Chapter 56#
Wandering Photograph 02#
This place was actually a tavern.
It was similar to a bar from the old days, but the decor was much more basic. The first floor consisted of a single large, open space with a few tables of varying sizes placed haphazardly, partitioned into small private booths by simple wooden screens.
The only sources of light were a few dim, yellow light bulbs hanging from the ceiling—crude and straightforward, without even a hint of decoration.
At the entrance was a checkout counter. On the side facing the door, by the corner, a few chairs were set up as seating, with two people sitting there drinking.
A single glance revealed that the small space was already packed with people.
The two who had just entered hadn’t had a chance to speak yet when they heard the person lying behind the counter say lazily, “Full house today, we’re closed. Come back another day.”
Chu Chenli surveyed the room’s furnishings without responding.
Xiao Bai explained, “We’re here to buy wine. We’ll leave as soon as we make the purchase.”
The boss said, “Come back another day for buying wine too.”
Xiao Bai glanced at Chu Chenli with some hesitation.
Chu Chenli withdrew his gaze. Hearing this, he had no intention of making things difficult for the boss, so he said, “Then we’ll come back another time.”
Shen Xuanyi wasn’t going back to visit his father until next week. That left at least three or four days, so it wasn’t urgent. Luo Yunshu could probably make the round trip much more easily than they could.
Seeing Chu Chenli turn and leave so decisively without even asking a single question, the boss strangely looked up and gave them a second glance.
Xiao Bai, who was a step slow in turning around, gave him an awkward smile, then prepared to leave with Chu Chenli.
The boss suddenly sat up: “Wait—”
The two, who had just reached the doorway, stopped. Xiao Bai looked blankly at Chu Chenli, then pointed at himself and asked uncertainly, “Are you talking to us?”
The boss nodded and gestured for them to come closer.
Puzzled, Xiao Bai walked back to the counter. The boss looked at his face, then his gaze began to drift downward, stopping at his chest—
The boss covered his mouth and lowered his voice: “Are you working at the Central Base?”
Xiao Bai followed his gaze downward and realized his work ID was hanging around his neck.
Earlier, to keep his appointment with Chu Chenli, he had just finished his first day of internship and rushed off to find him. The work ID had been hidden under his jacket at first, so he completely forgot about it.
He must have been running too fast just now, and the ID had slipped out without him noticing.
Not knowing if exposing the ID somewhere else might have negative consequences, Xiao Bai instinctively covered his name, tucked the ID back inside his jacket, and gave a nervous, forced smile.
“S-sort of.” Xiao Bai turned his head and shot a pleading look at Chu Chenli.
“Can working at the Central Base get you extra wine?” Chu Chenli leaned back against the counter.
“Of course!” the boss replied with pride.
His unintentionally raised voice caught the attention of the customers on the other side of the counter. They looked up and asked what was going on.
“N-nothing,” the boss covered up. “An old friend I haven’t seen in years—”
He glanced at the faces outside the counter, each one younger than the last, stuttered for a moment, and then struggled to finish his sentence: “—their child. Never thought I’d meet them again in my lifetime.”
The customer chuckled at that: “Well, that’s good news! Congratulations.”
Others raised their glasses and offered their congratulations to the boss.
In this era, even meeting someone who was just an acquaintance—or even someone from the same province or city—was a cause for celebration.
Because most people’s friends and family had died in the great disaster.
Xiao Bai felt a pang of sympathy. Chu Chenli, however, found it unfamiliar. After thinking it over, he barely understood where this “joy” came from.
The boss wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and gestured for the two to go upstairs.
The other customers didn’t find this strange at all. Instead, they said he should take his time catching up. A regular even offered to keep an eye on the shop for him and told him not to rush back.
When they reached the upstairs via the rickety staircase in the corner, the boss finally explained in a low voice that if the others knew they worked at the Central Base, they probably wouldn’t be able to leave today.
Never mind the people who’d enthusiastically try to get them to drink; even the ones just coming to gawk could overcrowd his little shop.
Even Chu Chenli was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected the base personnel to be so popular here.
