the gravity of the rainbow

Chapter 11

01
It was near the end of the semester, and then came the winter vacation. Rainbow and Ji Huang ushered in their first free period since starting work, and also ushered in the honeymoon period of love.They discovered more common hobbies, or went hand in hand to second-hand bookstores, searched for old novels, or participated in reading clubs and exchanged reading experiences.Like most of the teachers in this department, Ji Huang lived a poor and frugal life as a scholar, spending most of his time with a lamp, a cup of tea, and a book.And his spare time is actually quite rich. In addition to working and studying, he is also busy applying for funds, writing books and publishing papers.They don't see each other every day, and Ji Huang occasionally goes to other places for meetings or goes home to visit relatives.Rainbow is also preparing for her doctoral entrance exam.She knew that each other gave each other the most of their spare time, and for a pair of lovers, this was enough.

Like Dong Lin, Ji Huang seldom talked about family affairs, and he never mentioned his father's death.He mentioned that his mother was in poor health and had been hospitalized for the past year; his two younger brothers were in the second year of high school, and he supported them to take their favorite universities.Almost all the money Ji Huang earns is used to pay for his family and his mother’s medical expenses. If he has a little surplus, he will buy a lot of books.When she was with Ji Huang, Caihong never offered to go to the restaurant, and everyone either brought a box lunch or ate together in the cafeteria after class.Occasionally, Ji Huang would invite her to dinner when a bonus was given out, and she readily accepted it.Of course, Caihong never lacks opportunities to enjoy delicious food. Ji Huang's cooking skills are superb, and she can savor a hot and sour cabbage casually.Thinking about it carefully, the best time for them to spend together was actually the scene where they chatted while sitting on a swing in an open-air fitness plaza every day when Ji Huang sent her home.

Every morning at five o'clock in the morning, Ji Huang gets up on time, goes out for a long-distance run for four to ten minutes, and starts a day's life.It's his habit, it's been like this since he was a boy.He used to say that for the early risers, the city was theirs.Because they can breathe the first breath of fresh air before the pollution comes, say "good morning" to the sanitation lady who cleans the streets, eat the first steamed buns from the breakfast shop, and hear the first sound of the bus coming into the station. When he braked for the first time, he saw the first brick laid by the construction workers for the building—the key to the city seemed to be in his hands. With a slight twist, everything that was still was dancing like a girl on a music box.Ji Huang said that this was the happiest moment of his day.

Rainbow smiled and bent over, said: "Strange, I really want to ask our mayor, why didn't he give you the title of 'city troubadour'?"

After the billiards incident, every time we say goodbye, Ji Huang has to say "thank you" to Rainbow.Over time, a special ritual was formed.He can always find a reason to thank her: "Thank you for buying books with me", "Thank you for allowing me to treat you to dinner", "Thank you for waiting for me", "Thank you for bringing me soup", "Thank you for chatting with me", "Thank you for helping me." I changed my homework" "Thank you for watching a movie with me"... No matter what they did on a particular day, he would thank her solemnly.If he was on a business trip for a meeting, he also remembered to make a phone call and come back to chat for a few words, and at the end he said "Thank you for letting me hear your voice".

If you have to thank people for these insignificant things, Rainbow has to sit at home every day and thank his mother.For a long time, she has accepted her parents' care like a princess with peace of mind, never worrying about dressing and eating.But who in the world is not like this?Can I come over thanks?It's not necessary, it's good to know filial piety, otherwise it's just artificial.So she said to Ji Huang, no thanks, how can there be so much to thank?
But he insisted on thanking, Rainbow began to feel nauseous, and it became a habit to persist to the end.Every time Ji Huang thanked her, he held her hand, with a very solemn demeanor, a very serious expression, and a very deep and tender gaze looking at her.

Can such a man resist?Can't.Rainbow quickly fell.

After the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival is approaching in a blink of an eye.

The day before the Lantern Festival, the sun was shining, and the city of F in winter was rarely warm.Coming out of the library, Rainbow asked Ji Huang to go for a walk in the park together.Sitting on the chair and chatting for a long time, Rainbow suddenly said: "Ji Huang, do you find it strange that we have never taken a group photo together?"

Ji Huang nodded and said, "Well, because I don't have a camera."

Rainbow said: "You don't have it, I have it! Look at my mobile phone, even though it's small, it can record video!"

"So many functions?"

"My mother's unit once held a lottery, and I won the prize and gave it back to me."

"You can take a photo if you like it, we both look good, and it looks great in one photo." Ji Huang said boldly.

"You are stinky."

Caihong asked passers-by to take some intimate group photos for them, and said, "Why don't you take another video - I haven't used this video function yet, so I don't know how clear it is. I'll try it!"

She tossed a few times, switched to the video, and sighed: "Oh, it's not easy, it's not interesting for me to shoot you, and it's not interesting for you to shoot me. It's interesting if we two are together. But... who would like to How about filming for us? In fact, it only takes a few minutes, even three minutes."

Ji Huang thought for a while and said, "I have an idea."

He went to the peddler to buy four hydrogen balloons, tied them together, and asked the hawker for a roll of rope, then tied the mobile phone to the hydrogen balloons, with the camera facing down.

Then he tied the balloon with a long rope, let it go slowly, and at the same time pressed the video knob: "Okay, the video starts!"

"Ha! Ji Huang, you are so smart! You are a genius!" Rainbow raised his head and waved to the camera, and hugged Ji Huang.

Ji Huang felt sorry.

"Ji Huang, I love you!" Rainbow waved at the camera, "Say it, Ji Huang, come and confess!"

Ji Huang didn't answer, but just gave the camera a big smile.

"Ji Huang looks so pretty when she smiles! You should always laugh!"

"is it?"

"Like a killer when you're not smiling!"

"No way?"

"real!"

"Ji Huang, what is your dream?"

"Dream?" He was slightly taken aback.

"Well, everyone has a dream!"

"My dream - to see my mother's smile." His expression was a little sad.

"Don't be sad, everything will be fine! Trust me!" Rainbow clenched his fists and hugged him tightly.

"What about you? What are your dreams?" he asked.

