the gravity of the rainbow

Chapter 13 The last blow

01
Within two days, Li Mingzhu discovered that Rainbow was missing a piece of jade.

It was also because of Rainbow's carelessness, the shower knob failed again, the water was too hot, she rushed out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel, almost crashed into Li Mingzhu's arms, and caught her.The jade was originally tied with a thick red thread, with an auspicious button on the back. Rainbow has not untied it since the day it was worn.

"Hey, Rainbow, where's your jade?" Li Mingzhu grabbed her, not believing that the jade was gone, and even wiped her hand along her neck.

I wanted to make excuses to prevaricate, but is Li Mingzhu easy to prevaricate?Jade is so valuable, like a treasure of life, it is too unkind to hide it from my mother.So she said bluntly, "Well... I need money for something urgent, so I sold it."

"What did you say? Did you—sell—it—?"

Li Mingzhu's face turned blue all of a sudden, she was dumbfounded, and her angry facial features shifted at the same time, she almost jumped three feet high.She grabbed Rainbow and said murderously, "Who did you sell it to?"

"Sold to...Cai Xiaohui." Caihong couldn't help shivering, seeing her mother's expression of hatred, her eyes widened angrily, the eyeballs almost jumped to her own face, she couldn't help but backed away again and again.

"Is that Cai Xiaohui who drives 'Jiyuxuan'?" she asked.

"……Yes."

"How much did you sell for?"

"...Eighteen thousand." Rainbow subconsciously covered his head with both hands.

She thought Li Mingzhu, who was in a panic, was going to beat her up, but unexpectedly Li Mingzhu calmed down quickly, and changed a caring tone: "Tell mom, what urgent matter do you need so much money? Is it Han Qing's mortgage?"

"No, Mom, don't ask me." Not wanting to involve Han Qing, and Li Mingzhu will definitely check with Han Qing, Rainbow said, "I have a friend who needs money urgently because something happened at home, so I helped him One is considered to be lent to him, and he will return it to me in a year."

This lie is poorly made up, Caihong has only a few friends, and Li Mingzhu knows everything about family conditions and living conditions, so far I have not heard of anyone who is more difficult than Caihong's family.

Just thinking about the scale of the confession, Li Mingzhu raised her eyes and burst into tears with anger: "Please tell me which friend is worthy of your generosity? Hmm? This jade is worth at least 20 now, and you can sell it for [-]." Wouldn’t it be a favor to simply give it away? How did I raise such a sinful ancestor like you! This jade is the property of our whole family, why do you exchange money without discussing it with me? Are you rich? You are a philanthropist I was fighting with the peddler for [-] cents to buy vegetables today! When it comes to funding, our family needs it most! People! Tell me! Who did you lend the money to? I know that you have been taken advantage of by others because of your kindness and soft heart. Who must have cried poorly to you? Tell him his name, I just want to Find him to settle accounts!"

Li Mingzhu beat her chest and yelled, Rainbow was also frightened, she didn't dare to say anything, and just hid by the wall.

"This jade was left to you by your grandmother as a dowry. Our family needs money so much that we are reluctant to sell it. We just want you to wear it and touch it every day and feel like a treasure. What do you mean? Who told you to send such a jade?" Such kindness, coaxed you to bend your elbows and steal the good things at home to exchange for money?"

Rainbow knows that when Li Mingzhu is mean, he will be unforgiving. His words are like a knife, and he will never stop until he cuts people into thousands of pieces.A powerful person has the benefits of a powerful person. As for this big board room, if Li Mingzhu hadn't gone to the real estate office to quarrel, God knows when he would have had a share.Such an influential personality did not affect Rainbow, she was only articulate at critical moments, and her opponent had to be a cultural person, and she was as listless as He Dalu in the rest of the day.

Mom was probably mad.Rainbow felt even deeper in apology, so she could only persuade her: "Mom, since you like that piece of jade so much, I will definitely redeem it when the money is paid back. This time... I am really sorry. Don't be angry, okay? Angry Hurt."

Li Mingzhu threw the tear-wiping tissue on the table and sighed heavily: "Prodigal son! Why did I raise such a prodigal son like you!"

Rainbow then slipped downstairs to call Cai Xiaohui.

"Xiaohui...I am Rainbow!"

"Oh, rainbow hello!"

"Can the piece of jade I sold you stay for me for a few months?" she said, "I still want to come back..."

As soon as she said this, she also felt that it was unreasonable to make trouble. After the transaction is completed and the owner is transferred, they have no obligation to keep your things.Even if you want to come back, it is equivalent to buying at the market price, which is definitely not the number of [-].Besides, apart from being a classmate, she and Cai Xiaohui can't talk about friendship. It's polite to take care of you, but it's reasonable not to take care of you.

"Rainbow, that's not what you said." Sure enough, Cai Xiaohui said in an official tone on the phone, "If you sell it, you sell it. This is not a pawn."

"Please...my mother is going to kill me if she knows about this!" Caihong was so anxious that she wanted to cry.

"That's right," Cai Xiaohui finally said, "I've already sold your piece of jade."

