Chapter 19 p1
The soy sauce on the shelf was running out, so she had to go to the back storeroom to get more.
There were no customers at the moment. Pei Yunle was bored, leaning on the counter. Seeing Chen Qingtang go into the small room, she also stood up.
Chen Qingtang carried out a large box, her biceps bulging. Although she was thin, she was definitely not weak.
The soy sauce bottles inside swayed and bumped against each other, making a crisp, low sound. Pei Yunle wanted to take it from her. “Let me take it.”
Chen Qingtang glanced at her, the weight in her hands heavy. She raised an eyebrow, questioning her words.
“I can carry it.”
At her words, Chen Qingtang didn’t stand on ceremony and, with a lift of her arm, placed the box of soy sauce in her hands.
These were all glass bottles filled with liquid. Although Pei Yunle was prepared, the moment she took it, she felt like a rice stalk bent over by the weight of the grain. She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth to stabilize the evenly weighted object in her hands.
“From now on, let me move the goods. I can get some exercise.”
Chen Qingtang listened to her unsteady breathing, intermittent, as if she would stop breathing in the next second. She couldn’t help but laugh, then nodded.
After stocking the soy sauce, Pei Yunle’s arms were sore and weak. She sat on a stool and rubbed her lower back. The phone on the glass counter lit up.
Only three words were displayed on the screen: Ji Mingzhu.
Pei Yunle swiped the button. “What’s up?”
The other person’s voice was lazy, as if she had just woken up. “Did you see the recruitment information recently released by Anyang City Hospital?”
“No, I’m not working. Why would I look at that?”
“This time, they’re recruiting a lot, so the competition will be less intense. Are you sure you’re not going to apply? Are you really going to stay in that small, broken town for the rest of your life?”
Other than the two of them, there was no one else in the convenience store. It was quiet enough that even without the phone on speaker, Chen Qingtang could hear clearly. She prided herself on not being a gossip and had no interest in other people’s future or whether they stayed or left. People came and went.
But at this moment, she suddenly became a little curious, interested in the person next to her, even though it had nothing to do with her.
Pei Yunle wanted to answer from the heart, but with Chen Qingtang sitting next to her, she suddenly couldn’t open her mouth. The words were glued together, and the fragmented syllables couldn’t form a complete sentence.
She took her phone and walked outside the store.
She lowered her voice. “Can’t I? You’re so nosy. Do you own the Pacific Ocean?”
Ji Mingzhu “yo-ed” a few times on the other end. “Why don’t we both go and beg your mom to let you go back? What’s so good about that place?”
“I don’t want to go back yet.”
“Is it that you don’t want to come back and be a corporate slave, or that you don’t want to leave that place?”
Pei Yunle pouted. What was the difference between those two questions?
“Is it possible that I’ve combined reality and come up with a brilliant idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“For example, I could just work at some health center here. Two birds with one stone.”
Ji Mingzhu was speechless. “That’s a brilliant, terrible idea. To give up the city hospital for some township health center. You’ll have a hard time.”
Pei Yunle hung up the phone.
She thought this method was clearly very good. She could stay in Pingshun and not waste what she had learned. She put her phone back in her pocket and happily went back into the convenience store.
The moment she stepped in, Chen Qingtang happened to turn a page of her book. Pei Yunle clearly saw a pool of ink on the page.
She moved her small stool back and sidled up to Chen Qingtang. “Chen Qingtang, how many health centers do you have here?”
Chen Qingtang thought for a moment and held up two fingers to her.
“So when do they recruit people?”
Chen Qingtang shook her head. She had never cared about this kind of thing. It wasn’t like they were shouting it from the rooftops with a megaphone. How would she know?
Pei Yunle clicked her tongue. It should be easier to get into a health center than a city hospital. She took out her phone and wanted to use an app to search for any recruitment information Pingshun had released, so she could understand the educational requirements and the number of people they were recruiting.
Unfortunately, there was nothing. There were only a few pitiful teacher recruitment notices for middle schools.
