Chapters Seventy to Seventy-Seven
Going up is an old river, and the Jiangnan alleys there cannot be passed by cars. Originally, there were many rivers here. This town was divided into pieces, and overnight it was said that the old would be broken and the new would be established. The rivers were all filled in, and new villages and shops were built. But overnight again, it was said that ancient town tourism would be developed. Several small rivers were dug out, but after they were opened, it was said that the river water was polluted, which was not conducive to traffic in the town, and they were filled up again. Recently, the new leaders conducted a thorough investigation and research, and came to a major conclusion: the development of Tinglin Town has always been unfavorable because the town area lacks water, and the surrounding rivers surround Tinglin Town. The water vapor from the surrounding rivers causes stagnant air and poor ventilation, and the solution is still to reopen a river that runs through Tinglin Town. This way, the feng shui will be smooth.
After investigation, it was found that the reason why all officials in Tinglin Town were electrocuted to death was due to this siege pattern, which led to the accumulation of resentment every 20 years, resulting in the loss of many lives. This time, several dozen people lost their lives at once, but fortunately, they were all officials.
To the right, a large number of old houses are being demolished. A new town is going to be built here. It's like watching an eldest son who doesn't live up to expectations. The only option is to give birth to another one. But the problem is that it's still born from the same mother, and the genes aren't much better either. The construction of the new town has just begun to take shape. The government has decided on a British style, but judging from its current embryonic form, it seems to be **style.
In the far distance. The last thing that can be touched by sight. Is a large piece of green, which is the Sculpture Garden, but it's too far away. Stretch out your hand and point, the fingertips are already bigger than the entire Sculpture Garden, no sculpture can be seen on the Telecom Building. There is only wild green in the eyes and civilized modern factories around.
Zuo Xiaolong sat at the corner of the platform, lost in thought. He suddenly had an idea - after going downstairs, he would go find Niuba. Since Niuba could hug him and cry loudly, there was no reason why it couldn't be the other way around. But how would he find Niuba? Zuo Xiaolong suddenly realized that he didn't have any contact information for Niuba, only knowing where his house was located downstairs. The problem was that there were no doorbells to ring at the moment, and the only solution was to ask Dashi to borrow his motorcycle. Although the engine sounds were different, at least it would be worth a try. Even though the hosts were different, the working principle of internal combustion engines was the same - just like going to a pet store and shouting "baby". There would always be dogs named "baby" that would run with you.
If Niuba came downstairs. Zhou Xiaolong decided to tell Niuba about his 31st birthday and take her with him. Zhou Xiaolong thought, she must be willing. Even if everyone deserted him. Mobilize the police force.
In the middle of the sculpture garden and Tinglin Town, a red building is the fire brigade. Something must have happened somewhere again. A fire truck came out of the garage, pulling a siren. Heading towards Tinglin Town. The fire truck was driving very urgently. It seems that the situation may not be small, Xiao Long suddenly became more interested. Waking up from his daze, he wanted to see where the fire truck was going. As long as it didn't burn down Muba's house and Huang Ying's house, it was fine with him.
The fire truck drove around to the front of the archway. After passing through the crowded supermarket entrance, it continued to move forward. Xiaolong thought that the scene of the incident should be nearby, so he stood up and looked around, but there was no smoke anywhere in his line of sight. He just felt a bit of commotion under his feet.
He looked down and was startled. Several thousand people had gathered on the street in front of the Telecom Building. The crowd was a sea of heads, with everyone looking up and pointing.
Zuo Xiaolong thought, could it be that a flying saucer was hovering above his head. He looked up and still saw the overcast sky. Or maybe something had happened downstairs? Zuo Xiaolong took another step forward, wanting to see what was going on at the entrance.
As Bruce Lee moved forward, the crowd erupted into a frenzy, with cheers almost knocking him over.
An old lady shouted loudly from below: Young man, whatever it is that you can't figure out, don't jump down!
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng finally understood, it turned out that the people downstairs were there to watch him jump off the building.
Bruce Lee shouted: Misunderstanding!
But below is already chaotic pot, completely can't hear what Left Small Dragon said.
