Romance
Coming out of the guesthouse, next to the village committee, Zheng Youshan had been waiting outside the gate for a long time, and when he saw You Jing, he hurried over to greet him.
"Hey, Ayin, why are you here too?"
"By chance...I met you."
Zheng Youshan was a straightforward, bold and generous person. He thought that You Jing was a painter invited by Chen Dian'an, and A Yin was probably asked by him to come and help. Although "one hundred thousand yuan" was treated as if it were two and a half million yuan on weekdays, he was still very capable at the critical moment.
"That's great, you two are here together..." He wanted to add a four-character idiom to emphasize the emotion, but after racking his brains for a long time, he couldn't think of one, so he just ended it simply, "It's... good."
"Ding-ding-ding" the big brass bell at the entrance of the village was struck, and the deep sound drifted far away with the wind.
You Jing was puzzled and asked, "It's not the hour, why are the bells ringing at this time?"
Zheng Youshan had something to ask him, so naturally, he answered every question. "This is a tradition in our village. Every spring at this time, we offer sacrifices to the gods at the Pottery Temple, blessing our potters with food and drink for the whole year. From now on, we'll ring the bells for ten consecutive days, until the ceremony ends on the last day." He then looked at Ye Yuanyin and asked, "Is Aunt Long still presiding over this ceremony this year?"
Ye Yuanyin shook his head and said, "Ever since she fainted last year, she hasn't been in the best spirits. Presiding over the ceremony is a tedious process, and I guess Grandma doesn't want to do it."
"That's impossible," Zheng Youshan left it at that, and resumed his well-reasoned analysis. "Think of the young people in the village. Some are working, some have left, and among those who remain, there aren't many who make pottery. I don't think there's anyone else who can do it except Aunt Long."
You Jing didn't want to let this talkative person take up this rare time together, so he found a random excuse to send him away. It seemed as if there were only the two of them left in the world.
Before leaving, Zheng Youshan didn't forget to make his presence felt. "Ayin, come over and help me with a painting. You must come over. I haven't seen you paint yet."
After he left, You Jing turned to look at the person who had been so close to him, and found her admission to Ancheng University particularly incredible. In this remote village, nestled in the mountains, with its impoverished people and scarce resources, she had never seen the vibrant art styles of the outside world, nor had she received professional painting training. She must have accumulated a great deal of virtue in her previous life to have produced such a person.
Perhaps she is really a gifted person, but unfortunately, she did not continue in her own profession, but chose the path of art therapy.
He always saw her as a contradiction. Her academic performance was good enough for a more general major, but she chose art. Given her choice, wouldn't a career as an art teacher in a university or elementary/high school in Ancheng be more appropriate for her situation? But she switched to psychology.
It seems like I'm always holding back the energy to prove something or resist something.
You Jing's suspicions grew deeper and deeper. Why on earth would she give up her major and start over? His mother knew, You Manshan knew, even Dian Xi'an knew, yet they kept it from him alone.
But he is not a fool.
You Jing looked at her, wanting to speak but hesitant. Such a slender body, as if it would fall down with a gust of wind. Her appearance was quiet and silent, but her heart was burning with passion.
To escape this situation would have required an unimaginable price and effort. But he didn't understand her then, and so he did many absurd things. The high-profile pursuits and the constant scrutiny were an unbearable burden for her. Only when he reached the starting point of her life could he understand the underlying nature of her soul. He finally understood why she had always been so awkward and resisted during their relationship.
"Ain..."
Ye Yuanyin could sense his low mood and wondered what had happened to him. He had been so high and mighty just a few days ago, but how could he suddenly become so quiet?
"What's up?"
"Ayin..." He called her name again, feeling mixed emotions, "I'm sorry."
Ye Yuanyin was even more confused, thinking, why should he apologize when everything was fine.
Women are so strange. They won't give in to a man's predatory advances, but they will soften their hearts when a man admits his mistakes. Over the past six years, she had been briefly tempted. Facing such a man's boisterous and passionate pursuit, in her impoverished life, it was impossible not to be tempted. But You Jing didn't understand her then, and she couldn't understand the man before her. The ruthless years just flowed by like water, and there was nothing she could do except let it go.
"Ayin, no matter what my mother said to you, you should know that my feelings for you will never change."
Ye Yuanyin lowered her eyes. She had already experienced a lot now, so she told him gently and firmly, "You should also know that no feelings will last forever."
You Jing sneered, feeling aggrieved and determined to drag someone down with him: "The implication is that you and Mr. Chen won't last long."
She looked at him, her expression a resigned calm. "I never thought my relationship with him would last, but I will grasp this fleeting happiness."
It felt like a grain of sand had blown into her eyes, and You Jing felt tears welling up. She said she never expected her relationship with Chen Di'an to last forever; even if it was brief, she felt blessed to be with him. Who has ever met someone like this? Knowing the breakup was inevitable, yet still pursuing a relationship that ultimately ended in failure? Would you say she's sane or foolish?
You Jing rubbed his uncomfortable eyes. The huge regret was like quicksand, and his heart collapsed.
