Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Dai Xi stared blankly for half a minute before replying angrily: "I don't dare to quibble! Don't worry, I accept and fully accept your criticism! From tomorrow onwards, I will wear a black suit and knee-length skirt every day , white or gray silk shirt, flesh-colored sheer stockings and black 7cm high heels pretending to be from Lane Crawford but actually bought from Taobao, hair blown into curls, flawless foundation and matte lipstick, and matching rhinestone earrings And the necklace, it’s just a counterfeit imitation of Cartier, and I’m wearing a lv or gucci bag on my arm, but I’m sorry again that I can only use A goods, because my monthly salary is not enough to buy a brand-name bag, let alone I am now Haven't got the money yet!"

Li Weilian burst out laughing. As he laughed, Daisy lowered her eyelids and quietly let go of her clenched fist—thank God, you managed to laugh, otherwise I would really have no face to see Professor Higgins again. She didn't dare to look at him again, but she felt warm from the bottom of her heart, how nice it was: he not only understood, but also fully accepted her kindness. "Dai Xi," Li Weilian finished laughing, and called Dai Xi, "Do you hate wearing skirts and high heels so much?" Dai Xi pouted: "Anyway, I just don't want to dress like Zhu Mingming."

"The ones on her are all genuine." Li Weilian looked at Dai Xi and said, his eyes were still tired, but he was much more alert than twenty minutes ago, "Do you want me to give you special approval? I also don't want to see a copycat version of Zhu Mingming." "Special approval for exceptions?" Dai Xi thought for a while, "It's better not to be special. Besides, women's liberation is a group appeal." "I will absolutely not support such demands." Dai Xi muttered in a low voice: "Okay, you are the president and you have the final say."

"Besides this, do you have any other demands?" Li Weilian asked suddenly after being silent for a while. Dai Xi straightened up and looked around. Qiu Wenyue sat far behind the counter, idly playing with the old-fashioned record player on the counter, and glanced at the two of them from time to time.The aroma of coffee in the shop is still rich and mellow, and the surrounding temperature is neither high nor low. After the curtains are lowered, the sunlight is no longer dazzling, and the mottled shadows of the sun fall on the dark wall panels, tables and chairs. The face of the woman in the cheongsam is lifelike, as if she is about to come from the past with the imprint of time... Everything is so serene and vivid, quietly releasing the temptation in the silence, Dai Xi's heart beat a little faster, she quickly pressed the button Stomach, asked with a bitter face: "Is this 'Shuangmei 1919' a restaurant?"

"Yeah, why?" "Then why do I have to go hungry every time I come here? Is there nothing to eat here..." Li Weilian yelled in a low voice: "Damn! It's all my fault, I'm sorry!" He waved to Qiu Wenyue who was on the counter, she nodded to him knowingly, and immediately walked to the kitchen behind. Li Weilian turned his head and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, actually I asked Wen Yue to prepare lunch for you before you came, but I forgot all about it just now." He glanced at his watch, "It's almost half past one Are you not hungry?"

Dai Xi looked at him curiously: "Aren't you hungry?" He smiled: "I can't eat at noon, otherwise I won't be able to open my eyes in half an hour. I'm a little tired these days." "Oh..." Dai Xi looked at the coffee cup in front of him, no wonder he kept drinking coffee. "Do you like Japanese food?" "Huh?" Dai Xi quickly replied, "I like it! But I didn't see the menu when I came back last time. I just heard that the Japanese-style set meals here are very famous." "Did you sit in this seat last time?"

It really is!Dai Xi remembered that Qiu Wenxin, who was so fierce that night, refused to let him sit in this seat.She looked around again, sure enough there were menus on the other seats, but not on this table now.Dai Xi suddenly realized, it turned out to be like this... "Miss Dai." Qiu Wenyue had already come to the table, and after calling softly, he placed a black lacquered wooden plate full of sashimi in front of Dai Xi. It looked like it was full of flowers, and it was indescribably alluring.Qiu Wenyue continued to arrange other small plates and bowls in an orderly manner, while whispering softly: "Miss Dai, the menu is made by the chef, and I am going to make it myself. Let's see if it matches your appetite. ?”

