Appendix II to Chapter 39
At seven o'clock, Qi Liang opened his eyes.
He walked to the bed, woke up his father Qi Zhengguo, put his arm under the other's ribs, and helped him sit up.
Then he pulled the urine bag out of the bedding and placed the toothbrush and toothpaste next to the bed. Because he had no feeling in his waist, Qi Zhengguo used his other arm to support himself while brushing his teeth to prevent himself from sliding down.
After a simple breakfast, Qi Liang put on a new urine bag, turned his father over, and checked his back for new bedsores.
As he turned over, Qi Zhengguo muttered to himself, "The TV was silent again yesterday."
"If there aren't many orders today, I'll get off work at six and come back to take a closer look."
Qi Zhengguo glanced at his son and said, "You said you would hire someone to fix it... Did you deduct money again?"
"No."
"How many times have I told you that we don't have the conditions to be good people? You were rushing to take orders, but you had to stop to send someone to the hospital. What happened? Customer complaints, performance deductions, fines," Qi Zhengguo said with a puff, "What good will be rewarded, karma, reincarnation, it's all bullshit. I even saved a child, did I get any reward? Look at me now, do I get any reward?"
Qi Liang did not refute. He quietly took out the ingredients from the refrigerator and started to make a simple lunch.
In the room, my father was still mumbling: "At this age, I can only stare at the window all day long. Now I can't even hear the sound of the TV. What's the point of living?"
Qi Liang packed the food into a lunch box, placed it on the bedside table, and said, "In a couple of days, when the weather is good, I'll push you to Yingyue River to get some fresh air."
Qi Zhengguo paused and lowered his voice. "You still have time?" He sighed, "Forget it, you're already so tired, and I'm still torturing you, you must hate me to death in your heart."
Qi Liang didn't answer, but turned on the TV and put the remote control in his father's hand: "I'm leaving. I asked the neighbor lady to turn you over at noon."
My father responded vaguely and squinted at the screen. There was no sound, only the moving images, making this lifeless house even more terrifying.
Qi Liang walked out the door and locked it, even though there was nothing worth coveting in the room.
He got into the company-issued trailer and drove to the gas station. The transportation there is convenient, and there is also an accident-prone area, so there is often a need for towing trucks.
Just a few minutes after he stopped, he received a commission from a new energy vehicle manufacturer.
The car manufacturer's after-sales service includes roadside assistance. If customers buy a car of this brand and need a tow truck, they can submit an application and ask the car manufacturer to call a tow truck on their behalf, and the cost will also be paid by the car manufacturer.
He rushed to the address on the list, which was the entrance to a residential community. However, the owner of the car was not there and did not answer the phone.
He waited on the roadside for more than half an hour before he saw a young man hurrying over. He wears glasses and looks very gentle.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the man apologized as he walked away. “I’m so sorry. I thought they would take a while to process my application after I submitted it, so I called for help and rushed to class. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. My phone was on silent in the classroom, so I didn’t receive your call.”
Qi Liang said nothing. He has seen many troublesome customers, and it is considered polite for them to apologize.
"The car is in the garage," the young man said, "it probably has a flat tire."
"Please tell the guard to let me drive the trailer into the garage," Qi Liang said, "It's hard to move a car with a flat tire."
The young man ran towards the guard very quickly, as if he wanted to make up for his previous mistake.
Qi Liang checked the tire for him. It must have run over a nail on the way back yesterday. After a night, the air in the tire was completely leaked. A very common situation.
He adjusted the direction of the trailer, and the young man drove the car up and then stood by, not knowing what to do.
"You're sitting in the passenger seat of the tow truck," he reminded the other party.
The young man said "Oh" and got into the car stiffly, with a well-behaved posture, only his eyes looking around. He seemed to have never been in a car that required pedaling to get in, and he examined the interior of the car with an inquiring look.
Seeing that the other party was only observing, Qi Liang had to speak again: "You have to tell me where to repair the car."
"Oh," the young man quickly took out his phone and searched for nearby repair shops, "Let's go to this one on Renmin Road."
Qi Liang said nothing and started the car.
On the way, the young man seemed restless. "Do you charge for each order based on time?"
It seemed that the customer was upset about having been made to wait for an hour in vain.
"No," Qi Liang said, "The fee is calculated based on the towing distance."
He spent more than an hour here, and finally went to the nearest repair shop. After settling the bill, he got at most fifteen dollars.
The young man sat up straight. "Let's go to another one," he said, "one that's farther away."
"Need not."
"It's okay. The factory will pay for it anyway," the young man searched on the map. "Let's go to the one on Yong'an Street. I'm going there anyway."
Qi Liang hesitated for a moment, changed the navigation information, and took the customer to Yong'an Street.
After having the customer sign and taking photos to send to the garage, he started the tow truck and headed back to the accident-prone area.
Before leaving, he glanced at the young man. The other party was walking in a familiar direction.
Meng Chu looked at the navigation on his phone and went back and forth three times before finally confirming that the destination was the old house in front of him that looked like a dilapidated building.
He walked around the clothes and sausages drying in the corridor. The house numbers were painted and had faded, so he had to deduce which room 215 was by its location.
He knocked on the door. The lock looked like an old-fashioned pin-and-tumble lock. He could hear distinct footsteps inside.
The door opened and a familiar face appeared before my eyes.
"Brother," Meng Jining was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled, "You arrived earlier than I expected."
Meng Chu hesitated at the door for a while. He looked around the room. Any piece of furniture was within three steps, and he could open the refrigerator while lying on the bed. The light bulbs looked like they were nearing the end of their life, and there was a large patch of mold next to the sink. Moreover, there is a smell of...alcohol?