Rainbow went crazy: "Ah? What? Sold it? When? Didn't you say that this jade is not easy to sell, and you won't be able to sell it for a few years?"

"Well... I bought it for a customer the day after you sold it to me. He liked the color very much, and said that it was exquisitely made and looked auspicious, so he bought it for his newly married wife."

"Oh—" Rainbow snorted weakly.

"Jade, it's all about fate." Cai Xiaohui said in the tone of Lafayette, "Rainbow, your jade is very good, but it's a pity that it's not destined for you, just admit it." Hang up.

Rainbow ran upstairs in frustration, opened the door and saw Li Mingzhu sitting on the sofa, arms folded, eyes still red.She forced a flattering smile, but was blocked by her mother's gloomy gaze.

Just as she was about to hide in the bedroom, Li Mingzhu suddenly said, "The day after tomorrow is your birthday, go and invite that teacher Ji."

This is the first time Li Mingzhu mentioned this name in a positive tone after the "gift-giving door" incident.

Rainbow suddenly panicked: "Teacher Ji? What did you ask him to do?"

"Congratulations for you." Mingzhu said lightly.

Unexpectedly, Ji Huang had no class the next day, so he called and said that he would go to the hospital for his mother's pre-illness checkup.During this period of time, they didn't meet many times, and Rainbow didn't complain, but Ji Huang felt sorry and made a phone call every day to say hello.Don't forget to add a "thank you" at the end.After hesitating for a moment, Rainbow finally said: "Tomorrow is my birthday, can you come to my house for dinner?"

There was a pause over there: "Aunt...Welcome me?"

"She brought it up."

"Really?" Ji Huang's tone changed, and she could hear that she was happy, "Of course I will go. By the way, what does your mother like? The gift she bought last time didn't meet her expectations, so she must be very unhappy, right? It’s also my fault that I bought wine just because I heard that your dad likes wine. When I got home, I regretted it when I thought about it. Your dad is afraid of drinking and driving when he drives a taxi. Isn’t this embarrassing your mother?”

"Well...it's not a big deal, it's just a meal together, you can just buy some fruit." Despite what he said, Rainbow's heart is not sure, and he doesn't know what crooked ideas Li Mingzhu will come up with.However, she holds a small hope: this is not the old society after all, and young people's affairs cannot be interfered with.Having a quarrel with her son-in-law, when she gets married in the future, she bows her head and doesn't see her when she looks up, and when she has a child and calls her grandma, can mother deny it?In the end, it was her who was upset!So Rainbow optimistically felt that maybe her mother had already figured it out.

What happened in the end made Rainbow fully understand the simplicity and stupidity of her thoughts.Facts have proved that no one is Li Mingzhu's opponent.

As usual in the He family, birthdays are a big event, so you must buy a cake.In addition, make a large table of dishes, three bowls of longevity noodles and a crucian carp soup. In the local language, crucian carp is also "auspicious", and this soup is also called auspicious soup.Caihong was very clingy to her mother when she was a child, and whenever she was too hot, she coaxed Li Mingzhu to go to the kitchen and make food for her without worrying about trouble.At that time, she loved to eat meat pies stuffed with mushrooms, and she had to cook them with hot noodles. The mushrooms were mixed with sesame oil, sprinkled with green onions and ginger, and an egg was mixed with the meat stuffing. The key was to give white pepper .After making a cake, fry it over low heat until both sides are browned. It takes two hours to make it in one go.

There are still cakes, and a large table of dishes has been prepared.Rainbow slyly helped wash all the pots, and rushed to peel the garlic and chop the onions.She felt that her mother's attitude today was a big improvement, and she would not embarrass him when Ji Huang came.Li Mingzhu has always been superstitious, and would never spoil the scenery with festive days.

It was agreed to start at 06:30 pm, and the meal would be ready at [-]:[-].

Li Mingzhu raised his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat."

Rainbow paused, thinking she had misread the time: "Ji Huang will arrive in half an hour, let's wait for him."

"What are you waiting for? If you want to eat, you can eat it. Can't we leave the cake to him?" Li Mingzhu said, "Old He, what are you doing sitting around? Eat!"

The posture is wrong, Rainbow secretly took a breath.

He Dalu yelled at Li Mingzhu, picked up his chopsticks and ate it. He had a huge appetite, half of a plate of mushroom and bean tendon was eaten in a blink of an eye.

It looks like it's about to enter the battle state.Rainbow picked up the chopsticks sullenly, feeling uncomfortable in his mouth, and panicked in his heart. Suddenly, he had an urge to rush out and call Ji Huang to tell him not to come.The shoulder moved, and was held down by Li Mingzhu: "Hurry up and eat, we will see the guests properly after eating."

"Mom," Rainbow put down the chopsticks, and said seriously, "It's agreed to invite Ji Huang, and eat before the guests arrive. What kind of etiquette is this talking about?"

Mingzhu snorted coldly: "Etiquette? For this kind of person, do we need etiquette?"

It turned out to be deliberate contempt, but Caihong was very angry now, and immediately retorted: "Ji Huang did nothing wrong, he is my teacher and colleague, he is a guest when he enters the door, of course etiquette is required!"

