Side Story 4: One less person is inserted everywhere with cornel
People's perception of time is a very subjective thing. When events occur frequently, you will notice the slowness of time. In most ordinary and repetitive days, a long time often passes in the blink of an eye.
Midsummer passes quietly, and autumn comes again.
Ningcheng.
In a house in a mediocre community, when Sun Xiaohan opened the door in his pajamas and walked from the room to the bathroom, he saw his brother standing in front of the mirror and posing.
"Hey, why are you dressed so formally today?"
Sun Xiaohan was stunned for a moment, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and then asked in a tone as if he saw the sun rising from the west.
In front of the mirror.
Sun Xiao, who was wearing a slightly formal coat, evenly kneaded the hair fixing liquid on his hair with both hands. After finishing this action, he turned to look at his sister.
In more than three years, the short and thin little girl has grown into a big girl.
He has grown a lot taller. As a cultivator, his physique is much stronger than that of ordinary people. He is already quite slim now, but... that face that has obviously lost a lot of weight because of his height always makes Sun Xiao feel game.
Regret - not cute at all... Well, it seems that I was never cute when I was a child...
With a silent sigh, Sun Xiao rolled his eyes, walked out of the bathroom, and said:
"I'm usually very sloppy? Come in."
Sun Xiaohan heard this but did not enter the bathroom. He just looked at him curiously, puffed up his cheeks, and suddenly said:
"Sun Xiao, you don't know how to talk about girlfriends anymore, right? What does my sister-in-law look like? Do you have a photo? Let me check it for you?"
"What are you talking about?" Sun Xiao's face darkened, and then he said, "There is a party today."
"With whom?"
"With your second uncle." Sun Xiao said angrily, and then turned to ignore her. Sun Xiaohan curled her lips helplessly and whispered while walking to the bathroom, "How many years has it been since the second uncle died..."
Ignoring Sun Xiaohan's thoughts, Sun Xiao came to the living room, picked up his coat and mobile phone, looked at the time for a few times, then opened the door and went downstairs, running towards the parking space in the community.
"drop!"
He pressed the car key, opened the door, and waited until he sat in the driver's seat before letting out a breath.
Time: the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival.
He was indeed going to attend a party today, a class reunion. To be precise, it was a party arranged with Fu Zhongting, Xiao Ningyu and the others.
It has been three years since graduation, and although we have kept in touch with each other and have met several times, seriously, there has never been a gathering where everyone was present.
After all, everyone has their own work and life, and holidays are often staggered with each other.
It wasn't until this year that we finally agreed on a time. Everyone had free time, so we simply chose the Double Ninth Festival to go back to the college to have a look and get together.
"boom……"
He turned the key, turned on the ignition, left the community, and then got on the road to the provincial capital. It was only an hour's drive from Ningcheng to the provincial capital, but he did not choose to go directly to the college, but waited outside the airport.
The Double Ninth Festival is not a legal holiday, so the flow of people here has not changed much from usual. Sun Xiao parked the car, then stood beside it, hugging his shoulders, and checking the time from time to time.
After a while, a group of people walked out of the station. He looked around, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He raised his hand and shook it. The two young men in the crowd, who were accompanied by ordinary clothes, laughed like each other.
He waved his hand and walked this way.
When he came closer, a man took off his sunglasses and said with a smile:
"Long wait!"
Sun Xiao looked at Fu Zhongting and Zhu Sha, smiled brightly, stretched out his fist to gesture with them, and then couldn't help joking:
"Why are you two wearing sunglasses? You are not celebrities."
Fu Zhongting immediately spread his hands and said with a smile:
"You have to ask him about this. I only wear it with him."
Hearing this, Zhu Sha looked around helplessly, then carefully pushed away his sunglasses, pointed at the black and bruised eye sockets, and said with a wry smile: "The minor injury has not healed well, isn't it because I am afraid of scaring people.
"
Sun Xiao was stunned for a moment and said, "How did you get hurt?"
"The military district competed in fighting, and was beaten." Zhu Sha explained lightly, paused, straightened his back slightly, and said with a hint of pride in the corner of his mouth, "The opponent was much worse than me."
