There is no number 44 in Journey to the West
When Senior Liansheng and I met as promised, sporadic snow was falling in the sky.
Traveling on Christmas Eve has its own special meaning. To visit someone and see him off before he leaves.
Although most of the people who remember the journey to the West in Newk City are Chinese, it is inevitably filled with a somewhat vague, exotic atmosphere that evaporates like water mist. A little bit of pure white snow is piled on the golden matt glazed tiles, which faintly reflects the fireworks blooming in the distance.
The destination of this trip is the newly opened cafe at the end of Journey to the West. Its name is somewhat unique.
Strange traveler.
When I passed it for the first time, a sense of weathered vicissitudes hit my face as violently as the sea breeze. The deliberately aged wooden signboard is slightly mottled, and every stroke of each letter catches the eye and is engraved in the mind with the most striking arc. I guessed that its owner was a middle-aged man who had gone through countless ups and downs, with tired yet resolute lines in the corners of his eyes.
But the reality always surprises me. The shop owner is a teenager.
He has a pure East Asian face: a straight nose, sparkling eyes, and short brown hair that is slightly raised - with a bit of cynicism; no matter how many times he sees it, the six unique silver earrings are It will make people’s eyes light up.
He said his name was Monkey King.
Later, because we liked the unique taste of the coffee in the shop, my senior and I visited from time to time. The three people of similar age quickly became acquainted with each other. Today, we are visiting him.
The cafe is located at No. 43 at the end of Journey to the West. On the right is a cold little shop, and on the left is the empty night. Senior Liansheng breathed in to warm his hands. The white mist swirling around his mouth and nose was reminiscent of the smoke rising from the chimney in winter in fairy tales.
"Yeah, it's you."
As we pushed the door open, the boy behind the counter turned around and greeted the senior with a smile.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
The senior also smiled and nodded.
"No more mothers-in-law. Two lattes." I took off my hat and gestured at him with two fingers.
"Oh, you are so cruel." The Monkey King flew over with a knife in the eye, "Be careful when you drink coffee later."
I rolled my eyes in disdain.
The senior smiled helplessly and shook his head, as if he thought I was naive. He turned around and sat down at the bar and started chatting with the boy, using his back to express his disapproval of me.
So the words I just said caused the aloof image I imagined on the way here to suddenly fall apart.
"Have you packed your luggage?" The senior leaned against the counter with his chin in one hand and crossed his legs. Unfortunately, he still didn't have the smell of a ruffian, and he was far from the Monkey King.
"Almost, we will be ready to go tomorrow afternoon." Monkey King skillfully operated in front of the machine, "I just can't find a book."
The senior's fingers that were tapping on the bar stopped and froze in mid-air, trembling slightly.
I heard this and raised my eyes to look at them. "what book?"
"It's a novel about a serial murder case, and the plot isn't particularly brilliant. It was given to me by an old friend, and it's very important to me."
"Really?" the senior said thoughtfully, and then continued the irregular knocking sound just now, "If it is something very important, it will definitely be found before leaving."
"You always speak unclearly." The Monkey King served us two cups of fragrant latte, and also gave us beautiful latte art like a gift - this has never happened before, "But Don’t forget, the most important thing to me in this world is my teammates, where are they now?”
Monkey King seems to have been a pioneer member of an adventurous organization, leading a tenacious team whose members were all terminally ill. I heard that he himself had suffered from illness, but he didn't know how to cure it. Regarding this, he once lost control and poured out his heart to his senior after being drunk.
"Don't worry, I haven't finished speaking yet." The senior smiled slightly, "What I said 'will be found' only means that they will not be thrown away. That is, you will never really bury them in your heart, which does not mean They won’t leave you of their own accord.”
There was a moment's delay in Monkey King wiping his fingers with a tissue.
He looked like he didn't want to continue the topic.
He never wanted to hear other people's comments about those who had passed away.
Even if it's not a judgment, it's just a simple conversation.
It's strange, usually even senior students wouldn't do such a thing. He has always been gentle and approachable.
No, that's not the case.
I actually forgot that today is a special day.
"What's the name of that book?"
Before the chill of anger flashed in Monkey King's eyes, I promptly dropped a topic that had nothing to do with the serious atmosphere at the moment.
