"I don't have much memory of my mother, all my impressions come from those old photos, and when people ask me, I calmly say, "My mother should be beautiful." ”

That's all, it's like talking about a stranger.

But I didn't expect that one day she would come back and think of me again.

"You're going to take the mountain?"

The father's expression changed slightly, as if he was displeased.

"Yes, Shan'er doesn't have much room for development with you, if he goes to Hong Kong with me, with my current financial resources and connections, Shan'er will definitely be able to live a good life. We all want our son to be a master, and I can let him drive a good car and live in a Haw Par villa, which you can't give him. ”

I didn't like the way she spoke, and I hated the way she condescendingly gave orders to my father. My father didn't say a word in his teacup, and I put down my backpack and walked out with an envelope containing a thousand dollars.

"Dad, I did a good job this time, I made some money, and I honor you. ”

After speaking, I put the envelope containing a thousand yuan in front of my father, his eyes flickered slightly, shook his head and said, "I am not short of money, you can use this money to buy some food and clothing." ”

"No, I still have it there, and I will definitely make a lot of money after I find a way to make a fortune with the fat man. Our family can live a good life......"

After speaking, I turned my head to look at her and Lawyer Jiang, who was sitting next to me in a suit and leather shoes, smiled and said, "I don't know Hong Kong very well, and I don't like to go there, after all, I haven't returned yet." The neighbors said that maybe Hong Kong would not return, and if it had always been a British place, then I would not like to go. I don't think there's any need to talk about it, my dad and I are doing well here. ”

After the eviction order, I had already said very politely, my mother stood up and looked at me with some longing in her eyes, but in the end she shook her head and said: "I hope you can think about it, Shan'er, I booked a table at the Pujiang Hotel today, and many of my friends in Shanghai will also participate in the event, many of them are characters with heads and faces." I hope you will come, even if you don't want to go with me in the end, but at least you can have a meal with me, so that I can make up for all these years of debt to you. ”

After that, she left my house with her handbag and Lawyer Jiang, looking back and watching her through the narrow hallway, the contrast between her sleek dress and the dusty walls. I didn't think for any reason, many years ago, when she left, she must have thought that one day she would be able to return to her hometown in such a beautiful way.

Closing the door, I rolled up my sleeves and said, "Dad, I want to eat dumplings at night, let's make dumplings." I'll go out and buy some meat in a while, and I'll have flour at home. I'll make a few more bottles of wine, and I'll make money, so treat yourself. ”

After saying that, I walked out with the vegetable basket in my hand, but I heard my father shouting behind me, "At night, you should still be there for your mother." ”

I stopped, looked back at him suspiciously, shook my head and said, "No, I don't plan to go to Hong Kong, it's good to stay in Shanghai." ”

"Your mom is right. The father lit a cigarette and continued, "You can live a good life with her, and even if you really don't plan to go to Hong Kong, you should have a meal with her." No matter what she did to me at the beginning, she was always your mother, and she didn't owe you when she gave birth to you in October. ”

Pujiang Hotel was one of the most famous restaurants in Shanghai at that time, even if the fat people who had eaten famous restaurants in the north and south of the river often praised the high grade of Pujiang Hotel. There is one of the earliest parking lots in Shanghai at the door, and the doorman can earn more than a dozen yuan a day just by tipping, and legend has it that a dish here costs hundreds. There are often high-level cadres who dine, and it is often used to entertain foreign guests.

I walked off the bus, wearing that somewhat tattered jacket, a pair of pull-back shoes, jeans, and a little messy hair. If you dress like me and drink a bowl of soy milk on the street, it may be appropriate, but if you want to enter such a high-end restaurant, you may not even be able to step through the door.

Standing across the road, I saw cars parked on the side of the road, and those brightly dressed men and women got out of the car and walked into the ten-mile ocean field on neon signs, and couldn't help laughing. Shanghai has always been Shanghai, it was a city that never sleeps before the liberation, and it still is after the liberation.

