They had a very sloppy dinner, takeout from a pizza place. The pizza itself was mediocre and the creamy soup was cold when it arrived. Luo Binhan wanted to see if he could find enough ingredients in the refrigerator so that he could make something hot and fresh for himself and Yu Xiaorong to eat - this was only his first day here, so he was not bored with life. time? But he was so tortured by this anonymous package that he had no energy to deal with pots and pans anymore. His trip to Regenberg got off to a really bad start.
Like him, Yu Xiaorong was not in the mood to eat. Even though she had put away the painting under Luo Binhan's supervision and put it in the sealed box that Malcolm used to store insect specimens, the water monster in the forest through the glass still had a seductive charm on her. Several times she walked to the display box with pizza slices in her mouth and stared at the woman in the river for a closer look. And the more she looked at it, the more Luo Binhan felt like it was nothing. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and turned over the entire display box, revealing the opaque wooden bottom.
"Hey!" Yu Xiaorong shouted dissatisfied.
"Eat!" Luo Binhan said with a straight face.
"I'm eating!"
"This thing may have nuclear radiation." Luo Binhan threatened, "If you keep staring at it, your eyeballs will wither tonight."
"Don't be stupid."
The possibility that this painting contains nuclear material is indeed low, but it is definitely not zero. Luo Binhan has decided to find a way to get a Geiger counter on Monday. Of course he knows how crazy this is, but this is life, this is life with this family. He has a conference call with Lihai City at noon tomorrow. This holiday would never give him happiness again, nor would it make him as carefree as Ante Pierre who stayed for supper, devouring two slices of each flavor of pizza and then slurping it down. I drank a bowl of cold soup. He found that she was really happy with everything she ate.
When dinner was over, Anti-Pierre said goodbye to them reluctantly but with great satisfaction. Luo Binhan wanted to recover the pebble, but he couldn't speak in front of Yu Xiaorong. He decided not to mention this matter for the time being, because firstly, the pebble might be just an insignificant packing object, and secondly, it was Chen Wei's apprentice. Any dangerous goods would be safer in her hands than in Yu Xiaorong's hands. .
Yu Xiaorong was still lingering in front of the painting. Luo Binhan led her to the table and asked her to help clean up the mess on the table. They threw all the fast food boxes into the trash can, wiped the table, and Luo Binhan also asked that everything that had touched the express be washed at high temperature. Yu Xiaorong loudly refused to help him do this, so Luo Binhan had to do it himself. He used a lighter to burn the small scissors used to cut the express delivery, and picked up the tape and pieces of paper that fell on the grass and wrapped them up. When he threw the pile of things into the trash can outside, he saw a crumpled newspaper covered in mud lying inside.
He figured it was the same portion that Doppler Colon had used to place his feet on his chair. It was dirty, shabby, and all in German, so Luo Binhan could only understand the first few scattered words. The headline of one article read "Strike," while the column on the right read "Prison." I hope these are two unrelated articles, he thought. It's not about the prison guards going on strike, right?
He couldn't help but want to take a second look to make sure that these commotions would not spread to Regenberg. Unfortunately, he really couldn't read the German article. There were a few pictures at the bottom of the section, which were also covered by the muddy footprints of old Cologne. Stayed quite a bit. He could only identify two bust-length photos of the people, which were taken in a very rigid manner, like the kind used on ID photos or wanted posters.
The photo on the right is of a man with short hair. The left half of his body was completely sunken by Cologne's mud boots, and only the right side of his face could be seen clearly. In Luo Binhan's opinion, the lower half of this face printed in black and white lacks characteristics, and no one might recognize it when walking on the street. However, the upper part has an extremely stiff eye, and the middle part of the eyebrow peaks upward, forming a small Pointy, as if there had been some kind of laceration there. This makes his eyebrows particularly abrupt, and the poor printing quality of the newspaper exacerbates this unnaturalness. If this is not a printing effect, but its real appearance, then the owner of these eyebrows will definitely make people feel uneasy wherever he goes.
