Chapter 7 A proposal and two slaps

On the Xuanwu Lake, the drizzle was like weaving, beside the Xuanwu Lake, there was a couple of beautiful couples.Zhou Ziheng and Luo Hongchen walked on the embankment bridge from Lingzhou to Yingzhou, pointing and stopping, just like a picture of a beautiful woman in misty rain. No one will be happier than a couple who fell in love for the first time, and no scenery will be more beautiful than the lake and mountains in the eyes of lovers.At this moment, they were really contented, so happy that they could even feel the rain on the lake, floating softly and lingeringly, making them charming.

Zhou Ziheng is holding a goose-yellow 36-bone bamboo paper umbrella. The umbrella surface is Zhang Shengxiying from The Story of the West Chamber, and the real version of the world of two people is under the umbrella.This is Luo Hongchen's umbrella, full of Luo Hongchen's smell.Zhou Ziheng turned the umbrella handle slightly, and the raindrops flew away, forming a transparent ring curtain above his and Hongchen's shoulders. The "Jinling Twelve Beauties" beauty pageant has entered a fever pitch. After filming this group of promotional films for ancient costumes, it is time to vote for the final winner of the twelve beauties.Everyone who engages in beauty pageants knows that the most attractive thing about a contest is not the final score, but the process of the campaign, as well as the colorful tidbits and outstanding ideas in the process.Since it is the "Jinling Twelve Beauties" beauty pageant, of course it is inevitable to have some ancient charm, poetic and picturesque, to show that it is different from ordinary beauty pageants.Today, Zi Heng and Hong Chen came to choose a location for the shoot.

"Several scenic spots are shooting at the same time, can you bear it?" Ziheng asked Hong Chen, "In fact, it is enough to concentrate all the shooting locations in Mochou Lake, but you insist on shooting a few scenes in Xuanwu Lake." "Xuanwu Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the city on one side. Mochou Lake does not have the advantages of attractions such as 'Lingzhou Mountains and Clouds' and 'Cuizhou Cloud Trees', especially the chrysanthemums are about to bloom. Give up 'Liangzhou Qiuju'" What a pity for the grand scene. Twelve beauties make chrysanthemum poems, which is the highlight of the book. Xue Baochai's "the flowers are more beautiful when they are pale", Lin Daiyu's "the lonely sign is proud of the world and who hides together, and the same flowering is late", and "Xiao Shuli's branch Sit with your head on, wrap your knees in the cool fragrance and chant', 'Throwing the book to a branch of autumn', what a wonderful artistic conception, if you don't take a special shot, isn't it lacking in classics?"

"I can't tell you." Zi Heng laughed, "I remember that at the regular meeting, you suddenly stood up and sent a lot of Daiyu's words, but everyone was shocked. How did you know me so well?" A trace of sadness flashed across Hong Chen's face: "When I was young, I had no friends and no one to talk to, so I only had two things to do for entertainment, embroidering and reading. The two books I read the most are "Xue Huan Embroidery Book", Almost all of them can be memorized." Zi Heng felt pity in his heart, deliberately picked up her favorite topics, and said, "Then I will test you, can the twelve hairpins know how to embroider?"

"Of course I will, female red is a compulsory course for every lady." Hongchen gave examples one by one, "Daiyu quarreled with Baoyu to embroider the purse, and even provoked the old lady's big truth about 'not friends do not get together'; Baoyu Chai saw that Baoyu's bellyband was exquisitely embroidered, and couldn't help but take it over to help with a few stitches; Xiren annoyed Xiangyun to help Baoyu embroider, Xiangyun deliberately said that it was rough work, and it didn't matter which maid it was. When I come to the garden, I have the time to do it carefully... Not only the twelve beauties, but also the girls in the auxiliary book are also good at embroidering——Yong Qingwen's sick mending peacock fur is the finishing touch among the maids in the Red Mansion; In the Grand View Garden, embroidered spring pouches brought death to Siqi; there is also related to the golden oriole tying hibiscus tassels..."

