"Yanjun, what's wrong with you?" Wen Qing was slightly at a loss when faced with Ji Yanjun's sudden change.
"It's nothing." Ji Yanjun reached out and wiped his eyes, removing the slight moisture, but still pressed his face against Wen Qing's affectionately.
Wen Qing asked, "Can I make money?"
"able."
"But I don't know how to do anything, how am I supposed to make money?" Wen Qing asked.
“You can make clothes, and you can also paint clothes, can’t you?” Ji Yanjun said softly.
"But I only draw for fun, and people might not like it," Wen Qing said, lacking confidence.
Ji Yanjun regained his composure, released Wen Qing, and looked down at her slightly: "How will you know if you don't try?"
Wen Qing thought for a moment, then looked up and smiled, her eyes sparkling: "You're right, did you see that floral dress just now?"
Ji Yanjun nodded: "Yes, I saw it."
“I borrowed Aunt Xiao’s sewing machine from her tailor shop to make that. She’s always wanted me to work for her and buy my clothes, but I haven’t agreed. How about I make clothes for her and sell them to her? What do you think?” Wen Qing asked.
Ji Yanjun nodded: "Okay."
"How much will it cost?" Wen Qing asked.
"A little higher than the market price."
"May I?"
"Okay." Ji Yanjun smiled slightly. "I believe you."
“Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Wen Qing nodded happily.
"Okay." Ji Yanjun looked at Wen Qing and smiled, then said, "Let's go home and have dinner first."
"Um."
Ji Yanjun got back on his bicycle, with Wen Qing sitting on the back. After arriving in the county town, Ji Yanjun bought a lot of things at a general store and had Wen Qing carry them.
Wen Qing slipped him some money.
He glanced at Wen Qing.
“My mom gave me money.” Wen Qing insisted on giving Ji Yanjun the money.
Ji Yanjun recalled that in that life, when he went to Nanzhou No. 1 Middle School to find her and gave her two hundred yuan, but she stubbornly refused to take it no matter what. Although Wen Qing no longer had the memories of the two lives, the Wen Qing in her bones was still the same.
Ji Yanjun symbolically accepted one yuan.
Wen Qing asked, "Is that enough?"
"That's enough," Ji Yanjun said, then pushed his bicycle, hung the things on the handlebars, and when they arrived at the Ji family home, he handed the things to Wen Qing, who carried them.
Standing at the entrance of the Ji family's residence, Wen Qing took a deep breath.
Seeing that she was nervous, Ji Yanjun reached out and took her hand, but Wen Qing pulled it away.
Ji Yanjun was taken aback and looked at Wen Qing.
Wen Qing said, "Don't hold hands, your mom will scold me if she sees us."
"It's alright."
"Don't pull it, it won't look good if other people see." Wen Qing was actually afraid that Liang Wenhua would see it.
Ji Yanjun had no choice but to let her have her way.
The two had just entered the Ji family courtyard when they saw Ji Ningzhi running towards the main room.
"Ning Zhi!" Ji Yanjun called out.
Ji Ningzhi stopped and called out towards the main room, "Mom, my brother is back, and he brought someone with him!"
Did she bring someone with her? Doesn't Ji Ningzhi know Wen Qing?
Wen Qing was unhappy, but his explosive temper had been softened by Ji Yanjun's gentleness over the past two days, so he wouldn't easily explode.
However, Ji Yanjun was clearly even more unhappy.
Ji Ningzhi turned around and greeted him with a smile, "Brother, you're back." She ignored Wen Qing and ran towards the back door, saying, "I'm going to go play with Sister Fangfang."
"Stop!" Ji Yanjun shouted.
Ji Ningzhi had no choice but to stop.
"come over!"
Ji Ningzhi turned around, ready to retort, but seeing Ji Yanjun's angry expression, she dared not act rashly. She obediently walked up to Ji Yanjun and whispered, "Brother."
Ji Yanjun turned to Wen Qing and said, "Ning Zhi, Wen Qing is here. Come over and say hello, call her 'sister'."
Call me "sister"?
Ji Ningzhi immediately retorted, "She's not older than me!"
“Then call her sister-in-law,” Ji Yanjun said.
"Why should I? Are you married to her?" Ji Ningzhi shouted. "Why should I call her sister-in-law if we're not married! I don't acknowledge it!"
Ji Yanjun's face instantly darkened.
