Gaya Street

"Don't you recognize me?" Lin Jing still looked at him. Seeing that Wu You hadn't spoken, he continued, "I'm Lin Jing." He lowered his head slightly, put his palm on his forehead, and passed through his hair between his fingers. Put some long bangs together, revealing the complete brow bone and forehead.Lin Jing's eyelashes are very long, hanging in front of his eyes like a thick fan, but his eyebrows are light, and the back of the brow is getting thinner and thinner. On the edge of the left eyebrow, there is a small mole that is not obvious.

When they met for the last time many years ago, both of them were just kids who had just graduated from high school. The rules of the school were very strict, and the boys had short hair.In Wu You's memory, Lin Jing has always kept the appearance of the last time they met - after the graduation ceremony, everyone finally took off the school uniform that they had hated for many years but had no chance to wear again, and Lin Jing changed into a white one. T-shirt, neat short hair that can't cover half of his forehead, the setting sun shone on his face, he didn't speak, just looked at himself.Wu You didn't understand the meaning in his eyes at that time, and only when he grew up did he understand what it meant.

He has grown a little taller than before, and he is already a broad, adult bone figure. Like most young people here, he has dark skin, and he shows a mouthful of neat and white teeth when he smiles.Lin Jing didn't like to laugh when she was a child, but she still has a smile on her face since this meeting.

He didn't need to deliberately show the difference, and showed it to himself like a stranger, how could he not recognize him.Wu You lowered his head, thinking about how to speak, coincidence, long time no see, these pleasantries are the most appropriate, but at the same time, he felt that he was deliberately being polite, the former self would never say such nonsense to him.After a while, Wu You finally raised his head and said whatever came to his mind. He looked at Lin Jing and said, "How could I not recognize you?"

Lin Jing's smile obviously froze for a moment as he felt it was inappropriate to say it, even though he covered it up with a more exaggerated smile, Wu You still noticed it.

"That's good," he said again, Wu You was not used to, or rather didn't like his smile, as if he was glad that Wu You hadn't forgotten him, and somehow felt a little sad.He heard Lin Jing repeat again, "It's good that you still recognize me."

Wu You didn't know what to say anymore. I don't know if it's been a long time since I saw you. Lin Jing seemed a little nervous, but at the same time seemed excited. In short, all kinds of obvious and inconspicuous emotions mixed together to become someone There was no opening to resolve the embarrassment.

Lin Jing's eyes moved from top to bottom, from the floral shirt on his body that was no different from other tourists, to shorts and flip flops, and finally back to Wu You's face, looking into his eyes, "You Are you here for a trip?" he asked.

"Well," Wu Youyou nodded. He saw Lin Jing frowning slightly, and a momentary doubt flashed in his eyes. He knew what Lin Jing wanted to ask, but he didn't say it at the moment. Such thoughtfulness made Wu You quite uncomfortable. Grateful, so I also asked him: "How about you?"

"Probably." He paused, and the hair that had just been pulled up fell off again, sticking to his forehead that was wet with thin sweat. Lin Jing raised his hand, and pushed back the broken hair again, a little disobedient. Lin Jing's hair was just right between Lin Jing's eyebrows.His movements are free and casual, Wu You couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

"Where are you going now?"

"Ready...ready to go to dinner."

He wasn't hiding it on purpose, even though it looked like it was.Wu You really didn't know where the restaurant's long list of default addresses in foreign languages ​​was, and he couldn't tell clearly, which seemed to be perfunctory to Lin Jing.

"There are many people in this tea room, and the taste is average." Lin Jing moved closer, glanced at Wu You's mobile phone screen, and continued in a flat tone: "I'm going to have dinner too, do you want to come together?"

The faint fragrance of his body also approached, mixed with the real sea breeze, making it even more difficult to distinguish.Unable to tell whether it was because he was not used to such a distance, Wu You subconsciously took a small step back, but said yes.

