Working Travel: Realizing a Dream in a Year
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
The most beautiful campsite in the world
Cromville is a quintessential New Zealand town—a condensed town center with scattered houses.I took the map at the information desk and took a big step in the direction of Fortune Fruit Company.Back in August, I wrote to Brent, the corporate manager, to inquire about openings for this year.He said it was still too early and asked me to write again in the spring.In the spring, he said that he had put me on the list of sorting employees and asked me to wait for the notice to start work. At the end of November, a confirmation letter came from the orchard, announcing the start date and asking the recipient to reply for confirmation.Little brother, I used to fly pigeons to pass on letters and voted for several companies, but in the end only Fortune Fruit offered me an olive branch, so I had to bite the bullet and reluctantly agree. Unexpectedly, this became the happiest day of the year for my working vacation.
At the end of December, the midsummer sun made phantoms appear on the asphalt road. I carried a heavy belongings and walked northward along Highway 12 alone. The blue Lake Dunstan always followed my steps and stretched forward. I couldn’t see to the end.This is probably the slenderest lake in New Zealand.The aunt at the information desk told me that the journey would only take half an hour at most, and I had walked for 6 minutes and still hadn't seen the entrance to the mountain.During the period, I passed several other orchards, mouth-watering fruits hanging on the branches, many cars parked in front of the packaging factory, and several tents of different colors can be seen deep in the orchard, all suggesting that the harvest season is coming.Over some orchards, the screams of birds kept ringing out. At first I thought it was a masterpiece of hunters, but I heard only wailing and no gunshots. I thought it was probably a recording of scaring birds.
After asking the way once, I finally started to enter the mountain.Within a hundred steps into the mountain, there is a small lake as clear as a mirror, with thousands of willow silks hanging down from the lake bank.Just as I was intoxicated by the scenery, a car stopped behind me, the door opened, and a young man with a British style came towards me.His curly blond hair didn't reach his shoulders, and he didn't look like a backpacker at all. In his old suit, he looked more like a down-and-out actor.
"You also went to Fortune Fruit to learn art from a teacher?"
"Yes, exactly!"
"Can you wait here for a while, I'll drive you up. I'll say hello to a few friends and leave." After speaking, he walked towards the lake and hugged and kissed a few foreigners.
"I saw you on Highway 6 just now, but I'm not sure you're running here. I wish I'd let you get on the bus earlier," he returned to me and explained in perfect English. Said, "My name is Mike, get in the car."
We headed for the top of the hill in Mike's RV, and a trail of dust kicked up behind the car.
At the door of the manager's office, I finally saw Brent, whom I had been thinking about day and night, but he only said one sentence: "The camp is beyond the pine forest, go by yourself."
Go by yourself, I broke up with Mike and walked towards the camp.To this day, when I think of that camp, my chest still burns. On the golden land covered with pine needles and pine cones, among the pine trees whispering in the wind, tents of various colors and shapes are scattered in all directions, like a small world.We young people from different countries who are restless in the room are the new owners here. As long as the night is still there, the bonfire party will be there; as long as the cherries are still there, we will be here.
I found a flat place and set up my treasure - a one-person greenhouse tent against the strong wind. It took me half an hour and attracted many people watching.Next door to the camp was a house made of iron sheets, and there were many people in it. I pushed open the door nervously. This place was like a jungle version of BBH.There are French, English, Spanish and other multi-language chaos in my ears.This is a kitchen, with a large operating table in the center, surrounded by refrigerators, stoves, sinks, and dining tables. I think of the restaurant where I worked and Master Maeda again. I don’t know if his cough is getting better.
I needed to buy some food, so I asked people if there was a car down the mountain, but no one knew.Just then a pair of twin sisters walked in, and I asked, "I heard that there is a van that goes to and from town, do you know who drives it?"
They looked at each other and smiled tacitly.
"Come with us later!"
I was laying out oil, salt, sauce and vinegar in the kitchen before I set off when the phone rang and the man said loudly, "I'm in Cromwell!"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Johnny!"
"Aren't you going to travel to the west coast?"
"I didn't get a car, so I had to come to the south."
"We go to work tomorrow, what a coincidence you came."
The name of this gentleman is Johnny. We met on the Internet in China and made an appointment to meet in New Zealand. At 5 o'clock, I followed the twin sisters to the town to buy food for the next few days and met Johnny by the way.Johnny was tanned like black charcoal, and his short hair, which hadn't been done for a long time, looked like a hedgehog.I have been in New Zealand for 7 months, and he is the first compatriot I have seen traveling around.
"Except for you, I have hardly seen other Chinese comrades-in-arms."
"Yeah, I'm also surprised, where did everyone go?"
The more you choose, the sadder you are
There was nothing to say all night. On the next Monday, at 8:[-] am, everyone gathered at the gate of the packaging factory.The conveyor belt of a machine is constantly spitting out large red and black cherries, and I can tell that I am not the only one with a hungry face.Brent handed out contracts to everyone, then took us inside the mysterious packinghouse.
There are four rows of sorting lines in front of me. Each line is composed of a water tank and three fruit sorting tanks perpendicular to each other. The water in the tank is flowing rapidly. I reached out and touched it, and it was very cold.Brent demonstrated the operation procedure to everyone. He threw a handful of cherries into the middle of the three fruit-picking troughs—the thickest one. Then, while explaining the selection criteria, he put the exported cherries into the left-hand trough. , put the cherries sold in the country into the slot on the right hand side.As for cherries with serious quality defects, they are thrown into a channel near the belly and slide directly into the trash.After the cherries on the export and domestic tanks have accumulated to a certain amount, quality inspectors will come to conduct a second inspection. If there is no problem, they will be dialed into the water tank, and these qualified cherries will flow to the end of the assembly line—also where the packers are.
As the forklift put the wooden pallet full of buckets of cherries on the ground, our money-grabbing career officially began.Everyone scrambled to pour the cherries into the fruit selection trough in the middle.At this time, the gap in strength is reflected.Take Gemma, a slightly fat British girl next to me. I just finished picking a bucket and turned to look at her record paper!Is it dazzled, 5 holes have been punched in her paper!Not two, not three or four, but five!I wanted to hit the wall, but then I told myself, take it easy, maybe I'm not in the mood yet.Sadly, I hadn't thought of anything other than hitting the wall and comforting myself all day.I found out later that this Gemma hero has been working for 5 years!He is the person with the fastest fruit selection speed in the whole factory.What is the difference between this and the miserable situation of the wild card players who tried their best to reach the main match, but encountered the defending champion in the first round?
On the first day, we worked from 8:7 am to 200:500 pm. Hero Gemma’s results were more than 2465 barrels, which was more than [-] New Zealand dollars (about [-] yuan).I have been in New Zealand for so long, and the week I earn the most is not as good as her day's wages, which really hurts me.My self-confidence was blown to pieces, and my dream of crazily attracting money during the cherry season was inevitably on the road to shattering.Of course, on the Broken Road, Johnny also became cannon fodder, and he did less than me.
After working for two days, I roughly figured out the staff situation of Fortune Fruit.Camp No. 30 gathered all the tent and caravan groups, with a total of about [-] people. The French accounted for half of the country, and the rest came from Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Australia, and of course, New Zealanders.
The favorite activity of these foreigners is to drink beer around a metal stove outside the camp. As long as it does not rain, you can still hear their talking and laughing late at night.Camp No. [-] is mostly old employees of the orchard. They have their own fixed RVs or rooms, or some backpackers without tents and RVs.
The next day, despite my best efforts, my grades were still dismal.Who the hell said cherries are the best paying job!The number of barrels we complete every day will be recorded on a piece of cardboard by punching holes. Each cardboard can punch 50 holes. Shame on the man who turns over a jam—and a half-punched jam!
I was depressed, I didn't even have an appetite for the tempting cherries, and I was still reluctant to buy expensive vegetables for lunch and dinner.
Johnny and I were working at such a slow rate that we even despaired that it would be impossible to fill 50 holes on a record card.Plus, I never stood next to Gemma Woman again.
old boy selling cherries
In the blink of an eye, the great year of 2010 has passed.
Wang Xiaobo described his 1995 in this way: We read and wrote——1995 passed like this.Referring to the past year in this way, with a slightly emotional tone, I lament the dullness of life.Our lives were not so dull in the past.When we were young, each year's experience could have been written in a book, then in a pamphlet, and then in a few thin pages.Now it is such a sentence: reading and writing.On the one hand, it is because we are far away from the turbulent era, on the other hand, we also like the ordinary life.For us, this life is enough.
But I was thinking, without experiencing a turbulent life, who can calmly accept ordinary happiness?How many young people's blood does not need to be quelled by wild celebrations?At the age of 26, I wrote a book about the hundreds of days in the past, and Wang Xiaobo's words can be used as a good prophecy for my own future.The working holiday itself is not my dream, it is a forest that suddenly appeared.I could have followed the old path of 25 years, without much suspense, like others, working hard for the goals set by society and my parents, but I found this forest, and I hope that at the end of this forest there will be Some different scenery attracted me to embark on a new journey, so I walked in without hesitation.
As the year drew to a close, Johnny and I did something that required courage.On the last day of the old year, we went back to the kitchen to rest after get off work.Mark and Mel are an international couple who work as cherry pickers, usually leaving get off work earlier than the cherry pickers.We found them making a sign for cherries, with cute cherries drawn in colored pencils on cardboard, and the big "cherries for sale" and the price took up the entire sign.
"What are you doing?" I asked very curiously.
"Oh, the boss said that there are too many cherries to pick in Block [-], we can pick them ourselves and sell them."
"Wow, is there such a good thing?"
Johnny and I immediately regained our spirits. Isn't this like when an unseeded player returns home after a disastrous defeat in the selection field, the competition organizing committee notifies us that there will be a rematch!
"Hurry up! Let's get a big one too!" I said to Johnny.
"Where are you going to sell it?" he asked.
"Isn't this... lively place better for sale? But you have to leave Cromville. This is the stronghold of cherries, so they can't be sold at a good price."
"Then let's go to Queenstown. It just so happens that my friend Princess Huazheng is going to Queenstown tonight for the New Year's Eve. Queenstown tonight must be full of people, money and money, hahahaha." He burst into a strange burst laughter.
"Okay! Then we'll go to Queenstown to sell cherries!"
Without further ado, there is not much time before dark. Princess Huazheng from Taiwan and Ao Lei from Hong Kong drove to Fortune Fruit Camp No. 2011 on time, and then we went to the orchard to pick four buckets full of cherries. Towards Queenstown, towards [-], towards a lot of money, hit the road!
