Chapter 27
Han Shengyi didn't speak, and Chu Shao didn't speak either.
Chu Jiujiu wanted to speak, but she didn't dare.
At the beginning, Han Shengyi walked very fast, but when there was no one around, he slowed down. The surroundings became more and more desolate, and the grass was taller than people. If Chu Shao had not followed behind him, Chu Jiujiu would probably think that Han Shengyi wanted to harm her.
Finally, they arrived at a single-plank bridge. Han Shengyi let go of her hand, turned around, and looked down at her.
Chu Jiujiu was already nervous, and was infected by the quiet and tense atmosphere along the way. Even if she hadn't done anything wrong, she felt extremely guilty now. When she met Han Shengyi's slightly complicated gaze, she couldn't help but take a step back.
Seeing her reaction, Han Shengyi was stunned for a moment. Then, as if admitting defeat, he sighed softly, adjusted his expression, and then half-knelt down, looking up at Chu Jiujiu helplessly: "Where did you go just now?"
When he changed to this posture, Chu Jiujiu was indeed not so nervous anymore and her body relaxed. She even secretly turned her head and glanced at Chu Shao. Chu Shao was still standing beside them, with no expression on his face, only staring at Chu Jiujiu with his eyes wide open.
Chu Jiujiu lied with her eyes wide open, looking innocent: "...I didn't go anywhere. I just wandered around the river, trying to catch some fish."
Han Shengyi took a look at the fish basket on Chu Jiujiu's arm. There were indeed fish in it, two small grass carps a few centimeters long. Even if Chu Jiujiu ate them all by herself, they would not be enough to fill her teeth.
Han Shengyi frowned, but before he could say anything, Chu Shao suddenly exploded.
He twisted Chu Jiujiu's shoulders, forcing her to turn around and face him.
“Nonsense!”
Chu Shao looked at her furiously: "I just looked around the river twice and didn't see you! Tell me the truth, where did you go?!"
This was the first time Chu Shao spoke loudly to her. Chu Jiujiu was completely stunned. She didn't understand why Chu Shao was so angry, so she could only look up at him blankly and panicked. Seeing this, Han Shengyi immediately stood up.
"What are you doing?" he asked Chu Shao.
Chu Shao was angry and didn't want to pay attention to him at all. "Our family's affairs have nothing to do with you."
"I know it has nothing to do with me, but can you please calm down a little."
Han Shengyi's tone was a little serious, so Chu Shao looked at him for a second longer. It turned out to be quite effective. Chu Shao's heart, which was about to explode with anger, became a little more rational, but only a little.
As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public. Chu Jiujiu has a strong sense of self-esteem, so some things are better left at home. So, he endured it, suppressed his temper, and looked at Chu Jiujiu again, "Come home with me."
Chu Jiujiu heard it but didn't move. She lowered her head and remained silent. Chu Shao reacted and his temper began to rise again. He wasn't one to engage in a tug-of-war, so in this situation, he was more direct. He took a step forward, wanting to take Chu Jiujiu home. But who knew that the two of them were so well-informed. Seeing him coming, Chu Jiujiu's first reaction was to hide behind Han Shengyi, and Han Shengyi's first reaction was to block Chu Jiujiu with his body.
After doing this, Han Shengyi didn't have any thoughts. Chu Jiujiu, on the other hand, noticed something was wrong. She raised her head, wanting to remedy the situation, "Chu Shao, I..."
Chu Shao interrupted her gloomily, "You won't reply, right? Fine, then I won't care about you anymore."
After saying that, he turned and left. Chu Jiujiu really felt scared then. She chased after him without thinking. Even if Chu Shao beat her up, she would not hide anymore.
Han Shengyi suddenly grabbed her, and Chu Jiujiu struggled desperately, "Let me go, I want to go back."
"He's angry. Going back will only make him angrier."
Chu Jiujiu: "But, but what if I don't go back and he doesn't want me anymore!"
Han Shengyi opened his mouth, but for some reason, he paused for a moment before saying the next sentence: "No, as long as he is still willing to be angry with you, he will never leave you."
Chu Jiujiu's struggles weakened, and gradually she stopped moving. She just looked at Han Shengyi with a puzzled look, as if she didn't understand what he meant.
Han Shengyi did not let go of her hand, but just changed his posture slightly, took her to the stone pier beside the single-plank bridge and sat down, and told her about the misunderstanding of falling into the water.
As Chu Jiujiu listened, her mouth opened wide.
She was stunned and asked, "Who said I fell into the river? Isn't this just because they have nothing better to do? How abominable!"
Han Shengyi had no idea who that person was. If he had known, he would have gone over and beaten him up long ago. Chu Shao probably had the same idea, but they didn't know who reported the incident. Chu Jiujiu was caught in the crossfire at such a critical moment. No wonder Chu Shao was so angry with her.
