Bao Liang decided to go to Zhang Nan.

One is Bao Liang's brother who has been worshipping since childhood, and the other is Bao Liang's friend who has failed her, they are all standing at an important juncture in life, either towards rebirth or destruction, in love and righteousness, Bao Liang should do his best to help.

There are only two people who Baoliang can ask for help, one is his father and the other is Zhang Nan. The two are trade-off, of course, you should go to Zhang Nan.

On this day, there are not many customers, and the porcelain shop has not done a single business for three consecutive days. Bao Liang dusted off those counterfeit antiques with a feather duster, and wondered what to say when he saw Zhang Nan.

Before getting off work, Zhang Nan called first, saying that her father was celebrating his 60th birthday today, and she had booked a private room at Qinyuan Restaurant. Originally, it was just the family celebrating by themselves, but just now my father called and asked her to bring Baoliang. Zhang Nan reminded Bao Liang on the phone that he must be neat and tidy tonight, her parents haven't seen him for a long time, and he should leave a better impression. Also attending the birthday banquet tonight are her cousin and cousin-in-law, her cousin is fast-talking, her words are harsh, if there are contradictory words, you don't have to be too embarrassed, the cousin has a knife mouth and a tofu heart, and her heart is actually very good.

Bao Liang was both happy and apprehensive, and forced himself to be calm, and said, "I know."

After getting off work at six o'clock in the antique city, Bao Liang borrowed 200 yuan from the shopkeeper, and then went to a nearby shopping mall first, where he bought two boxes of ginseng oral liquid for the elderly, which cost a total of 180 yuan. He poured several trips according to the address Zhang Nan said, and when he arrived at Qinyuan Restaurant, the birthday banquet had already begun, the wine had already been toasted, the cold dishes had been used, and the soup had just come to the stage.

Bao Liang entered the house, and Zhang Nan complained: I have been waiting for you for a long time, why did you come? Then take him to greet everyone, first wish the birthday star a happy birthday, and then wish the aunt good health, and after meeting the cousin, he introduced him to his cousin-in-law. Bao Liang trembled and handed over the oral liquid to Zhang Nan, and asked her to convey his thoughts, the birthday boy thanked him repeatedly, and his cousin was really fast: Ginseng oral liquid? This is not something to be eaten casually, didn't the uncle-in-law say that you are not weak last time, this kind of thing cannot be eaten.

Bao Liang was really embarrassed, and Zhang Nan was also embarrassed. Fortunately, Zhang Nan's father knows how to cheer on the scene, and repeatedly said: It's okay, I'll ask Dr. Gao again when I go back to see if this can be eaten. Mother also smiled and said that it doesn't matter if you can eat it or not, it is rare for Xiao Lu to have a heart. This thing won't be too cheap, Xiao Lu, your income is not high, you don't have to break the bank to buy these things in the future.

Zhang Nan let Baoliang sit down, and everyone began to drink soup and talk about soup, which naturally diverted the topic. Baoliang sent oral liquid to Zhang Nan, which surprised Zhang Nan and made her very satisfied. Although she knew that none of her parents would care about the thickness of this birthday gift, Bao Liang had this awareness, and the old man would always be happy. And with Baoliang's current economic predicament, it is not a trivial matter to be able to spend such a large amount of money, and it may be that he can only eat steamed buns and pickles for a month or two, and it is not known.

Except for the small embarrassment at the beginning, the whole dinner went generally well. The parents were in a good mood, the cousin and brother-in-law were also in high spirits, and Bao Liang didn't talk much during the banquet, mainly listening to the cousin's talk. Zhang Nan was moved to notice that his father would sometimes find some topics to ask Baoliang, so as not to let Baoliang be snubbed by everyone. Bao Liang answered all questions and answered them decently. Mother also chatted with Bao Liang, but the content of the conversation was mostly spying, she asked Bao Liang's family - who is in the family, and his father and sister are still out of town? - In fact, Zhang Nan had already told his family about these situations, but his mother had to ask again: Is your sister married, why don't you contact the family? Bao Liang said: Because my father did not agree with my sister and my brother-in-law marrying, they eloped and never came back. This answer made Zhang Nan's mother look embarrassed and looked at Zhang Nan's father. The cousin wanted to stand in the position of the old man to justify it, but the words made Zhang Nan Baoliang very boring: Then she is too unkind to be a daughter, it is not easy for parents to give birth to you and raise you so big. If your parents don't agree with her marrying your brother-in-law, it must be for her own good, so why should you leave your parents alone. Seeing that Baoliang didn't respond, my cousin asked: Why don't your parents agree? Bao Liang said: I don't know. I was young at the time, and no one told me too much detail. The cousin-in-law replied for Baoliang: Ahem, it's just that the conditions are not very compatible, and parents always look to their daughters, afraid that their daughters will suffer losses in the future.

