Death is not far away from us
(Small Theater) Paper Cutting ~ Moon
This winter seems to be particularly cold, but my anticipation for the New Year remains undimmed. This year's paper-cuts of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals will surely be beautiful, hanging them in grandma's house, bringing joy and happiness. The elderly love this festive atmosphere.
"Boss, we're going to have a holiday this week. Are you going to go to your painting class? I'm going to play near your studio this week. Can you come out and see me?"
"I'm going this week, but I may not finish on time."
"It's okay, boss. Just focus on your painting."
"Leader, you really didn't finish class early today."
"The studio is closed today, so I stayed up late to finish this. If you don't have anything else to do, go home. Your face is red from the cold. It's cold today."
"Boss, isn't this photo frame you're holding heavy? Can I help you carry it?"
"No, I can get it myself."
Lei took it.
"Give it to me, come on, I'll take you home on my way."
"By the way, it's clearly the opposite direction."
"As long as it's you, I'll follow you wherever you go, up, down, left, right, east, west, south, or north."
~~~
Qi Yue was about to speak when Lin Lei forcefully dragged her towards the private room. The two of them entered the room one after the other. Everyone looked at them in surprise. Before Qi Yue could explain, Han Muze also walked in. He smiled and said, "I drank a little too much and kept needing to go to the bathroom." This eased the awkwardness of the previous scene.
"You're just scratching the surface. Didn't you see what happened yesterday? My fiancé got drunk and still hasn't sobered up. He even refused to come today, saying our classmates were too aggressive. I don't care. We all have to fall down today and avenge my boyfriend. Come on, class monitor, let me toast you. I copied a lot of your homework in junior high."
Just as Qi Yue was about to stand up, Lin Lei snatched the glass and said unhappily, "You've copied my homework a lot, right or wrong, but you still have to show respect to me." He then drank it all in one gulp.
In order to ease the tangled situation, Jiang Yiheng stood up cautiously, looked at Lin Lei and Han Muze, two great gods who could not afford to offend, and said humbly: "Then let me toast to the class monitor. The class monitor has not appeared in our class reunion for a long time. It's rare for him to come out, so we can't let him go."
Qi Yue smiled and said, "Of course we don't see each other often. We still chat frequently on WeChat, but I don't reply very quickly." Then, she reached out to grab the bottle to pour some wine, but a large hand snatched the bottle away first.
"Leader, please wait a moment. I haven't seen Jiang Yiheng for a long time. I sent him a message before, but he didn't reply. I need to deal with my personal grudge first."
Qi Yue looked bewildered, while Jiang Yiheng looked hopeless. He clenched his fists, gnashed his teeth, and said, "When have I not replied to you? Tell me, you often call me in the middle of the night, and I put up with it. When you drink, you call me incessantly in the middle of the night. Who can stand it? Even if I didn't reply once, so what? I didn't delay you in any way. But you harassed me every day, affecting my studies and life. And you just flattered me and settled the grudge. I..."
Without waiting for him to finish, Lin Lei grabbed the wine glass and directly handed over a bottle of wine. While handing it over, he stuffed it into the other person's mouth while drinking the bottle in his hand at the same time.
Seeing this, Jiang Yiheng gritted his teeth and said helplessly: "I won't argue with a mad dog." He drank the bottle of wine that made him feel aggrieved and cowardly.
Qi Yue suffered in silence. For the next few days, Qi Yue had little to do but watch Lin Lei perform on his own. If he hadn't planned to get married yet, it would have been as if he were about to announce to the world: he, Lin Lei, was getting married tomorrow. He had come to the bachelor party with the intention of getting drunk.
When Mu Ze looked at Qi Yue, Qi Yue smiled helplessly.
"Lin Lei, do you have to be so obvious? I'm not at the point where I can't drink a single glass. In fact, I can handle it myself. You guys are hitting me all the time. To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed and at a loss, and even more embarrassed. Mu Ze, I won't say anything. As for you, Lin Lei, my girlfriend has called me one after another, and you're blocking the wine for me. I really don't know whether to thank you or thank you."
Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, Qiyue's phone rang. The moment she looked at the phone, it felt like the arrival of a savior, as if she had divine help.
Downstairs in the restaurant, a thinly dressed and lonely figure stood alone under the dim streetlight, kicking the snow at her feet and muttering non-stop, "Lan Qiyue, you're the worst sister ever! You made me stand in the freezing cold, waiting for you, and you didn't even answer my call. I've been standing there for half an hour. Eat, eat, eat, I don't know what you're eating for, you just keep eating, and then you keep nagging me about losing weight."
Ring Ring Ring
Lan Damei muttered "hurry, hurry, hurry" as she angrily picked up the phone and yelled, "What are you doing?"
Damei's friend asked playfully, "Brother, where are you? It's been an hour."
“In place.”
Damei's friend was surprised: "What? You haven't picked up anyone yet? If you don't come soon, I'm going to get drunk."
"You have to wait for me. I didn't get through to anyone. My eldest daughter is taking so long. I'm so angry. I'm hanging up."
Then, he dialed the phone number he had called at least ten times with such force that he almost wanted to break the screen.
When Lan Damei heard the answering sound, the little beast roared like crazy: "Lan Qiyue, I sent you a message but you didn't answer the phone. I've been standing downstairs for half an hour. When will you come out?"