"I dreamed of picking up a shooting star, and then I won the biggest lottery of the year!"

"So vulgar?"

Rainbow said angrily: "Why is it so vulgar? Then tell me, what is an elegant and high-quality dream?"

Ji Huang thought for a long time, and said: "For example, dream...you marry me?"

"Hehehehe—Mr. Ji—is it difficult? Can this be called a dream?" Rainbow grinned, "Look, the balloon is getting higher and higher, I don't know if it can still shine on us."

"It definitely can. There is no wind, it is rising straight up, just like a spaceship leaving the earth," Ji Huang smiled, "Not only can it shine on us, but it can also shine on the entire city."

"I love you! Confession!"

"Um……"

He squeezed her palm three times.

"This...that's it...is this your confession?"

"Ah."

That night, Rainbow went home early, mopped the floor, washed the laundry, wiped the table for the first time, and boiled another big pot of the red dates, lotus seeds and bird's nest soup from last time.When Li Mingzhu came back from chatting, she saw that the windows were bright and clean, and the stove was shiny. She asked, "Oh, the sun is coming out from the west? What are you doing, girl?"

"Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, I will clean up." Caihong took her mother's bag, smiling like a spring, "Mom, does your back hurt? Shall I give you a pinch?"

"Stop... You girl, do you have a ghost in your heart?" Li Mingzhu sat down on the sofa, "Tell me, tell me the truth, what can I ask for?"

"No, it's just—well—tomorrow night, I want to treat someone." Rainbow whispered.

"Who please? With such a big fanfare."

"Mom, do you remember the teacher who sent me back last night?"

"Remember, Mr. Ji. The surname is Ji, right?"

"Yes, yes." Rainbow said, "He is a foreigner. I don't think he has anywhere to go during the holidays. I want to invite him to our house for dinner. He is my instructor and has helped me a lot."

"No problem, please." Mingzhu said, "I'll go buy a chicken tomorrow."

"He doesn't like meat dishes very much, so buy more vegetarian dishes and fruits."

"Yo, you know so much about his taste?"

"He doesn't eat pepper, and he is allergic to seafood."

Li Mingzhu's face sank: "Girl, to be honest, what's going on? Huh? You... Are you on good terms?"

Rainbow wanted to continue to hesitate, but after thinking about it, this day will always come, so she nodded her head and said, "Yeah."

"Damn girl," Li Mingzhu said angrily, "I knew that such a day would come. Tell me, how long has it been?"

"How long has it been?"

"How long have you been well?"

"Almost three months."

"It's not too long, there's still time to cut it off." Li Mingzhu said firmly.

"Continuously, I like him." Rainbow's face turned pale, and with the courage he didn't know where he came from, he insisted firmly.

"Okay, if you let him come tomorrow, I'll meet him and see who he is." Li Mingzhu stood up, entered her bedroom, and shut the door heavily.

That night, because of her mother's words, Rainbow shuddered and spent a sleepless night thinking about countermeasures.After much deliberation, Caihong feels that although her mother is aggressive, she still understands the truth.She has never met Ji Huang and doesn't know his conversation, so naturally she doesn't like him. Maybe seeing him tomorrow will change her impression.

On Ji Huang's side, she didn't dare to call to hint her mother's attitude.Firstly, Ji Huang was arrogant and sensitive to his own background, if he accidentally said something wrong, he would be so angry that he would not come.Secondly, Caihong thinks that Ji Huang is also very smart, whether he is in front of the principal or the respected professor, he can deal with it freely, and he is even more eloquent in writing theoretical articles, so that he can't deal with Li Mingzhu who only has a technical secondary school degree.

Rainbow felt that this hot potato should be thrown to Ji Huang and let him deal with it, which was also a test of his ability.

The treat was agreed, and on the afternoon of the Lantern Festival, Rainbow only saw her mother knitting a sweater leisurely at home, sitting on the sofa with her buttocks, and had no intention of getting up.Rainbow treats have always been Li Mingzhu's cooking, and she doesn't think it's hard for her who likes to be lively.I started preparing the night before, and got up early the next morning to get busy. After finishing the dishes and soup, I chatted with the guests in high spirits.Later, Li Mingzhu admitted that the purpose of the chat was to grasp the new trend of Rainbow's thoughts, and at the same time, he also investigated whether these people were suitable to be Rainbow's friends.Rainbow felt that Li Mingzhu just wanted to live the lost youth on her body again.It is only to blame that the times she has experienced have given her too many regrets and blows.Whenever she saw her mother's hands roughened by inferior soap and her deformed knees due to lack of warmth in winter, Rainbow felt a kind of pain in her heart, accompanied by a bit of helplessness and sadness.The rapidly expanding city did not bring any spatial relief to my mother, and the wheel of time was changing her with a coercive force.The mother who can't do needlework learned to sew, learned to cook, learned to quarrel with the vegetable vendor for a dime, learned to get up at five in the morning to make breakfast for the whole family...and also learned to follow suit and listen to others.There was no movement for a long time, Rainbow couldn't wait any longer, and I was too embarrassed to rush, so I had to carry a basket and go downstairs to a nearby restaurant to buy five dishes of fried rice.After returning home, I followed Qin Wei's method and made a large bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup. Then I took out my mother's kimchi jar, took out two sour radishes and a few sour beans, chopped them into a plate, and put them on the table. Sprinkle a few chopped green onions, colorful and pretty.

At five o'clock, father He Dalu also came back, exchanged glances with Li Mingzhu, and sat on a chair calmly drinking tea.

Seeing that her parents didn't have a smiling face, but there were three trials, Rainbow broke out in a cold sweat, this is not a Hongmen Banquet!Ji Huang doesn't use his mobile phone very much, so calling him temporarily to tell him not to come would make people worry.

While hesitating, the doorbell rang suddenly, and Ji Huang arrived on time.Rainbow opened the door and was about to make a sound. Li Mingzhu, who had been silent all this time, changed her face and strode forward to greet her: "Oh, it's Teacher Ji, please come in!"

"Uncle, aunt, hello."

