I accompany my 11-year-old self

464.

The ferry ticket was at 9 o'clock, and Qiu Yang knocked on the door at 7:30. I asked him if there was a new dock, and he said he had breakfast first.

"What's wrong with you?" I said.

"Would you like a large or small bowl?"

"Two small bowls."

"Why don't you eat from your small bowl?"

"The small bowl is for children."

......

465.

There were boats docking at the pier every day, but I'd never been on the same boat with him. I remembered the days when we used to fish for blowpipes, and he'd pick all the big ones for me. When I was in junior high, he often went to the city for extra classes, so he knew many of the roads better than I did. There were no navigation systems back then, so I just followed him.

He didn't say anything, and neither did I. I put on my headphones and listened to music until I realized we were on the way to the hospital.

"Brother Ju works in a hospital?" I pulled his sleeve and asked him.

"No, he was transferred to the provincial capital."

"Then why are we in the hospital?"

"I registered yesterday. I'll take you to see a Chinese doctor."

He said he came to see his brother, but his brother wasn't even there. He said he wanted to take me to eat something delicious. Is Chinese medicine delicious?

"I won't watch it. You go watch it. It's already hung up."

"Be obedient." I turned around and tried to leave, but he grabbed me again.

"I have medicine to take, so you don't have to worry about it. You should take some too, because I think you are sick."

"You don't like Chinese medicine?"

"You like it?"

"Change place?"

"You change it. If I can't find a good one, I'll go back. Or I can buy two tickets. I'll go to the provincial capital to find Xu Jiaheng, and you go find your brother."

"You still want to go look for him? Do you know where he is??"

I don’t know, I only know that the provincial capital is very big and has a lot of people.

466.

"Go to the aquarium?" Qiu Yang said this when the situation became deadlocked.

"Xu Jiaheng is in the aquarium?"

"...He's not here. Can I take you to see his favorite places?"

"Is it far from here?"

“Not far.”

"You look so uncomfortable when you're not far away?"

"That's not why I'm upset."

"Why is that?"

"How long will you like him? Is there a specific time? In other words, tell me how long it will take for you to stop liking him?"

"I'll buy the tickets. Didn't you treat me to food last time?"

"Okay, that's it."

"What's going on?" What's going on?

"Just keep chatting about your own things until one day you realize you don't like it anymore."

"Get in the car."

467.

The souvenir shop is at the exit, and after entering, every section feels like a queue. See dolphins, seals, sea slugs, and see what Xu Jiaheng has seen. Looking up again, there's an underwater tunnel.

I looked back and didn’t see An Jin. I didn’t think he would follow us from such a distance.

The guide was very competent, but I couldn't hear anything he said. Maybe it's because I'm not a kid anymore, so these things are not attractive enough to me. When I was about to reach the exit, I asked Qiu Yang for his ticket as a souvenir. When he handed it to me, he showed no hesitation on his face and asked me,

"Who do you want to pretend you came with?"

"I accompany my 11-year-old self." Would you believe this answer?

"Keychain, or something?"

"No." It's different now. The one back then wasn't this color. They don't make a pair.

477.

It was a bit late when we came out, and Qiu Yang suggested we have a meal together. I said no, it would feel too much like a date.

"Then I'll go alone? I have extra classes tonight, so text me when you get home."

"Let's talk about it later."

On the boat back to the island, I met An Jin. So you're still following me, your skill level is getting higher and higher, and you're still taking my destination as your destination.

"Senior."

He doesn't speak.

"Did you just finish your tutoring?" I asked him.

“I don’t take extra classes.”

"Well, I'm going home, where are you going?"

No words again.

"When is your birthday?" What if I knew you a little better? What if we had more coincidences, like the same day?

"I don't celebrate my birthday."

"Why?"

"I won't tell you why you went to the aquarium today?"

“I haven’t been there.”

"It's a lie."

“Never been here.”

“I don’t like aquariums.”

"Um."

"I don't like seeing you walking with others either."

"What if what I like conflicts with what you don't like? What will you do?"

He looked up at me, as if he was about to cry. I turned my head away from him and said,

"You said you don't want me to be lonely and you don't like seeing me interacting with others. Doesn't that mean you only like me when I'm alone?"

"Hour."

I was startled when he called me like that. I thought I was still in junior high school and Xu Jiaheng was still next to me.

"Um?"

"Will you be with him? Will you two be in a relationship?"

"who?"

"The junior student who walked next to you today."

"You even know Xu Jiaheng, how could you not know his name?"

"I know, I just don't want to talk about it."

"Won't."

"Why?"

"Because I hated him from the beginning, but now I don't hate him anymore. I can't like him either."

478.

After getting off the boat, An Jin walked behind me, very close.

"I think he likes you," he said.

"Not necessarily, but if it's the situation you describe, I would refuse." I was waiting.

"What about me?"

"Didn't you say you liked me? Don't go to the outside, go to the other side."

"No, if I said I wanted to be with you, would you reject me?"

"Do you want to hear true or false?" I looked back at him and chewed bubble gum again.

"I want to hear the truth."

"True means I don't know, false means I can or I can't."

"Well, I won't follow you then. Text me when you get home."

"Why don't you follow me? Or would you follow me if I rejected you?"

"No, I'm afraid you'll hate me. If you've hated someone, you won't like them again."

"Follow me, follow me. I don't hate you." I'm used to it.

479.

He smiled all the way afterwards.