Chapter 9 The fourth city light.1

62 In fact, it was late in the autumn of 1997 to feel finally capable of claiming the city.Throughout the autumn, the sky is written with countless dark greens, creating a kind of lake light day and night.Mei walked in this blue yingying, unexpectedly, she had already taken the steps of her life in her 40s, but she finally had the rare excitement of walking to the post station in her heart.As the last educated youth returning to the city in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.Calculated from the mid-autumn of 1992, it has been five years now. Thinking about it, the long journey of self-improvement did not see a trace of joy of success. Instead, I felt that I was afraid of the years. So that fate may show its fairness for once.

The bustling streets of Asia have gone through more than ten years of hard work, surging like soap foam pouring out of a bathtub, overflowing the streets in piles.The French tung tree, which had no branches at the beginning, is also flourishing in its grandeur today, towering and connected, blocking the sunlight to other places.This year marks the day when Britain handed over Hong Kong to China.Asia Street has learned something from Hong Kong. Small lanterns like pig’s breasts and grapes extend from the facades of luxurious shops, and they are casually but artificially placed on the paulownia trees.Walking on the sidewalk is like walking under a grape arbor or a farmhouse's bean shed.But it's all fake, after all, it doesn't have the natural atmosphere that Mei had when she was in the country.On the streets of Asia, there is no strong folk customs of the rural society.In the past two decades, many special phenomena have occurred in the country on the edge of the contact between the East and the West.On Asia Avenue, it is 120% socialized.No one expected that the scene would not be seen for a day, and the drama of Sanqiu must be watched with admiration.Today, there are many high-rise buildings and adjacent shops here, especially the catering, beauty and clothing industries that have grown up abnormally, all of which were developed on the desolate side streets at the beginning: on the ruins of closed factories.A few years ago, there was at most one mimeographed advertisement for the treatment of impotence and gonorrhea on the telephone pole by the roadside. Today, the private venereal disease clinic is also standing majestically between restaurants and shopping malls, with a blood-red forehead and a dignified appearance. , The appearance is dignified.Last year, it was the only Yang Kee venereal disease specialist hospital. Under the guise of a secret recipe handed down from the ancestors, it used popular prescriptions popularized by ordinary hospitals, serving many men and women.This year, such industries have sprung up to more than ten companies.Dance halls and hotels also emerged as the times require, or they are combined with the catering industry, or they operate mysteriously independently.These people who have become bosses and managers, and are often honored as Mr. by modern civilization, are mostly foreigners who bought their household registration in this city with money. The business has established the most prestigious consumer street in the provincial capital recognized by the government.Mei walked on the crosswalk to the east of this street, her steps were light and graceful.She goes to an appointment.The lover is waiting for her in the outskirts of the city.The pure wool autumn skirt imported from Australia swayed popular little poems on the feet.The famous director who became popular with a trendy movie more than ten years ago released his masterpiece "Everyone Lives" at the end of 1996.This year, "Everyone is Alive" will blow the clarion call to enter the Oscar World Awards. People in a country are full of hope for this honor, and restless.At this time, the movie was being screened in various theaters in the city, and the theater industry, which had been in decline for a long time, suddenly came back to life, and the endless dawn of hope shone red on those who had worried about art.The whole city is ringing with the episode of this movie: "Daddy, I am still alive in the world".Even a three-year-old child can sing that you and I are still alive in this world, but it's a pity that God has separated us.This episode is sad and lyrical, which fits Mei's vast and slightly desolate state of mind.The bustling crowd on the street couldn't stop Mei's distracted mind.The unbreakable interlude rhythm seems to flow out of the ding-dong springs from various merchants, gathering on Asia Avenue, and the boats carrying Mei's footsteps are gurgling.Her footsteps were like white waves splashed by the river, flying up and down, disappearing on the river of Asia Minor.

Think about it, a woman in her forties struggled alone in this city for five springs and autumns, and finally bought the rented land of the wonton restaurant at a high price, built a private building, and became Asia. The owner of the restaurant.The provincial newspaper once reported her arduous struggle with full-page generosity.It's just that the 8,000-word newsletter used a very old, outdated and mediocre title: real strong women.The vulgarity in this topic makes Mei feel as if she is in a pool of stinking rotten water every time she thinks of it, and she can smell the vulgarity of fermenting, not to mention that for this article, Mei was represented by the tax bureau of the government department. , Pry open the iron lock of thought, and donate 8,000 yuan to that mediocre reporter.That is to say, she was forced to buy 8,000 yuan of propaganda at the price of one yuan per word.But Zamei's real purpose is not for these things, but for her ex-husband, Teacher Zhang, who has been divorced for five years in Zhangjiaying Village at the foot of Funiu Mountain, to see her success.

I don't know if Teacher Zhang has read the newspaper on the anniversary of the return of educated youths to the city this year.The unexpected harvest is: Mei suddenly received hundreds of courtship letters.These mails were stamped with express delivery marks by the soaring postage, and when they were delivered to Mei through the special post and telecommunications vehicle, Mei on the one hand felt bored after thinking about it;In the final analysis, Mei is a mature woman after a long period of time. The more than ten years of married life with Teacher Zhang in the countryside left her with an indelible mark.The harmony and love between husband and wife soaked her skin wetly.After five years of struggle, I finally have a relatively comfortable life today. Dry and chapped emotions, after all, need the moisture of a man.Although he knew that those courtship love letters had additional purposes, such as greed for her property.But in the end, the letter was full of hot words of admiration for her.Over time, reading those endless letters made her finally fall into the maze of love. She couldn't help but be moved by some of Hong Yanyan's courtships. Take a break in your life.

