There was only this one customer tonight, and the total revenue was one hundred yuan, but the cost was just a glass of water.
Of course, you can say there are also costs such as electricity and rent...
But things cannot be calculated in this way. When Xu Le was around, these were also costs, but his income was almost negligible. People always have to find suitable objects of comparison to gain some satisfaction and confidence in life.
In addition, it was because of the girl with the corgi that Zhou Ze knew that today was Valentine's Day.
After flipping through WeChat, Zhou Ze found Dr. Lin's WeChat ID and clicked on it. He wanted to send a red envelope, but he found that he didn't have enough money when he sent 1314. 131.4 was enough, but it made him feel a little petty to send it like this.
She doesn't sleep with me anyway.
never mind,
No more sending.
Putting his phone aside, Zhou Ze picked up a book and flipped through it, keeping this posture until the morning.
They went to the next door to eat wontons. Zhou Ze had no idea whether the skin was thin or the filling was thick, so he just ate it as before. After drinking a big bowl of sour plum juice, he immediately wolfed it down. Then he pinched his neck and took deep breaths continuously, suppressing the urge to vomit.
Thinking that he would have to follow this process every time he ate in the future, Zhou Ze felt as if his future days were shrouded in a shadow.
Zhou Ze thought of the man in the video who was also drinking porridge in pain. He felt a little sad. Eating was originally one of the greatest enjoyments for people in the world, but now, it has been cut off from them.
I don't know if there is an "anorexia" club in the world. When everyone gets together, they sit around a table and see who can eat a mouthful of food first, and then everyone gives a thumbs up:
"You suck the stick!
My XXX is so awesome! "
Take a deep breath, this scene is a bit chilling.
In any case, yesterday's video, including the Taoist priest and the man drinking porridge in the video, was a bit too far away for Zhou Ze for the time being.
After Valentine's Day, it is New Year's Eve, which is also the last day of the lunar year. If it were any other day, this commercial center would definitely be decorated with lights and have a strong "New Year atmosphere", but in fact, it is still the same as before, deserted.
It's like life.
Since there have been glory, there will naturally be loneliness.
Zhou Ze remembered that when this commercial center was first opened, it was very popular, but now, no one is interested in it.
Xu Qinglang is doing good business today. It should be because many other stores are closed. As he still insists on doing takeout on New Year's Eve, he can naturally get more orders. After all, customers have fewer choices.
From time to time, delivery guys in blue, yellow or red clothes came in and out of his noodle shop. Zhou Ze squatted at the door of his bookstore, smoking and sighing.
Damn Xu Le, it would have been great if he had opened a braised chicken restaurant.
The immortals in mythological stories like to say: One day in heaven is one year on Earth.
In fact, Zhou Ze felt that this should be correct, and it also applied to hell.
I remember that I died in a car accident... No, I remember that when I was sent to the incinerator to be burned, it should have just been Children's Day, and now, it's New Year's Eve in the blink of an eye.
More than half a year has passed so quickly, life is just like a dream, it is nothing more than a muddle-headed walk on the road to the underworld.
After smoking a lot of cigarettes and thinking a lot, Zhou Ze felt a little tired. He took out his mobile phone and wanted to see what movies were available recently. It happened that the cinema was right next to him, so he could go there to kill some time.
"Hey, do you have any newspapers at home?" Xu Qinglang came out after finishing his work and sending off the last batch of delivery guys.
"do what?"
"Paste the wall." Xu Qinglang replied.
"So frugal?"
"Pasting newspapers on the walls gives it a sense of atmosphere and age. Did you sell out all yesterday?"
"There are still some left. Wait, I'll go find them for you."
Zhou Ze returned to the store and took out a stack of newspapers half a person's height from the box next to his freezer on the second floor. He went downstairs and gave it to Xu Qinglang who was waiting there.
"You're not going home for the New Year?" Xu Qinglang asked.
“Spend the New Year with books.”
Unfortunately, Zhou Ze didn't have a goat's beard, and he didn't have any wine in his hand.
Otherwise, this ridiculous sentence would come to light.
"Didn't you not go home either?" Zhou Ze asked again after being self-indulgent for a while.
