It was already 2 a.m., and Nicole and I had been staying at the "Woman Flower" bar, but Nicole's message to Ye Zhi still hadn't received a reply. I was exhausted, but I was still waiting... even if it was Nicole talking to Ye Zhi, not myself.
Nicole yawned and then said to me, "Michael, you go back to sleep first. I'll call you when I hear anything."
"I'll have one more cigarette, then I'll leave."
"Then hurry up and smoke, I'm really sleepy..."
Under the dim lights of the bar, I pulled a cigarette out of my pack and lit it, while Nicole went back to her small cubicle to remove her makeup and prepare for bed.
In that one moment, I felt incredibly lonely, and I desperately wanted to fly away, to glide through the city lights, to see everything in the hidden darkness… But at that moment, I was in a terrible state. All my fantasies were just wishful thinking born from the hazy night; I've always known that.
He squinted, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and then forcefully emptied his mind, listening absentmindedly to the sound of running water coming from the cubicle until he finished the cigarette.
I wanted to smoke another one, but my throat hurt terribly when I took the cigarette out of the pack, so I gave up. I finished the water on the table and then said to Nicole in the room, "I'll be going now. Call me if you hear anything."
"Okay, go back to sleep now, you're tired enough."
"Remember to call me."
"I'll remember that, now hurry up and go!"
...
Urged on by Nicole, I left the bar and walked alone on the bar street. The bar street was another world. Even at two o'clock in the morning, it was still bustling with music and dancing. Watching those people twisting their waists and going crazy under the flashing lights, I was also in a daze. I didn't know what they were thinking at that moment, but I knew that they must have forgotten that today was New Year's Eve, and when the dawn sun pierced through this world, it would be the most reunion time of the year.
But what should I eat for my New Year's Eve dinner, and who should I eat with?
I feel less pain now, but I'm still bothered by this issue.
...
Before I knew it, I passed by Cao Xiaobei's "Sheep Cafe" again. The door was locked from the inside, but Cao Xiaobei was still inside. He had a cigarette in his hand and was staring intently at the computer screen. He hadn't changed; he was still a gaming fanatic who didn't distinguish between day and night.
I was a little bored, so I knocked on the glass door, shouted "The ghost is coming!", and then ran away as fast as I could...
I don't know if I scared Cao Xiaobei, but I really ran very fast. In the blink of an eye, I was already on the main road of the ancient city. I took out some change from my pocket and bought a bottle of mineral water from the vending machine.
I found a comfortable place to sit down, and while drinking water, I stared blankly at the empty streets. At that moment, apart from the bar street, the entire ancient city seemed extremely deserted.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. Thinking it was Nicole calling, I pulled it out of my pocket as if I'd been electrocuted, only to find it had only vibrated once. It turned out to be a spam gambling message from "Louis XIII Casino in Macau".
Who the hell knows what this "Louis XIII Casino" is?
I muttered a curse under my breath, then picked up the mineral water bottle and started chugging water into my mouth.
...
Under the dim streetlights, a short figure was rummaging through a trash can; after a short while, he pulled out a mineral water bottle and then walked to the trash can opposite me, where he continued rummaging through it.
I wasn't mistaken, it was an old woman dressed in tattered clothes, picking up empty bottles.
She rummaged around with a flashlight for a while, but found nothing. Then she turned her attention to me and sat down opposite me. I thought she was tired, but she kept staring at the half-empty water bottle in my hand.
After realizing what was happening, I drank the water faster, then took the empty bottle and walked towards the old woman. As I handed it to her, I asked, "Grandma, why are you out collecting bottles so late?"
The old lady's hearing is not very good.
I asked again, and she replied in her local dialect, "...Xiaoling works the night shift, so I came out to collect bottles..."
"Xiaoling?"
The old woman started talking and said to me, "Xiaoling is my granddaughter... She works at the nearby police station... It's a respectable job for her. It would be embarrassing for her to come out and collect bottles during the day, but at night no one will see her. Collecting some bottles to sell can help ease her burden."
I smiled and replied, "Grandma, you're not thinking that way. She doesn't let you pick up bottles because she's worried you'll get tired, not because she's afraid you'll lose face."
The old woman smiled, probably knowing in her heart that it would indeed cause her descendants to suffer criticism if she came out to collect bottles at such an advanced age. She understood this, which is why she chose this time to do this.
I feel sorry for her. If she could enjoy her retirement, who would be willing to do this? I guess the conditions must be really bad.
"Grandma, wait here for a moment, I'll go get you something nice..."
The old woman looked at me, and I smiled at her before running towards "Jiulongju" not far away. I had a lot of empty bottles that customers had thrown away, and Bottle Bro had also discarded quite a few. Giving them to her would be perfect.
...
Ten minutes later, I returned to the original spot, panting heavily, carrying two sacks of empty bottles. The old woman didn't wait for me, but she didn't go far either; she was rummaging through another trash can nearby.
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