Book 1: Long time no see

Above all, thou shalt guard thy heart, for the fruit of life proceeds from the heart.

Liu Mianmian sat by the window of the cabin, the light outside the window was very strong, and the white clouds floated like cotton in the boundless blue sky.

She is the least fond of flying, the security check is troublesome, the tinnitus is terrible, some airlines still sell things on the plane, and more importantly, she thinks that people should also die on the ground, if they fall from a height of 10,000 meters, their souls will be scattered.

The three of them on this trip, except for Liu Mianmian, who came to relax, the other two Yang Jing and Dong Chao all came to inspect with official business.

Yang Jing has been in the business of processing and reselling medicinal materials in recent years, and Dong Chao has run two private gas stations in the mainland, with idle funds in hand, and the two have been trying to develop a new business.

Yang Jing is sitting next to Liu Mianmian at the moment, she is forty-six years old this year, but her long hair is black and smooth, and she is sleeping with her neck on her back at the moment.

Four hours later, the plane arrived at Qingyu Airport, and the person who picked up the plane was Yang Jing's friend Lao Qian, who was an authentic Qingyu man, looking to be in his forties, wearing an ear protection cap on his head, and ran over to shake hands with the three of them while sighing.

The destination of their trip was Feng County, which is more than 600 kilometers away from Qingyu City, and the border is sparsely populated, and the transportation is naturally backward compared with the mainland.

Go until dark, and finally enter the territory of Feng County, there is a security check at the intersection that must pass, and the vehicle will enter according to the instructions. A tall policeman with deep eye sockets came over wearing body armor and carrying a gun, stood outside the car window and looked at them, looked around, fixed his eyes on Liu Mianmian in the back row, and asked, "Age?" ”

“28。” She replied honestly.

"Where did it come from? What are you doing here? Deep eye sockets continued to cross-examine.

Yang Jing next to her hurriedly came over and explained: "We are from the mainland, and we are invited by Feng County to visit a project, and by the way, visit our beautiful prairie!" ”

Deep eye sockets glanced around and said: "Except for the driver, the rest of the people got out of the car and lined up, and after the security check, they handed over their ID cards and waited for review." ”

Every time they pass through a territory, they have to get off the bus to undergo security checks, even gas stations have to be inspected and audited, and the security guards and staff are also fully armed, which makes the three people who have been living in the mainland feel inexplicably depressed and unfree, and feel that they are really a bit of a soldier.

Lao Qian explained while driving: "The work of 'maintaining stability' should be effectively implemented, what are you afraid of if you are troublesome, don't worry about this meeting, this is the border, and naturally put safety and stability in the first place, which is also the protection of us, just like the Internet said, the years are quiet, because they are moving forward with a load!" ”。

The three of them smiled and nodded their heads in succession.

All the way, I finally arrived at my destination in the middle of the night - Feng County. The local reception was Li Li, section chief of the investment information department of China Merchants Bureau, who drove a white Lavida with double flashes and waited for them at the intersection of the necessary road to enter the county.

When the car drove to the side of Langyi, Yang Jing lowered the window and waved her hand happily to say hello: "Lao Li!" ”

Lao Li smiled and leaked a mouthful of white teeth, beckoning someone to follow him.

Then the car turned into a restaurant, as soon as they entered the door, the restaurant owner pulled down the security door, everyone was puzzled, Lao Li smiled and said: "Here is a rule that it is not allowed to open after 12 o'clock in the evening, it must be closed, this shop is I said hello in advance." ”

After hearing this, everyone was not polite, so they sat down with Lao Li's arrangement. The waiter then served everyone a bowl of local meatball soup, of course, not a clear soup meatball from the mainland, but more like a bowl of meat.

The nearly eight-hour drive made Liu Mianmian's stomach and stomach bulging and hard at the moment, and he really couldn't eat at the moment, Lao Li persuaded with a smile: "Let's eat some, breakfast here won't start until nine o'clock." ”

Liu Mianmian nodded obediently, drank the soup, and drank a lot of tea.

The next day, several people who were entangled in official business went to the bureau for a meeting early in the morning, leaving Liu Mianmian, who was bored, lying in the hotel room watching TV. After two o'clock in the afternoon, Yang Jing called: "Mianmian, go downstairs!" ”

When everyone drove to the edge of the county, the snow on both sides of the street looked a little dirty, and the county looked similar to a small town in the mainland. Low houses, muddy courtyards, but a seemingly inconspicuous gate turned in with the footsteps but there was another world, Lao Li happily beckoned everyone to take a seat. The courtyard of the hotel is very large, covered with carpets, halal-style buildings, raising some green plants, and a young man with a round face and big eyes and dark skin shyly walked in to pour tea.

The food on the border is quite good, the beef and mutton are fragrant but not greasy, the methods are diverse, the meat eaten here is more than Liu Mianmian eats in the mainland in January, and the fruit is also very sweet. Liu Mianmian especially likes to drink sweet eight-treasure tea, which is colorful in the cup, soaked over and over again, and can also drive away cold and replenish qi and blood.

