The difference between cloud and mud

At first, he was arrogant and rejected him, but now he is close to the door. When Jiang Tong pressed the number, he was still nervous, thinking that Mrs. Xiao would sneer at him and stage a classic scene in the dog blood movie.

However, during the actual call, the old man discussed the matter with a kind and polite tone, and did not mention the original quarrel at all.It was right to think about it, she had already won a complete victory in this silent duel, so why should she trample and crush his remaining dignity.

Jiang Tong would not be so foolish as to think she had mercy on him.He has sufficient self-knowledge, Mrs. Xiao is just too lazy to grind him.

In her eyes, he was just an insignificant person.The time and money allocated to him can only reflect her true love for Xiao Fengtai.

"Kenneth, how do you want me to explain to him?" He asked Mrs. Xiao before hanging up the phone.

"What do you do?" Mrs. Xiao told him, "I will take care of Kenneth."

Mrs. Xiao did what she said, and the remittance arrived the next day.It not only relieved Jiang Tong's urgent need, but also allowed him to work as a laboratory assistant researcher at the school for a year and re-prepare his thesis even if the school application failed.Jiang Tong bypassed Fang Dayong and paid the medical expenses in arrears at one time, and then unilaterally informed the other party of the treatment plan he had discussed with the doctor.His titular stepfather listened obediently, nodded, and didn't even have the courage to question him about the source of the large sum of unknown funds.

"... Beibei's college tuition, I will also be responsible for it." Jiang Tong paused, and finally added: "Uncle, you can take care of yourself for the elderly, don't keep thinking about selling the house."

There are no dramatic shots of scolding, mocking, or throwing money in the face.At eight o'clock, the sudden change in the bloody drama moved China. Fang Dayong looked up at him in astonishment, but Jiang Tong didn't let the warm dialogue continue, and went out to get the medicine by himself.

He doesn't hate Fang Dayong, he is in a different place, he may not be doing better than Fang Dayong.But the matter has come to this point, and it is too reluctant to have any feelings between the two.

Then why pretend to be a filial son?Jiang Tong himself couldn't explain why, but subconsciously felt that without this line, the role he played would not be complete enough.

He dug out his heart, and finally got a chance to be on stage.Even the little details have to be perfect.

Everything is on track.The mother's genetic test results were positive, and treatment resumed methodically.They hired senior nurses, Fang Dayong no longer had to eat steamed buns dipped in fermented bean curd, Beibei's lunch box had extra ribs, Jiang Tong refused interview invitations one by one, and began to concentrate on organizing papers.

He just suddenly started having insomnia.Hour after hour, he stared at the ceiling in silent darkness.Once the eyes have adapted to the darkness, they can clearly see the winding cracks spreading from the corner to the center.

He couldn't sleep, closed his eyes, and Xiao Fengtai's face emerged from the darkness.A fresh and lively young man, his body is still thin, but soft and strong, like a young tree that has just been sprung.When he smiled, his almond eyes were curved, as if he had skin hunger and thirst. Once the two of them were alone, they would become a large pendant on his body, which could not be removed no matter what.

There are also those futures they have fantasized about. Jiang Tong is on stage, calling Xiao Fengtai not to desert the tutorial.On Christmas Eve, I went to the supermarket to do some shopping, and then we drove back to the rented house together, and boiled a pot of Tom Yum Kung soup with red wine stewed beef on a snowy day.

He didn't know when Mrs. Xiao was going to have a showdown, so he could only struggle to maintain the relationship with Xiao Fengtai day after day.Difficulty is a one-sided emotion. On the day of the mobile phone screen, the boy was still optimistic without knowing it.

Jiang Tong booked a flight back to Singapore on January 1.Until January 15, Xiao Fengtai seemed to be kept in the dark.

The night before takeoff, Jiang Tong and Xiao Feng took a video.Partly because he was really relieved from the predicament, and partly because of guilt, he recently tried his best to pretend that nothing had happened and optimistic in front of Xiao Fengtai. Xiao Fengtai was trembling at first, but later he seemed to believe it, and his words and deeds gradually returned to the former lively and reckless.

"Did you buy the candy hawthorn? I took a photo of the wrapping paper before, don't tell me you forgot."

"It's not called sugar hawthorn, it's called candied hawthorn." Jiang Tong corrected him, and still pointed the phone camera at the suitcase in a good-tempered manner: "I bought several bags, and I can't fit any more luggage."

