40 years of life
◎“Those futures that he had never imagined all ended up being related to him.”◎
Song Chiyu couldn't get up in the morning, so she took half a day off. When she learned that Xie Yunjin was waiting for her in the office early in the morning, she decided to take the afternoon off as well.
Let's postpone everything until next Monday.
Qi Yanzhou knew she was home, so he returned before eleven o'clock.
Song Chiyu never gave him a friendly look, but she couldn't bring herself to be fierce; her anger sounded more like a spoiled child. Qi Yanzhou went into the kitchen, put down the plastic bag he was carrying, took off his coat, and naturally unbuttoned his shirt cuffs: "We're having fish for lunch today."
Song Chiyu immediately lost all her temper.
She gave a soft "oh" and walked towards the washbasin.
She was even more persuasive than he had imagined, and Qi Yanzhou couldn't help but smile. "Are you going to work this afternoon?"
"I'm not going."
"Would you like to rest at home or go out for a walk?"
"Where should we go?" She didn't want to run into her colleagues or boss on the street while she was on sick leave.
"The shop I told you about before has started renovations today. Do you want to go take a look?"
"So fast?" Song Chiyu was surprised.
“Okay.” He rolled up his shirt sleeves. “If there’s anything you feel is inappropriate, you can tell the other person directly.”
She instantly realized she shouldn't have argued with him.
He hadn't done anything heinous, and his attitude softened completely. "Okay."
He didn't say anything more to her and turned to go into the kitchen. When he came out of the kitchen, he saw her standing in front of the sink washing her face, and suddenly realized something. "Let's go buy another dressing table today."
Where can I buy it?
“There are wood carving shops over on the antique street. We can take a look and see if we can find a craftsman to make one for us.”
Song Chiyu was surprised by his thoughtfulness and nodded, "Take a look."
He was also very efficient; once he made a decision, he found the measuring tape next to the bedside and took the measurement. Song Chiyu looked at his profile—wearing a shirt, holding the measuring tape, and kneeling on the floor—and couldn't help but secretly take a picture with her phone.
He was completely unaware.
Song Chiyu had no one to share with, so she quietly stored her photos in her phone's photo album.
After dinner, the two went out together. Song Chiyu belatedly asked, "Don't you have to go to work today?"
"No need, I'm not as busy as you think."
Song Chiyu then realized she knew nothing about his work or daily routine. She licked her lips, "Does having a dressing table in your room all of a sudden make things inconvenient for you?"
“No,” he said thoughtfully, a slight smile playing on his lips. “It would be my pleasure.”
Song Chiyu couldn't help but laugh. Recalling a long time ago, the happiest time for her was when she went shopping in a home furnishing store with Xie Yunjin, imagining that they would have such a warm home in the future. At that time, he was either too busy or uninterested and didn't understand why she was interested in such things.
At that time, she thought Xie Yunjin was too straightforward and couldn't understand this kind of happiness. But now she thinks it was because he never felt happy about having a family with her.
"What are you thinking about?" Qi Yanzhou asked, glancing at the rearview mirror outside the passenger seat.
“I was thinking about the past…” she replied instinctively, but realized halfway through that she shouldn’t say it, so she immediately changed the subject: “I really looked forward to life after marriage. I never thought that you would be the one to make it happen for me.”
"Are you thinking about your past relationship with him?"
“No,” Song Chiyu said, sitting up abruptly, afraid he would misunderstand. “I was just reflecting on life.”
Qi Yanzhou noticed her nervousness and couldn't help but laugh.
Following her words, I asked, "What are you reminiscing about?"
"I just feel that life is so wonderful. I never thought that someone like you would appear in my life. But you did." All the futures that he had never imagined were eventually related to him.
Qi Yanzhou glanced at her indifferently, without answering.
Song Chiyu realized she had talked too much and reluctantly shut her mouth.
She had always thought the antique market was the same as the antique street, only realizing today that the street truly existed beyond the market. Unlike the market stalls, this place was full of shops and businesses. Perhaps because it was afternoon, the entire street was deserted. Qi Yanzhou parked the car on the street outside, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said, "Let's go in."
Song Chiyu nodded and followed him out of the car.
The two went to a wood carving shop first. The craftsman was taking a nap in a recliner behind the counter when Qi Yanzhou banged on the table a few times, jolting him awake. "What is it?"
"We want to have a dressing table custom-made."
"Okay, what kind do you want?"
Qi Yanzhou took out the dimensions he had measured and handed him the pre-printed design drawings. "I'll provide the timber. Just give me an address and I'll send it to you."
"What kind of timber? I have plenty of good timber here, you don't need to..."
"Redwood".
"Burmese rosewood or Dalbergia latifolia?"
"Hainan rosewood".
The experienced craftsman choked on his words. "You... you're just going to make a dressing table?"
"kindness."
"Just... a dressing table?" The master craftsman found it hard to believe that in a place like this, someone would actually use such top-quality wood just to make a dressing table.
"Yes, my wife needs it."
The master craftsman glanced at Song Chiyu, who was looking at other wood carvings, and instantly realized that the man in front of him was no ordinary person. His tone became polite: "When will you arrive?"
