birthday

Gu Tianqing drank to the third round in the tavern facing the street, and the beer bottles on the ground had been stacked several layers. The store manager grabbed his shoulders, leaned over with a pig's liver-colored face, and spat splashed: "We Xiao Gu, although the business is numb, the people are still good, honest, and the appearance is also thoughtful, it's been so long, you little girls don't know how to take the initiative, ah, I've said it all here, consciously conscious!" Well———— Tian Yu! Here you go! The store manager stretched out his chopsticks and knocked on the cup, Tian Yu, who was named, straightened the hem of his skirt, shook his hair and stood up, his charming eyes swept to a piece, and finally focused on Gu Tianqing's body.

"Brother......

"Brother, brother, do it all over again, kiss the hot spot."

"How to be affectionate, people won't."

"Yo hehe, I know you too well, hurry up, or I'll be fined three more glasses."

"Punishment is punishment, you have to make it clear, Tianqing is usually mysterious, is there a target in the end, let's not do anything to snatch love."

"Ouch Tian Yu, you still can't call it, the household registration has been checked, is it going to be directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow?"

"Xiao Gu, you hurry up, is there a happy word, the girl is still waiting!"

“…………”

The corners of Gu Tianqing's slender eyes were flushed, and she staggered to support the table, and fell back because of her unstable center of gravity, and her clumsy appearance made the table laugh. "I, I'm ......" he muttered vaguely, and before he could make up a whole sentence, the mobile phone on the table suddenly rang, Tian Yu looked at it, and raised his eyebrows: "Ah, there is a special alarm clock for birthdays?" - No, isn't it half a year before your birthday? It can't be a girlfriend, right? ”

Gu Tianqing put her mobile phone in her trouser pocket: "...... No...... Probably accidentally pressed the wrong one. ”

"Don't worry about this, Tian Yu, don't talk about a girlfriend, this kid doesn't have a female cat around, I'll testify to you. Are you happy, change Ming'er and ask Xiao Gu to save your birthday and turn on eight alarm clocks-" The store manager came out with a cup to play a round: "Xiao Gu, you see that people and girls are not happy, why don't you hurry up and drink a penny." ”

"I drink, I drink." Gu Tianqing stood up, took the cup and poured it down, Tian Yu smiled, and before he could say anything, he saw him bow his head sharply and vomit himself.

It's all like this, it's not appropriate to mention any more refills, Tian Yu was busy wiping the hem of his dress, and he didn't even want to send him back, and finally Gu Tianqing was stuffed into a taxi with all his hands and feet, and he was only panting in the back seat.

"Master, please send it to Building 12, Xinmin District 3, Zhongzheng Street, yes, please look at it." The store manager handed over the money and patted Gu Tianqing's face again: "Hey, are you okay kid?" You'll remember where to stay later, right? ”

"I ...... I'm fine! I—I can still ...... Drink! Drink! Gu Tianqing waved her hand indiscriminately, and was stuffed back by the store manager and slammed the door shut. The taxi started slowly, and just around the corner, Gu Tianqing sat up and pulled out her crumpled blazer.

"Master, please change places."

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, and the man in the back seat had a cold face, not looking drunk at all.

The taxi stopped in front of a small, dilapidated building. Gu Tianqing stepped out of the car door, loosened his tie, lit a lighter, he walked down the spiral stairwell, skillfully avoided the scattered muck and debris, and at the end of the basement, opened a rusty iron door with a key.

The field of vision was dark, but Gu Tianqing knew that there was someone waiting for him inside. The early summer night was already steaming hot, but the man was huddled in a ball with his legs crossed and his shoulders as if he was afraid of the cold. Gu Tianqing stared at the round back of his head, as if he had seen his slightly angry face.

Of course, he won't be angry with him anymore. Just like now, Gu Tianqing walked over and said to him: "The store manager has to drink today, and it's a little late", and he would only reply with that harmless smile: "It's okay." Of course he wasn't okay, the embers of candle after candle on the ground betrayed him.

Gu Tianqing didn't say anything more, turned around and turned on the electric light, and pushed the small air window with iron bars welded on the top of the door. There was a little wind on all sides, and the people on the other side sniffed, and suddenly sneezed, one after another, and their faces were wrinkled as before.

It's been five years, and even a wild dog has been tamed. He shook the chain in his hand and whistled, "Come here." ”

The other party cowered and did not move. His voice cooled a little, and he called again: "Xie Li? ”

This time there was finally movement. Xie Li slowly stretched out one foot to watch him buckle the chain up, tie it to death with a padlock, and then touch the height to put the key on the edge of the air window. The other end of the chain was tied to the exposed water pipe, and he could go anywhere in the room, except the door.

This means that Gu Tianqing will sleep here tonight, and even if he steals his key, he will not be able to get out.

He touched his ankle and didn't make a sound until Gu Tianqing took out a box and handed it to him: "I almost forgot, birthday present." ”

Xie Li's gaze avoided him and stared straight at the ground: "No need." ”

"Let's take it apart and take a look."

"Nope."

