Luo Xiaomei didn't expect things to turn out like this.
After the genetic test results came out, she and Gao Yuan were hit hard. After thinking it over, they decided to tell their parents and in-laws the results.
The four old men have different opinions.
Luo Mingsong suggested giving up the child. As the person who caused the deafness gene to be inherited in the family and an old father, he really didn't want the unborn child to suffer the same pain that everyone had experienced.
He still remembered the beating he received from his father when Luo Jingyu was born. His father scolded him, "Why did you want to have another child?" His daughter was already deaf, so why did he want to have another one? Was it gambling? He had ruined the child's life!
Yan Yajuan felt that she should still give birth to the child. As a mother, she always believed that her daughter and son-in-law should have a child so that their relationship would be more stable and there would be someone to take care of them when they are old.
It doesn’t matter that the child is deaf, Luo Xiaomei and Luo Jingyu are living a good life now.
Moreover, Yan Yajuan herself became deaf due to illness. She believed that a healthy child might get sick during the growth process. Should he be abandoned if he got sick? This child got sick in his mother's womb. Everyone thought about it and gave birth to him, took good care of him and loved him. Except for his deafness, he could still grow up happily like other children.
Gao Yuan's parents said they respected the opinions of their son and daughter-in-law.
When Gao Yuan was a teenager, he suddenly developed myelitis, which broke his parents' hearts. At that time, they only wanted their son to live well, and didn't expect anything else. Later, Gao Yuan went to college with great difficulty, and after graduation, he was admitted to work in the Disabled Persons' Federation. He fell in love with Luo Xiaomei, married her, bought a house and a car, and the two old people no longer had any requirements for him.
They said that as long as the young couple had made up their mind, the two elders would support any decision they made, and if they wanted the child, they would also help take care of the child.
Deafness... Deafness is better than Gao Yuan's condition. Gao Yuan is still young and can walk with crutches. When he gets old, he will always have inconveniences in his life. Having a child, at least his hands and feet are intact, and he can also help Luo Xiaomei.
Everyone has his or her own stance and considerations. Luo Mingsong's attitude is not that firm, so the final decision is left to Luo Xiaomei and Gao Yuan.
Gao Yuan asked the doctor whether the child could have a cochlear implant in the future, and the doctor said that this would only be known after the child is born and examined. Not every hearing-impaired child is suitable for a cochlear implant, but according to Luo Xiaomei's own situation, she could have had one when she was a child, but cochlear implants were not popular at that time, she was over the age limit, and her family's financial conditions did not allow it, so she did not have it installed.
After consulting the doctor, Luo Xiaomei and Gao Yuan discussed for two days before finally making the decision to give birth to the child and raise him well. It would be best if he could be given a cochlear implant, so that he could hear sounds, learn to speak, and grow up like a normal child as much as possible.
Luo Xiaomei didn't expect that the biggest objection would come from her younger brother Luo Jingyu.
How could Luo Jingyu accept such a thing happening
His recent experiences haunted him like a nightmare. After all, wasn't it because he was deaf
He couldn't understand why his sister made such a decision, and why his brother-in-law agreed to it
The elder sister herself is deaf! She has never been able to hear anything in her life, and she has never been able to learn to speak. Isn’t that enough suffering? Isn’t that enough frustration for her to wake up? They have seen countless cold stares and cold receptions since they were young. They are facing difficulties everywhere in their pursuit of education, employment, friendship, and relationship. They are like lower animals living in this world.
He was called deaf, dumb, and disabled... He was laughed at by people and oppressed by Fang Xu for four years. Now he was deliberately framed by him. Some of his classmates were beaten, some were cheated, and some studied very hard but couldn't find a job after graduation. There were even more pitiful deaf children whose parents didn't care about them. They were deceived by bad people and became thieves, begged, and sold their bodies. They lived a life worse than pigs and dogs.
They can only look for deaf people or other disabled people as a partner. It's like a convention. They are not qualified to look for healthy people.
He found a healthy, beautiful college girl as his girlfriend, and everyone was surprised. The subtext was that he was not worthy of her!
Because of his inferior genes, he was born inferior to others. Even girls who were born deaf looked down on him! No matter how hard he tried, it was useless. Genes could not be changed. He just didn't deserve it!
Luo Jingyu cried and used sign language with her sister, making "ah" sounds and begging her sister over and over again not to give birth to the child. No, no, no. There are already so many people in the world, why would she give birth to a child knowing that he is deaf
Don’t you understand eugenics? Haven’t you learned about survival of the fittest? Why should genes like theirs that harm people continue? Stop harming people! That child didn’t want to be born, didn’t want to!
