Chapter 25 World One [25]
Do you want to stay with me until I am a hundred years old?
Shang Siyu stared at Jing Ke blankly, letting her hold her hand and lead her as she walked while counting.
1, 2, 3.
The two began to slowly move away from the vehicle and walked towards the apartment building step by step.
22, 23, 24.
The snowflakes seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, but they melted quickly when they landed on the ground, leaving only traces of water that were close to their original shape.
45, 46, 47.
The apartment building is just around the corner. Shang Siyu couldn't help but follow Jing Ke's thoughts in his heart and chose to believe a statement on the Internet that had no basis.
76, 77, 78.
The entrance was right in front of me, no more than twenty meters away in a straight line, and the street lights became particularly dazzling.
98, 99, 100.
Jing Ke controlled the size of her steps very well. When they walked into the building, she counted to exactly one hundred, not one more or one less.
"Xiao Yu, it's exactly one hundred steps. I can accompany you until you are one hundred years old." After stopping, a bright smile appeared on Jing Ke's face.
"Well, I will try my best to accompany you until you are a hundred years old." Shang Siyu said softly.
Shang Siyu's originally cold facial features were like snowflakes falling on the palm of her hand, but now they have completely changed into another look, looking extremely gentle.
Except for the initial period, Shang Siyu never seemed to treat Jing Ke coldly. When she looked at Jing Ke, she usually had a smile on her face.
"It's not about effort, it's about determination." Jing Ke, who remained rigorous even after drinking, corrected Shang Siyu's wording.
"Okay, I will stay with you until you are a hundred years old." Shang Siyu said.
At this time, Shang Siyu didn't mind telling a white lie to make Jing Ke happy.
If possible, Shang Siyu also really wants to live to be a hundred years old and accompany Jing Ke for a very long time.
But the reality is cruel. Living to be a hundred years old is also a very difficult thing for ordinary people.
"Okay, the elevator is here, let's go home." Shang Siyu held Jing Ke's hand more tightly than before, and couldn't help but think a little more.
If I leave after a hundred years, where will Jing Ke go?
Will she bind herself to another person and become their trading partner?
Will Jing Ke treat another person the same way she treats herself? Will she become human again?
The most important thing is, if that person also likes Jing Ke, will Jing Ke take the initiative to respond to this feeling after discovering it?
It is said that love should be unique, so can I try to ask for it once and make Jing Ke unique to me as well?
-
After returning home, Jing Ke held the honey water brewed by Shang Siyu in her hands, warming her hands while drinking it in small sips.
When drunk, Jing Ke would not make any noise or noise, but his IQ would occasionally drop for a while, or his thoughts would jump unusually fast, and he would ask some strange questions.
"Xiao Yu, if I don't have money, will you still be with me?" Jing Ke suddenly asked a question.
"Of course, I'm not with you for your money." Shang Siyu answered skillfully, "I'm attracted by your character. Even if you have nothing, I won't abandon you."
Shang Siyu was not just trying to please Jing Ke, but because she had said the same thing three times and had become so familiar with it that she was very proficient at it.
"What if I have no character at all? If I do something bad and get caught, will you still like me?" Jing Ke asked.
Jing Ke usually reads too many things and reads too much information. When she is fully awake, she can effectively screen the information and eliminate the useless things.
But when he is not awake, Jing Ke's information processing system will fall into chaos.
After hearing the new question, Shang Siyu thought carefully for a minute and did not give a casual answer just because Jing Ke was not conscious.
"If I knew you were doing something bad before I met you, I wouldn't be with you, let alone sign a contract to become your trader."
"But if you do something wrong now, or if you do something wrong in the future, I will find a way to make it up to you and correct your behavior."
Shang Siyu said slowly, "When I am completely disappointed in you, I will probably leave you."
Jing Ke blinked, as if digesting what Shang Siyu said.
After a while, Jing Ke's eyebrows curved, "Don't worry, I won't regret my choice. No matter what you want to do, I will help you. I will help you achieve all your wishes."
Jing Ke's answer seemed a bit irrelevant, but it did not affect Shang Siyu's understanding of what the other party meant.
Jing Ke has different ideas from her and will act differently.
Even if I did something wrong or had bad thoughts, Jing Ke would go all the way with me instead of asking me to make so-called corrections.
"But don't you think Xue Fan's behavior is excessive?" Shang Siyu asked softly, "If I did something bad like him, would you still help me?"
"Yes, I hate him." Jing Ke wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction after mentioning someone who was still in prison. "But Xiaoyu, you are different. I like you."
