Chapter 19 52011
Before Jiang Le could even begin to address the situation, Jiang Congyue somehow got wind of the news. The next day, all related posts vanished without a trace, and the boy issued three clarification statements, offering sincere and earnest apologies.
This ridiculous farce ended quietly.
But when they met by chance later, he seemed to have a few bruises on his face that had not yet healed. When he saw Jiang Le, he turned around and ran away as if he had seen a ghost, and disappeared in an instant.
"Tsk! He slipped away quickly, otherwise I would have beaten him up twice more!" Guli was half a head taller than Jiang Le. When she got angry, her eyebrows and eyes became sharp, which really gave her an intimidating aura.
Perhaps he was completely shocked by this incident, but Jiang Le lived an unusually peaceful life for the next two months, and no one dared to provoke him.
In the dormitory, Milin collapsed in a chair and wailed, "How come you all finished your exams?! I still have two more to take! Where is justice?"
"Come on, just stay here and have peace of mind." Wen Qiqi pushed her glasses and joked with a smile.
While the three of them were laughing and joking, Jiang Le had already neatly packed her luggage. Her major finished classes first, and if it weren't for the fact that she wanted to take a few more classes that interested her, she would have been eager to go home.
"Bringing so many things?" Guli couldn't help but feel curious when she saw her bags were stuffed full.
Jiang Le pursed his lips, revealing a rare hint of embarrassment, but still pretended to be calm: "I brought some things for my family."
The other three froze, looking at each other in bewilderment. What local specialties could Taipei possibly have? Each of them pondered inwardly, wondering if they should also bring something back to appear considerate.
Under their inquiring gazes, Jiang Le moved even faster. He packed his suitcase and stood up in the blink of an eye. "I'm leaving now. Bye."
"Bye, I'll miss you."
"Me too."
"Let's go! Leave me alone in the empty room, wuwuwu..."
Looking at their exaggerated and mischievous appearance, Jiang Le couldn't help but chuckle and rushed to the airport with his heavy suitcase.
As soon as she reached the airport entrance, her eyes were drawn to a small, shivering figure at the gate. The little girl's clothes were too thin in the raging north wind, and she was shivering from the cold, her face turning blue.
Only when I got closer could I see that she was trying hard to hide a basket of water chestnuts behind her. Each one was plump and neatly arranged, as if she had obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Jiang Le's heart inexplicably tightened. How could she carry such a heavy basket with her thin body?
I wonder if I can sell it today...
The little girl, huddled up with her knees hugged, looked up timidly and saw a well-dressed college student. A faint glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in her dim eyes.
She rubbed her red and cracked hands, pulled the basket behind her, and called out in a voice as tinny as a mosquito: "Sister, do you want to buy some water chestnuts? They're grown at home, very sweet and delicious."
As she spoke, she carefully took one out from the edge of the basket, trying her best not to disturb the neatness. Then, with a small knife, she quickly carved out a piece of white, plump water chestnut flesh like a magician. Blinking her big, watery eyes, she handed it to her and begged, "Sister, try it! It's free!"
Jiang Le took the still-cold, damp water chestnut and took a gentle bite. The sweet, cool juice instantly filled her mouth. It was just as she had described, very sweet and delicious.
Her eyes flickered slightly, and she had already made up her mind: "I want all of this basket. How much is it?"
The little girl's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they were filled with stars!
"Ten, ten yuan per pound." The child timidly raised three fingers, and glanced at Jiang Le's face from time to time, for fear that he would ask for too high a price and scare away the rare customer.
Seeing that Jiang Le didn't answer immediately, she hurriedly explained, her tone filled with anxiety: "This horse-tied taro is not available in Taipei City! My grandma grew it herself, and I, I took a lot of effort to bring it here... It's really sweet..."
Jiang Le had been distracted, but when he saw her anxious and about to cry, his heart softened and he smiled, "Okay, how do I pay?"
The child pinched the edge of his washed-out clothes and his voice became even quieter, almost inaudible: "...cash...sister, I...I don't have a cell phone..."
Jiang Le was really troubled by this. She had long been accustomed to electronic payment and had no habit of carrying cash with her.
She bent down and touched the slightly worn woolen hat on the little girl's head. "Wait here for a moment. Don't go away. I'll go to the ATM over there to withdraw money and will be back soon."
Somehow, she was particularly compassionate today, and she carried her heavy suitcase and walked quickly towards the ATM in the distance without hesitation.
The little girl watched her hurriedly leave, the light in her eyes slowly dimming, and she sat back down on the cold steps dejectedly. She had encountered this kind of thing too many times. They said they were asking her to wait, but in reality, most of them were just excuses to not come back because they thought it was too much trouble.
Jiang Le didn't have any other bank cards in his hand, except the one he had obtained through fraud. He was worried that Jiang Congyue would find it if he left it at home, so he simply brought it out. He didn't expect that it would come in handy.
While withdrawing money, she subconsciously glanced outside and saw the small figure still huddled in the wind, shivering with cold.
How foolish! She didn't even know to find a place sheltered from the wind. She sighed silently in her heart.
Turning back, when his eyes fell on the balance display on the ATM screen, Jiang Le was completely stunned, his breath slightly caught. On the screen was a string of astronomical numbers starting with "52011".
Suddenly, there seemed to be a subtle roaring sound in her ears, and an indescribable warm current suddenly rushed through her limbs and bones, making her fingertips numb.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the stack of bills she took out. The amount did not affect the first few digits of the astronomical figure at all.
It goes without saying who paid this huge sum of money.
Jiang Congyue…Jiang Congyue…
My heart felt so achy and swollen, and I had no place to vent the surging emotions. I could only repeat this name in my heart, like a spell or a sigh.