The sunset on the last evening of 2010 was brilliant golden, and the thick clouds bathed in it seemed transparent. Both Johnny and Ole were Christians, and they said that this was the legendary "Light of Christ".I'm not religious, but I did feel a certain sacredness and solemnity in that moment.Princess Huazheng's driving skills are quite good. There are mountain roads from Cromwell to Queenstown, with steep cliffs on one side and steep peaks on the other. Our van drove smoothly among the great rivers and mountains in New Zealand. What can disturb our happiness in the moment.It was getting dark, but not completely dark, and we entered downtown Queenstown when I was struck by the ridgeline of the Remarkables stretching across the sky.Princess Huazheng parked the car in front of her friend's house, and Wakatipu Lake (Wakatipu Lake) was not far from her feet, and the city lights made the lake sparkling.We divided the cherries in the barrel into several plastic bags and completed the final preparations before the operation.
"Wu Fei, how much do cherries cost?"
"I'm dizzy, I almost forgot about this..."
I remember that the unit price of cherries in the supermarket was around 20 New Zealand dollars (about 99 yuan) per kilogram, and I weighed the bag in my hand.
"Our bag is about 1 catty. It must be cheaper than the supermarket, so let's get a 5% discount, 5 New Zealand dollars a bag."
Queenstown on New Year's Eve was indeed very lively. There were people on the road, and the noisy environment made us feel at a loss.I flinched a little suddenly, and Johnny seemed to do the same.Carrying buckets and holding a signboard selling cherries, we moved slowly towards the center of the city.The stage to welcome the New Year was set up on an open space by the lake. At this time, the performance of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new had already begun.I told myself, let's do it all at once, and don't give myself any reason to procrastinate.
I walked into the crowd, tried to put on a smiling face, and shook the signboard in my hand.
"Need cherries? Fresh and cheap!"
Some people showed displeasure, probably because I interrupted their enjoyment of the performance.Someone was also slightly curious, but showed no more interest in buying my cherries.Alas, poor cherry boy.
We got off to a bad start, so we decided to move to the front. Against the crowds flocking to the stage, we stopped at a seemingly busy intersection, and decided to take over the land and sell Cromville's best cherries.
I put the sign on the window of a closed store behind me, and I sat on the corner with Johnny, waiting for customers to come.As soon as we sat down, someone came to the door.This person is dressed in bright yellow and holds a killing stick.
He is a city manager.
I know it's not good, but I still pretend to be calm.
"You can't set up stalls here, don't you know?"
"This is my first time in Queenstown..."
"This is the city center, no stalls are allowed, please leave immediately."
"Where should we go then?" God knows how I thought of asking that.
"You can go outside the protection zone." He pointed to the outside of the warning zone.
This gorgeous reversal of the night begins here.That's right, after two setbacks in a row, our cherry business was up and running.In front of a gift shop on Beach Street, I hawked at the top of my voice.Gradually some passers-by stopped, and I lost no time in taking out big, dark cherries for them to taste. Finally, a customer decided to pay for it after tasting it.I took the note with Sir Hilary's face on it, and I wanted to howl with joy.The hawker's contribution and return are very simple and direct, which is different from receiving wages only once a month.
We sold from 10:11 to [-]:[-], and the two barrels of cherries we brought were sold out.There are hot girls who want to exchange cherries with hugs; there are fat girls who drag us and ask for a group photo; there are drunk hooligans who come to provoke us;
We say happy new year, happy new year to everyone who passes by.On my last night at the age of 26, I got a lot of big smiles.We carried empty buckets and walked towards the lake.The band's performance on the stage had just ended, and the countdown card began to enter the last minute, and the dazzling silver numbers kept beating... Everyone watched the time to leave, and when the number reached zero, the fireworks were in full bloom.The old mood overflows, and the new desire fills the atrium.Year after year, wishes are piled up into a river bed, and emotions are filled with colorful bubbles on the river surface.
Without faith, you are a hooligan
Brand new year.
We went to the bar to celebrate tonight's catch, and as we toasted, I said to Johnny, "How about a bet?"
"What are you gambling?"
"Bet on who will find a girlfriend first this year."
"Okay! What's the stake?"
"you decide."
Johnny didn't think long and said, "The loser will adopt an orphan!"
"Okay! It's such a happy decision."
This is definitely the most caring bet I've ever heard, and I even wish I was the loser.
After the New Year's holiday, we returned to our intense work. We thought that sorting 50 barrels of cherries was far away, but this goal was approaching unknowingly.Of course, this has paid the price of a decline in the quality of the fruit selection, but since others are doing it, I follow suit with peace of mind.To my surprise, Johnny told the boss: "I can't continue to work like this. I don't want to cheat you, I'm sorry for you, and I'm sorry for my conscience. But I also need money, so can I change it? It's calculated by the hour. Salary position?"
The boss said coldly: "Continue to choose fruits."
From then on, Johnny became less concerned about speed, and he tried to put every cherry in the right place.A few days later, he changed jobs with a certain hourly worker and got a stable hourly wage.
After dinner, we sometimes go for a walk on a small hillside near the orchard. When I ask about it, he always uses God’s set of things to explain it. When we talk about ideals, he always says true love, truth, free.At first I didn't catch a cold, but gradually, I was infected by his earnestness.I felt the power of faith in him. In his own words: "Without faith, I am a hooligan." Fortunately, faith has ground this dark soil into agarwood ink, which can be used to write a word of love.He is a bit paranoid when dealing with feelings seriously.
We also talk about family, about a man's responsibilities, material and spiritual.
"You say money is not important, I disagree. Money can help your family live better." I said.
"Our family doesn't need a lot of money to live well. I just do what I want to do."
"That's your point of view. You said you want to find a non-governmental organization for public welfare work. I admire it, but I can't do it. Living in a big house and a small house, people's moods will be different. Money can't buy it Happiness, but you can’t deny that money is needed on the way to happiness. Sometimes we don’t live for ourselves. If we only need to pay for our dreams, that’s fine, but in fact it’s not. Many times, our loved ones have to pay for it. We pay the price for our dreams. Haven’t you thought about doing something for them? Our generation has not experienced any great suffering, and it is easy to fall into our own small world. But the parents’ generation is different , natural disasters, going to the countryside, the Cultural Revolution.”
"Mother Teresa has no money, but she has helped countless people, hasn't she?"
"If she has money, maybe she can help more people."
So that was the end of our discussion, and usually nobody was able to convince anyone.When we don't want to talk, we can always stand quietly on the hillside, watching the clouds drift by leisurely, watching the sunset silently pull the shadow to the imaginary other hemisphere, and complete some thoughts in this way.
After the New Year, Cromville has always been dominated by rainy weather, and the decrease in cherry production has become an indisputable fact.In addition to the sound of shooting birds in the cherry orchard, there was also the loud noise of helicopters.Every morning when it rains, we will be woken up by the helicopter, and the high-speed rotating propellers will generate a huge airflow, blowing the rainwater off the fruit trees.This somewhat alleviates the bad situation of cherry cracking.10 days of work, we have 7 days off, dissatisfaction is written on everyone's face.
In order to vent their time with nowhere to go, everyone made moves one after another. The French stupid cat couple went climbing, the Canadian sushi couple went to the intellectual paradise, and some people even used professional props to start a game in the kitchen.I went back to Aspiring National Park with Johnny and my new acquaintance, Mr. Stanley.After coming to New Zealand for so long, the scenery of Otago is my favorite.Johnny has been to Tibet, he said that the scenery here is very similar to Tibet, the sky is so clear, every cloud casts shadows on the pale yellow hills - the mountains here have no dense green vegetation, and the wind blows , the hills are flickering.Every lake in Otago has a different shade of blue, from Wakatipu to Wanaka, from Hawea to Danstan.
Even in midsummer, Otago's snow-capped mountains still wear white hats.Mount Aspiring, the second highest peak in New Zealand, is quite similar to Mount Everest. It has a pyramid-shaped peak, and many glaciers reflect dazzling light in the sun.
I stood on the top of a certain mountain, with the peaks of the Southern Alps in front of me and the majestic Matuji Tuji Canyon behind me. From this moment on, I fell in love with working holidays.
the girl who makes my heart beat
On the morning of January 1th, many strange faces appeared in the packaging factory.Maybe it's because the cherry season is here and the company needs more manpower.While choosing, I looked at these newcomers who had just arrived.In front of a selection table not far to my left stood an Asian girl I had never seen before.She is wearing a ponytail, her quiet face is unpainted, and her movements are leisurely, just like a water lily on the lake in summer, elegant and pure.I fell in love with her side profile at first sight, and my heart couldn't help beating.
No way, for the girl I like, the first thing I can do is strike up a conversation.
Before the first break in the morning, I quickly finished the work at hand, and then pretended to be calm and passed the other guys who were fighting around me, came to her, and stretched out my "claws".
With my help, she was much faster.
"Where are you from?"
"Taiwan."
"Oh, then let's speak Chinese."
She smiled.
This is the first time we speak.She introduced herself as Sophie.
There is a half-hour lunch time at noon, but what I like most about Fortune Fruit is its organization and lack of discipline.The 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon sometimes lasts for more than half an hour, and the lunch break usually lasts for more than an hour.As for getting off work, there is always an advance, not a delay.
I came to the restaurant with the fried rice I made last night, and she was there alone.I went over to sit down and continue the topic of the morning.
"Are you working or studying in Taiwan?"
"I've been working for five years."
Her voice is so nice and has almost no Taiwanese accent, I just want to listen to her all the time.
"Did you like your old job?" I asked again.
"Half and half." She thought for a while.
"Can you believe that everyone can have a job that they like [-] percent of the time. Or, at least, not half as much as they hate it."
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"I think there is, like when I'm writing stories. I write stories every once in a while."
She doesn't seem to like talking very much. Most of the time, she will speak slowly only after I ask a question.
"Where are you from in Taiwan?"
"Kaohsiung. But I lived in Taipei for 9 years."
"Oh, do you like Taipei?"
"Forget it."
"why?"
"Because there are many cultural performances in Taipei."
"I also like Taipei."
"Have you been to Taipei?" She was obviously a little surprised.
"I've been there several times. I like Dunnan Eslite Bookstore, which is open 24 hours. I also like all kinds of snacks in Taipei."
My affection for her is increasing, but reason tells me not to think too much, because I plan to return to China in a month.And she was going back to Taiwan after all.This is really a tragedy. If they met earlier in New Zealand, maybe they could have performed a soul-stirring long-distance relationship.