Luo Binhan began to wonder whether this was a fugitive or a prison guard leading a strike, so he circled around the trash can to get a better shooting angle - although he did not speak German, he was proficient in using various mobile phones to read pictures. Translation software - Before he could get clues from those heavenly German words, Yu Xiaorong held a large bag of waste paper and slammed it into the trash can. The debris piled up into a small hill fell one after another, covering the bottom like a small avalanche.
Luo Binhan lowered his head and looked at the long and thin strips of paper that were obviously made by a paper shredder. There were fragmented letters on the paper strips, and some looked like printed web pages. But it was so broken that no one could piece out its original message from these thin noodle-like pieces of paper.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "What's going on with all this paper?"
"My homework." Yu Xiaorong said in a cold tone.
"Really? Your mother will go crazy!"
Luo Binhan didn't quite believe this was true, but he still threw away the pile of garbage and chased Yu Xiaorong upstairs as he fled. He managed to get his foot in before Yu Xiaorong closed the bedroom door, but still couldn't break in. He subconsciously pulled his feet back. After Yu Xiaorong entered junior high school, he rarely entered her bedroom to avoid seeing something he shouldn't see. They are brother and sister, but they are not family members who live together day and night. This awkwardness becomes increasingly obvious as Yu Xiaorong grows up, but none of this matters right now. There is no reason why Yu Xiaorong should be allowed to destroy her homework.
"Be honest!" Luo Binhan knocked on the door and shouted, "Did you tear up your homework or not?"
"This has nothing to do with you." Yu Xiaorong's voice floated out through the door, sounding quite busy.
"I will tell your mother!" Luo Binhan threatened, "See what she says!"
"She has no time to worry about my homework right now. Why don't you think about how to explain that you stayed in Africa for two years."
It is true that this is a thorny issue, but Luo Binhan doesn't think it will be more serious in Yu Qingshu's eyes than Yu Xiaorong tearing up his homework. After all, he will never get another diploma in his life. Moreover, what is particularly strange is that Yu Xiaorong's voice is a bit breathless when he speaks, and he is still walking around the room. He put his ear against the door and heard several unusual sounds, like something was being ripped or the pillow was being tossed repeatedly. But the commotion ended within half a minute. Footsteps came closer, and the locked door opened to him. Yu Xiaorong stood behind the door, his forehead a little messy, and a cloud of dust standing on his collar.
"Okay," she said, "that's not an assignment, it's just a scrap from the speech contest. It's all unused drafts and reference materials. Are you satisfied?"
"Why did you beat them to pieces like that?"
"Because I don't want anyone to pick it up and read it secretly." Yu Xiaorong said. Her face was a little red, which may indeed be due to annoyance and embarrassment. Ever since he made Yu Xiaorong cry in primary school, Luo Binhan often pretended to know nothing about the contents of her compositions and speeches in school. But he couldn't help but glance at the wardrobe next to the bed, wondering if there might be a living person hidden in the closet.
Yu Xiaorong stepped away from the door and allowed Luo Binhan to enter her territory temporarily. She also opened the closet and found a spare sports towel and threw it to Luo Binhan. "Leo took away the one you used to wash your face with." She said, closing the empty cabinet casually, "But if it had been there now, it should have been thrown away."
Luo Binhan caught the unopened pack of towels, thinking that Yu Xiaorong might have noticed him peeking. There was no one alive in the cabinet, so he glanced under the bed again, but it was already filled with all kinds of things: there was Yu Xiaorong's old toy box, and most of the things left in it were related to shooting, murder, and Halloween. . A complete radio amateur set. In fact, Malcolm likes to play with this more than Yu Xiaorong. An old doghouse belonging to Leo, perhaps kept for him to sleep over at some point. A poor, dusty stuffed bear. It was unclear whether it was given to a human or a dog. Luo Binhan could imagine Leo curled up in the doghouse and rolling around in boredom. When he got interested, he would treat this thing as a fleeing rabbit and pounce on it and bite it hard. It is not just a docile and kind dog.
