The public broadcast has reminded that the flight from Japan has landed, so that the people who come to pick up the airport are ready, my heart is subconsciously tight, and the faces of Ji Xiaowei and Zhao Mu around me are also ugly, we are going to face Xiao Ai.

A moment later, Xiao Ai pushed the luggage cart out of the station, she didn't seem to be too prepared for the sudden drop in temperature in Nanjing, so she just wore a very thin red knitted jacket.

She came up to us, rubbed her hands, and then swept her gaze over us in turn, and then asked me with some displeasure, "I asked you to pick me up, and asked you to bring someone else, so you can't respect me a little."

I looked at Zhao Mu, Zhao Mu is different from me and Ji Xiaowei, he is a very decisive person, when Ji Xiaowei and I were hesitant and couldn't open his mouth, he took a step forward and whispered to Xiao Ai: "I know you are very disgusted with me, but this can't stop me from worrying about you, maybe you don't know yet, your father had an accident Last night, he was taken away by the Commission for Discipline Inspection on suspicion of bribery and illegal use of land and other crimes for investigation, if these charges are confirmed, Xiao will always face a very severe criminal punishment"

Xiao Ai reacted the same way I had when I first heard the news, and she asked, "What do you say, you say it again"

Zhao Mu was silent, Xiao Ai looked at me and Ji Xiaowei again, Ji Xiaowei and I finally nodded after a long time, and confirmed to Xiao Ai that what Zhao Mu said was correct.

Xiao Ai's breathing was short, and her face became ugly in an instant, her hand clenched the handlebars of the trolley, loosened, and clenched, such body language has proved that she can't accept this fact, and Ji Xiaowei does know her better than me, she hates and loves Mr. Xiao's father, so she is very painful at the moment However, she endured it and didn't let herself cry, just stood in silence for a long time, although we were all by her side with her, but she still looked so lonely and helpless, She walked by a group of strangers who didn't care about herself

When leaving the airport, Xiao Ai chose to take Ji Xiaowei's car, she did not go back to Tulip Road, she asked Ji Xiaowei to send herself to the headquarters of Jinding Real Estate in Nanjing, I know that she is going to find those uncles and senior executives who started a business with Mr. Xiao, they will know some inside information that the public cannot know.

Zhao Mu and I returned to Tulip Road, Zhao Mu said to me before leaving: "Brother Qiao, I know that Xiao Ai is very disgusted with me, I can usually not disturb her, but I will really worry about her at this time, so if she needs any help, you must tell me, I will do my best to help her." ”

"I understand what you mean, you don't have to worry too much about her. Not surprisingly, Jinding Real Estate will usher in restructuring and change in the coming time, and you yourself will strive to gain a firm foothold there, maybe there will really be a need for your help in the future."

Zhao Mu nodded, and then didn't say much, he walked to his car, and then left Tulip Road in the night, while I stood in place for a long time, I felt that I was not going anywhere at the moment

I finally took out my phone and sent Xiao Ai a text message: "I'll ask the convenience store clerk to leave you a piece of corn, if you go back to Tulip Road tonight, go get it." ”

The message was sent for a long time, and I didn't get a reply from Xiao Ai, I wasn't too disappointed, because at the moment where she was still in the mood to think about things like eating corn, and I didn't do it too much, I hope she can be a little better off because of this.

Back at the coffee shop, I don't want to rest yet, I want to wait here for Xiao Ai, maybe she will go back to Tulip Road tonight, so I hope I can have a chance to say a few comforting words to her.

It was half past nine in the evening, and I kept smoking and looking out the window at the coffee shop, but the figure that always appeared inadvertently never appeared, so I stood at the door of the coffee shop again, and I felt that my mood was becoming more and more urgent, although this urgency did not have any effect at all.

There was a sound of footsteps in the alley, I subconsciously took a step forward, and then looked, but the person who came was not Xiao Ai, but a strange man with a blue umbrella in his hand, he stopped in front of me, and then asked, "Hello, are you the owner of this coffee shop?"

"yes, do you have something?"

The man didn't answer immediately, he looked at the coffee shop from a different angle for a while before he said to me: "My name is Xie Chen, I have always been a barista before, I heard that your coffee shop is going to be transferred, because I have heard about your coffee shop before, so I came here today to take a look, I have the idea of taking over"

I looked at him puzzled, and replied, "It's true that there is a lack of barista in the shop where you want to transfer your coffee shop?" ”

"I heard about it when I was having dinner with friends, aren't you going to turn around here?"

"You may have heard the difference, and I won't turn here."

