(I) Glowing cardboard boxes
The street lights on the commercial street lit up one after another, like a string of copper plates. Ah Qiang adjusted the volume of the microphone. As soon as his fingers touched the strings, he was stopped by a boy in a plaid shirt: "Can I take a video? Fans said it looks like a scene from a Miyazaki movie." Ah Ling clenched the bell, and the crisp sound of the metal exploded in the twilight. The sadness of the guitar and the crispness of the bell intertwined, like wild roses growing in the wrinkles of the city.
The video became a local hot search the next day. Some people in the comment area said that they were "idealists discounted by life", and some people said that "the sound of this piano has the determination of the Pearl River entering the sea". The Hong Kong address suddenly had an echo, a social worker named May: "You have stories, but Victoria Harbour lacks listeners."
(II) The appointment of the ferry
On the day of boarding the ferry to Hong Kong, Ah Qiang tied the guitar to the mast. Ah Ling's wheelchair faced the horizon, and the sea breeze lifted her frosted bangs. The ferry radio played "Like You", and the strings of the guitar vibrated in the salty air. May was holding a sign with "Aqiang and Aling" on it at the pier, and behind her was the night view of Victoria Harbour that she had copied with Lao Wu's brush.
"Lao Wu passed away last week," she said softly, handing over a cardboard box, "Before he died, he asked me to send his paintings to Victoria Harbour." A Ling opened the box, and on the canvas was the scene of the day they first met - a waiting room in the rain, a young man with broken strings playing guitar to the station announcement, and a girl in a wheelchair smiling like a cracked hibiscus.
(III) Reflections of Fireworks
Hong Kong's summer was as hot as a steamer. They started their first performance on the streets of Central, and Qiang's guitar and Ling's bell attracted a crowd of people. May held up her mobile phone to live broadcast, and the comments section floated "This is the real version of "Time Thieves"" and "It's more soulful than the concert in Hung Hom".
At midnight, the fireworks over Victoria Harbour burst on time. Aqiang pushed A Ling to the beach, and the sound of waves came with a salty smell. Fireworks broke into thousands of stars on the water, reflecting the light of sweat and tears on their faces. Aqiang suddenly started singing "What Do You Want in Life", and his fingers traced the trajectory of the air as if catching something. A Ling hummed the chorus, and the rhythm of the bells hid a certainty she had never had before.