At this moment, Liang Wenhua also came out: "What's wrong? What's wrong? What happened to Ningzhi?"
Ji Yanjun looked at Liang Wenhua.
"Hello, Auntie," Wen Qing greeted politely.
Liang Wenhua glanced at Wen Qing. She used to say that Wen Qing was flamboyant and seductive when she was fashionable, but now that she was conservative, she thought Wen Qing was really tacky. Thinking this, she rolled her eyes at Wen Qing without making a sound.
Wen Qing didn't see it.
Ji Yanjun caught it accurately, and a chill ran through him. His mother was still the same in this life. He asked directly, "Mom, is this how you see Wen Qing?"
Liang Wenhua was taken aback, then pretended to be stupid and asked, "Huh, Yanjun, what did you say?"
Ji Yanjun's gaze darkened as he stared directly at Liang Wenhua, making Liang Wenhua tremble. She asked awkwardly, "Yanjun, what's wrong?"
"Oh, Wen Qing is here." Ji Yousheng rushed in through the back door.
"Hello, Uncle." Wen Qing greeted him.
"Okay, okay." Ji Yousheng replied with a smile, then turned to Liang Wenhua and asked, "Have you bought all the groceries? Wen Qing is coming today, so I'll cook." Ji Yousheng had been called to work overtime by his colleagues at the factory early that morning, so he hadn't had time to buy groceries and had asked Liang Wenhua to do it.
As he spoke, Ji Yousheng went into the kitchen, and a moment later came out and asked, "Wenhua, where did you put the groceries?"
Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi remained silent.
Wen Qing looked at Ji Yanjun.
Ji Yanjun instantly understood that this was the attitude his mother and Ning Zhi had always had towards Wen Qing. He smiled bitterly. In this era, the county town was relatively backward. People who sold and bought vegetables would rush to the vegetable market. The vegetable market was divided into time periods, usually early in the morning. If you missed the morning, there would be almost no one at the vegetable market, or the vegetables sold would be leftovers that others had picked up and were not fresh.
Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi stayed at home idly, neither of them going to buy groceries, which clearly meant they didn't like Wen Qing.
Ji Yanjun felt a chill run down his spine as he thought of this.
Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi dared not utter a sound.
Ji Yousheng didn't think much of it and asked, "Where did you put it?"
Neither Liang Wenhua nor Ji Ningzhi responded.
"Dad, let's go to a restaurant to eat," Ji Yanjun said, taking Wen Qing's hand.
"What are you going to the restaurant for?" Liang Wenhua asked hurriedly.
Ji Yanjun gripped Wen Qing's hand tightly and said, "Today is Wen Qing's first time meeting the Ji family. You may not value it, but I do."
Upon hearing this, Wen Qing was stunned and stared blankly at Ji Yanjun.
Ji Yousheng remained silent.
Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi felt varying degrees of displeasure, but at the same time, they were extremely surprised. How could Ji Yanjun have changed? Ji Yanjun used to be very filial, neither good nor bad to Wen Qing, and he would never be harsh with them. But now, why was he so protective of Wen Qing? With such a firm attitude, Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi were at a loss for words.
"Dad, let's go," Ji Yanjun said.
Ji Yousheng looked at Wen Qing, then at Ji Yanjun, his face showing embarrassment, and asked, "Isn't your mother going?"
“Since she doesn’t like Wen Qing anyway, it’s better to see her less in the future.” Ji Yanjun said bluntly. In his previous life, he had too many concerns and expressed himself in a subtle way. However, his mother was not someone who could back down by being subtle, which is why Wen Qing suffered so much. In this life, he did not want Wen Qing to suffer even the slightest harm again, so he made his position clear at this moment.
Liang Wenhua's face immediately turned ugly.
Ji Ningzhi was also stunned.
Ji Yousheng, who was always neutral, was about to smooth things over when Ji Yanjun said, "Dad, let's go. You are the head of the family." The implication was that he had brought Wen Qing to meet Ji Yousheng and obtained Ji Yousheng's consent, so Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi's thoughts were no longer important.
Liang Wenhua's expression turned even uglier.
Ji Ningzhi looked at Ji Yanjun in shock.
Ji Yanjun pulled Wen Qing along and left the courtyard without looking back.
Ji Yousheng stood in the courtyard, torn between two options, and finally followed Ji Yanjun out the door, leaving Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi in a daze.
