1987 My Era

Chapter 602, Red Ribbon, One Umbrella, Two People

Li Heng and Zhou Shihe looked at each other, then got up and followed him back to the hotel.

Upon entering the hotel, Teacher Yu and Liu Bei went about their business, leaving only Li Heng and Zhou Shihe behind.

For some reason, when their eyes met unintentionally, both of them seemed preoccupied, and then they quietly looked away.

To ease the gloomy atmosphere, Li Heng turned on the TV and said, "I can't sleep even if I go back to my room, let's watch TV together for a while?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe sat quietly on the sofa, saying nothing, but responding with her actions.

After searching through all the TV channels, Li Heng found nothing interesting and, somewhat discouraged, handed her the remote control.

"I'm incompatible with this TV. You've always been lucky. Why don't you take over?"

Zhou Shihe smiled cleverly, took the remote control, randomly switched to a channel without commercials, and then put the remote control down.

During her performance today, she was so moved by the music that she let her guard down in front of him. At that moment, she didn't want to meet his gaze, so she tried to distract him with a conversation:

"I want to call Sui Sui."

Li Heng asked, "Do you want the wheat ears to arrive sooner?"

Zhou Shihe didn't hide anything, "Yes, it's boring to be at school alone."

Li Heng asked, "Tomorrow is only the seventh day of the lunar new year, aren't you going home?"

Zhou Shihe remained silent for a moment, then said okay.

Li Heng: "..."

In just a few words, they seemed to say nothing at all, but the two understood everything.

But since the words had already been spoken and things had come to this point, there was nothing more to say.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Shihe turned off the TV and started dialing.

A moment later, the call connected, and it was Mai Dong's voice on the other end: "Hello, who is this?"

Zhou Shihe introduced herself: "Happy New Year, Uncle. I am Zhou Shihe. I need to see Sui Sui."

Upon hearing that it was a girl from the Zhou family, Mai Dong unconsciously became more solemn. "Mai Sui is playing at her childhood friend's house. Call back in 5 minutes, and I'll go get her."

Zhou Shihe gave a polite reply and hung up the phone.

Ten minutes later, she called again, and this time it was Mai Sui's voice.

Wheat Ear asked, "Poetry Grain?"

Zhou Shihe smiled and said, "It's me."

Mai asked, "How was the performance today? Did it go smoothly?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at someone out of the corner of her eye. "Everything went smoothly. We're planning to go back to China tomorrow morning. Sui Sui, do you and Manning want to come over earlier?"

Unexpectedly, Mai Sui said, "I can't leave these few days. A relative is getting married, and I have to attend the wedding banquet before I can leave."

Then she added, "How about I come over on the tenth of the month?"

Zhou Shihe said, "Okay, then I'll buy you and Manning plane tickets for the afternoon of the tenth day of the lunar month."

"Mmm." Mai Sui responded with a "Mmm," and the two best friends chatted warmly about the fun things that happened during the Chinese New Year.

At first, Li Heng tried to decipher the conversation between the two women based on snippets of conversation, but later he unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa.

After chatting for a while, Mai Sui finally asked Li Heng, "Shi He, where is Li Heng?"

Zhou Shihe said, "He fell asleep on the sofa. Should I wake him up?"

Mai Sui quickly said, "No need. He often reads and writes day and night. Don't wake him if he's asleep. It's rare for him to get a rest."

Could you please cover him with a light blanket to prevent him from catching a cold?

Hearing her best friend's heartfelt words, Zhou Shihe felt a pang of sadness and after a while said, "Okay."

After the call ended, Zhou Shihe put the receiver back and stared at his face intently, lost in thought.

After a long, long time, she finally got up, found a blanket, and slowly covered Li Heng's stomach with it.

After finishing all this, she got up and went back to her bedroom. First, she removed her makeup and took a shower. Then, wearing a snow-white nightgown, she leaned against the headboard and read a book.

Only reading can immerse her in a book in the shortest amount of time and make her forget the outside world.

Half an hour later, Yu Shuheng returned and opened the door to find Li Heng lying on the sofa with a thin blanket on him.

Is it covered by Shihe?

Yu Shuheng glanced at Zhou Shihe's bedroom door, then changed her shoes and sat down next to Li Heng. Looking at the sleeping man, she had a bad feeling: the peaceful life might not last long.

Li Heng didn't wake up until 2 a.m.

When he opened his eyes, Teacher Yu, Zhou Shihe, and Wu Yili had all gone back to their rooms to sleep, leaving the living room quiet and deserted.

After taking a shower, he found that he was no longer sleepy. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. So he got up and started writing, intending to continue revising Chapter 27 of "Dust Settles Down".

When he went to find the manuscript, he was dumbfounded. The manuscript was still with Miss Zhou. She had been busy during the day and forgot to bring it over.

Well, after weighing the options, he finally gave up the idea of ​​knocking on the door and simply spread out his pen and ink, writing on the white paper: Chapter 28, Fate and Love.

The chieftain of Ronggong caught up with her beautiful daughter and chased her to the pasture.

