Life has no roots, floating like dust on the road.

In the past few years of Beidiao, this poem has been like a portrait of Zhang Xiaoxiao. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, either in meetings or in court. Like fallen leaves in a whirlpool, they keep turning, turning, turning. But I dare not stop. If I stop, I will be washed away and eliminated. Other leaves will quickly occupy the vortex.

Zhang Xiaoxiao longs for a life of "facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming", but cannot live it, because the premise of such a life is "I have a house." After several years of hard work, he became somewhat famous in the legal profession, earning an annual salary of several hundred thousand, but still could not afford to buy a house. This is the imperial capital, which can accommodate every free and progressive soul, but it is difficult to squeeze out a space for the physical body.

As time approaches the red line of thirty, the calls from parents urging them to return home for blind dates are becoming more and more frequent. Finally, even the always friendly and punctual "aunt" started going on strike, as if protesting against her inaction and wasting her limited eggs every month.

In the end, Zhang Xiaoxiao bit her upper lip, cruelly. Leave behind the career you have worked for for many years, pack your bags, and return to your hometown. She thought that the fallen leaves had finally returned to their roots and were no longer wandering around like dust on the road. After returning home, I discovered that living in a closed, conservative hometown that prides itself on conformity is like living in a transparent glass bottle, without self or value.

Hometown relies only on relationships.

Just like the first words her father said to her after returning to work: The power of a spider never lies in its extra legs compared to other insects, but in its tight and fine spider web.

1

"Hiring a lawyer is just a facade. I heard that my wife has hired one, so I can't be any worse than her. When you go to court, your company will send three lawyers. You must Crush them in numbers."

Zhang Xiaoxiao looked at the person opposite speechlessly. Shorts, slippers, and Erlang's legs were shaking so much that the coffee cup on the table was dancing. I really had the urge to hit the wall. After returning home for half a year, I joined the most famous local law firm, but the cases I handled were all trivial. There are few major cases in small cities. A newcomer like her has only one skill, so the company and the company do not reuse her.

The cell phone on the table has rang twenty times in half an hour. Zhang Xiaoxiao could feel her mother's furious face through the phone screen.

The blind date was originally scheduled for tomorrow night. The man had to go on a business trip. In order to accommodate the other party's schedule, the mother agreed without even asking her. It was just a phone call to inform her: "I will meet the man at Yipin Tea House at five o'clock in the evening." In the small city in her hometown, the 29-year-old girl is like the cabbage in front of the vegetable market. No matter whether it is wilted or not, she has no bargaining capital. As long as it is not It's considered good if it rots in your hands.

It was really difficult to get a taxi in the rain. I flagged down no less than ten times but none of them stopped. It whizzed past the car, leaving only a few rows of irregular mud spots on Zhang Xiaoxiao's suit. The cell phone in her pocket kept singing "The Older I Get, the Lonelier I Get", reminding her that her mother was about to leave and become angry.

"Deng, Deng, Deng" wearing high heels and carrying a leather bag, running in the rain. The autumn rain no longer has the softness of spring and the boldness of summer. The autumn wind carries the rain and penetrates into people's necks.

After Zhang Xiaoxiao finished talking about business, he hurried to the teahouse where the blind date was held without having time to put on some clothes. At this moment, his lips were purple from the cold, so he could only wrap up his suit tightly and speed up his pace.

Along the way, my hometown has changed a lot. There are high-rise buildings along the way, and the bungalow of my childhood has disappeared. The building is hung with billboards representing the city's mentality such as "Beijing", "Manhattan Square", and "Foreigner Street". Small cities like to use these superficial articles to flaunt their internationalization, but they do not change their inner isolation and backwardness at all.

Arriving at the door of the teahouse more than half an hour later than the scheduled blind date time, Zhang Xiaoxiao quickly wiped her hair with a tissue and rushed in. As a result, she bumped into the man who came out of the room. She leaned back, her feet slipped, and she fell to the ground. What's even more unfortunate is that the heel of the shoe is broken. It's really "unlucky for people to have a mouthful of cold water and their teeth are blocked."

