8.

The song "The Ambi......tion of the Bird" is the mobile phone ringtone set by Tao Qiwu, and suddenly it rang, and he sat up with a spirit, and his elbow knocked down the empty wine bottle on the table, and the wine bottle spun on the table.

Tao Qiwu found the phone, and when he saw that the call was his girlfriend Ma Ting's number, he picked it up.

"Why didn't you answer several phone calls?" Ma Ting complained.

"I just squinted."

"I have something for you." Ma Ting sighed.

"I have something for you, too."

"Then let's talk about it first......" Ma Ting said casually.

"I'm quitting today."

There was no reply on the other end of the phone, and Ma Ting's breathing could be faintly heard.

The two were silent, there was no light in the house, Tao Qiwu took the phone and looked at the lights of the residents in the opposite building outside the window.

"We've been together for four years, haven't we? You always ...... like this" Ma Ting laughed, and after a while, she stopped laughing and asked, "When can you marry me?" ”

This time, he didn't talk to Tao Qiwu, he really didn't know how to answer.

Ma Ting's parents did not agree with their relationship, as the saying goes, "the door is right", and they are definitely "the door is not the right family": the woman's parents are diligent in business and have a solid family. Moreover, the Ma family is huge, in addition to doing business and trading, there are also those who work in government departments. Relatives are either business owners or doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Family gatherings have to be set up for four or five tables.

In contrast, Tao Qiwu's family is obviously not a "big" family. Although Tao Qiwu's father is a bit official, in the final analysis, he is a laid-off cadre in a dismantling factory. No matter how high the heart of the laid-off cadres is, it is useless to be arrogant. The Tao family doesn't have any relatives who are bullish and coaxing.

Tao Qiwu followed his father's character, and he was also arrogant.

For example, he can't give a flattery, a beard, a sycophant or something, and he can't coax Ma Ting's parents to be happy, and he doesn't have a decent job.

Tao Qiwu is even more ashamed of himself than Ma Ting's eldest brother-in-law and second brother-in-law, one of whom is the owner of a hotel, and the other is the manager of a state-owned enterprise department.

But Ma Ting just likes Tao Qiwu, because Tao Qiwu has a sense of justice, and she also firmly believes that Tao Qiwu can realize his dream: to become a novelist.

Both of them love literature.

But the reality is very cruel, Tao Qiwu's submissions have been lost again and again, and he has to live in this society, he has to work to make money. In the course of his monthly salary, his inspiration gradually faded from him, and his worldview continued to crumble.

Dreams are dreams, and dreams may not come true.

Ma Ting slowly recognized the reality, she no longer expects anything else, she just wants to marry Tao Qiwu. But Tao Qiwu didn't have a car or a house, and when the parents met for the first time, something happened again: Tao Qiwu's father was choked by the domineering position of the Ma family, and changed from supporting his son to opposing his son marrying Ma Ting.

The self-esteem of the poor is sometimes really ridiculous, but the poor are poor and only have self-esteem.

"Fifth brother, I'm really tired." Ma Ting said calmly on the other end of the phone: "What I want to tell you is that let's separate." ”

Tao Qiwu's chest seemed to have been hit hard by something, and he couldn't speak.

"I know you're tired because of our relationship. I thought about it for a long time, maybe it would be good for both of us to separate. After Ma Ting finished speaking, both ends of the phone fell silent at the same time, only the sound of the two of them breathing.

"You'll be happier when you're separated." After a long time, Tao Qiwu broke the silence, shook his hand holding the phone, and said with a smile: "Thank you for giving me the best time, thank you for accompanying me through the ...... of spring, autumn, winter and summer."

Ma Ting also "giggled", sighed and said, "What you said is so sour!" Don't write with me! I'm looking for a job when it's gone! Don't get angry! I believe in you, as long as you persist, you can do well! After a pause, he said, "I didn't break up with you because you didn't have a job!" ”

"yes, I know."

