Chapter 9 October 10

As usual, there is no need to list it in detail.As usual, all of us have to be "mobilized" to certain places to "take care of and take care of", and there is nothing to describe about that. But I met Ping again.This is the third time. The first time I saw it at Shunying's place when I went to "pay homage" to Shunying.I didn't realize it was her then.Only his appearance is vaguely the same as before, but his figure is much taller and more handsome.Shunying called her name first, and then I recognized her.She said that I was completely different from when I was in school. If I met on the road, I would never know each other.Well, it turns out that I am "unrecognizable"?I smiled wryly at that time.

She only said a few words of courtesy to me, and left first. "How did you find Ping?" I asked Shunying, feeling that there was a reason for this. But she just replied indifferently: "I ran into her by chance on the road, so I invited her to come to my house." "Oh, so it's your first meeting today." Even though I said that, I couldn't believe it in my heart, the two of them didn't look like they were meeting for the first time, which couldn't be hidden from my eyes.There must be articles in the middle, otherwise, why would Shunying cover up.I pretended not to care, chatted a few words casually, and then asked: "Perhaps there must be quite a few of our old classmates here? For example, Ping, I didn't know she was there. Where does she work? I have I also want to go and see her."

"I didn't ask her about this either. I just talked for a while, and you came, and she left!" "Oh, so that's how it is! But, Shunying, did she mention me just now?" "Did you mention it?" - Shunying seemed to feel that my question was too unexpected. I quickly "explained" and said: "You know that my temper is paranoid. You know, she and I often quarreled at school. I guess she still remembers it!" "No, it's as if she doesn't even know you're here." I nodded and smiled, and put the words aside. But there is one thing I can't forget: Shunying has a "mission".What she was doing in a sneaky way, I guessed eighty-nine percent.Didn't she still "lobby" me?What I still haven't figured out is what is Ping doing?Did she and Shunying really "meet by chance" as Shunying said?

I couldn't find anything out of Shunying's mouth that day. This "former wife of the committee member" has actually made a lot of "improvement". Unexpectedly, three or four days later, I met Ping for the second time.This is really a "coincidental" encounter.She and another woman had dim sum at "369".I wouldn't have gone there if I hadn't made an appointment with someone, and I saw her as soon as I went upstairs.Because she has a companion, and I also have an appointment with someone, I just greeted a few casually, and then I went downstairs and waited for that person downstairs instead.At that time, I was bewildered and thought to myself: What a coincidence, why did I see her again and again after seeing her for the first time?Maybe she just came here not long ago, otherwise, why didn't she always meet her in the past?But maybe it's because everyone's appearance is different from the old days, so even if we met before, we didn't pay attention to it?But does she know everything about me? ...

I'm afraid of seeing old people recently, and I'm afraid that old people will know my life in recent years. I met her again this afternoon.This is the third time. The time was exactly half an hour before the designated time for the commemorative celebration, and the direction she was going was also the way to the venue. I concluded that she was going to the meeting.I was originally sitting on a rickshaw, but at that time, I abandoned the rickshaw and walked with her.I gradually turned the conversation to her, first asking her about her occupation. "I can't tell you what kind of job it is," she replied with a wry smile, "but I finally have a regular job, and I just started last month, working as a proofreader in a bookstore."

"Then you have not been here long?" "Oh——" She seemed to think about it, "It's almost half a year. The first thing is to teach a few hours." "Working in the bookstore is fun," I said, watching her look. "No, it's convenient to read books, and your knowledge will improve. Which bookstore is it?" "It's N Bookstore." "Oh, that's the new bookstore. There are some good books coming out." "After all, I still don't have time to read." She smiled again, "It's just that I finally read the few books that have been proofread by me from the beginning to the end, and I can only skim through the others."

"Is there any good new book out, please introduce it to me." "But I don't know which category you like?" She smiled again. "Anything will do. As long as it's stimulating." "Then, I'll introduce you to novels and plays; but I don't read much literature." "Those that are stimulating are not necessarily literature. For example, some political books are also stimulating." I deliberately used the word "politics" with an accent to see if she had any reaction. However, she only smiled faintly, shook her head and said, "Then I have nothing to introduce."

