Chapter 19 Chapter 19 I Love Tao Ning
As dusk fell, Zhao Jingqun went down the mountain holding Tao Ning's hand, carrying a lot of bags.
The afterglow shone on them, casting two shadows, one long and one short. Behind them, two pieces of red silk were swaying on the branches of a locust tree more than ten meters high.
Zhao Jingqun squeezed Tao Ning's hand, his voice slightly deep, "Why do you wish for my safety and health, but not for anything else?" However, the person next to him remained silent as usual.
The darkness in his eyes grew deeper. Zhao Jingqun opened his mouth but ultimately didn't say anything clearly. He knew he was being too hasty and couldn't force Tao Ning. Besides, society now had a low tolerance for homosexuality, so he couldn't be too greedy and want Tao Ning's life.
But as long as he thought about the fact that Tao Ning would not be able to withstand the social pressure in the future, she would eventually choose to leave him and marry someone else and have children.
Just thinking about it made Zhao Jingqun's heart feel like it was being gouged out alive. He was lost in this painful imagination, unable to find relief, until the young man's soft voice pulled him out of the abyss: "...So what did you wish for?"
When Zhao Jingqun took the oath earlier, he hadn't shown Tao Ning what he had written on the red cloth, keeping it tightly covered. Tao Ning was the only one who wrote openly, "I hope Zhao Jingqun will live a life of peace and health, free from illness and disaster."
Zhao Jingqun stared at the neat line of words without saying a word, with dark currents surging in his eyes, mostly filled with loss.
In the end, Zhao Jingqun stood on tiptoe to tie the two red cloths together. Tao Ning was not as tall as him and his eyesight was not as good, so he could not see what Zhao Jingqun wrote and had to give up.
Zhao Jingqun came back to his senses, his face tense, and asked calmly, "Do you want to know?"
Tao Ning nodded and said "hmm" very emphatically. The next second, he heard the man say in a deep voice, "I won't say it."
Tao Ning: “…”
When the two of them returned home, the table was already filled with food. There were five dishes and two soups, including chicken and fish. It was a sumptuous feast. Tao Yuan was wearing an apron and busy arranging the dishes. There was a phone next to her ear, and the boasting in her tone could not be concealed:
"Oh, you know Ningning, she's been smart since she was little, and I've never had to worry about her. Someone sponsored her to go to school this time, it's just luck... Oh, what are you talking about? Your Xiaofeng is pretty good too... Yeah, right, right, there aren't many days left..."
When she saw the two men come back, she waved to them to wash their hands and eat, and then continued to show off to the person on the other end of the phone.
As soon as Xiao Meng saw Tao Ning, she ran over and hugged his thighs, blinking her round eyes, "Uncle, you're back."
"Well, were you good in school today?"
"I'm very obedient! Uncle, let me tell you..."
The warm yellow light in the house softly sprinkled on the family of three. There were hearty laughter, nagging chatter, and the young man lowered his head, whispering instructions to Xiao Meng. His eyelashes, curled like crow feathers, cast a gentle shadow, and his beautiful and delicate profile made Zhao Jingqun unable to take his eyes off.
A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth involuntarily, and Zhao Jingqun took a deep breath and joined this warm and comfortable dinner.
At the dinner table, Tao Yuan kept serving food to the three of them. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkled with laughter. "Ningning, do you still remember Qian Feng? He's Li Xiangdong's second aunt's son. Oh! I ran into his second aunt in town today. He's going to technical school. Didn't he bully you before? You were such a bad boy, but now you're going to that rogue school. I was so happy today that I bought some extra food..."
"Mom! You haven't even finished junior high school!"
"Hey, you little brat, eat your meal..."
Zhao Jingqun couldn't help but sneak a peek at Tao Ning and found a faint smile in his eyes. As if he felt the fiery gaze beside him, Tao Ning looked back at him with his eyes curved.
They secretly held hands under the table.
After dinner, Tao Yuan stretched a few times and directed the men in the house to wash the dishes and sweep the floor. He then went back to his room to look for the hidden cigarettes, but he couldn't find any after searching for a long time.
The image of the boy always finding her cigarettes and taking them away flashed through her mind. Tao Yuan instantly realized that Tao Ning, that brat, had found out where she hid her things again. She felt a little embarrassed and muttered a few words, "You idiot, why are you so smart..."
Unable to find cigarettes, Tao Yuan had to go square dancing empty-handed. It was not that hot in the mountains in summer, and it cooled down early in the evening. At around seven or eight o'clock, women and children from nearby hills would gather and find an open space to dance square dance and have activities.
The place where people dance square dance is near Tao Yuan's home. She became fascinated with square dancing a while ago. She wouldn't even look at it before. But later, Tao Yuan heard people gossiping behind her back, saying how could a tigress like her could dance!
Tao Yuan has been competitive for almost half her life, so of course she will not admit defeat. Therefore, she has been dancing every day recently, and now she can be considered half a lead dancer.
Tao Yuan felt extremely happy today. His younger brother was so outstanding that everyone envied him. The relatives who once looked down on them were now fawning over him one by one. He also had a lovely and healthy son. Although his lover was a good-for-nothing, he didn't come home all year round, which was the same as not being there. He didn't feel annoyed when he wasn't around.
