Pandora's Box

I took a cup noodle from the hotel cabinet, boiled a pot of hot water for myself, and turned on the TV.

This is the first time in so many days that I have calmed down to eat, and the first time I know what I am eating.

That heart no longer hangs in mid-air and floats around, but lands in a place, although I don't know if that place is good or bad, but at least it has landed.

Although there is no beef in the braised beef noodles, after all, it is steaming hot and full of aroma, which makes me feel warmed up and my limbs gradually become active.

While drinking the instant noodle soup, I watched TV. The local TV stations were showing Chinese New Year programs at appropriate times, introducing the folk customs of various cities in the province.

I saw the city L that the driver had mentioned to me.In the camera, the mountain villages and towns that are celebrating the traditional Chinese New Year bustlingly do not seem to be rich at all, most likely they are remote villages, but they are indeed beautiful, and the faces of people who are busy for the New Year are filled with simple and real smiles.

I remembered that the driver uncle asked me if I was here for tourism. He said that the scenery there was very good and it was worth a visit.

The next day I got up, packed up my things and checked out, then left for the coach station.

After a two-hour drive, I arrived in L City.

As for which town I should go to settle down next, I haven't actually figured it out yet.However, after pondering for a while looking at the tourist brochure I brought from the station, I found a place name that sounded familiar for some reason, so I chose it without thinking too much.

This small town in the mountains is really small and low-key, a bit hidden in the deep mountains and no one knows it.

Although for me who have seen a lot of the world, the scenery I saw may not be so amazing, but nature has its own exquisite carvings. Along the way, the mountain trails are tactful and fascinating.

When I saw the first house with the word "accommodation", I decisively opened the door and broke in.Because maybe this will be the only hotel in this area.It's getting late, if you can't find a place to live, sleeping in the mountains will freeze to death.

Inside is a yard with a lot of flowers and plants. A middle-aged woman is sitting on a chair in the yard peeling chestnuts. I asked her, "Hello, are there any vacancies today?"

There was obvious surprise on her face, probably because she was surprised that there were still guests checking in at this time, but she quickly wiped her hands on her pants, stood up and greeted me warmly, and led me into the room.

"Yes, yes. Are you here for tourism?"

I nodded.

"How long will you stay?"

"Not sure, let's live in it first. I will pay the room fee every day."

"Oh, good," she said with a smile, "The scenery here is very good, and I feel better, so I can play for a few more days."

After completing the simple check-in procedures, I went up the stairs to the second floor. The hotel seemed to be a self-built private house remodeled, and the rooms other than the ones I lived in were used to provide accommodation for tourists.The decoration is relatively simple, but the cleaning is very clean, and the room is warm and comfortable.

I put down my backpack and habitually opened the mobile phone software, only to find that the takeaway here is far away and there are not many choices.In addition, it is New Year's Eve, and the riders and merchants have stopped taking orders.

It was a mistake not to replenish some supplies in the city center, so I went downstairs and asked the proprietress: "Is there any cup noodles for sale?"

The proprietress took one out from behind the counter, looked at me, and asked kindly, "Do you want anything else?"

"Well," I said, "then add ham sausage, do you have marinated eggs?"

The proprietress handed me the things, I paid and thanked, turned around and walked two steps, when I heard her calling me from behind: "Our family is having a reunion dinner here tonight, why don't you come over?"

I froze for a moment: "That's so embarrassing."

She enthusiastically said: "Ham, what's the matter with embarrassment, and it's not troublesome, just add a pair of chopsticks."

I shook my head: "No, thank you."

It would be too inappropriate to rashly join a group of strangers' New Year's Eve dinner. The other party might just be polite, and I wasn't ready to accept such enthusiasm.

I ate instant noodles, turned on the TV to make the room more lively, and then lay down on the bed.

Tonight is over, and the year is finally over.

And starting from tomorrow, the new year, what should I do, what can I do?

I do not know.

My mind still seems to be empty.Although it is said that I should let go of the past and continue my life forward, it seems that I still have no direction to move forward, and I have lost interest in everything.

I closed my eyes and thought, maybe don’t bother to think about it, just let myself go and just drift with the flow and be a useless person.

Anyway, my life started out as an idle little piece of shit, and maybe it should end up like that.

When Cheng Yichen sent me away, he gave me a card with quite a lot of money in it. He was probably afraid that I would have nowhere to settle down for the rest of my life.If I don't squander randomly, the money is enough for me to lie down for a long time.