"After separation, we all have to move forward happily." Ma Ting said leisurely: "Let's say goodbye, you rest early, pay attention to your body, and drink less." ”

"Okay, goodbye."

"That'...... Good bye. ”

9.

Busy phone tone.

I spent ten years persisting in the same "dream": to write a novel, to tell a story, a story that can be passed on after I die.

In China, with a population of more than one billion, many people are dreaming of this "dream", but how many have succeeded?

Whether it is plagiarism to become famous, or hard work, this is an extremely difficult road.

I persevered for ten years, using the pen as an oar, paddling hard in the sea of words, the wind and waves were very strong and everywhere was dark, I just paddled like this, and when I was tired, I went with the flow, but I never saw the light of day.

When I was a child, I was willing to tell stories, and I liked my friends to surround me and listen to me carefully.

Now that I'm getting older, the world is finally going to shatter my dreams.

But I don't want to wake up.

But I still have to live, I want to make money to make ends meet, and I want to give my beloved a home, which I can't do by sitting at a table and fiddling with words.

My mind is messed up and my heart is beating wildly and I want to vent!

The smell of beer fills the air.

I think I'm being hypocritical again.

Shall I continue to persevere?

10.

Tao Qiwu, who was sitting in front of the computer, stopped on the keyboard, and the last line of words on the document: Do you want to stick to it?

"Do you want to keep going?"

Tao Qiwu stared at the sentence he typed, and suddenly found that the word "don't" was getting weaker and weaker.

In the end, it becomes "Keep going." ”

Tao Qiwu rubbed his eyes, his hands didn't move, but the words disappeared out of thin air?

He closed his eyes again and shook his head, then opened his eyes again and the words "Do you want to keep going?" ”

Tao Qiwu took a deep breath, picked up the beer next to the computer and took a sip.

"Honghu's ambition is thousands of miles......" The mobile phone rang again, Tao Qiwu looked at the time 23:24, thinking that who would call so late.

When I picked up the phone, I saw the phone number in Beijing, and I picked it up suspiciously and said "Hey".

"Tao Qiwu! Guess who I am!? "On the other end of the line was a man with a crisp warbler's voice.

Few men speak tactfully and softly, and the phoenix cries.

"Cao Chengrui!" Tao Qiwu blurted out, excitedly couldn't help himself: "What the hell are you doing!" Where have you been in the past six months? You didn't say to give me a call! I thought you were dead? ”

After the words, my heart tightened.

"In the future, don't talk about the word death, it's unlucky."

11.

Eleven years ago, Cao Chengrui and Tao Qiwu met.

The two studied in the same vocational college, Tao Qiwu learned CNC technology, and Cao Chengrui learned the broadcast host.

These two people are both interested in writing, and they both joined the literary club and the drama club, but they didn't expect to hit it off and talk very well.

As long as there is a chance, the two of them will drink and skewer, talk nonsense, and fart at that time, they are really worried about the new words, and they think they are literati. Essays, poems, and drama scripts can be written whatever comes to mind.

Five years later, on the occasion of graduation and internship, Cao Chengrui carried a wine bottle in his bag, patted Tao Qiwu on the shoulder at the dinner and said: "My ambition is in the sea of stars!" I'm leaving today! The pen points to the whole country! Yes! See you soon, friend! Yes! See you soon, friend! ”

"Awesome!" Tao Qiwu was drunk in a daze, and he didn't quite understand what Cao Chengrui meant, but he woke up the next day and realized that Cao Chengrui was already on the train to Guangzhou.

Since then, Cao Chengrui has been working while carrying out his so-called "travel", and he always said on the phone that he was "collecting style" and collecting materials. He said it, but he never published a decent work, but he did publish a few short stories in third-rate magazines.

The two can only see each other every year on May Day and Spring Festival, but the phone contact has basically not been broken.

In Cao Chengrui's words: Good buddies don't need to be in contact frequently, only wine and meat friends soak together every day.

