Bystander

"Well, it's getting late, Er'er, you're full, right? Let's go when we're full." The storyteller grabbed Er'er's collar and left with the tea master and the others, leaving behind The livid Jiang Jingtang and the sullen Chu Yao were alone at the dinner table.

"I'm full, I'm going to read a book."

"Ah."

Chu Yao felt that she and Jiang Jingtang had never been so strange as at this moment, not even on the day when Yang Ke got married.

In the days that followed, this Yang Ke was like a taboo to the entire teahouse. Although everyone could see that Jiang Jingtang couldn't let go of this, everyone refused to mention it, pretending not to see it, and Chu Yao also pretended to be the same as before. As happy as you are, but the teahouse still has the smell of being cautious everywhere.

As the imperial examinations were approaching, Jiang Jingtang worked even harder. He would go to bed late at night and wake up early the next day. After a long day, the weather would cool down, and he would get sick and stay at home to rest.Chu Yao was afraid that Jiang Jingtang would be bored, so he dragged Jiang Jingtang to a teahouse to drink tea.

"Can you walk faster, why are you so dawdling?" A middle-aged woman had a loud voice, even if the storyteller was talking wonderfully, she couldn't help but be interrupted by her.Jiang Jingtang also looked for the sound, and saw Yang Ke behind the middle-aged woman at a glance. At this time, Yang Ke was already sweating profusely, staggering, with a small bag in his hand and a big bag in his arms. , Yang Ke had to turn his head sideways to see the road ahead.Yang Ke followed the middle-aged woman to find a place to make it. The middle-aged woman asked for a pot of tea, and Yang Ke made two cups of tea for the middle-aged woman, and waited for the middle-aged woman to quench her thirst. Poured myself a glass too.

Seeing Yang Ke's half-dead look, the woman said, "Look at you, people think I'm bullying you when they see you? You only have a few things with you and you look like this. It's really useless."

Yang Ke didn't even talk back, and quietly listened to the other party's lecture.

The woman didn't stop there, "Hmph, I don't like your appearance the most. It looks like you are submissive. In fact, you have more eyes than anyone else. Otherwise, my son would be fascinated by you." ?” Speaking of this, the woman couldn’t help but her eyes turned red, “Poor my son, I didn’t leave a man and a woman behind before I left, and I didn’t leave a thought for our old couple, so the family’s incense will be cut off. The woman glanced at Yang Ke, "It's all your fault. You are a broom star, a chicken that doesn't lay eggs. How long have you been married? It's been almost two years. Why doesn't your belly move at all?" After finishing speaking He also twisted Yang Ke's arm hard, Yang Ke was so painful that he couldn't breathe, but he didn't dare to make a sound.

This scene was seen by Jiang Jingtang who was not far away, and his heart ached so badly. Although A Ke was not a lady of the family, she was also a young lady, who had never been so angry, and now she was not as good as a maid.Jiang Jingtang walked up to the middle-aged woman in three steps and two steps, "Madam, I'm being rude to you. You should not listen to indecent words, but what you did is a bit too much. She is your daughter-in-law anyway. How can you be so rude?" Treat her? What does your son's death have to do with her? She is a bastard? Who insisted on marrying her back then?" Every word and every word of Jiang Jingtang expressed his anger, his grievances, and his distress.

"Hey, who are you? I'm teaching my daughter-in-law a lesson. This is our family business, and you, an outsider, need to worry about it?" the woman retorted.

The storyteller stopped, and all the people in the teahouse gathered around to watch the excitement.

"It doesn't matter who I am, the important thing is that you can't abuse people like this. Your son has been sick all the time, and it is God's will to die suddenly. If you abuse her like this, will your son survive?" Jiang Jingtang continued.

"You, you, how can you talk like that? You are also a scholar. To say such things is a waste of reading sage books."

"You treat your daughter-in-law like this in vain!" Jiang Jingtang's eyes were red at the moment, and he would never say such words in normal times.

The woman clutched her chest, out of breath from Jiang Jingtang's anger last time.

Seeing this situation, Yang Ke immediately stood up and pulled Jiang Jingtang's cuffs and said, "Forget it, Jingtang, everyone is watching, don't talk about it."

Jiang Jingtang patted the back of Yang Ke's hand to signal her not to be afraid.

Seeing the intimate behavior of the two, the woman immediately yelled, "So you know each other, what a Yang Ke, my son treats you like jewels and treasures in vain, look what you have done, you behaved intimately with this person, and you are in the public eye." Dare to talk about it, what is the relationship between you?" The woman pointed to Jiang Jingtang and said.

Jiang Jingtang protected Yang Ke behind him, "We are innocent, but we just don't like you bullying people like this."

"'Innocence? Look at everyone, is this the appearance of innocence?" The woman shouted loudly, "Yang Ke, I didn't expect you to be such a person. Is this how your Yang family educated you?" ? My son has only been away for half a year, and you actually..."

"Mother, no, Jingtang and I..." Yang Ke went around to Jiang Jingtang and said to the woman.

"Jingtang, you are really affectionate, I'm afraid I can't bear your 'mother'." The woman interrupted Yang Ke, "The family is unfortunate, why did our family marry you?" After speaking, she hid her face and left .

