Chapter 3 third quarter

Shichahai in winter is shrouded in gray and white tones.The gray-white lake is covered with thin ice, and beside the gray-white lake embankment, the withered and yellow branches of willows sway gently with the cold wind.Qin Siwei and I walked more than half a circle around Houhai, and finally found the small bar named "By Walden Lake" in a secluded place. The light in the bar was a bit dim, and there was a color photo of Jin Yu on the bar counter facing the door, and white chrysanthemums were piled up next to the photo, which looked a bit messy.Every window in the bar is covered with white veils, and the table flowers are also yellow and white chrysanthemums, which are incompatible with the blue-purple tone of the original decoration in the store, and it seems that the arrangement is very hasty.

We arrived a little earlier than the agreed time, and there were only three or four people in the bar.These people are all young, wearing plain clothes, and a white wristband is neatly tied around their wrists. They should all be fans who came to commemorate the Golden Rain event.Everyone was holding drinks and talking in low voices, and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat depressing. "Officer Qin." A fat young woman came up to him.She is small, with a pair of black framed glasses on her round face, a large black and white houndstooth check sweater, and white wristbands on her wrists. Much like a panda.Qin Siwei introduced us. She is one of the organizers of this event, Jin Yu's friend Yang Jianmei.

"The event starts at 10:30, and there's still half an hour left." Yang Jianmei led us to a table by the window, and gave each of us a wristband, "Li He told me yesterday that he also invited you, and I still I thought he was joking, but I didn't expect you to really come." "It's not a big place here." Qin Siwei looked around, "How many people did you organize?" "I have posted on many forums, and there are many people who click, but contact me and confirm that there are very few people who can come." Yang Jianmei said, "Some people may come directly without contacting, but I don't think so. There will be many. After all, Jiang Yu has been silent for so many years, and there will not be too many people who can remember him."

The waiter brought Qin Siwei and me two cups of warm lemonade and handed over the tea list.Qin Siwei ordered a cup of barley tea, and I ordered soda water. "Does Ms. Li also like Jiang Yu's books?" Yang Jianmei looked at me with suspicion in her tone. "I... like Jin Yu's works very much. I have read all his books." I made up nonsense with my eyes open, "especially "Angel Without Wings", the writing...is very delicate, I mean the emotions of the characters ,really good." "Jiang Yu said "Angel Without Wings" is his best work." A slight smile appeared on Yang Jianmei's lips, "But I like "Half Love Letter" better, it's too romantic, what do you think?"

""Half Love Letter"...is a bit beyond reality. I think that love in reality cannot be so simple, after all..." "After all, life is real." Yang Jianmei's expression is a bit heavy, "Jiang Yu is a bit ostrich sometimes, he prefers to live in the world he wove, rather than take the initiative to adapt to reality. Have you read his poems? " "I... bought his poetry collection, but I never read it carefully." I made a regretful look. "I think his poems are better than his novels." "Then I will definitely read it carefully when I go back." I felt that my palms were already sweating, and if Yang Jianmei continued to ask, it might reveal his truth, so I took the initiative, "Why hasn't Jin Yu published any more books in recent years? Has he decided to quit the literary world?"

"In fact, Jiang Yu has never stopped writing, but for some reason, he is always dissatisfied with what he writes, saying that there is no breakthrough, and finally crumpled up and thrown into the wastebasket." Yang Jianmei said, "We all persuade Over him, don’t be too demanding for a breakthrough. But it’s useless.” "Wastebasket? Jin Yu doesn't use a computer for writing?" I was a little surprised. "Of course I use a computer." Yang Jianmei said, "but he is used to making an outline on paper first, such as the relationship between characters, the main line of the plot, etc. He spends all day in the study writing and drawing, and throws it away if he is not satisfied, and then Write again."

"After so many years, there is not even a satisfactory article?" "Not one article." Yang Jianmei sighed, "And we don't let us read anything, saying that defective products are shameful. At first we encouraged him, but then everyone was tired, so he went. But I've been worried that if he continues like this..." "Worried about whether he will commit suicide?" Qin Siwei asked seemingly casually. Yang Jianmei was silent, she turned her head and stared at the gloomy scenery outside the window, as if she was thinking, and she seemed to be trying to cover up something.After a long time, she finally spoke: "He looks like that, something will happen sooner or later."

"You mean, he's not in a normal mood?" Qin Siwei asked. "It's been more than half a month. He has been very dull. He shut himself at home all day and didn't go out. Sometimes he even unplugged the phone line." Yang Jianmei whispered, a line of tears slid down her round cheeks , "I wanted to make him happy, so I discussed with Li He about having a birthday party for him. As a result..." "You arranged the birthday party for Jin Yu?" I instinctively felt that her concern for Jin Yu might not be as simple as a good friend. "I arranged it at first, but Jiang Yu firmly disagreed. We didn't mention it again. But in the early morning of his birthday, he called us separately and asked us to go to his house to eat cake at night." Yang Jianmei With tears in his eyes, he choked up and said, "I never thought he wanted to say goodbye to us in this way."