This topic is only here, Zhang Nan's father saw that Baoliang and Zhang Nan's faces were stiff, so he hurriedly stopped, raised a glass to thank the younger generation in a timely manner, and wished his children a happy life and smooth work in the future. Bao Liang stood up with everyone and clinked glasses and drank...... He used to eat and drink spicy food with his sister at the Jianning Million Mansion Restaurant, and later when he came to the provincial capital, he also participated in other people's banquets with his father many times, and he was no stranger to the rules and etiquette on the table.

This birthday banquet ended happily, and when checking out, Bao Liang heard the service lady whispering in Zhang Nan's ear with the bill, knowing that this dinner was worth tens of thousands. Just one dish of auspicious abalone costs more than a thousand.

Bao Liang followed them out of the gate of the most expensive restaurant in the provincial capital. Zhang Nan's cousin and his wife said that they wanted to go back to Fontainebleau to play mahjong with Zhang Nan's parents, and Zhang Nan said that they would send Baoliang back to his residence, so everyone parted ways.

Bao Liang got into Zhang Nan's car, the car started, Zhang Nan tilted his head and smiled at Bao Liang, and said distressedly: "How much did it cost to buy that thing?" ”

"What?" Bao Liang asked.

"Oral liquid, just those two boxes of oral liquid, how much did it cost you?"

"Ah, ninety dollars a box, it cost one hundred and eighteen."

Zhang Nan smiled gratefully, but said, "You only earn a few hundred yuan a month, why do you buy such an expensive thing." ”

Bao Liang didn't know how to answer, so he was bored for a while, and said, "I want you to be happy." ”

Of course Zhang Nan was happy, and after enduring it for a long time in a happy mood, he still couldn't help but say something that he was supposed to never say.

"Do you still have money this month, you won't be without food, right?"

Contrary to Zhang Nan's expectations, Baoliang did not respond. She originally thought that Bao Liang would definitely say that the money was enough and there was no need to worry about it, but Bao Liang didn't. He used a suspicious silence to make Zhang Nan feel bad.

"Zhang Nan." Bao Liang finally spoke, hesitating, although Zhang Nan had expected it, but when Bao Liang said that word, she still felt great disappointment.

"Zhang Nan, I'm in trouble now, I want to borrow some money from you, okay?"

Zhang Nan didn't respond for a long time, her eyes looked straight at the windshield in front of the car, she suddenly wanted to cry, but there were no tears in her eyes, and her heart was full of indescribable discouragement.

"How much do you want?" She asked, in a tone that sounded like she was talking about a deal.

"Ten thousand."

"I want to know," Zhang Nan still didn't look at Bao Liang, "do you want this money for?" ”

The purpose of this money is difficult to say, but Bao Liang hesitated for a moment and decided to tell the truth: "My fellow countryman, that Tao Feifei, is the girl I told you, she owes 10,000 yuan to others, and she can't pay it back, I want to help her pay it back." The person who borrowed her money was my brother, and it would be troublesome for him not to get the money. ”

Zhang Nan didn't want to listen to it anymore, she put on the gear and stepped on the accelerator, and the car quickly left its position and drove towards Baoliang's residence. Zhang Nan didn't speak again along the way, and the silence in the car made it difficult for Bao Liang to breathe. Zhang Nan wanted to take Baoliang to a newly discovered riverside bar for a drink and chat tonight, but apparently changed his mind at this time. She didn't send Bao Liang to the alley where he lived, but to the meeting place when they first met. It's late, and the square in front of the park is already sparsely lit.

Zhang Nan put down Bao Liang here, her face was extremely calm before the breakup, she asked Bao Liang to wait for her at the service desk in the lobby of the International Trade Building tomorrow afternoon, and then she would hand over the money he asked for to him.