Sun Xiao suddenly realized and breathed a sigh of relief. Zhu Sha, unlike the others, went to the military. It seemed that he had not had a leisurely life in the past three years, but looking at his energy, it was obvious that he was much stronger than when he graduated.
.
In terms of cultivation, he could also faintly detect the hidden sharp aura, which gave Sun Xiao the illusion that he was not facing a monk of the perception system, but a physical monk.
As for Fu Zhongting, his appearance has not changed much, but his temperament has become much more restrained. Compared to the beginning, he is much calmer. Sun Xiao has inquired before, and he has performed quite well in the first division in the past two years, and even once
He was transferred abroad and was responsible for work in a certain overseas region.
The three of them stood next to the car and chatted casually. Time passed quickly. When the next scheduled plane landed, the three of them looked towards the exit and soon caught the sight of three beautiful people walking out holding hands.
figure.
"This way! This way!"
After waving their arms and shouting a few times, the three girls who had flown together from the capital also saw this place, looked at each other, and walked over. Although their clothes were not too flashy, they still attracted many eyes from around them.
Xie Qingke took the lead, followed closely by Xiao Ningyu and Hua Bei. When they came over, she greeted them generously: "Why, why are you just standing there?"
Only then did the three people react and open the car door.
Sun Xiao drove a six-seater car with a large space, which was suitable for a few people. The three girls gathered behind the car, and the flowers were blooming, which was very eye-catching.
Xie Qingke and Xiao Ningyu both have a more sassy style. They have no choice but to work in the bureau, often go on missions, and sleep in the open air. This is the only way they can do it.
However, the practitioner's physique is excellent and his cultivation level has been improved. He has been running outside and does not look haggard.
In contrast, as the only one among the six who has basically stayed away from the spiritual world, Hua Bei still has a strong student spirit.
Sitting in the back row, she put her hands on her plaid skirt because the weather was getting cold. She wore a knitted white sweater on her upper body, her hair was shawl-length, and she smiled very gently.
The group of six people hadn't been together neatly for several years. They chatted naturally and happily, joking with each other. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Ninth Courtyard.
I had already made an agreement with the counselor here through internal relations, so it was easy to enter the campus. At this time, all the students were in class, and the environment seemed extremely quiet.
Because there had been a light rain before, the entire road was particularly dark in color. The ginkgo leaves that had turned yellow and started to wither and fall were wet by the rain and stuck to both sides of the road. Looking at them in clusters was quite joyful.
.
A few years after graduation, we returned together with a lot of emotions. When comparing the things in my memory, everything seemed fresh.
"When was this new building built?"
"I remember isn't there a flower bed here?"
"I remember this, we started renovating it when we graduated."
As they walked, several people pointed at various places and talked excitedly, with expressions of emotion. Sun Xiao was familiar with the changes in the college because he was based in the local area, so he simply acted as an explanation and introduced them one by one.
Everyone walked and walked, and when they came to the square, they all stopped.
I saw several "stone tablets" standing there, each with densely packed names engraved on them. When they graduated, they built the first one together. In the past few years, there have been several more, and it has become a "stone monument".
"Forest of Steles".
They swarmed over and came to the stone tablet that belonged to them. Then they looked at the names and sighed.
And when they looked at the name in the middle of the stone tablet, which had obviously been crossed out and seemed to be re-engraved, everyone fell silent.
"Cheng Lin..."
Looking at this name, some emotions that they had deliberately ignored before suddenly surged up.
Back then, there were only seven people at each of their gatherings.
But now, there are only six left.
Standing in front of this stone tablet, no one spoke for a moment.
After a while, Fu Zhongting finally spoke and said in a tone full of emotion:
"I don't know where he is now or how he is doing."
Hearing this, everyone raised their heads in unison, looking up at the extraordinarily high and pure sky with no trace of impurities visible.
After Cheng Lin and the "squirming planet" disappeared together under the gaze of billions of people, there were many speculations about his state. Some people thought that he had entered another space and entered the "projection" world where the planet was located.
Some people think he is dead.
From a certain perspective, no matter which possibility it is, it seems to make no difference to people.
In the silence, the cool breeze caused the surrounding autumn trees to sway. The six of them looked at the sky quietly and did not speak for a long time. After a while, Sun Xiao finally said:
"With his abilities, he should be able to live well even if he goes to another world."
