After the two men left the stall, the conversation about them began.
"This is the first time I've seen such a handsome man in real life. I think my fictional rapper is imagining things."
"Same, just a little less intelligent. But you could also say it's cute in contrast."
"The bottom is also very cute. The top calls him wife, and he doesn't get angry and just agrees. He hides half of his face in his scarf out of shyness, revealing his eyes, which are very beautiful and cute."
"The top looks a little familiar, like some internet celebrity. I have an impression of him. I'll search for him later."
The stall owner stared at the carved golden gourd in his palm, thinking it was quite beautiful. He then closed his stall. The next day, while shopping, he came across a gold shop and, for some reason, walked in. He was told that the gold was real, but the purity wasn't very high, only 91 percent.
The carving was quite intricate, though. I asked the stall owner if he'd sell it. She hadn't expected it to be made of gold. She'd bought a paper lantern for only seven or eight yuan, definitely not worth a gold pendant. Later that summer, the stall owner punched a hole in it to make a pendant, which she wore around her neck. One day, she went to a museum with out-of-town friends, and an elderly man stopped her and told her the pendant was an antique. He asked if she'd sell it for 50,000 yuan...
The stall owner was about to explode.
"Ah, I found him. He looked familiar. He's Master Xuanxue Lu's boyfriend, Gong Xichao. They have a very sweet relationship and have four children..."
The stall owner heard this and murmured, "This kind of plot doesn't really feel like real-life homosexuality. It's more like a BL novel, and they look alike..."
Lu Cijiu held the rabbit lantern without a lit candle, fearing it would catch fire if the crowd crowded around it. Gong Xichao cleverly pulled out a night-shining pearl and placed it inside, fitting it where the candle would be. The entire little rabbit lit up, a brilliant glow.
The only lively street on the city wall was the market street. As they walked further and further out, the crowds dwindled. Gong Xichao and Lu Cijiu walked hand in hand. A shadowy figure leaned against the wall in front of them and sang an old, very sad song. The song grew increasingly bitter as it sang, and finally, it began to sob.
Finally, he shouted, "Ajuan, we will meet again in the next life."
He simply climbed over the concave part of the city wall and jumped down.
Lu Cijiu and Gong Xichao remained calm and ignored it. After a while, the black shadow climbed up again and continued to sing tearfully: "Can we meet again? I have prayed to the Buddha for thousands of years. I am willing to exchange several lifetimes for our love... Ajuan, Ajuan..."
The dark shadow climbed up and began to cry again. After singing, it wanted to continue turning over and dancing.
Lu Cijiu stopped him and said, "Brother, it's New Year's Day, you should let yourself go for once, and let the Buddha go too. He has been listening to your requests for thousands of years, let the Buddha rest in peace."
The shadow was stunned for a moment, "Y-you can see me?"
"You can't sing in the middle of the night to scare people if you can't see," Lu Cijiu said. He could see, but ordinary people who couldn't see would find the wind blowing here as eerie as a ghost's cry. If they encountered someone with low yang energy, they would be scared to death immediately.
"I don't want to either. I want to wait for Juan. We agreed not to cry. Our fate has come to an end—"
"Hold on bro, you don't have to memorize the lyrics."
Lu Cijiu was a 90s kid, after all, so he'd heard those songs in those medleys before. Gong Xichao was upset that a nostalgic ghost had appeared on their date, so he didn't respond well and used his intimidating power. The ghost immediately stopped howling, his legs trembling, and he said he wouldn't sing anymore.
"Just don't scare people. You'd better not stay in the world of the living. Report to the underworld and wait in line. Don't miss the time." Lu Cijiu said kindly.
The male ghost was about to cry again when he was mentioned, but Gong Xichao snorted coldly, and the male ghost swallowed his tears. Perhaps he felt that Lu Ci was a good old man, so he said pitifully: "I am not a non-mainstream person either."
You really are nostalgic, Lu Cijiu thought, humming twice.
"Ajuan and I were good friends in junior high school. She was my first love. We dated for ten years. Back then, I listened to songs like "Qiu Fo" and "Damn Wen Rou". She said I sang well, so I sang for her often."
Lu Cijiu: Your girlfriend is really just bluffing you.
"I didn't expect her to be so snobbish. I just adopted a sister, and she got together with the local big boss and even married him. We didn't do anything, it's all innocent. I would die for her, I would jump off the building, but she still didn't want to see me. It was very windy that day, and I was scared standing on the top floor. It was her wedding day, and I thought she would definitely come to find me, and she wouldn't want me to die. I didn't expect that she would wait for Ajuan, and the wind blew my feet away..."