"I've read some information, and many people say that love is blind and can make people lose their rationality and ability to think and act." Jing Ke said seriously, "I'm a human being now, so after I fall in love with you, I will also become blind because of you."
Shang Siyu was stunned. Was this something Jing Ke would say? Would she, who was usually more rational, become blind because she loved him?
Boom—boom—
Shang Siyu felt his own strong heartbeat, and his beating heart seemed to be about to burst out of his chest in the next second.
With her mind occupied by emotions, Shang Siyu wanted to take the opportunity to ask the question that she was worried about. She wanted to ask Jing Ke whether she would fall in love with the next trader who could provide her with luck after she left.
But just when Shang Siyu was about to ask, Jing Ke blinked twice and then yawned.
"Xiao Yu, I'm sleepy. Can we go to bed?" Physiological tears appeared in Jing Ke's eyes, making her amber eyes look wet. She looked more like a puppy begging for its owner to pat its head than usual.
"Okay, let's take a quick shower and go to bed." Shang Siyu did not indulge herself in asking the question, but she reached out and touched Jing Ke's head.
After seeing Shang Siyu's actions, Jing Ke subconsciously lowered his head and responded: "Okay, take a shower and go to bed."
-
On the 27th day of the 12th lunar month, it is almost time for most people to prepare to go home for the New Year.
When Jing Ke woke up the next day, she looked no different from usual. She didn't show any embarrassment, nor did she have any hangover symptoms or headaches.
After recalling his irrational behavior, Shang Siyu was too embarrassed to mention what happened last night. Seeing that Jing Ke didn't react, he pretended to be stupid.
After loading the prepared New Year's goods into the car with Shang Siyu, Jing Ke skillfully sat in the driver's seat and drove the SUV he had bought earlier to Mu'an County.
There are still two days until the statutory holiday, and the freeways haven't started yet. Although there are more cars on the road than usual, fortunately, there are no traffic jams as soon as you enter the highway.
The two people who set off in the morning managed to get off the highway smoothly before four o'clock in the afternoon.
I parked the car in one of the few remaining parking spaces and once again got out of the car carrying a lot of bags.
Geographically speaking, Mu'an County is a little further north than Jiang City, so the moment they opened the car door, both of them were covered in the face by the biting cold wind.
After tightening their matching scarves around their necks, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu walked a little faster than usual. After taking the New Year's goods out of the trunk, they rushed into the apartment building in small steps.
After climbing several flights of stairs in one breath, both of them couldn't help but breathe a little irregularly, and the sound of their exhalation was particularly obvious in the quiet corridor.
But a minute after knocking on the door, there was no movement from inside, as if no one was home.
"Isn't the elementary school on vacation already? Why hasn't Auntie gotten off work yet?" Jing Ke put the things on the ground and used his free hand to touch his frozen nose.
"It's okay, I have the key with me." Shang Siyu put down the backpack and began to look for the key in the mezzanine. "Maybe there are other arrangements at the school, so I need to go there temporarily."
Shang Siyu said as he opened the security door first, and then the solid wooden door inside.
Along with the sound of the door lock turning, a muffled cough suddenly entered Jing Ke's ears.
Jing Ke subconsciously looked up at the source of the sound, only to see a middle-aged man with a big belly standing in the middle of the upper corridor.
After meeting Jing Ke's scrutinizing gaze, the middle-aged man subconsciously looked away. Not only did he turn to look out the window, he also took out his mobile phone and started fiddling with it.
Jing Ke frowned slightly, her intuition telling her that there was something wrong with this man.
But at this time, Shang Siyu had already opened the door and called Jing Ke to come in, "Okay, come in."
Jing Ke pursed her lips, tugged at Shang Siyu's sleeve, and pointed upwards.
Shang Siyu looked over and saw a familiar figure. He lowered his voice and said, "Maybe it's a neighbor who came out to get some fresh air."
Is that so? Jing Ke's brows were filled with confusion.
But just now, the middle-aged man just stared at them for a while. Even though Jing Ke didn't understand the ways of the world very well, she knew that she couldn't rush up and question him just because of this.
-
The New Year's goods that Jing Ke and Shang Siyu brought back were basically some dry goods, which only needed to be placed in the appropriate place and did not need to be processed immediately.
Shang's mother usually gets off work at 4:20, so by the time she gets home, it should be around 5:00.
After packing her luggage, Shang Siyu glanced at the wall clock in the living room and saw that it was still twenty minutes until five o'clock, so she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to cook.
Jing Ke also followed Shang Siyu's example and picked up a new apron and put it on.
"I'll go with you and help you." Jing Ke, who is aware of his cooking skills, said.
