You kid, you left without saying a word, and you dare to come back? I'll make you drunk!"
Lu Qingjiu said with a smile: "Show mercy, Brother Yun——"
Zhu Miaomiao poured wine beside him: "Stop talking, you can't escape today."
A quiet life brings peace of mind, and the bustling world is not annoying. Lu Qingjiu drank too much, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks, and a thin layer of watery light appeared in his eyes. Zhu Miaomiao joked that a drunk Lu Qingjiu was really cute.
Lu Qingjiu said, "Who says men are cute?" He was about to continue pouring wine into the glass, but he felt that the originally lively crowd suddenly became quiet. Lu Qingjiu sensed something, looked up, and saw a man walking in from the door.
"Why is he here?" Zhu Miaomiao was still slightly tipsy, but when she saw this man sober up, she said, "Didn't he say he wouldn't come today?"
"How would I know?" Brother Yun was also a little confused. "But he did say he wouldn't come..."
Zhu Miaomiao glanced at Lu Qingjiu nervously, but saw that there was not much change on Lu Qingjiu's face, except that his eyes were slightly colder.
The man was tall and good-looking, but everyone in the company knew that he and Lu Qingjiu were not on good terms.
Lu Qingjiu said, "I'm going to the bathroom." He stood up and walked towards the bathroom. Zhu Miaomiao looked at his back with a worried look on her face.
The man's name was Wu Xiao, and he was Lu Qingjiu's boss. However, his personality was completely opposite to Lu Qingjiu's. Although he was capable, he had a very bad temper. When Lu Qingjiu first joined the company, his attitude towards her was quite good. However, for some reason, his attitude gradually deteriorated, and he even started to specifically target Lu Qingjiu. So much so that Zhu Miaomiao and the others speculated that Lu Qingjiu's resignation was related to Wu Xiao.
Of course, Lu Qingjiu never gave a positive answer to this speculation.
Lu Qingjiu had just finished using the restroom and was washing his hands when he heard a voice beside him that was cold and filled with disgust: "Why are you back? Didn't I tell you not to appear in front of me again?"
Lu Qingjiu turned around and saw Wu Xiao, "Mr. Wu."
Wu Xiao walked up to Lu Qingjiu and said, "What? Do you think I'm kidding? What did you do after you left that made Zhang Chuyang change his mind about you? Lu Qingjiu, if I were you, I'd be smart and stay away from this company."
Lu Qingjiu had already drunk quite a bit of wine, but he felt his mind was clearer than usual. He looked at Wu Xiao and smiled faintly: "Boss Wu, aren't you curious about where I know all that?"
Wu Xiao looked at Lu Qingjiu warily.
"Let me tell you, okay?" Lu Qingjiu laughed. The alcohol had stripped away his gentle temperament, making him a little sharp. His cold and sarcastic eyes made Wu Xiao feel unable to look directly at him.
"Don't you just fucking love gossip?" Wu Xiao asked, "What else can you tell me?!"
Lu Qingjiu sneered and pointed at him: “Come with me.”
Wu Xiao didn't expect Lu Qingjiu to be so arrogant, and he was also provoked by him for a moment. The two of them walked directly out of the restaurant, one in front and the other behind, which scared Zhu Miaomiao who had been worried.
"They're leaving now. What are they going to do?" Zhu Miaomiao said in fear. "I'll go with them. What if Qingjiu gets beaten up? Wu Xiao is bigger than him."
Brother Yun held Zhu Miaomiao back and said, "Goodbye, don't join in the fun. Mr. Wu is actually a good person, but he has a bad temper. The two of them will never fight no matter what."
Zhu Miaomiao said, "Why do you think Mr. Wu dislikes sake so much?"
Brother Yun said, "How would I know?"
Wu Xiao is their immediate superior, and being targeted by their immediate superior is naturally not a pleasant thing. However, they still haven't figured out why Wu Xiao dislikes Lu Qingjiu and targets him everywhere.
Lu Qingjiu got into his car parked outside, but Wu Xiao grabbed his hand and told him to get out.
