After they parted, Zhan Xi finished his ice cream cone and walked toward the street hand in hand with Luo Jingyu.
The warm wind blew past their ears. Luo Jingyu looked at the scenery on the street. This was the downtown area of Shanghai. The rush hour was approaching and there were many pedestrians and vehicles. He imagined how noisy and bustling the scene would be. However, in his world, those moving people and cars were always quiet animations.
When he was with Zhan Xi, he would never hide his hands in his pockets again. He would stroke the chubby little hands in his palms with his fingers, and turn his head to look at her, and he would be very happy, especially happy.
His Huanhuan came to pick him up after class and told his classmates openly that she was his girlfriend, without any intention of hiding it.
He was so happy, she really didn't dislike him, how could she be so nice
They did not return to the hotel, but found a Hunan restaurant to have dinner together. After dinner, it was already dark. Zhan Xi thought of what the young lady said before, and asked Luo Jingyu if he wanted to go back to finish his homework. Luo Jingyu said that he had been sitting all day and was a little tired. He wanted to take a walk outside, and it was okay to start work later.
So, the two of them strolled to a small square. The square was very lively after dinner. Some people were taking a walk to digest their food, some were taking their children out to play, aunties were dancing in the square, and there were coaches teaching the children roller skating.
After Luo Jingyu came to Shanghai, he only went between the hotel and the classroom. This was his first time to go out for a walk. With Huanhuan by his side, he was in a very happy mood.
Zhan Xi saw a group of seven or eight-year-old girls rehearsing a group dance in the corner of the square. He heard bursts of laughter and remembered that Children's Day would be on June 1st in a few days.
Poor little Weiwei, this Children's Day is destined not to be happy.
Zhan Xi took Luo Jingyu and found a stone bench not far from the little girls to sit down and watched them dance quietly.
Luo Jingyu had been holding her hand. After Zhan Xi looked at her for a while, he turned to her and said, "Xiao Yu, I want to talk to you about the job transfer."
Ah! Luo Jingyu had been waiting for this moment for 24 hours. He nodded and said in sign language: You speak, I listen.
Zhan Xi organized his thoughts, started with the relationship between Chi Guilan and Wen Qin, and slowly told Luo Jingyu the whole story.
Perhaps because she had calmed down for a day and a night, Zhan Xi no longer wanted to cry when she spoke. Her anger had settled down, and only reflection remained. Her tone was very calm, as if she was talking about someone else's business.
Luo Jingyu had heard from Zhan Xi before that her mother had high expectations of her and was very strict. In the WeChat message she sent on his birthday, she also said that her mother's words and actions were very extreme, but she did not have the courage to resist.
Luo Jingyu originally thought that no matter how extreme or strict her mother was, she would always support her daughter's dream. She never expected that Huanhuan's long-awaited job transfer would be ruined by her mother.
He couldn't understand why his mother, Yan Yajuan, was not well educated and was just an ordinary and kind mother. He had not been a good student since he was a child and was introverted. After graduating from high school, he insisted on learning embossing. Yan Yajuan often nagged him and urged him to go on blind dates in the past two years. But he knew that his mother was doing it for his own good and never did anything to upset him.
Except for the first year, Yan Yajuan would ask him if he had enough money to go to Shanghai every year. If he didn't, he would say she would give him money. During the hardest years for Luo Jingyu, his mother never complained that learning embossing was useless. She told him to study hard, and that he would naturally get more business if he improved his skills, and life would get better.
His mother would encourage him, support him, and respect him. He would just laugh off the occasional small complaints. The family of four was close and harmonious, and they almost never had any conflicts.
He thought all mothers were like this, but obviously, Huanhuan's mother was not.
Luo Jingyu finally knew what Zhan Xi had gone through the day before. He was angry and distressed, and couldn't help but hug her in his arms. Zhan Xi leaned against him very docilely, thinking that her power bank had started to work, and the power was good, enough to support her to go back to Qiantang to fight.
After they separated, she asked Luo Jingyu: "What do you feel after listening to it?"
Luo Jingyu signed in sign language with a serious face, and her gestures were quite heavy: Your mother, that's not right!
Zhan Xi burst into laughter: "Hahahahaha..."
Luo Jingyu looked at her worriedly, and could see a gleam of tears in her eyes.
