It was already 3:30 pm when I got back to my small town from the airport. I had only been resting on the sofa for a short while when I received a call from my aunt. Of course, she was still talking to me about my younger sister going to work in Shanghai.
Actually, I haven't talked to Ye Zhi about this matter since dinner last night, so I had no way to give her an answer. I tried to brush it off, but she wouldn't let it go and finally sent me her resume, insisting that I forward it to Ye Zhi.
After hanging up the phone, I opened the window, hoping to breathe in some fresh air, but it just got stuffier and stuffier.
I couldn't hold on any longer, so I put on my coat and went downstairs. I wanted to sit by the river for a while. It's a habit I've had since I was a child. I always felt that the boats coming and going on the river were heading to a world without worries... The more I looked at them, the closer I got to that world.
Just as I was about to get on the bus, a neighbor I used to play with as a child called out to me, saying, "What a coincidence! I was just about to go to your house for a visit when you got off."
I smiled and replied, "It's been years since we last met. How about we find a place to have a drink?"
"Alright, the Longhao Hotel has already made reservations."
"We're just catching up, is there really a need for such a high-profile arrangement?"
"Catching up is one thing, but I also have important business to discuss with you."
I gave him a wary look, then laughed and said, "You're kidding, right... We haven't seen each other for two years, what business do we have to discuss?"
The neighbor lowered his voice and replied, "To tell you the truth... this dinner invitation is from our bureau..."
I interrupted him and asked, "What kind of organization are you in?"
“The Investment Promotion Bureau… I haven’t moved here for five or six years… Look, our county has such rich tourism resources, and it’s close to Chengdu. There are really tourism business opportunities everywhere… This year, our county has formulated a development strategy of making tourism the foundation of the county, so the heavy responsibility of attracting investment will definitely fall on our Investment Promotion Bureau… I have a heavy burden on my shoulders, so that’s why I came to ask for your help.”
"You think too highly of me. How can I possibly help with the county's development strategy?"
"Your girlfriend works for Shanghai Binjiang Group, right? Last year, they invested in a large-scale tourism complex project in Dali, which is exactly what our county needs right now."
Where did you hear that news?
The neighbor laughed and said, "Last year, you got Dai Qiang a job at their company. Do you even need to ask about this?"
I was speechless.
My neighbor patted me on the shoulder again and said, "Come on, let's have a meal together. Our bureau leaders are all waiting."
I pushed his hand away and replied, "If you're coming to me about this... then I can't eat this meal... because I definitely can't handle this."
"What's impossible? Your girlfriend will be our county's wife eventually, so what's wrong with contributing to your hometown?"
"A matter of principle."
"Please do me the favor, the restaurant reservations are already made."
I smiled and said, "Lei Zi, you have my phone number, right? But you haven't contacted me for three or four years... You're a government employee, so it's normal that you don't think much of me... As for me, I'm still the same as before, I haven't accomplished anything worthwhile... So please don't think too highly of me just because of a woman... or you'll suffer the consequences."
What do you mean by that?
"It's nothing... I'll just tell your boss that I appreciate his kindness, but I'm really not feeling well and can't eat anything too rich... I need to go to the hospital to see a doctor first."
As I spoke, I opened the car door and then, without giving him a chance to speak, drove away quickly from this place of trouble.
...
I wandered aimlessly on the edge of the county town, and my heart became increasingly depressed because of the sudden coldness of human relationships. In just one moment, I found myself disliking this small county town that had raised me for more than ten years.
I really want to talk to someone, but Ye Zhi is definitely not the one. So who else can share my burden?
I feel lonely again, so lonely that I don't want to face this real world. I also feel that I am a man with no ability, yet I insist on being with a woman who is full of glory.
I finally tasted the bitter fruit of this relationship, but it was imposed on me by a group of people who had nothing to do with it.
Amidst the mixed feelings, I finally remembered Wang Lei, and that her hometown was right next to mine. I should go and visit her... I should take this opportunity to visit the Hope Primary School she donated to during her lifetime.
...
I drove very fast, so it only took me an hour and a half to reach my destination. I stood at the school gate, looking up at the school name embedded in the teaching building.
It's called a teaching building, but it's only two stories high, yet it's worthy of my admiration.
Wang Lei is truly a great woman. Even the school she sponsored was not named after her... She placed more hope on these children whose fates were similar to hers, so the school was named "Xiangyang" (meaning "facing the sun")... She must have hoped that this would help the children forget the shadow of the earthquake and have a heart full of enthusiasm for the sunshine.
I, who am not one to cry easily, cried...
I remembered the way she swore at me while holding a cigarette, and the image of her being hugged and embraced by all sorts of people in the flashing lights.
What kind of woman is she?
Great or base?
None of that matters anymore. In my heart, she is my dearest friend, the woman who changed my life. Whether now or in the future, I will always keep her in the deepest part of my heart, in a very important place.
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