Sesame Green Bean Garlic

After the train passed, the fence opened and the crowd dispersed again.

Zian felt better, at least the numbness in his hands and feet disappeared, and his mind was fully awake.

The breakfast stall next to it has a good business, and three or four people are waiting in line for the pancakes to be baked.The aroma of eggs mixed with flour floated to Zian's nose.Zian unconsciously looked at the masked man again.His movements were fast and rough. Every time he cracked eggs, some eggshells would always fall onto the pancakes. He picked them up without hesitation, turned the pancakes over casually, spread the sauce in two or three times, and then sandwiched them into the watery pancakes. Lettuce, and then a stack of bread.There was a hole in the bread and the sauce leaked out, so he shoveled the sauce and the cake into a brown paper bag.

Zian looked at it, while thinking in his heart: the pancakes were spread unevenly, the eggs were not placed at the right time, the vegetables were not drained, the sauce was too watery, the folds were asymmetrical... nothing was done right.His itchy hands and heart were even more itchy, and he really wanted to grab the masked man's shovel and show him how to make a perfect pancake without any grooves.

The man in the mask seemed to sense Zi'an's gaze, and turned his head to look at Zi'an.

The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds.Then the man in the mask said a word.

This time, Zian heard it clearly, and the masked man said, want to eat?

Putting such shoddy food in your mouth?of course not.However, facing the masked man, he swallowed unconsciously.

His stomach growled, and there was a fierce struggle between stomach and reason.At this time, he remembered that he had not eaten for more than 20 hours.

At noon yesterday, Zian left the hotel without saying hello.

Outside the door is the crowded Bund, and the buildings of all nations stand shoulder to shoulder by the river, with a magnificent momentum.In these granite buildings built by people from all over the world, there are French restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, British bars, and Taiwanese dim sum shops... Outside are people speaking with accents from all over the world. Big platter.Who can tell why these unrelated people and things meet?This is a misplacement of time and space, a ridicule left by history, but it has also become a totem of the city.

Zian thought blankly, he is also a point in this chaotic time and space, he is dizzy and doesn't know where to settle down.

Who am I?

he does not know.In this net, he can't tell the front and back, he can't go back, and he can't go forward.

He doesn't even have a last name.

Zian was completely lost.When his brain circuits finally functioned normally, he found himself on the train to Beijing.

Facing the masked man, Zian shook his head firmly.

His face was dead serious, like he was not rejecting a large pancake, but defending the dignity of the chef.

The man looked at him for a moment, then turned his head and continued beating eggs and eggshells on the batter.The batter steamed up, carrying a rich aroma of grain.The green onions are sprinkled on the cake, but the fragrance has not yet been smelled, but the green dots alone have already attracted people's appetite.

Zian swallowed again.So hungry, he never seemed so hungry.That feeling is like a baby just out of the mother's womb, eagerly looking forward to the first mouthful of milk.

He subconsciously took out his pocket and found that the wallet and mobile phone were still there.Fortunately, his heart settled down.

He thought, after a while, he will feel better, and he will find a clean and tidy restaurant to fill his stomach, then go to the hotel to take a shower, and then...

Then what to do?He fell into the hollow all at once, lost.

There is a piece of green paper in the purse, which is the train ticket from Beijing North Railway Station to Tsinghua Garden.Seeing the ticket, Zian remembered why he ended up living here.

Looking around, this area should be Wudaokou.From here, you can take a bus to the dilapidated bungalows between the Old Summer Palace and Peking University.

——As far as he knew, his father's final resting place.

Yesterday evening, Zian arrived in Beijing.It was the days when the smog was the worst. Looking through the dirty glass windows, we could only vaguely see dim lights. The moving cars were the buildings, and the distance was unknown.

He had no desire or appetite for sightseeing, so he took the train directly to Tsinghua Park outside the Fourth Ring Road as planned.

This is what his mother told him, and the route his father took to go north.After my father left, I wrote a long letter to my mother, telling her in detail how I changed trains, buses and walked all the way, and finally arrived at his terminal.At that time, Zian didn't know how to read, and it was his mother who told him the belief word by word.Mother's expression was very calm, but after that, she seldom mentioned her father again.

When he was young, Zian often fantasized that he would also board this train, follow his father's route, and arrive at that mysterious destination.It is a place like heaven, or a ghost, with unparalleled demonic nature, able to absorb his father, and can suck everything about him—his stable childhood, the love of his parents, all.

When he was a little older, he secretly found the letter and read it over and over again.Because he had seen it too many times, this line was deeply seared in his memory, and it gradually became an old scar on his heart, meandering to the apex of his heart.He no longer felt the pain of losing his family, and the route turned into a mysterious adventure, a grotesque destination, a place he longed for but could not reach.

After many years, he didn't think of his father very much anymore, but this adventure was in his heart after all. When he was most confused and confused, his father's route to the north suddenly appeared in his mind very clearly—— —He has nowhere to go, and he has a secret map that has been hidden for many years.

He got on the train and embarked on this road that he had rehearsed countless times in his heart.

"Cooperating with the adjustment of the track plan, this line will stop running on April 4 this year. Tsinghuayuan Railway Station will also be closed on the same day. Passengers are requested to make travel arrangements." The broadcast sounded on the train.

Zian was slightly surprised: There are still more than four months left, and this route will be cancelled.This is a hidden arrangement. If he was later, he might not be able to get on the train.

However, even if he got on the train, could he really find his father?

They are not only separated by 1400 kilometers between Beijing and Shanghai, but also 30 years apart.