But I haven't touched that money.

I knew in my heart that it was not just a series of numbers representing purchasing power.

That was all that my biological father wanted to leave me at the last moment.Everything he didn't have time to say to me was in that number.

Am I ready to accept what He wants to give me?

I do not know.

He was lying with his eyes closed when he heard a knock on the door.

I had to get up and rub my eyes, and went to open the door.

There was a young man standing at the door, his facial features were full of childishness, he looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, but he was already very tall, I had to look up at him.

He was holding a big plate, his eyes were bent when he smiled, and he showed his neat white teeth, looking enthusiastic and energetic. He said with a smile: "My mother asked me to bring you some New Year's Eve dishes, and they are all served alone. Come out clean."

It turned out to be the son of the proprietress.

On the plate was a very fat roasted duck leg, several pieces of white-cut chicken, bacon, and a large piece of fish, served with some vegetables and glutinous rice.

"..." I took it with both hands. I didn't know how to respond to this kindness, so I could only say "thank you" a few times.

"That's right," he said again, "my mother said that if you want to go shopping in the next few days, my brother and I can take you there."

"what?"

I was somewhat inexplicable by the sudden enthusiasm of the locals, but I thanked them and declined.

The New Year's Eve dishes of the proprietress's wife's family are delicious, probably free-range chickens and ducks raised in the mountains, and the home-dried bacon, which is indeed extraordinarily delicious.

Moreover, there is a taste of home.

After eating, I fell asleep, and then woke up with the sound of firecrackers at twelve o'clock.

In the bustle of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new outside, I couldn't help but also look out the window.

The distant sky is dotted with a round of water-washed bright moon and bright stars.

I was a little surprised, knowing that the air in the mountains is clean and free from pollution, which is very different from the night sky in big cities.But I never imagined that I could see such a multitude of stars so clearly with the naked eye.I can make out some constellations without even needing a telescope.

This is so beautiful, so beautiful that words cannot describe it, and it is so beautiful that it is difficult to capture it with a camera. I really want to share it with Zhuo Wenyang.

Zhuo Wenyang.

I lay down and covered my head with the quilt.

The next day I was in a daze and heard many strange sounds, such as birds chirping, cats meowing, and dogs barking.

I lay in a daze for a while, not knowing where I was for a moment, I just felt thirsty and wanted to drink, so I muttered: "Uncle Chen..."

Then I woke up completely.

I climbed out of bed, flushed my face with cold water for a while, picked up the cup again, and poured down the cold water in it.

When I opened the door to the balcony, the mountain wind blowing in the clean and refreshing air made me feel so much clearer.

Standing on the balcony, I can see the scene in the yard. For some reason, the big yellow dog raised in the store fought with the fat orange cat and drove the cat to run all over the ground. This is the reason for the noise just now.

Then a young man ran out to understand the scuffle scene, persuaded them to make peace, and finally hugged the cat with one hand and the dog with the other, and peaceful coexistence was achieved.

He should be that elder brother, his appearance has a lot of similarities with the boy who brought me the New Year's Eve dinner last night, but he looks much more gentle and stable.

I lay on the railing and watched this young boy concentrate on stroking the cat and the dog. It was full of leisure in the mountains and fields, and I watched it for a long time before I knew it.As if he felt something, he looked up and saw me on the balcony, and smiled at me: "You're up, do you want something to eat?"

I slept until noon, directly skipping the steps of breakfast on the first day of the new year. I felt cold when I was hungry. After all, I still haven’t bought the thick coat that the driver uncle told me.

So I asked him if he could cook me a bowl of noodles or noodles.The young man went to the back kitchen to work for a while, and quickly served me a bowl of chicken rice noodles.

The chicken is made from the white-cut chicken left over from last night's New Year's Eve dinner, but it is still very fresh. The chicken skin is golden, the chicken is tender, and the soup is clear and sweet. It is served with soft rice noodles, which is simple but satisfying.

I admired from the bottom of my heart: "Your craftsmanship is very good."

He seemed a little embarrassed: "Thank you."

"Where's the lady boss?"

"My parents went away to relatives."

"Aren't you going with me?"

"Oh, there are customers, you have to leave someone in the store," he said, "I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Zhao Ziyue. It was my younger brother who delivered the food to you last night, and his name is Zhao Zichao."

I made it clear: "Is it the meaning of transcendence?"

He smiled: "No, he means Superborn."

I:"……"

I said, "My name is Lin Jing."

He nodded: "I know."