If Gao Yuan hadn't held Luo Jingyu, he would have almost knelt down to his sister. He thought he must convince them not to let this child be born! He roared in his throat, and only Gao Yuan could hear it. This honest man kept comforting his young brother-in-law, but there was no way to calm him down.
Luo Jingyu collapsed, and all the helplessness, grievance and anger that had accumulated over the past few days were vented on Luo Xiaomei. Unable to persuade her, he even used sign language to scold her, calling her "selfish" and "vicious", and scolding her for only caring about being a mother and not considering the child's thoughts.
He also cursed Gao Yuan, shouting and pointing at him in sign language, saying that he was not a man and was willing to let his wife and children suffer. The children would have to live with discrimination for the rest of their lives. Gao Yuan, a hearing man, could not understand this kind of suffering. They should all come and ask him how hard it was for him!
"Snap."
Yan Yajuan slapped Luo Jingyu in the face, finally making him calm down.
Luo Jingyu looked at her mother, Yan Yajuan, who also cried, with two tear marks under her eyes. She trembled and signed, asking her son: Do you still hate us for giving birth to you? Are you still blaming us? Dad and mom love you so much, and always feel sorry for you. Is this what you think? Dad and mom are selfish and vicious? We gave birth to you to let you suffer. Is this what you always think
Luo Jingyu couldn't answer.
He looked at his father. Luo Mingsong looked at him with a sad face, and there was a hint of disappointment in his guilty eyes.
Gao Yuan, using a crutch, pulled Luo Jingyu away and used sign language to persuade him: Xiaoyu, calm down.
He also advised his mother-in-law: Mom, calm down. I understand Xiaoyu's thoughts. Don't scold him. He is also thinking about the child.
Yan Yajuan replied sternly: The child is yours. You have the final say on whether to have the child or not. It is also your business whether the child blames you in the future. We will not interfere, and Xiaoyu has no right to interfere. If he disagrees, he can choose not to have the child in the future. How can he say Xiaomei is selfish and vicious? She is his biological sister!
Luo Jingyu looked at Luo Xiaomei. She had already started crying. Who wouldn't be sad after being accused by her brother like that
This is indeed a dilemma. Luo Xiaomei is 19 weeks pregnant and can already feel the fetal movement. Every time she goes for a prenatal checkup, the doctor says the baby is growing well and is a healthy and lively child. However, this "health" does not include his ears. Without genetic testing, no one would know that the baby is deaf.
The baby was absorbing nutrients in her belly, turning over and making noises. It was her and Gao Yuan's child, the fruit of their love. She really couldn't make the decision to abort the baby when it was this big.
She touched her belly with her left hand and wiped her tears with her right hand, asking herself if she was really selfish and vicious, and if she would really harm the child
She has always had a peaceful mentality since she was a child. She has never resented her parents and accepted the fact that she is a member of a disadvantaged group early on. She is open-minded, has a wide range of interests and hobbies, has many hearing friends, and most of the time does not feel that she is different from others.
But her brother's personality is different from hers. Xiaoyu is more sensitive, not good at studying, and has few friends. She didn't know that her brother would think that life is bitter. Luo Xiaomei feels that life is very happy. It's just that she can't hear. She can still enjoy life, appreciate love, and live a colorful life!
The question now is, who knows whether the baby in her belly will tend towards her or Xiaoyu
Luo Jingyu looked at Luo Xiaomei for a while, then turned to look at the other people in the living room, his father, mother, and brother-in-law. They were also looking at him, each with a complicated expression.
Luo Jingyu blinked and a tear fell again. His gaze fell back on his sister and he said in sign language: Sister, I'm sorry.
After putting his hands down, he turned and left his parents' home.
The subway ride home is both short and long.
Luo Jingyu sat in the carriage and thought a lot.
There were several boys and girls in the same carriage, carrying backpacks and wearing short-sleeved school uniforms. They were about fifteen or sixteen years old. They must have just gone to school to pick up their books or finished cleaning.
They were talking and laughing. One boy had earphones on his ears. The other girl tilted her head and said something to him. The boy was a little shy, so he took off one earphone and put it into the girl's ear. Then the two of them listened together with their heads touching, chatting occasionally.
Luo Jingyu looked at them and thought of an incident that happened in high school. At that time, a classmate said that they could put on headphones when they went out and pretend to be listening to music so that others would not notice that they were deaf and could block people handing out flyers.
Luo Jingyu tried it, and really put on the headphones and went out. When he came across a mirror on the road, he stopped to observe himself. The white headphone wire extended from his pocket, and the headphones were plugged into his ears. He put his hands in his pockets, turned his head, and felt that he looked so handsome, just like an ordinary high school boy.