At this time, the fire truck had also arrived. The loudspeaker shouted: Hello, young man, I am the captain of the Tinglin Town Fire Brigade. Young man, don't think about it, everything can be talked about, what difficulties you have, the party and government will definitely find a way to help you solve them.
Left Little Dragon thinks: My trouble is I didn't think of jumping off a building ah.
More and more people rushed to the Telecom Building, and the warning line was completely ineffective. It was soon trampled underfoot. The Telecom Building is in the center of the town, and all four sides can accommodate people. Soon, the street in front was packed with people, just as the factory workers were getting off work. People from outside also stopped their bicycles to watch, and Bruce Lee looked around, finding that pedestrians on every street were gathering towards him.
The balconies of the residential buildings across the street were also packed with people, and some families even moved their dinner tables onto the balcony to eat while watching.
Two police cars arrived soon, and Xiao Long was at a loss, waving his hand at the downstairs.
The audience suddenly became nervous and exclaimed: He's going to jump! He's going to jump! He is saying goodbye to this world.
After waving his hand, Bruce Lee took a step back.
The audience gasped. There was an assist!
Zuo Xiaolong turned around to go downstairs, and when he looked back, he found a police officer tied with rope three meters behind him. They were startled by each other's gaze. The police officer was still in the crouching position of a cat moving forward, while Zuo Xiaolong subconsciously took a step back. The people below exploded. The interchange road, originally thought to be a free jump or a frog jump. Now it seems that it was actually a high jump.
The police officer immediately stood up, his face tense. He waved his hand repeatedly and said, "No, no, no, young man. I came to talk to you."
Bruce Lee asked: "Talk about what?"
The police officer took a step forward and said: Look, young man, you and I should be about the same age. How old are you? What's your zodiac sign?
Bruce Lee said: Don't come and persuade me. I don't need others to persuade me.
The police officer listened and thought it was a bit tricky, so he said: I'm not here to persuade you. I'm here to chat with you, talk about your heart, people all need friends, right? We don't fight if we don't know each other. Do you want a cigarette?
He said. The policeman took two steps forward and reached into his pocket for a cigarette.
Zuo Xiaolong subconsciously took another step back and said: Don't come any closer.
Suddenly, Bruce Lee realized that this was a conditioned reflex from watching too much TV. If he took another step back, he would really fall down. He couldn't help but take a step forward.
The police officer hastily pulled out a cigarette and lit one for himself to calm down, saying: "What are you afraid of? I'll give you the cigarette. Is that okay?"
Bruce Lee said: Done.
The police officer threw a cigarette. Bruce Lee stretched out his hand to catch it. Unfortunately, the wind on the dozens of meters high platform was strong and the cigarette changed direction in mid-air. Bruce Lee almost fell over, but the audience below couldn't see what happened on the rooftop. They only saw the cigarette falling from the sky and whispered: "It's all over, they've started throwing things off the stage." After the cigarette came the money.
As soon as they heard about throwing money, the crowd that was getting a bit impatient perked up again and continued to look up at the sky.
The policeman on the rooftop took a few puffs of his cigarette and said: It's too windy. Otherwise, I'll send it over to you.
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng Dào: No need, I don't smoke either.
Officer said: Take two puffs, normally not allowed to smoke in the unit. Today I came up and can smoke freely, it's really cool, what's your name?
Left Little Dragon Way: Left Little Dragon
Officer: Xiao Zuo, what's wrong? If you're feeling troubled, tell me. We police might be able to help you. Don't jump to your death, think of your parents... I mean, your family, how will they go on without you? Unfinished business should still be taken care of. It's normal for young people to have impulsive moments. Let me tell you a story. When I was in school, I went through a breakup after four years of dating. My girlfriend left me for someone else and said I was too good, that she liked the bad type of guy. I remembered those words and later became a police officer, specializing in catching bad guys... to make them pay for being bad. Back then, I felt so down, like there was no point in living anymore. I even cut my wrist once, but didn't die. Now thinking about it, it was stupid. Last year, I married a beautiful and kind wife, and now we have kids too. It's really wonderful. If I weren't trying to save you, I'd be having dinner at home right now... You just need to understand for yourself, don't doubt me. Let me show you my left wrist... I really did cut it before...
He said. The policeman rolled up his left sleeve and walked a few more steps forward.
