The place to eat is in a pretty good restaurant—
Luoxianju.
Not only the name is elegant and retro, but the decoration inside is also antique. Even the names of the dishes are written on pieces of bamboo plaques and hung on the wall of the cashier counter in the lobby, which looks a bit like an old restaurant.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city center, close to the simplicity and tranquility of the suburbs, it makes people feel like returning to the countryside, very comfortable.
The place was chosen by Liu Yanbo. As an old driver who has been in Haishi for three years, he travels in various streets and alleys all day long. I dare not say anything else, but I want to find a high-end and affordable one. Where to eat is a trivial matter.
Liu Yanbo and his colleagues have been to this restaurant before, and the consumption is quite normal. Seven or eight people eat and drink for a meal, and the bill is only two to three thousand. In this city where an inch of land is more expensive than an inch of gold, this is rare A conscientious seller at first sight.
It's not that Liu Yanbo is stingy, he also wants to take Bai Bin and the others to a real high-end high-end restaurant for dinner, to show his true qualities as a local tyrant, but he is a poor man, with a total of less than 10,000 yuan on his body. His living expenses, otherwise, he can only use egg noodles to do his landlord's favor.
In the box, Shangguan Qingmeng was drinking with Bai Bin's comrades in arms, drinking happily.
Yin Hanruo also drank a few cups, and occasionally said a few words with a smile, becoming approachable.
Bai Bin didn't drink, and from the moment he served the table, he kept staring at Liu Yanbo, as if he was afraid that if he blinked, the person who had disappeared for thirteen years would disappear again.
"Let's go! Let's talk alone?" Liu Yanbo asked casually, and without waiting for Bai Bin to reply, he got up and walked to the balcony.
This is the humanized design of this restaurant. Each box has an independent small balcony, where people who drink too much can enjoy the wind, sober up, and then continue to drink and consume.
"Try it!" Liu Yanbo leaned on the railing, took out a small jug from his pocket and handed it to Bai Bin.
Bai Bin shook his head and said seriously, "I won't drink with you until you answer my question."
"Try it! You will like this wine." Liu Yanbo stuffed the jug into Bai Bin's hands, looked up at the starry sky, and looked at the unknown distance.
Bai Bin looked at Liu Yanbo, then at the jug in his hand, and slowly unscrewed the lid.
The wine is strong wine. As soon as the lid was unscrewed, a strong smell of wine came out. Bai Bin's expression changed drastically, first in disbelief, then in joy, and finally in sadness. He held the wine pot tightly, his voice trembling: " This... is this, the wine brewed by Third Uncle?"
ahem~
Burning throat and heartburn, with an all-too-familiar taste, Bai Bin took a big gulp, choking tears.
"The taste hasn't changed, has it? I brewed it according to the third uncle's method." Liu Yanbo looked up, making it impossible for anyone to see his face or his reddened eye sockets.
Bai Bin tightly grasped the flagon in his hand, pressed it to his heart, and slowly squatted down, propping his other hand on the ground, with tears streaming down his face, he choked up and said, "It hasn't changed, it hasn't changed at all."
From the moment Liu Yanbo and the others walked to the balcony alone, the people in the box kept watching. Through the glass door, no one heard what the two of them said, but Yin Hanruo and the others could see that in just a few minutes, Bai Bin was close to collapse.
"Xiaoxue, don't go, it's useless." The girl who came with Bai Bin and the others hurriedly got up, wanting to comfort her, but was held back by Yin Hanruo who was sitting next to her.
Bai Bin's comrades-in-arms also echoed: "Sister Xue, you can't get involved in this matter."
…
"Young Master Bin, stand up!" Liu Yanbo looked at Bai Bin, patted him on the shoulder with his hand, and sighed softly, "Don't make people laugh!"
Bai Bin didn't speak, but opened his mouth wide open, roaring and crying silently. The most valiant warrior of the Republic, at this moment, is like a helpless child, suffering from heart-piercing pain.
Liu Yanbo no longer cared about Bai Bin, lit a cigarette by himself, took a puff of smoke and said, "Young Master Bin, you have been outstanding since you were a child, and your parents are proud of you for skipping grades in school. Do you remember? That year you were specially recruited by the army. Before you went, there was a big banquet in the village, which was even more lively than the New Year. Everyone was afraid that you would be looked down upon when you went to the military academy. Your mother and several uncles helped you make several suits overnight. The new foreign clothes made Tan Shao and I envy you for a long time."
Liu Yanbo took another puff of cigarette, paused for a moment and continued: "We are so remote and have no source of income, you know that, but you were growing up at that time, and you might not be able to eat well after you go to the military academy. Your father just goes to the town to send you a sum of money every month, you should guess where the money came from, right? Yes, it was saved by the people in the whole village. "
"You shouldn't dare to forget these, right?" At the end of the speech, Liu Yanbo's eyes became extremely sharp: "Don't forget, you are not living for yourself alone, you carry everyone's hopes on you, so , put away your weakness, Qinghezhuang's face, you can't lose it, and you have no right to lose it."
Every word and sentence pierced into Bai Bin's heart like a flying knife and sharp blade, his face became more distorted and painful, he struggled, held on to the railing and slowly stood up, raised his head and chest, as straight as a pole standing against the wind Javelin, said loudly: "I have not forgotten, and I dare not forget."
Liu Yanbo patted Bai Bin's shoulder vigorously, his eyes softened, he looked at the starry sky in the distance, and asked lightly: "Young Master Bin, have you been back after so many years?"
"I've been back, every year I find time to go back, I can't let people say that Qinghe Village has lost all children and grandchildren!" Bai Bin wiped away his tears, looked at the starry sky in the distance, and asked: "Bo Shao, have you ever gone back? "
—Going home, what a sweet thing.
But Liu Yanbo's home has been destroyed. He watched his parents, relatives, neighbors, and partners die one by one before his own eyes.
What was it like
Probably only those who have experienced it will understand!
Liu Yanbo shook his head, said with a sad smile, "I dare not."
Bai Bin looked at Liu Yanbo, didn't blame him, only felt distressed, and silently handed over the flagon.
Liu Yanbo took two sips from the jug, lit another cigarette and said, "Young Master Bin, you have done a good job. Seeing you now, everyone should feel very relieved. You have not let them down."
Bai Bin, 31 years old, the rank of lieutenant colonel, the ace of the "Dragon War", the bravest fighter of the Republic, has defended the frontier and defended the country for more than ten years, has made countless meritorious deeds, and has received personal awards from the top leaders several times.
How can such an upright and good man disappoint others
"No!" Bai Bin said firmly: "Everyone is blaming me, my elder brother is like a father, but I didn't take good care of you."
Liu Yanbo sighed lightly: "How can I blame you! It's my own choice."
"Back then, why didn't you come to me?"
The problem came back to the original point. This problem has been lingering in Bai Bin's mind. It is his concern and obsession.
"I was also infected with the plague back then. I don't know why I survived, and I'm not sure how long I can live. Is there an incubation period? You are everyone's hope, and I can't take risks."
Liu Yanbo spoke lightly, but Bai Bin burst into tears.
A thirteen-year-old child, enduring the torment of the plague and the pain of losing relatives and friends, wanders the world alone. Maybe he has fought with wild dogs for food, maybe he has slept in the wind and rain...
No one knows what he went through
But Bai Bin knew that Liu Yanbo's life would never be easy.
"Where did you go back then?"
Liu Yanbo closed his eyes, opened his hands, and his faint words dissipated in the breeze.
"I forgot..." (to be continued)