League: I really didn't hang up

Chapter 34

After breakfast, Sister Jiao left the shop early again, saying she was going to have her hair done.

Snowflakes fluttered down, passed through the boundless gray sky, and under the action of howling winds, washed the entire city into an iron-like wasteland of ice and snow.

"According to the latest forecast of the Meteorological Bureau, most parts of the eastern, central and northern parts of my country will experience extreme snowstorms today. Please be prepared for travel—"

Gala turned off the live broadcast, picked up the remote control and raised the temperature in the house by two degrees.

It is a great enjoyment to be able to stay in a warm room in such a bad snowstorm.

If there is another popsicle, it will be too comfortable...

Gala had just licked a few mouthfuls of Dongbei ice cream when the glass door of the convenience store was suddenly pushed open.

A middle-aged man with a black beard walked in.

Taking a closer look, this isn't the drunk who was scolded by Sister Jiao just this morning.

But looking at it now, it seems that he has sobered up.

"Hello," Gala licked the ice cream with her tongue, and asked proactively, "What do you want to buy?"

The bearded uncle took off his military cap, reached outside the door to shake the snowflakes, and then walked in.

"Is there any wine? I want to buy wine."

Uncle Huzi unzipped his coat, took out a few banknotes from the inner lining of his jacket, and threw them on the counter.

"Of course I know you're going to buy wine—"

Gala thought to herself, in such a cold and snowy day, who would buy things in this weather except a drunkard.

"What wine do you want?"

The uncle rubbed his messy beard, glanced at the counter, and then turned his gaze to Gala: "Is there any special wine?"

"Wine specials?"

The first thing Gala thought of was the Laobaigan she had bought, which was the cheapest baijiu in the store.

"There is beer, but there is no liquor."

That's not gone, last time he wrapped up the old white dry in the store in one night.

"beer……"

Uncle Huzi scratched his head, and it could be seen from his strands of oily hair that he hadn't washed his hair for a long time.

"Then give me a bottle of Red Star Erguotou, this wine has a good taste and strong strength."

"The main reason is that the wine is cheap..."

Gala smiled, seeing through without telling the truth, hiding her little thoughts well.

Turning around to take a bottle of Erguotou from the shelf, Gala accepted a green bill, and it took a long time to give the change to the other party.

"Isn't this wine 29? Why did you ask me for 20?" Beard Uncle held the banknotes between his rough fingers and asked, shaking, "The price has increased?"

Gala shook her head: "Didn't I give you a change?"

"???"

The uncle blew his beard and stared: "It's the first time I've heard of the saying of wiping zero and wiping back."

"Oh, now you see it."

Uncle: "..."

The two looked at each other.

"Send you a popsicle?" Gala asked tentatively. He opened the cash register and showed the other party, "There is no change for one yuan."

Originally, their store mainly used the self-checkout model, but now most of the people who come to shop use mobile payment, so there is not much cash in the store, and even less change.

Uncle Bear shook his head: "How much is a bottle of wine, so you charge me an extra dollar?"

"Then how about I scan the QR code to transfer you."

"No, I want cash, and I don't know how to pay by mobile phone." The uncle insisted.

Gala rubbed her head, this was a bit difficult.

"How about this, Uncle, if there is anything you want to buy, I'll give you a discount and make up the number, shall we?" Gala could only smile apologetically.

Uncle Beard paused, pointed to Erguotou on the counter, and said calmly, "One more bottle."

"The two bottles are 58 in total. How about this? I'll count it as 53 for you, okay?"

"Is this 100ml so expensive?"

Gala had no choice but to explain: "The main reason is that the packaging is expensive. Look at how exquisite this bottle is. Doesn't the craftsmanship cost several dollars?"

"You mean wine is not expensive?"

"Uh...you can put it that way."

next second.

Without saying a word, Uncle Huzi grabbed Erguotou, unscrewed it decisively, raised his head and poured the whole bottle of wine into it.

Gala: "???"

Good guy, I dare to meet Jiu Mengzi.

"Someone imitated my face and imitated my drinking..."

Gala was amazed, and quickly persuaded: "Brother, don't do this."