“Of course!” the boss said, barely able to contain his excitement even in a whisper. “If it weren’t for the Central Base people rebuilding our city and setting up tight security around it at any cost, we wouldn’t have the leisure to sit here drinking!”
Those who had survived the catastrophe were usually very grateful—the very few who felt entitled or even dissatisfied were “educated” into understanding by the majority.
With external threats still unresolved, the lives of ordinary people like them were genuinely in the hands of the base personnel.
Even someone with no conscience at all could figure out the pros and cons with a little thought.
Of course, most of it came from genuine gratitude and respect.
The people who settled in this city also considered it the highest honor for themselves or their friends and family to work at the Central Base, even if they might not have many chances to see each other again.
The boss paced around the room excitedly, venting his surging emotions before remembering the main business.
“Oh, my stupid brain!” The boss slapped his forehead. “You came for wine? Wait a moment, I’ll go get it for you—how much do you need? Ten jars enough? If you need more, I’ll have to go to the branch store, and the earliest I can get it is tomorrow…”
Xiao Bai was so startled he quickly waved his hands: “No, no, we only need, only need—”
How much was it again?
He blanked out and turned to Chu Chenli.
Chu Chenli pulled out the list and showed it to the boss: “Just two jars will do, and the small kind.”
The boss seemed to think that two measly small jars were hardly presentable, but upon hearing it was for their superior, he relented. Then he enthusiastically insisted that they try the new fruit wine he had brewed, practically trying to shove it into their arms.
His joy was so earnest that they couldn’t bear to refuse. So they stayed upstairs for a while.
The upstairs decor was equally crude, but at least it had some signs of daily life. Near the window, a circle of cabinets created a living room area. A dining table and a coffee table were pushed together, their varying heights not looking too out of place amid a jumble of mismatched odds and ends.
The boss explained that these were old furniture pieces he and the previous owner had salvaged from the ruins. The corners of every small compartment were stuffed with useless knickknacks. Even after settling down in the city, he couldn’t bear to throw them away, so they were just piled up haphazardly.
Sometimes, when the shop was closed downstairs, he would sit here alone, staring at these relics carved with old memories. As time passed, he found a strange comfort in them.
Xiao Bai, for his part, didn’t have the heart to point out that he was just too lazy to tidy up.
The boss had the look of a scruffy, middle-aged man—no proper posture whether sitting or standing. Lounging on the sofa amid this pile of “junk,” he looked oddly harmonious.
Despite being old, it wasn’t dirty or smelly; the corners had very little dust.
Xiao Bai glanced at the plush toy head peeking out from the back of the sofa. Carefully, he sat down while pressing against its wings, thankfully without hearing any terrifying cracking sound.
The sofa was right next to the coffee table, with the wall and window behind it. But you had to crane your neck upward to barely see other buildings outside; otherwise, tilting your head back only revealed a few green branches and a clear blue sky.
Chu Chenli took a sip of the fruit wine the boss had strongly recommended.
The rich fruity aroma far outweighed the taste of alcohol. The flavor was indeed special. Chu Chenli didn’t particularly enjoy either juice or alcohol, but one sip told him it would be He Ziyue’s style.
Chu Chenli silently calculated the pocket money Shen Xuanyi had given them, then asked the boss, “Do you still have this kind of wine?”
The boss’s face lit up with surprise: “You like this flavor? I’ll go get it!”
“Just one small jar like that is enough.” Chu Chenli pointed at the wine Shen Xuanyi had asked them to bring. “She can’t drink too much.”
The boss looked a little disappointed but still followed the request and picked out just one jar.
Chu Chenli then turned to Xiao Bai: “Do you like it?”
Xiao Bai nodded, then shook his head. “The taste is nice, but I don’t really drink much.”
After a bit more small talk, Chu Chenli thanked the boss and stood up to leave.
The boss knew they were probably busy and didn’t insist on them staying, but he couldn’t help saying, “Feel free to come by when you have time. I’ll treat you to a drink.”
Chu Chenli stood at the door, gazing at their signboard for a moment, then smiled at the boss and said, “I will.”