The big doctor didn't dare to be evasive, and brought two bags of gifts, and there were actually two bottles of Moutai.Rainbow thought, broken.Ji Huang has always been frugal, and she also said that it was just a light meal. If it is so grand to carry a bag of fruit, wouldn't Li Mingzhu be more suspicious?After thinking about it again, this is the first time Ji Huang saw her parents, and it is the Lantern Festival, if she is Ji Huang, she should be grand and focused.

Seeing Moutai, He Dalu immediately had a smile on his face: "Really, Teacher Ji, I just came to have a light meal, why are you so polite?"

"Rainbow said that uncle likes to drink some wine, so I went to the mall to buy it."

"Oh, sit down. Rainbow, pour tea for the teacher."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, we began to eat.All the dishes on the table smelled of bad-quality soy sauce from a small restaurant, and Rainbow kept beating his heart. Would Master Ji, who had taken the spoon, see that this dish was not made by her, but bought?Will you doubt their sincerity?

"Mr. Ji, where are you from?" Mingzhu asked.

"Auntie, I'm from Zhongbi."

"Is that the famous Zhongbi Coal Mine?"

"Yes."

"Then your parents work in the mine?" He Dalu asked.He heard that he was also a worker, so his tone was more intimate.

"My father has passed away." Ji Huang said, "A coal mine accident."

"Oh." Li Mingzhu paused, and continued, "Then your mother is really not easy. You are the only child in your family?"

"There are two younger brothers."

"Your mother is pulling three children by herself?"

"Yes. My father died early, and my mother worked very hard."

"But... with your mother's salary alone... is it enough to live?"

"We live relatively frugally, plus my father's pension, it's enough." Ji Huang said.

"Your mother must be a strong woman, right?" Li Mingzhu said, "The boss of our unit is a woman who earns ten times more than her husband."

"No, no. She doesn't have any formal job, and she relies on part-time work to support her family." Ji Huang corrected.

Li Mingzhu gave Rainbow a meaningful look, then smiled and said, "That was really hard work. But now that you're working, it's much better, and you can subsidize a little for your family."

Ji Huang nodded: "Yes."

"Then... your grandparents are also from Zhongbi?"

"My grandfather passed away, and my grandmother has been living in the countryside with my uncles."

"Eat vegetables and eat vegetables."

For a while, Li Mingzhu and He Dalu were silent.Rainbow didn't dare to say more, and Ji Huang didn't dare to say more, so everyone raised their chopsticks silently.

After a while, the atmosphere was really dull, so He Dalu laughed and asked about the climate and customs of Zhongbi.He was not good at talking, the more he talked, the more he seemed to have nothing to say.On the way, he made Li Mingzhu say a few words with winks many times, but Li Mingzhu insisted on ignoring her, her face was expressionless, as cold as iron.Caihong had to pretend to ask Ji Huang some recent situation, such as what new monograph he is writing, what big fund he has won, and whether the two papers on hand have been published.In a word, it is intended to show that Ji Huang is full of talent and has a bright future.But no matter how you say it, Li Mingzhu will never talk to her except eating food.After eating, Rainbow wanted to take Ji Huang to sit in her room for a while. Li Mingzhu stood up and said, "Oh, Teacher Ji, Rainbow said that you are her instructor. Thank you for taking care of her at work."

"Don't dare to be, auntie. I've just started working too, so I can't talk about guidance."

"Drink soup, drink soup." Li Mingzhu walked into the kitchen with slippers on and filled him with a bowl of lotus seed soup. "This sweet soup is specially made for you. It contains bird's nest, which is very nourishing." After finishing speaking, show him the lotus seed soup. Gorgeous packing box, the white bird’s nests are arranged in a circle, and they are padded with yellow satin. Filial piety, you know that I am in poor health, so I send them to you twice a year. Teacher Ji, are you still single? Do you want to settle in this city? There are many girls in our community, when will I see a suitable one and introduce one to you?"

Ji Huang's face changed slightly, and he didn't know how to answer.

"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about!" Rainbow stomped, and was about to say a few words to turn Ji Huang's corner, but Li Mingzhu had already issued an order to evict her: "I'm sorry, Rainbow's aunt is ill, and our family plans to visit her in the evening. "

"Oh," Ji Huang stood up knowingly, "Then I won't disturb you anymore, thank you uncle and aunt for inviting me to dinner."

Li Mingzhu picked up the gift on the ground and stuffed it back into Ji Huang's hands: "Mr. Ji, I just came here for a light meal, why send such an expensive wine? We can't afford it. You see, you are not rich. You just started working. There are so many favors to deal with, take them all back, and use them where they matter most. Auntie of your heart has received it, really, don’t be polite to us." With these words, Rainbow’s blush was neither white nor white.

"Auntie, this is a wish from me. Rainbow has helped me a lot this semester, so let me thank her." Ji Huang insisted not to take it, Li Mingzhu forced it into his hand, Rainbow really couldn't see it, He snatched the gift bag, put it on the sofa, and said, "Ji Huang, I'll give it to you."

From the seventh floor to the first floor, the journey was not short, and Ji Huang didn't say a word.

After leaving the iron gate, Rainbow sent him all the way to the station, looked at him, bit his lips, and said softly, "I'm sorry."

He smiled and patted her head habitually: "It's okay."

"My mother and I have different values." She explained earnestly, "People in their era were poor in material things and did not live a good life. They were more practical in seeing people and doing things."

"I understand."

"Don't take her words to heart. Su Donglin is indeed my good friend, but just a friend, that's all." Rainbow said, "If you don't like it, I don't have to associate with him."

"Don't say that. Your friend is also my friend. Besides, I also like Su Donglin very much. He is a very nice person."

She hugged him hard, and put her face close to his chest: "give my mother some time, I will do her work slowly, don't be angry, okay?"

"Your mother didn't say anything. She just asked me a few questions, and I answered them truthfully. How could you be angry?" He kissed her forehead and shook her hand again, "I'll go back first, There is a night shift at night. Also, thank you for the seaweed egg drop soup."

Seeing that he didn't mind, Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.Watching Ji Huang get into the car, he turned his head and walked home slowly. After walking a few steps, he saw Li Mingzhu standing by the flower bed with a terribly gloomy face.

"mom."

