Abyss Express

What does loneliness feel like?

It is a rough stone, a cold wind and snow, and a lonely street.

It is the green sand on the railroad tracks, the green moss in the sleepers, and the chirping of insects during the journey.

As the number of people increased, the conversation between Xue Ming and Zheng Chu gradually became less and less.

When Uncle Chen arrived at the restaurant, he began to ask everyone to take turns to order food, and no one was allowed to be left behind. The courtesy and enthusiasm during the Chinese New Year will wash away all the embarrassment.

The elder brothers Xingchen and Ye Bei met acquaintances, and began to chat about family matters, mostly about what they had seen and heard in Hengyin City.

After all the dishes were served, Xueming looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of Chuangfu Hotel. The train station was busy with people coming and going. Most of the guests at other tables in the restaurant were family reunions. Fifteen-degree spirits, to the children holding the Coconut Tree brand coconut juice that they have been drinking since childhood, these people and these things are all telling the festive stories of the New Year.

At the beginning, Uncle A and Ye Bei were chatting about A-shares, trying to find ways to make more money—although neither of them had any cash on them, they were already thinking about what to do after getting rich.

Uncle Fugui and Big Brother Xingchen are talking about spirit-eliminating props, from sword-shaped talismans to Zifu Xianlei laser limited-edition flash cards. It sounds like a children's toy purchaser and player are exchanging shopping experience.

Xue Ming didn't know what to say, so he kept cooking.

When the other people came back to their senses, Xue Ming, a young cooking expert, had eaten up half of the table's dishes.

His metamorphosis stage came after pupation, his food intake increased a lot, his body's metabolism speeded up, and he needed a lot of energy to shape his spiritual essence. Only after the secondary development of his nerve structure could he support the manifestation of his spirit body.

It's just that the other people at the dinner table didn't expect this kid to eat so fast, and within a few minutes, the other four brothers and uncles started grabbing food, which was not polite at all, and made people happy.

But in ten minutes, the meal was finished, and there was no sense of [take your time, it will be faster].

Then, according to Mr. Chen's arrangement, a few people went to the KTV along the river, ordered two dozen beers, a table of snacks, and began to sing the classic songs from the Hung Hom Stadium concert.

Su Xingchen's capacity for alcohol was very poor. His thirteen-year-old body couldn't stand much alcohol, so he immediately lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.

Brother Beizi's drinking capacity seems to be very poor, but most of the time he pretends. According to the physique of the ghost, he can drink almost 16 catties of distilled spirits before his skin turns slightly red and turns back to a blood-colored human.

Only Mr. Chen is really drunk——

——This fake foreign devil with blond hair and blue eyes speaks Mandarin in the dialect of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. It seems that he has stayed in these places for a long time, and the Chinese he learned is somewhat clumsy. Drinking shows the original shape.

Chen Fugui grabbed the microphone, first sang "My Chinese Heart", then "Pearl of the Orient", and finally "The Internationale" at the Hung Hom concert more than 30 years ago—he seemed to be really drunk. I have almost forgotten my hometown of Texas, USA.

Xue Ming sat beside Uncle Zhengchu, apologizing in a low voice.

"Sorry, I should have to go tonight."

"Well, safe travels."

"I left a bottle of blood at Brother Xingchen's place. Uncle, if you keep a bottle—you can do a paternity test."

"good."

"Will you stay? What do you mean by good? Will you, or will you not?"

Sometimes Chinese is really difficult for people to understand the meaning of the words.

Its shape is ever-changing, and one word can contain several meanings.

Xue Ming is a person who likes to break the casserole and ask the bottom line.

He understood what Uncle Zhengchu said "no", and he also understood what he meant when he said "yes".

But to say "yes", I'm afraid I'm still hesitating and hesitant, and I don't want to leave any unclear and unclear fate before the young man sets off.

Zhengchu handed Xueming wine, and drank alone without clinking glasses.

He just watched the lyrics of MTV playing on the big hot TV.

He went to see Mr. Chen, who was also hot, crazy and debauched when he held the metal microphone under the colored ball light.