"Don't think I don't know anything," Li Mingzhu rolled her eyes, "On the contrary, I know everything!"

"I don't know what you don't know," said the words with guns and sticks, and Rainbow trembled with anger, "Don't you just think he is poor and look down on him? To be honest, our family is not noble. Ji Huang's family are workers just like us Class, Dad, don’t you think so?”

Li Mingzhu was not angry, and said with ease, "Old He, listen to your daughter's mouth, it's really—"

The doorbell rang suddenly.

Of course it is Ji Huang.

He specially wore a suit.He bought it during the interview. It is said that he only wore it once. He had seen Rainbow in his closet. It was black and slim, with shirts and ties.Ji Huang is really a hanger, wearing a very ordinary suit looks like a diplomat.When he is serious, he does not give people a sense of intimacy, the bridge of his nose is too strong, his eyes are too sharp, and when he is focused, it is not offensive.And such a serious person had no choice but to smile slightly when he saw Li Mingzhu.

Rainbow thought to himself, he might be as anxious as himself, but he couldn't see it on his face, but his arrogance was relatively restrained, and his smile was decent. The doctor added a little bit of affinity today.In fact, Donglin and Qin Wei are not serious and self-reliant?It's just that Dong Lin was a little more playful, and Qin Wei was a little more aloof. When Li Mingzhu saw these two people, she immediately put a smile on her face.

After sitting down for tea, after exchanging a few words of pleasantries, Li Mingzhu went straight in: "Mr. Ji, I heard that your mother is sick?"

She tried every means to conceal the truth, but she was able to tell the truth. Rainbow secretly complained: Mom is really good at inquiring.

Ji Huang was startled, nodded: "Yes."

"What disease is it? Is it serious?"

Probably also heard the smell of gunpowder, Ji Huang hesitated for a moment, and said: "...It is kidney failure, and surgery is needed."

Mingzhu put down her teacup and asked, "Have you collected the surgery fee?"

The tone was obviously not good, almost questioning, Ji Huang's face was a little stiff, but he replied politely: "It's almost there."

"You borrowed money from Rainbow?"

"Mom, he didn't borrow it from me, I lent it to him on my own initiative!" Rainbow interrupted hastily.

"I'm talking to Teacher Ji, so stop interrupting."

Ji Huang nodded: "Yes, Rainbow did lend me some money."

"Have you issued an IOU?"

"...No." Ji Huang said, "I'll make it up."

"Mr. Ji, where is your sincerity when you borrow money without issuing an IOU? Looking at my rainbow-faced face, you feel very bullying, don't you?" Professor, if you use my rainbow so blatantly, where is your character? Where is your teacher's morality?"

"Mom, you misunderstood! That's not the case!" Rainbow said loudly.

"Shut up!" Li Mingzhu shouted, "I haven't finished my question yet!"

"I'm sorry, Auntie, I didn't know that Rainbow didn't ask for your opinion about borrowing money. In that case, I will pay back the money tomorrow."

"Return?" Li Mingzhu frowned, "Mr. Ji, what are you going to pay back? Do you know? In order to lend you money, Rainbow sold our family's ancestral jade at a low price. It is just to lend you The money multiplied by ten is not enough for redemption. Teacher Ji, I inquired about your family's situation. Your mother has severe kidney disease and has been hospitalized for many years. I heard that she still has mild mental illness. You don't expect my rainbow to take care of her for the rest of her life. Right? Also, I heard that you are a famous dutiful son and plan to donate your kidney to her. I am very touched by the deep love between your mother and child, and your spirit is also very noble. Dedicated half of my life to an unhealthy person. I'm sorry, I, a villain, have made up my mind today. Her father and I firmly oppose the matter between you and Rainbow! Please don't come to her again in the future!"

Ji Huang was stunned for a while, his cheeks trembled, and he tried to keep his tone as calm as possible: "Auntie, my family, my parents and my brothers, there is nothing in their character that would disgrace the rainbow. My father is a He was an excellent miner who sacrificed his life to save others. Although my mother did not study much, she worked hard to raise three children after her husband died. My two younger brothers were the best students in their school. I Proud of our family."

"Proud?" Li Mingzhu couldn't help laughing, "Your father's name is Ji Kang, right? He is a great hero in Zhongbi. I have read his heroic deeds in newspapers. I'm sorry, Teacher Ji, you didn't force me to come here. I don’t want to reveal your scars. The coal mine exploded that day, and your father escaped obviously, but he heard that there were more than [-] people who got lost in the mine and rushed back. He never came up again. Excuse me. Which responsible man would be so crazy to be a hero regardless of his pregnant wife and underage son? Tell you Ji Huang, I, Li Mingzhu, hate such a person the most! Because he is not worthy to be the husband of his wife and the father of his children. I don’t want me The offspring of a daughter married to such a person, like a father, like a son!"

"Mom, how can you say that?" Rainbow stood up angrily, "Please stop insulting Teacher Ji's father!"