"Go home, I have something to tell you." Li Mingzhu pulled her arm, regardless of her arthritis, and dragged her upstairs.

I'm afraid she saw all the scene just now, right?Rainbow sat on the sofa with a guilty conscience, and put on a smiling face: "Mom, didn't you say you're going to your aunt's house?"

"Let me ask you, how far have you gotten with that person?" Li Mingzhu sneered, "You openly hug each other on the street, and all the sisters-in-law on this floor saw it! Don't you think it's embarrassing? It's fine if this man doesn't have a tutor Yes, you throw yourself into your arms too! Are our Li family—the descendants of Li Shiqian—so cheap?”

"Mom, Ji Huang and I are in free love and mutual consent. Don't say it so badly! What we want to do is our freedom! Don't worry about it." Rainbow has been a good girl all her life. I haven't been told harsh words by my parents, but when I heard this, I got angry.

"I'm sorry, what Mom said just now is serious." Seeing her daughter's tough attitude, Li Mingzhu's eyes turned red, "Rainbow, even though you are not young, you have read a lot of books. There are deep principles in this world. You don't care about this The society knows too little, and this is all my mother's fault. My mother is afraid that you will be deceived, so she has been protecting you for so many years, preventing you from associating with bad people in the society, because she is afraid that you will know how black this society is! How evil is the human heart! Mom is a person who has lived through it. She survived all the joys and sorrows, but she also paid the price. During the "Cultural Revolution", fearing that the Red Guards would find out, your grandma secretly threw the jewelry and gold bars left by my grandpa. Yangtze River. Which one of those jade and ancient jade can’t buy a house now? Mom was reluctant, and covered her ears along the way, because there was a pair of jade earrings on her ears, and your grandma forced them to take them off and throw them into the river! You Let’s talk, mom is reluctant to even have a pair of earrings, will mom be willing to let you jump into the fire pit? I only want you to rein in the precipice by doing this, and don’t be with that surnamed Ji! Yes, he is very simple, look He is also a refreshing young man, don’t be deceived by his appearance—do you know what marriage and family happiness mean to a woman? No matter how successful a strong woman is without these two things, this life is still a pity No matter how good-for-nothing housewives have these two things, they can also be arrogant. A woman must have a good husband in her life, and without a good husband, she must have good children. Without a good husband and no good children, that is the most painful and most painful It’s hard! It’s not that I’m prejudiced against the country people. The country people have their strengths. They are hardworking and willing to work. They know how to climb up bit by bit. Promising and successful careers are also a big catch. Compared with them, you city only daughters are no match. You just saw their glamorous appearance, but you never thought about how hard he worked to get to this step! Yes, This society can’t do without them, and the future of the world belongs to them. These children know what is hard-earned since they were young, so they know how to change their ways to please people persistently. This is their charm, and this is why Xia Feng can marry Han Qing If the poor are not cute, who will pay attention to them? So the poor must be cute, at least for a while. When you marry him, troubles will come. Life is a tragedy!"

Rainbow looked down at the ground and didn't answer a word.

"Yes, now you think my mother's words are vulgar, don't you? Let's talk about the distance, let's talk about the near. A widow pulls three children. The position of the mother in the son's heart can be imagined. In the future, if you marry him, you will definitely marry him." If you want to live with your mother-in-law, what do you do? You don’t even like your own mother’s nagging, so the big Bodhisattva is at home, and you don’t want to worship, please don’t move, and you can’t move it. Want to communicate? Can you understand Zhongbi’s dialect? The mother-in-law of your sister Chen, who is at the door, knows it? The old lady in the countryside, you don’t sit on the toilet when you come here, you have to squat, you have no choice but to use a spittoon. Qi, you can bear this kind of crime? Ji Huang is the eldest brother, and the eldest brother is like a father. He has to take care of these two younger brothers, right? As small as studying and paying tuition fees, as big as working and finding a wife, how can the eldest brother’s worries be less? Doesn’t it mean He is not good, but it does not mean that I am prejudiced against him. This burden is endless! Even if you are married and live in this city, do you know how much the land will cost? Considering his financial situation, plus such a heavy burden , I have been renting a house all my life. Although our family is not rich, we have not been in prison and made mistakes. With your conditions, what man can’t be found? Is it worth embarrassing yourself so much? "

Rainbow said disapprovingly: "Mom, don't talk about money all the time, okay? Ji Huang is an innocent scholar, with a good character, good knowledge, and fun. In the future, I will be poorer if I am poorer. I am happy to be poor."

"Hey! Open your eyes and talk nonsense! You know what a poor life is!" Li Mingzhu stomped her feet angrily, "Why did I raise such a heartless idiot like you! The wind, the flowers, the snow and the moon are serious! I really hope that there will be a strong wind to wake up your dream of spring and autumn. You should also know some firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. You just need to open your eyes and open the door these days, and everything will cost money! Miss , you are used to being a shopkeeper, how can you have this experience? If you don’t believe me, I will give you 300 yuan this month, and let you take a look at it next time! If you are like you and don’t help when the oil bottle is down, you can only marry Su Donglin and let him hire you. People serve you, so you should concentrate on your research, be your professor, and continue your life of poetry and painting gracefully. If you marry Ji Huang, you are ready to go around the pot. You have to arrange three meals a day, and you may have to do it yourself For lunch the next day, I will serve the young ones after serving the old ones, just like your mother does now."

Rainbow smiled instead of anger: "Mom, Ji Huang's cooking skills are very good. He has worked in a restaurant, but he can cook. He won't let me cook every day."

Li Mingzhu just jumped up, and said fiercely: "Knowing how to cook is considered a skill? Go ask the master chefs outside, who cooks at home? Do you recognize Master Zhang at the East Gate? Is he the master of a small stir-fry shop? Does he cook at home? Let me tell you, it is his wife who cooks vegetables every day, and he has to eat them even if they are unpalatable, because no one works after get off work and then does it after work. The person surnamed Ji said it nicely, but it was just to please you, you Seriously? Your ears have been soft since you were a child, if you hadn’t had a mother who blocked everything for you, you wouldn’t know where you would have been sold.”

