During the Snowstorm

Chapter 5: The world under the snow (1)

Lin Yiyang was very familiar with the neighborhood and quickly found the store.

A very simple shop, a palm-sized place, a glass cabinet on the right is connected to the checkout counter, a few small shelves on the left, with peripheral products, dozens of hemp rope bags, filled with brown coffee beans, all have Handwritten on white cardboard.

There was only a young couple in the store, also picking beans.

They were pointing and talking softly against the white wall above the sack, on which were the names, origins and flavors of the coffee beans. The girl in the couple picked one, put it in the boy's mouth, and let him taste it.

Lin Yiyang picked two pills and put them in her palm. He pointed to her mouth.

"Try it," he said.

She shook her head, put the coffee bean into her lips obediently, bit it, and chewed it gently.

Originally wanted to taste the food carefully, but Lin Yiyang kept looking at himself, gradually chewing slowly, and becoming more and more uncomfortable. He seemed to have sensed her thoughts, looked away, took two sweet and sour berries from the burlap bag next to him, and stuffed them into her palm.

Yin Guo took it and held it in the palm of his hand, not embarrassed to try again this time.

After the two couples left, there were only three customers left in the store. She and Lin Yiyang were on the coffee beans side, and her cousin was in the last row of the shelf, picking out gifts.

Yin Guo was not used to trying beans, so she took out a tissue, spit out the scum, and clenched it into a ball in her palm.

All this was seen by the man beside him.

He pointed to the small corner on the left side of the counter, motioning her to the trash can there.

Yin Guo lost the paper ball and listened to him ask himself, "What does your friend want?"

Several.

Just now, she wanted to study how to read it, look it up in the dictionary, and ask the clerk when she knows how to read it. Lin Yiyang saved her by asking such a question.

Yin Guo showed him the names, and he called a clerk over and pointed at a few bags of coffee beans. The clerk smiled and chatted with him, and Yin Guo listened, saying that these are the best sellers.

When going to the settlement, Lin Yiyang raised his right arm and looked at his watch.

Yin Guo immediately said: "You have to be in a hurry, hurry up, I have bought it anyway."

He had looked at his watch several times when he came out of the coffee shop.

First, I rushed there in a hurry, didn't eat lunch, and wiped out the coffee and panini, and brought them here. Although I didn't say it, it made people feel that everything was in a hurry. It is estimated that they came from Washington. .

"Make an appointment when you are free?" He also knew that he couldn't delay any longer.

Yin Guo nodded.

Lin Yiyang didn't say much nonsense, he pushed open the door and walked out.

Through the glass, Yin Guo saw him crossing the road without taking a taxi. He should have gone to the nearby subway station.

This scene of crossing the road reminded her of the night she first met.

The man with glasses brought his siblings into the car first, packed his suitcases, and Lin Yiyang paid the bill in the bar.

Yin Guo saw through the window of the car and the two layers of glass in the bar that he drank most of the unfinished glass of wine, signed the card, put on his winter jacket and hat, and pushed out the door.

A gust of wind swept up the snow on the road, wrapping roadside cars and people in white fog, and quickly dissipating. He ran two quick steps, crossed the road, circled to the right of the car, and got into the car.

The driver asked, where are we going?

Queens, he said.

The driver was surprised, in this ghost weather, do you still need to detour?

He said, yes, take a detour.

"Sister?" My cousin came back with two peripherals and was surprised to find that Lin Yiyang was gone, "He's gone?"

"Yeah, in a hurry." She took out her wallet and wanted to settle the bill.

There were still two berry-flavored coffee beans in his hand, and he wanted to throw them back into the burlap bag, but stopped again. I've been holding it in my hands for a long time, so don't throw it in. What if someone picks it up and tries it? How unclean.

She had nowhere to throw it, so she stuffed two coffee beans into the small bag on the inside of her bag.

After buying coffee, she and her cousin act separately.

Meng Xiaotian then wandered around the nearby area. She went directly back to the hotel, took the cue from the room, carried a small package with her mobile phone, wallet, and key card, and went to the ball room.

The last time she came to the United States, she signed up for the youth group of the American Nine-Ball Open.

Generally, the youth group and junior group of this kind of competition are encouraged, with bonuses, but no official world points. The registration fee for the competition plus the cost of the round trip, the bonus is not enough, so after testing the water last year, she directly signed up for the professional group this year. This year is also her first battle in her career path.

During the competition last year, she met a few friends in the youth group. This year, there is only one competition left with her in the professional group. It is a Singaporean girl named Su Wei. She also recommended this ball room to Yin Guo, which is very affordable at $15 per afternoon.

The two meet here every day and train.

Another reason why they chose this American golf club is that they can meet many American world champions. Everyone practices ball like ordinary people and occasionally engages in small games, which is very interesting.

Before going out, Yin Guo refreshed the weather forecast, and there was a cold snap, and there would be local snowfall today.

Sure enough, when I came out of the coffee shop, it was still sunny, and it was already dark before three o'clock outside the door of the ballroom.

After she entered, in the corner of the ball room, someone called, "Yin Guo."

Su Wei pointed not far away with her eyes, sat quietly on the billiard chair, and watched Berry, a famous native American player who was watching her opponent play: "Yesterday you just wanted to see the real person, and today I'm here."

After Su Wei finished speaking, she greeted Berry with a smile in English: "This is what my friend told you just now, Xiaoguo."

Yin Guo threw the backpack on the billiard chair and said hello to Berry.

