Chapter 46 Bricklayer Master, I'll Take Care of You
On the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, Meng Yiqiong looked at the lightning in the distant clouds and couldn't sit still any longer.
For Tianle, this day of the month is a tribulation. He cannot take human form, yet on this day, under the influence of the alternation of Yin and Yang, his entire body reveals the patterns of his original form. His current body cannot withstand the surge of magical power, and the pain is unbearable.
In the past few months, she would close all the doors and windows in advance, turn on all the lights in the house, and boil water in advance so that Tianle could soak in it, which would relieve his symptoms a little.
But now that she's not here, what will happen to Tianle?
Lying on the hotel bed, she couldn't stand it any longer. Unable to contact Tianle, she simply contacted Jianjie directly.
Having booked the next available flight, Meng Yiqiong rushed back overnight. As soon as she landed, Jian Jie took her straight to the construction site.
Seeing Jianjie looking at her strangely, Meng Yiqiong looked down at herself uncomfortably, slightly avoiding her gaze, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I feel like Sister Yiqiong has never been this nervous before."
So, this is an emotion called 'nervousness'?
Her heart was racing, and the thought of Tianle made her feel heartache. She desperately wanted to see him and see that he was alright, and even her breathing became shallow and rapid.
Meng Yiqiong took a deep breath, letting the emotions overflow, carefully feeling them, feeling the clouds in her heart drifting to her limbs, not wanting to miss any detail.
She had never let her emotions run wild like this before, and at one point even thought she had given up on them.
Only at this moment, that distant, ethereal vividness revived in my heart.
The concise statement was pointedly: "Now, things are getting lively at home too."
Sure enough, she said that once Ganlu and Meitang found out, everyone else would know too.
Meng Yiqiong got along well with Jianjie, partly because she thought this was a good thing about her—she never pried too much into things and was even very perceptive, never making anyone feel awkward. After asking that question, Jianjie fell silent.
Meng Yiqiong changed the subject: "The day after tomorrow is the anniversary of Anan's death, right? I'm going on a business trip, could you offer incense for him for me?"
Jianjie subtly tightened his grip on the steering wheel: "He's not dead."
Meng Yiqiong realized she had spoken out of turn, and Jianjie refused to accept the fact that Anan had passed away, treating the anniversary of his death as his birthday.
She wanted to comfort her, but was afraid of touching on Jianjie's sore spot: "Jianjie, once things have calmed down, go out and clear your head."
Jianjie loosened her fingers slightly, raised her face, and still had that smiling expression on her lips: "Okay, thank you for your concern, I will."
As soon as the car came to a stop, Meng Yiqiong could see the tower cranes in the distance. The unfinished buildings looked like gaping monsters in the darkness. The dust netting on the scaffolding was whipped up by the night wind, rattling and slapping against the steel pipes.
Tianle actually found this kind of job—the hardest and most tiring work on the construction site—and he really could endure the hardship.
Jianjie arrived in Meng Yiqiong's car, dropped her off, and then took a taxi home herself.
The closer she got, the more Meng Yiqiong felt that these buildings would suddenly collapse on her.
There wasn't a single flat spot on the ground, and she trudged along, her feet sinking deep into the mud, completely oblivious to Tianle's figure.
The elevator suddenly started, and the sound of the steel cable rubbing together startled a wildcat. Its green eyes flickered for a moment at the edge of the pit before it stared coldly at Meng Yiqiong.
Her mind started to wander; this kind of place provided perfect conditions for a murder. It was secluded and deserted, with no surveillance cameras. She was a girl all alone, with no one to turn to for help. If she were murdered, her body might never even be found...
She was startled by her own thought, and then became nervous because of this wicked idea, always feeling that someone was following her.
She looked around nervously, following the sound of the elevator, and finally fixed her gaze on an open space in the southwest corner.
In the shadow of the rusty scaffolding, Tian Le's bare back was bent, the strap of his hard hat cutting deep red lines into his neck, and beads of sweat rolled down his Adam's apple, soaking his cement-dust-covered work clothes.