Caihong wanted to cover her ears, and her mouth became dry for a while, so she went to the refrigerator to find water.When I opened the refrigerator, I saw a big bowl of bright red strawberries inside, and I was angry again: "Mom, why don't you take out the strawberries you bought to entertain guests?"

"Keep it for yourself. Give it to him? Waste!"

"you--"

Just about to argue, the phone rang suddenly, Li Mingzhu quickly picked up the receiver and said, "Hey, who are you looking for?"

"Looking for a rainbow? Who are you? Lily? Guo Lili?"

"She was not at home."

After all, he hung up the phone without any explanation.

"Mom, this is my call!" Rainbow couldn't help shouting, "Why did you hang up without asking me?"

"How many times have I said that? Don't pay attention to that Guo Lili! Don't you know who she is? Don't you suffer from her? Don't you remember—"

"Mom, people change. Lily is also a mother now, and she is much more mature. Let me handle my own affairs, okay?"

"Mom is not afraid of talking badly. Guo Lili looks good. You can like her hairstyle and use the same brand of lipstick as hers, but you must never become her friend, because I don't want you to be hurt even worse by her. I Let me warn you again, this person has nothing good to do with you, he just wants to spy on you to see how you are doing..."

"Mom, don't you care too much? I'm not the president's daughter. Why does she care about me so much?"

"Oh, how rare are you, people don't bother to care about you! They just want to have a loser around them, and compare them with them from time to time to prove that their life is full of beauty and achievements. Congratulations, you have been Selected!"

Rainbow thought to himself, where is this going? Mom must have watched too many harem dramas. How can there be so many scheming between people?Forget it, Li Mingzhu who is on full alert is quite vicious, so it's better not to provoke her.So he said, "I'll go out for a while and relax."

After all, he picked up his handbag and walked out the door without any explanation.

02
After Rainbow's cell phone rang three times, she finally pressed it through: "Lily?"

"Where are you happy? Your mother said you were not at home."

"...I'm taking a walk. What can I do for you?"

"It's been a long time since I saw you, and I was panicking, and you ignored me and didn't call me." Lily said coquettishly, "Is Donglin by your side?"

"No, I'm alone."

"Oh? Then aren't you lonely? It's not fun to hear your voice! Come on, come with me to the spa (spa) and have a full-body beauty?"

"No, I don't like that thing."

"I'm not talking about you. It's not easy to fall in love with something like a spa. It's expensive. I have two membership cards, and I'll give you one."

Subconsciously, Rainbow was wary of accepting Lily’s gift, not knowing what it meant behind the gift, so she refused: “Thank you. I’m too busy recently, I really don’t need it.” Suddenly feeling that his tone was too cold, he hurriedly added: “But thank you You miss me, how are you recently?"

"Are you seeing me again? Well, I won't force you, then go to the old place and drink coffee. It's true that rich people can't be lewd, mighty can't be subdued, sister, I will obey you."

Caihong felt that her heart was in a panic, and she urgently needed to communicate with others.Let's find Han Qing. Han Qing is busier than anyone else now. He claims that he wants to fall on the bed as soon as he gets home. Seeing Xia Feng's face, he is forced to cook again. She dare not disturb her.After careful calculation, there are still three or four sisters in this city, but they all live far away, and they are all busy getting married and having children, and no one has time to pay attention to her.Really only Guo Lili - who is a little troublesome - never leaves her.It's getting hotter recently, and I often call to invite her to eat and play.There are only three things, and it would be too embarrassing to evade.So she said, "Okay."

When we arrived at the coffee shop and ordered coffee and dessert, Guo Lili said, "Actually, I came here to thank you."

Rainbow looked up.

"Last week, Donglin finally lent Dongyu a sum of money, just to make up for the loophole. Alas, since that fight, the two brothers have stopped talking. The Su family has all kinds of temperaments, only on the word 'stubborn'." They are exactly the same. And even if they are stubborn, they are so ruthless that even nine cows can't pull them back." Guo Lili shook her head and sighed.

"Then Donglin is still willing to borrow money, which means he still values ​​brotherhood." Caihong said.

"Actually, it doesn't matter whose money it is. The money belongs to the old man, but he holds it too tightly. Dong Lin goes to ask for it, and asks for a lot of money. Dongyu basically doesn't give it. It's not just twice a time. Come back. Do you think Dongyu will feel better? A brother who was born in a mother’s womb, it’s really chilling. In terms of background, Dongyu is a major in finance from a famous foreign university, and he can speak English very well. You That Donglin—do you remember——English CET-[-] would never have passed without your help tutoring. I really don’t understand why he is so lucky.”

Hearing this, Rainbow felt embarrassed.If she had been a tabloid reporter, she would have loved to hear these well-sourced top secrets.It's a pity that she is not interested in these secrets, but Lily just likes to talk about them, and she really treats her as a good friend, and she can't stop talking about them.

After chatting for almost an hour, Lili finally turned the topic to Rainbow: "By the way, how are you and Dong Lin doing? When will we get things done?"

Rainbow said: "What's the matter, I have a normal relationship with him."

"Hey, you're here again." Lily put on a gossip, "Didn't you say you've reached that point last time?"

"Not serious anymore."

"Dong Lin is not an irresponsible person."

"I didn't hold him accountable."

"Then tell me what happened, and I'll smooth things over for you, and see if I can make it up." Lily took a breath, and gave her a look of resentment, "What I said may not be effective, but after all I It's his sister-in-law."

"It's nothing." Rainbow was vague.

"Awkward?"

Rainbow finally said: "Can you stop mixing me with Dong Lin? I have a boyfriend."

Lily was startled: "Really? Who is it? Do I know him?"

"You don't know me, my colleague from the university, from the teaching and research section."

"Wow! Didn't you dump my Donglin?" Lily exclaimed in a small area.

"Didn't you say that they are just ordinary friends? You can't talk about dumping or not."

"Oh, who has such a great charm than Su Donglin? What does his father do?"

"One of the common people, the salary is about the same as mine."

Lili grabbed her hand: "Rainbow, don't be stupid. A good-tempered diamond man like Donglin, if you miss this village, there will be no shop. I'm not exaggerating, there are many women who want to get into his arms. "

"No way? Since he is so precious, why didn't you fall in love with him?" Rainbow was annoyed, and couldn't help but sarcastically.