As a result, just a few days after he put on the headphones and went out, he was hit from behind by an electric bike.
He fell to the ground and scraped a large piece of skin off his elbow. The man riding the electric scooter spoke to him, but he only understood part of his lip language. It was probably asking him what song he was listening to while walking, and if the man on the scooter couldn't hear it because the scooter was riding over, couldn't he
He was afraid that the other party would find out that he couldn't hear anything, so he grabbed his headphones and limped away, not daring to ask the other party for medical expenses.
He is probably the most cowardly deaf person in the world. He strictly follows traffic rules. Not to mention electric bikes, he doesn't even dare to ride a bicycle for fear of traffic accidents. Whether he hits someone or is hit by someone, the responsibility will be on him.
His life is really different from that of ordinary people.
When Luo Jingyu returned home, Zhan Xi was eating noodles. When she saw him come in, she asked in puzzled way using sign language: Didn’t you have dinner at your parents’ house
Luo Jingyu nodded, changed into slippers and went to the guest bathroom to wash her hands. Zhan Xi slurped a mouthful of noodles and found that Xiaoyu was in a bad mood. He wondered what happened to her at her parents' house.
She ran to the bathroom door and asked him: Are you hungry? Do you want me to cook you a bowl of noodles
Luo Jingyu wiped her hands, shook her head, raised her hand and replied: No, I'm not hungry.
Zhan Xi sat back at the dining table to eat noodles. Luo Jingyu walked to the sofa and sat down. Liwu ran over and jumped onto his lap. Luo Jingyu stroked the fur on its back. Liwu felt very comfortable and lay down lazily.
After eating the noodles, Zhan Xi washed the dishes and pot, walked over to sit next to Luo Jingyu, and naturally pulled his right hand over to look at it.
A week has passed. He went to the hospital to change the bandages. His right hand was no longer wrapped in thick gauze, but only a large patch on the back of his hand, making it much easier for him to do things.
He said it didn't hurt, but Zhan Xi knew he was lying. The cut was four centimeters long, how could it not hurt? It would leave an ugly scar in the future.
The two of them stuck together, and the gift was squeezed and jumped off the sofa. He let out a dissatisfied cry and wandered to the cat climbing frame.
Zhan Xi touched the gauze on Luo Jingyu's hand and muttered, "How are we going to shoot videos in the future? When making flowers, we always shoot from top to bottom, so the back of the hand must be captured."
Luo Jingyu read her lip language, her expression darkened, and she withdrew her hand and replied: I won’t be a flower anymore in the future.
Zhan Xi's eyes suddenly widened: "Don't talk nonsense! How could I not do something flowery? Things are not at the end of the road yet!"
Luo Jingyu asked: Do you think I can still do this? They don't believe me.
Zhan Xi answered him in sign language: Many people believe in you, Shao, Zhu, Ding, my brother, Luo Pi, and many of your former customers, everyone believes in you!
Luo Jingyu's expression was indifferent: But we have no evidence.
Zhan Xi fell silent for a while, then asked: "Did something happen to you? Are you unhappy? Tell me, don't take it to heart."
Luo Jingyu's eyes gradually softened, and later became sad. He looked into Zhan Xi's eyes, raised his hand to touch her cheek, and felt her smooth skin with his fingertips. Zhan Xi remained silent, waiting for him to "speak". After an unknown amount of time, Luo Jingyu withdrew his hand and slowly typed out a sentence in sign language:
Huanhuan, let’s break up.
Zhan Xi looked at him in disbelief. Luo Jingyu knew that she understood, but she didn't have the courage to type it a second time. His body trembled slightly, and his hands very slowly gestured out what was in his mind:
This is between Fang and me. I can't drag you down anymore. Don't worry about me anymore. I can solve it myself. If I can't solve it, I will never do hot stamping again and find something else to do. You are different from me. You are educated. Go find a job. Find a job you like. You will meet a better man. I am not. I am very bad. I can't make you happy. You are the best girl. You shouldn't find someone like me. Let's break up. I will give you the salary for the past two months. Thank you for helping me and accompanying me all the time. I'm sorry that I can't accompany you anymore. This matter has nothing to do with you. You should leave early and don't delay your future.
His sign language was so slow, clear and standard that Zhan Xi understood it all.
She asked: Are you serious
Luo Jingyu nodded, feeling that these reasons were not enough, and continued to add: Your mother does not agree, your brother said that if the problem between Fang and I cannot be resolved, your family will not agree.
