Chapter Fourteen: The Bond of a Small Store

  Qin Sihai finally called Yu Bo to find out that they hadn't found a place to eat yet. Qin Sihai told them to wait and then rushed over to meet up with them. After getting off the car, Qin Sihai pulled out several packs of cigarettes from his pocket, which were exactly the same as the ones he used to smoke in the army camp. Yu Bo's pale face finally showed some signs of life, weakly saying: "You stole these?"

  Yu Bo's face turned ashen as he gazed at Murong Liuyue with an expression that seemed to say Murong Liuyue owed him a huge debt. The others, including Li Mingjie, also looked at Murong Liuyue with painful expressions. However, Murong Liuyue was squatting on the ground, staring at the traffic lights, seemingly oblivious to the resentful gazes of the crowd. Xu Sanduo still smiled kindly and said, "We were going to Da Pai Dang but couldn't find it."

  What Qin Sihai said was not in the city. Three drivers were hesitant to take this trip if they hadn't seen them all wearing military uniforms. The car turned left and right before finally arriving at its destination.

  Yu Bo couldn't help but ask Qin Si Hai doubtfully: "Are you really a thief?"

  Qin Si Hai was too lazy to respond and kicked Yu Bo off the car with one foot, then paid for the taxi fare of all three cars.

  Yu Bo still refused to give up and said, "What's your level? Go back and help me get that laptop from home, okay?"

  If it weren't for the crowd inside, people would still be uncertain whether this was a place where you could order food and eat, or just a large stall. The place wasn't big, there were no signs, and the store was empty and quiet. They pushed together several tables, with stools only tens of centimeters high. The boss saw Qin Si Hai from afar and called out to him, clearly Qin Si Hai was a regular here. Qin Si Hai greeted the boss and then said in a low voice: "This is my private restaurant." As he spoke, his eyebrows couldn't hide his proud smile.

  Yu Bo cut off a sound, meaning what's so proud of just a broken restaurant, and then hugged his stomach in pain, groaning.

  Murong Liunan had been searching for it since he arrived, and finally found it. His abacus had already been calculated long ago. He knew that it was difficult to find this thing in those big hotels, so coming here was a wise choice.

  Murong Liuyan picked up the pipe from the corner and sat down on the stool beside him, crossing his legs and puffing away with a "puff puff" sound.

  In fact, just as Qin Sihai said, this big villa hidden in the suburbs is really good. Yu Bo was originally very skeptical, but when the food arrived at his mouth, he believed it without a doubt. There were several bottles of beer scattered on the table, and the dishes came up quickly, and it was clear that they had been specially added with ingredients, with fish and meat, and very rich. Yu Bo asked if there was red wine, and after a while, the boss brought Chateau Lafite to him. Yu Bo originally just made a joke, but he wanted to know what this place didn't have. It's clear that this is a sparrow, although small, it has all five internal organs.

  The boss and the employee in the store were a couple who had been married for over 50 years. Their gentle appearance made people feel very reliable. After serving the wine and dishes, the man sat on one side reading the newspaper while the woman was quietly knitting a sweater on the other side, occasionally putting down her work to pat the back of her coughing husband. They had a deep understanding of each other, with a strong sense of harmony. For them, happiness wasn't about what others thought or material wealth, but about living a simple life every day. They didn't compete with others, and they didn't let others compete with them. What they wanted to do was to learn how to be grateful for their happiness.

  The old man reading the newspaper occasionally looked at this group of young people with a hint of longing in his eyes. Who hasn't been young before? Now it's just a bit nostalgic, not envying their current life, which is pretty good. Then he noticed that the youth who was constantly smoking had a hint of appreciation in his eyes. He liked the youth who smoked and could bring out the flavor of the pipe. Having smoked pipes for most of his life, he knew that pipes were like human years - the longer they lasted, the stronger the flavor became. Those who could appreciate pipes should be people who understand the meaning of life.

  Murong Liu Nian hasn't had enough of the flavor yet, but the matches in his pocket have been used up. Nowadays, people who smoke and use matches are rare because places where you can find matches are already scarce. However, old-timers with a long smoking history all know that this tobacco is best paired with matches to bring out its flavor.

