The difference between cloud and mud

Chapter 39

"How much money is there?" Jiang Tong tried his best to avoid the important ones, but Xiao Fengtai still grasped the important point: "Is it not convenient to call your bank account directly or remit to the mainland?"

It's not a face-to-face conversation with real people, but a mobile phone video chat.Across the screen, love seems to lose its body temperature.Xiao Fengtai's straightforwardness was like a small steel needle, making Jiang Tong frowned in pain: "I mentioned this, not to ask you for money."

Jiang Tong disappeared for no reason before, Xiao Fengtai was at a loss at first, and then became very annoyed.A young boy who grew up in a wealthy family, regarded other people's preferential treatment and flattery as normal, and naturally he couldn't let it go when he received such unprecedented cold treatment.

After Jiang Tong returned to Singapore, he took the time to write a long message and sent it to Xiao Fengtai to explain the whole story. The latter refused to give up and even started a unilateral cold war.However, Jiang Tong was too busy with his studies and part-time jobs, so the two could only make video calls.

"I know——you're not a beggar." Xiao Fengtai put on a pretty face: "It's just a problem between us that can be easily solved with money, so there's no need to look far away."

Less than a year after getting acquainted with Jiang Tong, he can even use such obscure idioms as "seeking far away".

"This is not a problem between us." Jiang Tong added the accent on the word "we".

The teenager raised his eyebrows: "Didn't you just say that? In order to raise the cost of treatment, you need to do more part-time jobs, because if you do more part-time jobs, the free time you can spend with me will be greatly reduced-not only because you don't have time to text , call, find time to go out to watch a movie together. Are you implying that the situation of disappearing without a word like before will continue to happen?"

"Why is this not a problem between us?" He tried his best to maintain a cold and calm attitude, but unconsciously raised his voice.

Jiang Tong opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.He knew Xiao Fengtai was right.

It is subtle and shameless moral oppression.In the name of the family, make the other party submit, and hide the fact that one party disrupts the rhythm of the relationship behind the words.

When the two sides exchange positions, Jiang Tong himself will suppress the strangeness in his heart and accept it readily.To easily challenge the other party seems to label yourself as not filial and not considerate of your lover.In the environment that Jiang Tong is familiar with, this is an accusation that ordinary people cannot bear.

It's all because of Xiao Fengtai's rapid progress in Chinese, which made him forget that not long ago, he couldn't even distinguish the place from the point, and even argued with him about the author's logical contradiction based on a simple metaphor that often appeared in Tang poems.

"It's not that troublesome at all." Xiao Fengtai took advantage of his silence and went directly to the concluding statement: "You tell me how much it costs, and I'll call you. We can do whatever we want."

Although he pretended to be business-like, unhappiness still overflowed from the corners of his eyes and brows, and even the line of his jaw was tense, showing a bit of arrogance and indifference when we first met.

Jiang Tong slowed down his tone: "Kenneth, I appreciate your kindness, but I can't just accept your money."

He thought he was appeasing Xiao Fengtai, but he only pushed the other party's dissatisfaction to a new level.

The fragile self-esteem of the middle class, Xiao Fengtai thought angrily.In the stage of ambiguity, people who are full of worries and want to refuse to welcome, family backgrounds that are concealed intentionally or unintentionally, quarrels caused by inexplicable reasons, and even give him an unnecessary expensive birthday present after being swollen to make him fat... And now, it is already so hard, why? Unwilling to accept his help?

If he is really a noble and flawless saint, why is he still being charged a lot of Chinese tuition fees every month?

The more he thought about it, the more absurd he felt, and finally he was so angry that he laughed out loud.

Anger can make people dizzy, not to mention a half-grown boy who fell in love for the first time and lived a wanton life for the first 17 years of his life.

"Since this is the case, why don't you even charge for Chinese supplementary lessons." Without a mirror in front of him, Xiao Fengtai didn't know that his expression at this moment was very similar to the one they had when they first met.Intangible emotions pounded his chest, making him speechless, just wanting to release the pressure that blocked his breathing in the most direct and violent way.

"I haven't had a serious class since September, but the supplementary tuition fee of 3000 Singapore dollars per hour has been accepted exactly. I am obviously enjoying my generosity, but I am acting as if I am self-reliant. Teacher Jiang The bottom line of self-esteem is too flexible."

Jiang Tong's expression was blank for a moment, as if someone had slapped him in the face.

Xiao Fengtai regretted it almost immediately.

