Chapter 22 Chapter 22 "We are finished a long time ago."...
Qiao Yu thought of many serious consequences.
Losing everything is a small matter. What I am afraid of is that grandma’s body can’t withstand any more hardship. Before the other party even thinks of doing anything to her, she will die first.
It is difficult to buy tickets for the Spring Festival travel rush, and other means of transportation are too slow.
Ji Zhongyuan was already prepared to drive at night, but then he received a sudden notice from the police station.
There was a homeless old man in the next town, whose appearance and the time he went missing matched, so Qiao Yu was asked to go over and identify him.
During the video call between the two parties, when the police handed the phone to Qiao Yu, he couldn't even hold it steadily.
Ji Zhongyuan picked up the phone. The grandma on the other end was arguing with someone, panting.
Hearing the familiar voice, Qiao Yu's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees.
Ji Zhongyuan grabbed his arm, and Qiao Yu collapsed on the chair as if exhausted.
Compared to the last time she got lost, grandma was well prepared this time.
She took the money, boarded a bus, and successfully arrived in another city, but then she couldn't find the way.
A taxi driver on the roadside wanted to pick up business, and seeing that the old lady was dressed neatly and decently, he took her in his taxi.
Grandma couldn't tell the name of the place, so she told him to drive first and she knew the road.
But after driving around the city a few times, the driver realized that the old lady had no intention of getting off the car at all.
The two of them went to the police station. The driver said she didn't pay the fare, and the grandma said she hadn't arrived yet.
Because the content of the quarrel was too normal, the police did not even think that the elderly person was missing.
It was not until the driver could no longer bear it and went home to sleep that the police noticed the old lady standing at the door, not knowing where to go.
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that he was not from the local area.
After the two police stations communicated with each other, a special car was sent to pick up my grandma, and it was already dawn when she was sent back to Huaicheng.
Qiao Yu stood on the side of the road, feeling a little numb. He couldn't even hold a pen. He could only watch Ji Zhongyuan go over to pick up people, fill out forms, and go through the handover procedures.
Grandma acted as if nothing had happened and complained to Qiao Yu that someone had cheated her of her money.
Qiao Yu squatted down and hugged her grandmother, apologizing continuously.
Grandma touched Qiao Yu's face, rummaged around, and took out the crumpled banknotes from her pocket: "Where's Xiao Mian? Here's your New Year's money."
When Qiao Yu heard the name suddenly, his throat choked and he was unable to speak.
"What about mine?" Ji Zhongyuan smiled and took a banknote from grandma's hand. "Grandma, why are you so partial?"
When I got home, Aunt Sun stayed with me on the small bed next to me all night.
Qiao Yu finally relaxed, and sat blankly beside the dining table, as if his whole body was drained of energy.
After grandma fell asleep, Ji Zhongyuan left the bedroom.
He walked up to Qiao Yu and scratched the tip of his nose with his index finger: "Is everything okay here?"
Qiao Yu raised his head and Ji Zhongyuan handed him a wrung-out towel.
He obediently took the towel and covered his nose with it.
It was icy cold and made him shiver.
The dryness in winter causes the capillaries to rupture, and blood flows from the nasal cavity to the mouth. It looks scary when you cough it out, but it’s actually not a big deal.
They tossed and turned all night until dawn.
Ji Zhongyuan didn’t know whether to go to work or not. He probably didn’t have to go to work on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He hasn't talked to Qiao Yu recently - thinking of this, Qiao Yu realized that since he got involved with Jiang Mian, he hardly talked to Ji Zhongyuan.
"Brother Yuan...I..."
His nasal cavity was severely blocked and his words were unclear. Qiao Yu just started speaking and didn't know what to say next.
Talking about grandma? Talking about Jiang Mian? Or myself.
Should I say "I'm sorry to bother you again" or "I shouldn't get involved with Jiang Mian".
But this time, grandma’s disappearance had nothing to do with Jiang Mian, they were just overthinking it.
Ordinary people don't get so nervous. It's easy for the Jiang family to make things bigger than to suppress them. By that time, those who are barefoot will not be afraid of those who wear shoes, and they may not be able to escape unscathed.
Noticing that Qiao Yu was hesitant to speak, Ji Zhongyuan pulled a stool and sat next to Qiao Yu: "Aren't you sleepy?"