He did not mention the possibility of "death", and the others tacitly ignored this possibility.
"It's just...if you go to other worlds, you might not be used to eating." Xiao Ningyu suddenly said worriedly.
"It's possible that I just can't get used to those foreign dishes." Xie Qingke said in agreement.
"Do you still remember what he likes to eat?" Zhu Sha suddenly asked.
Everyone was silent, unable to answer for a while.
After a few seconds, Hua Bei's voice suddenly sounded: "Barbecue."
"What?" Everyone looked over.
Hua Bei slowly withdrew her gaze, looked at everyone levelly, tugged at the white knitted sweater with both hands, and said seriously:
"He said that no one can refuse a barbecue."
…
…
No one can resist a barbecue.
Neither can the gods.
Therefore, when night fell, six people drove to a lively barbecue stall in the provincial capital. Almost as soon as they got out of the car and smelled the smoke of fireworks in the air, they were naturally integrated into the mixed and secular world.
in the atmosphere.
The autumn night has become noticeably cooler.
Therefore, the red charcoal fire seemed particularly warm.
From a long distance away, I could already feel the temperature over there.
The stall is open-air and looks very worldly. Small tables are evenly placed under the huge awning, and many people are already sitting on the plastic stools.
The aroma and people's conversations blended into a very harmonious and worldly atmosphere, as if there was some kind of extraordinary tolerance.
"That's it."
The six people looked at each other and simply selected a vacant table, then walked straight over and sat down. Since there were not enough stools, two more people were pulled over from the side.
"Boss." Sun Xiao did his part, stood up simply, and started to arrange things, just like he did every dinner party.
"Mutton skewers, fifty, squid, ribs, chicken... I also want oysters, yes, seven portions of the same..."
I quickly placed my order, and then brought the beer. Considering that I might not be able to fit a small table, I asked for another one to be put together.
There were people chatting all around, with different identities and origins, but no one went into details. Everyone was chatting eagerly, waiting for the hot skewers to be served, and everything seemed to fall into place.
The six people were eating, drinking, and chatting. They didn't use their cultivation to deliberately suppress anything, but allowed themselves to melt into the drunken atmosphere.
"Zhu Sha, what's your current military rank? Colonel? Okay, okay, when will you become a general?"
"I have to go back to the overseas base next week, but it's been pretty peaceful lately..."
"...Yeah, right..."
As we chatted, the topic revolved around a few people.
Zhu Sha was promoted to colonel and has a bright future. Xie Qingke's work abroad is also on the right track. Xiao Ningyu, as a healer, gained an extra ability after being promoted to the rank of cultivating healing plants. Now he is busy working with the research institute as a special talent.
Let’s cultivate new spiritual plants together...
Fu Zhongting, on the other hand, suddenly broke out an "inside news", saying that he had received internal notification and would return to the Ninth Division in a while to succeed Huang Yin as the new deputy chief.
"Are you coming back? To replace Deputy Secretary Huang?" After hearing the news, several people were surprised, and then asked curiously, "What about Deputy Secretary Huang?"
"I heard that I took a long vacation, well, maybe a few years. I said my cultivation has reached a bottleneck and I want to travel around the world to find opportunities for breakthroughs." Fu Zhongting took a pot of pepper sprinkled with pepper and zest.
Ran swallowed the meat skewers and explained.
"That's it..." Everyone sighed.
After a moment of silence, Fu Zhongting finally looked at Sun Xiao: "What about you? Do you have any thoughts on coming back?"
"Come back?" Sun Xiao was stunned, as if he didn't expect the other party to say that.
"Yes, the direction of public opinion about Cheng Lin has begun to change. You should be able to feel the changes recently. The headquarters' intention is also to follow the trend... There are different opinions about what happened at the beginning... What happened to you at the beginning is also there now.
How about some room? Come back and I can help you find a place to rejoin the Nine Divisions as a social cultivator." Fu Zhongting said seriously.
This news was obviously unexpected by Sun Xiao, and he was unable to speak for a moment. Facing the eyes of the others, he put the can of beer in his hand on the table, looked away, shook his head, and said:
"Forget it, it's been three years, and I'm pretty good now... Why go back? Besides, what can I do when I go back? Compete with those juniors for positions?"