She knows that the age of forty is a noon in a day, between the morning and afternoon, a few years younger, it belongs to the ranks of youth, and it is also within the age limit for youth stipulated by the United Nations; I was three or five years old, my skin was yellow and white, and it was the end of the year.This is a critical moment that needs to be grasped in time, such as city love. If you don't grasp it, it will fly away like an eagle, and it may never come again.In that way, what is left to me is the desolation of the mountains in my later years. 63 Mei's Asia Restaurant is located at the west end of Asia Street, very close to the famous Asia Plaza.Looking up, you can see the colorful commercial flags flying all day long in the Asian shopping malls.And Asia Avenue, of course, occupies the fame and fortune of the commercial center of Asia, and it is a pity that the customers who visit there do not drop by and visit Asia Avenue.Even if you walk in general, it brings prosperity to this street.In early autumn, there are still many breaths of late spring in the city.Although the flowers and plants in the park have begun to wither, they are still hanging and holding a lot of green and red.Zhengzhou was originally a green city. The country awarded it the honorary title of Green Crown in April 1995. Tourists also praised it as worthy of its name.In the days when Hong Kong was about to be handed over to the mainland, a large number of Hong Kong tourists flocked to the Central Plains of the Mainland. Seeing the greenery of Zhengzhou, walking in the shady streets and alleys, they all sighed at its thick green.On a misty morning, Mei’s restaurant had just opened the concierge, and the sprinkler slowly passed by the door. Then the postman gave a drink downstairs, and a clerk took the newspaper and shouted, saying, Sister Mei, log out. Yes, the article is published.Mei came down from upstairs, took the newspaper and read it again, suppressed her excitement, and walked out with a futile look, when suddenly she saw Qiu Huang walking towards her.The paulownia leaves on the street suddenly fell to the ground at night. The cleaners swept it again, but still spread another layer.The petals of the chrysanthemums placed at the door fell helplessly, and at the hotel door, the ground was sprinkled with decaying colors, gray and sad.Mei stood in front of the store, holding the newspaper for the Educated Youth Returning to the City Festival in her hand, and suddenly felt cold.Unfamiliar faces swayed past her face one by one, like grave papers floating in the countryside during Qingming Festival.Three days later, a batch of registered letters from this city arrived, all of which were full of rhetoric, each of which was full of games in life and red lust for money, bloody wanting to share the hotel business with her.What I respect you infinitely, longing to be your right-hand man; what you make me feel that the sun of life is rising, I would like to support your basic necessities like a nanny; what if I can marry you, I promise to let you Obtaining unlimited joy and happiness... etc., almost like the episode of "You and I Are Still Living in the World" that is being played by various merchants on Asia Street at the moment, and the popular tone makes people feel disgusted.In the first few days, Mei opened and read letters, or even studied them quietly by herself.After three or five letters, I tasted that each letter was nothing more than overnight tea, although it was thick, it was thick and bland, and it turned people off after importing it.

After all, she is a weather-beaten woman who has tasted endless hardships.Although she has been back to the city for five years, she has gone through setbacks and the city's trifling with her. Needless to say, she has accumulated many golden and silver life experiences, but she is still a pure and simple woman.But it would not be easy for Mei to let her believe anyone's words easily.What's more, its original intention is not to publicize oneself, find love, and comfort loneliness, but to let the husband who has been divorced for five years know his success from the newspaper.However, May was disappointed.Disappointment comes unexpectedly like yellow leaves in autumn.In the past three full months, Mei received more than 700 letters from this city, this province, and provinces such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Shandong, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, and Jilin, but none of them had a word from her former husband, Teacher Zhang.She thought her success was a consolation to him.I thought he would write her a congratulatory letter after reading the newspaper.But no.Although he was born in a poor family and suffered hardships since he was a child, dropping out of school, going to the countryside, working in the fields, marrying in the countryside, losing a child, and getting divorced, he did not return to the city until 1992. After returning to the city, he was ridiculed and teased by others; Sometimes good and sometimes bad; but in the past five years, she has never worried about anything, and she has worked hard to do what fate dictates.Frowning his eyebrows and worrying all day long, after returning to the city, it is very rare.Although it cannot be said that Mei has no gloomy side at all, there has never been a situation where she regrets the past and laments the scenery in front of her.Even when I first returned to the city, when I was engaged in the wonton business, I was unreasonably restricted by some government departments from time to time, such as industry and commerce, taxation, health, urban construction and other agencies, and I never sighed.

Without Mr. Zhang's letter, there will be nothing.Needless to say, business has to run day by day.The provincial newspaper Laojunmiao School must be booked, maybe he just didn't go to the school to teach that day.But if others read it, they would definitely sue him, saying that Li Yamei reported Yun Yun.Maybe he doesn't teach anymore.Maybe something else, he read the newspaper and just tossed it aside.One year after the divorce, the correspondence was quite frequent, and then it became less and less. Later, he received a letter saying that his mother had died of illness for half a year, and finally he stopped writing.Last year, that is, in 1996, Mei sent him 4,000 yuan twice, saying that the society has reached the era when money is paramount, and you should hurry up and do some business. Time to talk about economics and information.He didn't reply, and he sent her 4,000 yuan back.From this point of view, even if he read the provincial newspaper, it was natural for him not to reply.I no longer hoped for anything, packed up more than 700 letters, opened and unopened, and piled them up in a pile, ready to be burned, sorted out common thoughts and thoughts, and managed the hotel with care.However, when I was preparing to burn the letter, I found that there were many apricot-yellow envelopes on which there was no signature except her zip code, mailing address and name.I opened one of them and read it, and there was only one sentence:

Please come to Bishagang in the eastern suburbs on Sunday. Another apricot-yellow envelope was opened, still: Please come to Bishagang in the eastern suburbs on Sunday. Another apricot-yellow envelope was opened, and it was still: Please come to Bishagang in the eastern suburbs on Sunday. All of them were torn apart, and there were 17 envelopes in total, all of which were please meet at Bishagang in the eastern suburbs on Sunday.There is no time, no name on the letter, and the letter paper is also ordinary square manuscript paper without the name of the unit.The handwriting is okay, not flamboyant, but correct.It can be inferred from the postmark that it is a letter every week, sent on Tuesday and delivered on Wednesday, and the postage is the price of this city, which is half of the price of ordinary Fuwai stamps.That is to say, the writer is from this city.What occupation, age, address, housing, salary, and what kind of second job he is engaged in are all blank.Maybe it was written in his first letter, but in any case, his first letter could not be found.The letter was burned in the washing room of Mei's house, and the warm burning yellow smell was tightly locked in the room.Perhaps the first letter was lost.Not one such letter was lost, so that she often classified the letters from her classmates and friends into this category, and lost them by throwing them away.

However, in the next few weeks, the flow of other letters was almost cut off, but this apricot-yellow envelope still arrived on Wednesday, as regularly as the sunshine of this season, at 6:20 in the morning, it came out of the window on time. climbed into her bed. 64 The whole autumn passed through the exchange of letters, as if the weather was getting colder, sent by the post office.The rising prosperity of Asia Avenue cannot stop the season from coming.The French paulownia tree on the roadside, the yellow leaves are almost gone, and the remaining three are wounded and two disabled, withered on the crooked branches, and they are knocked down by the sound at the entrance of the store from time to time.This is the time when the shops are open, but some are still closed.Because in 1995 there were rumors in the news that a solar eclipse would occur in the Central Plains in the autumn of 1997.The reports of the news media in 1996 were even worse.This year, the report will be detailed and specific; the time is October in the Gregorian calendar, the first day of September in the lunar calendar, around 9:00 am.As for whether it is a total solar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse, or an annular solar eclipse, it will not be confirmed until the solar eclipse.Because of the spectacle of the coming solar eclipse, many businesses closed their stores one after another, and took a car to the Mang Mountains by the Yellow River in order to stand tall and see far. Can't wait and see, but I was lucky enough to meet this scene on the mountain. Mei is not the kind of boss who doesn't care about the life and death of the staff in the propaganda.She rented a Japanese Toyota bread and luxury coach, and sent all the employees to the Mang Mountains.As for myself, with feeble ease and joy, I walked blindly from Asia Street to Bishagang in the eastern suburbs.

