lion in august

Yan Banxia received an email from the design studio on the second day of New Year's Day, saying that it was an interview next Monday. She casually opened the calendar on her mobile phone, and jumped out of bed in the next second.

The second day of New Year's Day is Saturday, which means that the interview will be the day after tomorrow, but she doesn't seem to have any clothes that can be worn seriously for the interview.

Yan Banxia hurriedly washed and washed, told her mother to go to SOHO to buy clothes, threw her mobile phone, card case, and keys into the canvas bag, and went back to the room when she was about to go out, kissed the cat teacher's pillow and squinted with a smile s eyes.

There have been several heavy snowfalls during Christmas. The snow started to melt as soon as the sun shines today. There are puddles everywhere. The snow that has been trampled by passers-by is gray, very dirty, and somewhat immoral. The owner took the dog out for a walk and let the dog pee and shit in the snow without picking it up.

Yan Banxia, ​​who has been in New York for six years, has adapted to the life here, can easily avoid the traps in the snow, and calmly avoid dirty places.

Before going abroad, Yan Banxia lived in the south where it never snowed, and was looking forward to the snow very much.It was very cold in New York the year she went abroad, and it was still snowing heavily in March. As soon as she left the airport, the cold air rushed into her nasal cavity, and her nose bleeds immediately after drying out. But she still liked watching snow, until she saw the melting snow for the first time, Her dreamy vision of snow came to an abrupt end.

It was too cold, and even though Yan Banxia was wearing a long down jacket, she was still stamping her feet in the cold at the subway station. She took out the noise-cancelling headphones and clicked on the Japanese song of the recent single cycle.

After Yan Banxia went abroad, every time she chatted with Sinanxing on QQ, Sinanxing's status showed that she was listening to this song.Yan Banxia didn't understand it before, thinking that Si Nanxing just liked the anime about swordsmen very much, so he even liked to listen to the ED of that anime.

Recently, she discovered this song when she was clearing the memory card of her old mobile phone. After many years, she searched to listen to it again. After reading the Chinese lyrics, she finally understood it. Si Nanxing only listened to this song on a loop shortly after she went abroad. A song, because the lyrics of this song are about them.

Trying to forget you, but the thoughts of missing you keep pouring out, I want to be close to you more than anyone else, but why are you not by my side, the lingering warmth of hugging you is still in my hands.

Yan Banxia thought back then that she had asked Si Nanxing to find her boyfriend to fall in love with, Xing Yi was right, she was a big idiot.

The subway opposite is slowly entering on the snow-covered tracks. This is the subway returning from Manhattan. The subway waiting for Banxia is going out of Manhattan, and it hasn't come yet.

If you want to say that the fast-paced New Yorkers are only open to the Internet and willing to slow down, it is probably the New York subway that often breaks down, is late, and is diverted at every turn. Otherwise, why do New Yorkers like to have a book in their backpacks? Because I am afraid that the subway will suddenly break down when it enters the tunnel. There is no signal in the tunnel, and it will take at least half an hour to wait for a breakdown. There is no book on how to survive this time.

A profile face that was still familiar even though she hadn't seen it for six years came into view, Yan Banxia rubbed her eyes, that profile face had already disappeared in the crowd who just got off the subway opposite, she smiled self-deprecatingly, she thought she saw Si Nanxing is gone.

"It seems that I can't listen to this song anymore." Yan Banxia took out his mobile phone and changed the song, and said flatly, "I'm thinking of you and becoming ill, and the medicine stone has no effect?"

Surrounded by foreigners, Yan Banxia is not at all worried that anyone will understand this second-second sentence.

However, Si Nanxing, who just ran over from the opposite side to transfer to the subway, stopped at the stairs. She heard what Yan Banxia said just now, and resisted the urge to get closer to Yan Banxia, ​​and walked to the right.

There are four doors in a subway car. I saw the subway entering from the left. Yan Banxia walked in at the third door in the middle car. Si Nanxing quickly followed into the same car, but she sat at the first door. there.

After Si Nanxing received Yan Banxia's resume, he knew where her home lived. Today, he wanted to visit her home before the interview, but he didn't expect to meet her at the subway station.

Noon is not the rush hour for commuting, and few people take the subway, but Yan Banxia still gathers her long down jacket before sitting down, so as not to let the long down jacket occupy the seat next to her.She loosened the scarf, wrapped it loosely around her neck, put on the hat of the long down jacket, put the canvas bag on her lap, then passed the strap of the canvas bag through her arm, put her hands in her pockets, slightly hunchbacked and lowered He closed his head and closed his eyes, not sure if he was sleepy or just closing his eyes.

Si Nanxing observed Yan Banxia's behavior carefully, and acquiesced in his heart to what Xing Yi told her before.

[A Yi]: Don't be too aggressive, don't scare her, she's a little... I'll send you away thousands of miles away, she's quite independent, maybe it has something to do with her depression?By the way, she has obsessive-compulsive disorder and cleanliness. When she returned to China that year, she must wash her hands with hand sanitizer when she went to the public toilet in the shopping mall, but there was no hand sanitizer there, so she rubbed her hands with clean water for a long time, and then I found a travel-size shower gel in a convenience store, it was the kind in a small packet, and I saw a little sign of relaxation on her tense face.