The tall and gentle man stood in the distance and kept apologizing to her, but he had no intention of stepping forward to help her. Zhang Xiaoxiao secretly laughed at himself: Old women are indeed unattractive. The classic scenes in idol dramas are in vain when put on her. It seems that a tomboy is more suitable for her.

Zhang Xiaoxiao held on to the door frame, stood in a golden rooster position, and looked at his shoes with broken heels.

"Can you go to the second grocery store on the left side of the teahouse to buy a stick of 502 glue?" He said to the perpetrator who was five meters away from him.

The man agreed and bought the glue in five minutes. Zhang Xiaoxiao made the shoes in three attempts. During those years in Beijing, he had to do everything by himself, which enabled him to develop eighteen kinds of martial arts.

He put on his shoes and waved his hand to the man, indicating that he could leave. Then he hurriedly ran to the private room on the second floor.

Seeing her, her mother's already unattractive face darkened a bit, and she turned around and smiled awkwardly.

"Dean Zhang, I made you laugh. The leader asked this kid to work overtime temporarily. He was in a hurry and had no time to clean up. Don't mind, he is usually quite quiet."

Dean Zhang About 50 years old, short hair, thick upper lip. Zhang Xiaoxiao remembers that her college psychology teacher once said that women with plump upper lips generally have a stronger desire to control.

"Xiaoxiao, sit down. My Xiaodong has something to do and left early. He listens to me, let's talk first."

Zhang Xiaoxiao kept pointing her fingers at the glass window of the teahouse Circles are drawn on it. The big trees outside the window are competing with the autumn wind for dead leaves. Pedestrians under the street lights are rushing towards their warm homes.

The mother next to me is like a bad salesperson, introducing her products to buyers diligently and comprehensively. The two of them chatted very excitedly, and Dean Zhang was already making arrangements for his grandson's care. On the contrary, her client was not allowed to speak in full.

"Next Monday, Xiaodong has nothing to do tonight. Let's go watch a movie together." Dean Zhang ended this meeting with an affirmative sentence, which made both parents very satisfied.

2

The four words "Monday morning" already make office workers heartbroken and in chaos. This morning would be even more miserable if there was a mom next to you who was always telling you what to wear to the movies.

After that meeting, my mother announced to all her relatives and friends at home that her daughter was going to be the daughter-in-law of the president of the court. Those relatives and friends who would always ask her if she had a boyfriend during the holidays all congratulated her sourly at this moment: Your family is really famous for having such an in-law at such an old age.

Zhang Xiaoxiao was really speechless. Why could the two of them vividly describe the scene of getting married at the end of the year without actually meeting each other?

Blessings come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.

As soon as I entered the unit, I was called to the office by the leader. Mr. Li's belly was very prominent. His pink shirt was tucked into the waistband of his dark blue trousers, revealing the crocodile logo on his belt buckle. Every time he saw this leader, Zhang Xiaoxiao would think of the roly-poly doll he played with when he was a child. The head and belly formed the entire body.

The purpose of Mr. Zhang's visit to her was very clear: to announce that the economic dispute case between the owner and the developer that she had previously been responsible for was now in the hands of Ma Xiaoli.

This is an aboveboard robbery. Zhang Xiaoxiao has collected all the information about this case. With her experience in fighting this type of lawsuit in Beijing, she is sure that the owner will win this case. If attorney fees were charged at 4% of the compensation, that would be a substantial bonus. What's more important is that this kind of lawsuit in which the owner wins against the developer can easily attract social attention and can greatly enhance the lawyer's reputation.

Mr. Zhang looked at the furious Zhang Xiaoxiao and smiled disapprovingly, his plump belly silently moved closer to her. "Xiaoxiao, you are also someone who has worked in the capital. You should know what kind of person can be considered a good lawyer. First, being related to the leaders of the court is the most powerful. Secondly, being related to the leaders of our company is the most powerful. Having a harmonious relationship with the leadership is the second most important thing. The last thing is strong work ability." After speaking, Mr. Zhang raised his arm and put it on her shoulder with some effort.

