Mei Fang has always had a very subtle feeling for his hometown.
Occasionally he would miss the various delicacies he had eaten in his hometown since he was a child, but he would also be afraid of the various social customs in his hometown.
For example, you may be asked questions like how much you earn in Shenzhen per month, whether you have a partner, whether you are planning to buy a house, etc.
Then there's the thing: "Working in a big city is hard work, so it's better to come back early and settle down."
"My second aunt's kid easily earned hundreds of thousands of dollars at home, but it's not as fast as you making money in Pengcheng."
Comparisons and innuendos like these are always heard.
As for memories of the past, the only thing worth remembering is his good friend named Zhang Ming.
But since he became an employee of Huaxing and was transferred to Wukonan, there has been no news since then, and no one knows how he is doing now.
I just hope that this guy still has a chance to meet again alive...
"What are you thinking about?"
The person sitting next to him on the high-speed train was Lin Youxi, who was looking at Mei Fang with his chin in his hand. His beautiful eyes, like gemstones, were curiously staring at his cohabiting partner. "Are you thinking about how to introduce me to your uncle and aunt when you go back?"
"We've already messaged each other before, and they said we were friends."
"But uncle and aunt will still think too much, right?"
"That's for sure... It's not like a friend of the opposite sex can just stay at your home."
Mei Fang reminded Lin Youxi, "I'd like to say this in advance. My hometown is very small and shabby. There's nothing special about it except that it's in the city. If you can't adapt, it's best for you to stay in a hotel."
"Why, you don't want our relationship to be misunderstood by our parents? That won't do."
Lin Youxi shook her head. "I still need you to remind me to take my medicine."
Mei Fang was somewhat helpless: "When I was not around, didn't you remember to take your medicine on time?"
"I used to be happy living alone, but now it's not possible."
Lin Youxi tapped Mei Fang's nose and reminded him, "Humph, ever since that nasty guy scratched my car window, I can't live a good life alone anymore!"
It was clearly a sweet couple flirting, but Mei Fang always felt it was a little unreal. After being picked up by Lin Youxi for a while, he couldn't help but complain:
"When I first met you, you were such a cool and elegant lady with a story. How come you've become like a little girl now?"
"You don't know me, how can you say I'm changing?"
Lin Youxi held her chin and looked at Mei Fang. The two looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Mei Fang couldn't help but shift his gaze.
"Great, I win!" Lin Youxi smiled.
"Childish or not." Mei Fang expressed disdain.
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "Yuanyuan loved playing this with you when she was a child. Your answer now is exactly the same as when you were a child. It's amazing."
"You're talking about things from kindergarten. How can you remember it so clearly? It must have been at least 20 years ago."
Lin Youxi said softly, "I dreamed about her last night."
"Dreams may not be real. It may just be a mess of memory."
“Even if it’s fictional, it’s beautiful.”
Lin Youxi reminded Mei Fang, "Oh, right, this little scene can also be made into a plot and put in our "White Plum Time", okay?"
"That's no problem..." Mei Fang thought this was a good idea.
"Speaking of which, this time when we return to our hometown, we also have the important task of collecting folk songs!"
"Collecting the wind?"
"Yes, when we make "White Plum Time", we have to collect and organize more scenery data about our hometown. We will also need to collect and investigate some maps and data, including several important blocks in BR County, and the layout and architectural design of some schools. We have almost finished the overall framework, and now we need to find an artist to do it."
"Speaking of which, hiring an artist is a big expense..."
Mei Fang asked Lin Youxi, "Do you have enough budget?"
Lin Youxi shook her head. "Don't worry about the money. I can earn it. Just work hard."
"Even though I work in a small company, I still have some money saved. If I want to make a good game, I have to spend it."
"Hey, you should save your money for your future wife. Do you know how much dowry girls get nowadays?"
Lin Youxi patted Mei Fang's head and said, "As a knowledgeable chief planner, you should know better than me how low the probability of our game making money is, right?"
“It’s not about whether you can make money or not… Even if it’s just about reputation, the higher the quality, the better. It will also be easier to find a job in the future…”
"That's right, haha..."
The topic suddenly fell into a strange silence. Lin Youxi and Mei Fang lowered their heads in silence for a while, then Mei Fang raised his head and asked, "By the way, how much do girls want in gifts now?"
"Why are you asking this? How would I know... I didn't have parents to teach me." Lin Youxi smiled.
"So how much do you want?"
Lin Youxi stared at Mei Fang for a while and said, "You can't afford it."
"Can't I just ask?"
"No, I told you not to hit on me."