"With more than twenty apartments, which one should I go back to?" Xu Qinglang sighed.
“… …” Zhou Ze.
The two were silent for a while, and Zhou Ze said, "Let me tell you a story."
"Okay." Xu Qinglang nodded, his expression slightly reserved. His hair was a little long, with a few strands hanging down and flowing into the corners of his mouth. He reached out and touched his hair away with a gentle gesture, looking really shy and lovely.
The customs here are not something that can be told to outsiders.
“Once, also on Chinese New Year’s Day, a man met the richest man in the area on the road late at night.
The rich man was drunk.
The man asked the rich man, why don't you go home
The rich man replied: "Home, where is my home? My family and relatives are not with me. The home you are talking about is the largest manor in the city?"
After listening to this story, Xu Qinglang nodded slightly, as if he deeply agreed with it.
"Then the man pinned the rich man to the ground and beat him up, shouting:
I told you to come out and show off during the New Year!"
Zhou Ze continued to tell the story.
“… …”Xu Qinglang.
The chat between the two ended.
Zhou Ze returned to his bookstore. The heating was on and it was warm. He was flipping his phone in his hand, but there was no one he could contact.
I originally thought about visiting the orphanage, but then I thought better of it as I didn’t have much money left.
But at this moment, a customer came in. It was a young man wearing a blue work suit and a safety helmet. He pushed open the door of the bookstore and walked in, asking shyly:
"Can I read a book here? How much is it?" The other party pursed his lips.
"Look, give me the money as you see fit." Zhou Ze waved his hand, signaling the other party to do as he pleased.
"That's great. Do you have any novels?" The young man said a little stiffly, "I like to read novels, the kind that read online novels."
Zhou Ze pointed to a box behind the bookshelf and said, "They are all there."
The other party walked over to the box, rummaged through it, and seemed very happy, but some of the book covers and packaging were still there.
"Open it and have a look. It's free." Zhou Ze said generously.
"Okay."
The young man opened an online novel, then sat on a plastic stool and began to read.
As the boss, Zhou Ze sat behind the counter trimming his nails while the young man was reading a book. About half an hour later, the young man stood up from his chair, took out his cigarette, and handed one to Zhou Ze:
"It's not a good cigarette, don't mind it."
"Hey, cigarettes are not good things, there's no point in distinguishing between good and bad."
Zhou Ze took the cigarette, and the other party also took one and walked to the outside of the store, lighting a cigarette while feeling the cold wind.
This made Zhou Ze, who had originally planned to smoke in the house, stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it, he decided to give up, put the cigarette aside, and continued to trim his nails.
The young man came back after smoking outside. This time he did not continue to sit on the plastic stool, but sat on the ground leaning against the wall.
Although the air conditioner was on in the room, the tiles on the floor were still very cold, but the young man didn't care at all. I guess he was used to it.
About a quarter of an hour later, four men in clean blue work clothes came to the store. The oldest was no older than 30 years old, and the youngest was probably only about 17 years old.
The four people came in together, and the young man leaning against the wall waved at them. He must have been the one who called them over.
The person who came later greeted Zhou Ze, and Zhou Ze responded perfunctorily and continued to trim his nails;
Zhou Ze decided to buy a set of professional nail care equipment so that he could do justice to his nails.
It’s just that express delivery has stopped now and most of the physical stores outside are closed, so we can only give up for the time being.
Looking up again, Zhou Ze found that the five workers were sitting on the ground, each holding a novel and reading it.
You can tell from the covers that they are all online novels, mostly fantasy. There is one person holding a horror book and biting his nails while reading, obviously enjoying the book very much.
It was just that Zhou Ze found it hard to agree with the other party's behavior of biting his nails.
Only when you know how to take care of your nails can you know how to cherish your life.
From time to time, people laughed while reading the novel. It was a laugh that came from the heart while reading the story.
There were quite a few people in the bookstore, but it was very quiet. There were a few noises from time to time, but they were not disturbing enough.
In the evening, Xu Qinglang came in with a bowl of dumplings. He said directly after entering:
"Wow, the store is quite lively."
