【Lou Cheng】 How easy is another day

The first time Mingtai saw Paris was her appearance on a spring evening.

When the car passed the Seine River, Mingcheng specially reminded him to look out the window: "Look at Mingtai, Notre Dame Cathedral."

But he wasn't interested, he raised his eyes for a glance, then drooped his eyelids listlessly: "Oh."

Sitting next to him, Ming Lou didn't know where the little thing's anomaly came from, but he just said, "We're almost home."

This sentence hit Mingtai immediately, and he immediately retorted, full of anger: "This is not home!"

Minglou and Mingcheng exchanged glances quickly, and then said as the eldest brother: "Whatever you want. When I was waiting for you at the station, I already sent a telegram to my eldest sister, telling her that you have arrived in Paris."

The corner of Mingtai's mouth twitched slightly, and he looked out the window with some stubbornness.

Minglou knew that Mingtai was unwilling to come to Paris.

Minglou also knew that if it hadn't been for January [-], the elder sister probably wouldn't have sent Mingtai to them. After all, after they went to France, Mingtai was already the only relative by her side.

But no matter what the reason is, what kind of reluctance and entanglement you have, now that you have made a choice, let's go on the road.The men and women of their Ming family have always been like this.

Ming Lou said again: "You are not a child anymore. I know why the elder sister did this..."

"Shanghai is no longer fighting. I want to go home. I have to stay with her. You are all gone, I can't let her stay at home alone."

"Who told you not to fight? Shanghai has ceased fighting, and the rest of China will stop fighting? The Japanese just go back?"

"No! No! No!" Mingtai burst out suddenly, "If there is no, I want to go back! You are all hiding in Paris, reading your ghost books far away. Don't you know whether to fight war or not? ? Don’t you know if the Japanese got out? Now that you know everything, why don’t you stay here with peace of mind…”

"Mingtai!"

Mingcheng stopped him with one word.

The taxi driver couldn't understand their argument, and wondered why all three young gentlemen sounded so angry.He worriedly asked Mingcheng in the passenger seat if something happened. Mingcheng shook his head first, and then looked back at Mingtai who was flushed all over his face: "I want to lose my temper and go home. Big sister is usually like this." taught you?"

"Okay, then buy me a boat ticket and take me home."

At this moment, Minglou finally said again: "You made him convulse. The fire on the boat has been simmering for months, and someone finally convulsed." He didn't seem to be angry, and when he said these words, he only frowned slightly. frowning

It was fine if he didn't speak, but when he did, Mingtai's voice suddenly became higher: "Who's having a convulsion!"

Minglou ignored him any more.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before the car sent them to their destination.Minglou and Mingcheng took down six suitcases from the car, picked the largest and heaviest four in their hands, and left the two soft suitcases to Mingtai who was still sulking. One after another, he entered the apartment building.

Seeing the backs of the two older brothers, Mingtai was startled for a moment, but still followed.

When they first arrived in Paris at the end of 31, Minglou and Mingcheng first rented a small two-bedroom apartment near the Pantheon, and walking to the Sorbonne was less than a cigarette away.A few months later, I received the news that Mingtai was coming, and Mingcheng had decided to go to the Polytechnic Institute to study engineering. The two brothers found a four-bedroom apartment near the Odéon subway station on Avenue Saint-Germain. apartment.

Their landlord is a dentist. He heard that Ming Tai had come to study in France from China, and he was specially waiting to welcome him at home.Seeing flowers and wine, and friendly hugs from strangers, even Mingtai's depression and anger can't explode at this moment.

Mingtai's first meal in Paris was at a place he didn't recognize as "home" at the time.The landlady cooked the kitchen herself and cooked a table full of local dishes for the three brothers.After a long journey, sitting in such a bright and fragrant room, surrounded by familiar relatives, made Mingtai a little dazed at first, but after a while, he became uncontrollably sad again.

He remembered the elder sister's advice when he came to leave: "After this trip, you are also an adult. Learn to take care of yourself, and take care of each other with your elder brother and Ah Cheng. If you take care of yourself outside, I will live in Shanghai too." Good. If you have something bad, no matter where you are, I know it, and it won't be good."

His sister's voice was still in his ears, and Mingtai suddenly became jealous, he quickly lowered his head and tried his best to hold back.

The landlady served them dishes graciously, and even poured wine for Mingtai.At first, Minglou blocked him, and the landlord asked Mingtai's age. He heard that he was already sixteen, and said with a smile that he could already drink alcohol at this age in France, so Minglou decided to let it go.

The topics on the table at this time are nothing more than the situation at home, impressions of Paris, and future plans.Mingtai's French is not yet at the point where he can communicate freely, and he listens more than speaks. At this time, he suddenly realizes that the two brothers seem to have integrated into this strange country after only seeing each other for half a year.

A sense of strangeness that he had never had before enveloped him, as if he was an out of place outsider, breaking into a brand new place without thinking.While the brothers and the landlord were having a good talk, Mingtai put down the knife and fork and left the seat.

He forgot that this apartment was also a strange place to him, with long and narrow corridors, door after door, and accidentally turned into a brand new room.The sound of talking and laughing seemed to be very close all the time, but he couldn't go back, which made Mingtai irritable and anxious, and a little angry, but refused to ask for help, just wanted to find it by himself.

When he once again opened a door that he had never seen before, Mingtai froze, closed the door hastily, and almost fled in despair.

