Chapter 20 Chinese New Year's Eve

Tonight, only one customer came, bringing in one hundred yuan, but the cost was just a glass of water.

Of course, you could argue about electricity and rent…

But it doesn't work that way. When Xu Le was here, those were costs too, but his contributions were almost negligible. One needs to find suitable comparisons to gain some satisfaction and confidence in life.

Besides, thanks to the girl with the corgi, Zhou Ze realized it was Valentine's Day.

He flipped through WeChat and found Dr. Lin's contact. He clicked into it and wanted to send her a red envelope. He tried to send 1314, but didn't have enough money. He had enough for 131.4, but that felt a bit stingy.

Anyway, she doesn't sleep with me.

Forget it.

I won’t send it.

He tossed aside his phone and grabbed a book, flipping through it while maintaining that position until morning.

He went next door for wontons. Whether the skins were thin or the filling thick, Zhou Ze didn't know. He followed his usual routine: gulping down a large bowl of sour plum juice, then wolfing down the wontons, choking himself, and taking deep breaths to suppress the urge to vomit.

Thinking that he had to follow this procedure every time he ate, Zhou Ze felt a shadow cast over his future.

Zhou Ze thought of the man in the video, painfully drinking porridge. He felt a bit melancholic. Eating was originally one of life's greatest pleasures, but now it was beyond their reach.

He wondered if there was an "Anorexics Anonymous" club where everyone gathered around a table, and whoever could eat a mouthful of rice first would be praised:

"You're so awesome!

My xxx is so amazing!"

He took a deep breath; the image was chilling.

In any case, yesterday's video, including the old Daoist and the man drinking porridge, felt too distant for Zhou Ze at the moment.

After Valentine's Day came Chinese New Year's Eve, also known as the thirtieth of the lunar year. In the past, this commercial center would be decorated with lanterns and festoons, creating a strong "New Year's atmosphere." But in reality, it was still the same, cold and desolate.

It was like life.

Since there had been glory, there would naturally be loneliness.

Zhou Ze remembered when this commercial center first opened, it was once the height of fashion; now, no one cared about it anymore.

Xu Qinglang's business was good today, probably because many other shops were closed. He was still delivering food on New Year's Eve, so he naturally received more orders, as customers had fewer choices.

Delivery guys in blue, yellow, or red uniforms kept coming in and out of his noodle shop. Zhou Ze squatted at the entrance of his bookstore, smoking and sighing.

Damn Xu Le, he should have opened a braised chicken restaurant.

Immortals in myths often say: "A day in heaven is a year on earth."

In fact, Zhou Ze felt this was true, and it also applied to hell.

He remembered when he died in a car accident… No, he remembered when he was sent to the crematorium, it should have just been Children's Day, June 1st. Now, in the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

Half a year had passed so quickly, a fleeting dream, just a muddled journey on the road to the Yellow Springs.

After smoking many cigarettes and thinking a lot, Zhou Ze felt tired. He took out his phone to see if there were any movies recently. The cinema was right next door, so he could go there to kill time.

"Hey, do you have any newspapers?" Xu Qinglang walked out after finishing a round of deliveries.

"What for?"

"To paste on the walls," Xu Qinglang replied.

"So frugal?"

"Newspapers on the walls create atmosphere and a sense of history. You didn't sell them all yesterday, did you?"

"There are some left. Wait, I'll go find them for you."

Zhou Ze returned to the store, and in the second floor, near his freezer, he pulled out a stack of newspapers half a person tall. He went downstairs and gave them to Xu Qinglang, who was waiting there.

"You're not going home for New Year's?" Xu Qinglang asked.

"Spending New Year's with books."

Too bad Zhou Ze didn't have a goatee, nor wine in his hand.

Otherwise, he could have raised a glass to this cliché-filled statement.

"Aren't you not going home either?" Zhou Ze asked after indulging himself for a while.

"With twenty-odd apartments, which home should I return to?" Xu Qinglang sighed.