Bao Liang wanted to hug Zhang Nan, he longed for a kiss between him and Zhang Nan at this time, but Zhang Nan's expression and tone were a little cold. Although Bao Liang had expected it before, he would borrow money so recklessly, especially if the money was borrowed for another girl who made Zhang Nan sensitive, it would definitely make Zhang Nan feel awkward. But he didn't expect this awkwardness to be so obvious, so he suddenly felt fear, and he suddenly thought the problem to the extreme - could Zhang Nan's opinion of him completely change because of this? Will this 10,000 yuan become a buyout of the love he has devoted himself to?

He got out of the car a little embarrassed, and before getting out of the car, he politely said thank you to Zhang Nan in a voice that was not like his own.

Zhang Nan also politely said no thanks. Then she grinned at him reluctantly, like a program. Then he turned his face and drove away.

Bao Liang returned home.

The light in the corridor was dark as usual, Baoliang opened the door lock in the dark, and the light was also dark in the house. Bao Liang sat on his bunk, and he couldn't tell how annoyed he was. He knew that Li Chen had taken Fei Fei to a nightclub, and he also knew that Liu Cunliang had probably gone out to find money. He can still remember that in the early days when they came to the provincial capital from Jianning's hometown, they were all so healthy and optimistic, full of ideals for the future, and full of belief in struggle. And now, they are squeezed to the edge by the prosperity of the city, and the turbidity of life on the edge is undercurrent, and there is only one driving force, that is, omnipotent money.

In the afternoon of the next day, Bao Liang asked the owner of the porcelain shop for personal leave and took the bus to the International Trade Building.

He called Zhang Nan at the service desk in the front hall of the building, and Zhang Nan was there, but she did not come down in person, but entrusted a tall, burly, and elegant young man to come to the service desk and hand over an envelope containing 10,000 yuan in cash to Bao Liang. The man asked Bao Liang to count the money in front of him, and Bao Liang shook his head and said that there was no need. The man in the suit immediately asked Bao Liang to write a receipt, Bao Liang had never written a receipt, and he didn't know how to write it, so he dictated it, and Bao Liang wrote it himself, and wrote down such a sentence: Lu Baoliang borrowed 10,000 yuan from Zhang Nan, which is hereby proved.

After writing, Bao Liang looked up and asked, "Is there anything else?" ”

The suit said, "You write your name." ”

Bao Liang wrote his name.

The suit said, "Write today's date." ”

Bao Liang wrote the date again, and when he was done, he asked again, "Okay?" ”

The suit said, "Okay." Originally, the IOU generally had to indicate the repayment period, but forget it, Zhang Nan said that you don't need to write the repayment date. ”

Bao Liang was stunned for a long time before he said calmly: "Please tell Zhang Nan and thank her." ”

Bao Liang took the 10,000 yuan and took the car back home.

Li Chen was nagging Liu Cunliang in the big house, Liu Cunliang went to the street an hour ago, and bought all the remaining 1,000 yuan on his body to buy a welfare lottery ticket that was ready to be redeemed. Li Chen's nagging means: Lottery tickets to buy in the period of good luck to have hope, your current luck is unlucky to get home, to buy is not to find death! Liu Cunliang sat in the corner with his head down, and he didn't even have the strength to cry. Bao Liang didn't enter the big house, he didn't persuade Liu Cunliang, he walked directly into the hut, and said to Fei Fei, who was lying on the bed in a daze with his back against the wall:

"Go, you return the 10,000 yuan to Cunliang."

Fei Fei sat up when she heard the sound, looked at the thick stack of tickets that Bao Liang put on the bedside in amazement, and she asked, "Where did you get it?" ”

Bao Liang said: "I borrowed it from Zhang Nan." ”

Fei Fei was stunned for a long time, staring at the money. Maybe because of the word "Zhang Nan", her face was not moved at all.

Bao Liang said again: "Go and return it to him, from today onwards, don't go to Li Chen's place!" Don't do anything for money! ”

Fei Fei sat coldly on the bed, her eyes looking at the money, but her body did not move. Her voice was also cold, with a slurred voice that seemed to be unanswered.

"No wonder you're so good to her, people are rich, it seems that I'm really angry."

