remember
Suzhou was foggy after the rain. The sound of construction stopped at some point, and the cicadas' chirping among the leaves seemed even more mournful.
Jiang Xiao held the box in her arms, her mind full of what Chen Zhijing had just said. It was obvious that he was saying that when he confessed his love to her, had she said that Zhou Qishen was her lover?
The problem is that Chen Zhijing confessed his love to her many times, especially when she was in high school. Every time she came to her grandfather's house during the holidays, she would receive his confession.
He had prepared many confession ceremonies, big and small, so Chen Zhijing's confession was nothing special to her. She couldn't remember exactly when she said such words, let alone when she had met Zhou Qishen.
If she had any connection with both Zhou Qishen and Chen Zhijing, it must be in Suzhou, at her grandfather's house.
Just as she was lost in thought, she did not notice the water under her feet and almost stepped into a mud puddle. Fortunately, Zhou Qishen pulled her and prevented her from getting her shoes dirty.
However, because he wanted to pull her, the box in Zhou Qishen's hand tilted to the side, and several bottles of paint inside fell out and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Chen Zhijing, who was not far away, heard the noise, stopped and turned back. Just as he was about to help, he was stopped by Zhou Qishen.
"It's okay, I'll pick it up."
Zhou Qishen first put the box under the eaves next to him before he started picking up the bottles and cans.
Jiang Xiao looked at his squatting figure and stood there in a daze. She felt that the scene in front of her was familiar and a few scattered fragments suddenly flashed through her mind.
Zhou Qishen's back gradually overlapped with that of someone in his memory.
When Zhou Qishen finished picking up his things and stood up, he met her confused eyes and couldn't help but frowned: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing." Jiang Xiao shook her head blankly. For a moment, she seemed to hear her own heartbeat, every sound clear. In the corner of her heart, there seemed to be something unclear spreading.
Zhou Qishen stared at her, pondered for two seconds, realized something, and an obscure emotion surged in his slightly closed eyes.
Chen Zhijing, who was confused, looked left and right, and looked back and forth between Jiang Xiao and Zhou Qishen. He couldn't help but remind him: "Well, aren't we leaving?"
Jiang Xiao came back to her senses from her memories, looked away, and motioned for Chen Zhijing to go first: "Let's go."
After returning to Mr. Xu's residence, under the instruction of Aunt Huang, the three of them put the paint into the warehouse on the underground first floor.
Although it is on the underground floor, there is a skylight so the light inside is still bright.
Walking along the rows of shelves filled with paintings, the three placed the boxes in the designated locations.
Aunt Huang smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, I just washed the fruit, let's go up and eat the fruit."
"Then I'll trouble you, Aunt Huang." Chen Zhijing agreed with a smile, without any hesitation.
When Jiang Xiao was about to turn around and leave, she was attracted by the sundries in the corner. Unlike other drawing boards that were placed randomly and without any obstruction, this medium-sized box was tightly covered with a layer of black cloth.
Aunt Huang, who was standing behind Jiang Xiao, noticed her gaze and explained, "Those are all your childhood toys. The old man couldn't bear to throw them away, so he asked me to put them all away."
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao smiled and nodded to show that she understood. When she was a child, she loved to play and bought a lot of toys. She could not remember what toys she had as a child, but she was moved by her grandfather's love for her.
The four of them walked up the stairs, and through the skylight, they could vaguely see the towering camphor tree in the backyard with its lush branches and leaves.
Aunt Huang suddenly thought of something, and raised the corners of her mouth again: "By the way, Xiaoxiao, do you still remember the swing that broke a few years ago?"
Jiang Xiao was intrigued by Aunt Huang's words and answered subconsciously: "Swing? Of course I remember."
"The old man plans to have someone install a new one in the next two days. Your and Xiao Zhou's children will be able to play with it in the future." Aunt Huang stared at the well-matched couple in front of her and couldn't help but make a joke.
When it comes to this topic, Jiang Xiao smiled awkwardly. For the elders, urging marriage and childbirth seems to be an unavoidable mission, but for her, having children is too far away.
Moreover, considering her and Zhou Qishen's current situation, it is basically impossible. To have children, at least the two have to be in love with each other.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao couldn't help but glance at Zhou Qishen, pursed her lips, and jokingly said, "I'm still a child myself. When the swing is installed again, I want to be the first to play with it."
This made Aunt Huang laugh out loud, but she also understood the implication of her words and did not continue the topic.
*
After dinner, Jiang Xiao and Zhou Qishen accompanied Mr. Xu to enjoy the cool air in the backyard.
Because of the presence of camphor trees, there are almost no mosquitoes, and people sitting on the recliners feel very comfortable and at ease.
Jiang Xiao could only stay for two days before she had to go back to the crew to film, so naturally she wanted to spend more time with her grandfather. The two of them talked and laughed, with Zhou Qishen standing by, mainly serving as a decoration.
As it was getting dark, Mr. Xu let them go back to their rooms to take a shower and rest.
On the way back to the room, Jiang Xiao changed her talkative personality and walked silently behind Zhou Qishen, looking at his back without saying a word.