"Let's just stir-fry some vegetables and make some soup. Jing Ke, you wash and chop the vegetables and mushrooms. I'll go wash the rice and cook it first." Shang Siyu opened the refrigerator and took a look at the food stored. Then he took out the corresponding ingredients and arranged the tasks.
This scene had been played out many times in a kitchen in Jiang City, and the two of them worked together perfectly. Shang Siyu only needed to glance at Jing Ke, and she would know what to hand her.
So when Shang's mother opened the door and returned home, she smelled the fragrance of food. Following the scent, she saw her daughter and Jing Ke snuggling together in a very intimate posture, as if they were whispering something in each other's ears.
"Different amounts require different seasonings and cooking times. If you follow the proportions, there won't be a big problem. However, there are subtle differences in the ingredients themselves, so the most common word used in recipes is "appropriate amount."
Shang Siyu taught Jing Ke her cooking experience. She didn't expect Jing Ke to learn it, she just wanted to enjoy the process.
Jing Ke carefully wrote down every word she said, and looked at Shang Siyu with a hint of admiration in her eyes, "Xiaoyu, you are so amazing."
"Not bad." Shang Siyu couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Cooking is one of the few areas where Shang Siyu is better than Jing Ke, and it is also a rare opportunity for her to gain the other person's admiration.
Knock knock——
After putting down her things, Mother Shang gently knocked on the glass sliding door of the kitchen partition. "How is the dinner preparation going? Do you need my help?"
"Huh? Mom, you're back?" Shang Siyu turned around and said with a smile, "No need, this is the last soup. Mom, just go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Hello, Auntie." Jing Ke also turned around and greeted, "The soup will be ready in three minutes."
"Okay, then I'll wait to try out your craftsmanship." The fine lines at the corners of Shang's mother's eyes folded together, and her eyes inadvertently glanced at the two people's collars that were slightly open because of the heat.
The marks on the side of the neck are very faint, but Shang Siyu and Jing Ke have fair skin, so they are still easy to find if you look carefully.
Mother Shang, who finally found the evidence, was not too surprised, but relieved instead.
In fact, Mother Shang noticed the coordination and tacit understanding between Jing Ke and her daughter in daily life when Jing Ke came for the first time.
Shang's mother is an open-minded person. She knows very well that when it comes to finding a partner to live with, what matters most is whether the two people can go together for a long time and whether their personalities are compatible in all aspects, rather than looking at the other person's gender.
If her daughter could really be with someone like Jing Ke for the rest of her life, Mother Shang felt that she would be very pleased and relieved.
Mother Shang, feeling a little emotional, washed her hands and sat at the dining table. When she saw Jing Ke and her daughter bringing out the dishes together and Jing Ke sensibly helping her to serve the meal, she became even more satisfied with Jing Ke.
To put it bluntly, after my daughter and Jing Ke are together, I don’t have to worry about the retirement care of the elders over there. They just need to support themselves.
Being with Jing Ke, who is so considerate and sensible, my daughter will still have someone to rely on even when she is old.
"Mom, do we still have to go to school tomorrow?" Shang Siyu asked.
Mother Shang shook her head. "No, we're only on holiday a few days later than the other students. The school just asked us to go there on short notice. Now that everything is done, we can relax and spend the New Year's holiday."
"Auntie, is there anything else we need for the New Year? Xiaoyu and I plan to go to the morning market tomorrow." Jing Ke asked, treating herself as a member of the family and speaking in a familiar tone.
Mother Shang mentally counted the New Year's goods she had prepared and said, "I've almost bought them all. If you go, just buy some snacks you like."
"By the way, I've only prepared some wine for the guests. If you want to have a few drinks during the New Year, you can buy some. There should be a lot of homemade wine for sale at the morning market, and they all taste pretty good."
Mother Shang thought for a moment and added, "Someone might come to visit on the third day of the Lunar New Year, so you can prepare some candies that children will like."
Jing Ke nodded, "Okay Auntie, I'll buy everything you need tomorrow."
Shang Siyu, holding chopsticks, looked at his mother and then at Jing Ke. Seeing that the two were talking very naturally, a smile slowly appeared in his eyes.
As expected, my mother knew and accepted Jing Ke, and the two of them were no longer shy with each other.
-
The next day, because they had to go to the early market, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu left bed before dawn.
After washing up and changing clothes, Jing Ke opened the curtains and saw a faint light in the sky. The two of them kissed for the first time of the day in the faint light.
When the two men, fully armed with hats, scarves, and gloves, came down the corridor, they met an old man and an old woman wearing thick cotton jackets and pulling a cart.