I tensed instinctively: "How do you know?"

He smiled again: "It's on the registered guest information."

Right.I am slightly embarrassed to think that I am too nervous.

After eating, I sat and looked at the cats and dogs for a while. The orange cat was lazy, but the dog was very familiar, so he came over to pet me.Zhao Ziyue took the bowls and chopsticks and went in to wash them. When he came out, I said hello to him: "I'm going out for a stroll."

Zhao Ziyue immediately said: "I will accompany you."

"Don't you have to stay and take care of the store?"

Zhao Ziyue said: "It's okay, there will be no guests on the first day of the new year, you are not familiar with this place, in case you get lost, let me take you for a walk."

I looked at him and he averted his eyes a little uncomfortably.

I asked: "What's wrong? You seem to be monitoring me?"

Zhao Ziyue hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, my mother is worried that you are here to commit suicide."

"????"

"There are such people. If you can't think about it, you will come to the mountains, wander around for two days, and find a high place to jump off."

I was very speechless: "Do I look like someone who can't think about it?"

"Like," he said, "didn't you look in the mirror?"

I:"……"

I couldn't help but picked up my phone and took a careful photo of the black screen.

"... =="

Indeed, I've been completely unkempt these days, with my hair uncut and my face unshaven for a day.Most of the time I slept in the sleeping cabin at the airport, on a chair at the train station, not much different from a homeless person.Then, with a heart ashen ashes, like a mourning concubine, a person who is a Chinese New Year old walks into the mountains alone.

It looks like he doesn't want to live.

So I asked Zhao Ziyue: "Is there a barber shop near here? I'll go get a haircut."

He was taken aback for a moment, and said, "The door won't be open for a few days. Besides, uncle shaved his head and died in the first month..."

I couldn't help being shocked: "That's no need."

Although Cheng Yichen is not my uncle, he should be my uncle, but it's better to avoid taboo.

I remembered the paternal relationship testimonial again, Cheng Yichen and I had no blood relationship.

Why is this?Isn't he Cheng Yichen's brother?

But this is a problem of the previous generation, it is not important, and it is not something I can think through.The important thing is that I have no blood relationship with Zhuo Wenyang.

At that time, I was very happy about this for a long time.And now that I think about it, it doesn't make any sense.

I said to Zhao Ziyue: "Don't worry, I don't have that idea. I'm from T city. It's very difficult to survive in T city. If you want to die, you don't have to go so far."

He smiled: "That's true. I also studied in T city, and I have experienced the amazingness of T city."

He added: "But you still seem to need to relax. Let me take you for a walk. Anyway, you are idle now."

As soon as I had enough sleep, I ate and drank enough, and my spirit was much refreshed compared to yesterday, so I borrowed a coat to put it on, and went out with him.

In the sun at noon in winter, the sky is high and far away, a piece of fresh blue, and the ground is covered with large expanses of green—the streets and alleys are covered with green vines.Unlike yesterday's gloomy cloud, everything seemed bright and dazzling.

Last night, because every household was preparing to close their doors for the New Year, the road was deserted.At this time, the small mountain village released its excitement. Children in red new clothes were running and frolicking, playing fireworks and firecrackers. There are all parked cars, some of which are Mercedes-Benz and Audi, which is a prosperous scene.

I was a little surprised, and said: "So there are so many people. It was so quiet last night, I thought there was no one here."

Zhao Ziyue shook his head and said: "This is the most crowded days. After the spring break, young people will go out to work again, basically only old people and children are left. There are really no people."

"Are you leaving too?"

"No," he smiled, "I won't leave. I'll work in the town after I pass the civil service exam."

I was surprised again, when I was chatting just now, I learned that although the university he graduated from is not a T university, it is also a first-class university. It is not difficult to find a job with a decent salary in T city or other developed cities.

Obviously there is a better opportunity in front of him, but he returns to this place as a grassroots.Will the golden phoenix flying out of the ravine come back again?

"There is no way out of the population, after all, there is no way out here," he seemed to sigh, with a look of sadness between his bright brows and eyes, and then he said firmly, "We can create some jobs, Everyone will be back."

"Uh-huh……"

Zhao Ziyue took me to climb the mountain. I was so tired that I was out of breath, but even though I was sweating profusely, I stood halfway up the mountain overlooking the vast expanse.

On the way back, I saw Zhao Zichao and his wife, the proprietress, from a distance. He waved at us vigorously with a smile on his face. Two candied haws!"

