439 It's finally over! It's over! Sprinkle the flowers! The rain that has been falling for more than half a month has finally stopped.
In the first year that Chen Shanye came to Guangzhou, he witnessed the return of the south wind that submerged the entire city in water and the rainy season when clothes could never dry. He immediately rushed to the small supermarket downstairs and bought a dryer, the wardrobe-style one, so that he could have dry underwear to wear.
He took the clothes he had put in the dryer that morning off the hangers, folded them and laid them flat in his almost full suitcase.
The black box was filled with things Chen Shanye bought for his family. He didn't have many clothes of his own, but most of them were toys and stationery bought for Chen Siyang, as well as Cantonese sausages and chicken biscuits for his mother, and peanut cookies for his father.
Chen Hechuan likes salty, sweet and fragrant snacks. Chen Shanye once bought the signature peanut crisps from Chunxin Bakery, and his father immediately fell in love with the peanut crisps that melted in his mouth. Unfortunately, his mother Shen Qing didn't allow him to eat too much, so Chen Shanye could only secretly bring him some occasionally to satisfy his craving.
He bought the peanut crisps yesterday from a time-honored bakery in Qiankou Market. He also bought half a pound more to send to Ruan Mei.
It was less than 2 kilometers from the trench to Jiangnanxi, so he picked up an electric bike and rode there.
When I arrived at the store at 5:30 in the afternoon, Ruan Mei was sitting on a small wooden bench busy packing packages. There were many cardboard boxes piled on the ground, and packing tape, utility knives, shock-proof materials, express delivery notes, and cargo lists scattered all over the floor.
Maybe she had just seen off a few customers from the physical store, and the cups and plates on the small coffee table were in a mess. Chen Shanye was afraid that it would disrupt her packing rhythm, so he helped her clean up the table and sometimes handed her tools to help.
Ruan Mei is the only one in the store, and she has to handle all the online and offline matters by herself. Chen Shanye asked her why she didn't hire someone else to help, even a part-time worker could help her share some of the work.
Ruan Mei shook her head and said that there was no extra money now, so she would do it herself if she could, so as to save some money to pay off the loan.
Chen Shanye frowned and asked her what loan she owed and how much money she owed, but Ruan Mei changed the subject.
After the courier took the package, Ruan Mei took him to eat the famous beef offal hotpot nearby, under the pretext of helping him practice his promise.
Chen Shanye followed her neither fast nor slow. The evening breeze blew her fiery red ponytail tied behind her head, and the sunset glow fell on her, making her soft and warm.
He smiled helplessly: "What's the point of practicing? I'll only be gone for four days. It's not like I'll never come back."
Ruan Mei turned around, hands behind her back, and walked backwards, step by step. The setting sun filled her eyes with the sweet honey wrapped in sequins. Her bell-like laughter drifted to his ears on the evening breeze: "You can't say for sure. Maybe once you go home and feel the warmth of your family, you won't want to come back."
"No." Chen Shanye's voice was not loud but very serious: "Ruan Mei, I will come back."
The blue flame danced in the gas stove, burning the white clay pot above. The rich soup in the clay pot kept boiling, and the aroma of star anise, pepper and other spices burst out in the steaming white mist.
The juicy green onion and coriander are spread on top of the beef offal and beef brisket that have been stewed until they are soft and tasty, and are gradually swept into the boiling and bubbling soup.
The owner of the restaurant is familiar with most of the diners. As soon as Ruan Mei entered the restaurant, she greeted the proprietress warmly and familiarly, and finally got two free bottles of Asian soda.
The fried gluten is soaked in rich and fragrant soup. If you are not careful when eating it, the boiling soup will squeeze out and burn your mouth.
Chen Shanye watched Ruan Mei blowing on the soft gluten. Tiny beads of sweat appeared on her nose and her lips were red and moist. She opened her mouth and put the gluten carefully into her mouth, but the soup still burned the tip of her tongue.
