Chapter 147: Three Days (Part 2)

The first time we met? This topic made both Su Rou and Qin Huai pause for a moment, and the happy atmosphere of the previous moment suddenly disappeared… turning into a slightly sad atmosphere.

After all, the cruelty of time can only be felt concretely when we recall it… Because when we recall it, we realize that we can never return to the past, and we can only appreciate that things have changed… But even if the scenery and people are still there, can the mood of the past return?

So, in the face of the passing of time, no one can help but be sad…

“I still remember the first time I met this kid Chengyi. It was when I was in the third year of junior high school, and the first day of school. The teacher brought you in, and you looked like a little wolf, so you didn’t even say hello. I thought this guy might be a prick, and maybe I’d have to fight with him later. But then, when I was leaving school, I was chased and beaten up by a few high school kids. You rushed over. Do you remember? Chengyi, that time…” Qinhuai laughed as she said this.

I laughed too, because I had never heard Qin Huai talk about this part of his psychology. When he first saw me, he actually thought he would fight with me. I laughed and said, “I remember… that time, I remember I broke a bicycle, right?”

“Yes, I didn’t expect you to rush over to help me fight. Later, the more the group of high school kids gathered… you were forced to grab a bike that you didn’t know whose and smashed it over there. Then you smashed the bike again… Then we couldn’t beat each other, and we were beaten up, not to mention having to pay for the bike. Haha…” When talking about the past, Qin Huai seemed very happy and couldn’t help laughing.

I was in my teens back then, and I really was a rebellious teenager. I missed my hometown, my parents, my old friends, and I didn’t adapt well to Beijing. I also complained about my master, who was away for years.

“Oh, now I still have to save the Taoist priests in the world, and I also had such a period… But, Sanwa, why did you want to help Qinhuai fight at that time?” Su Rou asked me with a smile. The boss’s life of being pampered and spoiled over the years has made this kid even fatter, and the fat on his chin trembles when he smiles.

“Because, the day I went to class to report, I saw Qin Huai smiling at me alone.” The reason is actually so simple. Looking back now… at that time, I was lonely and rebellious, and I longed for a touch of warmth.

“What are you laughing at?” Su Rou was also curious. After all, when I first arrived in class, he still wanted to fight with me.

I asked him why he helped me when I didn’t even know him. His Sichuan accent was so thick that I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He repeated it once more and I finally understood. He said that when he arrived at class, I was the only one who smiled at him. Later, when I thought about it, it seemed like it was true. In fact, I was thinking that this kid was a prick and we might fight… Why did I laugh? But I couldn’t give an answer. I just remember that when his teacher asked him to introduce himself that day, he didn’t say anything, but looked at the whole class defiantly… I don’t know why, but when he saw me, I couldn’t help but laugh at him. Can this be explained? I later thought, if I hadn’t smiled at that moment, would we still be friends for life? I think we would have been… Isn’t it fate? And all these years, I’ve been thinking that fate is a line that will bring two people together no matter what, a line that is tied to the heart and cannot be torn apart… This should be the fate of me and Chengyi in my life… A smile is enough.” Qin Huai took off his pants hanging next to the wooden barrel, took out three cigarettes, and stuffed one in each of our mouths.

The moment he turned his head, I saw his eyes well up with tears… I was about to fight a big battle, so it would be false to say that he wasn’t sad and worried… It’s just that after so many years, no matter how intense the expression, it’s meaningless… All the friendship is in the details, and it’s unspeakable.

After listening to Qin Huai’s moving words, Su Rou was stunned for a long time. After a long time, he said, “Qin Huai, you are so artistic that I get goosebumps all over my body… Otherwise, come and touch me? Touch me?”

“Get out of here! Who wants to touch you? Go away! I only touch women, not men. Besides, you’re like a pile of lard…” Qin Huai looked disgusted and deliberately exaggeratedly avoided it.

Su Rou, however, was not willing to give up and insisted on letting Qin Huai touch him. I don’t know how, but I was dragged into the battle as well. The three of us had a bit of a fight, and even the elder next door was alerted. When he came in and saw what was going on, he was stunned for a moment, and then he ordered someone to add some more water to the barrel. After all, we had made a mess and there was water all around. But the elder was also very tolerant of us, because the big fight was about to begin.

After enough trouble, some hot water was added to the wooden bucket… Steam once again billowed in the room, and the three of us lounged lazily against the side of the wooden bucket. Qin Huai took a sip of wine and said leisurely, “Su Rou, I already told you about the first time I met Chengyi, why don’t you tell me about it?”

