How much love can be relived?
People on the mountain pushed and shoved each other, torches fell to the ground, igniting the blood and fuel that had been spilled earlier. People on the mountain cried for help, while people below wept. In just one night, some lost everything, while others were given a new life.
Li Guorong's body was burning. She didn't know if she could start over. She wanted to see Nuantang and say sorry. She also wanted to see Lin Shaocheng and ask him if he was tired of her. A burning and sharp pain, different from flames, came from her chest.
"Li Guorong, eat." The voice was muffled, as if there was phlegm stuck in his throat, which was annoying to listen to.
Li Guorong opened her eyes, first her knees ached, then her back ached, and then her breast hyperplasia caused pain. She slowly sat up, her hands wrinkled and rough like tree bark. She touched her face in fear, her eyelids drooping. She abruptly stood up and went to the mirror. She was quick...
She is 60 years old, not young anymore.
Ye Fan entered the room, bringing with him the greasy and foul smell of a middle-aged man. Li Guorong felt nauseous for a moment. The strong smell of sweat on the kang (a heated brick bed) made the house seem even more old than the one in her dream.
Ye Fan held two bowls of rice in his hands, his yellow fingernails poking into the white rice. Li Guorong's stomach twitched slightly. On the table was a plate of water spinach and hot and sour shredded potatoes. There was no meat in the dish. If you didn't know better, you would think it was 1985.
Ye Fan said, "Let's eat." He kept his head down, still looking honest and taciturn.
Li Guorong secretly pinched the inside of her arm, utterly disappointed. Had it all just been a dream? She slumped back onto the bed. "You eat it yourself. There's no meat at all."
Ye Fan lowered his head. Li Guorong was in charge of the family's money, and he had no money to buy meat.
Li Guorong looked at her chest, where there was a red mole. Her eyes lit up. "Where's Nuantang?"
Ye Fan said, "Nuantang is doing an internship, what's wrong?"
Li Guorong's eyes lit up as he picked up the small bag beside him. "I'm going to find her."
Ye Fan stood up, seemingly filled with anger, a strong stench emanating from his mouth. "What are you doing? Our daughter finally got into a state-owned enterprise, what are you going to do there? You don't want to do housework and your cooking is terrible. Our daughter has to serve you after work."
Li Guorong felt that she wasn't as bad as Ye Fan made her out to be. She loved her daughter so much, supported her education, and didn't abandon them to pursue their own happiness. Wasn't that good enough? She pushed Ye Fan away, saying, "Don't delay my business."
Ye Fan's eyes were full of indifference. "You are so selfish. You have no one in your heart. You will be punished sooner or later. You only care about yourself."
Li Guorong pointed at Ye Fan's nose and cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about? If I were selfish, I would have run away long ago. Why would I make money for you guys to spend?"
Ye Fan laughed twice, with a hint of sarcasm, "Aren't you selfish? You earn money for us to use? You sell meat to buy yourself 20 yuan worth of pig's head noodles, even though you know your daughter doesn't eat pig's head noodles. You only buy her a 6 yuan chicken leg, and she only eats meat once a month. She was so hungry during her growth period that she only got an extra subsidy once she ranked in the top 3. Your daughter wanted to attend the tutoring class organized by the organization, which costs 1,000 yuan for 2 months. You secretly bought a beauty card for her and didn't want her to go, which caused her to be targeted by her physics and math teachers, and she only got into an ordinary university."
Li Guorong blushed at what she was being told. Isn't this how everyone in the countryside lives? If they didn't live like this, how could she have saved over 800,000 yuan over the years to buy herself a house? She also had money prepared for Ye Fan's medical treatment should he have a relapse. They had been married for over 40 years and had seen each other at their most disgusting.
Li Guorong shouted loudly, "You're a coward! You hid behind me when things happened. You didn't dare to say anything when our daughter wanted to eat meat. What's the point of saying anything now? What right do you have to talk to me? If you're so capable, go and earn money! Even people without legs can earn money by singing for a living. You're healthy, but you still can't earn money. I'm the one who sells goods to support the family. Everyone in the village envies you."
Ye Fan's face turned ashen. He had been swindled by all sorts of people on his way to Chongchuan to find his wife, and he was terrified. He could only tremble as he said, "Go away. Let's see how long our daughter can tolerate you."
Inside the rented room, the daughter, with her hair down and a standard smile on her face, looked like a delicate puppet, unlike the one Li Guorong remembered who always had a frown and downturned lips, and was always unhappy.
Ye Nuantang handed Li Guorong his favorite taro milk tea. She was wearing an apron, and there were eight dishes on the table, all of which looked and smelled delicious.
Li Guorong felt something was strange. The family ate mostly cabbage and shredded potatoes, and his daughter always ate at the cafeteria. There was no way she could have learned to cook these dishes. It only took her an hour to cook them, and there wasn't a single stain on her apron. The rented room was spotless, and even her daughter's quilt was as neat as a block of tofu.
Li Guorong suspected that she had entered another world, and that her daughter could not possibly be so perfect.
Ye Nuantang took out a box from behind her back, opened it and found a gold bracelet inside. "This is a gold bracelet that I bought for my mother with two months' salary. I hope she likes it."
This was what Li Guorong had hoped for. She wanted her daughter to start working quickly, earn money, buy her bracelets and clothes, praise her every day, take her on trips, and cook delicious food for her. At this moment, her hair stood on end. Was the person in front of her really her daughter? She seemed like a pre-programmed computer program, like the AI robot that's being touted online now.
