Mindful

What happened on Linghai Island became a hurdle in Qiao Yuanlin's heart. He couldn't overcome it. He wanted to tell Wang Ruizhi a few times, but he swallowed the words with difficulty.

He had very little communication with Liang Cheng, at home he bowed his head but did not look up, and only passed by with sideways glances.He saw Liang Cheng as a social youth who broke the law and discipline, and Liang Cheng saw him as a high school student with a problematic attitude towards learning.

He quietly followed Liang Cheng's actions, and if something happened, he would call the police as soon as possible.He didn't believe it anymore. Could it be that every police station in the huge Pinghai City shelters criminals?

One day a van suddenly stopped at the alley, and he was startled, thinking that a group of people had come to seek revenge, but luckily it was a false alarm, and it was the moving company that the neighbor had found.

Qiao Yuanlin was tired enough to go to school every day, and he had to worry about it, which made his cold white skin slightly sallow.

Fortunately, Liang Cheng didn't go out much these days, and stayed in his room most of the time, occasionally going to a nearby snack bar for lunch.

Early on Saturday morning, Qiao Yuanlin went to the cram school.Today is the monthly mathematics and science ability improvement test, and the new No. [-] middle school science competition class student will also take part for the first time, and everyone is heaving a sigh of relief.

After a sour exam all morning, Qiao Yuanlin turned on his phone after the exam, and there were three missed calls from Yao Fu.

He hurried back to Wanping Alley, and Yao Fu was standing bored under the electric pole at the entrance of the alley, with his short skirt fluttering, and two shopping bags at his feet.

Qiao Yuanlin's aunt bought him some nutrition and clothes and asked Yao Fu to deliver them.He took it for him, pointed to the cheongsam shop and said, "That's the building, why don't you wait at home?"

Yao Fu said: "My mother said that you live here and we deliver things, as if your grandma didn't take good care of you, so I didn't go."

At noon, Qiao Yuanlin said boldly: "Then I'll treat you to a meal and let's go."

There are more than a dozen small restaurants in the next street. Although they are not high-end, they have been in operation for many years and are well-known.Qiao Yuanlin took Yao Fu to pick out Laohu Sichuan Cuisine, which was the best seller, and it happened that there was just a table vacant in the restaurant.

The seat was near the window, Qiao Yuanlin took off the shirt covered with short sleeves, threw it to Yao Fu, and said, "Sit down and cover your legs."

After ordering dishes, Qiao Yuanlin was bored, recalled a question on the test paper, wrote it on a napkin and calculated it again.It should be right, I don't know if that No. [-] middle school bully has made it.

Turning around, he thought of Duan Sicun's most outstanding student, he should listen to it for a while before leaving that day.

Yao Fu asked, "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Qiao Yuanlin regained his senses and said concisely: "Seventh Middle School."

"I still miss it." Yao Fu said, "Are you particularly regretful?"

Qiao Yuanlin said: "I passed the exam, it's all because Qiao Wenyuan didn't let me go."

Yao Fu comforted him: "Actually, even if you went to No. [-] Middle School, you've already—"

Qiao Yuanlin looked disappointed, Yao Fu didn't continue talking, and chatted for a while, the dishes were all served, and the siblings concentrated on eating.

Qiao Yuanlin picked up a large pot of spicy and delicious boiled fish, thinking that what is so good about studying abroad, how can I get such an authentic taste.

It didn't take long before he was so hot that he was sweating, he asked Yao Fu if he wanted to drink sour plum soup under his breath.Yao Fu didn't hear it, and his attention was attracted by the window.

Qiao Yuanlin asked: "Sister, what are you looking at?"

Yao Fu said, "Handsome guy."

Qiao Yuanlin stinky said: "The handsome guy is sitting opposite you."

Yao Fu was still watching: "It's really handsome."

Unconvinced, Qiao Yuanlin turned around, saw the very familiar handsome guy through the glass window, and asked in surprise, "Liang Cheng?"

The sidewalk outside the store was mottled with greenery, and there were seven or eight tables. Liang Cheng sat not too far away, facing the door of the store, and ordered a bowl of noodles and a bottle of Coke.

Yao Fu asked, "Do you know each other?"

Qiao Yuanlin replied, "He is the tenant of my grandma's house."

Yao Fule said: "It's true, it's such a coincidence."

Qiao Yuanlin turned back and continued to eat. This street is very close to Wanping Alley, so it was not a coincidence to meet him.But there is no need to say hello, Liang Cheng probably doesn't want to have lunch with him.

The glass reflected the sunlight, so the inside of the store could not be seen clearly from the outside, Liang Cheng never cared about other people or things, he just lowered his head and ate his own food.

Yao Fu glanced at it from time to time, and suddenly said, "Who is that man?"

Qiao Yuanlin turned his head again, and a middle-aged man in his 50s walked across the street from the side of Liang Cheng. He was dressed plainly, had a vicissitudes of life, and was carrying an oversized drinking glass.

The man sat down without ordering food, as if he came here specifically to find Liang Cheng.

Qiao Yuanlin's first thought was: another accomplice?

Yao Fu guessed, "Is it the handsome guy's father?"

Qiao Yuanlin didn't know, he felt that the other party was a bit older.

On the table, Liang Cheng raised his eyes, glanced at the face of the man opposite, then lowered his head and continued eating noodles.

He started to gobble it up, the crowns of his teeth grinding together, his temples agitated slightly as he chewed, as if he wanted to chew the porcelain bowl into pieces and swallowed it into his stomach.