Zhan Xi's eyes turned cold, and he asked again: What else? Any other reasons
At this point, Luo Jingyu didn't want to hide it from her, and said with her hands weakly: "Also, my sister is pregnant. After a checkup, the baby in her belly is deaf. It's hereditary in our family, one by one. I won't have children, and you can't be a mother if you are with me. This is unfair to you, and it's unfair to any girl, so I won't get married, I will live alone. Huanhuan, let's break up, I can't drag you down anymore, I'm not a good man, you will live well without me, I hope you live well, I hope you are happy, I...
He could no longer gesture, his tears were already welling up in his eyes, his body was shaking uncontrollably, he bit his lips hard, and was unable to control his voice.
He called her name vaguely, shook his head, cried, his hands were shaking: I didn't plagiarize, I can't do hot stamping, I didn't plagiarize, I don't know what else I can do, I can't drag you down anymore, you have helped me a lot, I am a man, but I can't give you happiness, I...
When he was signing, many of his gestures involved touching his left and right hands together, usually gently, but now the "pa pa" sound was loud, and he had no control over the strength at all. It was inconvenient for his right hand to be bandaged, so he still signed very hard, so hard that even Zhan Xiguang felt pain just watching.
Zhan Xi also cried, sad that Xiaoyu gave up early, but touched by Xiaoyu's frankness and sincerity. He did not use strange excuses to perfunctorily deal with her, such as "I don't like her anymore", "my parents don't agree", "I feel tired of her" and so on.
Every word he said came from the heart. He just wanted her good. He felt that his career was hopeless and their future was uncertain. It would be better for her to cut her losses in time and get out of it as soon as possible instead of staying with him stuck in this mess. The longer it lasted, the more it would hinder her own development.
Zhan Xi understood Luo Jingyu's thoughts, but he couldn't do such a thing.
People say "husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but they fly away separately when disaster strikes". She and Luo Jingyu are not husband and wife in name, nor in reality, but Zhan Xi can truly feel his feelings for Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu's feelings for her.
Liking is absolutely true, but is it love? No one of them said it.
She only knew that his kindness to her had long been integrated into the trivial details of their life. There were no earth-shaking breakups and reunions, nor were there any grand celebrations of holidays and anniversaries. They were like a couple who had been married for many years, spending every day together, working and living together, never quarreling, and being sweet and happy every day.
Xiaoyu remembered her taste, cooked three meals a day for her, and bought her fruits and snacks that she liked.
When she had her period, he would make her some sweet water and massage her cold feet.
He never told her to do anything. She just did whatever she could by herself. Knowing that she disliked the cat litter box being smelly, he told her not to worry about it. He was responsible for the gifts and she only needed to play with the kitten.
When they went out, he would hold her hand tightly and always let her walk on the inside of the sidewalk. He would always ask her what she wanted to eat or play. If she asked him back, he would not say "whatever" but would seriously give her his suggestions.
When she was sick, he would take care of her meticulously, remembering the dietary restrictions prescribed by the doctor, and the time and amount of medicine she had to take. Even though he himself was covered in injuries, he never complained to her.
He treats all her friends and relatives warmly, gives her enough face in front of them, and is able to make jokes, so that her friends will not think that he is sensitive and difficult to get along with.
She will never forget the day when she failed to change her job and he came back from Shanghai to find her. The moment she saw him in the dance studio, she felt that her life would be complete if she could find such a person in this life.
He respected her, listened carefully to her every word, and gave his own opinions clumsily.
He never discouraged her ideas and gave her full freedom to express herself. Some things at work required money and he didn't know how effective they would be, but as long as she wanted to try, he supported her and was responsible for paying for it.
He often praised her from the bottom of his heart, as if he had done good deeds in his previous life to be able to find her as his girlfriend in this life.
It was Luo Jingyu who, her Xiaoyu, broke up with her at this moment, wanting to end their relationship which had just lasted for half a year.
Only half a year? Zhan Xi thought silently with tears in her eyes, how could it be only half a year? She clearly felt that she and Xiaoyu had known each other for a very long time.
They have been through a lot together, most of which were happy and unforgettable. Can such a relationship be given up just like that
Zhan Xi held Luo Jingyu's hands to stop him from continuing to "speak". She said, "I know what you mean, Xiaoyu, listen to me first."
Luo Jingyu's eyes were blurred by tears, the tip of her nose was red, and her lips were trembling as she sobbed.
"I won't break up with you." Zhan Xi said slowly, "The only reason I break up with you is that I don't like you anymore. But now, I still like you very much, and I know you like me too."
Luo Jingyu's hands were held by her and she had no strength to break free, so she could only shake her head continuously.
Zhan Xi sniffed and said, "This is just a small setback we encountered together. It will pass and everything will be fine. You may think I am idealistic, but that's because I'm still young. If I can't be idealistic at my age, then the world is doomed, right? I will never be a person like Fang Xu, and the same goes for you. You promised me a few days ago that you wouldn't give up, but you're breaking your promise so soon?"
