Butterfly Loves Flowers (Part 5)
“I remember she was younger than me,” Grandma murmured. “How could she be gone?”
An had already told her grandmother about Yun's situation, and her grandmother was filled with disappointment.
They were sitting under a sturdy tree in the courtyard, enjoying the shade, when a tiny spider dangled down from the tree and landed on Grandma.
An swatted the spider away, but it landed on the floor tiles and nimbly darted into the cracks between them.
The bricks beneath our feet were laid after Yun was born, yet they have existed for a longer period of time than Yun.
That's how things are in this world; you can be sure of what's true or false, and in the time it takes to talk about it, everything can change dramatically.
In her memory, the girl was still teaching her how to make an oiled paper umbrella, explaining the key points of each step. Grandma sighed softly, and that breath went away with the wind.
An wanted to ease her grandmother's mood, so she asked about Ji Qingzhou: "Grandma, what interesting things happened to Ji Qingzhou when she was little?"
The person who played a crucial role in her life passed away, and the grandmother, helpless, changed to another book and dug out the memory of that lovely child.
"Little Qingzhou, oh my!" Grandma couldn't help but laugh, "He was so mischievous!"
“He taught him how to make oil-paper umbrellas and practice making full-flower patterns. He tied a bunch of colorful threads to the dog and said he had made it a coat. For the next few days, the dog was so tormented that it would run away whenever it saw him.”
An had already pictured the scene her grandmother had described in her mind, and a smile appeared in her eyes.
"And another thing, when he was eight or nine years old, I was teaching him traditional Chinese painting. He got ink all over his hands, and he kept touching his face with his black hands. Afraid that I would scold him, I went and smeared Ji Wen's face with ink too. When I went in, I saw two little devils covered in black ink. Unfortunately, the ink was hard to wash off, and the two of them had black faces for half a month!"
An Yi chuckled, never expecting that the usually composed Ji Qingzhou would have such a reaction.
"Speaking of Ji Wen, Qingzhou should have told you that Ji Wen is my friend's grandson. They have a very good relationship now, but you have no idea how much trouble Qingzhou practically turned this family upside down when Ji Wen first arrived!"
An asked, "What's wrong? Does he not like Ji Wen?"
Grandma waved her hand: "He doesn't dislike Ji Wen at all; he clearly wishes he could kick him out of the house right away. Qingzhou's parents divorced when she was little, and I raised her. Whenever someone comes, she's afraid that I'll be taken away."
How did he eventually accept Ji Wen?
The two little people seemed to be right in front of their grandmother: "Ji Wen is well-behaved and sensible. He gives the best food to Qingzhou first and doesn't let me play with him. As soon as I go to him, he runs away. He always thinks of Qingzhou first when he has something. People are like this, and over time, the two of them became very close."
If Ji Qingzhou were here, he definitely wouldn't want his grandmother to talk about him in such a childish way.
Grandma patted An Yi and said, "Actually, Qingzhou is a child who lacks a sense of security. If he does something wrong, talk to him nicely. Don't just leave without saying a word."
An nodded.
The wind picked up and Grandma sneezed. An, worried that Grandma would catch a cold, helped her into the house.
Ji Qingzhou has been very busy lately; he sent An to the old house and then went to the company.
Before leaving, Ji Qingzhou told his grandmother that An Yi's room was leaking and that An Yi should go to his room to rest.
There are so many empty rooms in the old house, so even if it really leaks, there's no need to go there.
Grandma saw through it but didn't say anything, and had the maid take An to Ji Qingzhou's place.
As soon as An pushed open the door, she was drawn to the wall that divided the space.
The open oil-paper umbrellas were arranged in a staggered manner. The umbrellas were all in shades of blue, and the open umbrella surfaces formed the shape of a large oil-paper umbrella on the wall.
One of the oil-paper umbrellas was particularly different. Its surface was black, but upon closer inspection, it had a slightly dark red tinge, as if blood had oxidized and dried on it.
An was quite curious, so she opened her phone and asked Ji Qingzhou why this umbrella was different.
I received a reply as soon as I sent it: "That was painted when I first started learning traditional Chinese painting. I probably wanted to paint a crabapple blossom. After I finished it and hung it up, it became dark after a while. It must have been because the paint I used had expired. So I took a little bit of the remaining black paint and painted it black. If you look closely, you should still be able to see the crabapple blossoms."
An simply walked up to the wall and sure enough, he saw clusters of blooming crabapple trees.
Her heart was filled with ripples; perhaps this was a kind of fate that even some PhDs couldn't explain.
An had only been living in the old house for a few days when the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.
On this day of family reunion, An Yi shouldn't stay here, but Grandma doesn't want An Yi to leave.
Grandma said it was just a meal together. Ji Qingzhou had been busy here these past two days. She had nothing to do back in Yun City, and Ji Qingzhou would have to go back to pick her up. It would be too much trouble to run back and forth like that. It would be better to spend the holiday with her.
Since Grandma had put it that way, it was hard to refuse any longer, so we agreed to have a meal together as she suggested.
Preparations for the old house began well in advance.
Grandma said it wasn't important, but actually everyone in the Ji family gathered together that night. Ji Qingzhou's usually busy parents came back, and Ji Yang's father, who was determined to be a painter, also brought mooncakes.
The old house was very lively on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and everyone tactfully avoided mentioning unpleasant things.
After dinner, we went to the garden to watch a play.
Grandma loved watching Peking Opera, so Ji Lin hired a troupe to perform "The Romance of the Western Chamber".
