At 1 o'clock in the morning, the city that never sleeps is as lively as ever. The howling of ghosts and wolves in the private room upstairs is transmitted to the street through the window. The man had finished his indulgence, pushed the door askew and came out to stop the car.

This is the most sensual place in Runcheng, and it can be said that it is full of filth. Perhaps it is because there are some forces behind it, or it has not been caught yet. Since it opened two years ago, there has not been any rectification accident.

Looking at a group of dissolute men and women in front of him, Tang Junhe squeezed the pack of cigarettes in his pocket with some trepidation, took a deep breath at the door, and then walked in.

There is a rest area in the hall on the first floor, most of which are men and women sitting in pairs. He found a remote corner and sat down, stretched out his hand to pull down the hood, and looked at the surrounding environment.

Not long after, a drunken woman sat over. Tang Junhe smelled the smell of alcohol from that person, and subconsciously wanted to move aside, but in the end he held back and did not move.

The woman tilted her head and looked at him unabashedly, and Tang Junhe also turned to look at her. The heavy smoky makeup was painted on her face, making it impossible to tell her age for a while.

"How old are you?" The man looked at him for a moment, then asked in a drawn-out tone, with a slightly hoarse smoky voice.

"18." Tang Junhe said.

"Really? There are 18?" The man looked at him closely, and the smell of wine and perfume mixed together and hit his face.

When Tang Junhe saw her approaching bright red lips, he suddenly thought that Yang Xuan liked this too, so he looked at him very closely, but Yang Xuan always smelled good, even if he smelled of cigarettes and alcohol, he would It will be neutralized by the original smell on him.

He turned his face to avoid the strong smell on her body.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the man asked again: "It's so late, what are you doing here, kid?"

"Looking for someone." Tang Junhe tried his best to behave naturally.

"Who are you looking for? Let me find it for you? I know this place very well."

Tang Junhe thought for a while, took out the cigarette case from his pocket, handed it to her and asked, "I want to buy this, do you know where I can buy it?"

The person brought it over, first looked at the cigarette case, and then pulled out the iron box inside, as if trying to concentrate. After a while, she shook her head and said confusedly: "I haven't seen it before."

Tang Junhe was not surprised by such a result, but he was still a little disappointed. He reached out and took the cigarette case, and put it back in his pocket.

"You smoke?" The man looked at him with great interest.

Tang Junhe didn't respond.

"Or are you actually a policeman?" Maybe because he felt that this speculation was too unreliable, the man laughed as he spoke.

"Whatever you think." Tang Junhe said.

"Well, I can't help you with this," the man stood up crookedly, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "However, if you want to have sex, my sister can help you, and you won't be charged. "

Tang Junhe looked up at her, and said coldly: "No, thank you."

After staying in the lobby for nearly an hour, except for being accosted this time, Tang Junhe had nothing to gain. Despite the deliberate choice of clothes before going out, he still looked too out of place here. Besides, he is not good at chatting with people proactively, and there are few single people around, so staying here makes him restless. He observed the cigarettes in everyone's hands, but he couldn't find the one he was looking for. branch.

Returning in vain, Tang Junhe returned home, opened the door lightly as usual, and returned to the house lightly. At 2:30 in the morning, Tang Xiaonian and Yang Chengchuan were sleeping soundly in the room, and this night walk did not disturb them.

Tang Junhe returned to the room, lay on the bed and looked at the cigarette in his hand, and fell into deep thought again—should I hand it over to the police? If you hand it over to the police, if you are lucky, the police will investigate the source of the cigarette, and then find a witness in the class that night, proving that Feng Bo did induce him to inhale the cigarette... But, What if Feng Bo denies that this cigarette has anything to do with him? What if he transfers the suspicion to Yang Xuan? After all, the people present at that time could only see Yang Xuan taking out the pack of cigarettes...

To create direct evidence between Feng Bo and the cigarette, and to exclude Yang Xuan as much as possible... Looking at the swaying tree shadows outside the window, he gradually perfected the next plan in his mind.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning, and Tang Junhe still didn't feel sleepy. He took out the mobile phone that Yang Chengchuan gave him when he first came to this house from the drawer, and opened the interface of the address book. There are only two numbers in the address book, one is Tang Xiaonian's and the other is Yang Xuan's.

Is Yang Xuan still using this number? Can I receive text messages from him when I arrive in the United States? Tang Junhe thought for a while, and entered a few words in the edit box of the text message: "Brother, are you there yet?" After hesitating for a moment, he still pressed the send button.

Maybe Yang Xuan won't receive this text message at all, maybe he won't reply if he receives it, Tang Junhe thought while holding the phone, but no matter what, he wants to talk to his brother, even if he doesn't receive a response.