  The old man coughed again, as if he had already stepped into the coffin with one foot. However, his firm footsteps were worthy of a seasoned soldier. He walked to the counter and pulled out a box of matches from underneath. Then he turned around and looked at his partner, his eyes filled with infinite tenderness that had weathered many storms. His partner couldn't help but tear up.

  The old man's body was already severely damaged by the accumulated hidden diseases. His wife knew he liked to smoke, so she hid the matchbox, thinking he didn't know. But it turned out that he had known all along and just hadn't exposed her. Under the counter, a large quantity of matches had been hidden. He would bring back a box of matches every time he went out of town and let his wife cover up the fact by saying they were used up. His wife also knew that without the matchbox, he absolutely wouldn't touch the pipe, fearing it would tarnish the profound meaning of the pipe.

  The old man's partner didn't blame him, and instead smiled at him as he wiped away his tears with the handkerchief. The old man then walked over to Mu Rong Liu Nian and handed him a matchbox. Mu Rong Liu Nian took it with both hands and smiled in gratitude. At that moment, he didn't have any lazy demeanor.

  The old man sat down beside Mu Rong Liu Nian, his voice carrying the weight of years: "You're Qin young master's teammate, aren't you?"

  Murong Liuyan nodded slightly and said, "Mm. He's a good person."

  The old couple nodded in agreement, slightly excited: "Young Master Qin is indeed very good. My wife and I owe it to him that we have a peaceful meal. This is the first time I've seen Young Master Qin bring friends here. Young Master Qin is happy, my wife and I are also happy."

  Murong Liuyue knew that the old man's home was not specifically selling Qin Shao's goods, at least the motivation was pure. He didn't continue to talk to the old man because he knew the old man had said enough. The old man coughed and quietly got up, then returned to his partner.

  Xu Sanduo called out to Murong Liunian several times, and finally, Murong Liunian calmly returned to the dinner table. Qin Shao saw Murong Liunian and casually picked up a cup of wine, handing it to him, saying: "I say, you little guy always makes such a big fuss every time, it's not like anyone else! This time, you must self-penalize with three cups."

  The others immediately echoed: "Right! It's got to be punished!"

  Murong Liu Nian rarely smiled and then looked up and drank three cups in one go.

  Beer is more flavorful the more you drink, and without any worries, Li Mingjie started singing loudly. Then Qin Sihai somehow found a TV, VCD player, and speakers, as well as two wireless microphones. "The Glorious Years" began to blast amidst everyone's cheers:

  The bell rings as a signal for returning home

  There seems to be a hint of melancholy in his life.

  Black gives his meaning

  Dedicated his life to the struggle for racial equality.

  Years and months turn possession into loss

  Tired eyes with expectation

  Today there is only residual shell

  Embracing the glorious years

  Embracing freedom in wind and rain.

  A lifetime of struggling through hardships and difficulties

  Confidence can change the future

  Who else can do it

  ……

  The voice is not pleasant to listen to, and the tone is even off-key, but after drinking, the true words are moving. The elderly couple listened with their ears and looked at it in their hearts, but they were moved to tears. So someone said that on the dinner table, you can often find the most touching songs, which is not unreasonable.

  As they were about to leave, Qin Si Hai forced the old man's family to take some money before leaving with everyone. Since there were no cars in this remote area, Qin Si Hai thought of driving away the old man's broken four-wheeler, but the old man was afraid he had drunk too much and couldn't drive steadily. In the end, Li Ming Jie called a car and they left. Then, under Yu Bo's strong instigation, they went to a bar again. Because they still needed to return to the campsite, except for Yu Bo, no one else indulged themselves excessively. They played for over an hour before reluctantly leaving.

  This was the day when Xu Sanduo felt the most complicated. Before, he always thought that soldiers were a special class with strict rules and defending the country was their only purpose, but he never thought that soldiers could be like this. Maybe it's because we don't belong to the real military yet, Xu Sanduo told himself in his heart. And this enchanting and prosperous city, people living in this city... Today's sights, sounds, and feelings were more than all the days spent in the poor mountain village combined.

  Superficiality is just because it has never been experienced before.

  Xu Sanduo sat in the car, gazing out of the window at the darkening night sky with a look of bewilderment.