He looked at many places, at the tables, at the sleeping Su Xingchen, at Ye Bei who was busy answering the phone and explaining to his wife.

He looked at these strangers and saw a lot of kindness and warmth.

They seldom look at Jiang Xueming, just like when students are about to take an exam, they don't take the initiative to look into the teacher's eyes.

Xueming was as straightforward as a knife, he stared at Uncle Zhengchu's eyes, his gaze was hot.

"If you don't want to say it, just drink."

Zhengchu drank all the beer in the can: "Thank you."

Xue Ming also drank together, then opened the next can and handed it over.

Zhengchu took it over, and then said, "Thank you, you. Thank you."

While drinking, Xueming said, "You're welcome."

Zhengchu said again: "You won't be drunk, will you?"

Xue Ming replied, "It's the same as drinking water."

After the broadcast of "The Internationale", Mr. Chen seemed to be addicted to singing, and finally remembered his mother tongue, and began to make things difficult for himself, choosing Celine Dion and Guns N' Nirvana, which were quite difficult.

Mr. Chen's high-pitched falsetto, howling ghosts and wolves, made my father's teeth ache. The cartilage of the cochlea trembled with the mouth and nose, as if it was an exorcism scene.

But relying on six percent alcohol, this sound can be ignored.

So they went on drinking and talking.

"Uncle Zhengchu, you said you're going to Guiyang? The fish over there is delicious - a classmate of mine cooked it for me in the dormitory when I was in high school, you can try it."

They started chatting about life, talking about bland things like boiled water.

"Yes, if I have spare money, I will eat."

"If you can't find it, go to Yunnan for fun. My sister has always wanted to go to Yunnan. Is there a chance we can go together?"

"Okay, I'll leave the phone number for you."

"Is it hard to be on the road alone? I often run around alone. Later, I have a companion, and it is much easier. Sleeping in the car will be more secure."

"It's really hard work. I'm mainly afraid of encountering wild animals when I'm resting at night. I usually drive the tractor all night and sleep in villages, towns and cities in the morning. It's safer and there are more places to shelter from the rain."

"Aren't you afraid of danger if you drive at night?"

"Where is there any danger? You will encounter ghosts at most. The sound of the tractor is loud and fierce, and it is very powerful-everything is scared away, and you are not afraid of bumping into people. You can hear the diesel engine from more than a hundred meters away. sound."

"I also like diesel engines very much. Its power is strong, and large trucks also use diesel engines."

"If you are interested, I will talk to you later. I have repaired diesel engines for more than forty years. Before I entered the steel factory, I studied as a fitter."

"Okay, next time for sure!"

"Well, next time."

Just at this time--

——From the door of the KTV room, a graceful and beautiful woman broke in.

Xueming has seen her before, she is brother Ye Bei's lover.

I saw my sister-in-law barging in, grabbing Ye Bei's ear and yelling.

"You're fucking with men again! You."

Halfway through the talk, the Ye family's daughter-in-law and several guests changed their faces at the speed of light.

"happy New Year."

Then he immediately turned into a ferocious look, and yelled at Ye Bei.

"It's quite free! Aren't you quite free? You said you don't have time to accompany me? How old are you?"

Su Xingchen woke up and shouted to his sister-in-law: "Save this kid some face."

"Shut up! You're the closest to his mother's eye contact!" The sister-in-law dragged Ye Bei, who was screaming, out of the house.

Qiong Qi Evil Beast followed behind, covering its mouth, muttering, and shining its eyes.

"Oh! Oh oh oh! The ears have grown longer, so amazing."

After a while, there was no one.

Su Xingchen just sighed and went back to sleep.

Chen Maiba was dealing with several high-pitched difficulties in the song throughout the whole process, and he didn't even intend to pay attention to the brother's suffering. He seemed to put a lot of emotion into it, thought of many stories, and remembered the old people many years ago. wire skills.

At the beginning, Uncle and Xue Ming killed twenty-four cans of Budweiser, their faces were only slightly red, and they were not drunk at all.

Xue Ming said, "I'll leave later."

Zhengchu asked: "Don't you need to say goodbye to your elder brother? A more formal farewell?"