“Actually, I’m from the same village as Sanwa… If I’m talking about the first time we met, how could I possibly remember? Maybe when we were still babies, our mothers held us and introduced us to each other… I can only say that the earliest memory I have of Sanwa and me… I remember it was the 6th birthday celebration in our village, and the banquet was really lively, with everyone in the village invited… I was also taken by my parents, and coincidentally, I sat at the same table as Sanwa’s family…” As he said this, Su Rou’s face also revealed a smile of recollection.

“So that’s it? You just sat at the same table?” Qin Huai asked, unwilling to let go.

“Haha, Sanwa is a smart kid, how could it be over so quickly? The days back then were nothing like they are now… Those banquets were rare, because there was so much meat… You know I can eat, and Sanwa was never bad at it. There were only two of us at the table, like two little wolves fighting over the meat, and we both got beaten… They said it was rude, and we didn’t even get to finish the meal… We were kicked off the table early, after all, there were still elders at the table.” Su Rou knocked his head, after all, we were very young at the time, we hadn’t even started elementary school yet… Some of the memories are already blurry, with some yellowing.

“What happened next?” Qin Huai took a bite of the lamb chop, and his mouth was full of oil. Then he very generously stuffed a piece of lamb chop into Su Rou’s mouth.

Su Rou swallowed it in one gulp and then said, “After I was kicked off the table, I wandered around by myself. After all, wandering around the village was familiar to me, and the adults were also relieved. I have some vague memories of that time… But what I remember clearly is that Sanwa somehow found me and asked me if I nodded stupidly… In the end, Sanwa took me to catch a few chicks from Liu Gong’s house… We stole his mother’s matches (matches) and played with them all afternoon, eating the chicks from other people’s houses, hahaha…”

Su Rou began to laugh at his own story, and I laughed along with him. At that time, I was known throughout the village as a troublesome kid. This was my style, and of course I still remember the outcome of the incident. Su Rou and I were both beaten up.

Qinhuai wiped his face and said, “That’s really naughty. You went and ate the owner’s chicken… and it was a baby chicken. You guys are really something.”

“You don’t have to say this, I still feel amazing now… At that time, how old were we? 4 or 5 years old, and we were already doing this… But if it wasn’t for Sanwa, I don’t think I could have done it alone! I think Sanwa was born extraordinary, isn’t that what it shows? At such a young age, he would steal chickens and dogs… and he would also have advanced skills, like roasting them to eat? Qinhuai, what do you think?” Su Rou looked serious.

“Yes, I think so too!” Qin Huai also looked serious.

I was so annoyed by their expressions that I suddenly stood up from the barrel and splashed them with a handful of water, shouting, “You two are talking nonsense…”

Then there was another round of laughter. After we had all had enough, Su Rou said in a very low voice, “Even if I could go back to those days in the past… I would definitely be willing to steal chickens with Sanwa again… Even if I knew I would definitely be beaten up and not be able to eat meat for a week. There are many things I would like to experience again with Sanwa, such as going to the Hungry Ghost Tomb and being kidnapped by the Black Rock Miao tribe. In fact, I am not the same person I was when I was young, eager for adventure. I have a family, a wife, and children. I can’t afford to have too many ups and downs in life. But I just can’t give up the experiences I had with this friend. They were precious and an integral part of my life. I can also understand the kind of friendship that would put your life on the line for a friend in ancient times. I would do it for Sanwa, even though my fat body is useless.

Su Rou’s words made all three of us tear up… Qin Huai wiped his face again and said, “Su Rou, you said I was a literary man, but what are you expressing?”

“If… I’m just saying if, I’m gone, or I’m standing in front of you, I’m not me anymore… This may be a little hard to understand, so you can think of it like this… So, what will you do?” I was panicking inside. The more beautiful the memories, the stronger the feeling of not wanting to let go of life… It’s not fear, it’s really just not wanting to.

“What are you talking about? Are you worried about the war? You really don’t have to worry… Didn’t I just say that? You are already an inseparable part of my life. To put it bluntly, if something happens to you… you will live on in my life forever! I, Su Rou, will live on… but I will also live on your share of life. I will take care of your parents and family as if they were my own… just like a real son. You can trust me.” Su Rou suddenly became emotional.

Qin Huai just looked at me and said, “What do you mean you’re not you anymore? It’s been so long… you’ve already been fixed in my memory as every version of you, so who can replace you? Even if you stab a knife into my chest in the future… I will still look at you the same way. Chen Chengyi, if I am the same as Su Rou… as long as I live, you will live forever… because I am living with your memory, you will always exist! Chengyi… you will never be alone… at the very least, I and Su Rou will never abandon each other.”

I suddenly raised my head… because only in this way could I hold back the tears that were about to flow… Is this how I live?