When they arrived, I was dreaming, a very noisy dream. It was the flowers blooming so profusely by the water that were making a commotion. A couple of times I almost woke up, vaguely hearing someone say, "Let him sleep; being the young master of a powerful chieftain is tiring."

...

That night, Li Heng was in high spirits and wrote with great speed and skill until dawn before stopping.

If Yu Shuheng hadn't interrupted his writing, he would still be writing and had no intention of stopping.

He looked up and asked, "Teacher, are we leaving?"

Yu Shuheng nodded with a smile and urged, "We're leaving in 15 minutes. Go wash up quickly, and I'll help you pack your luggage."

"it is good."

He didn't have much luggage, just a few sets of clothes and a few books, so he was done quickly.

At 8:30 a.m., the plane from Singapore to Shanghai took off.

Looking out the window at Singapore growing smaller and smaller, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: What if the plane crashes at this height? Wouldn't all the fame and fortune he had worked so hard for become nothing but fleeting smoke?

What should I do about Huang Zhaoyi, with whom I had a relationship?
He couldn't bear to part with the wheat ears of this lifetime.

Thinking of the wheat ears, he felt relieved a little later. If the plane really crashed, would he be able to go back to his past life, be struck by lightning and then be resurrected with full health?
Is Song Yu still by my side?

Xiao Han, Zi Jin, and their four children are still waiting for him at home?
He was going to find Mai Sui, even if she was old, he would still go to find her. This thought arose in Li Heng's mind if the plane really crashed.

Seeing him staring blankly out the window, Yu Shuheng followed his gaze and asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

Li Heng was still in a daze and instinctively replied, "I was thinking about something."

Yu Shuheng asked, "What is it?"

Li Heng replied, "It's about the plane crashing."

The plane crashed? Yu Shuheng glanced at the white clouds outside again. "If the plane crashed, did you think of your teacher?"

Li Heng replied, "No need to think about it, we'll die together."

Yu Shuheng smiled gently, wanting to cup his cute face and give him a couple of pecks.

This time, Murphy's Law did not apply; the plane did not crash and landed safely at Shanghai Airport five hours later.

Wu Yili did not return to China.

Yu Shuheng dropped Zhou Shihe and Li Heng off at Fudan University and then prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Yu Shuheng privately instructed Li Heng: "Siya fell seriously ill yesterday. Teacher Fu has to take care of his wife and children and is very busy. I have to go to Hengyuan Investment Company to keep things under control."

Li Heng asked with concern, "What illness does Sister Chen have?" Yu Shuheng shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "It's still under investigation. She suddenly had abdominal pain and diarrhea. By the time she was taken to the hospital for the fifth time, she was in serious condition. The doctor said it might be a new type of disease, and Teacher Fu should be prepared."

"what?"

Li Heng exclaimed in disbelief, completely dumbfounded: "It's that serious?"

Yu Shuheng sighed: "The hospital is urgently trying to find a solution, inviting authoritative experts and scholars in this field from Europe and America for consultation, hoping to find the source of the disease as soon as possible."

Li Heng asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

Yu Shuheng refused: "It's not good for Shihe to be here alone. Besides, you've already finished writing half of your new book, so we can't delay it."
"Wait for my news. If something bad happens, I'll let you know."

She then added, "I hope I don't have to notify you."

When faced with matters of principle, Teacher Yu showed great magnanimity. She did not deliberately pull Li Heng away or ignore him just because Zhou Shihe was her biggest potential rival in love.

Recalling all the things Chen Jie had done for him, Li Heng felt a lump in his throat and personally escorted Teacher Yu to the alley entrance before stopping.

The Mercedes drove away, and Li Heng stood by the roadside in a daze.

Damn, life is so unpredictable! You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.
Just like in his previous life, he and Song Yu were taking a nice walk on a country path after dinner when suddenly a bolt of lightning struck and sent him to the afterlife.

Zhou Shihe appeared at the entrance of the alley.

Li Heng asked, "Where are you going?"

Zhou Shihe looked at him, remaining silent.

After a moment of eye contact, Li Heng realized, "You thought I left?"

Zhou Shihe shook her head and then nodded, saying gently, "If you're going with Teacher Yu, you should let me know."

"Oh."

Li Heng exclaimed "Oh!" and then suddenly realized, "You came out to look for me?"

Zhou Shihe tacitly agreed, then asked later, "You're standing here without moving, is something wrong?"

Knowing that Miss Zhou and Teacher Fu's family had a good relationship, Li Heng didn't hide anything and recounted the situation of Sister Chen's illness.

After listening, Zhou Shihe seemed a little downcast.

After a while, she looked up at the sky, then at her watch, and said, "Let's go to Jing'an Temple and pray for Sister Chen's well-being."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Li Heng felt this wasn't a solution. Whether it would work or not was another matter, but at least it gave him some peace of mind.

Jing'an Temple is located on Nanjing West Road in Jing'an District. The route from Yangpu District passes through Hongkou District, and the two arrived by bus a little after 4 PM.

Jing'an Temple has a total building area of ​​2.2 square meters. The entire temple complex is laid out with a temple in the front and a pagoda in the back. It consists of three main buildings: the Mahavira Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, and the Hall of the Three Saints. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai.

