Ji Li's mother had always prioritized her career above all else; otherwise, she wouldn't have remained indifferent to romance for the first half of her life. Now that her husband was dead, she could no longer deny that she had only agreed to the marriage proposal out of gratitude, never considering the future legal obligations and the possibility of living with him for the rest of her life. But now, with a life on her hands, even the most cold-blooded person couldn't remain indifferent. The pressure in her heart had built up to a point where Ji Li's birth became her best source of balance.
It was just too much trouble to have a child with her. Fortunately, she had enough money, so she found a reliable nursing home and sent Ji Li there. From then on, she was able to return to her former free and unrestrained state. She would only go back to see him once a year in her spare time from work to make sure he was still alive. She had not let her husband's bloodline down. Paying the hospital fees once a year was enough for her to fulfill her responsibility.
Ji Li became independent early on. He learned to eat and dress by himself and make his bed when he was very young. Patients were required to tidy up their own rooms in the sanatorium, so he learned to use cleaning tools on his own. He would kneel on the ground and wipe the floor inch by inch, carrying a bucket that was half his height.
Perhaps because he was obedient and sensible, when he turned five, his mother finally listened to the doctor's advice and took him out of the sanatorium. She often had to work and couldn't come home all night, so she left him at her temporary residence without worrying about what would happen if something happened to him.
He pushed open the door and found that all the people living around him were elders like his mother, not a single one of his own age. His mother hadn't even realized that he was old enough to go to kindergarten. In his spare time, he could only stay in his mother's study. Unable to find children's books he could understand, he would hold a dictionary thicker than his head in one hand and mark the unfamiliar words in the book with the other, reading on and on, stumbling along. Occasionally, he would hear the people around him telling stories about his mother's past.
That's when my desire to study archaeology was born.
My mother often had to travel all over the country for work, but she could never stay in any one place for long.
He wandered around until he was seven years old, when he was alone in the house and heard a group of people knocking frantically on the door.
When knocking failed, they began banging on the door, the sound of machetes and axes striking the door deafening.
He didn't dare make a sound. He ran into the room and his hands were shaking as he picked up the landline phone receiver from the bedside table.
When outsiders broke in and ransacked the place, he hid under the bed, watching the shoes walking outside leave dirty footprints on the floor.
Fortunately, the police station was nearby, and the police arrived quickly after receiving the call, handcuffing and taking the whole group away.
When Ji Li crawled out from under the bed, he saw the leader of the bandits' eyes, which were red with resentment.
His mother, who was with the group visiting the cemetery, only learned of the situation two days later. Without offering any comfort or discussion, she drove him directly to her former hometown and stopped at Tingfeng Lane.
She tossed the keys over: "Building 5, fourth floor, third room on the right after turning the stairs. Go up by yourself and take care of yourself."
Ji Li hesitated for a few seconds outside the car window: "Can't you come up with me?"
The other person rolled up their car window and said, "Be sensible, I have work to do later, I don't have much time."
There isn't that much time.
The first thing he heard from the other person was this sentence from the very first day he had any memory of this world.
Ji Li didn't ask any more questions. He watched the car drive away and walked into the tenement building. There he saw Ying Yunsheng standing downstairs, awkwardly soliciting business among the residents.
At that time, Ying Yunsheng's family had become the talk of the town because of the frequent quarrels they had at home.
He stopped and stared at the other person for a long time, then turned and went into a nearby bookstore. He found out the other person's age and finally came out carrying his summer homework for Chinese and Mathematics.
As Ying Yunsheng was about to leave with the "signboard" in his hand, he heard someone call out to him.
Ji Li stopped in front of him and asked, "Do you still help with homework?"
Four years later, his mother died in a car accident, and he suffered a heart attack. The police found his father's family and made a phone call.
The old lady took it upon herself to bring him directly to the capital for treatment.
“I was born late; I was only ten when his father passed away. I didn’t really understand what adults were going through. I just remember that during that time, Nanfeng was always terrified after school. He would dawdle for a long time before daring to go inside, afraid that someone would suddenly break the atmosphere.” Aunt gently rocked the cradle. “Xiaoli’s mother only came once, but his grandmother wouldn’t let her in. Because of this, his grandmother has felt guilty ever since she learned of Xiaoli’s existence.”
Ying Yunsheng didn't understand at first.
“Xiao Li’s parents are both healthy. Do you know why he was born with a heart condition?” His aunt smiled faintly. “When his mother was pregnant with him, she took half a bottle of sleeping pills because of depression.”
Ying Yunsheng suddenly raised his head.
"We later found out from the medical records that the pregnancy was discovered because she was hospitalized after taking sleeping pills. The baby was saved, but it was destined to have heart failure."
The little girl in the cradle slowly fell asleep.
“If I weren’t Xiaoli’s aunt, I would actually be advising him to break up with his girlfriend right now. His health is a very serious and unstable factor,” the aunt said gently. “When he said he liked boys, I was actually more relieved than against it. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, it’s just a partner to live with in the future. As long as the person he chooses can make him happier, I can’t think of any reason to object.”
.
When Ji Li returned to her room with her water glass, she didn't see Ying Yunsheng. Just as she was about to go out to look for him, she was hugged from behind as soon as she turned around.
"What's wrong?"