After the beard uncle drank it up, he turned the bottle upside down and showed it to Gala, and said, "I don't want the bottle anymore, you can bring me another bottle of bar, it's cheaper."

"..."

"Forget it, today I will give you a small change from my own pocket, and I will give you two bottles for 50."

Gala said boldly, if this guy hadn't really reached the end of his life in the cold weather, he probably wouldn't be drinking like this, and he would just pay for it by himself.

Uncle Huzi took Erguotou and expressed his thanks, but he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he leaned against the glass counter and looked out the door with the wine bottle.

It's snowing all over the sky, wrapped in silver.

Uncle Beard unscrewed the lid, shook it in the air, and looked at Gala: "Take a bite, little brother?"

"Okay."

Gala has no part in not agreeing.

After taking a disposable paper cup, the middle-aged man saw that he was still young, so he poured the bottom of the cup for him.

Then the middle-aged man was about to toast, but Gala had already drank it all.

"Slippery..."

[Ingestion of alcohol: brain clarity +15; body control +20]

Gala put down the glass and said thank you, but now it was the other party's turn to be shocked.

"I can't see it, little brother, you drink quite well."

Gala shook her head: "I don't know how to drink."

"..."

After drinking half a glass of wine, his face remained unchanged. How can he say he doesn't know how to drink?

Uncle Beard's hand holding the wine bottle trembled slightly: "Northern?"

Gala just smiled, but didn't answer.

"I'm from Datong, and I've been working here for many years."

Gala nodded, rubbed her fingers lightly on the paper cup, and looked casually at Feixue outside the window.

"I haven't been to Datong yet, but I have been to Taiyuan." The snowflakes were falling faster and faster, and Gala turned her head: "When I was in college, my teacher's house was there, and when the college organized outings, The teacher took us there, it’s a very quaint place.”

Uncle Beard listened to Gala's description quietly, as if he had also entered that clean and immaculate world.

His eyes were slightly red: "It's good to go to college, good to go to college."

Hearing this praise, Gala showed a simple and honest smile, and said embarrassedly: "College is indeed the best time in life, without the worries of high school studies, and without the pressure of entering society."

Uncle Bear raised his head and took a sip of his wine.

Gala didn't notice the other party's expression, and said vigorously: "If there is a chance, let the children go to school. It doesn't mean that they will definitely learn some professional skills after going to college. It is a job hunting threshold, but the most important thing The most important thing is that it can change people's thinking and the way of thinking about problems."

"Take me as an example. When I was not in school, I drank a lot, but it was just to save face in front of my friends, and I even got drunk many times because of it—"

"After going to school, my mind became much calmer, so I think..."

"I can drink, but I drink less; I can smoke, but I don't; I love reading, but I read more."

Uncle Beard grinned, showing a clean but rather helpless look.

"Wine is something that can relieve a thousand worries when drunk."

Gala came back to reality from reverie, pouted slightly: "I don't think so, isn't drinking an escape from reality? No matter how much you drink, can the problem be solved? Can things change?"

Uncle Beard didn't speak this time.

He just drooped his head, clutching the wine bottle tightly, and nodded vigorously.

"Hey uncle, you are about the same age as my dad, is your child still in school?" Gala casually brought up the topic.

Uncle Beard shook his head.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Everyone has their own aspirations. It doesn't matter if you don't go to school. Not everyone is suitable for going to school," Gala had to change her words, "Some truths are in textbooks, and some truths can only be learned in society. of."

Uncle Beard raised his head, Nunu said softly, "No."

"I mean, my baby is gone."

Gala froze in place for a moment.

This time it was Uncle Bear who laughed. He tried to put on a relaxed look, waving the wine bottle in the air: "My family used to be poor. In order to stop the children from suffering, my mother and I came out to work in eight years or so." gone."

Gala's face was flushed, and she suddenly realized why the uncle on the other side had the same reaction when the child was mentioned.

He was a little ashamed and didn't dare to look the other person in the eye.

Uncle Bear's tone was calm, as if he was talking about a very ordinary little thing in life.

