Ties of Silence Chapter 7

Caleb Ji didn't expect that a classmate would ask him to go out to play. He went out early and prepared a treat with a little private money he brought from Yangzhou. In fact, he also had some classmates and friends in Yangzhou, but after his master left and his wife kicked him out, he had trouble settling down, so he couldn't bear to regret that his friendship was ruined.

He ran around with his classmates for most of the day. They took him to watch movies, wander around the university, and chase each other in unfamiliar streets... When they went to a restaurant at noon, he didn't say a word and just listened to others. He would talk about trivial matters in the class or grade, and he would giggle when he heard it. In the end, everyone asked him to borrow homework to copy, and he agreed without even thinking about it.

After coming out of the hotel into the scorching sun, everyone was wondering what to do next. The squad leader yawned and invited everyone to play poker at his house. Caleb Ji didn't like playing poker, so he asked, "How about we go to the museum?"

Everyone laughed at him for being sick and called him stupid, so he had no choice but to keep quiet and stop expressing his opinions. But he really wanted to go. This city is so big and has so many places of interest and former residences of famous people, but what he wanted to go to the most was the museum.

Caleb Ji couldn't get everyone to agree to his suggestion, and he was unwilling to accommodate other people's ideas, so everyone went to the squad leader's house to play poker. He took the bus back home. It was a long journey and he almost got lost.

After getting off the car, I walked very slowly, sliding along the side, being scorched by the sun, and even hid in the shade of a tree to rest a few hundred meters away. Caleb Ji saw a taxi leaning against a tree, and then saw Finn Ding and Beckett Ding getting out of the taxi. They were probably coming back from Yushuji.

The two people were talking and had already arrived at the door of the house. Caleb Ji called to his senior brother to catch up and wanted to ask what to do with the question asked by the master. Grayson Ding did not let them touch the hibiscus stone. Do they have to choose materials again.

Beckett Ding turned around first, but didn't respond. Finn Ding then turned around and responded: "You're not at home, and you didn't go to the store to help. Have you been playing all day?"

It was only around two o'clock in the afternoon. Caleb Ji was sweating: "I went out with my classmates. I thought they didn't remember me."

He explained with a smile that he was happy because his classmates remembered him. Unexpectedly, Finn Ding ignored this and asked, "Did you ask us for something?"

Caleb Ji was stunned. Finally, he felt that the two senior brothers' attitudes were a bit cold, so he calmed down, removed his smile, and put on a humble expression: "The hibiscus stone can no longer be used. Master is busy recently, should we still carve it?"

Finn Ding said: "You still have the nerve to mention the hibiscus stone. If you hadn't been too talkative that day to explain, would the eldest brother have directly scolded us? What are you doing to get us involved in the matter between the two of them?"

Beckett Ding never said a word, but he didn't stop him either. Caleb Ji didn't expect that several days had passed and they were still waiting to accuse him. He replied: "I didn't expect that Senior Brother would say that. I apologize to you."

"No need." Finn Ding said mercilessly, "Of course you didn't expect it. You are the fifth one appointed by the uncle. You are all a family after closing the door. Think of others as stupid."

Caleb Ji watched the other party leave, Finn Ding choked with his words, Beckett Ding said nothing, but the eyes that fell on him were also very cold. He was sorry for the name Ji Fangxu gave him, and he didn't know how to resolve the conflict because of his excessive talk.

Caleb Ji's good mood disappeared. When he passed by the large living room, he saw Grayson Ding writing on the round table, using white ink and black ink in regular regular script. The other person heard the movement and looked up at him with a rare smile.

But he couldn't laugh, and instead his face dropped.

Grayson Ding's smile suddenly faded: "Who provoked you again? Why are you pouting at me?"

Caleb Ji didn't want to enter the house, so he took the next step. He rushed over with irregular steps, imitating Grayson Ding's angry appearance that day, and slapped the edge of the table with his palm.

The words he had just written were splashed with ink. Grayson Ding stretched out his arm and Caleb Ji's cheeks went cold.

"Are you being bullied by your classmates? Why are you crazy?" Grayson Ding drew a stroke on Caleb Ji's face, "If you have the strength, grind ink and lay paper for me, or else I'll leave and I won't have time to play with you."

Caleb Ji frowned, hating Grayson Ding for getting angry that day, but he didn't want to bite the bullet, so he held his breath and studied the ink. The ink was well researched, Grayson Ding dipped it lightly in two strokes, and wrote down: What you say must be done, and what you do must bear fruit.