On the following working days, as soon as the break came, I would go to chat with Sophie.Sophie previously worked at a music radio station as a host for a while.No wonder it sounds so good.Her voice is such an addictive drug that I can't go a day without hearing it.As the conversation deepened, I found that there was more to her that attracted me.I know I like this girl.
"I like that girl," I told Johnny.
"She's normal," Johnny said.
"How do you know? You haven't chatted with her. Only I can appreciate her beauty. I just like her ordinary beauty."
But the plan to return to China is like a mountain, hanging in front of this relationship that has not yet sprouted.I had planned to travel around the South Island once the cherry season was over and then return home in early February.I hesitated for a long time, and finally I told myself, just like a good friend, continue to associate with her.
Entering mid-January, as the picking speed is getting higher and higher, the quality inspectors are getting stricter, especially Qiaopu, a local girl who always loves lollipops.Don't look at her always laughing and joking, many people were ordered by her to redo the picked cherries.Johnny and I finally decided to take her.Once she appeared in front of me again with a lollipop in her mouth, and picked out bad cherries from the selected cherries. I pretended not to see it and asked her, "Do you like Chinese food?"
"Like it, I've had it in Dunedin."
"How about we cook Chinese food for you?"
"S-D-Cy! They want to treat me to dinner!" Good guy, she turned her head and yelled at another quality inspector.
Soon our plan became to entertain all QA.
Unlike any previous job, the Cherry Orchard has really gathered young people from all over the world, and everyone is so different.In addition to writing novels and trying to get close to Sophie, the rest of my time is to hang out with these young friends.Most of them, like me, are on working holiday visas.The difference is that they seem to be very clear about their future plans. Emily from Quebec will go back to work in the marketing department; Alan from Chicago will return to school in a few months to continue his studies; Traveled to Southeast Asia after the summer and finally returned home; Sanson, his dream is in Paris, where he will return to continue to make his music.Maybe working holiday is not the first important decision in their life, so they think more clearly about the result of this decision.
We became more and more familiar, like a big family.During the holiday, we collectively climbed to the top of Mount Roy (Mt Roy) to see the beautiful scenery of Lake Wanaka; the time of playing football after get off work freezes every happy sweating lifeline.
One day off, a summons was posted in the kitchen:
Food Exchange (Pot Luck)
At 7 o'clock tonight, each person contributes a dish, and everyone is welcome to join.
Frugality follows you.
It blows my mind that I can taste food from all over the world in one meal, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.From 4:7 p.m., the kitchen is full of prosperity. All the stoves are spewing flames, and the pastries are being baked in the oven. There are bursts of strong fragrance in the air.Not to be outdone, I made a steamed egg with frozen veggies, beef, and eggs. At 30 o'clock, the gourmet fair started on time.The large stage that can be surrounded by [-] people is full of food, and some plates are even planted with national flags, so that people can know the hometown of the producer at a glance.This is probably the buffet that impressed me the most.
The fly in the ointment was that Sophie didn't come.Although I sent her an invitation, she texted back: "I'm afraid of the occasion with too many people."
The first time Sophie asked me out was a week after we met.
"I want to sit by the lake at the bottom of the mountain after get off work. Do you want to go together?"
"Oh, okay." (Is there even a need to ask? What nonsense!)
"But there's a Malaysian girl with me too."
"It's okay." (Tragedy! Too tragic!)
As a result, shortly after get off work, she sent a text message: Malaysian girls are not going, although it is hot, I still want to go.
"Oh, what a pity, I'll go with you." (Sweet!)
Sophie's car was a green Toyota sports car, bought second-hand for [-] New Zealand dollars, and it looked really cool.After dinner, I went to find her at Camp One, and we drove to the small lake at the foot of the mountain.
The sun was very bright, and we sat under a bigger willow tree.
"What kind of city is Shanghai?" she asked me.She has never been to the mainland.
"Some places in Shanghai are very similar to Taipei. There are many cultural performances, many multinational companies, and a lot of delicious food."
"Are there any snacks in Shanghai?"
"Braised pork, steamed buns, etc."
"It's also available in Taiwan. I'm asking about the unique snacks in Shanghai."
This question actually stumped me.
"Then what's delicious in Taiwan?" I asked her back.
"Our beef noodles are super delicious." Sophie showed a look of nostalgia.
“I have been to Taipei three times, and my favorite snack is…”
"Oh, don't talk about it, I really miss the delicious food in my hometown. If I talk about it, maybe I want to go home."
It was a bit cold under the shade of the trees, so we changed to a lawn where the sun could shine, and Sophie simply lay down.
"Although Shanghai is an international metropolis, you can always find some quiet places in the midst of the hustle and bustle, just like we do now, to spend an afternoon slowly."
She sounded yearning.I don't know why, but I said so many good things about Shanghai today. In fact, I don't like Shanghai at all.
"Shanghai has a road called Tianai Road, sweet sweet, love of love. Postcards sent from there will be stamped with a heart-shaped postmark, which is unique in the world."
"Then when you return to Shanghai, will you send me a postcard?"
"of course."
I thought to myself, I will return to Shanghai in less than a month, and there probably won't be any stories between us, why should I send you a love postcard.
The wind was getting stronger, and Sophie was wearing single clothes. She suggested that we go to sit by Lake Denstein for a while.We drove onto Highway [-] and turned into a small piece of flat land next to the shore of the lake.We didn't get out of the car, and looked at the dark lake through the car window, and the mountains reflected in the water remained motionless.
“The lakes in New Zealand are beautiful.”
"Ah."
We exchanged cameras and looked at pictures taken by each other.I saw the sunset she took of Queenstown, which was breathtakingly beautiful, and Lake Wakaputi was so red.
In the photos taken by her friends, she is smiling in the aroma of coffee, quiet and beautiful.I am sorry for our late meeting.
"Your picture is beautiful..." I said.
"This was taken by a friend during my birthday. I just celebrated my birthday at the beginning of the month."
"Really? Then... happy birthday!"
"You are too late!"
It was dark and we went back to camp.Before getting out of the car, I gave her a hug and said goodnight.She's a little cramped.
I thought our lake activities would go on, but when I tentatively suggested the next day, she said there were plans for the evening.This frustrates me a bit.
We can only talk during work breaks every day, and I can no longer be satisfied with such a short time together.In the evenings, I finish writing a new chapter of a novel in the camp kitchen, watch another movie, and text her.
She replied to me: "I'm looking at the stars outside the cabin."
"I came to see you?"
"It's okay, it's too late, I may sleep in a while."
I checked the time, it was almost 12 o'clock.Still hesitating, I immediately rushed out of the No. [-] camp and ran towards the No. [-] camp.There was no light at all in the cherry orchard, but the stars and the moon were shining brightly, the ground seemed to be covered with a thin layer of snow, and the only sound in the cold air was the snapping of my slippers.Panting, I climbed up the slope of Camp No. [-]. There were three small iron houses on the top of the slope, and I walked towards the middle one.The hillside is full of flowers and plants, blowing the calf in the night wind; on the other side of the slope is a small pond, where many hot afternoons, girls after work play in the water.There she sat, a chair facing the pond, looking up at the stars.
"Hey."
"Why are you still here?"
I sat down on the grass next to her and leaned my head on the arm of the chair.I thought there would be a lot to say, but her silence is worth thousands of words.We look at the stars in the sky as if they are alive and can hear our thoughts.
She said she didn't like to talk and would get nervous in a crowd.I couldn't see her expression clearly, her tone was a bit helpless and smelled of alcohol.I didn't expect her to love drinking.
"Maybe everyone has a way of talking to the world." I comforted her.
The night was getting colder and colder, and I didn't get up until she said she was a little tired.However, I couldn't let go of her self-pity at the time. Two days later, after the holiday, Sophie went to Arrowtown (Arrowtown), and I began to write her first letter.After finishing it in one go, I stored the letter in an e-book to make it look more like a real letter.I sent her the letter, asking her to detour to Camp No. [-] when she came back.I said, "I have something for you."
Sophie:
Only after looking at the photos of the star trails can I know that every star is drifting, and sooner or later it will become a shooting star. Maybe the shooting star is more beautiful, but the starry sky with only shooting stars is not beautiful.The stars do not speak, but they convey the beauty of light years with a certain persistent and quiet gesture.You are like a star.In clear days and cloudy nights, most of the time, these indifferent celestial bodies are defeated by the bright sun and clouds, making it difficult for us to realize their existence.However, as I said, they also have their own ways to talk to this world, such as the magnificent galaxy and bright legends.And we who talk to them can feel happy as long as our eyes are evergreen. Who said Hear Me must need ears.
Your wish is to do what you like. On this point, Ms. Li Xinpin, a famous Taiwanese creative person, once said (roughly), that the most precious thing for a person is between the ages of 18 and 25. During this period, you must find what you like and be able to Do something for a lifetime.If you can earn money in a job, but you don't like the job, you will eventually lose your enthusiasm for life.I partly agree with her, because she was lucky enough to be young, but not all of us are blessed with luck.All we can do is persist, search and wait, waiting for the answer to life.The persistence of the stars is in units of centuries, what about your persistence?This question needs to be answered in the days to come, but what I can be sure of is that the adventure in New Zealand will make you recognize yourself more and like yourself more.In this way, you will also have more courage and determination to persist.
You will worry about being kidnapped again by the old environment, and I am the same, especially when Angelica is approaching, my nostalgia and worries have begun to increase day by day.I once thought that life is also a journey, fate is the railroad tracks under our feet, and life is the scenery along the way.Naturally, it is possible for us to get off at every stop, meet some people, something happens, get on again, get off, meet, and happen.If this railway track is in Taipei in the northern hemisphere, it means that you will not be able to see the Southern Cross in this life, but this does not prevent you from seeing the beautiful starry sky.It may seem paradoxical that even if we do not have unlimited freedom, our lives still have unlimited possibilities.The earth is just a speck of dust in the universe, and the dust in our eyes may be another universe.
Whenever I think of this, I have the strength to fight against the world.
The shimmering light of Wanaka, the sunset of Queenstown, and the starry sky of Cromwell, these beauties are actually the same.What I want to say is that you have your beauty and glory, unique beauty and glory.So, just be yourself.
One day, one day soon, we'll each embark on new adventures.All beings are numerous, the stars are endless, I would like to pray for you, pray that you are still quiet and beautiful, just like the starry sky we have looked up to together; pray that you still have dreams in your heart, just like the ordinary and great stars.
