Chapter 86
Xu Qingzhou had always objected to Chi Jun transferring almost all of his earnings to her immediately after receiving them.
Upon seeing another substantial transfer amount, Xu Qingzhou shook her head helplessly at him through the window. Chi Jun smiled and comforted her with a few words on his phone.
While Xu Qingzhou continued writing his paper, Chi Juncai responded to Xuan Li's earlier remark with:
"What, are you leaving?"
Xuan Li's expression had returned to its usual carefree and playful state. She turned her head and looked him up and down:
"You're so eager for me to leave, are you really that reluctant to part with those few meals you provided?"
"That's right, they eat a lot and talk a lot too."
Xuanli made a face at him.
In the night, a cool breeze blew, and a bright moon hung in the sky. The whole world seemed to quiet down and fall into complete stillness.
These kinds of moments always remind people of the past.
Xuanli gazed at the rustling shadows of trees swaying in the wind in the distance and recounted many amusing stories from her childhood. Chi Jun was involved in most of these stories, and as he recalled the past, he smiled, seemingly harboring no resentment towards the fox clan that had abandoned him and left him disheartened.
However, whenever the conversation was about to touch on those few special people, Chi Jun always managed to quickly sense it and cleverly change the subject.
“I remember once when I was little, I made a mistake and was locked up and starved for seven days. To make me really learn my lesson, my dad put a spell on me so that no one could see me or know where I was. Only you found me and brought me a lot of food and drink, which almost made me die from overeating.”
"Aren't you touched?"
"I was touched, but I haven't forgotten that before you gave me food, you forced me to call you 'Grandma' ten times."
Xuan Li burst out laughing.
"Don't worry about the details, just remember that I saved your life."
Downstairs, the children were playing with toy cards under the light of the courtyard lamp. A group of little boys were chattering and laughing, very lively.
Xuanli smiled and stared at them for a while, then suddenly said:
"I never expected that the same mistake would happen again."
Chi Jun: "What?"
"I didn't expect to come looking for you again."
Chi Jun silently raised the corner of his mouth, but didn't say anything.
Indeed, Xuanli found him again.
But this time was completely different from the countless times I had experienced in my childhood or adolescence.
Back then, he was spoiled and arrogant, always causing trouble and making a ruckus.
Everyone spoiled and pampered him, but his father always glared at him and then softened his tone afterwards, giving him earnest advice and expressing the helplessness of a father.
But this time, his father, who always scolded him, died, and those who had spoiled and indulged him couldn't wait to reveal their true colors.
They made no attempt to express their disgust for him, then made him look extremely pathetic and threw him away like trash.
The atmosphere seemed to become somewhat somber and desolate because of these uncontrollable memories.
The little boys playing games downstairs also dispersed, leaving only silence, a silence that made one feel uneasy.
Xuan Li turned to look at Chi Jun.
He lowered his eyes, as if he were still lost in memories.
Her expression was solemn, her eyes somewhat complicated. She opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but after a moment, she let out a short breath, raised her eyebrows, and revealed a bright smile again.
"I'm throwing a party on Wednesday and inviting some friends over. Do you want Qingzhou to come and join the fun?"
Chi Jun glanced at the calendar on his phone.
"Qingming Festival? Didn't your friend compliment you on how good you are at picking dates?"
Xuan Li shrugged.
"I know this day is a bit special for them, but I'm not human, so it doesn't matter to me. They can come or not, it's up to them."
Chi Jun chuckled and put down his phone.
"I'm not going, I have something to do that day."
"What?"
"Go see her grandmother with Zhouzhou."
Xuanli was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.
"Oh, never mind."
Xuanli didn't stay any longer and left after 8:30. Before leaving, she pointed to the sweet potato leaf "necklace" around Chi Jun's neck and commented, "What an ugly necklace."
Chi Jun: "No taste."
*
Xu Qingzhou's grandmother had passed away less than a year ago, and he paid special attention to the first Qingming Festival since then.
On Qingming Festival, Xu Qingzhou took leave from the first two periods and, together with Chi Jun, bought some paper money, gold ingots, and flowers from the street and took them to the cemetery.
Grandma's grave is in a field, surrounded by open space, with vast fields and messy cattail leaves by the lake as far as the eye can see.
In the black and white photo on the tombstone, the old lady smiled kindly and gently, matching the image of the old woman in Chi Jun's memory.
In fact, during that period, Chi Juncheng was in a daze, hovering on the edge of life and death. After escaping danger, he became disheartened and suicidal. Now, when he recalls it, he doesn't have a deep memory of the details of that period.
But generally, he still had images in his mind of an old lady sitting on the bed, telling Xu Qingzhou stories by the dim yellow light.
The stories she told were mostly folk tales about gods and ghosts. When the little girl heard the tense parts, she would always hug Chi Jun tightly in her arms, making it a little hard for him to breathe.