Ji Yanjun, holding Wen Qing's hand, walked forward with a tense expression.
Wen Qing asked, "Yanjun, what's wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yanjun's expression softened. He looked at Wen Qing, touched her hand, and said gently, "I'm fine. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"
Wen Qing shook her head: "I'm not hungry."
"Yanjun." Ji Yousheng's voice came.
Wen Qing and Ji Yanjun both turned around.
Ji Yousheng caught up and said, "Yanjun, don't overthink it, your mother didn't mean anything by it."
“Dad,” Ji Yanjun interrupted him, “you should know what Mom means.”
Ji Yousheng was taken aback.
"Let's go eat." Ji Yanjun didn't say much and walked into the state-run restaurant in Wangcheng County side by side with Wen Qing.
Ji Yanjun ordered several dishes that Ji Yousheng liked, and then ordered all of them that Wen Qing liked, and they were all very light. After ordering, he saw that Wen Qing was drinking ice water, so he reached out and took the water from her, handing her warm water and saying, "Eat less spicy food and drink less ice water in the future."
"But I want to eat chili peppers."
"Don't eat out anymore, I'll cook for you from now on," Ji Yanjun said in an extremely gentle voice.
Wen Qing had no way to refuse and nodded, "Okay."
Looking at the two of them, Ji Yousheng felt a mix of emotions. He was happy on one hand, but worried on the other. He was happy that Ji Yanjun was getting married, but worried about how he would get past Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi.
When Ji Yousheng was conflicted, Ji Yanjun said, "Dad, let's go to Shuiwan Village in a few days and settle the marriage between Wen Qing and me."
Ji Yousheng was taken aback.
Wen Qing stared wide-eyed at Ji Yanjun, surprised that it had happened so quickly.
Ji Yanjun continued, "Also, Dad, I want to tell you in advance that after the wedding, I've decided to separate the family property and move to Nanzhou first. One reason is that Wen Qing will be starting school, and another is that I want to move my business to Nanzhou, where transportation is more convenient and the company can develop better. Finally, Mom doesn't like Wen Qing, so less contact means less conflict."
Ji Yousheng looked at Ji Yanjun, whose gaze was firm and brooked no argument. It seemed that he had been thinking about it for a long time. Ji Yousheng was silent for a moment, and then asked, "What about your mother?"
"Dad, I need your help with Mom's situation." Ji Yanjun took Wen Qing's hand and said, "I want to marry Wen Qing as soon as possible."
Ji Yousheng looked at Wen Qing.
Wen Qing lowered her head, but she was happy inside.
Ji Yousheng knew that the Ji family owed Wen Qing a life. Without Wen Qing's second uncle's selfless rescue, Ji Yanjun would have been dead long ago. After considering for a moment, he nodded: "Okay."
Ji Yanjun and Wen Qing both smiled and had a sumptuous lunch with Ji Yousheng.
Ji Yanjun didn't eat much, but he paid close attention to what he wouldn't let Wen Qing eat and what he would force her to eat, which made Wen Qing both amused and exasperated. However, with Ji Yousheng present, she couldn't say anything.
After the meal, Ji Yousheng, Ji Yanjun, and Wen Qing went to the entrance of the Ji family compound together.
Ji Yanjun said to Wen Qing, "Qingqing, wait for me here, I'm going to ride my bicycle."
Wen Qing nodded.
Ji Yanjun followed Ji Yousheng into the courtyard.
Liang Wenhua gave the father and son a stern look, Ji Yousheng lowered his head, and Ji Yanjun pushed his bicycle out of the yard. As soon as he stepped out of the yard, he saw Wen Qing standing on a leaf, looking up at the leaves with a calm and serene expression. Suddenly, he seemed to see Wen Qing, who had gently kissed his lips in his arms.
"Qingqing!" he suddenly called out.
Wen Qing turned her head, smiling brightly like the sun: "Yan Jun."
Ji Yanjun smiled, stepped forward, and asked, "Want to go see a movie?"
"Are you free?" Wen Qing asked with a smile.
"have."
"Great!" Wen Qing happily took Ji Yanjun's arm, and Ji Yanjun smiled with satisfaction.
