The Shadow of a Tree, the Name of a Man
From the late Qing Dynasty onwards, starting with Ye Chenyu, he has always been quite busy, doing many things and participating in many historical events. So, as Liu Chang'an, he plans to take a break for a while and become an ordinary person who actively participates in the construction of a socialist country and the realization of national rejuvenation, quietly waiting for the leap in science and technology to break through the ceiling.
Lifestyle changes in recent years have been dramatic, but not the "leap forward" Liu Chang'an had hoped for.
Since he's just an ordinary guy like Liu Chang'an, the girlfriend he needs is a beautiful and cute girl like An Nuan, who can definitely meet all the expectations a man has for a girlfriend.
That's just how fate is. Some people always lose what they want, while others get exactly what they need when they need it.
In his first year of high school, two beautiful girls appeared in front of Liu Chang'an at the same time: An Nuan Bai Hui.
They are all beautiful young girls, youthful and invincible, radiating a lively and energetic energy. They always have an adorable appearance that makes you laugh, and they tremble like flower branches. It's like a bee gently stepping on a flower stamen, causing the petals to scatter and releasing the fragrance accumulated since childhood, which is intoxicating to smell.
Holding several comic convention tickets, Liu Chang'an reminisced about his high school life and was quite certain that both An Nuan and Bai Hui had experienced a slow increase in bust size from their first year of high school to their third. However, Bai Hui had a better foundation, which further widened the gap between her and An Nuan.
Just as he was thinking about fat, he suddenly saw Qin Yanan, the queen of using fat wisely. She had probably just gotten off work and saw Liu Chang'an from afar. She didn't come over to greet him, but just stood there watching him. When Liu Chang'an saw her and their eyes met, she blushed and glared at him before turning around and walking away.
Women are so contradictory. If they truly feel ashamed, the best way to handle it is to tacitly remain silent about it with the other person. After a few days, the feeling of shame will naturally fade. But if she insists on acting differently than usual, isn't that just reminding him that something happened?
Madness.
Liu Chang'an had long forgotten about it, so he waved as usual, not caring whether she saw him or not, and then went home.
He bought a box of charcoal from a grocery store in the market. He could have made it himself, but considering the cost of making it himself and the difficulty of finding suitable materials for charcoal production, he simply bought a box.
Liu Chang'an carried the charcoal home and met Lu Si'en, who was squatting there motionless at the entrance of the community. This dog did not always stay near the doghouse and the sycamore tree. Just like Zhou Dongdong before he went to school, he would run around in the community.
Lu Si'en is squatting here because it has been praised by the elderly residents of the community. They believe that such a fierce dog squatting at the entrance of the community enhances the community's atmosphere and can deter petty thieves.
Upon seeing Liu Chang'an, Lu Si'en followed Liu Chang'an home.
There was no card game under the grapevines. Liu Chang'an saw Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong under the sycamore tree.
Two people, one big and one small, were sitting around a small stove with several eggs on the rim of it.
In the past, when people mainly used coal stoves, this was a common way to eat eggs. The eggs were wrapped in paper, the paper was soaked in water, and then placed next to the stove to bake. Eggs baked in this way were often very fragrant. Nowadays, some people push their ovens on the street and sell eggs, corn, sweet potatoes, and the like baked in this way.
Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong sat around the small stove, intently watching their roasted eggs.
"You can do this too?" Liu Chang'an looked at Shangguan Dandan with some surprise.
Shangguan Dandan pointed at Zhou Dongdong.
Zhou Dongdong raised her hand to indicate that it was indeed done by a clever child.
"Where did you get the eggs?" Liu Chang'an asked casually. There were no eggs left upstairs or downstairs, and he hadn't gone to buy any yet.
"Old Lady Liu lost ten yuan to me. She said she didn't have any money with her, so she went back and got these eggs for me," Shangguan Dandan said, not particularly bothered, even though she had calculated it three times and was certain that Old Lady Liu had gotten a slight advantage.