"..." Zhou Ze.

The two were silent for a while. Zhou Ze said, "Let me tell you a story."

"Okay," Xu Qinglang nodded, looking somewhat reserved. His hair was a bit long, and a few strands hung down, touching the corner of his mouth. He gently brushed them away, looking truly delicate and charming.

This kind of charm cannot be described to outsiders.

"Once upon a time, on New Year's Day, a person met the richest man in the area late at night on the road.

The rich man was drunk.

The person asked the rich man, 'Why aren't you going home?'

The rich man replied, 'Home? Where is my home? My family and relatives aren't by my side. The home you're talking about, is it my largest manor in the city?'"

Xu Qinglang listened to the story and nodded slightly, seemingly deeply empathetic.

"Then that person pinned the rich man to the ground and beat him violently, shouting:

'I told you not to show off during the New Year!'"

Zhou Ze finished the story.

"..." Xu Qinglang.

The two finished their conversation.

Zhou Ze returned to his bookstore. The bookstore was heated, warm and cozy. He fiddled with his phone, but there was no one to contact.

He thought about visiting the orphanage, but decided against it, as he didn't have much money left.

But at that moment, a customer came to the door. He was a young man in blue work clothes and a hard hat. He pushed open the door and walked in, asking shyly:

"Can I read books here? How much does it cost?" He pursed his lips.

"Go ahead and read, pay what you think is appropriate," Zhou Ze waved his hand, indicating that he could do as he pleased.

"That's great. Do you have any novels here?" the young man asked somewhat cautiously. "I like to read novels, the kind online."

Zhou Ze pointed to a box behind the bookshelf, "They're all there."

The man walked over to the box and rummaged through it. He looked happy, but some of the books were still wrapped in plastic.

"Unwrap them and read them, no charge," Zhou Ze said generously.

"Alright."

The young man unwrapped an online novel and sat down on a plastic stool to read.

Zhou Ze, as the boss, sat behind the counter trimming his nails. The young man sat there reading. About half an hour later, the young man stood up from the chair, took out a cigarette, and offered one to Zhou Ze:

"It's not a good cigarette, don't mind."

"Hey, cigarettes aren't a good thing anyway, what's the difference between good and bad?"

Zhou Ze took the cigarette. The young man took one too and walked to the door, smoking while braving the cold wind.

This surprised Zhou Ze, who had planned to smoke inside. He thought about it and put the cigarette aside, continuing to trim his nails.

After the young man finished his cigarette outside, he came back in. This time, he didn't sit on the plastic stool, but leaned against the wall and sat on the floor.

Although the air conditioner was on, the floor tiles were still cold, but the young man didn't seem to care, probably used to it.

About fifteen minutes later, four men in clean blue work clothes walked in. The oldest was probably not even thirty years old, and the youngest was probably only seventeen.

The four of them came in together. The young man leaning against the wall waved to them, probably having called them over.

The newcomers greeted Zhou Ze. Zhou Ze responded perfunctorily, and continued to trim his nails.

Zhou Ze decided to buy a set of professional nail care tools, to be worthy of his nails.

But now the express delivery was suspended, and most of the physical stores outside were closed, so he had to postpone it for now.

Looking up again, Zhou Ze found that the five workers were all sitting on the ground, each holding a novel.

Judging from the covers, they were all online novels, mostly fantasy. One was holding a horror novel, biting his nails as he read, clearly enjoying it.

But Zhou Ze couldn't agree with the nail-biting behavior.

You can only cherish life if you cherish your nails.

Occasionally, someone would laugh while reading the novel, a laugh from the heart.

There were many people in the bookstore, but it was quiet. There was a little bit of noise from time to time, but it wasn't disturbing.

In the evening, Xu Qinglang walked in with a bowl of dumplings. He walked in and said directly:

"Wow, it's pretty lively in here."

Zhou Ze smiled and nodded.

"Hey guys, want something to eat?" Xu Qinglang asked the workers sitting in the store.

