Chapter 36 A Crystal Bracelet
Having successfully dealt with the weasel, Chen Cheng was very excited. His heart finally calmed down, and he strode back to the car. Once inside, Zhang Qian and Cheng Ming asked at the same time, "Master Chen, (Brother Cheng), is it resolved?"
Chen Cheng's excitement was palpable: "It's solved. You can rest easy now!"
"Great, I can pick up my child tomorrow."
"Brother Cheng, are you hurt?"
"Who is your brother Cheng? How could a little weasel hurt me?"
Zhang Qian gently slapped him, then threw herself into his arms.
Chen Cheng's excitement suddenly turned to unease. Zhang Qian was falling deeper and deeper into his feelings, and he seemed to have feelings for her too. What if his fate really turned against her? His initial excitement turned to worry.
It was past 3 a.m. when they got back to the county town. The room from yesterday hadn't been checked out yet. Cheng Ming drove the two of them to the hotel before driving home, saying that he would pick them up for lunch the next day to celebrate properly.
Back in the room, just like last night, Chen Cheng quickly washed up and went to sleep fully clothed. After Zhang Qian finished washing up and drying her hair, she gritted her teeth, endured the heat on her cheeks, lay down next to Chen Cheng, and then hugged him from behind.
Chen Cheng was startled, his heart raced, but he remained motionless and pretended to be asleep.
"Brother Cheng, I know you mean well and are afraid that if we get together, your fate will kill me. But I'm not afraid. What's the point of living a miserable life if I can't be with the one I love in this lifetime?"
"I don't know when I suddenly fell in love with you. When I first met you, you made me so angry that I wanted to shoot you. But now when I think about it, it's all a sweet memory. Although I've only known you for less than ten days, I believe that you are the man I'm looking for in this life. I want to be with you, even if it means death, I'm not afraid!"
Listening to her murmurs, Chen Cheng was deeply moved. He felt her tears streaming down his back and couldn't help but grab her hand that reached out from behind him: "Qianqian, thank you for liking me, but we really can't be together. If one day I really do die and something happens to you, I will be sad, blame myself, and feel guilty for the rest of my life."
Zhang Qian's body trembled. Yes, if something happened to her, it would be a relief, but it would make him sad for the rest of his life. She was selfish for a moment, but he would feel guilty for a lifetime.
"Brother Cheng, what should we do?"
"I don't know either. I only know that the farther away you are from me, the better for you!"
"Waaaaah," Zhang Qian couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.
Chen Cheng hardened his heart, forcing himself to suppress the pain and not turn around to comfort her. He knew that if he wanted, he could have her tonight, and then there would be no way out for either of them.
Zhang Qian finally cried herself to sleep, then hugged his back and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Chen Cheng woke up to find Zhang Qian gone. He checked his phone and, sure enough, there was a message from her: "I'm leaving. If you're afraid to face your fate and keep running away, then even if I stay by your side, I won't be happy. Maybe I'm being selfish. I think if I'm not afraid, you should be even less afraid. I know you're afraid something will really happen to me, that you can't bear the pain. Okay, I'm letting go. But I will never love again in this life. If you encounter any dangerous missions, be careful and don't push yourself too hard. The 50,000 yuan reward has been deposited into your bank account; you can use it to help more people. Also, the crystal bracelet on the table is a gift from my mother when I was little. It's been with me for twenty years. Now I'm giving it to you. Take good care of it. Although I can't be by your side, let it stay with you in my place. At least let you know you're not alone; there's always a girl thinking of you from afar!"
For a fleeting moment, Chen Chengzhen wanted to call Zhang Qian, but reason prevailed. After much deliberation, he sent her a message: "I will keep it safe. Have a safe journey!"
Upon hearing the message, Zhang Qian, who was driving, immediately stopped the car, opened the message, put down her phone, and burst into tears, burying her face in the steering wheel.
Chen Cheng also picked up the bracelet; it shimmered with iridescent colors under the sunlight...
Around noon, Cheng Ming called to say he was waiting downstairs at the hotel. Chen Cheng checked out and got into his car. Cheng Ming looked around and asked, "Where is Miss Zhang?"
"She had to leave early!"
"Oh, I was wondering why your car, which was parked in front of my house, was gone. I thought you had driven it to a hotel."
Chen Cheng didn't want to bring up the matter again, so he changed the subject and started talking about other things.
When they arrived home, Mu Lili looked much better than yesterday. The two of them prepared a delicious meal. Chen Cheng was in low spirits and ate without tasting anything. The couple could tell, but neither of them asked him anything.
After the meal, Chen Cheng suggested returning home. Cheng Ming took out 30,000 yuan from his room and said, "Master Chen, my family is of modest means and I cannot afford to offer more money as a tribute to our ancestral master. Please accept this."
"Okay, that's thoughtful!"
Chen Cheng did not refuse. He didn't mind whether it was too little or too much. This was the rule his master had taught him. The aggrieved party had to do what he wanted. Exorcising demons was also his responsibility. But if he agreed beforehand that he would give you a certain amount if you helped him catch the ghost or exorcise the demon, and then he gave you less after you finished, that wouldn't do. That would be disrespectful to Taoism and the founders of Taoism. That would break the rules.
Therefore, most master and disciple will not ask for much; they will ask for whatever they feel like. There is one exception: a person who is extremely wicked and has offended something they shouldn't have. In this case, they will have to ask for more because they are not ordinary good people. It is precisely because they have committed many evil deeds that they have offended those filthy things. Although it is their duty to eliminate evil and protect the righteous, they will have to shed blood in return!
Cheng Ming respectfully escorted Chen Cheng to his home at the Fengjiang Old Teahouse before returning home.
Upon entering the old teahouse, there were still a dozen or so old tea drinkers chatting and drinking tea. Old Zhang was also leisurely sitting behind the counter doing accounts. When they saw Chen Cheng, they all greeted him.
Old Zhang walked up to him, looked back, and asked, "Where is that girl?"
"Back to Xi'an."
"It's alright, it's alright."
"What's wrong, Uncle Zhang?"
Chen Cheng asked curiously, not knowing what Old Zhang meant.
"Xiao Shuang is here, she's doing your laundry in the back room!"
Chen Cheng then realized what he meant by "it's alright"—he was afraid the two girls would run into each other. He gave a wry smile, greeted everyone, and walked towards the back hall.
Upon entering the courtyard, I saw a girl squatting by the pond under the shade of a tree, washing clothes.
"Xiaoshuang, I'm not busy, I can wash myself. You can rest now that you're here."
"Look at your clothes. You wear them and then stuff them into the closet. In this hot weather, don't you find them smelly?"
Jiang Shuang turned around and said angrily.
"Hehe, I've been busy, otherwise I would have finished washing it long ago."
"Where is that girl?"
"That girl?"
Chen Cheng asked the question knowing the answer already.
"As soon as I arrived today, Uncle He told me, 'Why didn't she come back with you?'"
"No, she's a police officer. She came here to handle a case and stopped by to check on me. She's already gone back."
"I knew it! If I can't be with you, then she can be."
Jiang Shuang wrung out the water from the clothes, then hung them on the clothes rack and turned around to say something.