"Come in quickly," Meng Jining urged him as he saw him standing there, "No need to change your shoes. Look at this cement floor. Are there so many rules?"
So Meng Chu walked in and closed the door. There was only one chair in the room, and Meng Jining asked him to sit on it.
The kettle was on the small table beside the bed. Meng Jining pressed the boil water button and searched for tea bags in the drawer.
Meng Chu looked at his behavior of entertaining guests and couldn't help asking, "When did you come back?"
"In recent days."
"Did you go see Dad?"
"Yes," Meng Jining said, "Dad seems to have recovered well. Brother, thank you for taking care of him during the operation."
Speaking of surgery, Meng Chu felt angry. "What on earth are you busy with that you only came back now? Not just last time, you haven't called home for nearly a year. Dad keeps asking me about it..."
"I quit."
Meng Chu was stuck for a moment. After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, "Resign?"
"Well," Meng Jining said, "The resignation process was a bit turbulent. During the days when Dad had surgery, I had a lot of unpleasantness with my former employer. I won't go into details, but it's all resolved anyway."
In Meng Chu's impression, Meng Jining joined a top investment bank to work in private equity right after graduation. He was doing very well and was promoted to Associate within two years. His future was bright.
Now he tells Meng Chu that he has resigned?
As if sensing his brother's doubts, Meng Jining put the tea bag into the boiling water and said slowly: "I have a client who is a religious believer. I followed him to worship and heard a Bible story. After Jussia died, he stood waiting for God's judgment. He was ashamed that he could not become Moses or Abraham. But when he finally saw God, the other party just asked: 'Why can't you become Jussia?'"
Meng Chu looked at him.
"I don't want to be asked this question when I see God - why didn't you become Meng Jining?"
Meng Chu was silent for a long time, then asked, "Then...what can make you become him?"
Meng Jining patted the guitar beside the bed: "Music."
Meng Chu knew that Meng Jining liked to write songs. He had been singing in various art performances since middle school. He also participated in a campus singing competition in college and won second place.
"So now you..." Meng Chu looked around, "staying in your room writing songs every day?"
"Well," Meng Jining said, "I write songs during the day and sing in bars at night."
Meng Chu looked at his brother, his eyes were dark, but there was a smile on his lips. He seems to be enjoying it.
"Does Dad know?" Meng Chu asked.
Meng Jining shook his head violently, then looked at him with an earnest look: "Can you keep it a secret for me?"
No parent would be able to accept that their son, whom they had always been proud of, suddenly gave up his bright future to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. Moreover, Meng Changqing was the kind of father who would praise Meng Jining for half an hour whenever he met someone.
Meng Chu nodded. He had no intention of gossiping in front of his father. "So how do you live now? On your savings?"
Meng Jining put the cup on the table next to Meng Chu. "The salary for being a resident singer is a little bit," he said, "just enough to live on."
Meng Chu looked at the curling white smoke in the teacup and suddenly asked, "Which bar?"
Meng Jining was stunned and speechless for a long time. It was not that he did not react, but he did not dare to believe the implication.
Meng Chu had no choice but to ask again: "Where do you perform?"
"Rust Bar..."
“When is the show?”
"Every night at nine."
"Can I go and listen?"
Meng Jining looked at him. Really, it’s actually like this. incredible. For the first time in his life, his brother took the initiative to come and listen to him sing.
"Of course," his hands were shaking a little, "Of course, I'll take you there in the evening."
So, after Meng Chu got off work, they went to the bar together. As soon as he entered the door, Meng Jining greeted the man behind the bar. The other party had a dull expression. He then greeted other waiters and received a warm response.
He asked Meng Chu to sit at the bar. "This is good," he said. "We can see the stage best from here."
The man behind the bar looked at Meng Chu and asked, "What do you want?"
Before Meng Chu answered, Meng Jining said on his behalf: "Cranberry juice is fine. I remember you don't drink much, right?"
Meng Chu nodded. From the moment he entered the door, his every move, his blank look around, his stiff and rigid posture, all revealed his restraint or novelty, and it was obvious that he did not often come to such places.
Then, he watched Meng Jining pick up the guitar and tune it with his eyes lowered.
When the first note sounded, Meng Chu looked at his brother performing on the simple stage. His devoted expression and clear voice were exactly the same as on the campus stage.
He looked at the singer singing softly, and the moment when she told him that he was going to pursue his dream emerged in his mind.
At that moment, he had only one thought.
Is there such a good thing?
Since Meng Jining was born, she has always been bright and passionate, attracting everyone's attention.
Even though Meng Chu found a track that suits him, Meng Jining was also doing well in the workplace, shining brightly, with a higher salary and more friends.
Meng Jining was like an insurmountable peak, towering above him forever.
As a result, now, this person actually walked down from the top of the mountain by himself.
He never dreamed that Meng Jining would actually abandon a bright future, his resume and connections, run to a shabby rental house, start from scratch, and squeeze into the crowded, luck-dependent path of a singer that might never lead to a breakthrough.
Fate is really... too twists and turns.
He was immersed in the melody, listening carefully to the beautiful tune. For the first time in his life, he watched Meng Jining's performance with pure appreciation without any impurities.
When the song ended, he raised his hand and applauded warmly and heartily along with the sparse crowd in the bar.
The author has something to say:
Every time I write about the proud sons of investment banks, I think to myself: In fact, the financial industry is also very difficult now... None of my classmates in investment banks are not complaining...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