"Insult?" Mingzhu said, "I haven't finished yet! Your mother, she is not a selfless mother, she is so sick, knowing that there is no way to save her, and her son who suffers from congenital asthma wants to donate his organs to her. Ji Huang, do you think I will accept this kind of person as my in-law? Do you think I will let my daughter serve a man who is not in good health? Please stop thinking about it and don’t think about my daughter. Rainbow knows you In a few days, you coaxed her to steal the most expensive things in the house and give them to you. Are you the only one in the world who has relatives? I—He Caihong’s mother—has such severe arthritis that my knees hurt so much that I need surgery. I can’t bear to sell that piece of jade. Rainbow’s dad has cataracts for so many years and he is also reluctant to have surgery. Our family of three has lived in this stuffy and narrow big board house for almost 20 years and we have no money to change houses. We are also in great difficulty, and we also need money Let me tell you, this is the problem of you country people. If you know someone yourself and get on good terms with her, all the things in her house will be yours! Ji Huang, I invite you here today to speak in front of your face Make it clear: first, please return the money you borrowed from us immediately. Second, please don’t bother with Rainbow in the future. Boys should be married, girls should be married. We are looking for our son-in-law, and you are looking for your partner, except for Rainbow , who do you love! I really can’t find it, Auntie, I’ll be responsible for the introduction. If you let me know that you are entangled with her, don’t blame me for never ending with you! I, Li Mingzhu, grew up in struggle, and fighting with others is a lot of fun! "

Ji Huang stood up suddenly, and Rainbow also stood up suddenly, rushing to say: "Mom, today you are making trouble for no reason. The jade pendant was tied around my neck by my grandmother. It belongs to me. I can Dispose of it yourself. The money is temporarily used for emergency, and it will definitely be returned next year. Ji Huang, I fell in love with him because I like him, and I will get married when the relationship matures.

"Rainbow!" He Dalu snorted, "Don't be self-willed, don't talk to your mother like this."

"I'm not self-willed at all. It's my mother who makes a lot of trouble! Also, Dad, you know that everything your mother said is wrong, but you are still on her side. Dad, are you confused? Ji Huang's mother is critically ill. At such a time, even a passer-by would know to give some sympathy, but you two are fine, you talk nonsense and hurt people, and you seem to gloat!" Caihong was angry and aggrieved, tears dripping down, "I don't believe I have Such inhuman parents! I am ashamed of you!"

Li Mingzhu laughed back in anger, bent her waist, and suddenly took out a glass jar from under the table. Before everyone could see clearly, she had already spilled the yellow liquid in the jar all over Ji Huang: "Ji, get out of here!" Don’t come to my house from now on! I’d rather kill myself than let my daughter marry you! Get out! Get out as far away as possible!”

There was a sudden dead silence in the room.

The liquid gave off a terrible smell.When Rainbow figured out what was going on, he almost fainted.That's urine, mother Li Mingzhu's urine.She hurriedly pulled out a large handful of napkins from the table, grabbed Ji Huang's side, said "I'm sorry", and wiped Ji Huang's face and clothes...

Ji Huang suddenly grabbed her hand tightly, pulled her to the door, turned to Li Mingzhu and said, "Uncle and Aunt, I already know your opinions. Regarding the money, I will pay it back right away. Regarding me and Rainbow I will go downstairs and ask her now, if she agrees to follow me, I, Ji Huang, will never let her down in this life. If she does not agree to follow me, I will respect her opinion, and in this life, I will never let her down. No more harassment. This is my happiness, and your daughter's happiness, and Rainbow should make the decision."

Rainbow's heart was beating wildly, and she couldn't help pressing her body tightly against Ji Huang's chest.

Li Mingzhu took a slight look at Ji Huang, and then turned to Rainbow, as if she was tightly entangled by a chain.

"Rainbow, your parents have raised you for more than [-] years. Ask yourself that there is nothing wrong with you. Tonight, if you agree to go with Ji Huang, you won't have to go back to this house in the future, and don't recognize me as a mother. From now on , we sever the relationship between mother and daughter, and we will never communicate with each other." After that, he raised his face and looked at Ji Huang provocatively, "Mr. Ji, I will let my daughter go downstairs with you today. I don't believe I worked so hard. The child who has been raised with sweat for more than [-] years is not as good as you, Ji Huang, who has known her for a few months. I want to see whether the power of mother's love is greater in my daughter's mind, or the power of love is greater! Teacher Ji, are you more powerful than me? I am learned, I have read more books than I do, and my words are more seductive than I am, but—if you think that a mother understands her daughter better than you—this is arrogance!”

With a messy mind, Rainbow followed Ji Huang downstairs, and Ji Huang's strides were so big that he almost pulled her all the way.

They came to a pear tree outside the building. Every time Ji Huang sent her home, this big tree was the end point.He never asked to go upstairs, and Rainbow never invited.The reasons for this are clear to everyone.

It was getting dark, and two white smokes rose from the factory chimney in the distance.The wind was very strong, and big clouds were running, revealing a touch of bright color in the scattered places, emitting a gloomy white light like a butcher's knife.