After understanding the whole story, Chu Jiujiu felt much more at ease, and even complained quietly, "It's not my fault, why are you angry with me..."
Han Shengyi tried to reason with her gently, "We all know it's not your fault, but few people can control this kind of thing. Chu Shao was just too scared, and fear is always irrational."
Here it comes again. Sometimes Han Shengyi talks in a way that makes Chu Jiujiu feel like she only understands half of what he says. Chu Jiujiu accepted this in her heart, but she was still a little confused. "How do you know so much?"
The two of them sat on the same huge stone pier, Chu Jiujiu's feet dangling in the air, while Han Shengyi stepped on the ground. Noticing that Chu Jiujiu was sitting a little crookedly, he reached out and supported her small body.
While doing these little movements, he lowered his eyes and replied, "Because I'm scared too."
Children always speak bluntly. For example, Chu Jiujiu, after hearing this, immediately asked back bluntly, "Are you also afraid that I will drown?"
When these words reached Han Shengyi's ears, he paused for a moment. Chu Jiujiu kept looking at him with her head tilted, completely unaware of how inappropriate her words were to Han Shengyi at that moment. She just saw Han Shengyi's eyelashes fluttering up and down twice, lightly and slowly, so lightly that she felt guilty, and so slowly that she felt uneasy.
However, these emotions are very hidden. Chu Jiujiu feels them but is unable to unravel them.
She could only watch as Han Shengyi turned his head, smiled at her, and nodded.
As if this wasn't enough to express his affirmation, he hummed again and simply said, "I'm afraid."
Chu Jiujiu was stunned. This was the first time she heard Han Shengyi describe his feelings. She sat on the stone pier, her hands at her sides moving around constantly, and her eyes became wandering. She looked at the sky and the ground, but not at Han Shengyi.
After a second, she spoke softly, "You said before..."
Han Shengyi remembered what he said better than Chu Jiujiu. Since he had already started, the rest of the words were easier to say. Admitting mistakes is not difficult for some people, but it is as difficult as climbing to the sky for some people. Han Shengyi is the latter, but he admitted his mistakes calmly. It was not because he was generous, but because he was willing to take risks.
…
"sorry."
Chu Jiujiu raised her eyes.
Han Shengyi: "I don't seem to know how to get close to people. Things that seem normal to you are difficult for me. But this is my problem, not yours. I'm not used to it, so when certain situations arise, I always instinctively want to run away. Today isn't the first time I've felt scared. I was already scared when I saw you fainted in the rain that day."
Sighing softly, Han Shengyi continued, "Chu Shao's way of being afraid is to lose his temper with you, and the way I'm afraid of you is to push you away. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those words to you. Others are others, and you are you. I never mixed you two up."
Chu Jiujiu pursed her lips.
She never told anyone that what she cared about most was not Han Shengyi's words of clearing the relationship, but the words "your family is too complicated."
Chu Jiujiu closed her legs, put her hands on her knees, and lowered her head.
"I got really angry when you said my family was complicated."
Han Shengyi looked at the top of her head and said, "I know."
Ben said it just to make her angry.
Chu Jiujiu: "I'm angry because you're right. I just don't want to admit it anymore. Mrs. Zhang, Zhang Qingguo, Niu Ailing, and Zhao Shiliu are still my relatives. Even if I'm far away and live to be seventy or eighty, as long as the blood relationship still exists, I can't escape it."
Chu Jiujiu raised half of her face, her expression very aggrieved. "I feel so ashamed, so ashamed that I'm embarrassed to say it out loud, but you actually used this as a reason to despise me. You're really going too far."
Han Shengyi listened to Chu Jiujiu's accusation for a while before speaking again, "...I know."
Those three words sounded heavy. Chu Jiujiu automatically translated them into "I'm sorry." But hearing an apology wasn't enough. Remembering how upset she was that day, her anger flared up again. She raised her head and glared at Han Shengyi fiercely. "No one in our Chu family is easy to bully. Han Shengyi, if you do this again, I promise I won't say a word to you in this life or the next."
Her eyes were clear and bright, with a spiritual light flowing in them. In comparison, Han Shengyi's eyes were like two transparent black gemstones, which seemed to be visible at a glance. In fact, only a shallow layer of transparency was visible. Deeper inside, there were more rich and dark things hidden.
Both of them were looking at each other. Chu Jiujiu was waiting for a promise, while Han Shengyi was hesitating again and again.
Finally, he opened his mouth and said, "I won't do that anymore. I won't make you angry or sad anymore. So can you also promise that in this life or the next, as long as I don't do that again, you will never ignore me."