My favorite quote from you is, "So do you want to find fun in the ordinary? It's hard."
Happy birthday, Sophie.
Wu Fei, present
I didn't say I like you or something, because this letter was enough to make me feel relieved.After reading the letter, she told me that this is the most special birthday present she has ever received, and she will treasure these words well.
I replied to her: "If you like it, can you return a gift? How about, after Cherry's work is over, let's go on a trip together."
She was noncommittal.
I was writing a mystery novel at the time, and the deadline was approaching.Every night before Sophie appeared, I would finish my dinner early, spread out the electronic manuscript paper in the noisy kitchen, and start typing.Curious foreigners always come to ask me about Chinese characters, yet they show palpable awe whenever I try to explain them.At 10 o'clock in the evening, everyone in the kitchen cleared up, and I started to cook the next day's lunch to relax my tired eyes.
After Sophie came along, my writing productivity started to drop.Partly because of the distraction, but partly because strangers become friends, the camp turns into a celebration stage.Guitarists, dancers, gamblers, and so on.
So I texted Sophie, "Can I borrow your room to write? Our camp is too noisy."
In this way, I can legitimately visit her small iron house every day.On the first day, I was writing, and she was reading, and the room was very quiet; on the second day, I was writing, and she was sorting out audio-visual materials, and we talked occasionally.
I'm going to tell the story of the third day.
I arrived at the small iron house in the evening, and before I started writing, we chatted about the story I was writing.
"It's about two young people who fall out of love on the same day," I said after a pause, "I'm a great storyteller, don't believe we can try."
"How to try?"
"You say a few words, and I can string them together."
She looked at the items in the room and said, "Slippers, liquor, toilet paper."
I thought for a while and said, "These things are lifeless, so I can't tell."
Sophie said, "Then add another dog."
I told her such a story.
The Story of Slippers and Liquor
On the east coast of China, there is a magical city called Shanghai. There are many people in Shanghai, many of whom live worse than dogs.There are also many dogs in Shanghai, who live better than humans.There is such a dog, whose parents died when he was young, and he suffered from the warmth and coldness of the dog, and was finally adopted by a family when he was one year old.The owner of this family has a habit of kicking the slippers out of his feet with a swish, and the dog returns the slippers to the owner with lightning speed.The owner was very satisfied and loved the dog very much, and gave him a name: Slipper.
Slipper gradually forgot the suffering of childhood. Although the life here is not rich in clothing and jade, it is already well-fed.As the saying goes, "When you are full, you think about lust." Slipper gradually felt that something was missing in his life.One day, the owner took the slippers to visit the neighbor's house next door. There was another dog there, and she attracted the attention of the slippers.Slippers fell in love like this, there was no room for negotiation.But after that, the slipper never saw her again.He doesn't even know her name.
Slippers have been waiting, waiting for a reunion.One year later, one day at last, the owner took his slippers out for a walk, and saw that familiar figure again on the boulevard in the residential area.She was still as radiant as when Slipper first met her.Slipper fell in love with this boulevard by the way because of this walk.At the same time, he also learned her name from the neighbors: Baijiu.
Why is liquor called liquor?Because the owner of baijiu is addicted to alcohol, over time, baijiu also becomes fond of drinking.Every now and then, one person and one dog drink together.The owner was very satisfied and loved the dog very much, and gave him a name: Baijiu.
After slipper fell in love with liquor, she gradually became haggard and in a trance.After the master kicked out the slippers, he was no longer as brave as before.The owner was very angry and exiled the slippers to the street.From this day on, slippers entered society, a cruel world where dogs eat dogs.In dog society, fighting over a morsel of food requires bloodshed.In order to compete for the territory of a telephone pole, one may die.Slippers stand strong in day-to-day battles.He also gradually understands that he can meet some other dogs and have some other stories.He can like red wine, rice wine, sake, beer...but he couldn't forget baijiu after all.
Entering society's first New Year's Eve.Slipper made a wish and wanted to express his heart to Baijiu, otherwise his life would be in turmoil.So he returned to the familiar neighborhood, familiar trees, familiar lawns, and familiar running water.Only there is no familiar taste - the fragrance of liquor.Slippers panic, Baijiu may have moved or died, in this huge and boundless magic city, the love kite may forever break the thread of missing.But Slipper has become a strong and brave dog, and he decides to wait.From the first day of the new year, until the new year becomes the old year.He has been familiar with every cloud in the sky of the community. When the wind blows through the tree-lined road, he can close his eyes and hum the song of the leaves.It's just that this kind of deja vu lacks the returning Yan.
Slipper is determined to continue waiting.On the first day of the new year, the wind was blowing, and the slippers were cold all over, but his eyes gradually heated up.
Baijiu appeared.
Three years later, baijiu still draws the attention of the slippers to her, just like when they first met.Where did the liquor go?The answer is alcohol rehab.After drinking for a long time, Baijiu developed alcohol dependence, and the owner had to send her to an alcohol rehabilitation center to give up alcohol forcibly.Life in the Alcohol Rehabilitation Center was dark, and Baijiu naturally had no chance to leave that place.
After successfully quitting drinking, Baijiu developed a fear of alcohol.She couldn't drink with her master anymore. The master was very angry and exiled the liquor to the street.
Baijiu walked slowly along the boulevard in a daze, and she walked out of the gate of the community.This is really a magical boulevard, the entrance and the exit, witnessing the same love.
The slippers followed Baijiu's pace, and the two dogs walked side by side on the road.They kept walking, walked into the sunset, and walked into the starry sky.The starry sky tonight is particularly beautiful, and the stars are particularly high.Slippers and liquor have nothing to say all the way.In a dirty and dark alley, only a shiny black line remained in the sky.Slippers and liquor jumped onto a trash can, and then onto another trash can, and they came to the roof.The sky full of stars sprinkled down.
The night breeze picked up gradually, and the slippers leaned on Baijiu, feeling her cold body temperature.They who have left their masters have left their winter clothes.Slipper wanted to find a piece of clothing for Baijiu to keep out the cold, so he quickly scanned nine blocks, and finally found a complete roll of toilet paper in a public toilet.He returned to Baijiu, carefully tore a hole in the toilet paper, and slowly wrapped the thin coat around Baijiu's torso.
The starry sky is brighter.
Afterwards, no one ever saw the two dogs, and no dog ever saw them.The last time they were witnessed was the silhouette of them looking up at the starry sky together on the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The story is over.Sophie asked me whether it was people with dogs or dogs with people.
I thought about it again, and said: "Probably people spend more time with dogs, because a dog's life is very short, so their loneliness is very long."
The heat that had built up all day had dissipated by this time, and we sat side by side on the floor of the hut, watching the changing sky through the half-open door.
Orange red, gray red, light gray, dark gray, gray blue...
"You're really weird." Sophie said suddenly.
I looked at her questioningly.
"I mean, you're not like normal people."
I didn't know how to answer. I haven't told people a story for a long time, and I was a little exhausted. I clutched my chest, feeling out of breath.
"Are you OK?"
I feel a concerned hand folded over mine.I hold that hand...
Sophie likes to drink white wine after get off work, and I like to wear slippers at work. Just like the ending in the story, we decided to date.For a purely fictional story, such resemblance is purely coincidental.
geek glory
The cherry season came to an end at an astonishing speed. Boss Dandy said that this year's cherry production was reduced by 30%. Cromville suffered heavy losses. The end of the orchard work was brought forward from February 2 to January 7.After nearly a month of practice, I can already sort 1 buckets of cherries per hour. The hourly wage is 25 New Zealand dollars, and I only work 12 hours a day. I know I can’t find a seasonal job that is more profitable than this .Fortunately, my life was filled with new expectations, such as a trip around the island with Sophie.
In order to celebrate the successful conclusion, the orchard held a grand dinner on the day after the fruit selection. Our dinner was made using the traditional Maori cooking method Hangi.The so-called Hangi is to bury food in the soil with heated rocks, and does not add any seasoning except salt, and strives to maintain the original fresh and tender taste of the food.
Starting at 2 p.m., the workers dug a large pit on the ground. First, they put the heated steel plates in place of stones, and then put all kinds of meat and vegetables fixed in the metal frame on the steel plates. Cloth wrapped to prevent dust pollution, and finally covered with soil.In order to prepare the ingredients for this day, the hunters went to the mountain to hunt many wild rabbits yesterday. After 4 hours, the food is fully cooked, with a slight smoky taste in the original meat aroma, which is quite unique.Everyone eats meat and drinks heavily, how cool it is!
I bump into Hunter Bruce outside the kitchen.
"Are you happy?" I asked him.
"It's cool. This is a traditional program in the orchard, and it's different every year."
"Really?" "The same amount is boring. We will have a seafood feast next year. I'm a fisherman, and I'll organize it when the time comes."
"But... aren't you a hunter?"
"No no, I only come to the cherry orchards in Otago to shoot birds at this time of year. I usually live in Blenheim and go fishing in Kaikoura. When you pass by, call me , I will take you out to sea!"
"That must be done!"
After the dinner, the Fortune Fruit Awards Gala began amidst the much-anticipated attention.This is a copycat version of the Oscar Golden Cherry Awards where the judges are all contestants. The stupid cat group won the cutest couple award, and Mike won the most creative award without any suspense. About his typewriter, scarecrow, and clip art, we can say It's a long story; the best singer was won by Maicon, he studied at the Hong Kong International School and was in the same class with Edison Chen, you ask me if he is from Hong Kong?No, he is an islander from Samoa.In short, there are all kinds of interesting people and things in the fruit of wealth this year.
The awards were announced one by one. At this time, the host said: The next winner, Fortune Fruit 2010 Computer Geek is... I can't pronounce his name very well... FEI?
I suspect that I heard it wrong, but I am a complete computer idiot!
I think these foreigners probably can't understand computers with Chinese operating systems.In fact, I just use it to do a very common thing.Holding the golden cherries on an orange plastic tray, I hugged and took a photo with the big boss Dandy. My colleagues surrounded me and gave warm applause.Although the reason for winning the award is inexplicable, I am grateful to these lovely friends in my heart, because I know that they have me in their hearts after getting along day and night these days.It is also a happy thing to be able to be used as a joke by friends.
Later, I told many people that I would like to go back to Fortune Fruit and relive old dreams with cherries at this time of year.
I was serious.
It was the last night in the cherry orchard, and there was a sense of parting in the air. I helped some friends write "graduation albums", and I also asked someone to write a parting message in my notebook.When I got into the tent, the flames in the iron stove were burning brightly. I watched the bright and warm afterimage and closed my eyes.