It's a place where you can make a life come true or you can bury your dreams.

"Sir, we do not allow non-formal attire to enter. ”

As soon as I reached the door, I was stopped by a doorman in a red uniform.

"I don't have formal clothes, I'm here for a feast. ”

I spoke calmly.

I heard some people passing by let out a low laugh, as if they were looking at monkeys in the zoo.

"I'm sorry, our hotel has a rule, you can't enter without formal clothes, if you are coming to the banquet, you can go to a few suit shops next to you to buy a suit before coming in. I'm sorry, but that's the rule. ”

The doorman said with a faint sneer, I always thought that this kind of regulation was a joke, but today is an eye-opener, and I feel a little like walking into Grandma Liu in the Grand View Garden.

They looked at me like monkeys, and I saw them as just penguins in nice clothes.

"Then it looks like I won't be able to eat today. ”

I turned around and was about to leave, but a voice came from behind: "Ba Xiaoshan, wait a minute!"

Strangely looking back, how could someone call me by name. But I saw Jiang Shan standing at the door, and said to me with a smile: "I also wanted to send someone to pick you up, but I didn't expect you to come by yourself." Come on in, your mother's game has begun. ”

He came out and put his arm around me, and I hurriedly said, "I don't have a formal ......."

"It doesn't matter, whoever has the money here has the final say. ”

As he spoke, he stuffed a piece of ten yuan into the doorman's arms, and the doorman, who had just spoken righteously, was speechless, smiled and opened the door for us, and watched us enter the hotel.

The Pujiang Hotel has four floors, which is not very high, and the architectural style is European, which is in line with the characteristics of the era when it was originally built. There are elevators and stairs, the front desk staff are fluent in English and Chinese, and the marble on the floor is smooth as if it could shine on my face.

"We are in the Egret Hall, since you are here today, I still want to say something as an outsider. Your mother has not been easy these years, she has broken out of her own world by hard work, and many of the people who come today are big names who are helpful to her career, I hope you can give your mother a little thin face......"

Jiang Shan said in a low voice, I nodded knowingly, in fact, I don't hate her very much, and there is no need to dismantle her stage. I'm not one of those youthful and rebellious teenagers, and I won't shout that you never took care of me, I don't need you. On the other hand, he reached out and asked her for money.

I am me, she is her, except for genetic and blood relations, we don't have much to do with it.

There were a few waiters in tuxedos standing in front of the Egret Hall, and it was the first time I had seen a tuxedo, and I thought it was a little funny, because the big man had to get two tails for himself.

There were quite a few people in the hall, a huge round table, not every one of whom I knew, but a few of whom I had seen in the news and newspapers. When my mother saw me, she immediately stood up and came over with some excitement, and everyone's eyes fell on me.

"Who is this?"

Someone asked.

"This is my son, named Ba Xiaoshan, who has been living in Shanghai. Mountain, come, sit next to your mother. ”

I was not very comfortable with facing so many characters with heads and faces at once, so I nodded crampedly and sat down with my mother. I felt everyone's eyes focused on me, most of them friendly, and some of them showed disgust when they saw what I was wearing.

"Shan'er, let me introduce you, this is Uncle Zheng of Ronghe Company, this is Ms. Yang of the Chamber of Commerce, you should be called Auntie. This is the ...... of the union."

My mother introduced me one by one, and I smiled like a puppet and nodded my head in response. Halfway through the feast, my mother raised her glass to toast like a butterfly, and I heard people around me talking about topics I didn't understand, business, real estate, bidding, and economics. It was as if I was outside of all this, and I couldn't fit in with the meal even if I sat here.

couldn't help but be bored, Jiang Shan next to him leaned over and said, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just that I don't feel comfortable with this kind of life. ”

I said with a forced smile.

"It's normal, just get used to it. Do you want to smoke? Go, go out with me for a cigarette. ”

Jiang Shan should have good intentions, and pulled me out of the dining room and walked to the sofa outside. “