Summertime

When she came back from the airport that day, Xizao's heart became very chaotic and tired. She wanted to organize her mind, but the more she thought about it, the more dull she became, and in the end she could only give up her useless behavior.

Xizao didn't go back to the hotel, but chose to go all the way north from the southernmost end of Nathan Road. She wanted to take a walk, maybe her chaotic heart would become clear after walking, maybe she would know the way forward.

On Sunday afternoon, it was cloudy and cloudy, and even the dirty air was stagnant. There was no wind, and it was extremely hot. The streets were crowded with people and heavy traffic. You can walk along Nathan Road from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. This area belongs to the old city of Hong Kong. , both sides of the street are mostly old and tall residential buildings, most of which have been baptized by years of wind and rain, and become dirty after fading. The iron sheet of the external air conditioner has turned yellow and rusted, like old Year bumps are attached to the yellowed and blackened skin of the building. The protruding balconies and windows are narrow and crowded. From a distance, those window eaves and the iron fence on the balcony seem to have not been cleaned for many years, sticking to various Dirty colors and sediments, these high-rise residential buildings with strong local characteristics in Hong Kong are densely packed one by one without any gaps, and even many old buildings are interspersed between modern commercial buildings, which makes people feel strange .On the way from Jordan to Yau Ma Tei, many old buildings along the way are being repaired, and the towering buildings are covered with layers of dark green architectural gauze, which makes people feel that the city has become a huge desolation construction site, the sky is full of construction sites.Under the gloomy sky, the contrast between the modernity and prosperity of the streets and the dilapidated buildings is stark and bizarre.

There are all kinds of gorgeous brand stores on the street, as well as various restaurants, drugstores and skin care stores. There is always a long queue under the bus stop sign on the street. Bored people are either knocking on their phones or reading newspapers with their heads down. , patiently waiting for the next double-decker bus to arrive at the station, the crowds on the narrow sidewalk are constantly intertwined, fused with faces of different skin colors, and languages ​​​​of different countries, but it seems that everyone who walks towards Xizao always walks In a hurry, looking hurried.After being bumped several times by passers-by, Xizao's shoulders became extremely painful, but Xizao still put his hands in his trouser pockets, walked slowly and casually, and walked forward with a blank expression, as if he was in a crowd of people. heterogeneous.

There are a few bands playing hard by the side of the road, and the high-pitched speakers forcibly cover the noise and dust of the speeding traffic on the street. She stops at a corner of a street performance, where two young Europeans and Americans are playing with their feet. The prepared liquid blows out huge colorful foam balls. The foam is so huge that it can hold an adult. Three or two dreamy transparent foams slowly float towards the crowd, touch the ground, and burst silently in an instant, causing countless onlookers on the roadside The audience cheered, clapped and shouted.

Amidst the noisy screams, a transparent giant ball was blown in the direction of Xizao, her frail body swayed awkwardly in a distorted posture, sank, and approached a little bit, she subconsciously stretched out her hand to touch, but Just when the fingertips were about to touch the foam ball, the foam touched the ground. In an instant, the fragile membrane was pierced, and the bubble burst into nothingness.

"It's raining!"

Someone in the crowd yelled, and the passers-by screamed and dispersed with their heads in their hands. In the gray sky, a patter of rain began to fall, destroying all the foam balls floating on the road. Panicked, he packed up his luggage and followed the fleeing crowd, disappearing among the shops on the street.The bustling crowd dispersed like a tide, and the noisy street suddenly became extremely quiet in the next moment, so quiet that the sound of vehicle tires rolling and accumulating water, and the sound of water splashing could be heard.

Xi Zao slowly withdrew her hand that was frozen in the air, she squeezed the corners of her mouth that was curved downwards, put her hands back into her wet trouser pockets, turned around and disappeared into the street where only a few umbrellas floated here and there.

Hong Kong is a tiny place. It takes less than an hour to go from Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Ma Yau Tei, and then to Mong Kok. The streets on the return journey are much looser than before, and the roads are no longer congested. The bustling pedestrians seem to disappear out of thin air. There are only countless large and small umbrellas floating in the air, passing by in a hurry.The road was wet, and there were trampled, dirty puddles everywhere.Xizao's whole body was already drenched, transparent raindrops mixed with the unpleasant smell of street car exhaust fell from Xizao's wet hair, leaving a streak on Xizao's pale cheeks. Mottled traces of rain.Passers-by looked at the woman walking with her head down on the road with weird expressions. She didn't hold an umbrella or hide from the rain, but walked slowly in the rain in a daze. It's just that the strange behavior of the woman didn't attract the attention of people in a hurry. After a glance, the stay was only a few seconds longer, and the pedestrians put away their curiosity and rushed to the next destination.

Xizao was relaxing, but the back and forth walks didn't bring her the desired result, and she couldn't even remember how she walked back from the Mong Kok end.The gloomy weather, the chaotic streets, and the decadent cityscape were like a bizarre dream, sweeping away all her senses, emotions, and memories.The decline under the prosperity, the desolation in the hustle and bustle, and the decadence in the grand scene describe the ukiyo-e painting under the prosperous city. She is just one person buried in the crowd, as insignificant as a dust, and the dust and smoke of the world are everywhere. Every little dust is looking forward to one day when its wandering trajectory stops stretching after finding a paradise, and then the dust settles, attaches, takes root, and breeds new life.Xizao didn't know how long she had walked along this road, the search for the road was too long, maybe one day she would no longer have extravagant hopes.