"If I can't have any ideas about you, can someone else?"
Mei Fang stared into Lin Youxi's eyes, and this time neither of them looked away.
"Are you jealous?"
"Well," Mei Fang nodded, "Is it not possible?"
Lin Youxi smiled and shook her head. Before Mei Fang could continue speaking, she held Mei Fang's cheek and kissed her directly.
The two men's unscrupulous behavior soon attracted warnings from the high-speed rail crew.
"Hey, hey, you two, behave yourself on the high-speed train! This is a public place!"
“S-Sorry!”
Mei Fang and Lin Youxi got off the high-speed rail station, and after a busy security check, they finally set foot on the land of Baimei County.
"Wow! This new high-speed railway station is really well built. It's much better than the shabby train station before."
Lin Youxi and Mei Fang left the station, breathing in the air of Baimei County greedily. Then he tilted his head and looked at Mei Fang and said:
"It's been a long time since I came back. Is Pan's Beef Noodles still open? I want to go eat there."
"It's open."
Mei Fang said as she pushed her suitcase, "If you want to go out to eat, why don't you come back?"
"It's boring to eat alone. I used to eat with Yuanyuan and my dad, but now it's fine if you accompany me."
Lin Youxi asked as they walked, "Ah Fang, what kind of people are your parents?"
"What kind of person is this..."
Mei Fang thought for a moment, "My dad is lively, but a little unreliable... My mom is a little controlling, but she's reasonable. She sometimes likes to use force, but she's gotten better in recent years. But generally speaking, my parents are honest people, and they're easy to get along with."
"You've been single since birth, so it's been a while since you brought a girl home?"
"What do you mean by a long time..."
Mei Fang corrected Lin Youxi's statement, "It has never happened before, okay!"
"Okay, never before!"
Lin Youxi and Mei Fang were chatting and laughing when suddenly someone patted Mei Fang's head hard from behind:
"Hey kid! Didn't you see dad at all? You didn't even respond when he greeted you!"
"Oh my god... Dad, you're so scary—"
The thinning-haired man who appeared in front of Mei Fang and Lin Youxi was Mei Lijun. He looked dark-skinned and had many wrinkles on his face, all signs of hard work, but he still looked energetic. "Come, I'll carry your luggage for you."
"Didn't you say you don't have to answer it?"
"I haven't been back for a long time. I want to give you a surprise, right?"
"I don't need such a surprise."
Mei Fang and his father were bickering with each other as usual, and for a moment he forgot to introduce Lin Youxi to his father. Lin Youxi finally caught a chance to go up and say hello when the father and son were talking.
“…Hello, uncle.”
"Hello, hello! You are the friend that Mei Fang mentioned, right?"
Mei Lijun really didn't expect that his son would bring back such a beautiful friend of the opposite sex. After being stunned for a while, he scratched his head and replied in Mandarin, "Welcome, welcome to Baimei County!"
"Dad! Didn't I tell you that Youxi is originally from Baimei County, there's no need for that!"
"Ah, I forgot about it when I got nervous."
"You can still be nervous..."
Mei Fang felt that his father had been embarrassed and went over to apologize to Lin Youxi:
"Sorry, that's just how my dad is."
"Why apologize..."
Lin Youxi whispered to Mei Fang, "I think your father is very cute."
Mei Fang knew that Lin Youxi was always a bad woman who liked to tease him, but she was particularly reserved in front of her elders, which was indeed beyond his expectations.
Mei Lijun led Mei Fang to his motorcycle. Mei Fang was stunned when he saw it. "You don't want to take us back on your motorcycle, do you?"
"It's nothing, there's room for you." Meilijun patted his motorcycle. "My motorcycle has super high horsepower and it hasn't broken down in more than ten years!"
"Oh, how can we fit the luggage? We can't just carry it all the way back! You can ride your bike back by yourself, and at most you can help carry the luggage, and we can just take a taxi back."
"I'm here now, let me pick you up!"
"It's inconvenient to say—"
"It's okay, Fang! Just take the motorcycle."
Lin Youxi suddenly became very easy to talk to and very gentle, "Let's carry our suitcases and squeeze in together."
"Well, then..."
Mei Fang and Lin Youxi got into Mei Lijun's car one after another, holding their luggage and hanging on the side.
Mei Fang felt embarrassed that he was inviting Lin Youxi home when he didn't even have a car at home.
"Youxi, be careful when you get on a motorcycle. Don't touch the exhaust port. I've been burned by the exhaust port several times before, and a layer of my skin was burned off."