The two were very devout; they not only burned incense and prayed for blessings, but also donated 2000 yuan to the main hall for incense offerings, with the aim of ensuring Sister Chen's safety.

After leaving the main hall, Zhou Shihe said, "I want to go to the Guanyin Hall to offer incense for my grandmother."

Li Heng asked, "Did your grandmother worship Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

"Yes, she burns incense and prays on the first and fifteenth of every month," Zhou Shihe said.

After entering the Guanyin Hall and offering incense, Zhou Shihe went to the altar next to her to request a red ribbon, asking, "Master, how much does it cost for a red ribbon?"

The old monk said, "Two yuan each."

By today's standards, this thing is ridiculously expensive.

But Zhou Shihe didn't hesitate at all, took out 4 yuan and handed it over, "Two."

The old monk took the money, gave her two red ribbons for making wishes, and reminded her: "There is a pen over there. Write your name here and your wish in the middle."

Zhou Shihe handed him a red ribbon and said gently, "Let's each write our own."

Her implication was: don't look at each other's things, keep them separate.

Li Heng agreed, took a red ribbon, and went to the other end.

Everyone says that Guanyin is especially effective in granting wishes for children, so Li Heng wrote down in the space between his wishes almost without thinking: May my children and Song Yu's children be free from disasters and difficulties and enjoy good health throughout their lives.

The signature at the bottom of the red ribbon reads: Li Heng.

After finishing writing, he respectfully bowed three times to Guanyin Bodhisattva.

He performed these three salutations on behalf of Song Yu.

After finishing his prayers, he quickly found a secluded spot to tie his red ribbon.

He finished in one go and thought to himself that there were thousands of red ribbons here, a sea of ​​red, so no one would be bored enough to look through other people's ribbons.

Even if there were such a busybody, they wouldn't be able to find their red ribbon anytime soon. It's just too well hidden.

At that moment, Zhou Shihe was writing a prayer a few meters away. Li Heng didn't go over to disturb her, but wisely waited outside the gate.

He wanted his privacy and didn't want his red ribbon to be discovered by others. Putting himself in her shoes, Ms. Zhou must have felt the same way.

About four minutes later, Zhou Shihe finished tying the red ribbon. She looked around and, seeing that the person was no longer in the Guanyin Hall, she felt inexplicably relieved.

After leaving the Guanyin Hall, the two exchanged a glance and then tacitly headed towards the Three Saints Hall.

Since we made a special trip to Jing'an Temple and visited the Mahavira Hall and Guanyin Hall, it would be unreasonable not to pay our respects to the other Bodhisattvas as well; otherwise, it would be too biased.

Somewhat unexpectedly, I ran into an acquaintance at the Three Saints Temple: Liu Xin from Shanghai Medical University, Xiao Han's sister and roommate.

Upon suddenly bumping into Li Heng, Liu Xin was overjoyed and grinned, intending to come over and say hello. However, after taking only three steps, she spotted Zhou Shihe behind him. The girl was immediately dumbfounded! She abruptly stopped and hid in a corner to secretly observe the two of them.

Upon entering the Three Saints Hall, as before, Li Heng and Zhou Shihe each bought a stick of incense, then knelt down, prayed, and offered incense.

Seeing the two women's skillful and coordinated movements, Liu Xin felt uneasy and worried about her sister Xiao Han.

After Li Heng and Zhou Shihe left, Liu Xin said to the older sister and mother beside her, "Mom, older sister, I'll be right back. We'll meet at the exit later."

Liu's mother asked, "Where are you going?"

Liu Xin said, "I saw an old classmate and went to say hello."

Next, Liu Xin secretly followed the two of them and visited all the other bodhisattvas in Jing'an Temple.

After doing all this, Li Heng and Zhou Shihe left Jing'an Temple.

At that moment, a light rain began to fall. Li Heng asked, "Did you bring an umbrella?"

Zhou Shihe looked up at the sky and shook her head: "No."

"Wait for me, I'll go buy one." Li Heng said, and bought a black cloth umbrella from a mother and daughter for several times the price.

There were shops nearby, but none that sold umbrellas, so he had to make the most of his money.

Zhou Shihe had seen everything he did, and when he opened his umbrella and walked toward her, she didn't move for a moment.

She stood still.

Li Heng shared half of the umbrella over her head, and the two gazed at each other under the umbrella. One looked down at her from above, while the other looked up slightly. Despite the bustling crowds around them, they felt an unusual tranquility in their hearts.

After a long silence, Li Heng suddenly reached out to grab her wrist.

Zhou Shihe quickly dodged his right hand, and after a brief standoff, she lowered her head and took small, quick steps forward.

Li Heng followed suit, shielding her from the rain.

This time, she only glanced at the tips of his shoes out of the corner of her eye and did not make any rebuttal.

Before long, an umbrella, two people, shoulder to shoulder, disappeared into the misty drizzle.

Liu Xin emerged from behind a thick red pillar, staring at the two departing figures with a face full of surprise.

Ps:

(End of this chapter)