I'm not someone who easily backs down, and I can't possibly contact Yang Sisi without first determining who's right and who's wrong. I'm even less likely to abandon my sense of heroism and apologize to such a capricious woman.
So I decided: if this is just a fit of pique, then I'll stay piqued with her until the day I die.
Back at the inn, only Tie Nan was there. He had cooked a pot of noodles and, too lazy to use a bowl, ate them straight from the huge iron pot. Seeing me return, he asked, "How did that girl's matter end up?"
"Don't even mention it, I'm so angry."
As I spoke, I walked over to Tie Nan, moved his iron pot aside, and said, "Let's go to the old town and find a bar to have some fun. My treat."
"No, wait until I'm full."
"Beauty is food for the eyes, ever heard of that? Don't eat it."
"Come on, those little sluts in bars, do you think you can eat them if I don't first satisfy them?"
I was speechless for a moment before replying, "Beer should fill you up, buddy, I want to get drunk today."
...
As night fell, Tie Nan rode his beat-up motorcycle, taking me towards the ancient city. After parking the motorcycle behind Erhai Gate, I began my first leisurely stroll through the ancient city.
Compared to the tranquility of Erhai Lake, the ancient city is much more crowded with tourists, making it filled with a restless, hormonal atmosphere. The men in the ancient city all seem to like wearing braids and riding motorcycles, while the women are always smoking, completely unlike the people I had met before, who were always impeccably dressed in suits and speaking in serious business jargon.
People here also love keeping dogs, with Golden Retrievers and Alaskan Malamutes being the most popular. So you'll see many dogs lying on the ground in the streets of the old town, lazily squinting their eyes, living a more leisurely life than people.
Tie Nan, on the other hand, acted like a flamboyant madam, as if he knew everyone, constantly greeting people along the way. I found him too slow, so while he chatted with a woman smoking, I wandered around by myself. We agreed to meet an hour later at the bar where Coach Ma sang; it happened to be Coach Ma's solo performance there.
After strolling through two streets, I sat down in front of a silver shop. Diagonally in front of me was the most famous bar street in the entire ancient city: Honglongjing. Coach Ma was a resident singer in one of the bars on this street.
Although I hadn't gone inside yet, the explosive sound was already sweeping through the bar street with overwhelming force. This powerful infectiousness made me feel as if I could see the lead singers tearing through the stage through the lights, as well as the scantily clad backup dancers, and even the tourists who stopped to watch were jumping and bouncing along with the intense rhythm.
No wonder so many people love Dali. When you want peace and quiet, find a guesthouse by Erhai Lake and stay there; it'll be so quiet you won't even feel your own presence. When you want to have some fun, head to Honglongjing in the ancient city. The crazy DJs there will blast music that will leave you breathless.
But is this really the Dali that Wang Lei imagined she would love so much?
I felt a little disappointed for her because, up until now, I had not yet seen the kind of love she described that didn't concern itself with material things, nor had I seen the kind of man who could make a woman happy even while riding a beat-up motorcycle.
...
After sitting there absentmindedly for a while, I stubbed out my cigarette and followed the surging crowd into Honglongjing. Honglongjing is a completely commercialized bar street, with bartenders standing along the street, enthusiastically extending their hands to every passing tourist. They don't care whether others find it offensive; all they care about is how many customers they can get in one night and how much they will drink once they go inside.
I wouldn't say I despise them, because they are just trying to make a living in a fiercely competitive society. I truly see a hunger for life in them, just like I did when I was in Shanghai.
After dodging and weaving my way through the crowd, I finally arrived at the bar where Coach Ma was singing. The bar was called "Woman Flower." It was located in an alley behind the main street. Although it was in the bustling Honglongjing area, there were more inns than bars in this alley, so it was extremely quiet.
I stood at the door and looked inside. I found that the bar was simply decorated, with only a large table and a few long benches around it. There weren't many people inside, maybe ten or so, and surprisingly, they were all women. They were drinking and smoking.
Coach Ma sat on the stage in front of them, tuning his guitar, looking somewhat out of place. However, if it weren't for him, I really wouldn't have dared to enter this "land of women." It's not that I'm being hypocritical; this bar was just too overwhelmingly female!
...
I knocked on the window, and only went in after receiving a response from Coach Ma. I was greeted by a mature woman wearing a backless dress. She wore a headband, but it couldn't hide the fine lines etched on her face by time. She looked to be at least in her late thirties.
She smiled at me, took out a drinks menu, and asked, "Handsome, what would you like to drink?"
"Give me two dozen of the 'Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon' series first."
She took notes and then asked, "Anything else?"
"Could I have a little more snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts?"
At this moment, Coach Ma, who had been tuning the piano with his head down, said to her, "Bai Lu, this is my friend. Put all the drinks on my tab tonight."
I knew Coach Ma wasn't having an easy time either, otherwise he wouldn't be crammed into Tie Nan's hostel. Naturally, I didn't want him to treat me, so I said to the bar owner, Bai Lu, "Consider tonight my visit a courtesy call on Sister Bai Lu, so I definitely have to treat you all. I also hope to have a drink with all the beautiful ladies later."
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