20: One Meat and One Vegetable

In front of her phone screen, Wang Ping snorted, looking at the bullet comments.

Forget about whether he’s trying to pick up girls or not, just dancing on a grave is incredibly impolite!

Wang Ping raised her hand, scrolled the screen, and tapped the screen recording function.

In a bit, she would use this live stream to give Zhang Zihan a good scolding!

… …

In the cemetery behind Qingtan Village.

Zhao Jin clutched the pocket of Chen Fang’s backpack tightly, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

She wasn’t thinking about dancing on a grave; she just felt the surrounding air was eerie, and she inexplicably felt… that a ghostly green flashlight could shine on a ghost in red clothes at any moment.

In front of her, Chen Fang cleared his throat.

Zhao Jin’s eyes lit up.

This was truly the first time she had ever anticipated Chen Fang’s song so much—it was for warding off evil!

Just as she thought this, a low, deep singing voice came from ahead—

“The sun rises and sets again, deeper and deeper, a small square table, with one meat and one vegetable.”

The voice was deep and gentle, as if narrating a distant story.

Without the interference of instruments, his voice was clearer, and the emotion spread through the surrounding air, instantly making Zhao Jin feel… that it seemed to be an evening, peaceful, gentle, and harmonious.

Zhao Jin’s heart calmed down a bit, and she slightly turned her head to look at him.

Was this his new song?

Under her curious gaze, Chen Fang continued to sing:

“Young people, they are always dissatisfied, stubbornly unwilling to stop their journey.”

“Looking at the high sky, they walked a long road. They forgot to look back, whether she cried or not.”

His voice was slightly hoarse, full of emotion and longing. The slight tremor at the end revealed suppressed regret and sorrow.

In the song, the young man carried dreams, pursued distant places, but while looking at the starry sky and heading afar, he overlooked precious people and things.

They would also be sad, and they would also grow old. One day, they would even leave…

Behind Chen Fang, Guo Congxin’s nose tingled, and he quietly took a deep breath.

He thought of his mother back home.

Since starting university, he had traveled far to the Capital, and after graduation, he stayed in the Capital to struggle.

He thought about studying hard, about climbing up, about how to make money.

He complained about the unfairness of the world, about the coldness of human hearts, about the workplace treating him like dirt, and even hated this world.

But back home, there were still people who toiled day and night for him. His parents, who saved money for him to buy a house, and racked their brains to buy him a car.

He looked at the high sky and walked a long road. Stretching his neck and standing on tiptoes, he walked for ten years, and the unattainable sky filled 90% of his life. He took his parents behind him for granted, forgetting their fragility, and also forgetting that one day, they would also become small mounds like those beside him…

Was all of this really worth it?

Thinking of this, Guo Congxin bit his lip tightly, and his nose felt even sorer.

“The moon is bright, the wind is light.” Chen Fang’s tone rose, like an outpouring or a summons, as longing poured out.

“Have you ever come into my dream, it must be that you were too careful when you came, knowing I sleep lightly.”

“It must be that you were too careful when you came, afraid I would think of you—”

The gentle, longing song gradually faded, leaving only a faint warmth, longing, and helplessness.

Guo Congxin’s eyes were a little moist, but before he could speak, Zhao Jin stopped first.

Zhao Jin covered her face with her right hand, pulled Chen Fang’s backpack with her left, and her voice choked, “I’m sorry, I apologize, I need… to stop for a moment, I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t afraid anymore.

The ground beneath her feet was not a terrifying graveyard where ghosts resided.

Instead, it was an insurmountable barrier that separated loved ones by life and death.

The air around them was filled with longing.

She covered her face and slowly squatted down, burying her head in her arms, tears gushing out.

She missed her grandma so much.

Why was she so ignorant back then, why did she insist on traveling during the Spring Festival four years ago instead of going back home?

If she had gone back that time, the only time she saw her grandma that year wouldn’t have been a small box.

Grandma, it’s been four years, are you blaming me? Are you angry I didn’t go back?

Why haven’t you come into my dreams even once?

I’m not afraid of ghosts, and I’m not afraid to think of you. Please come just once, okay? I don’t want the last time I saw you to be a small box.

Zhao Jin covered her face and buried her head in her knees, crying aloud.

Chen Fang stood by, a bit at a loss.

How to comfort her?

He didn’t dare to touch Zhao Jin, and if he tried to comfort her with words, he was afraid he might inadvertently say something harsh and hurt her feelings even more.

He had his limits when it came to gaining experience points, after all.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Fang said, “It’s… it’s okay… You can cry. It’s fine if we don’t get the mosquito repellent gift package, I have two electric mosquito swatters, I can give you one. Go ahead and cry, no rush.”

The crew only prohibited decorating the room but allowed mosquito repellent, so electric mosquito swatters should be fine too. After leaving home yesterday morning, the supermarket had a 30% off sale on two, so he bought two.

Chen Fang looked down at Zhao Jin, feeling it might be impolite, so he simply bent his knees and squatted down about half a meter away from her, looking up at the sky.

Behind the two of them, Guo Congxin’s mouth twitched.

Oh my, he’s so good at this.

Every time his girlfriend cried, he would only say, “Don’t cry.” So there was this kind of operation, he understood now. Next time his girlfriend cried, he would say, “Cry, cry as much as you want!”

Guo Congxin stroked his chin.

Hmm, something felt off, didn’t it?

Chen Fang didn’t notice Guo Congxin’s abnormality. After another half minute, he saw Zhao Jin raise her head, and he rummaged through his bag for a pack of tissues and handed them to her.

“Thank you.” Zhao Jin took the tissues, wiped her cheeks, and slowly stood up.

Chen Fang changed the subject, “You’re not afraid now, right?”

“No, I’m not afraid,” Zhao Jin’s voice was a bit muffled. She turned her head to look at the tombstones on the mountain and said softly, “Those lying here, even if they become ghosts, might be figures many people can’t even see…”

“Yes, that’s right. The theme of corpse driving isn’t horror; it’s about the deceased returning to their roots, respect for the deceased, and even more, comfort for the living’s longing.”

Zhao Jin nodded, tucking the remaining tissues into the side pocket of Chen Fang’s backpack, “I’ll put them here.”

She no longer tugged at his bag but withdrew her hand, put it in her own pocket, and continued walking forward.

The atmosphere around them seemed to have changed. From eerie and cold, it became rich with longing, mixed with a hint of helplessness.

The atmosphere in the live stream was also like this.

What’s this guy’s name? He seems like a really good person.

Uh…

It made me cry.

I almost cried just now. Why do some people still have mothers at 60, while others are alone at 24?

Alas, I still remember that time my dad told me to get a haircut, and I hated haircuts and refused to go. Grandpa sat silently on the kang, silent for a long time, then pulled out a metal box from the cabinet, took out two red banknotes, and handed them to me, telling me to get a handsome haircut and buy something I liked to eat. He always protected me, but in my most rebellious age, I didn't understand anything. God, why did you take him away? How wonderful it would be if he could see me go to college, get married, and start a career?

Mom’s belly is so big, it can fit all of me, and Mom’s belly is also very small, she always feels full after just one bite of delicious food.

Only when I grew up did I realize that getting angry and not eating only works on Mom.

So sad, what’s the name of this song?