Appendix 4 to Chapter 41
Meng Jining was lying on the table writing a song when there was a knock on the door.
The height of the chair and the table were not coordinated, and his back and waist ached after sitting for a long time. In addition, the lighting was dim, so he had to stand up after a while to rest his herniated lumbar disc.
He looked at his cell phone and found that the time he had agreed with Qi Liang had not yet arrived.
He rubbed the back of his neck and opened the door, his eyebrows about to jump out of his forehead in surprise: "Brother? Why are you here?"
Meng Chu handed over the bag in his hand: "Here you go."
Meng Jining closed the door, gave him the chair, unpacked the package with confusion, and took out a desk lamp.
"The light bulbs here are too old," Meng Chu said, "You're hurting your eyes when you write songs."
Meng Jining held the desk lamp by the neck, as if he was holding an alien creature in his hand.
After he told his brother about his absurd life choices, the other party actually cared about his unrealistic dream.
The person in the world who should least support him, the person who had the least reason to help him, actually stood on his side.
He quickly plugged in the light and turned it on, making the room three times brighter.
"Thank you, brother!" He was flattered, but also a little uneasy, "Why did you think of giving me a gift?"
Meng Chu put his hands in his pockets, pinched the silky fabric on the inner wall, and said hesitantly: "I was shopping in the furniture store these days and happened to see this desk lamp. I thought you might need one, so I bought it. It's also convenient to come here from the furniture store."
Fu Guanshan was dissatisfied with the furnishings in his home. Since the house was shared property, Meng Chu felt that he had the right to replace the furniture, so the two of them had recently been studying interior decoration.
He used the words "coincidentally" and "by the way", but Meng Jining still smiled sweetly.
"I just finished writing a song," Meng Jining picked up the guitar on the bed, "I'll play it for you, brother."
Meng Chu was about to say no, but Meng Jining had already started plucking the strings. It would be impolite to leave during a performance, so Meng Chu sat down.
He looked at Meng Jining, who was standing in the small gap between the wardrobe and the stove, still having the demeanor of being under the spotlight, just like he did during the speech contest and singing competition.
After the song was finished, Meng Chu clapped along with the atmosphere.
"The arrangement in the middle is too flat, and it doesn't bring out the emotions," Meng Jining said, "Brother, what do you think?"
"I... I don't understand," Meng Chu said, "I think it's good."
Meng Jining smiled, revealing a few white teeth. He put the guitar back and sat on the bed, still smiling brightly: "Brother, you understand me and support me in pursuing my dreams. I am really happy."
Meng Chu was a little confused. He just sat down and listened to a song and it made people happy. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "I have found a career that I am willing to fight for my whole life, and I hope you can do the same."
Meng Jining was stunned for a moment, then suddenly rushed over and hugged him.
A few days ago, after Meng Chu insisted on listening to the entire performance, Meng Jining hugged him in the same way. He patted his brother on the shoulder, feeling that such emotion was unnecessary.
He finally waited until his emotionally charged brother let him go, then quickly stood up and took the opportunity to say goodbye.
"Brother, aren't you coming to the bar?" Meng Jining asked disappointedly.
"I still have experiments to do." Meng Chu said.
It’s true. I received news from an old classmate that the project has hope.
When Meng Jining saw him off, she was still a little reluctant.
"Then come back when you have time," Meng Jining said, and then he suddenly remembered something and curled his eyes, "Maybe by then, I can introduce someone to you."
When Meng Jining saw Qi Liang from afar at the intersection, the other person's face looked a little gloomy.
That gloom was not a momentary emotion, but the despair and indifference towards life after being in darkness for a long time.
Only recently did Meng Jining gradually understand this feeling.
He waved at Qi Liang, who raised his head and his expression suddenly changed the moment he saw him.
His brows relaxed and his eyes became calm.
It seemed as if for a moment, it was briefly pulled out of the mud.
Qi Liang himself was not aware of this change, so he didn't know that Meng Jining, who saw this change, would feel a similar sense of relief at that moment.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Meng Jining asked.
Qi Liang shook his head: "Just arrived."
In fact, he was almost late. The previous order was on the expressway, and he was stuck in traffic on the way there, and it was also far away from the repair shop. The car owner was not very happy. He checked repeatedly and hesitated when signing.
"What do you want to eat?" Qi Liang asked.
Just in case, he transferred some more money into his WeChat account to avoid the awkward situation of having to scan a QR code alone when paying the bill.
Meng Jining thought for a moment and said, "Italian food."
Qi Liang's heart skipped a beat. Meng Jining's previous job was very glamorous, and he must have eaten at many high-end restaurants, which cost him half a year's salary.
Seeing his frightened yet forced calm expression, Meng Jining smiled and pointed to a sign on the second floor of the shopping mall opposite: "Look, that's it."
Qi Liang looked in the direction where his finger was pointing and saw three big words - Pizza Hut.
"Pizza is also a luxury," Meng Jining said while ordering. "When I was a kid, I was craving Pizza Hut because I could only eat it during holidays."
In fact, Qi Liang never understood Western food. He thought the prices were unbelievable and the pizza was not as delicious as the lunch boxes at the construction site.
Qi Liang ordered two pizzas as he wished, and he said they could eat them alternately.