Lily was stunned for a while and didn't speak for a long time.After a while, she really didn't mention Dong Lin: "Tell me, who is your new boyfriend? What's his name? You can't be fooled by me, can you?"

"The surname is Ji, the Ji of the season."

"Since his salary is about the same as yours, that is to say, the conditions are not so good, can your mother pass him?" Lily said.

Rainbow raised her eyebrows: "Is my mother such a snobbish person?"

Lily smiled: "Isn't your mother?"

Rainbow opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Rainbow, I, Guo Lili, have seen countless people, and there are many strong women in my circle, but like your mother, you can do what you say, change your face when you say it, and dare to throw a glass in front of people. I've seen one." Realizing that her evaluation was a bit negative, she praised again, "My aunt is too tough. With a mother like this, you won't be fooled."

After being praised and criticized by her, Rainbow said angrily: "She is doing this for my own good."

"However, let me tell the truth from your point of view. Rainbow, you are not your mother's opponent," Lily changed the subject, "Your boyfriend is even worse. Listen to what my sister said, don't fall into it, you should withdraw as soon as possible! When your mother disagrees and you like him again, it will be uncomfortable, it will be worse than being dumped by a man, at least you have given up your mind, right?"

These words reached Rainbow's heart, and troubles surfaced like an iceberg.

"Then what do you think I should do?"

"Didn't you say it, three words: Hurry up - hurry up and withdraw."

"What if I don't withdraw?"

"Rainbow, do you want to fight your mother?" Lily took out the lipstick and wiped it in front of the small mirror, "Don't be too hungry. I have learned a lot anyway."

Recalling the old story, even though Caihong suffered a lot, the way Li Mingzhu threw Lily's schoolbag outside the door was still fresh in Caihong's memory, and his voice couldn't help but lower his voice: "Oh, my mother... She has a temper. Back then She really shouldn't have thrown your schoolbag like that. I even told her about it."

"Hey, why don't I treat you as a sister, don't pretend to be sloppy, okay? You know that your mother has done more things to me."

She was stunned and said, "My mother...has anything else done to you?"

Lily looked at her suspiciously, and kept sneering: "You really deserve to be your mother's child, you are very good at playing dumb."

Rainbow straightened its spine and said seriously: "Tell me, I really don't know."

"You've always hated me for Wei Zhe's affairs, haven't you?" Lily stared at her face, "I admit, I went too far in this matter, but you don't know what happened between me and Wei Zhe. I once Because of him... had a miscarriage. This was revealed to your mother. One day, she actually called my dad and said that I was dissolute, lived with men off-campus, got pregnant and had a miscarriage, and had extremely bad influence at school. Discipline my daughter well. My dad is an extremely conservative person. He keeps himself clean and saves face. When he received the phone call, he was furious and went to school to find Wei Zhe. That kid fell out with me anyway, so he confessed everything, and maybe added fuel. Well, my dad jumped up to beat him, but he couldn't beat him at all, and he slapped me. When he got home, he whipped me with a belt in a rage, saying it was a great shame for him. Grandma's house, I thought he would come to pick me up in a few days, but he didn't come at all. I tried my best to marry Su's house to prove to him that even though I lost my life, I can still handle men. But my father didn't even He didn’t even bother to attend his wedding. He died of a serious illness last year, and he refused to see me when he was dying. Do you know what it’s like to be despised by your own relatives?”

Rainbow couldn't help being shocked, and then dumbfounded.There are stories behind the stories.Although this incident sounds unbelievable, it fully demonstrates Li Mingzhu's consistent style, that is, she has a strong desire to protect Rainbow.Who dares to touch a hair of her daughter, she can kill Buddhas and demons, she can do anything.

"Really, Rainbow," Lily stood up, "I came to you because I really like you, otherwise I wouldn't be so ungrateful. In fact, I don't owe you anything, even if I owe you, your mother will ask you back gone."

03
After leaving the cafe, Rainbow walked down the street in a daze.She was thinking about her friendship with Lily, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.After the Wei Zhe incident, she has always enjoyed a sense of moral superiority, always thinking that she forgave Lily, and it was a noble act to associate with her regardless of the past.Now, who actually hurt whom?Who is the one who ignores past suspicions?And who values ​​friendship more? ——I can’t tell!
What's even more absurd is that, judging from the whole incident, it seems that the two masters Li Mingzhu and Lili have been fighting each other, and whoever wins or loses has nothing to do with Rainbow.

New and old grudges are like the city's underground pipes, buried underneath, in a mess, pulled out of the surface, in a mess.After the repairs were completed, the pits were filled and put back in place, and the new marks covered the old wounds. When I thought about it, it was still a mess.

She just walked around the street like a big-headed fly, walking, and unknowingly came to the Children's Palace.

Looking at his watch, Ji Huang was supposed to be teaching yoga in the Children's Palace at this time. Ben had hired another teacher to take over the class because he was going to the banquet. Unexpectedly, he was "sent off" so soon, and he probably went again.Go in and ask, sure enough.

She found a chair by the door and sat down. Through the glass window, she saw Ji Huang meticulously demonstrating in the front row from a distance.With every gesture, an invisible force seemed to come to her, calming her down.Gradually, she no longer felt upset, but became dazed.

Maybe it was because she was too tired from walking, or maybe she was too tired in her heart, she leaned against the back of the chair and fell asleep in a trance.After a long time, I felt a hand gently touching her head.

She opened her eyes and heard Ji Huang asking, "Rainbow, why are you here?"

"It's nothing, come out for a walk, turn here, and see you by the way." She yawned, and raised the plastic bag in her hand, "I bought strawberries for you, washed them all, do you want to eat them? "

He sat down with a warm body, and began to eat unceremoniously.

"So hungry?" Seeing him gobbled it up for the first time, Rainbow felt distressed, "It must be because my mother's words were too heartbreaking, which made you not eat well for dinner."

"Where is this?" he said, "Can you believe it? This is the first time I have eaten strawberries, and they are delicious."