A few years later, at a Spring Festival gathering, Cao Chengrui drank a lot of wine, and kept saying that it was not easy to mix in other places, and he was holding on to his dreams and was ridiculed. He said that others ridiculed him for "talking about dreams of fools", saying that he didn't know that he was half a pound and eight taels, and that he couldn't achieve anything.

has been swaying for several years, no money has been earned, no fame has been earned, the family is terrible, exaggerated and even "ashamed" of it.

"You're better than me."

Tao Qiwu, who was also drunk, said repeatedly.

Both of them drank too much that time, and almost fell on the side of the street and froze into dead dogs, thanks to Ma Ting for finding these two people.

About half a year ago, Cao Chengrui told Tao Qiwu on the phone that he was going to go back to Songbai, but he didn't know that there would be no news after saying this.

At this time, Tao Qiwu complained to Cao Chengrui on the other end of the phone: "Why are you in Beijing? What the hell have happened to you in the past six months? Didn't you say you were coming back? ”

"Oh, don't mention it, I will take the high-speed train at 2 o'clock in the morning, and I will arrive at Songbai at 8:45 tomorrow morning, you remember to pick me up at the West Railway Station, and we will meet and say." After Cao Chengrui finished speaking, he instructed again: "Don't forget to pick me up!" I've taken a lot of stuff! And tomorrow arrange for me to eat Tonghua sauerkraut hot pot! ”

"Alright, grind and chirp! Be safe! ”

Tao Qiwu set the alarm for the next day, put down his mobile phone, rubbed his eyes and yawned.

He didn't have time to turn off his computer before he collapsed on the bed.

For the first time in a month, he fell asleep.

12.

"The ambition of the bird is thousands of miles......"

Tao Qiwu was woken up by the ringtone of the mobile phone, took the mobile phone sleepily, and picked up the phone as soon as he saw that the call was Cao Chengrui's Beijing number, and before he could say anything, he heard Cao Chengrui shouting at the other end: "Didn't you tell you to pick me up!?" What are you doing? ”

"What's that?" Tao Qiwu looked at the time: 11:27.

"Where are you now?" Cao Chengrui asked angrily.

Tao Qiwuyi toothed Huazi and said, "I'm still at home, and I've overslept." ”

"Your sister!" Cao Chengrui screamed: "I know!! You'll come downstairs and pick me up in about ten minutes! I'm almost downstairs in a taxi! ”

"Okay!"

Tao Qiwu slept really comfortably this night, hung up the phone, got up from the bed, stretched, washed his face and went downstairs.

After a while, I saw a red and yellow old Jetta stopped at the entrance of the alley at the head of the building, and then a person came down from the co-pilot, about 1.78 meters tall, with some "self-curls" over the ears, with a pair of black-framed round glasses, wearing a navy blue Chinese-style undershirt with a buckle neckline, wheat-colored cotton and linen cropped pants, and black cloth shoes.

Cao Chengrui took out two suitcases from the trunk of the Jetta, one large and one small, and as soon as he closed the trunk, the driver jumped out with one foot on the accelerator.

Tao Qiwu saw Cao Chengrui from a distance, stamped his foot, pointed at the taxi that was gone, and scolded: "Your grandma has a leg!" Didn't ask me for money! Rushing to reincarnate?! ”

The driver must have heard the scolding, but the taxi naturally had no intention of stopping, and as soon as it turned around at the mouth of the alley, it drove to Yuanda Road.

Tao Qiwu hurriedly greeted him, patted Cao Chengrui's shoulder and comforted: "Don't calm down." ”

Cao Chengrui turned his head, his little eyes were bloodshot, he raised his hand and rubbed his throat again, rubbed his nose and gritted his teeth, and said, "I remind you not to forget to pick me up, don't forget to pick me up, how are you, sleep?" Why don't you go to sleep! After saying that, he stretched out his hand to hit.

