Chapter 65: The Song of Taotie (V) Sisyphus's Pie. ...
On Sunday, the two arrived downstairs of Li Mai's house on time.
Li Mai lives in a relatively old community, but it is very tidy and the corridor is clean. It can be seen that the property management is also good.
They went up to the fifth floor and knocked on the door. Li Mai, dressed in black home clothes, opened the door. Seeing what the two men were carrying, he was a little surprised and said, "You brought so much?"
"My God," Li Mai said when he saw the gift bag. "That's a waste of money."
It was a wool scarf with a huge logo printed on it. It wasn't cheap, almost half of Zhang Deng's salary.
Zhang Deng was very conflicted when buying gifts. He didn't know whether to buy something expensive or something practical. If the gift was too expensive, it might put a psychological burden on Li Mai.
In the end, Zhang Deng chose a relatively cheap scarf from a big brand, which is both warm and valuable.
Zhang Deng said, "Wei Yuanye and I sent it together."
He also brought a bottle of wine. It seemed that all kinds of berry wine were popular in this world. Zhang Deng picked out one that looked nice and bought it.
Li Mai said, "You're here too early. The others haven't arrived yet. Chef Wei, come and help! Turn on the lights. Please take a seat."
Wei Yuanye rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands and work, then turned on the light and sat on the sofa, looking around the room.
The room is not big, but it is packed with things.
There were so many beautifully bound books that they couldn't fit on the bookshelf and were piled on the floor. The bed was piled with dolls and pillows. There were three dressing mirrors and two large carpets in the small room. Although the coffee table and sofa were clean, the storage baskets were also crowded, as if they had been roughly cleaned to welcome the guests.
A person's residence can reflect his or her mental state to some extent. From the dazzling array of clothes, shoes, dolls, and backpacks displayed by Zhang Deng, it can be seen that Li Mai is very materialistic.
Perhaps the hard work has drained her passion for life, and she can only find some happiness through appetite and material desires.
Zhang Deng quickly realized that his unauthorized deconstruction was very rude. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Li Mai said, "Open it for me!"
Zhang Deng opened the door and saw a strange beautiful girl. The girl had short hair and bangs stuck to her small cheeks. The tip of her nose was red from the cold wind. She was wearing a pink cotton jacket and a white pearl bow scarf. Because she was very beautiful, Zhang Deng was stunned for a moment before asking her in. Zhang Deng then saw that behind her was another girl wearing a long black cotton jacket. Her hair was down to her waist and scattered behind her. She had light makeup on her face.
Li Mai came out with a rice spoon in his hand and said, "Are you here?"
The girl in black handed the bag to Li Mai and said, "Happy birthday."
Li Mai looked at the bag of green onions and said, "You two are so perfunctory!"
The girl in pink smiled and couldn't wait to take out an exquisite gift box from her pocket. She had beautiful manicures on her hands, and the gift box looked very beautiful in her hands.
Li Mai took it and said, "That's pretty good."
She opened it on the spot and found a dagger that was exquisitely crafted and exuded a chilling aura. Li Mai was extremely surprised and asked, "Oh my God, is this it?"
"I really like this," Li Mai explained to Zhang Deng, "It's too expensive, I've never been able to afford it."
Li Mai found her name on the back of the knife. She said, "I've always wanted to have one custom-made. I'm so touched."
Zhang Deng said, "Your... hobbies are really niche."
"I'll carry it with me," Li Mai said, unable to let it go. "I'll have no regrets in my life."
"Xiao Bai told me," said the girl in black, "She said you've always wanted to buy this, and it just so happens that we're both pretty well off lately."
Li Mai explained to Zhang Deng, "This knife is forged grade, purely hand-forged. The name was hammered on after the mold was made. It's truly precious."
The three girls shared their delicate and subtle joys and hobbies. Zhang Deng found the scene itself inexplicably heartwarming. Li Mai then remembered to introduce them. She introduced the two friends to Zhang Deng: "These are my former roommates."
The girl in pink is Liu Bo, a teacher. The girl in black is Huang Jingjing, a model.
Their names and their temperaments are very contradictory, as if they were swapped.
Li Mai called Wei Yuanye out as well. Wei Yuanye was still wearing an apron and simply greeted them.
Liu Bo's face turned red immediately. Wei Yuanye's appearance was so shocking that many men's first reaction was often to be stunned by his handsomeness, just like Zhang Deng.
Wei Yuanye went back to cooking. Li Mai said, "You two can chat first. It won't be awkward, right?"
Zhang Deng was of course embarrassed, as he had social anxiety, but at this moment he could only grit his teeth and say no.
It was obvious that the two of them had been here many times and were very familiar with the structure of the house. They poured themselves drinks, found slippers, and even found a pair of furry sandals for Zhang Deng.
Zhang Deng felt bad, but Huang Jingjing said nonchalantly, "She has too many shoes to wear, so she won't wear this one."
