Ying Yunsheng didn't detect any other meaning in those words and felt relieved: "It's good that you're awake. Here, take your medicine." He handed over the prepared medicine, saying, "I asked the doctor, and these medicines are suitable for patients with congenital heart disease."
Ji Li raised her hand and accepted it, saying, "Thank you."
Ying Yunsheng: "Be careful, it's hot."
Ji Li held the cup in both hands, the heat seeping through the cup walls and slowly burning her hands until they bled.
He slowly finished the medicine in the cup and handed the empty cup back.
Ying Yunsheng: "Would you like some more water?"
Ji Li nodded: "Okay."
When the other person went to get water, Ji Li remained seated, waiting for the other person to return and give him the cup.
He took two sips, stared at the water for a while, and then suddenly asked, "Do you have any candy?"
Ying Yunsheng was taken aback: "No." Then he asked, "Is the medicine very bitter?"
"A little."
Actually, because he was sick, his mouth was always bitter, and he couldn't taste the medicine at all.
Ying Yunsheng stood up: "You wait here, I'll go buy it for you."
He said he was buying candy, but Ying Yunsheng ended up carrying a plastic bag and took out a takeout box from it.
As soon as the lid was lifted, billowing steam rushed out, quickly wetting people's eyes and brows.
"It's almost noon, have something to eat first," Ying Yunsheng handed him a disposable spoon.
I ordered the barley and pumpkin porridge. I recognized the logo on the plastic bag; it's from a well-known porridge shop in the area. The food was cooked until it was sweet, soft, and tender, and it would slowly drip when you scooped it up.
Ji Li had little appetite and could only drink a small portion of the bowl before she could no longer drink.
Ying Yunsheng took the candy, finished the rest, and then took out a candy jar and handed it over: "Don't eat too much."
The candy jar is beautiful; the candies inside are all wrapped in parchment paper with fruit doodles printed on it.
Ji Li uncorked the candy, took one out, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.
It tastes like oranges, sweet and sour at the same time.
.
After all four bottles of medicine were finished, it was already afternoon. Ji Li's condition was clearly not suitable for continuing to attend classes, so Ying Yunsheng held an umbrella and took him home.
The rain and fog were very thick, and no one spoke up along the way.
Ji Li unlocked the door with his fingerprint, pushed it open, changed his shoes, and turned around to see Ying Yunsheng still standing outside.
Ying Yunsheng said, "You get some rest, I'll go first..."
Ji Li: "Don't you want to come in and take a look?"
Ying Yunsheng was taken aback.
Ji Li had already slipped into the living room in her slippers, but the door was still open to the people outside.
Ying Yunsheng hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist his curiosity and went inside.
The layout inside is similar to Lin Chengshuang's home. They are the same apartment building with the exact same format, except that the mirrors are reversed. In addition, it lacks the living atmosphere of Lin Chengshuang's home.
Ying Yunsheng, however, felt even more at ease.
Perhaps it was because the atmosphere here was so similar to when he first stepped into the other person's house in Tingfeng Lane.
The items were neatly arranged against the wall, and the coffee table was also clean and tidy. There was a huge bookcase in the room, with books arranged in a regular pattern from largest to smallest, and chairs were pushed under the table.
Everything about him was clean and tidy, a stark contrast to his previous dirty and abandoned appearance.
But now that feeling is even stronger.
Ying Yunsheng looked around before realizing the difference: "You don't grow flowers anymore?"
Ji Li shook his head: "Too easy to die."
"What about the animals?"
"Without someone to take care of them, they are prone to getting sick."
"What about silkworms?"
“Uh…” Although Ji Li used to live alone in the house, it was still full of life. The balcony was always filled with flowers and plants, there was a Newton pendulum on the table, resin artifacts on the cabinet, a brass statue next to the TV, and a special saucer for holding water placed outside the bay window. Occasionally, pigeons or sparrows would land on it, and he would usually tear off a piece of bread and scatter it out. Listening to the birds chirping outside, he would turn to him and smile, saying, “Isn’t it cute?”
The only animal that can be considered truly domesticated is the silkworm.
It was springtime, and silkworm raising was all the rage at school. Students would tear off a piece of white paper, fold it into an open-air box, line it with mulberry leaves, and put two silkworms on top. This was their way of showing off to their classmates after class.
Ying Yunsheng naturally didn't have any pocket money to buy these things, but after school, Ji Li dragged him to the small shop outside the school for a stroll, and finally brought out four small silkworms, which were placed in an old shoebox they found.
Every day, just like clocking in for work, the two changed mulberry leaves and cleaned shoe boxes, watching the little creatures inside grow day by day, molt and spin silk, until the moths emerged from their cocoons.
Unfortunately, because they couldn't fly and had no other moths to eat with, the animals that couldn't consume the mulberry leaves only lasted a few days before they all died in the silkworm's web.
Ji Li said, "But didn't they all die in the end?"
Ying Yunsheng was silent for a moment: "Have you noticed that you're not quite the same as before?"
Ji Li: "No one remains unchanged."
“You’ve never been like this before,” Ying Yunsheng said, pausing before continuing, “making people feel that living is a burden.”
Ji Li did not speak.
Ying Yunsheng said to himself, “You used to count your days forward. Every day that passed, you added a day to your life counter, and you had more things to possess. But now you’ve completely reversed it, counting your days with your eyes on the end. Every day that passes, you have less time left to live. Every second that passes means you’re one step closer to death, and you have less to possess.”