This time, he unexpectedly ran back to the restaurant by mistake.Seeing him suddenly appear out of breath, the three people who were still at the dining table stopped talking immediately.Minglou asked him, "What's going on?"

Mingtai stammered, "Big brother, that, the landlady, is crying in the kitchen."

In desperation, he didn't speak French. Minglou hurriedly asked the landlord, "What's wrong with Madam? Are you feeling unwell? My brother saw her crying..."

A look of pain and despair flashed across the landlord's face, and he immediately left the table and rushed to the kitchen.

The sudden change made the three brothers not know what to say for a while. After looking at each other for a long time, Mingcheng tentatively asked the boss: "Brother, do you want me to go over and ask?"

Minglou shook his head: "Don't go. Don't worry and wait for a while."

They did not wait too long. After only a few minutes, the landlord and his wife returned to the restaurant, but this time, their eyes were clearly red.

The atmosphere became weird and awkward, and it didn't take long for the landlord and his wife to bid farewell.When seeing off, the landlord looked at the three brothers who were delivered to the door. They all had young faces and bright eyes, and they were looking at them with concern.His lips quivered, and he said, "I'm so sorry. Today's dinner was so pleasant that it reminded my wife of the past..."

This was really nonsensical, Mingtai suspected that his French was not good, and he misheard, but he secretly looked at the two brothers, and found that they also had doubts in their eyes.

At this time, the landlord said again: ... We once had three sons.Unfortunately, they all died in the war.Hope you enjoyed the meal, we're off.Good night to you all. "

Seeing that they were about to walk into the elevator, Mingtai didn't know what was going on, so he yelled out loud, and they stopped.

He was a little sad, because of the words he heard just now, but he didn't know how to express it all at once. After holding back for a long time, he finally said "thank you", then thought about it, and quickly hugged the landlady: "really Thank you. Very tasty."

After sending the landlord away, the three brothers returned to the restaurant.But they had lost their appetites, and after silently looking at the food on the table for a while, Mingcheng asked, "Are you still eating? If not, I'll clean it up."

Minglou didn't answer the call, and started to clean up the knives and forks.

Mingtai had never done such a thing as tidying the dining table. Seeing that his brothers were busy, he felt that he should help, but he didn't know where to start.Seeing his eagerness to try but at a loss, Ming Lou said, "You've been on a boat for so long, and you've been on a train again. You're tired enough. Go take a shower and go to bed first. Leave it here for us."

"Oh." Mingtai agreed, but didn't move.

"Ah Cheng, take him to the bedroom first. Identify the room."

"Okay." Mingcheng put down the handful of wine glasses he had packed away.

"...Brother, brother Ah Cheng, that, I'm sorry."

The sudden apology made Minglou and Mingcheng look at each other, and then they all looked at Mingtai who looked awkward.Minglou smiled, and Mingcheng simply reached out and patted his head: "Okay. Go to bed early. I will take you to send a telegram when I wake up in the morning. You send her a letter yourself, and then we will write a letter to her together." Letter. Let her feel at ease."

"it is good!"

When Mingcheng helped Mingtai set up and returned to the dining room, Minglou had already packed the entire dining table: all the knives, forks, dishes, and wine glasses were thrown into the kitchen, waiting for the servants to come to clean them the next day, and the unfinished food was thrown away. Replaced with suitable containers, neatly stacked in a corner of the table.

Seeing this scene, Mingcheng slowed down by half a step. He turned his head to look at Minglou who was sitting on the sofa in the corner of the room, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Brother, the little thing has fallen asleep."

"Well, he must be exhausted. I didn't expect him to have the strength to lose his temper."

The corner of Mingcheng's mouth curled slightly: "At this age, you are very angry. There are always a few years of barbarism, and it will be fine in the past."

Minglou glanced at him: "You don't."

Mingcheng lowered his head and didn't answer for a while.

At this time, Ming Lou noticed that he had changed his clothes: "Going out?"

Mingcheng nodded: "I have already made an appointment with my friend."

"Oh. Go ahead. I'll leave the door open for you."

"Thank you, brother." Seeing that he didn't ask much, Mingcheng felt relieved, "I will. Oh, brother..."

"Huh?" Minglou had already put on his glasses at this time, and was about to finish reading the book that he hadn't finished reading in the afternoon, when he heard Mingcheng calling him, he raised his head from the pages of the book again.

"Can I take these unfinished things away?"

"Of course. Be careful with the soup, it won't look good if it spills on your clothes."

Minglou watched Mingcheng pack the food one by one, remembered that there were two long sticks in the kitchen that he hadn't eaten in time, and reminded him to take them away together.

He silently watched Mingcheng's busyness, saw the eagerness and competence in the other party's silence, and said nothing.

"Goodbye, brother."

After packing everything, Mingcheng said goodbye to him.

"Goodbye."

"Acheng."

Minglou suddenly made a sound, and immediately after, he saw Mingcheng's back stiffen for a moment.

Mingcheng turned his head, his eyes were a little puzzled, his nervousness was carefully hidden.

Seeing this, Minglou only smiled slightly: "Be careful."

"...Thank you, brother. Brother, rest early."

After the door was closed, Minglou sat for a while, then put down the book in his hand, walked to the window, and looked at the dimly lit Avenue Saint-Germain through the window.

He saw the wind blowing the branches, there were many cars on the road, but not many pedestrians, and his younger brother was hurrying towards a place he didn't know.