After this text message was sent, Tang Junhe continued to close his eyes to get sleepy. During the half-dream and half-awake period, the mobile phone in his hand suddenly started to vibrate, and he was awakened immediately. He picked up the mobile phone and saw a series of strange numbers on the caller ID. The attribution below showed that the number was from the United States. Seattle.

Tang Junhe stared at the screen with his eyes wide open, sat up from the bed, and when he pressed the on button, his fingertips trembled slightly.

The phone was connected, and Yang Xuan said on the other end: "Here we are." The surrounding seemed a little noisy, and an old lady's voice came over, as if to persuade him to call after dinner, and Yang Xuan said, "I'll be there soon." It's over." The voice sounded farther than before, as if he had taken the phone away from his mouth.

"Is that your grandma?" Tang Junhe asked.

Yang Xuan let out a "huh" and asked again: "Why are you still awake, what time is it?"

"It's past three o'clock."

"Can't sleep again?"

"Well, I thought you wouldn't talk to me when you went to the United States," Tang Junhe hugged his calf and said with his chin on his knee, "and I said something wrong this afternoon."

"What did you say wrong?" Yang Xuan asked.

"If I want to be with you, I should go with you instead of you staying for me." Tang Junhe truthfully expressed his thoughts.

"That's it," Yang Xuan gave a low laugh, and asked again: "Then will you come with me?"

"I will." Tang Junhe nodded, as if Yang Xuan could really see it. His tone was very firm, as if he was talking about a certain thing, and then he was a little discouraged, "But brother, can you wait for me, maybe next year, maybe the year after, it won't be long..."

"Go to sleep, it's already so late." Yang Xuan interrupted him.

Tang Junhe hasn't finished speaking yet, he wants Yang Xuan to wait for him to grow up a little bit, leave Runcheng, escape Tang Xiaonian's airtight care, then he can go with him, where to go It will be all right. But Yang Xuan told him to sleep, so he could only swallow the next words.

"Okay..." He responded, and asked again, "Brother, can we still talk on the phone on New Year's Eve?"

The old man over there seemed to say something again, and Yang Xuan's voice became further away, like a vague "um", and it took a few seconds for it to become clear again: "What did you just say?"

"It's nothing." Tang Junhe said, turning his face to his knees.

In the next few days, Tang Junhe quietly went to the city that never sleeps several times in the middle of the night. Occasionally, someone would come over to strike up a conversation with him, but when they saw him take out the cigarette case, their reactions were different. Some people had different complexions, and they suspected that he was an addict and left with an excuse. Some people enthusiastically recommended other alternatives to him, saying that the effects of these things were similar, and some people were not interested in the cigarette case in his hand. It is self-evident to ask for a date to have a meal.

After a few times, Tang Junhe gradually lost the restraint he had when he first came. Sometimes when he met someone who seemed likely to provide clues from the outside, he would deliberately look at that person. People here are usually drunk and confused. After observing for a long time, Tang Junhe also changed his habit of staring straight at people. He will lift his chin slightly and look at others with his eyelids slightly drooping, which will make him look more mature and blend in with the surrounding environment more. He is a quick learner and his ability to imitate is quite amazing.

Being stared at by a boy with outstanding appearance, few people will ignore it, not to mention that this is the most lively place for **** in Runcheng, most people come here just to have fun.

Tang Junhe would also often see the woman who came to strike up a conversation with him on the first night, and the men who accompanied her changed one after another, but every time she showed the same expression and intimate behavior, with only one exception.

That time he was ready to leave, and just as he opened the door to go out, there was a loud "bang" behind him, the sound of a wine bottle smashing against the door. He turned his head subconsciously, and saw the woman who accosted him that night was splashed with wine, her back was hunched, and she couldn't resist pressing against the door to escape, while another woman with a ferocious face was holding a bag in her hand. Hit her **** the head.

The man covered his face in embarrassment and kept begging for mercy. The bag on his shoulders fell to the ground, and all kinds of cosmetics, small mirrors, coin purses, and mobile phones rolled out, soaked in the spilled red wine. superior. Before she could pick it up, she was dragged away by the woman in front of her by her hair. The spectators gathered in a circle, pointing at that side, gossiping with the people around this sudden "existing partner vs. prostitute" incident, and no one cared about the mess on the ground.

Tang Junhe opened the door, bent down and picked up the bag and those scattered things on the ground to the clean ground aside. Seeing that there was still a pack of unopened tissues in the bag, he took it out and roughly wiped off the things that were stained with wine. , Then put them all in the bag, put them at the front desk and left silently.

