Chapter 9
"Hello darkness my old friend..."
Upon hearing the English song, Chen Luo knew someone's phone was ringing. She glanced at the phone, forgotten on the shelf but still playing merrily, and called out to the owner bustling outside:
"Ah Meng, your phone is ringing!"
Gu Mengzhu was unloading goods from the truck when she heard her call, so she put the wooden crates on the truck, turned around and replied:
"Then bring it to me."
Chen Luo glanced at the caller ID, which read "Mom". She was a little surprised, after all, she had worked with Gu Mengzhu for so many years and had never heard this person mention her parents. She almost thought that Gu Mengzhu came from an orphanage.
Seeing Chen Luo approach, Gu Mengzhu freed her hand to take the phone. After glancing at it, she hung up without looking at it again.
"Your mom called you, and you didn't answer?"
"Why answer if we have nothing to talk about?"
She stacked the wooden crates containing grapes together, and after moving them, she took the milk crate handed to her by her male colleague.
"Could it be something urgent?"
Chen Luo quickly carried the milk back into the store and then hurried out.
"She has her new life, and I have mine. No matter how important the matter, aside from giving me money, nothing else concerns me. When we divorced, neither side wanted me; both sides thought I was a burden. I remember it clearly, I'll never forget it. Besides, I have new children now, why should I care about the old one? Even if it's an emergency, it's her children who should worry, not me. Now, it's best if we're even and have no contact."
Chen Luo opened her mouth, somewhat surprised, and stopped moving the milk:
"Are you exaggerating? Did you two have a huge fight?"
Gu Mengzhu remained silent. Seeing that the car was empty, she bent down to move the wooden crates on the ground. Chen Luo also picked up a carton of milk and followed behind her.
"What exactly happened? Tell me! Let me, an outsider, see if there's any way to salvage this situation."
"There's no way to salvage it! There isn't!"
Her eyes reddened, and after putting down the wooden box, she looked at Chen Luo:
“When I asked her for my tuition, we were sitting on the sofa. She was next to me, constantly talking about how hard she had worked and how difficult things had been for her. She was crying so hard that snot and tears were streaming down her face. Do you know what I thought? I felt it was absurd, like a farce.”
"Do you think she's really having a hard time? No. She's pressuring me. She cried so hard just to keep me from ruining her impending happiness. Her new husband, her new children, and the fear in her eyes—it's as if her happiness will shatter the moment I step into that neighborhood."
Gu Mengzhu closed her eyes, and tears silently fell.
"I didn't know I was so disliked. So I stopped contacting her, and I borrowed and paid off all my tuition fees myself. Also, you know what? My dad used to quit smoking for me, but now? He doesn't want me anymore. His house belongs to his wife and his son, but not to me. I've been kicked out, and I'll never go back in."
"I should be considered the fruit of their love, but in the end, it became proof of their bitter divorce. I truly wish I had never been born. I didn't want to be born into such a family."
She wiped away her tears and continued carrying boxes with her head down. Sister Fang had instructed them that grapes spoil easily and needed to be put in the cold storage first; she couldn't delay too long. Afterwards, Chen Luo handed her tissues. As she blew her nose, Chen Luo said with a heavy heart:
"I've heard people say that for those who have few relatives and little emotional connection, this is their last life."
Gu Mengzhu laughed:
"To be reduced to ashes in the next life? Fine, I like it."
Her smile was genuine.
"Sorry. Here's a shaved ice for you. May your new life get better and better."
Chen Luo held up a popsicle, watching her cautiously. Gu Mengzhu took the popsicle from Chen Luo, tore open the packaging, and began to eat it heartily, smiling at her as she ate. Her smile was genuine.
It was almost nine o'clock, and Gu Mengzhu was about to get off work. She separated the wooden crates and cardboard boxes and piled them in two separate areas so that the aunt who collected recyclables could easily pick them up tomorrow. She stomped on the cardboard boxes to flatten them, and when they stubbornly pried open again, she stomped on them a couple more times. Only after she stopped did she realize that Qi Yaoguang was waiting for her at the door.
Why are you here?
He shook the cloth bag in his hand and rolled his eyes at her:
"Big sister, you said you were going to the supermarket and told me to come here at nine o'clock to wait."
Gu Mengzhu scratched her head and replied guiltily:
"I'm sorry, I was too busy today and forgot."
"Hurry up!"
Seeing Qi Yaoguang urging her, she responded while untying her work apron from the shop.
"Sister Fang, I'm off work!"
Fangjie was busy doing calculations with a calculator. When she heard Gu Mengzhu call her, she only grunted twice without even looking up. The two of them strolled slowly toward the nearby supermarket. It was already very dark, and the mobile stalls along the road were constantly emitting pungent fumes into the sky. Gu Mengzhu covered her nose and walked past in small steps, finally stopping in front of a pancake stall.
I'm a little hungry. Are you hungry too?
Qi Yaoguang shook his head, and she turned her head back:
"Boss, a chive and pork pancake, please."
"Do you want it spicy?"
"Mildly spicy, thank you."
She touched the not-too-hot meat patty in her hand, bit into the crispy part, and let out a strange squeaking sound.
Wow, it's so crispy! Want to try some?
Gu Mengzhu handed him the meat pie, but he frowned and turned his head away.
Just kidding. Ah, it's so spicy!
