Looking Through the Mirror

Mr. Butterfly took Feng Chan with a sword and went to the street to sing.A violin case was placed on the ground, and a row of records were neatly stacked—they burned it themselves when they were 23 years old. A note was pasted on the flannelette, saying that 25 pieces were paid for by themselves.On Saturday, the streets were full of traffic and people came and went. Some passers-by recognized their identities, walked up to them during the interval between performances, picked the one who looked better for communication, and asked: "Aren't you three people before? That one?" Where's the handsome keyboard player?"

After hearing this, Mr. Butterfly stepped on the speaker next to him, lowered his voice and said with pain on his face, "Be sober, he has been gone for 13 years."

As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of the crossroads not far away from the corner of his eye, as if he saw something, he couldn't help but slightly opened his eyes, and said with emotion, "Sure enough, you can't talk about ghosts at night", and plucked the guitar strings with his elbow The partner said: "Hey bald man, look there." At the end, he whistled playfully with a transliteration, as if he was afraid that the world would not be chaotic.

Yijian Fengchan snorted softly, a bit disdainful, but still mercifully cast a glance in the direction he signaled.Then, his eyes slipped from the white collar of the young man to the overcoat draped over his arms, he stopped lighting his cigarette suddenly, took a breath and muttered "What a coincidence", then turned to Mr. Butterfly, "Will you sing or not? Sing and pack up and go back."

While talking, the young man seemed to have noticed them, raised his hand and interrupted the chattering people around him, nodded slightly, left the other party and walked straight towards the two of them.Yijian Fengchan looked over the crowded crowd, and bumped into the eyes of the young man unexpectedly.At that moment, many things flashed through his mind - ridiculous thoughts such as "how to say hello to look more natural", like sea water flooding the beach, it swallowed up all the traces so quickly that no one could react, leaving only eight Words, stubbornly staying there and refusing to move.

He smiled.

——It was 13 years and two months.

***

Jian Xue's nameless footsteps stopped by the piano box, then squatted down to pick out two pieces from inside and handed them to Yijian Feng Chan, saying, "If you're shopping, can you order songs?"

As he spoke, he handed Yijian Fengchan a 50-yuan note, his eyes were as clear as a gurgling brook, reflecting the burning sunset glow in the sky.Yijian Fengchan saw himself in it.

Yijian Feng Chan didn't pick it up, but just made an OK gesture, retreated to the place where he was standing before, swept his fingers lightly across the strings, and signaled the other party with his eyes.Jianxue Wuming slightly turned his head to the side and thought for a while. He didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, so he announced a name.

It's an episode from a movie they've seen together many years ago, when the main character finally reads a love letter from a missing lover.At first it was a long guitar solo, the chords were slow and monotonous, the main melody of the chorus was played by the accordion, and the rhythm suddenly accelerated.They didn't have an accordion, so they used the violin that Mr. Butterfly had put aside for a long time, and the effect was not satisfactory.

After the song was over, there was another circle of people around at some point, those who took pictures and videos shouted Encore, and some squatted on the ground to study the songs on the record. Seeing the end of the performance, they all applauded.Mr. Butterfly looked down at his watch, and suddenly yelled "Oops", then quickly put the piano back into the box, leaving a sentence "A Yuezai is coming to pick me up, you bald ones, clean it up yourself", turned and ran Into the side alley.

Jianxue glanced at his back as he quickly disappeared around the corner, and asked with a smile, "After 18 years of hard work, you finally got the beauty back?"

Yijian Fengchan snorted coldly: "If he doesn't embrace the beauty again, I will be bored to death."

The tone was relaxed and casual, without the slightest trace of life that should have appeared after a long absence.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Jianxue Wuming looked in the direction where Mr. Butterfly left, "Won't you invite me to sit down?" His eyes were calm.

Yijian Fengchan threw the nearly burnt cigarette on the ground and crushed it, put the guitar on his back, took the music stand with one hand, and said, "Let's go."

***

The bar is located deep in the alley. There are several spherical vases on the windowsills on both sides after entering the door. There are plants on the top and fish on the bottom.Probably because everything is dormant in winter, there is no greenery in the bottle, only a few goldfish swimming lazily.

Jianxue Wuming sat in front of the bar, lowered his eyes to look at the orange juice pushed in front of him, as if surprised, "I didn't expect you to drink juice." He said.

Yi Jian Feng Chan didn't explain, pointed to the cigarette he just lit and said, "I didn't expect you to smoke."

The two looked at each other, and through the slightly dim light of the bar, they could clearly see the indescribable expression on each other's face.Jian Xue Wuming pursed her lips, threw the cigarette butt into a cup on the side, and smiled, "Probably as long as you are willing to learn a lot of things, you will never fail to say so."

He meant something, causing people to hear the overtones, but he refused to explain anything.Yijian Fengchan looked at him with raised eyebrows, unreasonably recalling the time he was sitting on the side of the road guarding his schoolbag and waiting for someone many years ago.

With the face of a top student, the appearance of obediently holding his coat is also very confusing, so no one would have thought that this person would be so ruthless in a fight.Thinking of this, Yijian Fengchan suddenly realized that Jianxue's Wuming learning to smoke didn't seem so difficult to accept.He turned the lighter in his hand and asked provocatively, "Would you like a B-52?"

With a click, the orange flame came on and went off.

Jianxue shook his head honestly and refused: "Thank you for not being sensitive." Then he said: "Drinking hurts your body, and you too..." He suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence, and after a moment of silence, he finally didn't continue.

Later, they talked about some experiences in the past few years, good and bad, hilariously dull, about each other, about themselves.