Ruan Mei is so cute when she keeps fanning her mouth with her hands.
Chen Shanye thought so as he lowered his head and ate the fragrant beef brisket in his bowl.
The two argued for a long time when it came time to pay the bill. Chen Shanye was determined not to let Ruan Mei pay, and his long hand firmly grasped her wrist. Finally, the proprietress came out to "mediate" and said, "Pretty girl, it's rare for you to bring a handsome guy to dinner, so let him treat you this time."
After saying that, he took the scanner and scanned Chen Shanye's QR code, and that was it.
This was the first time they sat down face to face and had a good meal, with the common atmosphere of fireworks on summer nights.
*
Chen Shanye closed the full suitcase, walked out of the house and knocked on Zhong Mang's door opposite.
"Brother... Wow..." Zhong Mang yawned and saw Chen Shanye's suitcase at the door with sleepy eyes. He said in a vague tone, "Are you going to the high-speed rail station now?"
"Yes, where are the things you want to bring to grandma?" Chen Shanye was about to follow Zhong Mang into the house when he suddenly saw a bulge in the quilt on the bed. He stopped and took half a step back to the corridor.
Zhong Mang opened the wardrobe, bent down and fumbled around, picked something up, walked back to the door, and stuffed it into Chen Shanye's hand: "After thinking about it, I think it's most practical to give grandma a red envelope directly. That way, she can buy whatever she wants."
Chen Shanye weighed the red red envelope in his hand. It was bulging with two or three thousand yuan.
"You're taking so much this time? Don't you want to save some money for this month?" Chen Shanye stuffed the red envelope into his back pocket.
In the past few months, the epidemic caused Zhong Mang to temporarily lose his income. The small amount of money he saved when he first came to Guangzhou last year was all used to pay for rent and living expenses in the past few months. In addition, young people usually like to spend money indiscriminately, so Chen Shanye knew that Zhong Mang did not have much savings.
He was thinking about giving a red envelope to his grandmother on behalf of Zhong Mang when he went back to visit her this time, but he didn't expect Zhong Mang to take out several thousand yuan in cash.
"No need, I still have money..." Zhong Mang yawned again, tears coming out of the corners of his eyes.
At this time, the quilt on the bed moved, and a slender leg stretched out from the corner of the quilt. Chen Shanye frowned. From his angle, he could see that the small square table was piled with empty beer cans and densely packed barbecue skewers.
This "midnight snack" is not cheap at all, it is at least equivalent to what Zhong Mang earns in one or two nights.
Zhong Mang blinked his eyes, noticed Chen Shanye's gaze, grinned and scratched his head: "I brought Xiao Rui up here last night."
Chen Shanye couldn't stop him from calling a prostitute, so he glanced at him coldly and said, "Don't get carried away."
"I know, I know. Be careful on the road." Zhong Mang laughed quickly.
There is no direct high-speed rail from Guangzhou to Chen Shanye’s hometown. He bought a high-speed rail ticket to Yibin, which departs at 10:53 and arrives in Yibin at 18:29. He then takes a bus and arrives in the county in more than two hours.
The subway had passed its peak hour at nine o'clock. Chen Shanye drove backwards to University Town South Station to change lines to Guangzhou South Station. Just as he was walking towards the transfer stairs, his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Ruan Mei. Chen Shanye was stunned for a moment. This guy usually sleeps until noon, and it’s just after nine o’clock. Why did he get up so early today?
He even had a fantasy in his mind. Was the call at this time meant to remind him to be careful on the road?
But the crying voice on the phone made Chen Shanye's heart rise to his throat instantly, a small hill formed between his thick eyebrows, and it felt like raindrops dripping in his ears.
Ruan Mei cried on the other end of the phone, "Chen Shanye, someone is messing with me!"
————Author’s nonsense————
Peanut Crisps @ Pure Heart Bakery (Qiankou Main Store)
Beef offal pot @ Shengji Sihuo Beef offal pot (Haizhu branch)
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