Chapter 5 third chapter

On a small road near the comic book club, there used to be a magic supply shop.Since graduating a year ago, the bunk has been deserted, the mailbox in front of the door is stuffed with a lot of letters, and the roller shutter is covered with rental advertisements and a yellowed graduation notice. In the past, He Zukang always loved to linger in the store.Here he bought a set of magic rings and a deck of magic cards.He is not very good at magic, but he likes to watch magic shows since he was a child. He has always liked unreal things. Probably because of this reason, he chose to draw cartoons.

After the disappearance of the magic supply shop, this small road also became lonely, as if it lacked a bit of dreamy color, but this color is the adjustment of life. Until one evening, He Zukang and Yu Baozheng were leaving the comic studio together. When passing by this small road, they found that the workers were decorating the shop. "This shop is finally rented out, what kind of shop do you think it will open?" Yu Baozheng asked. He Zukang probed in to have a look, only to see the dust billowing inside. "Could it be a magic supply store too?" he said. "Improbable? This kind of business can't make much money." Yu Baozheng said.

"The model shop is also good." He Zukang said. "I hope it's a pet store. Then, when you're bored, you can come here to tease the puppies." "Opening a gallery is also good." "Wouldn't it be better to open a rental bookstore?" Yu Bao was dreaming. On a cool autumn day, after staying up all night, He Zukang smelled a mouth-watering fragrance when he was taking the bus on that small road.He looked up and found that the magic supply store that had been deserted for a long time had turned into a cake shop overnight, named Konditorei. He looked inside, and there was a glass cabinet and a few small coffee tables in the simply furnished cake shop.The cake in the glass cabinet was something he had never seen before, which inevitably aroused his curiosity.He went in and stood in front of the glass case, looking down at the cakes carefully.

"Welcome!" A girl came out from the back of the store and said in a cheerful and sweet voice. He Zukang raised his head and saw the girl in front of him with long hair and wearing a white apron, he couldn't help opening his mouth wide. The girl looked surprised when she saw him. "Are you He Zukang?" "Are you Su Qishi?" "What a coincidence! I ran into you here. You've grown up so much! If it weren't for your big bags under the eyes, I would hardly have recognized you." "You have also grown up a lot." He Zukang said. "Do you still have friends from the children's choir?"

"I haven't seen him since I left the group. What about you?" "We used to meet each other, but we've been busy these past few years, so we seldom saw each other. We also talked about you. You know, many girls also like you. You used to be fat and cute." He Zukang smiled shyly. "Would you like to try our cake?" "What kind of cakes are these? They look weird." "We sell German cakes, which seems to be the only one in Hong Kong." "No wonder." "The proprietress is a Hong Kong native who came back from Germany. She is married to a German husband. She is very handsome! He is tall, about 1.9 meters tall, right? A head taller than you."

With his hands in his trouser pockets, He Zukang said embarrassingly: "I'm just the dapper type." "What cake do you want?" "Which one is the tastiest?" "I like onion cakes, if you're not afraid of smelling." Su Qishi took the cake out of the glass cabinet and said, "A lot of onions and bacon are used as ingredients, and it's delicious." "Oh, well, I'll take this." "Do you live near here?" "No, I work near here." "What do you do?" "drawing comic." "Which comic did you draw?"

"I'm just an assistant and I don't have my own work yet." Su Qishi handed the wrapped cake to He Zukang and asked, "Are you going to work now?" "I just got off work, and we often have to stay up late." "If it's delicious, come back again." Su Qishi said with a smile. Walking out of the shop, with the cake in his hands, He Zukang walked briskly on the sidewalk, humming a song he used to sing in the children's choir.At that time, the mother who liked to sing thought that her son would also become a singer and inherit her unfulfilled wish, so she sent him to the choir.

He was only seven years old at that time, and Su Qishi was the same age as him.She has been beautiful since she was a child, and he always likes to look at her secretly, but she doesn't pay him much attention.Later, she quit the group, and he thought he would never see her again. "Come and eat cake!" He returned to the comic book club. "Didn't you already leave?" Yu Baozheng, who was leaning on the sofa, raised his tired eyelids and asked. "That magic supply store has become a cake shop," he said, opening the cake box. Yu Bao was walking over to look at the cake: "Onion cake, this is the first time I've seen it! Huh? The one with bacon, aren't you a vegetarian?"