Coming out of the train station, Zian was discouraged.When it got dark, there were people everywhere, roads everywhere, and there were countless signboards in the smog, but he couldn't see a word clearly.

A middle-aged man stopped him, "Dude, where are you going? Shall I pick you up?"

Zian was stunned for a moment, and said without much confidence: "Old Summer Palace."

"Hey, at this point, the Old Summer Palace is closed. You are from out of town, why don't I find you a hotel tomorrow..."

Zian interrupted him: "I'm going to the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village."

The man's eyes widened: "What village? I've never heard of it."

Zian had expected this to happen. He knew that the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village had been demolished for many years, and now the artists had all dispersed to the eastern suburbs.But he still wanted to take a look, "Just put me near the Old Summer Palace."

The driver of the black car looked at him for a while, "Success! Let's talk about it first, it's blocked at this point, and I don't want more from you, 100!"

Zian raised his palm.The driver looked at it and shouted: "50 is not enough, it's not enough for gas, you give..."

Zi'an said, "I mean, don't sit down."

After speaking, he tightened his leather jacket, put his hands in his pockets, and walked into the Beijing night.

He looked for a bus stop along the road, and when he saw a stop sign, he stopped to take a look.Sure enough, the bus his father took back then was gone.There was a bus going to Yuanmingyuan, but it was already past the time of the last bus.

So, he had no choice but to stroll along the road.

After walking for more than an hour, his hands and feet were already numb.A voice reminded him: Zi'an, what are you doing?You should find a hotel to sleep now, and then take a plane early tomorrow morning, go back to Shanghai, drink with Li Xiaonan, swear at people, coax him a few words by the way, and then live as usual.What do you have to lose?

But Zian was in a daze, unable to stop.There was an urgent desire in his heart, pushing him to move on.He knew that he should have left long ago, even if he backed down this time, he would definitely come back in the future.And the train station is about to close, and the track that connects him to the past won't be open to him forever.

He has no reason to go back.

The more people around him, the more complicated the smell.Looking up, there are snack shops, clothing stores, and bars everywhere, and there are Korean characters on many signs.

Small stalls line the crowded sidewalks, selling scarves, hats, phone cases, cheap jewelry.A woman held a baby in her arms and stood in front of Zian.She said mysteriously: "There are good things, do you want them?"

Zian was taken aback. He had heard of this kind of thing. There are many people in Zhongguancun who "sell discs" with their children in their arms.Seeing that Zian was stunned, the woman smiled professionally and hugged the baby on her shoulders. Dozens of QR codes were printed on the clothes on the baby's back. "Add WeChat, and there will be a great gift. Scan it, and I'll give you a pack of tissues. Scan one and get one pack, and scan ten, and get a cell phone film."

Zian: "..."

Seeing that he didn't respond, the woman turned around and went to the next one.Zian hurriedly pulled her back, "Sister, ask me the way, which direction is Yuanmingyuan going?"

The woman said impatiently, "Which door are you going to? It's far away, none of the doors are close."

Zian was stunned, "Can I get there on foot?"

The woman immediately said, "It's a foggy day, where do you go, brother, you scan this—" She picked up the baby again, "Private car service, free 20 yuan coupon for the first ride."

Zian's eyes twitched when he saw it, so he took out his phone and scanned it casually.Satisfied, the woman walked away with a smile on her face, pulled up the child's clothes, and said softly: "It's cold today, we'll go home later, and make chicken porridge for the baby."

Zian stood on the sidewalk, not knowing what to do next.He felt tired all at once.Why don't we have a meal first, Zi'an thought.

In front of him was a row of food stalls. The smells of various peppers, starches, fats and essences were intertwined in a random way, which made Zian lose his appetite.However, his throat was extremely thirsty, and he even forgot to drink water after traveling thousands of miles.

He saw a drink seller in front of him and asked, "Boss, what is this?"

"Authentic Cuban cocktails with a lot of ink stains. It's the best drink in winter," the boss added big handfuls of ice cubes into the plastic cup, "it cools from the tongue to the soles of the feet, and then heats up from the stomach and warms up to the fingers. I Let me tell you, this is like coming back to life from the dead, after keeping it safe and drinking it, I don’t have any troubles.”

Zi'an was tempted by the ice cubes and asked for a glass.When the wine poured into his tongue, Zian frowned: The rum has been blended, the mint is not fresh, and the lime is not sour. It is estimated that the domestic lime was used... Ah, I really want to drop the glass!

But while complaining, he finished the wine—the boss was right, the process was really like dying once and then coming back to life.He said, "Give me another drink."

The boss smiled and said, "Hero, drink well!"

Under the influence of alcohol, Zian felt his whole body was warm, and this place full of strangers, fake wine, and fake meat became less annoying.After drinking three cups, he felt that he was slowly approaching his father, crossing the car and the road, and flying to the place that no longer existed...

Holding a bone-cold wine, he walked among the endless small stalls.Grilled sausages, stinky tofu, cold noodles, grilled skewers, Malatang, colorful marshmallows, popcorn... all kinds of indistinguishable smells, the steam of food, the sound of meat on the frying plate.

His mind was slowly filled with the color, sound, and taste of food, and it became foggy again.The sky was spinning, and the light of the bulb rose and fell... Finally, the newly promoted chef with one Michelin star was knocked down by the dust storm of food and fell into the void.

The author has something to say:

Tsinghuayuan Railway Station was closed last year.The train passed by, and the crowds blocked both sides of the track. It used to be a great scenery in Wudaokou.Write it here to remember it.