Senior sister, please stop crying. I am really not a scumbag.

Chapter 60 Listening to the Snow and Watching the Rain
On the 6th, Zhou Jihong and Yang Jianguo drove back to Yuheng.

Before leaving, Zhou Jihong sternly warned Yang Hao not to follow his father's example and to quickly handle the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship well. She did not let Yang Hao make a choice because she saw that she would be happy with either Tang Miaomiao or Jiang Li.

After seeing his mother off, Yang Hao's WeChat rang. It was from Li Xing. Li Xing said that he had already arrived in Xinzhou, but because he was with his mother, he would not return to school tonight and would be back on the 7th. Yang Hao agreed. But the next moment, the phone rang again. It was Brother Jiu who called. He asked Yang Hao where he was and if he had time to take him out for a good meal.

Ninth brother is really kind to his brothers, so Yang Hao readily agreed.

He sent Yang Hao a location, which was in a secluded alley in Yangshan District, about 22 kilometers away from Xinzhou University of Finance and Economics.

Ever since Jiu Ge gave his car to Yang Hao, it has been convenient for Yang Hao to travel anywhere. He turned on the navigation and drove at lightning speed. In less than an hour, he arrived at his destination. It was very lively here. It was a night market street. Not far away, there were many street prostitutes dressed up in fancy clothes, and there were drunk men coming and going... There were mostly barbecue stalls here, and the business was booming and crowded. Yang Hao finally found a place to park and called Jiu Ge. Jiu Ge told Yang Hao to go to a stall with the signature dish "The Best Lamb Soup in the World" and that he was there.

The best mutton soup in the world?

What store dares to use such an arrogant name?

Yang Hao muttered to himself, thinking that such a store must be a big store, so he looked around but couldn't find it. There were also many young ladies winking at Yang Hao on the way.

Some were so enthusiastic that they even took the initiative to come over and hold Yang Hao's arm, and said in a coquettish voice, "Two, college students, you can see the student ID."

Yang Hao: “…”

Fortunately, Wang Zhipeng didn’t come, otherwise this place would be his paradise.

There was also a girl dressed very sexy who came over and said in a low voice, "Three, delicious."

In short, if an average person comes here for a walk, he or she will have to have a midnight snack worth two hundred yuan before leaving.

Yang Hao searched along the alley for a long time, and from a distance, he saw a lonely tent stall with a tattered canvas hanging on it. There were six big characters written on it, which read "The Best Lamb Soup in the World". There was another line of small characters below it, "Not for sale if you don't eat the coriander" and "One hundred yuan a bowl".

"Ok?"

This stall has terribly quiet business.

In a small tent, a one-eyed old man sat there alone, his eyes dull, staring blankly at the flames in the stove. His movements were very slow, his dry hands gently cutting coriander and onions, as if he had not yet woken up.

Yang Hao stared at the words on the canvas and thought that this should be the place.

The big characters "The Best Lamb Soup in the World" were written in running script, which was vigorous and powerful, as if they were written by a famous master.

Yang Hao walked over.

The old man didn't even raise his eyelids, and said in a hoarse voice: "If you don't eat coriander, I won't sell it. 100 per bowl."

What a weird old man.

As he spoke, he didn't even look at Yang Hao, but slowly and methodically cut coriander and green onions with a kitchen knife.

"Mouse, here." At this time, Brother Jiu, sitting on a seat in the leak-picking tent, held a cigarette in his mouth and waved at Yang Hao.

"Big brother."

Yang Hao walked over and sat down.

"Here." Brother Jiu handed Yang Hao a cigarette and said with a smile, "I drank too much yesterday and slept until the afternoon. My stomach feels uncomfortable, so I have to come here to drink a bowl of mutton soup. Since you are not a local, I will take you to try it."

Yang Hao looked around and thought, what kind of mutton soup is this? How can it be sold for 100? It deserves that there is no business.

"Who did you drink with last night, bro?"

"Well, some old brothers from the society, talking about business." Brother Jiu didn't want to say more on this topic. He rolled his eyes and said, "Don't look down on this place. Looking around Xinzhou, I'm afraid only the old Xinzhou people who know the goods know this place. It's a pity that it's October now and the weather is not cold enough. If it snows in the twelfth month, drinking a bowl of hot mutton soup here, the taste... is indescribable."

After hearing what Brother Jiu said, Yang Hao also became curious and wanted to try what kind of magical power the mutton soup here had.

Then, Brother Nine started to tell the story here.

He said that those who come here to drink mutton soup are generally nostalgic and want to find some fragments in their memories. However, from another perspective, after the collapse of Yaozi Society, the monkeys scatter when the tree falls. The significance of this place now is more about forgetting than commemoration.