Lu Cijiu's feet itched at the mention of his "sister-in-law" and he wanted to give the male ghost a kick. And you threatened your ex-girlfriend with suicide, then you fell because the wind was so strong you lost your balance. And you want your ex-girlfriend to take the blame for your suicide? What kind of person is that?
Shameless bastard.
Gong Xichao took action and directly kicked the nagging non-mainstream male ghost off the wall. Because of the spell, the male ghost fell where he was and was trapped there, unable to climb out. Lu Cijiu thought he would just go back and notify the ghost messenger.
"You are so damn gentle..." The male ghost started singing again with a howling voice.
It's really the howling of ghosts and wolves.
Gong Xichao said coldly: "Shut up."
Now the male ghost couldn't even make a sound.
The world quieted down, and Lu Cijiu didn't take the little episode to heart. However, seeing Gong Xichao's cold face, he said coldly: "Although that girl named Ajuan doesn't know how to judge people, she is still fast. I hope that in the next life, this ugly ghost will stay away from Ajuan."
Ever since the time of Qiannong the female ghost, Lu Cijiu knew that Gong Xichao had a clear distinction between love and hate, and he loved to take sides when it came to emotional melons. He was extremely righteous and couldn't wait to help kill the scumbag.
"Yes, he escaped. But in his next life, this ghost crossed the Naihe Bridge and drank Mengpo soup. He has no connection with this world and has become a new ghost."
Gong Xichao shook his head and said firmly: "It will always be him, no matter how many times he is reincarnated."
"What you said actually makes sense." Lu Cijiu thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather taught me this before. He said that except for the extremely treacherous and evil people, ordinary people will be reborn into a new life after death."
That non-mainstream male ghost had problems with his emotional values when he was a human being. He couldn't be reincarnated and even had to wait for his next life.
"He can't do it anyway." Gong Xichao looked like he was saying, "Just tell me I'm right."
Lu Cijiu laughed and said, “You’re right.”
How can it be so cute?
The two of them strolled around for a while, eating and strolling, and then it was almost time to return to the shelter. The next morning, their flight was early, and their luggage had already been packed in Gong Xichao's Qiankun bag. The children, dressed in new clothes and carrying their small backpacks, set off.
Lu Cijiu has posted a notice on his Weibo Moments that he is temporarily closed.
Sang Jinghong's car came to pick them up. At the airport, they found no direct flights from Yuncheng to Los Angeles, so they had to transfer. The flight was over ten hours long, and Lu Cijiu was worried the cubs wouldn't be able to handle it.
Hu Sanniang was given a holiday and was going back to Hushan to visit her relatives and show off the red envelope given by the master. The little black cat had no relatives and was very attached to the kittens, so she took them along.
Dudu still couldn't turn into a human form, but with Gong Xichao around, the security check went very smoothly. Dudu hid in Dalong's schoolbag, and Dalong fed him from time to time.
They were sitting first class, so the long flight didn't seem too difficult to endure.
They arrived in Los Angeles late at night, the snow was thick, and the traffic was a bit chaotic. They left through the VIP channel and didn't even leave the gate. They were still inside the airport because a private jet had come to pick them up.
Besides feeling awesome, Lu Cijiu didn't have a sour face.
He was afraid Gong Xichao would sell him antiques again and throw money at him. Actually, he was very wealthy now, both financially and spiritually. So there was nothing to envy.
We took a special plane across half of Los Angeles and arrived at a mountain. This mountain was not as high as the mountains in China, but a little shorter. It looked like a Forbidden City was built on the north and south sides of the mountain top - it was because Lu Cijiu was too narrow-minded.
But it does look very similar, with a small villa with a garden, pool, and helipad in the front, a large villa in the middle, a lake cabin, and the main house at the back, layered like that. Of course, the house is European-style.
"Tail, let's go to the place where my father lived when he was a child." Sang Jinghong said.
"Wow~ Sparkling Dad." Tail poked his head out and looked down through the glass window.
The whole mountain was brightly lit. The plane landed, the cabin door opened, and when Lu Cijiu got off the plane, he saw two rows of servants waiting, including two butlers, one Chinese and one white.
"Young Master, welcome home," said the Chinese butler.
Sang Jinghong held the tail and said gently, "Uncle Sang, this is my son's tail."
"The young master looks exactly like the young master." Sang Bo sighed and immediately welcomed the guest.