Tao Ning specially changed into the brand skirt she bought four years ago to go dancing. On the way, she met someone who was asking about Tao Ning. She showed off a few words and then walked away with her head held high.
Tao Yuan was humming a little song as they walked to the mountainside when a sneer suddenly came from behind them: "Tao Yuan, you still don't know that your precious brother is having an affair with a guy, right?"
In the shadows at the corner of the mountain road, Zhang Mazi walked out with a ferocious face, baring his yellow and black teeth. Unexpectedly, he pulled an old wound on his face, and suddenly bared his teeth and said, "Hiss, you still have the mood to dance? Your brother is now selling his ass to others. Don't you know..."
Before he could finish his words, a fist-sized rock came crashing down at him. Zhang Mazi was so frightened that he quickly stepped back, cursing, "Are you looking for death, you stinky bitch?!"
"I think you're the one seeking death!"
Tao Yuan simply couldn't tolerate anyone slandering Tao Ning. He rushed over and slapped Zhang Mazi several times, grabbed his hair, and then kicked him hard in the lower body. In an instant, a shrill scream rang out in the forest: "Ah!!!"
A few minutes later, Tao Yuan, panting, with messy hair and several scratches on her face, stepped on Zhang Mazi and fiercely demanded, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Tao Yuan spat a few times at the man who was beaten badly on the ground, clapped his hands in disapproval of the bad luck, turned around and left, but unexpectedly, one of his legs was grabbed tightly by the man on the ground.
Tao Yuan was furious. She turned around and was about to kick him when a slightly blurry photo suddenly appeared in front of her. In the dim forest, the bright light on the screen in her hand was particularly conspicuous and dazzling.
In the photo, a tall and straight man was hugging a boy who was a head shorter than him and kissing him passionately. A shadow covered the person in his arms, and the surrounding scenery was so familiar that it was chilling.
The person in the photo was so familiar that Tao Yuan felt like she was sinking into an ice cellar. Her breath froze. She snatched the phone away, but her ears were filled with Zhang Mazi's triumphant and vented voice: "Look, am I right? That man from the city in your family is having an affair with your brother. Tsk tsk tsk tsk, if this gets out, your brother won't be able to go to school in the city. I'm afraid he will be arrested as a mental patient..."
With a click, the phone fell to the ground.
It's like a fresh apple that falls to the ground. It doesn't break into pieces, but it can no longer be eaten.
Tao Ning picked up the apple from the cement floor, ruffled Xiao Meng's hair, and said gently, "It's okay, I'll go to the kitchen to wash it and then cut off this half."
Xiao Meng pouted, tears streaming down her eyes, and hugged his legs coquettishly: "Uncle, you are so kind. If Mom were here, she would definitely scold me... But why hasn't Mom come back yet?"
It has been more than three hours since Tao Yuan went out. According to the previous time, Tao Yuan would have been back around nine o'clock, but now the clock points to ten o'clock, and there is no sign of Tao Yuan. Moreover, a strong wind blew again tonight, and the branches rustled non-stop.
Tao Ning frowned slightly, "I'll call my sister later. You go back to your room and sleep first. I'll bring the apple over later."
Xiao Meng nodded obediently and walked back to the room with her short legs.
As soon as he left, a hot breath came from behind. Zhao Jingqun hugged Tao Ning's waist, bit his ear and asked, "Daibao, what's wrong?"
"Sister hasn't come home yet. I'm going to call her later."
"But your sister's cell phone is on the TV cabinet... I'll wash it." Zhao Jingqun took away Tao Yuan's broken apple, took his hand to the kitchen, and then skillfully cut off the broken part with a knife.
He cut off a small piece and fed it to Tao Ning, who looked dazed and stunned. "Is it delicious?"
Tao Ning puffed up one side of his mouth, like a little squirrel being fed, chewed and swallowed, and said dully, "It's delicious... No need to give it to me, this is for Xiao Meng."
"But this is what I bought." Zhao Jingqun chuckled, "There are still many here, I'll wash him another one later."
Tao Ning had no way to refute, so she could only watch Zhao Jingqun cut off the broken half, then cut the intact half of me into several small pieces and fed them to him one by one.
When it came to the last piece, Tao Ning didn't get the apple, but instead got the man's passionate and fierce kiss on his lips.
After a long while, Zhao Jingqun let him go and took his hand to the main hall. Before he stepped over the threshold, he saw Tao Yuan sitting quietly at the dining table.
Under the dim light, the thin woman's hair was disheveled, and there were several scratches on her cheeks, some of which were bloody and dried. Her face was pale, and her eyes were full of complexity and confusion...
The most is pain.
The woman who was so unrestrained and uninhibited, who pricked outsiders with all her thorns and reserved her tenderness and love for her younger brother and son, now seemed to have suddenly aged by dozens of years, and her waist was so thin that her bones were clearly visible and she could not stand up straight.