"You can only be considered the third type now, but with your comprehensive ability, it is possible to become the second type." While speaking, his hands began to wander from the shoulders to the hips.

This scene is really ironic. A senior lawyer is being sexually harassed in the workplace.

Zhang Xiaoxiao angrily picked up the teacup on the table, hesitated when he raised it to his chest, and finally brought it to his mouth and took a difficult sip. The process of swallowing the tea was extremely difficult. It was like swallowing a breath of bad breath or a fly. It was terribly nauseating. But in the end it was swallowed, and my throat felt better, but my internal organs began to feel uncomfortable.

"I have always won the best lawyer in Beijing based on my professional strength." After saying these words, which was neither salty nor cold, she hurriedly escaped from the leadership office. Escape was the only thing she could do now.

This bad temper tormented Zhang Xiaoxiao all day long, until a strange call appeared on his cell phone just before leaving get off work. The caller was Ma Zhidong, the blind date he had never met. At first, Zhang Xiaoxiao wasn't very interested in this blind date, but now when I thought of Dean Zhang's glorious identity, I felt like I was seeing a vent for bad gas.

Zhang Xiaoxiao was really frightened when she saw Ma Zhidong sitting in the black Audi A6, because he was the man who broke the heel of her shoe at the door of the teahouse. The blind date was tall, handsome, and had a golden aura. This finally opened a window in my depressed heart, and the gloomy and moldy things that had accumulated in the morning quickly dissipated.

Zhang Xiaoxiao naturally opened the passenger door, but the pile of documents, briefcases and suit jackets on the seat left no room for her.

"Sit in the back."

This was the only thing Ma Zhidong said along the way, and the rest of the time was spent in silence and embarrassment.

Ma Zhidong went to the box office alone to buy movie tickets. Seeing the title of the movie "Horror Express", Zhang Xiaoxiao rekindled hope in his heart. All the signs in the car made her feel that the man didn't like her at all. But now the other party plans to watch a horror movie with her. Is there any deep meaning in this? During their college days, their male classmates liked to take girls to watch horror movies, so that girls could get into the arms of boys. It seems that Ma Zhidong is a boring man.

The movie was really scary. In some of the bloody scenes, Zhang Xiaoxiao had to cover his eyes with his hands. But she never got into Ma Zhidong's arms, either because she was reserved or out of reach. There was a couple in love between them.

When taking his seat, Ma Zhidong deliberately explained that there are no seats next to each other for a good viewing position.

"Let me ask, did you select your tickets in advance?" Zhang Xiaoxiao asked the couple who arrived 10 minutes after the show started.

"We just bought it. We don’t want to watch a movie, we just want to find a place where we can stay together. We bought the tickets just in time for the movie and came in."

Just wanted to The little sprouts that broke out of the soil were stepped back into the soil.

After the movie ended, Ma Zhidong wanted to send Zhang Xiaoxiao home, but was rejected. Since there is no such intention, there is no need to waste each other's time.

After the rain, the yellow-leafed trees return home at night under the lamp.

Walking on the path home, I looked at the lonely shadow reflected in the water, the windbreaker, the long skirt, and the deliberate and blurred makeup. Is this still her? When I graduated from college, my father was still in the court and had not retired. Although he doesn't hold a lot of power, after working for a lifetime, it's okay to ask someone to arrange a job for his daughter.

At that time, Zhang Xiaoxiao was high-spirited and ambitious, determined to stay in Beijing and carve out her own future. But now she began to fantasize about the relationship she once despised. In fact, Zhang Zhidong's various behaviors in the car were already obvious, and he was still trying desperately to find excuses for this behavior. The reason was not that he had a mother who was a dean, which caused her, who was always calm and rational, to lose her normal judgment.