The private room was slightly crowded, the main seat was still empty, and there were also reservations on both sides, obviously waiting for the three important guests.

A table of people was chatting hotly, a hearty, smiling apology made everyone hurriedly stand up, Liu Mianmian also stood up politely, turned around and saw a tall and fat man in his fifties walking in with a stomach and laughing, Yang Jing and a few people hurriedly greeted him, pulled a chair while shaking hands, and called the person Sang Zong.

Mr. Sang was followed by two assistants, a man and a woman, Liu Mianmian followed everyone's eyes, and when he saw the "male assistant", he was like five thunderbolts in an instant, and he was stunned instantly!

I saw the "male assistant" nodding and greeting everyone with a smile, and when his eyes stayed on Liu Mianmian, a look of surprise spread on his face, and he turned pale in an instant. After a pause for a few seconds, he quickly adjusted himself, walked to his seat, took off his black down jacket freely, and put his hand on the back of the chair.

He wore a gray crewneck sweater and a pair of shiny brown business leather boots under navy blue jeans.

Mr. Sang enthusiastically introduced: "This is the manager of Wenzi Qiwen of the management department of Lihua Machinery Company, and this beauty is my assistant Chen Qing." Don't be polite, sit down, sit down, it's all your own people. ”

After the greetings, the staggered planning, the wine was strong, a table of people complimented each other and joked, only Liu Mianmian was left alone to bury her head in the bitter food, she choked on the chili pepper in the spicy chicken and coughed and shed tears, Yang Jing hurriedly handed her water, and the person next to her handed her tissues, Liu Mianmian covered her mouth and said apologetically: "I'll go to the bathroom, everyone don't care about me, you talk about you." After that, he picked up the mobile phone on the table and walked out, and Mr. Sang said to Chen Qing with a smile, "You go and take care of this beauty." ”

Liu Mianmian couldn't refuse, so she walked through the corridor with Chen Qing to the bathroom. After some trimming, she took a closer look at Chen Qing.

White and beautiful, big and deep eyes, long flaxen confident and elegant curly hair, when she wiped her hands with a tissue, Liu Mianmian saw that her fair and slender wrist was wearing a yellow crystal chain, which was shiny.

"Are you alright?" Chen Qing smiled and said with concern, his voice gentle and decent.

For a while, Liu Mianmian next to the lining felt that he was short and thick, and thought that it was no wonder that people said that this place was rich in beauties, so he said embarrassedly: "It's okay, it's okay, Assistant Chen, I'm almost done, I want to find a random place to sit in the yard to breathe, please go back and help me explain it later." ”

Chen Qing thought for a while, nodded and said, "There is a small living room at the end of the corridor, I will ask the waiter to bring you a glass of juice, if you need anything, please come to me." ”

Thankful, Liu Mianmian nodded hurriedly, trotted towards the living room, breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the door, and was shocked, the door knocked again, and opened Yang Jing stood outside the door and hugged her arms and smiled at her:

"Liu Mianmian, you are in a panic, what is your heart? Could it be that there is some ulterior secret? ”

"It's nothing, it's just an old flame!" Liu Mianmian shrugged helplessly!

She's generous. If Yang Jing opens her mouth wide, she won't know what to say for a while! At the end, he stammered, "You, you, you have been raised by Mr. Sang??? ”

Liu Mianmian looked at her speechlessly for three seconds, bang! The door to the hall was closed.

"Remember to take your medicine! Your face is wrong! Yang Jing shouted at the door.

After lunch, Mr. Sang, Chen Qing and Wen Ziqi left first, but the enthusiastic Lao Li had to drive Yang Jing and the four of them around the county.

In winter, the grasslands are still vast and boundless, and the sky is like a big blue mirror, without a trace of clouds. There are also empty Gobi deserts, stretches of snow-capped mountains, scattered cattle and sheep, and the air is clean and refreshing. It's a great place to relax! A few people played until dark before returning to the hotel.

In the evening, under Lao Li's arrangement, it was a big fish and big meat, sheep's trotters, naan meat, unknown fish, red willow barbecue, Liu Mianmian, who was choked at lunch, was really a little hungry, drank some purple potato porridge, unceremoniously ate a piece of beef patty, a skewer of barbecue, the audience said that the pear was very sweet, and couldn't help but eat one.

When she woke up from the hotel the next day, Liu Mianmian felt that her stomach was like a stone and she didn't digest it, so she didn't go to eat breakfast, and walked a little cowardly in the yard kicking stones.

Yang Jing found her: "Mianmian, I will go to see the factory in a while, it is far away from here, it is estimated that it will be dark before I can come back, you can go with us to have a look, you take Mr. Sang's domineering car, Mr. Sang and we take the old money car, so as to facilitate communication on the road." ”

Liu Mianmian walked over looking for the domineering car, and happened to see Chen Qing getting down from the co-pilot, so he greeted her with a smile, and after getting into the car, Liu Mianmian saw Wen Ziqi sitting in the driver's seat again.