The Chinese he had practiced so well was completely forgotten by him, and he couldn't even organize a complete sentence of apology for a while.

He was sweating profusely, thinking anxiously, when the screen went black, it was Jiang Tong who hung up the phone.

"I'll transfer the money that shouldn't be accepted to you." He sent a message, lacking punctuation marks and combinations of square characters, showing no emotional ups and downs.

"We might as well stop here."

In order to say sorry to Jiang Tong, Xiao Fengtai made hundreds of phone calls from the moment he saw the message.

"I'm sorry, I just said something wrong in a fit of anger, please give me a chance to explain."

"It's my fault for not being able to consider the problem from your point of view, shall we talk about it again?"

"How can you forgive me? I can do anything."

……

A large number of messages in Chinese mixed with English unilaterally filled the screen, but there was still no reply.Jiang Tong's silence has grown in size and weight over time.The flowing, viscous, stagnant silence gradually filled the air around Xiao Fengtai.

The more flustered he was, the more he had to apologize desperately. If he didn't get a response, he became even more flustered. He acted on instinct in the chaos, lowering his position lower and lower, lowering it into the dust, and then stepping on it hard.

In the end, he bribed Lu She, who hadn't been in touch for a long time, and blocked Jiang Tong at the door of his house.Early in the morning, the man came home with a smell of oily smoke all over his body, his T-shirt was speckled with condiment stains, and there were blue and black shadows under his eyes.

During these days of getting along, they initially disliked each other, and then they understood, appreciated, flirted with each other, and faced each other sincerely.No matter what kind of situation, in Singapore, in Beijing, in Xiao's house or in the grove next to Jiang Tong University, Jiang Tong always has the same posture - rimless glasses, plain and clean clothes, straight back, well-formed short hair You have to get close to smell the faint mint shampoo smell that is almost nothing.An old-school, almost boring handsomeness.Jiang Tong is as comfortable as warm water when getting along, but he doesn't attract even a single extra glance from the crowd.

The indifferent and gentle image of the youth in his memory coincided with the current embarrassment, and it was burned on Xiao Fengtai's retina, and there was a clear and real stinging pain. He felt his eye sockets heat up, as if he had produced physiological tears after looking directly at the strong light.Xiao Fengtai was swallowed by a deeper layer of guilt.

Jiang Tong was not surprised to see him at the door, but frowned slightly: "Did you skip class?"

Xiao Fengtai wanted to grab his hand, but just took a step, then hesitantly retreated.

"I was wrong." He whispered, "You are right. I shouldn't interfere with your life, let alone... I shouldn't have said those words."

Jiang Tong turned his head to avoid his sight: "Hurry up and go back to class, we will talk about our affairs later."

He walked around Xiao Fengtai, took out the key and prepared to open the door.

Xiao Fengtai took a step back, almost sticking to the door, hindering Jiang Tong's further movement: "Teacher Jiang, please forgive me!"

Jiang Tong lowered his hands, Xiao Fengtai was finally able to look directly at Jiang Tong, the young man's eyes were bloodshot, and his eye sockets were red.If he didn't know that he stayed up all night to work, Xiao Fengtai almost thought that he also cried quietly in the middle of the night just like himself.

"You are not wrong, but we are not suitable." Jiang Tong had no expression when he spoke, as if he was too tired to move his facial muscles.

"It's better for us to stop here."

"You are lying."

Xiao Fengtai didn't know where the courage came from, he stepped forward and jumped on Jiang Tong.The sour smell of sweat and the spicy smell of the seasoning stimulated him to finally shed tears.

Jiang Tong's body froze, and he struggled slightly to get rid of it, but he was too tired, and Xiao Fengtai hugged him so tightly, he finally lowered his arms, allowing Xiao Fengtai to hold his body.

"I will never like anyone again." Xiao Fengtai's voice was choked with sobs: "I will never get better if I stop here. I will never get better, and neither will Teacher Jiang."

"I know Teacher Jiang is not willing to separate from me."

"I'm sorry teacher, I know I was wrong."

Jiang Tong stood there silently, motionless.After a few minutes, it seemed like hours, a century, Xiao Fengtai heard Jiang Tong sigh softly.

"Little fool." He stretched out his hand and rubbed Xiao Fengtai's head: "I should say sorry."

It seemed to be an ordinary one among countless quarrels.Although the battle was beyond normal, it ended without any risk.Hearing Jiang Tong's words intensified and hung half of his body on the young man, Xiao Fengtai thought so sincerely.