Luo Jingyu still shook his head stubbornly, took a long breath, and didn't care what sound he would make. Tears kept flowing, and he had to try hard to read Zhan Xi's lips. Lip reading is very brain-consuming, and his mind is in a mess now, but he can't bear to read, for fear that he will read less and never see her again.
Zhan Xi said, "You promised me to take me traveling and mountain climbing, promised me to give me a set of jewelry that belongs only to me, and promised me to learn to call my name. But you still haven't learned to call me 'Huanhuan'. Why are you so stupid?"
Yes, he is stupid. He couldn't even learn how to call "Huanhuan". Luo Jingyu whimpered. If he was smart enough, why would he let Fang Xu harm him like this
Zhan Xi loosened his hand and scratched his hair. "I know you encountered something bad when you went home today, probably your sister's pregnancy. We'll talk about this later. You don't necessarily have to have children to get married. Xiaoyu, you have to deal with your problem first. Xinran helped me make an appointment with a lawyer. I will meet him tomorrow to discuss with him how we should deal with the lawsuit. Originally, I wanted to go over the matter with you from beginning to end today. I always feel that since you drew the first draft, it is impossible that there is no evidence at all. We can look through our phones and look at the photos taken in July. I copied all the photos to the computer before I went home at the end of July. I haven't had the chance to look at them in the past few days. Maybe we have taken some photos."
She paused, looked at Luo Jingyu's tear-stained face, raised her hand and wiped his eyes: "Don't give up so quickly, it's not time to despair! A person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear. We haven't done anything wrong. It's not that you plagiarize just because people say you did. Many people believe in you, and you should believe in yourself even more. Today, I'm going back to the eighth floor to sleep. Tomorrow I'm going to see a lawyer and won't come to your place for dinner. It's just right, let's both calm down and think about the whole thing, Luo Jingyu..."
Zhan Xi called out his full name, "You didn't drag me down, you saved me and let me know what I really want. With you, I'm not afraid of anything. With me, you don't have to be afraid either. We are both still young. What can't we overcome?"
She got up from the sofa, touched Luo Jingyu's face for the last time, and kissed him on the forehead again, "Cook something for yourself, don't be hungry, I'm going back first, go to bed early at night, don't think too much."
After saying that, Zhan Xi packed up his laptop, picked up a file bag that contained materials for meeting with a lawyer the next day, took his cell phone and keys, and went out.
Only Luo Jingyu and a cat were left at home. Liwu looked at him with its big eyes, and after Zhan Xi left, it jumped onto his lap again.
He was still sobbing in bouts. He cried once at home in the afternoon and again when he came back in the evening, just like a child, but he really couldn't help it.
He hoped that Huanhuan would agree to his request to break up, but he also didn't want her to agree.
What a contradiction!
But he really couldn't see their future. He might never be able to make hot stamping flowers again. He couldn't think of what else he could do. Should he set up a night market stall like Chen Liang? Or make balloons for people like Yue Qi
Even with this shitty life, the sister actually wants her children to experience it again. Why
That night, Zhan Xi returned to Room 802, which had not been occupied for a long time. He simply cleaned up, took a shower, and went to bed early to rest. He emptied his mind, thought about nothing, and fell asleep quickly.
In Room 1504, a few floors away, Luo Jingyu sat on the floor next to the sofa, her back against the wall, looking up at the whale lamp.
The gift was circling around his feet at first, but when it saw that he didn't move for a long time, it slipped away and went to play on its own.
Luo Jingyu leaned his head against the wall, thinking about the previous conversations with Zhan Xi, and how they met, met, and fell in love. When he thought of something interesting, he would suddenly laugh, and when he thought of a warm scene, he would raise his hand to cover his face and savor it carefully. When he thought of the difficulties they faced and the difficult future, his eyes would be sore.
Zhan Xi's appearance in his life was an accident.
A congenitally deaf otaku and a healthy and beautiful girl are like two parallel lines, how could they intersect
What a wonderful girl she was, she brought him a beautiful dream and let him know how young people with good hearing live. Her kisses, touches and hugs all fascinated him. Her smile was so bright and beautiful, more vivid than any flower he made.
Her voice is also very nice, like a bird singing.
Luo Jingyu raised her right hand, spread out her five fingers, moved her palm between her line of sight and the whale lamp, squinting her eyes to watch the warm yellow light pouring down through her fingers.