The senior glanced back at me with a look that I couldn't understand.
"I can't remember clearly." He forced out a smile that could barely score sixty points. "I don't even look carefully at the things that bastard gave me."
Oh, arrogant little bastard.
"I just said it was very important."
That unbearable smile gradually developed into a more relaxed one. "Because he disappeared four years ago, that's why I kept him."
It seems I did something wrong again. The act of accidentally opening someone's wound seems to be a negative bonus specially sent to me by God.
"You're kidding, I can't remember clearly." Maybe it was my unintentional apologetic expression like a fool that made him laugh, "The book is called "Remember Three O'Clock" and it is a mystery novel. At the end, the hero died at three o'clock in the morning, so the heroine must always remember this desperate moment."
"That's it."
I naturally raised my eyebrows.
"Okay."
While I was chatting, the senior had already finished his coffee and said, "This is the end of the farewell tonight. We don't have much free time."
"Huh? Are you leaving now?" I was surprised.
"Don't you have a test tomorrow?" He replied lightly, stood up, walked over and patted the Monkey King on the shoulder, "Brother, you may not be able to come tomorrow, so let's say goodbye here."
"The tone sounds like farewell." The Monkey King must have lost his temper and punched the senior, "Goodbye is the word I hate the most in my life. I'd better wait until you die of old age before you say it."
"Okay." The senior responded with his fist.
"Kid, let's go. Goodbye!"
I deliberately added a word that he had specifically avoided.
"You are only a child, and your whole family is a child." He snorted disdainfully, but cooperated and gently waved goodbye.
He didn't know that sometimes, goodbye really should be said.
It's a pity that none of us figured it out.
After coming out of the warm coffee shop, I immediately felt the biting chill double. That taste was so cold that it burned into the bones like the impending despair.
"Senior."
I stopped the person walking in front.
"What's the matter?" He turned back with a smile that was gentle and calm.
""
I shook my head, trying my best to hold back the tears that were about to overflow my eyes. "It's almost ten o'clock now."
"Well, that's it." He squinted his eyes and smiled softer, but it reminded me of the snow falling on my fingertips that was about to melt. "So, Su Yue, are you afraid?"
I reached out my hand in silence, trying in vain to feel the warmth of his face with my frozen skin.
Yes, I'm scared, I'm very scared.
I'm afraid of that unforgettable three o'clock in the morning when the whole world will collapse. I hope it never comes.
"Su Yue, say goodbye to me. Last time, I didn't make it in time."
"good."
I took a deep breath to filter out the excess crying sound, and then opened what I thought was a bright smile.
It's like meeting for the first time.
"Senior Liansheng, goodbye."
As I said that, I slowly opened my arms and looked into his dark eyes through the hazy tears.
He didn't hesitate, came over and hugged me gently.
"Senior, will you call me by my name again?"
I heard his laughter and imagined if fine flakes of snow would now fall on his soft hair.
"Well, then you have to listen carefully."
I grabbed his shirt a little tighter, feeling a little uneasy.
"Su"
Suddenly, several brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky above the nearby streets. Along with the scattered colors, a huge and shocking explosion covered the words between his lips and teeth. The fireworks flashed dazzlingly in the dark blue velvet night sky, illuminating the homes of Chinese people in foreign countries.
A tree of sacred fire. I think.
Journey to the West is shrouded in the light and shadow of brightness and extinction. The scene that was extremely clear one moment is so illusory that it almost disappears the next moment, and the memory is mixed and intertwined. I know that the scene in front of me will forever pass through my pupils together with the cold wind carrying snowflakes, climb to the end of nerve pain, merge into my blood, and flow until the end of my life.
Because this is his last night in this world. Whether I want to accept it or not, I have to remember everything.
Just forgive me for not hearing your call of promise.
The moment Monkey King opened the door to his home, the backpack on his shoulders slipped to the ground due to his stiff limbs.
He is surprised. Because there was a tall, thin boy with fiery red hair sitting in the room.
The friend who gave him the book.
That friend who has been missing for a long time.
He is back?
In fact, it was the Monkey King himself who came back.
He got on the so-called transportation in front of the coffee shop and walked around for a long time. It seems that I have traveled through thousands of mountains, but in fact I have returned to the location of Journey to the West.
