still in the mirror

In the early summer, Zhang Weiyu moved to Shanghai with her mother, and in the past two weeks she often walked around the homes of ladies and ladies.This day, she took the car to go to the Fengqi mansion to dance, and it was just in the evening, and the mysterious blue sky was smeared with a moon shadow, hanging blue and fluffy over the mansion.

Fengqi Mansion is an Italian-style building, a main building connects two annex buildings, and the arched windows are lit with orange lights, like a secret blue palace, hidden behind the black banyan tree.The car stopped in front of the steps, the servant Ola opened the door, and Miss Li came forward, took Wei Yu's arm, and led her into the house.

The corridor is very high, with mysterious blue ribs supporting the royal blue vault, and three stained glass windows facing the inner garden. , and further back is the entrance of the inner garden, a delicate and magnificent gold-lacquered dotted green glass screen is slanted, and the shadow of the wooden hydrangea in the garden can be glimpsed.Before arriving at the exhibition hall, Youling pushed open a teak double door on the west side, Weiyu felt a rush of heat, and the sound of noise and music immediately poured into her ears.

In the banquet hall, Mrs. Zhou's niece was playing the piano, the waltz was going on, and three couples of young men and women were waltzing.The smell of meat, oil, and spicy food is mixed with the smell of perfume and wine, the crystal chandelier is surrounded by nude veils, four large teak wood tables, Indian curry crab, Shanghai braised pork, oily shredded pork in sauce, Steamed river shad, deep-fried Dong Xingban, and a kilogram of lobster with long red whiskers on the water-colored tablecloth.

You Ling called out to a young man, "Cong Fei! Look who's coming."

It was only then that Wei Yu noticed that Li Congfei, who was sitting among the crowd, was about seventeen or eighteen years old, holding Mrs. Liu's mask in front of his face, and the mask was covered with dots of silver rhinestones, twinkling under the light, Reflected on his skin, the grains trembled.Hearing this, he took off the net, stood up to greet Wei Yu, and said with a smile to Wei Yu: "My friends often mention my sister to me, today I see a real person."

He led Weiyu to sit in a corner, where it was a little quieter. The servant Ouxin added two bowls of matsutake and bamboo fungus chicken soup, and the two chatted about school while drinking.His hair was limp in front of his forehead, his eyebrows were slanted, his eyes seemed to be soaked in water, dripping and always rippling slightly, he didn't know if he was losing his temper or harboring hidden hatred.

While he was going to help her get the cake, Wei Yu hurriedly called to You Ling who was going around socializing, and leaned closer and said, "You're too young."

You Ling said: "You look down on him, so could it be that you have a crush on my little uncle Zhou Baohui?"

Wei Yu spat: "What are you talking about, I just think your brother is two years younger than me."

You Ling said: "What's the matter, my younger brother is the one who makes women love him the most, you will like him if you come into contact with him, you just need to bear with his ladylike air sometimes."

Wei Yu smiled and asked, "He's a boy, what does it mean to be a young lady?"

At this time Cong Fei came back with a plate of red velvet cake: "What are you talking about behind my back?"

You Ling took him by the arm, led him and Wei Yu to a window, then turned to Wei Yu and said, "Cong Fei just came back from America last month, let him tell you what's good about New York."

Cong Fei smiled and started talking again. He said that he transferred from Columbia University to Shanghai St. John's after staying in the United States for less than a year, but he could no longer get a graduation certificate from Columbia University.

But he likes New York, the very busy college life, the traffic in New York, the parades on the street, oh yes, the green domed buildings, the library where the gray pigeons fly by.

Weiyu asked Youling again, and Youling said, Me, you know, I would rather like dance halls, playing mahjong, and exotic gadgets at fairs than the torturous places like colleges. She wakes up and goes to class early, and credits will be deducted if she doesn't go. This kind of "torture" life is really hard for her to bear.

Weiyu listened, and paid attention to all the richness and luxury they said in their words, even if the New York they talked about was just a city full of rats and gray fog, the rumbling sound of the subway passing by seemed to be ear.

You Ling said: "Shanghai is the best city in the world."

Cong Fei hummed: "Peking is the best!"

Outside the window, the moonlight casts on her elder sister's green cheongsam and younger brother's deep sea blue vest, so noble and confident. Compared with them, Weiyu feels that she is a countryman, and her body shape and appearance also become stupid.

Just as he was talking, there was a small commotion at the door, and someone said: "Mr. Li is back." Several ladies and ladies ran over, and after a while, everyone surrounded a man in a black suit and entered the room.

Weiyu pushed Youling and said, "Is that your father? I heard about you earlier, so I can see you today."

Cong Fei continued: "What name? Could it be the name that became a father at the age of 14?"