Old Lady Liu often used eggs or vegetables to pay for things, and Liu Chang'an had eaten quite a few of her free-range eggs in this way.
"You two just ate roasted sweet potatoes?" Liu Chang'an reached out and wiped Zhou Dongdong's mouth. Both of them, one big and one small, had some sweet potato stuck to their mouths, and Zhou Dongdong's face was covered in soot.
Zhou Dongdong quickly stood up, ran to the stove, poked around with a stick for a while, and found a dusty roasted sweet potato, which she handed to Liu Chang'an.
Liu Chang'an looked at the dirty roasted sweet potato, then at Zhou Dongdong's treasure-like expression, and felt truly troubled.
"Why did you leave it there?" This was a roasted sweet potato that Zhou Dongdong left for Liu Chang'an. The problem was that when the large stove was lit, the ashes could indeed keep it warm, but there was no fire burning here!
"I originally intended to put it on the small stove, but I was afraid it would suddenly disappear, so I hid it there." Zhou Dongdong certainly had her reasons.
Why did it suddenly disappear?
"Sometimes I don't even remember if I've eaten or not, and then all that food is gone. My mom always says I ate it all," Zhou Dongdong said sadly. Sometimes, some delicious food disappears very quickly, and Zhou Dongdong doesn't even feel like she ate much. But her mom always sends her pictures of her eating a lot, which is really strange.
"I see." Liu Chang'an took it, peeled it, and started eating... The rather awkward thing is that it's really difficult to eat roasted sweet potatoes without getting some on your lips.
After all, even someone as skilled with words as Shangguan Dandan got her mouth and face dirty while eating.
After finishing the roasted sweet potato, Liu Chang'an started digging a hole in the ground.
Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong were still sitting by the small stove, looking at their roasted eggs while watching Liu Chang'an dig a hole.
Liu Chang'an dug a pit that was 30 centimeters deep, 30 centimeters wide, and 90 centimeters long, and laid broken red bricks and pebbles at the bottom.
The pebbles were all collected by Zhou Dongdong when he played in the river sand. It was common for a child to carry a bunch of stones in his schoolbag.
"We're having barbecue tonight." Liu Chang'an made two Y-shaped racks on either side of the pit, and a simple barbecue setup was complete. He also called Zhou Shuling and told her to come back for barbecue later, since barbecue doesn't taste the same if it's not freshly grilled and eaten immediately.
Zhou Shuling said she would bring back beer for him to drink, and Liu Chang'an agreed. After all, the case of Wuliangye liquor at his house was more suitable for drinking with food, while barbecue went better with beer.
Liu Chang'an then dug up the buried goose skeleton. After accumulating for so long, there were quite a few fat and large centipedes inside.
"Why are the centipedes around here so big?" Shangguan Dandan asked curiously. Once, instead of sending chicks into the carriage, Liu Chang'an sent centipedes instead.
"Wherever I am, I nourish the land. Haven't you noticed how few elderly people in this community get sick, except for the time you were recklessly draining their life force? And even when they do get sick, they recover quickly. Centipedes are particularly adept at absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and centenarians like myself are exactly what they desire. That's why there are so many fat and delicious centipedes here," Liu Chang'an explained.
"There are so many centipedes, they're fat and delicious!" Zhou Dongdong grasped the key point and went to get a bag for Liu Chang'an to put all the centipedes in.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Shangguan Dandan said softly.
Liu Chang'an didn't seem to have any intention of saying anything to her.
Zhou Dongdong ran upstairs first, rummaged around the house for a while, found a box of red pills, and brought it down. She said to Liu Chang'an with great relief, "Luckily, I found Mom's antidote, so we won't be poisoned!"
Zhou Dongdong recalled with lingering fear the last time she ate a centipede, and how her brother Chang'an told her to go back and wait to die so that she could be a smart child in her next life. Fortunately, her mother had given her the antidote.
