Hear this life

It's strange, there's only one more person at home, but the atmosphere is as lively as Chinese New Year. Mrs. Zhou happily goes into the kitchen to heat up the dishes, Wen Tingli runs to wash the crystal glasses like a whirlwind. Xiao Taozi is a little uncomfortable with the addition of a new guest to the table at first. Young children are forgetful, and Lu Shicheng hasn't been home for so long that she can no longer remember what happened.

But Lu Shicheng has a kind of magic - when he was mute, he could only keep silent. Now that he is well, he doesn't talk much, but even if he doesn't talk much, he can make everyone around him feel relaxed and comfortable. Wen Tingli once made a special analysis of this and concluded that Lu Shicheng never criticized or blamed others, he only demanded of himself.

Anyone would feel like being in the spring breeze when they are with such a person. Although Xiao Taozi is young, she can keenly perceive the different personalities of adults. She secretly observed Lu Shicheng at the table and found that whether she made faces at him or snatched fruit from his hand, Mr. Lu was always so steady and calm.

Gradually, Xiao Taozi let go of her childish defensiveness. When Mrs. Zhou and Wen Tingli brought out the dishes, she volunteered to help put a pair of chopsticks in front of Lu Shicheng, waving her little hands and saying, "Mr. Lu is here, and my sister is happy. She wants to cook, but her hair is burnt."

Lu Shicheng was stunned and looked up at Wen Tingli's hair. Wen Tingli was embarrassed.

"I wanted to cook a few dishes myself, but unfortunately I failed. I will never go into the kitchen again. But I bet these dishes will suit your taste. Try this first."

She scooped a spoonful of crab roe scrambled eggs into his bowl.

Lu Shicheng's eyes were still searching on the table when he heard Xiao Taozi say, "Where's the food my sister cooked? I want to eat the food my sister cooked."

Mrs. Zhou was shocked: "Oh, your sister's cooking is inedible!"

"I want to eat. I want to eat."

Wen Tingli went to the kitchen with an embarrassed smile and brought out a plate of food: "Here, this is the braised spareribs I made. If you don't mind if it tastes bad, try it."

Everyone at the table was so frightened that they dared not move, because the dish was so horrifying in both color and shape.

Despite this, Lu Shicheng still picked up a piece out of curiosity and tasted it. He had prepared himself mentally, but he still almost couldn't control his expression. What did it taste like? Why did it taste like leather shoes? He almost had to force himself to swallow the "thing" without any hesitation.

Wen Tingli was so embarrassed that she quickly poured him a glass of water and snatched the chopsticks from his hand: "I told you not to eat it, but you insisted on trying it. I won't be responsible if you choke to death! Here, just eat the food here."

Seeing how they were doing, Mrs. Zhou was already very happy. After dinner, Wen Tingli dragged Lu Shicheng to see the piano she bought for Xiao Taozi, and Lu Shicheng simply helped them try out the sound.

Seeing the two people whispering over there, Mrs. Zhou picked up Xiao Taozi and said, "Mr. Lu, please sit down."

Xiao Taozi refused to leave: "I want to play with my sisters for a while longer."

Mrs. Zhou took Xiao Taozi away without giving any explanation.

Wen Tingli looked at Lu Shicheng, while Lu Shicheng lowered his eyes to look at the musical score on the piano stand. The living room was obviously much quieter than before, but both of them felt that there was inexplicably noisy sound in their ears.

This inaudible noise made both of them feel a little confused.

After a moment of silence, Lu Shicheng walked away from the piano and sat on the sofa to drink tea. Wen Tingli saw that he was as absent-minded as herself, so she was not in a hurry to speak. Instead, she picked out the roundest orange from the fruit plate and began to peel it slowly.

As she peeled the apples, she recalled the time when Lu Shicheng peeled apples for her when she was injured and hospitalized. At that time, he was completely obedient to her, unlike now, when the two of them were always close yet distant.

She sighed with emotion and broke the silence first: "What are you thinking about?"