Bao Liang tried his best to hold back the grievances and anger in his heart, and he endured it until the tips of each finger were hot.

"Tao Feifei, let me tell you, I'm not the same person as you, don't use your fault to judge me."

Fei Fei became more and more energetic, and said with horizontal eyes: "Don't think that you are a good thing, you have slept with others without you knowing it in your heart!" Haven't slept with someone who gave you 10,000 at a time? You can't fool me! I'm going to sleep like you, I've already paid back this rotten money, and I need you to pity me......"

Fei Fei didn't finish speaking, Bao Liang slapped her crooked on the bed, he couldn't remember how many times he had been rude to Fei Fei, and he couldn't tell why he became so easily excited and angry.

Fei Fei smashed Baoliang with a quilt pillow, and cried half-naked with a hissing voice: "Lu Baoliang! You take your dirty money! If you can be open-minded, I can also be open-minded, and I will pay back this money myself! If you want to dirty me, I'm dirtier than you, you see which of us is dirtier than whoever! ”

Bao Liang turned around and wanted to leave, and bumped into Li Chen, who came to persuade him. Li Chen persuaded impatiently: "What's the matter, this is ......" was grabbed by Bao Liang's neck, pressed on the door and yelled:

"Don't take her to your dirty place again! Take her again and don't blame me for turning my face! ”

Li Chen was inexplicable, and he didn't understand what Bao Liang said for a while. He watched Bao Liang slam the door and leave the house with his mouth half-open, and was stunned for a long time before turning around and asking Fei Fei:

"What's wrong with you?"

Almost at the same time, he saw the thick stack of cash next to Fei Fei's pillow.

A week later, Liu Cunliang opened the Liangliang fashion store in the night market, earning more than 500 yuan in cash flow on the first day. The next evening, Liu Cunliang found a restaurant and invited Li Chen Baoliang and Tao Feifei to dinner, first, to express his heartfelt gratitude, and second, to celebrate his career taking off.

That meal was the only time in a long time that the three heroes of Jianning called each other brothers and sisters like in the past, pushing cups and asking each other. Li Chen and Liu Cunliang were very happy, drinking and boxing, and at the same time thinking about the old days emotionally, talking about the beautiful things of the diaper era, the language was high-pitched, and the eyebrows were dancing! After looking back, it is a prospect, and after drinking, he boldly plans for the grand cause of the future. Only Bao Liang didn't talk much, drank with his head down, neither looked back nor looked forward, his past was unbearable, and his future was empty.

Bao Liang was very drunk that day, and relied on Liu Cunliang and Fei Fei to help him walk home. From the day Bao Liang got back 10,000 yuan in cash and hit Fei Fei again, Fei Fei really didn't go to the nightclub to sit on the stage again. Fei Fei also saw that Bao Liang went out to work in the morning and came back at night, and he never lingered outside during the week. When Fei Fei went out to look for work during the day, she also went to the small shop where Bao Liang worked in the antique city to secretly look, Bao Liang was indeed busy in the store, and even relied on people to deliver a box lunch to eat at noon.

From then on, every night, Li Chen and Liu Cunliang had to go out to work, leaving only Baoliang Feifei at home, and the two did not talk much, but the relationship was obviously harmonious. Fei Fei came back early in the evening and would prepare dinner and wait for Baoliang to come back. In those few days, Fei Fei felt that between herself and Bao Liang, there was a little bit of sweetness in the life of a small couple.

Sometimes, at Fei Fei's suggestion, they would also go to the night market together to help Liu Cunliang shout for a while about the shop's business. When there is no business, Fei Fei will also ask Baoliang for advice on work: If you don't let me sit on the stage, I will listen to you, so what do you say I can do? My uncle's side I went to help but only gave food and not money, and I didn't want to go to other places to work as a waiter, working more than ten hours a day to earn four or five hundred yuan a month, even if I went, I would definitely not be able to persevere. Tell me what I can do.

Bao Liang also gave Fei Fei some ideas, but most of them were not practical on paper, such as letting Fei Fei learn a major while she was young, or it was better to find a job with little money but relatively stable and conducive to development. But once Fei Fei asked: What kind of job is that, where to find it? Bao Liang could only blink his eyes and muffled his voice again.

