Chapter 48
◎Swear on a rainy day◎
"The earth is shaking!"
“The mountain collapsed!”
"God is angry, run!"
…
earthquake?
earthquake! ! !
"Little sister! Jinglin, Jingfeng! Get up quickly!" Jiang Jingyun knocked on the door anxiously and called for help. Fortunately, the three children's rooms were connected, so it was convenient to call for help. After hearing the response from inside, he was about to make further efforts and knock on the doors of his second brother and Xiao Muyan's rooms, but the two of them had already heard the noise and came out.
"Fifth brother, what's wrong?" Second Brother Jiang asked, rubbing his eyes. "Why are you so flustered in the middle of the night?"
"There's an earthquake! Hurry, hurry, find an open place to stay." Jiang Jingyun looked anxious and wanted to go out with the three children, but was stopped by Xiao Muyan, "Where are you going? It's still raining outside."
Jiang Jingyun was anxious: "It's already this late, why do you care whether it rains or not!"
"Earthquake? No, Fifth Brother, did you have a nightmare? Are you in a state of terror?" Jiang Erge was not in the right state at all. He yawned, touched his head and muttered, "Heaven and earth, there is a child crying at night in my family. If a gentleman passing by recites the name of the child three times, he will sleep until dawn. [1] Now, it's fine."
"..., Second brother, I told you not to treat me as a child!" It's already this time, and he's as anxious as an ant on a hot pan!
Um? No, the ground doesn’t seem to be shaking. Is it really not an earthquake? What was that noise just now?
I can't be dreaming or confused, right? He is not Jiang Jinglin!
Jiang Jinglin: Ah? And me?
Jiang Jingyun asked hesitantly, "Didn't you hear a loud 'boom' noise just now?"
"I heard it, it shouldn't be the noise around here, calm down first." Xiao Muyan replied, then picked up Jiang Jingyun and put him on a chair beside him, touched his cold feet, frowned slightly, "Why did you run out without shoes? Did anything pierce your feet?"
"I'm fine. I was in such a hurry just now that I forgot about it for a moment." He thought it was an earthquake, so he opened his eyes and jumped up from the bed. He ran out without hesitation, and didn't care about these things. He didn't expect to make a mistake. Jiang Jingyun whispered embarrassedly, "I'll put on my shoes later. Let me go first. Everyone is watching."
Xiao Muyan didn't believe him and said directly to Jinglin beside him: "Jinglin, go get your brother a basin of hot water to wash."
"Yeah, okay." Jiang Jinglin responded and went to boil water. He lost the bet a few days ago, so he had to be responsible for housework like this this month.
Xiao Muyan held Jiang Jingyun's feet for a long time, and when he felt that they were not so cold, he let go and stood up, saying, "You stay at home, I will go out to find out the situation."
Brother Jiang came over with a straw raincoat. He also had one on him. He handed it to Xiao Muyan and said, "I'll go with you."
Although they were all calm and reliable people, Jiang Jingyun was still a little worried and warned them, "It's dark and the roads are slippery. Be careful when you go out. If anything goes wrong, come back immediately, okay?"
The two nodded, then stepped into the dark rain and disappeared in a few steps.
After confirming that it was not an earthquake, Jiang Jingyun asked his three younger brothers and sisters to go back to sleep, and he waited in the main room anxiously all night.
When it was just getting light, the two of them came back from outside.
His clothes were soaked and he felt cold. Before Jiang Jingyun could ask, Xiao Muyan explained the situation clearly: "It's a village about ten miles away from here. Rocks rolled down there and smashed many houses. The river bank was also breached. Now the village has been submerged..."
"It really happened..." Jiang Jingyun's face was pale and his hands couldn't stop shaking. With the continuous heavy rain for nearly a month, his premonition became stronger, but he didn't expect it to happen so suddenly.
Even if Xiao Muyan didn't say it out loud, he knew that many people died at the beginning of this natural disaster, and the number might continue to increase in the future.
"Jingyun, Jingyun!" Xiao Muyan hugged the trembling Jiang Jingyun without caring about his wet clothes, and whispered to comfort him, "Everyone has his own way, and everyone has a different destiny. We are just ordinary mortals. We have tried our best to live our lives well. There is no need to blame ourselves for things that we can't do anything about."
"But if I find a way to spread the news in advance in the form of rumors, or inform the government... maybe..."
"No one will believe it. Without evidence, they will just think you are spreading rumors and misleading the public."
The government won't care either, as there are always people who are just sitting there doing nothing.
Now that the disaster has occurred, the government office is still closed, and not a single soldier has come out to provide disaster relief or maintain civil order. Isn't this a disguised expression of the attitude of those in power?
"It's okay, don't think too much." Xiao Muyan gently lifted Jiang Jingyun's face, smoothed his messy hair, and said softly, "We are here to help you with everything."
"Yeah." Jiang Jingyun responded by sniffing his red nose.
"Xiao Muyan is right. Don't panic. We are still here... A-choo!" Second Brother Jiang also interrupted.
Jiang Jingyun then realized that his second brother had been standing next to him and his embarrassing appearance had been seen the whole time!
He quickly pushed Xiao Muyan away, his face slightly red from crying, "I was too stubborn just now, it's okay now. I've boiled some hot water, you guys should go take a shower and change your clothes. There's ginger soup in the kitchen, remember to drink it later." Then he looked at his clothes that were wet by Xiao Muyan, and ran away with the excuse that he also needed to go back to his room to change his clothes.
