Yonghe Road

Chapter 25 Breakup
After saying goodbye to Luo Youcai and coming out of the tea shop, An Hongdou accidentally fell. Fortunately, Zhong Ziqi grabbed her in time.

"These shoes don't fit you." Zhong Ziqi said.

An Hongdou said, "Then buy me a pair that fits."

Previously, An Hongdou had her eyes on a pair of brand name travel shoes that cost four figures. She sent the link to Zhong Ziqi, but Zhong Ziqi didn't say anything. An Hongdou felt a little unhappy at the time, but she knew that Zhong Ziqi had to support his family and was short of money, so she couldn't blame him for anything.

At this moment, An Hongdou accidentally brought up this topic again, and Zhong Ziqi took over and said, "You can't buy shoes for your girlfriend. It's unlucky to buy shoes for your girlfriend. Your girlfriend will run away."

Zhong Ziqi felt very guilty when he said this.

This was a good excuse he made for not having money. An Hongdou knew it was Zhong Ziqi's excuse, but tacitly kept quiet. But just as Zhong Ziqi said this, Xie Anmin gave him a meaningful glance. That profound look made Zhong Ziqi, already feeling guilty, feel even more inferior, and that inferiority complex fueled an inexplicable irritation.

Zhong Ziqi returned a look: What are you looking at?

If you don't want to watch, then don't watch. Xie Anmin didn't comment and followed Wang Zian into the car. As usual, Wang Zian leaned over from the driver's seat and carefully fastened Xie Anmin's seat belt in the passenger seat. This time, Xie Anmin didn't make a fuss, but smiled and said thank you.

"You're welcome." Wang Zian also relaxed a lot and his face did not blush.

Sitting back in the driver's seat and about to start the car, I heard An Hongdou yelling in the back seat: "Amber silver bracelet, my amber silver bracelet is gone."

So, they got out of the car to look for it. At the spot where An Hongdou had nearly fallen, the amber silver bracelet lay obediently on the ground, broken in two. What had once been a full moon was now broken into two half-moons, lying not far from each other, as if foreshadowing some sad ending.

Looking at the broken amber and silver bracelet, Zhong Ziqi's heart skipped a beat. He was usually a tough guy, but at this moment he realized that he and An Hongdou were doomed to fail.

"It's not just you and An Hongdou. Is it possible that you are destined to live a lonely life?"

Xie Anmin said this to Zhong Ziqi, and his tone was as venomous as a curse.

At that time, the two were sitting in a Didi car, leaving Baile Village and heading to the next county town.

This happened the next afternoon.

The night the amber silver bracelet broke, Zhong Ziqi, for the first time in his life, felt a wave of emotions as he followed Wang Zian's car from Baicha Town back to Baile Village. They were silent all the way. Neither Wang Zian, in the driver's seat, nor Xie Anmin, in the passenger seat, could hear the two people in the back seat chattering happily, like birdsong.

It seemed as if in an instant, the two of them grew from innocent children to adults with heavy concerns.

It was an amber silver bracelet that symbolized marriage and commitment. If it broke, it would be a bad omen.

It was already midnight when the car arrived at Baile Village. There were still small restaurants open in the village, where workers from the industrial zone were enjoying food and drinks after a hard day's work. Wang Zian suggested treating An Hongdou and Xie Anmin to a late-night snack. Zhong Ziqi had no money and couldn't pay, so he couldn't say anything. Xie Anmin said it was too late and he didn't want to eat anymore, just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep.

An Hongdou's accommodation hadn't been arranged yet. As Zhong Ziqi's girlfriend, it was impossible for Wang Zian to pay for her accommodation. An Hongdou was open about going home with Zhong Ziqi to spend the night, but Zhong Ziqi suddenly became reserved and embarrassed, saying that they were not engaged or had no marriage certificate, so it was ridiculous to bring her home to spend the night. It would reflect badly on An Hongdou.

"Isn't that how people are these days? Boyfriends and girlfriends can live together, so how can it be a bad influence? Zhong Ziqi, you don't even have a long braid on your head, so how come you have a Qing Dynasty head?"

This was the first time that Zhong Ziqi discovered that An Hongdou spoke harshly. Before, he only thought that An Hongdou was carefree, cheerful and innocent.

"I have a Qing Dynasty brain? You have a Qing Dynasty brain. You're like a Qing Dynasty brothel girl, too casual."

After Zhong Ziqi finished speaking, Wang Zian pushed him hard. Zhong Ziqi took a few steps back, and it was Xie Anmin who reached out and helped him up, so he could stand firm. When Zhong Ziqi stood firm, he saw An Hongdou crying.

An Hongdou's eyes were red and filled with tears. When the feelings of grievance, dissatisfaction and indignation brewed to a certain extent, tears fell down in big drops.

Zhong Ziqi knew he had said the wrong thing, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize or offer comfort. An Hongdou just stared at him, waited briefly, and then ran off.

Where could An Hongdou run to in the middle of the night on the streets of Baile Village?
Running back to the city wasn't feasible unless Wang Zian drove her. But Wang Zian had already driven all night and was exhausted. Wang Zian didn't consider his own hardship, but rather that it wasn't appropriate to send An Hongdou back to the city tonight. He also hoped that after a night, Zhong Ziqi and An Hongdou could reconcile tomorrow. An Hongdou staying in Baile Village tonight would be beneficial for reconciliation tomorrow. If An Hongdou returned to the city tonight, Zhong Ziqi wouldn't be able to reconcile with her so easily. At least he would have to pay for an extra trip to the city.

