This page looks best with JavaScript enabled
Chapter 5 Selfishness is Instinct, Greed is Nature
Chapter 5 Selfishness is Instinct, Greed is Nature
Zheng Jieyuan's father and Sang Zhengbai are partners in the shopping mall. Because of this relationship, Zheng Jieyuan and I often met when we were young, and we naturally became acquainted with each other.
He is a little younger than me, and he is still idle all day long, playing wildly with his friends. Therefore, when his father saw Sang Zhengbai, he would always have an over-enthusiasm to find a bosom friend. He liked to talk about the sons of the two families over and over again, which made Sang Zhengbai very annoying-he really didn't need another person to emphasize his feelings to him. What a waste my son is.
ใWant to come and play? I'm booking today. ใ
Zheng Jieyuan's message popped up on the phone, because the avatar was new, and I almost didn't recognize it.
In the photo, a red-haired Zheng Jieyuan is half sitting and half leaning on the hood of a yellow supercar, with a pair of golden-edged toad mirrors on his forehead, and arrogantly raises two bright middle fingers to the camera, a bohemian bastard.
It's no wonder that Sang Zhengbai always felt that he was the one who brought me down. From the beginning to the end, he even had the words "bad boy" written on his hair.
In fact, in the past two years, the two of us have not been together so often. I have stopped drinking, I don't like to make noise, I don't like to buy a car, and I have no good feelings for his friends. He will continue to ask me out to this day, in addition to looking at past affection, it is more of a habit.
I scrolled up ten chat records, and they were all similar conversations. Zheng Jieyuan asked me if I could not come out, and I replied "no", and I felt tired even typing one more word.
This time still wanted to refuse, but before sending it, temporarily changed mind.
ใwhere? ใ
Anyway, no matter if I go out to fool around, Sang Zhengbai will think that I have gone, so it is better to really go.
[Finally, please move your great Buddha. ใ
Zheng Jieyuan sent the location not long ago. It was a nightclub that he had always loved to visit. It was in the city center, and it only took 20 minutes from my residence.
Grab your jacket and head out the door, all the way unobstructed, five minutes sooner than expected.
I threw the car keys to the parking guy at the door, and as soon as I stepped into the store, my temples throbbed slightly from the loud noise.
Although it was only ten o'clock, the atmosphere in the store was already very lively. On the dance floor, a group of men and women danced wildly. The air was filled with the strange smell of tobacco, alcohol and various unknown perfumes, which made people nauseous.
The waiter knew me and knew that Zheng Jieyuan and I were together, so he led me to the largest booth on the second floor without any instructions.
"Sang Nian!" Zheng Jieyuan saw me from a distance and raised his hand to say hello.
"Miss brother!"
"Miss brother."
A group of people surrounded him with familiar and familiar faces, about a dozen people, followed me and greeted me.
It's hard for me to have a good face towards Zheng Jieyuan, not to mention his horses. Without giving them any response, I sat directly opposite Zheng Jieyuan and asked the waiter to bring me a bottle of sparkling water.
"I haven't seen you for a while, I almost thought you were going to be good." Zheng Jieyuan took a cigarette case from the table in front of him and handed it to me.
"I'm just busy." I took out my e-cigarette from my pocket and signaled him not to use it.
He glanced at the black electronic cigarette in my hand, raised his eyebrows and said, "Quit smoking?"
"Well." I didn't explain much, I inhaled a puff of e-cigarette, which flowed through my lungs, and then slowly exhaled through my nose. In an instant, the suffocating and unpleasant air around was dyed with a strong mint fragrance.
Drinking, punching, twisting his body to the DJ's music, and cheering, Zheng Jieyuan looked at the crowd downstairs with great interest, his upper body swayed gently with the music, and he looked like he was having fun.
After eleven o'clock, there were more and more people in the store. The DJ picked up the microphone and shouted to everyone present, thanking Zheng Jieyuan for the reserved venue, so that everyone could enjoy the carnival.
When the light hit the second floor, while Zheng Jieyuan was holding a cigarette in his hand, he held a whisky glass locally and bowed downstairs from a distance, causing a lot of applause.
Young and rich, handsome and generous, Zheng Jieyuan under the light changed his timidity in front of his father, and became confident as if he had changed himself.
Maybe that's why he's addicted to nightclubs. Being able to get the recognition and support that is not available from the family, although it is nothing, but like tobacco and alcohol, once you become addicted, it will be difficult to quit.
It was almost twelve o'clock, Zheng Jieyuan was tired of waiting, and planned to change to eat, and asked me if there was any store I wanted to go to.
There really is.
"I'll ask for a late night snack and let them follow my car." I held onto the doorway.
"Then you lead the way." Zheng Jieyuan said and got into my passenger seat.
Half an hour later, our group reached the Fisherman's Wharf by the river. Pieces of food stalls are linked together to form a spectacular matrix of bright lights.
Although it is far away from the downtown area of โโHong Kong, and surrounded by dilapidated self-built houses and old buildings, it is considered a tourist check-in place because of its size, and it is now at the end of the peak season.
A series of supercars of different colors parked on the side of the road, attracting the attention of many people. Several stall owners rushed out to grab customers and invited us to eat at their home.
I was unmoved, my goal was clear, and I led the crowd all the way forward, passing the best-selling stalls and arriving at the most remote corner of the wharf.
"This one? Are you sure?" Zheng Jieyuan looked around with suspicion.
I hooked my lips: "OK."
The man who was wiping the table, who looked particularly shabby, turned his head when he heard the movement, and when he saw me, his face couldn't hide his surprise.
"Yeah, Doctor Ji?" I also pretended to be surprised.