There is no room under the bed for an adult anymore. Luo Binhan looked around at the four walls again, comparing the differences with the impressions in his memory. Many of the furnishings have changed, but many old items remain. He saw the ukulele leaning against the wall, proof that the owner of the room had for some time wanted to turn his interest away from detective games. There is a "detective board" made by Malcolm hanging next to the door. It was once one of Yu Xiaorong's favorite toys, but now it is empty except for a few thumbtacks stuck in the corners. She probably hasn't hung anything on it for a long time.
There should also be one special thing present throughout the room. Luo Binhan searched around with his eyes, but didn't see it in a conspicuous position. "Where's your sea snake skin?" he asked casually, "I saw you posted it online."
"I put it away."
"How do you find something like that on the beach?"
"Anti-Pierre gave it to me."
Luo Binhan's confusion about Anti-Pierre increased again. He was surprised that Yu Xiaorong didn't try to investigate this mysterious neighbor - or she had already been quietly investigating. But he was not worried about what truth Yu Xiaorong would learn from Anti-Pierre. The truth, if there really is one, is so bizarre, ridiculous, and confusing that it is impossible to imagine or guess. No one would speculate on whether the world would turn into a slug. Yu Xiaorong couldn't know more than him, but what about himself? What could he know? Just letting weird things of this kind and that kind come and go from him.
"Is it possible that she is a retired professional killer?" he asked Yu Xiaorong pretendingly.
"Yes," Yu Xiaorong said bluntly, "She might be able to catch bullets with her bare hands."
Luo Binhan pretended to grab an incoming bullet from Yu Xiaorong's eyes, and then picked off the dust on her collar. Yu Xiaorong tried hard to appear serious, but couldn't help but laugh. She must have figured out that he was imitating something from a movie. The atmosphere suddenly relaxed a lot. Luo Binhan pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down, while Yu Xiaorong sat beside the bed. They each lowered their heads and were silent for a while, hearing the sound of cars driving outside the window.
"Well..." Luo Binhan finally said, "How have the past two years been?"
He may have asked on the phone a long time ago, but Yu Xiaorong still replied "That's it." Hugging her pillow a little glumly, she added that two of her elementary school friends had moved away.
"Hannah Zahn?" Luo Binhan guessed. This is the only classmate of Yu Xiaorong whose face and name he clearly remembers. She was very smart when she was a child and had a friendly personality. She wore a light golden high-tailed braid and a pair of round and big black-rimmed glasses. She looked like a character from a comic book. The only drawback is that she is not as well-behaved as she looks. Luo Binhan is almost certain that if Yu Xiaorong is going to sneak in and pick the lock, Hannah Zahn will be the accomplice with a sweet smile who stands on the corner of the street for her. .
"It's not her." Yu Xiaorong said, "She hasn't moved away. We are still in the same class now."
"That's right. Does she still like reading so much?"
"She's into astronomy now. But yes, she still loves reading."
"Did she neglect you?" Luo Binhan asked half-jokingly, "Didn't she go to the beach with you for vacation?"
He knew that this was not a blow to Yu Xiaorong, because this girl was not very clingy by nature, whether to family or friends. This lone-wolf tendency first emerged when she was a child, wandering off on her own adventures in the woods. Sure enough, Yu Xiaorong turned his face disapprovingly and told him that Hannah Zahn had her own studies to deal with.
"Speaking of studies," Luo Binhan looked at the schoolbag thrown in the corner, "You don't really plan to be a private detective, do you? If you really do this, you will find that it is not that interesting."
"No. I didn't plan on doing that. I wanted to study wildlife."
It certainly wasn't an idea that would please her mother. Studying wild animals, Luo Binhan imagined Yu Xiaorong carrying an unconscious lion and walking on the prairie with his head held high. This scene was enough to make Yu Qingshu lose his mind. But if her mother insists on arranging an internship position for her in a law firm, the day will not be far before Yu Xiaorong runs away from home and heads to the African savannah. They are both equally stubborn and tough in this regard. As for the optimistic and relatable Malcolm? He will never give any advice on life choices. His own life was adrift enough, and that was both endearing and tiresome at times—when you wanted to have some kind of serious conversation with Malcolm, he was always like a floating cloud in the sky. I can neither understand the implication nor grasp the point of the topic.