It just so happened that it was Sunday. The apricot-yellow letter I received on Wednesday still said please meet me at Bishagang in the eastern suburbs on Sunday. Every time Mei walks on this consumer street, she always feels the vast desolation and desolate purity in her heart.The colorful hustle and bustle, coming like a flood, will be blocked by her various thoughts.Unless you intend to appreciate this noisy variegated street scene.Speaking of the entire street, only Mei is an aborigine on this street.And those merchants who show off their power are all newly relocated and new nobles who take advantage of the wind of the times, like immigrants from the United States.Maybe one of them, last year or even yesterday, was a poor commoner, just borrowed on the streets of Asia, and with his wit and the wealth of fate, he has a deep glimpse into the secret of the prosperity of this street.Overnight, he became a new Dagui.In retrospect, five years ago, it was like a flash of thought.At that time, the commercial center of Asia had already been formed, and every Chinese who cared about state affairs and money knew about Asia in the Central Plains, and the streets behind Asia were like starving beggars, lying powerlessly in a bustling hidden place.Mei rented a dilapidated tile-roofed house at the west end of the small street, and opened the first wonton restaurant on this street.Residents on the street don't always patronize restaurants. They would rather go to the food self-service shopping mall in their spare time and festivals to buy quick-frozen wontons or dumplings in the freezer.Occasionally, those who come to bowl wontons are also workers from two factories on the street: the first cloth shoe factory and the honeycomb coal factory. More than ten years ago, Lankao County, 200 miles away, established a national oil company, oil and gas The mining of liquefied gas made the liquefied gas tanks pour into the city like candied haws. At that time, the Hongqi honeycomb coal plant, which had been awarded the flag by the provincial government more than ten times, actually implied the danger of closing down. When the gas pipeline was laid into the city, the honeycomb coal plant It is self-defeating, and it is difficult for workers to maintain 30% of their monthly wages.The No. 1 Cloth Shoe Factory has repeatedly produced new products, but because of the so-called aesthetic problems of talents, no matter how the equipment is improved and the shoe samples are refurbished, the products cannot enter the city's luxurious shoe racks, and can only be used by ordinary youths in the county to try their feet. .Such workers have to pay the risk of bankruptcy to the factory every year.Therefore, there are not many people who come to visit the wonton restaurant.It's just that they often open stores for profit or not.Every morning at 7 o'clock, I open the shop as usual, put the four removable and reinstallable doors aside, light the fire, and make a few bowls of wonton corners with the skills I learned from my old mother-in-law in Zhangjiaying in the countryside. Put it on the table, cut half a bowl of coriander, half a bowl of pickled mustard, put it together with sesame oil and vinegar bottle, take a stool, sit at the door, and wait for the husband and wife because they get up late and have no time to cook and the family is not harmonious. Workers who don't want to cook, come here every now and then to eat a bowl of wontons.

That's how business is run.After going to the countryside for twenty years, the so-called traditional virtues developed by the rural society often made her cook the unsalable wontons and serve them to the landlord's children, and occasionally called the beggars who had fled from the countryside into the village. Eat a bowl in the store.After operating in this way for a month or so, I sat down and calculated carefully, and made a total of seventeen yuan and thirty cents. My father retired from the coal factory said: "No, the water and electricity bills have not been paid yet." she says: "Yes. At least I kept my mouth shut, and I supported myself." In the second month, the Hongqi Honeycomb Coal Factory, which had been liberated since 1949, finally closed down. The workers wept bitterly and smashed the honeycomb coal machine and conveyor into pieces of iron.After more than forty years of turbulent ups and downs, the factory had to lock its doors permanently.Residents in the street, each family has used gas pipelines, and they don't even bother to dig a shovel for the coke and broken coal that is like a small hill in the coal factory.The former factory building has become a place for the surplus labor force from the countryside to flood into the city, and the workshop has also been occupied by the surplus products of the shoe factory for no reason, and has been used as a warehouse.Children can boldly knock down the wall, dismantle the machine and sell it to the scrap acquisition company.Needless to say, after