Chapter 1 (2/2)
”There was time, when there's a lot of thieves around here, I wanted to put my flowers here, and don't want to close off this area, so I can't help but to install the railing, as what it usually said that safety is more important than beauty.”
”You are a girl, why do you must live here alone, doesn't Xin Di's apartment have one empty room? The public security there is better than here.” Lu Fei frowned.
”If one has an apartment why should one live at other people's house? Moreover, we have more freedom when living alone, I think Xin Di also think this way.”
”Doesn't this part of area will be demolished and relocated soon, what is your future plan then?”
”It's quite early to think that way, the issues of relocation had been spread out for so many years, but there's still not set yet it's like a thunder but has no rain.”
”The company that I'm working in and Hao Tian group had decided to take over and finance the the project of transforming this area, so heavy rain will probably fall soon.
Xin Chen was startled, she kept silent for a while and shrugged her shoulder, ” Then I need to a.s.sess how much is the compensation fee, the worst thing is I will sleep on the street. Let's go have a dinner, I'm hungry. How long will you be here? It's my treat, regard it as your home welcoming and farewell party.”
”This time I am coming, I will stay here for quite long time.”
Lu Fei's voice sounded tranquil, Xin Chen seemed to be surprised, she opened her eyes and looked at Lu Fei. Lu Fei can see clearly, her eyes turned gloomy, finally showed overly astonished emotion, and immediately s.h.i.+fted her eyes.
”Is that true?” Her voice suddenly turned low, ” O, that's good.”
She walked to the shoe cabinet in the porch, took out a pair of dark gold ballet flat shoes, then raised up her head, restored her normal expression, laughed and said: ” Let's look for restaurant, this half month I only eat ”pig food”, I'm really hungry.”
Lu Fei drove to the restaurant nearest in the business center area, this restaurant had been opened for about a year, and all along their business was quite good, they served local and Cantonese style dish, it cannot be said to be a special one, but its interior decoration was refined, and matched with the taste of businessman, and the atmosphere was quieter than the other Chinese restaurants.
In the past Xin Chen's strong appet.i.te had arise people's curiosities that how can she maintain her fine body. It is because no matter how much food she eats, she will not be fat. What happened today was out of Lu Fei's antic.i.p.ation, despite her strong hunger, her appet.i.te was not as good as he predicted. She appeared to be very excited when ordered the food, but when the dishes came out, she just indifferently ate.
”It doesn't suit your appet.i.te?”
”It's probably because of the instant noodle, biscuit, and chocolate ate when I was on the road, those kind of food made my stomach felt uncomfortable, it obviously I felt hungry but I don't feel like eating.”
”Didn't you dislike instant noodle?” He remembered her stubbornness in the past that she would rather cooked a pasta as she will not be willingly eat instant noodle.
Xin Chen laughed, ” Now I eat everything, being away from home. If there's a mantou (chinese white steamed bread) fell in the ground, I probably will pick it up, pat the dust for a while, then eat it. Nothing is taboo for me anymore.” She lowered her hand and ate one of the dish Lu Fei ordered for her, the hasma (type white snow fungus)in papaya stew, while slightly knitted her brow.
Lu Fei watched her attentively and realized her expression looked like a young girl who throws tantrum after being forced to drink a flu medicine, but she clearly didn't have this intention, as matter of fact, she really forced herself to swallow the food.
”Your journey to Tibet was surely difficult, right?”
Of course it was a long and difficult trip, the accommodation conditions were really simple and crude, there was alt.i.tude sickness, also sometimes there was a sudden rainstorm happened, nasty road conditions, even more once came across mudslide, one car has broken 2 tires, but it didn't really matter. Xin Chen already used to all of these traveling accident and thought it as inevitable things, ” It's not bad, we were fully prepared, majority of the people already had experiences, so basically this can regard as a smooth journey.
”In spite of everything, I don't really know since when you started to enjoy outdoor traveling and gardening.”