I can't help but feel that the arrangement and combination of genes is really amazing. Aunt Zhao and Aunt Zhao are both average-looking, and although the two brothers are completely unmodified in appearance, they are really good-looking, even if they are placed in a group of top-notch students from all over the country. T City, which has a lot of handsome men and beautiful women, is also very good.

Their family also lived in the hotel, so they walked together and went back to the store together.

Zhao Zichao was probably told by Aunt Zhao to take extra care of me, so he kindly invited me to play in their room. I just didn't want to be alone, so I followed to join in the fun.

The two brothers live on the third floor, and their rooms are next to each other. They are simple and neat, and are in line with the habits of young boys. The difference is that Zhao Ziyue has an extra row of tall bookshelves against the wall. I can't help but stop After browsing the spine for a while, he pointed to one of the books: "This one, can you lend me a look?"

Zhao Ziyue seemed a little surprised, and then pulled it out to me: "Okay."

"What's wrong?"

He smiled and said, "There are still people willing to read paper books these days."

Zhao Zichao was dissatisfied: "What is this talking about, I also read comics."

This is indeed an era of paper media decline.And a few years ago, I didn't like to read books. Even if I read occasionally, I only swiped the webpage on my mobile phone.It was Cheng Yichen's bookstore that cultivated my habit and hobby of flipping through paper books.

As soon as that name came to my mind, it made my heart sink slightly again.

While chatting, suddenly there seemed to be some noise outside.

The two brothers looked at each other, Zhao Zichao stepped up and opened the balcony door, I also followed curiously, and stretched my head to look downstairs, wanting to see what happened.

There was a young man standing outside the yard with his head bowed, and Uncle Zhao was yelling at him through the closed gate.

Zhao Ziyue's face was serious, and even Zhao Zichao, who loved to laugh, lost his smile. They watched quietly, and neither of them made a sound.

Then the young man knelt down outside the door, kowtowed twice, and finally stood up and left.

Aunt Zhao burst into tears.

Zhao Ziyue stood beside me, pursed his lips tightly and said nothing, Zhao Zichao also lowered his head.

In the frozen atmosphere, I asked cautiously, "This is... what's wrong?"

Zhao Zichao said softly, "That's my elder brother."

"..."

Zhao Ziyue said: "He had a falling out with the family because of some personal matters. My father refused to let him come back, saying that he didn't recognize him as a son."

Having said that, I can't ask any more questions.

Zhao Zichao added as if explaining: "My eldest brother, he is actually a very nice person."

"Well," all I can say is, "he looks very gentle..."

Zhao Ziyue murmured: "I made you laugh."

So far, the two brothers have been depressed, and the happy atmosphere of the first month seems to have disappeared.

It turns out that every family has its own sadness that can't be understood by outsiders.

After this day passed, the rest of the time was peaceful and comfortable.Life is very leisurely and leisurely. I bask in the sun every day, look at the scenery, eat the three meals provided by the store, and read the books borrowed from Zhao Ziyue.

Scattered tourists came and went, only I was like a nail house.

I have lived for too long, and the proprietress—I call her Aunt Zhao now—is almost embarrassed to charge me for the room. She has repeatedly advised me to rent a house, which is much cheaper than staying in a hotel, and I said so That's fine.

"Then I'll make it cheaper for you."

I stay here very comfortably, with no distracting thoughts or worries, and even read a lot of books, so there are almost no shortcomings.

I almost became a non-staff member of the Zhao family.In my opinion, the Zhao family is a happy and harmonious family. Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao are hardworking and kind people. Zhao Ziyue and Zhao Zichao are also very sensible and well-behaved. However, Uncle Zhao is very dissatisfied with his sons.

Zhao Zichao mainly went to technical secondary school because he failed to enter high school.Uncle Zhao, who had been doing farm work for most of his life and valued reading very much, was very disappointed by this and decided that he was worthless.

Logically speaking, Zhao Ziyue should be a child who made his parents proud and worry-free in all aspects, but he came back to work after graduation, which made Uncle Zhao anxious.

"Training him to study is to let him go out. Fortunately, he came back again. What are you doing when you come back?"

I comforted: "He is reluctant to part with you."

"Is there anything I can't bear to part with? The man's ambition is everywhere."

Aunt Zhao said, "It's good to be around. Look at Lao Li. When the child was studying, he was at home for a few days all year round. Now that he's working, he doesn't come back once for several years. It's not sad."