"No, he and I will make video calls every now and then to report that we are safe, and we will report to each other that we are safe."

"Then you have to be careful, maybe your sister-in-law will come and pull your ears one day."

"Hahahahahaha."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Wait until the laughter dies down.

Uncle Zhengchu sighed.

"I haven't asked your name yet. They call you Xueming, Jiang Xueming, right?"

"That's right."

"It's a very beautiful name, as if it was given by my mother. I hope the child will always be white and bright, clean and clear."

"The adoptive parents asked a fortune teller to name it. I have forgotten the original name."

"Really? Do you like it then?"

"It's not like I like it. If someone calls it, I should. There is no other meaning. It's as simple as that."

"What's your sister's name?"

"Bailu."

"It's the harvest season. It's also very good."

"Uncle, did your parents say anything when they named you?"

"No, when we go up to the older generation, when we name our brothers and sisters, we have to enter the ancestral hall and ancestral temple, and write it in the genealogy to discuss seniority. I belong to the orthodox generation, and my father gave me a [beginning] character. The two elder brothers are Zheng Guo, Zhengwei. The younger sisters are Zhengfang, Zhenghua, and Zhengmei—these were very common names in those days. Zhengchu was relatively rare.”

"Take it apart, there are clothes and knives. It seems to be ready to go at any time, ready to fight at any time, and has been arranging luggage and equipment. It sounds like it is busy and constantly running."

"Is there such a good thing? Hahahahaha, thank you. You are so educated!"

"Don't say that, before I went to Brother Ye Bei's house, I heard two strange sisters describe me like that - that scene was very embarrassing."

"Does your girlfriend know?"

"How dare I tell her about this?"

"Will she beat you?"

"If she can't hold back, I'm afraid it will hurt people."

"How soon are you going to get married?"

"I don't know, I really don't know."

"Come on, don't make me wait too long."

Speaking of this, Xue Ming looked at Uncle Zhengchu in surprise.

But Zhengchu suddenly realized that he finally felt impolite.

"I'm sorry, I think my cub is the same age as you, and I didn't realize it all at once. I started to teach you, and started to urge you——I shouldn't have said that."

"It doesn't matter."

"I just want to say that if you wait too long, as you said before, you have to be 24 years old to start a family. I am also in my 60s, and I am afraid that my body will grow old and I will not be able to walk or run. It’s so far away, I can’t drink your wedding wine—I’m starting to panic.”

"Uncle, you are very healthy. If you quit smoking, you will live at least a hundred years. When you are ninety years old, you can still hunt tigers in the mountains."

"Hahahahaha! Accept your good words."

After a while, Xueming suddenly asked——

"—will you continue to look for it?"

"Looking for what?"

"do not have much left."

At this moment, I don't know if it's because I'm drunk, or if I really don't care much about finding relatives.

Uncle Zhengchu's answer made Xueming feel at ease.

After half a minute, Uncle Zhengchu woke up from his flushed face, trying to understand what Xue Ming was asking.

"Oh! You mean looking for a son, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Look again, look again."

This is a simple [Look again], but it is difficult to explain the meaning in the Chinese context.

Xue Ming hates these neutral words, they are like lubricants, turning people into smooth, cunning, philistine and shrewd.

They are not clear answers, more like a delay, a perfunctory.

"I don't understand."

"It depends. I haven't figured out what to do if you're really my pup. I'm not ready to cry, and I'm not ready to laugh—look, I think you're running on the railroad , It’s the same, when you go to a strange place, you always take a step, take a step, and only when you see clearly, you will continue to move forward.”

"Is that so?"

"Well, that's how it is. The word "person" is also written in this way. First step out with one leg, and the right leg cannot be lifted immediately. Only when you stand firmly can you move forward."

This is another explanation for [people] besides brother Ye Bei's explanation.

Xueming was still very concerned and persistent.

"What if you can't find it all the time?"