She was stunned, and opened her mouth wide in surprise: "No way? Don't you sell strawberries in your hometown?" Even if they didn't, there must be ones in the city where he went to university.Immediately afterwards, she realized.Strawberries are very expensive, and they are considered a luxury among fruits. Even Rainbow's family rarely buys them, especially Ji Huang, who is from a poor family.Thinking about it this way, I felt that I was a little careless in pursuing this matter.

Fortunately, Ji Huang didn't mind, and the topic quickly changed: "I eat more apples. By the way, the set of books that was out of stock in the bookstore last time arrived today," he said, "I bought a set for you."

"Which one? Bakhtin's or Freud's?"

"The Complete Works of Bakhtin."

"All I want is Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics," she grimaced, "I don't want the rest, keep it for yourself."

"I bought two sets. The bookstore said academic books were not easy to sell, so they only bought two sets."

"how much?"

"There are more than 200 sets, and there are six copies in total. Don't worry about the money, I will give it to you."

"Look at you, you are so generous when it comes to buying books." Rainbow sighed.

"Who asked Mr. He to take the Ph.D. exam? Bakhtin is a bit difficult, you have to calm down and read slowly, and take notes on what you don't understand."

"Have you taken his notes?"

"Of course I did. I took notes on all useful books, and I have accumulated thousands of pages."

"Then you lend it to me." She said arrogantly, "I want to read them all!"

"Of course. But the things I've chewed won't be of much use to you. You still have to read the books yourself, and it's best to take notes by yourself. Others can't replace learning, not to mention that we are not in the same direction. "

Thinking about taking notes, Rainbow felt that he was very experienced and had a reason to criticize him: "Hey, what era is it now, and you still make old-fashioned cards and write down the main points in a notebook as thick as a brick? You know, there is a kind of advanced The software can automatically recognize the text on the printed matter, even your voice, which completely replaces the manual input, and can also automatically generate the table of contents and index. In other words, learning has long been electronicized, who is still like you Copy it up word by word? There are a lot of e-libraries on the Internet, and you can search for everything you want...Ji Huang, you will recognize it, your technology is too outdated!"

"I just like to copy by hand, and I don't like to use a computer to replace me to memorize and think."

"Refused to keep up with the times?"

"No. The Internet has problems with the Internet. For scholars, there are several problems that are quite serious. I don't know if you have thought about it."

"I didn't think about it. You see, one second is enough for me to send a text message. Just like this, Ding Dong! You got a mail (you just received a message). This is called efficiency, which saves paper and is environmentally friendly."

"First, the information is too easy to come by. In fact, you haven't studied the beginning and the end seriously, so you don't have the historical awareness accumulated by the old gentlemen through long-term carpet reading. Second, your time is divided into fragments by various links. , it’s hard to think deeply about one thing. So I don’t approve of spending too much time online.”

"Simply put, you don't approve of computers at all."

"...almost," he admitted.

"Maybe this is a direction of development, let's name it New Pastoralism?" She winked.

"It can also be called post-networkism," he added.

she laughed.After being fooled by Ji Huang, Rainbow finally felt relieved, stood up and held him back: "Then let's go out quickly to experience the sense of time and space. Let's go, I'm so depressed today, go watch a movie!"

While chatting and laughing, the two went to the cinema hand in hand and watched a Kung Fu movie by Stephen Chow.When I came out and turned on the volume of the phone, Rainbow found that there were 23 "missed calls" on it, all of which were home numbers.

Seeing her staring at the phone screen, Ji Huang asked, "Did you miss the call?"

Rainbow smiled and stuffed the phone into the bag: "No."

They took a walk along a habitual night road until they reached the gate outside Rainbow's house and bid farewell.Sensing that Rainbow was in a bad mood, the taciturn Ji Huang rushed to talk all the way: anecdotes about the boys' dormitory, anecdotes about foreign scholars, and strange talks in academic research -- eloquent and eloquent.Normally, Rainbow would laugh so hard that he couldn't straighten his waist, but the closer he got to the house, the harder he could laugh.As soon as Ji Huang left, she went upstairs, the shadow of Li Mingzhu was all over the wall, and her mood suddenly became heavy.

Pushing open the door, as expected, Li Mingzhu was sitting on the sofa, knitting a sweater with a gloomy face.

Hand-knitted sweaters are out of fashion these days.Rainbow has not worn much since college, and will go to the mall to buy it when needed, and Li Mingzhu will take care of everything.From Li Mingzhu's point of view, she didn't want to make a move easily, and she took a fancy to a piece that must be of high quality and trendy, but it was discounted in the next season.Therefore, there are not many rainbow sweaters, but each piece is worth the money.Li Mingzhu herself was never willing to buy it for herself. The sweater and trousers, including He Dalu's whole body, were all woven by herself.When the wool is old, it is removed and washed once, put it on the balcony to dry, and then weaves it back, warm and fluffy.

"Back?" Li Mingzhu said.

"Yeah." Rainbow silently took off his coat and was about to walk into his room.

"I made oxtail soup for you, drink it while it's hot." Li Mingzhu put down her knitting needle, went to the kitchen and put a bowl of soup on the table.

She had to sit down, pick up the bowl, and blow on the hot air.

"What did you do? You came home so late, and you didn't answer a single call." Li Mingzhu asked.

"Watching a movie with friends."

"That Ji Huang again?"

"Yes." Rainbow put down the bowl and heard his voice trembling slightly, "I just like being with him."

There was a sudden silence.