Jiang Xiao opened her mouth but chose to hold back and did not call out to him until she watched him pass her room and continue walking forward as if he had no intention of stopping.
But when she was about to close the door and enter the house, Zhou Qishen reached out and pulled the door that was about to close.
Jiang Xiao quickly eased her strength and didn't dare to close the door forcefully. Looking at the hand that was stuck in the middle, she cursed in a low voice in surprise, "Are you crazy? Aren't you afraid of getting your hand pinched?"
Her worry was met with his casual remark: "You are not as strong as I am."
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao rolled her eyes at the arrogant guy in front of her in annoyance, but still loosened her grip a little. She didn't want him to get hurt, but she didn't open the door to let him in. Instead, she peeked at him through the crack in the door: "Go back to your own room."
Zhou Qishen withdrew his hand, looked at her through the door, and said with a gloomy look in his eyes: "I'll ask a question and then leave."
After saying this, his expression became serious. After a while, he said slowly, "Do you remember?"
Jiang Xiao was stunned for a moment, and nodded gently, "But there are still some details that I can't remember clearly."
The atmosphere fell into silence.
"Let's go in and talk." Zhou Qishen suddenly said in a low voice.
"Do you like me?" Jiang Xiao asked instead of answering, her eyes seemed to be burning with fire. Ever since she recalled what happened before, she began to have such a guess. It was no wonder that she thought so, mainly because he was too suspicious.
"Or in other words, when did you fall in love with me? It couldn't have been the first time we met..."
If this was true, she would have to doubt his motives for proposing a marriage by arrangement. In addition to the two rational factors he told her, were there other emotional factors, such as his selfishness?
Zhou Qishen heard this, a helpless smile flashed across his eyes, and then he pursed his lips towards her: "How is that possible? You were still a minor at that time, and in my eyes you were just a little kid who hadn't grown up yet. I couldn't say I liked you, at most I was interested."
When they first met, he was already studying for his doctorate, while she was just a senior in high school. She was still wet behind the ears and childish. Apart from her likable and lovely personality, she was not at all what he liked.
He became a disciple of Mr. Xu in Beijing when he was eight years old, but before that he had been studying Chinese painting in Mr. Xu's studio. He didn't remember whether he had met Jiang Xiao before, but she began to remain in his memory during the summer vacation when he had just returned to China after completing his doctorate.
Before he became an adult, he had never been to Suzhou, so this visit was his first time.
It was a sunny afternoon. As soon as he landed in Suzhou, he went directly to Mr. Xu's private residence. He happened to run into Mr. Xu sketching in the backyard. He chatted with him and observed him.
However, just after Mr. Xu took a phone call and left, Jiang Xiao rashly came into his sight, rushing towards him from the living room with an out-of-control Samoyed.
In a panic, she not only knocked over the drawing board he was helping to adjust, but also almost ruined the teacher's work. The series of accidents and her lovely performance made him interested in her, but this interest did not last long.
Almost within an hour, the beautiful girl dared to swear in front of her suitor that he was her first love and used him as a shield openly.
"Xiaoxiao, did you know that the sound insulation from the first floor to the second floor is not good? I could hear clearly what you said when you rejected Chen Zhijing downstairs." Zhou Qishen couldn't help but laugh softly when he talked about the past.
Taking advantage of his convenience was not a big deal, it was just blocking a romantic opportunity, so he did not come out to explain.
Two days later, he went to say goodbye to Mr. Xu, but unexpectedly he ran into her again. She was sitting on the swing in a white dress, her pretty face shining in the sun, and it seemed like life was peaceful and quiet.
It was then that he found out that she was Mr. Xu's granddaughter. According to Mr. Xu, she would only come here for a while during the winter and summer vacations, and spent the rest of the time in Beijing going to school.
But since that meeting, he never saw her in Suzhou again. Even during the winter and summer vacations, he couldn't meet her. When he heard about her again, she had become a household name.
Later, he returned to his country and met her by chance at a dinner party. She was wearing a gorgeous dress and under the spotlight. He heard from his friends that she already had someone by her side.
It would be rude to disturb him so rashly, not to mention that she didn't know him, so there was no reason for him to get close to her.
However, he didn't expect at that time that he would be involved with her later.
Jiang Xiao held onto the door frame, looking at the man in front of her with his eyes lowered and a low smile, she couldn't help but curl her lips as well: "So you heard it at that time, I'm so sorry."
At that time, she was being harassed by Chen Zhijing, and they were originally treating him as a friend, but he was so stubborn that he would not give up until she found a boyfriend.
At that time, she had just arrived in Suzhou from Beijing, and Chen Zhijing chased her and confessed his love to her. She found him annoying, so she had to lie to Chen Zhijing and told him that Zhou Qishen was the boyfriend she brought back from Beijing to meet her grandfather.
It was just a casual remark, but she never thought that it was the first time Zhou Qishen showed up at her grandfather's house, and Chen Zhijing actually believed her words, kept his promise, and did not mention the confession again.
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