The fourth time he came to the city that never sleeps, Tang Junhe only stayed for half an hour before getting up and leaving. At noon the next day after that night, Tang Xiaonian asked him at the dinner table if he didn't sleep well at night. Tang Junhe lied that he drank too much water before going to bed and went to the bathroom several times in the middle of the night. Tang Xiaonian seemed a little suspicious . But after all, Yang Xuan was not at home recently, and Tang Junhe's final exam results made her quite satisfied. Tang Xiaonian was in a good mood, so he didn't pursue this matter too much.

Standing at the gate of the city that never sleeps, Tang Junhe exhaled a long breath, and instantly condensed into a thin cloud of white steam in the air eight degrees below zero. Someone pushed the door diagonally behind him, he turned his head, and saw the woman who had struck up a conversation with him for the first time, she was coming out cuddling a man—not so much cuddling, but she was supporting the drunk man with her body, He walked out crookedly and with difficulty. The bag on her shoulders kept shaking with her movements, it wasn't the one that Tang Junhe picked up and put on the front desk that night.

"Hey handsome guy, open the door for me." The woman pushed a small gap against the glass door and called to him.

Tang Junhe walked to the door and stretched out his hand to pull the door open.

"Thanks," the man looked at him and said, "It would be even better if you could call me a car, I really can't help it..."

Tang Junhe followed them, walked to the side of the road and stopped a taxi, then took a step back, watching the woman with heavy makeup get the person on her into the car.

"Fuck, I can't do anything after drinking so much, I wasted all night..." She rubbed her shoulders and complained, then looked at Tang Junhe and said, "Why are you here again, haven't you bought it yet?"

"Yeah." Tang Junhe said.

"You **** it yourself?" The man looked at him.

Tang Junhe didn't directly answer "yes" or "no", but just looked at her.

"There are all kinds of this kind of thing, and the effect is almost the same..." The woman lit a cigarette and smoked, "I have a friend who sells similar things. Would you like to try a different flavor?"

Tang Junhe shook his head and said, "I just want this."

"Take it out and let me see."

Tang Junhe took out the cigarette case from his pocket and handed it to her. She looked down carefully, then raised her eyes and said, "I can ask for you, but I can't guarantee that I will." After she finished speaking, she held the The cigarette case said, "I'll keep this first?"

"No," Tang Junhe said nervously, "I can't give this to you."

"Then how should I ask?" the man took out his mobile phone from his messenger bag and said, "Forget it, let's take a photo." She took a photo of the front and back of the cigarette case, and smiled meaningfully , "Leave me a cell phone number?"

"I don't have a mobile phone." Tang Junhe lied, thinking vigilantly that this matter should not be left behind.

"Huh? Without a mobile phone, are you really 18 years old, good boy?" The man smoked a cigarette and looked at him, then smiled and said, "Then it depends on luck if you can meet me next time."

Tang Junhe thought for a while and said, "You can leave me your number."

"Then use your mother's cell phone to call me?" The man seemed to say something funny, his shoulders shook with a smile, "Okay, that's fine too."

She borrowed a pen from the front desk, deliberately did not borrow paper, and took Tang Junhe's hand to write on the back of his hand, with a provocative expression on her face, and winked at him after finishing writing: "Remember to type Give me."

Tang Junhe nodded seriously, and retracted his hand to read the writing on it carefully.

After returning home, he immediately transcribed the number on paper and washed his hands. Three days later, he took a bus to the vicinity of Runcheng No. 1 Middle School, found a public phone booth and dialed the number for the first time. The woman's voice sounded sleepy on the phone. After figuring out who was calling , she yawned and said, "I asked for you, but that buddy is not in Runcheng now, and he will come back after the Chinese New Year. Can you wait?"

"Yes," Tang Junhe said, after thinking about it, he asked again, "Is there anyone else who can buy it?"

"No, Runcheng is such a big place, there are not so many people who sell it... and I heard that this thing is a new product. The buddy said that he just came back from Taiwan last month. He found it by himself. Le Ziyong didn't even want to sell it, I said you are my friend, so he agreed to sell it to you."

"Only he can buy it." Tang Junhe summed up what she meant.

"Ah," the woman yawned, "what does he mean?"

"Then," Tang Junhe asked, "can you give me your contact information?"

"Wait for me to check my phone..." The woman reported a series of numbers, and then said, "Just say you are a friend of Sister Cai and he will know. By the way, just buy it yourself, don't tell others. This buddy is a big deal for me, don't ruin it for me."

Tang Junhe responded, and after getting the phone number, he quickly dialed it with a public phone.

The handset rang "beep-beep-" for a long time before it was picked up by a lazy male voice: "Who is it?"

Tang Junhe was a little nervous, he swallowed his throat, tried to calm down and said: "I am sister Cai's friend."

There was a lot of noise over there, and the man said before he finished speaking: "Oh, I know, I'm not in Runcheng right now, call me after the sixth day."