Qiao Yu's heart felt like it was twisted hard by someone, and he clenched his teeth tightly, "I'm sleepy, Brother Yuan, you should go back to sleep too. Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, and Auntie--"
Suddenly, the top of his head was gently rubbed, and Qiao Yu fell silent immediately, like a frightened little animal.
Ji Zhongyuan ran his fingers through Qiao Yu's hair and sighed, "How can I sleep if you're like this?"
Qiao Yu recalled that five years ago, when Ji Zhongyuan brought him back from Beijing, his situation was even worse than this.
He had a high fever for several days, refused to eat or drink, and lay in bed day and night as if he had lost his soul.
Grandma was not sick at that time and was guarding him by his bed.
Sometimes when he couldn't bear it anymore, Ji Zhongyuan would come to take over.
Qiao Yu was so delirious from the fever that he muttered to Ji Zhongyuan things that he couldn't tell his grandmother.
He went from being unwilling to being desperate, and finally numbly accepted everything Jiang Mian left for him.
Ji Zhongyuan was always there for them.
After he stepped into a pit and fell down, Ji Zhongyuan helped him up.
Now he has to do it all over again, and anyone would be angry.
It is true that grandma’s disappearance this time has nothing to do with the Jiang family, but who can say for sure that it will never have anything to do with the Jiang family in the future?
Things like "for revenge" and "for money" were just excuses for himself. He couldn't move when he saw Jiang Mian and was fooled by the other party's few words.
But what about the critical moment? The chain broke again.
Jiang Mian could dump him once without saying a word, and he could continue to dump him a second and third time. Could it be that he would be dumped every time?
No one is so mean.
"Brother Yuan, I was wrong," Qiao Yu lowered his head and said dully, "I know I was wrong."
"Ah..." He heard Ji Zhongyuan sigh softly, "I wouldn't have looked for you if I had known..."
-
But just an hour ago, Ji Zhongyuan contacted Luo Hao through several people.
Although there is no way to see Jiang Mian right away, the message can definitely be delivered.
He was as worried about his grandmother's safety as Qiao Yu, and felt that Jiang Mian's knowledge was at least an extra layer of insurance.
It ended up being a misunderstanding, and Luo Hao probably couldn't get it back.
"You and Jiang Mian," Ji Zhongyuan chose his words carefully, unwilling to say more, "think it over for yourself."
Qiao Yu lowered his head and hummed, "Think it through."
Ji Zhongyuan didn't ask how to think clearly, he just said "it's good as long as you can think clearly."
He ruffled Qiao Yu's hair before leaving: "You won't ignore me again, will you?"
Qiao Yu shook his head vigorously.
"Okay, I'm leaving now," Ji Zhongyuan said, "Go to bed now."
It was already dawn when Ji Zhongyuan left.
The morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year was particularly quiet. The breakfast stall downstairs was closed for the day as the whole family celebrated the New Year at home.
Qiao Yu went to the bedroom. Aunt Sun and grandma were both asleep. He then washed his face and returned to his own bed to take a nap in his clothes.
I don't plan to sleep for long, so I can get up at any time.
He was a light sleeper, so around ten o'clock, Aunt Sun got up to cook, and Qiao Yu got up too, running to the bedroom to take over and stand by the bed.
Grandma must be tired from running, she has been sleeping till now and hasn't woken up yet.
Qiao Yu held her hand and took her temperature several times. Fortunately, she didn't have a fever.
"Go to sleep a little longer," Aunt Sun came out from the kitchen, "I'll be watching."
"Aunt Sun, please go back," Qiao Yu said, "Today is the first day of the new year, and we have to celebrate the New Year at home."
Aunt Sun felt bad for not taking good care of grandma, so she insisted on preparing lunch and rushed home at around eleven o'clock.
Seeing that her grandmother was sleeping soundly, Qiao Yu did not wake her up. Instead, he scooped up a small bowl of rice and brought it to her bedside, forcing her to eat a little while continuing to watch over her.
When grandma woke up from her sleep, she seemed as if nothing had happened and had no memory of having run to the next city.
She ate and slept as before, and waited in the corridor in the evening, asking Qiao Yu, "Where is Xiao Mian?" "Why didn't Xiao Mian come back for the New Year?"
Qiao Yu didn't know how to answer.