Gu Tianqing, who was on the other side, suddenly stood up, Xie Li only realized how tall he was at this time, his straight shoulders and tightened waistline formed an inverted peak, overwhelmingly pressing over, blocking the dim light tightly.

Danger rolled in his throat: "Don't be willful. ”

The brass belt buckle was facing Xie Li's face. He couldn't control his whole body, and his body had already compromised before his spirit.

Seeing him hang his head, Gu Tianqing knew that the victory and defeat had been divided. The atmosphere eased, and he opened the box, which contained an electronic watch. Gu Tianqing held the other party's wrist and wanted to help him put it on, but suddenly touched a hideous scar, he was stunned, and the muscles on his face twitched. Xie Li quietly withdrew his hand, inserted the last candle into the candle tray and lit it: "Hurry up and blow out the candle, there is only the last one left." ”

"On your birthday, why do I blow out candles every year?"

"Because he who blows out the candle can make a wish." Xie Li stretched the candle flame in front of his face: "I have no wishes. ”

"None of them?"

"If I have to say it, it's not to waste my birthday wishes." His hand squeezed forward: "It is said that birthday wishes are very spiritual." Think about it, what if you could win five million? ”

"If you can win five million, I'll let you go," Gu Tianqing laughed, and finally showed a little drunkenness: "Isn't it good, bring money, change your identity, eat whatever you want, go wherever you want, and ......soak in whichever girl you want."

"No kidding."

"It's true, Xie Li." Gu Tianqing seemed to have lost her support, and suddenly lay down on the floor, her black hole-like eyes slowly sinking with consciousness: "You will go, when I finish the last one, one day, one day, one day......"

- Someday. Xie Li extinguished the candle flame with his fingers, revealing a pale smile.

- You've locked me up for 1,826 days.

The repairman replied that there was a problem with the car's engine, and it would be at least three days before it was repaired. Wang Shiqi stepped out of the pastry shop and remembered that it was the evening rush hour, and it was pouring rain, and the taxi basically didn't think about it, and he was holding a huge birthday cake, the fluffy cream collapsed on the yellow and clear cake bottom, and the big red jam pulled out a slender pen: Zheng Yuan Happy birthday.

This delicate but fragile thing is like Zheng Yuan himself now. Zheng Yuan was the most gifted crime journalist he had ever met — and ever. He is smart, sharp, has a sharp intuition, and his grasp of criminal psychology is far above that of ordinary people, if it weren't for his overt and covert assistance, Wang Shiqi would not have risen so quickly and so high. However, a few months ago, Zheng Yuan's wife, his college classmate Ye Zimin, was kidnapped, and Zheng Yuan disappeared on his way to pay the ransom. The kidnapper called, and the two could only live one, and he made the wrong choice, among two equally wrong answers. And this mistake led to the next series of mistakes.

The rain slammed down on the head, and the strong watery smell rushed into the nostrils, as if that day was repeating itself. The same weight in his arms was not cake, it was Zheng Yuan, whom he had dug out of the ground, covered with hideous blunt wounds, mixed with mud, blood and water. The doctor said that his condition was not good, but Wang Shiqi was not worried about those, physical injuries would always heal, he thought, but what about mentally? Zheng Yuan's pride has been completely shattered, and no one can help him fight it up, except for himself.

- But he himself is the one who doesn't want to fix himself the most. Wang Shiqi thought self-deprecatingly, maybe someone else would take care of him, Zheng Yuan would have gone to the other side to reunite with Xiao Ye as he wished, but he didn't allow it. Yes, he is willful, the young master has a temper, and he is very selfish, but he dragged Zheng Yuan to stay in this world, not only because of these.

However, for what purpose, he himself did not understand very well.

Wang Shiqi swayed onto the subway, relying on his height advantage to protect the dark blue cardboard box, while calling home. The bell rang ten times, and finally someone picked it up, but there was no answer, only the sound of breathing, deep and shallow, like the sea in a winter night.

"Hey, that, my car broke down, I have to pick it up, I may have to come back a little later, if you're hungry, eat first, there's something ready in the fridge." Wang Shiqi held the phone between his shoulders and pushed away the passengers rushing over with his elbow: "Did you hear that?" Don't starve yourself, it'll take me at least an hour to get home. ”

“…… Well. "The indistinct monosyllables are like bubbles coming up from the bottom of the sea. Wang Shiqi wanted to say something, but the opposite side was already hanging. He sighed and got off at the next stop.

Zheng Zhiqiu's kindergarten is not far from the police station, and when Xiao Ye and Zheng Yuan chose a place, they had a headache, and there were no good ones at the door of their homes - there were particularly good ones, but they were also very expensive. The little couple has just graduated for less than two years, and it is impossible to say that there is no burden, and in the end it was the board that the godfather Wang Shiqi patted, and found a relationship to add to the full-day kindergarten in the system, the price is fair, someone takes care of it, Xiaoye works in the sub-bureau, and the pick-up and drop-off is also convenient. Unexpectedly, less than a year after enrollment, there were no more people.