Berry looked around forty years old, very mature and enthusiastic, and came over to greet him for a long time.

Most of the players in the ballroom were men. Only Su Wei and Yin Guo were the female players who signed up for the competition this time. The two blond girls at the other table were just here to play. Su Wei is half of mixed blood, and her height is relatively close to the people here. The two local beauties have long legs and big breasts. Among the four women in the ballroom, only Yin Guo is a small girl.

When she came for the first time, she was also asked if she had signed up for the competition in the youth group under the age of fourteen.

But after that, no one asked.

Because of her skills, although she can't kill these regional champions and famous players in the stadium, she is definitely not worse than them.

See the real chapter on the table.

Besides, there is no age difference on the pool table.

There is only an upper age limit for competition registration. If you are over 14 years old, you cannot sign up for the junior group, and if you are over 21, you cannot sign up for the youth group. This ensures the fairness of the competition.

There is no lower age limit. Meng Xiaotian's older brother, Meng Xiaodong, started to fight in the professional group at the age of fourteen.

Today, because of afternoon tea, she came late and wanted to postpone the time to eight o'clock.

It's a pity that the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. By six o'clock, Berry packed up and ran over and warmly invited Su Wei and her to have dinner near Flushing. It is a gathering place of Asians and Chinese, known as New Chinatown.

Yin Guo hasn't been there yet, it's a bit far.

Su Wei's boyfriend lives there. She passed by and just stayed there instead of going back. That is to say, she has to come back alone after dark, for fear of being unsafe.

"I tell you, there is a Chinese restaurant opened by my boyfriend's house in Flushing. Sichuan cuisine and boiled beef are delicious."

Boiled beef is really a world-renowned Chinese dish

She was provoked by greed. I've been here for more than a week and I haven't eaten my hometown food yet, and my tongue is about to be wiped out by Western food. But no matter how delicious it is, you don't have to run over so late, you can go alone tomorrow.

Seeing that she was still hesitating, Berry whispered to Su Wei.

Su Wei found a new reason to tempt her: "He said, because of the Open, there will be a party tonight, and you will meet a lot of professional team members from all over the world. You can meet them in advance."

Hit the bullseye, you must go.

She decisively confirmed his location with Meng Xiaotian on WeChat, and by the way told Meng Xiaotian to return to the hotel early, put the club in the bucket, put it on his back, and followed the two of them.

It took a lot of time on the road, and when we got to the Chinese restaurant, Su Wei just started to order, and Berry answered seven or eight calls in a row, urging him to get to the ball room as soon as possible. As a last resort, they gave up boiled beef and ordered fried rice.

Without taking two bites, I hurriedly paid the bill and went straight to the next destination.

The place to meet tonight is a Chinese ball room.

The owner is Chinese, a well-known snooker player in the early years, and opened a ball room here after retiring. The entrance to the ballroom is on the corner of the street. When the two arrived, several people were smoking beside the trash can at the entrance. One of them knew Berry, threw the cigarette butt, and pointed to the door with a smile: "Come and watch the show."

Berry understood, pushed open the glass door, and led them into the ball room.

The ball tables are arranged neatly, from the door of the ball room to the end.

Most of them are green tables, with a few blue tables on the inside, and there is about 2 meters of driving space between the tables.

On both sides of the table, a water-brown billiard chair.

After they entered the door, they found that the billiards table was full of unfinished rounds. Everyone left, and they all crowded into the innermost blue table. The crowd was full of people, chatting enthusiastically, obviously to watch the battle.

Berry asked his friend aloud, who was fighting?

Someone came back, there was a regional champion betting on the ball, three thousand dollars.

Berry asked again, who is it?

The other person answered a name, and Berry got excited, put down his backpack and clubs with a smile, and walked into the crowd.

Judging from Berry's performance, she should also be a well-known local player. She put her barrel on the side, and before she could take off the hat of the down jacket, she saw from the gap between the two men...

It's him?

It's just a flash, but in a place full of natives, it's still easy to recognize a Chinese. Black hair, short hair, wearing the black hoodie that we met at noon today, with the cuffs rolled up to the elbows, with his back facing her.

Will it be wrong?

Seeing them coming, Berry smiled and pushed the two friends away so the two girls could see more clearly.

She was pushed to the front of the crowd, facing the back.

The game hasn't started yet.

He was applying chocolate powder to the **** head of his club, twisting the little blue powder, sliding it slowly and down over the head, applying it very evenly, making it a familiar one.

"Today's bet is capped at $5,000," he said to the crowd of strangers onlookers in English. "I only made up three thousand. If any of you want to raise for me, you're welcome."

It was him, it must be him, this voice was still telling her interesting stories about the down-and-out literati in the afternoon.

But now it is different. From the content to the tone, to the whole person, he is casual, saying: If he can win this game, everyone on the scene will raise, and he will only win.

The chocolate dust in the left hand is placed on the edge of the table.

He turned his head.

His eyes stopped, on her.

...really he.

Later, Yin Guo remembered that night, and always thought that this was the beginning of her and Lin Yiyang's real acquaintance. Here, the talent in this Chinese ballroom is him, the lazy, brilliant, unfettered Chinese man who always wins and loses his opponent with an attitude that doesn't care much and wins or loses at will.

Lin Yiyang held the club in his right hand, leaned slowly against the edge of the pool table, slowly reached out, picked up two **** from the table, and threw one to his opponent tonight, the regional champion: "Come on, let Let me see your strength."

He didn't eat dinner at first, and his mood was not high, but now, it's different.