He laughed to himself: "However, Cao Xueqin is a bannerman, and girls from Manchuria are not good at embroidery." "That's why Cao Xueqin gave them all the titles of their ancestral home in the south, and they all belonged to the Jinling family. Lin Daiyu was the daughter of Yangzhou's Yanzheng Shi, and even the twelve minor opera officials were procured from Suzhou. It's justified. "Hong Chen had a whim, "There should be an extra match, and the beauties in the competition should each submit an embroidery work, which will also be included in the total score."

Self-proclaimed: "Okay, okay, I regret doing this twelve beauties beauty pageant, and I am so busy that I don't have any private time. I warn you, don't 'discard your personal interests' and neglect my new boyfriend. All right." "This is really a difficult problem..." Hongchen pretended to have a headache, "You think, should I spend more time working for the boss? Or spending more time with my boyfriend?" "Are you asking me?" Ziheng pretended to think for a while, "Why not let your boss's boyfriend accompany you to work, so that you can work overtime and keep dating."

"But aren't you afraid of your colleagues talking about it?" "What are you talking about? Anyway, you're going to be their boss soon." Luo Hongchen's heart was shocked, the proprietress?Is he serious?Or a joke?She looked at the misty rain on the lake, thinking of Mei Qi's three years of entanglement with him, and suddenly felt unconfident.Mei Qi spent three years waiting for the promise, could she win it in a month?Where would such a happy story come to me?Can I, Luo Hongchen, a synonym for misfortune, the daughter of a lunatic, be able to follow Cinderella's fairy tale?She shook her head instinctively, then shook her head again.

Zhou Ziheng felt it, he stopped, stood opposite Hong Chen, silent, staring at her, not speaking. Hong Chen raised his head passively: "What are you doing?" "I want you to know my seriousness." Zi Heng replied, "I know, you are a person who likes to doubt everything, no matter what I say, you will think that I am not sincere, and then you will run away and close yourself up .So, instead of saying anything, I'm going to be silent for three minutes so you can see that I'm serious." "However, these words of yours are still too eloquent." Hongchen sighed, why, every word he said made her feel dubious, thought it was the best line, and felt that it could not be taken seriously.He saw through what kind of person she was, and read her inner doubts and vigilance, which moved her and made her sadder at the same time.For such a him, what strength does she have to resist?If he hurt her, what chance did she have of escaping?

In order to avoid the pain of loss, I don't want to get it again.She still can't know whether accepting him as her boyfriend is right or wrong, a blessing or a curse, and Mei Qi's continuous email and photo transmissions make her even more troubled, and she can't help telling herself that those are all from Zhou Zi. Despite what happened before, on the one hand, he couldn't help being confused by those real records.Sometimes she changed places and imagined what would happen if she were Mei Qi. She thought she would not be able to bear it. Three years of love was finally easily destroyed by an outsider. She absolutely could not bear it. It was terrible and cruel.