Dai Xi didn't know what to say, looked at the opposite side, Li Weilian was still drinking coffee one after another. Qiu Wenyue arranged the things neatly, looked at them with satisfaction, and served Li Weilian a new cup of coffee, then leaned gently on the side of the chair beside him, and continued to chat with Dai Xi: "Miss Dai, I am so lucky Japanese food, it doesn’t matter, eh. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long time now, and the side dishes have been cold for a long time, so what’s the point?” Although eating under the gaze of two people was a test, Dai Xi bravely stuffed salmon into his mouth to avoid Qiu Wenyue's questioning.Maybe it's because of her starvation, but Dai Xi thinks that today's sashimi is the best she's ever eaten in her life. At the same time, she has a sudden affection for Qiu Wenyue, especially the kindness and tenderness unique to Shanghai women. .Qiu Wenyue has the sweetness of a typical Shanghai woman, but not as shrewd as a Shanghai woman. In Dai Xi's opinion, she is really cute.Hmm, maybe the shrewdness and toughness were all taken by that annoying Qiu Wenxin, Dai Xi thought, so the twins still have such an advantage, they can divide the good and bad personalities into two...

Dai Xi was thinking wildly while eating, but Qiu Wenyue was busy chatting with her: "Miss Dai, those two people spoke English just now. Don't be reasonable at first glance, lose your temper with others when you are struggling, don't pay attention to Yi, you know?" Dai Xi almost choked on the mustard, she wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, but Qiu Wenyue had already asked her several times, it would be too impolite not to answer, Dai Xi had to raise her head and said vaguely: "I I know, I just ate too much coffee." She lowered her head quickly after saying this, and still caught a glimpse of the light in Li Weilian's eyes, Dai Xi's face flushed red, her ears and neck twitched It's hot.

"Have you run out of gossip? ... Let's go." Dai Xi was really taken aback. Li Weilian insisted on speaking English with her, so much so that she almost forgot that Li Weilian was Chinese.But now, when she heard him speak such a soft Shanghai dialect, still using the pampering and complaining tone that men have towards women, Dai Xi suddenly realized that Li Weilian was originally an authentic Shanghai man. Qiu Wenyue walked away reluctantly.Dai Xi was experiencing a growing sense of intimacy in her heart. This feeling was mysterious and strange, and it unknowingly drew the thoughts that drifted to the far edge. She put down the chopsticks in a trance.