This is the family motto of the Ding family. Every jade sales record is hung. If it hangs for a long time, it will be replaced with a new one.

After Grayson Ding finished writing, he took it away and started writing hurriedly without saying a word. Caleb Ji was just admiring it, and unconsciously recited: "Big beads and small beads fall on the jade plate, and one pearl breaks into two petals." He stretched out his hand to grab the rice paper, Chasing Grayson Ding around the round table, "Who are you talking about breaking into two pieces? Jade is easier to break than pearls!"

The air was filled with the fragrance of ink, and they both broke out in a stinky sweat. Later, Elliott Jiang came in to stop the fight and called it to a halt. Grayson Ding returned to the small courtyard with paper, ink, pen and inkstone. Caleb Ji followed. When he went outside the archway, he saw Milo Jiang sitting on a wicker chair and sleeping.

Looking carefully, he saw that the book "Like Mountains and Seas" was lying on the legs of the chair. It was covered with dust and half of the pages were crushed. Caleb Ji was furious, but he had already offended the second and third senior brothers. He could offend the fourth brother again. ?

During the battle between heaven and man, he took a breath, but before he could finish it, Grayson Ding rushed over and kicked Milo Jiang directly to the ground with the wicker chair.

Milo Jiang screamed: "Brother! What are you doing!"

Grayson Ding picked up the book and cursed: "I've been waiting for more than half a month and I haven't finished reading it. Are you so messed up?! You are reading a stupid book with an empty mind. Go back to your house and do your homework!"

Milo Jiang pissed himself off and called Elliott Jiang to take charge, and the yard suddenly became quiet. Grayson Ding turned back with the book in hand and looked directly at Caleb Ji, not hiding any hints, wishing he could write the subtext on his forehead - I vented my anger for you, so you should lend it to me to read.

Caleb Ji stepped forward and took the book: "Thank you, senior brother." After saying that, he went back to the bedroom.

Grayson Ding stood on the floor tile at his feet, dazed, chest tight, and in disbelief. He suddenly understood all the symptoms of suffering in the world. When he returned to the house and passed by Caleb Ji's window, he said unhappily: "Being arrogant, being clever is useless."

Caleb Ji threw out a sentence: "Being arrogant and arrogant is useless for being knowledgeable."

If you don't talk back to others, you'll die!

Grayson Ding didn't say anything more, and went back to the room to take a nap while blowing on the air conditioner. He tossed and turned a few times before taking his clothes and taking a shower. It was quite a struggle. They all slept for two hours. When I woke up, I felt lost and secretly in love with that old book.

He put on a pure white short-sleeved shirt, and the thin cotton material showed the shape of his muscles. He walked lightly to the window next door, wanting to see what Caleb Ji was doing. If he was sleeping, he would go in and take out the book.

It's taking, not stealing.

Grayson Ding is a famous scholar. Can the things done by scholars be called stealing?

The door was open and the window was closed. He was acting like a thief in his own yard. He pushed the window open a crack and saw an empty bed first. Looking deeply, he saw Caleb Ji sitting at the table. He had also changed his clothes and washed his face.

Caleb Ji was hunched over his desk, with the old book spread out in front of him. It was not only old, but also damaged. He had milky glue, a brush, and a bottle of oil at hand. He was repairing the book. Opening the door would make ventilation faster.

Grayson Ding knew the bottle of oil. One of the steps they used to protect wood was oiling. He understood what Caleb Ji was doing. The chirping of cicadas covered up the sound of the window being pushed open. He changed from peeping to watching, leaning on the window frame, picking at the edge of the window, his eyes glued to the other person.

Sunlight splashed down half of Caleb Ji's body, his pupils lit up the color of tea, and it was like a white porcelain bowl filled with Biluochun. He has a slender neck, nodding and concentrating his eyes on the fragments of the book. His ears are sunburned and blurred in the light and shadow on his hair.

Those calloused hands moved very lightly, applying glue and brushing oil, and smoothing out every fold with the fingertips. The most remarkable thing was that there was no pause. Each process was connected, and he handled it like a craftsman who made perfect with practice.

After Caleb Ji finished, he puffed up his face and blew on the seams.

When someone blew air, Grayson Ding didn't know why he opened his mouth, but he even pulled out a piece of the window edge with all his strength. Hearing the sound, Caleb Ji turned around and stared blankly at him. He was holding on to the window, without any embarrassment after being exposed, and said openly: "Bring the glue, I'll glue the cut out piece."

