Chapter 127
Married Thrice to Salted Fish
127.
Mobile phones, cameras, cars, air conditioners werenât the only things Lin Qingyu knew about Jiang Xingâs hometown. He also knew a little about the food here. Fortunately, Jiang Xing often talked to him about these things. Otherwise, he wouldnât be able to maintain his composure in this strange world.
âI want to eat what you often eat.â Lin Qingyu said.
What Jiang Xing most frequently ate were the housekeeperâs home cooked meals. During the National Day holiday, their housekeeper had asked for leave and when his aunt heard about it, she invited him over to eat. Obviously, he couldnât bring a stranger to his auntâs house. It didnât cost much to treat someone to a meal. Heâll just treat it as entertaining an online friend he was finally meeting face-to-face.
Jiang Xing saw a shopping mall near the exhibition hall and suggested, âShall we go to the shopping mall?â
Lin Qingyu said, âShopping mall? Do they sell your clothes there? I want to change.â It was really quite hot here and not only was his current outfit very eye-catching, it could also cause heat stroke if worn for too long.
Jiang Xing looked at the beauty quietly â Is it not enough that youâre cheating me out of a meal, youâre also cheating me out of a set of clothes?
Fine, with your beauty, being cheated is worth it.
The two walked to the entrance of the mall. Lin Qingyu didnât have a mobile phone and couldnât scan his code to enter. Fortunately, he could register manually.
Lin Qingyu looked at the strangely shaped pen and said to Jiang Xing, âYou write for me.â
Jiang Xing was a little puzzled. He picked up the pen and asked, âWhatâs your name?â
âLin Qingyu.â
Jiang Xing paused. âWhich Qingyu?â
âThe Qing for clear and the Yu for feathers.â
Jiang Xing smiled and said, âWhat a coincidence. I just read a novel called âHuaiâs Refusal of the Monarchâ and there was a character named Lin Qingyu in it.â
Lin Qingyu said lightly, âEn, Iâm that Lin Qingyu from âHuaiâs Refusal of the Monarchâ.â
Jiang Xing thought he must have heard wrong. âHuh?â
The two of them standing there at the entrance to the mall, registering, meant that they were in the way of others who wanted to get in. Jiang Xing didnât have time to ask and simply said, âWhatâs your ID number and mobile phone number?â
Lin Qingyu said, âI donât have that sort of thing.â
Something was wrong; something was very wrong. Jiang Xing put down the pen and took Lin Qingyu aside. He asked, âWhat did you mean by that just now?â
âI meant what I said literally.â Lin Qingyu said, âI am from the Dayu and you and I also met in the Dayu.â
Jiang Xing looked like heâd seen a ghost. This⦠should he praise Lin Qingyuâs con for being novel?
Lin Qingyu thought it necessary to explain clearly to Jiang Xing. âItâs a long story. Letâs go someplace cool and Iâll explain to you in detail.â
Jiang Xing regained his composure and saw a nearby milk tea dessert shop that didnât require you to register. And so he took Lin Qingyu inside and sat him down. âYou wait here for me.â
âWhere are you going?â
âArenât you hungry?â Ever since Lin Qingyu said he was hungry, it kept nagging in his mind, âIâll go buy you something to eat.â
Lin Qingyuâs lips curved into a smile. âThank you.â
Jiang Xing bought two cups of milk tea, four donuts and eight egg tarts. He inserted the straw for Lin Qingyu and handed it over. âHere, try it.â
Lin Qingyu didnât take it. Instead, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, he took Jiang Xingâs hand, bowed his head and took a sip of the milk tea. Surprise flashed in his eyes. âJiang Xing, this is delicious. I like it.â
After standing in the sun for a while, Lin Qingyuâs cheeks were slightly reddish, looking more enticing than the donuts.
Jiang Xing couldnât help laughing. âYouâre so cute.â As soon as the words were out, he was stunned.
What is he saying? How could he say such frivolous things to a boy heâd just met for the first time? When did he get so greasy?
Lin Qingyu has long been accustomed to Jiang Xingâs âgreasinessâ. He took two big mouthfuls of milk tea and ate an egg tart. When he no longer felt so hungry, he said, âHave you ever thought that one day you would be transmigrated into the world of âHuaiâs Refusal of the Monarchâ?â
ââ¦â¦Never.â
Lin Qingyu explained everything in detail. He and Jiang Xing met each other, got to know each other and fell in love; from the Nanâan Houâs Mansion to the Generalâs Mansion, and finally to the Imperial Palace. Jiang Xing had died three times and they were married three times. Finally, he talked about Xu Junyuan, âI donât know if Xu Junyuan has already found out that weâve left the Dayu. But if he knows whatâs good for him, he should already be thinking of a way to get us back.â
After Jiang Xing heard Lin Qingyuâs words, his first reaction wasnât to call 110. Instead, he thought of that dream he had during his nap. He dreamt that heâd lived and died, died and lived again and there was a beauty in a wedding dressâthese were basically consistent with what Lin Qingyu had said.
He seriously suspected that he was going out of his mind. He actually felt that what Lin Qingyu said wasnât completely made up.
Lin Qingyu saw that Jiang Xing still didnât believe him yet so he raised his hand, pointed at Jiang Xingâs Adamâs apple and said, âYou have a mole here.â
Jiang Xing instinctively looked down. His headphones were still hanging around his neck, blocking his Adamâs apple, so Lin Qingyu shouldnât have been able to see it.