The old lady was skilled at needlework. She would often sit by the bed with her bound feet, needle and thread in hand, busy with something, while happily watching Xu Qingzhou tease Chi Jun.
She also skillfully made some small toys for Chi Jun, one of which, a small embroidered ball with bells, is still stored in a storage box in their small rented apartment.
Less than a year later, the grief of losing loved ones has not yet subsided.
Xu Qingzhou burned paper money in front of the grave, crying as she did so. Chi Jun squatted beside her, helping her burn the paper money and silently keeping her company.
After an unknown amount of time, Chi Jun suddenly laughed.
Xu Qingzhou turned to look at him, looking completely bewildered, only to see Chi Jun staring into thin air and saying, "I understand."
Then he turned his head and said to her, "I see Grandma."
Xu Qingzhou's eyes widened.
She knew that Chi Jun was no ordinary person. Since he could see male ghosts, he might really be seeing her grandmother now. Even though she suspected that Chi Jun was just trying to fool her, she couldn't help but hold onto hope and instinctively turned around to look around.
Chi Jun smiled and pulled her back, saying, "You can't see."
Seeing Xu Qingzhou's anxious face, he pointed to the area in front of him: "Here."
His gaze slowly shifted, and he said again:
"Don't move, Grandma is holding you now."
Xu Qingzhou froze instantly, not daring to move, her face still smeared with tears, but her eyes clearly brimming with joy and excitement.
After a while.
"alright."
Xu Qingzhou relaxed, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly took out paper and pen from his pocket. His hand trembled slightly because of his urgency.
Chi Jun pressed down on her hand.
"I know what you want to ask. Grandma just said that everything is fine."
Xu Qingzhou looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
Chi Jun smiled and nodded at her.
Xu Qingzhou loosened his grip on the pen slightly. The sadness had passed, but a sense of melancholy unconsciously lingered in the air.
She kept her head down.
Suddenly, Chi Jun in front of her said, "Ah, I remember now, there are some important things I haven't told Grandma yet."
Xu Qingzhou looked at him in confusion, and saw Chi Jun stand up from the ground, pat the dust off his body, and solemnly say to the air in front of him, "Grandma, my name is Chi Jun. I wonder if you still remember that little fox? That was me."
"Don't worry, I will take good care of Zhouzhou for you. After all, I now have another very important identity—Zhouzhou's boyfriend."
Upon hearing the word "boyfriend," Xu Qingzhou's face flushed slightly.
After all, this was considered puppy love for her.
“When Zhouzhou gets into university, I will go with her to where she goes to school, take care of her, and cook for her—” Chi Jun turned to look at Xu Qingzhou: “No, I’ll wash the dishes for her. I’m not a good cook, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to eat them.”
Xu Qingzhou couldn't help but laugh.
Chi Jun also smiled and raised his chin.
"We'll get married when Zhouzhou graduates from university."
Xu Qingzhou's eyes widened.
Marriage was something too far off for her to consider, and now, hearing it from Chi Jun's mouth, especially in front of her grandmother's grave, Xu Qingzhou quickly tugged at Chi Jun's hand, telling him to stop talking.
Chi Jun, however, seemed to be deliberately going against her, his smile widening and even raising his voice:
"When the time comes, Zhouzhou will give you several great-grandchildren, and we'll all come to visit you together in a lively celebration."
Seeing that he was talking more and more outrageous, Xu Qingzhou became so anxious that her face turned red, and she rushed over to cover Chi Jun's mouth.
Chi Jun laughed and dodged away, but instead reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a quick kiss.
Xu Qingzhou blushed, glared at him playfully, then turned her head away, refusing to look at him again.
A gentle breeze swept across the fields, and a thin mist hung over them. Occasionally, farmers carrying hoes would pass by along the field ridges.
Xu Qingzhou stopped laughing when he heard Chi Jun's voice, and his expression turned serious.
"Grandma, don't worry. I will always stay with Zhouzhou and never let her be lonely."
The sound lingered in the quiet air, drifting and sinking into the depths of the heart.
Whether her grandmother's spirit had truly appeared or it was just a lie told by Chi Jun to comfort her, the warmth Xu Qingzhou felt truly enveloped her heart and calmed her down.
She reached out and slowly took Chi Jun's hand.
With one-third of the paper money still burning, Xu Qingzhou squatted down to finish burning it. He wiped the tombstone with a wet wipe once more, touched the photo on the tombstone, and reluctantly turned to leave with Chi Jun.
Turn right at the edge of the field by the river, and you'll run into a middle-aged man carrying an iron shovel and a bag.
The man was wearing a straw hat and walking forward with his head down.
Xu Qingzhou didn't notice, and as he pulled Chi Jun to the side, he heard a familiar voice coming from under the brim of a hat.
"Qingzhou?"
Xu Qingzhou was taken aback and looked up.
He is Uncle Chen Wanlin, the husband of Aunt Xu Meiling.
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