The red chili peppers mixed in with the chives made her nose and eyes water, and she hurriedly looked down and rummaged through her pockets. Qi Yaoguang saw her slightly red and disheveled appearance, took out a tissue from his pocket, and pressed it to her head to wipe her face.
"It's just a meat pie, why make such a fuss? You clearly can't handle spicy food but you still ordered it, are you torturing yourself?"
"I didn't expect it to be so spicy."
She took his tissue, wiped her nose vigorously a few times, and continued eating her meat pie. They waited at two red lights, crossed the zebra crossing, and finally arrived at their destination. However, the supermarket was on the second floor, and to get in, they had to cross a large, tiled open area. The ground was uneven, with varying levels, and pedestrians could easily stumble if they weren't careful. At that moment, a large group of elderly women were dancing together, and the music was quite loud; Gu Mengzhu even covered her ears as she passed by.
She hadn't walked far when she fixed her gaze on someone. Qi Yaoguang had initially intended to follow her gaze to see what was happening, but the next second he saw her hurriedly turn around, pursing her lips and forcing a smile. He met the woman's sudden smile, the round streetlight behind them reflecting in her eyes like scattered stars. For no reason, he wanted to smile along with her, but before his lips could even curve into a smile, he quickly and forcefully suppressed it.
"That auntie remembered the action wrong, hahaha."
He stared at her silently. Gu Mengzhu continued to smile, seemingly lost in her own joy, completely oblivious to the sudden drop in the path below. He watched as she swayed slightly, almost tripping.
"Hahahaha, idiot."
Qi Yaoguang burst into laughter, a laugh both arrogant and ruthless. She immediately became the one who had been embarrassed and humiliated, and promptly punched him:
"Shut up! You're laughing too loudly, you're going to fall over!"
The two bickered and teased each other before finally taking the elevator into the supermarket. Gu Mengzhu went straight to the produce section, hoping to pick out some discounted vegetables to put in the fridge for tomorrow's meals. However, the remaining vegetables in the discount section were either wilted or yellowed, and she didn't like the better ones, so she shook her head repeatedly.
"Wow!" She picked up a plate of discounted apples from the shelf and showed it to Qi Yaoguang. "Look, Gala apples!"
She couldn't help but laugh, her stomach twitching.
"There's actually a fruit called Gala. Did you know that there's also a person in a foreign country named Gala Gei? Gala Gei, it sounds like 'armpit,' hahaha."
Qi Yaoguang was completely baffled; the black lines on his forehead spoke volumes about his speechlessness.
"Your sense of humor is very strange."
Gu Mengzhu ignored his sarcasm, abandoned the plate of fruit, and headed towards the seafood section. She spotted a fish in the distance, pushed Qi Yaoguang aside, and hurried away.
"What are you doing?"
He followed her all the way, and when he saw her stop and stare intently, he asked her what she was up to.
"Wait until the fish floats belly up, then it's half price! Look, see that? It says half price up here."
She answered without turning her head. Qi Yaoguang rolled his eyes:
"Waiting for the fish to turn belly up? I bet you're not even dead yet!"
As if to confirm his words, the fish she was staring at began to swim vigorously the next second, looking extremely lively. Gu Mengzhu straightened up, her expression sour, as if she was very dissatisfied with his jinx. Qi Yaoguang wandered around with her aimlessly, and couldn't help but grumble as he watched her drift aimlessly:
"Hey, what are you trying to buy by walking around like this?"
"I'll buy you a new toothbrush. You're always complaining about your toothbrush, finding fault with every new one. I don't want to deal with your fussy mother anymore, so I brought you here to pick one out. Also, the meat is half price right now, so let's buy a lot and you can carry it back and freeze it."
She stopped and pointed in a direction for him:
"The toothbrush is over there, go pick one out yourself. If you need anything else, grab it while you're at it. I'll go pick out the meat, anyway, I can't rely on you for this kind of thing."
After saying that, she pulled her cart away. When Qi Yaoguang finished selecting his meat, she was already waiting at the counter. Looking at the cart piled high with meat, he let out a long sigh.
"You're buying so much, how are you going to fit it all in the fridge? You'll have to come back to me for help when the shelves are full, it's so annoying!"
"Yes!" She squinted, gritting her teeth angrily. "When you were eating three plates of meat, you weren't this talkative, were you?"
He turned his head away, pretending not to hear, and started humming a song. The two paid their bill and came out; wisps of steam rose from the small restaurant near the escalator. Gu Mengzhu smelled the aroma of the soup wafting from the bowl and nudged the person carrying two bags of meat with her elbow:
"Hey, they sell wontons! Want to go get some?"
"don't want."
He rejected her again without hesitation, but she sighed with emotion:
"When I was in elementary school, there was a white wall next to the wonton stall. It got very dirty after being stepped on a few times. Someone even spray-painted words on it. Guess what he spray-painted? Black market guns, followed by a string of numbers. Wow, it's unbelievable how our country has become so good and so stable without us even realizing it!"
Qi Yaoguang let out a cold snort:
"Gunfire is nothing! Let me tell you, there are far worse places than this these days!"
"Really? Tell me."
He glanced down at her, then turned and left.
"Forget it, you're such a clueless idiot, you're not worth listening to."
"Hey! I'm warning you, don't make personal attacks on your creditors! Oh dear, I've noticed you've been really too arrogant lately..."
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