Wang Shiqi stepped into the corridor on the second floor, half an hour late, the children were all picked up, and there was only one fat boy lying next to the table building blocks in the empty classroom. ”

"Uncle is busy." Wang Shiqi scooped him up and rode him around his neck, and carried the cake to show him: "There is an apology, we know our favorite." ”

"I'm not called Zheng Zhiqiu, my name is Zheng Zhiqiu." The boy laughed, hugged his head, and went out together: "What a big cake." ”

"You can eat so much, of course you have to buy a bigger one." Wang Shiqi raised his hand and pinched his buttocks: "Your father and I want to eat too." ”

"Raw...... ...... day" Zheng Zhiqiu craned his neck to look down, stumbling through the plastic film on the top of the box: "Whose birthday?" My birthday? ”

"You're still early, it's your dad."

"Does Daddy have a birthday?"

"Of course, everyone has a birthday."

"Does the dead man have a birthday?"

Wang Shiqi frowned, quickly put the person down, and held his shoulder to stare tightly: "Why did you suddenly say this." ”

"Daddy said it." Zheng Zhiqiu was naïve: "Dad said that he is dead." ”

"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense." Cold sweat oozed from Wang Shiqi's forehead: "Isn't he living a good life, he loves to joke." ”

Zheng Zhiqiu didn't give up: "But that's what Dad said." Dad said, Mom is dead, he is dead, and your house is his grave. ”

Wang Shiqi's throat tightened, he didn't speak, and after a while, he took Zheng Zhiqiu's hand: "...... Let's go back, Daddy is still waiting for us to eat." ”

The next day, Wang Shiqi carried back a bulging bag, opened it with a bang, and dumped it in front of Zheng Yuan.

Zheng Yuanren shrank on the carpet, a little painful from being hit by the falling things. He twisted one from his knees and squinted at the sunlight—letters, enveloped in envelopes, stamp-encased letters, one after another, probably hundreds.

"I know that I have sent it away, and the doctor said that you can't be idle all the time, and it's easy to think cranky. So I went to the newspaper office today, and Director Zhuo said, although I can't write it, but it's okay to help take a look, this is a letter from your readers, and you can finish it within three days. Looking at Zheng Yuan's frowning brows, Wang Shiqi crossed his waist nonchalantly: "You can not do it, it's nothing, it's just that the old leader looks a little bad on his face." ”

Then he went to the kitchen and boiled the dishes, making the pot rattle. Zheng Yuan sat alone for a while, and finally raised his hand to tear open an envelope.

"Today is also a day of lockup."

The first sentence made his eyelids jump. He rubbed his eyes and double-flipped through the letter and envelope to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Dowling paper with horizontal latticework, with uneven edges, as if scrawled from some exercise book, blue ballpoint pen handwriting, ink oil is of inferior quality, because it has not dried for a long time, and there are marks everywhere by the palm of the hand where the writing is rubbed. A six-cent local stamp with no sender, only a scribbled address on the envelope.

It was probably sent to the literary edition. He shook his head, although he had never worked in that department, he had heard a lot of complaints when he ate in the cafeteria. The central idea is eight words: self-styled master, disease-free**.

Idle is idle, and he continued to read.

“…… During the day he gave me a goldfish, and of course the fish tank also has it, isn't that nonsense? Fish need a fish tank, otherwise they can't go ashore from the river, but on the other hand, fish are also locked up in a fish tank, right? For fish, is the tank a cage or a protection?

Ah, speaking of which, I don't know the sex of this fish yet, is it her? However, if there is only one fish, it doesn't matter if he or she is her, if the fish tank is a world, and the little fish is the only person in this world, whether it is a man or a woman, what is the difference?

I wish it was the weekend. When I was studying, I looked forward to the weekend the most, I could skip classes, watch TV, and do whatever I wanted. Now, every day is the same, and I don't feel like the weekend anymore.

If you think about it this way, a week is also a kind of cage. I was locked up for seven days, seven days, and another seven days, five days at work, two days off, and although the first five days were very sad, because there were two days off for them, just like being in prison and letting off steam, I could continue to be locked up for five days.

But fish can't be let out of the wind, and neither can I. ”

The scribbled handwriting ends here, like an inexplicable beginning, inexplicably ending. Zheng Yuan didn't give up and took out the letter, it was empty, and he didn't even sign it.

What is this, prose? Novel? Essay? The content is not nutritious, and the writing is mediocre, just like a primary school student's diary. But as if something had been poked in his heart, Zheng Yuan suddenly wanted to see if this person had anything else to send over.

He rummaged through the pile of letters. Most of them are very similar in appearance, and the stamps are similar, complaining about bursting water pipes, reporting tax evasion by bosses, participating in crossword puzzles, writing novels and reading impressions, sending newspapers and everything, Lala's miscellaneous provincial life spreads out in front of him, steaming out illusory fireworks - no, maybe not, because Wang Shiqi has already served a plate of fried hairtail fish.

"Let's eat." He said that there was a subtle relaxation in his expression, probably confirming that he had really started to "do" something, and that it was a matter of raising flowers, taking care of children, or starting work again. There was a kind of firmness in his outstretched hand that could not be refused, and Zheng Yuan was pulled to his feet, snowflakes of envelopes fluttering down from his body.