After graduating from university, Yijian Fengchan and Mister Butterfly jointly bought this small bar that used to be a base. They mainly do singing and sideline bartending.Gongsunyue often comes to visit her new boyfriend's business, sometimes alone, sometimes with Lan Yi or Tan Wuyu.And whenever the latter two are present, Mr. Butterfly is always extremely manic, and then shows a strong sense of territory.Gongsunyue sat on the sidelines watching the play, with a little smile in his eyes, cunning and affectionate.Yijian Fengchan was behind the bar counter, strumming the guitar carelessly with a cigarette in his mouth, and eating dog food.

It has been said that some people yearn for noise, just as moths yearn for light.He is not a lively person, and he has nothing to do with fragile and blind moths, but as time goes by, he can't help but feel that it's not bad to be like this occasionally.

When they were singing, Yijian Fengchan would inexplicably think of Jianxue Wuming, their acquaintance, and the ordinary but not boring life in school days.

When he was in middle school, he and M. Butterfly often got into fights because of the time allocation of the court.After Jian Xue Wuming listened to their conversation, he would try to persuade him a few words, and his tone seemed to be dissatisfied with things like fights, but when the two of them went to the appointment, they would stand by and do exercises while doing exercises. see something.

One day later, Mr. Butterfly, who claimed to be the invincible fighter in the world, finally kicked the iron plate, so he fell in love with Gongsun Yue at first sight, who was like a tomboy and could fight him on a par, and resolutely betrayed the revolutionary friendship of the three people, and his head was also smashed. Don't go back to pursue love.

At that time, just in time for the [-]th anniversary of the school, Jianxue Wuming was pushed onto the stage by a duck. In the words of the leader, it was to win glory for the class.

Yijian Fengchan met his eyes, shrugged in unison, disapproving.

Having said that, performances have to be prepared.So in the days that followed, those who were waiting turned into Zen with a sword.When Jian Xue Wuming practiced the piano, he was playing with guitar, bass or electric piano in the practice room of the band next door.Sometimes when I get tired of waiting, I will go to the stadium not far away and shoot alone.

Yijian Fengchan only heard Jianxue Wuming play the piano when he came for the first time.The boy was wearing a white shirt, sitting on a leather piano stool, his back straight, like a young sapling.In the evening, the rose-colored sunlight shines through the window, shining on the flying dust in the room, leaps up to the sky with the air flow, and slowly falls on his somewhat messy bangs and slightly fluttering eyelashes.

I don't know if it's because of the special selection of the song, but the young man's back reflected in Yijian Fengchan's eyes is quiet and lonely, and it seems that he will disappear with the gradually sinking sunset at any time.I could see his heart beating for no reason, as if being gently scratched by a cat's paw.

Skipping some of the absurd thoughts he once had, Yi Jian Feng Chan picked and talked about some trivial matters, and then asked about the life of the other party after the breakup.

Jianxue Wuming then talked about his past experience of studying abroad.He made no mention of his inhuman sufferings, only that his life was ordinary and unremarkable.

Hearing that he didn't want to say more, Yi Jian Feng Chan didn't inquire too much, and asked him: "Are you going back to China this time?"

"Not yet."

"As for work, do you have any plans?"

This is a very common question, but Jianxue Wuming suddenly laughed, as if he heard something interesting, the smile diffused from the corner of his eyes bit by bit into the depths.

He said: "No. I am now a homeless vagrant. Does the boss want to take me in? No salary, just food and lodging."

Yijian Fengchan looked into his eyes, like a rippling blue river, with light falling into them, glowing deep and shallow golden.

The cat, which had been silent for many years, caught him off guard and scratched him again.

***

In order to celebrate the return of the missing keyboard player, the four decided to go to a hot pot restaurant for a meal.Mr. Butterfly took Gongsunyue to order red soup, Jianxue Wuming couldn't eat spicy food, so Yijian Fengchan asked the waiter to add another pot and ordered mandarin ducks.Beer and herbal tea were poured into the four cups, and they were picked up and touched lightly. Even Yijian Fengchan made an exception and said, "Welcome."

Mr. Butterfly lamented that he favored one person over another, saying that when the bar opened up, he was not so enthusiastic.

After hearing this, Yijian Fengchan gave him a slanted look, and retorted: "When you let me not come to the show because of your girlfriend, why didn't you say that I favor one person over another?"

The latter is not ashamed, but plausible, saying that he is desperate for love, "Of course you single dogs don't understand"

Gongsunyue blocked his mouth with a piece of hairy belly, looked at Yijian Fengchan who was separating the enoki mushroom and fat cow on the plate, and said with deep meaning: "That's not necessarily true."

The hot pot restaurant is not too far from Yijian Fengchan's apartment, so he didn't ride his bike after the show, and took his children for a slow walk to digest food.

It was already the end of winter, and the night wind was still chilly, but it was not as unstoppable as before. Jianxue Wuming followed behind him, separated by about three steps, the gray and white checked scarf covered most of his face , It still looks like it's not very cold-resistant.He also brought the gloves given to him by Yijian Fengchan earlier before he went to eat hot pot, the style didn't quite match the master's style.

Yijian Feng Chan turned his head, just in time to see the curve of the corner of his mouth that he didn't have time to clean up properly, felt a little baffled, and couldn't help shaking his head.

"What a kid."

"Then what are you?" Jianxue Wuming suddenly asked, "If I were a child."

"Maybe it's silly dad?"

Looking at each other for a moment, the two laughed at the same time.

The author has something to say:

I originally wanted to write it as a birthday celebration, but it has been delayed until now and I haven't finished writing it.

In a blink of an eye, it has been six years, with emotion.

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