When Yaozi Club was at its peak, the big brothers from Xinzhou liked to come here to drink a bowl of hot mutton soup and discuss some business matters.

It’s a pity that the “World’s Best Lamb Soup” is still there, but the “Yiaozi Society” is no longer there.

A moment.

The old man slowly brought two bowls of hot mutton soup.

The mutton soup is pure in color, the broth is white and steaming. In addition to a few fat but not greasy slices of meat, it is also filled with chopped green onions, coriander, minced garlic, as well as ginger slices, angelica, adenophora, yam, white angelica and other condiments, making it both colorful and fragrant.

The fragrance spreads ten miles away.

Brother Nine blew lightly, took a sip from the big bowl, and was very satisfied. He shouted, "Old man Li, your cooking skills are still as good as before."

Old man Li was dozing off in front of the stall, and it was unclear whether he heard it or not.

Yang Hao also took a sip, the aroma exploded on his taste buds, it was truly a delicacy.

Although it is a bit expensive, it is worth it.

Seeing that the old man ignored him, Brother Nine smiled bitterly and shook his head, "In this world, if you eat one bowl of rice, you will have one less bowl; if you see someone in this world, you will have one less person."

At this time, a soft and mature woman's voice came from the stall: "Boss, two bowls of mutton soup."

Brother Nine was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up.

Yang Hao noticed that cold sweat had appeared on Jiu Ge's forehead. His face was strangely red and pale. In simple terms, it was "red and white at the same time". On his face, there were many kinds of emotions intertwined, excitement, hesitation, fear, panic...

"Mom, you too. You came all the way to this corner. It looks unhygienic..." Another voice came.

Yang Hao was shocked.

Isn’t this Li Xing?
Li Xing's voice was tinged with disdain and complaint.

"You don't understand. It tastes good here. You'll know later." The soft female voice continued.

Li Xing said sullenly: "No matter how delicious it is, I won't eat it. I will only take one bite at most."

At this time, the sound was getting closer and closer, almost within reach.

Li Xing and a noble lady walked in.

It was Li Xing and his mother.

Li Xing's mother.

Li Xing is 1.85 meters tall, a typical northern man. His mother is only 1.6 meters tall and wears a long dress. The material looks soft and rich, probably satin or velvet. The color is elegant but luxurious, simple but solemn. She wears expensive jewelry, has her hair tied up, has a well-maintained face, and has smooth and delicate skin. Her every move reveals a kind of upbringing, which makes people feel friendly, just like a lady.

Li Xing and his mother entered the tent.

Originally, Li Xing was disgusted when he saw such a bargain here and wanted to complain about the unsanitary conditions, but the next moment, he was stunned.

"Rat?"

When his mother saw Ninth Brother, she was stunned for a moment.

The ninth brother first glanced at his mother, then quickly lowered his head and picked up the chopsticks to pick up the few slices of meat in the mutton soup.

Yang Hao immediately realized that maybe his ninth brother had some grudges with the noble lady in front of him?
"Ah Xing."

Li Xing's mother's name is Zhou Tingxue.

Zhou Tingxue collected her thoughts and asked in surprise, "Do you know each other?"

Li Xing said with a smile: "Mom, this is my classmate and roommate, a buddy of mine, named Yang Hao, also from the University of Finance and Economics."

"Oh oh." Zhou Tingxue seemed to be thinking about something. She raised her head and continued to look at Brother Nine. The latter buried his head and drank his soup sullenly. He was as timid as a child who had done something wrong and did not dare to look at her.

"Haozi, what a coincidence, how come you are here too?" Li Xing was carefree and sat down directly opposite Yang Hao. Then he picked up a tissue and wiped the bench next to him, and asked Zhou Tingxue to sit down, saying, "Mom, sit here, we all know each other."

"it is good."

After Zhou Tingxue sat down, she kept looking at Brother Jiu.

But the latter never dared to look up.

Li Xing also knew Brother Jiu, so he was very surprised to see Yang Hao drinking mutton soup with Brother Jiu in this remote place at night. He smiled and said, "Brother Jiu, what a coincidence."

"Oh, what a coincidence." Brother Nine lowered his head and answered casually.

At this time, Zhou Tingxue spoke up, "Guanyu, long time no see."

Ninth brother lowered his head and pretended to be dumbfounded, "What do you mean by watching the rain?"

Watch the rain?

Yang Hao and Li Xing were both stunned.

Isn’t Brother Nine’s name Zheng Jiu?

Zhou Tingxue smiled, touched her hair, and looked at Yang Hao again, examining him carefully. "Guanyu, stop pretending. I know it's you."

