55 Bright Light
◎His secret thoughts◎
Chen Jing'an was not to be outdone. He took a long step and walked to the other side of Shu Yao.
Watching the two people switching around her, Shu Yao stopped and asked with her hands on her hips, "What are you two doing?"
Ji Shijing and Shen Jingan were both startled and walked obediently to her sides.
After leaving Zui Xiang Fang, Chen Jing'an leaned against the door frame, his long hair ruffled by the wind. His eyebrows curved, his eyes full of smiles. He waved goodbye to her, "Xiao Yao'er, remember to think of me."
Shu Yao smiled brightly: "Happy... Happy Lantern Festival."
Before she could finish her words, Ji Shijing pulled her forward. He walked so fast that she almost couldn't keep up.
Chen Jing'an stood at the door for a long time. Under the light, his handsome features were even more eye-catching, with a high nose and thin lips. The girls passing by couldn't help but look at him sideways.
Beside the railing on the second floor, Shen Qianxiao slowly shook the small half glass of wine in her hand. Seeing Shen Jing'an's lonely back under the dim light, her throat suddenly tightened and her thoughts turned in circles.
…
There were many lively places on the street. Shu Yao and Ji Shijing watched several acrobatic performances, and then went to a restaurant to guess riddles and won a pair of icy agate earrings.
She held the box containing the earrings carefully. It looked like it was not cheap, and it was indeed the first prize. She looked at Ji Shijing with some admiration: "Ajing, you are so amazing." At the same time, she did not forget to give him a thumbs up.
She racked her brains but could only come up with three in today's riddle competition, but Ji Shijing knew the answers at just one glance. She really admired him.
Seeing her happy expression, Ji Shijing gradually raised the corners of his mouth and asked, "Do you like this pair of earrings?"
Shu Yao nodded vigorously.
His smile deepened.
The two were walking on the street when they suddenly saw sky lanterns rising in the distance. Then they saw countless bright lanterns flying into the sky, lighting up the dark sky. Everyone stopped to look up.
Several Kongming lanterns are intertwined together, with people's best wishes written on them.
Shu Yao looked up and saw the lights in the sky twinkling, shining like stars. Such a gorgeous scene made her sigh in admiration.
Someone next to me said, "It's time to light the lanterns."
Some children pestered their parents to buy Kongming lanterns, and the streets returned to their previous lively atmosphere.
"Girl, do you want to buy one?"
A hunched old man handed Shu Yao an exquisite Kongming lantern. His eyes were gentle, "It is said that if you write your wish on a Kongming lantern, the lantern will float to the gods, and the gods will help you realize your wish."
Looking at the amiable old man in front of her, Shu Yao bought the lamp.
"Girl, I hope your wish comes true." The old man said to her with a smile.
Shu Yao: "Thank you," then looked at Ji Shijing next to her, "Let's go light the lanterns together."
The two followed the crowd to the shore of a lake, which was already full of people. Everyone held a Kongming lantern in their hands. The Kongming lanterns were lit one after another, illuminating the lake.
They came to an open space and borrowed pen and ink from the people next to them. Shu Yao thought for a while, picked up the pen and wrote down her wish. She was about to write the word "go home" but suddenly changed her mind.
What's most important right now? Making money! Surviving in this world.
"Making a fortune every day." She wrote down in a fluent manner.
Ji Shijing couldn't help but laugh when he saw the wish she wrote.
While he was in a daze, Shu Yao handed him the pen: "Ajing, it's your turn." She smiled.
Ji Shijing took the pen, and the tip of the pen touched the paper, leaving a large stain of ink.
There were more and more Kongming lanterns in the sky, and the light illuminated his profile. He wrote eleven words on the lanterns. These eleven words were his thoughts that he could not let be seen in the light.
Shu Yao stretched her neck to see, but was blocked by him.
She curled her lips and said, "How stingy! You won't even let me see this."
Ji Shijing was relieved to see that she didn't insist on seeing it.
The two of them lit the lamps and released the lanterns in their hands together.
Shu Yao followed the lamp with her eyes, closed her eyes, and repeated her wish in her heart.
Ji Shijing leaned forward slightly and looked at her with unfathomable eyes, just like the sky lantern, mysterious and flickering.
Occasionally, the wind blew her soft hair, and his fingertips gently stroked the ends of her hair with a hint of cautious tenderness.
The fisherman rowing the boat in the lake began to sing loudly.
“The lights are like stars, and all wishes come true.”
“…”
Ji Shijing stared at her profile, his heart beating uncontrollably.
Yes, his wish will definitely come true.
System: [After testing, the trust value is 30%.]
Shu Yao opened her eyes, looked at the bright lights in the sky with burning eyes, and smiled.
…
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Ge Yong's family still stayed in Ji's house and refused to leave. When Guo Cuiping sent people to drive them away, Ge's mother sat down on the ground and cried, her crying was so "heart-wrenching".
Ge Yong and Ji Zhao said, "Zhao'er, go talk to your mother-in-law and ask her to let us stay a few more days."
Ji Zhao felt a little embarrassed. Her mother hadn't been very friendly with her these past few days, so she was afraid she wouldn't listen to her. "Yonglang, I..."
Seeing her embarrassed look, Ge Yong tutted and continued, "Zhao'er, then go ask your mother-in-law for some money. If you go back empty-handed, the neighbors in the village will not know what they will say about our family."
See her hesitate.
His eyes turned and he said, "Zhao'er, you're going to give birth next year. Asking for more money is also for the sake of you and your mother."
Seeing that he was making plans for her, Ji Zhao felt happy again and nodded: "I'll go tell my mother."
When the servants saw that they couldn't drive the family away, they went to report to Guo Cuiping.