”From the day I realized that I need to have hobbies to pa.s.s the days. What about you? Do you still enjoy listen to cla.s.sic music, and play chess?”
Their conversation progressed to each one of them daily life, ” Yes, do you still play chess too?
Xin Che shook her head, ” I have even forget the rules.” She had quite good memory, but after the senior high school graduation, she never played chess anymore, though there were sometimes chess matches in the university, because the chess club's members are little, you could sign up freely, but there was not even once she was tempted to join. Stopping for a moment, she asked again, ” Settle down? Are you coming back for work? Why did't I hear any of it from Di Zi?”
Lu Fei stayed silent for a moment, ”Last time, three years ago summer days, I came back from Bei Jing, and you happened to be out of town.”
”Last time…” Xin Chen gazed at the papaya stew in front of her, it made her appet.i.te lower, cannot help but secretly felt puzzled, didn't know when her appet.i.te will recover, ”O, I remember, I went to Xi An.”
”Wow that is coincidence? The previous day I called and told Xiao Di that I wanted to go home, the next day you registered to travel to Xi An, I just got off the plane and you left, the time was fit perfectly. Furthermore, ..” He fixed his gaze on her, and spoke slowly, ” Did you really go to Xi An?”
Xi Chen looked to him with sense of shocked, pursed up her lip, and didn't say anything.
”It's right, you really go to Xi An direction, but you joined Qin Ling path tour which was the most difficult, most torturous that you need to walk by foot for seven days, lastly nearly gave out your life.”
”It's not that extreme.”
”Then news that I heard from browsing in the internet were inaccurate. Two backpackers was tired out because they were trapped there in the pine forest for 3 days and three nights, there was also a girl seriously dehydrated, it was really a life-threatening experience that the local polices was commanded to search and rescue them. I had ever asked Xiao Di, she said that she and father didn't really familiar with this conditions, you didn't even call home.”
”That happened because I lacked of experiences, but it's not really a near- death experience, I just being sent to hospital and infused then I'm okay, I didn't really need to call back home and made them worry. It's because I refused being interviewed, so the local reporter just wrote it recklessly without evidences.” Xin Chen said unconvincingly, ”But how did you know? The article should not mention my name, I even didn't allow them to take photo?”
Lu Fei didn't answer her question, just calmly looked at her, at the end showed a pain expression, ”Was it to avoid me, Xiao Chen? My return unexpectedly let you felt trouble?”
Xin Chen laughed bitterly, ” Why can you think like that? Though you didn't tell me that you would come back, why should i avoid you, and why was it necessary to hide?”
”I didn't let Xiao Di told you my return this time because I'm afraid the moment I tell, you will simply stayed at Tibet and never come back.”
”It will not happen, before traveling to Tibet you need to be prepared at least two months prior, to plan the route, itinerary, and time.” Xin Chen still laughed, ” moreover, before the journey I already received my three months salary in advance. Now I'm back, I must do overtime to support myself, certainly impossible for me to run.”
”Hearing that I will stay here for a long time, you seem to be unhappy.”
”I'm happy or not, it will not change anything. This city is not mine, in reality, there's nothing here that belong to me, everyone can come, go, and stay, it's a normal thing.” Xin Chen didn't want to try to maintain serene, she put down her spoon, ” I really cannot eat anymore, I'm too tired, I want to go home and rest.”
Lu Fei drove her back home, they both got off the car, He sent her inside. Xin Chen suddenly stopped, looked toward the small store which was already close, under the street lights, she looked toward the wall that has the word ”拆”(tear down). She slowly moved her head and looked at Lu Fei, and laughed. Under the pale yellow light, her laughter was bright and beautiful like a blossoming flower. That moment, Lu Fei held his breath.
”Being tore down is also good, it's time to leave here. I still don't believe, that I unexpectedly have been living here for a long time, so long until I don't really know how many years have it been
<script>