The guest rooms at home were all ready. Lu Cijiu only then realized that the swimming pool and villa in the front that he saw in the sky were all guest rooms.
This means that their family of six lives in one villa.
Lu Cijiu: ...Now I can finally experience firsthand how rich Mr. Sang is.
I really had no idea before.
The housekeeper also gave them an electronic map to prevent them from getting lost.
It was too late, so Lu Cijiu took the cubs to bed early. Sang Jinghong knew that Wei Ba would be accustomed to his bed in a strange place, and he probably wouldn't be able to sleep if he slept with him, so he gave Wei Ba to Lu Cijiu.
"Thank you for your help, Xiaolu."
"You're welcome."
After putting the kids to bed, Lu Cijiu stretched and entered the master bedroom. He didn't see Gong Xichao, but heard a voice from inside: "Come quickly, my dear, there's something good."
When he went in, he saw that it was a bathroom. It was very large. Gong Xichao had already filled the water again. He sighed at human technology and looked at Lu Cijiu, "This bathtub is heat-insulated and has massage function."
Lu Cijiu: ...I’m a little moved.
So the two of them took a bath, but it took a bit too long.
Exhausted after taking a shower, Lu Cijiu was carried to bed by Gong Xichao and slept until dawn. The next morning, a servant brought breakfast, and after breakfast, he could stroll around.
I waited for Lu Bijiu to take the kids out. It was dark last night and I was sleepy, so I didn't look carefully. When I came out, I found that there were couplets on both sides of the European-style building gate, red lanterns hanging at the door, paper-cuts on the glass windows, and door gods on the gate.
Not only the guest villa is decorated, the entire mountain is filled with joy.
When I heard the entire Spring Festival day and night program, I was stunned.
Dragon and lion dance?
Walking on stilts?
Sing shadow puppetry?
Set off fireworks?
Dancing Yangge?
…
After listening to this, Lu Cijiu thought that although the Sang family immigrated to the United States, looking at these old traditions, the atmosphere of the Spring Festival is even stronger than that in China.
The housekeeper also regretted that the preparations were rushed and the temple fair could not be completed in some time.
I also want to build a temple myself!!!
"It's already very lively." Lu Cijiu comforted dryly.
The housekeeper said there would be a temple fair in Chinatown, and we could arrange a visit then. It had happened before, but on a smaller scale. This year, the Sang family sponsored it, and it was a lively, three-day event.
The kids were very happy. They were shy when they first arrived, but later they became bolder and wanted to play around. Because Mr. Sang was there, he said this was his uncle's home and he invited everyone to come and play, so there were no restrictions and they could do whatever they liked.
In addition, the housekeepers and servants were very warm and friendly, and the kids quickly got into the fun.
There's a lot of space here, lots of toys, cars to play with, and amusement facilities. It was too late last night and I didn't see Sang Jinghong's relatives and elders, so I met them today.
Sang Jinghong's clan wasn't as prosperous as the Sangs back home, but looking at the ancestral home on the hill, one could tell there were plenty of people. There were Sang Jinghong's two older brothers and one older sister, as well as his father's brothers, the children of his uncles and aunts—all together, there were probably thirty or forty of them.
There was only one child who shared the same father and mother as Sang Jinghong, the eldest. The remaining two brothers and three sisters were born to Sang's father's later wives. The children of both his eldest uncle and his younger uncle were all three or more, plus one younger generation.
Lu Cijiu couldn't recognize all the people, let alone the fact that the other half of them were foreigners.
To him, all foreigners look the same and there is nothing memorable about them.
But everyone was very kind to them. At least that's what they seemed to be.
In such an atmosphere, there was no need to adapt at all. I quickly treated it like a vacation, with something to watch every day. The dragon and lion dances at the ancestral home were particularly beautiful. The dragons were so majestic that Dalong was so excited that he exclaimed, "It's a dragon!"
"Wow! Really? Dalong is awesome!" Wang Weiba clapped his hands. Sang Jinghong, standing nearby, patted his son's head, a smile on his face.
The kitten held the little black cat and said, "There is also Brother Lion."
Dudu flapped his wings and landed on the big dragon's shoulder, staring intently with his little eyes.
Not to mention the shadow play in the evening. Not to mention the kids were excited, Lu Cijiu hadn't seen one in years. He excitedly told Gong Xichao, "When I was a kid, I went to an ancient town in the south with my grandfather to take on a production. There was an open-air shadow play in the town, and many children sat in the front row to watch. It was about the drama "Journey to the West: Havoc in the Sky." I still remember it."