Before Ji Zhao even left the yard, Guo Cuiping came over. She stood at the gate and looked at Ge Yong's family with disdain: "The fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed, it's time for you to go back."
Mother Ge got up from the ground and patted the snow off her body. "Mother-in-law, what you said is wrong. We are staying in your house for a while. How can you chase us away?"
During the few days she had stayed at Ji's house, she had long been accustomed to having maids and servants serving her. It was so comfortable to have everything provided for her, and she didn't want to go back to the countryside and live in that old and dilapidated thatched cottage.
Father Ge also chimed in: "We are in-laws now. If word gets out that you're driving your relatives away, people will probably gossip about you behind your back."
Ge Yong immediately came up with a smile on his face: "Mother-in-law, Zhao'er is pregnant now and it's not convenient for her to travel long distances. How about we wait until the weather warms up in the spring?"
"Or... or, could you give us some money? In order to marry Zhao'er, our family is now so poor that we can barely make ends meet. Besides, Zhao'er is going to give birth next year, and I want her and the child to live a better life."
Guo Cuiping looked at him sideways. It was really calculating of a grown man to not go out and earn money, but instead try every possible way to squeeze other people's money.
Ge Yong felt a little scared when she looked at him, and touched the back of his neck guiltily.
Ji Zhao walked forward with her belly bulging. Seeing Guo Cuiping was like seeing an enemy. She raised her chin proudly and pulled the humble Ge Yong behind her.
Guo Cuiping looked at her eldest daughter with disappointment in her eyes. In the past few days, Ji Zhao had been devoted to Ge Yong's family. She had not thought about her parents at all, nor had she visited her injured grandmother. She felt sad.
"Zhao'er, do you think so too?" She still held a glimmer of hope for her daughter.
Ji Zhao said coldly: "Mother, give us a hundred taels of silver and help us hire a few servants."
Mother Ge stood aside proudly, breathing out her breath through her nose, and looked at Guo Cuiping with eyes full of provocation: "This is the good daughter-in-law of my Ge family."
When Guo Cuiping saw the bracelet on Ge's mother's wrist, she was shocked and immediately stepped forward to try to pull the bracelet off. This bracelet was not cheap, it cost fifty taels of silver.
Mother Ge was old and frail, and was clearly at a disadvantage. She desperately protected the bracelet in her hand, shouting, "Murder, murder!"
Guo Cuiping took off the bracelet on her wrist with all her strength: "This is what I gave to my daughter. Please give it back to me."
When Ge's father saw his wife being bullied, he got so angry that he kicked her. Ji Zhao also came over to help push her away. Guo Cuiping fell to the ground and her back hit the steps hard.
A sharp pain came over her, and she looked at Ji Zhao in disbelief as he had not yet retracted his action.
Ji Zhao was also stunned. After she came to her senses, she said, "It's all your fault. You gave me your bracelet. Who do you care who I give it to?"
Guo Cuiping closed her eyes, completely giving up hope. With the help of her mother-in-law, she stood up and said coldly to several strong servants, "Hurry up and get these people out."
Ge Yong's family was still making a fuss, and Ge's mother used the same trick again, lying on the ground and refusing to get up. This time, everyone didn't tolerate her and directly lifted her up.
Mother Ge was afraid that these people would throw her down, so she kept clamoring to get down, but the servant lifted her higher. Mother Ge struggled and her voice was filled with tears.
Ji Zhao was also dragged out. She looked at Guo Cuiping hatefully: "Mom, are you so cruel?"
Guo Cuiping turned her head away and didn't look at her: "Go away, just pretend that I never gave birth to a daughter like you."
Ji Zhao got angry: "Okay, you said it, I won't come back after I leave."
Guo Cuiping still didn't look back at her.
Ji Zhao felt empty and uncomfortable for some reason.
Ge Yong's family was eventually driven out.
After that day, Guo Cuiping fell seriously ill and stayed in bed for half a month. She had to take medicine every day and had no energy to take care of Ji Dayong and Ji Tianbao.
Ji Dayong hadn't been home for half a month, and no one knew what he was doing outside. Ji Tianbao, on the other hand, would go home from time to time, but every time he came back, he would take some valuable things out of the mansion. At first, it was gold, silver, and jewelry, and gradually they became house deeds and land deeds.
That evening, when Shu Yao came back from work, she saw Ji Tianbao acting suspiciously. He walked through the corridor and headed towards the South Garden.
Shu Yao felt that he was a little strange, so she turned around and followed him.
Ji Tianbao crouched down and walked to a courtyard at the southernmost end. The courtyard was very inconspicuous, but the surroundings were clean and tidy, as if people often came and went.
He took out the key from his arms, chuckled twice, then opened the gate and walked in hunched over. Shu Yao followed him on tiptoe. She wanted to see what tricks Ji Tianbao was up to.
There was only one house in the yard, and a big lock was installed on the door. Ji Tianbao looked at the golden key in his hand with uncontrollable pride in his eyes. Fortunately, his grandmother was blind, which gave him the opportunity to steal the key to the warehouse.
After opening the door, he took out a candle from his arms and lit it. He saw dozens of large boxes in the room. Ji Tianbao rubbed his hands greedily and opened the boxes one by one.
Shu Yao hid behind a pillar. Several golden lights flashed before her eyes. She squinted her eyes. When she opened them again, she found that the opened boxes were full of jewels and jade.
But Ji Tianbao's purpose didn't seem to be these. He searched box after box and finally found what he wanted in the last box. He took the things out, came out happily and closed the door, muttering to himself: "Great, I can mortgage these things to the gambling house and I don't believe I can't make a profit."
Shu Yao quickly hid.
Looking at Ji Tianbao's brisk steps, she felt vaguely uneasy, as she always felt that he had taken away something very important.
Sure enough, a few days later, the Ji family encountered big trouble.
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