(End of this chapter)
The most beautiful campsite in the world
Cromville is a quintessential New Zealand town—a condensed town center with scattered houses.I took the map at the information desk and took a big step in the direction of Fortune Fruit Company.Back in August, I wrote to Brent, the corporate manager, to inquire about openings for this year.He said it was still too early and asked me to write again in the spring.In the spring, he said that he had put me on the list of sorting employees and asked me to wait for the notice to start work. At the end of November, a confirmation letter came from the orchard, announcing the start date and asking the recipient to reply for confirmation.Little brother, I used to fly pigeons to pass on letters and voted for several companies, but in the end only Fortune Fruit offered me an olive branch, so I had to bite the bullet and reluctantly agree. Unexpectedly, this became the happiest day of the year for my working vacation.
At the end of December, the midsummer sun made phantoms appear on the asphalt road. I carried a heavy belongings and walked northward along Highway 12 alone. The blue Lake Dunstan always followed my steps and stretched forward. I couldn’t see to the end.This is probably the slenderest lake in New Zealand.The aunt at the information desk told me that the journey would only take half an hour at most, and I had walked for 6 minutes and still hadn't seen the entrance to the mountain.During the period, I passed several other orchards, mouth-watering fruits hanging on the branches, many cars parked in front of the packaging factory, and several tents of different colors can be seen deep in the orchard, all suggesting that the harvest season is coming.Over some orchards, the screams of birds kept ringing out. At first I thought it was a masterpiece of hunters, but I heard only wailing and no gunshots. I thought it was probably a recording of scaring birds.
After asking the way once, I finally started to enter the mountain.Within a hundred steps into the mountain, there is a small lake as clear as a mirror, with thousands of willow silks hanging down from the lake bank.Just as I was intoxicated by the scenery, a car stopped behind me, the door opened, and a young man with a British style came towards me.His curly blond hair didn't reach his shoulders, and he didn't look like a backpacker at all. In his old suit, he looked more like a down-and-out actor.
"You also went to Fortune Fruit to learn art from a teacher?"
"Yes, exactly!"
"Can you wait here for a while, I'll drive you up. I'll say hello to a few friends and leave." After speaking, he walked towards the lake and hugged and kissed a few foreigners.
"I saw you on Highway 6 just now, but I'm not sure you're running here. I wish I'd let you get on the bus earlier," he returned to me and explained in perfect English. Said, "My name is Mike, get in the car."
We headed for the top of the hill in Mike's RV, and a trail of dust kicked up behind the car.
At the door of the manager's office, I finally saw Brent, whom I had been thinking about day and night, but he only said one sentence: "The camp is beyond the pine forest, go by yourself."
Go by yourself, I broke up with Mike and walked towards the camp.To this day, when I think of that camp, my chest still burns. On the golden land covered with pine needles and pine cones, among the pine trees whispering in the wind, tents of various colors and shapes are scattered in all directions, like a small world.We young people from different countries who are restless in the room are the new owners here. As long as the night is still there, the bonfire party will be there; as long as the cherries are still there, we will be here.
I found a flat place and set up my treasure - a one-person greenhouse tent against the strong wind. It took me half an hour and attracted many people watching.Next door to the camp was a house made of iron sheets, and there were many people in it. I pushed open the door nervously. This place was like a jungle version of BBH.There are French, English, Spanish and other multi-language chaos in my ears.This is a kitchen, with a large operating table in the center, surrounded by refrigerators, stoves, sinks, and dining tables. I think of the restaurant where I worked and Master Maeda again. I don’t know if his cough is getting better.
I needed to buy some food, so I asked people if there was a car down the mountain, but no one knew.Just then a pair of twin sisters walked in, and I asked, "I heard that there is a van that goes to and from town, do you know who drives it?"
They looked at each other and smiled tacitly.
"Come with us later!"
I was laying out oil, salt, sauce and vinegar in the kitchen before I set off when the phone rang and the man said loudly, "I'm in Cromwell!"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Johnny!"
"Aren't you going to travel to the west coast?"
"I didn't get a car, so I had to come to the south."
"We go to work tomorrow, what a coincidence you came."
The name of this gentleman is Johnny. We met on the Internet in China and made an appointment to meet in New Zealand. At 5 o'clock, I followed the twin sisters to the town to buy food for the next few days and met Johnny by the way.Johnny was tanned like black charcoal, and his short hair, which hadn't been done for a long time, looked like a hedgehog.I have been in New Zealand for 7 months, and he is the first compatriot I have seen traveling around.
"Except for you, I have hardly seen other Chinese comrades-in-arms."
"Yeah, I'm also surprised, where did everyone go?"
The more you choose, the sadder you are
There was nothing to say all night. On the next Monday, at 8:[-] am, everyone gathered at the gate of the packaging factory.The conveyor belt of a machine is constantly spitting out large red and black cherries, and I can tell that I am not the only one with a hungry face.Brent handed out contracts to everyone, then took us inside the mysterious packinghouse.
There are four rows of sorting lines in front of me. Each line is composed of a water tank and three fruit sorting tanks perpendicular to each other. The water in the tank is flowing rapidly. I reached out and touched it, and it was very cold.Brent demonstrated the operation procedure to everyone. He threw a handful of cherries into the middle of the three fruit-picking troughs—the thickest one. Then, while explaining the selection criteria, he put the exported cherries into the left-hand trough. , put the cherries sold in the country into the slot on the right hand side.As for cherries with serious quality defects, they are thrown into a channel near the belly and slide directly into the trash.After the cherries on the export and domestic tanks have accumulated to a certain amount, quality inspectors will come to conduct a second inspection. If there is no problem, they will be dialed into the water tank, and these qualified cherries will flow to the end of the assembly line—also where the packers are.
As the forklift put the wooden pallet full of buckets of cherries on the ground, our money-grabbing career officially began.Everyone scrambled to pour the cherries into the fruit selection trough in the middle.At this time, the gap in strength is reflected.Take Gemma, a slightly fat British girl next to me. I just finished picking a bucket and turned to look at her record paper!Is it dazzled, 5 holes have been punched in her paper!Not two, not three or four, but five!I wanted to hit the wall, but then I told myself, take it easy, maybe I'm not in the mood yet.Sadly, I hadn't thought of anything other than hitting the wall and comforting myself all day.I found out later that this Gemma hero has been working for 5 years!He is the person with the fastest fruit selection speed in the whole factory.What is the difference between this and the miserable situation of the wild card players who tried their best to reach the main match, but encountered the defending champion in the first round?
On the first day, we worked from 8:7 am to 200:500 pm. Hero Gemma’s results were more than 2465 barrels, which was more than [-] New Zealand dollars (about [-] yuan).I have been in New Zealand for so long, and the week I earn the most is not as good as her day's wages, which really hurts me.My self-confidence was blown to pieces, and my dream of crazily attracting money during the cherry season was inevitably on the road to shattering.Of course, on the Broken Road, Johnny also became cannon fodder, and he did less than me.
After working for two days, I roughly figured out the staff situation of Fortune Fruit.Camp No. 30 gathered all the tent and caravan groups, with a total of about [-] people. The French accounted for half of the country, and the rest came from Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Australia, and of course, New Zealanders.
The favorite activity of these foreigners is to drink beer around a metal stove outside the camp. As long as it does not rain, you can still hear their talking and laughing late at night.Camp No. [-] is mostly old employees of the orchard. They have their own fixed RVs or rooms, or some backpackers without tents and RVs.
The next day, despite my best efforts, my grades were still dismal.Who the hell said cherries are the best paying job!The number of barrels we complete every day will be recorded on a piece of cardboard by punching holes. Each cardboard can punch 50 holes. Shame on the man who turns over a jam—and a half-punched jam!
I was depressed, I didn't even have an appetite for the tempting cherries, and I was still reluctant to buy expensive vegetables for lunch and dinner.
Johnny and I were working at such a slow rate that we even despaired that it would be impossible to fill 50 holes on a record card.Plus, I never stood next to Gemma Woman again.
old boy selling cherries
In the blink of an eye, the great year of 2010 has passed.
Wang Xiaobo described his 1995 in this way: We read and wrote——1995 passed like this.Referring to the past year in this way, with a slightly emotional tone, I lament the dullness of life.Our lives were not so dull in the past.When we were young, each year's experience could have been written in a book, then in a pamphlet, and then in a few thin pages.Now it is such a sentence: reading and writing.On the one hand, it is because we are far away from the turbulent era, on the other hand, we also like the ordinary life.For us, this life is enough.
But I was thinking, without experiencing a turbulent life, who can calmly accept ordinary happiness?How many young people's blood does not need to be quelled by wild celebrations?At the age of 26, I wrote a book about the hundreds of days in the past, and Wang Xiaobo's words can be used as a good prophecy for my own future.The working holiday itself is not my dream, it is a forest that suddenly appeared.I could have followed the old path of 25 years, without much suspense, like others, working hard for the goals set by society and my parents, but I found this forest, and I hope that at the end of this forest there will be Some different scenery attracted me to embark on a new journey, so I walked in without hesitation.
As the year drew to a close, Johnny and I did something that required courage.On the last day of the old year, we went back to the kitchen to rest after get off work.Mark and Mel are an international couple who work as cherry pickers, usually leaving get off work earlier than the cherry pickers.We found them making a sign for cherries, with cute cherries drawn in colored pencils on cardboard, and the big "cherries for sale" and the price took up the entire sign.
"What are you doing?" I asked very curiously.
"Oh, the boss said that there are too many cherries to pick in Block [-], we can pick them ourselves and sell them."
"Wow, is there such a good thing?"
Johnny and I immediately regained our spirits. Isn't this like when an unseeded player returns home after a disastrous defeat in the selection field, the competition organizing committee notifies us that there will be a rematch!
"Hurry up! Let's get a big one too!" I said to Johnny.
"Where are you going to sell it?" he asked.
"Isn't this... lively place better for sale? But you have to leave Cromville. This is the stronghold of cherries, so they can't be sold at a good price."
"Then let's go to Queenstown. It just so happens that my friend Princess Huazheng is going to Queenstown tonight for the New Year's Eve. Queenstown tonight must be full of people, money and money, hahahaha." He burst into a strange burst laughter.
"Okay! Then we'll go to Queenstown to sell cherries!"
Without further ado, there is not much time before dark. Princess Huazheng from Taiwan and Ao Lei from Hong Kong drove to Fortune Fruit Camp No. 2011 on time, and then we went to the orchard to pick four buckets full of cherries. Towards Queenstown, towards [-], towards a lot of money, hit the road!