“Ah, forget it, forget it. I’ll go and ask one of these days.”
Chen Qingtang hadn’t heard Pei Yunle’s conversation outside. She pulled over a piece of paper and wrote slowly, “Are you looking for a job?”
Pei Yunle also took a pen and wrote underneath, “Yes.”
Her pen wrote in purple ink. Perhaps it had been dropped and the ink flow was broken, or perhaps the ink was running out. The words were hesitant, mostly white, and could only be identified by the marks left on the white paper.
Chen Qingtang found it uncomfortable to read. She swapped her own pen with hers and continued to ask, “Are you going back?”
Pei Yunle didn’t continue to write. She put down the pen and lowered her head to meet Chen Qingtang’s eyes. “Do you want me to go back?”
Chen Qingtang’s face showed no emotion, not even the curve of her lips changed. It was still so faint, except for the blush that crept up her cheeks.
The heart in her chest was trembling. Chen Qingtang’s hand holding the pen was even a little unsteady.
—If you want to leave, no one can stop you. What’s the use of what I want?
The end of the last character was drawn out by the ink, seeping into the white paper and branching out into countless fine threads, as if trying to hook someone.
Pei Yunle turned her head away in disappointment. It seemed that the other person didn’t care. And yet she had to go and ask such a question. She was really asking for it.
There was no one in the store, so she just looked at the scenery outside to pass the time.
The afterglow of the sunset was scattered from the distant horizon, reflecting on the edges of the leaves, looking like golden fireworks exploding in the night sky. The gentle evening breeze blew the red beaded curtain, making them collide with each other. In the flickering, they looked like the big red lanterns hanging under the eaves at this moment.
Tonight, there was a community opera in Pingshun. A temporary stage had been set up in the square.
Although the fun of the community opera was a little lacking, for families who didn’t have many entertainment activities, it was not bad to come and listen to a few plays after dinner at night.
Pei Yunle had naturally never seen one. After dinner, she insisted on dragging Chen Qingtang out to have some fun. Of course, she brought Jimao along.
The red lanterns under the black tiles cast a round red reflection on the white walls. Most people were heading in the same direction. The two stone-paved mossy paths by the river became crowded, and some people even had to stand on the wooden bridge over the stone platform.
Pei Yunle didn’t know the way. She could naturally follow the crowd, but she didn’t like this feeling of being alone and a stranger. She would occasionally check to make sure Chen Qingtang was still behind her.
“Chen Qingtang!”
Someone squeezed in from the side and inserted themselves between the two of them. Pei Yunle couldn’t help but frown. She had to hold the leash tightly to prevent Jimao from running around.
She moved to the side and reached out to pull Chen Qingtang up. Who knew that the other person also wanted to pull her sleeve?
In the surging crowd, their fingers intertwined, not even touching their palms, just lightly hooked.
Pei Yunle’s hand immediately froze. She was struggling to think of how to maintain this posture. Her fingertips were sweating before her palms. The fingers of both of them were slightly wet, reducing the friction. The three or four fingers couldn’t hold on to the other person’s pull, and in the crowd, they were so easily separated.
After all, no one had taken the initiative to curl their fingers further.
But this one move successfully brought the person to her side, and the two of them stood side by side.
Pei Yunle’s hand hung by her leg. Although it was covered in sweat, she resisted the urge to wipe it.
The play over there hadn’t even started, and the play here was already over.
“Chen Qingtang, when can we squeeze out of here? We’re almost packed like a can of sardines.”
Chen Qingtang shook her head. If it weren’t for Pei Yunle wanting to come, she would never have taken the initiative to come here and suffer.
“Is there a seat in the square, or do we have to stand and watch? How many hours do we have to listen?”
In response to these three consecutive questions, Chen Qingtang pulled her into a nearby alley. Pei Yunle’s words stopped.
The moonlight poured down like water. The surroundings were narrow and dim. The orange light at the entrance of the alley couldn’t shine in.
Outside was noisy and lively, stuffy and restless. Here was quiet and lonely, damp and sticky.