Looking at him from the side, he seems to be darker, and his still handsome and three-dimensional facial features seem to be a little more indifferent and alienated, and he is still wearing yesterday's clothes. It felt a little strange to look at him now, after all, they hadn't seen each other in five years. Liu Mianmian thought again, everyone is almost thirty years old, how can there be so many paper short loves, grievances and grievances, it is better to smile and enmity in the rivers and lakes?

So, Liu Mianmian cleared her throat and said, "That, well, sub-period, long time no see!" ”

As soon as I finished speaking, I regretted that I couldn't wait to drill into the cracks, how could such an old-fashioned sentence come up! But more importantly, Wen Ziqi started the car and drove silently throughout the whole process, ignoring her at all!!

Chen Qing turned his head and asked with a smile, "Do you two know each other?" ”

Liu Mianmian smiled wryly: "Yes, friend, oh no, classmate!" ”

Chen Qing looked at Ziqi, then at Liu Mianmian, and said with a smile: "I met an old acquaintance in another country, I should have a drink tonight!" ”

Liu Mianmian smiled at Chen Qing gratefully, and then looked at Wenzi Period, only to feel bored, so he found a suitable position and slept with his eyes closed against the car door.

The carriage became quiet all of a sudden, Wen Ziqi secretly glanced at the person in the back seat from the rearview mirror, and sighed in his heart It was really her, not letting go of all the opportunities to sleep or take a nap, and then looked carefully, only to see Liu Mianmian wearing a medium-length dark green white-collar down jacket, a chestnut hair slightly curled to the neck socket, the bangs in the impression were gone, and there were a few strands of broken hair scattered on the smooth and full forehead. The cheeks are slightly red, and the long eyelashes move slightly with the eyelids.

Wen Ziqi smiled bitterly, and his heart was desolate. They haven't seen each other for five years, and in the past five years, from the initial hatred and incomprehension, to now he thinks he can be invincible, but he collapsed at the moment of reunion.

Chen Qing tilted her head, looking at Wenzi period fixedly, every few minutes, Wen Ziqi would glance at the rearview mirror, such an obvious small action, she probably guessed a lot, at yesterday's dinner, Manager Wen, who has always been calm and sophisticated, and has an amazing amount of alcohol, was a little restless, and the hand holding the wine glass was clearly trembling.

Chen Qing wants to try her best to calm down, suppress that trace of worry or jealousy, and try to be as light as possible, she Chen Qing has always been a rational and independent woman, and it is naturally not her style to be jealous and question. But the man next to him, since yesterday afternoon, his soul has flown away, leaving only a walking body, and the detachment and calmness that he pretends to be now just reflect his uneasiness and weakness.

Maybe Wenzi should want to smoke a cigarette to relieve it at this moment? Chen Qing thought for a while, picked up a bottle of water from the side, unscrewed it and handed it to him.

Wen Ziqi looked ahead, took the water and drank it unceremoniously, then handed it back to Chen Qing, and habitually said thank you.

In the end, he still couldn't hold back, Chen Qing subconsciously pursed his lips and put on a smile that he thought was appropriate: "Ziqi, is it her?" ”

Wen Ziqi was fixed, and the corners of his mouth were a hint of self-deprecation: "See it? ”

In just four words, Chen Qing's heart seemed to have broken glass, his throat was dry and itchy for a while, his breath was stuffy, but he was still silent on the surface, looked back at the woman in green, and said with a smile: "The sleeping appearance is cute and cute!" ”

Wen Ziqi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, and said leisurely: "I remember taking a course in Chinese studies in college, and the teacher was an old man who was very good. Suddenly stopped, helped his glasses, and then looked all over the room, pointing to Liu Mianmian, who happened to be lying on the desk meeting Zhou Gong, drooling a page of books, and said with a smile: "Han Xiangyun is also"! ”

Burst into laughter.

It was a scene that Wenzi remembered vividly, it was May, the peony flowers were blooming on campus, Liu Mianmian was wearing a pink dress and white shoes, lying on the desk by the window and falling asleep. The May sun was not so hot, and through the glass it was reflected on her red cheeks, and it seemed that the fine hairs on the girl's face and the small beads of sweat on the tip of her nose could be faintly seen. For a while, he was completely attracted, and he couldn't take his eyes off for a long time, and for the first time he realized the sentence in the book: drunk lying on the flowers without knowing it, the red fragrance is scattered, and it is charming. It couldn't be more suitable for her.

Both of them belong to the Department of Economics of Z University, he studied economics, Liu Mianmian is finance, and the elective course happened to be selected at the same time as the Chinese culture that is said to be easier to score, since then, the boring Z large, the boring Chinese studies course, actually made every pore of the Wenzi period began to be restless, like a new student, and there was some expectation of two Chinese studies classes a week.

Eight or nine years have passed since then, and it has been five years since we broke up and said goodbye. When I was young, I laughed at how long and distant it would be for five years, but I never thought that the next three years, five years or even ten years would come like a fly.

Chen Qingmo on the side rubbed his red nails, lowered his head and thought about it, but finally didn't ask again.