Along the main road at the entrance of the hotel, after three or two turns, you will find Gaya Street.

Lin Jing said that many Chinese in Kota Kinabalu have opened shops on this street, including tea rooms, herbal tea shops, dry goods stores, and seafood shops. The restaurant he mentioned has recently become popular on domestic social networks, but it is nothing more than an ordinary one. smell.

This street is not too long. Like most cities in Malaysia, many elements from the West, India, and East Asia are mixed together to form a unique school.For example, there are slogans in English or Malay on all kinds of signboards, but there is a wooden archway at the intersection, and on the plaque with gold letters on a black background, it says "the country is peaceful and the people are safe, the government is smooth and the people are harmonious."This is a scenic spot that has been mentioned in many travel notes. When Wu You passed by, he stopped and took a photo with his mobile phone.I felt strange again in my heart, how can a foreigner who has traveled across the ocean talk about the state and politics.

He put away his phone, raised his head and continued walking.Lin Jing was not far in front of him, and when he saw that he was not following, he stopped and waited for him, until Wu You trotted a few steps back behind him, then turned around and moved forward again.

Wu You has been following him step by step, slowly, in the busy streets of foreign countries, more than ten years after the sudden separation.

When he first entered university, Wu You still imagined the reunion with Lin Jing. In his vision, Lin Jing looked like a sculpture or a mural. In short, he stayed on the day of the last meeting. In fantasy, it is always chaotic. Sometimes I can't bear it, and I want to hear his explanation, so I treat him with a cold face on purpose; Pretend to say to him I miss you so much.

Later, this kind of thinking didn’t come up very often. He didn’t come to every party, and he couldn’t find him on social accounts. Only then did Wu You believe what his classmates said: Lin Jing went abroad, probably an immigrant, and he won’t come back .

At first, he would occasionally appear in Wu You's dreams, and after that, he was not so clear in the dream, but Wu You wanted to see him more and more, and couldn't care less about whether it was because of this friendship or because of other people. what kind of affection.

He doesn't understand anything, and when he grows up and understands, some things are too late.

Wu You looked at Lin Jing's back, the hem of the floral shirt was blown up by the sea breeze, fluttering like the broad leaves of a palm tree, it was the first time in so many years that he felt so close to Lin Jing.

Lin Jing took Wu You to the end of Gaya Street.The store has a small front, with the words "Chen Ji Tea House" on the yellow and red signboard at the door. There are five or six sets of round dining tables and chairs in the room. The stall is next to the door, and the innermost part is a dark wooden counter.A few Chinese-looking guys occupied a round table and played mobile games together. They couldn't tell whether they spoke Cantonese, Teochew or Hakka.The man sitting at the counter was older and also Chinese in appearance, maybe he was the boss or something.He wears gold-rimmed glasses, and has a purple sand tea set in one hand, and a small notebook with ballpoint pen scribbled notes on the other.

The man was reading the newspaper, when he saw Lin Jing coming, he took off his glasses and got up to entertain him.Maybe it was also in Cantonese, but Wu You didn't understand, so he guessed that he was probably calling him "A Jing".

Lin Jing also replied to him in proficient Cantonese, pointing at himself while speaking, the man who looked like a boss looked at Wu You, and said a series of incomprehensible words in his mouth, and finally changed into very substandard Mandarin, yes Wu You praised: "Ah Jing's friend is also a handsome boy!"

Wu You barely reacted, he nodded in bewilderment, and followed Lin Jing to the corner seat.

"Sit down."

"Oh." Wu You responded, and finally took his seat. He watched Lin Jing explain to the boss with ease, and looked past Lin Jing again, scanning the slightly narrow storefront.This place is as old as most of the facilities in this city. There is an old-fashioned electric fan standing on the counter. The white plastic body is yellow, and the dark fan blades are turning slowly; old songs are playing on the stereo , the tone is very familiar; there is an old movie poster on the wall, an action movie, with three leading actors, Wu You barely recognizes it, one of them seems to be Donnie Yen.

