Ties of Silence Chapter 5

Grayson Ding thinks this is probably called karma.

He bent down and stared at the five small characters. Regardless of the content, the writing was really good, and the carving was also good after writing. When I touched it again, I found that the marks on the turning corners were quite deep, and the force was quite strong and powerful.

Grayson Ding confirmed that it was Caleb Ji who carved it through yesterday's emotional conflict, but what he was confused about was ------ Could Caleb Ji carve such penetrating words? With those ten fingers that don’t even have calluses, and the wrist that swings wildly when drawing?

He was thinking about this so much that he forgot to pursue the scolding, and went to have breakfast in good spirits, where he finally met Caleb Ji. "Junior brother." He split the two strands of fried dough sticks into two and handed one to the other party, "Do you like the slim gold body?"

Caleb Ji took it and said frankly: "I like it, it's pretty."

Grayson Ding found it interesting in his heart that even if he was scolding someone, he had to choose something that looked good. He was very particular about his temper.

After eating, he went out early. His schoolbag was still hung on the handlebars. He rang the bell and rode a few meters away. Grayson Ding raised his hand higher and could grab a weeping willow on the roadside. He broke one of his nails with a pinch and swung his backhand wildly. Caleb Ji couldn't escape, and the willow branch felt itchy on his body, so he grabbed the other end to prevent Grayson Ding from causing trouble.

Grayson Ding held the handle of the car with his left hand, and stretched and pulled with his right hand to no avail. Like a snake eating beans, he pinched the wicker stick with his nails and moved forward, attacking inch by inch, getting closer and closer, and suddenly rubbed against Caleb Ji. fingertips.

Quickly, Grayson Ding received a slap on the back of his hand.

The wicker tree fell, got entangled in the bearing of the tire and suffered a lot of damage, and was blown by the wind after landing. Both sides suffered fatal consequences. Grayson Ding's naughty moment meant nothing, and he was a little embarrassed after it was over. He lowered his head and saw the words on the beam, and deliberately sighed: "The strength is so strong, how much you hate me when you carve it."

Ji Shen said nothing. From the moment he left the house until now, he silently memorized every street he passed, including any conspicuous landmarks at intersections. He had a pen in his pocket, and from time to time he would take it out and draw a line in the palm of his hand. When he arrived at the entrance of No. 6 Middle School, he pieced together a palm-sized map.

Grayson Ding propped one leg on the ground and made a promise casually: "I will get off work at half past six and arrive on time at forty-five. You can do your homework in the classroom for a while and then come out."

Unexpectedly, Caleb Ji put on his schoolbag and said, "No need, I already remember the way."

Grayson Ding didn't seem to believe it: "It's far away. Do you remember it clearly?"

"Yes." Caleb Ji said firmly, "I know you don't want to pick me up. This is the last trip, so you don't have to worry about it in the future."

This was what he had thought from a long time ago. If he could remember the road as soon as possible, he would never bother the other party again. If Grayson Ding hadn't forgotten last night, he would have remembered the original road last night. Grayson Ding didn't seem to react. He tightened his grip on the handlebars and was silent for a moment, then turned around and left without saying anything.

Grayson Ding went to work, and whenever he saw someone blocking his way, he would squeeze the bell tightly and rush to the top. When he arrived at the Cultural Relics Bureau, there was no one in the office. He sat alone in his seat, staring at the light green on his nails in trance.

It was undoubtedly a gratifying thing to no longer have to pick up and drop off Caleb Ji, but he was passive and felt abandoned. It's not quite right, it feels like he was fired by Caleb Ji.

Caleb Ji also carved "B@st@ard B@st@ard" on his bicycle, which also became a bad debt.

Grayson Ding felt so aggrieved for the first time in his life. Thanks to his guilty conscience last night, he didn't even bother to appreciate the pile of damaged cultural relics. "What bullshit." He cursed in a low voice, his voice was not clear and he was sullen and unhappy.

Then he raised his head again and made waves: "I'm not here to serve you anymore! Let's see how you score in the final exam!"

In fact, except for Grayson Ding, everyone else in the family is also waiting to see. Although their brothers have already decided on their main careers, they are not bad at studying. Milo Jiang is just a bit more playful.