This kind of environment was very suitable for doing something.
Pei Yunle was wondering if her play was not over yet, but Chen Qingtang walked straight ahead.
Jimao panted, her tail occasionally brushing against Pei Yunle’s calf.
“Where are we going? Is there a shortcut?”
Chen Qingtang didn’t answer her. The two of them held the leash together, one in front of the other, and walked out of the alley. Next to them was a country path, the damp earth under their feet, and the ground covered in four-leaf clovers.
At the foot of the mountain, there were a few vendors selling firecrackers and fireworks. After the community opera, there would be fireworks. Parents would also relax their restrictions on their children, allowing them to buy some firecrackers to set off when everyone was having fun.
Chen Qingtang couldn’t move the leash. She had thought it was Jimao who was unwilling to go, but when she looked back, she saw that it was Pei Yunle standing in front of the fireworks stall.
“Let’s buy something to set off too, like some sparklers.”
Chen Qingtang took out her phone and tapped on it to type a message: Isn’t it dangerous to set this off on the mountain?
Pei Yunle shook her head. “No, don’t people set off firecrackers and fireworks on the hillside during the Qingming Festival? We’ll just set off some small things, it won’t catch fire. We’ll just check the fire before we leave.”
Seeing her insistence, Chen Qingtang didn’t want to say anything else.
The vendor saw that Pei Yunle had bought a few sparklers and took something from his stall and handed it to her. “Dearie, buy some of this to play with.”
Pei Yunle took a triangular object. The colorful wrapping paper didn’t reveal what it was.
“What does this do?”
“This has the same effect as a sparkler, it’s not dangerous. It’s just that you can’t hold it in your hand, you have to put it on the ground. The sparks are prettier and bigger than a sparkler’s.”
Pei Yunle nodded, put it in the bag, and paid for it.
The mountain was not high and not steep. It was relatively easy to climb to the top. Standing here, you could have a panoramic view of Pingshun, including the square.
It was very close to the square, and you could also see the community opera, although it was not as good as watching it up close.
The two of them chose a large rock to sit on. The colorful lights on the stage flickered, and the crisp and melodious singing cut through the wind—Who do I dream of, and with whom does the spring light secretly flow? Procrastination, where can I speak of this feeling! Torment, I pour out the rest of my life, and ask the heavens.
The tide surged, and the water and sky were one color.
Pei Yunle’s ears were filled with the drawling notes of the opera, but her eyes wandered elsewhere. This was the first time she had a bird’s-eye view of Pingshun. She didn’t know when this backward little town had become less disgusting. She was beginning to accept everything here, good and bad.
“Bang!”
The dark sky was illuminated for a moment by the fiery trees and silver flowers. Fireworks of all colors were set off one after another, scattering a shower of goose-yellow.
The fireworks were very ordinary. Pei Yunle had seen more beautiful ones, but she liked this one very much. Her gaze followed the falling fireworks. Through the colorful display, she saw Chen Qingtang, quietly gazing at a face that was more captivating than the fireworks. Her eyelashes flickered involuntarily under the bright light.
Pei Yunle scratched her face with her fingertip. It seemed that it would be okay to be poor like this forever.
She took out the sparklers from the plastic bag, planning to say what was on her mind to Chen Qingtang after setting them off.
“Just in time, let’s set them off too.”
The lighter sparked and lit the small stars. The two of them waved the sparklers in the air. Pei Yunle swallowed. She drew a semicircle in the air, with an arc on top and a straight line on the bottom.
Pei Yunle didn’t dare to look at Chen Qingtang, afraid that the other person would notice, and also afraid that she wouldn’t.
Chen Qingtang saw it out of the corner of her eye. This thing was just waved around randomly. Who would really think about it? So she drew a few circles.
Pei Yunle sighed inwardly. She took a step back and stepped on something. She looked closely and found that there was one left in the bag. It was the one the owner had recommended she buy. She had almost forgotten.
Jimao next to her was eager to move, circling her legs.
Pei Yunle knew that she also wanted to play, so she took out the triangular object, found a flat place, placed it on it, and lit it with a lighter.