Hearing this, Brother Jiu raised his head helplessly and grinned, "You have discovered this, but I have changed my name now. I am no longer Zheng Guanyu, but Zheng Jiu."

Zhou Tingxue chuckled, said nothing, and just looked at Brother Nine quietly.

Yang Hao and Li Xing were completely stunned.

what's the situation?
Do these two know each other?
Li Xing was not stupid. He could tell at a glance that Brother Jiu had a special relationship with his mother, and they seemed to be old acquaintances. He was silent for a while.

Seeing the strange silence in the atmosphere, Brother Nine smiled awkwardly at Li Xing and said, "Is this your son? He's already this big?"

Zhou Tingxue gently stroked Li Xing's shoulder and said with a smile, "Yes, I'm eighteen years old."

"Oh oh." Brother Jiu continued to lower his head with a complicated expression, and no one knew what he was thinking.

In order to hide his embarrassment, he used chopsticks to stir the bland mutton soup, trying to find a piece of meat, but he was disappointed. He felt resentful and could not help but scolding Old Man Li, saying that he was stingy and only put a few slices of meat in a bowl of soup worth one hundred yuan.

"Is this your son?" Zhou Tingxue looked at Yang Hao with a smile.

Brother Nine was stunned for a while after hearing this, then he quickly looked up, put his arm around Yang Hao's shoulders, and said vaguely, "Yes, he's my son."

Yang Hao: “…”

I treat you as a brother, but you treat me as a son...

However, he knew that Brother Nine was using Yang Hao as a shield.

Even an idiot could guess that Zhou Tingxue and Brother Jiu seemed to be old lovers.

Yang Hao remembered that his ninth brother once told him that when he was penniless, there was a girl who was willing to eat at street stalls with him and rent a house with him. Even when he owed tens of thousands of yuan from gambling, the girl took out money to help him pay it back... Later, she went to the north.

Zhou Tingxue looked at Yang Hao with a smile in her eyes, "It's a pity that he doesn't look like you."

Ninth Brother laughed dryly, "Like his mother."

silence.

At this time, Old Man Li brought two large bowls of hot mutton soup.

Li Xing looked at the coriander floating in the bowl, muttered, a little unhappy, and whispered: "I don't eat coriander..."

"It's okay, just give it to me." Zhou Tingxue gently picked up the chopsticks, patiently picked up all the coriander in Li Xing's bowl and put it in her own bowl.

At this time, Zhou Tingxue discovered that there was also coriander in Ninth Brother's bowl.

She was a little surprised. "Guanyu, don't you not eat coriander?"

Ninth Brother's face suddenly turned red, and he turned his head away from Zhou Tingxue, pretending to be nonchalant and said: "People change, and later I felt that it was quite delicious."

"oh oh."

There was another dead silence.

"Guan Yu, are you still hanging around now?"

Zhou Tingxue's voice is very gentle. She is a typical southern girl, intellectual, dignified, and gentle... Her conversation can make people inexplicably quiet.

Brother Nine laughed dryly: "I don't mix with people anymore. I've stopped mixing with people for a long time. Now I've opened a food court and run a small business."

"Just don't mix them. Smoke less, it hurts your lungs." Zhou Tingxue noticed an opened box of Hetianxia on the table and said softly.

"Yes, yes, I'll quit when I get back."

Brother Jiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Zhou Tingxue smiled faintly.

Since when did Brother Nine become so obedient?
Although Yang Hao had not spent too much time with Ninth Brother, he had a general understanding of his character. Ninth Brother must have been as stubborn as a donkey back then, otherwise, why would Zhou Tingxue leave him and go to the north?
He must have been heartbroken.

The current Ninth Brother is like a scavenger, trying to make up for his past debts.

Unfortunately, it's all too late.

Ninth brother is still single and has not married a woman, while Zhou Tingxue is already married and has adult children.

Li Xing drank the mutton soup in a depressed mood, with a complicated expression, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

About twenty minutes later, Zhou Tingxue and Li Xing finished their meal. She paid the bill and gave Brother Jiu a warm smile, "Well, we'll leave first."

"I...I'll see you off." Brother Jiu stood up and spoke incoherently.

"Need not."

So, the ninth brother had no choice but to stand there at a loss, watching the mother and son leave.

Only after their backs completely disappeared into the night did Ninth Brother sit down dejectedly, his face showing a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"Brother, she is the girl you told me about before, right?"

"Yes, her name is Zhou Tingxue." Brother Nine felt lost.

Zhou Tingxue, Zheng Guanyu.

Listen to the snow and watch the rain.

This name...

"We are childhood sweethearts."

Brother Jiu subconsciously wanted to touch the cigarette, but thinking about what he had just promised, he held back. After struggling for a while, he whispered to himself, "Forget it, I haven't done anything I promised her, so I'll just smoke."