The sunset on the last evening of 2010 was brilliant golden, and the thick clouds bathed in it seemed transparent. Both Johnny and Ole were Christians, and they said that this was the legendary "Light of Christ".I'm not religious, but I did feel a certain sacredness and solemnity in that moment.Princess Huazheng's driving skills are quite good. There are mountain roads from Cromwell to Queenstown, with steep cliffs on one side and steep peaks on the other. Our van drove smoothly among the great rivers and mountains in New Zealand. What can disturb our happiness in the moment.It was getting dark, but not completely dark, and we entered downtown Queenstown when I was struck by the ridgeline of the Remarkables stretching across the sky.Princess Huazheng parked the car in front of her friend's house, and Wakatipu Lake (Wakatipu Lake) was not far from her feet, and the city lights made the lake sparkling.We divided the cherries in the barrel into several plastic bags and completed the final preparations before the operation.
"Wu Fei, how much do cherries cost?"
"I'm dizzy, I almost forgot about this..."
I remember that the unit price of cherries in the supermarket was around 20 New Zealand dollars (about 99 yuan) per kilogram, and I weighed the bag in my hand.
"Our bag is about 1 catty. It must be cheaper than the supermarket, so let's get a 5% discount, 5 New Zealand dollars a bag."
Queenstown on New Year's Eve was indeed very lively. There were people on the road, and the noisy environment made us feel at a loss.I flinched a little suddenly, and Johnny seemed to do the same.Carrying buckets and holding a signboard selling cherries, we moved slowly towards the center of the city.The stage to welcome the New Year was set up on an open space by the lake. At this time, the performance of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new had already begun.I told myself, let's do it all at once, and don't give myself any reason to procrastinate.
I walked into the crowd, tried to put on a smiling face, and shook the signboard in my hand.
"Need cherries? Fresh and cheap!"
Some people showed displeasure, probably because I interrupted their enjoyment of the performance.Someone was also slightly curious, but showed no more interest in buying my cherries.Alas, poor cherry boy.
We got off to a bad start, so we decided to move to the front. Against the crowds flocking to the stage, we stopped at a seemingly busy intersection, and decided to take over the land and sell Cromville's best cherries.
I put the sign on the window of a closed store behind me, and I sat on the corner with Johnny, waiting for customers to come.As soon as we sat down, someone came to the door.This person is dressed in bright yellow and holds a killing stick.
He is a city manager.
I know it's not good, but I still pretend to be calm.
"You can't set up stalls here, don't you know?"
"This is my first time in Queenstown..."
"This is the city center, no stalls are allowed, please leave immediately."
"Where should we go then?" God knows how I thought of asking that.
"You can go outside the protection zone." He pointed to the outside of the warning zone.
This gorgeous reversal of the night begins here.That's right, after two setbacks in a row, our cherry business was up and running.In front of a gift shop on Beach Street, I hawked at the top of my voice.Gradually some passers-by stopped, and I lost no time in taking out big, dark cherries for them to taste. Finally, a customer decided to pay for it after tasting it.I took the note with Sir Hilary's face on it, and I wanted to howl with joy.The hawker's contribution and return are very simple and direct, which is different from receiving wages only once a month.
We sold from 10:11 to [-]:[-], and the two barrels of cherries we brought were sold out.There are hot girls who want to exchange cherries with hugs; there are fat girls who drag us and ask for a group photo; there are drunk hooligans who come to provoke us;
We say happy new year, happy new year to everyone who passes by.On my last night at the age of 26, I got a lot of big smiles.We carried empty buckets and walked towards the lake.The band's performance on the stage had just ended, and the countdown card began to enter the last minute, and the dazzling silver numbers kept beating... Everyone watched the time to leave, and when the number reached zero, the fireworks were in full bloom.The old mood overflows, and the new desire fills the atrium.Year after year, wishes are piled up into a river bed, and emotions are filled with colorful bubbles on the river surface.
Without faith, you are a hooligan
Brand new year.
We went to the bar to celebrate tonight's catch, and as we toasted, I said to Johnny, "How about a bet?"
"What are you gambling?"
"Bet on who will find a girlfriend first this year."
"Okay! What's the stake?"
"you decide."
Johnny didn't think long and said, "The loser will adopt an orphan!"
"Okay! It's such a happy decision."
This is definitely the most caring bet I've ever heard, and I even wish I was the loser.
After the New Year's holiday, we returned to our intense work. We thought that sorting 50 barrels of cherries was far away, but this goal was approaching unknowingly.Of course, this has paid the price of a decline in the quality of the fruit selection, but since others are doing it, I follow suit with peace of mind.To my surprise, Johnny told the boss: "I can't continue to work like this. I don't want to cheat you, I'm sorry for you, and I'm sorry for my conscience. But I also need money, so can I change it? It's calculated by the hour. Salary position?"
The boss said coldly: "Continue to choose fruits."
From then on, Johnny became less concerned about speed, and he tried to put every cherry in the right place.A few days later, he changed jobs with a certain hourly worker and got a stable hourly wage.
After dinner, we sometimes go for a walk on a small hillside near the orchard. When I ask about it, he always uses God’s set of things to explain it. When we talk about ideals, he always says true love, truth, free.At first I didn't catch a cold, but gradually, I was infected by his earnestness.I felt the power of faith in him. In his own words: "Without faith, I am a hooligan." Fortunately, faith has ground this dark soil into agarwood ink, which can be used to write a word of love.He is a bit paranoid when dealing with feelings seriously.
We also talk about family, about a man's responsibilities, material and spiritual.
"You say money is not important, I disagree. Money can help your family live better." I said.
"Our family doesn't need a lot of money to live well. I just do what I want to do."
"That's your point of view. You said you want to find a non-governmental organization for public welfare work. I admire it, but I can't do it. Living in a big house and a small house, people's moods will be different. Money can't buy it Happiness, but you can’t deny that money is needed on the way to happiness. Sometimes we don’t live for ourselves. If we only need to pay for our dreams, that’s fine, but in fact it’s not. Many times, our loved ones have to pay for it. We pay the price for our dreams. Haven’t you thought about doing something for them? Our generation has not experienced any great suffering, and it is easy to fall into our own small world. But the parents’ generation is different , natural disasters, going to the countryside, the Cultural Revolution.”
"Mother Teresa has no money, but she has helped countless people, hasn't she?"
"If she has money, maybe she can help more people."
So that was the end of our discussion, and usually nobody was able to convince anyone.When we don't want to talk, we can always stand quietly on the hillside, watching the clouds drift by leisurely, watching the sunset silently pull the shadow to the imaginary other hemisphere, and complete some thoughts in this way.
After the New Year, Cromville has always been dominated by rainy weather, and the decrease in cherry production has become an indisputable fact.In addition to the sound of shooting birds in the cherry orchard, there was also the loud noise of helicopters.Every morning when it rains, we will be woken up by the helicopter, and the high-speed rotating propellers will generate a huge airflow, blowing the rainwater off the fruit trees.This somewhat alleviates the bad situation of cherry cracking.10 days of work, we have 7 days off, dissatisfaction is written on everyone's face.
In order to vent their time with nowhere to go, everyone made moves one after another. The French stupid cat couple went climbing, the Canadian sushi couple went to the intellectual paradise, and some people even used professional props to start a game in the kitchen.I went back to Aspiring National Park with Johnny and my new acquaintance, Mr. Stanley.After coming to New Zealand for so long, the scenery of Otago is my favorite.Johnny has been to Tibet, he said that the scenery here is very similar to Tibet, the sky is so clear, every cloud casts shadows on the pale yellow hills - the mountains here have no dense green vegetation, and the wind blows , the hills are flickering.Every lake in Otago has a different shade of blue, from Wakatipu to Wanaka, from Hawea to Danstan.
Even in midsummer, Otago's snow-capped mountains still wear white hats.Mount Aspiring, the second highest peak in New Zealand, is quite similar to Mount Everest. It has a pyramid-shaped peak, and many glaciers reflect dazzling light in the sun.
I stood on the top of a certain mountain, with the peaks of the Southern Alps in front of me and the majestic Matuji Tuji Canyon behind me. From this moment on, I fell in love with working holidays.
the girl who makes my heart beat
On the morning of January 1th, many strange faces appeared in the packaging factory.Maybe it's because the cherry season is here and the company needs more manpower.While choosing, I looked at these newcomers who had just arrived.In front of a selection table not far to my left stood an Asian girl I had never seen before.She is wearing a ponytail, her quiet face is unpainted, and her movements are leisurely, just like a water lily on the lake in summer, elegant and pure.I fell in love with her side profile at first sight, and my heart couldn't help beating.
No way, for the girl I like, the first thing I can do is strike up a conversation.
Before the first break in the morning, I quickly finished the work at hand, and then pretended to be calm and passed the other guys who were fighting around me, came to her, and stretched out my "claws".
With my help, she was much faster.
"Where are you from?"
"Taiwan."
"Oh, then let's speak Chinese."
She smiled.
This is the first time we speak.She introduced herself as Sophie.
There is a half-hour lunch time at noon, but what I like most about Fortune Fruit is its organization and lack of discipline.The 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon sometimes lasts for more than half an hour, and the lunch break usually lasts for more than an hour.As for getting off work, there is always an advance, not a delay.
I came to the restaurant with the fried rice I made last night, and she was there alone.I went over to sit down and continue the topic of the morning.
"Are you working or studying in Taiwan?"
"I've been working for five years."
Her voice is so nice and has almost no Taiwanese accent, I just want to listen to her all the time.
"Did you like your old job?" I asked again.
"Half and half." She thought for a while.
"Can you believe that everyone can have a job that they like [-] percent of the time. Or, at least, not half as much as they hate it."
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"I think there is, like when I'm writing stories. I write stories every once in a while."
She doesn't seem to like talking very much. Most of the time, she will speak slowly only after I ask a question.
"Where are you from in Taiwan?"
"Kaohsiung. But I lived in Taipei for 9 years."
"Oh, do you like Taipei?"
"Forget it."
"why?"
"Because there are many cultural performances in Taipei."
"I also like Taipei."
"Have you been to Taipei?" She was obviously a little surprised.
"I've been there several times. I like Dunnan Eslite Bookstore, which is open 24 hours. I also like all kinds of snacks in Taipei."
My affection for her is increasing, but reason tells me not to think too much, because I plan to return to China in a month.And she was going back to Taiwan after all.This is really a tragedy. If they met earlier in New Zealand, maybe they could have performed a soul-stirring long-distance relationship.