a rainy season, weeds were overgrown, and even the little green snake was crawling around there.Finally, it became ruins.As a result, Mei's Wonton Restaurant has been eroded by waste. At the end of the month, it may make a few dollars, or it may lose all of it.There are also those monthly interest rents, monthly taxes, sanitation fees, water fees, electricity fees, and gas fees.Following the change of seasons, you have to buy replacement clothes.The current situation in the country is not what it used to be.At that time, however, there was a period of incontinence in the expenditure of the treasury, which led to great financial difficulties.Although all government departments are clamoring for austerity, even defense spending is extremely reduced, and the economic circles are generally trending toward depression following the slogans, but prices are extremely unstable, with daily necessities and non-staple food all exceeding the government's maximum price at that time.Looking back, even Mei herself doesn't quite understand how she struggled from then to today. 65 The colorful bustle on the street will never be weakened by the closure of a few businesses.Today is the day of the lottery for the prize sales in the Starlight Mall. Those ordinary citizens who yearn for success are willing to travel a long distance to buy at the Starlight Mall even for the price of a single needle.The prize there is big, a Japanese Toyota car and a bonus of 500,000 yuan.And if you buy something worth 50 yuan, you can get a colorful lottery ticket; in addition, the lottery cycle is short, every six months, a customer holds up a check for 500,000 yuan in the bank, and drives the car away amidst the sound of gongs and drums. The great temptation that goes without saying.The TV station once played a scene of a customer who bought a shirt for 51 yuan and drove away a Santana car with a red face when the lottery was drawn.In this way, customers flocked to the Xingguang Mall like a tide, and even those on business trips had to detour through Zhengzhou to go to the Xingguang Mall to spend a lot of money for their units and buy some useful and useless things.When it was time for the lottery, on the one hand, pay attention to the winning numbers of newspapers and TV stations, and on the other hand, use the public program-controlled telephone to directly dial Zhengzhou from other places to ask if you have won the lottery.However, it was the boss's brother-in-law who won the lottery for the first time and drove away, and the one who won the lottery for the third time was the nephew of the boss who drove away. Few people know the mystery of this relationship.Sure enough, they were lucky enough to win the lottery, or they were doing it secretly, but no one has ever cared about it.In short, the lottery is carried out under the strict supervision of the national notary office and the police, and the huge team of inspectors does not allow customers to have the slightest doubt about its seriousness.Mei knew these things because she eavesdropped on an economic joint consultation meeting of government agencies such as public affairs, taxation, public security, and notarization.The venue of the meeting is unknown. After the meeting, we had dinner in the private room of Asia Restaurant. A civil servant slipped his mouth after drinking and said a few words.Mei went to thank these important guests for their patronage, and gave each of them a pack of popular Sino-American brand cigarettes. Hearing this, she was stunned.Looking at the participants of the Economic Consultative Conference, they were not very surprised by the gaffes of their colleagues. They just pointed at the tip of their noses and said that this guy drank too much alcohol and started criticizing and self-criticizing again.As a result, Mei gradually became relieved.Think about the things in the city, how can it be as pure as the countryside.A prosperous economy naturally cannot avoid intrigue.It's just that every time I see customers flocking to Starlight Mall, I feel like I have a fishbone in my throat, and I sigh for the foolishness of those customers.After careful calculation, the prices of Starlight Shopping Mall are generally higher than the market prices. Even if every big prize really falls into the hands of customers, it is only the sheep's wool. Right now, a large number of customers are hurrying, holding lottery tickets that are 100% impossible to win. They are walking past Mei and flowing towards the Starlight Mall. The footsteps are like countless believers, walking on the golden avenue of pilgrimage.In fact, there are various reasons for the rise of Asia Avenue, and the prosperity of the owner of Starlight Mall.It is the most obvious example. The owner's surname is Tang, his name is Tang Na, his common name is Leopard, and he is also of the same age as Wuwu.It's just a man, and his age has just reached the peak of his career.Between Mei and Mei, they have cooperated with