Some people can walk with themselves for a while, but where are the people who are willing to accompany them for the rest of their lives?Time keeps beating the pride of the past, and the innocent dream has become a reason to deceive myself. I always think, but I can’t find it. A person can be happy living alone, but after reaching a certain age, life alone He has become less free and open-minded, and the seemingly invulnerable strength is nothing but a false skin that he puts on for himself.

Perhaps, life has taught me how to heal the wounds, but what is left is always those uneasy, restless, flustered problems, and the wandering mood that has nowhere to rest.

In the past, she would have imagined, imagining that she would exchange her whole life for the immortality of a love, but now she no longer knows whether she still has the ability to exchange.

The gray sky, the wind blowing, the clouds surging, and the busy city, not only the crowds on the road, but also how many people's hearts are congested. Where will I end up at the next stop, and where will I turn around happily? intersection?

Everything can be imagined, but it cannot be guessed, only confusion.

On July [-]st, Sunday, the last day in Hong Kong, in the evening, Gu Xia received a call from Xizao, saying that she was asking her out for dinner, and Gu Xia agreed.

As usual, the two of them ate and chatted in a familiar restaurant, and then walked side by side after the meal, walking on the streets of the city at the beginning of the lights, digesting food and relaxing, but today, for some reason, Gu Xia didn't talk much, most of them were jujubes. Talking slowly, she just listened quietly.

At [-]:[-] in the evening, the waterfront promenade of Victoria Harbor is already full of crowds of onlookers, most of whom are tourists. There will be a light show at Victoria Harbor at [-]:[-] every night. At that time, the skyscrapers around the harbor will melt. The stage intertwined with lights turns the skyline of Victoria Harbor into a laser light and music show that lasts for more than ten minutes.Local residents have long been familiar with such light shows, but tourists from all over the world always come here just to enjoy the light show that has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The light of the laser light is arranged, combined, and mapped according to the rhythm of the music, forming patterns of different sizes and colors. Xizao is not in the mood to watch the upcoming performance. At this time, she is more concerned about Gu Xia beside her. Why does she always feel that Gu Xia is in a bad mood tonight.

"The mille-feuille cake that day was delicious, thank you!"

Walking on the Avenue of Stars in the open-air square, Xizao suddenly remembered something, she turned around happily and said to Gu Xia.

"As long as you like."

Gu Xia raised her head, pursed her lips slightly and said, then lowered her head and silently walked up the upper steps of the coastal promenade.

Xi Zao was stunned, did Gu Xia have something on her mind? Why did she feel a kind of desolation coming from Gu Xia's body? She didn't know how to resolve this kind of emotion for a while.

At some point, exclamations of admiration erupted from the crowd, and the loudspeakers installed in the vegetation and flower beds of the square began to play background music and narration in Cantonese. At [-] o'clock in the evening, the light show began.

The rhythm of the light and music is very dynamic, but it makes Gu Xia feel a little vulgar. The light effect of dancing in the sky is not intentional for Gu Xia to watch. She just wants to pass the time, and she doesn't want to go back.Beside Xizao, Gu Xia looked at her looking up at the colorful light in the sky, her clear eyes were filled with shining colors, and the fluttering hair brushed her soft side face, It made her fair face look smaller, and the hand on the edge of the stone steps was so close to her hand, so close that she could feel the soft touch between the skin, so close, but Gu Xia But she didn't dare to reach out and hold that hand. Even if she had the impulse, she was overwhelmed by the difficult mood.

Time passed by little by little, the gorgeous light show came to an end, and the people who watched the theater dispersed in twos and threes. There were fewer tourists and no more noise. Victoria Harbor returned to the tranquility of the night. , Gu Xia didn't know where she went, but there was nothing around her, and her heart also became empty.The fog on the sea surface is gradually rising and spreading, and the light and shadow on the other side of the coast have become misty. Under the promenade, a young singer is holding a guitar and singing sad love songs. His deep voice is slowly flowing in the moist air. Unknowingly, mist appeared in Gu Xia's eye sockets, Gu Xia shook her head mockingly, bit her lower lip, and swallowed the bitterness in her mouthpiece again.

When did she become so fragile? It was never her, not at all.

"Gu Xia, here!"

Someone was calling her name, and then a cone suddenly appeared in front of her eyes, Gu Xia raised her head subconsciously, and she saw Xizao smiling at her.

"Don't you say that when you are in a bad mood, eating ice cream will make you feel better, here, here you are!"

"Thank you."

Gu Xia burst out laughing too, she was a little surprised that Xi Zao still remembered what she said that time, and it had been six or seven years since they were still in Japan at that time.

What was even more surprising was that when they returned after nine o'clock, Xi Zao stretched out his hand with a smile, palms up towards her, Gu Xia was stunned, she was a little hesitant, but the arc of the corner of her mouth became higher and higher, she He raised his hand to hold the warm palm.

"Aren't you so nice to everyone?"

Gu Xia didn't know that her originally sunny smile would suddenly become a little bitter, she lowered her head and said to herself.

"Ok?"

"It's nothing."

"Let's go back."

Xizao clenched her cold hands, turned around and walked towards the open-air square.