"Let me tell you, don't you want to compare with me, I really don't care about your one hundred and thirty or forty pounds." Tao Qiwu grinned and said, "Hurry up upstairs, you can make up for your sleep, and let's eat sauerkraut pot in the evening." ”

After saying that, Tao Qiwu reached out to carry the suitcase, but he didn't even lift it when he mentioned it, and couldn't help frowning and asked, "What is this stuffing?" The bricks you pulled back from Beijing? ”

"Fuck off, it's all my baby." Cao Chengrui said as he pulled his suitcase and walked towards the unit door.

It took a lot of effort for the two of them to get the box upstairs, Cao Chengrui was not polite, opened the refrigerator and found a bottle of beer, poured two sips with his teeth, and then walked to the bedroom, saying as he walked: "I'll sleep first, this car is noisy, I can't sleep at all." ”

"Let's go." Tao Qiwu spoke, put the suitcase on the ground and said, "I'll see what you have brought, it's dead." ”

"You say you're a man! Why do you have to rummage through other people's things! I'm telling you, look at it, don't mess with me. After Cao Chengrui finished speaking, he turned on the electric fan casually, tidied up the mat on the bed, pulled the clothes and pants that Tao Qiwu had taken off to the ground, and lay down upside down.

"Yes!" Tao Qiwu agreed to open the slightly smaller ones in the two suitcases, which contained clothes, laptops, toiletries, and other miscellaneous things.

Then he opened another large suitcase, a stack of manuscripts and notebooks, and a portable hard drive, and at the bottom of the box were pressed one back after another of old magazines.

Tao Qiwu casually took out a manuscript paper and opened it, and there was a mess of writing in it.

I flipped through a few more books, the pages were yellowed, and the handwriting was shallow, obviously something old.

Looking at it, a smile appeared on Tao Qiwu's face, and old things came to mind.

If nothing else, the mobile hard drive must also be the messy text he wrote.

This product won't be taken wherever it goes for so many years, right? Tao Qiwu thought to himself.

"You wrote it?" Tao Qiwu turned around and said to the bedroom.

Cao Chengrui snorted and replied: "It's not all written by me!" And what you wrote! Don't disturb my sleep! ”

"And what I wrote?" Tao Qiwuyi was stunned, and there was a snoring sound in the bedroom.

13.

At noon, the sun was still scorching, but I didn't expect that it was just after one o'clock in the afternoon, and the whole sky suddenly became gloomy.

Tao Qiwu read a few books and closed the box, his face was not very good.

At this time, I only felt slimy, and it was humid and stuffy this day, but I hoped that there would be a rain to cool down and refresh. He thought about walking to the bathroom, taking off his shirt and pants and turning on the faucet, ready to take a shower.

Just as I was about to take off my pants, my phone rang again.

When I picked it up, I saw that it was the number of Xiao Lu of the unit, and after picking it up and saying two sentences, I understood the general meaning: the director asked you to go through the resignation procedures, and then take away your personal belongings.

Tao Qiwu promised to go tomorrow morning, so he hung up the phone.

In the evening, Tao Qiwu nested on the sofa and watched TV, and raised his eyes to look at the wall clock on the wall: 18:45.

Cao Chengrui, who was in the bedroom, stretched his waist and walked out, yawned and said, "Let's go, pack up and eat hot pot." ”

"Do you really have to eat hot pot on a hot day?" Tao Qiwu turned his head to look at Cao Chengrui.

"You don't understand this, sweat after eating hot, and then find a bath to sweat and steam, how cool it is for the two of us to bubble in the pool! I still want to cut my head! ”

Tao Qiwu smiled and nodded, stood up and moved his muscles and bones, scratched his waist and went to the bedroom to find his socks.

The two of them went out for a stroll to Labor Park, and it was cool when the evening breeze blew.

After chatting along the way, I came to the door of the hot pot restaurant after ten minutes.

The flashing neon changes color, and the bright red words on the signboard are "Jincaitong Sauerkraut Hot Pot".

A few waitresses were busy going in and out.

One of the chubby waitresses saw Tao Qiwu and Cao Chengrui and hurriedly greeted and arranged seats.