After laughing for a while, Zhan Xi pointed at the group of dancing girls and said to Luo Jingyu: "Look, the girls dance so beautifully."
Luo Jingyu signed: You dance beautifully, too.
Zhan Xi shook his head: "I haven't learned it. Xiaoyu, do you know? When I was little, I also wanted to learn dancing. At that time, I went to Tong County to attend a composition training class. There was a dance class that was recruiting people. The teacher said that I had thin hands and feet, and my ligaments were quite soft, so I was a good candidate for dancing, and hoped that I would learn dancing. I really wanted to go and dance in a pretty little skirt, but my mother didn't agree."
After a brief pause, Zhan Xi looked into Luo Jingyu's eyes and spoke again, "My mother said that if girls learn to dance, their toes will become deformed and they will be more likely to get injured. It's impossible for them to pursue a career in dance in the future. It's meaningless to learn it for only a few years."
Luo Jingyu watched the changes in her lip shape intently.
"Alas..." Zhan Xi sighed, "My mother has always been like this. She never asks for my opinion. When I bring something up, she will veto it with a hundred reasons, and then help me make the decision that she thinks is right."
Zhan Xi smiled bitterly, "I was only eight years old at that time. There was a female chess master who was very popular and won several world championships. My mother took the initiative to sign me up for chess lessons. At that time, I didn't know how to play Go, chess, military chess... any chess. I was asked to learn chess all of a sudden. I was very bad at it. Every time I played with my classmates, I lost and cried. I didn't want to learn anymore, and my mother scolded me for wasting money."
Luo Jingyu couldn't help but smile.
Zhan Xi glared at him: "You're still laughing!"
He immediately returned to his gentle expression.
Zhan Xi continued, "This is just a very small thing that happened to me when I was growing up with my mother. If my hometown was not just a small town and I couldn't find a decent job, she would definitely tie me to her side. Now it's almost the same. She won't allow me to leave Qiantang. I have to go to college, work, and settle down in Qiantang. Even if there are better opportunities in Beijing or Shanghai, she won't agree to let me go."
"When I was young, I never thought there was anything wrong with my mother. I thought she loved me very much. She didn't let me learn dancing because it was good for me. I didn't live up to my expectations. How could I not even learn chess well? My mother said that girls are indeed a little dumber than boys at chess. I should learn English. Girls will be better at English than boys. I believed it at the time. But then I grew up, left the small town and came to Qiantang. I met some new friends, especially my roommate, the author of the public account I recommended to you, Luo Ran Chigua, do you remember him?"
Luo Jingyu nodded. He followed "Luo Ran Chigua". Although the tweets posted by Mr. Chigua every day were all related to the entertainment industry, film and television variety shows, Luo Jingyu was confused, but he still read every one of them, just because this person was Huanhuan's classmate.
Zhan Xi smiled and said, "I was greatly influenced by her. She is a person who loves to break the rules. I began to realize that my relationship with my mother was not normal, and many things she did had caused trouble in my life. After entering college, until now, I have tried very hard to break free from this trouble and find a balance. I want freedom and to be able to live according to my own wishes, but I don't want to make my mother angry."
Zhan Xi stared at Luo Jingyu, "Xiao Yu, do you understand what I said?"
Luo Jingyu nodded and held her hand tightly.
Zhan Xi said seriously: "But now I find that this kind of balance is impossible. Either she overpowers me and completely controls my life, or I overpower her and completely escape her control. If I want freedom, I must overthrow her. There is no way to solve it peacefully. There is no other way."
Having said this, she fell silent. Luo Jingyu couldn't help but ask using sign language: What do you think now
Zhan Xi looked up at the sky, then lowered his head and looked at Luo Jingyu: "I have been thinking about it all day today. I must change the way I get along with my mother. I must be tougher. From now on, I have to make all my own decisions and not let her interfere. If she had given me positive guidance before, I would still consider listening to her advice. But she is almost sixty years old, and many of her ideas are very old-fashioned. She has always believed that girls should have a stable job from nine to five, not work overtime, not travel, and not socialize, otherwise they are not serious women. This is how she evaluates my sister-in-law."