"Are you full?" As soon as Qiu Wenyue disappeared, Li Weilian re-imposed the English policy on Dai Xi, which made her very relieved. "Yes, I'm full. It's very, very delicious, thank you." Dai Xi replied sincerely in English. She always felt that it was awkward for two Chinese to speak English to each other, but now she realized that she had to say it to another Shanghainese. Shanghai dialect, that's thrilling! "That's good. Let's go after drinking the coffee. I'll take you to see 'Yi Garden'." "'Yi Yuan'?!" Dai Xi was surprised. "Yes, I heard from Wen Yue that you were here a few days ago." "Ah, I have been here..." "Okay, let's go." Li Weilian stood up first.Dai Xi also hurriedly stood up, and he had already held the coat in his hand, so she had no choice but to let him put it on for herself, so embarrassed that she was at a loss, and hurriedly walked towards the front door. "Not there, come with me." Li Weilian said behind her. Dai Xi hurriedly turned her head and followed Li Weilian to the back of the shop. There are two black lacquered wooden doors juxtaposed beside the counter, one of which is ajar, and the shiny light of the kitchen utensils leaks from the crack of the door, as well as the sound of splashing water. Dai Xi saw Qiu Wenyue coming in and out from here just now—it was the kitchen.The other door was tightly closed, Li Weilian stepped forward and unscrewed the brass handle, pushed the door open and walked in.It turned out that this was a dark corridor, narrow and short, with a wall on the right, an upward staircase on the left, and another dark brown door a few steps ahead, which was wider than the others. It seemed to be leading to the outdoors. The lights in the corridor were not turned on, and as soon as Dai Xi entered here from the bright store, a black curtain fell before Dai Xi's eyes, and only Li Weilian's back could be vaguely discerned.Instinctively, she leaned closely behind him, and only took two steps when Li Weilian in front stopped suddenly, and Dai Xi just bumped into his back. There was a sporadic gleam of light above the stairs, outlining a tough figure, even the face was pitch black.There seemed to be black noise in her cold words: "Leave now? Don't go up and have a look?" Li Weilian didn't answer, and walked straight to the stairs. "Yi only recognizes Nong now!" The woman raised her voice slightly, and Li Wei opened the brown door without even looking back, and the bright sunlight rushed towards him. Under the gloomy and resentful eyes, he was rescued. The sun was still as brilliant as when Dai Xi came, but it couldn't quickly dispel the chill from her whole body, Dai Xi shivered involuntarily. "scared you?" "No." Dai Xi shook her head embarrassingly, "they both look so alike, but..." Li Weilian said coldly: "They do look exactly the same, and they all look very much like their mother—my English teacher in middle school." "Oh, I saw that day." Dai Xi recalled the old lady sitting in a wheelchair, and she could still vaguely see the beauty of the past under her frosty temples. It turned out that she was the English teacher in Tong Xiao's story. "She used to tutor me in English. I came here every week during the middle school years, and she lived upstairs." As if to match Li Weilian's narration, there was the sound of opening the window overhead.Li Weilian stopped and listened attentively to the malice that had lasted from more than twenty years ago, with a mocking smile on his face.Of course, this can only be a self-deprecating smile, because his eyes are more bleak than ever. Focusing on the past, he ignored Dai Xi's strangeness, and Li Weilian didn't notice that someone began to tremble uncontrollably beside him. ——English teacher, the narrow and narrow staircase that sees no light, the room above the Shikumen, the weekly uninterrupted special tutoring, and the beautiful English that Professor Higgins highly appreciates... one after another A violent hurricane rolled up from his heart, and the monstrous and huge waves pressed down with the heavy truth, Dai Xi was so beaten that he could hardly stand up.She couldn't believe her eyes, but she clearly felt that she had captured those fragile and stubborn wings, flapping vigorously in the endless night of her heart... Dai Xi was completely stunned by this thought.She almost cried out, "Is this possible?!" It is the most peaceful time of the day, when the silent alley is cut in half by the sunlight, the "Shuangmei" is hidden in the cold, and the opposite is the towering courtyard wall of "Yiyuan".The branches of the trees stretched out along the top of the wall, setting off the circular balcony and the roof, which all showed a warm light golden color under the sunlight, and a faint haze shrouded it. Li Weilian walked down the street first, and said as he walked: "In the past, this alley was very short and ended here. The road in front was opened later, so when I was studying, this road was even more secluded than it is now. Most of the time, no one passes by for a whole day." In fact, the place is still quiet now, Dai Xi came twice, and only Qiu Wenyue and her mother were met.But what accompanied them now was an empty echo, buzzing in their ears, making people's hearts feel empty. The narrow alley was crossed in a few steps, and Dai Xi followed behind Li Weilian in a daze. When she raised her eyes, in front of her was the back door of "Yi Garden" that Lin Nianzhen and her had seen together that day. "Did you see this small door? It's the back door of 'Yi Garden'. It's a shortcut from 'Shuangmei' to here. Will be seen by anyone..." Li Weilian continued, not looking at Dai Xi at all, he was talking to himself many years ago, and Dai Xi watched him look beyond reality and cast his gaze into the darkest depths of fate , although the person is still close at hand, the clues of the soul seem to burst at any time.Dai Xi was terrified. She wanted to pull him back, but she was completely helpless. "From Monday to Saturday, there are workers from the printing factory in 'Yiyuan'. Only Sunday is quiet. Therefore, every Sunday, I always go to 'Shuangmei' first, and then go through this small alley. Go to 'Yiyuan'. For safety, the back door is locked from the inside, but it's not a problem for me, someone will always open the back door quietly for me, and there is my best friend in 'Yiyuan'..." Li Weilian stretched out his right hand and pushed hard, but the door didn't open.He froze for a moment, turned around, and finally saw Dai Xi again. "I was mistaken, I can't get in here now," he whispered. "Can we go? I don't want to go in!" Dai Xi was about to cry. Li Weilian breathed a long sigh of relief: "Okay, let's talk about it later." He looked at Dai Xi, his expression gradually calmed down, "But before leaving, I have to explain a few words about the bourgeois style you just mentioned .”