Bruce Lee said: Ah sir. You can talk but listen to me.
The policeman stopped him and said: Tell me your story. I'm listening.
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng shook his head and said: I really don't want to jump.
The police officer nodded and said: No one really wants to jump, they have no way out, are forced into a desperate situation. I believe that heaven will not cut off all ways for people, let's think of a solution together.
The left little dragon eye looked more and more black. Said: Actually it's like this, I'm on this rooftop, I just want to take a look at this Tinglin Town, take a look at this world...
Officer said: I understand, I understand your attachment to Tinglin Town. You still want to take a look at this world, actually, this world is very good, as long as you can find it, from now on you are my brother, I will share my experience with you.
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng said anxiously: I never thought of committing suicide.
Officer: Yeah, I never thought so before either. But I really did it. As long as you can go downstairs with me. After a few days, you'll find that living on is actually quite fun. If not, you can come back and jump again. No one can stop you from dying, but I think it's not necessary yet.
Left Xiao Long still didn't make it clear, his heart became more and more anxious, he was afraid that the police officer would pounce on him and capture him. Then he said: You little rascal, you've got me cornered with your made-up story, Left Xiao Long was in a dilemma.
An old lady in the audience shouted again, "Child, think about your parents!"
Because it's too noisy downstairs. This remark didn't reach the ears of Bruce Lee. But a young man next to him heard it and felt a bit displeased. Someone shouted: Jump down, hurry up and jump, we've all been watching for an hour already. Our necks are sore, our stomachs are hungry. Are you playing with us?
The young people around nodded in agreement, saying that if you don't jump, you're a coward, with so many people watching.
Then. The slogan gradually formed, and many people shouted: Jump down. Jump down. Jump down...
Many people in the crowd looked at him with disdain, covering their mouths and saying: "Are you crazy? What's wrong with shouting slogans?"
Some people remember stamping their feet and shouting: "You can't shout like this, it's going to cost lives."
Shouting slogans for a few seconds. He said: He himself doesn't want to live anymore. What's it got to do with us? I want to shout whatever I want. This is my freedom. This is my human right.
A fight broke out in the crowd. The police were at their wit's end. They could only disperse them, and the loudspeaker shouted: Young people on the floor, please calm down. Unrelated personnel, please leave the scene. Unrelated personnel, please leave the scene.
After the police declaration, the slogans were much smaller. But everyone found that there were only a dozen or so police officers. We have thousands of people shouting slogans! A young man shouted: Let's shout louder! For freedom and human rights!
"Shout!"
Someone responded from underground.
"The call to jump down" echoed again, resounding throughout Tinglin Town. There were only two moments when the whole town of Tinglin made such a unified sound. The other time was also three words: "Guo Jingming" when the Popo Printing Factory opened.
The police car sounded its siren. The police plunged into the crowd. But people didn't stop at all. On the other hand, half of them were on the side accusing and shouting slogans, but unfortunately they couldn't form a slogan, and dissuasion was completely ineffective. The police's loudspeaker shouted heartbreakingly: Whoever shouts again will be arrested! Whoever shouts again will be arrested...
This sound, except for the driver in the police car, no one else could hear it. The voice of "jump down" was sung by thousands of people and became incredibly thick, with male bass, male tenor, female alto, female soprano and children's chorus. Bruce Lee stood on the rooftop, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. What a huge choir under his feet!
Zuo Xiaolong looked down at his own position below, and the firefighters had already inflated a large air cushion.
Just now, I was persuading the police officer to stop Left Little Dragon from running to the edge of the building. He kept waving his hand at the people downstairs and shouting: "Don't shout, don't shout anymore, don't shout..."
The crowd downstairs began to discuss it. Huh? Why did another jumper come again?
The director of the police station found the captain of the fire brigade. He shouted loudly: I ask you to disperse the crowd with high-pressure water guns, use high-pressure water guns to disperse the crowd.
The captain of the fire brigade stuck to the director's ear and shouted: No way, it will hurt people, and if not handled properly, we'll have to rush to death.
The crowd surged forward, pushing the girls in the front row back and forth. Everyone was curious, smiling as they pushed and shoved. Some people tried to calm down the enthusiastic ones, pointing at their noses and scolding them, but were quickly pushed away. Others raised two fists, laughing and shouting, calling out to friends to take photos of them. But most people remained focused on the rooftop, shouting in unison: "Jump down!"