"I wonder what will be performed tonight." Lu Cijiu looked forward to it.
Gong Xichao said expressionlessly, "Perform the battle between Kunpeng Quasi-Sage and Sun Wukong."
Lu Cijiu: ...There's really no need to be jealous of the Monkey King. Why bother dragging him down so obviously?
When the gongs and drums sounded, the kids were very excited. Lu Cijiu said, "No more talking, no more talking, let's begin."
Gong Xichao: ...
Tonight's performance was Journey to the West. The first act. The master performer the Sang family had hired was truly skilled, and everyone was quickly drawn in. The children were mesmerized by the sight of the little monkey popping out of the stone.
After a while, a few mixed-race children came running over. They couldn't speak Chinese very fluently and could only sit on the stools and look.
In the distance, on the third floor of a villa, someone was looking over here. It was Sang Jinghong's third sister and his uncle's daughter.
“Parties used to be too noisy, but now they go on all day long.”
The third sister squinted at the other person and said, "It's such a long distance. If you find it too noisy, you can go back to New York."
"Cousin, are you really not in a hurry? You know what I mean. Sang Jinghong never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before. She was said to be a single DINK, but suddenly she has a child this big."
The third sister took a sip of wine and said that it was impossible for her and Sang Jinghong to be united. Sang Jinghong and she were not born of the same mother, and there was a big age gap. Although she had a pretty face, her methods were more hardened and cold-blooded than anyone else.
"Did Sang Jinghong forget who he was during all this time he was away? Do you want me to remind you?"
The cousin shuddered at the thought and didn't dare to mention it again. After a while, she added, "It's Sang family tradition that illegitimate children raised outside the family cannot be brought back to the ancestral home."
Otherwise, the Sang family wouldn't be so small. Large conglomerates have family funds and real estate, wealth that outsiders consider unattainable in a lifetime. As far as my cousin knows, her father and uncle both have numerous mistresses.
Although they were not allowed to get pregnant, they could not help but secretly want to give birth to children to stabilize their status. However, these people were dreaming, unless they were married into the family.
This tradition of the Sang family was set by the old grandfather. Call it conservative and feudal, or whatever, it has been passed down. Sang Jinghong is the head of the family, but he actually broke the traditional rules and brought the one he raised outside back home first.
These people asked Sang Jinghong to bring back the tail. Some of them wanted to see if Sang Jinghong really had an illegitimate child outside, and some wanted to see Sang Jinghong's attitude. There were also many people who had the same idea as the cousin, who wanted to pull Sang Jinghong down from the position of head of the family.
The third sister knew it very well. There was a big quarrel before Sang Jinghong came back. After Sang Jinghong came back, she didn't dare to speak loudly in front of Sang Jinghong, let alone mention the fact that illegitimate children were not allowed to enter the ancestral home.
Now come and use her as a gun.
"The head of the family always has some privileges." The third sister seemed to accept it and said.
The cousin was furious and turned to leave. The third sister laughed. This idiot, it was obvious who sent him, it was her brother. The eldest son of my uncle's family had some talent for business. When people have ability, they have great ambitions, but the fear is that ambition is too great and their ability is not enough.
After they left, the inner door opened and a man in his fifties emerged. This was Sang Jinghong's second brother. Of the four siblings, the first three had a relatively close age range, but Sang Jinghong was born to his first wife when she was nearly fifty, and died shortly after.
Sang's father married his second brother and third sister's mother, both illegitimate children, into his family, legitimizing their status. The four siblings were distant from each other. The third sister and second brother grew up away from home, and the eldest brother blamed Sang Jinghong for their mother's death. Of course, by blood, the eldest brother was still closest to Sang Jinghong and protected him.
"Some people can't wait any longer, so let's wait," said the second brother.
The third sister glanced at him and asked, "Do you want Sang Jinghong to come down?"
"I just want to watch the fun. He won't come down for this anyway." The second brother waved his hand.
There is actually not much difference in essence between the third branch being in power and one's own younger brother being in power. Sang Jinghong doesn't show any favor to anyone, but since that's the case, it doesn't matter who sits, why not Sang Jinghong.
The crowd for the shadow play eventually grew, and even the high school-aged Sang family members came to watch. Although I scoffed at it at first, I eventually got hooked.
When the night was over, Tail clung to his father's arm and begged, "Daddy, can you take one more look?"