But on the left side of No. 43, there is no longer lonely sunshine and cool snow. There, there is a street with clean doors and windows, and a shiny glazed tile roof. The nearest one is his home - Journey to the West No. 44.
And his long-awaited old friend was sitting quietly in the house, as if waiting for his arrival.
The friend was holding a thick, old-looking book in his hands.
——"Remember Three O'clock"
In George's view, Monkey King, who had been missing for four years, was not only back intact, but also more radiant than before.
God you are kidding me.
From this point of view, it is extremely ridiculous for me to sit here and miss - no, almost mourn.
The scary thing is that he still holds the book in his hand. This was found in the trash two days ago and seemed to be some holiday gift given to him a long time ago. George has now read the last chapter.
So when Monkey King pushed in the door, George didn't react at all and thought he was walking out of a book.
It feels really bad to be embarrassed. I don’t know if this guy will laugh at his “sentimental” behavior as usual.
In fact, George himself is quite awkward. Because no matter what, Monkey King is his old friend. When he saw his old friend coming back with both arms and legs, his first feeling was not that he was happy and excited, but that he was worried about being ridiculed. It was really a legacy of his past. A serious psychological shadow.
But the Monkey King seemed to be more responsive than him.
What kind of Dafa? Being dumbfounded is the bottom line.
Monkey King is stunned? That was a scene that only appeared in dreams, or the kind of dream that only happened once a year.
He came over as if he couldn't believe it and pinched George's face.
"What are you going to do?"
After holding it in for a long time, George said this.
The Monkey King raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, he relaxed his face and asked naturally:
"George, are you back?"
What is this guy talking about? George thought.
Monkey King glanced at the book in George's hand, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Isn't this the book you gave me? I obviously took it away. Why is it here?"
George suddenly felt that this scene where the Monkey King lost his logic and became OOC was really his dream, and it was definitely a nightmare. Why didn't he understand what he was talking about at all? Did this guy just come back from an alien planet and his brain structure changed?
"Don, calm down."
George lowered his voice and used his most intimidating tone to calm down the inexplicable swelling emotions of the Monkey King. "Listen to me, whether I am dreaming now or not, I have to tell you: the reality is that you have been missing for four years since you fell into the Mimir Spring, and we are all waiting for you to come back."
"Therefore, it's not me who comes back, it's you."
Monkey King frowned and slowly lowered his hand holding George's face.
Soon, the corners of his eyes seemed to relax, bringing with him the real relaxation of remembering something. "I'm sorry, I went through some things and I haven't come back to my senses."
"Welcome back." Although George didn't know the situation, he still extended his hand to signal.
The Monkey King smiled softly, and there was something called relief brewing in his smile. He held his hand. "Well, I'm back."
He stared at George's eyes hidden in the shadows, staring intently, and did not look away for a long time.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
George punched him expressionlessly. "You bastard, if you've seen enough, go and inform the others."
Monkey King smiled and agreed, covering his shoulders, but when he was turning around, he suddenly stopped. He sensed something was subtly wrong.
It seems that not long ago, someone also made a joke to me like this?
Once the original memory floods back to its rightful place, everything else quickly fades away. Whether it's a face that has become familiar from a stranger in the past, or a street that is gradually moving away without No. 44, I recall the moment when sand was raised from the bottom of the ocean, and it was all swept away.
If you are lucky, some tiny fragments of light may remain, like fragments of a shell.
One night, there seemed to be the aroma of coffee filling the air between three people.
"What’s wrong with you?"
George asked from behind him.
Have I told anyone else that I am missing something?
What is it?
"It's okay." He shook his head after recovering from his trance, "George, lend me your phone."
"Oh." A metal guy with a silver shell was handed over.
The familiar movements of his friend were slowed down in his eyes. As the phone was handed over inch by inch, something sleeping was awakened.
He remembered.
There was no time to take the phone. Monkey King quickly squatted down and opened the book that fell on the ground. The simple and lightweight cover and the abstract patterns drawn on it all hint at the style of its content. He flipped through the illustrations one by one.
It’s not this one, it’s not this one, but it must be there. He remembered it clearly.
Ah, found it.