Zhan Xi wanted to laugh as he spoke, and shook his head, saying, "My mother believes that men should strive for their careers, and it is normal not to do housework. She doesn't think there is anything wrong with my brother. She asked me to take the civil service exam, saying it is a stable job, and that my in-laws will respect me when I get married. I am not opposed to taking the civil service exam, but the reasons she gave me for taking the exam. Moreover, when I was in college, I secretly studied the major I wanted to study, and I had my own career plan. I can't say whether it is right or wrong, but she asked me to give up without even trying. I really can't accept it!"
Each paragraph that Zhan Xi said was very long, and Luo Jingyu had a little difficulty reading it, and his brows furrowed a little. Fortunately, she spoke slowly, and he was very familiar with her way of speaking, so even if he didn't understand every word, he could still understand the general meaning.
Luo Jingyu took out her phone and typed: When I was a kid, I did handicrafts. Many people laughed at me and said I was a sissy. I don't care. I know what I want and what my dream is. I must persist and be myself. Don't listen to others.
Zhan Xi read what he typed and laughed, "Someone said you're a sissy? Why are you so pathetic?"
Luo Jingyu shrugged, shook her head and smiled bitterly, and typed: Xiaozhe laughed at me.
"Ji Hongzhe is so excessive?" Zhan Xi said, "He laughed at you and used the little gift you made to pick up girls. Are you willing to give it to him?"
Luo Jingyu smiled and signed: There is no way, I can't beat him, I'm too thin.
“Hahahaha…” Zhan Xi laughed so hard that he put his head on his shoulder.
After a long while, she raised her head. Luo Jingyu kept turning her head to look at her. Zhan Xi said, "Xiao Yu, I'll tell you the truth. If I were single now and you weren't around, I would be angry at first, but after that I would probably still listen to my mother like before. I would continue to take the civil service exam and go on blind dates with the boys she introduced. One day, I might pass the exam, and another day, I would marry the man she liked. I might live an enviable and stable life, and slowly grow up to my thirties and forties... I might forget what I wanted when I was twenty-four, and I might give up."
Her fingernails dug into Luo Jingyu's palm, causing him to feel a slight pain.
"But now, I have you by my side."
Zhan Xi said, his eyes became firm, "I don't know why, but I'm not afraid when I think of you. I feel that I can't go on like this. I must, must, must change." Zhan Xi held Luo Jingyu's hand tightly and looked into his eyes, "I want to say 'no' to my mother. I won't take the civil service exam, and I won't go to the unit she introduced to me. I don't want to do this job anymore! I will resign after returning to Qiantang! I want to find a job I like, and I won't regret it even if it doesn't work out. I just want to give it a try! I've worked so hard for so long! How could she not even give me a chance to try?"
Her tone became excited and the tears in the corners of her eyes became more and more obvious. Luo Jingyu had no choice but to open her arms, hold her in her arms, and pat her back gently.
He was not surprised that Zhan Xi wanted to resign. In terms of career, Luo Jingyu always followed his own wishes.
He is deaf and it is difficult for him to find a job. When he was in high school, he was worried about what he would do in the future. His parents said that if he could not get into college or find a job, he could go back to help out in the small supermarket at home. In the future, the supermarket would be handed over to him and he could be a small self-employed boss. Even if he did not earn much, it would be enough for him to marry a wife and live a good life.
But that was not what Luo Jingyu wanted. His path was very narrow, much narrower than that of ordinary people, but he still wanted to squeeze in and try his luck. He wanted to earn a living with his own hands, and as long as he worked hard enough, he believed he could make it.
Zhan Xi didn't want to cry at first, but she couldn't help crying. After coming out of Luo Jingyu's arms, she looked at him with tears in her eyes, and saw Luo Jingyu clenched her left hand into a fist and extended her index finger, and then put the five fingers of her right hand together, with the tip of her middle finger resting on the base of her left index finger.
This is a very vivid sign language word. Zhan Xi has learned it before. It sounds like "support", which means "support".
He pointed at himself, made the gesture again, and finally pointed at Zhan Xi, doing it twice.
He said: I support you, I support you.
Zhan Xi burst into laughter all of a sudden. She knew that her little fish would never let her down.
He supported her and supported her in taking charge of her own destiny.
She was no longer afraid and decided to say goodbye to her cowardly past self.