Everyone looked at each other,

Somewhat at a loss.

"Forget it, it's on me," Xu Qinglang was, after all, a man with twenty-odd apartments. "It's not easy for you guys to not go home during the New Year. You're all out here working hard. We're all brothers, no matter where we're from."

"Then, thank you, boss, I wish you good fortune," the oldest worker stood up and thanked Xu Qinglang.

"You're welcome, you're welcome."

Xu Qinglang put down Zhou Ze's dumplings and went back to his shop.

Zhou Ze drank a little soup and forced down two dumplings. The despicable Xu Qinglang forgot to bring him sour plum juice. He couldn't eat them.

He took out a cigarette from the table and walked out from behind the counter.

"Read them and change them yourself, I should have the complete set here. Anyway, my shop is just a loss-making business here, so don't be polite."

Zhou Ze passed out cigarettes one by one.

The workers were flattered to receive them.

Then everyone stood up and walked outside the shop, squatting in a row, smoking.

They didn't want to dirty the store.

Zhou Ze thought about it and walked out of the shop. It was a bit cold outside. He squatted down beside them and smoked together.

The workers chatted,

Those who were married talked about their wives and children;

Those who weren't married talked about their sweethearts in Tong City or back home,

Teasing each other,

Joking around,

Everyone knew each other well,

But they still had things to talk about.

The workers were from all over the country, not from the same village.

Tong City is close to Shanghai and belongs to the Yangtze River Delta region. Although it can't compare to Shanghai in size, the amount of labor used here every year is still very large. As long as you are willing to work hard, you don't have to worry about finding a job or earning money.

After everyone shared their cigarettes a couple of times,

Zhou Ze said, "Guys, are you really not going home for the New Year?"

"No, everything is fine at home."

"It's troublesome to go back and forth, and there's still work to do in the first month of the lunar year. The boss will give out red envelopes, so why not take them? We can send more money back home."

"Haha, today is good. We have novels to read and cigarettes to smoke. This New Year is also meaningful."

"Boss, when do you close?" one of the workers asked.

"I don't close," Zhou Ze replied.

"Boss isn't going home?"

"My wife at home is disobedient, so I'm not going back."

Zhou Ze suddenly felt heroic!

The workers all gave Zhou Ze a thumbs up, cheering for him.

Of course, no one echoed too much. You could tell from the accent, and Zhou Ze was running a bookstore, not a fruit stand. The workers guessed that Zhou Ze was a local.

Locals staying in the store during the New Year have their reasons, so no one continued to tease and joke about it.

Moreover, they were all the pillars of their families, working hard to earn money. Their wives were taking care of the elderly and children at home. They were hardworking, they were tired, but their wives were the same.

Life is hard, generation after generation, enduring and surviving. Whose life is easy?

Zhou Ze was about to continue distributing cigarettes when a shout came from afar:

"Xu Le!"

Zhou Ze raised his head, stood up, and realized that a Porsche Cayenne was parked across the street, a familiar car.

Yes, his wife's car.

The one who shouted was his sister-in-law. She had indeed been frightened by Zhou Ze in the toilet a while ago, but she had returned to normal. She couldn't possibly think that her brother-in-law was a ghost, so she just attributed it to being too scared at the time.

Of course, she couldn't have a good attitude towards Zhou Ze. After all, he scared me into peeing myself, how embarrassing!

"Xu Le, come home for dinner!"

His sister-in-law shouted.

"I'm not going back, the store is busy and lively," Zhou Ze waved his hand.

What a joke,

Go back to see those idiotic parents-in-law during the New Year?

Endure the anger of this ignorant sister-in-law?

Most importantly,

Go home eagerly during the New Year to sleep in separate beds?

Looking for abuse?

"Sis, is this guy crazy! Unreasonable, inexplicable, and stubborn!"

His sister-in-law pouted in the back seat.

Dr. Lin smiled, "Let's go home and have dinner with Mom and Dad first."

"Oh, judging by that, you're planning to come out tonight?"