Sinan Xingxin said, no wonder Yan Banxia didn't rest his head on the back, nor on the armrest beside him.

Yan Banxia was used to it, but Si Nanxing wasn't used to it yet, she sat upright a little restlessly.

New York is the center of economics and trade. Sinanxing thought that everything should be orderly and clean, and it would look very glamorous, but the New York subway is really not an exaggeration to say that it is dirty and messy.

It was her first time in New York, and even though she knew English, she couldn't figure out which way to go in all the messy subway signs.The New York subway is especially complicated. She would get confused just by looking at the subway map. If she accidentally missed the exit, she would not know how long it would take to find her destination on the street.

In addition, the card-swiping system of the subway is very old, and there is a stainless steel stick to stop it there. If you don’t want to swipe the card, you can just jump over the two sides of the machine. Of course, this is illegal, so in some busy subways There will be police guarding the station.

Since the New York subway runs 24 hours a day, in the early hours of the morning, homeless people will sneak into the subway station and sleep in the subway car for a night, so the subway station and the subway car have a sour smell that lingers all year round.

If it's just smelly, I can bear it. After all, life in New York is so busy, who has time to complain about the dirty subway every time.It's just that some homeless people may be mentally disturbed, and they often jump on the track during the rush hour of commuting or push passers-by off the track.The subway track runs on electricity, and the power must be turned off immediately to ensure the safety of people on the track. However, when the electricity stops, all lines passing through that subway station will be diverted or the entire line will be stopped directly. This is a fast-paced One of the hardest things a New Yorker can live with when commuting.

Complaining every year, the price of the subway card is still increasing every year, and as time goes by, I get used to it.

The door connecting the two carriages was suddenly pushed open, and the wheelchair got stuck in the door first.

Si Nanxing didn't wear earphones, and was startled by the sound of the door being pushed, then shrank his legs and put them under the seat, for fear of bumping into the beggar in the wheelchair.

On the first day she came to New York, she experienced the New York subway with great interest. She gave money to the first beggar she saw that day, and then she saw the second and third beggars one after another... She gradually became indifferent .

The beggars wore old, smelly down jackets with several holes in the sleeves, and the duck down leaked out.His hair must have not been washed for a long time, it was all knotted, and it grew to his shoulders in clumps, which looked disgusting.The gauze wrapped on the right foot is black and gray, and the sweatpants are so worn that even the brand's logo can't be seen clearly, but a tick mark can still be vaguely seen.

The beggar turns the wheel of the wheelchair with both hands, and the heel of the left foot in slippers touches the ground, dragging the wheelchair with the heel.

The subway car is not too wide, and there are handrails in the middle, and the wheelchair of the beggar is ridiculously wide. He is dragging around in the car, and it is difficult to guarantee that he will not bump into the passengers sitting on both sides.

Yan Banxia, ​​who closed her eyes, opened her eyes as soon as she heard the yelling of beggars. In the past few years in New York, she has developed the habit of maintaining high vigilance when taking the subway, just like the stress engraved in her body. In response, the voice of beggars can always penetrate her earphones and reach her ears, not to mention that the smell of beggars has such a sense of presence, even if she can't see or hear it, she can still smell it.

Yan Banxia took off the earphones and listened for a while, then put them on again impatiently.

The same story, no sincerity, no new ideas, she has seen this beggar countless times, divorced after the version of the story, lost in stock speculation, the ultimate goal is to need money.If the beggars did not get money in the first few cars, they would change their words in this car and say, "Even if there is no change, there are snacks, but I am too hungry and just want to eat a banana or drink a carton of milk."

Yan Banxia didn't close her eyes any more, she frowned and looked at the beggar's wheelchair, hiding away.

It can’t be blamed for the gradual disappearance of New Yorkers’ sympathy. Yan Banxia once had five beggars coming to the car she was sitting in during an hour’s subway ride. There was no money at the back of the car, so he walked back to the front of the car from the back, and appeared in the carriage where Yan Banxia was sitting for the second time.

There are also performers in the subway, such as those who play musical instruments, sing, perform magic tricks, jump hat-tricks, and talented performers abound.

It was the first time for Yan Banxia to see a street dancer using the armrests in such a small space in the carriage. She gave money, and soon found that such a performance can be seen as long as she takes the subway. She can't give money every time, right? , Later, when foreigners sang Chinese songs, they would give money, and then praised in Chinese, "Your Chinese pronunciation is really standard."

Every performer uses their talent to make money, some of them may really need money, some may overcome stage fright, and a very small number of performers - such as playing the violin or cello, they Was part of an orchestra and just performed in a subway station for fun.

Si Nanxing followed Yan Banxia out of the station, only to see that Yan Banxia was unambiguous, staring at the opposite side of the road, rubbing his hands with alcohol hand sanitizer while crossing the road, and rushed straight to a clothing store, blocking the door with his elbow Put, pull open the door.