I also feel that my "questioning and probing" has been saturated to the point where it is about to arouse people's suspicion, and now I should give her a break to see what she has to ask me. But she has no words.She held her head up slightly, both thoughtful and nonchalant, walking with a calm attitude.She doesn't seem to be as plump as she used to be when she was in school, but she is slightly thinner, so there is a bit of handsomeness in her beauty.Suddenly, a nameless jealousy hit my heart!I claim to have a good charm, but when compared with her, I am inferior.When I was in school, most of the quarrels between me and her were due to my aggressiveness and she refused to show weakness.

Why am I talking short and long with her for no reason?I can't answer it myself. At this time, a small group of young students, probably also going to the conference, was walking by us. Ping watched them turn the corner on the other side of the road, and suddenly turned her face to look at me—her eyes were so clear and full of attraction.She said to me: "Do you still remember that year when the Shanghai college students went to Beijing to petition in the National Salvation Movement? They drove by themselves on a snowy night, and arrived at the station outside the city at dawn. Our classmates went out of the city to comfort them? I just watched it. The team in the past reminded us that we came here. In just a few years, the students all went their separate ways, the rich and the rich, the crappy and the crappy, and the depraved also degenerate! It’s just that there are no sacrifices. , I don't know yet."

I couldn't help but blush a bit.Did she mean what she said, or was it unintentional?Could it be that she already knows my background?But I didn't have time to think about it carefully, so I said from her words, "No, Ping, do you know who else from our old classmate is here?" "I knew you were there." She replied with a smile.This smile seems to have thorns. "Also, as you know, it's Shunying. After a few years, everyone has been separated and different. However, you are still not much different from before." "Oh—" I felt my eyelids twitch, "but I've aged a lot, haven't I?"