An had just met Ji Lin for the first time. He looked like a successful businessman, and rarely smiled.
He was the busiest person there. He had been on the phone since the evening and had already answered three calls, each lasting at least half an hour.
He treats An Yi very well.
This is what An Yi thinks; she's much better than Su Xi, who immediately made her son break up with her boyfriend.
Ji Lin also showed the discipline of a father and told her, "If Qingzhou does something wrong, you can point it out and he will correct it. If he bullies you, just come and tell me."
An responded with a smile.
An Yi sat next to her grandmother watching the play, and Ji Qingzhou sat next to An Yi.
Ji Yang sat with his grandmother, but he wasn't interested in the babbling; he had one leg crossed over the other, clearly lost in thought. Ji Wen, on the other hand, was engrossed in reading a thick English book.
As the matchmaker on stage was trying to find a solution for Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng, An Yi caught a glimpse of Su Xi calling Ji Lin out with a sullen face.
After a while, Ji Lin returned first and whispered to his grandmother that he had to leave first because of company business.
Grandma glared at him and scolded, "Busy, busy, busy! Your lousy company can't function without you. Go away, go away, and don't come back for the New Year!"
Ji Lin was in a difficult position and had to apologize to his grandmother.
Grandma waved her hand: "Oh, come on, come on, I'll order another 'Si Lang Visits His Mother' for you at the end of the month."
Ji Lin knew his grandmother was referring to him, so he smiled and agreed. Then he took a step between An Yi and Ji Qingzhou and said, "Don't worry about Ji Qingzhou's mother." He was saying this to An Yi.
An still smiled and agreed.
After Ji left, Su Xi returned. She seemed to be holding her breath and got up to ask An Yi to go with her to get some pastries for her grandmother.
Ji Qingzhou wanted to follow, but Su Xi pressed down on his shoulder: "Alright, you're all here, what can I do to her!"
An smiled and shook her head.
Grandma glanced at Su Xi, then went back to watching her matchmaker.
Su Xi wasn't one to beat around the bush; she got straight to the point.
"I know Qingzhou likes you very much."
An has already silently counted: the first sentence.
Actually, I don't dislike you.
An remained expressionless, silently counting: the second sentence.
"I just want Ji Qingzhou to have a better future."
An was a little confused. She thought that if the first sentence wasn't about breaking up with Ji Qingzhou, then the second sentence must be. If the second sentence wasn't, then the third sentence couldn't be wrong.
An had no idea what Su Xi had just talked about with Ji Lin; she seemed to have a strong urge to confide in him.
Mentioning Ji Qingzhou softened the wrinkles around Su Xi's eyes.
"When Qingzhou was little, I made formula for him. For a while, I noticed that he was getting thinner and thinner. When I went to the hospital for a checkup, I found out that I was doing the wrong way to prepare the formula."
“I know I’ve never been a good mother.”
Faced with a mother's reflection and self-blame, An wanted to say something.
What are you saying? It's okay, you've already done better than your father.
Thinking about it this way, her parents were also like that. Her mother did a much better job than her father; at least she raised her.
But life isn't about comparing misery, nor is it about who is less miserable being happier.
Those losses are real, those childhood shadows may follow you for a lifetime, and those wounds lingering in the years cannot be healed by simply putting on a band-aid later.
Grandma once said something very true: people should treat each other with sincerity.
Even though she was repenting and genuinely caring for Ji Qingzhou, An Yi couldn't utter a single word of comfort.
She was waiting for Su Xi to mention her, but Su Xi never did.
Judging from Su Xi's words today, she seems to have tacitly approved of An Yi's existence.
Su Xi watched the grandfather and grandson watching the play through the courtyard wall.
Ji Qingzhou glanced at her watch, told her grandmother where she was going, and got up to walk out of the courtyard.
The moon pierced through the dark clouds, casting its bright rays.
Su Xi let out a breath and left before Ji Qingzhou came out.
An Yi looked in the direction Su Xi left and couldn't help but think of Kong Yue. She was also a mother. She wondered how Kong Yue had spent her night.
Ji Qingzhou took off his coat, draped it over An Yi, and led her to their resting place.
An Yi asked, "Aren't you going to keep Grandma company?"
Ji Qingzhou said, "Grandma said, you should all leave, so that none of you will disturb my watching the play."
The moonlight is beautiful tonight.
Even the puppy couldn't sleep; when they passed a park, An Yi even heard the dog barking.
The barking grew louder as it approached. An turned around and saw a white Bichon Frise lying on her lap.
"Milk Tea!" An Yi squatted down in surprise, stroking the excited Milk Tea: "What are you doing here?"
In a short while, An had already guessed it.
She looked up and asked, "Didn't Cod find him a good home?"
Ji Qingzhou raised an eyebrow: "Am I not from a good family?"
An's eyes welled up with tears: "You really are..."
She was speechless and didn't know what to say, so she lowered her head and went to play with the milk tea.
Ji Qingzhou bent down and picked up the milk tea: "He's been very disobedient lately. Knowing you're here, he always sneaks off to see you."
No wonder An often heard faint barking sounds, but when asked, everyone said they didn't own a dog.
"Then let him come!"
Ji Qingzhou shook her head, fiddling with the milk tea: "No, what if you send me away again?"
An retorted angrily, "Am I such a heartless person?"
Ji Qingzhou tugged at the coat draped over An Yi, put one arm around An Yi, and held the milk tea in the other: "Now that you've discovered it, we can bring it along to play."
Ji Qingzhou, out of An's sight, silently said to Milk Tea, "Anyway, they're really heartless towards us."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
