Chapter 461 - 353. Where does it come from
In the nighttime, the gentle and tender songs of a songstress drifted through Baishun Alley, with the sound of the pipa swaying the red plum lanterns at Meihua Ferry Crossing.
In the Plum Blossom Pavilion, only Chen Ji and Brother Pao remained.
Brother Pao lowered his head and packed some more tobacco for himself, sighing slowly, "Since coming here, even smoking isn’t satisfying. The taste of the tobacco isn’t right either, with each puff like a knife stabbing into the lungs."
Chen Ji didn’t speak; he knew Brother Pao didn’t need a response right now.
As Brother Pao packed his tobacco, he casually said, "What I can’t stand the most is the outhouses here. The smell goes straight to your skull, and after you’re done, you have to use bamboo strips to wipe. Even taking a hot shower is a hassle. You have to boil two big pots of water and then painstakingly mix it with cold water. By the time you have a tub ready for a bath, the roosters are almost crowing. The wine here doesn’t taste good either — drink too much and you get a headache, drink a little and you can’t forget anything."
Many people hate the places where they grew up. It might be due to some bad habits there, or the unloving family ties, or perhaps someone they dislike.
But when that place becomes "home," everyone starts to reminisce about all the things they once took for granted.
Brother Pao took a fire inch from his pocket, blowing gently on it, the sparks flickering in the dark night.
He brought the fire inch to his pipe and took a deep draw, slowly exhaling the smoke: "Being here, every day seems to stretch out infinitely, with more time than I know what to do with. I used to rarely watch sunsets, thinking that night always fell in an instant. But these days, as I sit on the third floor of the Covered Building at Meihua Ferry Crossing daydreaming, I suddenly realized that the sun sets so slowly."
Brother Pao fell silent for a long time.