"I know, I know. When I used to ride my dad's motorcycle, he always reminded me of this."
Lin Youxi stuck close behind Mei Fang, holding the suitcase with one hand in the air, looking a little tired.
Seeing this, Mei Fang took the box from her and said, "Let me do it. Let me do it."
"Well... then I will—"
Lin Youxi hugged Mei Fang from behind, hugging him tightly. The feeling of his chest against his back made Mei Fang's heart beat fast. Lin Youxi even leaned close to Mei Fang's ear.
"When I was in middle school, my dad always rode his bike to take me to school like this."
"Uh... Yeah."
"Hold on tight, the weather doesn't look very good right now, let's get going!"
The Meli army pedaled their motorcycle engines, making a terrible whirring sound.
The motorcycle started moving, and Lin Youxi hugged Mei Fang, who was carrying the suitcase with both hands, and put her hand on his arm to help him reduce some of the weight.
"Will this be better?"
"Um… "
Lin Youxi leaned on Mei Fang's shoulder, squinting at the street scene of the town.
The evening breeze was blowing, the setting sun stretched the shadow of the motorcycle infinitely, and in the distance I could faintly hear the familiar rural accent of hawking. Everything seemed so distant and so vague.
Have I really lived on this land for eighteen years
Lin Youxi had only been away from home for ten years, but the first eighteen years of her life seemed like a dream to her.
"Do you still have any impression of this street here?"
"Everything has changed." Lin Youxi shook her head. "It has changed so much..."
Meilijun said as he rode his bike, "Yes, this street has been newly renovated. The roads are much wider than before, and many places are no different from the big cities in Pengcheng!"
Lin Youxi listened to Mei Lijun talking about the past, looked at the street scenes on the side of the road, and suddenly said to Mei Fang.
"Afang."
"how?"
"There used to be a big, high-end hotel at the intersection ahead. Do you remember it?"
"Forehead… "
"Oh, you mean 'Baimei Family'! You have a good memory, girl."
Mei Lijun continued, "That hotel used to be the largest and most luxurious hotel in Baimei County. Everyone in Baimei County had eaten there. The food there tasted great, but it was a pity that it was not well managed, and the road was under construction, so it collapsed. It's a pity..."
"Dad." Mei Fang reminded Mei Lijun, "Focus on the road, don't get bumped into."
"Oh, by the way, the boss of that shop—"
"Drive well, Dad."
"You didn't even let me finish my words..."
The once glorious Baimei Renjia Hotel has now been replaced by a new hotel called Baimei Building.
There was a lot of traffic and people coming and going, and the area downstairs of the hotel in Baimei Building was full of cars.
Whenever he thought of this, Mei Fang would only feel extremely distressed, and would just want to try harder to hold Lin Youxi, who was holding his hand.
As the three of them were driving, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky.
"Oh no, it's going to rain."
"I said we should take a taxi back, really..."
"Afang, Afang, please help me carry it for a while. I'll hold the umbrella!"
The summer rainy season in Baimei County is unpredictable, and a drizzle suddenly turns into a downpour. The umbrella held up by Lin Youxi is simply not enough to shield the three of them from the wind and rain. The three of them rushed into the alley in the pouring rain and finally arrived at Mei Fang's hometown.
Mei Lijun hurriedly stopped the car, and Lin Youxi jumped out first to carry Mei Fang's luggage. At this time, an aunt also walked over quickly with an umbrella, helping Lin Youxi to block the wind and rain and said:
"I told you to bring a raincoat, but you let the kids take a taxi when it's raining so hard. Really—"
Lin Youxi, who was soaked like a drowned chicken, wiped her face, and the auntie next to her quickly handed her a dry towel to wipe it.
"My child, you are in trouble."
Lin Youxi shyly accepted the other person's wiping. This was a rare experience for her. After her face was wiped clean, she hurriedly greeted the other person.
"Ah, hello, Auntie!"
The one who was greeting Lin Youxi at this time was Mei Fang's mother Xiang Xiaoxia. Time had left many traces on her face. Now she was an ordinary middle-aged woman, but her eyes full of wrinkles looked very beautiful and bright. It could be seen that she was a beautiful woman when she was young.
When Lin Youxi first met this aunt, she suddenly felt very familiar.
"Okay, okay..." Xiang Xiaoxia liked the soaked Lin Youxi more and more. "Come in first. Take a hot bath when you come back to avoid catching a cold."
"good."
Then Lin Youxi was arranged to take a shower, while Mei Fang and Mei Lijun sat in the small living room wrapped in blankets.
"Is it not wet?"