He clicked on the dialog box that hadn't been replied to yet, staring blankly at the name, wanting to ask him "What about you?" "Why don't you come back for the New Year?"
But these questions should have been asked five years ago.
Now, that's not necessary.
In the evening, Qiao Yu mixed some milk for her grandma and coaxed her to sleep.
Aunt Sun called and said she would stay with me overnight. She is on the way and will be here soon.
Qiao Yu thought she could sleep in the inner room with her grandma today, but now it seems she has to move out.
After making the bed, there was a knock on the door.
He thought Aunt Sun had arrived, so he hurried over to open the door. However, the person standing outside was so tall that he blocked most of the light from the corridor.
A shadow loomed over him, Jiang Mian took a step forward, leaned over and hugged Qiao Yu.
He must have been running over here, with his chest rising and falling noticeably.
When he hugged Qiao Yu, his arms were clasped tightly, and the cold air surrounding his body made Qiao Yu get a thin layer of goose bumps.
Qiao Yu paused for two seconds, then pushed him away forcefully.
Jiang Mian staggered back a few steps and returned to the corridor.
"Xiao Mian?" Auntie Sun's voice sounded at the side, "Happy New Year, why are you here?"
Jiang Mian smiled politely back at Aunt Sun, but it was very forced, and he just raised the corners of his lips: "I'm here to see grandma."
Grandma has already gone to bed, so it doesn’t really matter whether I visit her or not.
Qiao Yu didn't let Jiang Mian into the house. He had a cold face and Aunt Sun didn't dare to persuade him.
"Let's talk outside." Qiao Yu buttoned up his coat.
He seemed to have thought of something and turned back, taking the bank card Jiang Mian gave him with him.
The two of them didn't go far and were standing by the low wall under the tube building.
If grandma ran downstairs, Qiao Yu would be able to see her immediately, and the first floor was empty, so she wouldn't have to worry about anyone hearing her talk to Jiang Mian.
"I've been busy these days and using other phones, so I didn't pay attention to your news. I heard that my grandma was in trouble at noon, so I rushed over immediately. Is grandma okay? How about you, are you okay too?"
Qiao Yu listened in silence, but Jiang Mian became increasingly powerless as he spoke, and in the end even his questions were asked cautiously. He looked at Qiao Yu, panic spreading from the bottom of his heart.
"Ayu, I'm sorry."
Qiao Yu stayed up all night yesterday and only slept for more than three hours this morning. He didn't eat much, so he felt disgusted when listening to Jiang Mian talking. It was like drinking expired milk, with sour taste mixed with milk. He swallowed a mouthful before he reacted.
He turned his face to the side: "Are you finished?"
Jiang Mian moved his lips: "Ayu..."
"Now that you've finished speaking, I'll tell you," Qiao Yu lowered his head and took out the two bank cards Jiang Mian gave him from his pocket, "I haven't touched a cent of the money in them, and I don't intend to do anything with them. It would be a pity to throw away the things you bought, and I guess you don't care, so just give me a discount, a price I can afford."
It takes a lot of effort to say this, Qiao Yu took a deep breath
Jiang Mian grabbed Qiao Yu's arm: "Yu, I promise that what you are worried about will never happen."
Qiao Yu laughed and said, "Jiang Mian, does your promise count?"
Once trust is broken, there will be tiny cracks no matter how you put it together.
What's more, there are too many things between them, and this vague promise has no strength at all.
"You don't need to promise," Qiao Yu calmly turned sideways and broke free from Jiang Mian's hand, "This matter has nothing to do with you."
He shook his head: "But I'm scared."
Just like a lost person trapped in the vast ocean, he gradually became unconscious due to thirst.
The waves hit me and I choked on the sea water. I swallowed it subconsciously. It tasted so sweet at that moment.
"Why are you always away?" Qiao Yu asked softly, "Jiang Mian, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have agreed to you."
After that period of thirst, the salty and humid sea water will burn the wounds.
Drinking poison to quench thirst is tantamount to suicide in disguise. Qiao Yu suddenly woke up and turned back in time.
"Do you know that I went to Jing City to look for you? At that time, I really hoped that you could tell me face to face and in person like I did: we are over."
Jiang Mian's knuckles clasped Qiao Yu's arm so hard that they trembled slightly.
Qiao Yu closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing: "We were finished a long time ago."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