"That's wonderful." Liu Chang'an ate one candy and gave Shangguan Dandan one.
Shangguan Dandan held the candy in her mouth, her tongue swirling around in her mouth, making her mouth feel sweet, before she curled her tongue and swallowed the candy down her throat.
Zhou Dongdong ate one centipede, but feeling a little uneasy, she ate two more. That way, even if she accidentally ate too many centipedes and got too much poison, she wouldn't die.
Liu Chang'an washed the centipede clean, rinsed it, and peeled off its shell. Then he went upstairs and brought down a wild boar leg. Such a huge wild boar leg should be enough for the three heroes and his wife, who was particularly good at not wasting food.
After a while, Zhou Shuling returned, carrying a supermarket shopping cart full of beer.
Liu Chang'an noticed fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and that her collar had come undone, revealing some of her white skin. He wondered why this seemingly delicate woman would buy so much beer at once, and why she hadn't even called someone to pick her up.
"I know the people at the supermarket, so I borrowed a shopping cart on my way back. On the way, I met an old man in his seventies who helped me up the steps. He's really strong for his age! I was a little worried he might fall or break something, but thankfully he didn't." Zhou Shuling fanned herself with her hand, saying with a hint of regret, "You can't get used to things being easy. You see, I used to be able to push that big breakfast cart up and down hills by myself without any problem, but now even pushing a shopping cart is a huge struggle."
"Why did you buy so much beer?" Liu Chang'an asked. "How long are we going to drink this?"
"Isn't this on sale? Buy one get one free. I think the production date is still okay; it doesn't expire for another two months." Zhou Shuling is a thrifty person.
"Alright, then you should drink more too." Liu Chang'an knew that she had bought the beer for him, as she herself didn't drink often. However, she was reasonably good at drinking; she wasn't the type to get drunk after just three glasses.
Liu Chang'an opened a can and handed it to Zhou Dongdong. Zhou Dongdong licked the beer foam from the can, immediately frowned, her body trembled, and she rolled off the small stool. It took her a lot of effort to get up. It wasn't her first time drinking beer, but she just couldn't understand why adults liked it so much while children couldn't get used to it.
At first, I wasn't used to the taste and even cried my eyes out. Now I don't cry anymore, but I'm still a little unwilling to give up and always want to try it, thinking that maybe I'll suddenly grow up and become an adult so I can drink it.
"Do you want some?" Liu Chang'an opened another can and handed it to Shangguan Dandan.
Shangguan Dandan glanced at Zhou Dongdong, hesitated, and shook her head. She didn't want to drink this stuff and then roll on the ground, so she poured herself some effervescent water and drank it with Zhou Dongdong.
Zhou Shuling took it, frowned, and drank almost half of it in one gulp. Although she didn't like beer, she couldn't waste it since she had bought it.
Liu Chang'an started roasting wild boar legs and centipede meat, preparing dipping sauces. The four of them sat around the fire pit, their mouths glistening with oil as they ate. Only Shangguan Dandan avoided getting her mouth all greasy.
After finishing their barbecue, they tidied up and sat down to rest under the sycamore tree. Liu Chang'an looked at Shangguan Dandan, who was still sitting by the small stove, and felt that something was wrong.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shangguan Dandan looked at Liu Chang'an suspiciously. He must be looking for trouble again, so she hugged the thermos to her chest.
"I noticed that you've been sitting there without moving since I got back, and you didn't touch the table even after we finished eating." Liu Chang'an realized why Shangguan Dandan seemed like the culprit. It was because he and Zhou Dongdong had been doing the barbecue the whole time. Although Zhou Dongdong was usually the one causing trouble, she had shown initiative, and Zhou Shuling had even brought back a shopping cart full of beer, made dipping sauces, and cleaned up the dishes. Only Shangguan Dandan was sitting there doing nothing, like a Bodhisattva.