There is a conspicuous large gauze on the back of his hand. His hand is disfigured. It is the hand that Huanhuan has always liked, but it has become very ugly, just like him. He has been stigmatized as a "plagiarist". Will he never be able to return to his previous simple and pure state
Luo Jingyu laughed softly and bumped his left shoulder against the floor lamp pole. The hanging whale lamp swayed gently above his head, like a whale swimming slowly past his eyes.
He raised his head and signed to it: Whale, what do you think I should do
—
There were still two days left before the deadline given by Huanshang, and Weibo was still abuzz with controversy. Zhanxi would occasionally take a look at the comments, but there was no sign of improvement, and public opinion was still unfavorable to Xiyu.
More and more people in the Hanfu circle paid attention to this matter, and Fang Xu's business was booming. Zhan Xi visited his Taobao store, and after Xiyu's clarification Weibo was issued, Fang Xu's monthly sales surged a lot.
Zhan Xi was confused. Is this a huge sales volume? Can Guan Rujie handle it? Even Luo Jingyu couldn't handle so many orders.
Huan Chang has deleted the two Weibo posts related to "Fish Playing with Lotus" and is playing dead for the time being.
Zhan Xi did not speak out again, nor did she have a private chat with rrmft0429. However, this person provoked her in private chats every day, and posted a lot of Weibo to circle a lot of people, telling her sad experience: no one cared about being plagiarized, Huan Shang ignored her, Xiyu ignored her, Xu Qingyan ignored her, and only "Xiao Yuyu Handmade Hot Flower" comforted her, because the other party was also a victim, being dragged to take the blame, and was wronged just like her...
Zhan Xi put all these things aside and made an appointment to meet the lawyer in a cafe. Luo Xinran accompanied her. The three of them chatted from afternoon to evening, and Zhan Xi became more and more discouraged as they talked.
She hadn't contacted Luo Jingyu all day, thinking that she couldn't push him too hard and let him adjust himself. Zhan Xi had confidence in Xiaoyu. A boy born with hearing loss had suffered a lot since he was a child. He still had some ability to withstand pressure. Just give him some time. She believed that he could get over it.
Luo Jingyu did not stay at home that day. She couldn't stay there, so she went out early in the morning and wandered around on the street. Suddenly, she had an idea, so she took a taxi to a place - the wetland park.
He found the Marriage Bridge. Half a year had passed since the Flower Festival, but the tree beside the Marriage Bridge, which was full of red-string marriage signs, was still there, as was the stall selling the signs. Many of the red strings had faded from exposure to the wind and sun, while some were brightly colored, as if they had been hung up recently.
Luo Jingyu knew that the staff would remove some marriage cards regularly, so he wanted to try his luck and see if the card he and Zhan Xi had was still there.
He vaguely remembered the location where it was hung, and searched for a long time among the pile of wooden signs. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he already had a marriage sign in his hand.
The red string has faded, and the words on the sign have blurred a little, but they are still recognizable:
Luo Jingyu, there is a whale spraying water below.
It means happiness, there is a round egg underneath and a smiling face on the egg.
There is a love heart between the two people's names.
The marriage card between him and Huanhuan is still there!
Luo Jingyu held the wooden sign in her left hand and took a photo with her mobile phone in her right hand.
This gave him a little confidence, just treat it as superstition! God must be telling him that the fate between him and Huanhuan has not yet come to an end.
This is the kind of confidence he needs now.
After leaving the wetland park, Luo Jingyu passed by the Children's Palace on her way back to the city and asked the driver to stop the car temporarily.
School has started and there are only some preschool children playing in the Children's Palace. He walked on the empty road, staring at several closed amusement facilities.
If I remember correctly, this was the place where he and Huanhuan had their first date after they got together, and where they held hands in public for the first time. It was Huanhuan who took the initiative and pulled his hand out of his pocket. Later, their fingers were firmly clasped together. It was so nervous at that time! Just holding hands made his palms sweat with nervousness.
Luo Jingyu smiled secretly, and suddenly felt refreshed, and strode out of the Children's Palace.
Next stop, he went to the convention center.
There was a furniture expo going on at the convention and exhibition center. Luo Jingyu went in and took a look around, and found the location where she and Huanhuan would be exhibiting.
He and Huanhuan had been guarding the booth here for three days. It turned out that no matter what kind of exhibition it was, this booth was always so remote. The company that was setting up the stall now was a company that specialized in office furniture. The staff were playing games and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
Luo Jingyu stood in front of the booth for a while and then left.
At the fourth stop, he went to a shopping mall.
It was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and was extremely hungry, so he walked into the Thai restaurant. Fortunately, the restaurant had already opened for dinner.
This was the place where he and Huanhuan had their first date. Although they were not together at that time, everyone knew later that they were secretly in love with each other.