The two picked a table under the tree outside the store, and ordered the bottom of the sauerkraut pot, square meat, green vegetables and yam tablets, interphase fat beef Inner Mongolia lamb, dried tofu Zhujiang noodles, fish balls cut crab and shrimp crawlers, old vinegar spinach peanuts, sugar mixed persimmons and cucumbers, a box of dry beer and a pot of barley tea.

In the blink of an eye, the cups and plates were lined up, and the copper pot was placed in the middle. The pot is boiling and the heat rises, first cut the crab and shrimp crawlers, and then the sauerkraut and the sauerkraut and the meat are boiled in the pot together, and the oil and water float up and then "goo" with the sauerkraut, and the aroma is fragrant.

"Are we ordering too much?" Tao Qiwu opened two bottles of beer, handed one to Cao Chengrui, picked it up and poured it himself, looked at the carbon chief of the copper pot and muttered: "You have to be careful with this pot, or you don't burn someone to death." ”

Cao Chengrui put a few slices of meat into the pot, shook the chopsticks, mixed the sesame paste, bean curd and leek flowers in a small bowl, and took a spoonful of the store's own fried chili oil, then put the chopsticks on the plate and said slowly: "That's more?" You don't know how much I want to eat this bite outside, and I can't dream about it. After thinking about it, he said: "There are also Zhang Jiawei's barbecue, roast pork knuckles, dry and spicy, chicken cakes and hanging oven potatoes." ”

"Okay, don't talk about it, let's go have a barbecue tomorrow night." Tao Qiwu grinned, stretched out his chopsticks and sandwiched all the meat slices that Cao Chengrui put in the pot into his plate.

Cao Chengrui pursed his lips, picked up the plate containing the meat, and put the whole plate of meat into the hot pot.

"How have you been in the past six months? By the way, why didn't you bring Ma Ting over to eat together? Cao Chengrui picked up the beer and took a sip of it and asked.

Tao Qiwu didn't speak, staring at the heat coming out of the hot pot.

It took a long time for Cao Chengrui to realize that Tao Qiwu was wrong, coughed, raised the wine bottle and motioned Tao Qiwu to touch one.

Tao Qiwu picked up the wine bottle, knocked lightly with Cao Chengrui, and raised his head to take a big sip.

"Let's talk about it." Cao Chengrui put down the wine bottle and looked at Tao Qiwu.

"Hmm." Tao Qiwu answered and took another sip, and told Cao Chengrui about what happened in the hospital and Ma Ting's breakup with him.

Cao Chengrui listened quietly, did not interject or move chopsticks, and took a big sip with Tao Qiwu from time to time with a wine bottle.

Listening carefully is the best comfort in itself.

For a long time, Tao Qiwu stopped talking, and his eyes were stunned. By this time, the two had already drunk six bottles of beer each.

Cao Chengrui raised his hand and looked at his watch, 20:03.

The wine was drunk quickly and urgently. Cao Chengrui touched the stubble on his chin and said slowly: "If you don't come to Tailai, things will be reversed, don't take it seriously, you can pass." ”

Tao Qiwu laughed when he heard this, and he remembered that he himself had said the same thing to Da Liu's daughter-in-law: they can all pass.

So can you really get by?

"Don't just talk about me, didn't you say you were coming back half a year ago? Why did you go to Beijing? ”

"There are benefits to walking around! I'll tell you! But as long as there are some 'Taoist' writers, he is not behind closed doors, and he doesn't go out of place, you also understand this. ”

Cao Chengrui took a piece of meat and dipped it in a dipping bowl, put it in his mouth and said while chewing: "Even if you want to write a fantasy novel, you can't just make it up at home without knowing anything."

If you want to be a well-known writer, you need to have some experience, right? You need to have some miscellaneous knowledge, right? You've got to read a certain amount of it, right?

The ancients all said, 'Read 10,000 books and travel 10,000 miles', I agree with it, only in this way can I do a good job.

