The old willow trees in Liuying Lane are wrapped with rings of neon lights, which light up at night, making them look like they are adorned with stars, and making people think they are celestial trees.
Every time Bi Shenghua sees it, she is reminded of the dazzling nebula she saw through the telescope. Is there also a tree within that nebula, its roots anchored in a black hole, its branches spreading across the Milky Way, standing in the night sky year after year, scattering starlight?
The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year is getting worse every year. Apart from neon lights, lanterns, and safety signs prohibiting firecrackers, there's no sign of the New Year celebrations on the streets. There are few people and cars on the streets; it's just desolate and quiet.
Bi Shenghua came out through the back door, habitually carrying out a pot of Echeveria 'Chihuahua' and placing the key under the pot. She'd done this every time she left for over a year—just in case she came back.
She went to the front street, stood in front of the bar for a while, and then slowly walked forward along the street.
Old Li Li's little supermarket is still open, the old air conditioner unit humming on the side wall. It was the first supermarket to open in Liuying Lane, before Bi Shenghua was even born. People say it was very successful back then, with booming business. Later, more and more supermarkets opened, and a large supermarket appeared nearby, so the little supermarket didn't do so well anymore. Old Li also got old, and he just stayed at his modest little supermarket to enjoy his retirement.
Most people in Liuying Lane are looking forward to the demolition and relocation. Bi Shenghua is the only one who firmly opposes it, but there are also people who don't want the demolition to happen, and Old Li is one of them.
Bi Shenghua lifted the plastic curtain of the supermarket. The sensor at the door emitted a "Welcome" prompt, but whether it was out of power or too old, the sound was hoarse, like that of an old person.
Old Li was tidying up the shelves when he saw Bi Shenghua come in and said with a smile, "Oh, Huahua, what do you want to buy?"
"I'm not buying anything, I just came in to take a look," Bi Shenghua said.
Old Li was delighted. "Please sit down, please sit down. These days, you're the only young person who knows to visit the old neighbors even if they don't buy anything!"
Bi Shenghua didn't sit down, but casually leaned against the front desk and asked, "Haven't Zhengyang and his wife come back yet? Tomorrow's New Year's Day!"
Old Li sighed, "Sigh, he's forgotten his father after getting married. He said the kids need to go to school, so he'll be spending the Lunar New Year in Australia this year and won't be coming back."
Isn't it summer vacation in Australia right now?
"Who says otherwise? He probably needs to catch up on his studies. But Zhengyang said that once my place is demolished and redeveloped, he'll let me go to Australia and enjoy myself." A happy longing rippled across Old Li's wrinkled face.
"You're not against the demolition anymore?" Bi Shenghua, a little surprised.
Old Li said, "It'll be demolished sooner or later, there's no use opposing it. I told Hua'er, you should take it easy. Your grandfather said when he was alive that times have changed, and the debts owed by the older generation don't need to be repaid by you younger generations."
"I know." Bi Shenghua smiled, chatted with Old Li for a few more minutes, and then went out.
Further ahead was Boss Wu's Wusheng Noodle Shop, but it's closed now. This was also an old shop. Boss Wu was from out of town and came to Wuzhong to do small business in his early years, starting with a wonton stand before opening this shop. Bi Shenghua loved to eat noodles here when she was a child. His Aozao noodles were excellent, with braised fish, braised duck, stewed pork, and shrimp—generous portions and delicious flavors, no less than those from century-old shops in Kun County.
After Qingmu and Crow arrived, they also liked to eat noodles here. Crow often said that besides Ruhua's braised pork knuckle, his favorite thing to eat was the noodle toppings at this place.
Every year, Boss Wu goes back to his hometown for the Spring Festival, and each trip lasts for more than half a month. He doesn't return until after the Lantern Festival.
Next to Wusheng Noodle Shop is Sixth Auntie's clothing shop. Sixth Auntie was a tailor in an old state-owned clothing factory in the last century. After the factory closed down, she opened this clothing shop in Liuying Lane.