each other before, and the two complement each other, and they have a common today.Speaking of it, it was a rainy afternoon, and the city was washed by the rain.At that time, Asia Street was also called Erguaizi Hutong.The Hongqi Honeycomb Coal Factory has been closed for many days. Leopard is one of the surplus laborers who sleep in the factory building. When they can’t find a job or are extremely hungry, they will come to Mei’s Wonton Restaurant to buy a bowl.The rain is rushing in the alley, and the falling yellow locust leaves are floating on the water like a boat.The whole alley is full of viscous rotten smell, which is scattered in front of the doors of each house.He came, stomped the rain on his feet at the door of the restaurant, put away the rotten umbrella and leaned against the door, and then sat at a table.May is putting out the fire and preparing to close the door.She said I was closing and there were no wontons.He said that I don't eat wontons, just come and sit down.She said again I was closing the door.He picked up the umbrella with great interest, walked to the door and turned around sharply. "You're not going to make money doing it this way." "It's fine if you can support yourself." "If you want to sell biscuits or fried dough sticks, then you must make money." "I don't know how to bake sesame seed cakes or deep-fry fried dough sticks." Tang Bao put the umbrella on the ground again, and said two words sonorously: I will!Then he stared at Mei’s face, and said that I’ve been paying attention here for many days, that residents in the alley rarely come to your restaurant, and you have to sell wontons and fried dough sticks at the same time, so that they can drink and eat, and don’t cook in the morning.If you can fill your stomach here, they will all come.Workers in a shoe factory naturally don't need a lunch box when they go to work.At that time, your business has grown from small to large, and you can open a restaurant here, selling wine and cooking.Then open a restaurant, hire some people, and you don't have to do anything. The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the bright white raindrops are washing the dirt of the city.The sewers have been blocked, and the streets and alleys are full of black water.The westerly wind that rushed in from the outskirts of the city twisted the green branches together and whipped them back and forth in the air.The cold air that should not be in mid-spring, wandering in any corner of the city.Tang Bao was obviously a little cold, with a layer of light blue ice on his face.Dress that is neither country nor town makes him a standard urban idler, an unwelcome and antiquated commodity in the labor market.When it comes to making a fortune one day, Mei is not without ideas. Since returning to the city in 1992, when the work of returning educated youth across the country to the city basically ended, even the government’s resettlement office for educated youth in the city had long since been abolished. When it comes to work and no one cares about it, it's also within expectation.What's more, Deng Xiaoping, who was hailed as a strong man abroad, became independent in the political turmoil of the world. At the beginning of that year, he went to Shenzhen, Zhuhai and other places to tour the south, and made some earth-shattering speeches. new wave.In the newspapers in 1997, you looked for the economic term of the second wave of reform and opening up, which originated from the national situation at that time.Therefore, at that time, Mei had already reluctantly joined the ranks of individual merchants, and it was a lie to say that she had not thought about an overnight outbreak, not to mention that she divorced her husband for this reason and moved from Zhangjiaying in Funiu Mountain, Western Henan. Son, return to the city.Looking at Tang Bao in front of her, she intuited that he was neither a kind-hearted farmer in the countryside, nor a prodigal son wandering around in the city. She said, "Sit down, sit down and talk slowly." 66 It really took Tang Bao to leave fried dough sticks, so that the wonton restaurant became a dragon, and the residents and workers with average living standards felt that it was worth patronizing. Three months of time have been lost.Knowing that Tang Bao's words were reasonable, but he was reluctant to do so because after all, he belonged to the ranks of single women, and Tang Bao was a single man with unknown background. Not at all, and moreover, they are about the same age, needless to say, it's inconvenient. Naturally, gossip is like rain in August, and there will be floods when there are cloudy days.However, in early summer, my father fell ill and was admitted to the district people's hospital.The socialist superiority of public medical care in those days was smashed by the hammer that smashed the three irons. When I was discharged from the hospital, I still had to clear the accounts of several hundred yuan. I tore off the tax