"It's already half past eight. Time to go to bed. How about watching it tomorrow?" Sang Jinghong smiled and said, "You can watch it every day."
There were so many children around, and who had ever seen Uncle Jinghong smile at them or speak so gently? They were all stunned. They were also waiting for this illegitimate child to throw a tantrum. Children have very bad tempers, and they would definitely make a fuss to keep watching while they were enjoying themselves.
"Great, we can still watch it tomorrow!" Tail's eyes lit up, and he turned to Dalong and the other two and said, "Let's watch it tomorrow. Now let's go to bed."
"Tomorrow we can watch the Monkey King ascend to heaven." Dalong remembered the plot and asked the master if it was true.
The old master smiled and said, "That's the arrangement for tomorrow, that's right."
There were surprises on all four faces. The kids just wanted to go to sleep quickly because tomorrow would be the next day when they opened their eyes.
Other children: ...What's wrong with these kids? Why are they so obedient!
The cubs fell asleep, and Gong Xichao and Lu Cijiu were bathing in the large massage bathtub. Gong Xichao pressed Lu Cijiu and asked, "Who is more powerful, Kunpeng Quasi-Sage or Sun Wukong?"
Lu Cijiu: ...You come out first and then I will speak my mind.
But Gong Xichao didn't come out and went further in.
Ding Delu was reluctant to say goodbye, and finally said intermittently: "Gong, Gong brother, the most powerful..."
Anyway, it feels good.
I came to the Sang family for vacation. Every day I took my baby to eat and drink, watch the Spring Festival customs, and watch shadow puppet shows in the evening. Before I knew it, it was the fifth day of the New Year. I also went to the temple fair. There was a fortune telling for marriage, so Gong Xichao took Lu Cijiu to ask for a fortune, and the result was an average fortune.
It is said that the two of them have been breaking up and getting back together many times, and their relationship has been turbulent, making it difficult for them to be together.
Gong Xichao's face immediately turned cold, as if he was about to smash the stall, and he said, "No, keep smoking."
Then I drew seven or eight sticks, and finally I got the best auspicious sign.
"Look, we are a match made in heaven. It says so on the fortune stick. It also says that we will love each other forever..." Gong Xichao spent a lot of money to buy the auspicious fortune stick. Holding Lu Cijiu's hand, he said as they walked, his face full of joy.
In fact, there were some lucky numbers among them, but they were not the best.
Lu Cijiu listened and nodded, and finally said seriously: "Maybe there will be some twists and turns in the future, but I think with you here, everything will be fine."
Everything depends on human effort.
Gong Xichao really cares about him, and he won't give up easily.
No matter what kind of ups and downs, they went through them together. Lu Cijiu couldn't see Gong Xichao's face clearly, including the cubs', and he wouldn't read his own face. The future was unknown, but there was nothing to be afraid of.
After playing until the eighth day of the New Year, Lu Cijiu decided to go home as he had played for too long.
He discussed with Wei Ba whether he should stay with Da Long for a few days or go back to the shelter. Wei Ba was reluctant to leave Da Long and Jiu Jiu, but he wanted to stay with Da Da even more, "Dad is so lonely."
The kitten nodded and said softly, "Yes, we have Uncle Jiujiugong and Dudu Dalong, but Uncle Big Tail only has a tail."
"Although there are many people here, none of them talks to Uncle Big Tail." Dalong also noticed it.
Lu Cijiu briefly told the kids about Uncle Big Tail's brothers and sisters. According to the kids' understanding, these adults were just like them and Tail: they should eat and sleep together, help each other, and talk about everything.
As a result, Uncle Big Tail’s brothers and sisters no longer play with him.
Dalong patted Tail's shoulder with a serious face and said, "Tail, we've played for so long. Uncle Tail is a good man. It's time for you to take responsibility. You stay and accompany Uncle Tail."
"Brother misses me, you can hug Xiao Hei." The kitten handed Xiao Hei to Wei's hand.
Most of the black ones are physical.
"Xiao Hei, protect your brother." The kitten lowered his head and communicated with Xiao Hei, "Thank you."
"Meow~" Xiao Hei agreed.
Tail also wanted to accompany his father, so he solemnly took Xiao Hei and gave Da Long a fist bump, showing his boyish responsibility. Dudu flew to Tail's shoulder and chirped a few times. Tail touched Dudu's chubby body and said, "Little sister, eat and sleep well, I will be back."
Finally, Gong Xichao cast a small spell on the tails so that they would sense if there was any danger.
Only after Lu Cijiu left the tail with peace of mind.
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