Chu Jiujiu blinked and agreed without thinking, "Of course."
It’s not a big deal, isn’t it just about being good friends for life? To be honest, she still felt that Han Shengyi’s words were a bit childish, like kindergarten kids playing house, neither giving in an step.
She didn't notice that although Han Shengyi used what she had just said, he added an inconspicuous word in it - forever.
It may seem insignificant, but if you think about it carefully, you will find how important this word is.
Chu Jiujiu agreed without any psychological pressure. Han Shengyi might have noticed it, but he still smiled and gave Chu Jiujiu a little finger.
"Then, pinky promise."
Chu Jiujiu shrugged and stretched out her hand. They hooked their little fingers together and recited a promise that had been made for decades.
"Make a pinky promise, hang yourself, for a hundred years, no change!"
After saying this in unison, Chu Jiujiu couldn't help laughing. Her mood was so high that she couldn't sit still anymore. She jumped down from the stone pier, raised her head, and turned happily towards Han Shengyi, who also stood up and regained his strength. Chu Jiujiu skipped back. Some villagers passed by and saw this ordinary yet extraordinary pair again. They were no longer surprised.
They didn't know that Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi had quarreled, and they didn't even know who Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi were. The villagers' impression of them was that they were the daughter of the old Zhang family's slutty daughter, and the other was an unknown boy who lived in the vegetable field east of the cowshed.
Since they don't come from good backgrounds, it's normal for them to get together. Fish seek fish, and shrimp seek shrimp.
On the way back, Chu Jiujiu gradually discovered that Han Shengyi was now willing to meet her every request. This realization made her feel proud and she started to make huge demands.
"I haven't been up the mountain for a long time. Tomorrow, after we finish cutting grass for the cattle, you can accompany me up the mountain."
Han Shengyi: "Okay."
"I want to eat Ruyi mushrooms, dig them for me."
Han Shengyi: “Yeah.”
"I've been practicing cooking lately. You have to practice with me. You have to eat it whether it tastes good or not."
Han Shengyi: "Okay."
No matter what Chu Jiujiu said, Han Shengyi agreed. After agreeing, he began to plan in his mind when would be the best time to go up the mountain. Ruyi mushrooms grow quite tall, so it would be better for him to pick them himself and not bring Chu Jiujiu with him.
He would definitely do what he promised, which is a good quality. However, Chu Jiujiu never thought that he was not only like this for his own promises, but for all promises, especially those promised to him by others.
…
As they approached her home, Chu Jiujiu's arrogance subsided. She became increasingly nervous, even a little afraid to approach the door. Han Shengyi noticed her hesitation but didn't rush her. Only after he saw Chu Jiujiu circle a tree three times did he ask, "Did Chu Shao ever tell you how your mother died?"
As soon as Chu Jiujiu stopped walking around the tree, she instinctively wanted to ask how Chu Shao could tell her about her mother. When she opened her mouth, she realized that this mother was not that mother. Han Shengyi was talking about Zhang Fengjuan.
The bad thing about pretending to be siblings is that the ethical relationships become a mess and it takes a while to sort things out every time.
Chu Jiujiu groaned and scratched her head, "No, he just said it was an accident. If he doesn't tell me, I... I don't dare to ask."
Han Shengyi thought she was afraid of hurting him too much by asking, but in reality, she was afraid of hurting Chu Shao. Blood ties become weaker with each generation. For parents, even the smallest matter is a big deal. But for relatives three or four generations up, who can be called ancestors, even the biggest matter is a small matter.
Of course Chu Jiujiu also has feelings for Zhang Fengjuan, but her feelings will never be as deep as Chu Shao's.
The biggest difference between Han Shengyi and Chu Shao in treating Chu Jiujiu is that Chu Shao likes to give orders and directly tell her what she can and cannot do, while Han Shengyi will ask her what she really wants to do.
Just like now, he asked Chu Jiujiu: "Do you want to know?"
Chu Jiujiu thought about it and nodded.
——
When Chu Jiujiu returned home, Chu Shao was sitting in the main room weaving mats.
As expected of a man who could start his own business in the future, Chu Shao's hands-on skills were as strong as Han Shengyi's. He could master any technical task after just one look, and after doing it himself, his second attempt was no different from that of a master craftsman. Chu Shao commissioned an elderly woman in the village to make the mat for his bed. The old woman never imagined that Chu Shao would come over and talk to her for a few minutes, and by the time he returned, she had already mastered his craft.
Fortunately, Chu Shao wasn't such a mean person. He still had the old lady make those mats, and he wanted to use the ones he had woven for his own windows. August was about to arrive, and the high temperature was getting more and more unbearable. Chu Jiujiu was woken up several times by the heat at night. Putting the mats on the windows would cool the house down.