form and stuffed it stiffly into my hand. I had no choice but to find my brother who was in the radio business.Although the younger brother moved the 24-inch Toshiba color TV home without hesitation, and the 15,000 yuan Japanese stereo system was bought, he rarely blinked his eyelids. Diluted by the times.He said oh, my father is sick, you see, I didn't bother to go back and take a look, how much did it cost?Sister, your money is tight, I will pay two-thirds, and let you pay one-third.At this time, the sister-in-law came out of the carpeted guest room, squinted at the man, and said how much money do you think our sister owes you?Do you think my sister came to see us to ask you for money?My sister's wonton restaurant has been open for a year, and I really came to borrow money from you!At this point, you can't help but understand that the blood of the nation is still good in the countryside that lacks changes, and is bound by a kind of public morality, which always radiates some traditional beauty.But in the city, especially in the 1990s, the blood relationship has been diluted by the golden yellow water, and even the blood in the veins between family members is not necessarily red anymore.Whether you and I are still related by blood can no longer be judged by the traditional rights and obligations between people and people based on kinship.Mei Li stood at the door of his younger brother's house where he got rich, with a pinkish blush on his face, and a deep purple anger hidden in his heart, saying that I didn't come to ask for money, but just to say that my father recovered from his illness, so don't worry about it.Just turn around and go back. Borrowing money from friends, repaying the hospital's account, and finally made up his mind to find Tang Bao into the restaurant. "Can you make fritters?" "Will do." "I want to hire you, how much do you charge per month?" "Not much, just give me a bowl of food and a place to live." It was agreed immediately that he would be given 10% of the net profit, live in the restaurant at night, and eat in the restaurant during the day. A few advertisements were posted at the entrance of the alley, and on the brick wall at the entrance of the restaurant, there were written in red letters that there were wonton fried dough sticks.The business turned out to be satisfactory.The fritters were a bit stiff at first, but after a few days, Tang Bao’s craftsmanship was almost perfect, the thumb-shaped oil noodle, after he pulled and pinched it, turned over in the oil pan a few times, it swelled bright red, like a child’s arm, like cotton Xuanxu.The price is also cheaper than other places.It finally satisfied the petty bourgeois mentality of the street residents who were as thick as white mist.At first, only workers and students who were eager to go to work or school in the morning came to eat, mostly a bowl of wontons and two deep-fried dough sticks, to pass the rush of life.Later, the small family of three simply came to the restaurant in the morning. After eating, going to school, and working, they paid money to wipe their hands, leaving a white and clean. Business has grown since then.From 7:00 am to 9:00 am, at the entrance of the Wonton Restaurant, the rise of Asia has actually been conceived a few years later.Today, Mei was walking on the sidewalk, watching the customers rushing towards the Starlight Mall, and faintly felt the horror of Tang Bao, covering her like a white mist.Who can know that the governor and the mayor often go in and out of their homes, and the upstarts at the table have also had a long period of down and out in the past.At that time, he slept on a steel wire bed in a restaurant at night, surrounded by a coal stove and a chopping board for deep-fried dough sticks, and mice under his bed, chirping like a river of strange noises.It's not hard to imagine that when he woke up, he would feel a chill running down his spine from the embarrassment of his situation.In the dark before dawn, he had to get up and heat oil for his face, and he could only make up his bed and lie down to rest after twelve o'clock at night.At the end of the month, I only get 10% of the restaurant's total income, sometimes 100, sometimes 200.Spring and summer mornings are cool, business is booming, and he sometimes gets three hundred.But if he gets three hundred, Mei's net income has soared to more than three thousand. Mei is by no means the kind of woman who forgets righteousness for profit.In the second month since the Wonton Restaurant started operating fried dough sticks, she said that his monthly salary should be increased from 10% to 20%, or fixed at 300 yuan a month.But he said: "To be a man, one must keep one's word. I don't ask for a penny more." However, Mei is unpredictable no matter what. Tang Bao is a Han Xin-like figure with great ambitions.In order to avoid verbal criticism, from the very beginning, Mei and Tang Bao had a clear line of demarcation. Apart from business talk, they