Seeing the woman leave, Yang Ke immediately chased after her. Jiang Jingtang grabbed Yang Ke and shook his head to signal Yang Ke not to leave. Yang Ke broke Jiang Jingtang's hand and ran out. Jiang Jingtang looked at her with concern. Yang Ke's back, suddenly Yang Ke turned around and ran towards Jiang Jingtang, Jiang Jingtang's eyes immediately lit up, the kind that shone brightly, but Yang Ke went around Jiang Jingtang to pick up the big and small bags on the table , chasing after him with difficulty, Jiang Jingtang's eyes immediately darkened again, his face was full of disappointment, and even his figure was dejected.

Seeing that there was no show to watch, the big guys also dispersed. They each returned to their tea tables and continued to listen to books and drink tea. Only Jiang Jingtang was still standing there blankly, staring at the direction Yang Ke left.

Chu Yao stood in front of the counter, she saw everything that happened just now, but she didn't dare to step forward, for fear of standing with Yang Ke, Jiang Jingtang couldn't see her at all, she knew it was inevitable.

Chu Yao tried his best to act as if nothing had happened and didn’t know anything, still with a smile on his face, he gently asked Jiang Jingtang what he wanted for dinner, but the person who should have pretended that nothing had happened lost his temper instead "What to eat? What to eat? Why do you ask me what to eat every day? Don't you get bored? Why are you always acting like a follower? I'm very annoying now, can't you see?" This is Jiang Jingtang's first question. The first time I lost my temper with Chu Yao, it was only because Chu Yao asked him what he wanted to eat tonight!

The little Er'er couldn't see it, and stepped forward to block Jiang Jingtang's way, "Why are you talking to the shopkeeper? The shopkeeper is your wife, and she asked you because of your relationship. What evil fire did you send at her? Besides, Feel your conscience, did you do the right thing today?"

Jiang Jingtang pushed Xiao Er'er away, "I don't need you to worry about it." He flung his sleeves and went to the study.

Chu Yao is like a child who has done something wrong, sitting in the corner without saying a word, the teahouse closed early today.

Chu Yao waited in the room all night, Jiang Jingtang didn't come back, and he disappeared early the next morning. Chu Yao sat in front of the counter and stared blankly at the door. The teahouse opened. When the teahouse closed, Jiang Jingtang didn't come back all day In this way, Jiang Jingtang was not seen at the first line for several days.

Today Chuyao sent away the little Er'er and the others, who were about to go back to their room, when they saw Jiang Jingtang staggering back with a flagon in hand, Chuyao immediately stepped forward to hold the camera, and hugged Jiang Jingtang's arm tightly , for fear that he would fall.Chu Yao helped Jiang Jingtang back to the room, and made a pot of tea to sober him up.Chu Yao blew the tea cold and brought it to Jiang Jingtang's mouth, but Jiang Jingtang pushed it away, spilled the tea all over the floor, and kept chanting "Get away! You are not A Ke!"

Chu Yao stared at the tea that had been sprinkled all over the floor, shook his lips, and continued to serve Jiang Jingtang to undress and wipe his face for a long time.Chu Yao went to the study with the pillow in his arms.

Jiang Jingtang slept until noon the next day before waking up. When he woke up, he saw that he had changed his clothes and most of the alcohol was gone. He knew in his heart that Chu Yao must have washed himself.With his drowsy head on his head, Jiang Jingtang walked up to Chuyao step by step, "Thank you, Chuyao."

Chu Yao looked up at him, "Are you sober?"

Jiang Jingtang nodded.

"You sit down first, I'll pour you a pot of tea." Chu Yao said softly.

Jiang Jingtang obediently found a place to sit down, and after a while Chu Yao came to Jiang Jingtang with a pot of tea and a bowl of porridge.Said to him, "The head must be hurting, drink some porridge, go back to the room and sleep for a while."

Jiang Jingtang held Chuyao's hand, and said affectionately, "Chuyao, I was wrong, I won't do it in the future, can we still be as good as before?"

Looking into Jiang Jingtang's eyes, Chu Yao couldn't say any words of rejection, "Okay!"

Since then, everything seems to have never happened, and the six people in the teahouse are still the same as before, talking, laughing, playing, and living happily and freely.

But what happened, if you pretend it didn't happen, it doesn't mean it really isn't there, no one is around, Jiang Jingtang will still be secretly lonely and sad.

Chu Yao found that Jiang Jingtang was always avoiding her intentionally or unintentionally, and spent the night in the study every three days. Chu Yao asked Jiang Jingtang several times to go back to the room earlier to sleep, but Jiang Jingtang smiled every time and said, "I'm going to take the imperial examination. If you don't study hard, how can you become the number one woman?"

"I don't want to be the wife of the No. [-] Scholar, as long as I am your wife, why don't you wait until the imperial examination and you will collapse in such a healthy body."

Jiang Jingtang patted Chu Yao's head, pushed Chu Yao back to the room, and turned around to go to the study.

The imperial examination is getting closer and closer, Jiang Jingtang has not had a good rest for many days, and the exam is about to come, Chu Yao dragged Jiang Jingtang out to relax and go to the temple to ask for a lottery.