The man named Xie Chen nodded, and then asked me again, "How is the business of the coffee shop now?"

I replied honestly: "Some time ago, business was good, but recently because the barista changed jobs, the business has been much worse. ”

"Well, the environment on your side is not bad, but the alley is a little deep, and the customers who come here to consume are generally of relatively high consumption quality, so providing them with delicious coffee is an important factor in whether they can operate well" After a pause, he sighed again: "You are not better than those business-type cafes here, the customers are not good, the coffee is not delicious, or the taste has changed, they are not willing to come to the pastime"

My attention wasn't on that, and although he got to the point, he absentmindedly replied, "That's right." ”

Xie Chen said: "Actually, I personally have a lot of ideas about the operation of this coffee shop, after all, I am a barista with 6 years of work experience, and I can be said to know the needs of customers well. Recently, I've been trying to make a coffee shop on my own, but unfortunately I haven't found a place like yours, so if you plan to transfer someday, you can call me and we'll talk. ”

"I'm not going to turn it."

"Leave each other's contact information, people's minds will always change."

I looked at him and didn't want to be bothered by him anymore, so I took the business card he handed me, but I had no intention of transferring it in my heart, and even if I wanted to transfer it, I had to get Su Han's consent in advance.

I closed the door of the coffee shop and went to the 24-hour convenience store at the entrance of the alley again, and when I opened the door, I asked the salesperson, "Has she been here?"

The salesman was knitting a sweater, but she didn't look up: "Not yet." ”

"Oh, then get me a pack of cigarettes first."

The salesman took out a pack of red Nanjing from the cigarette cabinet and handed it to me, I took it from her hand at the same time, I also took out my mobile phone from my pocket, I want to call Xiao Ai, I suspect that she may not have eaten anything until now, she will collapse if she goes on like this, and at this moment, all I can do for her is these trivial concerns.

I pushed open the door of the convenience store with my phone and walked out, then stood by the familiar bench and watched

I saw the lights flickering in the distance again, I saw the snow melting little by little on the lampshade that emitted heat, and the wind took the opportunity to blow the world very cold, but the fireworks that burst in front of me from time to time gave people a glimmer of warm hope, and this kind of night with such a complicated scenery only happens when the Chinese New Year is approaching, because there are not so many opportunities to see fireworks set off in unknown corners by people I have never met.

It's almost the New Year, shouldn't you be happy?

I lit a cigarette and finally dialed Xiao Ai's phone in the flickering fireworks, and I heard two voices, one from the phone, and the other from the unique ringtone of the Apple phone, the latter becoming clearer and clearer

I turned my head to see that Xiao Ai was still wearing the thin red knitted jacket, I looked at her sad, and forgot to hang up the phone for a while, so the phone rang repeatedly in her hand

"You're finally here, I've been waiting for you here for a long time."

Xiao Ai hung up my phone, she didn't answer me, just stood by my side without saying a word. I could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk.

I stood with her like this, and after a long time, she finally asked me, "Where's the corn?"

"I'll go in and get it."

As I spoke, I pushed open the door of the convenience store again, took out the corn that had been scheduled for a long time, and handed it to Xiao Ai, who ate it without saying a word

"Do you still want to eat, I'll buy it for you, I know you haven't eaten dinner yet."

Xiao Ai shook his head and replied, "No need, I'll go back and rest." ”

"I'm a little worried about your current state."

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me."

I nodded and asked her again, "Have you figured out how to live your life in the future?"

Xiao Ai's expression was full of confusion

"Then how to spend tonight, this must be figured out."

"I don't want to sleep, I can't sleep, I don't know how to live"

After a deep groan, I finally said to her: "Go and sit with me, if you don't want to sleep all night, I can talk with you all night, if you don't want to chat, let's just sit like this, but only if you have something to eat, okay?"

It was cold at night, so I took Xiao Ai back to my accommodation, I boiled hot water for her to warm her feet, and then went to cook her a bowl of hot noodles.

Unfortunately, the air conditioner in the house was broken, and I was afraid that she would be cold, so I found the stove left by my grandmother, put some firewood and lit it. The two of them sat around the stove like this, and no one spoke, so the sound of stagnant water dripping from the eaves and the sound of burning firewood blended together, just like Xiao Ai's current mood, eating a bowl of hot noodles, but falling into the cold ice water to suffer

I was limited in my comfort for her this night, and I really hoped that her mother would come soon so that she could get some ideas and something to lean on.

If possible, I would prefer that her mother would bring her to Taiwan to live, or sponsor her to study in Germany, because Nanjing has nothing to worry about for her