"I moved the little stool from there to here." Shangguan Dandan pointed to the distance between the original small stove and the pit dug by Liu Chang'an.
How can you say it hasn't been touched? Shangguan Dandan stood up and walked back and forth a couple of steps. It was clearly this far.
Liu Chang'an nodded and said nothing more, because saying anything would be pointless.
He also understood why Shangguan Dandan had been able to stay in the coffin for so long before; it turned out she really didn't like to move.
So Liu Chang'an decided to take her out for a walk. He led Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong, and together with Zhou Shuling, they walked towards Baolong Center. Zhou Shuling also needed to go into the shops and return the shopping cart to the supermarket.
"I want to hold your hand!" Zhou Dongdong ran a few steps, but couldn't keep up with Chang'an's pace, so she shouted.
Liu Chang'an put his hands behind his back, hooked his little finger, and Zhou Dongdong grabbed it.
Shangguan Dandan glanced at him, then grabbed Liu Chang'an's other hand, which was clenched into a fist. Shangguan Dandan pried open his fingers one by one, and then grabbed his little finger as well.
Zhou Shuling couldn't help but chuckle. Liu Chang'an was clearly just a young man, but whether he was with Shangguan Dandan or Zhou Dongdong, he acted like a father taking care of children... Objectively speaking, Zhou Shuling didn't intend for Liu Chang'an to be Zhou Dongdong's father. Who would think of such an absurd thing?
"What are you laughing at? Are you going to tug at my clothes from behind?" Liu Chang'an said to Zhou Shuling.
"No way, I'm not a child anymore." Zhou Shuling pushed the shopping cart, not wanting to play with children.
Lu Si'en caught up and ran to the entrance of the community to watch its owners leave. It stretched its legs, barked a few times, then ran back a little and squatted at the entrance of the community.
Upon arriving at Baolong Center, Zhou Shuling pushed her shopping cart inside. Liu Chang'an didn't go in to browse. Men usually have a strong purpose when shopping; otherwise, they wouldn't be so interested in looking around in a mall without knowing what they want to buy... except for those who enjoy the air conditioning.
He pulled two fingers out; they had held them for a while, and his little finger felt warm all over.
"Brother Chang'an, let's go play on the trampoline and in the Pinball World together!" Zhou Dongdong suggested.
"You guys go ahead." Liu Chang'an was an adult; why would he be interested in playing on these children's amusement facilities?
"But we don't have any money," Zhou Dongdong rummaged through her pockets. "Mom said we can play once a week."
Liu Chang'an was about to take out some money to give to Shangguan Dandan, but after glancing at Shangguan Dandan, he noticed she was watching him take out his money. He hesitated, still feeling uneasy. He reasoned that if he gave Shangguan Dandan fifty yuan, she might trick Zhou Dongdong into buying twenty yuan worth of snacks, making Zhou Dongdong happily forget about the trampoline and Pinball World. Then, Shangguan Dandan would most likely use the remaining thirty yuan to buy effervescent tablets.
So Liu Chang'an took the two of them to the children's amusement center on the first basement floor of the mall, paid for them to play there... Although Shangguan Dandan was no longer a child, it was quite normal for an old lady who was used to all sorts of things to be obsessed with modern entertainment facilities. What modern children played with was certainly very rare for ancient people to play with occasionally.
Liu Chang'an sent a message to Zhou Shuling, saying that if he hadn't returned to the children's amusement center to pick up the two children by the time she closed the shop, she should come and take them away. Then, feeling relieved, he went for a stroll on the street.
As autumn deepens and winter approaches, the street is seeing more and more people dressed in short leather pants, tights, and long boots. Recently, stalls selling balloons in exchange for plush toys have become increasingly popular in Junsha. When the city management officers finish their shifts and stop patrolling late at night, many such stalls appear on this pedestrian street in Junsha, which has been bustling for over twenty years. Right now, the stall owners are placing some items in their respective spots to reserve their places.