"I bought something for you to eat." "Why are you so nice to me all of a sudden?" She looked suspicious. "I've never been bad to you, have I? After all, you are my savior." He Zukang lay on the sofa, leaning his hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling and smiling. "What are you laughing at?" Yu Baozheng asked.Holding a slice of cake, she sat on the other end of the sofa. "Am I short?" "Five feet seven inches is not short." "Do women like tall men?" "That's not a choice, it's just a coincidence. My ex-boyfriend was also tall, so what? Isn't he also abandoned by me? Your problem is not that you are not tall enough, but that you don't feel safe." She blushed He glanced.

He Zukang asked nervously, "I am?" Yu Baozheng nodded. "why?" "That's hard to explain, isn't it? Lions seem to have a sense of security, but rabbits don't. It's just nature." "How could I be a rabbit? At least a goat, right?" Yu Baozheng laughed: "You are a panda." "Do pandas feel safe?" "It doesn't matter if you don't feel safe, it's rare!" A smile appeared on He Zukang's face: "It's true." Yu Baozheng said suddenly: "I found that there are two kinds of animals in the world that are the easiest for people to pretend to be."

"I know! It's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck." Yu Baozheng said angrily, "It's pandas and penguins! If you look at them from a distance, you really can't tell them." "Don't be crazy, okay? Girls should be gentle to please people." Yu Bao was pushing He Zukang from the sofa to the floor, saying: "You are the one who is crazy." He Zukang, who fell to the ground, was still looking at the ceiling and smiling foolishly. The next day, He Zukang came to the bakery again. "Is that onion cake delicious?" Su Qishi asked. "Oh, good." "Would you like to try the Potato Cake? It's just made, and it's best eaten while it's hot." "Okay, give me one." "You really like cake." "I could eat one by myself." "But potatoes are very starchy and can be very filling." "no problem." That night, he ate the whole potato cake alone, his belly full like a ball, but he felt a sense of happiness.The person who he thought he would never meet again appeared in his life again, what is it if it is not a chance? The next day, He Zukang bought another crispy apple cake.He goes to the cake shop almost every day, sometimes going in for a cup of coffee.Sometimes, he would pretend to pass by the cake shop just when it was closed, so that he could wait at the bus stop with Su Yishi.Sometimes, he just secretly stood on the opposite sidewalk, watching her busy in the store. One day, Yu Baozheng said to him: "You seem to have gained a lot of weight recently. You can get so fat even if you are a vegetarian, maybe you are born obese." "You are!" "Your former girlfriend, do you still miss her?" "none of your business?" "I also want to report to you how she is doing." "how is she?" "Recently, I met her several times after school with the teacher who taught us photography. He is very handsome. You are a panda, and he is a horse." Yu Bao was peeking at his expression. He Zukang shrugged: "We have been separated for a long time." He Zukang inevitably felt a little uncomfortable when he heard that Xu Yunxin was with another man.We are already people from two worlds, and we are already very strangers.If he is gracious, he should wish her happiness, but at this moment, he feels a little sour. That night, when He Zukang passed the cake shop, the cake shop was closed, and he heard the cry of a girl from inside.He knocked on the door, and when Su Qishi came to open the door, her eyes were wet. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned. "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?" she asked hoarsely. He went in, sat down at the coffee table, and said: "Thought you were gone." "I have nowhere to go." Su Qishi poured a cup of hot coffee for He Zukang. He Zukang took a sip and almost choked: "There seems to be wine in the coffee." "I put cinnamon and brandy in my coffee and I like it that way. Would you like a replacement?" "No, this drinking method is also good." Su Qishi drank her coffee with her head down.After a while of silence, He Zukang first said: "Have you ever noticed that there are two animals in the world that are easiest for people to impersonate?" "Which two kinds?" "you guess." "Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse?" "It's pandas and penguins! If you look at them from a distance, you can't tell them!" He Zukang giggled. Su Qishi finally smiled: "You are very humorous." "I am over-flattered!" "Do you have a girlfriend?" He