Liu Bo was very kind to people. Perhaps there was a saying that appearance reflects the heart. She exuded a gentle temperament and said to Zhang Deng with a smile, "She moved out of our place because she had too much stuff and couldn't fit it in anymore."
Zhang Deng actually really wanted this opportunity to chat more with the girl, but he was afraid he'd say something stupid or offensive, so he didn't know how to start. Fortunately, Liu Bo was worried he'd feel awkward, so he asked him some questions: "I heard from Li Mai that you're her colleagues. Is she like this at work, too?"
Zhang Deng said, "She works very efficiently and her boss values her very much."
"I really can't tell." Huang Jingjing sat on the carpet, opened a bottle of drink, put her hair behind her, and said casually.
Liu Bo said: "Her takeout boxes used to stay in the trash for a week."
"Then we took it away from her." Huang Jingjing added.
Zhang Deng smiled and said, "Sometimes work is really tiring."
"Her job," Huang Jingjing seemed quite dissatisfied with it, "is that what humans should do?"
Liu Bo smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Jingjing really doesn't like office work."
Zhang Deng said, "Sometimes there really is no choice. Compared to many ways to make money, going to work is the easiest thing."
Huang Jingjing said, "Your idea is too old-fashioned. What time is it now? Will I really starve to death if I don't go to work?"
Although Huang Jingjing said this, she did not have an offensive temperament and was just discussing with Zhang Deng.
"Not everyone is as lucky as you to be a model." Li Mai brought two dishes, which smelled delicious.
Li Mai said, "Go serve the dishes and get the bowls. We are about to eat!"
Five people cooked a table full of dishes, but none of them were dishes that required time and effort. Zhang Deng felt that Wei Yuanye was just doing it to get by, and his cooking was not as exquisite as before at Zhang Deng's house.
But it was enough and everyone was very satisfied with the taste.
At the dinner table, Huang Jingjing asked Li Mai: "Have you lost weight?"
Liu Bo said: "I feel thinner too."
Li Mai smiled awkwardly and said, "Maybe."
Liu Bo: "Didn't you weigh it?"
"No," Li Mai said vaguely, "The scale is broken, and I haven't weighed myself in a long time. I don't really care about my weight anymore."
Huang Jingjing said: "It's good that you have this mentality."
Zhang Deng discovered a very scary thing, that is, all the people around Li Mai were very thin.
Liu Bo said: "I also think that you don't need to lose weight too much, you should take care of your body first."
Seeing that Zhang Deng didn't understand, she explained to him, "She went to see a doctor and was told she had kidney problems because she had lost weight excessively in the past."
Zhang Deng said, "How about taking some medicine?"
"She thought taking Chinese medicine would make her fat, so she didn't take it."
Li Mai interrupted, "It's all right now."
The two of them were also concerned about Li Mai's health and said, "You worry too much and it's ruining your health."
"Has your mother called you in the past two days?"
Li Mai reached over and lit a box of cigarettes, then handed one to Huang Jingjing. He asked Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye if they wanted to smoke, but they both refused.
Li Mai was a little surprised: "Don't you two smoke?"
"I used to smoke," Zhang Deng said, "but I've given up."
Even Wei Yuanye didn't know that Zhang Deng had smoked, so Wei Yuanye glanced at him.
That was when he had just graduated from college and started working. Rent, weight, future, love and other things made Zhang Deng feel anxious. When he really couldn't control his appetite, he heard that smoking could relieve hunger. After trying it for a while, he raised Xiaomi. Xiaomi was very sensitive to the smell of cigarettes, so Zhang Deng quit smoking.
Wei Yuanye said: "I can't."
Of course, smoking and drinking are prohibited in the World Tree.
Li Mai said, "I really can't stand you guys. How can you be so self-disciplined?"
"Don't interrupt," Huang Jingjing asked amidst the smoke, "What did your mother say?"
Li Mai: "Let me go home for my birthday, and ask my sister to come back too."
"Can you call it back?"
"Of course not," Li Mai blew out a puff of smoke, flicked the ash, and said very skillfully, "She's just imagining things."
Liu Bo was afraid that the two of them didn't understand, so he explained to them, "Li Mai's sister is a big star. The girl on the big screen in the square is her sister."
Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye had actually known about this for a long time, so they could only feign surprise. Zhang Deng said, "No wonder they look so alike."
"Yes, they are very beautiful sisters," Liu Bo said, "but actually they... well, you tell me for yourself."
Li Mai poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and said, "There are three children in my family. I have a younger brother. When my mother gave birth to me, she gave my sister away."
Zhang Deng pretended to be even more surprised: "...Is there such a thing?"
Li Mai said: "Actually, it can't be considered as giving the child away, it's just adopted. But my sister was already four years old at that time. She was sensible and remembered everything."
"Later, my sister became a big star and made a lot of money," Li Mai said. "My parents also divorced. My brother got along better with my dad and rarely contacted my mom. So my mom wanted to take my sister back."
Zhang Deng said, "Your sister doesn't agree?"
