Chapter 53 53. After Sunbathing

Li Xiuyu was sent to a martial arts school during the summer after graduating from high school and returned a year later.

Zhuang Yongyuan and the others first learned about Li Xiuyu's return from Xu Zhen. When they gathered together to discuss when would be a good time to visit him, Li Xiuyu took the initiative to come to the music store and said that he wanted to go camping with everyone the day before his birthday.

I don’t know how Li Xiuyu is doing in the martial arts school. From the outside, he looks thinner and darker, his eyes are tired, and he speaks less than before.

Regardless of whether life at the martial arts school was good or not, Li Xiuyu's being sent there was directly related to Du Jiahao. He didn't know if Li Xiuyu held a grudge against him, so he didn't dare to talk to her. He just took on most of the physical work during the camp.

Many times, Du Jiahao wanted to ask Li Xiuyu whether the expired high-speed rail ticket was still valid. Even though a year had passed, he could still follow him at any time. He didn't have to go to Shanghai, as long as he left Pingnan, he could go anywhere.

But they hadn't seen each other for a year and were always together and reluctant to separate. Du Jiahao couldn't find a chance to be alone with Li Xiuyu, so he never asked this question.

If he had asked, would things have been different? Du Jiahao lacked confidence, believing his presence would definitely help Li Xiuyu. But if he spoke out, at least Li Xiuyu would know that in this world he was no longer satisfied with, there was someone who belonged to him. If possible, they could wipe the slate clean and start over.

Looking through the photos, Zhuang Yongyuan, Xie Kang, and Xu Zhenquan recalled the events of that day. They had left the piano store, and Xu Zhen drove them to Dacheng Mountain in the neighboring city. There was a recently opened camping site at the top of the mountain. It wasn't crowded, and the environment was pristine.

They couldn't get up too early during the summer vacation, so they set off from Pingnan at 10 a.m. and reached the top of the mountain after 1 p.m. They were so hungry that they sat by the lake, drinking water and eating bread. They chatted for a while before Xu Zhen urged them to pack up the tent.

Xie Kang told Li Xiuyu that he had written a few more demo songs. Li Xiuyu wanted to listen to them, so Xie Kang took out his mobile phone and played them for him.

Li Xiuyu saw Xie Kang's phone. It had a black screen, no letter keys or flip cover, only a circular button. He frowned and asked Xie Kang, "What do phones look like now?"

"Ah? iPhone 4, haven't you seen it?" Xie Kang was stunned. He was used to Li Xiuyu knowing everything.

Li Xiuyu took his phone, looked it over and over, and asked Xie Kang, "Is there no keyboard? Where is the stylus?"

"No need for a stylus, just use your finger." Xie Kang slid the screen, opened the music software, and demonstrated it to Li Xiuyu.

Li Xiuyu asked again: "When did you buy it?"

"My dad brought it to me when he went to Hong Kong for a trip at the end of last year. Is your previous phone still working? Why don't you buy a new one? It costs over 4,000 yuan and is quite good." Xie Kang said as he raised his phone and turned on the selfie camera, wanting to take a photo. However, Li Xiuyu turned his head to avoid the camera, and the photo only captured a blurry half of his face.

Li Xiuyu said, "No need to change it. I don't need it."

Xie Kang said, "Give it a try. It's quite convenient. You can listen to music and use QQ directly. Many people have switched to iPhones because of it."

Xie Kang was a little surprised when he said this. Li Xiuyu has always been interested in electronic products. He has bought several models of MP3 and CD players for listening to music. The effects pedals and keyboards bought by Xu Zhen are also his favorites to study. It turns out that he knows nothing about mobile phones, which are such a hot topic.

Li Xiuyu asked, "Then was this phone released last year?"

"yes."

Li Xiuyu was silent for a moment, then said, "It turns out a year has already passed. What a waste of time."

"No one in the martial arts school uses this kind of phone?"

“No cell phones allowed inside.”

"What about the internet? Can I read magazines and newspapers?"

Li Xiuyu shook his head: "I don't have time to read it."

Xie Kang said dissatisfiedly: "It feels like being in prison."

Zhuang Yongyuan, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, sat closer and asked Li Xiuyu worriedly, "How are you doing in the martial arts school? I heard there are a lot of thugs there. No one bullies you, right?"