rarely said anything else. In addition, they deliberately asked their father to help out in the restaurant. Manage simple accounts, and secondly, to cover people's eyes and ears, less gossip.Unexpectedly, on Tang Bao's side, he was more cautious, completely a master-servant, who could ask Mei's father to do things, and would never talk to Mei, which made Mei quickly give up his due vigilance against him.What was even more unexpected was that four months later, it was also such a season, the weather was drizzling, and the city was covered with a layer of water.Because there were few customers, Mei went to find an old classmate, an educated youth friend who went to the countryside together.When I came back, I suddenly saw a large green tent erected at the entrance of the restaurant. Under the tent were four brand-new round tables and sixteen iron frame chairs. Many customers were still eating and drinking under the tent.Mei asked where it came from, Tang said I bought it, and said that with these belongings, our business can continue as usual no matter it is windy, rainy, or sunny.Mei was moved by this, thinking that having an employee like Tang Bao would be a good way for me to manage Mei. May said, "How much? I'll give it to you!" Tang said: "If I want money, I won't buy it." Mei said, "No matter what, I can't use your money." Tang said: "Don't talk about you and me, I can run a good business, and I can have a bowl of food and a place to live. I am grateful." Needless to say, the money must be repaid.A host family cannot use employees' money for no reason.However, because of this move, Mei finally did not regard Tang as an outsider, but almost committed herself to him, and bet the rest of her life on Tang. There was a lot of trouble.Overnight, the dilapidated Erguaizi Hutong became an Asian avenue of excessive consumption, imitating Hong Kong and Taiwan. 67 From Asia Avenue to Bishagang in the eastern suburbs, there are several feasible routes.公共汽车、招手即停和蚂蚁搬家一样的的士，都异常便当。而最近的就是径直穿过亚细亚街，浏览几眼街景，然后坐车或仍旧步行，向北，绕过两座立体交叉桥，前行几里，就是碧沙岗了。但是，走尽亚细亚街，到二七广场那儿，除了不息的车流，便是不息的人流，景物逐渐清乏，直至萧然无味。梅今天步行，倒不是为了几眼风景，终日的忙碌，确真进人了时间即金钱那种境界，连偶尔走离酒楼，也多是乘坐的士。有时走下的士，忙到连计程器都顾不及瞧上一眼，一任司机漫天要价，也懒得去同他计较。这作派不是财大气粗，而是酒楼内少一个如豹子那样，曾经可以信赖的左膀右臂。偶尔你不在那儿，雇员敢把切余下的鸡块，肉块顺手扔在地上。其实，冰柜就在他的身边。有时，连每对一百二十元从青岛用飞机运来的对虾，也会扔在案上腐掉。仔细追查，雇员们又谁都不负责任，你也就只能怪罪自己管理不当了。所以说，有今天日食的景观，又是到碧沙岗一见的礼拜天，在梅委实委实是个难得。 时候是上午八点四十分，阳光明净如经了洗刷。刚落过黄叶的梧桐树，赤条条在空中微动，光亮在那枝条上走着轻敏的舞步。这个时候都市的喧嚣，也才刚刚从夜间醒来。上班的人流过去不久，而外地客人和本市闲人，还没有走上街头。工厂的汽车，大都在加油站门口排队。这是繁闹前的一个小静，就如是黎明前的一段黑暗，再或黄昏前既无日又无月的一个明亮。本来是每天都有这一节光景，可梅却有忽然发现之感，以为是为自己特意安排的清净。尽管亚细亚街上因为星光商场的开奖，人流已经开始不息，但洒水车却提前驶过，压抑了腾起的尘埃。也许城市环保局是特意为唐豹的开奖而增加了洒水车，情况是否真的如此，谁也难以知道。总之，曾有一时，梅的心境很好，辽阔得如无边无际的草原，白云蓝天，墨草绿树，鸟翔马跑，都越发新增了草原的茫茫，越发点缀着一个心境的喜悦。五年了，春去秋来，光阴如逝，终于一日日淡薄了对原夫的思念，甚至连因离婚带来深渊似的内疚，也被岁月和事业渐渐熨平填满。夜深人静之时，不再单单是对死去的儿子的梦牵，对张老师生活好坏的猜测，对最末一批下台、最后一个返城，历经二十年的土地情感的怀恋。在更多的时候，想的是自己酒楼的盛衰，想的是自己日后孤寂的岁月，想的是那杏黄色的信封。 既然能每周写来一信相邀，可见其对你的痴情，非三朝两日能够铸造。几百封信件中，没有张老师的，也没有第二个不回信便不懈地写下去的人，当然不能不去一见。有一辆进货卡车，从她的身边缓缓驶过，车上装满了本市最畅销的名烟名酒。朝那卡车瞭望了一眼，梅想这是哪家商店，有如此大进货门路，若不是动用了本市上层人物的权力，怕进不了这么一车贵物。当然，动用人物们的权力，也不能不有笔数额可观的开支。那位不懈地向我写信的，大约是什么人物？可惜找不到了他最初来信的自我介绍。是同自己一样奋斗起来的商户？还是同唐豹一样突然暴发的大亨？或是为求钱财而穷追不舍的平民？再或是有知识无钱财，一生著书立说又无出版的学者？当然，后者更好。梅想，终于到了知识分子不把知识当做财富的年月，而有财富的商人，却为没有知识深感内疚。亚细亚街的主人们，闲暇时聚在一起，议论到归还回来的香港，还有台湾、南韩、新加坡，以及西半球那些令人神往的国家的商人，他们大都在从商以前，进过哈佛、进过剑桥，或是到其它世界著名学府做过进修。而中国的这些商人，包括到国外投资的巨豪，又有几个学业有成？更多的则是那些富有所谓的东方智慧的小人，如唐豹之流。充其量，也就是以考察为名，自费到香港、泰国或西方走走，而那些名商名人，不消说是不去见的，更谈不上啥儿取经要宝。出去的目的，实质上就是领略人家红灯区和中国的暗地，到底有什么差别，有什么享受不到的风采和快感。而真正揭掉金钱织成的高傲的面纱，有几个不为自己腹空而羞愧？不过不敢在公众面前承认而已。若不是如此，这些一身铜臭的商界男人，为何旷日持久地掀起对知识女性的穷追不舍？晚上睡了觉，来日天色不亮，便恨不得立到二七纪念塔上去，向整个世界宣称，我睡了一个大学讲师，或是某某专业的研究生，云云。想起来不仅使人恶心，也使人感到可怜。梅是领教了这些人的追求，径直地说下去，便图穷匕首见了，你说黑地的女子那么多，年少而俊秀的女人也那么多，想下贱可以去找他们，回答必然是一句流行的语言：庸俗。原来在这种事上，也要追求一种高雅。梅边走边望着有意把石膏模特逼真化的假女子。袒胸露臂地立在商店门口或橱窗，无休无止地笑着逗你过去。觉得这个世界的堕落，正如一个纯情少女，心安理得地在接受嫖客的诱导。而自己，大有入了虎穴，又无奈虎子的感觉。几年的光景，洁身自好，除了经营上不明不白的损伤外，清苦的生活也使她备尝了做女人的甘苦。这下好了，也许那写信的男人，正是如原夫一样读过书的一位，因社会的原因，不得不对金钱尊重起来，但又决不对钱财垂涎几尺，只所以对你不知疲倦地相邀，更重要地是看上你有不凡的人生，有不寻常的挣扎，料断你是一个操行纯正，做人笃厚，曾经在乡下呆过二十年，为人师表十余载的成熟女人。果如此，你成功后的生活，将就不会如脚下的亚细亚大街一样，空有繁闹颜色，而内里又十分虚幻了。 68 在亚细亚街的背后，有一道窄小的街巷，那儿有几宅高高的房屋，古老而漂亮。你可以顺便去创览观光，准定给你留下不坏的印象。其风景，大似中国名山之上的建筑。比如江西庐山，山高水高，上有中国独一无二的山中城市，服装业、饮食业、旅店业都十分发达。各朝各代的传说、近代的政治斗争，都在洋人和中国贵人的私宅之中隐藏。今天去品尝大诗人苏东坡的“横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同”，决不仅仅是满嘴青山秀水的庐山风光。而亚细亚背后的小巷也依然。如果你向西走，站在一棵古老的榆树下面，首先看到的是一家民国时期，国民党的一位将军的私宅。那房子古朴陈旧，很有中国建筑的特色，雕梁画栋和漆红的木柱只是表层现象。而房里的主人，是亚细亚街上有旅店大王之称的江苏人。他在这儿发迹，并成就了一番耀眼的事业，主要原因是他的一位哥哥，曾经是本市一家银行的主任。如果从东走，沿着白色的路标，入巷不足百米，你便站到了一座洋人的房下，典雅的英国建筑，酷似中国人翻修后的教堂。而今天房里的主人，就是亚细亚性病医院院长。还有几家苏俄式建筑，葡萄牙式建筑，风光各异，情趣各异，都被政府作价卖给了亚细亚街的商人。虽然卖的是无用的房子，却总叫人想到卖的是文化或青铜器之类的文物。当然，梅在这儿也有房子，可她很少住过这儿。那是三室一厅的新式建筑。之所以不住这儿，是因为距唐豹的房舍近得只有一墙之隔。你走到胡同中间，无论从东或从西，都是百步之遥，便能看见一所中国豪绅时代的宅院，分前庭后庭，有上房又有厢房，走廊、过庭紧紧相连。庭院里是古砖铺地，潮湿使砖上盛生一层绿色的苔藓。夏日里，阳光酷热，那院落却阴凉如深秋气候。房屋也备有现时代的空调，只不过为了迫不得已的应急之用。一般说来，中原的气候，不是反常的高温，那庭院遮天蔽日的葡萄藤和爬上墙壁的爬山虎藤已经足可降温避暑。今天，在一般城乡，都已找不到这样的房舍，连拍豪绅生活的电影，已得重新建筑他们的房屋了。可是郑州最繁闹的隐处，却有这古香古色的巷子，有这豪绅的宅院。宅院的原来主人，是二十年代开封的一位资本家，特意在郑州为一位不敢公开的小老婆所建，本意是金屋藏娇，没料想解放后这儿成了向阳幼儿园。