Wei Yu was taken aback for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

You Ling pushed his younger brother, and said: "Don't pay attention to him, Dad just came back from Guangzhou, he hasn't seen Dad for half a year, he's getting mad at Miss, his mouth smells bad."

Youling took Weiyu to meet Li Chengwu. In the crowd, Li Chengwu sized her up and said with a smile, "Youling told me a long time ago that she wanted to bring a new classmate from the French Department to visit her home, but she didn't think of bringing her school beauty along with her. Brought it."

If someone else's father said that, it would inevitably be a little lewd, but being stared at by Li Chengwu's cool eyes, Weiyu suddenly felt that the rouge on her face was like a crabapple that had been soaked by the rain, and the pink splashed straight to the ground. Float to the sideburns.

Before she could calm down, You Ling arranged for her to sit next to Li Chengwu, only to hear You Ling said with a smile: "Isn't it? Weiyu just came to Shanghai, and many of my friends were talking about it. At the banquet at Mrs. Liu's house at the beginning of the month, there was a Suzhou beauty, when I inquired, it turned out to be St. John’s! He immediately invited her here. Today, Cong Fei met Wei Yu and chattered all night in front of her,” You Ling waved to Cong Fei, “Cong Fei , your elder sister Weiyu has been listening to you talking all night, you should play a song for her."

Cong Fei glanced this way, then walked to the piano, took out the violin from the box, and discussed the repertoire with Su Shan.

You Ling said to Li Chengwu: "He has been liked by his sisters since he was a child, and he and Wei Yu can chat very well tonight."

Li Chengwu glanced at Weiyu again, and said calmly, "Oh? Really?"

On the other side of him is his in-law Mrs. Zhou. The servant Ou brought a bowl of arctic sweet shrimp and an empty porcelain plate. The reddish shrimp body was piled on the ice, and it was still hissing. Li Chengwu twisted a piece of shrimp with his hands. Only, slowly pinch the head and peel off the shell.

Mrs. Zhou asked: "Would it bother you if we women and young people are making trouble here? If you're tired, go upstairs and rest. You don't have to entertain us."

Li Chengwu smiled: "What did the in-laws say? Am I not young anymore?"

On the stage, Cong Fei was discussing the score with Su Shan, Wei Yu half sat on the back of the chair, pretending to look at them seriously, but listened carefully to Mrs. Zhou and Li Chengwu.

Mrs. Zhou snorted and said, "You're so young! I'm almost fifty years old. I never thought that I would marry a young man like you! Others look at you like you are my eldest son."

Li Chengwu said: "Sister, don't make fun of me. I'm a hard worker. I was a father and a mother when I was young. Now, I have the heart to live half a lifetime, so I love to be with these younger ones." Stay together with your life, as if you are young yourself."

Mrs. Zhou said: "Since you don't leave, I'm going to bother you with family matters. Youling has been married to the Zhou family for almost a year. Yeping and I like her very much, and Baohuai loves her even more. No, that day I was still telling You Ling that I have a niece Su Shan, look at the one next to the piano..."

Li Chengwu turned his head and saw a girl in a yellow veil sitting on the piano bench, and Cong Fei was standing beside her.At this moment, the girl chatted for a while, and then Cong Fei settled her posture, and the sound of the violin flowed into the piano, which was the familiar "Jasmine Flower". Everyone applauded and applauded for a while, and then a young man came to invite Wei Yu to dance , Wei Yu had no choice but to go.

Mrs. Zhou continued: "I told You Ling, marry Su Shan to your Li family, what do you think?"

Li Chengwu said with a smile: "my relatives feel sorry for me as a lonely person, and even introduced a little girl to Li. I think she looks very good, but I don't know if the girl thinks highly of Li."

Mrs. Zhou spat: "No seriousness, I'm talking about business with you. You Ling only said that she would let Su Shan and Cong Fei get in touch, but I saw her introduce a lot of beautiful girls to her brother today!" said Looking at her, she glanced at Wei Yu who was dancing, "It's almost confusing to Cong Fei, but children always look at the surface. For such a big marriage, it is still up to the parents to check and find someone from IKEA, isn't that right?"

Just as he was talking, servant Ou brought another celadon plate, and Li Chengwu explained a few words to her, and then mixed soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard himself.

He said: "Cong Fei is a villain, the devil king of the contemporary world, but the family from the youngest maid to his own sister are all used to him, and the more used to him, the more he gets used to him. You Ling knows her brother's virtues too well, so she dare not let her in-laws look at us. joke."

Mrs. Zhou saw that he didn't want to talk about it, so she changed the topic: "That's true. My niece is high-minded, and no one can look down on her. I heard from Yeping that you have made up your mind not to go to Nanjing to report on your work? Then I have to congratulate you first."

"It's a little leisure, thanks to you." Just as he was speaking, Li Chengwu also peeled a whole plate of sweet shrimp after the performance on stage.