"What’s wrong with you."
An inorganic light flashed in Ye Nuantang's eyes, "Mom, isn't this what you've been longing for?"
Li Guorong's hands were trembling. She didn't want to be in this world. She wanted to go back to her dream. Her original plan was to slap Ye Nuantang, apologize, and return to that world. But her daughter had done it so perfectly that she had no reason to lash out. Now that this person was not her daughter, she dared not act.
For the first time, Li Guorong realized that she was not the perfect wife and mother he had described. She was a miser. Ye Fan and she were entangled with each other, clinging to the nourishment of their underage daughter. She dared not leave Ye Fan because she was afraid that her family back home would laugh at her for making the wrong choice, and she was worried that she would meet the wrong person again next time. She made her daughter feel guilty and did not let her go far away because she was afraid that her only daughter would not be filial to her. She was such a selfish person.
For Lin Shaocheng, she was like a traveler in the desert finding clean water. She clung to him tightly, unwilling to let go, afraid to rely on him, afraid that he would abandon her and she wouldn't be able to stand up on her own. She was like a mistress who stole someone else's man.
She always felt that Lin Shaocheng's original lover would reappear, and she was full of doubt and distrust towards Lin Shaocheng. She longed for Lin Shaocheng to lose his ability to work like Ye Fan and rely on her completely, but she was also afraid that Lin Shaocheng would lose his ability to work and would not be able to give her a sense of security.
Li Guorong cried, "I know I was wrong. I will cherish everyone. Let me go back, let me go back." She stepped forward and shook Ye Nuantang violently, as if she was using all her strength.
Ye Nuantang's head tilted to the side, and her entire head fell off her thin neck. There was no blood; it was just the doll's head drooping naturally. Li Guorong exclaimed, "Ahhh!"
Amidst countless beams of colored light, Li Guorong seemed to see his daughter's hands bound to long iron chains, her arms dangling in a spread-eagle position, and he reached out to touch her face.
"Train G4568 from Beijing to Chongchuan is about to arrive at the station. Passengers and gentlemen, train G4568 from Beijing to Chongchuan is about to arrive at the station."
Li Guorong opened her eyes. The pink train ticket in her hand was soaked with sweat. It was from the day she boarded the train. The men behind her, carrying large and small bags, had been pushing her, saying, "Hey girl, are you getting on or not?"
Li Guorong tore up the train ticket with both hands. The people next to her looked at her as if she were crazy. That ticket could buy 30 catties of pork. She pushed away the man behind her. Seeing how crazy she was, the people behind her gave way. Who could afford to mess with her?
She was like a drop of water winding upstream against the current of life; she could no longer live on instinct, hurting herself, her family, and her loved ones.
"Guorong, Guorong."
Li Guorong pushed aside the last two middle-aged women. Lin Shaocheng's face was covered in sweat, his hair was messy and swept back, revealing his smooth forehead. His brows were deeply furrowed, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.
"Lin Shaocheng!" Li Guorong's sharp shout pierced through the noise of Beijing Railway Station.
Lin Shaocheng ran over and hugged Li Guorong tightly. Li Guorong's tears quickly soaked Lin Shaocheng's shirt. Lin Shaocheng said in a low voice, "That letter wasn't from Zhao Wanyin. I've never been with another woman."
Li Guorong trembled in Lin Shaocheng's arms. She knew she should ask clearly and not be suspicious and throw a tantrum. She was just afraid, afraid that the scholarly woman was originally Lin Shaocheng's destined partner. She wanted to outdo Lin Shaocheng and make him feel that she was not climbing the social ladder. These dark thoughts led her down a path of no return.
Those around them applauded as they witnessed the poignant farewell.
Li Guorong's face flushed red. He pushed Lin Shaocheng away, grabbed his hand, and said, "I'll settle the score with you when we get home."
The glow of the setting sun shone on Lin Shaocheng's hair. Li Guorong buried her face in Lin Shaocheng's back. The grass had a slightly bitter taste. Her hands rubbed together; they were tender. She possessed youth, love, and life experience all at once. What was she still afraid of?
Li Guorong's stomach rumbled, the sound coming from their intimate bodies. Lin Shaocheng didn't go straight home, but went into a small private restaurant instead.
This small restaurant is only half a meter wide, with a lintel above it and blue bricks on both sides. There are two small lions at the entrance. Inside the courtyard, there are seven or eight tables, and people are eating noodles and a few dishes at each table.
Li Guorong leaned close to Lin Shaocheng and said, "Let's go home and eat."
Lin Shaocheng shook his head, "It's just the two of us on a date today."
Li Guorong pulled Lin Shaocheng inside and said domineeringly, "We need a private room."
Wang Mianmian has one leg longer than the other, and his smile resembles that of Maitreya Buddha. "This private room costs an extra 2 yuan."
Li Guorong took out 10 yuan from his pocket, "I have money."
Inside the room was a round table made of imitation mahogany, with six identical chairs. In the center was a vase containing a bunch of artificial flowers, and on the white table were several imitation landscape paintings by famous artists, as well as fake calligraphy by Wang Xizhi.
Lin Shaocheng selected a few specialty dishes and let Li Guorong choose, but Li Guorong gently shook his head, saying, "You can choose."
Lin Shaocheng pursed his lips and ordered two bowls of oil-splashed noodles. The chili in the oil-splashed noodles was very fragrant, which suited Li Guorong's taste. Li Guorong saw this and said, "Change one bowl to sesame paste noodles. Don't try to accommodate me."
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