What else do you do besides doing that? That's the wind! What is the collection of style? It is the collection of customs and customs everywhere, and the collection of interesting stories from all over the world! This is the source of everything and creation!

The stories of Liaozhai are all made up by Pu Songling himself?

Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales were all made up by himself?

I can tell you responsibly here, no famous writer who knows how to make up stories by himself is bored, and he doesn't know how to make up anything? More or less he has to have some material, whether he hears it or reads classic ancient books. He didn't make up our four famous books out of thin air. ”

Tao Qiwu looked at Cao Chengrui with chopsticks open his mouth, just like when he first met more than ten years ago, talking about things and talking eloquently.

"I said, can you get to the point? I ask you why you went to Beijing!" Tao Qiwu swallowed and foamed.

"That's all about it!" Cao Chengrui helped his glasses and said.

"yes, you mean it's a? Let's talk about it next! Tao Qiwu was still depressed just now, and now he has regressed by seven points after listening to Cao Chengrui's nonsense.

"If you want to write about the Ming Dynasty, you can't check the official history of the Ming Dynasty and collect wild history? And they have to take ancient and modern maps and compare them with each other; If you want to write about the grievances of the Qing Palace, you have to go through the history of the Qing Dynasty and the secret history of the court! If you don't have the conditions to create conditions, you have to go to the capital to see the monuments, right? Otherwise, the thing written by the donkey is not the same as the horse's mouth, but it is enough for the common people to laugh, and it is absolutely impossible to become a classic.

Besides, if you want to write a realistic theme, if you want to write a story of the struggle of young people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, you have never even been to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, you have not squeezed the subway to catch the Spring Festival, and you have never lived in the alley alley tube building, can you read the thing you wrote? You haven't experienced what you can do? Sitting in the room and making it up?

The annual salary of college students after graduation is hundreds of thousands, not nothing, but whoever looks at it will say nonsense.

Of course, I'm a bit extreme about this, mainly to make you understand what I mean. ”

Cao Chengrui took a sip of wine after speaking.

Tao Qiwu clicked his lips: "Big brother, I obey you!" I'll admit you're talking about the point, right? But can you tell us what you've been doing in Beijing for half a year? ”

Cao Chengrui put down the beer bottle: "I added a QQ exchange group with writers a few years ago. They are all writers who are not famous or popular, and everyone exchanges experiences every day, advertises, and praises each other's stinky feet. He lifted his glasses and continued, "I met a girl named 'Bell Girl' in the group......

"Is that the girl called Bell'er, or is she just called 'Bell's Girl'?" Tao Qiwu was completely uninterested.

"Don't you interrupt, okay?" Cao Chengrui was intoxicated, and was interrupted by Tao Qiyi's question, and said angrily.

Tao Qiwu nodded while drinking.

"Ling'er herself is also very beautiful, with long black hair up to her waist, melon seed face, a smile and two dimples, a pair of watery eyes, very white skin, a well-proportioned body and beautiful legs." Cao Chengrui couldn't help but close his eyes and continued to revel in.

Tao Qiwu sighed, knocked on the table with a beer bottle and said, "Don't say it, I don't want to hear it." ”

Cao Chengrui opened his eyes and coughed, and said with a smile on the corner of his mouth: "Anyway, it's beautiful, we can talk, and she agrees with my idea, we both think that if you want to write a good article, you must travel thousands of miles, read thousands of books, and go through hundreds of things." Half a year ago, she suddenly sent me a WeChat message saying that she wanted to see me. ”

"I know, you must have gone to Beijing to find her." Tao Qiwu slapped his chopsticks on the table and said with a smile: "You look at you for a long time!" You directly said that you went to Beijing to find a girl, isn't it over? ”

Cao Chengrui looked at Tao Qiwu and said seriously: "Yes, I'm going to find a sister." ”

"Borrow light! Let's let yo! Be careful that the pot is hot! ”

The carbon chief held the hot copper pot and shouted.

Preview: Tao 75 -End-