Some people who didn't shout were discussing in private, there are reasons why everyone is so united. In today's society, time is money. Everyone's pace of life is very fast, everyone is rushing to have dinner and go home from work. And very tired, although no tickets were sold, the curtain opened. The play was delayed, which is also not right, although this play has no opportunity for a replay. But as long as it's performed once, it enriches people's lives. Expanding people's horizons has great significance.
He looked around at the crowd's cheers. He stood at the highest point, even more embarrassed. If he retreated now, he would never be able to show his face in this place again. If he jumped down, he would lose his life. It was a particularly contradictory situation. The sunset shone its light on every smiling face below. As the last cloud on the horizon merged with the sun, it left a beam of light. This beam of light happened to shine on Xiao Long's body, making him feel like a singing star on stage. The conductor of the largest chorus in history - although he was being conducted by someone else. Like a hero standing in front of thousands of soldiers, unclear whether they were friend or foe. But everyone was expecting him to do one thing: jump down. Xiao Long's mind was filled with this voice, echoing like a curse.
But Xiao Long had no intention of saying goodbye to this world, he was just about to take a look at it. How could he not look and leave? So, even though he was confused, Xiao Long still knew that he couldn't jump to his death... He looked at the police officer who was kneeling on the edge of the rooftop, waving his hand at people, but didn't know what he was doing. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. The faces of the people below suddenly became clear. They were all filled with anticipation as they looked at him, their eyes complex. The people in the back were eating snacks and holding rice bowls, chatting and laughing from time to time. In the distance, police cars were arriving. Two people stood on top of a fire truck, one was Director Zhang, whom Xiao Long knew, and the other was a new face. They were shouting into a megaphone. From their mouth movements, it seemed like they were saying "We need reinforcements." Although they were under the China Telecom building, the mobile network had already been paralyzed. People were taking out their phones to find signals. They discovered that the signal was full but they couldn't make calls. It should be because too many people were using their phones, calling their friends over to watch, and some were even... reporting the incident. There were no familiar faces in the crowd. This meant that he knew too few people. The firefighters stood at the corners of the air cushion, ready to move at any time. Suddenly, he saw a young man wearing glasses smash a soda bottle towards the telecom building. More people were preparing to take out worthless items from their bodies to throw. The director on the fire truck drew his gun and cocked it, slowly raising it to fire a warning shot...
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng suddenly thought of something, he stood up, and the crowd suddenly fell silent. Every face turned towards him. Suddenly, in the silence, he heard a voice coming from somewhere: "Brother, just kidding."
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng faced downstairs and shouted: I'm not joking.
He said. He bowed to the crowd, turned to where he had shouted the loudest earlier and stood up, saying softly: You guys...
Zuo Xiaolong jumped down from the building. The crowd involuntarily took a few steps back. Zuo Xiaolong aimed at the air cushion, but didn't want to push off with one foot on the roof, and ended up using too much force. Adding to that the height, he felt like he was going to miss the air cushion in mid-air. Zuo Xiaolong couldn't help but shout... Hey, hey, hey...
A loud, muffled sound. The crowd fell silent. Police rushed over, guns drawn. They set up a cordon. Nurses and doctors waiting on the side rushed forward with stretchers, people automatically making way for them. The crowd's fervor was suddenly extinguished. Many slipped away unnoticed. Countless heads craned towards Bruce Lee. Everyone wanted to see what had happened.
Zuo Xiaolong was dazed and only saw the head of the police officer chatting with him on the rooftop, Zuo Xiaolong didn't know if he had fallen to the ground or onto an air cushion, anyway at this moment he felt that the world was very short, but his chest was stuffy. He could breathe, but didn't know how many more breaths he could take. Every breath required some effort. And his mouth was sticky. Then he knew nothing else.
Left Little Dragon fell to the edge of the mat and bounced back onto the ground. Cerebral hemorrhage. Rib fracture. And because he shouted in mid-air, when he landed on the ground, he bit off his own tongue. He can no longer speak clearly. The first thing he did after waking up was to call for a doctor, but all he could say was "wa wa". Then he asked the air, what's going on? But all he could hear was "wa wa wa wa".