On the following working days, as soon as the break came, I would go to chat with Sophie.Sophie previously worked at a music radio station as a host for a while.No wonder it sounds so good.Her voice is such an addictive drug that I can't go a day without hearing it.As the conversation deepened, I found that there was more to her that attracted me.I know I like this girl.
"I like that girl," I told Johnny.
"She's normal," Johnny said.
"How do you know? You haven't chatted with her. Only I can appreciate her beauty. I just like her ordinary beauty."
But the plan to return to China is like a mountain, hanging in front of this relationship that has not yet sprouted.I had planned to travel around the South Island once the cherry season was over and then return home in early February.I hesitated for a long time, and finally I told myself, just like a good friend, continue to associate with her.
Entering mid-January, as the picking speed is getting higher and higher, the quality inspectors are getting stricter, especially Qiaopu, a local girl who always loves lollipops.Don't look at her always laughing and joking, many people were ordered by her to redo the picked cherries.Johnny and I finally decided to take her.Once she appeared in front of me again with a lollipop in her mouth, and picked out bad cherries from the selected cherries. I pretended not to see it and asked her, "Do you like Chinese food?"
"Like it, I've had it in Dunedin."
"How about we cook Chinese food for you?"
"S-D-Cy! They want to treat me to dinner!" Good guy, she turned her head and yelled at another quality inspector.
Soon our plan became to entertain all QA.
Unlike any previous job, the Cherry Orchard has really gathered young people from all over the world, and everyone is so different.In addition to writing novels and trying to get close to Sophie, the rest of my time is to hang out with these young friends.Most of them, like me, are on working holiday visas.The difference is that they seem to be very clear about their future plans. Emily from Quebec will go back to work in the marketing department; Alan from Chicago will return to school in a few months to continue his studies; Traveled to Southeast Asia after the summer and finally returned home; Sanson, his dream is in Paris, where he will return to continue to make his music.Maybe working holiday is not the first important decision in their life, so they think more clearly about the result of this decision.
We became more and more familiar, like a big family.During the holiday, we collectively climbed to the top of Mount Roy (Mt Roy) to see the beautiful scenery of Lake Wanaka; the time of playing football after get off work freezes every happy sweating lifeline.
One day off, a summons was posted in the kitchen:
Food Exchange (Pot Luck)
At 7 o'clock tonight, each person contributes a dish, and everyone is welcome to join.
Frugality follows you.
It blows my mind that I can taste food from all over the world in one meal, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.From 4:7 p.m., the kitchen is full of prosperity. All the stoves are spewing flames, and the pastries are being baked in the oven. There are bursts of strong fragrance in the air.Not to be outdone, I made a steamed egg with frozen veggies, beef, and eggs. At 30 o'clock, the gourmet fair started on time.The large stage that can be surrounded by [-] people is full of food, and some plates are even planted with national flags, so that people can know the hometown of the producer at a glance.This is probably the buffet that impressed me the most.
The fly in the ointment was that Sophie didn't come.Although I sent her an invitation, she texted back: "I'm afraid of the occasion with too many people."
The first time Sophie asked me out was a week after we met.
"I want to sit by the lake at the bottom of the mountain after get off work. Do you want to go together?"
"Oh, okay." (Is there even a need to ask? What nonsense!)
"But there's a Malaysian girl with me too."
"It's okay." (Tragedy! Too tragic!)
As a result, shortly after get off work, she sent a text message: Malaysian girls are not going, although it is hot, I still want to go.
"Oh, what a pity, I'll go with you." (Sweet!)
Sophie's car was a green Toyota sports car, bought second-hand for [-] New Zealand dollars, and it looked really cool.After dinner, I went to find her at Camp One, and we drove to the small lake at the foot of the mountain.
The sun was very bright, and we sat under a bigger willow tree.
"What kind of city is Shanghai?" she asked me.She has never been to the mainland.
"Some places in Shanghai are very similar to Taipei. There are many cultural performances, many multinational companies, and a lot of delicious food."
"Are there any snacks in Shanghai?"
"Braised pork, steamed buns, etc."
"It's also available in Taiwan. I'm asking about the unique snacks in Shanghai."
This question actually stumped me.
"Then what's delicious in Taiwan?" I asked her back.
"Our beef noodles are super delicious." Sophie showed a look of nostalgia.
“I have been to Taipei three times, and my favorite snack is…”
"Oh, don't talk about it, I really miss the delicious food in my hometown. If I talk about it, maybe I want to go home."
It was a bit cold under the shade of the trees, so we changed to a lawn where the sun could shine, and Sophie simply lay down.
"Although Shanghai is an international metropolis, you can always find some quiet places in the midst of the hustle and bustle, just like we do now, to spend an afternoon slowly."
She sounded yearning.I don't know why, but I said so many good things about Shanghai today. In fact, I don't like Shanghai at all.
"Shanghai has a road called Tianai Road, sweet sweet, love of love. Postcards sent from there will be stamped with a heart-shaped postmark, which is unique in the world."
"Then when you return to Shanghai, will you send me a postcard?"
"of course."
I thought to myself, I will return to Shanghai in less than a month, and there probably won't be any stories between us, why should I send you a love postcard.
The wind was getting stronger, and Sophie was wearing single clothes. She suggested that we go to sit by Lake Denstein for a while.We drove onto Highway [-] and turned into a small piece of flat land next to the shore of the lake.We didn't get out of the car, and looked at the dark lake through the car window, and the mountains reflected in the water remained motionless.
“The lakes in New Zealand are beautiful.”
"Ah."
We exchanged cameras and looked at pictures taken by each other.I saw the sunset she took of Queenstown, which was breathtakingly beautiful, and Lake Wakaputi was so red.
In the photos taken by her friends, she is smiling in the aroma of coffee, quiet and beautiful.I am sorry for our late meeting.
"Your picture is beautiful..." I said.
"This was taken by a friend during my birthday. I just celebrated my birthday at the beginning of the month."
"Really? Then... happy birthday!"
"You are too late!"
It was dark and we went back to camp.Before getting out of the car, I gave her a hug and said goodnight.She's a little cramped.
I thought our lake activities would go on, but when I tentatively suggested the next day, she said there were plans for the evening.This frustrates me a bit.
We can only talk during work breaks every day, and I can no longer be satisfied with such a short time together.In the evenings, I finish writing a new chapter of a novel in the camp kitchen, watch another movie, and text her.
She replied to me: "I'm looking at the stars outside the cabin."
"I came to see you?"
"It's okay, it's too late, I may sleep in a while."
I checked the time, it was almost 12 o'clock.Still hesitating, I immediately rushed out of the No. [-] camp and ran towards the No. [-] camp.There was no light at all in the cherry orchard, but the stars and the moon were shining brightly, the ground seemed to be covered with a thin layer of snow, and the only sound in the cold air was the snapping of my slippers.Panting, I climbed up the slope of Camp No. [-]. There were three small iron houses on the top of the slope, and I walked towards the middle one.The hillside is full of flowers and plants, blowing the calf in the night wind; on the other side of the slope is a small pond, where many hot afternoons, girls after work play in the water.There she sat, a chair facing the pond, looking up at the stars.
"Hey."
"Why are you still here?"
I sat down on the grass next to her and leaned my head on the arm of the chair.I thought there would be a lot to say, but her silence is worth thousands of words.We look at the stars in the sky as if they are alive and can hear our thoughts.
She said she didn't like to talk and would get nervous in a crowd.I couldn't see her expression clearly, her tone was a bit helpless and smelled of alcohol.I didn't expect her to love drinking.
"Maybe everyone has a way of talking to the world." I comforted her.
The night was getting colder and colder, and I didn't get up until she said she was a little tired.However, I couldn't let go of her self-pity at the time. Two days later, after the holiday, Sophie went to Arrowtown (Arrowtown), and I began to write her first letter.After finishing it in one go, I stored the letter in an e-book to make it look more like a real letter.I sent her the letter, asking her to detour to Camp No. [-] when she came back.I said, "I have something for you."
Sophie:
Only after looking at the photos of the star trails can I know that every star is drifting, and sooner or later it will become a shooting star. Maybe the shooting star is more beautiful, but the starry sky with only shooting stars is not beautiful.The stars do not speak, but they convey the beauty of light years with a certain persistent and quiet gesture.You are like a star.In clear days and cloudy nights, most of the time, these indifferent celestial bodies are defeated by the bright sun and clouds, making it difficult for us to realize their existence.However, as I said, they also have their own ways to talk to this world, such as the magnificent galaxy and bright legends.And we who talk to them can feel happy as long as our eyes are evergreen. Who said Hear Me must need ears.
Your wish is to do what you like. On this point, Ms. Li Xinpin, a famous Taiwanese creative person, once said (roughly), that the most precious thing for a person is between the ages of 18 and 25. During this period, you must find what you like and be able to Do something for a lifetime.If you can earn money in a job, but you don't like the job, you will eventually lose your enthusiasm for life.I partly agree with her, because she was lucky enough to be young, but not all of us are blessed with luck.All we can do is persist, search and wait, waiting for the answer to life.The persistence of the stars is in units of centuries, what about your persistence?This question needs to be answered in the days to come, but what I can be sure of is that the adventure in New Zealand will make you recognize yourself more and like yourself more.In this way, you will also have more courage and determination to persist.
You will worry about being kidnapped again by the old environment, and I am the same, especially when Angelica is approaching, my nostalgia and worries have begun to increase day by day.I once thought that life is also a journey, fate is the railroad tracks under our feet, and life is the scenery along the way.Naturally, it is possible for us to get off at every stop, meet some people, something happens, get on again, get off, meet, and happen.If this railway track is in Taipei in the northern hemisphere, it means that you will not be able to see the Southern Cross in this life, but this does not prevent you from seeing the beautiful starry sky.It may seem paradoxical that even if we do not have unlimited freedom, our lives still have unlimited possibilities.The earth is just a speck of dust in the universe, and the dust in our eyes may be another universe.
Whenever I think of this, I have the strength to fight against the world.
The shimmering light of Wanaka, the sunset of Queenstown, and the starry sky of Cromwell, these beauties are actually the same.What I want to say is that you have your beauty and glory, unique beauty and glory.So, just be yourself.
One day, one day soon, we'll each embark on new adventures.All beings are numerous, the stars are endless, I would like to pray for you, pray that you are still quiet and beautiful, just like the starry sky we have looked up to together; pray that you still have dreams in your heart, just like the ordinary and great stars.
My favorite quote from you is, "So do you want to find fun in the ordinary? It's hard."