It sounded like a polite remark, but the boss inexplicably felt it was sincere. He rubbed his hands together but didn’t know what to say.
Xiao Bai followed behind Chu Chenli, holding another jar of wine. The boss looked at him and quietly reminded, “Next time, put your work ID away first. But if you ever come to the shop, you can show it to the boss—they might give you a free meal. Oh, and if you keep walking down this street, at the third corner there’s a home-style restaurant with pretty good food…”
Chu Chenli reached out and patted Xiao Bai’s shoulder: “Let’s go.”
The boss saw them off to the alley entrance. Just before parting, he couldn’t help grabbing Xiao Bai and saying, “You must come again when you have the chance. You look very familiar to me. Maybe we really were related or acquainted in the past…”
Xiao Bai actually seriously pondered this question for a moment.
But even by the time they were heading back, he still couldn’t recall where he had seen the boss before.
Chu Chenli told him to relax: “You’ll have plenty of time to think about it later.”
He Ziyue, who had come sprinting from the other direction, charged into the middle of them carrying large bags of stuff. She nearly didn’t stop in time, and it was only thanks to April behind her, who quickly grabbed her, that she didn’t crash.
The two men following leisurely behind weren’t much better off; their arms were so piled with things that they could barely see the road.
Chu Chenli took some of the load from He Ziyue, allowing her to catch her breath and rub her waist.
The large bags contained a bit of everything—food, drinks, clothes, toys, a few books that looked like they were published in recent years, and some retro-styled game consoles.
He Ziyue rummaged through them and pulled out two large boxes of desserts, handing them to Xiao Bai.
“I heard about your situation from Xiao Mu. If anyone ever bullies you, just drop my name.” He Ziyue then pulled a pen out of nowhere and wrote a few strings of characters directly on the dessert boxes. “These are my contact info. If A Li and the others aren’t around, come straight to me.”
These two boxes of desserts were her gift to him.
Xiao Bai was instantly moved to tears. But in the next second, He Ziyue pulled two books from her pile and slapped them on top of the boxes.
“I’m not that great at other things, but I can teach you a bit in this area. Feel free to come to me if you have questions.”
Xiao Bai looked down—the top book: C++ for Beginners.
Xiao Bai: “…” Can’t smile anymore.jpg.
Other than that, this relaxing trip could be considered a success.
Although he had been physically burdened with a load of stuff, Hua Jin, after being dragged around wildly by He Ziyue for half a day, seemed to be in much better spirits.
Since it was already very late, they first dropped Xiao Bai off at his apartment building before heading back together.
Xiao Bai stood at the door, watching them walk away. The five of them chatted and laughed. Even the taciturn April seemed to relax. When she inadvertently turned her face, he could vaguely glimpse a hint of a gentle smile.
“How nice…” Xiao Bai felt a faint trace of envy.
On the other side, the group of five had split into two not long after they set out.
Hua Jin and He Ziyue bickered up ahead. April listened quietly, occasionally glancing behind her. Spotting Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen whispering to each other, she instinctively averted her gaze.
Although she didn’t understand why she had to look away, she unconsciously developed that sense of discretion.
At certain subtle moments, it was best not to intrude on the little world the two of them had created.
But behind them, Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen weren’t actually discussing anything too private.
Mu Yanshen was just curious about Chu Chenli’s reaction. Ever since buying the wine and coming back, he seemed to fluctuate between happy anticipation and heavy unease, looking distracted the whole way.
“Did you meet the person you wanted to see?” Mu Yanshen asked him.
“No.” Chu Chenli shook his head.
“Hmm?” Mu Yanshen had heard him talk about some inexplicable dreams before. He had originally thought this was one of them, but seeing his reaction now made him even more confused.
“It doesn’t seem to be the right time yet,” Chu Chenli said. “The dreams… they’ve always been blurry and hard to make out.”
“So what exactly made you so hopeful this time?” Mu Yanshen pressed further.
“An opportunity,” Chu Chenli replied. “Maybe a chance to change the ‘future.’”