It was the first time for Rainbow to see Ji Huang in such a mess.The yellow liquid stained the shirt with several unsightly spots, and at the same time emitted an unbearable smell.

Unlike many men Rainbow has met, Ji Huang is obsessed with cleanliness. His clothes and room can be messy, but they are never dirty.

He still had that sullen look on his face, as if he had a lot to say, but he seemed to be stuck in his throat.

"Sorry..." Rainbow apologized again.

He suddenly began to explain quickly: "Rainbow, don't believe your mother's words. My father loves his children as much as all fathers in the world. It's a pity you haven't seen him. Besides working in the mines, he is also a good carpenter." , made me a lot of toys with wood. He and my mother are also the most loving couple in the world. On the day of the accident, my mother and I were both at home. When we heard the news, we ran to the mine. Thick smoke. Then I saw my dad, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. My dad ran over and said to me that there were more than [-] people below, and many passages were blocked. He was the most familiar with the terrain, and he said he would definitely be able to Hurry back, let's not worry. Then, he went down with the blower equipment... Soon there was an explosion in the well, and he never came out again, and the body was not found. I... I don't believe he was weighed Take the risk, my dad is a very experienced miner, he is just very confident that he can come back."

If you don't force him, maybe he will never want to recall this scene, right?Rainbow thought secretly.She took his hand lightly, put it to her lips and kissed it.

"It's been years since it happened, and everyone in my family has come to terms with it. But late at night, when I look at those dark mines and think about my father's body, it's bleak. From that day on, I studied desperately just to escape from this place..."

"Stop it," she covered his mouth, "it's all my mother's fault, she shouldn't use this to provoke you..."

He smiled wryly, and said: "I grew up in adversity, and I was stimulated quite a bit. I won't argue with your mother. But I'm not a temperless person. I will never continue to be forced into this situation." Humiliated. So I care about your attitude. Rainbow—” He put her hand on his chest, “I hope you make a choice today: choose to be with me, and we will work together to let your parents slowly Accept us, or choose to obey your mother and cut off contact with me?"

She lowered her head, thought for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Ji Huang, please give me some time."

He stretched out his hand, lifted her chin vigorously, and forced her eyes to look at him: "No, I will not be humiliated if things change suddenly, please tell me now."

Her head dropped.

"Say it! Tell me! Is this a difficult decision?" He was a little angry at her hesitation.

She raised her head slowly, feeling that her breathing was heavy, and said slowly: "I'm sorry, I love my relatives... I can't imagine what it would be like to sever ties with them."

These words were almost blurted out, every word was like a knife cutting her will, making her heart bleed.

Then, she knew that this sentence had completely offended Ji Huang.

"Are you always so stupid, or did you take so much effort today to be so stupid?" Ji Huang pushed her away and sneered.

She was offended, and suddenly blushed: "Please think about it from my perspective!"

"No matter which angle you look at, you are making a wrong decision." His face was iron, and his tone was blunt.

"Even if this decision is wrong, Ji Huang," she heard herself say, "it's still my decision."

His Adam's apple twitched, trying to say something, but he didn't say anything.

Maybe only 1 minute has passed, but she feels that a century has passed, and her heart hurts as if it has been torn apart.Suddenly she became weak, and wanted to ask him to give herself more time, maybe she could come up with a way to get the best of both worlds.

Just about to open his mouth, he heard Ji Huang say coldly: "Then, I respect your decision, goodbye."

She said coldly all over her body: "Ji Huang—"

It could be seen that he was very angry, with blue veins protruding from his temples, and his arrogance instantly returned to his face. He returned to the gloomy and indifferent posture when we first met, and said slowly: "I won't miss you, I will only miss that I thought it was yours."

After finishing speaking, he took out a small purple box from his pocket and threw it into her hand.

"Ji Huang—listen to me!" she stammered.

"Happy birthday." He interrupted her coldly and left without looking back.

She stood alone under the streetlight for an unknown amount of time, her body and legs became stiff.

The paper box was held tightly in her hand, and it was wet with sweat, and gradually became a little weak.

There seemed to be someone passing behind, chattering human voices, everything was related to her, but it seemed that everything had nothing to do with her.Half an hour later, her mind was still busy and hot like an overworked machine.Gently unpacking, there is a bracelet woven with multicolored ribbons in the box, with a transparent crystal bead strung on every finger.One of the pendants, the size of a pebble, was twisted into a circle with silver wire, and a green stone was wrapped around it.

She thought it was jade, but when she looked at the street lamp, the color was not the same, it was translucent, with tiny bubbles and a few gleaming impurities of copper color.

The note inside the box read: Rainbow, Happy Birthday!There is a small meteorite in the bracelet.Don't you want to pick up meteors?May this shooting star be by your hand every day—Ji Huang.

Her eyes were sore and swollen, but she held back her tears.After all, no one is forcing her, this is her choice, her decision.She only hated him for being domineering and not allowing her to argue.He also thought that they were colleagues anyway, seeing each other sooner or later, the future will be long, maybe it can be redeemed.After struggling for a long time, she was discouraged again. She knew Ji Huang's temper, and she would never turn back after being humiliated this time.

