Jiangnan, Qiantang, dim dusk. The lights on the long street began to shine.
Compared with the north, the land south of the Yangtze River has always been divided into seven mountains, two rivers and one farmland, and there is very little land for people to cultivate. As a result, commercial activities became very frequent here. Pedestrians traveling from north to south come and go along the criss-crossing water and land trade routes. In their hearts, there is always an obsession that drives them to embark on their journey and travel to distant places.
As night falls, the sparks on the river bank are dim, and the long street is full of fireworks. But who can see that glimpse in the dim lights that seems like a world away?
The cries and shouts of street vendors can be heard one after another. Women surrounded by rouge and gouache, children surrounded by candies and snacks, whispering to each other, it was a peaceful scene.
Quietly, there seemed to be a coolness passing by my ears, and the smell of water vapor was in the air, and it was raining.
On this early summer night in the south of the Yangtze River, a trace of rain took away the remaining heat of the day. Thick raindrops swept across the earth in the dim night light, and the night gradually became cooler.
People opened the umbrellas they carried with them and sought shelter under them. Most of them used their hands as umbrellas to protect their heads, and hurried home through the rain curtain.
On the bank of the West Lake, a tall building stood quietly in the mist and rain.
The bright lights looked dreamlike in the hazy rain. A faint glow illuminated the night sky. There are no stars or moon tonight, and this tall building is like the brightest star in the night sky.
Here is the most prosperous fireworks place in Qiantang - Huaying Tower.
This building is a hundred feet high, with carved corridors and painted buildings, high eaves and teeth, and singing and dancing all day long. Countless young women spend their youth here. There are also countless people here who shine like gold. Just to make a beautiful woman smile.
Just like a copper coin has two different sides, pros and cons. In this world, not everyone can sit in the land of splendid fireworks on a drizzly night and watch the dancing fairies, listen to the singing of orioles, and learn from the literati and poets to cook wine and compose poems.
Deep in the alley beside the wall of Huaying Tower, in that place covered in darkness, huddled up was this little boy. He was wearing tattered clothes, and his thin body could be seen from the gaps in the clothes. His clothes were very shabby, but exceptionally clean. He hugged himself tightly with his arms, hoping to get a little warmth in this cold night.
He shrank back to the corner again to avoid the splashing raindrops, and remained motionless, with only his dark eyes exposed from his arms, silently looking at the world.
Night enveloped the world silently, raindrops passed through the world silently, and this young man, like an elf quietly abandoned by the world, watched everything here alone.
People often say that every encounter in this world is a reunion after a long absence. Perhaps, one glance will leave many traces in each other's lives.
I don't know how much time passed, but the street was completely dark. Only the music played by Huaying Tower had not been extinguished, illuminating a half-foot radius in the dark night.
Maybe it's the end of the day, maybe it's the beginning of the next day.
The young man only remembers that the night was very thick that night, and the silk-like rain curtain still played the joyful song of textiles between heaven and earth. There was a girl, wearing an aqua dress, holding a light red oil-paper umbrella, and holding an oil-paper bag in her arms, hurried towards the alley.
The sound of "Yeah" was like a low moan from Qingglai, and the girl let out a slight moan. Like lotus leaves falling into the lake, the pale red petals are scattered aside.
Of course it wasn't the boy who tripped her. There was a small puddle on the ground. She ran in a hurry and accidentally fell. There were a few drops of water on her dress, but she protected the package in her arms well.
She stood up, not looking at the dirty water on her body, and quickly looked at the package, then patted her chest, "It's okay, it's okay, the meat buns were not broken.
Only then did she remember that it was still raining. She looked around and found her umbrella lying on the side, so she walked over to pick it up.
It seemed like I had stepped on something. I lowered my head and took a closer look. On one side at the end of the alley, there was a young man curled up quietly. Her heart couldn't help but tremble, could it be... She squatted down gently and slowly brought her hand closer to the boy's face.
At this time, the boy who had "fallen into a deep sleep" suddenly opened his eyes, and his dark eyes were filled with the look of the frightened girl.