The window edges are glued together, and people are getting better. Although they don't speak to each other, they don't seem to be angry.

Caleb Ji took out the book that had been dried and said, "Brother, let me show it to you."

Grayson Ding almost forgot that he came to steal the book and took it properly: "It goes well with my pile of scraps."

Caleb Ji felt itchy: "I want to see it too."

The two of them were sitting on the porch, sharing a book, with the pile of water fragments between them. Grayson Ding explained clearly and clearly how to divide porcelain and pottery. Caleb Ji listened without blinking, and he passed the point. The ear never forgets.

Grayson Ding suddenly asked: "Can you repair books?"

Caleb Ji teased: "I'm just blind." The other party didn't continue to ask. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued reading. He unknowingly finished the first volume before sunset. Grayson Ding closed the book and asked, "Are you happy to go out and play with your classmates?"

Caleb Ji was happy, but also regretful: "I want to go to the museum, but everyone doesn't like it."

"You want to go to the museum?"

"I want to, but I don't know the way."

Grayson Ding's favorite places since he was a child are antique markets and museums. The former is to see the folk market, and the latter is to see the official introduction of new products. He doesn't know why Caleb Ji wants to go. Anyway, outsiders have to go to museums when traveling. Not unusual.

He said: "I will take you there tomorrow."

Caleb Ji hurriedly thanked him. It was the first time he had seen that bright smile. Strictly speaking, it was not the first time he had seen her. It was the first time this smile had returned to him.

Grayson Ding likes jade, fine wood, cultural relics and antiques, and spends a lot of money on eating, drinking and having fun. The last thing he cares about is how others are feeling. Whether they are happy or not is none of his business. At this time, when Caleb Ji finished thanking him and smiled, he felt enlightened in the deep sunset. Maybe it was because Caleb Ji's smile was a little prettier, otherwise he would have been surprised.

After settling a matter on his mind, Caleb Ji fell asleep quickly that night and slept more peacefully than ever before. When he woke up in the middle of the morning, he first checked to see if the person next door was up. The door was closed and Grayson Ding hadn't gotten up yet.

He happily went to wash up, changed his clothes and packed his pen and paper, went to the front yard to have breakfast, took one piece to the other, and finished everything while the door next door was still closed. He knocked on the door: "Brother, are you awake?"

There was no movement inside. He opened the door and found no one in the room.

Caleb Ji searched everywhere. There was no sign of Grayson Ding anywhere in this small courtyard, inside and outside the front courtyard, and even in the east courtyard of his second uncle and his wife. He bumped into Nolan Jiang in the front yard and asked hurriedly: "Master's wife, have you met my senior brother?"

Nolan Jiang said, "He answered the phone early in the morning and went to work. It seemed like something happened." She reached out to wipe the sweat from Caleb Ji's face, "Let me tell you, I forgot."

The expectations in Caleb Ji's heart collapsed into mud, but he still refused to give up: "When will senior brother come back?"

Nolan Jiang said: "That's possible. I'll call him over on the weekend. I guess there's something important."

Maybe Caleb Ji's loss was so obvious that Nolan Jiang couldn't bear it anymore. After asking about the reason, he called Elliott Jiang and asked Elliott Jiang to take him to the museum.

Caleb Ji actually wanted to wait for Grayson Ding, but Elliott Jiang quickly changed her clothes, and he went out with Elliott Jiang.

The museum was crowded with people on weekends, and there were queues at the entrance. Elliott Jiang held Caleb Ji's hand, fearing that he would get lost. As people squeezed in, the space inside was huge and suddenly became loose again.

Caleb Ji saw a porcelain plate and said excitedly: "Auntie, I know this." No one answered. He turned to look for Elliott Jiang, but the crowd behind him came and went, but he saw Grayson Ding across countless strangers. .

Didn't Grayson Ding go to work? Why here?

Since you are here, why not bring him with you?

Caleb Ji moved his eyes and saw a girl standing next to Grayson Ding. They were discussing something with the picture album in the museum. You said something to me. The girl knew what Grayson Ding said. The girl knew what the girl said. Grayson Ding also knew.

Caleb Ji suddenly understood that Grayson Ding didn't want to bring him to the museum, but wanted to come to the museum and pick him up. But I agreed anyway, why not do it?

He had forgotten that he didn't pick her up that time, but this time he completely regretted it.

Caleb Ji was silent. He had no position or qualification to ask this senior brother to pay attention to him, so he had to look away. The white porcelain plate was still a white porcelain plate, but he no longer wanted to believe Grayson Ding.