"Si Dian'an won't be here for long. Do you know why?" You Jing suppressed his heartache and warned the person in front of him again, "Because Shen Yuheng's health is very poor. You Manshan came here last night. Even if Si Dian'an dislikes her, she is still Si Dian Xia's mother. They are grasshoppers tied to the same string. Once Shen Yuheng falls, the others will be useless. You Manshan is still counting on Si Dian'an to take the position so that she can be proud. She can't be his father's concubine all her life without even a name."
Ye Yuanyin wondered why Secretary Ma had been so anxious to see him this morning. She carefully digested the meaning of You Jing's words. Was Grandpa finally ready to give up Fourth Uncle and let an outsider like Dian Jing'an take over? So—what did he think? Would he agree?
Wasn't the reason he founded KZ to become independent from the Shen family?
The succession of management power in a large enterprise is like the turbulent political arena. It is a test of human nature, a scramble for interests, and a life-and-death struggle involving the lives and property of countless people... Just think about it, even the internal promotion of a small unit with a capacity of dozens of people is so fierce, let alone the Shen Group, which has a complex interest group and a huge business scale?
For Shen Ji'an, this was such a dangerous and difficult war.
You Jing glanced at her frail frame and wondered why families like Dian Jing'an always sought wives from similar backgrounds. That kind of pressure was unbearable for ordinary people without training.
He looked at her beautiful, gentle face and made a final conclusion with a tone of regret. His tone carried an inextricable curse or prophecy. He said, "Ayin, there will be no future between you and him."
*
There is a lantern festival at night.
Every time there is a pottery god festival, it is the most lively and prosperous time in Jiutao Village.
That street, starting from the village entrance, connects almost every household. The lampposts go straight to the mountain, as if what are lit are not bright lamps, but signposts from the mortal world to heaven.
Village committee staff and villagers had already set up a variety of lanterns. There were dragon lanterns, carp lanterns, rabbit lanterns...round, square, triangular, anything that flew, ran, or swam—they were all gathered. The various and intricately crafted lanterns filled both sides of the road.
Yaya and Zhizhi put on new clothes and looked very novel and beautiful. As soon as they finished their meal, they started nagging Ye Yuanyin to go see the lanterns.
"Sister, sister, when are we leaving?"
Ye Yuanyin had prepared dinner, but before he could even eat a bite, he was dragged out of the house by two children, one hand on each side.
Before leaving, seeing that his mother looked unwell, Ye Yuanyin said worriedly, "Mom, you should ask Aunt Feng to take a look. She's been very busy preparing for the sacrificial ceremony recently. Don't overwork yourself."
Aunt Long was not in high spirits and was too lazy to say anything. She just waved her hand and told her to go quickly. "I know what I'm doing."
When she was leaving, Xiandi An just walked in. The children were pulling her out with such force that when Ye Yuanyin saw him, she could no longer control her strength and ran straight into his arms.
Chen Yan hugged her.
"Ouch, this is so embarrassing!" Yaya covered her eyes and screamed, but left a gap with her hands, waiting for an opportunity to peek.
Ye Yuanyin quickly broke free from him and looked over with a blushing face. He was looking back at her with eyes full of affection. It was as if a huge fire had been ignited in her heart, burning her to the point of leaving nothing alive.
Chen Yan'an's eyes never left her, and he asked with a smile, "Where are you going?"
Yaya put down her hands and rushed to say, "Let's go see the lanterns! Uncle, come too. There are so many beautiful lanterns!"
"Okay." He agreed readily and then reminded Ye Yuanyin, "Keep your phone on, don't get lost."
"What? I'm not a child." She retorted in a low voice, then left with her siblings.
*
The wind is blowing hard in late spring, the sky is still bright, and the sea of lights is still dormant.
Zhizhi loved going out, and even though he had a natural aversion to noisy crowds, he still loved to run wild in the embrace of the mountains. Ye Yuanyin kept a close eye on him because he couldn't control his emotions and behavior, and would hit people from time to time. She and Yaya were ready to apologize at any time.
Even so, they were still happy.
Yaya had grown up and preferred to be with her classmates rather than with the adults. Therefore, she left them early and walked up the mountain along the sea of lights like a bird out of a cage.
When Chen Di'an came over, it was already dark.
Ye Yuanyin was only concerned with the child, squatting down to straighten Zhizhi's clothes. Ever since Aunt Long took the little boy in, they had taken good care of him. Ye Yuanyin's thoughts were simple: even if he did something incomprehensible, as long as he was clean and tidy, the neighbors wouldn't mind.
A celebration like this couldn't be held without sufficient electricity. At the prayer entrance, two emergency generators stood on standby, seemingly worried that a power outage would disrupt the only decent entertainment in this remote area.
The dazzling array of colorful lanterns completely captivated the little boy. One, two, three... in just three seconds, the child was distracted.
Ye Yuanyin grabbed him in a panic to prevent him from bumping into the people around him.
The electric current hissed through, like a slight sound, and thousands of lights were instantly lit, and the dim sky and earth suddenly became as bright as day.
The colorful and dazzling light shone on her, highlighting her delicate and graceful features, but the expression on her face was awkward and out of tune with the surrounding environment.
Yan Chen'an's heart skipped a beat, wondering why he always had to suffer like this. He took a step forward and walked towards the young woman who had already been fixed on his gaze.
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