Xiao Fengtai showed a relieved expression, and then talked to him in a long-winded manner about how he went fishing with his friends last weekend, several of them ate hundreds of oysters, how Hupenggouyou smuggled champagne onto the boat while the adults were not paying attention, Hupenggouyouyi dared not jump off the boat , was kicked down by them, holding a pink flamingo swimming ring on the sea and screaming for help.

"I have something to tell you." Before hanging up the phone, he said hesitantly: "I received another offer."

As he spoke, he carefully glanced at Jiang Tong with his eyes, for fear of noticing the disappointment on his face.

Even if a high-speed camera was set up in front of Jiang Tong, he couldn't find the slightest flaw in his expression: "Congratulations, which school is it?"

Xiao Fengtai hesitated to give a name.

"...It's amazing." Jiang Tong sincerely sighed: "As your half-baked teacher, wouldn't it be a bit cheeky to say that you and You Rongyan are together?"

Xiao Fengtai glared at him, but his ears turned red: "What a mess."

"I'm happy for you." Jiang Tong smiled and said, "Did you sign the offer?"

Xiao Fengtai hesitated for a moment, but Jiang Tong didn't bother, just patiently accompanied him in silence.Finally, as if the boy had made up his mind, he no longer looked left and right to avoid Jiang Tong's gaze, and looked up at him calmly.

"Signed."

None of them mentioned the progress of Jiang Tong's application for the institute.

"Do you want any rewards for applying to such a powerful school?" Jiang Tong asked him before hanging up the phone.

"Of course there is the desired reward—but I can't tell you yet."

"why?"

"You'll find out when you get back to Singapore."

1月14日晚上十一点45分，他们在微信上互道晚安。1月15日上午八点55分，蒋桐乘坐的航班起飞返回新加坡。1月15日下午三点22分航班落地。蒋桐打开手机，收到方大勇询问是否平安抵达的信息一条。直到15日深夜，肖凤台再也没有联系过他。

When we first met Jiang Tong thought he was cold and arrogant, but only when we got to know Xiao Fengtai well did he realize that Xiao Fengtai is actually a lively and talkative type.Recently, apart from two places, Xiao Fengtai seldom even had a quiet morning, let alone no news for a whole day.

At one o'clock in the morning on January 1, Jiang Tong sent a message to Xiao Fengtai for the first time after landing in Singapore.

"have you slept?"

3 minutes later he got a reply.

"Hi Xiaotong, I am Kenneth's grandmother. Kenneth will not contact you again from today, please delete all his contact information."

"The balance will be credited to Kenneth's account after he enrolls in the UK. You have worked hard during this time."

This is the end.More quiet and efficient than expected, with a clean ending.Although he had rehearsed thousands of times in his mind, Jiang Tong still felt a slight nausea and dizziness at the moment it actually happened.

It is the feeling of finally stepping on land after sitting on the intense rides.The moment of flying into the air and falling is over, but the body still retains its inertia.Knowing that it is not the world but oneself that is swaying and floating, I still can't help staggering and sinking my heart, trying to reach out to find a stable fulcrum that doesn't exist.

"Ok, thank you."

His last line was finally finished smoothly.

Xiao Fengtai had a very long dream.

In the dream, he and Jiang Tong were hiking in the mountains one after the other.The mountain road is steep, the giant trees block out the sun, and the bushes grow wildly, almost completely covering the path.The two were fully equipped with mountaineering equipment and carried heavy loads. After a while, they were sweating all over their faces.

No one spoke, no birds chirping, no insects chirping, not even the soft sound of leaves being brushed by the breeze.Absolute silence also seems to have temperature and texture, amplifying hot flashes and exhaustion.There was a layer of sweat on the back, itching unbearably, like ants crawling densely.

Jiang Tong maintained a not too far and not too close distance in front of him.He never looked back, but he knew it was him.

The mountain road seemed endless, Xiao Fengtai's legs were sore and weak, and gradually he couldn't keep up with Jiang Tong's pace.

"Jiang Tong" he finally said: "Wait for me."

Jiang Tong didn't stop to wait for him, Xiao Fengtai even felt that he quickened his pace.He watched Jiang Tong's back gradually shrink, almost disappearing in the layers of green shadows.