On the page before the last chapter begins, there is a detailed illustration that takes up the entire page.
There are two people in the illustration.
The young man rubbed the girl's messy long black hair with a gentle look on his face, while the girl had a look of complaint on her face. The two of them were sitting in a small garden where gardenias were quietly blooming. The sunlight was as fragrant and fragrant as the flowers, with a brightness that melted people's hearts. On the stone table in front of them was a cup of coffee that had cooled down. The color was dark and simple.
It's a latte.
He ran his hand over the picture.
If you look carefully, you will find that the boy's body is slightly transparent, and through him you can vaguely see the lush greenery behind him.
The general environment described in the book is dry and cold winter, so the scene in early summer is not real at all, right?
That's a girl's dream, right? I dreamed that the boy who was supposed to leave forever at three o'clock in the morning came back.
Su Yue dreamed that Lian Sheng was back.
He chewed these two names hard in his heart.
They really existed. They are not just cold words on a thin page, they are living people.
He talked to them and bickered with them.
He still remembered that Su Yue loved to drink latte, and Liansheng had a gentle smile.
He remembered it all.
Two memories coexisted, flowing together into a gurgling but huge warmth in the bottom of my heart.
George really gave a good gift.
He hugged the book tightly, and a warmth like sunlight spread to his fingertips, leaving complicated lines like rose vines, and penetrated deep into his heart. Then, it bloomed into a white and moist flower, and in the center of each flower there was a precious memory like a yellowed photo.
At this moment, he wanted to cry.
Thank you for helping me return to my world, even if you repeat the cruel ending. thank you all.
He remembered that Lian Sheng had asked pretending not to care. "Why is there no number 44 on this street?"
"The homophone is unlucky."
"But this is obviously not China." He squinted his eyes and smiled.
"Senior, please don't make things difficult for him if he has a low IQ." Su Yue made a face at him, "Kid, let's have a latte today."
Because these are two different worlds, the streets are certainly different.
Also, the latte is indeed very fragrant and delicious.
Don't worry, I will always remember you, no matter whether you will completely forget my existence the moment the book is opened.
I will also carefully burn every word that belongs to you into the sea of flowers in my heart, remember it forever, and never touch the ending.
Even as old as the joke says.
I will never forget the Journey to the West there——
There is no number 44.
——END——
【end】
He didn't know that one day when he gets old, he will receive a letter from afar.
On the letter paper were familiar titles and two signatures with very different styles.
"Hey kid, long time no see."
If he raised his head and looked forward at this time, he would be able to find two figures bathed in sunlight at the end of a certain street.
Everything is like meeting for the first time.
【postscript】
Will the Monkey King wake up from Mimir Spring?
Or, when he opens his eyes, will he be in another world? A world that belongs in books.
That's why he never came back.
Lian Sheng and Su Yue were actually the protagonists of an article he planned to write to his gay friends. They are characters in the book that George gave to Don. The two people originally had a tragic ending of being forced to separate, but everything was disrupted after Tang arrived. They soon discovered that Tang did not actually belong here, but if he were allowed to stay here, the two of them would not have to go to that cruel ending, forget everything, and be reincarnated again.
But they still chose to send Monkey King away through hints.
When Lian Sheng asked him why there was no No. 44 here, the subconscious seeds had been planted, and the Monkey King was destined to leave here and return to his original world. But how exactly did he leave? In fact, they don't know the reason, and neither do I. I just think that everyone must eventually return to the position they should be in, no matter the changes, no matter the vicissitudes of life.
Therefore, Lian Sheng must have pushed himself to death with his own hands. And Su Yue just watched his dearest senior die quietly, silently. She knew that Monkey King should go back, and there were so many people waiting for him to go back.
George's role is probably Don's only connection with the original world. Tang was missing compared to George, and George was naturally missing from Tang, being lost in the ocean of memory. The only thing that can arouse some sleeping things is the book that cannot be found in the mouth of the Monkey King.
Finally, Monkey King finally remembered. He was aware of the sacrifices made by two almost forgotten companions, and that was why he felt something.
As for the rest of the clues in the article, such as the latte, their function is still to hope that readers can taste it for themselves. Life is different, and everyone should understand things differently.
Finally, thank you to everyone who read the article carefully.