Ji Chenfeng was wearing an apron and holding a rag in his hand, as if he couldn't understand why I was here, and asked a somewhat amusing question.
"Are you coming... for dinner?"
Under the apron, he wore an ordinary sweater and jeans, less the coldness brought by the white coat, and more casual and approachable.
"Yeah, I'm here with my friends for a late-night snack." I sat down at the seat closest to Ji Chenfeng, and I sighed, "What a coincidence, we can also meet like this."
Certainly not a coincidence. The owner of this stall is Yan Shanhua and Ji Chenfeng who are old neighbors for many years. Yan Shanhua will come here every night after finishing his work of cleaning the hospital to carry dishes and do odd jobs. When the peak season is crowded, Ji Chenfeng will also come to help Greeting guests, starting from high school, it has been unstoppable for many years.
The topic that the little bastard made is really limited. In order to get closer to Ji Chenfeng, I can only artificially increase the chance encounters like this.
"Chenfeng, go and serve the dishes, I'll greet the guests." While speaking, a familiar female voice came from not far away.
Ji Chenfeng turned his head and said, "Just come." He put a folded advertisement paper on the table into my arms, and said, "This is the menu, you can take a look first." After that, he turned and left.
As soon as he left, there was no cover in front of him, and Yan Shanhua, who was walking this way, also found me. Her eyes widened uncontrollably, and the word "Sang" was about to be uttered, but was forced back by my icy gaze.
She hurried over and wiped the apron around her waist several times with her palm: "Sit...you can sit...you can all sit."
Greeting everyone diligently, when introducing Zheng Jieyuan's signature dishes, Yan Shanhua would peek at me from time to time.
Such surreptitious staring is not much better than straight staring, but if it is pointed out on purpose, it will arouse suspicion.
Just look at it, anyway, it is impossible for other people to guess my relationship with her.
"You order it." I handed over the task of ordering to Zheng Jieyuan, I looked around, and put my eyes on Ji Chenfeng in the distance.
Compared with the dozen or twenty tables of other stalls at the dock, this "Uncle Li stall" has only three round tables, each of which is only enough to seat five or six people. Of course.
Before our group came, there was only one table of guests in the stall, two people, which can be described as "cold" compared to other places.
Ji Chenfeng put down the plate containing the food, and took away the plate that the guests had finished eating. During this period, he glanced over here, which happened to meet my gaze.
I smiled at him, showing the greatest kindness.
His gaze swept across my face lightly, his expression remained unchanged, and he didn't give me any response, as if he was not only deaf, but also blind.
"That's all." Zheng Jieyuan didn't mean to be polite to me, and ordered dishes that were full of pages.
Yan Shanhua repeatedly confirmed it, brought us drinks and then went to fight the boss.
"Do you know the boss of this stall?" Zheng Jieyuan took apart the disposable tableware and inquired curiously, "This is not your style, don't you hate this kind of dirty roadside stall the most?"
"I don't know the boss, I know the waiter." I pointed to Ji Chenfeng, who was skilled at pouring the leftovers into the swill bucket after the stove, and told Zheng Jieyuan about the treatment of the turtle.
"You actually care about the turtle's life or death?"
Although Zheng Jieyuan and I don't have many similar hobbies, as expected of playing together from childhood to adulthood, he immediately grasped the point.
"After so many years, it's normal to have feelings." After finishing the dirty dishes, Ji Chenfeng came to Yan Shanhua's side and seemed to want to take over her work, but she was blocked by her smile.
The boss, Li Qiang, is a fat middle-aged man. His short-sleeved T-shirt is already soaking wet. Sweat drips from his forehead and neck. One can't help but worry about whether the sweat will not end. Careful also dripped into his dishes.
What he said to Ji Chenfeng, Ji Chenfeng took a large tea jar on the stool and handed it to his mouth, feeding him half a glass of water.
Li Qiang squinted his eyes in relief, smiled kindly, pointed his chin to the lounge chair next to the stove, and saw that he meant to let him rest.
Ji Chenfeng put a smile on his lips, this time he finally did not refuse and sat down.
"I remember that you hated that turtle very much at first, and said that sooner or later you would stew it." It may be rare to find a topic that can be talked to me, and Zheng Jieyuan is always that little bastard.
I looked back, and my tone couldn't help but sneer: "Human hearts are always complicated."
Shenglong, Fengshengfeng, although I don't want to admit it, I should be like Yan Shanhua.
Twenty-five years ago, when Yan Shanhua was seven months pregnant, her husband, who was working at the construction site, had a conflict with his co-workers playing cards in his spare time. He was severely injured by a brick and lay unconscious in bed. She was terrified and gave birth to her next baby boy, me.
The family lost the only source of income. Facing the huge medical expenses and the infant child, she washed her face in tears all day long. Finally, she became the nurse of the young master of the Sang family through the introduction of the kind-hearted nurse at the hospital.
Mrs. Sang, Xu Wanyi, died of a bloody collapse, leaving behind a son. Sang Zhengbai suddenly died of his wife, and his career was at a critical period, with internal and external troubles, and he was so overwhelmed that the child didn't have time to look at it, so he handed it over to this honest woman.
This job can be said to be a blessing in disguise for Yan Shanhua, but in the face of the uncertain future and the superior family environment of the Sang family, she secretly exchanged her own children with the children of the Sang family. Since then, I have become Sang Zhengbai's son, and Ji Chenfeng has become her son.
How could Yan Shanhua do such a thing if it weren't for the complicated people's hearts? If it weren't for the complexities of people's hearts, why would I sit here, knowing everything, but pretending to not know each other with her?
Selfishness is instinct, greed is nature; goodness is temporary, evil is forever. Yan Shanhua is like this, and I, as her son, are naturally like this.