The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 289 The Night of Insomnia
Zhang Li's brother-in-law and colleague Lao Huang were sitting at the table drinking, Zhang Li and her sister finished eating first and went back to the bedroom.

The younger sister closed the door and asked in a low voice, "Sister, how are you doing?"

"What's the matter?" Zhang Li asked inexplicably.

"Old Huang, how are you?"

Zhang Li understood the meaning from her sister's expression, frowned, and said, "It's nothing to do."

"He's an honest old man, and he's also divorced. It's been ten years and I haven't looked for him. My daughter got married last year," said the younger sister.

"Do you think this has something to do with me? I just got off the line of life and death, and I plan to live another two years." Zhang Li said.

"Isn't it good to have someone to take care of? Besides, I'm also relieved."

"I think you are purely idle. If you have time to take care of your children's studies, you don't need to worry about my affairs. Let me tell you that I am fine now, and I don't want to look for it. I am comfortable alone." Zhang Li said.

The younger sister looked at her, the look in her eyes seemed like Zhang Li was the younger sister and she was the older sister.

"Let me tell you that Lao Huang is a nice person. He is a real person, and he doesn't have such a fluffy heart. In the first few years, he didn't want to find him, because he was afraid it would be bad for his daughter. Now that his daughter is married and has no burden, he started to have ideas. Zhang Luo told him I introduced quite a few—" The implication is that I want to hurry up, don't pass by this village without that shop.

Zhang Li smiled, "What's wrong? Is it still delicious?"

"Then what are you thinking about? He is the most popular now. The unit is good, the income is high, and there is no burden if you want a house. The old insurance is more than [-] yuan after retirement, isn't it enough?" said the younger sister.

"It's okay, the main reason is that I'm not in the mood, and I want to spend a few years alone in silence."

"Let me tell you, Zhang Li, you will be fifty in a few years, and women will look old when they reach fifty, so it's hard to find."

"It's hard to find, just go alone." Zhang Li said indifferently.

How should I put it, Zhang Li is in a good state of mind now, she sees everything, no longer entangled emotionally, and begins to let nature take its course.If you think about it carefully, this is really the case. Often you can't get what you force, and you only find that the beautiful things are around you when you let go.

After coming out of my sister's house, I drove back in the car. The whole Yellow River Street was full of traffic, like a colorful river in the night, flowing straight into the distance.

The shops, hypermarkets, hotels, and karaoke halls on both sides of the street are next to each other, brightly lit, making the noise of the city's heat and prosperity.

The car turned left at Songshan traffic post, drove forward 100 meters, turned right into the community, and stopped in front of the second building.

Zhang Li got out of the car, said hello to the old lady who came out for a walk at the entrance of the building, and then went upstairs to enter the house.

Everything is programmed.Change into slippers, put away your bag, drink a glass of water, change your clothes, and take a shower in the bathroom.After I came out, I poured water, took the medicine for the night, and then turned on the computer to read the business reports of each store and the work reports of the management staff.

Go to bed on time at eleven o'clock, check the phone for a while, turn off the lights and go to bed.

But today, she didn't fall asleep immediately like usual. Although she closed her eyes, a few pictures appeared in her mind, which were so clear that she lost sleepiness.

The first picture is the winter more than ten years ago, with snow falling.

She and Lao Tan came out of a restaurant and walked in the snow.

That was the first time the two met after Lao Tan got married. She drank a lot of wine and walked awkwardly.Drunk, but sober in mind, he dragged Lao Tan to point to his heart, and said with tears, "Old Tan, this hurts, it hurts——"

Thinking about it now, it was silly at that time, there are thousands of men in the world, why did you just fall in love with him?It doesn't matter, it almost cost half my life.This scene appears once and hurts once, although it is not as heart-rending as it was then, but the dull pain of the wound scar is even more uncomfortable, there will still be pain that penetrates the bone marrow and tears in the eyes.

Fortunately, time has passed, and time is the holy medicine for healing. Although it cannot be completely cured, it is also comforting, or comforting, to have beautiful regrets in my heart.

Although the second picture is clear, it becomes blurred when viewed closely.Many memory fragments appear repeatedly, jumping out of sequence and irregularly.Every time one appears, there is a sense of strangeness. I don't believe that it is my own experience, but it is indeed.

This is her two years of marriage. The scenes from the newlyweds to the short-term happiness after marriage are warm, but they are too little and too short, and they disappear in the blink of an eye.

What followed was quarrels and cold wars, the domestic violence that made me shudder when I thought about it, and left me with fear—shocking purple spots and bruises all over my body—the swollen face and the torn strands of hair——
My heart trembles when I think of it, I don't know how I got here, it's like a nightmare.

When I thought of this before, I felt hatred in my heart. I wished I could kill that man with a knife. Instead of killing him with a single knife, I tied him up and cut him with a knife.
Now there is no such hatred, although there are lingering fears and trembling in my heart, but--it is still the same sentence, fortunately it is over, it is just a dream, just a bit worse.

The third picture is the days of convalescence.

Clear and warm, accompanied by Lao Tan every day, not a husband and wife is better than a husband and wife, and become a little girl who is cared for by the one she loves.

There is a picture of Lao Tan feeding himself with water to take medicine, there is a scene of helping himself up and down the stairs, and there is a scene of him playing his temper——
Everything is so warm, rippling with happiness.

Zhang Lixin said that she was content, loved and hated, got cancer and survived a catastrophe, this life is quite wonderful.

She turned over and pulled the summer quilt up to cover her chest.Immediately, I felt the heat and pulled aside again, releasing my warm body into the air.

The phone next to the pillow flickered, and a WeChat message came.

She didn't intend to watch it, she wanted to fall asleep immediately, but she also wanted to know who came.

It's Zhou Xiaomei.

"Did you sleep? How are you doing? I haven't contacted you for a few days. I miss you."

"I'm going to sleep, I'm fine." Zhang Li turned back.

"That's good. I will go to the provincial capital tomorrow, stay with you for a day, and go to Chifeng the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll pick you up."

Zhou Xiaomei sent a smiling face to end the contact.

Zhang Li wondered why Zhou Xiaomei came to the provincial capital suddenly?I haven't heard of anything.Did you go back to your hometown and pass by?

This girl is doing very well now, and Mr. Wang has organized the market in Hushi in an orderly manner, with the momentum of surpassing the provincial capital.I also bought a house in Hohhot, and my parents took it over, but I don’t know if my personal problems have been solved.

Came here to ask, I haven't seen each other for a long time, I really miss it.

She said to go to Chifeng, it is estimated that the store there will open.I heard that the catering market in Chifeng is quite good, home-cooked dishes are popular, and the service is biased towards Beijing. There are a few restaurants that are doing well and are quite famous. If you have the opportunity, you should visit them.

By the way, I heard that Mr. Wang is going to develop in Beijing. I don't know what they plan to do. Beijing is a big market with great potential.Lao Tan has always planned to go to Beijing, and this time his dream has come true.

dream?

When I was in elementary school, the teacher said that everyone has a dream. What was the dream at that time?It's like being a teacher teaching students.When I grow up, I know more and understand more, and naturally think more, people are no longer innocent, and dreams become illusory existences.

It's not that people lose their dreams when they grow up, in fact, they have always been there, but they are squeezed into a corner by real life, and they feel like they are shelved.Sometimes I take it out to have a look, to motivate myself in exhaustion, or to waste time feeling.

Zhang Li thinks what is her dream?

For me now, the dream is to live healthy and healthy, to live every day happily and comfortably.

This is the dream, the down-to-earth reality.

(End of this chapter)