Wu Hui worked very hard to divide the hair curtain into two parts, and carefully tucked them behind the left and right ears respectively, and then covered them with her long sideburns. This is what she must do before going out every day, and the bangs must be exactly half way. Even the slightest extra hair on either side would make her feel uncomfortable.
"you……"
Mo Weiming stood outside the door, watching her concentrating on the mirror and separating her hair with her little finger, and finally couldn't help but say:
"Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?"
"What is OCD?"
When she asked the question, she did not look away from the mirror and her hands did not stop.
"A pathological concept proposed in the West in recent years. Unconsciously repeating meaningless behaviors, or forcing yourself to do unnecessary things. For example, you have to step on a brick step by step when walking, washing your hands repeatedly even though you know it is clean enough, or checking again and again before going out. Window gas...if you pay too much attention to it, it becomes a disease."
"...So you want to say that I am sick?"
She finally stopped and looked at him questioningly.
"Just ask. I have one too."
"But your hair is always messy."
"Let's go quickly."
She had spent an extra quarter of an hour just for a few hairs on her forehead. Although it was not too late, Mo Weiming, who was always punctual, still went upstairs to find out. The time is set in the morning, so I can sleep in for a while longer than on weekdays. It was too late in the afternoon, and Mo Weiming wanted to go back quickly. Because the place was a bit far away, he wasn't sure how long the delay would be, so he needed to make more mistakes in his plan.
The place Ouyang Qiwen mentioned was in the east of the city, opposite to where the two of them worked. The police headquarters is also in the west of the city, relatively close to where they work, but still far away from their destination in the southeast. The entire southeastern part of Yaozhou is the port, and a large area near the port is Qianhua Lane. Their destination is generally located at the junction of the old city and Qianhua Lane. Before the port was developed, the most prosperous area in Yaozhou was Xicheng District. Because there was a large river flowing from west to east, the closer to the upstream inland, the more convenient water transportation was. Yaozhou is located on the alluvial plain of this river, and Sujiang is the last tributary of the river before it enters the sea. It is also the largest river that bisects Yaozhou in half from the waist. Later, after the port was opened to trade and the southeastern part of Yaozhou developed, the old city in the center did not benefit from both ends, especially the south and north areas not along the river. It has now become a slum area that no one cares about. The destination is at the intersection of rich and poor.
Further north from the destination, on the other side of the Sujiang River, sits the recently completed bell tower, which is quite close to each other. The bell tower was built with money from Yi Shuai, but it was only struck once when cutting the ribbon. Perhaps the commemorative significance is greater than the practical value, and ordinary people do not understand this. After all, although watches are expensive these days, more than half of the people in Yaozhou can afford them.
Wuhui has a small mechanical watch for women, which was given to her as a birthday gift from her family a few years ago. The price is not expensive, the leather strap is very thin, and there is still some slight wear and tear no matter how careful you use it. Mo Weiming took a look and saw that her watch was on her left wrist and could not be pulled away. Perhaps he was too lazy to ask, so he simply took out a pocket watch from his mouse gray coat. Wu Hui didn't know what he wanted to do when he just turned around, she saw him looking at the time. She was a little curious. Apart from people with "status", who would use a pocket watch these days? There must be some special origin.
As soon as she leaned her head over, Mo Weiming took advantage of the bumps in the car to close the watch cover with a snap and put the pocket watch back.
"Why are you using a pocket watch? My dad said that when he was a child, pocket watches were something that most people couldn't afford. Later, within a few years of pocket watches becoming popular, mechanical watches became popular."
"Because it is convenient." Mo Weiming said flatly, "I know watches are not expensive now, but they are still useful, so there is no need to buy them."
Wu Hui didn't reply, and the two of them just sat in the car in a daze. It's the end of February, spring has not yet arrived, and the wind blows on my face and it hurts like a dull knife. After being silent for a while, Mo Weiming said one more thing.
"My father gave it to me."
"oh……"
It does sound like something worth cherishing.
When they arrived at the place, the two got out of the car and looked around at a loss. Along the way, they didn't see the shop that Qiwen had mentioned. Could it be that it's not facing the street? When paying, Mo Weiming asked the driver where the antique shop called "Time" was located. There are no decent signs around here.
The man scratched his head in embarrassment and said that he actually didn't know. He did come here a few times, but every time he just stopped at this place to call it a day. He never knew the exact location, and said that any coachman they found would always drop their guests here. The customers they brought in were all repeat customers of that store.
"Coach drivers like us must have never been to places like that ourselves."
"Then have you noticed where the guests have gone?"
"I'm sorry, boss, our eyes are all looking for the customers behind us, and we won't focus on the whereabouts of the previous boss. But it sounds like the store you are looking for may be in a residential building, and it is not It's not a shop facing the street. By the way, I heard some customers say that this place called 'Time' is a pawn shop. Why don't you ask around again?"