After a while, Li Mingzhu sighed: "Rainbow, mom has been used to being poor all her life, and she can live frugally and rely on pensions for the rest of her life. As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. My life has always been Not good, and I dare not expect too much. Mom is not for herself. If you marry well, mom will be happy even if she eats pickles every day. But this season, mom is really not reconciled! In the past twenty years, mom has tried every means Trained you, you also managed to find such a good job, high education, good looks, including your grandfather, the family background is not bad. You can't find a good man with this kind of condition, you have to find someone from the small county coal mine. Yes? Not to mention the economic foundation is zero, but there are still a lot of burdens. Aren’t you looking for trouble? This Ji Huang, don’t look at his gentle face, I think he is similar to Xia Feng, I’m afraid he’s better than him He is also fierce. This kind of person looks loyal, but he is more feudal than anyone else in his heart! There is no way to expect him to love you in the future! You see, this is a good time. Mom and you were not on the same starting line, but ended up at the same finish line: Half your life huddled in a big board room, and a penny is broken into two halves. If you marry Ji Huang, I'm afraid you won't even have a big board house to live in. If I knew this, my mother raised you as a poor child since childhood. Get up and make a fire to cook, and beat you up if you are not happy. You, you are used to suffering and you don’t feel that you are suffering, and you are used to it and you forget what sadness is... Rainbow, Mom understands you, don’t you just want to find someone to learn from you? Liberal arts, with similar interests, can we get along? There are such boys. Just now, Mom called your Aunt Xie, and she happened to have one in her hand, a teacher of the French Department of the university, a doctor of returnees. His parents are psychologists. A professor in the Department of Science. The family background is good and well-educated. It is rare that the old man is enlightened and understands psychology. If we are rich and wealthy, we are not lucky and dare not marry, but a well-educated family is the most reliable. Intellectuals know intellectuals best! I and As soon as Aunt Xie said she was very tempted, she called the man's mother, who expressed their willingness to make an appointment to meet, and decided to have coffee at [-] o'clock this Saturday night."

This vulgar rhetoric is exactly what feminists need to oppose most!Caihong felt that her mother was just stupid watching TV and listened to too much gossip, so she immediately interrupted her impatiently: "I won't go, I'm not interested. If you are interested, you can go by yourself! I'm looking for my boyfriend, you Find your son-in-law, and find the one you like so that you can have another daughter to marry him..."

Before the words fell, there was a "snap", and Rainbow's face was slapped.

"Tell you to talk back!" Li Mingzhu was so angry that he threw his sweater on the ground and stomped his feet fiercely, "I have been feeding you with shit and urine for more than twenty years. My parents have been working for you. I almost cut off my heart and liver to you, for what? Just because of your stiff wings? You said, how can we be sorry for you? What part of your parents’ salary is not spent on you? Live It’s broken copper and rotten iron, I will wear gold and silver for you; what you eat is pickled vegetables, and I will give you beef and chicken soup. In the end, what blessings have we enjoyed for you? Hmm? He Caihong, take a look at this home, and then look at yourself , you are not a phoenix living in a chicken coop? No mother supports you with both hands, you study feminism ass! If you have the ability, you can change the status quo of this family, don’t spend your thoughts on competing with your parents Son, let irrelevant people take advantage of it, and in the end, you cry and go back to your mother's house to complain. When you become Han Qing, just wait to be punched and kicked. At that time, even your mother can't protect you. What a lack of heart , the more I read the book, the more idiotic I become!"

Rainbow's face was hot, she was ashamed and angry, she turned her head and went into her own room, closed the door heavily, and wept in the dark holding the quilt.

Through the screen window, the city lights flicker in the shadow of the trees, the traffic is rushing, the smell of barbecue comes from downstairs, the shops are closed, but the night market has just opened.There is a carnival atmosphere in this city all day long, and the worldly atmosphere permeates the air, even the endless night cannot hide it.

After an hour, there was no movement in the living room, and the door of Rainbow's bedroom opened gently.

The table lamp flickered on, and Rainbow sat up from the bed.

It's his father, He Dalu.

"Are you having trouble with your mother again?" He Dalu said.

Rainbow was angry and didn't answer.

"Your mother's temper is a bit hasty, but I agree with her." He Dalu sighed heavily, and touched her head with his hand. There was a familiar smell of gasoline coming from the cuff. Rainbow heard him Said: "Your mother has a good way of seeing people, she never misses, not to mention me, even the leaders of her own unit admire her, otherwise, how could she be promoted from a small cashier to the office director? Teacher Ji He is a good person, and I don’t think he is a bad person. But his family has too many difficulties, which will seriously affect your future happiness—you have never been a family man, so you don’t know the difficulties of being a family man. I think it’s better to give up early, this is I have the same attitude as your mother."

Dad's words were expected, He Dalu has always obeyed Li Mingzhu in major matters.This has never changed since Rainbow became sensible.

"A man who likes you will naturally do everything possible to please you." He Dalu continued, "If you are easily moved, you will be in his arms. Who would not want to gain a foothold in this city? How can I rest assured that you will live with him?"

Rainbow said: "Why don't you know the basics? He has a doctorate from a prestigious university with excellent grades. He was assigned to be a teacher at the university. He is a clean scholar. I have read his resume and there is no bad record."

"Do you know his family? What kind of person is his father? What kind of person is his mother? How much do you know? Scholars and scholars, you marry him not for learning, but for living. Do you understand Marxism? The economic base determines the superstructure. Do you know how much economic base he has? You are very smart in learning, how did you develop idealism?"

It's really a big truth that one can explain better than the other.Rainbow almost fainted from anger, and simply fell on the bed, ignoring his father.

"Parents are doing it for your own good. Young people tend to be emotional and make unrealistic choices. They will regret it later." He Dalu's voice was rough and a little hoarse.

Seeing that Rainbow didn't talk to him for a long time, he had no choice but to say: "Think about it, go to bed early!"

After all, go to the living room.

As soon as the door was opened, Rainbow suddenly said: "Dad, when Mom married you, was it an emotional choice or a realistic choice? Are you happy all these years?"

There was no answer, and the door slammed shut with a bang.

The night was suddenly filled with chill.

Rainbow knew that he had shot a wounding arrow.She remembers vividly her parents' constant bickering as a child, followed by weeks of cold wars and relying on rainbows to deliver note calls.

When he was ten years old, one day Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, so he secretly wrote a letter to his parents, wishing that he would die early rather than see them quarrel.She put the letter in a multicolored envelope and tucked it into the purse of the dirty laundry.She knew that Li Mingzhu used to check all the pockets when washing clothes.

From that day on, the quarrel disappeared and the cold war disappeared, replaced by superficial peace and beauty.Parents still have conflicts, but from the light to the shadows, the older generation knows better than anyone else what is wrong or wrong, and there is nothing they can do.

(End of this chapter)