The effect was indeed the same as a sparkler, but it also lacked some of the fun and novelty.
Jimao circled the sparks, her fluffy head very close to it, as if she wanted to eat it in one bite.
Pei Yunle didn’t expect this dog to be so stupid. Although this thing was not very dangerous, it would be a disaster if it burned a hole in her forehead.
“What are you doing? Get away from it.” Pei Yunle lightly kicked her on the rear.
Jimao didn’t listen, just lay on the ground with her front paws, her rear end sticking up.
Pei Yunle had a bad feeling. Just as she was about to pick Jimao up, the dog bit the still-exploding thing and, with a twist of her rear, chased after Pei Yunle.
“Hey!”
“Hey! Jimao! Back off!”
The sparks crackled. Pei Yunle was so scared she took three steps back, bumped into Chen Qingtang, and hid behind her.
Jimao was determined to avenge her rear. She held on to the thing and charged straight at the two of them.
Although Chen Qingtang was not afraid of dogs, it was inevitable to be a little scared with such a big safety hazard around.
Pei Yunle’s hands were tightly wrapped around her waist. Chen Qingtang saw her chance, raised her leg, and did a horizontal kick. In the flickering light, the sparks in Jimao’s mouth were kicked away and rolled into the grass next to them.
Pei Yunle’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of kicking that damn thing away just now, and instead was being played by Jimao?
She went over and grabbed Jimao’s muzzle. “Sure enough, nothing good ever happens when I take you out, right? I’m definitely not taking you out to play next time. Last time you ate poop, this time you’re chasing me with fire.”
This dark-soy-sauce-colored Golden Retriever was too cunning!
Jimao showed a pair of innocent eyes, as if the incident just now had nothing to do with her.
Pei Yunle was so angry she wanted to raise her hand and hit her, but she couldn’t bear to. So she just patted her on the rear.
When she turned her head, she found that a few people at the foot of the mountain were looking at them.
Pei Yunle smiled awkwardly and leaned closer to Chen Qingtang. “Did I shout very loudly just now?”
Chen Qingtang didn’t answer her. It wasn’t just loud, it was deafening.
The sparkler that hadn’t finished burning just now was now stuck in the mud, leaving only a bare stick.
“You’re not allowed to eat tomorrow.” Pei Yunle poked Jimao’s head.
The little dog whimpered a few times, her mouth open and her tongue hanging out.
The community opera didn’t know when it would end. There were probably still two more plays to be performed, but Pei Yunle had completely lost interest, all of it ruined by this stupid Jimao. Her paws were covered in mud, and she would have to give her a bath when they got back. She should have just let Ji Mingzhu take her back.
“Are you still watching, Chen Qingtang?” she asked, turning her head.
Chen Qingtang didn’t like these plays either. She couldn’t understand them, and most of the audience were old people. Hearing her question, she quickly nodded.
“Okay, then let’s go back. There’s nothing interesting here.”
The two of them followed the path they had come on and went down the mountain, one in front of the other.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, the few vendors were still selling fireworks. Pei Yunle pointed at the triangular object on her stall.
“Boss, this is too dangerous.”
“This? This has no danger factor. You didn’t light yourself on fire, did you?”
“Yes, I was chased by it.”
With that, Pei Yunle led Jimao and took the person home, leaving a few bewildered owners behind.
The lights were not on at home. The old woman was frugal with electricity and wouldn’t even turn on a street light.
The two of them fumbled in the dark to turn on the lights in the house. Pei Yunle squatted by the water pipe, holding a plastic hose and spraying water on Jimao’s dirty paws. The little dog loved to play and jumped around in the puddle, splashing Pei Yunle with water. She was so angry she almost went to find a stick to hit her.
“I say, why don’t you dare to tease my mom at home, but you’re tormenting me here? Is this what they call ‘a dog’s eyes look down on people’?”
After washing her paws, Pei Yunle turned off the water. When she turned around, she found Chen Qingtang sitting at the square table.