"Later, I accidentally hit my leg while collecting ashes on the construction site, and I was unable to do heavy work."

"The child's mother took the compensation and ran away with others."

"His grandma suffered a cerebral hemorrhage when she found out about this incident. She was sent to the hospital but failed to be rescued."

"Three months later, his grandfather passed away."

Gala pursed her lips, and said in the softest tone possible: "Sorry, uncle..."

"Sorry about that, it's none of your business."

Uncle Beard laughed, and took another sip of his wine.

"Actually, even at that time, I always felt that there was hope in life, but—"

"The summer vacation of the year before last, my child was admitted to Central South University. Did you know that when he called me on the elderly phone and said that he had received the admission letter, I, as a father, suddenly felt that all the efforts in the past ten years were worthless. It's worth it."

"In July, the wheat is ripe, and all the fellow villagers have gone back to harvest wheat."

"I just thought, work outside for two more months, and earn money for the mobile phone for the child, so that he can go to college decently, right?"

Having said that, the middle-aged man couldn't help crying, and his voice choked up.

"I am one more sensible child. After harvesting the wheat by myself, I returned home thirsty in the summer—"

"It's all my fault as a father. I insisted on saving some money. I didn't want to throw away the unfinished pesticides. I put them in a green tea bottle..."

"..."

Gala handed over the tissue, but Uncle Beard nodded but didn't accept it.

"When I went back, the child was almost dying. Do you know what he said to me at the end?"

"He said, Dad, I don't blame you, but I can't go to college."

"The doctor said that the damage to the lung lobe of the child is irreversible, so don't spend so much money, but can I, as a father, bear it?"

"I took out all my savings and sold everything in the family, but the child still left."

"I am ashamed of the child, so I feel that I am a failure. I am not really a man."

"I can't protect my child—"

"I wandered on the street for two years, got drunk for two years, and only spoke a few words when I was begging."

"I'm really useless, I'm just a waste, a mentally retarded, an idiot, and the most despicable thing in this world."

"Uncle..."

Gala's expression froze, not knowing what to say, what could he say in this situation?
"This life is too bitter for him, and it's over. He's going to start his next life." Gala weakly grabbed her hair, trying to organize her words, "You also have to be strong."

Although these comforting words are all false, Gala at this time can't think of a better language.

He took out his mobile phone from his pocket, and thinking that the bearded uncle would not use these, he threw the mobile phone aside and quickly opened the cash box.

"Why is it so small..."

Gala cursed secretly in her heart, then took out all the large banknotes inside, put them in a bag and handed them to Uncle Huzi: "Uncle, we are in small business, although the money is not much, but Please accept our little thought."

"Thank you, thank you."

"Actually, it's good that you can listen to me. You are a very good person."

There was a smile on the uncle's cold sore face.

"It's just that I don't need the money anymore—"

The uncle leaned against the counter and stood up, only then did Gala realize that he was a little limp.

"I'm going to see my kids."

Gala's face froze, and she hurriedly said, "Uncle, don't say that, you accept the money first, and if you have any difficulties, you can find a solution."

The uncle couldn't resist gala, and the money was forced into his hands.

"Help me get a bottle of bar," the uncle glanced at the counter behind Gala, "Would you like it?"

"no problem."

Looking back, Gala suddenly realized that there was no such thing under the wine, but there was one in the attic.

"wait for me a while--"

Gala gestured to wait, and quickly ran towards the second floor.

1 minute later.

When Gala rushed downstairs with the wine box in her arms, the shop was already empty.

He walked slowly to the front of the counter.

A stack of banknotes lay squarely on top.

In addition to the money he gave to the bearded uncle, there was a second drink money.

Gala hurriedly chased out the door.

In the vast white world, a line of shallow footprints leads to an unknown place.

Looking into the distance, he didn't even see a figure.

A ferocious blizzard whipped across his cheeks.

at this time.

The church bell rang, clearing his mind.

He could even see a crude red cross crookedly erected on the top of the snow-covered church.

Gala withdrew her gaze, turned around, and went back to the house.

Close the door.

But he felt colder.

(End of this chapter)