This is an old residential area in the downtown area of the Han River, with cramped and outdated houses densely distributed, and the walls facing the street have been painted with the word "demolition" in red, but at dusk, people come and go, and the small façade is all prosperous, and there is no feeling that it is close to demolition.

Lu Fei got out of the car, locked the car door, and stood in the midst of this messy hustle and bustle, still looking magnificent, wearing a gray T-shirt and dark trousers, with a tall posture. August is the hottest time in the local area, although the sun has set, the heat is still unabated, but this temperature does not seem to affect him at all.

He was about to walk in, a dusty Toyota PRADO drove down the narrow street, parked on the side of the road not far from him, a man and a woman got out of the car, both of them were wearing dirty outdoor clothes, the man opened the trunk, took out a red and gray 75-liter rucksack and a bundle of indescribable long cylindrical things, handed it to the girl, "Aren't you really going to eat together?" ”

"Please, smell it, we smell so bad that I don't think any restaurateur will welcome us in." The girl's voice was a little hoarse, and she said briskly. She grabbed her big rucksack and bundle of things, waved at the man, and the man got in the car and drove away. She turned around, lazily shuffled up the narrow sidewalk, and was stunned when she saw Lu Fei head-on.

"Hello, Xiao Chen."

Xin Chen looked at Lu Fei without any reaction, as if he was in a trance. For a moment, he almost thought that he had recognized the wrong person, Xin Chen in his memory had always been fair-skinned, bright and beautiful, and a little unstable, and the woman in front of him was wearing big sunglasses, looking dark and thin, wearing a crumpled blue T-shirt and olive quick-drying trousers, a dark gray waist bag hanging around her waist, her hair was curled at the back of her head, obviously a little tangled and greasy, and the things in her hand fell her body slightly to the side. Lu Fei stretched out his hand to take it, and the weight was really not light.

She suddenly smiled, revealing two rows of snow-white delicate teeth, "Hello, Lu Fei, when did you come back?" ”

"About half a month ago."

"How are you here?"

"Little Flute told me you'll be back at about this time today."

"She came over every other day to help me water the flowers, and she must have been bored." She hesitated, "Let's go, go in and sit, it's hot outside." ”

Xin Chen didn't look at him, turned around and walked towards the residential area.

Lu Fei looked at the slender and graceful back in front of him, and suddenly he was also in a trance. Eleven years ago, it was the same summer, and he came here for the first time, and although he was born locally, he lived in a completely different environment.

At that time, Lu Fei was 18 years old, and he followed 14-year-old Xin Chen like this. She had already begun to develop, her jet-black hair was tied into a ponytail, she was wearing a white T-shirt, denim shorts and flat-heeled sandals, she was lazily walking on her slender legs, and her back had a fluent and beautiful line with her light steps. In the sunlight, the shoulder straps of the corset inside the T-shirt were faintly visible, and the realization made his heart beat a few beats faster.

At this time, Xin Chen's clothes were much more conservative, and the pair of hiking shoes on his feet were covered with dust and could no longer see his true colors, but his steps were still lazy, and the waist bag around his waist shook slightly, this gait was familiar to him, and even appeared in his dreams many times.

This residential area is a collection of buildings of various eras, Xin Chen lives in a building from the 70s of the 20th century, a gray five-story building, which looks a little dilapidated. Walking into the dark corridor, she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, neatly took out a small flashlight from her waist bag and opened it. Going up to the fifth floor, she moved her fanny pack to the front, ready to pull out the key to open the door.

"I'll open the door, and Flute gave me the key." The two were very close at the moment, and Lu Fei could smell that Xin Chen's body and hair had a smell that was absolutely not good, and he had always been a little clean, so he couldn't help frowning.

Xin Chen looked up, happened to see his expression, smiled slightly, turned sideways a little, watched him open the door, and then reached out to turn on the light very familiarly.

"You're the one who comes here to water the flowers these days, right?" She asked suddenly.