Tears flowed endlessly.Sad for a long time, she stuffed the bracelet into her pocket and went upstairs slowly.I took out the key and felt that the key weighed a thousand catties. After finally inserting it into the lock, the door suddenly opened.She buried her head and walked in, Li Mingzhu opened her arms and held her tightly in his arms.

"Mom knows you're sad," Li Mingzhu said, "but you can't make a mistake in a marriage, and if you make a mistake with one person, you will make a mistake for the rest of your life!"

Rainbow retorted in a thousand words, but in the end she just twisted her shoulders in resistance, struggled out of her mother's arms silently, walked into her room, and closed the door.

She cried all night and fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

I dreamed of many trees, dreamed of elephants, and dreamed that my blood vessels were slowly bursting in my heart.

—The chain still held her in the end.

Ji Huang, she said in her heart, there is something I have never told you.

02
Once upon a time, there was a rumor in the building where Rainbow lived that Rainbow was not born by his parents.

Rainbow was only eight years old when I first heard about it.That day she fought with Shanshan on the third floor, and Shanshan scolded her when she couldn't beat her: "He Caihong, why are you so fierce? Do you know that you are an orphan that no one wants! Your father is not your real father, and your mother is also It's not your own mother, they picked you up from outside." Rainbow didn't take it seriously.In the factory area where she lived, the children could swear anything when they lost a beating.After returning home and reporting the truth, Li Mingzhu was so angry that she immediately took Rainbow to ask Shanshan's mother to reason.Caihong remembered that Shanshan’s mother turned pale with fright, kept apologizing, and pinched Shanshan in front of Caihong: “Bah! You little enemy! Why didn’t Caihong belong to her? I even ate red eggs when I was young! You are not your own, you picked it up from a trash can!"

Later, Shanshan's mother was a little embarrassed when she saw Li Mingzhu, as if she had done something wrong.Rainbow felt wronged for her, and felt that her mother made a fuss.

This matter is over.

One day five years later, an accidental sentence floated into Rainbow's ears from the mouths of neighbors and aunts: "...Look at how beautiful the rainbow in Old He's house is. The baby has been picked! You know it's hard to find a baby with complete limbs there."

All of a sudden, there was a thunderbolt, and Caihong realized that the rumors were well-founded, and the group of aunts were shocked when they saw her.

She was so sad that she couldn't sleep all night, but she didn't have the courage to question her parents.So the next day I skipped class and went to Huayuan Street, got out of the car and walked along the muddy alley from the beginning to the end, searching door by door.That area, away from Main Street, is a forgotten place.There are dilapidated low shops on both sides of the road, which seems to be connected to a slaughterhouse, sparsely populated and full of chicken feathers.It wasn't until we were about to turn a corner that we suddenly saw a church-like building with old stone bricks and a soaring spire. There was a yellowed wooden sign beside the door: "Fahua Street Children's Welfare Institute".There is another small door on the side, which looks like another unit, with "Fa Yuen Street Nursing Hall" written in black on a white background.She wandered around the door, trying to get in, but was stopped by the guard.She had no choice but to pretend to buy soda and chat with the uncle at the canteen next door.

"Uncle, what is the nursery hall for? Kindergarten?"

"No," said the uncle, "it's where the government takes in abandoned babies. Here, see those steps? Some parents put their children on the steps if they don't want them."

The steps are made of wood, painted brightly, and there are countless bumps on them, as if they have been stepped on by countless feet.

"Can someone who doesn't want their own children be a parent?" she asked.

"Maybe it's because they can't afford it, and the phenomenon of patriarchy in rural areas is very serious, so they are mainly baby girls and orphaned and disabled children."

At this moment a girl walked into the orphanage accompanied by a woman. She had a deformed left arm and a limp leg.

"Are you trying to inquire about something?" Sensing her strangeness, the uncle asked, "Follow them and you can sneak in."

"No no no," Rainbow shook his head, "I'm just curious."

Once the seeds of doubt are planted in the heart, they germinate quickly.

Opening the photo album, Caihong found that her earliest baby photo said "Rainbow three months", but did not find any photos of her mother during pregnancy, which can be explained because Li Mingzhu didn't like taking photos of her fat body.However, she realized that her parents seldom mentioned the word "birth" in their daily conversations, and replaced it with "raise" and "pull", such as "raised from childhood to adulthood", "raising you is not easy", "pull you for more than ten years", etc. Wait.Blood type can't explain the problem, the whole family happens to be O type, unless DNA test is done.

If you are cruel, this mystery is not too difficult.Among the people she knew were doctors, reporters, and officials from the Civil Affairs Bureau, and she could get some clues by asking for help.However, Rainbow asked himself, is it worth it?If the rumors are true, she is an abandoned baby, is it important to know this?Is her life dark and miserable?Would she love Li Mingzhu and He Dalu less?Or hate your biological parents more?

Won't.If knowing your life experience will only bring you pain and resentment, why do you need to know?Even if she is an outcast, she is a lucky outcast.Her parents gave her complete love and treated her as their own.If you really want to get to the bottom of it, it's just pushing the known history one step forward and finding an ugly wound.