I have heard the song, and even the movie seems to be familiar.Wu You recalled that during the summer vacation of his sophomore year in high school, he and Lin Jing downloaded this movie from the website and watched it on the small 11-inch computer screen.

Lin Jing followed Wu You's line of sight, and also noticed the poster, "Wow," he sighed in a low voice, then turned to look at Wu You, "Dragon and Tiger Gate, I watched it at your home."

I see.His memory was correct, but Wu You didn't expect that Lin Jing could remember it so clearly.

"I ordered laksa noodles and tarik tea for you. The restaurant you want to go to is the most famous of these two."

"Thank you." In his distant memory, he seldom thanked Lin Jing. After such a long time, the atmosphere suddenly became cold after he said such strange words.Wu You rushed to speak, as if he would not let the silence go, as if no one would realize the embarrassment: "It feels like you are very familiar with this place."

"Finally curious about me?"

Wu You understood what Lin Jing meant, he was complaining about his "indifference", reunited after a long absence, no one would be so indifferent to an old friend.Where have you been all these years, how have you been, Wu You didn't ask, and Lin Jing didn't say anything, just waited patiently for him to reveal.

But Lin Jing didn't open his mouth to ask himself.Thinking of this, Wu You didn't dare to blame Lin Jing confidently, so he picked up the water glass and almost buried his face in it.

"I went to Singapore to study at university, then to graduate school, and then I moved to Kuala Lumpur to work," Lin Jing said slowly, and he finished most of the ten-year journey in a calm manner, "I will come here every year Stay for a few days, sometimes go diving in Semporna, sometimes go trekking in Mount Kinabalu.”

Wu Merit nodded, listening to him talking nonchalantly, but his heart ached.Lin Jing was kept in a free range when he was a child, and he was accompanied by loneliness all the year round, so he hated loneliness the most.In these years, from east to west, from the Tropic of Cancer to the equator, he is still alone, there is no difference.At that time, Wu You said that he would be good friends with Lin Jing for a lifetime, and that he would be with him for a long, long time. Unfortunately, the promise he made when he was young was too fragile, and in the end, only the short three years were left.

His heart was sour, as if he suddenly understood Lin Jing's complex emotions after the reunion. There must be disappointment and betrayal in it, not just the misunderstanding when they parted.Lin Jing kept smiling, not obviously, but Wu You really felt it.

After a while, the meal finally came to the table. The owner's voice was enthusiastic, breaking the silence naturally: "Liangzi's laksa, teh tarik, Ah Jing's mouse noodles and salted lemon seven, eat slowly."

The boss said it in Mandarin on purpose, Wu You thought he heard it wrong, and his eyes widened slightly, "Are you a mouse fan?"

In front of me is a small casserole, filled with noodles with two pointed ends and a rounded middle, with a thick layer of minced meat on top, and a soft-boiled egg on top.Lin Jing didn't care. Wu You was startled by the strange name of this dish. The accent of the interrogative sentence was placed on the word "mouse".Looking at the surprised Wu You, the uncontrollable smile returned to Lin Jing's face.Raising the chopsticks in his hands, he stirred the thick and flavorful noodles, and handed the chopsticks to Wu You, "Try it, it's delicious."

Wu You hesitated, he wasn't interested in it, but he took a bite with his own chopsticks.The food tasted salty and fragrant, and Wu You felt that it was not a good taste after eating it in his mouth. When did he break up with Lin Jing, and when did he feel embarrassed to refuse the other party because of the difficulty of hospitality.

Lin Jing was sitting opposite him, they were so close, but Wu You felt that he was still staying in the winter of the northern hemisphere, Lin Jing was floating in the equatorial ocean currents, alone, his unfulfilled promises were blown away by the sea breeze, and there was nothing left in the Pacific Ocean. There are traces to follow.