到了今天，中国政策的允许，房屋又物归原主。资本家的后裔有先祖一样发迹的时代机遇，却没有先祖那样东方智慧的狡黠，据说是和唐豹经营同样的生意，不知如何就赔进去，不得不将别致的房宅卖给了唐豹。物归其主，物移其主，可见其时代变迁，如风云变幻。事实上，在这走近世纪末的日子里，都市生活主调是这些老房新主人们唱出来的，在这漂亮的房前，你会这样地明证。 星光商场已经不远，能看见那儿的人群，在乱哄哄中来回窜动，就像急于入圈的羊群。商场的高大门面，一律用巨形茶色玻璃镶就。星光商场四个大字，是中国书法界一位泰斗的手迹。听说新加坡的一位国家领导人，费了口舌才求出泰斗几个汉字，而唐豹乘坐飞机去了一趟北京，便拿到了泰斗的欣然命笔。被放大多倍的泰斗手迹，制成了铝合金的字样，在茶色玻璃的高空闪烁着金黄的光芒。这光芒刺疼了梅的眼睛。眼下还没有日蚀的迹象。太阳明媚在深蓝色天空，公证地照射着慌慌忙忙的人世。梅感到了一丝炎热，许是走路的疲累所至，许是星光商场的无故强加。她把毛裙略略向上提起一些，使深秋的凉风吹到脚脖和小腿上去。 在梅刚刚发迹时候，回想起来，得到过唐豹很多的帮助。和工商、税务等政府部门的友好关系，要说是靠唐豹的努力，才处理得得天独厚。那时候，税是依照法律和做人的原则，每个月底按时交的。遵循当今社会的俗风，凡与个体户有交往的政府工作人员，到馆子吃饭，梅是一律不收钱的，并备有好烟应承。硬要给的，也只象征性地收回成本而已。但忽然间，专管这条小街的税务所换了所长。在一个四月的午后，新所长来到店里，随便走了一圈，问炸油条是从何时开始，营业额如何，最后就说馆子报的税额，一向是馄饨的单项，而油条的营业税，日积月累的偷漏，已经到了八千四百元的数目。再根据偷漏税罚款规定，馆子需补税一万二千元。那当儿，梅刚有存款万元，心里才计划下将馆子改为酒家的盘算，冷丁儿遭此当头一棒，顿时束手无策。梅说：“漏税了，我如数补交，不要罚款吧。” 所长说：“明知漏税不交，当然要罚款。” 梅说：“所长，我是返城知青，小本生意。” 所长说：“国家没有政策说知青免税呀。” 新所长勒令三天交全税款。这笔钱梅能交齐，但直感到一种人生的受损。依照通常的做法，买了数百元的礼品，无非是茅台酒、中华烟之类。夜间提上，同唐豹一道，送到了新所长的宿舍。新所长五十余岁，把提来的东西放到门外，说你以为天下真的没有白色乌鸦嘛…… 新所长的举动，使梅感到惘然的敬仰，立在那间白墙壁的屋里，近四十岁的成熟女人，忽然像自己将自己的衣服脱光，躺在了一个陌生男人的床上。她脸上热着一层晕红，尴尬一会，说我明天就把税款送来。 新所长说：“一万二千块。” 梅说：“我送一万二千块。” 可转身走时，唐豹在前，梅在其后，新所长忽然将梅叫了回去，脸上平淡着涎笑，说其实，不交也行，你今晚住在这儿。说着，新所长站将起来，过去拉住了梅的右手，只住一夜，他说我一分钱的税也不收。梅平视着他，脸上的红热猛地冰冷。她抽出手时说你看错人了所长。所长笑着，捉鱼似的又去抓她的左手。 “我不会看错人的，这年月，都别正经。” 梅举起右手，将耳光搁在所长的脸上。“你以为个体户的女人都是贱货？！” 69 耳光的响亮，至今使梅感到余音在耳。抬头看那星光商场的门面玻璃，仿佛是自己打在新所长脸上那一耳光的声波在熠熠生辉。梅盯着星光商场，看见唐豹忽然从门外返回新所长的宿舍。新所长怔在灰色里，脸上半天血红，半天菜青，组成他受了巨大屈辱的新天地。他说好啊，你竟敢打我。你明天上午就把税款送过来，晚半个小时我翻倍地罚！ 这是一九九三年的事。这时候的梅，差不多已经把二十年乡下生涯养成的一味单纯，如剥笋一样脱去几层。一年多的个体生活的体验，使她对都市的认识，远比半生农民对乡土社会的理解复杂得多。她一脸爆发出的愤怒，忽然在落下耳光之后，掺入了看不见的后悔和忧虑。她本可以说我要到法庭告你流氓罪，以震慑所长给的血色威胁，可她却一言不发，乜了所长一眼，不言声转身出来了。她这种作法，与其说是一个女人在公正的情况下，对权势的轻蔑，倒不如说是返城知青对权势的逃避。或者说，是对刚有喜色的馆子日后经营上的担忧。她想，她厉说一句：你别以为所有的个体女人都是贱货，已经足够重量，然后愤而出走，是恰到好处的作法。而那一耳光，则是感情操纵之下的多余之举，除了引火烧身，别无额外益处。门外的月光，水凌凌泼洒一地。二七广场那儿的嘈杂、汽车的鸣叫，远处火车进站的笛音，在四月的夜风中，混乱地走过来，如随风雨飘的一地毛发。梅立在月光中，等不到随后而来的唐豹，只听到新所长的屋里，有沉闷和清脆的响声，不间断地传送过来，还夹杂着男人哀求的哭叫。慌忙地折身回去，便见新所长被唐豹按在地上，满脸是唐豹拳头和耳光的印痕。 桌上的水瓶、茶杯、墨水，砰砰啪啪落在地上，开水、墨水和所长的鼻血，在所长桌边的床上，汇一个五彩的海洋。看见梅回身进来，唐豹最后朝所长身上跺了一脚，说你爹我是从监狱出来的人，不怕死你就再把我送进监狱里。 “你不能这样。”来到街上，梅说。 唐豹沉默一阵，“我真的是蹲过监的人。” 有一块浮云，在这都市的上空，迟迟地滞着不动。路灯光昏花如乡下坟地的灯笼，散发着寂寞空虚的瞑瞑之光。不远处有人从一家出来，走过巷子，进了另一家门。唐豹初入梅的馆子，出示的是一张工厂的证明。证明说因工厂产品没有销路而倒闭，工人生活没着落，特允许本厂职工外出，自谋职业。现在，唐讲了。唐说他是释放犯人。唐说他犯的是伪造人民币罪。其初他自画十元的人民币，在那个县城以假乱真。后来，国家发行面值五十元的人民币，他便画面值五十元的人民币。他说他能把人民币中戴矿工帽的工人头像画出来，然后用特别颜料和笔法，再将头像藏进去。和真币一样，不仰脸对着光亮，你便找不到那头像。遇了亮光，那头像便给你一张不恶不善，没有表情的脸。他说若不是他老婆自己告发，这辈子就没人知道他在伪造人民币。等那浮云从城市上空走往郊区时，这九三年四月的都市，又在月光中朦胧喧闹着。有人骑车从他们身边走过，一手扶着车把，就像单手扶着他命运的方向。另一只手，把将尽的啤酒瓶子举到月亮上，喝完了，把瓶摔在路边的水泥线杆上。他摔了瓶子，也暂时摔了都市给他带来的酸涩的烦恼，快快活活把车子骑入迷惑的人生中。唐豹说，他和老婆不和睦，他酒后把老婆嘴角打出了血，老婆便到县公安局把他告下了。他被判了五年。五年后走出监狱，老婆又再嫁他人，他就浪到这儿，住进了红旗蜂窝煤厂的厂房里。 那一夜，漫长而又可怖。梅从来没有想到表面笃厚的唐豹，有这样一个操行。会画以假乱真的人民币。敢画以假乱真的人民币。更敢大把大把地使用这些人民币。现在，他不用自造人民币了。她走进星光商场时想，星光商场在为他没有边际地制造人民币。想，究竟自己有多少流动资金，多少固定资产，恐怕他唐豹也不一定精确了。说完的时候，唐豹立在路边的法国梧桐下，婆娑的树影在他脸上，弹着一曲乡村的盗歌。从树叶间漏落的一圆月光，银币样在他宽大的额头跳动。他是一个身高力大的人，梅的单瘦如同被他衬出似的。她忽然对他生出一些畏惧，就如同害怕有一天新的税务所长，会拆断她人生的路桥。说完了，她不敢看他的脸，只看着树影里那团粘稠的墨黑，有一种他冷丁儿会扑上来卡她脖子的感觉，且会一下置她于死地，然后把她活活吞去，连同他同她经营的馄饨馆子。末了，她终于说： “你不该那样打所长。” 他说：“打比不打好。” 她说：“我们的馆子日后还要营业呢。” 他说：“因为营业才要打，不打他敢砸馆子。” 她说：“他会把馆子封掉的。” 他说：“不会，他没那个胆。真出事了，我唐豹全兜着。蹲监我去，罚款了我老家有一房宅和一院树木，镇长早想买去呢。” 回去了。路上，他对梅说我看你是和农村人一模样的城里人，我才敢给你说这些。我原来是打算一辈子不露身世的，可对你我憋不住。说真话我是求你相信我，在馆子里留我一张床、一碗饭也就足够了。还说留下我我保你三年不到发起来，在监狱五年我学烧饭，炸油条、做面食、炒川菜，样样都不比这市里、般馆子差。他说这话时，和梅并着肩，已经没有和梅主仆的感觉了。样子是从梅手里讨要一碗饭，实则是对梅说，不到三年我让你发起来。可梅却朝一边躲了躲，到馆子的门前说，你回去睡吧，明天馆子不开门，闪过去这场风波再说日后的事。 由此，梅从深处明证了都市的堕落，是一日千丈地跌入深渊。馆子歇业三天，等着警方的传讯和税务方面的巨额罚款。然三日之后，梅从家里走出来，得到的消息却是，新所长骑车摔倒了，鼻青脸肿，是一片五光十色的世界，肋骨也断了三根，住进了区骨科医院。 更令人惊奇的是，新所长出院之后，默默地调走了。梅的馆子，不仅没有补交所漏之税，至年终，还得到一面艳红的纳税守法方面的小旗。 70 如同苏东坡无法一目了然地观赏庐山全景一样，梅走在九七年深秋的亚细亚街，思绪纷纷，想事实上，今日的社会，也就是唐豹一类人的社会。你看，开奖了。人们在星光商场门口，鸦鸦的一片乌黑，如同雨前找不到窝儿的蚂蚁。幸亏一等奖是一辆轿车和五十万元人民币，二等奖是日立牌摄像机和十万人民币，如果奖品是少男少女，男人重奖，给美女十个，女人重奖，给美男一个，大约都市会为此疯狂起来，也未可知。人总是对人的需要，迫切如渴念生命长寿。已经有很长日子，梅感到有赶不走的孤单。杏黄色的信封，风雨无阻，总是如期而至。酒楼里那个昨天还瘦磷磷的服务小姐，转眼之间丰满起来，已是堂堂一名大姑娘了。从乡下来的那个小丫头，本来傻头傻脑，连刷牙都未曾见过，现在也已经是几乎不认得的小姐了，亭亭玉立如湖边的一棵垂柳，说话做事，含虚藏修，其志远大，多少商户的儿子都为她动心。可有谁知道，她不只一次地对梅说过，我们乡下人不是专供城里人挑选的。每当她们托辞假言，说出去买点东西，找个熟人时，梅便知道，等她们的准是一个男人。于是，一边为她们担心，说小心些，坏人多呢；另一边，目送她们走出酒楼，为自己感到一阵莫名的空虚，想起同张老师那段生活的温馨，也想起了杏黄色的信封。打开去看，总是一句请于星期天到东郊碧沙岗一见。其实，早可以到东郊碧沙岗一见的。儿时读书，学校组织的郊游，便是到碧沙岗去。那儿有黄河泛滥留下的茫茫沙海，一眼辽阔如无边沙漠。社会主义政府治理的新黄河，虽年年也需要防汛，总归为有惊无险，使沙岗有了草植，夏天和春天，一派风吹草低见牛羊的景象。说起来已二十多年没有再去过那儿了，一片草绿，却总在心里四季常青。由此可知，这次决计到碧沙岗一见，并不是偶然之间的决定。 酒楼的第四层上，楼梯一面是办公室、会计室、会客室等，另一边就是梅的宿处。酒楼后有两排平房，一庭院落，那儿是所雇人员的宿处和酒楼的仓库。白日里尚好，四楼人进人出，电话铃声不断。入夜，便静得似一方坟地。灯火通明的卧房，也似被电灯照亮的棺材。那天夜里，因一天大雨，客人稀少，自然也无包间，她让大伙们早早关门，上街看了电影。而自己略感头晕，到四楼卧房睡了。孰料躺在床上，忽然浑身抽筋，不能动弹，双唇哆嗦得说不出话来。这时候她便极其渴求有人敲门，哪怕是盗贼突然进来。可是，直到第二天上午八时，仍是没人走上四楼。酒楼营业后，楼下客人的脚步，小姐们服务时的偶尔银铃样的笑，叮叮当当挤进她的屋里，却硬是没人去敲她的房门。最后，她以为她要这样孤独地病死时，才不顾一切地滚下床去，用手指勾到了电话的软线。 那次住院，所有看她的男人女人，都不约而同地说了同一句话：你真该再成一个家了，这样孤零零地为谁活呀。那次住院，叫竹叶的服务小姐告她说，今天共收到四封信，有三封是业务函件，一封是那杏黄的信封时，她浑身的血脉骤然间热辣辣地发烫，两眼冷丁儿流出了泪水。她不知道是为自己的孤独流泪，还是被那杏黄色的信封感动，倒在医院的床上，一任眼泪决口的河样，汩汩地流淌。就在那一刻，她对自己说，下周我到碧沙岗去，那个人就是瞎子痛子，我也要和他结婚。 那个人当然不会是瞎子瘸子、也不会是这为重奖而奔波的俗人。倘若会为重奖不顾一切，自然也会把对爱情穷追不舍，当做是愚人的一项事业，他又何苦为此孜孜不倦呢。梅取出手帕，擦了一把额上的汗水。她看到别人拥挤，自己总要出汗。星光商场，已经挤到她的面前。原来开奖是在八点三十分准时开始。五等奖都已摇了出来。那些得了上千元一辆的机械赛车的幸运者，把赛车推到一边，