Mrs. Zhou asked, "Why don't you just peel the shell?"

Amid the applause for "Jasmine", Li Chengwu smiled and did not answer.

Weiyu returned to her seat, and servant Ou brought a glass of lychee wine and shaved ice: "Mr. Li ordered it for the girl."

Li Chengwu said with a smile: "The girl dances well."

Weiyu thanked her and took the crystal hurricane glass. The lychee flesh was juicy and juicy. She also added orange blossom, peaches and cherries. The tender red juice twisted and melted between the crushed ice.She scooped up a spoonful, not distinguishing the taste for a while, and when the ice gradually turned into water, her heart trembled suddenly, and she thought of a word—luminescent.The soft coldness slid down her throat, she swallowed lightly, and went to look at him quietly again, she looked at the plate of shrimp he had peeled, all the tails were left, the heads were pinched off, and the black threads were all pulled out. Beautiful sweet prawns that melt into powder and glisten.

Cong Fei came down from the stage, enjoyed everyone's toast and praise, and finally turned to Li Chengwu leisurely. He squatted between Zhou and Li, praised Su Shan's piano skills to Mrs. Zhou, and wanted to come to see Mrs. Zhou again. Net, wrapped around fingers and played over and over again.

Li Chengwu brought him the plate of sweet shrimp, he raised his eyelids for a moment, and ignored it.

Mrs. Zhou said: "Oh, I also said why your father just peels and doesn't eat, so it's for you kid!"

Li Chengwu leaned down/turned slightly, and asked Cong Fei in a low voice: "Where did I provoke you again?"

Cong Fei still ignored him, stood up and said goodbye to Mrs. Zhou, returned the face net, and turned to go to Wei Yu's side.Li Chengwu saw that he invited Wei Yu to leave the hall together, the dancing skirts of the girls floated over, covering Li Chengwu's sight, and when the skirts floated away, the two had disappeared.

Li Chengwu said: "Look at my relatives, I am desperate, but this kid is an evil."

Cong Fei took Weiyu to the inner garden, it was getting dark, and the two walked under a street lamp.

Only then did Cong Fei realize that she was holding a glass of shaved ice, and clamored to eat the lychee meat inside.Weiyu handed him the small fork, but he didn't say a word, just took the cup Weiyu was holding, and ate it petal by petal. he.

In the end, she couldn't get any lychees out, so she started to eat the peaches and cherries he didn't want, but her heart was happy, and she felt that she had become his sister, or that he had become her own. little lover.

Behind them is a hydrangea tree, like a fat jellyfish, clusters of blue and white hydrangeas are falling, the branches are pressed close to the lawn, and the petals are fluttering all over the ground. The grass and the road are all white, and their shoes are like Stepping on the petals, soft, light, empty, like a cloud.

She likes Cong Fei's temperament, compared to when he was boastful, she enjoys him now more, casually delicate, but dark and blue.It’s not like Beijing, nor like Shanghai, like Paris, rainy moon, endless rain, cats picking apricots on the stone floor, or snowy years, little cold roses in the living room around the unplugged fruit wine.

Wei Yu said: "If you like to eat lychees, my family happens to have two boxes sent from Fujian, how about having someone deliver them to you tomorrow?"

Cong Fei thanked him and happily accepted it.

Weiyu suddenly asked: "Why did you have a fight with your father just now?" She felt that she was a bit out of line just after asking, and was about to divert the conversation when Cong Fei answered out of place:

"My sister looks a bit like my sister."

"Oh? Really? No one ever said that."

Cong Fei said: "The eyes are a bit like, cool and cool." He paused, and continued, "It's so beautiful, don't let my sister take it to the ditch and ruin it."

Wei Yu was taken aback, and asked with a smile, "What does this mean?"

"The ones surnamed Li and Zhou, no matter which one they go to, they will spoil my sister in vain."

Wei Yu said awkwardly: "I came today, that's not what I mean."

Cong Fei said to himself: "Li Youling is a powerful person. She has her own ideas in everything she does. Her wrists are turned like flowers. She won't take pity on you. I know my sister doesn't mean that, but I can't bear it." According to Li Youling's unknowing arrangement, let me help my sister today, and in the future, my sister will remember my good times." Seeing that Weiyu was a little dazed, he smiled again, "Let's go, sister, I invite you You go to the girls' parlor and have a lemon coke."

The author says:

The reason why You Ling introduced Weiyu to her younger brother was because she felt that the relationship between father and son was not normal, and she wanted her younger brother to have a girlfriend quickly.If Cong Fei didn't like Weiyu, she would let Weiyu marry into Zhou's family and let herself have a helper in Zhou's family.Cong Fei said that Weiyu's eyes resembled Youling's, but he actually meant that his eyes were like Li Chengwu's, with cool clear water eyes, and Youling also felt this, so she deliberately looked for Weiyu.