She was not even 24 years old, and had not even passed her second zodiac year. How young! Her mother was nearly 60 years old, very old. Why was she so scared
Her kindness and filial piety should not become a weapon for Chi Guilan to hurt her and kidnap her!
Zhan Xi knew what she was going to face. Work was one thing, and being with Xiaoyu was the second most important thing. She didn't tell Xiaoyu that their relationship would definitely go through ups and downs, but she believed that Xiaoyu was not completely ignorant.
Many people are not optimistic about them, but there are also many people who support and bless them.
Those who were not optimistic thought that Luo Jingyu was not worthy of Zhan Xi just because he was deaf.
Only Zhan Xi knows how good Luo Jingyu is.
His goodness is not good in the secular sense, but good beyond the norm, so good that it is against the rules!
Is it because he lives in a silent world? Zhan Xi has never seen anyone more pure and sincere than him. He does not have a single dirty thought in his heart. He is as innocent as a child, but he also has the courage and responsibility of a man.
It was an angelfish that she had caught with great difficulty. No one could force her to let it go, not anyone!
Zhan Xi jumped up, took Luo Jingyu's hand and pulled him up, saying loudly: "Okay, that's it! I feel so relieved now. Let's go back to the hotel. You still have homework to do."
Luo Jingyu smiled slightly, took her hand, and they walked towards the hotel together.
—
When Luo Jingyu heard Zhan Xi say that he would have to do his homework for six or seven hours tonight, she shook her hands exaggeratedly, then opened the five fingers of her right hand to her and raised her eyebrows.
"Five hours?" Zhan Xi asked in surprise, "Five hours is enough?"
Luo Jingyu nodded confidently and motioned for Zhan Xi to take a shower first while he prepared the materials and tools for his homework.
Luo Jingyu was not blindly confident. It was indeed slow and difficult to make Cordyceps sinensis flowers, so he asked Xu Qingyan to borrow a sample for reference.
Homework usually requires two pieces. The first one is a trial and error and will not be done very smoothly. The second one is the formal homework to be handed in. Luo Jingyu said that he could finish it in five hours because he only planned to do one to challenge his comprehension.
After the two of them took turns taking a shower, Zhan Xi stood beside Luo Jingyu and watched him make flowers for a while. Seeing him use tweezers to hold a piece of cloth the size of a fingernail to wrap tiny cotton particles, and then stick them together perfectly with glue, he got goose bumps all over his body.
Xiaoyu's hands are really deft! If Zhanxi were asked to wrap the cotton balls, her head would explode, but Xiaoyu could wrap them one by one patiently, and each pistil was smooth and round, and was neatly placed aside for later use.
He wanted to perm a lot of petals, pink and thin strips, at least thirty or forty pieces. Zhan Xi picked up the sample flower on the table and looked at it. Xu Qingyan made a purple flower with layers of petals and dense stamens. Zhan Xi was really impressed. These small pieces of white cloth and cotton, which could not be found if dropped on the ground, could be turned into a flower by those who played with perm flowers. It was amazing!
There was only one chair in the room. Luo Jingyu was afraid that Zhan Xi would get tired from standing for so long, so she asked her to go to the bed to rest. Zhan Xi then crawled into bed and started reading the book she had bought during the day.
Luo Jingyu worked for two hours. Zhan Xi was tired of reading. He raised his head and yawned, and found that his posture had not changed.
She got out of bed and walked to his side. Luo Jingyu was flipping through the notes she had taken during the day.
Zhan Xi patted his shoulder. Luo Jingyu looked up at her and asked in sign language: Are you tired
Luo Jingyu sign language: Not tired.
"Take a break. Let me massage your shoulders." Zhan Xi pressed the muscles in his shoulder sockets. "You'll feel uncomfortable in your cervical spine if you do this."
Luo Jingyu agreed and continued to sit on the chair. Zhan Xi stood behind him and began to massage his shoulders and neck. Luo Jingyu had a big frame, broad shoulders, and thin muscles that were unique to young men. Zhan Xi couldn't quite pinch the flesh during the massage, and it felt a little hard.
She didn't know if he had abdominal muscles. He sat and worked all day, so would he have a belly? She never had the chance to touch it.