Zhou Ze smiled and nodded.
"Brothers, would you like something to eat?" asked Xu Qinglang's fellow workers who were sitting in the store.
Everyone looked at each other.
I feel a little overwhelmed.
"Forget it, I'll treat you." Xu Qinglang is a man with more than 20 sets of clothes after all. "It's New Year's Day, it's not easy for brothers not to go home. We all work hard to make money. We are brothers no matter where we are."
"Well, thank you, boss. I wish you a rich man." The oldest worker stood up and thanked Xu Qinglang.
"It should be. It should be."
Xu Qinglang put down Zhou Ze’s dumplings and went back to his shop.
Zhou Ze drank a little soup and then forced himself to swallow two dumplings. Damn Xu Qinglang forgot to bring him sour plum juice, so he couldn't eat it.
Taking out the cigarettes from the table, Zhou Ze walked out from behind the counter.
"Change them yourself after you've seen them. I think what I have here is a complete set. Anyway, I'm running a shop here at a loss, so don't be polite to me."
Zhou Ze passed cigarettes to everyone one by one.
The workers accepted it one by one, flattered.
Then everyone stood up, walked outside the store, squatted in a row, and smoked.
They don't want to dirty the environment of the store.
Zhou Ze thought about it and walked out of the shop. The wind was a bit cold outside, so he squatted down and smoked together.
The workers were chatting.
Married people talk about their wives and children;
For those who are not married, chat with the lovers you met in Tongcheng or your hometown.
Joking with each other,
Joking with each other,
Although everyone knows the ins and outs,
But there is still something to talk about.
From their accents, we can tell that these workers are from all over the country and are not from the same village.
Tongcheng is close to Shanghai and belongs to the Yangtze River Delta region. Although it cannot be compared with Shanghai in size, the annual labor demand here is still very large. As long as you are willing to endure hardships, you will not have to worry about finding a job or making money.
The cigarettes were exchanged twice.
Zhou Ze said, "Brothers, are you really not going home for the New Year?"
"I won't go back. Everything is fine at home."
"It's quite troublesome to go back and forth. There is still work to do in the first month of the year. The boss will give out red envelopes. It would be a waste not to take them. I can also send more money back home."
"Haha, today is pretty good. I have novels to read and cigarettes to smoke. This year is pretty enjoyable."
"Boss, when are you going to close?" a worker asked.
"Don't close the door." Zhou Ze replied.
"Boss isn't going home?"
"If the women at home don't obey, I won't go back."
Zhou Ze suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit!
All the workers gave Zhou Ze a thumbs up and cheered for him.
Of course, no one agreed too much. One could tell from his accent, and Zhou Ze opened a bookstore, not a fruit stand, so his co-workers guessed that he was a local.
There is a reason why the locals stay in their shops and don't go home during the New Year, so no one continues to make fun of it.
Moreover, they are each the pillar of the family. They go out to work to earn money, while the elderly and children at home are taken care of by their wives. They work hard and are tired, but their wives are the same.
Life is the result of hard work and perseverance, generation after generation. Whose life is easy
Just as Zhou Ze was about to continue smoking, a shout came from a distance:
"Xu Le!"
Zhou Ze raised his head and stood up, only then did he notice a Porsche Cayenne parked on the opposite side of the road. It was a familiar car.
Well, it’s my wife’s car.
The one who was shouting was the sister-in-law. She was indeed frightened by Zhou Ze in the bathroom a while ago, but she has returned to normal now. It is impossible for her to think that her brother-in-law is a ghost, so she just blamed it on herself being dazzled by the fright at that time.
Of course, she couldn't have a very good temper towards Zhou Ze. After all, he actually scared her to death. How embarrassing!
"Xu Le, go home for dinner!"
The sister-in-law shouted.
"I'm not going back. The store is busy and bustling." Zhou Ze waved his hand.
joke,
Should I go back to see those scumbag father-in-law and mother-in-law during the New Year
Are you being bullied by this ignorant sister-in-law
Most importantly,
Rushing home to sleep in separate beds during the New Year
Are you looking for trouble
"Sister, is this guy crazy? He is unreasonable and inexplicable, and he is still stubborn!"