"As long as I bring my laptop, it's fine."
As Mei Fang was speaking, Mei Lijun, who was sitting cross-legged, looked at him cheerfully.
"Hey, boy, where did you meet such a pretty girl? She's local, you're quite good at finding one."
"Don't ask so many questions."
"What does she do? Does she make games like you?"
"Um."
"Where are your parents? Where are they from? Their old family. Maybe your dad knows their family and I can ask more. Are they not living here now?"
"she-"
Lin Youxi changed into single clothes and came out of the bathroom drying her hair. Xiang Xiaoxia, who was preparing food, trotted over and said, "The hair dryer is over here. I'll get it for you."
"No need, Auntie, I'll get it myself."
"No, no, I'll blow you, don't be polite to your aunt, just treat this as your own home."
"Yeah, I know..."
Youxi’s nemesis has been found, hahaha!
Mei Fang could never have imagined that Lin Youxi would be so reserved and gentle in front of her mother, as if she was as well-behaved as a kindergarten child.
But after all, I'm a guest at someone else's house, so feeling embarrassed is normal, right
After everyone took a shower, Xiang Xiaoxia invited everyone to have dinner together.
Braised fish, steamed pork with rice flour, roasted native chicken, stir-fried cabbage, cauliflower, beans and eggplant, as well as the Chubei Province specialties of pork ribs and lotus root soup and hammered meat soup. The taste of hometown was instantly filled, and the overflowing aroma made Mei Fang drool.
"Oh my god, this is as sumptuous as Chinese New Year."
"My son brought his girlfriend back home. This is not something as happy as Chinese New Year—ah, bah, it's a friend of the opposite sex."
Before Mei Fang came, she specifically told Xiang Xiaoxia not to mistake Lin Youxi's identity. Of course, Xiang Xiaoxia completely regarded it as a test before the relationship was completely confirmed. He said he was going to live in her house, so how could she not mind having an ordinary friend of the opposite sex
Xiang Xiaoxia kept staring at Lin Youxi. After taking a bath, Lin Youxi looked elegant and refined, and it was obvious that she was not a girl from an ordinary family.
"Come on, eat more, Lin Youxi...right?"
"Just call me Youyouxi, Auntie."
Lin Youxi responded softly, then ate her rice in small bites. She didn't even have to pick up the food herself, Xiang Xiaoxia filled her cup directly, "Eat more."
"Wife, you are feeding a pig. How can a little girl finish eating so much?"
"You're the only one who knows how to talk! Who are you calling a pig? Shut up!"
Xiang Xiaoxia pushed Mei Lijun with disdain. Lin Youxi was eating happily. Mei Fang was worried that she was shy, so he took the initiative to approach her and asked:
"Can you finish all these dishes? If not, give me some."
"No, I can finish it, it's all delicious."
Lin Youxi and Mei Fang were having a lively meal, while Xiang Xiaoxia took this opportunity to chat with Lin Youxi:
"Youxi, where did you live when you were a child?"
"I live on Renmin Avenue, in the alley next to Xiangyang Community." Lin Youxi asked softly, "Is Xiangyang Community still there?"
"Xiangyang Community?!"
Mei Lijun and Xiang Xiaoxia were stunned for a moment when they heard this. "Isn't that where we lived before? We lived in that neighborhood before."
"So Yuanyuan also lives in that neighborhood."
"Yuanyuan is—"
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "She was a very good friend of mine when I was little. She, Ah Fang and I went to kindergarten together when we were little. I still remember it."
"Ah? Is this true? So you two have known each other since you were young? That really is fate..."
"yes… "
Mei Lijun asked while picking his teeth, "What's your father's name, Youxi? I might know your father."
"My dad... My dad's name is Lin Guochuan."
"Lin Guochuan? This name... sounds familiar."
"I think so too! Maybe I really know him..."
Xiang Xiaoxia thought about it and couldn't remember the name for a while, so she asked Lin Youxi, "How is it, Youxi, is the food cooked by Auntie to your taste?"
“Delicious, delicious. Very delicious.”
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "Ah Fang is so lucky to have a mother who is so good at cooking."
Hearing Lin Youxi calling their son Ah Fang, Xiang Xiaoxia and Mei Lijun were so happy that they said a few more words, "Does it feel like your mother's?"
"Um… "
Lin Youxi shook his head, "This is my blind spot in knowledge..."
"Blind spot in knowledge?"
Mei Fang quickly explained, "Youxi... her mother died when she was three years old."
"Ah...Is that so? I'm so, so sorry...Auntie didn't know."
"It's okay, Aunt Xiang."