"The set meal is not cost-effective," Meng Jining said. "The drinks are expensive and taste bad. Without the drinks, it's cheaper to order them a la carte."
He told Qi Liang what he was thinking while eating. Qi Liang looked at him, a little doubtful whether this person was real.
They had a classic Western meal. Because Meng Jining wanted to get his guitar and Qi Liang had to go back to help his father turn over, the two went back to Yong'an Street first and then went to the bar together.
At night, when the lights come on, this area has a unique sense of desolation in the bustling city. The signboard is old and the customer flow is sparse. Even at mealtime, there is no hassle of queuing.
They walked through the deserted streets, and Meng Jining looked at the store names curiously.
"So simple," he commented. "Tea comes and goes. My god, I haven't seen a shop named after a pun in a long time."
Qi Liang asked, "I didn't drink anything just now. Are you thirsty? Do you want to buy a cup of milk tea?"
Meng Jining looked at the sign, hesitating for a while. Qi Liang thought that what he was worried about was probably not whether the milk tea tasted bad, but whether the money for milk tea was a burden for him.
"Okay," he said finally.
They walked into the milk tea shop and ordered a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea each. The owner seemed to have been idle for a long time and greeted them warmly.
"Here's a points card," she took one out of the box and handed it to them, "you can get one free if you buy ten cups."
Meng Jining took it and took a look. On the front was the logo of the milk tea shop, and on the back were ten blank circles. It seems that every time a customer buys a cup, the owner will stamp a circle, and when all ten circles are stamped, the customer can get the discount by presenting the ticket.
My god, these days, there are still stores that use paper points cards.
Meng Jining was sighing when Qi Liang said, "No need."
The shop owner was eager to stamp their cards: "You buy two cups at a time, and five times will be full."
"Really, it's not necessary." Qi Liang took the points card from Meng Jining and handed it back.
Meng Jining glanced at him and said nothing.
After arriving at the bar, they separated and each went about their business. In between mixing the cocktails, Qi Liang would look at Meng Jining from time to time. Somehow he couldn't quite stop himself from doing that now.
The chaotic lights and cheap sound systems could not hinder the other person from being immersed in the charm of music. Some people are born brilliant, Qi Liang has a clear understanding of this.
Another waiter came over with a tray and announced the newly ordered wine. When Qi Liang handed it to him, he asked, "Do you know where I can rent a sound card and a camera?"
Qi Liang remembered that he was a moonlighter with a wide range of hobbies. Although his salary was not high, his family did not rely on him for support, so they could live a decent life. He often posted beautiful pictures and videos. He photographed the peeling brick walls on the street corners like ancient architectural relics.
The waiter was surprised by his sudden conversation. He was stunned for a moment and said, "I...I'll talk to you after get off work."
The other party held the wine and hurriedly served the guests. Qi Liang lowered his head and poured the remaining wine into the sink, with a moving melody floating in his ears.
After the performance, Meng Jining walked through the crowd and approached the bar.
Qi Liang placed an empty cup in front of him and waited for the order.
Meng Jining held his chin, pondered for a while, and stood up. "No drinking today," he said, "I have an important guest to meet."
Qi Liang glanced at the time and it was already past midnight.
He didn't ask who the guest was, but he found helplessly that he couldn't stop this question from disturbing his heart.
Even without the excuse of being drunk, he would still take him home.
When they reached Yong'an Street, they were almost at their residence. Qi Liang paid more and more attention to the pedestrians on the roadside.
Meng Jining, however, was relaxed and at ease, as if he was looking forward to this late-night tryst.
The two of them walked downstairs. Qi Liang suppressed his anxiety and said goodbye to him. Just as he was about to turn around, he was stopped by someone.
"Why are you running away?" he said, "I want you to come with me."
Qi Liang looked at the second floor. The windows were dark and it was quiet and empty.
He looked at the other person in confusion. Meng Jining opened his backpack and took out two cans of cat food.
"Here," Meng Jining handed him one, "We must be polite when entertaining guests."
Qi Liang froze for a moment, reached out and grabbed the can, feeling heavy in his heart.
Meng Jining squatted down, opened the can, and following the smell, the kitten's head poked out.
Qi Liang hesitated for a while and squatted beside him. The kitten was familiar with the smell of Qi Liang, so it walked over bravely and started licking the can.
Meng Jining smiled with deep dimples.
"Every time I see them eating, I feel so healed," he said.
He looked at the kitten whose face was covered with food, and Qi Liang looked at him. Under the street lights, between two long shadows, there were clusters of moving little balls.
There were two cans of bribe. When Meng Jining stretched out his hand again, the kitten did not hide. It seemed to be a model of cat ethics that was naturally friendly to its family.
Qi Liang looked at this scene and didn't have the heart to interrupt, but he had to go back to sleep.
He said goodbye to Meng Jining gently, clenching and unclenching his hands several times, and finally turned his head and said, "Don't drink so much in the future."
Meng Jining lowered his head and stroked the cat, responding softly.
A long shadow walked away. Meng Jining looked at the kitten and smiled.
"That brother has no money," he whispered, "don't pester him for canned food."
It was a furry night. Meng Jining lay in bed and fell asleep for the first time in several months without the help of alcohol.
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