0068 Night Rose Night.68 (2800+) Zhong Mang didn’t know why he thought of his childhood at this time.
During the summer vacation, Chen Shanye often came to his house to stay for a month or two. Before the sun set in the afternoon, a group of little kids in the village often rode their broken bicycles to swim in the small lake behind the grove to cool off.
But one time he went into the water without warming up, and soon his feet cramped.
The lake water poured into his mouth and nose, and his head was soon covered by the water. He wanted to shout for help but couldn't. He started by paddling around on the lake, stirring up waves, but gradually he could only draw silent tracks with crystal bubbles on the bottom of the water.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in front of him. Chen Shanye had swam to his side without him knowing. The tall and thin boy took a deep breath and lifted him out of the water.
It feels so good to see the sun again. This is what Zhong Mang thought as he was dragged to the shore by Chen Shanye.
Originally, he didn't want to be a "porter" tonight. He wanted to handle the designated driver orders properly, but a customer like this came.
Why is it so difficult to make money in a down-to-earth way?
The cell phone in his trouser pocket vibrated from time to time. This phone would only contact him when it was online.
Every buzzing message pulled him back to the bottom of the lake where no sunlight could reach.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound of gravel rolling on the ground beside him, and Zhong Mang felt someone sitting down next to him.
It was Chen Shanye, sitting with him in this dirty and rough gravel ground, sitting with him in this darkness without a trace of light.
"Are you too tired recently? If so, take a break for a while and go home to see grandma, okay?"
Chen Shanye reached out to help him brush off the gray shoe prints on his trouser thighs.
He didn't say anything, and Chen Shanye just sat with him until the phone in his pocket vibrated again.
Zhong Mang exhaled heavily, raised his head from his arms, and smiled at Chen Shanye: "It's okay, I can still do it."
Chen Shanye sighed. He stood up first, not even brushing off the dust on his butt, and extended his hand to Zhong Mang: "Let's go home, take a shower and eat some skewers. I'll treat you to a midnight snack tonight."
Zhong Mang looked at the broad and thick palm, which was covered with small calluses and scratches. His brother had really been through a lot.
He handed his hand to Chen Shanye.
Brother, can you give me a hand again? Is it still too late?
Zhong Mang thought about it in his mind but didn't say it out loud.
The two men packed up their things and turned around to ride towards the bright main road. The two electric bikes were side by side, bumping around in the potholes, like two lonely boats drifting on the Black Sea, heading towards the lighthouse on the shore shrouded in thick fog.
The lights at the end of the road grew brighter, making the riders in the dark seem even more lonely.
Chen Shanye said: "Let's rest tonight and go home directly?"
Zhong Mang shook his head: "I'll run a few more orders. I was delayed for some time just now, and I haven't reached my goal today."
"Can you really?"
"Well, I'll run a little further and then go back. Brother, aren't you going to your sister-in-law's house tonight?"
"Your sister-in-law has something to do tonight, so I'll go back with you tonight."
"Okay, it's been a while since we two brothers have had a drink together!"
Hearing that Zhong Mang's voice had regained some vitality, Chen Shanye finally felt a little relieved.
The two separated on the side of the road. Zhong Mang said that a regular customer asked him to pick him up at a nearby bar. He dusted himself off and left. Chen Shanye did not leave immediately because he wanted to smoke a cigarette.
He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. He always felt as if there was a layer of smoke in front of his eyes and he couldn't see clearly.
He felt like smoking, so he stopped the car under a locust tree on the side of the road and prepared to take the cigarette box from his backpack.
Click, a crisp sound came from the sole of the shoe.
Chen Shanye lifted his foot. It was a shed cicada shell, brown and yellow like a small piece of translucent amber, resting on the red road bricks. He crushed it into pieces with one step.
*
Ruan Mei got up very early because Xu Ziling was arranged to go to the delivery room early to be injected with rivanol.
When Xu Ziling was sent back by the nurse, Ruan Mei did not ask her about the injection. She saw the induced abortion diary on the Internet last night, and every entry was recorded in great detail.
Ruan Mei went to the hospital cafeteria to buy her breakfast. There was still a long process ahead, and she had to eat a full meal to have strength.
The two chatted about random things while eating. Xu Ziling still had a good appetite at this time and finished the porridge and meat buns.
As soon as the visiting hours in the ward opened, Yu Xiongming rushed in from outside. When the boy saw Xu Ziling in her hospital gown, tears immediately flowed down his face. Xu Ziling laughed and scolded him for being useless.
Yu Xiongming advised Xu Ziling to reconsider on the phone last night, saying that if she was busy with work and had no time to take care of the child, he could help her take care of the child.
Later, I felt that what I said was as innocent as a fairy tale in the book, so I could only curse at the man who did not take proper contraceptive measures.
Yu Xiongming touched her unrevealed belly and cried, "Who is that scumbag? Tell me, I'll go find him with a pair of scissors!"