"What?" Lu Qingjiu was a little impatient, "I said I'll take you somewhere."
Wu Xiao said, "You're driving drunk because you want to get in, right?"
Lu Qingjiu: "..." He had actually forgotten about this matter. As expected, he was used to the pickup truck opening the back door for him, and many of his driving habits had become bad. He had to change them in the future.
Wu Xiao sat in the driver's seat with a gloomy expression and asked, "Address?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "At the entrance of the company."
Wu Xiao: "..." He wanted to say something, but finally held back. However, his eyes became more and more ominous, and he looked at Lu Qingjiu as if he was looking at a lunatic.
Lu Qingjiu was too lazy to explain to him. He had drunk a lot of wine and was feeling dizzy. He didn't think much about what he said. He asked, "Mr. Wu, have you ever seen a ghost before?"
Wu Xiao was driving. When he heard Lu Qingjiu's words, he sneered: "What? You want to blame this on a ghost? Ha, is there such a gossipy ghost in this world?"
Lu Qingjiu grasped the key point in Wu Xiao's words: "So you have seen it?"
Wu Xiao was silent for a moment, then nodded perfunctorily, saying, "I saw them when I was a kid." He had indeed seen those filthy things, and he saw them often as a child, and every time he saw them he would get sick. His family had consulted a specialist, who said that his fate was too weak and that he would get better as he grew up. This was quite reliable, because he had never seen such things again after he grew up.
"No wonder." Lu Qingjiu said.
Wu Xiao asked, "What do you want to say?"
Lu Qingjiu didn't say anything, but leaned lazily on the passenger seat: "No matter how much I say, you won't believe it. When we get there, you'll know what I want to say."
Wu Xiao pursed his lips, his eyes revealing a deep sense of displeasure. In his eyes, Lu Qingjiu was someone who reveled in gossiping. His outwardly calm and gentle demeanor was all an act. As for why he formed this impression, it was simply because he had caught Lu Qingjiu gossiping in the restroom a few times, especially the most recent one, which even touched on the company's most confidential project. Because of this, Wu Xiao demanded Lu Qingjiu resign, and firmly stated that if he didn't, he would fire him.
Lu Qingjiu didn't express any doubt about Wu Xiao's decision, but left cleanly. This also made Wu Xiao sure that he was not mistaken. Lu Qingjiu was indeed a villain disguised as a gentleman. Wu Xiao hated such people the most, so when he saw Lu Qingjiu, he didn't give him any good face.
Until they arrived at the destination, Lu Qingjiu showed no intention of explaining. Wu Xiao stopped the car and asked unhappily, "What do you want to say?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "Come here." He entered the building, walked to the elevator door, and pressed the elevator button.
Wu Xiao followed Lu Qingjiu with a frown on his face. He wanted to see what tricks Lu Qingjiu could come up with.
The elevator went up to their company floor. Because of the dinner party today, most of the employees had already left work, and the few who could not leave were still working overtime.
The security guard at the company gate showed a surprised expression when he saw Lu Qingjiu and Wu Xiao, and greeted them with "Hello, Mr. Wu".
Wu Xiao nodded and said, "What exactly do you want to do?" He was a little impatient.
Lu Qingjiu ignored him and continued walking forward. The two of them walked through the long company corridor and soon arrived at the door of the company's toilet. He pushed open the toilet door and made a gesture of invitation to Wu Xiao.
Wu Xiao saw Lu Qingjiu's movements and his expression froze for a moment. He asked, "What do you mean?"
Lu Qingjiu blinked: "Don't you want to know the answer? I'll give it to you now."
Wu Xiao: "...The answer is in the toilet?" He looked at Lu Qingjiu suspiciously, not knowing what he was thinking. A blush inexplicably appeared on his cheeks. "I don't like men."
Lu Qingjiu: “…” He was shocked by Wu Xiao’s train of thought, so he simply said nothing and walked in first.
Although Wu Xiao hesitated, since he had already reached the door, he followed Lu Qingjiu into the toilet.
With its huge window, covered with folding shutters and dimly lit by a small overhead light, the toilet was not a pleasant place anywhere.