As he said that, he himself laughed, then looked at Fu Zhongting with bright eyes, and said with a smile: "Besides...you haven't even taken office yet, and you want to have a relationship. Can you do this? You have learned nepotism."
?Ha ha."
"I'm serious," Fu Zhongting said without laughing, holding down his hand, "I can see that your cultivation has not fallen behind in the past three years. You should have worked hard, right? It's just that
In order to be a casual cultivator, you don't need such a high level of cultivation. I have been in the capital for the past few years and am no longer familiar with the place. Come back and just help me."
Sun Xiao pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment under the other person's gaze. Then he changed the topic with a smile and looked at Huabei, who was quietly handling a roasted green pepper:
"Let's talk about other things, Hua Bei, are you graduating soon?"
Hua Bei was startled, then put down the iron sign in her hand, smiled, nodded and said, "Yeah, it's almost over."
"What are your plans after graduation? Further study or..."
"I'm going to take the exam to become a teacher and teach art or something." Hua Bei said lightly.
Compared to the others who still more or less remain in the circle of practitioners, Hua Bei seems to be really determined to leave this circle.
"Don't think about it anymore?" Xie Qingke looked at her and asked.
"Actually, I have always felt that I am not suitable for spiritual practice. I like painting, which is good. Well, I don't know for sure. I may choose to continue my studies. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future." Hua
Bei brushed her hair with her right hand and said with a smile.
Yes...who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
No one tried to persuade her. After a brief silence, they all turned their attention to the specially vacant seat in the banquet. There was no one on the stool, but there were trays of skewers and wine glasses in front of them.
It's like there's someone sitting there all the time.
That was the position they left for Cheng Lin, but it was a pity...
The six people sighed at the same time.
"Drink!" Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, Sun Xiao quickly raised his glass consciously, and everyone cheered up and smiled again.
At this moment, a "waiter" wearing an apron and sleeves came over carrying a tray and said at the same time:
"Table 7 is connected by flesh and blood, so be careful. Okay, please use it slowly."
As he spoke, a well-proportioned hand gently put the tray down.
Sun Xiao was stunned for a moment, then frowned slightly and said:
"It's a mistake. We didn't order this."
As he said that, he raised his head and followed the sleeved arm upwards, and saw a very delicate-looking young face that he had never seen before, but with a vague sense of strange familiarity.
The young man smiled gently, giving people a feeling of spring breeze:
"That's right. Your table won the lottery."
As he spoke, he coughed, seeming a little embarrassed by the reason he came up with, and then continued:
"Congratulations to everyone, you are the 10,000th table customer in our restaurant, so you will have extra gifts."
Faced with this extremely lame reason, the six people couldn't think of any doubts for some reason and just accepted it as a matter of course.
"Is that so...so this is the lucky gift?" Xiao Ningyu blinked and asked curiously.
"And this."
The young man raised his left hand and showed off the strange flower branches he held in his hand. The "flower branches" had small dark green leaves and small bright red fruits hanging from the top. They looked quite cute.
Under the curious eyes of everyone, he leaned slightly, handed one to everyone, and said at the same time:
"Today is the Double Ninth Festival. This is a dogwood gift from the store. It represents good wishes. I hope you all have a bright future."
"Thank you." Several people were slightly startled, then instinctively took it and thanked them.
The young man handed it to them one by one. When it was Hua Bei's turn, his hand paused slightly, and then he inserted the soft dogwood directly into Hua Bei's hair, like a hairpin.
Hua Bei was stunned. For a moment, she even forgot to say thank you. She just stared blankly at the face of this strange "waiter" that she had never seen before but was extremely familiar.
But the young man just smiled, turned around and left, entering the "back kitchen".
It wasn't until his figure completely disappeared that everyone suddenly shivered, as if they had woken up from some kind of dream, and looked at each other and the flower branches in their hands in horror, with great surprise.
"Do you think that waiter seems a bit familiar?"
"It's a bit, but I've definitely never seen it."
Under the influence of mental control, several people naturally ignored the doubts in this matter and continued to talk.
Hua Bei was left stroking the "Zhu Chai" in her hair while looking at the empty seat. For some reason, tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
——
ps: In March, a 5,000-word extra will be published.
ps2: The new book is still in production...I’ll do it as soon as possible!