Back then, many people still had the habit of cutting a few feet of new cloth to make new clothes for the New Year. Later, people got used to buying clothes from stores and even cared about brands, so ready-made clothing shops became mending shops. A few years ago, Sixth Auntie would still be wearing her reading glasses and operating a sewing machine in the shop, repairing zippers and hemming trousers for the neighbors. Later, Sixth Auntie's daughter had her second child and asked Sixth Auntie to help take care of the baby. The shop was rented to a Shandong couple who made pancakes, but the words " Nannan Clothing Shop " were still on the storefront. Nannan was Sixth Auntie's childhood name, and even in her old age, people still called her that.
Ahead is Old Master Qian's house. Old Master Qian is wealthy; he owns a shop but doesn't open it. Instead, he decorates it like an old-fashioned tavern, only serving his old drinking buddies. There's a sign at the entrance: Private place, no unauthorized personnel allowed.
Some people said he was wasting his talents, that he could easily entertain friends at home and rent out the shop to make money. He said he just wanted to have a comfortable storefront so that it would be convenient for friends to come and go.
Old Master Qian loved keeping birds, especially his myna. He used to boast about how clever his myna was, but ever since the Boss Coal came to Liuying Lane, his myna seemed less bright. Every time Old Master Qian saw Qingmu walking his bird, he would say, "Chat with Old Eight for a while, teach us a thing or two, my Old Eight can't even speak properly yet!" The Boss Coal would always turn away disdainfully, "That stupid myna is too dumb!"
Bi Shenghua smiled as she recalled these memories. She walked slowly forward, looking at each shop one by one, and the past events came vividly to mind.
But it'll be demolished sooner or later!
No matter how much Bi Shenghua opposes it, no matter how much Huang Ziqiang helps, this place will be demolished sooner or later, and that old willow tree will be moved away sooner or later.
Moreover, after the surveyors from the Parks and Culture Bureau came that day, she became even more worried. She clearly remembered that the man saying that there were tree roots for miles around, which was so similar to what she had heard from her grandfather!
She didn't know if the surveyor would go back and report everything. If the leaders of the Parks and Culture Bureau really took this seriously and investigated the details of the tree, what would happen? Perhaps they would protect it as a particularly precious tree species, which would be a good thing. The worst thing would be if they insisted on digging up the roots to take a look, or using it as a gimmick to make money from tourism. In that case, the tree would probably be doomed.
She walked for a while longer, and unknowingly turned into an old alley on the side. The alley led to an old farmers' market, where the last vegetable vendors were holding their ground, calling out again and again, "Last half day, sell out and pack up!"
Bi Shenghua walked through the alley next to the farmers' market and stopped in front of the internet cafe.
The fire that struck more than 20 years ago, a fire that still haunts the people of Liuying Lane, started right here. The entire Liu Family family, along with the workers in their wool mill, perished that very night.
It is now known that Liu Huaian the fire, but people at the time didn't say that. Back then, rumors circulated that it was a heavenly fire, that someone in the Liu Family had done something immoral and angered the heavens.
But when Bi Shenghua very young, sitting on her grandfather's lap listening to stories, she heard a different version.
Since the great fire that happened to the Hua Family years ago, all the mulberry trees within a ten-mile radius of Mulberry Camp died. For decades, not a single mulberry tree has grown since. No matter whether they are transplanted or propagated by cuttings, they cannot survive. Instead, rows and rows of willow trees have grown. But a mulberry sapling has grown in the courtyard of the Liu Family's wool mill.
Grandpa said it was the spirit of the thousand-year-old mulberry tree that had come back to life. So he went to the wool mill to find work so he could secretly take care of the mulberry tree. Later, the mulberry seedlings gradually grew, but the Liu Family cut them down because they thought the mulberry tree was in the way, leaving only a small stump at ground level. Then the Liu Family caught fire.
Grandpa didn't actually say that the fire started because the Liu Family cut down the mulberry tree, but Bi Shenghua automatically connected the two events in her mind.
Grandpa escaped the disaster because he went to the hospital when the fire broke out, waiting for his granddaughter to be born.
Bi Shenghua was born on that very night.
Grandpa doted on her, perhaps because she saved his life when she was first born.
Although the fire and Bi Shenghua) are actually unrelated, so many people died there. Whenever someone mentions it, it sends chills down my spine, as if I were a witness, struggling in the fire with nowhere to escape, and had no choice but to abandon my body and let my soul escape to be reincarnated.