Li Xiuyu laughed heartily and said, "I'm not you. If someone dares to bully me, I will fight back."

He glanced at Du Jiahao, who was walking around in the distance picking up dry branches for a fire, and said, "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen any thugs before."

Zhuang Yongyuan touched his shoulder and said, "I'm glad you're okay. If you have anything that makes you unhappy, you can tell us."

Li Xiuyu nodded and asked Zhuang Yongyuan, "How did your college entrance exam go? Have you been accepted?"

Zhuang Yongyuan held up his head and said, "I got accepted to a school in Shanghai."

"What about you? Fudan? Jiaotong University?" Li Xiuyu turned and asked Xie Kang.

Xie Kang shook his head and said, "Normal University."

"Wow, your parents are going to be pissed off."

"We won't have to see each other every day anyway." Xie Kang glanced at Zhuang Yongyuan and said, "Our schools are both in the university town. I plan to rent a house nearby and continue writing songs."

He put his arm around Li Xiuyu and asked, "What are your plans? Are you going to take the college entrance exam again? Come to Shanghai too. Lily Heart can't live without her keyboard player."

Li Xiuyu asked back, "What will you do if I'm not here this year? Will you stop performing?"

"Xu Zhen can take over. She can play the piano anyway. It's not like she can go to Shanghai with us."

"Let's talk about it later. I haven't thought about it yet." Li Xiuyu looked up at the sky, his eyes a little empty. At this time, Xu Zhen came over and said dissatisfiedly: "What are you guys doing? Come and help. Why are you letting Xiao Du work alone?"

Li Xiuyu shrugged and went to unpack the tent. Xie Kang went to study the instructions. Zhuang Yongyuan just listened to him obediently and tightened whichever steel pipe Xie Kang asked him to tighten.

Zhuang Yongyuan was a bit clueless about this sort of thing. He followed Xie Kang's instructions step by step, but things still went awry. A tent peg went askew, so Li Xiuyu pulled it out and reattached it. Zhuang Yongyuan admired the bulging tent fabric and asked, "What do we do now?"

Xie Kang pushed him to the lake and said excitedly, "Swimming, of course!"

The lake was so clear you could see the bottom, and through the parched air, it seemed to be emitting a hint of chill. Zhuang Yongyuan sat on a rock by the lake and cautiously entered the water, barely submerged until half his calf was in the water. Xie Kang and Li Xiuyu took turns jumping in, splashing water all over Zhuang Yongyuan's face.

Du Jiahao followed and dipped a large watermelon into the lake water first, then fell backward into the water, almost bumping into Xu Zhen who was swimming on his back.

Zhuang Yongyuan took a deep breath, dived into the water, and slowly opened his eyes. The dark blue water swayed. He saw Xie Kang swimming towards him. He kissed him on the cheek and exhaled a string of bubbles.

Zhuang Yongyuan lifted his head to breathe. Xie Kang took his hand and led him toward the center of the lake. It was silent underwater; even Xie Kang could only communicate with him through eye contact.

It took him a long time to breathe, sinking into a deep pool far away from Pingnan. He felt that his whole body was full of energy, and he could move forward with a kick of his legs. He and everyone could go to many places in the future. Under the quiet water, he seemed to hear Lily Heart's most famous song in the future.

The water in the center of the lake was deeper than near the shore, and the gravel on the bottom looked close, but in reality, it was practically impossible to touch. Out of the corner of his eye, Zhuang Yongyuan caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the center of the lake. It lay motionless, its arms and legs dangling, slowly sinking to the bottom.

It was Li Xiuyu. Zhuang Yongyuan swam faster, left Xie Kang behind, and swam above him. He looked down at Li Xiuyu from above, his eyes full of confusion.

When he was about to sink to pull Li Xiuyu, Li Xiuyu smiled at him, started swimming with his hands and feet, and soon floated to the surface of the water next to Zhuang Yongyuan.

Zhuang Yongyuan also emerged from the water and wiped the water off his face. Before he could ask, Li Xiuyu explained, "The knot on the Guanyin string I was wearing came loose and fell to the bottom of the water. I wanted to pick it up."

"The water is so deep, you are too careless."