Lu Fei handed her back the key, "Xiaodi has been preparing for the autumn clothing launch recently, and she is quite busy. ”

She went to turn on the air conditioner first, "I'm sorry, I've been out for more than half a month, there's nothing at home, you can sit casually, I have to clean up myself." She kicked off her hiking shoes, went back to the bedroom to get her clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash her hair and shower.

Lu Fei looked around the house again, for nearly half a month, no matter how busy he was, he would come over every other day at night to water the flowers, he was already familiar with the layout here, but at the moment, he still felt strange. In his memory, the girl Xin Chen's residence was a small two-bedroom apartment, and the house was as dilapidated and messy as the outdoor corridor, and the first time he entered this house, it was a major challenge to his cleanliness.

However, everything in front of me is too neat, the white walls, the dark chestnut floor, the original living room and a room and the kitchen are connected, and the decoration is like a studio, the large light-colored workbench is connected to the computer desk, two computers, printers, scanners, etc. are placed in an orderly manner, and on one side of the wall are simple bookshelves, on which books, magazines, folders, CDs and discs are stacked in an orderly manner, without a trace of clutter, but there is no furnishings that represent personal interests and hobbies.

There is only an open corner of the kitchen, a counter and dining table, which divides the space, and two high chairs, where the meal is obviously solved.

By the door leading to the balcony is a deep burgundy velvet chaise longue with two embroidered cushions, the only piece of furniture with a feminine touch.

The bathroom is next to the bedroom, and there is a faint sound of rushing water from inside, which is a little inexplicably annoyed in the quiet and cool room.

He opened the balcony door and walked out, and the sultry air rushed to his face. The balcony is not small, and other homes basically seal it into a small room to maximize the space. Only Xinchen's balcony maintains an open layout, filled with all kinds of potted plants, a few pots of jasmine are blooming fragrantly, a bamboo plant has grown to almost a meter high, and a pomegranate planted in a large porcelain pot has already borne a lot of fruit at this time. On one side of the wooden shelf, all the flowers of different colors are placed in very delicate blooms, and on the other side of the trellis are placed four seasons begonias, hydrangeas, roses, Milanese, and geraniums. This balcony is like a lush little garden, the only thing that spoils the scenery is that the balcony is covered with a thick iron anti-theft net, fortunately, the morning glory that climbs up the vine along the balcony railing grows very well, and the purple-red flowers are closed and drooping at this time, which makes the anti-theft net less dazzling.

He lifted the lid of the small water tank in the corner of the balcony, scooped out the water and filled the large watering can, and then began to water the flowers.

Even this balcony is no longer what it used to be, there were no flowers planted here, only two old rattan chairs were placed, Lu Fei and Xin Chen used to sit here, looking at the same gray building opposite and chatting.

He always thought that his memory was very reliable, but in the past half month, even if it rained heavily and did not need to water the flowers, he would come up and sit alone for a long time, but he could not find a trace of the old days. He couldn't help but wonder if the memories that lingered in his heart really existed.

At this moment, a flock of pigeons passed over the balcony, and Lu Fei put down his watering can and looked through the dense leaves of the morning glory, and the pigeons flew away, and then flew back in circles, passing his sight again at almost the same angle and trajectory.

"I hate the group of pigeons that Uncle Lu fed the most, pooping on my balcony every day, dirty to death, cooing early in the morning, making people unable to sleep." The girl Xin Chen once complained.

So after all, there is still one thing that has not changed.

Xin Chen's soft laughter came from behind him, "Believe it or not, I like these pigeons very much now." ”

Xin Chen participated in the self-driving to Tibet this time, and took two off-road vehicles with seven other people from the outdoor club, passing through more than 30 large and small cities, traveling nearly 8,000 kilometers, and did not take a good bath for almost half a month. She has long been accustomed to outdoor sanitary conditions, there are four people sitting in a car, and the small space is full of turbid smell anyway, and everyone is numb to smell, and no one will dislike anyone. At this moment, she washed her hair and bathed thoroughly, wiped skin care products, and came out refreshed, almost feeling like a reincarnation.