Xu Ziling smiled without answering, but reached out and ruffled the boy's fluffy hair.
As soon as the working hours arrived, Xu Ziling turned on the computer and immediately started a multi-party video conference. For this purpose, she even changed her clothes and put on light makeup.
Xu Ziling, who had returned to the role of the smart and capable strong woman, seemed as if she had not entered the delivery room that morning, nor had a 20-centimeter-long needle been inserted into her body. Ruan Mei and Yu Xiongming were quietly watching over her.
When the sunlight slowly climbed to its highest point, for a moment, Ruan Mei noticed that Xu Ziling's breathing paused.
It was like she felt some changes in her body.
The glass hourglass began to drop stardust.
The medicine didn't take effect that day until the next day, when it was almost noon again and Ruan Mei and Yu Xiongming were about to go to the cafeteria to buy lunch, Xu Ziling, who was sitting on the bed using the computer, suddenly twitched.
Ruan Mei and Yu Xiongming looked at each other and began.
The stardust fell faster and faster, from white to bright red.
The contractions gradually became more frequent. Ruan Mei helped her record the time intervals between contractions by the bed. Yu Xiongming held Xu Ziling's hand tightly. Waves of cold sweat broke out from her palms, wetting Yu Xiongming's palms.
Xu Ziling was very able to endure pain. At the beginning, she didn't even whimper. When the pain intensified, she gritted her teeth to prevent herself from screaming.
Even the nurse who came for the internal examination couldn't help but persuade me that it was okay to shout it out.
In the afternoon, Yu Xiongming had a commercial promotion that he had previously accepted and could not reschedule, so he had to leave the hospital first, leaving Ruan Mei alone to accompany Xu Ziling.
The medicine chiseled open the woman's body, and heart-wrenching screams began to swirl in the ward, mixing and blending with the piercing chirping of cicadas outside the window, shaking Ruan Mei's heart wave after wave.
The tears were welling up in her eyes, and several times when they were about to fall, she quickly turned her head and wiped them away.
Finally, Xu Ziling entered the delivery room, and Ruan Mei was waiting in the corridor.
There was more than one person in the delivery room, shrill screams came one after another, and outside the window was a blood-red sunset.
She lowered her head and helplessly picked at her brittle nails until she was surrounded by a dark shadow, then she raised her head.
When Chen Shanye saw the tears in Ruan Mei's eyes, his thick eyebrows immediately frowned: "Why are you crying?"
Ruan Mei didn't react for a moment, sniffing: "Why...are you here?"
"I sent you a WeChat message saying I'd send you dinner, but you didn't reply." Chen Shanye didn't seem aggrieved when he said this. He held up the heavy bag in his hand: "Sauerkraut beef."
My heart, which had been beating fast for several days, finally settled down.
Ruan Mei didn't hesitate and directly took the stainless steel bucket and opened the lid. On the top layer was a small bowl of white rice with distinct grains, and on the bottom layer was a full bowl of sauerkraut beef.
The rich smell of sour soup penetrated the nose, and the tongue automatically secreted saliva in an instant. Chen Shanye added some chili and peppercorns to season it, but picked them out completely when packing it into the lunch box.
The sauerkraut is crisp and appetizing, and the beef is tender and chewy. She doesn't have high requirements for food, but she can't resist vermicelli with crab sticks, luncheon meat, etc. The vermicelli soaked in soup is simply a great accompaniment to rice.
Chen Shanye came here after having dinner at home. He crossed his legs and supported his cheek with his hands. Looking at Ruan Mei, whose cheeks were stuffed, the corners of his mouth curled up under the mask.
Chen Shanye, who was clearing the dishes, asked, "So why were you crying just now?"
Ruan Mei touched her stomach and burped loudly: "I don't know either. I just feel bad seeing Xu Ziling working so hard."
During the few days she'd been with him in the hospital, Ruan Mei had heard quite a few stories, like the mother in the bed who had a vaginal delivery converted to a cesarean section the day before yesterday, and the girl who had been transferred to the emergency room last night with a recurrent miscarriage...
In such a small building, life and death, joy and sorrow are played out every day.
"Didn't you say that this was her own choice?" Chen Shanye asked.
"Yeah, she ultimately chose to move up in her career. Actually, I know she's sad, not just because she has to send the child away, but she's even sadder that she's trapped in this kind of life and job. She knows it's shitty, but she has to keep living with it."
Ruan Mei tilted her neck back, looking at the orange-red slowly being swallowed by the gray-blue, and said slowly: "She is sad. She seems to have already had so much, but she doesn't even have the courage to choose another life."
Chen Shanye put the packed things on the empty space next to him, stretched out his long arm, put it on her shoulder, and held her to his side.
"It's not just her, many people are like this, aren't they?"
He seemed to be asking Ruan Mei, and also asking himself.
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