"Rongxue ran out to buy clothes when it's so cold? But she's really a clean freak, she doesn't even use her hands to pull the door."

Si Nanxing shook his head amusedly, and followed Yan Banxia into the clothing store from a distance. Yan Banxia was looking at the clothes over the formal clothes, and she was looking at the casual clothes next to the formal clothes. She lowered her head and occasionally turned her head to look at Yan Banxia quickly. Seeing Yan Banxia took a few sets of small suits to the fitting room, she quickly followed with a few sweaters.

In addition to a half-length mirror in each individual room in the fitting room of this clothing store, there is also a large floor-to-ceiling mirror in the waiting area outside.

Yan Banxia first tried a small suit with a classic black and white color scheme. After looking at it in the floor mirror for a long time, he was not satisfied. He felt that it was too old-fashioned. The design studio may like to be more lively, and the lively style sometimes shows the thinking of the design. The way will be more jumpy.

Yan Banxia clicked her tongue, she remembered that when she was just in college, she was laughed at by some foreign classmates. People in this country only think things in the box, only plagiarize, and should not study design.She didn't take it seriously, and when she handed in the homework for the first time, she handed in a design work that both she and the professor were very satisfied with, and those foreign students immediately fell silent.

Since Yan Banxia went abroad to study, she has long been used to hearing unfriendly comments from foreigners. She is familiar with discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes. Instead of arguing with words, it is better to prove it with actions strength.

So Yan Banxia changed into a small dark camel double-faced woolen suit, serious yet casual, lined with a light brown long sleeve of the same color, and paired with slim black trousers. It's so cold, you can do it next Monday Wear boots. Anyway, I have a pair of brown boots at home. When I wear a long down jacket, it will be loose enough, and I am not afraid that it will be crumpled and the small suit will not be decent.

Yan Banxia quickly picked out the clothes, and immediately queued up to pay with the clothes in his arms, but his brows were furrowed.

She is infected by the rhythm of New York, and she is also a somewhat impatient person. In the past, no matter what she thought or did, she was slow, because the rhythm of the small southern county where she used to live was slow and stress-free.

Now in New York, she has a deep understanding of what an inch of time is worth. She does things at a high speed, and when thinking about things, she can quickly come up with several solutions.

It's just that the frown is not because he thinks queuing up is a waste of time. Yan Banxia is worried about money. The clothes he bought today are not special prices. It's obviously after Christmas and New Year's Day. The clothes in major clothing stores should be on special prices in order to change seasons. However, the few clothes she held in her arms were all new spring clothes, even if there were no special prices, they were still very expensive.

Yan Banxia's changes caught Si Nanxing a little by surprise. After six years of separation, Yan Banxia was no longer the silly, good-tempered sophomore in high school she used to be. She became independent, confident, and had her own way of doing things, but she did As Xing Yi said, with a blank face, she has a sense of alienation of "I will send you away thousands of miles away". She has built a comfort zone that belongs only to herself, but can still make continuous progress. She seems to reject the outside world. All invitations, and no one is allowed to set foot in her world.

Si Nanxing pressed her forehead distractedly, how could she chase back Yan Banxia who had a clear sense of alienation.

After leaving the clothing store, Yan Banxia was not in a hurry to go to the subway station, and she didn't take the subway either. She walked for about ten minutes from SOHO to Chinatown, chatting with her mother on the phone while shopping in the supermarket.

"It's rare for me to go to Manhattan during the winter vacation. The weather is nice today. I'll just go shopping for a while. See if I can buy something. I'm in Chinatown now... I have nothing to do later, so I might buy it when I go back. Drink a cup of milk tea, if you can afford it, just don’t buy too much.” Yan Banxia was wearing earphones, holding a small pumpkin in both hands to compare which one is better. "Why don't you cook some pumpkin and millet porridge? It's good for your stomach, and it's warm to eat in winter. I think the pumpkin today is not bad... No, it's not the big pumpkin for Halloween. I can't carry it back. It's a little green-skinned one. One of them, I bought it once before and steamed it, it’s very sweet.”

Si Nanxing bowed her head next to Yan Banxia and picked up the radish. She didn't dare to make a sound, didn't dare to breathe too heavily, and even covered the side of her face with her long hair that she managed to grow.

In the freshman year of high school, Yan Banxia said that she really wanted to see Si Nanxing with long hair, but girls in high school were not allowed to have their hair past their shoulders.

"Don't buy it? That's okay... I didn't buy the right clothes. I just got spring clothes and they are expensive. In fact, I have a white shirt and black jeans, and I can wear them to interviews." Yan Banxia put the little pumpkin away, and took out Squeeze a big lump of alcohol-based hand sanitizer into the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. "By the way, Mom, I ran into a few college classmates. I'll have a cup of milk tea with them and chat with them before going home."

Si Nanxing looked at the bag from the clothing store in Yan Banxia's hand strangely, thinking she didn't buy clothes, why did she say she didn't buy them.

Yan Banxia took off the earphones and put them away, turned around, and met Si Nanxing's strange gaze without any surprise.

Yan Banxia asked expressionlessly: "Sinanxing, how long are you going to follow me?"