Caleb Ji didn't know that his grades were so important, so he just studied hard without any distractions. Besides, he didn't care about making friends, and the atmosphere at the end of the semester was tense, so he spent a whole day alone without saying a word.

After school, the monitor suddenly came over and said, "You can clean up during the exam days next week."

Caleb Ji agreed and simply stayed and cleaned together today to avoid panic later. He helped sweep the floor and wipe the tables. When he left, there were not many people in the school. Naturally, there was no sign of Grayson Ding at the school gate. He didn't have to wait, and the other party didn't need to find it troublesome.

Caleb Ji walked back along the street, stopped at a bus stop and looked up at the bus stop sign. A bus happened to come over, and he got on the bus thinking about his destination silently. It was really far, and in the end the carriage was nearly empty. He got off at "Chiwangfu Station" and had to walk a few hundred meters more.

The breeze blew through the willow tree, and Caleb Ji jumped up, grabbed a piece of it, cut it off, and walked back, swinging the willow stick. For the first time since he left Yangzhou, he felt carefree. He walked around on the left and right, kicked a stone or hummed a tune. No elders saw him, and no senior brothers who didn't want to see him made fun of him. He was only exposed to a vivid sunset on the horizon. .

"Master." Caleb Ji whispered, "Old Ji, I suddenly can't remember what you look like."

He started jogging: "Just bless my wife, don't worry about me."

More than ten meters away, Grayson Ding pushed his bicycle slowly and watched Caleb Ji disappear around the corner. He left a quarter of an hour early on the pretext of arriving early. When Caleb Ji came out of school lazily, he had already drank three bottles of soda at the canteen and followed the bus all the way. He waited until Caleb Ji got off the bus to catch his breath.

He was worried that Xiao Nanmanzi would get lost, and he was not happy to be dismissed and show up, so he had to follow him silently. But Caleb Ji's lively back is a bit annoying. What does it mean? You don't need to see him to be so happy?

Grayson Ding came home with a face on his face and didn't eat dinner. He spread out the bag of fragments from the ocean to study. The book was laid flat at hand, and there were three full pages of appraisal notes. He didn't even notice the dirt on his white shirt.

Caleb Ji was obviously taken aback when he entered the small courtyard. He knew that Grayson Ding could not watch the rags and admire them, so he couldn't help but get closer to observe, and he couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what are these?"

Grayson Ding took a piece of pottery lightly and turned a deaf ear. He could only see the utensils that had been drifting for hundreds of years, not the vivid living people in front of him.

Caleb Ji asked uncertainly: "Is the cultural relic that looks like water coming out of the ocean real or made?"

Grayson Ding now raised his eyes: "Do you still know cultural relics?"

Caleb Ji said: "I have read it in a book." It was the book "Like Mountains and Seas".

It's okay if I don't mention it, but Grayson Ding can't borrow books. He gets angry when he mentions it, gathers his things and goes back to the study. Caleb Ji hadn't seen enough yet, so he walked to the study window and quietly tilted his head, his eyes lingering on the pile of "rags".

He thought, Grayson Ding likes antiques and cultural relics? That’s right, a dandy loves whatever money he wants.

He thought again, what was Grayson Ding writing so hard? Is it possible that you can see the way through?

Caleb Ji tilted his head, and his eyes couldn't help but shift, moving to Ding Han's big hand with clear bones. That hand was very powerful. He shook the penholder and filled another page. The blue blood vessels on the back of his hand were so vivid, intertwined, and filled with vitality.

Grayson Ding held his wrist and his hand, and he suddenly remembered this.

The penholder stopped shaking. Grayson Ding put down the pen and picked up a piece of bowl bottom, trying to remove the calcium and check the inscription, but his hands got dirty. Caleb Ji frowned when he saw the other person, and then the bridge of his nose, which was as straight as a peak, straightened up. He thought, this face is not easy to offend, and the handsomeness cannot be tempered by the meanness.

He watched quietly for a long time, but didn't see many cultural relics. Instead, he took a look at Grayson Ding's hands and face, and finally went back to the room to review by burning the lamp.

The two of them were separated by a wall and were sitting at their desks. The lights were turned off in the front yard at about ten o'clock, and there was no light in the east yard at eleven o'clock. Only their small courtyard was lit. As soon as morning came, the unrepaired antique Western clock in the machine room rang, tingled and then stopped suddenly.