"Are you going out to the market?" asked the enthusiastic aunt.
"Yes, let's go have breakfast and buy some things." Shang Siyu greeted with a smile, then took Jing Ke's hand and quickly got into the car.
There was little traffic at dawn, and we arrived at our destination in less than fifteen minutes.
When they got off the bus, the sun was just beginning to peek out, slowly dispersing the chilly night mist. After a few steps, the sounds of hawking filled their ears.
There are shops selling breakfast, special snacks, fruits and vegetables, and even clothes. The variety of items is richer than that of large supermarkets.
In addition to the hot food shops, the most popular one is the pork shop. The pork that has just been slaughtered is still steaming when it is moved out, and it is visibly fresh.
This extra down-to-earth morning market was somewhat unfamiliar to Jing Ke, so she was particularly curious and wanted to buy a little of everything she saw to try.
If it weren't for the limited capacity of her stomach, Jing Ke could spend more than half an hour just eating breakfast and snacks.
"Xiao Yu, I'm full." Jing Ke said as he touched his stomach with his right hand, but his eyes were still glued to the snack bar.
"I'm full too. There's some leftover food. How about I come tomorrow morning?" Shang Siyu said softly, not realizing how indulgent and doting her tone was.
"Okay, then let's go buy some homemade wine. Auntie said it tastes good." Jing Ke reluctantly withdrew her gaze and sighed in her heart.
I seem to be becoming more and more like a human. Three months ago, I would not have shown my gluttony so obviously.
"I think I drank some when I was a kid. It tasted sweet," Shang Siyu recalled. "My mom seemed to be able to make it, too."
"Then why doesn't Auntie make wine anymore? Is it because she is too busy?" Jing Ke asked casually.
Shang Siyu shook his head. "It's because Dad left. Mom doesn't drink. Dad only drinks occasionally during his rest time."
Dad? Jing Ke blinked. She seemed to rarely mention Shang Siyu or her dad.
"Do you miss him very much?" Jing Ke asked carefully.
Shang Siyu was stunned for a moment, a trace of confusion in his eyes, "I don't know. In the few memories I have left, he has always been very busy."
"I guess she does. If he were here, Mom might feel more relaxed and have someone to chat with." Shang Siyu said softly.
Calculating the time, the last time Shang Siyu met her father was twenty years ago. Such a long-ago memory has long been diluted by time.
Rather than the heartwarming scenes of father and daughter interacting with each other, Shang Siyu remembers more clearly the scene of her and her mother having dinner together.
It is normal for police officers to work overtime, especially for relatively younger police officers, for whom night duty and patrol are essential.
They are especially busy during the holidays, and they spend more of their time with other people in their jurisdiction rather than their own families.
But it cannot be denied that even after Shang's father left, Shang Siyu still enjoyed the benefits brought by him to a certain extent.
From small things like the government officials who visit him regularly every year to big things like the priority admission and bonus points policies during exams, these all remind Shang Siyu of his existence all the time.
"Auntie seems to be doing well on her own." Jing Ke said, "Auntie is in good condition. Compared to people of the same age, she looks younger."
"Indeed, no one is inseparable from anyone else. Mom has many friends." Shang Siyu smiled with relief. "Mom actually enjoys living alone. She's free and unrestrained. I was just mistaking my thoughts."
Perhaps it was because Jing Ke was such a good person by my side that I suddenly thought of my father and felt that my mother might need a partner.
Before Shang Siyu could finish her sigh, she found that Jing Ke had stopped and pulled her behind him.
"What's wrong?" Shang Siyu asked.
Jing Ke frowned and looked to the left. "I saw the man in the corridor yesterday. He was on our left and seemed to be looking for someone."
Shang Siyu turned her head and saw a very typical and familiar profile appear in her field of vision, which made her stunned for a moment.
"I recognize him. He's Xue Fan's father." Shang Siyu held Jing Ke's arm and said in a daze, "I remember my mother said that the Xue family moved out from next door two years ago. The house next to ours has been empty for a long time."
"Then she came back suddenly, most likely because of Xue Fan." Jing Ke expressed her guess.
"If I remember correctly, when we went out, the house next door seemed to be still empty, and there were a lot of flyers stuffed on the handles," Jing Ke added.
Shang Siyu frowned. Xue Fan's father was not in Jiang City to help Xue Fan at this time, but returned to Mu'an County. Did he give up on rescuing Xue Fan, or did he have other purposes?
Just as Jing Ke and Shang Siyu were thinking and hesitating, Xue Fan's father also noticed them. He ran towards them with his bloated body as if he had found a savior.