"Tomorrow," Qi Yanzhou glanced at his phone, "I'll go with you to collect it when it arrives."
"Okay, okay."
Qi Yanzhou agreed on the price with the master craftsman, paid the deposit, and was about to leave. The master craftsman stopped him, saying, "You, with such good material, it would be a pity not to find a famous craftsman to carve it."
The experienced craftsmen were all feeling sorry for him, but he only offered two understated words: "Troublesome."
The experienced craftsman instantly understood: this was a super big shot. The man didn't need it for collection; he just wanted to make a dressing table for his wife. He didn't know why such a big shot would approach him, but since the man didn't look down on him, he naturally had no reason to turn away the business.
As the master craftsman escorted Qi Yanzhou to the door, Song Chiyu was examining a storage box. "Master, how much is this?"
He felt embarrassed to let this storage box be placed on top of someone else's multi-million dollar timber, so he said, "Once your dressing table is finished, I'll use the leftover material to make one for you."
She bought it and placed it on her dressing table, nodding in approval.
After leaving the wood carving shop, the two headed towards the shop they had looked at earlier. Song Chiyu, who hadn't heard his conversation with the woodcarver, asked curiously, "Is this dressing table expensive?"
"Not expensive."
"How much did you pay him? I'll transfer your money to you."
Qi Yanzhou glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Song Chiyu quickly explained, "Your salary card is with me, there's no reason for you to use your own money."
He then replied, "It's okay, I don't usually need money anyway."
"But……"
“I’m willing for you to use my money.” His gentle voice and her hesitant voice rang out at the same time, and Song Chiyu fell silent for a moment before finally saying, “Thank you.”
Qi Yanzhou stared at her without saying a word until the tips of her ears began to turn red, then he unconsciously raised the corners of his lips: "You're welcome."
We arrived at the antique shop we had visited before.
The designer in charge of the renovation had arrived. Song Chiyu first looked at the renovation drawings and was satisfied before looking at the quotation. When she saw that the hard decoration alone cost 80,000 yuan, she almost jumped up. She then seriously talked with the designer about the materials needed for the renovation.
This was already the price adjusted by the designer, much lower than the actual price. Seeing her strong reaction, she unconsciously looked towards Qi Yanzhou.
Qi Yanzhou nodded silently, indicating that the designer should follow her lead for now.
The designer understood immediately: "Let's find a place to sit down and talk."
There was a teahouse right next door.
As soon as Song Chiyu sat down, she started reducing and replacing the items, managing to lower the price from 80,000 to 32,000. The designer hesitated, but Song Chiyu raised her hand to interrupt, saying, "To be honest, my target price is around 25,000, and even that's too expensive for me."
The designer subconsciously looked at Qi Yanzhou.
Song Chiyu stood in front of Qi Yanzhou and said, "Don't look at him. This shop is mine, and I'm the one who will pay for it. You will be in charge of everything with me."
The designer sighed helplessly, "Okay."
After the designer left, Song Chiyu said to Qi Yanzhou without any politeness, "Don't think I don't know he's been watching you. Don't spend more money behind my back. You have to listen to me on this matter."
"Yes." He nodded.
"Seriously, let's not even talk about how much your salary is in a year. Even with social insurance and housing fund, I only make a little over 100,000 yuan. It's not worth investing so much money in a shop that can only be opened a few times a year."
"kindness."
“Don’t think that just because your family is rich you can squander money like that. Think about how many people are in your family, no amount of money can withstand such spending, so you should listen to me. I will still pay you the rent at the market price, and I will handle the renovations myself.”
Qi Yanzhou stared straight at her, as if he hadn't heard what she was saying. She couldn't help but clapp her hands in front of him: "Did you hear me?"
He unconsciously put his arm around her waist, but then realized it wasn't appropriate and quietly let go: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
“Don’t try to be two-faced with me,” Song Chiyu said fiercely, pointing at him. “Don’t use the same tactics you use on your family to deal with me.”
He couldn't resist kissing her on the cheek as he stood up: "I wouldn't dare."
Song Chiyu was stunned when he kissed her in this situation, but he stood up as if nothing had happened: "Let's go to Zhou Yue's antique shop to see if those ancient books are still there, and then we'll go home."
Song Chiyu suppressed her surprise and stood up calmly: "Give me that designer's contact information."
"kindness."
Song Chiyu stopped talking only after confirming that he had taken her words to heart.
Arrived at Zhou Yue's antique shop.
Only the young man from before was in the shop. When he saw them suddenly arrive, he was startled and hurriedly retreated from the courtyard, asking, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to find something," Qi Yanzhou replied casually.
"Looking for what?"
Qi Yanzhou did not answer.
The young man realized he had asked too many questions and unconsciously wiped his forehead: "Then you guys find it yourselves. I have to watch the shop, so I won't keep you company."
Qi Yanzhou took Song Chiyu's hand and walked into the back courtyard.
Besides the dining and sleeping areas, there was also a small shed next door for storing miscellaneous items. It was filled with many bottles, jars, and stone sculptures, and looked rather eerie without the lights on.