Qi Yue said softly with a guilty conscience: "Oh, oh, ok, ok, I got it, I'll be right there."
"Hey, he was just angry today, but he didn't threaten me. Doesn't he usually threaten to abandon me when things don't go his way? Qi Yue looked out the window. Fortunately, it's night time now, otherwise, the sun would definitely rise in the west. Yes, it must."
Qi Yue took a deep breath and said, "Pick up the wine glass on the table. I'm sorry, classmates. I have something to do at home, so I have to leave first. This glass expresses my apology for leaving early. Let's make an appointment another day." When she said "make an appointment another day", Qi Yue paused.
After saying that, he drank the glass of wine, without listening to anything or looking at anyone, he stood up, picked up his clothes and walked towards the door. All he heard was Han Muze's words: "Be careful," and then the sound of a chair falling.
When she came, she had agreed with Han Muzhe that she would leave halfway, so Qi Yue didn't have to explain anything. As for the sound of the chair falling, Xiao Xiao told Qi Yue later that it was Lin Lei who knocked over the chair next to him while chasing her out.
"Hurry up, hurry up, otherwise I don't know if I can get out, and if I can still be so cruel, so cruel."
"Sister." Seeing his sister coming out, Lan Yuezhi walked forward quickly.
"Let's go." As he said this, he pulled Lan Damei and walked quickly towards home.
Lan Damei was surprised by her sister's sudden action. Not only did she not scold him, but she also pulled him home. She secretly glanced at Qiyue from the corner of her eye to confirm whether it was his sister, Lan Qiyue. After getting the affirmative answer, she didn't dare to breathe and obediently followed her sister towards home.
If Han Muze hadn't grabbed Lin Lei when he came out, he could have caught up with him. The moment he grabbed Lin Lei, Han Muze wanted to remind Lin Lei of his current identity. After all, they were in the same school. Even if they didn't keep in touch, they would still hear about their classmates from their hometown. Moreover, Lin Lei's girlfriend and Han Muze were high school classmates in the same school, just a year younger. But when he saw Lin Lei's nervous expression, he couldn't say it out loud and let go of his hand.
It’s hard to say who is the pitiful one. At this moment, Han Muzhe actually felt a little sorry for Lin Lei.
Lin Lei, who had caught up a step too late, could only watch Qi Yue's back as she quickly left. Ultimately, he couldn't catch up. It seemed that this was the end of the matter.
After returning to the private room, everyone left in twos and threes. Lin Lei looked at Han Muze angrily, but ultimately said nothing. Yeah, what could he say? Han Muze had done nothing wrong. In Han Muze's world, he absolutely would never hurt Qi Yue. Even the accusations and criticisms leveled against Qi Yue by the classmates who had a crush on him during school were dealt with one by one by Han Muze, without causing any impact on Qi Yue. He, Han Muze, would always prioritize Qi Yue's happiness and sadness; everything else would be secondary considerations, or perhaps even unnecessary. And what was he doing now? What status did he have to try to keep her? He gave a helpless smile, then picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all.
Seeing this, Jiang Yiheng patted Lin Lei on the shoulder and said, "Sometimes missing out once may mean missing out on something for a lifetime."
After returning home, Qi Yue lay on the bed and recalled everything that happened today. It seemed so unreal yet so vivid.
Because her sister was too quiet, Lan Damei did not go to the party either.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?" asked Lan Damei, who was sleeping on the floor.
"growing up."
"Just use the rhetoric."
After waiting for a while, he continued, "Sister, I thought you would cry. When I found out, I was terrified. Grandpa loved me the most, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see him again. Although he was strict with us and had a bad temper, he was truly the best man in the world, a man of justice, responsibility, and a sense of duty. Even now, when I mention this, I find it impossible. Sister, do you still remember when grandma left?"
Qi Yue said calmly, "I remember."
"Ever since grandma left, he's been like the backbone of our family. Hey, sister, if everyone is going to die, then why do humans even exist?"
"Your freshman year is still pretty idle, and you're already thinking about the philosophy of life. Why don't you go work in your dad's factory and stretch your muscles and skin?"
"Look at you, let's talk about something serious, and you want to send me to work? I can't get paid even if I go now, so I'm not going. I'm going to sleep. Also, can you please stop your phone from flashing so much? Let me sleep."
29 unread messages.
"Are you free tomorrow? Let's go to the river and fly Kongming lanterns!"
"Boss, I promised to give you a ride today, but I didn't."
"How about we go get ice cream tomorrow?"
"I saw some candied haws sold on the roadside tonight. I'll buy some for you tomorrow."
"Leader, I want to ask you a question."
"Leader, I want to explain to you about my girlfriend. Can you give me a chance to speak?"
…
"It's been six years. I miss you so much."
"You're still the same. Either you read the message or you don't. Anyway, you don't reply to me."
"Do we have a future?"
Qi Yue set the message mode to Do Not Disturb and turned the phone over.
Qi Yue looked at the moon outside the window through the curtains and thought to herself, "There won't be any future for us."
"I remember when grandma passed away, my heart ached. My brother and I cried so hard that it was embarrassing. That was also the only time I saw my father cry, enduring the heartache and shedding tears as he said goodbye to his mother."
It turns out that death is not far from us.
This was the first of nine years where I was the only one left.
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