"How could we possibly agree?" Li Mai said with certainty, "She hates us to death. We went to the same school when we were little, and everyone knew she was abandoned by my family. She had a very hard life, and the family she adopted later had a daughter, which made things even harder for her. I haven't seen her wear new clothes in years."
Li Mai said: "I understand and accept that she hates me, but fortunately she is living a good life now."
Zhang Deng didn't know what to say, so he just toasted her.
Even with such an understated description, Zhang Deng felt the shocking reality. All this was a fatal blow to an adolescent girl.
Huang Jingjing felt that Li Mai hadn't gotten to the point and said, "You haven't told them yet that your mother wants you to give her 5,000 yuan a month for her retirement."
Zhang Deng: "Five thousand?"
Li Mai nodded and said, "It's considered compensation."
"What's the meaning?"
"Let's make up for the loss of a very good daughter." Li Mai smiled bitterly, "Although she didn't say so."
Li Mai said: "If the child who was sent away was me, she would be the mother of a celebrity, and she and my father would not have divorced."
Zhang Deng thought this was ridiculous: "How can it be calculated like this?"
Li Mai said: "It's okay, I didn't give her anything because I don't have that much money."
Li Mai's consumption level is not low, and she also has to socialize regularly. The consumption levels of her friends are all there, and she can't be too cramped. Li Mai doesn't have that much money to give to her mother.
"If it were me, I wouldn't give a single cent." Huang Jingjing said.
Liu Bo said, "I'll only give you two thousand. I can't do it without a cent."
Li Mai now transfers 3,500 yuan to her mother every month and can hardly save any money herself.
Judging from Li Mai's attitude when talking about this matter, the painful period brought to her by her original family has long passed, and she seems to have gotten used to it now.
Huang Jingjing also poured some wine and said, "But your sister is really beautiful."
Li Mai smiled, feeling a little bitter.
"That commercial was also very well shot and became a huge hit," Huang Jingjing said. "I don't know how much footage they shot to make it look so realistic. I heard that because of that commercial, many directors took notice of her and asked her to act in movies."
Li Mai said, “Yeah.”
She seemed a little dim about her sister's success.
The three girls actually have their own troubles. Huang Jingjing is being tied up in a very despicable relationship. Although the man has a good appearance, he is a poor and uneducated guy. Unfortunately, this poor guy is suave and charming. Huang Jingjing has planned to be a poor couple with him. The man regretfully tells her that he has no plans to get married yet.
Huang Jingjing is not young anymore and can't bear it any longer, but she can't get away from it.
Liu Bo was exhausted both physically and mentally by her teaching career and relationships with colleagues. She wanted to find a job that was not too demanding, but it was very difficult due to professional restrictions. It was said that Liu Bo had become so anxious that she had gone into menopause.
Listening to a seemingly introverted girl discussing her menopause at the dinner table was a bit of a shock to Zhang Deng. Liu Bo quickly realized what was happening and blushed, "Sorry, we're used to it."
Zhang Deng said, "It's okay, it's okay."
Wei Yuanye seemed to have not heard anything. He just sat there and ate. When he was full, he sat aside with his eyes fixed on a certain place on the table, as if he was daydreaming. In fact, he did not miss a single word.
Young people in the age group of 25-35 seem to live in great anxiety and panic, because they are in the middle of their lives. To their head is their family, with no support from them, and to their head is an endless abyss. They live in constant fear of whether their future lives will be so sloppy.
Zhang Deng himself was still being blackmailed by this fear. It was only after he met Wei Yuanye that he felt the responsibility was shared and was no longer so worried.
Huang Jingjing suddenly said: "But my relationship has been going well recently."
She stretched out her hand, and on her slender finger like a silver fish hung a ring with a small red gem on it. It didn't quite match her temperament, but because her hand was so beautiful, it looked quite charming.
Li Mai said, "Did that poor guy give it to you?"
"He got a big job and made some money," Huang Jingjing said. "The first thing he did was buy me a ring. It was secondhand and the stone was old, but I liked it."
Li Mai rolled his eyes and said, "Congratulations."
Liu Bo said: "That poor guy said he would make a lot of money and marry her when he got rich."
"You've finally made it," Li Mai said, but he didn't really think Huang Jingjing was having a good life. He just said, "Then be well."
Huang Jingjing seemed quite sober and said, "I understand. I don't have to marry him. I don't have anyone more suitable right now, so let's just stay like this for now."
"It sounds nice," Li Mai commented.
Liu Bo said: "Actually, I love it to death."
Huang Jingjing said dissatisfiedly: "I really think so."
In the short term, everyone is stuck at the ferry center of life.
Zhang Deng was unable to persuade the three girls. They had already done a good job and had achieved relatively satisfactory results in their lives.
After all, he is not them, so he cannot judge whether their lives are good enough or whether they should be content. This anxiety comes from their high demands on themselves and their desire to pursue happiness.
But Zhang Deng really wants to ask: Is it a case of buying the box and returning the pearl that leads to great pain when one pursues happiness too much?
He didn't ask because there was no answer to the question.
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