Brother Jiang looked at his brother's fleeing back, and after a long silence, he said, "Xiao Muyan, you and my brother..."
"We are together."
Brother Jiang didn't know if it was because of the heavy rain tonight that his head was soaked with water. He had a severe headache now. "When did it happen?"
"During the Chinese New Year this year."
"..., Xiao Muyan, my Jiang family's ancestral tomb has finally produced smoke after so many years, and a good bamboo shoot has emerged." The second brother Jiang pointed at Xiao Muyan's nose and said with great sorrow, "I thought you were just brothers with different surnames who had a good relationship, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect it! Tell me, was it you who led the fifth brother astray!"
Xiao Muyan did not deny it and nodded in response, "I have liked him for a long time."
"This is not the right path. You will have to get married and have children in the future..." Jiang Erge tried to persuade him to turn back in time.
"I don't care what others think, and I won't marry or have children. In this life, I only want him."
Second Brother Jiang laughed out of anger, who cares what you do! But don't get involved with his younger brother!
"You don't care about worldly opinions, but what about Jingyun? He will have to take the imperial examinations in the future, and may even become an official in the imperial court. Have you ever thought about how people will view and comment on him? Have you ever considered him?"
"If he is willing, I will do my best to give him happiness, protect him and love him, even at the cost of my own life; if one day he regrets it and no longer wants to be with me, I..." Xiao Muyan paused for a long time. It was hard for him to accept the scene just by imagining it, but he still forced himself to speak, "I am willing to let go and leave..."
"I won't regret it!" A voice sounded from between the two of them. It turned out to be Jiang Jingyun who had returned.
Jiang Jingyun walked to Xiao Muyan's side, took his hand, looked straight at Jiang Erge and said, "I like him, so I want to be with him!"
"......" This time, Second Brother Jiang not only had a headache, but also felt anxious. He hadn't persuaded this one yet, and another one came, "Fifth brother, you are still young and don't understand..."
"Second brother," Jiang Jingyun interrupted him, "I'm nineteen years old this year, and I know exactly what I want."
"What do you know? He's just a big, tough man. What's so good about him? I think you've been blinded by greed!" Second Brother Jiang was so angry that his voice rose several degrees.
"I don't care, I just like him and I want him alone!" Jiang Jingyun also shouted.
"You! Ah...!" Jiang Erge looked at his stubborn face and scratched his head irritably, "I don't care about you anymore, do whatever you want!"
"Hmph, I don't want to listen even if you bother me." Jiang Jingyun muttered softly, and was shut up by Xiao Muyan's smile and light pinch on his fingers.
Xiao Muyan looked at his second brother, put three fingers together, and said seriously: "I swear to heaven, every word I just said is sincere, I only want Jiang Jingyun in this life, and I will never have two minds. If I break this oath, I will be struck by lightning!"
“Crack—”
“Boom—”
Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder roared with a deafening roar.
…
Brother Jiang pointed to the sky, looking excited: "Look, even God doesn't believe his nonsense!"
"The rain was too loud, maybe God didn't hear it clearly, and it didn't hit anything, did it?!" Jiang Jingyun retorted.
The second brother stared at his younger brother with wide eyes at his useless appearance. He said, "You can even lie like this. Is there any hope for you?"
Jiang Jingyun blushed.
Xiao Muyan raised his hand again, wanting to express his feelings once again, but Jiang Jingyun pulled it down, "Why are you swearing for no reason? Only unfaithful people would swear to the sky all day long. Put your hand down quickly."
"I'm not an unfaithful man," the man looked aggrieved, like a big dog who had been wronged, "Then do you believe me?"
"Of course I believe you!" Jiang Jingyun nodded.
Seeing the two of them flirting with each other in front of him, Brother Jiang was furious and snorted coldly, "Okay, you two can just enjoy it secretly now. When my father finds out one day, he will break your legs."
The fifth brother is his parents’ treasure, so they probably won’t bear to beat him. As for Xiao Muyan… humph, it would be better if he were beaten to death!
She actually took the cabbages from his house secretly when he wasn't paying attention! He is so mad! If his fifth brother hadn't been protecting him, he would have beaten Xiao Muyan up!
"Alright, alright, you two should go take a shower, or you'll catch a cold," Jiang Jingyun pushed them forward, "I'll go make breakfast, what do you want to eat?"
Brother Jiang said unhappily, "I'm full of anger and have no appetite."
"Oh," Jiang Jingyun turned around and looked at Xiao Muyan with a smile, "So what would Brother Xiao like to eat?"
Xiao Muyan smiled and shook his head. Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by his second brother: "Why are you asking? It's good enough to give him a sip of water. If you want to eat, just go to the northwest wind!" How pleasing he was to the eye of this man before, how much of a nuisance he is now.
"It's spring now, where does the northwest wind come from?" Jiang Jingyun grumbled unconvincedly, "Besides, you don't want to eat it yourself, so you don't allow others to eat it? How bossy!"
"Who said I don't want to eat! I want to eat sauerkraut pork dumplings, scallion pancakes, and sashimi congee!" He wanted to order a few more, but then he thought that it was his brother who would have to work hard, and that Xiao wouldn't be tired, so he gave up in the end, "Just these, I'll eat them in a minute!"
"Okay." Jiang Jingyun agreed readily.
"snort."
【Author’s words】
【1】Folk customs, sourced from Baidu.
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