Ying Yunsheng buried his head in the crook of his neck: "No."
He whispered, "I just suddenly wanted to hug you."
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 57
Chapter 57
More
Ji Li didn't stay long at the old house; before dinner, he took Ying Yunsheng back to their rented apartment.
He opened the refrigerator: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Ying Yunsheng followed into the kitchen: "Anything is fine."
Ji Li laughed and said, "Don't you know that answering 'anything is fine' when someone asks you what you want to eat is considered rude?"
Ying Yunsheng really didn't know. He subconsciously glanced at the leftover food in the refrigerator and said, "Let's make it 'Three Treasures of the Earth'."
They don't live in the rented house because they have to attend classes, so they don't buy much food each time, about enough to last a weekend.
There's hardly anything left now.
Ji Li took out the remaining eggplants and potatoes, and seeing that the other person was unwilling to leave, he handed over the inner pot of the rice cooker: "Help me wash some rice."
"oh."
Ying Yunsheng took it, washed the rice, wiped the water off the inner pot before putting it in, and adjusted the mode.
Ji Li placed the thawed meat on the cutting board: "Help me cut this."
"oh."
Ying Yunsheng took a kitchen knife and skillfully sliced the ingredients and sprinkled them with salt to marinate.
As Ji Li turned to leave the kitchen, her hand was immediately grabbed.
Where are you going?
"We've run out of cooking oil in the kitchen, I'm going to get a new bottle from the storage cabinet," Ji Li explained. "What's wrong?"
"No." Ying Yunsheng put down the kitchen knife. "I'll go get it."
He ran over, and less than half a minute later he ran back and placed the plastic bottle on the counter.
Ji Li felt that Ying Yunsheng had become a bit clingy to him ever since that lunch.
To be more precise, it seems that it all started when he went downstairs to get water and then went back upstairs at the old house, and that's when the other person became like this, starting with that sudden hug.
Specifically, she now lingers in the kitchen and refuses to leave, and looks up at him every few seconds.
Ying Yunsheng washed the dishes after dinner.
Ji Li was reading a book in his room when someone approached him from behind.
He put down his pen and turned around: "What's wrong with you today?"
Ying Yunsheng had already changed into his pajamas. Upon hearing this, he threw the pillow he was holding onto the bed and said, "I'll come and sleep with you."
“Uh…” Ji Li was silent for two seconds, glanced at the time on his phone, got up from his chair, and turned off the power.
The overhead light went out with a "snap".
Ji Li crawled into the blankets and sat directly on the other person's waist.
Startled by his sudden action, Ying Yunsheng stammered, "What are you doing?"
"What are you saying about me?" Ji Li watched as his face gradually turned red. "Did you hear what my grandma and aunt said?"
Ying Yunsheng was still covered with a cow-patterned quilt. The other person's weight pressed down on him through the quilt. Logically speaking, this was a position that was easy to break free from, but he lay there without daring to move: "You never told me that you used to spend a long time in a sanatorium."
Ji Li did not speak.
“You didn’t mention that someone broke into your home when you were alone before, and you might have lost your life if you hadn’t called the police in time. You also didn’t mention that you had never been to school before you went to Tingfeng Lane, and that I was the first person your age you ever met.”
When Ying Yunsheng heard the other party confessing their family affairs, he actually guessed that what the other party said was not the whole story, but an abridged version, reporting only the good news and not the bad. However, it was only today that he was able to get a glimpse of the true content that the other party had mentioned in just a few words.
Ji Li looked completely innocent: "But everything I said is true."
"But everything you said was missing arms and legs!" Ying Yun angrily tried to pull him down. "I wanted to buy apples, but all you gave me were apple peels!"
Ji Li was amused by his description: "Don't you know everything now? So you've been angry with me about this all afternoon?"
Ying Yunsheng lowered his voice: "I'm not angry."
He just couldn't understand it.
Empathy is a very idealistic word. For example, Ying Yunsheng spent an entire afternoon imagining what it would be like to grow up without parents, or imagine what he would do if he were six or seven years old and was home alone when bandits came to his door. He also couldn't imagine what he would think if he saw his mother after hearing that he had almost died, and she chose to give up his work for him without hesitation.
To this day, he still can't figure out what Ji Li is thinking.
Ji Li, however, didn't have as many thoughts as him. She leaned down and kissed him on the corner of his lips: "Don't overthink it. If you hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten about those things myself."
Ying Yun was afraid he would fall, so she put her hands on his waist.
Ji Li kissed him again: "Besides, don't I have you now?"
Ying Yunsheng: "There's nothing I can do either."
“Who said it’s impossible?” Ji Li said with a smile. “You should like me a little more.”
Ying Yunsheng was stunned.
Ji Li got off him.
Ying Yunsheng felt a lightness on his body, and when he turned his head, he saw him lying down next to him, and he even pulled the blanket over a bit.
Ji Li noticed his gaze: "What's wrong?"
Ying Yunsheng asked in disbelief, "You... you just fell asleep like that?"
Ji Li: "Otherwise?"
Ying Yunsheng: "..."
He'd already gotten into position, so was his "What are you doing?" question just a figment of his imagination?
Ji Li seemed to see what he was thinking: "You have class tomorrow, I'm afraid you won't be able to get up if we really do anything."