She couldn't help but backed away, with hesitation and struggle in her eyes. "Hong Chen, I propose to you, do you understand?" Zi Heng took a few steps closer, handed the umbrella to her hand, wrapped the little jade pendant hanging from the umbrella handle around her finger, and urged, "Say Why, say you will. You will, don't you?" His natural tone made Hong Chen instinctively disgusted, and blurted out: "No, I don't want to." "What?" This time, it was Zhou Ziheng who stepped back, "What did you say?" "I don't want to." Hongchen looked at him and said clearly, "Ziheng, we have known each other for too short a time, I can't trust your sincerity, I can't entrust my future to you like this. I don't want to do it now Say I do, I hope, you give me time, give us a little time for each other, okay?" "how long?" "Three years." "Three years?!" Zi Heng yelled, "So long? It took you so long to see my goodness?" "Didn't you and Mei Qi also date for three years? Didn't you break up in the end?" Hong Chen plausibly said, "So I think three years is still too short, and there is no guarantee. People say that the seven-year itch is a two-year itch. If you can get along with each other for seven years, it will be stable. But there are also people who divorce after ten years, so..." "Don't do it anymore!" Ziheng patted his head in pain, "If you keep doing it, I won't be able to get married when I'm fifty. My poor grandma!" "Grandma?" Hong Chen wondered, "What's the matter with Grandma?" "Of course it's none of her business. My grandma has her 70th birthday this year, and her biggest ideal is to have four generations under one roof. If I get married in twenty years, even if I can wait, I don't know if my grandma can wait, then she will Isn't that pitiful enough?" "But, Mei Qi..." "Stop mentioning Mei Qi!" Zi Heng interrupted impatiently.During these days, Ah Qing called him several times, saying that Mei Qi had something to do, with a weird tone, but she didn't know what was going on, so she just asked him to go and see her.Although Zi Heng reluctantly refused, saying that he and Mei Qi had broken up and had nothing to do with each other.But in his heart, he couldn't help feeling a little worried and worried. Now that Hong Chen brought up Mei Qi again, it made him even more troubled, and he couldn't help but say, "What's wrong with Mei Qi? Besides Mei Qi, I know many women. Do you want to back up to you one by one? Who doesn't Have you been in seven or eight love affairs? I am 30 years old, is it so strange to have a woman in my life? If I tell you that I am a virgin, it would be ridiculous. Are you a virgin again?" "What did you say?!" Hong Chen's face flushed suddenly, "Dirty!" "Dirty?" Zhou Ziheng looked at Hongchen's shy face, and suddenly thought it was funny, what time is it, and it's so strange that some people will blush when they hear the word "virgin".He deliberately provoked her, "So, you are a virgin?" Unexpectedly, Luo Hongchen dropped the umbrella, turned around and left. Ziheng lost his mind for a while, and even chased after him and said, "I'll know if I'm a virgin or not, after trying it, or..." Before he finished speaking, Luo Hongchen stopped abruptly, turned around, raised his hand, caught off guard, and slapped Zhou Ziheng crisply and neatly. The "pop" was not very loud, but it was like a thunderbolt, which shocked both of them at the same time. Zi Heng caressed his hot face, and asked unconfidently: "You hit me? How dare you hit me?" Without thinking, he raised his hand and returned a palm. His palm was much more powerful than Hong Chen's, it almost made her unable to stand still. Fire burst out of Luo Hongchen's eyes, and he glared at himself.Zi Heng looked back without blinking, and burst out each word from the gap between his teeth: "I don't know how many women Zhou Ziheng has had, and no one dared to hit me. Don't think that if I flatter you for two days, you can... ..." Before he could finish speaking, there was a "slap", and another slap on his face. Zhou Ziheng was furious, followed suit, and then raised his hands. Luo Hongchen didn't dodge, he looked ready to be beaten, stared at him with bright eyes, but tried hard not to let the tears fall. Zi Heng's heart suddenly turned gray, what was he doing?Competing with women?Doesn't that make you look down on yourself?He proposed to her, but she slapped her twice, and still entangled here, what kind of person is he?He withdrew his hand, turned and left without saying a word. The rain seems to have fallen heavily at some point, rushing, like crying.The weather suddenly turned cold.He seemed to hear Hong Chen calling him softly from behind, but he ordered himself not to turn his head back cruelly. He walked to the corner, and when he walked into the shade of the trees, he still couldn't help turning his head back. In the rain, Luo Hongchen stood motionless, like a statue, as if he had been fixed there by his own palm, and would never move again. Looking at her figure in the rain, Zhou Zi wanted to shout, but finally held back. No woman can beat him.Neither can Luo Hongchen! This time, he was really angry. He could bear her coldness, her sharpness, and even her rejection, but he couldn't bear her slaps, and twice in a row! It was so humiliating it was almost ridiculous.If it gets out, does