While Mo Weiming was talking to the coachman, Wu Hui's eyes were looking around. The road is very spacious and has been renovated, but the buildings on both sides are still relatively retro style - they are all very traditional wooden structures. Although it has been carefully maintained to this day, it is inevitable that the paint and bricks will fall off. But generally speaking, the whole road looks very grand, and it feels like returning to the prosperity of the old dynasty.
Although it is the weekend, it is still not very busy here, and the shops open are far apart. Wu Hui's eyes glanced back and forth, and his eyes fell on a black car diagonally across the street. She stared for a long time, and the person in the back seat suddenly closed the curtain.
"Okay, thank you."
After the coachman left, Mo Weiming asked Wu Hui to follow him to find a store. His tone was suspicious.
"A pawn shop, an antique shop, and dream interpretation...what the hell is this place?"
"Well, since it was Qiwen who said it, it should be pretty reliable, right? He said he is familiar with the shopkeeper, so just give him his name."
"He'd better be. Don't forget, many stores are familiar with it."
"Hasn't this been found yet?"
The two of them had not walked a few steps when someone suddenly walked past from the side in a hurry. Wu Hui was hit, and Mo Weiming quickly held her back to prevent her from falling. She only had time to glance at him, but she met a pair of cold eyes. Even though it was only for a short moment, she still didn't have the courage to go up and ask for an explanation. Because it was obvious that the man was wearing a black uniform with the trademark, but without a police hat. No one wants to get in trouble with the police. He quickly turned his head, tossed his high ponytail, and said an apology so softly that it was inaudible, without slowing down his pace for a moment.
"So I don't like them." Mo Weiming's voice was low.
"Oh, forget it."
What else can you do but consider yourself unlucky? Chase him seriously, don't be labeled as obstructing official duties and put in a solitary room. But the two of them turned their eyes to the place where the man came from. There was an ordinary door with no signboard, and it was dark inside. I didn’t know what it was for. On both sides of the door were a row of closed windows, making it impossible to guess what was going on inside.
"Go and see...?"
Mo Weiming shook his head and said, "It's better to ask someone. The hotel...or the film police."
"By the way, I seemed to have seen Miss Hanying just now."
With that said, Wu Hui was about to point him in the direction of the car. But in front of the two people, it quickly activated and flew away. Wu Hui spread his hands, shrugged, and added: "It's a bit far, I'm not sure."
"...Whether it was true or not, they drove away."
"Hey, why don't you just go and take a look?"
No matter what, the nearest store was still a while away, and there wasn't any one that looked like an antique shop or a pawn shop within sight. This is probably a living area, but there are not many people coming and going. The streets seem too spacious, and there is not even a fortune-telling stall. There's nothing to lose by going in - just don't go into anyone's house.
The two doors are not impressive, and can even be said to be very ordinary. The police officer did not close the door, it was still ajar. At this time, light cannot shine in. Judging from the structure of the eaves, Mo Weiming suspected that no natural light from outside would come in at any time. There was a very sick money tree inside the door, which confirmed his suspicion.
When they all squeezed in, they had to lean against the wall, so that they could barely see the internal structure through the diffuse light. It is too small, there are no more doors on the left and right, and it is not connected to the opposite side. But when you come in, you can see the double staircase, which is also the only way.
The two looked at each other and walked over there in silence.
The light was very weak, and the two of them walked upstairs slowly to avoid missing a step. Looking from the outside, Mo Weiming clearly remembered that the building had two floors. But after going upstairs, they found that there were still stairs leading up. Are you going to the rooftop? Or is the window visible from the outside just a cover? Indeed, they saw few windows open. Even if there is, you can't see the structure inside.
"Actually, it looks like an apartment inside." Wu Hui pointed to the long corridor on one side. "You see, it extends on both sides, and then there are several doors. Like hospitals and our offices, they are basically like this. Structure."
"It feels like it's for rent," Mo Weiming said thoughtfully. "Behind every door is a studio or residence."
"But how do we find that store?"
"Ouyang didn't tell you what room number it is?"
"N-no."
"...You didn't ask either?"
"Who knew it was like this inside?"
Mo Weiming became increasingly doubtful about the professionalism of her colleagues and the necessity of her own trip. But now that it’s here, it’s better to bite the bullet and look for it. The corridors on both sides have retro paper windows with no glass, but the light transmittance is okay, at least it is brighter than the stairs. On the other side are doors one after another, with basically the same spacing.
They walked over, their footsteps lost in the dark brown carpet. Like the hospital, the walls here are half painted. But the paint in the hospital is cyan, while here it is a less common yellow-brown. The house numbers are all made of metal, and the lace is more Western-style. After all, at least the interior of this building is relatively in line with contemporary aesthetics and must have been renovated.
They were lucky enough to see a special door number after walking a few steps. What was written was not a number, but two ordinary characters.
"Eclipse...light?" Wu Hui read aloud, "So it's not time?"
Mo Weiming knocked on the door, but no one responded for the time being, but the small tag hanging did say "open". He simply turned the handle and the door opened easily. Along with the crisp ringing of the welcoming bell, a burst of bright light exploded in front of their eyes.
It's really... a different world.