Zhang Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip hard: She must tell her parents clearly when she gets home, and stop promoting such unrealistic dreams everywhere and becoming a joke material for everyone after dinner.

3

"Daughter, why did you come back just now?" As soon as I entered the house, I was greeted by the cheerful faces of my parents. Should I pour the cold water on them now or wait until they are happy and satisfied?

While Zhang Xiaoxiao was hesitating, her mother could no longer hold back the joy in her heart and spoke first: "Dean Zhang has already called and said that their Xiaodong is very satisfied with you. She is anxious to hold her grandson. "If you don't have any objections, just get engaged first. Your dad and I are completely satisfied, so you won't have any objections."

The cold water was poured on me instead. Confused.

"Mom, you got the wrong idea!"

"How is it possible? Dean Zhang asked what kind of gift our family wanted. How could this be wrong?"

When something goes wrong, there must be a monster.

What exactly is a demon? Zhang Xiaoxiao felt that she could no longer sit still and wait for death, otherwise she would be married off in an unknown way. Take the initiative and catch this monster.

"Ma Zhidong, I am Zhang Xiaoxiao, do you think we can continue to develop?" Xiaoxiao went straight to the point on WeChat.

"You are very good. My mother and I are very satisfied. She is already making arrangements for the engagement. I have no objection, and you have no objection. We will get engaged next month."

"Don't you think it's too fast to get engaged after just one meeting?"

"Haven't you been working in Beijing for many years? You are still so conservative in your thinking. I think flash marriage is normal."

I am a normal ghost. I was indifferent when we met, and now I want to get engaged immediately. Isn’t it because of my incompetence? Zhang Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip hard and decided to use her trump card.

"You need to know more before getting engaged. We will go to Yue KTV at eight o'clock tonight. I have booked a private room and I must be there. If not, I can only call Dean Zhang to understand your situation. No more chatting, the phone will automatically shut down after it runs out of power." Without giving Ma Zhidong any chance to refuse, Zhang Xiaoxiao shut down her phone immediately after sending it on WeChat.

Facing the glass on the wall of the KTV box, Zhang Xiaoxiao pulled her tight V-neck skirt down again, revealing her cleavage that made people salivate. The clock on the wall has already pointed to ten past eight, and Ma Zhidong has not arrived yet. He is going to retreat without a fight.

Just as he was thinking about it, the box door was pushed open from the outside, and Ma Zhidong and a handsome man walked in, talking and laughing. The man entered the room, looked at Zhang Xiaoxiao with disdain, and then whispered in Ma Zhidong's ear for a long time.

The man’s name is Wang Yuan and he is Ma Zhidong’s best friend. At first, the three of them sang a song in a normal way, but later it evolved into the two of them giving me some, and I giving you some, or the two of them singing together, and Zhang Xiaoxiao was like a high-wattage light bulb.

It was already clear that Ma Zhidong was gay and asked Zhang Xiaoxiao to use her as a fig leaf.

"Zhang Xiaoxiao, ask the waiter to order something to drink. Remember not to have any alcohol, Wang Yuan is severely allergic to alcohol."

The waiter brought the drink and sang for more than two hours. The three of them drank the drinks in one go. Looking at Wang Yuan who was immediately covered in red rash, Zhang Xiaoxiao secretly laughed in his heart: With such sensitivity, it would be a pity not to become a traffic policeman. Instead of using a measuring instrument to check for drunk driving, you can blow directly into his face and see if he is allergic to it, so you can judge whether he has drunk or not.

"Zhang Xiaoxiao, I told you not to contain alcohol, but you didn't hear me." Ma Zhidong yelled at her angrily.

"The music was too loud. I didn't hear that he was allergic to alcohol." Zhang Xiaoxiao shrugged innocently.

"You did it on purpose."

"Yes, I did it on purpose. As long as it's gay and cheats on marriage, if not, I'll play a prank, allergies can't kill people."