Qin Siwei and I didn't know what to say for a while, so we could only sit silently, waiting for her to calm down.The number of people in the bar gradually increased, and whispers kept coming and going. Qin Siwei's cell phone on the table rang "buzzing". He glanced at the caller ID and answered the call with a blank expression: "Hello! Hello... Can you hear me? Hello..." He hung up I disconnected the phone, pressed the callback button, frowned and listened for a while, then put down the phone and said, "The signal is not good, I can't hear the other party. Call back and it says the line is busy."

"Who called?" I asked him, "Didn't the bureau tell you to go back?" "It's not the number from the bureau." Qin Siwei flipped through the phone's call records, "66123371, I don't know this number." "Six six one two...three three seven one?" Yang Jianmei raised her head hesitantly, "That's... Chen Xuefang's phone number." "Are you sure?" Qin Siwei called back the number again, but no one answered. "Is Chen Xuefang coming today?" he asked Yang Jianmei. "I didn't call her, but I don't know if Li He and Liu Yang told her." Yang Jianmei's tone was tinged with contempt, "I guess she wouldn't come even if I called her."

"You guys know each other very well? I mean, you and Chen Xuefang." Qin Siwei asked. "It's not very close. We know each other because of Jiang Yu, and occasionally we have dinner and go shopping together." Yang Jianmei said, "Since Jiang Yu's accident, I have not been in touch with her." "Do you know why they broke up?" "I asked Jiang Yu, but when he mentioned Chen Xuefang, he changed the subject, so I just didn't ask." Yang Jianmei said, "However, I guess Chen Xuefang has a new boyfriend, and that person should be quite rich. Yes. Her recent clothes are quite different from before, they are all famous brands, and her mobile phone has also been replaced with a 3G one. Moreover, I heard that she is currently going through the formalities for going abroad." "Study abroad?" "They seem to be immigrants. I heard from Liu Yang that the relationship between the two of them has always been good. Li He seems to know something." Yang Jianmei waved towards the door, "Li He is here, you can ask him about Chen Xuefang." A small man in a black down jacket walked towards us quickly, carrying a huge black computer bag in his hand, which did not match his thin figure. "I'm not late, am I?" Li He asked Yang Jianmei, "The road is a bit congested, and it's not easy to park here." "It's a quarter past ten." Yang Jianmei glanced at her watch, then looked around, "There are more people than I imagined." "Hasn't Liu Yang arrived yet?" Li He looked around. "No, he hasn't been to this place before, so he might have to look for it for a while." Yang Jianmei kicked Li He's computer bag aside, "Why, you still have to go to work at work on weekends?" "I have something to do in the afternoon." Li He took a sip of the lemonade brought by the waiter, "The office invited an accountant from PricewaterhouseCoopers to check the account of our project, and the director asked me to cooperate with them." "Your project has been accepted so soon?" Yang Jianmei's tone was a little surprised, "A few days ago, I heard Liu Yang complain that he would be busy until June at least, which might affect his preparation for the thesis defense." "This time may be a mid-term inspection." Li He said, "It was all arranged by the higher authorities, and I don't know the details. Chen Xuefang has to go there today. She didn't come?" "I didn't call her." Yang Jianmei said with a displeased face, "I thought you would notify her." "I haven't seen her for the past two days, and people from the finance department said that she took a week off." Li He showed embarrassment, "Recently Chen Xuefang has been awkward with me because of Jiang Yu's affairs, I dare not take it easy provoke her." "Li He, Chen Xuefang is the girlfriend you introduced to Jin Yu, right?" Qin Siwei interrupted. "Ah... I introduced them to each other." Li He was a little embarrassed, "Chen Xuefang and I entered the same unit, and we usually have a good relationship, so I introduced her to Jiang Yu. I always feel that the two of them It's quite suitable, but I didn't expect to…” "Do you know why they broke up?" "Not very clear." Li He shook his head, "Jiang Yu didn't want to mention it, and we didn't dare to ask. I have approached Chen Xuefang several times in private, trying to persuade her to reconcile with Jiang Yu, but she was very firm. , Tell me to mind my own business." "On Jin Yu's birthday, were you the one who persuaded Chen Xuefang to go to his house together?" "Liu Yang dragged her away." Li He said, "At first I thought it was inappropriate for her to go, but Liu Yang still wanted to take this opportunity to make peace with them." "It turned out to be just the opposite." Yang Jianmei looked annoyed, "I don't think Jiang Yu would be so upset if she didn't go." "Actually, Jiang Yu..." Li He lowered his head and said cautiously, "I haven't been able to figure it out...he...doesn't seem like the kind of person who would commit suicide." "You think he won't commit suicide?" Qin Siwei's eyes lit up. "I...I can't tell." Li He said hesitantly, "He is a little emotional, but he has ideals. Although no works have come out in recent years, he has been writing. That is his ideal. He... ...shouldn't have given up so suddenly." "Do you know what he wrote?" I couldn't help asking Li He. "I don't know. Before the text was finished, he never let others read