Chapter 74: Following You Through Life

Jiang Meng is older now and less interested in fireworks, but she still wants some festive atmosphere, so she bought some safe and reliable small fireworks to play with. She used to only dare to play with these kinds of things. She remembers being terrified of fireworks and firecrackers when she was very young. One evening after school, she would pass by the alley near the school gate to buy some pancakes, and some naughty little boys would deliberately throw firecrackers near her feet. Jiang Meng had no way to deal with them, so she could only cry at the top of her lungs. The more she cried, the more enthusiastic they became.

It was Chen Jizhou who saved her.

He happened to be passing by the school gate when he heard the noise from afar. He sprinted over and, although he still didn't understand why Jiang Meng was crying, the only thing he was sure of was that she had been bullied. He immediately pinned the older boy who was leading the bullying against the wall.

He acted rashly before even understanding the situation, not knowing how to say anything harsh, and then turned back and shouted at Jiang Meng, "Why are you crying?!"

“His cannon…it scared me to death, it almost, almost dropped it on my feet.” She sobbed, pointing to the small box in the other person’s hand.

Chen Jizhou snatched the firecrackers away, raising his fist menacingly as a warning, "Fine, if you scare her again, I'll shove these all into your mouth and down your crotch!"

He carried a childish backpack printed with Ultraman, like a hero who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, standing majestically in front of her, dealing with the nasty male classmate, and yelling at him, "Get lost!"

Finally, Chen Jizhou led her out of the narrow alley safely.

Jiang Meng has never been bullied since childhood, and it's hard to say that her childhood friend deserves credit for that.

When the topic came up, Chen Jizhou clearly didn't remember it. He tried hard to recall, but still couldn't remember. He weighed the lighter in his hand and said with a half-smile, "So I beat someone up for you. I always boasted that I had a lot of fighting skills, but I've never actually fought anyone in my life."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Jiang Meng, the shimmering water of the moat reflected in his pupils, rippling gently. "What other things do you know that I don't remember?"

Jiang Meng said, "How would I know what you remember and what you've forgotten?"

Even though they share memories and can no longer be considered to be on the same wavelength, she feels that what's beautiful about this is that no matter what stage of life she goes through in the future, when she looks back, there will always be someone waiting in her memory. They can have endless stories to talk about. More than 20 years is such a long time. The existence and continuation of old friends will ensure that she will never feel lost or lonely when she recalls the past.

He became a wonderful lover and will remain her best friend.

They walked along the moat. Jiang Meng's sparklers had all burned out, leaving only embers rising from her palm. She found a place to throw away the trash.

The city was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and the ancient city was old and weathered, with colorful lights and lanterns hanging on the huge trees.

Jiang Meng looked at the shimmering blue water beside her.

"Is someone releasing lanterns?" She noticed something, moved closer to the riverbank, and took a closer look.

Jiang Meng went down the stone steps of the riverbank and squatted down. She reached out and scooped up something with her hand.

"It was placed upstream, right?"

Chen Jizhou originally didn't plan to go down, but seeing her dangerous posture while squatting on the riverbank, he followed her over and took a look at what she was holding.

It's a paper boat, folded from advertising paper.

“I’ve let them go before,” Jiang Meng murmured.

He remembered this incident.

Chen Jizhou smiled, helped Jiang Meng stand up by the waist, and moved her away from the slippery ground. He said, "Someone probably wants to test whether this paper boat can actually float down."

That year on the Lantern Festival, that's how she explained it to him, but Chen Jizhou didn't know how much suppressed longing was contained on that small boat.

Jiang Meng held the wet boat and took a picture.

That year, she put the paper boat down and told him that her parents had decided to live separately.

She heard Chen Jizhou's words of comfort.

He said: "The past is meaningless. Love and happiness that happened are over and done with. You don't need to keep thinking about those rights and wrongs, or getting caught up in this and that."

Jiang Meng loves paper boats. It was the first thing she learned to fold from paper. They're so gentle; she always felt they were both fragile and strong, belonging to those beautiful yet melancholic children's picture books. Fragile in the paper, strong in the boat. Flowing lightly, carrying the distant starry sky and sweet, lingering dreams.

In the end, it all turned into an inescapable homesickness.

What is folded up can be paper, or it can be memories.

What she gave up back then was the courage to say goodbye to her damaged youth.

What she is taking back now is the love that remained steadfast through thick and thin in the past.

-

If it weren't for the special occasion, Chen Jizhou would definitely have taken her to a hotel.

Jiang Meng remembered her mother's sudden return last time. Before entering the room, she explained to him, "Actually, my mother probably doesn't object to premarital cohabitation, but I feel a little embarrassed myself."

Chen Jizhou said calmly, "It's okay. I'll leave even if you're not embarrassed. I like being alone with someone."

It's a pity we can't have some alone time together today.

New Year's Eve was bustling and noisy, making it hard to fall asleep.