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"You old woman, are you trying to trick me on purpose?" Wang Yuan rolled up her arms and sleeves and was about to make a move, but Ma Zhidong reached out to stop her.

"Zhang Xiaoxiao, you are playing dirty tricks, right? Yes, I am gay, and I am good with Wang Yuan. Today I will hold my tongue, and you are determined to be my wife." After saying that, he held me up. Wang Yuan rushed to the hospital.

This time I must have a showdown with my parents. Most of the pie falling from the sky is soaked in poison.

"How dare you not get engaged!" Before Zhang Xiaoxiao could finish explaining the reason, his usually taciturn father shouted angrily and threw the teacup in his hand to the ground. My mother was trying to persuade my father, but inside and outside, she was complaining about her ignorance.

"Dean Zhang said that your father is just on sick leave and has not gone through the formal retirement procedures. He can be raised by half a level when the official retirement procedures are completed next year. Dean Zhang also said that your brother will definitely have no problem interviewing as a civil servant. , she will say hello in advance. You said that your parents didn't make things difficult for you, and they didn't ask you to marry someone stupid.

"The Ma family is powerful, the young man is good at work, and he is energetic. Saying someone is gay. Don’t become foreign after a few years of living in a big city. In my whole life, I have never seen anyone gay.

"You are already an old girl, it would be nice to have someone to marry you."

This old girl plus your father's pension and your brother's good job, these things completely blinded the parents' hearts. In fact, this marriage is not bad, except that there is no love. She can rely on her mother-in-law's power to show off her authority in the workplace, and she can find lovers and husbands at will without any objection.

Zhang Xiaoxiao bit her upper lip hard this time. Biting her lower lip is to be cruel to others, and biting her upper lip is to be cruel to herself.

4

Through the bathroom mirror, Zhang Xiaoxiao saw her nominal husband Ma Zhidong walking out of the men's bathroom. The two looked at each other and smiled.

"The day after tomorrow is my mother's birthday. She has taken a fancy to a bag and will transfer the picture and money to your phone soon." There is a handling fee, not to mention that I not only have to buy things, but I also have to act in front of your mother. At least I have to pay 50% of the favor fee."

"Okay, I like your fussy little person. , How else can it show that our husband and wife have no feelings?" Ma Zhidong smiled and walked out of the bathroom.

Zhang Xiaoxiao came to the hotel to attend a company party today, and her colleagues from the law firm came to toast her one by one. Mr. Zhang from the company was sitting next to her, praising her work ability seriously on the surface, but his hands under the table were wandering around her legs in a dirty manner.

Zhang Xiaoxiao looked up at his own figure on the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel, with long wavy hair, high-end clothes, the mother-in-law of the dean, and the lover of the boss.

What a winner in life.

But where is the Zhang Xiaoxiao who was self-reliant and always hardworking?

As he watched, the figure on the glass gradually turned into Zhang Xiaoxiao, who had short hair and a suit. She slowly floated out from the glass, stretched out her hands and pinched the real Zhang Xiaoxiao tightly.

"Ah" Zhang Xiaoxiao woke up from her dream with a loud cry. Looking at the clock, it's past four in the morning. It's time to get up and prepare the documents for the morning court appearance. Before working, lie down in front of the window and drink a glass of red wine to sober up. Recalling that on the day of the engagement, when Ma Zhidong's voice confessing that he was gay suddenly appeared on the big screen playing the sweet scene of the two, the expressions on Dean Zhang's mother and son's faces as if they had eaten something dirty were very satisfying.

Zhang Xiaoxiao had already found a new job in Beijing before and used all his savings to buy a 40-square-meter commercial and residential apartment in the South Sixth Ring Road with a loan.

It is already early spring, and each bud is struggling to break through the branches.

The lights in the house opposite suddenly turned on, and a man also holding a wine glass appeared in front of the window. The two of them smiled in the distance.

Who said the old girl can't have spring? Zhang Xiaoxiao's spring is coming soon.