The two went to the cinema and watched an uplifting patriotic film. Ji Yanjun had no interest in the movie and spent the whole time watching the changing lights and staring at Wen Qing, as if he was afraid that Wen Qing would disappear. Or perhaps he had been in the darkness for too long and was afraid that if he closed his eyes, it would be darkness forever.
Wen Qing was initially watching the movie peacefully, but because Ji Yanjun had been so kind to her yesterday, visited her in Shuiwan Village, and was going to the Ji family's house for breakfast this morning, she hadn't slept well all night. She was so sleepy that she kept nodding off. Ji Yanjun reached out and supported her head, letting her lean on his shoulder.
Wen Qing was fast asleep.
Ji Yanjun turned his head and kissed her forehead, silently saying in his heart, "Qingqing, my Qingqing, am I too bad? I couldn't wait to marry you, to tie you down with a marriage certificate, afraid that one day you'll remember what happened in our past life, afraid you'll leave me again, afraid I won't be able to make you fall in love with me. Qingqing... if you remember what happened in our past life, will you leave me? Qingqing..."
However, Wen Qing did not remember anything from her previous life.
Ji Yanjun, however, accelerated his efforts to marry Wen Qing. Although Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi tried their best to obstruct him, with Ji Yanjun acting as a mediator, they had no chance to see Wen Qing. Furthermore, Ji Yanjun took Ji Yousheng and a bunch of things to Shuiwan Village to propose marriage and set a wedding date. In addition, Ji Yanjun bought a house not far from Nanzhou No. 1 Middle School as their marital home.
However, Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi did not know the exact address of Ji Yanjun's marital home. So, Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi tried to pick a fight with Wen Qing or the Wen family, but they were always outmaneuvered by Ji Yanjun.
After Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi made a scene, Ji Yanjun saw through their true nature and decided not to try to persuade them. Instead, he was straightforward and made sure that Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi understood how much he valued Wen Qing.
So he gave the family less and less living expenses, until Liang Wenhua had to ask Ji Yanjun for money to play mahjong. Ji Yanjun would always make excuses before taking out the money, and sometimes he would even deliberately say that he didn't have any money on hand, which forced Liang Wenhua to show her true colors and threaten to find out about Wen Qing's affair, saying that Wen Qing had led her son astray.
Ji Yanjun naturally wouldn't let her cause trouble for Wen Qing, so he simply stopped giving her money. If she continued to make a fuss, he wouldn't even give her tuition and living expenses. He also said that once they got married, they would separate and live their own lives.
Liang Wenhua was crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself in the courtyard. Ji Yanjun had seen her shrewish temper in his previous life, so he didn't try to persuade her. He gradually moved his belongings to his new home in Nanzhou City, letting Liang Wenhua do whatever she wanted and simply not going home anymore.
Meanwhile, Wen Qing was very quick-witted. With Ji Yanjun's suggestion, she went to work at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Whether before or after her rebirth, she possessed an exceptional talent for clothing, and Aunt Xiao liked her very much. Also, because of Ji Yanjun's gentle treatment, her temper became much milder.
In just over a month, Wen Qing not only earned twenty yuan in wages, but also made more than two hundred yuan selling clothes and shoes. With two hundred and twenty yuan, she wanted to go directly to Ji Yanjun, but Ji Yanjun said that her mother should come first. So she quickly ran back to Shuiwan Village, gave the two hundred yuan to Yao Shiling, and asked Yao Shiling to keep it for Wen Liang and Wen Peng's tuition fees, and use the rest for household expenses. Then she changed into a nice outfit, ran to the county town, took a bus, and went straight to Ji Yanjun's home in Nanzhou City.
When she arrived at Ji Yanjun's house, she had just raised her hand to knock when the door opened and Ji Yanjun appeared, dressed neatly. He was stunned when he saw Wen Qing.
Wen Qing happily exclaimed, "Yanjun! I made money! I made so much money!" With that, she pounced on him, wrapped her arms around Ji Yanjun's neck, and clung to him.
Ji Yanjun then laughed. In the month or so since he returned, the first thing he did every morning when he opened his eyes was to go to Shuiwan Village to see if Wen Qing was still there. After seeing her, he would come back. His record was going to Shuiwan Village twenty times in one day.
Just two days ago, he felt he should go for a drive and not always let Gangzi do it. He had only driven for two days when he got back today. He changed his clothes and was about to drive to find Wen Qing. He didn't expect this girl to be so proactive.