Her mother was right next door, and to avoid making too much noise, Chen Jizhou only kissed her for a short while. Jiang Meng looked down at her legs. This was probably one of the advantages of winter; with thick clothes on, nothing would be noticeable.

Then, Chen Jizhou told her to do whatever she wanted with him. After a long while, Jiang Meng was wiping her hands when he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. Chen Jizhou's voice was a little hoarse as he suddenly asked her, "Am I okay?"

Jiang Meng paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."

"Is she suitable to be a husband?"

"Suitable".

He gently kissed her cheek and said, "Then can you give me a little more sense of security?"

"..."

Before she could even react to what he was talking about, he silenced her with a kiss that spread down his body.

It wasn't a punishment; he didn't use any force. The kiss was sticky but didn't stop, making her feel hot all over again, as if he was waiting for her to say a firm vow, as if he was... being coquettish?

Is Chen Jizhou being affectionate with her?

He slowly kissed her face, then her lips, then her neck, until Jiang Meng felt ticklish and couldn't help but push against his chest, protesting with a laugh: "It tickles so much, stop rubbing against me, what are you trying to do, Chen Jizhou?"

Chen Jizhou didn't stop as she asked. He slowly kissed her chin, and finally asked in a serious voice, "Who did your aunt introduce you to? Is he as handsome as me?"

Oh... so that's what you meant.

Jiang Meng was a little speechless, but suppressed a laugh and said, "It's an evenly matched contest."

He gripped her fingers, his expression becoming even more serious: "Are you as rich as me?"

"I don't know about that." She said seriously.

After a long silence, Chen Jizhou stared intently down at her, his tone clearly unfriendly: "Jiang Meng."

She finally laughed and said, "Don't you even have this much trust? Of course I was joking. When they tried to set me up with someone, I shouted back, 'No way! I want to spend my whole life with Chen Jizhou, and no one can break us up!'"

He paused for a moment, then a slight smile finally appeared on his face: "Of course there is trust."

Her hands were held tightly.

"Anyway, you can't escape my grasp now."

As he spoke, he cunningly pulled back the blanket, covering their bodies together.

Like two children whispering secrets under the covers.

Chen Jizhou picked out a sea-view apartment for her and showed her photos on his phone. Jiang Meng liked high-rise apartments, and the residential area he chose had a great view. The developer even gave her a large terrace as a bonus.

“This can be turned into a garden. Let’s implement it according to my plan. What do you think?” He showed her a picture of the garden, and their eyes lingered on it.

Jiang Meng couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of the boss, even the area he gave away was so large."

Chen Jizhou has recently been researching how to please his mother-in-law. The big data he's been studying is mostly about flower cultivation, and he's become addicted to it. He feels this is something that can be developed further, as he's a person who values ​​romance: "Flowers are a must."

Jiang Meng replied confidently, "Okay, then make me a hanging chair. I want to lie in the flower bushes, sunbathe, and sleep."

"no problem."

She hadn't had enough of seeing the beginnings of their home, and Chen Jizhou didn't notice her lingering gaze. After showing it off, he calmly put his phone away. Now, he heard Jiang Meng suddenly ask, "So, do you think you're family-oriented? Don't give yourself away in front of my mom later."

He was also being honest: "It depends on who's in the family."

"To be honest, I've always liked family-oriented guys; that's one of my criteria for a partner, which is completely contrary to your image, but—"

What she was thinking was: If it's you, it doesn't matter what. If you want to fly, I'm willing to go anywhere with you.

However, Jiang Meng felt that saying this would be too cheesy, so she remained silent and didn't say it.

"But?" Chen Jizhou raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue.

"But as long as it's you, all those criteria for choosing a partner don't matter. Maybe, as they say, this is what the right person is like."

Chen Jizhou smiled smugly, slowly hummed in agreement, and gently rubbed her nose with his fingertip. He looked deeply at Jiang Meng, finding the words "the right person" particularly beautiful, and said with a touch of sentimentality, "It would have been better if you had realized it sooner."

Jiang Meng said, "It's never too late."

"Yes, cherish the present."

Chen Jizhou is a sentimental person. He never changes his profile picture or ID on social media platforms, and he has used the same eight simple characters in his WeChat Moments signature for many years: "Riding a small boat, wandering the world."

On New Year's Eve, everyone on WeChat Moments was wishing each other a prosperous year and showing off the various red envelopes they had received. Jiang Meng didn't want to wish everyone a prosperous year today. Instead, she posted a photo of a paper boat under the lamplight, with the caption: "Following you through life's wanderings."

A small boat is supposed to be a home on the world, but the background color in her photos symbolizes peace and steadfastness.

Life is a strange thing, full of ups and downs, but those who are meant to be together will always find their way back to each other.

The paper boat that had been exiled ten years ago has returned to her hands.

Carrying a heart of gold, fiery, steadfast, and burning hot, beyond the reach of time.

————————!!————————

It's almost over, and I'm just reminding everyone that I'll try to cram all the remaining content into one chapter, and the next chapter will be the end!