Lin Qingyu continued, âYour birthday is on the fifth of October. Your mother was a very strong person and was very strict with you. She forced you to learn ancient Chinese calligraphy and required you to be proficient in everything. You didnât disappoint her and though tired of studying, you still manage to secure first place. You are very good at attaching protective screens and you can play the Xiqinâfor you, it should be called an Erhuâ¦â
Jiang Xing ate a donut to calm his shock. âDid you investigate me?â
âYou have a secret that no one knows. When you were in second grade of elementary school, you once broke your motherâs perfume bottle and then blamed it on your little dog. The dogâs name was Xiao Mi.â
âWho told you all this? Jiang Xing asked incredulously, âMy cousin?â No, even Pei Zhiqi didnât know that heâd framed Xiao Mi.
âYou told me yourself.â Lin Qingyu said, âYouâre the only one who knows about this, arenât you?â
Jiang Xingâs entire being was torn.
Who is he? Where is he? Is this world real or not?
Lin Qingyu saw a shop selling fishing gear opposite their shop and added, âYou also like fishing.â
Jiang Xing had fallen in love with fishing when he was Gu Fuzhou. He said that fishing was the most wonderful sport in the world. Later, Jiang Xing became the emperor and he had very little free time. He wanted to sleep, cling to him and occasionally fish. So he would ask him to accompany him to sleep or go fishing with him.
Finally, Lin Qingyu was wrong about one thing. Jiang Xing calmed down and said, âI donât like it.â He doesnât even know how to fish.
Lin Qingyu said, âNo, you like it.â
Jiang Xing was very sure. âNo, I donât like it.â
Lin Qingyu didnât want to waste his words. He stood up and said, âIf you donât believe me, go and have a look at that store.â
Jiang Xing froze as soon as he stepped into the fishing shop. Why did he feel like he was in heaven? He felt as much joy here as he did visiting a sneaker store. He suddenly felt that not only could he fish, but that he could fish with ease. The entire Pearl River wasnât enough for him to fish.
It was over. He already felt in his heart that what Lin Qingyu said was the truth. Is he crazy or is the world crazy?
Jiang Xing had a somber expression on his face, saying nothing. Lin Qingyu thoughtfully said nothing, giving him enough time to digest. When the two returned to the street, blown by the sweltering wind, Lin Qingyu finally understood why Jiang Xing always said that air conditioners saved peopleâs lives.
Before Lin Qingyu could speak, he heard Jiang Xing whisper, âClothes.â
âWhat?â
âYou have to change out of that Hanfu before we talk about anything else.â Jiang Xing still had countless questions in his mind, but the strange thing was that he was more concerned about whether Lin Qingyu felt hot in his outfit. âIâll take you to my house and you can wear my clothes for now â Is that all right?â
âOf course its fine. Iâve always wanted to visit your house.â Lin Qingyu said, âHow do we get there?â
Jiang Xing turned on his phone and glanced at the taxi app. It was the National Day holiday and it was dinner time, there were a lot of people taking taxis and the APP warned him that heâd have to wait at least 20 minutes.
âI want to try riding that.â Lin Qingyu pointed to a car passing in front of them. âCan you drive?â
Jiang Xingâs heart tightened and he said, a little bit defensively, âUh, no.â
Lin Qingyu was a little disappointed. âI thought you could do everything.â
Jiang Xing felt that heâd been dealt a violent hit.
Lin Qingyu remembered that Jiang Xing came here on a shared bicycle. He asked, âAre we going home on a shared bicycle?â
âLet me take you to take the subway.â Jiang Xing said leisurely, âYou came all the way from the Dayu, how could you miss Line 3 and Line 5 during the evening rush in Guangzhou? I must take you to experience it.â
âSubway?â Lin Qingyu looked around and saw a sign with the word âsubwayâ written on it, âAre we going there?â
Jiang Xingâs face changed slightly and he thought he had caught a flaw. âWait a minute, if youâre really from ancient times, how can you read simplified characters? You also know about shared bicycles?â
âYou taught me.â
âOkay, my apologies.â
Lin Qingyu walked towards the subway station, but was stopped by Jiang Xing. âI was just kidding with you,â Jiang Xing said with a smile, âYou canât squeeze into the subway with your clothes like that.â
Jiang Xing called their family driver. âUncle Chen, itâs me. Are you free now? Can you come and pick me up? â¦No, not the one near the school. Itâs the holidays, Iâm not staying there anymore. Itâs the one in Zhujiang New Town. My current location isâ¦â
It would take about ten minutes for the driver to get to them. Jiang Xing hung up the phone. He looked at the beauty in splendid clothes holding a cup of milk tea and called out hesitantly, âLin Qingyu?â
Huh? Why did it feel so awkward?
Lin Qingyu raised his head, furrowed his brows and said, displeased, âWhat did you call me?â
Jiang Xing quickly changed his words. âQingyu.â As soon as he said this, Jiang Xing suddenly became enlightened and at ease. âHow about you take the wig off first? Just looking at it makes me feel hot. It must be worse for you.â
âHave you gone dumb from shock?â Lin Qingyu sighed, âThis is my hair.â
Men in ancient times did have long hair. Jiang Xing stared at Lin Qingyuâs long locks of hair hanging down his chest and said, âAre you really not wearing a wig?â
âEn.â Lin Qingyu knew that Jiang Xing liked touching his hair, âDo you want to touch it?â
Jiang Xing was stunned. He asked, âCan I touch it?â
Lin Qingyu said, âIf itâs you, youâre free to touch it.â Jiang Xing had touched every part of his body, inside and out.
Jiang Xing stretched out his hand and carefully picked up Lin Qingyuâs long hair. It was very light, very soft; silky and cool.
In an instant, a picture vaguely flashed through Jiang Xingâs mind: he and Lin Qingyu were lying together on a large bed. Lin Qingyu was lying on his back and he was lying on his side, carelessly playing with Lin Qingyuâs long silky hair.
Holy crap, Lin Qingyu really did seem to be his wife.
This was cause for celebration!