"I don't mean old or not old." Ping smiled intentionally or unintentionally, "I mean your style——your way of talking and behaving is still the same as before." "That's not easy to change." I responded casually. "Do you still remember that we launched a teacher selection campaign, and the old principal was so anxious to turn around? Since that time, the school has paid attention to you—" I just smiled and didn't answer; but in my heart I asked myself: "Why is she bringing up these old things?" She went on to say, "Later, the school colluded with your family to oppress you and cut off your financial supply. Didn't you have to change schools according to your father's wishes after the summer vacation of that year?" "Hey, those things are like a dream, why mention it again!" I began to express my disinterest. "Do you still remember that we went to close the teacher's preparation room? You were also one of them. For this matter, there were different opinions among us, and you advocated fiercely!" I have nothing to say but a wry smile.I myself felt that my complexion had changed a little, but I tried my best to restrain myself.She didn't ask about my present in a single sentence, but she kept bringing up those old things over and over again. This is obviously because she already knew what I was doing now, but she pulled me out of the past as a satire!It doesn't matter if she scolds me from the front, but whoever can bear such vicious irony is considered soulless! "Forget it, forget it, Ping!" I suppressed my anger and said, "Let's not talk about the past, just talk about the present—let me ask you: how did you meet Shunying?" "It's nothing more than a coincidence," She replied uninterestedly, "It's the same as meeting you by chance today." I smiled, feeling the turn of events, and now it was my turn to attack her. "But she said that day that she came to find you?" I deliberately offended her again. "Oh, she said that? Let her do it!" "But, Ping, do you know where Shunying comes from?" "She said she came from Shanghai." "Do you know what she's here for?" "That's not quite clear." Ping seemed to be taken aback, but I smiled.I don't believe that a smart person like Ping can't see it after talking with Shunying;I know my smile is a bit malicious. "You really don't understand?" I fought back triumphantly. "I don't understand." Ping glanced at my face, as if waiting for me to say it myself. "Oh—" After smiling, I changed my mind, "Then, you will gradually understand." So both sides stopped talking and remained silent in a state of alert. After a while, we arrived at the venue.Ping never left my side, as if there was no other acquaintance except me in this huge crowd.She didn't speak much, just like a shadow, following me all the time.At first, I didn't take it seriously; but later, I felt that the boss was uncomfortable.I walked around with her, and when people saw her, they must think we were together—even, I saw some people peeking at us and whispering, who knew what they were talking about us, but our expressions must have attracted attention place. And I felt that Ping was paying attention to everyone who greeted me. Moreover, when I turned my face away and just said half a sentence to someone, I saw Ping making eye contact with someone in the distance from the corner of my eye!It can be seen that she is not unknown. "Ping! There's someone calling you over there!" I immediately tested her reaction by pointing it out positively. Unexpectedly, she replied calmly: "I also saw someone saying hello from a distance, but I don't know him very well, maybe he is your friend? Go over and have a look, how about it?" I smiled, took Ping's arm and said, "Since I didn't greet you, just ignore him, let's go!" Ping is a formidable opponent!I should pay more attention. But gradually I felt that Ping's role of being so close to me was not only negative, but also positive; she used herself as a symbol to make her friends (there are undoubtedly some, and there are many) Know my face.This is simply "showing off" me to the public, making me less likely to act with "a certain posture" in the future!In a moment of carelessness, I fell into the trap! I am completely at a disadvantage, and it is impossible to save, only to escape. "Can I find you at N Bookstore? Ping!" When we parted, I said so. "Okay." She replied with a smile.I don't know whether her smile is good or malicious. I admit that Ping is a very formidable opponent! After the "defeated battle" came down, he only walked to places where there were many people.After passing N Bookstore, I subconsciously went in and turned around, and stood for a while in front of the bookshelves lined with "new issues".I heard someone whispering behind me, and my heart suddenly moved; it's a pity that the window in front of me didn't have glass, otherwise, I could have a glimpse of their faces.But among the whispers, there was a crisp laughter, and I immediately concluded that the voice of the laughter was Ping.It was quite reasonable for me to make such a conclusion, and I turned around abruptly, but before I could meet the two of them, I hurried into the slant.Both are women, but neither is Ping!I felt a burst of heat on my face, but fortunately no one noticed. "It's an unlucky day," I said to myself, "and I was close to being a daredevil again." At the door of the bookstore, a man in his twenties walked past me.This person is so familiar,——I slowed down, and turned to look back, only to see that person was also looking at me there.Oh--I did.I couldn't help but smile, and the other party responded with a nod.But when another group of passers-by crossed our line of sight, I left on my own. Little by little I remembered that I met that person somewhere on the day of September 18th, and I had a lot of conversations with him. A large group of people crowded outside the gate of the No. × Minmin Porridge Factory.This is the case every day.I was about to make a detour when I saw a coquettishly dressed woman in the center of the filthy crowd, gesticulating and swearing.A policeman bowed and smiled, probably mediating.The woman turned her face away.Although separated by so many people, I could clearly see that it was Xiao Rong. A kind of gloating psychology made me want to see what happened, but I didn't want to show my face. I just stood on the edge of the crowd and listened attentively to the discussions around me. It turned out that it was Xiao Rong who passed by here, and suddenly a boy who looked three parts human and seven parts ghost rushed out of the porridge factory, holding a pot of mud in his hand, but he was bumping into Xiao Rong, A pot of "mud" was poured all over Xiao Rong.Coincidentally, that boy was also a handyman in the porridge factory, so Xiao Rong insisted