The doctor said, your tongue was bitten off by yourself. You have to relearn how to speak human language.
The last thing Zuo Xiaolong remembered was his own words: "You guys..."
You guys...
He ran out of the hospital. Bruce Lee felt that his walking was a bit unbalanced, but there were no motorcycles for him to ride again. He forgot how many days he had been unconscious. But he remembered that his motorcycle was still being detained elsewhere, but where it was, he couldn't remember. His memory had some things emptied out. But this emptiness was the most painful, so it was more humane that Bruce Lee didn't remember the motorcycle being detained.
People with different expressions on the street have forgotten about Wong Jack Man, the jumping hero. However, he clearly feels that there are many fewer people on the streets. Many people wear sunglasses, move slowly and need to be supported.
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng didn't want to go find Ní Bā. During the time he was unconscious, he had a long dream. In the dream, he was riding a motorcycle with Ní Bā hugging him from behind and her head leaning on his shoulder. They were traveling through endless fog. However, Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng couldn't quite figure it out. He wondered if there really was such a girl in real life, and even he himself was a bit confused.
He first found Liu Bizhan.
Liu Bi-ming stood guard at his home. Repeatedly listening to Teresa Teng's songs. The whole family relied on his wife to teach the local language, and he met Liu Bi-ming. The two of them couldn't do anything, one couldn't see and the other couldn't speak, everything was like they had just met. They could only pretend that neither of them had seen each other before. Liu Bi-ming didn't know that Bruce Lee had been there, and when Bruce Lee left, he was playing "The Moon Represents My Heart". Liu Bi-ming opened his mouth and sang along the way:
I am willing to go against the tide
Lean on her side
Ahead lies a treacherous shoal
The road is far and long
I am willing to go with the flow
Searching for her direction
Ahead lies a treacherous shoal
The road winds on and on without end.
Zuo Xiaolong returned to the sculpture garden. The autumn wind blew by, and he suddenly felt cold. The plants in the sculpture garden were completely different from when he left. The tops of the plants had grown fluffy. Cotton-like seeds danced in the air, and several bulldozers and excavators were gathered at the entrance of the sculpture garden. A group of people with walkie-talkies were gesturing to each other. He rushed into the garden. Da Shuai was not there, but Zuo Xiaolong found his motorcycle locked next to the mailbox he had stolen back. The motorcycle was covered in dust, and the mailbox had been repaired. Zuo Xiaolong pried open the mailbox. Inside were two letters.
The first letter was from Huang Ying, which read:
Hello. I've left here and gone to Shanghai, my man has gotten into trouble, he published a book that wrote some things that shouldn't be written. But the book got him into trouble, he was taken away for a week, I don't know when he'll be able to come out. I decided to go ask about his news, wait for him to come out, and we'll live together then, maybe he can come out tomorrow, or maybe it'll take ten years. That's all right, even when I'm old he'll still be there. He's in a place that makes women feel at ease. No matter how long I'll wait for him. Maybe I won't come back here. Maybe this letter is like the book he published for others, something that shouldn't be written, I just wanted to tell you.
The second letter was written in mud, with a large Pikachu pattern on the envelope staring at Xiaolong.
I've left this place. During the time we spent together, you never asked about my background. Now I'm telling you. My father was the former secretary here. He's dead. I didn't want to share his surname, so I took my mother's instead. After he died, some problems were uncovered during an audit and all our accounts were frozen. Life was very difficult for me and mom. Mom decided to leave this place and return to her hometown. I was heartbroken. When I wasn't around, mom sold our dragon cat to a foreigner. That money was the only thing my mom and I had. But it was the only gift you gave me, and I cried for a long time.
It's always been me and you. I never knew where you were wandering, why didn't you come find me? But later on, I could always find you. Because you lay in the hospital unable to move, I came to see you every day. The doctor said you would wake up, so I left.
Actually, I had a boyfriend before you, and you know him. Your motorcycle was repaired at his place, and we spent a night leaning against the door of his shop. It's because of him that I like motorcycles. But we broke up long ago, and today I just wanted to tell you something you never asked about.