"Oh, baby——I said it at the beginning. This is my hobby. Few people can treat their hobby as a lifelong career. In fact, I am very satisfied. If I really stop, I will Empty, there are so many friends along the way, every year I can go to their homes to sit down, talk about what happened recently, and talk about the people I met on the road. What expectations, after all, there are so many people in China, let alone eighteen years, even if I spend thirty-eight or forty-eight years, I may not be able to recognize them all."

"really."

"So I never think this road is difficult, and the same is true for hobbies. If a person practices piano, plays games, or skateboards, sings, or dances, these hobbies will only be painful. I'm afraid It can't last."

"very nice."

"Is it? I just said it is very good. I like this feeling and never care about the result. It is also my hobby to help other victims like me find dolls and trouble traffickers."

"really good."

Xueming stood up and was about to leave. The ticket was already booked on his mobile phone, and he was going back to Shanwei to pick up Xiao Qi, and then they went back to HK together.

"I have to go, Uncle Zhengchu."

Zheng Chu handed over the last can of wine on the table.

"Don't leave any regrets, just leave after drinking."

Xueming took it and drank it down.

"good!"

No goodbyes, no goodbyes.

Xueming went to the bathroom to wash his face, raised his head to see himself in the mirror, and felt relaxed.

Uncle Zhengchu waited until the young man left, and immediately pushed Su Xingchen who was dozing off.

"Young man, don't pretend to be asleep, get up and talk about it."

Su Xingchen immediately stood up.

"Uncle, I'm listening."

Zhengchu scratched his head, with an embarrassed look: "I am bothering you today, especially Mr. Ye Bei. I have caused him a lot of trouble. Please apologize to him, me, and his wife."

Su Xingchen curled his lips: "Small things, don't take it to heart. Speaking of Xueming, do you think he is your own son?"

Zheng Chu shook his head: "I don't know. It's said in TV dramas that blood relationship has a kind of telepathy, such as the cub is in danger outside, or the parents are seriously ill. They will feel uncomfortable in each other's hearts. I don't have that kind of feeling." It’s a feeling. Maybe what’s on TV is fake—there’s no telepathy like that in the world.”

Su Xingchen joked with a smile on his face: "You have this kind of telepathy, you should see a doctor instead of thinking about your children."

Zhengchu immediately laughed along with him.

"Yes, you are right."

Su Xingchen then changed the subject.

"Then do you want to do a paternity test?"

Zhengchu stretched out his hand to let Xingchen draw blood.

"Of course I want to—otherwise I have been running around for so many years, what is it for?"

After a short period of pain, I was full of anticipation and hope.

At the same time, it is time to embark on a new journey, go to the next place, and meet the next person.

After Su Xingchen took the blood, he immediately said, "I'll make arrangements, probably within a week."

"Don't be so fast." Zhengchu immediately said: "Don't be so fast, you can talk to the people around him first, you can discuss and discuss, do you want to tell us-I beg you, let me walk more and get to know more People, China is so big, I still have more than 20 cities to go, and I will finish. It should be more than three years, I guess it will be this time, at that time Xueming should also get married, whether he is me or not Baby, I will come to drink."

At the beginning, Uncle ran to the door, looked out, and made sure that Xueming had gone far away and got into the elevator. Then he came back to sing and play with Mr. Chen. He wanted to put down all the airs of the elders and release all the pressure.

When singing Bing Yu, he seemed to be thinking about his ex-wife.

When he sings about stupid kids, he always yells out a sonorous angry voice.

When he sang Li Zongsheng's old scumbag love song, he would cry and break his voice.

In just a few hours, it is difficult to finish talking about the past ten years.

Su Xingchen looked at Uncle Zhengchu thoughtfully.

He didn't understand the meaning behind this mysterious ritual.

Perhaps this ancient story is only remembered by Feng'er.

Jiang Xueming stood in front of the platform, looking at the equally bright headlights with bright eyes.

He has always liked this feeling, setting off in the dark, enjoying the quiet and solitude alone.

In the cold early spring, the trains in the early hours of the morning are the least crowded and quietest.

He hummed an old song softly, the lyrics were often sung by his classmates in high school but he rarely understood.

Like the self-proclaimed name of his mentor David Victor, the song is called "Desperado", and it is a work of vertical lines.

"Let it be, we all only live once."