Shanghai morning

The rickshaw slid into the dark street, the under-inflated wheels creaked on the bluestone pavement, and the aroma of rice wafted from the alley next to it, mixed with the smell of sauce and smoke, mixed with the smell of gurgling. The Shanghai/Shanghai dialect has a vibrant street style.Although it was dark, it didn't feel cold at all.

Al and Wang Yao huddled together on the car seat. The weight of the two grown men made the coachman very strenuous. His body was leaning forward, bent like a bow, which reminded Al of the man in Greek mythology who always pushed a boulder.

Wang Yao wanted to come back by himself, but Al insisted on sending him, turning a deaf ear to Wang Yao's objection.

Now that you have already arrived at your own door, it is difficult not to invite people in. For Chinese people, this is usually just a polite farewell, and the invited party can just refuse politely.Wang Yao asked Al politely: "Would you like to come to my house?"

Al, who didn't understand the subtext of the Chinese style, his eyes lit up: "Okay! I've never been to a Chinese home before!"

Wang Yao cursed in his heart that Al couldn't see the heat clearly, how could he go to someone's house so late to disturb him, let alone the host is sick.But the words have already been spoken, so he can only bite the bullet and continue: "Then come in, look at the bottom of your feet."

As soon as the words fell, Al stepped into the sewage.

Walking through the small alley, before going upstairs, I heard the sound of a harmonica and the laughter of a yellow warbler.Wang Yao was upset for a while, so he hurried upstairs to open the door, and saw his younger sister trembling with laughter, and Ivan on the opposite side winked his eyes while playing the harmonica, the melody was as cheerful as a deer jumping.

"Ah, brother, you're back?" Wanwan saw Wang Yao standing at the door with a face of thunderstorm foreshadowing, and rushed to meet him.Ivan also stopped, and wiped a hand on the harmonica.

Wang Yao pulled Wanwan aside with a livid face: "Why are you so disobedient, kid? Didn't I tell you to stay away from that foreigner?"

Wanwan pouted and said dissatisfiedly: "He came to visit, and I can't drive him away."

"Are you stupid? I told you not to open the door for him. Why do you go in your left ear and out of your right ear?" Although Wang Yao was anxious, he regretted it after saying this. He knew that the more harsh words he said to Wan Wan, the more she would Turn against people.

Sure enough, Wanwan also got angry: "If you are worried about me, you should go home early! If you say I don't know how to beware of foreigners, then why are you still with foreigners? Not to mention doing things for foreigners, but also bringing foreigners home! "She said and pointed to Al behind Wang Yao.

"You—" Wang Yao was so angry that his head was dizzy, "You damn girl! I work for foreigners and pretend to be a grandson in front of yellow-haired devils. Isn't it all to support you! Otherwise, you will have to beg for food!"

"Enough, enough! You've been saying this non-stop since I was three years old! It's like I owe you eight lifetimes of debt! Yes, I owe you, my second brother and I owe you! That's all right I’m dropping out of school tomorrow! I’ll go to the teahouse with Xiaoyue to sell and sing! I’m poor and starving to death and I don’t need you to support me!” Wanwan said, pushing Wang Yao away and walking outside, and when he passed by Al, he raised his head and yelled at him Said: "Smelly foreigner! It stinks to death!" After speaking, he rushed out of the door.

"Come back!" Wang Yao shouted while chasing after him.

The two masters all left, and the remaining two outsiders stared at each other.

It was Ivan who spoke first: "You really stink."

Al looked at his feet, which smelled rancid from wading in sewage.This foreigner who spoke English with a foreign accent in front of him made Al involuntarily hostile, and he never showed timidity or shyness in front of his opponent, so he walked into the low room openly and deliberately stepped on the floor. Wet footprints, found a chair that looked intact and sat down.As soon as the tall body was placed on the chair, the seemingly intact chair gave out a creaking dying cry.

"Not only smelly, but also overweight." Ivan smiled leisurely, as if watching a good show.

Al glanced at Ivan: "The guy who looks like a bear has no right to criticize others." He took out his cigarette and lighter leisurely as if he was at home, lit one for himself, and squinted at Ivan at the same time. , deliberately did not ask him if he wanted one.

"An unwelcome guest doesn't leave voluntarily. This is ignorance of the times." Ivan sat on the edge of the bed, tilting his head and watching Al smoking.

"Since you are so self-aware, why do you still hang on?" Al puffed out a cigarette.

"The only one who can issue an order to evict guests is the master, and the master just happens to be away now." Ivan's smile can be called innocent.

"Then it's the same for me." Al shifted to a more comfortable position on the chair, not intending to get up at all.

Ivan was not angry either, and rolled his purple eyes and said, "In this case, it's better to come and talk than to install wood."

"Okay," Al threw away the cigarette, "Then let me ask: What is your relationship with Wang Yao's family? Are you his sister's boyfriend?"

"No, I'm their neighbor," Ivan laughed, "but I'm interested."

"What kind of interest?" Al narrowed his eyes and emphasized his tone.

"I've already answered one of your questions, it's not fair to answer two in a row," Ivan spread his hands innocently, "So now I'll ask: Are you Wang Yao's friend?"

Al thought about it: "I'm the one who offended him."

Ivan gave a skeptical smile: "I know how much Yao hates foreigners. He can't possibly bring back an American who he hates to death—with all due respect, are you an American? Only America is so stupidly arrogant."

"So this shows that he doesn't hate me, and Young Master Zhi doesn't hate me anymore." Al arrogantly leaned his body back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "And you, you are in his room. It made him angry, didn't it? Also, you must be Russian, only Russians can speak English so badly."

Ivan suddenly smiled like a child: "I just found out one thing: you really annoy me!"

Al was taken aback for a moment, then lit a second cigarette, and said with a smile, "Very good, then I won't feel bad because I hate you!"

At this moment, Wang Yao came back dejectedly alone, staggered a few steps to the bedside, and fell directly behind Ivan's back.

"What's the matter, Yao?" Ivan pushed him.

"Don't bother me, I'm uncomfortable!" Wang Yao waved Ivan's hand away.

"It's so hot! Are you sick?" Ivan realized something was wrong.

Wang Yao answered irrelevantly: "Wanwan went to Xiaoyue's house to live, no matter how much I persuaded her, she didn't come back."

"It's not easy to handle. The last time she lost her temper she went to Xiaoyue's house. Didn't you bring her back?" Ivan wanted to turn Wang Yao's body around.

"Get lost! Stop making trouble!" Wang Yao cursed weakly, without opening his eyes.

Al, who was left on the sidelines, suddenly said, "You'd better not touch him, he's had a fever since morning."

"Since you know why you didn't send him to the hospital?" Ivan looked at Al reproachfully.

"I have no money..." Wang Yao muttered in a low voice, delirious.

"It seems that someone needs to stay and take care of him," Ivan smiled helplessly, "but of course it won't be you, the one who offended him."

Al glanced at him: "It shouldn't be your unwelcome neighbor either."

"Okay, let's make a tie," Ivan could only agree, "get his sister back."