The man on the opposite side looked at him quietly, imperceptibly there was an air of elders, but he was not strict, but rather helpless.

After a while, the man said, "Have you caused trouble recently?"

Liang Cheng lowered his eyebrows, covered half of his expression, and said, "Then I should be in the detention center."

The man looked around at the residential buildings next to the street and asked, "Where do you live now?"

Liang Cheng replied: "Since they have all been found, didn't your son tell you?"

"Huai Ming only said that you live in this area."

The man was Cheng Liye, the father of the criminal police captain Cheng Huaiming.He put the empty water glass on the table, the rim of the glass was obviously worn.

Liang Cheng squinted, and said: "I haven't changed it for a new one for so many years."

Cheng Liye said, "I'm used to it."

"How many days have you been squatting near me?" Liang Cheng said again, "It's hot, a glass of water can last quite a long time."

Cheng Liye did not deny it, took out the cigarette case slowly, and said, "I don't want to interfere with your life, but I just want to see how you are doing now."

A trace of impatience flashed across Liang Cheng's face, but his tone was calm: "What does it have to do with you, and it's up to you to worry about what happens to you?"

Cheng Liye lit a cigarette, bit down on it, and sighed by blowing out the smoke ring.

"Liang Cheng, I won't talk nonsense with you anymore." He said, "I heard Huai Ming say what happened that day in Linghai, so don't hang out with Ying Xiaoqiong's gang in the future."

Liang Cheng put down his chopsticks with a "snap" and took out a paper towel to wipe his mouth. The heat of the soup was still there, and he stared at the red and turbid oil.

Cheng Liye said: "If you have some money, you are lucky enough to earn it. There is no guarantee that you will have good luck next time. If something happens, you will have no chance to regret it."

Liang Cheng asked: "Are you finished?"

"You are only 20 years old, and you still have a long time to go." Cheng Liye said, "Think carefully, and come to me if you need anything."

Liang Cheng laughed lightly when he heard the joke, and said, "What did you do when you were needed the most?"

Cheng Liye choked, unable to utter a word except for the smoke.He picked up Liang Cheng's unfinished coke and poured it down his throat, the gas surged up and made him flush.

The legs of the chair made a sharp sound on the road, Liang Cheng stood up, looked down at Cheng Liye's heaving chest when he passed by Cheng Liye, and said in a low voice, "I know the days are still long, I know how to live."

Cheng Liye said: "Your mother has been looking for you."

"She's not my mother anymore." Liang Cheng paused for two seconds, "You can tell her I'm here, at worst I'll move out tonight."

After Liang Cheng finished speaking and left, Cheng Liye leaned on the table in frustration and smoked three or four cigarettes in a row.

Inside the glass window, Qiao Yuanlin turned around angrily. He couldn't hear the conversation, but only witnessed Liang Cheng's unprecedented indifference, and his sense of uneasiness was even worse than when he was hiding outside the warehouse.

After dinner, Yao Fu came out of the restaurant and took a taxi to go home.Qiao Yuanlin watched the taxi drive away on the sidewalk, and his gaze fell slightly on the table Liang Cheng had been sitting on.

A pile of blackened cigarette butts filled Cheng Liye's body with smoke, and he got up and left while coughing.

Qiao Yuanlin thought for a few seconds, then raised his legs to follow. The old and the young were separated by five or six meters. Cheng Liye had his hands behind his back, slightly hunchbacked, and he looked exactly like a middle-aged and elderly person walking.

At the intersection, Cheng Liye turned a corner.

Qiao Yuanlin stopped slowly. After being curious and impulsive, he felt that this behavior was futile.Who the other party is and where he is going is not something that can be figured out in a few steps.

He wanted to go home when suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Qiao Yuanlin turned around and was startled, when did this old man get behind him? !

Cheng Liye smiled kindly and said, "This classmate has been with me for a long time, is there anything wrong with you?"

Qiao Yuanlin rolled his Adam's apple, swallowed his panic along with his saliva, and took out the change from his trouser pocket.He said calmly, "Master, you lost ten yuan."

Cheng Liye said: "I still have two years to retire, so I won't be your uncle?"

"Then, uncle?" Qiao Yuanlin changed his mind and asked, "Did you drop the ten yuan?"

Cheng Liye said, "It's not mine."

Qiao Yuanlin was confused for a moment, and said, "Then I made a mistake, sorry."

Holding the banknotes in his hand, he rushed to Cheng Liye and smiled, and hurriedly dodged before he revealed his secrets. Just as he turned around and took a step, Cheng Liye called him to stop.He asked, "Is there anything else, Uncle?"

"If you can't find the owner, you can leave it to me." Cheng Liye said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Have you heard the famous nursery rhyme? I found a penny on the side of the road and handed it to the police uncle." . "

Qiao Yuanlin's heart skipped a beat: "Are you... a policeman?!"

Walking back to the cheongsam shop, Qiao Yuanlin's heart was filled with fire, pounding on his chest, and he might not be able to control the eruption when he saw Liang Cheng.

He glanced at the second floor, and decided to take another walk around the small building.

The couple didn't quarrel today, the back alley was quiet, Qiao Yuanlin swayed to the entrance of the alley, and when he looked up, Liang Cheng and Xiao Le were under the wall at the waist of the alley.

Xiao Le saw him first and shouted, "Brother Xiao Qiao!"

Liang Cheng then looked over, from a distance, the low temperature from half an hour ago vaguely remained in his eyes.

Qiao Yuanlin lost his temper for no reason, and walked over bravely.