Luo Jingyu was the only customer in the entire restaurant. He sat in the booth where he and Huanhuan had sat before. He opened the menu and ordered food, pointing at the pictures and telling the waiter that he wanted curry crab, Tom Yum Goong soup, lemongrass chicken, and mango rice…
The waiter said, "Are you eating alone, sir? That's a bit much."
Luo Jingyu smiled at her, shook his hand, patted his chest, and made an "ok" gesture. The waiter knew that he was deaf-mute, so he placed the order for him without saying much.
Luo Jingyu naturally couldn't finish so many dishes. He finished his Tom Yum Goong soup and mango rice, packed up the leftover curry crab and lemongrass chicken and went to his next destination - the KTV he and Huanhuan had been to.
A deaf-mute came over to ask for a small private room. The staff at the KTV front desk were all confused, but they knew that he was the boss if he paid. The waiter took Luo Jingyu into a small private room and asked him if he wanted to order some drinks and snacks. Luo Jingyu thought about it, took out his phone and typed for him, asking for three bottles of beer and a snack platter.
After the waiter left, Luo Jingyu began to study how to operate the song ordering interface. He had played with the lighting effects that night, but had never ordered a song. Now, facing the fancy song ordering panel, he was at a loss as to where to start. He tapped his index finger to select the pinyin song order, and after a long time, he finally selected the song "Whale".
Beer and snacks were brought in. Luo Jingyu opened a bottle of beer and drank while watching the MV on the big screen, watching the subtitles appear and disappear line by line.
Each word changes from white to blue at different times. Is this probably the rhythm of the melody or lyrics? Luo Jingyu didn't understand, but just replayed the MV over and over again, thinking of Huanhuan singing, their hands holding together, and her gentle eyes when she looked at him...
Luo Jingyu's heart was beating so fast. He raised his hands and expressed the lyrics one by one in sign language, as if he was singing along.
"I will secretly fantasize one night
Will a whale fly past the window
Is he also like me, unable to see hope
Breaking free from chains, crossing the ocean…”
—
After saying goodbye to the lawyer and Luo Xinran, Zhan Xi returned to Qingque Jiayuan 802 alone. It was already 9 o'clock in the evening.
She took a shower, climbed onto the bed with the briefcase, and took out everything from the bag.
All of them are color-printed pictures, including rrmft0429's "design draft" and Xiaoyu's color-printed pieces from the first draft to the final draft, as well as the actual pictures made by rrmft0429 and the refined photos of the actual accessories of the "Fish Playing in Lotus" style of Huanshang Hanfu.
She spread all the pictures on the bed and knelt beside them to look at them carefully.
One day, she seemed to have a doubt about something, but she forgot what it was and why she had the doubt. This bothered her and she always felt that this matter was the key, and perhaps remembering it would point her to a new path.
What's the matter
Zhan Xi's eyes swept across the color pictures, looking at rrmft0429's manuscript, then at Xiaoyu's manuscript, and then at the final physical drawings of both parties... She stared at them stupidly for more than ten minutes, and suddenly she found something wrong, and her mind went "ding".
She seemed to... remember what she was wondering about.
They are the little koi fish made of heat shrink film.
Yes! It’s the little koi!
When Xiaoyu took out the koi for the first time before preparing to make "Fish Playing in Lotus", she had a feeling of déjà vu, as if she had seen it somewhere before. But it should have been the first time she saw it, so why did she have this feeling? Where did she see it
Zhan Xi opened her laptop again, trying to find inspiration from the photos she had taken in July. She had flipped through the photos in the morning, but hadn't found any valuable clues. She mostly used a SLR to take photos of Xiaoyu at home, and her cell phone was used to take casual photos of her daily life, many of which were photos of gifts, as well as photos of Xiaoyu's display at the Creation Festival and during class.
Zhan Xi scrolled through the photos one by one, but couldn't make sense of them.
Maker’s Festival, Maker’s Festival, Maker’s Festival… She saw herself in a vain selfie taken when she had some free time, with a close-up of her head and pouting her lips to look cute. In the background was the tiny Luo Jingyu, who was making flowers with her head down.
This should be the next day, July 18th. She was wearing a lotus green Hanfu dress, with two small buns on her hair and a lotus hairpin in it.
Lotus Hairpin...
Zhan Xi suddenly closed her eyes and got goose bumps all over her body. She was trying hard to recall, recall carefully, using all her brain cells to recall!
On July 18, the Creation Festival, she wore a lotus hairpin, which was specially made for her by Luo Jingyu to fit the theme of the booth. Then, that day, a small episode happened!
She sold a hairpin! A hairpin without a price tag! When the customer asked for the price, she gave a random price and she couldn't even remember how much she gave.
That is a... lotus hairpin!