Black dirt was stuck in his fingernails, and his whole body looked dusty and gray.
Ever since she brought it home, she had always kept it clean. But now, in the empty space, he was all alone. Meng Yiqiong saw him suddenly stagger and heard his suppressed breathing, as if he had become that unwanted little dog again.
Meng Yiqiong ran a few steps forward, then suddenly stepped on some gravel. The scraping sound reached Tianle's ears, and he reflexively turned around. The wariness in his eyes instantly turned into anticipation and excitement the moment he saw her.
"Master!! What brings you here?"
Meng Yiqiong watched as he wiped his face with his dirty gloves, only to leave even dirtier streaks on his cheekbones. She reached out to wipe them clean for him, but Tianle stepped back, avoiding her touch. It was already midnight, and he was still working alone? She'd heard that some foremen bullied people; seeing him as a young man, they'd probably exploit him even more.
"Don't touch me." He lowered his head and tightened his gloves, his voice muffled by his collar, "I... am dirty."
“Let’s stop here and come home with me.” Meng Yiqiong reached out and pulled him.
Tianle took another step back, his hands trembling as he took a black cube out of his bag and handed it to her with his head down.
Meng Yiqiong took a look and saw that it was a new phone of the same model as the one that had been smashed before.
Seeing that she didn't take it, Tianle didn't dare to look up, but just handed it forward a little more.
He was tall and big, but his face always showed a very incongruous cautious expression, making it impossible for Meng Yiqiong not to pat his head.
As soon as she raised her hand, Tianle bent down and took the initiative to place the hairpin in her hand.
"Master, I'm sorry..."
Meng Yiqiong shook her head: "It's not your fault. I used to live alone and didn't know how to pass the time except by looking at my phone. I neglected you, and that was my fault."
A glimmer of light appeared in Tianle's raised eyes, but with his phone awkwardly clutched in his hand, he still felt uneasy and lowered his head again.
Meng Yiqiong pushed the phone back to him: "I've already bought a new one. You can keep this one for yourself. I'll teach you how to use it when we get home, so we can communicate not only through surveillance cameras."
"Really?" Tianle's eyes finally lit up completely. He rummaged through his bag again, pulling out several five-yuan and ten-yuan bills, along with a few coins, from the bottom compartment. He presented them all to his master. "Master, this is all I earned. I can support myself, and I can support you. This is for you, all of it is for you..."
Meng Yiqiong knew what the second half of his sentence was: he wanted to say that he didn't eat much and was easy to feed, and that they shouldn't abandon him just because they didn't have money...
To put his mind at ease, Meng Yiqiong accepted the money. It had been a long time since she'd handled cash; she counted it—seventy-eight yuan and thirty cents in total—and it actually felt more satisfying than the string of numbers on her phone.
"How about you treat me to dinner with this money?" I ate dinner at five in the afternoon and haven't eaten anything since.
"Okay, what would you like to eat, Master?"
Tianle spoke with great enthusiasm, and Meng Yiqiong always felt that when he spoke without drooping his ears and eyes, he always added a small wave to the end of his words.
Meng Yiqiong thought for a moment but couldn't think of any food she liked, so she said, "You choose, eat whatever you like."
"Okay!" Tianle didn't mince words and excitedly agreed.
But the next second, he clutched his left chest and his face turned pale with pain.
Meng Yiqiong quickly stepped forward to check. Tianle had a long scar on his left chest, which was now glowing purple in the moonlight.
She seemed to have forgotten that when Tianle was fighting with stray dogs for food in the garbage dump, he was bitten by vicious dogs and kicked by naughty children, breaking a rib—his third rib on the left side.
This wasn't an external injury, so Meng Yiqiong didn't pay much attention to it at first.
Later, after Tianle went home with her, Tianle had a fever every few days and vomited everything he ate. That's when she accidentally discovered the injury.