Zhan Xi was massaging while thinking about random things. He thought about the treadmill in Luo Jingyu's guest bedroom. She had never seen him run. There were also a few dumbbells on the ground, but she had never seen him exercise. In general, Xiaoyu was a homebody. He himself said that he had been quiet and inactive since he was a child. Zhan Xi worriedly thought, if this continued, would he become a fat homebody in the future
Zhan Xi's mind was distracted, so he hit Luo Jingyu a little too hard. Luo Jingyu suddenly cried out in pain. Zhan Xi immediately hit him a little harder. After a while, he seemed to feel very comfortable and even hummed twice.
The massage lasted for about ten minutes. Luo Jingyu didn't want Zhan Xi to be too tired. He thought that rest didn't necessarily have to be a massage, rest... could also be in other ways.
He turned around and took Zhan Xi's hand, let her sit on his lap, and put his arms around her body to look at her face carefully.
It was so late, in such a dimly lit room, a pair of young lovers were sitting together in each other's arms, the atmosphere was extremely ambiguous.
Zhan Xi was wearing a nightgown. Luo Jingyu lifted her long hair with her fingers and brushed it behind her ears.
He didn't close his eyes, but stared at her with his gentle eyes. He moved closer and rubbed his lips lightly against her chin, earlobes, and neck... but he didn't move his lips to her lips.
At this time, he really wanted to say something sweet to Huanhuan, like an ordinary boyfriend, saying "Baby, you are so pretty", or "Honey, you smell so good..."
But he couldn't say anything, so he could only kiss her lightly.
Huanhuan was using the shower gel he brought, which had a rich but not pungent milky scent that made her skin smell so tempting that he wanted to take a bite.
But he didn't dare to bite, for fear of hurting her, so he could only lick her. His wet and soft tongue brushed across her slender neck, and he couldn't help but suck on that fragrant skin.
Luo Jingyu felt like he had become a gift. No wonder the kitten liked to hold his fingers and suck on them. It was so fun to suck on them. Huanhuan was so soft and fragrant...
If he could hear, he would know that Zhan Xi had been moaning because of his kiss, and her body had softened in his arms; if he could hear, he would know that he himself could no longer hold back and let out a low, vague groan from his throat.
After a while, they were no longer satisfied with this playful kissing, and it was unclear who took the initiative, but their lips were pressed together.
Luo Jingyu finally closed her eyes. In the darkness and the silence of the deep sea, she savored the taste of the girl in her arms, teasing and stirring her, entangled with her, and it felt like a fire was burning in her body.
He had never known what the sound of a heartbeat was, but that heart was in his own chest. Its vigorous beating was transmitted to his brain without the need for ears. Every nerve and every drop of blood was telling him that his heart was about to explode and that he was almost burned dry.
Maybe Huanhuan is like this too? Luo Jingyu quietly opened her eyes and looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him breathlessly. Perhaps she sensed his pause, so she also slightly opened her eyes. When the eyes were so close, it was easy to become a strange cross-eyed look. Luo Jingyu almost laughed out loud, but Zhan Xi did not give him a chance to escape. She ran her fingers through his hair and once again caught his lips with her sweet bait like fishing.
This kind of hug and kiss was not the first time it happened. They had been in love for three months. When love is strong, they can't help but be curious about each other and certain things, and have an inexplicable desire.
However, when Zhan Xi's hand secretly reached down, a flash of lightning lit up in Luo Jingyu's mind. He tensed up and quickly grabbed her hand.
Their lips finally parted, and they looked at each other with rapid breathing, their lips were red and wet. Zhan Xi felt ashamed like a thief caught, and stammered to explain: "I, I just want to... touch whether you have... abdominal muscles."
Luo Jingyu: “…”
Whether it's abdominal muscles or something else, he thought, it won't work now, it won't work, it won't work! It's not the right time yet, it's not the right time, it can't be like this, it can't be like this...
The two people separated from each other with red faces. Zhan Xi crawled back into the bed dejectedly. Luo Jingyu sat on the chair for a while, pulled up her pants, stood up and went into the bathroom silently.
Zhan Xi lay on his side, pulled the quilt to cover his face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed as he stared at the bathroom door, blinking.
The little fish... didn't make any sound.
After a long, long time, Luo Jingyu came out with her head down, walked to the desk and sat down, not daring to look at the bed.