Fei Fei sometimes asks Bao Liang: What will you do in the future, sell antiques for a lifetime in the antique city? Bao Liang also blinked silently. Fei Fei asked: You can only talk about me, why don't you want to learn a skill, the kind of ability that can manage a lifetime? Bao Liang said of course. And he said, "Let's talk about it when I have a chance." Fei Fei smiled: No wonder we don't like to study, or Li Chen is honest, learning is like a man going out to prostitution, and he has to make money and effort, and he is not as comfortable as prostitution, so there are not many people who find hardship. Seeing that Bao Liang didn't answer this, the look on his face seemed to disdain to be compared with her and Li Chen, so he asked Bao Liang soothingly: Didn't you have ideals in the past, why don't you want to now? Bao Liang said: I don't want to go in the future now, I just want to go before. Fei Fei asked: What do you want to think in the past? Bao Liang said: I miss my mother and my sister, I miss my father, and I miss the yard of our family on the edge of the Jianhe River. As soon as Bao Liang said this, his eyes were a little red, Fei Fei smiled slightly, and made up for him: Do you still miss that Zhang Nan? Bao Liang glared at Fei Fei in disgust, got up and left. Fei Fei hurriedly chased after him and apologized: I'm kidding, why are you so unfunny!

Fei Fei is right, Bao Liang also misses Zhang Nan. Zhang Nan has never had any contact with Bao Liang since he asked the tall young man to send money downstairs. Bao Liang wanted to call her, but on both occasions he dialed halfway and finally gave up. The more cherished the person, the more uncertain the heart, the more cautious we must be. Bao Liang thought, perhaps, at this time, it would be more appropriate to wait for Zhang Nan to take the initiative to find him. If Zhang Nan can still tolerate him, he will definitely find him, if not, what is the use of him finding him?

In fact, during the week, Zhang Nan also called Baoliang several times, but he also stopped halfway through the call. She didn't tell her parents about Baoliang's borrowing of money, and of course she wouldn't show it to her cousin. All she could imagine was the expressions on their faces when they heard about it.

Objectively speaking, her disappointment in Baoliang comes largely from being overly wary of him. And that vigilance comes largely from the influence of the family. If you only look at this matter from the perspective of a woman's sensibility, most of the awkwardness in Zhang Nan's heart is not in the borrowing itself, but in the purpose of borrowing money. Bao Liang actually opened his mouth to borrow money from his former girlfriend, which is very funny and reasonable. He didn't want to think about her feelings, she had already forgiven him once about that girl, and he was afraid to avoid this kind of thing. And it's better to say that it is better to borrow it openly, 10,000 yuan is not a great number for Zhang Nan, but for Baoliang, it is by no means a number that can be repaid. This week, Zhang Nan was always thinking aggrievedly, why did she have to pay for that girl?

Although the admonitions of her parents and cousin did not match Zhang Nan's intuition, they said too much, and she also had to worry - perhaps for a poor person, everything he heard and seen and experienced in person since he was a child is indeed inseparable from the anxiety and dreams, hopelessness and desire for material survival. For a person who has habitually put the needs of survival first, for a person whose food and clothing have not yet been satisfied, can he have pure love that transcends material interests, and can he completely separate the pursuit of love from the expectation of material life? Whether consciously or subconsciously, all are completely separated, can he?

In the second week after the break from contact with Baoliang, on the afternoon of the weekend, Zhang Nan drove to the antique city. She found the porcelain shop where Bao Liang worked on the third floor, and she wanted to see Bao Liang from a distance, but she didn't think about whether to go in and meet him. But unexpectedly, the porcelain shop had closed down, the shelves in the store were empty, the door was closed, and the notice of transfer was posted on the door, and judging from the date of payment, it had been posted for only three days.

Zhang Nan drove the car to the alley where Bao Liang lived, and she had driven Bao Liang back here many times at night, but she had never entered this alley. This kind of street and alley where migrant workers and urban poor people live together is not only unfamiliar to Zhang Nan, but also makes her a little frightened.

Zhang Nan didn't think that she had to see Bao Liang today, but Bao Liang always exuded an aura that tempted her to put reason aside for the time being, so that she always wanted to go closer and look, and the more she couldn't look, the closer she had to go, so she actually drove here, and actually got out of the car and walked into this dimly lit narrow alley.