Rainbow would rather not know anything.This family gave her all the happiness, but she herself never sacrificed for her parents.So when there is a conflict between love and family affection, she knows what she will choose.

There was no class the next day, and Rainbow lied to Li Mingzhu that the borrowed books were due and went to school.

At the gate of the college, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she would run into Ji Huang, but unexpectedly, she ran into Guan Ye who hurried down from upstairs.

"Morning, Teacher Guan!"

"Morning, Rainbow, I have class right away. By the way, wait," she took out an envelope from her small bag, "Ji Huang asked me to give it to you."

She took it over and smiled: "Thank you, I took the trouble."

After Guan Ye walked away, she tore open the envelope, and inside was a stack of banknotes.In fact, she had already guessed that this was the 2 yuan she lent to Ji Huang.

She smiled wryly in her heart, if the business is not righteous, there is no rush to ask for the money, mother can still prevaricate by herself.This person is really straightforward, and the two are cleared up so quickly.Thinking about it later, the circles of my eyes are red.Ji Huang has a straightforward and strong temper, and doing so shows that he wants to make a clean break.And she has always been lucky in her heart. After all, in the same unit, meeting and cooperation are inevitable, and everything may be salvageable.Unexpectedly, love is disappearing at an unexpected speed.

Thinking about it this way, the gate of the Faculty of Arts suddenly became tall and gloomy, like a gate to hell.She stood on the steps and hesitated for a long time, but she dared not go in.Ji Huang has class today, so he must be in the office.Thinking of his humiliation and anger last night, Rainbow felt that he could hardly escape the blame.

While hesitating, a person walked by and stopped her: "Teacher He?"

Rainbow turned around and found that it was Cui Dongbi, the old man actually took the initiative to greet her, what a blessing!She quickly responded, "Teacher Cui, good morning!"

"I read your paper, and the answer is good." Cui Dongbi said quietly.

"Thank you teacher!" Rainbow squeezed out a big smile.

"I was the one who wrote the test, but I was too busy to do something, so I asked Teacher Ji to help me. I heard that everyone said it was difficult." Cui Dongbi looked at her, "The number of applicants this year is more than three times that of last year, so it's not difficult. I don't know who has the real kung fu."

"It's difficult, Mr. Cui, we have no power to resist." Caihong asked cautiously, "So... I passed?"

"Why are you so humble, you are the highest score."

"yeah!"

When she finished "yeah", Cui Dongbi's figure had disappeared inside the gate.

The east corner is lost, and the mulberry elm is harvested.Caihong went to the ancient books room of the library alone for a few hours, while old man Cai was still practicing calligraphy at the desk. When he heard her sobbing from time to time, he kindly handed her a pack of tissues.

At noon, she was a little sleepy, because she basically didn't sleep last night, and secondly, the office she shared with Ji Huang was cancelled, so she had no place to rest.After going to the cafeteria for lunch and making a cup of thick green tea, she pulled out her professional book and forced herself to read.After reading a few pages, I suddenly received a call from Dong Lin, saying that he was going to take her to climb a mountain.

In the past few months with Ji Huang, Caihong hadn't contacted Donglin. The last time she called, she heard that he and Qin Wei were going to the United States to discuss a project.It has always been like this between them, they can have a hot fight when they need each other, once they are busy, they don't communicate with each other, and they don't feel strange when they meet again after a long absence. Even Donglin sometimes calls and texts, and she forgets completely when she is busy, and Donglin also do not mind.Friends are like this, they never speculate on each other maliciously.

On the phone, she asked Dong Lin: "Aren't you abroad?"

"I'm back early."

"Oh!"

"Don't even call me." He complained.

"How did I know you were back?" She laughed, "Can't you call me first?"

"I'm proud." He muttered, "By the way, if I need something, wait for me at the school gate, and I'll pick you up."

"No, I'm in a bad mood."

"It's just to take you to relax."

She was slightly taken aback: "How do you know I need to relax?"

"My aunt told me."

"Just you and me?"

"There is also Qin Wei." He said, "That's right, he and I had an appointment to go rock climbing today - that activity is too dangerous, we have to be in two groups. You are in a bad mood, climb the mountain with us for fun. "

"Okay." She didn't feel that she needed to relax, but she needed distraction very much, so she agreed.

That area belongs to the unopened nature reserve on the edge of the city. There are long mountains and many peaks. Among them, Eagle Eye Peak is steep and the highest. It was once a keen target of local mountaineering enthusiasts.Since several cliff-fall accidents, no one cares about it.

After getting out of the car, Su Donglin handed Rainbow a pair of hiking shoes: "Try it on, we passed by a sporting goods store and bought you a pair by the way."

Rainbow looked at the soles and said, "How do you know I'm a size 36 and a half?"

"Ah Wei said so."

She made an OK gesture to Qin Wei.

"Am I amazing?" Qin Wei smiled self-admiringly, and his pale face with aristocratic air suddenly became more childish.

"It's not just miraculous, it's crazy." Dong Lin said.