Luo Binhan thought for a while and finally decided not to say anything. It's not time to worry yet. No matter how many weird thoughts Yu Xiaorong has, she is just a sixteen-year-old teenager now. She has no contact with the adult world and has unlimited choices and possibilities. She does not need to fear that life will gradually become narrow and stereotyped. Her brain development is not yet fully mature and is also affected by hormonal changes during puberty. All this evidence shows that wild animals may not be Yu Xiaorong's final choice.
"We will know the answer later." He had no choice but to compromise, "But I really can't imagine you sitting in the office. Wearing your mother's suit and skirt, reading documents at your workstation for eight hours?"
"I can read the documents for ten hours," Yu Xiaorong retorted unconvincingly, "if I really think it's meaningful."
"Longren, when you have to rely on a job to support yourself, you will find that most of your efforts have no real meaning."
"Is that why you went to Africa?"
Luo Binhan raised his head and looked at her. Yu Xiaorong held the pillow in his arms and asked a little aggressively: "What meaning did you find in those rainforests full of reptiles?"
"No." Luo Binhan said dryly, "I just did something wrong. I know it was wrong, but it is difficult to correct it - these are adult things."
Yu Xiaorong frowned at him, presumably dissatisfied with this excuse. But Luo Binhan couldn't tell her something more specific. He didn't want to say it, and he didn't seem to have the ability to describe it.
"It's like Mal," he said thoughtfully, "remember when Mal would hold you on the couch and watch old detective movies he got? You guys stayed on the couch all day, spilled drinks, and The snack bag was thrown all over the floor, and your mother was furious when she saw it. She yelled and asked why you couldn't stop and pick up the trash. Do you remember how you answered her?"
Yu Xiaorong was silent for a while. She pressed the pillow against her legs and squeezed out the air little by little.
"I want to finish the plot first," she said.
"Actually, you can pause it," Luo Binhan said. "Those are not TV programs, they are just videos, aren't they? You can completely control them and choose to watch them or not, or when to watch them. But when you sit there, just one second You don’t want to stop, don’t want to pay attention to the overturned drinks bottles in the distance. You tell yourself that you will stand up and clear the table if you watch for ten more minutes, but you end up watching until the early morning. This is the feeling... you always convince yourself Soon you'll do what needs to be done to get everything back on track, but in the end you're just sitting there staring at the screen. You know, those movies aren't really that interesting, they just give you a reason not to watch them A realistic place.”
"You didn't face it." Yu Xiaorong said, her voice almost sounding like an accusation. "You just ran away to Africa - you ran away from the whole house."
"Yes." Luo Binhan said, "I want to try another way out. Maybe in a place without a sofa, you won't think about how to escape life. That's it."
It was hard for him to describe the way Yu Xiaorong looked at him after these words. It seemed to be disappointing, pitiful, and praying for something, but she didn't comment a word. So he continued to look at her and realized that her figure was exposed and her limbs were slender. She was indeed a big girl. Isn't this more magical than alchemy? Feeding food and water to a baby day after day, it eventually grew into such a big Yu Xiaorong. She transformed from a mere embryo into such a complex being, with a quirky temper and a lot of thoughts, and it wasn't all just food and water. He should have been a good example, but failed to do so.
"These past things are no longer important." He said in an almost coaxing tone. "We all have to improve, we all have to get up from the sofa and work. We don't indulge in detective shows, and we don't escape from the house. , right? We have to supervise each other and help each other?"
Yu Xiaorong's eyes were still wary, but she repeated emphatically: "Help each other."
"But you still have to do your homework." Luo Binhan said, "You'd better not tear them up. Go to bed early."
He took the towel and walked out of the room.
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