My sister-in-law was sitting in the back seat with her lips pouted.
Doctor Lin smiled and said, "Let's go home and have dinner with our parents first."
"Hey, it sounds like you're planning on coming out tonight?"
"After all, I am his legal wife." Dr. Lin didn't say anything else, started the car and left.
Watching the car drive away,
Zhou Ze shouted to his co-workers, "Brothers, is my wife pretty?"
"pretty!"
"blessed!"
“It’s so beautiful!”
"Ha ha ha ha."
Xu Qinglang walked out of the store holding a large tray.
"Here, braised pork with rice, guys, let's eat!"
The workers were somewhat restrained and embarrassed. The oldest worker said a little embarrassedly: "We went out without bringing..."
"We agreed before that I will treat you brothers to a meal! If you mention money again, it means you don't regard me as a brother. We may run into each other someday in the future, and then I will have to beg you brothers for help."
"good!"
"One word!"
"When you come to my hometown..."
"Come!"
The workers all carried a big bowl of rice with toppings, squatted on the ground, put their bowls on the plastic stools, and started eating happily.
One worker was reading a novel while eating, and was hit on the head with chopsticks by a worker next to him.
"You are such a greedy guy, if you accidentally stain the book, how will the boss sell it for money?"
"That's right, let's eat first."
The atmosphere was lively. Zhou Ze returned to his counter and ate three more dumplings that had gotten a little cold. This time, for some reason, perhaps because of the atmosphere, he felt much less nauseous than before.
After dinner,
Everyone continued reading.
There is heating in the room and novels to read, it's very harmonious.
Before I knew it, it was ten o'clock in the evening.
The oldest worker stood up, stretched, and said, "Brothers, it's time to go back. Let's help them clean up the house."
"Okay!"
Five workers helped Zhou Ze clean the store from top to bottom.
"Boss, let's go, thank you for today."
"You're welcome." Zhou Ze waved his hand.
They left,
Unlike the girl with the Corgi last night, who left a hundred-yuan bill after reading for a while, they read for a whole day and half a night, and didn't leave a single dollar.
But Zhou Ze didn't care at all and didn't have the slightest dissatisfaction.
Stretching, Zhou Ze was about to call Xu Qinglang to take back the dishes and chopsticks in the store. When he walked to the noodle shop, Zhou Ze saw Xu Qinglang sitting behind the table reading a newspaper.
Well, the newspaper was given to him by Zhou Ze during the day.
Xu Qinglang wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and he did look a bit scholarly, worthy of being a man with more than 20 apartments.
She looks elegant no matter how you look at her!
"Please clean up the dishes over there." Zhou Ze said.
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Xu Qinglang put down his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and got up to go to the next room to clean up the dishes.
On top of the pile of newspapers was a copy of the Yangtze Evening News. Looking at the date, it was seven days old.
On the front page of the newspaper was a piece of news in big bold letters:
"Residential building fire, brave act touching people"
Last week, a fire broke out in a densely populated residential area in Tongcheng, and the fire was serious.
Five young construction workers from a nearby construction site rushed in to save people despite the danger. In total, they rescued more than 20 elderly people, women and children. But after they rushed into the fire for the last time,
I couldn't run out again.
There is a large photo on the cover of Yangzi Evening News.
This is a group photo of these five people.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, making an old-fashioned scissors hand gesture. It seemed that they had taken this photo together when they first came to the construction site and lived in a shed.
A face that is young but also has some vicissitudes of life and wrinkles.
In the photo,
The smile was a little restrained, but also very bright.
Xu Qinglang walked into the bookstore.
Looking at the five bowls of rice on the plastic bench in front of me,
I didn't touch a single bite, and the food was no longer hot.
On each bowl of rice, there is a pair of chopsticks stuck upright and upside down.
"Brothers,
Eat well,
Drink well. ”
Xu Qinglang murmured.
Outside,
Firecrackers rang out.
There was no ban on fireworks in Tongcheng. For a while, the sky was full of colorful clouds, and it was very lively and festive.
Zhou Ze raised his head and looked outside.
Whispered:
"It's the New Year."