He was watching her peeling an orange thoughtfully. Hearing her words, he seemed to want to say something. Just at this moment, the western clock in the living room rang "ding-ding-ding", and both of them turned their heads to look over there at the same time.

The bell rang ten times in succession. Wen Tingli was secretly shocked that time passed so quickly.

Lu Shicheng retracted his gaze and turned to look at her: "I was thinking, it's ten o'clock, I should also say goodbye."

He stood up and lifted his coat from the back of the chair. He had a premonition that if he stayed any longer, he would not be able to control his inner desire for her. He would hold her in his arms, he would lower his head to find her lips, he would -

Wen Tingli said nothing. She just put the unpeeled orange on the coffee table and stood there watching him leave.

Lu Shicheng almost fled from her home. It was too dark at night and there were few pedestrians on the street. He drove aimlessly on the road while loosening his tie, but he still felt hot all over.

She still refused to tell him anything, but he kept running towards her. His rationality had completely collapsed, and he was getting lost step by step. Is there a beautiful garden like heaven ahead, or a fiery hell that will devour him? Who can tell him the answer?

He parked the car on the side of the road and put his hands on the steering wheel. After a while, he began to wander around the street aimlessly again. When passing the pier by the river, a cool breeze blew over from the river, like some kind of oracle, which immediately calmed the heat in his heart.

For some unknown reason he stopped the car, and then simply got out and walked towards the river. There were a few workers working the night shift sitting scattered on the dock, and when they heard the footsteps behind them, they all turned their heads.

Lu Shicheng walked to the shore and stood still. Suddenly, he saw a glowing light box slowly approaching along the dark river. Looking carefully, he saw that it was a luxurious ship with a line of words "Yuanmeng Brand Bicycle" illuminated by a light bulb on the mast.

Below this line of words, there is a giant advertising light box with an image of a vigorous woman riding a bicycle on it. The neon lights flicker, illuminating the woman's face like a water lily quietly blooming in a lake.

He could not forget this face even in his dreams. He did not expect to see Wen Tingli after escaping here.

The ad reads:

【The famous movie star Miss Wen Tingli also loves to ride the 'Yuan Meng' brand bicycle. 】

"Pretty, isn't she?" An old voice suddenly came out from the shadows behind him, "Hey, my face back then was even more attractive than this girl."

Lu Shicheng did not say a word. He could tell that the man was a homeless person, wearing tattered clothes. His every move gave off a sour smell, and he smacked his lips as he spoke.

He casually took out a few silver coins from his trouser pocket, bent over and put them into the old man's bowl.

The old man didn't care how much money he got from his bowl. Instead, he looked up at Lu Shicheng with a curious look: "Oh, you are a handsome young man. Why don't you go home in the middle of the night?"

Lu Shicheng walked to an open space and sat down. The old man also moved his position immediately. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed: "What a nice smell. Hey, were you with that girl just now? You smell like powder." Lu Shicheng's heart was beating fast and his face was slightly hot. He didn't remember any intimate actions with her tonight. Maybe the scent came from her hair when they stood side by side in front of the piano, or maybe he smelled the fragrance from her fingers when she held his hand to visit the room together.

Looking back now, every scene tonight seemed like an alluring dream with a fragrance that has kept him distracted till now.

He frowned, picked up a stone and threw it towards the river.

"They definitely had a fight." The old man said his judgment very confidently, "Otherwise you wouldn't come here to sulk in the middle of the night. It's common for young couples to have fights. Go home quickly."

"I have no home." Lu Shicheng said coldly.

"No home? How can a person be without a home? Where are your parents?"

The old man looked at Lu Shicheng again in astonishment. After a while, he sighed sadly and sat down next to Lu Shicheng: "No wonder, children without parents are always miserable, helpless and have to figure out everything by themselves. The more lively other people's homes are during festivals, the more miserable you feel. But you have to understand one thing, everyone will have a home. Where the heart is at peace, there is home. Do you understand?"