"Wait for me!" He shouted, desperately chasing forward.However, the ground under his feet became wet and soft, and every step took full effort.The harder he tried, the more he sank.

With nothing under his feet, he fell into the green abyss.

Xiao Fengtai suddenly opened his eyes.

"Are you awake?" Mrs. Xiao was sitting by the bed reading a book. When she noticed the sound on the bed, she closed the book and put it on the bedside table. She rang the bell to call the servant: "How do you feel? Would you like some water?"

Xiao Fengtai struggled to sit up, the back of his head was still throbbing with pain: "Why are you here?"

Mrs. Xiao smiled, but did not answer.Without her explaining, Xiao Fengtai has already noticed the abnormality: the overly wide four-poster bed under her body, Turner's wide seascape paintings that should not appear here, and cherry wood embedded bookshelves, the floor-to-ceiling windows are blocked by white gauze curtains, filtering the sunlight, making the room The furnishings cast a dreamy shadow.Xiao Fengtai suspects that he is in a dream within a dream - this is not his room, this is not even Singapore.

He staggered out of bed and opened the curtains, looking down from a height, the familiar fresh and lush greenery approached his eyes.A large lawn cut in geometric shapes, three arches, rose garden, Jiuqu lake... He can even see a pair of swans playing in the lake.Located in Hyde Park in the heart of London, Xiao Fengtai spent almost every summer in his life here.

The blue sky is like washing, the lake is shimmering with sparkling light, and the spiers of the Shard are looming at the end of the horizon.Too real to be a dream.He turned sharply.

"I want to go back." Xiao Fengtai tried his best to keep himself calm: "Please ask someone to book the earliest flight, the school will start next week."

The servant brought the black tea, and Madam Xiao took a sip from the teacup: "Don't worry about the school, I've asked for leave for you."

"The interview in Cambridge is five days later, you can prepare here with peace of mind, and don't worry about anything else."

"I have already received an offer from the United States, and I will not interview other schools."

"You promised me. As long as I can apply to the school on my own, don't interfere with me anymore."

Madam Xiao said nonchalantly, "What did I promise you?"

She put the teacup back on the tray, and the porcelain touched each other with a very soft and crisp sound.Only high-grade bone china has such a clear echo.Xiao Fengtai was naughty when he was a child, taking out the teacups in the decorative cabinet and filling them with water one by one while the servants were not paying attention.Mrs. Xiao was not angry when she found out, and even adjusted the water level with him. In the end, the grandparent and grandson cooperated and performed an Ode to Joy in a Teacup in front of the housekeeper.

She had always pampered him.

"I have already written to help you reject it in the United States." Mrs. Xiao said lightly: "The school understands your special situation and confirms to withdraw the offer. You stay in London and concentrate on preparing for the interview. When you get the admission notice, I will let you go back." .”

"Then I won't go to university." Xiao Fengtai was not afraid, and confronted the old man directly: "Even if you tie me to Cambridge, I won't say a word during the interview."

He still had the last hope in his heart: "You can see how much I paid to go to the United States. Why did you suddenly backtrack? I know you are not such a person."

Mrs. Xiao smiled angrily: "You still have the face to ask me why?"

She held the cane, propped herself up vigorously, and walked slowly step by step in front of Xiao Fengtai.Different from Xiao Zhizhong's violent anger, Mrs. Xiao just stared at Xiao Fengtai coldly, which overwhelmed the young man. He had to use all his energy to control himself not to kneel down and beg her for forgiveness.

She is an old falcon that has experienced vicissitudes on the grassland, and he is a young and innocent antelope with soft horns.Falcon is getting old, his vision is cloudy, his movements are slow, but his minions are as sharp as before.The antelope was deceived by her slow and heavy figure, didn't know that she was waiting for a chance to strike, and didn't know how his horns were worthless in front of the hawk's claws.

"The matter has come to this, do you still want to play dumb with me?" The silver-plated cane hit the ground with heavy muffled sounds, as if hitting Xiao Fengtai's heart.

"You really don't know why I kidnapped you to England even if I kidnapped you?"

Was discovered.

A basin of ice water was poured down.First, his stomach started to twitch, Xiao Fengtai felt his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

When did they show their feet?Who told the secret?How much does grandma know?Will she find trouble with Jiang Tong?

There are too many questions, but he has no time.