Wu Xiao said, "I'm in. Where's the answer I want?"
Lu Qingjiu took a deep breath, walked to the window, and shouted outside: "Lao Shu, Lao Shu, are you there? Are you asleep?"
Wu Xiao: “…”
Lu Qingjiu said: "Wake up, Old Tree?!"
Wu Xiao looked at him with horror, obviously thinking that Lu Qingjiu had gone crazy.
Lu Qingjiu ignored Wu Xiao and called out a few more times. About a minute or two later, a voice identical to Lu Qingjiu's came from a toilet cubicle. The voice replied, "Jiu'er? You're back?"
Hearing this voice, the fear in Wu Xiao's eyes almost turned into reality. He opened his mouth wide and pointed at Lu Qingjiu with trembling hands, then pointed at the toilet cubicle where the sound came from, obviously asking what was going on and why there was another Lu Qingjiu talking inside.
Lu Qingjiu shrugged, walked to the toilet cubicle, stretched out his hand and opened the door of the cubicle. After the door was opened, the cubicle was empty, there was nothing inside, and there was no second Lu Qingjiu.
"What's going on?" Wu Xiao was shocked. If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he would never have believed it.
"Old Tree." Lu Qingjiu sighed, "I've already told you not to use my voice when gossiping. Now you've really hurt me."
“Hahahaha…” The same sound as Lu Qingjiu’s was heard in the toilet again, but that voice was a little awkward. “How could I have known that someone could hear my voice? Wasn’t it because I didn’t pay attention when I was gossiping?”
Lu Qingjiu said: "Look, you caused me to be misunderstood."
The old tree fell silent.
This old tree was a magical existence that Lu Qingjiu discovered shortly after he joined the company. That time, Lu Qingjiu was in the toilet, but he heard someone whispering some very private gossip, but Lu Qingjiu felt something was wrong because no one in the company could hear this voice. In order to find out who was talking, he waited in the toilet for a long time until he realized something was wrong - there was obviously no one in the toilet.
Lu Qingjiu, noticing something strange, made an excuse to ask another colleague to go to the restroom as well. However, when the colleague came in, he claimed that he didn't hear anything. At this point, Lu Qingjiu realized that the sound was not human. After working in the company for a while, he discovered that the sound came from a large tree at the company's entrance. The tree also discovered that Lu Qingjiu could understand what it said, and through this back-and-forth, the two became friends. The tree's voice was strange before, but after becoming close friends with Lu Qingjiu, it began to imitate Lu Qingjiu's voice deliberately. It's said that in the tree tribe, this is a sign of affection. Lu Qingjiu didn't take it seriously at the time, but he didn't expect it would sow the seeds of trouble in the future.
Wu Xiao was obviously not as sensitive to these non-humans as Lu Qingjiu, so he could only hear Dashu talking very occasionally. Dashu knew the most private gossip in the entire company, such as that colleague A had gone for plastic surgery instead of taking a leave, and that boss B had contracted a sexually transmitted disease from visiting prostitutes. When it spoke to people, it used Lu Qingjiu's voice, which was heard by Wu Xiao, who was unaware of the situation and naturally misunderstood.
Wu Xiao, who misunderstood that Lu Qingjiu was a gossip spreader, directly confronted Lu Qingjiu and issued an ultimatum, giving him two choices: one was to be fired, and the other was to resign voluntarily to save face.
Although it was a bit inexplicable, Lu Qingjiu still chose the latter and left the company. Thinking about it now, these things were simply unprovoked disasters.
After listening to Lu Qingjiu's explanation, Wu Xiao's face became more embarrassed. He coughed dryly and said, "Sorry, I didn't expect... there is such a thing in the world."
Lu Qingjiu said helplessly: "Do you think I look like someone who gossips?"
Wu Xiao: "Just... a little bit?"
Lu Qingjiu: “…” Okay, as long as you are happy.
The author has something to say: Wu Xiao: Lu Qingjiu, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually told everyone that I have hemorrhoids.
Lu Qingjiu: I’m not, I didn’t…
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