In this alley, where even the smell was unfamiliar, she was bold and asked two passing women, but both of them said that they didn't know what Lu Baoliang was. When asked about the third man, the man pointed to an old brick building not far from the alley and said, "It's the people from Jianning, who live there."

Zhang Nan looked at the brick building from afar, and outside the window of every brick building, the family's tattered and dried vegetables for the winter were drying. The filthy windows shattered her courage to go deeper, and she turned and retreated into the open street and the bright sunlight out of the alley.

She saw at the entrance of the alley that the man who pointed the way just now turned around with a basket of briquettes and took the initiative to greet Zhang Nan: "Didn't you find it?" Then they may have moved out, their house has expired, and the landlord has rented it to someone else. ”

Zhang Nan was a little surprised and asked, "Where did they move to?" ”

The man replied, "I don't know, I moved away." Maybe they went to the night market, where they sell clothes at night. ”

The man walked into the alley, and Zhang Nan walked towards the car. She suddenly had a premonition that maybe she would never see Baoliang again in this life. The boy was just a meteor in her dreams, shining brightly when it passed by, but the traces were too short.

Yes, Baoliang's residence and work have changed, and he doesn't have a mobile phone, if he doesn't look for her anymore, her love will end here, and it will end in vain.

Just for that 10,000 dollars?

In the evening, during dinner, her father suddenly asked her: How is Baoliang doing, are you getting along? Father, like mother, rarely took the initiative to mention Baoliang, perhaps they both thought that her relationship with the boy was just a fleeting passion, which came and went quickly. Maybe it was Zhang Nan's dull face today that made her father a little suspicious, so when asked, she almost blurted out the story of the 10,000 yuan at this moment, but she endured it for a while and endured it.

"Nope." She said, "I'm very busy this time, and we haven't seen each other since your birthday." ”

Before Zhang Nan came to see Bao Liang this weekend, Bao Liang's life had indeed changed a lot. The owner of the porcelain seller finally couldn't hold on, and announced the closure of the shop, and even Baoliang's last month's salary was in arrears for a few days, and Baoliang's unemployment was extremely sudden. There is another thing, although it is not sudden, but it also brings great inconvenience to Baoliang's life, that is, the house that Li Chen rented, finally expired, and the two-month dispute with the landlord came to an end, and Li Chen had no reason not to leave. Similarly, there is no reason why he has to take Baoliang Feifei and Liu Cunliang together. Although they vowed since childhood: "I don't want to be born on the same day, I only want to die on the same day", but they can't "live in the same house no matter who pays for it". Although they also swore an oath: "Share the blessings and share the difficulties", but the righteousness of the brothers can only live and die together, and it is difficult to equal the wealth and the poor.

Li Chen rented another hut outside, although it was also more than ten square meters in size, Li Chen often had to bring the girl back this time, so it was inconvenient to live with his brother again. Liu Cunliang simply moved to his Liangliang fashion store, closed for sleep during the day, and opened for business at night. Fei Fei went back to her uncle's snack bar, and there was a place to stay.

In just one day, Bao Liang lost his job, had no place to live, only a few pieces of loose money in his pocket, and only a few clothes in his luggage that could be changed at any time. Zhang Nan's parents and cousin have always said that the problem of survival, Bao Liang really can't avoid it, and he is so urgent that he overwhelms everything, including love.

In those days, he really didn't think about Zhang Nan anymore, just thinking about where he should live.

On the day of the move, Li Chen and Liu Cunliang both persuaded him to go home quickly: Find your father to kneel and kowtow and admit his mistakes, no matter how he is also your father, you are also his son, what are you competing with your father. Your house has three bedrooms, two living rooms and a big yard, you say you have to be poor with us! Bao Liang lowered his head and said: It's okay, you go yours, I have a way. Fei Fei said: Do you need to come with me to live with my uncle? Bao Liang said no.

Jianning Sanxiong, as well as Fei Fei, went out separately and went their own way.

Bao Liang carried his luggage and wandered the street for a long time. After dark, after repeated ideological struggles, he really got on the bus with his luggage and took the bus home.

The alley of his house is still so quiet, and the street lamp is still on in front of his house. Bao Liang stood in front of the red-lacquered door and hesitated for a long time before raising his hand and knocking lightly.