"I am, after all, his legal wife." Dr. Lin didn't say anything more, started the car, and drove away.

Watching the car drive away,

Zhou Ze shouted to the workers around him, "Guys, is my wife pretty?"

"Pretty!"

"You're lucky!"

"So beautiful!"

"Hahahaha."

Xu Qinglang walked out of the shop with a large tray.

"Come on, braised pork over rice, everyone, let's eat!"

The workers were a little restrained and embarrassed. The oldest worker said a little shyly, "We didn't bring any money when we came out..."

"We agreed before, I'm treating you brothers to a meal! If you mention money again, you're not treating me like a brother. We're all over the country, who knows when we'll meet again? There might be a time when I need you brothers to help me."

"Okay!"

"That's settled!"

"When you come to my hometown..."

"Come!"

The workers all took a large bowl of rice and went into the bookstore. Everyone squatted on the ground, placing the bowls on the plastic stools and eating heartily.

One of the workers was still reading a novel while eating, and was hit on the head with chopsticks by a worker next to him.

"You gluttonous fool, what if you accidentally get the book dirty? How will the boss sell it?"

"You're right, eat first."

The atmosphere was lively. Zhou Ze returned behind the counter. His dumplings were a bit cold. He ate three more. He didn't know why, maybe it was because of the atmosphere, but his nausea was much less than before.

After the meal,

Everyone continued to read.

It was warm and there were novels to read. It was very harmonious.

Unknowingly, it was ten o'clock in the evening.

The oldest worker stood up, stretched, and said, "Guys, it's time to go back. Let's help the boss clean up."

"Alright!"

The five workers helped Zhou Ze clean the store from top to bottom.

"Boss, we're leaving. Thank you for today."

"You're welcome," Zhou Ze waved his hand.

They left.

Unlike the girl with the corgi last night, who read for a while and left a hundred yuan, they read for a day and half the night, without leaving a single penny.

But Zhou Ze didn't mind at all, and didn't feel any dissatisfaction.

Stretching, Zhou Ze planned to call Xu Qinglang to take the bowls and chopsticks back to the shop. When he walked to the noodle shop, Zhou Ze saw Xu Qinglang sitting behind the table reading the newspaper.

Yes, the newspaper was what Zhou Ze had given him during the day.

Xu Qinglang was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking scholarly indeed, worthy of a man with twenty-odd apartments.

He had an air of refinement about him!

"Those bowls and chopsticks, clean them up," Zhou Ze said.

"Okay, I'll go now."

Xu Qinglang put down his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and got up to clean the bowls and chopsticks next door.

On top of the large stack of newspapers was a copy of the *Yangtze Evening News*, dated seven days ago.

The front page of the newspaper had a large, bold headline:

"Residential Building Fire, Acts of Bravery Warm Hearts"

Last week, a fire broke out in a densely populated residential area of Tong City, and the fire was severe.

Five young construction workers from a nearby construction site ran in to rescue people regardless of the danger, rescuing more than twenty elderly people, women, and children. But after rushing into the fire to rescue people for the last time,

They failed to come out again.

The front page of the *Yangtze Evening News* had a large photo.

It was a group photo of the five men.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, giving the old-fashioned scissor hand gesture. It seemed to be a photo taken when they first came to the construction site and lived in the same bunkhouse.

Faces that were youthful but also had some vicissitudes and wrinkles,

In the photo,

They smiled a little shyly, but also very brightly.

Xu Qinglang walked into the bookstore,

Looking at the five bowls of rice placed on the plastic stools,

Not a single bite had been taken. The food had long since lost its heat,

On each bowl of rice, there was a pair of chopsticks stuck upright.

"Brothers,

Eat well,

Drink well."

Xu Qinglang murmured.

Outside,

Firecrackers sounded,

Tong City had not banned fireworks. For a time, the sky was filled with colorful lights, very lively and festive.

Zhou Ze raised his head, looked outside,

And said in a low voice:

"It's New Year's."