So, Brother Jiu took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to tell Yang Hao about the past.

Simply put, the two families are neighbors who grew up together when they were wearing open-crotch pants. They are childhood sweethearts.

Xia Tingxue is a good student with excellent academic performance and was successfully admitted to Xinzhou University through the college entrance examination. However, Jiu Ge was a notorious poor student. He dropped out of high school and hung out outside.

In fact, Jiu Ge is a smart man, otherwise most people in that era might not be able to get into high school. It’s just that his family encountered a huge change. His father was working on a construction site and was accidentally hit by a steel bar. He didn’t die, but he was disabled. The black-hearted company just compensated him with some money to deal with the matter. Jiu Ge’s mother cried all day long, taking care of her disabled husband.

In order to maintain the expensive medical expenses, the medical expenses compensated by the factory were used up, the house was sold, and finally, Jiu Ge's mother could not stand such a life without a future, so she went through the divorce procedures and remarried in another province. In the end, Jiu Ge's father passed away regretfully.

At that time, Brother Jiu was only in high school. He was full of vigor and anger, so he went to find the boss of the factory, took the menu, and wanted to chop off one of his fingers in front of him. This incident caused a big uproar, and Brother Jiu was later expelled from the school, ruining his bright future.

Otherwise, with Jiu Ge's intelligence and talent, I wouldn't dare say he could get into Xinzhou University, but it would at least be a first-class university. At that time, college students were precious and had a bright future.

At that time, the idea of ​​favoring boys over girls was very serious. At the beginning, Zhou Tingxue had a younger brother, and her parents refused to let her go to college. They believed that a girl's virtue lies in her lack of talent, and it would be better for her to find a husband and get married instead of wasting time. When the ninth brother heard this, he was furious. He went to the parents' house and had a big fight with them, saying: If you don't support her studies, I will.

Then, Brother Jiu worked outside at construction sites and docks to earn some hard-earned money to support Zhou Tingxue's college education. After just one year, Zhou Tingxue no longer needed Brother Jiu's financial support, because the school offered various subsidies and scholarships, and when she had nothing to do, Zhou Tingxue would go out to be a tutor to earn some living expenses.

The days of the two of them can be said to be very enjoyable.

But Zhou Tingxue's mother was a sarcastic person. She had been looking for a matchmaker for her daughter. Seeing that Jiu Ge, a worker, was delaying her daughter's development, she came to lecture him many times.

They said you are just a lousy worker, with no parents, no car or house, and that you and my daughter have no future.

She is a college student and an intellectual. You will only be a burden to her if you follow her.

Brother Jiu didn’t care. At that time, love was the beginning of his feelings in his eyes.

Zhou Tingxue's mother was at her wit's end, so she said viciously that unless you can give her daughter a future and have certain financial requirements for him, all kinds of betrothal gifts must be given, otherwise everything is wishful thinking.

It was also at that time that Jiu Ge worked at the dock during the day and worked as a bartender in a bar at night. Later, he embarked on a path of no return and joined the Kites Society.

Ninth brother was helpless.

Although Zhou Tingxue's mother spoke harshly, every word was heartbreaking and realistic.

Jiu Ge knows very well that he is a person like him. He has no education and no skills. He is only brave and courageous, so he can only take unconventional approaches. He wants to give his beloved a future. Unfortunately, when he gets everything that is within his reach, the gap and contradiction between them become more and more acute, and there is no way to heal them.

Zhou Tingxue had received higher education and knew that there would be no future for Ninth Brother if he continued in this way. She tried to persuade him many times and the two sides even had many quarrels.

Zhou Tingxue was worried that his future would fall into an abyss from which there was no escape.

But Brother Jiu thought he had no choice, and he did this for the future of both of them.

This is the essence of contradiction.

After persuasion failed, Zhou Tingxue was covered in bruises. She left Xinzhou regretfully and went to Beijing to take the postgraduate entrance examination.

From then on, we were separated by the world and were no longer people from the same world.

Speaking of this, Brother Jiu's eyes turned red. This man in his forties, the man who never cried out in pain even after being stabbed dozens of times, had a choked tone in his voice.

He took long puffs of his cigarette.

Yang Hao was silent for a long time and sighed. Ninth brother is also a romantic man.

"Haozi, my brother is a rough man who doesn't understand reason. Here, I will give you five words."

Yang Hao listened respectfully.

"Hold the one in your arms."

In a movie called "A Chinese Odyssey", there is a line that has become popular on the Internet: "Back then, there was a true love in front of me, but I didn't know how to cherish it. I didn't regret it until I lost it..."

It perfectly describes Brother Jiu’s current mood and situation.

(End of this chapter)