Ji Yanjun chuckled, then hugged Wen Qing's hips, closed the door, walked into the bedroom, placed her on his lap, and said with a smile, "Really?"
Wen Qing nodded: "Mm."
How much do you earn?
"It cost more than two hundred yuan."
"Full?" Ji Yanjun asked with a slight smile.
"Fully!"
"Amazing." Ji Yanjun put his arm around her waist. She was overjoyed, chattering away like a restless sparrow. Finally, Ji Yanjun asked, "Tell me what you've eaten and drunk these past few days?"
“I didn’t eat any chili peppers,” Wen Qing said.
Ji Yanjun pinched her chin and asked, "Do you want to drink tap water?"
No, not at all.
"to be honest."
"Take a sip."
Ji Yanjun pinched Wen Qing's chin slightly, and Wen Qing cried out in pain. Ji Yanjun immediately let go and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Wen Qing chuckled, "Just kidding! It doesn't hurt at all."
"You're so naughty!" Ji Yanjun cupped her face and kissed her, then asked, "Have you been feeling unwell these past few days?"
"No, I have plenty of energy every day."
Are you tired?
"Not tired."
What time do you go to bed at night?
“Just like before, I didn’t stay up late,” Wen Qing said.
"That's good. So we don't need to go to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop this afternoon?" Ji Yanjun asked.
"I'll go tomorrow."
Does your mother know you're here?
"Know."
Ji Yanjun laughed upon hearing this, picked her up and rolled her onto the bed, saying, "Then sleep with me." He then pulled her into his arms.
"But……"
“We’re getting married in a couple of days, and I’m so sleepy right now,” Ji Yanjun said. He has been in the dark for too long and is now extremely afraid of the dark. For more than a month, his sleep quality has been very poor. He often wakes up as soon as he closes his eyes and rarely looks at the lights while sleeping.
He only sleeps longer when he is near Wen Qing or when he is holding Wen Qing.
"Then, then you go to sleep," Wen Qing said.
Ji Yanjun looked at Wen Qing, leaned forward and kissed her eyes, her nose, the corners of her mouth, gently biting her lips, slowly probing into her mouth, hooking out her little tongue, stirring and sucking, holding her tightly, almost kneading her into his own body, until the two of them were almost out of breath, Ji Yanjun released her, without taking any further steps.
"Qingqing." Ji Yanjun and Wen Qing were face to face, forehead to forehead, with his arm around her and one leg wrapped around her, completely encircling her.
"Um."
Ji Yanjun slowly closed his eyes and called out, "Qingqing."
"Um."
"Qingqing".
"Um."
"Qingqing..."
Ji Yanjun gradually drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he saw Wen Qing, who came over and kissed the corner of his mouth, leaving a tear as she said, "Yanjun, I'm leaving."
"Qingqing, don't go, Qingqing, don't go... Qingqing!" Ji Yanjun suddenly sat up in bed, looked down and saw that Wen Qing was no longer in his arms. He was terrified and quickly got up. As soon as he left the bedroom, he saw Wen Qing sitting at the table in the living room, holding a pen and seriously drawing clothes. She looked serene and beautiful. He did not move and leaned against the door, watching quietly.
It wasn't until Wen Qing finished painting that she looked up at him.
He then smiled and asked, "Is it finished?"
"Mm." Wen Qing nodded.
Ji Yanjun stepped forward and hugged her from behind, pressing his face against hers, and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"What do you want to eat? I'll make it," Ji Yanjun said.
"Hmm... I want to eat radish."
"Okay, I'll go buy it."
“I’ll go with you,” Wen Qing said.
"Um."
After the two bought the groceries, Wen Qing offered to help wash the vegetables and cook, but Ji Yanjun wouldn't let her do anything, telling her to either read a book or look at him.
Wen Qing chose to read a book; he was somewhat hurt.
However, after watching for a while, Wen Qing secretly peeked into the kitchen.
Upon sensing this, Ji Yanjun smiled faintly. Wen Qing stared blankly for a moment until Ji Yanjun spoke up, "When you pay your tuition after school starts, don't pay the accommodation fee."
"Why?" Wen Qing asked.
"Because we were already married at that time, and you had to go home for dinner every day after school."
"marry?"
"Hmm." After Ji Yanjun hummed in response, he suddenly paused, noticing that something was off with Wen Qing, and immediately turned to look at her.
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