It's obvious that every movement of his hands is full of love between grandfather and grandson, but the cold air emitted from his body can be used as a natural freezer.
Chu Jiujiu walked into the house embarrassedly. Chu Shao heard her coming back, but he didn't look up.
Chu Jiujiu had just heard the cause of Zhang Fengjuan's death from Han Shengyi. She already understood why Chu Shao was so angry with her, and why Chu Shao always emphasized to her again and again not to go up the mountain alone.
Because it was in the dead of winter that Zhang Fengjuan ran into the mountains alone in order to find some food that only grew in winter. As a result, she missed a step and fell into the icy and turbulent river, and never climbed out again.
At first, the villagers didn't know that she had fallen into the river. They searched inside and outside the four mountains several times, and finally found a piece of Zhang Fengjuan's clothes on the surface of a river in a ravine.
The tattered cloth was hanging on the sharp stone, and it was obvious that it was torn off by the stone. If only a shoe was found, everyone could still imagine that Zhang Fengjuan lost a shoe, but what was found was a piece of cloth like this, and everyone could imagine what her fate would be.
The village stopped searching the mountain and began asking other villages to monitor the river. However, from winter to spring and then to summer, Zhang Fengjuan's body was never found. The villagers went from heartache to numbness, and then to tacit resignation. This was Chu Shao's experience for the entire first half of the year.
If she had experienced all this first and then heard about the misunderstanding in the afternoon, her reaction would have been even more intense than Chu Shao's.
Yes, no one did it on purpose, but Chu Shao's wound that was still bleeding was torn open so openly. He couldn't blame anyone. Could it be that he couldn't even lose his temper?
After figuring this out, Chu Jiujiu was no longer nervous at all. She felt particularly sorry for her grandfather and wanted to go back home quickly to hug her grandfather's head and cry loudly.
…
The more Chu Jiujiu thought about it, the sadder she felt. Even her grandfather's cold and ruthless face turned into a protective color of pretending to be strong. Chu Jiujiu's emotions came too quickly. After a while, her eyes were filled with worthless tears.
It is really worthless, it makes you cry at the drop of a hat, and it has no value at all.
…
Chu Shao didn't know it yet. He was sulking. While sulking, he was diligently weaving mats and complaining in his heart. He didn't even admit his mistake. This child was too stubborn. I don't know who she took after.
It was not until he heard sobbing that he looked up in surprise. At this time, Chu Jiujiu had been crying for a long time. She wiped her tears with her sleeves, and as soon as she finished, the next one fell out. She looked so pitiful.
Chu Shao: “…”
I should be the one crying! How come she started crying first when I didn't see her for a while?
Throwing the half-woven mat on the ground, Chu Shao stood up with a frown and walked over with a bitter and resentful look on his face. He would not apologize, and even showing weakness was stiff.
"Why are you crying? I didn't hit you."
Chu Jiujiu wiped her tears. When she heard this, she twitched twice. Her red and swollen eyes asked Chu Shao: "Are you still going to hit me?"
Chu Shao paused for a second, "This..."
In an instant, Chu Jiujiu cried even louder.
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Jiujiu's crying gave him a headache, and he quickly said, "Okay, okay, it's not a hit."
As soon as he said this, Chu Shao felt something was wrong. He shouldn't have said that, and he felt a little regretful. He hurriedly tried to think of something else to make amends, but at this time, Chu Jiujiu had already thrown herself into his arms.
She choked up and said, "Grandpa, I was wrong. I will never make you worry again. I will protect myself well wherever I go. The world is big, but my life is the most important! I want to live a long life, I want to be a hundred years old, and I want to be with you forever!"
Chu Shao was stunned, and a warm current slowly passed through his heart. This feeling was unfamiliar, but it was really good. His expression gradually softened from stiffness, and even his voice was not as cold as before. "What nonsense are you talking about? If you don't get married in the future, how can you accompany me for the rest of my life?"
Chu Jiujiu hugged him tightly, shaking her head like a rattle, "No, no, no, I won't marry!"
Chu Shao didn't take her words to heart. As a child, she would just think whatever she wanted to think. By the time she grew up, she would have changed her mind hundreds of times.
Stroking Chu Jiujiu's fur, Chu Shao said perfunctorily: "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."
Hearing his perfunctory response, Chu Jiujiu raised her head unsatisfiedly, "Grandpa, I'm serious."
"I even found myself a free bodyguard."
bodyguard?
He already had an ominous suspicion in his mind, but he still asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"Han Shengyi!" Chu Jiujiu said happily with tears still in her eyes, "He promised me that he would accompany me and protect me in the future. With him around, you should rest assured, Grandpa!"
Chu Shao: “…”
fart!
I feel uneasy just because he is around!
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