Lu Fei turned her head, standing under the lamp, she was wearing a white T-shirt, denim pants, half-dry black hair draped over her shoulders, shining with a healthy luster, the face after the bath was clean and transparent, the eyelashes were long and thick on the bright eyes, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised in a familiar arc, and there was a small pear vortex on the left cheek.

She had the same memory as him, and she even knew what he was thinking, and Lu Fei, who had always been arrogant and calm, realized again that he could always expose emotional fluctuations in front of her.

"Didn't the pigeons bother you anymore?"

"It's the same noise, but suddenly one day," Xin Chen said casually, "I'm used to it, and nothing can beat it." ”

Lu Fei was still standing on the balcony, when the twilight outside was getting thicker, and his emotions could not be seen in the semi-dark light, "What are you doing with such a cage?" It's just ugly. He pointed to the anti-theft net welded on the balcony, which did look like a large birdcage.

"There was a time when thieves were rampant, I had to leave a place to plant flowers, I didn't want to close the balcony, I had to install this, safety is more important than beauty."

"You are a girl, why do you have to live here, isn't there an empty house over there? Security is much better in that area. Lu Fei frowned.

"If you have a house, why should you live in someone else's house? And it's more free to live alone, I guess Dizi thinks the same way. ”

"This house is about to be demolished, what are your plans?"

"Earlier, the news of the demolition has been heard for several years, and every time there is thunder and rain."

"My company and Haotian Group, which won the plot, have already determined the venture capital financing plan, and the rain will probably fall soon."

Xin Chen was stunned, paused for a while, and shrugged, "Let's see how much compensation for the demolition is, so that I won't be reduced to sleeping on the street." Go eat, I'm hungry. How long have you been here? I'm in for a treat, and I'll give you a pick-up and a send-off. ”

"I'm coming back this time, I should have stayed for a long time."

Lu Fei's voice was calm, but Xin Chen seemed to be taken aback, and she looked at Lu Fei with wide eyes. Lu Fei could clearly see that her eyes suddenly dimmed, and finally a little more than surprise passed, and then she shifted her gaze. "Really?" Her voice fell, "Oh, that's good. ”

She turned around and walked to the shoe cabinet in the entrance, took out a pair of dark gold flat-heeled ballet shoes and put them on, then looked up, her expression returned to normal, and said with a smile: "Find a place to eat, I have eaten close to pig food in the past half a month, so hungry." ”

Lu Fei drove to a restaurant near the downtown business district, which has been open for more than a year, and the business has always been good, the dishes contain local and Cantonese flavors, which is not special, but the decoration is exquisite, which is the mood that the white-collar workers in the neighborhood like, and it is quieter than the average Chinese restaurant.

Xin Chen once had an eye-popping appetite, with such a slender figure, but he couldn't gain weight no matter how he ate. And today, to Lu Fei's surprise, although she emphasized that she was very hungry and was very interested in ordering, her appetite was not as good as expected.

"Unappetizing?"

"I guess I hurt those instant noodles, compressed biscuits and chocolates on the way, and now I'm obviously hungry, I just can't eat them."

"Don't you never eat instant noodles?" He remembered her stubbornness, preferring to cook somen noodles rather than choose the simpler instant noodles.

Xin Chen smiled, "I have eaten almost everything now, and when I go out, I can probably pick up the steamed buns when they fall to the ground, pat the ashes and eat them, there are no taboos." She lowered her head and ate a papaya stewed snow clam that Lu Fei had specially ordered for her in front of her, but frowned slightly.

This look, it seems like the coquettish expression of drinking cold medicine when she was a girl, Lu Fei looked at her, but she clearly didn't mean to be coquettish, but she was really forcing herself to swallow it.

"It must have been a tough one."