Zukang shook his head. "I've been thinking, what is love anyway?" she choked up. "Every time, there will be a different answer." "Maybe love is caring. Even if you are separated, you will still miss him." His heart suddenly twitched sadly. "Do you care about others?" He asked bitterly. "I met him when I used to work in a fashion store. That day, when I was at his house, his girlfriend just came up and bumped into us. She walked out, and he left me and chased him out." "Don't you know he has a girlfriend?" "I know. They've been together for years. I always thought he was going to leave her. But, after that day, I knew it was impossible. I could see that he loved her and I could never compare to her," she said As he spoke, he began to cry. "Don't do this." He patted her on the shoulder. Tears welled up in her eyes: "Can you call him for me?" "Me? Tell him what?" he asked in surprise. "Just pretend you made the wrong call. I just want to hear his voice." "Very well then. Who shall I call?" "Just find someone." Su Qishi dialed a phone number with the speakerphone, and a man's voice came from the other end. "I want to find Yu Baozheng." He Zukang said. "You made the wrong number," said the other party. "Oh, I'm sorry." He Zukang hung up the phone. "Can I call again?" Su Qishi begged him. She redialed the phone number.From the other end came the man's voice. "I want to find Yu Baozheng." He Zukang said. "What number did you call? You made a mistake," said the other party. "Oh, I'm sorry." He Zukang hung up the phone. Su Qishi wiped away the tears on her face: "I'm much better now, thank you." She suddenly asked: "Who is Yu Baozheng?" "It's my friend. Shall I call you again?" "No need." She smiled at him gratefully. "Hi! Is Yu Baozheng?" He Zukang called Yu Baozheng on the street and asked, "Do you want to sing K?" She said on the other end of the phone: "I'm in KTV, I'm the only one, do you want to come?" They sang songs all night in KTV. "I didn't expect you to sing well." Yu Baozheng said. "I used to be in the children's choir." "Is the children's choir fun?" "Well. At that time, there was a very beautiful girl in the regiment, and I often wanted to protect her." "and then?" "She left the choir. Not long after she left, my voice changed. Usually boys change their voices during development, but I changed my voice before development. The leader also felt very strange. I changed from a tenor to a bass. Had to quit." "Could it be her departure that changed your voice?" "Thinking about it now, maybe this is the reason." "Have you seen her yet?" "She has grown up and doesn't need my protection." He said sourly. "Then protect me! If it wasn't for me, you would have been killed by the bomb." He Zukang sang alone.The music pauses for a moment.He heard Yu Baozheng sobbing. "Why are you crying?" He froze. "Today, I called my ex-boyfriend to see how he is doing recently. Because, after all, I abandoned him. But he was very cold to me. " "You don't want to know how he's doing, you just want to hear that he's not doing well without you," He Zukang said. "Who said that?" Yu Baozheng couldn't deny it, but Dian didn't want to admit it. "People are so self-righteous." "He doesn't need to be so indifferent to me." "Do you still want him to say that he misses you very much and begs you to go back?" "Won't you wait for someone you love so much to come back?" "I haven't met the person I want to wait for yet." "That means you will wait too, right?" "Waiting is a very personal thing, you don't have to tell the other party." "If you don't tell me, how would he know?" "Some things are meaningless to say." She turned her face away and said dully: "Everything is hidden in my heart, how can others know?" "Can you make a call for me?" He asked suddenly. "Who are you looking for?" "Just find someone." He dialed the number.Handed the microphone to Yu Baozheng, and put his ear close to the microphone. A man's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Hello, I want to find Yu Baozheng." Yu Baozheng said. He Zukang opened his mouth wide in anger. "Why did you find yourself?" "It's you who said that you can find anyone!" She said while covering the microphone. The other party said impatiently: "Why do people call Yu Baozheng all day long! No such person!" Yu Baozheng hung up the phone and asked He Zukang in surprise: "What's the matter? Have many people called me already?" "it's me." "Why did you look for me?" She suddenly thought, "Do you miss me?" He Zukang picked up the microphone and said, "Let's continue singing." "I'm very tired, you can sing." Yu Bao was curling up on the