They climbed the mountain from a side road, and the road disappeared after less than 10 minutes of climbing, replaced by piles of exposed rocks.Rainbow used both hands and feet to climb up with concentration, but was too nervous to look down or speak much.But Su Donglin on the side just didn't let him go, and kept telling her stories of escape in the wild: "...In April 2003, a man was climbing a mountain in a canyon in southeastern Utah, and a huge boulder weighing nearly two hundred catties It fell suddenly and hit his right arm. He lay on the ground for four whole days until he drank the last drop of water. In order to escape, he had to amputate half of his arm with a pocket knife and bandaged it indiscriminately. , climbed to the bottom of the canyon and followed the direction of the water flow until rescued..."

"Ouch!" Qin Wei whistled, "Let me tell you one too. In October 1993, a man was fishing in a rocky mountain stream in Colorado when a boulder suddenly rolled down and crushed one of his legs. At that time The man only wore a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, and there would be a blizzard at night. He cut off his injured leg with a pair of scissors, roughly sewed it up with fishing line, and crawled more than 10 meters on the ground. Climb into my car, drive back to the village and be rescued..."

"In June 2004, a Vietnamese fisherman who wanted to catch squid was washed into the sea 6 miles away from the shore by a sudden current. He drifted farther and farther, and after five days in the sea, he had to drink himself. They made a living by pissing and killing sea turtles, and they were rescued by other fishing boats after 65 days," Dong Lin said.

"I think of another one, which is very exciting and cruel." Qin Wei rushed to say, "In March 2007, a person was skydiving, but the main parachute did not open..."

"Stop talking! I don't want to listen! Please forgive me!"

Caihong went camping with Su Donglin more than once.Donglin is famous among his classmates for being fond of traveling and having fun.He likes dangerous sports, and is obsessed with exciting hobbies such as mountaineering, rock climbing, surfing, and rafting. He claims to be a master mountaineering.But Rainbow has never heard that he has actually climbed any famous summit, at least not Mount Everest.Donglin is impatient with all boring and dull things. Even watching DVDs is always scanned in 1.5 times fast-forward mode, and he knows the ending early.Rainbow believes that this is the biggest difference between himself and him, and it is also why the children of the poor in this world still have hope, because they can endure those boring and repetitive things since they were young.

The cave is half open, like a big mouth.The top of the cave is spacious, and the exposed granite wall is more than 20 meters high, with hooks and ropes left by some rock climbing enthusiasts hanging on it.

Open the backpack, and the equipment is very complete: power ropes, safety belts, pitons, quick hangs, impact drills, carabiners, protectors, everything.After taking off his shirt, Qin Wei put on the protective belt and hung a black pouch behind his waist at the same time.The bag contained some white powder.Seeing that Rainbow was curious, he grabbed a small handful and put it in her palm: "This is magnesium powder, which can absorb sweat on hands and moisture from rock walls, and increase friction." After that, he took out another pair from his bag After changing into soft-soled rock climbing shoes, Su Donglin let Su Donglin put on the rope and climbed with his arms outstretched.

This seemingly lazy playboy has chest muscles and physical strength comparable to that of a bodybuilder. His body is suspended, and he climbs from the bottom to the center of the rock wall with only the strength of his ten fingers.

Rainbow couldn't help worrying about him and said, "Dong Lin, do you think he should wear a helmet?"

"It's okay, we've been here several times, and the terrain is very familiar. He has a protective belt on his body, so he's safe." Su Donglin wrapped a dark rope around his waist, and handed the other end to her, "This is the power rope , the elasticity is [-]%, you can check it, if it falls, it can be cushioned."

She pulled it, but didn't feel any elasticity: "Will you crawl later?"

"Yes, we take turns."

"Then what do I do?"

"You can concentrate on watching."

Rainbow sighed: "You asked me to relax, just to let me watch this? What's so interesting about this?"

Su Donglin crossed his arms, tilted his head and looked at her contemptuously: "Please, two unparalleled handsome men who are so handsome are climbing the rocks naked to please you. Please cooperate."

Rainbow looked at him and remained silent for a long time, tears suddenly fell down.

"Donglin, I'm broken in love." She said.

"Cry to your heart's content!" Dong Lin hugged her tightly, "At least you still have friends."

Rainbow wailed in his arms, tears and snot soaking a large chunk of his shirt.Dong Lin suddenly took a step back, Rainbow turned his head to see that Qin Wei fell from the top of the cave at some point, his safety belt was hooked by a rock hook, and his body was spinning in mid-air like an old-fashioned ceiling fan.

The two hurriedly loosened the rope and put him down.

"Dong Lin is wrong." Qin Wei patted Rainbow on the shoulder and pulled her into his arms. "When you fall in love with someone, all your friends disappear. You should cry in the arms of strangers." , Only in this way can the sorrow be vented happily."

Rainbow's tears fell down again.

"Girl, you have to understand what you want." Qin Wei said, "As a poem says, is it 'From tomorrow onwards, be a happy person, feed horses, chop firewood, travel around the world', or' From tomorrow, care about food and vegetables, I have a house, facing the sea, spring blossoms'?"

(End of this chapter)