On the hairpin, there was a very small orange-red koi fish, only the size of a thumbnail. It was the customer who said, "This fish is so small and cute, only the size of a thumbnail." She took a look at it, and the customer bought the hairpin.
That was the first time she saw the little koi. No wonder she couldn't remember it, because she only took a quick look and the hairpin was in the guest's hand from beginning to end!
—
Luo Jingyu had been almost sleepless the night before because of a lot of thoughts. After eating and drinking in the small private room, she felt sleepy and lay down on the sofa to take a nap. When she woke up, she saw that the four-hour time in the private room was almost over.
He finished all the snacks, left the box with his packed Thai meal, and went to the front desk to pay.
There is a landscape pool at the reception area of the KTV, with water flowing down from the rockery. There are fake lotus flowers, lotus leaves and a few small landscape fish in the pool.
Luo Jingyu was particularly sensitive to lotus and fish at this time, so she stood there and watched for a while.
The little fish were real, swimming among the lotus flowers. Luo Jingyu walked to the edge of the pond, and as she watched, she suddenly remembered something.
Before, he and Zhan Xi had been looking for evidence of the first draft, whether the first draft had been photographed by chance, whether it had been mentioned to anyone by chance, etc., but they overlooked that, in addition to the first draft, he had done one thing about "Fish Playing in Lotus"!
It was during the Maker Festival. He had nothing to do, so he made a similar hairpin based on the design of a hairpin in the first draft. It was a real hairpin! He planned to give it to Huanhuan to wear on the third day.
Lotus flowers are in line with the theme of the booth!
Why didn’t he remember it? Because the hairpin had disappeared long ago. It was gone. Less than ten minutes had passed since it was created. He didn’t even have time to make the final adjustments. He went to the bathroom. When he came back, he found out that Huanhuan had sold it!
Luo Jingyu turned around and ran towards the exit, almost bumping into a waiter holding a beer bottle. He didn't even have time to take the elevator, so he ran down the stairs and rushed out of the mall, almost reaching the roadside at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
There were several taxis parked there. Luo Jingyu opened the passenger door and got in. With trembling hands, she typed on her phone to the driver: Qingque Home
The driver frowned: "The one from Qingquemen?"
Luo Jingyu nodded frantically.
The driver said, "Fasten your seat belts."
As soon as the accelerator was stepped on, the car drove out.
Zhan Xi stood in the empty living room of room 1504 and stared at Liwu, angrily asking, "Where's your dad? Where did he go so late at night?"
She sent a WeChat message to Luo Jingyu.
Egg Pudding: Where are you, little fish
What a big fish: I'm in the car, going home, almost there!
Zhan Xi didn't want to wait even a second, so she rushed out, took the elevator downstairs, and rushed out of Danmenyuan. She was wearing a T-shirt and hot pants, with a pair of flip-flops on her feet. She gritted her teeth and ran to the gate of the community. From a distance, she saw a taxi just stopped a few dozen meters away, and the man in the passenger seat got out.
Luo Jingyu turned around and saw her, and ran towards her. Zhan Xi did not stand still, but ran towards him. After running a few steps, the slipper on her right foot flew off, causing her hands to flutter a few times and she almost fell.
Luo Jingyu screamed "Ah!", Zhan Xi looked up at him. He was running very fast with a bag in his hand, waving his hands at her as he ran, signaling her not to move.
She stopped moving, standing on one bare foot on the ground with her arms open to him.
He had already run to her, without any hesitation, he threw the bag to the ground, hugged her, lifted her up high, and spun her around a few times, making her giggle and her hair fly in the wind.
He carried her to the place where her slippers fell, and then put her down. She put on her shoes and looked up at him. It was late summer and the weather was still hot. Both of them were sweating, probably because of excitement.
Zhan Xi jumped up and down, shouting, "Xiao Yu! I may have found evidence! Do you believe it? I found evidence!"
Luo Jingyu held her cheeks, lowered his head and kissed her face messily. Zhan Xi smelled the alcohol on him and asked in surprise: "Have you been drinking?"
He laughed, a very hearty laugh, with his eyes curved, and he laughed out loud "hehehe".
Perhaps the alcohol really made the cowardly people braver. Luo Jingyu hugged her tightly again, and kissed her forehead and hair again and again. Finally, he pressed his lips heavily on her lips, and his soft tongue explored her little mouth, giving her a long-awaited passionate kiss.
Zhan Xi was so dizzy from his kiss that he finally broke free and asked anxiously, "I'm talking to you, can you hear me? I may have found evidence!"
Luo Jingyu smiled and nodded, revealing a row of big white teeth, and said in sign language: I heard it, I thought about it, and I also remembered the evidence.