Uncle Zhao knocked on his pipe: "What's the matter with me, an old man? The important thing is the future of young people."

Zhao Ziyue came in from the outside and said with a smile, "Are you speaking ill of me again?"

His office is not too far away, but it's not too close, but as long as he doesn't work overtime, he will go to the store.

Zhao Zichao also came back from school on the weekend, but unlike Zhao Ziyue's calm and breezy, he would still feel wronged after being scolded by Uncle Zhao.

He complained to me: "I didn't work hard, but I'm not a material for studying. What can I do?"

I could only comfort him earnestly: "There is nothing wrong with going to a technical secondary school. Learn a craft, find a job, and gain a foothold in society if you have a skill."

Zhao Ziyue smiled and said, "But he doesn't want to repair cars. His dream is to be a professional e-sports player."

"Ah!" Zhao Zichao blushed, "Nonsense!"

"Didn't you say it?"

Zhao Zichao tried his best to defend himself: "I'm just talking casually!"

I laughed.Children these days, who love to play games, most likely think they can play professionally.

Although my level is not good enough to play professionally, I am professional in persuading dismissal.

I asked: "Where is there an Internet cafe here?"

Zhao Zichao immediately recovered his spirits: "Do you want to go to an Internet cafe? I'll take you there."

Zhao Ziyue drove the two of us to the Internet cafe, and I proudly said to the network administrator: "Turn on three machines."

"What game do you want to play? I'll play two games with you."

Zhao Zichao said cautiously: "What can you play?"

I am very confident: "I can do everything."

Zhao Zichao was very happy: "Wow!"

I sat down and greeted him: "Come on, form a team, and I will take you flying."

Let you know that you are not a professional material after seeing someone outside the world, and then you can learn the craft with peace of mind and make contributions to the society.

After fighting Zhao Zichao, I couldn't recover for a long time.

This is outrageous.

Zhao Zichao was still excited: "Do you want to give it another shot? Let's give it another shot!"

"Oh……"

"You are amazing, you play better than any teammate I have ever met!"

If it weren't for his innocent, cute and honest look, I would suspect that he was mocking me.

After spending the whole afternoon in the Internet cafe, this game made my brain buzz.

too strong.

This guy is unscientifically strong, as strong as a cheat.

When I was beside him, I felt crushed by absolute strength, and I didn't know how it felt on the other side.

Even if I'm a little older now, I can't handle it better than a teenager.But even with my peak state back then, there is still a big gap with Zhao Zichao now.

Is this the boy genius?

Gifted people are truly monsters.

I asked in a complicated mood: "Why is your rank so low?"

"Ah, I don't have much time to play. The computer in my school dormitory is so bad that I can't play games. I can only play two games at an Internet cafe on weekends."

"..."

I don't have time to practice at all, and I can still make it like this.

I was slapped in the face by Versailles.

"At your level," I said sincerely, "find a team and train for a while, you can really play professionally."

Zhao Zichao blushed: "It's not that powerful."

Zhao Ziyue said: "Don't praise him to the sky, he will take it seriously."

"I'm telling the truth. But team training is very hard, which is different from playing. The experience may be much more tiring than going to work in a factory."

Zhao Zichao's eyes lit up: "I'm not afraid of being tired. If you don't believe me, you can ask my brother, I can endure hardship..."

Zhao Ziyue patted his head: "Don't think about it, do you want to be kicked out of the house by Dad?"

Zhao Zichao's face darkened quickly again, and he said, "Oh..."

"Is it that serious?"

He lowered his head and said, "I'm already worthless enough. If I stop doing business and indulge in games, my dad will really raise me for nothing."

His visible, fate-like depression made me suddenly have a familiar trance.

Unrecognized boyhood, adolescence filled with low self-esteem and unwillingness.

I said, "Maybe I can help you talk to Uncle Zhao? Times are different..."

Zhao Ziyue interrupted me suddenly: "Lin Jing."

"I'm serious……"

He said sharply, "Stop talking about Lin Jing."

I look at him.

Zhao Ziyue seemed to sigh: "I'm sorry. I know your intentions are good. How can I not understand your intentions for Zichao. I just don't want you to give him too many unattainable hopes. We don't care about this kind of thing. No way to get in. Let him find a team to play professionally, just like our town attracts investment and attracts scammers, it is cruel when it is ruined..."

I said, "It's not too far away. I know someone from a regular professional team. I can really introduce Zichao."

While blurting out, I suddenly remembered that that team was introduced to me by Zhuo Wenyang back then.