So, that night, Xie Anmin took An Hongdou in. Being able to spend a night with her idol, An Hongdou was so happy that she was bubbling with joy, and she put aside the unpleasantness with Zhong Ziqi.

An Hongdou showered in Xie Anmin's room, changed into his pajamas, and tucked into the same bed with him. She happily recounted her happy teenage years, growing up reading his books. As An Hongdou told Xie Anmin about her admiration for him, her eyes sparkled with little stars.

At that moment, Xie Anmin couldn't hate An Hongdou anymore. Girls were truly the most beautiful creatures in the world. Who could hate a girl who was so innocent, lovely, and deeply in love with him? Xie Anmin remembered that when she was as young as An Hongdou, a girlfriend had stared at her for a long time and said, "Xie Anmin, you have a romantic temperament. Not that kind of romantic, but the romantic temperament of a talented and romantic man."

Xie Anmin felt that his girlfriend had good taste, as she had seen so early on that there was a Tang Bohu living in her body.

As An Hongdou's idol, Xie Anmin felt that he had a responsibility to guide his fans, so he asked her whether she just wanted to have a relationship with Zhong Ziqi or want to marry Zhong Ziqi.

An Hongdou didn't understand. Isn't the purpose of dating to get married? Dating without the goal of getting married is just hooliganism, right?

Xie Anmin smiled and said that love is love and marriage is marriage, and marriage must be based on material things. Not to mention the daily necessities and the cost of raising children after marriage, just take the wedding that marks the beginning of a marriage, the cost is not small.

"Do you guys accept a gift when you get married here?"

"Yes, even if there is a dowry, it is based on the bride price. The amount of the bride price is determined by the dowry. There is no dowry that is more than the bride price."

An Hongdou didn't know how rich people got married, and how betrothal gifts and dowries came and went. She was a common girl and could only answer Xie Anmin based on the reality of her own class.

Xie Anmin found that when An Hongdou talked about this topic, she was no longer an innocent girl. Her face was full of a sacred and serious expression.

"Do you think Zhong Ziqi can afford the betrothal money your family wants?" Before going to bed, Xie Anmin threw An Hongdou a realistic, cold, and thorny question.

The next morning, Zhong Ziqi received a breakup message from An Hongdou on his mobile phone.

Zhong Ziqi did not feel any crisis. He just thought that An Hongdou was in a bad mood and was taking a self-protective retreat because of the broken amber silver bracelet.

"If the bracelet is broken, it's broken. I don't blame you. I will fix it and give it to you." Zhong Ziqi even sent An Hongdou a self-magnanimous reply.

An Hongdou fell silent, and neither did Zhong Ziqi. He wanted to quickly repair the amber and silver bracelet, apologize to An Hongdou, and not let Huifang know. The amber and silver bracelet might not be valuable, but it was a Zhong family heirloom after all, and it held special significance. Breaking it would be unlucky, and if Huifang knew, she would have a lot to say to him.

Being nagging is a characteristic of mothers like Huifang. They can't help their children with major life events, but they just like to nag and talk a lot, saying useless things, and they think their motherly love is as great as a mountain.

As a son who knew that his mother's life was not easy, Zhong Ziqi was upset, but he could not openly expose his mother's dignity. He had to act submissive to express his filial piety and respect for his mother.

In this respect, Zhong Ziwang is much better. He is truly filial to Huifang and respects his mother from the bottom of his heart. Zhong Ziqi is more rebellious than Zhong Ziwang, and Zhong Chunshui is even more rebellious. In the Zhong family, the younger the children are, the more rebellious they are.

Huifang once said that the craftsmanship of the amber silver bracelet comes from the She ethnic group's silver forging skills. This national intangible cultural heritage craft came from an old craftsman in Hanyang, the neighboring county.

Taking a taxi from Baile Village to Hanyang takes two or three hours and is a considerable expense. For Zhong Ziqi, it is naturally a considerable expense, as his WeChat balance is only in the single digits today, but for Xie Anmin, it is just a drizzle.

Zhong Ziqi felt that he had sold himself to Xie Anmin for the sake of a trip fare, and he felt humiliated that his male chauvinism was not being enforced.

"Besides the car fare, repairing the silver bracelet will also require a labor fee, right?" Xie Anmin wanted to stab Zhong Ziqi in the heart again, "If you feel uncomfortable spending my money, you can write me an IOU."

This is a way for Zhong Ziqi to temporarily spend Xie Anmin's money and temporarily maintain a little dignity.

When Zhong Ziqi signed Xie Anmin's IOU, he felt a kind of trepidation, like a pony crossing a river. The pony was unsure of the river's depth, while Zhong Ziqi was unsure because Xie Anmin's IOU didn't specify the amount. This meant that from now on, whenever Zhong Ziqi needed to spend money, he could borrow from Xie Anmin. Xie Anmin was willing to be his cash machine.

When Zhong Ziqi signed his name on Xie Anmin's IOU, Xie Anmin said, "It's not just you and An Hongdou. Is it possible that you are destined to live a lonely life?"

Not knowing what roadblock the car encountered in front of it, the driver slammed on the brakes. Due to the inertia of the car, Zhong Ziqi's head hit the back of the front seat hard.

(End of this chapter)