This person is so... annoying...
Even as he cursed in his heart, a warmth welled up in his eyes and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.
They each have their own secrets, but they understand each other tacitly, respect each other, and protect each other.
After calming down her turbulent emotions, she hurried back with the thick wad of cash she had just taken out. The child, already dejected, looked up with disbelief written all over his dirty face when he saw the familiar shoes reappear.
"Sister...you...you are really back?" The voice was trembling and crying with obvious suppressed emotion.
"Well, here you go." Jiang Le gently put the stack of brand new, dazzling red bills into the child's cold hands, "Take a look and see if it's enough."
The little girl stared blankly at the stack of money in her hand, which was probably the largest amount she had ever seen. She did not count it immediately, but folded the money carefully and solemnly and held it tightly in her palm.
Then she stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Le. The tears she had been holding back finally fell onto the cold ground: "Thank you... Thank you, sister..."
Jiang Le looked at her with mixed feelings, unable to explain why he suddenly felt so soft-hearted. Perhaps it was because in the girl's timid yet yearning eyes, struggling to survive, he vaguely saw himself, curled up in a corner, bewildered and helpless, at some point in the past.
Glancing at her lips, which had turned purple from the cold, and her thin clothes, Jiang Le naturally wouldn't act out the generous act of giving money but not taking the goods. She leaned over and picked up the heavy basket of horse hooves.
Anyway, she really liked eating water chestnuts. The rock sugar water chestnut soup that Jiang Congyue had stewed earlier was very good.
Jiang Congyue had instilled in me the habit of arriving at the airport three hours early since I was a child, so this little incident didn't waste too much time.
As soon as I got off the plane and followed the crowd out of the gate, I saw Jiang Congyue waiting outside. She was wrapped in a cashmere coat that was thicker and warmer than anyone else around her. She was smiling and talking to the driver next to her, her face looking a little pale under the bright lights of the airport.
It wasn't until Jiang Le approached with a suitcase that Jiang Congyue turned around, her eyes lighting up, and she waved happily: "Baby Lele! Here!"
Hearing her always energetic voice, Jiang Le's fatigue caused by the cold weather in Taipei and the journey was immediately swept away, and his mood suddenly became brighter.
"I missed you." Jiang Le walked quickly forward, glanced at the driver next to him, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
These words made Jiang Congyue stunned for a second, and then his eyes were filled with real and deep emotion, and he almost cried on the spot.
She opened her arms, and they embraced for a moment. Jiang Congyue sensed the chill she brought with her, and immediately took her cold hand and walked towards the car. "You must have been freezing in Taipei, right? Winter there is truly unbearable, freezing."
Jiang Le smiled and took off her heavy down jacket, and the car was warm: "Aren't you wearing so much here too?" She pointed at Jiang Congyue's obviously super thick coat.
Jiang Congyue tapped her forehead lightly in annoyance: "How old are you and how old am I? How dare you compare yourself to me? My old bones can't stand the cold."
Jiang Le looked at her carefully, his tone somewhat serious: "But I think you are getting younger and younger. Really."
Jiang Congyue was obviously stunned for a moment, then laughed and scolded: "After studying for half a year, your mouth has become so sweet? It's like you've been smeared with honey."
The driver in the front seat also smiled and said, "Boss Jiang, the lady is right. You look really good recently. You really look younger and younger."
"Hahaha, you guys just know how to make fun of me." Jiang Congyue laughed so hard that his eyes narrowed, and he was obviously enjoying it.
Jiang Le's eyes darkened slightly, and a hint of inquiry flashed across them. But when Jiang Congyue turned his gaze back to look at her, that hint of doubt quickly disappeared and he returned to his normal demeanor.
Jiang Congyue was laughing, but suddenly she covered her mouth and coughed softly. Her face turned pale again, revealing a fragile feeling. Seeing Jiang Le's worried look, she gently waved her hand to indicate that she was fine.
"Boss Jiang, I just told you to wait in the car. It's windy outside..." The driver was startled and spoke with disapproval in his tone.
Jiang Congyue caught his breath, waved his hands, and tried to ease the tension with a joke: "You were just praising my youth, and now you're looking down on me for being old?"
The driver exchanged glances with Jiang Le through the rearview mirror, then shook his head helplessly. Finally, he couldn't help but complain, saying to Jiang Le, "The doctor told me long ago that this was a root cause of her illness from years ago. She needs to rest well and avoid getting tired or cold... But she refused to listen and insisted on waiting downstairs..."
"It's not as serious as he says. Don't listen to his nonsense." Jiang Congyue interrupted the driver hastily, with a hint of barely perceptible panic in his tone, trying to downplay it.
Jiang Le unconsciously rubbed the corner of her clothes with her fingers, lowered her eyes and thought to herself that what Jiang Congyue was willing to let her know and willing to show was definitely not a big deal.
But what about those things that she kept hidden and never mentioned?
The uneasiness in her heart grew and spread quietly like a tiny vine, prompting her to look again at Jiang Congyue who was still chatting and laughing beside her, trying to find any flaws in the disguise on that smiling face, but found nothing.
She fell silent, looked down at her hand which was being tightly held by Jiang Congyue and gradually warmed up, then gently leaned her head on the shoulder of the man beside her, which seemed solid but inexplicably made her feel fragile.
Feeling the weight and dependence on her shoulders, Jiang Congyue's voice softened instantly. She raised her other hand and gently gathered the loose hair on Jiang Le's temples, like comforting a sleepy child.
"If you're tired, just close your eyes and rest for a while. Be good, we'll be home soon."
——
Jiang Congyue:22
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