See the world from the 21st floor

This windy seaside city, with a permanent salty smell in the air, sweltering heat in summer and freezing cold in winter, can't build up fast enough to keep up with decay. I stood on the 21st floor, looking down on the city, and I never saw anything higher than myself.

Spring enveloped the city at a rate of three by five as I struggled to crawl along the main road on my crumbling tricycle. All was silent, the bare branches were covered with green, the dusty ground was covered with yellow, red, purple and pink flowers. As I rode, I found myself behind the spring.

When I arrived at the rental place, the wormwood in front of the courtyard had been raised again. The tricycle bumped all the way, and its bones squeaked. The birds gathered in the yard for the meeting flew away, and I wanted to share with them in the long days to come.

The luggage is small enough. It's like traveling. Everything you can throw away is thrown away. Isn't life just a journey? I stood in front of the window and saw my dusty figure. This place is a short stop on the road.

The landlord said to me, you only paid the price of one room, but you rent the whole place, the other room, will not be occupied for a year or half. He counted the rent money in his hand, and then waved his hand and said, Look, there is such a big yard, also belong to you.

The community is so dilapidated, all the buildings are gray and listless, because of age, the body is buried in the earth. Even at night, few homes had lights on. The wind from the wormwood skimming, gossamer like insects lingering. I sat on the stone steps, looking up at the sky, the sky high star less, spring has been quite strong, but still feel cold. So every night, I went to bed earlier and earlier and earlier. Dormant in bed, listening to the wind and rain on the sound of the window lattice, I feel very happy.

I got a job as a copy editor in an advertising agency. It was my first job. My boss said I would wait until I got a full internship. I figured out in my mind, three hundred for rent, five hundred left to live a rich life. So I went to work.

The day I moved out of the dormitory, I said to everyone, go ahead. My roommate walked me to the school gate, and Hiroko said, "You don't have to suffer from the stench of the bathroom anymore." I said, yeah, maybe my rhinitis will get better. You said you were ready to play. I said, "Well, I'm not here. You're just going to get trampled."

Every Wednesday morning, I got up early and walked for about an hour back to school for my ancient literature class. The rest of the class I ignored. I am a good student. I get a scholarship every year and join the party. But I really don't want to attend some classes.

After class, I go to the library to change books. Looking for books takes a long time, and you can't find anything satisfactory after looking for a long time. I don't have time, so I'll just borrow them one by one. The library card at school only allowed me to borrow three books at a time, and I had to control how fast I read. If I read fast, I would run out of books for the rest of the day.

In the evening, I have millet porridge with fried peanuts and bean curd. If he gets paid, he goes to the supermarket to buy pig's head and loose beer. I don't like the taste of wine, but I like the taste of it. Picking up the ocean bowl, looking at the yellow bubbling beer, then slurping it with squinting eyes and breathing a long sigh, it was as if the gods had passed. This is how I please myself in my lonely days.

I remember, at that time, in addition to the internship salary of 800 yuan a month, there would be more and more sporadic remuneration. I spent all my spare time reading and writing. By the time I was a senior, I had my own laptop, but I still wrote on paper. I like the feeling of writing on the paper, the writing is full of joy, and then changed beyond recognition, but it looks very beautiful, full, feel very full. When I finished, I typed it into my computer, emailed it to newspaper and magazine editors, and then, in a trickle, came samples and meager payments. I don't take them seriously, but I know I value them in my heart.

Soon, Hiroko also found a job, as a secretary in the psychological association. He told me on the other end that he wanted to move in with you, closer to work. I said, you do it. He came in the evening.

He took the room next to mine. I said, the landlord won't show up for six months, no one will charge you rent. "I'll give it to you," said Hiroko. "Half for both of us."

The first day of work, after work, Haozi invited me to eat food stall. I ordered a plate of sanxian tofu, Hao Zi ordered a roast lamb, a fried egg with scallion, and we brought our own beer. At this time, the spring breeze blowing on the body, especially pleasant. I saw the boss of the food stall in full swing on the pot, my heart inexplicably rose warm.

Haozi said, what psychological association, sounds like a public institution, the original is fooling people. I said, what is it? Haozi said, in fact, is to do psychological consultant training, the boss let me post on the Internet, plaster. I mean, first job, you don't care. Hao Zi shook his head and said, drink.

The spring breeze made people drunk, we went back to the community, moved two benches into the yard, lying on the bench, the sky is starry, such a night, really let people happy. Haozi sang at the top of his voice, sister you boldly go forward, go forward. I said, keep your voice down. Don't disturb the people. Haozi does not sing, change to read poetry, the dead such as Sifu, not give up day and night.

On Saturday morning, I was woken up by Hiroko. "Get up," he said excitedly. "I'll take you to earn some money." I was very disappointed, because the story in the dream was about to reach its climax, but Hiroko woke me up.

It was still dark when we went out of the gate. The world is so quiet that you can hear the decay of time. Hiroko's step is light and full of passion. I was still angry with him about the failed dream, but for the money's sake, I didn't say a word.

Hiroko led me on a 20-minute walk to the gate of an abandoned factory, where I saw a small crowd had gathered. A vaguely faced but lean man said, waiting for you. Hiroko replied, well, let's get to work.

The skinny man had two men work in pairs, each with two large bundles of leaflets. He said, send leaflets this kind of thing, should not need me to teach it, beware of security guards and dogs on the line, before the sun goes down, every community every family door are stuffed with leaflets, and then to get money here, don't be lazy, if I check to a family missing, is expected to get money, to do it! He waved his hand upward, and the sun came trembling. The crowd scattered, and I followed Haozi into the heart of the city, carrying a bundle of leaflets.