Xiao Fengtai straightened his spine, met Mrs. Xiao's cold eyes, there were thousands of words in his heart, choked up again and again, and finally merged into three words that were treasonous but had to be said.

"I love him."

"Oh." Mrs. Xiao sneered.

"You are so disappointing to me."

"The old woman is getting old, and her eyesight is really bad."

"You don't look like your mother at all."

Mrs. Xiao looked at him with sincere disappointment, contempt, contempt, and regret from the inside out, as if Xiao Fengtai was a tree that was long and crooked, a flower that couldn't take its pistil, a project that had invested a lot of energy in the early stage, but it was not worth it. Ultimately out of shape, an irreparable work of art.

"He Ling is far more promising than you. You are not worthy to be her son."

"I want to go back." Xiao Fengtai took a deep breath, suppressing the tears that hovered in his eyes: "Please book me the earliest ticket back to Singapore.

"Otherwise I'll jump off this floor immediately."

With a bang, Mrs. Xiao threw the phone at his feet.

"look by youself."

After finishing speaking, she seemed to finally be unable to endure this conversation, nor could she bear Xiao Fengtai's continued appearance in her field of vision, and staggered back to the bedside with a cane, returning to the gray shadow where the sun could not reach.

what does she mean?Xiao Fengtai didn't have time to think, he turned on the phone and dialed Jiang Tong's number.

Once, twice, three times, no one answered.

The monotonous and sweet customer service voice came from the receiver, and Xiao Fengtai gradually panicked.

Afternoon UK time is Asian evening.Jiang Tong was probably working part-time and couldn't see his phone.He comforted himself, opened WeChat again, and wanted to send him a message.

His fingers hover over the screen.

"Why, did you see it?" Mrs. Xiao saw that his whole body was stiff and his face was pale, showing the expected expression.

"You took out a heart eagerly and rushed to give it to others. What happened? Not only did they smash it to pieces, but they also packed up the trash and sold it for a good price based on its weight."

"Stop talking." Xiao Fengtai whispered, his voice suddenly became hoarse.

"One thing to say, Jiang Tong is really smart." Mrs. Xiao turned a deaf ear to Xiao Fengtai's words, and sighed to herself: "You are young, but you know how to make the most of the bargaining chips in your hand. Guess how much money he stole from me ?”

"Enough!" The boy shouted, tears and cold sweat mixed with his face, and the veins on his neck were exposed.

"Tell you to stop talking!"

"Don't talk to grandma, big or small." Mrs. Xiao said so, but she didn't think it was disobedient: "You are sad, so I don't care about it this time. If you do it again, I will have more ways to discipline you."

She stood up and walked out the door: "Just prepare for the interview and don't try to play tricks under my nose. I will do what I say, and I will let you go back when I get the admission letter."

Xiao Fengtai went on a hunger strike for two days.

"Leave him alone, let him starve." Mrs. Xiao snorted when she heard the servant's report, "If he can really starve to death for such a man, I admire him."

She does understand him.On the third day, Xiao Fengtai began to eat normally.On the fifth day, he was tidied up, and Mrs. Xiao personally escorted him to Cambridge to attend the entrance interview.

Before the interview started, Xiao Fengtai still had a little fantasy.Making a big fuss in Cambridge can not only cut off one's admission to school, but also make Mrs. Xiao feel embarrassed when she gets angry.However, when he saw his uncle who worked in Cambridge among the interviewers, the moment the two looked at each other, he knew that even if he didn't say a word, he could probably get the admission letter.

Forget about unnecessary resistance.

On the way back, Mrs. Xiao answered a phone call.Xiao Fengtai leaned his head against the car window indifferently, listening to the old man thanking the stranger on the other end of the phone several times.After hanging up the phone, she smiled at him for the first time in a few days: "You did a good job."

Xiao Fengtai just looked at the flying green land outside the car window. Although the scenery of the British countryside is beautiful, it feels boring to see too much.It is always an endless green grassland, black sheep, white sheep, cattle, cows, shepherd dogs, and small houses like matchboxes.The white clouds hung low in the sky, thick and strong, as if they could be torn off with a hand.

If only I could become a sheep.He thought, a sheep, a cow, a bird, a dog, everything is better than now.

",,,,,, Tiffany is back, and I heard that the interview went well." Mrs. Xiao continued to herself, "I called her over for dinner tonight. You haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's take this opportunity to catch up."