sofa. "I know why you often go to buy cakes." She rubbed her eyes and said. "why?" "The girl in the cake shop is very pretty." "I just love eating the cake there." "Which one do you like best?" "Potato Cake." "Actually, the plum cake is even better." "Have you eaten?" "Sweet and sour, the taste is very special, Germans like to eat it in autumn." She fell asleep while talking. I don't know how much time passed, Yu Bao was just waking up, and when he saw He Zukang, he collapsed at her feet and fell asleep.She leaned closer to him, listening to his breath quietly.The pillow on her lap fell to the ground, and she bent down to pick it up, and a string of silver bracelets on her left wrist collided with each other, clanging. He asked dimly, "What's the sound?" She shook her wrist: "I bought it yesterday, does it look good?" He murmured, "Not bad." In order not to wake him up, she held the silver bracelet on her left wrist with her right hand, looked at him who was sleeping again, and breathed his breath quietly. The next day, He Zukang came to the cake shop. "What cake do you want to eat today?" Su Qishi asked with a smile. He looked and looked in front of the glass case. "Isn't it usually decided quickly?" He smiled shyly. She took out a cake, and the cut of the cake was in the shape of tree rings: "This is the annual ring cake, would you like this?" "Today, can you eat with me?" "OK." Su Qishi cut two slices of cake.Sit down and eat with He Zukang. "Why is the store called Konditorei?" he asked. "This is German, which means a coffee shop mainly selling cakes. Have you ever been to Germany?" He Zukang shook his head. "I often hear the proprietress mention Germany, and I want to go too. I want to go to Bremen to see the Fairy Tale Village." "We almost had the chance to perform in Germany at that time." "Unfortunately it was later cancelled." "Do you remember the song you sang in the children's choir?" "We've sung many songs. Which one?" "Which one do you remember?" "Scarborough, do you remember?" He Zukang nodded vigorously: "I remember." He sang "Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rose mary and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there..." Su Qishi clapped her hands and sang along with He Zukang.they have.How many years have you been singing this song?They smiled, sang the songs of childhood, and sang about that distant place. He Zukang looked at the Baumkuchen and smiled happily. When he returned to the comic agency, everyone else was off work.Yu Bao was propping his head on his hands in puzzlement, with a potato cake in front of him. "You're back! Happy birthday!" Yu Baozheng said. "How did you know about my birthday?" "They said, but they all left." "Thank you." He said emotionally. "It's your favorite potato cake. How are you going to repay me?" "How do you want me to repay you? Anything but my people." "I don't want your people. If I like big bags under the eyes, wouldn't I raise bubble-eyed goldfish?" "What bubble-eyed goldfish?" "It's a goldfish with two huge eye bags under the eyes. I'm helping my cousin write a radio play. Do you have a love story to write?" "My stories are too epic." He lay triumphantly on the sofa, hands behind his head, smiling at the ceiling.He had already eaten the birthday cake, and even sang a birthday song, but Su Qishi didn't know that today was his birthday, and she sang an irrelevant song. "Have you ever been to Germany?" he asked. "You want to go to Germany? Why?" "The people I like also like Germany," he said. "Oh, is that so? Is it the girl from the bakery?" He smiled and said nothing. Yu Bao was eating the cake bitterly with his head down. On the day of late autumn, He Zukang came to that path full of joy with the songbook he used in the children's choir when he was a child. The cake shop disappeared, and a graduation notice was pasted on the door. He knew that the cake shop's business was not good, but he didn't expect it to disappear so quickly.Why didn't Su Qishi tell him?It turned out that she didn't have him in her heart.Did she go to that distant Germany?Or Scarborough? He originally wanted to revisit childhood songs with her, maybe sing his favorite "Today", which is a farewell song. In the middle of winter, the mailbox of the cake shop was full of letters, the roller shutters were covered with rental advertisements, and there was also the yellowed and dilapidated graduation notice.This path has become deserted again. The cake shop is like the magic supply shop in the past, it came and disappeared suddenly, like a dream, it was too late to say goodbye.Did it really exist?