it." Li He said, "In fact, he wrote a lot these years, but he was not satisfied, and it was all scrapped. But Jiang Yu told me many times that he He will definitely write works that amaze everyone, and it doesn’t matter if he has sharpened his sword for ten years. Therefore, he is definitely not someone who wants to commit suicide just because he can’t write anything.” "He's already at the tip of his horn." Yang Jianmei said, "Coupled with being stimulated by Chen Xuefang, it's why he can't think about it for a while." "If you lose love and commit suicide, China's population problem will be solved." Li He seemed to take her words seriously. At this time, Yang Jianmei's cell phone rang, interrupting the debate. "It's Liu Yang, maybe I can't find the place." She picked up her phone and walked towards the door. "What kind of procedure will it be?" Qin Siwei asked Li He, "Is there a ceremony or something?" "There is no standard procedure." Li He said, "Everyone mourns for a minute, and then expresses their nostalgia in turn. There is no set rule. We promise the boss to finish before 11:30, and then clean up. They will open as usual in the afternoon. .” "It's almost time." I reached for my phone in my pocket, trying to check the time, but after touching it for a long time, I found that it was gone.Only then did I remember that I answered a phone call when I parked the car just now, and threw it in the car. "You'd better go and get it back." Qin Siwei reminded me, "Recently, there have been a lot of cases of smashing car windows and stealing property in cars. It's not okay to leave your mobile phone in the car." I left "Walden Pond" in a hurry.It's a long way from the bar to the car park.I walked through the narrow alleys, the gray brick walls on both sides blocked the already dim sunlight, and the bluestone pavement was in disrepair and full of potholes.The dry and cold air is mixed with a faint smell of briquettes, and there are pigeons cooing in the distance, and there seem to be sporadic footsteps and people talking.I stopped and listened carefully. It was two people, their voices came from far to near. "What's your rivalry with Chen Xuefang?" It was a young man who spoke, "My brother just can't think about it, it has nothing to do with her." "It has nothing to do with her?" It was Yang Jianmei's voice, with a sharp tone, "Why can't your brother think about it? Isn't it all stimulated by her!" "Come on, Sister Yang, it's not like you don't know what my brother is like!" The man seemed to disdain Yang Jianmei's words, "He can't write anything, and he sulks with himself all day long, and he has depression. No need to be stimulated by others. Something will happen sooner or later. Chen Xuefang is a bit too much, but it can't be all due to her." "I don't think she's pleasing to the eye!" Yang Jianmei said impatiently, "Let's go, there are a lot of people waiting." At a fork in the road not far ahead, Yang Jianmei and a young man in his early twenties, wearing a black sports coat, turned out.The young man was tall and lean, in sharp contrast to the short and fat Yang Jianmei. Yang Jianmei was taken aback when she saw me: "Miss Li..." "I left my phone on the car. I'll go get it." Before she could speak, I ran into another alley in two steps.Needless to say, that young man was Jin Yu's cousin Liu Yang. Back in the parking lot, I found my phone in the driver's seat, but I wasn't in a hurry to get back to "Waldenside".Honestly, if I hadn't left my phone in the car, I would have found an excuse to get out.I don't like this kind of event similar to a memorial service. The atmosphere is too depressing. If someone asks me to express some emotion, I don't know where to start.The wind gradually stopped, and more and more people gathered on the ice in the distance, most of them were children who ran out to play during the winter vacation.I sat in the car with the warm air blowing and turned on the radio.The songs and the names of the singers played on the radio sound very unfamiliar. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old, or the talent turnover in the literary and art circle is too fast. After dawdling for about half an hour, I walked back to the bar slowly.The memorial service is over, some people have left, and the bar is much quieter than before.Qin Siwei looked relieved when he saw me enter the door. "Where have you been?" He pulled up a chair for me. "I wanted to take a shortcut, but I got lost." I said, "There are too many forks in the vicinity, and you can't find the north after turning around." "I also got lost in the alley when I came here. The taxi driver also wanted to take a shortcut, but he passed out after turning a few turns." Liu Yang, who was sitting next to him, said, "We just happened to meet you when we came over. Already." "Oh, I walked through two more alleys and got lost." I prevaricated. Li He walked over while holding a can of Coke: "Miss Li, why have you been here for so long? Officer Qin is in a hurry." "It's the same as I was just now, I can't find my way." Liu Yang explained for me, "The small alleys here are like spider webs, if you don't pay attention, you won't know where you turn." Yang Jianmei, who was sitting across from me, didn't say anything, but just looked at me with distrustful eyes.I kicked Qin Siwei's ankle under the table, signaling whether it was time for him to retreat.Qin Siwei smiled at me knowingly, chatted a few words about the cold and warm weather, and we got up to say goodbye and left the "Walden Pond".