Once inside the small house, Song Chiyu pulled Qi Yanzhou aside and whispered, "Didn't you notice he was acting strangely?"
"Hmm." He nodded absentmindedly and began rummaging through the cabinet for unused ancient books.
Aren't you going to get involved?
"Zhou Yue will take care of it."
Seeing that he didn't care, Song Chiyu didn't say anything more.
She noticed some antique books and a few pieces of porcelain inside, and couldn't help but ask, "Can I have these porcelain pieces too? Or can you sell them to me?"
"Okay," Qi Yanzhou replied, standing by the door and looking out into the courtyard.
Hearing the commotion outside, Song Chiyu stopped beside him and asked, "What happened?"
Before Qi Yanzhou could answer, Zhou Yue's cold voice came from outside: "You stole this thing, who are you planning to sell it to?"
"Brother Yue, I..."
"Stop making excuses, tell the truth." Zhou Yue sat down on the armrest of the sofa.
The young man, slumped on the ground, stared blankly at him. "I had no choice."
Before he finished speaking, several burly men strode into the antique shop.
Without Zhou Yue's consent, they unilaterally locked the antique shop door and surrounded Zhou Yue and the young man. Zhou Yue silently observed them, while the young man, frightened, backed away, saying, "Brother, it's not that I don't want to pay back the money, it's just that I'm in a bit of trouble right now. Please give me some more time!"
"Get lost!" A burly man kicked the young man to the ground, picked up a cushion from the sofa, and politely bowed his head, saying, "Brother Wen, please sit down."
Brother Wen fiddled with the antique bracelet on his wrist and poured himself a cup of tea: "Boss Zhou, right? Your employee took my 100,000 yuan deposit the day before yesterday, saying he would deliver the goods yesterday. But we haven't heard anything since. What does that mean?"
"What kind of goods is he going to sell to you?" Zhou Yue had already made up his mind, but he still asked to confirm.
Brother Wen pointed to what he had just taken back from the young man, "This is it."
Zhou Yue let out a cold laugh. Ever since someone saw him stealing from a bargain shop, his shop has never had a peaceful day. First, a thief broke in a couple of days ago, and today, his own employee stole from the shop.
"I'll give you back the 100,000 yuan. Someone already wants this thing."
“Coincidentally, someone else wants this too,” Brother Wen said. “Since your employee has accepted my deposit, he has to follow the rules of the trade. No matter how high the price someone else offers, they have to be behind me in line. Of course, if you don’t follow the rules, then I won’t say anything.”
"What price did you negotiate with him?" Zhou Yue asked.
Brother Wen held up two fingers.
"Two hundred thousand?" Zhou Yue sneered. "Have you set the price for me?"
"You're not at a loss."
"Do you know how much other people are asking for this?" Zhou Yue held up four fingers. "Cut it in half? That's too ruthless!"
"There's nothing I can do. Your people have taken my money, so they have to follow the rules of the trade."
"Okay, I'll abide by the rule, but you have to give me at least thirty-five."
Brother Wen shook his head: "I can't give it to you. I can't let a bunch of brothers work for me for so long just to make a little profit. Besides, this is the price your guy negotiated for me, twenty, no more, no less."
Zhou Yue remained silent.
Wen patted Zhou Yue on the shoulder: "Earn a little less. I'm a reasonable guy, I won't let you work for nothing."
Song Chiyu understood what was going on.
"This must have been a setup, right?"
Qi Yanzhou nodded: "Yes, smart."
He didn't seem flustered at all, and even appeared somewhat indifferent as if it were none of his business.
"He lost your money, didn't he?" Song Chiyu whispered.
"Not entirely, most of it is still his money."
"What can we do? Just watch them cut it in half?"
"Do you have any brilliant ideas?" Qi Yanzhou asked, bowing his head.
“Call the police,” Song Chiyu replied seriously.
He was amused and couldn't help but pinch her cheek: "We can't call the police. This was a bargain. If we call the police, we'll lose even 200,000 yuan."
"Ah!" Song Chiyu immediately understood. The other party dared to act so recklessly because they knew they wouldn't dare to call the police: "Isn't this the legendary double-crossing?"
"What do you mean by 'double-crossing'?" This sounds like they're bullying people. Qi Yanzhou shook his head helplessly: "They're just resorting to crooked methods because they're not as skilled as others."
"Then what should we do?"
Qi Yanzhou didn't answer, and looked straight towards the front hall. The moment Zhou Yue saw him, he suddenly stood up, as if he had found his pillar of support. He looked as aggrieved as a 140-pound child and cried out, "Master Qi!"
"Okay." Qi Yanzhou raised his hand to indicate that he didn't need to say anything, and waved to Brother Wen: "Take it."
"And who are you?" Brother Wen asked.
“His friend.” Qi Yanzhou picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette, put it to his lips, and lit it.
"What kind of friend?" Brother Wen sized him up. His black jacket revealed a shirt collar peeking out; he didn't look like someone in this line of work, more like a schoolteacher. "Do you think you're a good person?"
"Okay." Qi Yanzhou remained calm and composed throughout. "Cash on delivery. Zhou Yue, give them the goods."
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