She rushed it to the vet for surgery, leaving this scar, and naturally, it also permanently lost its third rib. Tonight is the fifteenth of the lunar calendar, and due to the influence of the sun, moon, and tides, the scar is becoming increasingly unbearable.
Tianle ruffled his fur and said to her with a smile, "It's okay, Master. It's almost 12 o'clock. Once today is over, it won't hurt anymore."
Meng Yiqiong gave him a resigned look, then tenderly patted the dust off his body before leading him into the car and leaving.
However, after driving around for a while, Meng Yiqiong didn't find much to choose from.
At midnight, it seems that only barbecue restaurants are still open.
However, there was one problem: she had never eaten barbecue before.
Forget about barbecue, she's never eaten hot pot, lobster, or anything that requires a group of people.
She doesn't like being around people, and since she eats alone, there's not much food available, and she doesn't know how to tell if something is cooked through, so she simply doesn't try.
The streets were quiet and deserted, but the area in front of the barbecue restaurant was bustling with activity.
When the shop owner saw that Meng Yiqiong was such an intellectual and elegant person, why was she followed by a blond young man? Judging from his appearance, he looked like he came from a construction site. He couldn't help but wonder: either this woman is rebellious, or this man is a fraudster.
Tianle asked for two more bottles of wine. After some discussion, the shop owner told him that the bottled wine was sold out and only canned wine was available. He then took the canned wine to Meng Yiqiong and opened it in front of her, fearing that Tianle might drug it on the way.
Meng Yiqiong noticed the shop owner was giving her meaningful glances, and she felt both touched and amused.
Tianle had already set up more than a dozen skewers of meat on the grill, and once they were done, he would hand them over to Meng Yiqiong.
The meat itself was tender, and Tianle roasted it to perfection, with just the right amount of cumin. Perhaps it was because of the strong fire in the oven that Meng Yiqiong felt a warmth slowly spreading through her heart.
She experienced many emotions she had never felt before today, and dared not indulge them any longer, so she skillfully suppressed the restless desires in her heart.
The two raised their glasses in celebration, the aroma of the barbecue filling their mouths. Everyone at the surrounding tables was laughing, and Tianle in front of them was also laughing. Before they knew it, she was laughing too.
That smile, however, deeply stung Jianjie, who had been observing her.
How could she still laugh?
After a satisfying meal, Tianle and his host stood in front of the car, neither of them showing any intention of going home.
Meng Yiqiong put her hand on the doorknob, paused, and suddenly turned around: "Tianle, actually, today is the first time I've ever eaten barbecue."
She didn't look him in the eye either, and Tianle remained silent, waiting for her to finish speaking.
"I'm very happy, thank you."
Tianle's big tail swayed wildly, quickly wiping away the sweat on Meng Yiqiong's body.
"Okay, stop! Stop!" Meng Yiqiong quickly pressed him against the car door, looked around, and thankfully no one was passing by. "Didn't I tell you not to show yourself in public?"
Tianle immediately made a hand seal, tucked in his tail, and grabbed her wrist, saying, "Master, I have another way to make you even happier. Do you want to come along?"
Meng Yiqiong's first reaction, based on her many past choices, was that she should have said 'no,' or at least not agreed so quickly. She should have waited until others invited her three or four times before going, to make herself seem important. But now, even though she could hear the faint rumble of thunder, she still shouted, "Okay!"
Tianle took her on her first Ferris wheel ride, her first water fight, her first card game, and many other things that usually require companionship...
Tianle has lived for over 800 years. Many of his good friends, the dogs, have passed away one after another. However, he says that he is still full of enthusiasm and gratitude for life and still looks forward to meeting more good friends, the dogs.
Even during his time in the landfill, he tried his best to be happy.
For a moment, Meng Yiqiong wondered if she hadn't yet grasped the true meaning of life, which was why she found life so dull and meaningless.
However, this idea was quickly suppressed again by her habit.
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