Liu Chang'an felt he could really show off his skills, but he couldn't wait until then to play, so he played with the claw machines in the inner street for a while.
Just as Liu Chang'an was about to redeem his winnings from five claw machines, Bai Hui called, asking if he was home and saying she needed his help with something.
"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's gift is bound to him." Since Liu Chang'an had accepted Bai Hui's anime convention tickets, he readily told her that he wasn't home and was currently on the street. Bai Hui told him to wait for him at the Hermès boutique, which was facing the street.
There was only one Hermès boutique in Junsha, so it was easy to find. Liu Chang'an walked over carrying five dolls.
As soon as Liu Chang'an walked over, he saw Qian Ning there, along with a pretty girl with light bangs who was talking in an exaggerated tone, the kind of manner that a common woman would use when she raised her eyebrows, put her hands on her hips, and had to force a smile at the corners of her mouth.
"I heard Qian Ning say that your family's financial situation is quite average. I didn't expect you to be able to afford a Hermès. It's so easy to make money off fat guys. Just act cute every day, dance, show off your chest and legs, and you can probably earn 100,000 a month..." the girl clicked her tongue in amazement. "I even saw a news report last time about a 'welfare girl' named Nine-Tailed Fox M who bought a Porsche 911 by selling her 'welfare resources' and offline hookups."
"What do you mean? Qian Ning, what did you say about me in front of your girlfriend?" Bai Hui glared at Qian Ning, never expecting that her friend of many years would allow his girlfriend to slander and insult her. Qian Ning's new girlfriend also had the surname Bai, and her name was Bai Rui. When Qian Ning posted on his WeChat Moments, Bai Hui had even given them her blessings.
"I didn't say anything. You're so famous, plenty of people will dig into you and say all sorts of things. You know that." Qian Ning avoided Bai Hui's gaze. It wasn't until he entered university that Qian Ning truly realized there was no possibility between him and Bai Hui. He had just recently found a girlfriend who was great in every way, except for one minor flaw: she was jealous... Knowing that Qian Ning had a close relationship with a very famous dancer at Xiangtan University, she began to thoroughly investigate Bai Hui, collecting a bunch of so-called "dirt" on her, trying to prove that Bai Hui had risen to fame by selling her body and packaging herself as a rich and beautiful woman.
"Don't you know those are all fake?" Bai Hui looked at Qian Ning coldly.
Qian Ning didn't dare to meet Bai Hui's eyes, nor did he dare to defend her in front of his girlfriend Bai Rui. After all, Bai Hui was ultimately unattainable, while Bai Rui was already in his grasp.
"If you say it's fake, then it's fake. I didn't say you were like that... I'm just curious, I heard that Lolita fashion enthusiasts all have sugar daddies, and they like to call their sugar daddies 'daddy,' is that true?" Bai Rui, with her delicate features, spoke with a sharp edge, looking at Bai Hui's cute, princess-like dress and laughing, "I wasn't talking about you, don't overthink it."
"You..." Bai Hui was furious and could only press her hand to her chest, feeling breathless with anger. There was nothing she could do; these Lolita dresses often had ties around the waist, and they were already quite tight. Normally, she had to consciously pay attention to her breathing rhythm, let alone now.
"Liu Chang'an..." Qian Ning felt a slight sense of relief and a secret satisfaction when he saw Bai Hui being completely suppressed by his girlfriend. He originally planned to stop while he was ahead and leave with Bai Rui, but he didn't expect to see Liu Chang'an standing behind the three of them at some point.
Liu Chang'an often appears out of nowhere like this, which is not surprising. It often happened in high school. Sometimes when roll call was taken, I clearly remembered that he was not there, but when he was called, he would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Bai Hui turned around, feeling extremely wronged. She didn't know why she was so unlucky. Every time she was so embarrassed, Liu Chang'an would see it, and he always had that "you guys continue, I'm just watching" expression.