Tao Ning's eyes widened, and her heart, which had remained calm from the beginning to the end, suddenly moved. She quickly broke free from the man's hand, rushed over to her side, and asked cautiously, "Sister...what's wrong with you?"
Hearing the sound, the woman who seemed to have turned into a puppet seemed to wake up. Her eyeballs moved, and she turned her head, staring at Tao Ning with her red and swollen eyes.
The woman looked at Tao Ning carefully, not missing a single detail. This was her younger brother whom she had raised since childhood. He could be said to be half her son, although the age difference between them was such that they could be mother and son.
Even though there is no blood relationship between them, this is the person who, when she was a child, would rather starve herself than buy candy for her little brother.
Because her family was poor, she, as the eldest sister, stopped studying after the fourth and fifth grades. Knowing the hardships of working away from home, she saved money for many years to send Tao Ning to school.
Tao Ning did not disappoint her expectations. He had excellent grades, was obedient and sensible. All the teachers praised him and said that he was a math genius with a bright future.
Tao Yuan was extremely happy at that time. All the hard work of making clothes for more than ten hours every day in the factory and the tears she wiped away in the middle of the night were worth it.
Later, her parents passed away, and the family fell apart. From then on, she and Tao Ning had truly depended on each other. Until now, good times were finally coming. Tao Ning could go to a big city to study without paying a penny for tuition... But why did she want to be with a man? Didn't she know that was the behavior of a psychopath?!
He should have had a bright future!
Tao Yuan watched and held back the tears that were about to burst out. She took a deep breath and forced a smile, "It's nothing, silly boy, go to bed."
Tao Ning didn't believe her and was about to ask more questions, but the woman had already stood up shakily and returned to her room.
He stared blankly at Tao Yuan walking away with his back hunched, speechless, until Zhao Jingqun pulled him into her arms and coaxed him softly, "Can you ask me tomorrow? It's too late today, time to go to bed."
"……Um."
When they woke up the next day, Tao Yuan sent Xiao Meng to school, and then the three of them went to the mountain again. This was the last time to pick lemons.
When Tao Ning asked about what happened yesterday, Tao Yuan just said that he fell on the road and didn't say anything else.
He frowned, feeling that something had happened, but Tao Yuan always said that he was a taciturn person. However, once he encountered difficulties, Tao Yuan would be even more repressed than him and just wanted to handle it by himself.
Seeing Tao Ning's worried look, Zhao Jingqun felt heartbroken. He hooked his little finger behind his back and just wanted to hug the boy in his arms to comfort him and make him happy.
But Tao Yuan was still in front, so the man had to suppress his impatience and heartache.
The weather is bad today. The dark clouds are very low, and the wind is blowing so hard that the branches of the trees are slapping against each other.
Tao Yuan said calmly, "I'll go down the mountain to pick up Xiao Meng from school. I'll bring two umbrellas with me. If you get caught in a heavy rain, just go to Wang Po's house nearby to take shelter, okay?"
Tao Ning nodded and watched her leave.
As soon as Tao Yuan left, there was no one around. Zhao Jingqun could no longer hold back and hugged Tao Ning. He patted his back and coaxed him softly: "Be good, smile for a moment, okay?" He felt sad watching him.
The person in his arms raised his head, revealing a pair of clear, sparkling eyes filled with confusion. He blinked his curled eyelashes, obviously feeling helpless about his always nonsensical requests.
A hint of darkness overflowed from Zhao Jingqun's eyes. He covered Tao Ning's eyes and could no longer restrain himself from kissing the soft lips of the person in his arms. As their breaths intertwined, it seemed as if she wanted to live and die with him forever.
Amidst the fierce wind, a woman's cold voice sounded calmly behind them, "Tao Ning."
She just called Tao Ning's name, just two words. Her tone was so calm, yet so clear in the strong wind, as if she had used up all her strength to call out this name.
The two people who were kissing were struck by a bolt from the blue. Tao Ning quickly pushed away the man who was restraining him and turned around abruptly. His usually expressionless face now showed a hint of astonishment: "Sister? You..."
Before he could finish his words, a gust of wind hit his cheek, but the slap was caught in mid-air by Zhao Jingqun's hand.
Zhao Jingqun looked calmly, "It's none of his business, it's all my fault..."
With a snap!
A heavy slap had already landed on his face. Tao Yuan withdrew his trembling hand, gasping for breath, and looked at Tao Ning, who was completely stunned, with bloodshot eyes.
She hysterically questioned her brother, whom she protected like a treasure, "Tao Ning, are you crazy? How could you get involved with a man? Have you forgotten how I protected you before? Are you crazy? Do you know that you are destroying yourself? You have suffered so much to get to where you are today, how could you get involved with a man..."
As she spoke, the woman seemed to have her soul sucked out of her. She bent down, covered her face and burst into tears.
The wind was still fierce and urgent, disturbing the trees on the mountain and the branches of the locust tree. On the branches that were too high to reach, two pieces of red silk were hanging, like two fish entangled to death. The red silk was revealed with engraved words. One of them was written with a sharp pen, which read:
"I love Tao Ning and wish to stay with him forever, accompany him for life, and never leave him."
"Written down: Zhao Jingqun."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