he still want to be a man?Mei Qi will definitely die laughing.When Mei Qi was with him, she was obedient and obedient, she didn't even dare to say a word, all the feigning anger and coquettishness were just right, how could it be so violent? He has always known that Luo Hongchen, who looks delicate and soft, is actually strong, and this is what he admires in her, but it is too much to be so strong.The Korean version of "My Sassy Girl" is not suitable for Zhou Ziheng, a Chinese man. No matter how Ziheng plays and plays freely, his women must be gentle, obedient, and have classical virtues. Ziheng cursed all the way out of "Lingzhou Mountains", and when he got into the car, all the anger and determination disappeared. Facing the little embroidered shoe hanging in front of the car window as a mascot, he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.Just leave like this?Just like this, he left Luo Hongchen in the rain without hesitation and left alone, ignoring her, not seeing her? His restless heart suddenly felt a sense of desolation. How bleak and bleak life would be if he didn't see Luo Hongchen again. If I don't see Luo Hongchen again... The time he had known Hong Chen was not long, and the time he had known her was even shorter. However, ever since he saw Hong Chen for the first time, he had a feeling that he was very familiar with her.Since they fell in love, their favorite game is to tell each other's childhood, as if they can't wait to let each other understand themselves in the shortest time, and walk through the past with themselves that they didn't have time to participate in. He told her how he stole shavings for his grandma when he was a child, which made her giggle. When he was in the mood, he would show her his agility and embarrassment when he escaped; Telling her lonely thoughts, telling the story of how her grandma taught her to embroider, and the military demeanor that still lingers on her grandpa. Ziheng really liked listening to Luo Hongchen tell the story of her grandfather Luo Changming, and found it very kind, and was especially interested in the glorious history of the old man Luo Changming when he was a soldier.Perhaps, it was because his own parents were also soldiers.And so coincidentally, the place where Luo Changming joined the army was the same place where Ziheng's parents joined the army.It's a pity that what Hongchen knows is very limited, because grandpa seldom talks to her, and even less about his own youth, so he can't be sure whether he is in the same age. They made an appointment to go to the place where his parents were soldiers one day.Although he has never seen his mother, that beautiful woman named Feiyan, her blood is flowing in his body, if he walks along the places she has been, her spirit in the sky will definitely see and know.When it comes to emotion, Zi Heng's eye circles are red. Ziheng has never told anyone about these grievances and wishes, neither to grandma nor to Meiqi, but he has told Hongchen, and he believes that she will understand and empathize, because they are all orphans, They are all descendants of soldiers, and their mothers all died of dystocia. They are all born with deficiencies in their lives.Although Ziheng's parents died, she was not lacking in love; while Hongchen was ridiculed or pitied by everyone since she was a child, even her grandfather just called her "the murderer's daughter" contemptuously, as if she would not be angry, humiliated, or hurt. , sad like.Grandpa Luo Changming never cared about his granddaughter's feelings, he only regarded her as a responsibility he had to bear, so he complained a lot and became very impatient.And she herself felt sorry.I feel that my existence is a kind of unnecessary disturbance, so I am very careful to keep quiet and try to be as quiet as possible so as not to attract people's attention.She is a child who can't even shed tears. Hearing this, Zi Heng was genuinely sad, and shook Hong Chen's hand for a long time without speaking.They not only sympathize with each other, but also cherish each other.They are the two people who know and love each other the most in this world.However, how could the people who knew and loved each other the most hurt each other? How could it be like this?The two were taking a good walk on the lake, talking and laughing, and falling in love, why did they suddenly start fighting?Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu quarreled, at most they cut the embroidered bag, but they actually slapped each other!This is too outrageous! Ever since Hongchen came to "Success", it seems that they have been arguing constantly.In the beginning, it was because of work, because of self-indulgent arbitrariness and lack of organization in the company's order.Hongchen argued hard, acting as if he was pleading for the people and fearless: "I protest! I protest!" There are as many opinions as a hedgehog.What's terrible is that in the end of the fight, it often proves that her protest is reasonable, and the one who is wrong is Zhou Ziheng.Therefore, after every quarrel, Ziheng will give Hongchen more authority and tasks, and ask her to help him improve those business loopholes that he can't see from aloof. So now, in their love life, should this pattern be repeated?Let each quarrel consolidate love? However, being