Happy birthday, Sophie.
Wu Fei, present
I didn't say I like you or something, because this letter was enough to make me feel relieved.After reading the letter, she told me that this is the most special birthday present she has ever received, and she will treasure these words well.
I replied to her: "If you like it, can you return a gift? How about, after Cherry's work is over, let's go on a trip together."
She was noncommittal.
I was writing a mystery novel at the time, and the deadline was approaching.Every night before Sophie appeared, I would finish my dinner early, spread out the electronic manuscript paper in the noisy kitchen, and start typing.Curious foreigners always come to ask me about Chinese characters, yet they show palpable awe whenever I try to explain them.At 10 o'clock in the evening, everyone in the kitchen cleared up, and I started to cook the next day's lunch to relax my tired eyes.
After Sophie came along, my writing productivity started to drop.Partly because of the distraction, but partly because strangers become friends, the camp turns into a celebration stage.Guitarists, dancers, gamblers, and so on.
So I texted Sophie, "Can I borrow your room to write? Our camp is too noisy."
In this way, I can legitimately visit her small iron house every day.On the first day, I was writing, and she was reading, and the room was very quiet; on the second day, I was writing, and she was sorting out audio-visual materials, and we talked occasionally.
I'm going to tell the story of the third day.
I arrived at the small iron house in the evening, and before I started writing, we chatted about the story I was writing.
"It's about two young people who fall out of love on the same day," I said after a pause, "I'm a great storyteller, don't believe we can try."
"How to try?"
"You say a few words, and I can string them together."
She looked at the items in the room and said, "Slippers, liquor, toilet paper."
I thought for a while and said, "These things are lifeless, so I can't tell."
Sophie said, "Then add another dog."
I told her such a story.
The Story of Slippers and Liquor
On the east coast of China, there is a magical city called Shanghai. There are many people in Shanghai, many of whom live worse than dogs.There are also many dogs in Shanghai, who live better than humans.There is such a dog, whose parents died when he was young, and he suffered from the warmth and coldness of the dog, and was finally adopted by a family when he was one year old.The owner of this family has a habit of kicking the slippers out of his feet with a swish, and the dog returns the slippers to the owner with lightning speed.The owner was very satisfied and loved the dog very much, and gave him a name: Slipper.
Slipper gradually forgot the suffering of childhood. Although the life here is not rich in clothing and jade, it is already well-fed.As the saying goes, "When you are full, you think about lust." Slipper gradually felt that something was missing in his life.One day, the owner took the slippers to visit the neighbor's house next door. There was another dog there, and she attracted the attention of the slippers.Slippers fell in love like this, there was no room for negotiation.But after that, the slipper never saw her again.He doesn't even know her name.
Slippers have been waiting, waiting for a reunion.One year later, one day at last, the owner took his slippers out for a walk, and saw that familiar figure again on the boulevard in the residential area.She was still as radiant as when Slipper first met her.Slipper fell in love with this boulevard by the way because of this walk.At the same time, he also learned her name from the neighbors: Baijiu.
Why is liquor called liquor?Because the owner of baijiu is addicted to alcohol, over time, baijiu also becomes fond of drinking.Every now and then, one person and one dog drink together.The owner was very satisfied and loved the dog very much, and gave him a name: Baijiu.
After slipper fell in love with liquor, she gradually became haggard and in a trance.After the master kicked out the slippers, he was no longer as brave as before.The owner was very angry and exiled the slippers to the street.From this day on, slippers entered society, a cruel world where dogs eat dogs.In dog society, fighting over a morsel of food requires bloodshed.In order to compete for the territory of a telephone pole, one may die.Slippers stand strong in day-to-day battles.He also gradually understands that he can meet some other dogs and have some other stories.He can like red wine, rice wine, sake, beer...but he couldn't forget baijiu after all.
Entering society's first New Year's Eve.Slipper made a wish and wanted to express his heart to Baijiu, otherwise his life would be in turmoil.So he returned to the familiar neighborhood, familiar trees, familiar lawns, and familiar running water.Only there is no familiar taste - the fragrance of liquor.Slippers panic, Baijiu may have moved or died, in this huge and boundless magic city, the love kite may forever break the thread of missing.But Slipper has become a strong and brave dog, and he decides to wait.From the first day of the new year, until the new year becomes the old year.He has been familiar with every cloud in the sky of the community. When the wind blows through the tree-lined road, he can close his eyes and hum the song of the leaves.It's just that this kind of deja vu lacks the returning Yan.
Slipper is determined to continue waiting.On the first day of the new year, the wind was blowing, and the slippers were cold all over, but his eyes gradually heated up.
Baijiu appeared.
Three years later, baijiu still draws the attention of the slippers to her, just like when they first met.Where did the liquor go?The answer is alcohol rehab.After drinking for a long time, Baijiu developed alcohol dependence, and the owner had to send her to an alcohol rehabilitation center to give up alcohol forcibly.Life in the Alcohol Rehabilitation Center was dark, and Baijiu naturally had no chance to leave that place.
After successfully quitting drinking, Baijiu developed a fear of alcohol.She couldn't drink with her master anymore. The master was very angry and exiled the liquor to the street.
Baijiu walked slowly along the boulevard in a daze, and she walked out of the gate of the community.This is really a magical boulevard, the entrance and the exit, witnessing the same love.
The slippers followed Baijiu's pace, and the two dogs walked side by side on the road.They kept walking, walked into the sunset, and walked into the starry sky.The starry sky tonight is particularly beautiful, and the stars are particularly high.Slippers and liquor have nothing to say all the way.In a dirty and dark alley, only a shiny black line remained in the sky.Slippers and liquor jumped onto a trash can, and then onto another trash can, and they came to the roof.The sky full of stars sprinkled down.
The night breeze picked up gradually, and the slippers leaned on Baijiu, feeling her cold body temperature.They who have left their masters have left their winter clothes.Slipper wanted to find a piece of clothing for Baijiu to keep out the cold, so he quickly scanned nine blocks, and finally found a complete roll of toilet paper in a public toilet.He returned to Baijiu, carefully tore a hole in the toilet paper, and slowly wrapped the thin coat around Baijiu's torso.
The starry sky is brighter.
Afterwards, no one ever saw the two dogs, and no dog ever saw them.The last time they were witnessed was the silhouette of them looking up at the starry sky together on the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The story is over.Sophie asked me whether it was people with dogs or dogs with people.
I thought about it again, and said: "Probably people spend more time with dogs, because a dog's life is very short, so their loneliness is very long."
The heat that had built up all day had dissipated by this time, and we sat side by side on the floor of the hut, watching the changing sky through the half-open door.
Orange red, gray red, light gray, dark gray, gray blue...
"You're really weird." Sophie said suddenly.
I looked at her questioningly.
"I mean, you're not like normal people."
I didn't know how to answer. I haven't told people a story for a long time, and I was a little exhausted. I clutched my chest, feeling out of breath.
"Are you OK?"
I feel a concerned hand folded over mine.I hold that hand...
Sophie likes to drink white wine after get off work, and I like to wear slippers at work. Just like the ending in the story, we decided to date.For a purely fictional story, such resemblance is purely coincidental.
geek glory
The cherry season came to an end at an astonishing speed. Boss Dandy said that this year's cherry production was reduced by 30%. Cromville suffered heavy losses. The end of the orchard work was brought forward from February 2 to January 7.After nearly a month of practice, I can already sort 1 buckets of cherries per hour. The hourly wage is 25 New Zealand dollars, and I only work 12 hours a day. I know I can’t find a seasonal job that is more profitable than this .Fortunately, my life was filled with new expectations, such as a trip around the island with Sophie.
In order to celebrate the successful conclusion, the orchard held a grand dinner on the day after the fruit selection. Our dinner was made using the traditional Maori cooking method Hangi.The so-called Hangi is to bury food in the soil with heated rocks, and does not add any seasoning except salt, and strives to maintain the original fresh and tender taste of the food.
Starting at 2 p.m., the workers dug a large pit on the ground. First, they put the heated steel plates in place of stones, and then put all kinds of meat and vegetables fixed in the metal frame on the steel plates. Cloth wrapped to prevent dust pollution, and finally covered with soil.In order to prepare the ingredients for this day, the hunters went to the mountain to hunt many wild rabbits yesterday. After 4 hours, the food is fully cooked, with a slight smoky taste in the original meat aroma, which is quite unique.Everyone eats meat and drinks heavily, how cool it is!
I bump into Hunter Bruce outside the kitchen.
"Are you happy?" I asked him.
"It's cool. This is a traditional program in the orchard, and it's different every year."
"Really?" "The same amount is boring. We will have a seafood feast next year. I'm a fisherman, and I'll organize it when the time comes."
"But... aren't you a hunter?"
"No no, I only come to the cherry orchards in Otago to shoot birds at this time of year. I usually live in Blenheim and go fishing in Kaikoura. When you pass by, call me , I will take you out to sea!"
"That must be done!"
After the dinner, the Fortune Fruit Awards Gala began amidst the much-anticipated attention.This is a copycat version of the Oscar Golden Cherry Awards where the judges are all contestants. The stupid cat group won the cutest couple award, and Mike won the most creative award without any suspense. About his typewriter, scarecrow, and clip art, we can say It's a long story; the best singer was won by Maicon, he studied at the Hong Kong International School and was in the same class with Edison Chen, you ask me if he is from Hong Kong?No, he is an islander from Samoa.In short, there are all kinds of interesting people and things in the fruit of wealth this year.
The awards were announced one by one. At this time, the host said: The next winner, Fortune Fruit 2010 Computer Geek is... I can't pronounce his name very well... FEI?
I suspect that I heard it wrong, but I am a complete computer idiot!
I think these foreigners probably can't understand computers with Chinese operating systems.In fact, I just use it to do a very common thing.Holding the golden cherries on an orange plastic tray, I hugged and took a photo with the big boss Dandy. My colleagues surrounded me and gave warm applause.Although the reason for winning the award is inexplicable, I am grateful to these lovely friends in my heart, because I know that they have me in their hearts after getting along day and night these days.It is also a happy thing to be able to be used as a joke by friends.
Later, I told many people that I would like to go back to Fortune Fruit and relive old dreams with cherries at this time of year.
I was serious.
It was the last night in the cherry orchard, and there was a sense of parting in the air. I helped some friends write "graduation albums", and I also asked someone to write a parting message in my notebook.When I got into the tent, the flames in the iron stove were burning brightly. I watched the bright and warm afterimage and closed my eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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