Caleb Ji closed the book, took out a piece of smooth jade and began to draw. He memorized the text while drawing, and then called it a day. He would continue next time. When he went to take a shower, he saw that the lights were still on in the study. After taking a shower, the lights went out, and Grayson Ding was sitting on the porch.

He went over and asked, "Brother, what are you doing sitting here?"

Grayson Ding yawned: "What else can I do? Wait for a bath."

The other party's shirt was covered in dirt, and perhaps insect corpses. Caleb Ji couldn't figure out what kind of biological dirt was on the pile of cultural relics. It was definitely not clean. He walked away a little further and warned, "Then take off your clothes and don't put them in the basket."

Grayson Ding could hear his disgust: "If you don't let me go, I'll throw you on the bed."

After a few sentences of moderate conversation, Caleb Ji went back to the bedroom to sleep. He had never slept well since Ji Fangxu fell ill. No matter how tired he was, it would always take a long time to fall asleep. I lay flat for a long time without falling asleep. I emptied my stomach first.

Caleb Ji got up to eat the peach cake, holding it in one hand to catch the dregs without wasting a single bit.

The figure moved from far to near, stopped outside the door and raised his hand to push, then changed from virtual to solid. Grayson Ding came in with a serious face, not thinking that he was an outsider: "I'm starving, give me a piece to eat."

He hadn't eaten dinner and had already pressed his back against his chest. He picked up a piece without waiting for Caleb Ji's approval. "It tastes bad." He took one bite and put it down again. He could starve to death, but he couldn't ruin his mouth and stomach. "It's soggy and not crispy."

Caleb Ji declared anxiously: "My aunt gave it to me." So he ate sparingly and couldn't waste half a mouthful.

Grayson Ding was confused and misunderstood: "I gave you a box of peach cakes and you couldn't bear to eat them? After all, there are many kinds of dim sum in Yangzhou, don't be so blind." He remembered that the other party was an illegitimate child and was hated by Ji Fangxu's wife. , "I guess you haven't had anything good."

Upon hearing this, Caleb Ji immediately asked: "My wife bought Jiumaozhai's braised chicken tonight. Is that good?"

Grayson Ding said: "Of course it is good for a century-old brand to keep improving."

Caleb Ji wiped his hands: "I thought you had eaten something good, that's all."

Two minutes later, the lights came on in the front yard kitchen. Grayson Ding and Caleb Ji refused to accept the other and wanted to compete. Caleb Ji did not dare to say a word, fearing that he and Grayson Ding would shout and wake others up. He pushed Grayson Ding aside, turned around and took out the remaining half of the braised chicken from the refrigerator.

Grayson Ding asked: "What are you doing?"

Caleb Ji didn't answer, but emptied out the burlap bag containing the spices, then tore up the braised chicken and stuffed it in, adding a scallion and a spoonful of peppercorns. Submerge the cloth bag into cold water. After the water boils, cook a handful of thin noodles. When the noodles are cooked, throw in a piece of cabbage heart.

When a bowl of chicken noodle soup came out of the pot, Grayson Ding lost consciousness in the heat. After eating it with chopsticks, his eyes softened completely. There was no oil or salt, it was all about the braised chicken to bring out the flavor, as well as the aroma of green onions and numbness. He ate it to his heart's content, not that he was stingy with the praise, but he really couldn't care less.

Caleb Ji took out the cloth bag and said, "The braised chicken is ready, but the taste is not that good. The chicken will not be tender after being cooked for a long time."

Grayson Ding's hunger eased: "Then throw it away."

Caleb Ji threw the cloth bag into the trash can, turned his face and met Grayson Ding's gaze, and suddenly he was too lazy to argue anymore. "Brother," he stared at the edge of the bowl, "I'm hungry too."

Grayson Ding picked up the tender cabbage heart and said, "Open your mouth."

His mouth felt hot, and Caleb Ji narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. When he opened them again, Grayson Ding had eaten all the soup and noodles. It was very late at night, and he felt doubly sleepy when his stomach was full. Grayson Ding said, "You have to go out early if you take the bus."

Caleb Ji knew that Grayson Ding asked again: "Then can you get up?"

Caleb Ji didn't know, but Grayson Ding said again: "I'll give it to you."