As I climbed up and down a few buildings, I began to realize that my biggest mistake of the day was wearing a heavy coat. It accompanied me for a whole winter, for me to keep out the wind and cold, with me, but at the moment, I regret to take it - wear hot, carry in the hand heavy. I don't know what to do with it.

Hiroko took off his coat and sweater and tied them around his waist. His shirt was shit-yellow, with frayed necklines and cuffs. I mean, you look ugly in that dress. "I'm working," said Hiroko. "Whatever. In this place, no one knows me."

I followed his example and tied my coat around my waist. It was much easier to climb the stairs. I imagined myself as a light-footed monkey, rising quickly and quietly in the corridors, deftly slipping leaflets under the doors of every house. When I began to enjoy the work in my heart, Hiroko said, I am so tired, take a break.

We sat down on the stairs. It was supposed to be an upscale neighborhood, with white-gloved security guards saluting every car that came and went through its huge floor-to-ceiling Windows. The white-walled and black-tiled apartment buildings were all new. The square in the center of the neighborhood was filled with people walking their dogs, chatting, strolling and working out, looking lazy and relaxed.

The steps under our hips were just getting hot, and then we heard footsteps pattering upstairs. Turning his head and looking back, he saw first a pair of high heels, then a pair of smooth legs in black stockings, then a skirt, then a carefully groomed face. Before I could take a closer look, the woman passed by and disappeared into the corridor.

Rest rest, Haozi suddenly said, to see the rich, I will feel humble in my heart, this is mean psychology. I said nothing, but I knew what he said.

At noon, I ate a bowl of pork noodles with green pepper, Hao Zi ate tomato and egg covered rice. Coming out of the restaurant, Hao Zi said, I'll buy you a drink of water. I took a bottle of drink, Hao Zi only took mineral water. I said, why not drink? 'Six yuan for dinner, four yuan for the bus,' says Hiroko. 'We make thirty yuan a day. A third is gone, so save it.' I said, I'll drink water, too. Hiroko said, "No, I invite you, another count."

In fact, think about it, even if it is only break-even, it is cost-effective, if a day does not come out, the cost of living must be paid. The loss is just time, but time is sometimes difficult to buy, sometimes worthless. We have nothing but time, to squander, to be ignored.

In one day, we almost covered the city's residential areas, big, small, upscale, shabby, all over the place. As we come full circle, a small crowd gathers again. Some say, you are the latest again. Hiroko said, Then, give the money. But skinny guy's not here. He said in the morning that he would come for the money when the sun went down. By now, the sun had set long ago, but he had not come.

The assembled people were slowly disappearing, and I said, let's go, too. Hiroko crouched down on the ground, gnashing his teeth and saying, this bird, if I come across him, will eat his flesh and drink his blood! The dim light of the lamp shone on his face. I said, let's go. Let's get dinner.

The night of the city is really ambiguous, colorful neon flashing, face blurred people walking up and down the street. The birch trees on both sides of the road showed their teeth and claws under the light. The wind suddenly strong, pulling people's clothes desperately pull. I said, this day, it looks like a heavy rain, we have to hurry back. Hiroko, clearly angry, had been silent, but now he looked up at the sky and said, I'm afraid it's too late.

The rain came down. Very big. Now the wind blows the rain to the east, now to the west. The rain was helpless. The wind caught the rain, as if it were blowing out, and threw it all it could on the ground, on the roof, on the billboards, on everything in sight.

The next day, Hao Zi caught a cold, lying in bed all day, wet clothes thrown in the corner, like out of the mud. I received a bill of payment, 214 yuan, is the largest number I have ever received, I was so happy, ran to the post office to get the money. When I came back, I rushed into Hiroko's room and said, Get up, I invite you to dinner. Haozi said feebly, do not want to eat. I said, I've got enough money for you to eat ten POTS of mutton. Hiroko jumped out of bed and said, Come on then, I'm over my cold.

After a heavy rain last night, the wormwood in front of the courtyard grew more vigorous, bright green. The sun in the evening is like being washed, clean and soft, faint yellow, so warm that the heart is melting. I like this sentimental time, and gratuitous into sadness. In such a light, should be unrestrained enjoyment. "We must drink," said Hiroko. I said, yes, yes, you have to drink. Drink wine and chant poetry like Li Bai.

Haozi happily eating Ming furnace mutton, without regard to forehead beads of sweat. The owner of the food stall was busy in front of the steaming fog. His wife gave birth to a boy a few days ago, and she was sitting at home in a month. Otherwise, she could be seen picking and washing vegetables behind the stove with a big belly. Haozi said loudly to the boss, your baby, good luck, after every day can eat lamb. The boss said, eat every day, eat not tired of strange. Hao Zi said, I am not tired of eating, I have money, every day to get a pot of mutton to eat. I said, how can you be poor, eat the stove every day is easy to do. Hiroko said, "Try writing a book. Maybe you can make a lot of money." I said, not everything has to make money to do it, some people play games every day and stay up all night, this thing can't make money, but there are a lot of people desperately do it.

The night was vast and boundless, but quiet and tender. We bid farewell to the lamb in the oven. Hiroko said, "Let's climb 21 floors." I said, okay, climb. So, like the wind, we came to the foot of the 21st floor -- climb up and see all the lights of the city. Hiroko looked up, his face ripples inexplicable smile, he said, rush ah! We ride the wind, spinning up, first floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor... Like all the young flying into the wind, wanton, happy, full of hope.