Their eyes faced each other, and the two of them stopped at this moment, just staring at each other quietly. I don't know how long it took, but the girl was the first to recover. She coughed lightly and said, "Good evening... Good evening." The young man turned his head and vaguely felt a trace of heat on his face.
"Don't you have somewhere to go?"
He turned his head, looked around, and noticed the peonies embroidered on her clothes. She turned out to be from Huayinglou.
Seeing that he was silent, the girl said slowly: "You must be hungry, there are meat buns here. You're welcome, eat it." After that, she took out a bun from the paper bag in her arms and handed it to him. .
The young man raised his head and took a closer look at the person in front of him.
Cloud-like blue silk was draped behind her, and her aqua dress gave off a poignant beauty in the dark night. A girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her eyebrows are like the distant mountains with daisies in them, and her eyes seem to be shining with stars. Snowy skin and beautiful appearance are the time of cardamom.
The young man stretched out his hand, but pushed the bun in front of him and shook his head gently.
"Um?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion, and then said in realization: "By the way, one is not enough, I have to eat five." With this thought, she handed over the bag in her hand, "Nuo, I'll give them all to you. , eat.”
"I don't want you to leave." The voice was very soft, perhaps due to weakness.
"What did you say?" Apparently the girl didn't hear his words clearly, "Eat quickly, it won't taste bad if it's cold."
"I said, I don't want it, just go away." As he said that, he pushed forward.
The squatting girl fell to the ground due to the push. The oil-paper umbrella lay quietly on the side. The accumulated water on the ground wetted the girl's dress, and the thin rain soaked her hair, making her look a little depressed. He stared blankly, then came to his senses, but without saying anything, he walked straight past her and left the alley. She was left sitting in the rain.
"What a strange person."
The girl said blankly, then picked up the bag that fell on the ground, "Fortunately, not all of it was knocked over."
She stood up, picked up her umbrella, and walked into the Huaying Building. With a creak, the wind and rain were shut out. The rain didn't stop, covering all sounds.
The next day, the rain had stopped, but it had not cleared up yet. The sky was still overcast, making this early summer morning a little cool. It seems that I caught the wind and cold last night. I feel a little dizzy when I walk today. My face feels hot. I must have a fever.
The young man dragged his heavy steps and struggled to carry the sack on his shoulders, going back and forth between the dock and the merchant ship. The thin body looked extremely fragile under the pressure of the sack, as if it would be crushed to pieces if not careful.
Before nightfall, the boy received today's wages. Although it was not much, it was more than enough just to fill his stomach. Only then did Xianhui poke his head out of the clouds and take a look, and then quickly disappeared into the dusk. In the midst of my busy life, another day has passed. Where should I end up tonight?
My head felt dizzy, and there was a pain like pins and needles, and it seemed that I would faint at any time. Finally, the boy came to the alley where he was last night. It seemed like he was the same everywhere he went.
Maybe it was because of the rain last night, but there was a slight cool breeze blowing on my face tonight, and the bright moon was hiding behind layers of clouds.
The flower-filled building, the sound of silk and bamboo, the dancing of singing and dancing, seems to be a pure land separated from the human world. There is no family and country, no suffering of the people, only picturesque mountains and rivers, and beautiful people like poems.
With a creak, the door on one side was gently pushed open, and then, a piece of water-green clothes bloomed in the dark night like a clear lotus. After taking a few steps, she heard an ahhhh sound. This time, she really tripped.
The girl stood up and looked around, and saw a ragged arm. Looking up, it was the boy from last night. His face seemed paler than last night. The girl stretched out her hand, a lotus-rooted arm looming in the green sleeves, and gently put the back of her hand against the boy's forehead.
"Phew, it's so hot, he has a fever!"
After a night of wind and rain, plus a day of hard work during the day, the young man finally fell ill.
At this moment, he felt that his body was no longer his. He couldn't exert any strength in his limbs and couldn't even move his fingers. He only felt that the inside of his head was shaking, which made him dizzy. At the same time, it felt like someone was using a needle to stab his body. Stabbing oneself in the head. My face felt hot, but my body was cold.