in love is not fighting, and he doesn't want a girlfriend who is always right, constantly accusing him of his shortcomings and proving him wrong.Oh, if he picks the wrong one, he has made too many mistakes, and he can't finish talking about it in three days and three nights. Grandma has been talking about it for more than ten years, and this only appeared in his life. Was Luo Hongchen, who had been there for several months, trying to change him?How naive! But wait, she wants to change him, and isn't her anger at his past just proof that she cares about him and wants to tie her fate to his?What did she say just now—"People say that the seven-year itch, if two people get along for seven years, will they stabilize. But there are also people who divorce after ten years of marriage"—in other words, she Thought about marrying him, the seven-year itch, ten-year husband and wife, she has already agreed to his proposal, the dispute is only a matter of time.She wanted him to be more patient to persuade her, and more sincere to impress her. Didn't he think about loving little by little like the little prince did with the little fox before, why couldn't he hold back his temper and act too hastily? She and Mei Qi are different women. Mei Qi's love seems simple and straightforward, and there are many twists and turns in it. I don't know how much thought is hidden in it; It's all about love, nothing else.Only in this way, any suspicion, frivolity, and neglect will hurt this love.It was his fault, indeed his fault, that he broke her heart.He asked her: "Could it be that you are a virgin again?" "So, are you a virgin?" He also said that he would have to try to find out, how could he blame her for not getting angry, getting angry, or hitting him?Two palms are too light, she should hit him with ten palms and a hundred palms, a thousand cuts would not be too much!She was angry, angry, and blushed. Of course, it was because she guarded herself like a jade, so she couldn't stand such teasing and contempt.These words were a joke in front of Mei Qi, who was watching Yan Shimei, but they were a great humiliation and injury to Luo Hongchen, who was conservative and self-respecting.How could he not think of it? He finally met the kind of chaste and innocent girl that grandma used to say, and the out-of-print treasure of this century. Once such a girl is missed, he will never meet again, but he just took advantage of her rare integrity. Hurt her, and get angry at her retaliation.He was so stupid, such a jerk! He has always had two selves in his heart, and these two selves are dealing with the world of mortals at the same time. The one who is in love is the melancholy boy who is not grown up, Ah Heng, and the one who is working is the successful businessman Jay Chou.But these two selves both need Luo Hongchen equally: Ah Heng needs her comfort, and Jay Chou needs her supervision.Luo Hongchen was basically the most perfect gift God gave Zhou Ziheng, as he himself said, he was his protector.Zhou Ziheng couldn't do without Luo Hongchen at all! Since I wiped out the cigarette butt, I couldn't wait for a minute, opened the car door, jumped up and ran.He was going to find Luo Hongchen, he was going to see Luo Hongchen, when he saw her, he held her hand and never let her go away. On the embankment of Lingzhou Bridge, the misty rain was like weaving. Luo Hongchen stood numbly in the rain. A few steps away from his feet, there lay the bamboo paper umbrella that had grown a opera warbler. Occasionally, someone passing by would cast a surprised look at her and whisper, "Is this woman crazy? Want to commit suicide?" However, the world of mortals ignored it.Her heart was already broken, scattered in the rain, weeping and confiding together with the autumn wind and autumn rain.Her lover, the person she just fell in love with and planned to devote her whole life to, hit her!And abandon her after slapping her!How cruel! But is she not at fault herself?It was she who hit him first and hurt him first. But, who made him say such things, and speak so casually and glibly! But, he was like that, she always knew he liked to joke, and she shouldn't hit anyone no matter what. However, he shouldn't just leave like this. Could it be that they are all finished and disappeared in the future? but…… Too much but, too much self-blame, grievance, hesitation, pain, entangled in her heart, made her bite her lower lip with her upper lip, almost bleeding from the bite. To forgive or not to forgive, to apologize or not to apologize, the two thoughts were fighting fiercely in her heart, especially thinking of breaking up, thinking that they might just fall apart like this, she really wanted to cry. From the day she fell in love with him, she kept saying to herself: don't fall into it, don't fall into it; at the same time, she kept praying to God: his words are true, his heart is true, His feelings for me are real!Until just now, she was still rejecting his marriage proposal because she was worried that she had fallen too deep, but now she knew that she had already fallen into it, far deeper than she imagined, and she couldn't extricate herself. However, she slapped him away two times in a row.She watched him turn away from her eyes.What should she do?what to do? Although Zhou Ziheng's parents died