Xiao Fengtai adjusted a more comfortable sitting position, still looking out of the window, as if he hadn't heard Mrs. Xiao's words.

I haven't seen you for a few days, and Tiffany looks even more charming and lively.She has always been good at currying favor with all elders except Mrs. Xiao, now Mrs. Xiao intends to support her, and the dinner is naturally full of laughter and laughter. Except for Xiao Fengtai who is silent, the scene can be called very harmonious.

"I'll rest first, you two children chat slowly." After the meal, Mrs. Xiao excused herself to leave, leaving Xiao Fengtai and Tiffany looking at each other.

Tiffany is used to being treated coldly by Xiao Fengtai, and was trying to think about the topic, but Xiao Fengtai offered an olive branch first.

"Want to go for a walk in the garden?"

Her heart skipped a beat, her body had conditioned reflexes, and she put on a sweet smile: "Okay."

The temperature in London between February and December is basically the same.It was cold and windy at night, and only a few landscape lights were lit in the small garden. There were no flowers to see, and the branches and leaves of a few evergreen plants were withered.

The two walked in silence for a while. Tiffany didn't wear a coat for the sake of beauty, and her legs lost feeling from the cold.She was about to suggest to Xiao Fengtai to go back, but the other party gently grabbed his shoulders.

"Is it cold?" His voice was too close, too close to be real: "Would this be better?"

"... Mmm." Not only is it better, the heat is flowing all over her body, she knows how red her face is even without looking in the mirror.

"That's good." He has never been so gentle and kind to her: "Tiffany, can you do me a favor?"

"What's the matter?" She asked in a low voice, "As long as I can help, I will do it."

Xiao Fengtai went one step further and hugged her into his arms, the shadows of the two merged into one under the street lamp, he whispered in her ear: "I have something urgent to go back to Singapore, can you help me find my passport from grandma .”

After all, he still couldn't let go, even if he was betrayed by Jiang Tong, he couldn't delete him from his memory with one click.He wanted to listen to Jiang Tong explain why he did this in person.He asked Jiang Tong to look him in the eyes and admit that he never loved him.

"Okay," Tiffany promised, "I will try my best."

The deal was reached, and the two finally didn't have to wander around in the cold outdoors.They trotted all the way back to the villa, said goodbye in the living room, and went back to their rooms.

Tiffany sat in the room for a while, heard no more footsteps outside, and tiptoedly opened the door.Mrs. Xiao's room was not far from her. She knocked lightly on the door three times before carefully pushing the door open.

"How?" Mrs. Xiao cut to the chase: "He wants you to help him return to Singapore?"

"You guessed right." She unconsciously clenched her lower lip because of the humiliation: "He asked me...to steal a passport from you."

"It's really stupid." Mrs. Xiao snorted, and took out the passport from the small handbag she carried with her: "Give it to him in two days, and pretend to be a little more."

"Aren't you afraid that they will elope like this? Why don't you let my cousin go back after the man leaves Singapore!"

Mrs. Xiao sneered: "Even if your brother dares, Jiang Tong doesn't have the guts."

"Kenneth won't turn back until he hits the south wall once." She sighed, "Let him go and find out who the person he thinks he is in love with is. Otherwise, he will hate me for the rest of his life."

Tiffany obediently agreed, and left the room clutching her passport.Mrs. Xiao no longer had the desire to read.

In the void, she seemed to see her daughter's face again.Seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with flushed cheeks, throwing her schoolbag and running to the tennis court after school.A young mother kneeling in the wind and snow with her belly outstretched.Gorgeous and mature, a wealthy lady who never smiles again.When she got sick, she was chained to the bed and howling, with a swollen and pale face.A few days before she left, she saw her for the last time. She held it in her hand and watched the little girl grow up day by day, and her hair also had gray hair.She hugged her and said with a rare sober and rational look, only my mother is good to me.

"Heling..." she whispered, "Mom is sorry for you."

It doesn't matter if Xiao Fengtai hates her for the rest of his life.Anyway, she has been buried in the soil for most of her life, how many years can she live in her life?But she couldn't let her little girl down, and when she came to the underground, she had to look up to her daughter, and she thought she had promised that Xiao Fengtai would be raised well.

She will never let her son repeat the same mistakes.