Lin Youxi smiled softly and said, "You are right, this should be the taste of my mother."
"If you have a chance to go home, come to my house often to eat. Auntie will definitely feed you until you are plump and white!"
“Thank you, Auntie!”
"Lin Guochuan... Lin Guochuan... I remember it!"
Mei Lijun pondered, "Your father should be the third son of the Lin family in Dongmen Aquatic Street, who works on the construction site. I remember he seemed to have been there a few years ago—"
"Yeah, my dad died too."
Lin Youxi said softly, "He died during my senior year."
"… "
Mei Lijun single-handedly brought the topic to an unexpectedly heavy level, and Xiang Xiaoxia couldn't help but start wiping away tears as she listened.
"You are such a sad child. You have been without a mother since childhood, and your father also passed away later. How can your life be so miserable..."
"Ah, it's not that scary anymore. I'm used to it now."
Xiang Xiaoxia came closer and said, "Can I give you a hug?"
"ah… "
Lin Youxi didn't expect Xiang Xiaoxia to suddenly ask her this. After thinking for a while, she nodded and said, "Okay."
As Xiang Xiaoxia spoke, she hugged Lin Youxi. A warm feeling came from her body, and her dry and calloused hands gently stroked Lin Youxi's back.
"We used to live very close to each other. It would have been great if I could have met Youxi earlier."
Xiang Xiaoxia said gently, "When the time comes, you can come to my house every day to eat delicious food. It will be like I have another daughter. How great it would be..."
"It's not too late now."
Mei Lijun echoed, "Just stay at our house for a few days, and feel the changes in Baimei County with Mei Fang, okay?"
"Um."
Lin Youxi closed her eyes and leaned on Xiang Xiaoxia's shoulder, her body trembling slightly. Mei Fang just watched her quietly, and when she saw a tear running down the corner of Lin Youxi's eyes, she suddenly couldn't hold it back.
A hug from her mother like this was the mother-son interaction that Mei Fang had disliked since she was a child.
But for Lin Youxi, this might be her first experience ever.
How did this girl survive every day and night when her father was busy with work and her mother was not there to take care of her
…
call…
Mei Fang stood up and walked towards the toilet.
An inexplicable feeling of palpitations came over him.
He came to the bathroom and suddenly leaned against the wall, feeling somewhat exhausted. He clutched his chest, his face distorted in pain.
This kind of chest pain hasn't happened for a long time since he stopped working overtime. Every time he went for a check-up, he was just told to stay up less late, but this time he felt particularly scared.
Hmm…
Don't do it at this time—
Mei Fang covered his aching heart, leaned against the bathroom door, slowly sat down, and tried to calm himself down.
He didn't want Lin Youxi to see him like this, so he forced himself not to shout out.
She finally felt a little bit of happiness.
I can't let her think... it's her problem again—
Mei Fang's current house is an old one, but because it is located in the urban area of a small town, one can always hear the speakers of the clothing store outside the house.
At this time, the song "The Nameless Man" coming from the loudspeaker is very appropriate for the occasion. Ordinary and ordinary small town test-takers like Mei Fang -
About their insignificant life journey of joy and sorrow and bitterness and helplessness -
[I am the nameless person on this road]
[I have no news, no one comments]
[You have to try your best to get an ordinary script]
[All the twists and turns are just to make a living]
[I am a person who left the small town]
[It is the person who ate with tears and laughter]
[A person who is on the road and a person who supports the family]
[It is the silence of the city background]
[I just want to touch it with my own hands]
[Every moment I bend over]
[Are the wet footprints left behind worth it?]
[If you feel the same way]
[Friends who share the same journey]
[To all, standing tall and upright yet ordinary]
[Nameless person, I offer you a glass of wine]
[Respect your silence, and every roar]
[I salute you for bending over and going up the mountain to higher places]
[Live hard with the sky above your head]
These days are the days of the college entrance examination. As a candidate in 2013 ten years ago, I also feel some emotion. I originally wanted to write a simple if article, but ended up writing a lot. The last song is more appropriate and dedicated to the candidates who are about to finish the college entrance examination, especially every young small town test-taker who comes from the same background as me. You and I are from a different era, and you may have known from the Internet a long time ago that even if you are admitted to an ideal university, it may be difficult to change your destiny in the future.
However, it is also a great thing to recognize the cruelty of the world and strive to live. You have worked hard to this point, so you are definitely brave people in life who deserve respect no matter what!
Respect the ordinary, respect the world. Even if it kisses me painfully, I will still repay it with songs!
(End of this chapter)