when he was young, his grandparents loved him very much, but he never suffered or was beaten; Luo Hongchen was different, she carried the title of "the daughter of a madman" Growing up, she has always lived in the shadow of humiliation and discrimination, and her grandfather hated her father, thinking that it was her lunatic father who killed her daughter Luoxiu, and even regarded her as a "murderer's daughter". How much affection. She is alone in this world.Not just an orphan of parents, but an outcast of God.Since the day she was born, God has given up his care for her, leaving her to fend for herself, living at the bottom of society.Apart from embroidery, she doesn't even have a bosom friend, no tenderness and love. God knows how much effort she has put in to make herself grow up without resentment.She can only take care of herself, guide herself, supervise herself, and tell herself: Don't be resentful towards life just because of the teasing of fate; There is nothing in the world except herself, so she must cherish herself even more! She forced herself not to resent, but to be grateful—thanks to her grandma and grandpa, although they didn’t love her very much, but they have worked so hard to bring her up; thanks to her neighbors, although they once laughed at her and despised her. She, however, also helped her weave pigtails and cut clothes; thank God for giving her a dignified, healthy and ingenious life; especially thank the mysterious account that has been providing medical expenses for her father. She hopes to say thank you to him face to face one day, And hoped that she would be able to repay him; and the person she wanted to thank most was Zhou Ziheng.Ziheng was the first person she met who truly loved her, and also the first man she herself fell in love with sincerely. Her cautiousness and precocity make it difficult for her to fall in love with others, and once she does, she can never look back.She cannot live without him!He left her, and she was left alone again.Alone, alone... In the wind and rain, in the distance, a cyan shadow hurriedly came, tall and thin, like Zhou Ziheng.But he will not come back.He's gone, don't want her anymore, she will never see him again... The shadow was getting closer and clearer.Hong Chen's eyes widened in disbelief, it was him, it was really him, it was Zhou Ziheng, he's back!She looked at him, tears streaming down her face, unable to speak a word. Zi Heng didn't speak, he ran all the way, ran to Hong Chen, took a deep look at her, then hugged her tightly in his arms without saying a word, as if hugging the most precious thing in life , as if afraid that she would run away again. The rain was still falling, but suddenly it was no longer cold, but became light, playful, and singing lively songs, brushing, brushing, so beautiful. Zi Heng shook Hong Chen's hand: "Marry me!" "But……" "I know I have many shortcomings, so you have to marry me and help me correct it slowly." Zi Hengqian said quickly before her rejection, "If you want how long we will go together, marry me. Give me, go through the seven-year itch together, after ten years of husband and wife, after thirty years of fame and dust, after a long life together, a hundred years of vicissitudes, until we go to heaven together! If you don’t marry me, how will you know this? So, marry I!" "But I'm afraid..." "What are you afraid of?" "have no idea." "I don't know, are you afraid?" "It's because I don't know what the coming fear is that I'm so scared." Luo Hongchen raised his eyes and tried to explain his feelings, "From the day I was with you, I felt happy and happy. I'm afraid, the happier I am, the more I am afraid. I always feel that we will not have a good result. If we continue to communicate, there may be terrible things happening, so terrible that we can't face and bear. I have no curiosity, I don't want to Go on and see the result. I'd rather stop now..." "No!" Ziheng interrupted her domineeringly, "I said no! I don't believe that as long as we love each other, there will be nothing in the world that can stop me, Zhou Ziheng. You remember the day I told you in the letter Is it the story of Shi Zuolu? I am the fearless Dayu. For you, I am not afraid of slaying dragons and subduing tigers. turtle……" Hongchen's eyes were full of tears, but he couldn't help but burst out laughing: "As you talk, you start talking nonsense. When can you finish a sentence in a serious manner? You don't know which sentence is true?" "Tell me a certain sentence first--love me or not? Marry me or not?" Zhou Ziheng restrained his smile, rare seriousness, rare seriousness, every word and sentence, like each other, "Say it clearly, you Luo Hongchen loves me, Zhou Ziheng, and wants to marry me as his wife! Say it!" Hongchen was shocked, she raised her head, looked at him deeply and intently, the rain crystals danced on her face, making her face full of brilliance, and said sincerely: "I, Luo Hongchen, for the rest of my life, only love Zhou Ziheng is alone, and I am willing to marry Zhou Ziheng as my wife, and I will never lose my heart!" The two throbbing hearts finally beat together, and the two passionate people finally hugged each other. They didn't see that, deep in the forest, someone stretched out a camera and pointed at them, pressing the shutter again and again.