that the porridge factory be "responsible".Only then did I see clearly that what Xiaorong was wearing today was a cheongsam with water red silk like silk and apricot yellow silk lining, maybe it was her first time wearing it, but this time it was over. Knowing the value of Xiaorong's clothes, I expected that the so-called "responsibility issue" would be over soon, so I crossed the road and planned to "patrol" at the C-S Association.There have long been orders asking us to go there often to pay more attention, because it is said that there is a meeting on the left and a meeting on the right in this place recently, which is "impossible". The rows of rattan chairs in the downstairs corridor were probably already "seated", so I just picked a seat facing the yard and sat down as if.At this time, the sky was already dark, and the lights were not on yet. I leaned back on the back of the chair, closed my eyes, and felt dazed, hearing nothing, and thinking nothing——I was really tired. But in front of my closed eyes, there are some water-red and apricot-yellow circles, one on top of the other, shrinking in size and enlarging in size!This is Xiaorong's new cheongsam at work. "The two colors are bright, but it's useless to put it on Xiaorong!" The meaning floated across my brain like light smoke, "But she has this kind of money...today she's unlucky, It deserves it! Of course the porridge factory does not take responsibility for this, how can it be responsible?” I felt a little happy, but I was still adamant. I let myself float and sink in inexplicable emotions, and let my thoughts run wild here and there. When he opened his eyes suddenly, he realized that the corridor was almost empty. I stretched listlessly and was about to get up when I closed my eyes sleepily.A sound of footsteps approached me, I opened my eyes again, looked intently, and just happened to meet the glance that was passing by, and shot at each other. "Ah,—why haven't I seen you?" I said with a smile. "I've only been here for a while." From the tone of his voice, he knew that he had indeed seen me at the door of N Bookstore just now, and recognized me. "What good book did you buy?" I asked casually. "I didn't buy anything." He said, looking at the empty chair beside me, as if he wanted to sit, but didn't want to.I saw his expression, and said, "Are you okay? Sit down and talk. ——The last time was 'September 18', and today is 'Double Ten'. It just happened to happen again." "That's right, today is the Double Tenth Day." He sat down slowly, leaned back and stretched his legs. Seeing that he spoke very honestly, I couldn't help smiling.But for a while I couldn't remember his name, so I smiled again and said, "I forgot your name, can you tell me again?" "But I still remember your surname—" He tilted his head slightly, as if he was thinking. I laughed again, but I couldn't help reminding him: "Add the first word. ——Didn't I tell you the same way last time? But, how about you, what is the first word?" He was a little perplexed, looked at me and smiled.I made a joke on purpose again, pressed it, recited it sentence by sentence, and asked "Is there you?" Gradually, his restrained attitude in front of an unfamiliar woman was dispelled by my brisk conversation, and his words also disappeared. There are more. I recognized that he belonged to the so-called "exiled students from Peking" and had traveled to many battlefields, but there was no news from home.I told him that I also worked in the field, but as soon as I said it, I blamed myself in my heart, "Don't say that, is there something else?"... Really, I really want to talk to him unsuspectingly. Talking, it seems that he has some power to make me reluctant to be too "diplomatic". I felt that the intonation of his speech, the inflection of the pronunciation, got into my ears and it was strange. Sometimes I could only hear the sound, but couldn't make out what he said. "Can you tell me: Do you have the best and most intimate friends?" I suddenly asked this sentence softly, - I don't understand why I thought of such a sentence, I couldn't help but smile.I touched my face with my hands, and it was a little hot. When he first heard my question, he seemed to be stunned for a while, but then he said generously: "I can't say that there are no. Everyone has one or two close friends, but it's hard to say that there is a beginning and an end." "So, K.," I covered my mouth and smiled, "is yours a man or a woman?" "It's a boyfriend." He pondered, looking at the sky. "Of course, there are not only one or two friends who share the same thoughts and temperaments, but I feel particularly dear to one at the moment, because there was a time when I shared weal and woe with him!" "Oh!" I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, staring at him; my mood fluctuated. His face became serious, and he continued: "He and I can talk about everything. He used to be chaotic, he didn't care about anything, and he was depressed and hesitant,...he had a period of depression. Love life, but when he found that the woman he loved was about to fall into dire circumstances, their so-called love life ended; he had tried his best to save the woman, not because she was his lover. , but because he believes that the woman is a promising talent. Compared with the advantages, there are still many advantages. It's a pity that she was wronged by her cleverness!..." "Ah! But he--" I choked up with emotion, "he--oh, why couldn't your friend save his lover?" "I'm afraid that's because he was a little chaotic and fragile at that time! He was teaching in a middle school, and that woman was in charge of an elementary school. Their..." 'Oh! I yelled, and couldn't help my heartbeat. This "he"—how could he know "him"! But I immediately concealed my inner excitement, forced a smile and asked, "What's his name?" " At this moment, the electric lights in the veranda came on suddenly, and I saw K's eyes shining on my face, his expression was serious and tinged with sorrow. Moreover, I "discovered" that at some point my hand was on his arm. I withdrew my hand and asked again, "Where is he at the moment?" "Close at hand, far away in the world," he smiled slightly, and glanced at me, "In this day and age, who knows where!" "Oh!" I breathed out unconsciously.I bowed my head, and I wanted to say to him,—"As you say, I know your friend too, and I am that..." But I didn't have the courage. And, again, maybe my nervousness.How can it be concluded that he is "he"? I've had a bit of a nervous breakdown lately, which I can't hide. After leaving CS Society, I felt like my heart was split in two.But again, K's voice kept ringing in my ears, and my left hand, which had unconsciously pressed K's arm, seemed to be held by something from time to time.