Lu Shicheng glanced at him deeply. Although the old man looked crazy, he had his own way of speaking.

At this time, a butterfly flew over the river and happened to land on Lu Shicheng's shoulder. The old man's eyes lit up and he reached out to catch it childishly, but the butterfly flew away.

The old man sat down in disappointment, muttering something to himself. He caught a louse from his chest and chewed it in his mouth out of boredom. He caught another one and handed it to Lu Shicheng. Seeing that Lu Shicheng had no intention of avoiding it, he grinned and said, "You probably thought in your heart: If you hide away in disgust, this old man will definitely feel embarrassed, so you stand still. You are a very kind-hearted young man."

Lu Shicheng said self-deprecatingly: "I'm just a little tired and too lazy to move."

"You are looking down on my vision." The old man pointed at his nose with a smile, "Don't think I am free now. I was a big boss in the past. I understood a truth a long time ago: good people or bad people, eating porridge or eating meat, life is just a dream. Now I don't like dealing with people, but what kind of people have I not seen in the past? I can see at a glance that you are not a bad person. I kindly advise you: if you are upset because of a woman, go find her quickly, otherwise you will regret it in the future."

Lu Shicheng stared at the light box in front of him and asked suddenly, "Where is your lover from back then?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at "Wen Tingli" on the boat.

"Has she ever lied to you?" Lu Shicheng asked absentmindedly. It didn't sound like he was asking the old man, but rather asking himself.

Without warning, the old man burst into tears: "She didn't lie to me, but I lied to her, and then she flew away, just like the butterfly just now, she flew away as soon as she said she would."

He is indeed a madman.

While crying, the old man raised his hand to wipe his nose, leaned over to look at Lu Shicheng's expression carefully: "You must be thinking in your heart, it's just a butterfly, at worst I can just find another one! Bah, that's not right, it's totally wrong! I tell you, there are no two butterflies in the world that are exactly the same. No matter how many butterflies you meet in the future, they will not be the same one you met that year. You can't fool yourself."

Lu Shicheng looked at the homeless man in front of him in surprise.

"You are only happy when you are with this butterfly! But you are still gambling! This gamble, ha ha, your life is completely ruined. You can't catch it even if you chase it. Even if you catch it with a net, it will ignore you. Later, she died in this river by mistake." He shouted heartbreakingly to the river, "Come back, come back soon!"

The more he spoke, the more confused he became, and the more he cried, the sadder he became. Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground, mumbling something.

Lu Shicheng stood up suddenly.

The old man raised his head and looked at him. Lu Shicheng took out a few silver coins from his pocket, but this time he did not throw them into the old man's bowl, but stuffed them into the old man's dirty and torn collar, and then covered him up again.

"Are you leaving?" the old man couldn't help but ask him.

Lu Shicheng hummed.

"where are you going?"

"Go find my butterfly." Lu Shicheng walked towards the shore without looking back.

***
It was already very late at night, but Wen Tingli couldn't sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she could see Lu Shicheng's face.
What was he doing now? Was he also thinking about the two of them? Although they hadn't talked it out tonight, she saw all his struggles and pain.

It was impossible for her to compromise. No matter how much she liked him, she could not give in on this matter. To reconcile, he had to bow his head. This was not an easy thing to do. At this moment, his heart must be more confused than hers.

As she was thinking, she turned over in frustration, and suddenly a shrill ringing sounded beside her pillow.

Wen Tingli looked up in surprise. When she moved to a new house, she specially installed an extension in her room, but she couldn't understand who would call her so late.

While Mrs. Zhou downstairs was still awake, she slowly picked up the receiver: "Hello."

"Are you asleep? Sorry to disturb you so late." The low-pitched voice seemed to ring in her ears instead of through the receiver.

Wen Tingli was surprised.

This was the first time Lu Shicheng called in the middle of the night.

So offensive! But she loved it so much.

"How did you--" Her heart was pounding.

Lu Shicheng clenched the microphone. He wanted to drive directly to her house to find her, but that was too crazy!

(End of this chapter)