"You're Liu Chang'an?"
To Qian Ning and Bai Hui's surprise, Bai Rui looked delighted and a little shy upon seeing Liu Chang'an. She hurriedly brushed her bangs aside, straightened her skirt, and stared intently at Liu Chang'an.
Liu Chang'an nodded.
"I... I'm a big fan of yours. I follow you on Weibo... I... I heard that you and Qian Ning were high school classmates," Bai Rui said nervously.
Liu Chang'an nodded.
"Can we... can we follow each other on social media?" Bai Rui's cheeks flushed red.
Liu Chang'an shook his head.
"Then... can we take a picture together?" Bai Rui was a little surprised, not expecting Liu Chang'an to be so uncooperative. Generally speaking, this would be tantamount to disrespecting Qian Ning. Who would be so heartless?
Liu Chang'an shook his head.
Bai Rui awkwardly turned to look at Qian Ning, tugging at Qian Ning sleeve. This idiot! Didn't he see his girlfriend was losing face? He didn't even try to say a word for her.
"Liu Chang'an, give me some face." Qian Ning said coldly. He was furious; he never expected to run into Liu Chang'an, let alone that Bai Rui would call herself a fan of Liu Chang'an! Oh my god!
But he didn't dare not help Bai Rui, after all, Bai Rui was the type to break up with him three times a day, morning, noon and night. Every time they broke up, he would have to rack his brains to coax her, which was extremely annoying.
Sometimes I think about breaking up, but she's still my girlfriend. I haven't even had my fill of free sex yet, and if I find a new girlfriend, firstly, she might not be as pretty or have as good a figure as Bai Rui, and secondly, aren't all girls these days pretty much the same?
"Why should I give you face?" Liu Chang'an shook his head.
Qian Ning was taken aback for a moment, "We were high school classmates, after all."
"You and Bai Hui were classmates in junior high and high school, and you didn't even give her face. Why do you think I'd give you face when we're just casual acquaintances?" Liu Chang'an sincerely advised, "Remember to plant a tree next Arbor Day."
"You..." Qian Ning's face flushed red as he pulled Bai Rui along, "Let's go."
"Liu Chang'an, will you agree if I apologize to Bai Hui?" Bai Rui refused to leave. She and Qian Ning were not from the same school, but lived in different parts of the city. Such opportunities to witness a legendary figure in the student circle were rare.
"Apologize," Liu Chang'an said.
Bai Rui brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, hesitated for a moment, and finally smiled, saying to Bai Hui, "Bai Hui, don't mind me, I really didn't mean it to you."
"It's okay," Bai Hui said, looking down at the floor.
Seeing that Bai Rui had apologized, Liu Chang'an felt that it was no longer his business, so he turned and left, still holding his five dolls.
"Liu Chang'an... we haven't taken a photo together yet..." Bai Rui hurriedly caught up with him.
"I was just lying to you." Liu Chang'an immediately admitted that he had lied.
"You..." Bai Rui stomped her foot in anger. She stopped in her tracks as she watched Liu Chang'an walk into the Hermès boutique. For many girls, without a bank card with enough denominations, they don't even have the courage to walk into such a boutique.
"Do you understand now? That's just the kind of person Liu Chang'an is. And you're still his fangirl? What's with the fangirling?" Qian Ning said angrily.
"But... but she's still quite unique." Bai Rui thought for a moment, then twisted her body as she spoke.
Feeling frustrated, Qian Ning turned around and went to the street to hail a taxi, no longer caring about Bai Rui.
Bai Hui remained standing in the same spot, then suddenly smiled, vaguely seeing a trace of her past self in Bai Rui... Although she wasn't as outrageous as Bai Rui, she had, at times, acted in ways that Liu Chang'an disliked.
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It's been a year since the book was published, and today happens to be the day. I'm writing this long chapter to thank everyone for their support, and I'd also like to ask for your monthly votes.