translated_Chapter 43

43: Carving a Boat to Find a Sword

Jing Yueming was surprised: “Thirty? No, no.”

“What’s wrong? Twenty-nine, almost thirty, do you think I’m old?”

Jing Yueming shook his head: “You’ll be twenty-nine after your birthday.”

Qiu Ci pondered for a moment: “I don’t celebrate birthdays. I don’t remember when my birthday is, so my sister and I never celebrated birthdays.”

Jing Yueming was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled: “Who would think you’re old? You’ll only think I’m not young enough, and then in a few years, you’ll find a strong twenty-year-old college student.”

Qiu Ci was amused by the kid: “You little rascal, but I do like young ones.”

Jing Yueming angrily slapped the table: “Qiu Ci! You actually dare to think that.”

“I’m not married, can’t I find a younger lover?”

“No!” Jing Yueming put a delicate little dumpling into Qiu Ci’s bowl: “You promised me, you’re my boyfriend, you can’t cheat.”

Qiu Ci said with a smile, “You believe what I say in bed?”

“Then let’s go back to bed.”

Qiu Ci poked the little dumpling, and there was a hard foreign object inside.

He picked it out, it was a coin flashing with metallic light.

“Ahem, lucky dumpling.”

Qiu Ci put it on the plate: “Forcoax kids.”

“Forcoax you.”

…

The annual leave lasted until half a month later, and they had no relatives to visit.

For some reason, Qiu Ci didn’t receive any visits either.

Playing games, watching TV, reading books.

They had basically done all the activities at home.

It was really boring.

Fortunately, it was the first month of the lunar year, and Qiu Ci took him to the temple fair.

Because it was during the New Year, many families brought their children to play.

There were also some young couples.

The marriage tree was full of red prayer ropes.

“Qiu Ci, let’s tie one,” Jing Yueming said coquettishly.

“Ah? Getting married would be a bit troublesome, we’d need a foreign household registration.”

“It doesn’t have to be marriage, just something like never leaving each other for life,” Jing Yueming muttered.

“Little Jing, I’m being serious with you.” The two leaned against the stone fence under the marriage tree: “I’m thirty, you’re twenty, it’s not fair to you for a lifetime.”

“Ten years is okay, what if you live to eighty, and I live to seventy? Don’t say such unlucky things.” Jing Yueming rested his head on Qiu Ci’s shoulder, not caring at all if such intimacy would be seen: “I don’t have any family to be with me for a long and happy life. You and Ai La are the most important people in my life, so please give me a promise, okay?”

Qiu Ci smiled indulgently: “Okay.”

In the end, the two tied a red rope under the marriage tree. There was paper on the red rope, and on the paper was written: “Qiu Ci.” “Jing Yueming.”

The two names will be immortalized here, for ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years.

No matter how long after, this tree will still have this story.

Two men tied their names, praying to be together forever.

Carving a boat to find a sword, throwing the sword into the sea, this sword will forever be in the sea.

Until the seas run dry and the stones crumble.

The light in Qiu Ci’s eyes made Jing Yueming really believe that it would be for a lifetime.

But a lifetime is too long.

He’s only twenty years old.

How firm will a vow be made so early?

Qiu Ci looked at the distant sunset.

It was almost the anniversary of Qiu Shi’s death.

In the evening, there were fewer people, but still many, after all, the bustling night market would start soon.

Tsukimi Rin stood under the marriage tree and tied an empty red rope.

No name, no wishes, just tied it up.

She took a photo of it with her camera and kept it.

A girl holding a candied hawthorn wobbled over.

Unfortunately, she bumped into Tsukimi Rin, and she wobbled and steadied herself.

She didn’t forget to grab the little troublemaker just now.

Her mother hurriedly came over: “Tangtang! Why are you running around? There are so many people… Oh, thank you for helping me catch this little one.” The young mother didn’t suspect that this gentle-looking girl was a bad person at all.

“It’s okay…” Tsukimi Rin was a little evasive.

“Sorry to bother you, I’ll take Tangtang to play over there.” The woman saw Tsukimi Rin’s discomfort, just assumed she was socially awkward or introverted, and quickly took her child away, not wanting to bother her anymore.

Watching the child leave, Tsukimi Rin felt a little uncomfortable.

That child looked only three or four years old.

Very cute.

Watching the mother and child leave, Tsukimi Rin gradually came back to her senses.

…

After the New Year, all walks of life began to recover.

Jing Yueming also began to prepare for the art exhibition.

He and Qiu Ci found a company that could undertake it.

Jing Yueming gave theParty B his ideas, and the two parties communicated smoothly.

Even giving Jing Yueming a back door because of Qiu Ci’s face, and quickly found a suitable venue.

Everything was prepared smoothly, and it could basically be completed before the university started.

The exhibition lasted for a week.

There were no tickets, just real-name authentication with an ID card.

No appraisers or critics were invited either.

After all, Ai La was a self-taught artist.

Her foundation wasn’t very good, mostly impressionistic paintings.

Expressing emotions and textures through brushstrokes.

Hanging on the wall in the center of the small exhibition hall was “Twins,” jointly completed by Ai La and Jing Yueming.

Two infants with umbilical cords intertwined, submerged in water.

They hugged each other, in the lonely dark world, they only had each other.

Many old people and children had gone home to rest in the evening.

Still visiting were some young people.

Su Yuyang, with blue-green dyed hair, wandered around the exhibition hall.

Finally, he found Qiu Ci in the backstage office.

“Brother Qiu, you haven’t contacted me this year,” Su Yuyang said coquettishly, sitting on the sofa in the office.

“Been busy lately.”

“You’re so good at making excuses.” Su Yuyang complained: “Did you forget me when you got a new love?”

“Boss Su, we’re friends, what kind of new love are you talking about?” Qiu Ci explained helplessly.

“Tch~” Su Yuyang made eight hundred expressions in a second: “Are you and Jing Yueming getting too close? Bar, company… don’t you know to avoid people, what if…”

“It’s nothing, it won’t affect work.”

“I’m saying what if, what if someone makes a fuss, it’s so troublesome, and isn’t this exhibition hall too high-profile?”

Qiu Ci stopped explaining: “Don’t talk about these things, I’ll try my best to arrange it.”

At nine o’clock in the evening, there was a public welfare explanation.

“Miss Ai La, in the last moments of her life, realized the companionship and attachment between twins. This complex kinship is really touching. Today, Mr. Qiu Ci, as Miss Ai La’s only relative and sole heir, has also come to the scene…”

The narrator explained the ideas of these works to everyone on the thirty-centimeter platform, most of which could not be seen just by looking.

“Mr. Qiu, please say a few words.”

Qiu Ci took the microphone and was pushed forward by Jing Yueming.

Jing Yueming used Qiu Ci’s name to hold the art exhibition because it was inconvenient for him to have a relationship with Ai La.

Qiu Ci recalled the manuscript Jing Yueming had written for him.

“Sister…”

All the lights were turned off, and the venue was plunged into darkness.

The crowd immediately began to become restless.

“Everyone, don’t panic.” Qiu Ci shouted with the microphone: “The emergency power will be turned on soon, please be patient.”