Ji Li seemed taken aback by his description, and after a long pause, she blinked and asked, "Do you know why I chose humanities?"
Ying Yunsheng was taken aback: "Why?"
“My mother used to be an antique appraiser.” Ji Li looked out the window at the heavy rain. “Before going to Tingfeng Lane, I followed her to many other places. I know she led teams down into ancient tombs, cracked mechanisms that others couldn’t, went to auctions that attracted worldwide attention, pointed out the authenticity of fraudulent paintings and calligraphy, and even took over severely damaged stone sculptures. The things she handled could be repaired so that you couldn’t tell they had ever been damaged. Newspapers once had a special section about her, government officials praised her talent, and museum curators would mention her name when introducing exhibits to visitors. Even though she’s gone, many people still remember that she existed.”
Ji Li looked at him: "I chose humanities because I am interested in cultural relics due to her influence, and I also want to try to see if I can leave something behind in this world, so that I don't live for more than ten years and then die without anyone remembering me."
Ying Yunsheng's heart was beating faster and faster, but he remained silent.
“But she doesn’t want me to be like that,” Ji Li said softly. “She would rather I live a long and healthy life, even if I do nothing of note. This kind of life-burning lifestyle is not within her permission at all.”
Ying Yunsheng watched him stand in front of the French windows. The soundproofing in the room prevented the sound of rain hitting the glass. Each drop of rain gathered into an unbearable weight, leaving long and winding tear tracks as it slid down.
The person standing by the window was also enveloped in an intense, almost overflowing, sense of self-loathing.
Ying Yunsheng suddenly spoke up: "But your desire to study archaeology does not conflict with your wish to live according to her wishes."
Ji Li was taken aback.
"The future and health are never about choosing one and having to give up the other; you can have both," Ying Yunsheng said. "When you restrain yourself from eating any stimulating foods, aren't you hoping to take care of her wishes while upholding your own?"
Ji Li suddenly laughed: "At this point, wouldn't a normal person, even if they didn't advise me to prioritize filial piety, at least say something like, 'Children shouldn't be appendages of their parents'? Why don't you follow the script?"
Having been exposed to a lot of wind along the way, the aftereffects are only now belatedly starting to surface. Ji Li is not in much spirits, and because her throat hurts when she speaks, she can't help but turn her head and cough a few times.
Ying Yunsheng subconsciously stepped forward and patted him on the back. When they met each other's gaze, he paused, suddenly feeling a sense of guilt for some reason. After a while, he withdrew his hand and said, "I'll go get you a glass of water."
The sounds of clinking porcelain cups and flowing water came from outside the room. Ying Yunsheng came in carrying a cup: "Here you go."
Ji Li touched the inside of the cup; it was warm.
He drank about half a glass, then looked up and said, "Ying Yunsheng."
"Um?"
You know I have a heart condition, right?
Ying Yunsheng paused for a moment, then nodded.
Ji Li put down his cup: "Knowing that, why did you still come?"
Ying Yunsheng always felt that the "come over" in that sentence didn't seem to refer to the distance from the living room to the bedroom.
Ji Li suddenly raised her hand and covered his eyes with her palm: "Do you know why I just told you those things?"
Ying Yunsheng's vision suddenly went dark, but the surrounding noises were magnified a thousandfold in an instant. He subconsciously followed up on his words and asked, "Why?"
“I didn’t ask you to be a part-time psychologist.” Ji Li’s fingertips silently touched his eyelids, tracing the outline, then moved to the corner of his eye. “I’m telling you that I’m actually a very selfish person at heart.”
Because his fever hadn't subsided, Ji Li's body temperature was even higher than Ying Yunsheng's at the moment. The places he touched felt like they were on fire, and even the surrounding air began to heat up, like a tempting warm bed, or a beautiful yet illusory dream.
Ying Yunsheng heard the other person say in a very soft voice, "Fool."
Otherwise, why would I like him?
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 31
Chapter 31
training team
Ji Li had to be on an IV drip for three days before returning to school. The first news he heard was about moving dormitories.
"Zhu Yi moved out?"
Jian Mingyuan nodded: "Yes, Brother Xiaosai said he applied for it himself, but he didn't say why."
Ji Li was about to ask something else when a student suddenly came in and shouted at him, "Class monitor, Xiao Sa Ge wants you to go to his office now."
Not only was Mao Xianzhi in the office, but Zhu Yi was also there.
“Someone reported that the results of the city essay competition last month were incorrect. The organizers have thoroughly investigated and found that your ranking was taken by Zhu Yi. We called you here today to give you an explanation.” Mao Xianzhi said, glancing to the side. “Alright, now tell me.”
Zhu Yi remained silent.
Mao Xianzhi waited patiently for a moment: "If you are unwilling to speak now, then we will have to announce it to the whole school at the last minute."
Zhu Yi finally made a move, clenching and unclenching his fists, his face showing the disheveled state of someone whose outer clothes had been forcibly stripped away layer by layer: "I'm sorry."
Ji Li turned to look at his homeroom teacher.
Mao Xianzhi picked up the certificate and envelope on the table and sighed, "I've always entrusted this matter to you and haven't really gotten involved myself, which is why such a big problem has arisen. I also bear responsibility, and I apologize to you here. This is a replacement certificate and bonus for you. In addition, Zhu Yi has applied to be a day student and will not be living at school for the foreseeable future. Focus on your studies and don't let this affect your performance."