Zhang Bei

2.

The day he met Zhou Nan, Zhang Bei was 32 years old, which happened to be his birthday.

That day, he inquired about the location of the bar to his colleagues in the unit.After work, it is rare to pass without overtime. The bar is not close to his work, and it takes about 40 minutes by bus.In the small town he was in, he could drive around the city in half an hour.

Zhang Bei was born in winter, approaching the twelfth lunar month.It was getting dark quickly, and when he found the bar, it was very dark early.Places like bars don't always have fixed business hours. Basically, customers arrive one after another when it gets dark.When Zhang Bei entered, the bar was already full of people, and the sound of music accompanied by noisy voices was deafening.Zhang Bei was so scared that he almost turned around and ran away. He stood at the door to strengthen his courage for a while, and then walked in as if nothing had happened.He found an inconspicuous corner and sat down.

After sitting for a while, the waiter in black trousers, white shirt, and purple vest came over, with a friendly smile on his face, and asked him kindly, "Excuse me, what do you order, sir?"

That smile was too dazzling, making Zhang Bei very nervous.He swallowed secretly, then pretended to be calm and pointed at the waiter, "This and this."

"Tiramisu and a Bloody Mary?" the waiter confirmed.

"Yes." This was the first time Zhang Bei came to the bar. He was afraid of making a mistake and would be ashamed, so he searched on Baidu for a long time beforehand.

"Is there anything else?" the waiter asked.

"No more," Zhang Bei said, and took out the money from his pocket, took out a hundred and handed it to the waiter, "Pay the bill first, you don't need to change the change, I will give you a tip." Dry, Zhang Bei picked up the cup and took a sip of water.

The waiter took the money politely, said thank you, and left.

Zhang Bei hurriedly called people to stop, "That—"

The waiter turned his head, still with a polite smile on his face, "Do you have any orders, sir?"

Zhang Bei scratched his head awkwardly, "Can you give me a candle?"

The waiter looked at Zhang Bei suspiciously.

Zhang Bei said with some embarrassment, "Today is my birthday."

The waiter understood, and said with a smile, "Of course. Happy birthday to you."

"Thank you, thank you." Seeing the back of the waiter leaving, Zhang Bei finally breathed a sigh of relief.Fortunately nothing went wrong.

It has been the eighth year since I left home, Zhang Bei thought to himself.

In the first two years, he would call his family to send blessings during Chinese New Year and other festivals, but the family was always lukewarm.Slowly, the contact was cut off.Time is a horrible thing.

Before Zhang Bei could fully mobilize his sadness, his cake and cocktails were served.The waiter helped him light a tiny candle and put it on the cake.The trembling firelight reflected the sweet cake and Zhang Bei's delicate face.

The waiter left after wishing Zhang Bei a happy birthday again.

Zhang Bei stared blankly at the flickering candlelight for a while, then quickly remembered to close his eyes and fold his hands together, and made a pious wish in his heart.He hopes that every birthday in the future, he can buy himself a piece of cake, celebrate it, and make wishes for himself.If possible, he also hopes that God will reward him to spend the rest of his life alone with him, so that he will not die alone.

After that, Zhang Bei carefully blew out the candle.He ate the cake bite by bite, the cake was as sweet and greasy as he imagined.The cocktails were as spicy as he had imagined.The sweet cake made him feel that life was more beautiful, and the choking alcohol made him have more expectations for life.The lights in the bar were intoxicating, and the noisy voices in the bar rarely made him feel lively, as if the whole world was having a carnival because of his birthday.

This year's birthday, he feels very happy.Furthermore, he thinks the bar is a good place, and he will reward himself on his birthday next year.Then, he got up and left.On the table behind him were empty wine glasses and an empty dinner plate, on which lay a half-burnt candle.

After going out the door, the cold air coming from the pavement is also mixed with rain.Zhang Bei hates the winter in this small town. It only rains in the winter, and the rain is so cold that it penetrates directly into people's skin, and the road is also terribly muddy.

Zhang Bei walked cautiously, for fear that some mud puddle would wet his feet.When turning into an alley, he heard uncomfortable vomiting, and Zhang Bei looked curiously at the source of the sound.

Later, Zhang Bei thought countless times what his life would be like without that glance.