Before Tang Junhe could think of what to say next, he had already hung up the phone. He had no choice but to put the handset back in his hand. Anyway, getting the number showed that his plan was feasible.

***

Without Yang Xuan, Tang Junhe could only study. He opened his eyes to test papers, vocabulary, and math problems. Ever since he saw Yang Xuan's talent in solid geometry, Tang Junhe has become very fond of doing solid geometry problems. He can happily come up with many solutions to a problem. If a problem does not need auxiliary lines, he can tell at a glance If he answered, he would be happier. He marked such questions, intending to show them to Yang Xuan when he came back, to see if he could see the answers at a glance.

The night before New Year's Eve, Tang Junhe couldn't help but sent another text message to Yang Xuan: "Brother, can we talk on the phone tomorrow night?" But he waited until he couldn't hold on and fell asleep, but he didn't receive a reply from Yang Xuan's text message. Early the next morning, Tang Junhe opened his eyes. The first thing he did was to read the text messages on his phone, but he was disappointed to find that there was nothing in the inbox.

On New Year's Eve, Tang Xiaonian's work unit was on holiday, and the housekeeping aunt went back to her hometown for the New Year's Eve. She was busy cleaning up the house for a whole day, cleaning the house and starting making dumplings. She was very busy. Yang Chengchuan came back from a social event and brought her jewelry as a New Year gift. The glittering necklace and earrings looked very eye-catching under the light. I couldn't help but beam with joy.

At eight o'clock, the Spring Festival/event on TV started on time. Tang Xiaonian finally stopped Tang Junhe from studying, so he knocked on the door and called him out to roll out dumpling wrappers. Every New Year's Eve in the past, Tang Junhe and Tang Xiaonian spent together in that old house. He rolled dumpling wrappers, and his mother made dumplings. The two cooperated seamlessly.

Tang Junhe's best housework is rolling dumpling wrappers. Since he was four or five years old, he took the initiative to help Tang Xiaonian with a rolling pin to share the pressure. At the beginning, he put his two little hands on the rolling pin and rolled them together. It took half an hour to wrap the dumplings. A piece of dumpling wrapper was barely rolled into a round shape, but after learning the technique, the speed became faster and faster, and Tang Xiaonian no longer needed to devote all his energy to take care of him.

Sitting on the sofa, Yang Chengchuan finally felt the long-lost family happiness. Only now did he realize the benefits of having two sons, one son is not around, and the other son can still be by his side.

But within an hour, he began to miss his eldest son. The youngest son was right in front of him, but he didn't hide the strangeness in his eyes. Every time Yang Chengchuan met him, his heart felt cold. Although the eldest son always fights against him, at least he sees him as his father. Comparing him from left to right, the balance in Yang Chengchuan's heart can't be maintained no matter what.

The sound of firecrackers in the distance sounded, and the earth-shattering crackling sound was vaguely transmitted into the home through a green belt. There are three members of the family, the most exciting thing is the TV, Zhao Benshan came out with his apprentice Xiaoshenyang. Tang Xiaonian was going to put the wrapped dumplings in the pot. Yang Chengchuan laughed a few times at the sketch on TV, feeling a little bored, and planned to make a phone call across the country to wish his father-in-law and mother-in-law New Year's greetings, and feel it with his eldest son. Have a taste of family affection. Before making the phone call, he still didn't forget to ask Tang Junhe: "I want to call your brother, will you talk to him later?"

After saying this, Yang Chengchuan saw that the unfamiliarity in his youngest son's eyes faded a little, he seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, and then nodded towards him.

After nodding his head, Tang Junhe began to make a draft in his heart. In front of Yang Chengchuan, he naturally couldn't say anything about his brother, but he couldn't say what he wanted to say most, and he didn't know what to say. He can talk about many things, such as how many solid geometry problems he has done and how many dumpling wrappers he has rolled, but Yang Xuan may not want to hear such nonsense.

Before Tang Junhe could think of what to say, Yang Chengchuan had already picked up the handset of the landline and started dialing the phone number.

Every time a number is dialed, the landline makes a "beep-" sound, and when the last number is dialed, there are a few knocks on the door suddenly.

"Boom boom boom."

Yang Chengchuan was waiting to answer the phone, turned around and said to Tang Junhe, "Junhe, go and open the door."

Tang Junhe got up from the sofa, walked to the door, turned the doorknob and opened the door, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Under the incandescent sensor light, Yang Xuan dragged his suitcase and stood at the door, with the cold outside on his body, a few snowflakes fell on his shoulders, and there was a subtle and bright light shining under the light.

Tang Junhe was startled again and again, and remained motionless for a long time. When Yang Chengchuan asked "Who's here?" in the room, his brain woke up belatedly—his brother Yang Xuan was in the house on New Year's Eve. , came back from the other side of the ocean.