Of course, it was a long and hard journey, poor accommodation, altitude sickness, sudden heavy rain, bad road conditions in some sections, mudslides, and a car burst two tires in a row, but there was nothing to say, Xin Chen had already been accustomed to all the accidents on the journey as inevitable acceptance, "Fortunately, I was very well prepared, and most of the companions who went with me had a lot of self-driving and outdoor experience, which was basically smooth." ”

"I don't know when you started to get hooked on the outdoors and growing flowers."

"You have to have a hobby to pass the time. What about you? Do you like to listen to classical music and play chess? ”

The conversation went on so politely that Lu Fei remained silent, "Yes, are you still playing chess now?" ”

Xin Chen shook his head, "I probably even forgot the rules." She has a good memory, but she has never played chess since graduating from high school, even if there is this competition in college, because there are so few people who can do it, and almost all of them can get a place to sign up, she is not tempted. After a pause, she still asked, "Long stay?" Is it back to work? Why didn't you hear the flute talk about it? ”

Lu Fei was silent for a while, "Last time, in the summer of three years ago, I came back from Beijing, and you happened to go out too. ”

"That ......" Xin Chen looked at the papaya in front of him, and he couldn't help but wonder secretly, I don't know how long it will take for the taste to recover, "Oh, I remember, I went to Xi'an to play." ”

"Is it such a coincidence? I called the day before to tell Xiaodi that he was going to come back, you signed up for a trip to Xi'an the next day, I got off the plane and you left, the time was really well matched. And," he said slowly, staring at her, "did you really go to Xi'an?" ”

Xin Chen looked at him in surprise, pursed his lips and didn't speak.

"That's right, you did go to Xi'an, but you went to participate in what is known as the most arduous and masochistic seven-day hiking route in Qinling, and you almost died there."

"It's not that exaggerated."

"Well, what I heard and what I got from the Internet is not accurate. Two travelers were trapped in the primeval pine forest in the mountainous area near Daehai for three days and three nights, and one of the women was seriously dehydrated and her life was in danger. I asked Xiaodi, and she and her parents didn't know about it at all, and you didn't call home at all. ”

"It was inexperienced, but it was really not to the point where my life was in danger, and I was fine after being sent to the hospital to be hung with water, and there was no need to call home to worry them. But I refused to be interviewed, and the local reporter just scribbled. Xin Chen looked puzzled, "But how do you know?" I didn't mention my name in the report, and I didn't let them take pictures. ”

Lu Fei didn't answer her question, just looked at her quietly, and finally showed a painful expression, "Is it to avoid me, Xiao Chen?" I'm coming back to bother you so much. ”

Xin Chen smiled bitterly, "How can you think so?" You won't even tell me when you come back, so why should I hide, and why should I hide? ”

"When I come back this time, I asked Xiaodi not to tell you. I'm afraid that if I say it, you will simply stay in Tibet and not come back. ”

"Not to mention, I started to prepare for Tibet about two months in advance, planning the itinerary and round-trip time." Xin Chen still smiled, "And I received at least three deposits before leaving, and when I came back, I had to work overtime to pay for it, so it was definitely impossible to run away for this money." ”

"You don't seem very happy to hear that I'm coming back for a long stay."

"I'm happy or unhappy, nothing can change. This city is not mine, in fact, nothing is mine, everyone comes and goes, it is very normal. Xin Chen didn't want to try to stay calm, she put down the small spoon, "I really can't eat anything, I'm too tired, I want to go back and rest." ”

Lu Fei drove her home, the two got out of the car, and he sent her in. Xin Chen suddenly stopped and looked at a small shop that had closed its doors next to it, and under the street lights, a big word "demolition" was written on the shutter door with red paint. She slowly turned her head to look at Lu Fei, and suddenly smiled, in the dim light, her smile was as bright as a flower, and Lu Fei almost held her breath in an instant.

"It's time to get out of here. I don't believe that I've lived here for so long, I don't know how many years. ”