"Xiaoyu, you're here at the morning market too, what a coincidence." Father Xue showed a flattering smile on his face, "You bought a lot of things, do you want me to help you carry them back?"
"No need, I can carry it." Jing Ke said first, still protecting Shang Siyu behind him.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Mr. Xue's face. He slowly retracted his outstretched hand and tried to cover up his embarrassment by tucking his hands into his sleeves.
"I haven't seen you for several years. Xiaoyu has grown up to be more handsome, even more outstanding than when he was a child. This is your friend, right? He is also very good-looking." Father Xue racked his brains to think of nice words to say, so as not to make his intention to please Shang Siyu too obvious.
Although Shang Siyu hated Xue Fan, he did not take his anger out on Xue's father, who had been his neighbor for more than ten years.
After patting Jing Ke's shoulder to calm his girlfriend, Shang Siyu took a step forward smoothly, "Uncle Xue, long time no see, are you back for the New Year?"
Xue's father bent down subconsciously, a hint of uneasiness and anxiety in his eyes, "Not entirely, it's just that something happened at home, and I want to find someone to help."
"I heard that you, Xiaoyu, have also started a company and become the boss. I wonder if you can help your uncle Xue." Xue's father said a little dryly.
Seeing that Shang Siyu did not agree immediately, his originally flattering smile became stiff.
"Xiao Yu, we have no other choice, so we want to ask for your help." Father Xue said with his head down, "Xue Fan is my only child. As a father, I can't watch him spend his whole life in prison."
As Mr. Xue spoke, his voice became tearful. Jing Ke and Shang Siyu got a new piece of news from his words, which was that Xue Fan would most likely be sentenced to life imprisonment.
It's the kind of life sentence where there is no chance of commutation and the person has to spend the rest of his life in prison.
"Uncle Xue, I'm just an ordinary person. I can't get Xue Fan out of prison." Shang Siyu stood there and listened to Xue's father crying.
"And if you make a mistake, you'll be punished. Even kindergarten kids know this. Uncle Xue, you should understand it too, right?"
Shang Siyu didn't soften her heart because of her father's plea and cry. She didn't give in at all. "Uncle Xue, I've heard a little about Xue Fan's situation. He was prosecuted by the public security, procuratorate and court. This situation can't be solved by just one person helping out."
"But aren't you the boss of a company? Xue Fan was your former neighbor and classmate, after all. Can't you help him out this time? We don't ask for him to be released immediately, we just hope he gets a lighter sentence, or at least doesn't have to spend his entire life in prison."
"Your father is a police officer. You must know people in the system. As long as you are determined, you can do it."
As Xue's father spoke, tears streamed down his face. When he noticed that the number of onlookers was gradually increasing, he made up his mind and knelt down.
"I beg you, if you are willing to help, I will give you my life." Father Xue knelt straight in the snow, bending over as he spoke, intending to kowtow to Shang Siyu.
Fortunately, Jing Ke reacted quickly. He rushed forward and picked up Xue's father, who weighed more than 180 pounds, from the ground.
"Your son was imprisoned for corruption and bribery. Do you want us to learn corruption and bribery like your son?" Jing Ke said sternly.
"Or are you doing this so that we can call the police and send you to jail so that you and your son can see each other on New Year's Eve?"
"If that's the case, I suggest you go directly to the Jiang City Police Station and tell the police what you just said. They will definitely help you achieve your wish."
Jing Ke has not received traditional moral brainwashing. In her opinion, Xue's father came to harm her Xiaoyu and he has very evil intentions!
So Jing Ke's voice was very loud, loud enough for all the onlookers to hear what she said.
After hearing his son's crime being spoken out loudly, Mr. Xue's body stiffened and he subconsciously began to defend Xue Fan.
"That's not true. Xue Fan was corrupted by others. He has a good nature. It was those people who asked him for money." Xue's father said.
After hearing what Xue's father said, Jing Ke couldn't help but sneered.
"Uncle, are you sure Xue Fan is a good person?" Jing Ke looked at Xue's father with a cold, emotionless look. "If he was, Xue Fan would have become rich four years ago. Why did he only take you back two years ago under pressure from public opinion?"
"I also heard that Xue Fan, who's worth over 100 million yuan, only rented a small house for you. Not only does he only give you 1,000 yuan a month for living expenses, but he also rarely comes to see you."
"Is a son like this worth doing this for? Can someone who can abandon even his parents really be a good person?"
Jing Ke began to stab his heart, the kind that made blood come out with every cut.
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