I've helped you redeem our motorcycle. By now it should be covered in dust when you see it, I think. You can ride it to come find me.
Zuo Xiaolong started the motorcycle. The sky was about to turn dark. He looked at the date on the letter. It had been over a month, and that date, when he left to take National Highway 318, was two months ago. The motorcycle's headlight drew the only light in the sculpture garden. In the distance, machines were working hard to smash the Statue of Liberty. Several heavy trucks waited nearby to transport the remains of the sculptures one by one, and this place would finally become a factory too. Zuo Xiaolong straddled the motorcycle and sped out of the sculpture garden. Various heavy bulldozers slowly entered the depths of the sculpture garden. Wild rabbits darted out from time to time on the side of the road, flashing in front of Zuo Xiaolong's headlight.
Zuo Xiaolong decided to take a stroll around the town. Then bid farewell. Although he only wore a shirt, Zuo Xiaolong had accumulated too much energy over time. He didn't feel cold, and the town was no longer as lively as it used to be.
Everyone who ate the mutated big animal went blind in three months.
Zuo Xiaolong passed by the ice rink in Tinglin Town. Inside, neat singing voices were heard, and the New Year's singing competition was about to start again. The Tinglin Town Chorus was training there, and Zuo Xiaolong parked his motorcycle at the iron gate. He went in to take a look. The scale of the chorus was only half that of last year, and they were singing "Tinglin Song". The person conducting with their back to Zuo Xiaolong seemed familiar. Zuo Xiaolong sneaked a peek from the side. It was Dashi. What he did was very much like a model, and Zuo Xiaolong smiled to himself, thinking that it made sense. Why create a band to conduct when you could join an existing one as a conductor?
Zuo Xiaolong had no attachment to Tinglin Town, he passed through the industrial zone. Suddenly, he found that a large screen had been added there, and several workers were watching promotional videos of Tinglin Town. The screen was particularly dazzling in the dark night. Its function was only one: continuously playing promotional videos of Tinglin Town. Suddenly, Zuo Xiaolong saw himself in an aerial shot of the industrial zone. A person riding a motorcycle kept shaking back and forth.
The worker next to him said. This guy riding a motorcycle swaying back and forth in this shot is really out of place. The TV station should use special effects to edit him out.
The sky had completely darkened. Left Xiao Long headed towards the address left by Ni Ba. The road ahead was unknown, winding and long, but as long as the motorcycle had headlights, there was nothing to fear, passing through the industrial zone. Under the streetlights, the orange fog enveloped the earth again, Left Xiao Long accelerated, suddenly. Behind him, a light spot gradually approached.
Zu Xiaolong thought, "Impossible, I'm the fastest on a motorcycle in the fog." Could there be someone even more reckless? Zu Xiaolong accelerated again. He felt that the fog was blown away by the wind as he rode, turning into dew. The ground fell away, but the light drew closer and closer. Sweat seeped out of Zu Xiaolong's forehead.
Zuo Xiaolong thought to himself, damn it, I must get rid of you.
The visibility ahead had almost reached zero, and Xiao Long closed his eyes. He floored it in his heart and counted silently for ten seconds. In these ten seconds, he was extremely calm, feeling that no one in the world could catch up with him again.
Wait until he opens his eyes. The light had already been behind him.
Zuo Xiaolong sighed and said, "This guy..."
He slowed down and stopped the car. The lights behind also slowed down and came to a stop in the back.
Zuo Xiaolong's hands grasped the motorcycle. The fog was too thick at this time. If he took a few more steps, he couldn't even find where his motorcycle was, but he wanted to go and visit his friend who was speeding behind him. He was the only one in the fog who could catch up with Zuo Xiaolong.
Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng thought: Not human, after all.
Suddenly. The lights went out. When the light shone again, it was already beside Xiao Long's body. This is the last mutated large animal left in Tinglin Town.
Fireflies suddenly rose, surrounding Zuo Xiaolong for a few laps. Landed on the rear light of the motorcycle. Zuo Xiaolong picked up the firefly. Whispered to it: Come with me. Let's go find Mudbara and I'll help you get back Dragon Cat.
Fireflies' light flickered and lit up again. Bruce Lee attached himself to its edge and said softly:
You can shine. You should fly in front of me.
The End

