Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 493 Koi Little Lucky Star 22

When Ji Qingyuan heard this, instead of being annoyed by the questioning, he seemed to have expected her to ask this question. The tension in his eyes was instantly replaced by an extreme solemnity and an almost broken tenderness.

He did not swear or swear at length, but took a deep breath, as if to make up his mind, and then, extremely slowly and solemnly, took out a brocade bag from his wide sleeve.

The brocade bag was not big, made of dark green satin with delicate cloud patterns embroidered on it with extremely fine silver thread. It looked a bit old and the color had faded a little, but it carried a warmth that was cherished for a long time.

"Sister Yun," he held the brocade bag in his hands and handed it to Yun Chu. His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of sob that was barely noticeable. "I have been preparing this for many years."

"I have never dared to give it to you, fearing it wouldn't be good enough, that it wouldn't be appropriate at the right time, and even more afraid...that it would eventually become my own wish."

Ji Qingyuan paused, mustering up his courage. "It may not fully answer your doubts right now, but it represents every day I've been able to think clearly, every word I've written, every moment of my future that I've fought for—all my heart and soul is tied to it."

His words were not flowery, but they carried a heavy power, just like him.

Yun Chu looked at his eyes, which were filled with suppressed intense emotions and only had a clear, almost pious light, and her heart suddenly shook.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out her hand and gently took the warm sachet that seemed to carry his body temperature and scent.

It felt slightly heavy in her hand, as if it wasn't just cloth. She untied the silk cord that bound it and slowly took out a hairpin from the brocade pouch.

Hosta!

The hairpin is made of a whole piece of warm, translucent, fine white chalcedony, its color like condensed moonlight.

The shape of the hairpin head is unique: it is not an ordinary auspicious cloud or flower, but two naturally shaped bamboo branches growing side by side, which are extremely delicately carved.

The bamboo joints are staggered and distinct, the branches are vigorous and powerful, and a few bamboo leaves slant out from the top, with a stretched and lush posture.

The most special thing is that at the roots of the tightly attached twin bamboo branches, there are several strands of thin golden silk threads, thinner than a hair.

It is as if using extremely gentle techniques to carefully wrap and fix something extremely delicate and perishable around the bamboo roots that symbolize the tenacity of life.

Yun Chu suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Ji Qingyuan, his pupils slightly dilated: "This is..."

Ji Qingyuan's cheeks flushed slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on her, full of embarrassment and cherishment: "This chalcedony...I got it when I was twelve years old and passed the imperial examination."

"I secretly ransacked all the pawnshops and jade shops in the city, and with the money I'd saved for a long time, plus the first decent 'private money' I earned from copying books and letters, I gritted my teeth and bought that piece of raw material."

"At that time, I thought that I had to be worthy of you and not be too shabby." There was a hint of youthful embarrassment and clumsiness in his tone.

"I've never been willing to touch the jade, always feeling that my craftsmanship would ruin it... Until last year, when I became a juren (a scholar), I met an old jade craftsman who had returned to his hometown to retire. I spent a lot of time with him before finally getting him to work on it. I drew a design for him and said..."

His voice lowered, but his eyes became blazing. "I told him I wanted to make a double-petaled bamboo hairpin."

"Bamboo symbolizes perseverance and resilience, which is why I respect and admire you. And within that entwined golden thread..."

His voice trembled slightly as he raised his finger and pointed at the base of the tangled gold thread. "Actually... there are a few strands of very fine hair wrapped in it—when you were fourteen."

"I was so sick that I could hardly walk. I curled up on the small couch in your room and fell asleep. When I woke up, I found a few strands of hair lying beside me that you accidentally broke when you wiped my sweat."

"I...hid it away secretly like a thief. Later, whenever I felt like I couldn't hold on any longer, I would take it out and look at it..."

Yun Chu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and his fingertips subconsciously touched the warm jade and tightly wrapped gold threads at the base of the bamboo joint.

She never imagined that that insignificant past event had been so carefully and secretly kept by the sick little boy for four whole years!

Those fragments, so tiny that she herself had completely forgotten them, were precipitated into such tangible long-lasting love and reliance in the boy's day-to-day thoughts and protection, and were carefully and permanently embedded in this jade hairpin that symbolized his admiration.

It silently tells of his deep secrets, long wait and unswerving cherishment.

"Bamboo is tough and can withstand wind and snow without breaking." Ji Qingyuan's voice regained some strength, with a deep persistence and tenderness.

"And my tiny attachment is like the thin strands of hair entangled in the bamboo roots. It may be insignificant, but it has long been entangled and deeply buried here, unmoved by wind and rain."

Ji Qingyuan looked at Yun Chu, his eyes burning with flames and clear mountain springs. "Yun Chu, you are not only my sister Yun, but also the only one I have always believed in my heart who can face all the storms with me."

"What does it matter if I'm in a high position and have great power? What does it matter if I'm a lady from a noble family? Without you pulling me out of the mud, without your support every step of the way for the past eight years, without you standing behind me every time and backing me up, without you as a person... there would be no Ji Qingyuan today!"

"My future isn't about power and wealth. I simply wish to stand by your side with dignity, giving you the honor and stability you deserve. Furthermore, I want you to be yourself without fear or worry, regardless of whether you're the shrewd boss of the shop or... my wife!"

His words were resounding, each one striking a chord in Yun Chu's heart. She gazed at the jade hairpin in her palm. The smooth white jade shone softly in the sunset, and the bamboo roots entwined with golden threads stood together, seemingly indestructible.

Eight years of growing up together, the way he clung to her clothes by her sickbed, the joy he was the first to share with her after his success, every look of forbearance and deep sorrow he gave her...

At this moment, this jade hairpin, which was integrated into her old hair and poured with all his youthful savings and hard work, appeared before her in a concrete, heavy and gentle way.

Yun Chu raised her head, and the golden light of the setting sun fell on her cheek and into her eyes that were sparkling with complex light.

The emotion that she had been trying hard to suppress, which belonged to "Yun Chu" rather than "sister", now burst out like spring ice breaking, with unstoppable force, breaking through all rational frameworks and identity barriers.

Yun Chu did not answer immediately, but just looked back quietly and deeply at Ji Qingyuan's eyes, which were full of hope and expectation, but also unusually bright.

The noisy sounds of the surrounding town seemed to fade away, leaving only the gurgling water under the bridge and the sound of wind blowing through the willow branches.

After a long time, so long that Ji Qingyuan almost thought he was going to be pierced by the silent rejection, he saw the corners of Yun Chu's lips slowly, very slowly curved upwards into an extremely shallow arc that was enough to light up the entire dusk.