"Why are you so hesitant?" Li Xiuyu handed Zhuang Yongyuan a bottle of beer and said, "I've been wearing it for many years, and I'm a little reluctant to part with it."

Zhuang Yongyuan said, "When you are free, we will go with you to ask for another one."

Li Xiuyu laughed, "Okay, and then I'll ask for one more blessing: good luck, great wealth, and a long life. I also want to pray for Lily's heart to become a huge star and tour the world."

Zhuang Yongyuan curled his lips and said, "You are too greedy. You are going to tire Guanyin to death."

Li Xiuyu still smiled as he swam to the shore. He leaned his back against a slippery rock covered in a thick layer of moss. He opened his beer and took a sip. Suddenly, he asked, "Zhuang Yongyuan, do you think we're sick?"

Zhuang Yongyuan asked in confusion, "What about us?"

Li Xiuyu splashed the water with her free hand and said, "I like boys."

Zhuang Yongyuan thought for a while and said, "Even if it's an illness, it's an incurable terminal illness."

Li Xiuyu said strangely, "That's good."

Zhuang Yongyuan didn't answer immediately. He drank the beer that Li Xiuyu gave him. After soaking in water for so long, the beer became very cold.

"Li Xiuyu, if you have any problems, don't try to handle them on your own. When I was in junior high school, I relied entirely on you and Xu Zhen. It would have been difficult to get through it on my own."

Li Xiuyu interrupted him: "I'm fine, how can you tell that I'm okay?"

Xie Kang emerged from behind Zhuang Yongyuan. The moment he came out of the water, Zhuang Yongyuan noticed that Li Xiuyu trembled.

"Where did you get the beer? Why don't I have any?" Xie Kang asked dissatisfiedly.

Li Xiuyu said, "I only brought two bottles of offal. If you wanted to drink, why didn't you get some yourself?"

Seeing that Li Xiuyu was still speaking to him with the same sharp words as before, Xie Kang felt relieved. He didn't refute him, but went to drink Zhuang Yongyuan's wine. Du Jiahao swam over and exchanged glances with Li Xiuyu, but didn't say anything.

After a while, Xu Zhen also arrived. They chatted for a while, and Xu Zhen suddenly said to Li Xiuyu, "Actually, you don't have to take the college entrance examination. You can use last year's results to apply to schools abroad."

"That would cost too much money," Li Xiuyu said calmly.

"Your family doesn't need the money, and besides, I can pay for it. Going back to school for another year is too hard."

Li Xiuyu said helplessly, "I only went to the martial arts school for a year, and you treated me like a terminally ill cancer patient. Besides, if I go abroad to study, what will happen to Lily's heart?"

Du Jiahao got anxious and said, "Stop talking nonsense! Bah!"

Li Xiuyu gave him a teasing look, uttered "Pooh" three times, and said, "Are you satisfied now?"

After hearing what he said, Du Jiahao suspected that he had some hidden meaning and was still blaming himself, so he calmed down and looked up at the deep blue sky.

At dusk, the mountains were shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see anything. The sounds they had ignored during the day became more pronounced: the chirping of cicadas, the singing of birds, and the falling of leaves. There was a small village halfway up the mountain, and from their vantage point, they could just see wisps of smoke curling upward.

Li Xiuyu watched the sky darken as a chill surged through his heart, as if many cold, slippery hands were pulling him down underwater. Still unable to get used to the feeling, he trembled as he approached shore, asking, "Didn't you bring a flashlight?"

Xie Kang said, "I didn't expect it would get dark while we were swimming. Let's go back quickly."

After he finished speaking, everyone came out of the water one after another. Li Xiuyu walked at the end of the crowd. The water marks left by everyone on the ground glowed with a strange luster.

Although he was already on the shore, he felt like he was drowning and had difficulty breathing. He was surrounded by scolding and laughter. He felt pain, but he didn't know where it hurt. It was like the simultaneous punches and kicks in martial arts school. From then on, he realized that everything he thought he had done was an illusion. The real him was just a small ant that could be manipulated by anyone: his parents, the instructor, and anyone with a harder fist than his.

The back of Du Jiahao's hand accidentally bumped into his arm, and Li Xiuyu jumped back as if struck by electricity, taking a step away from him. In the twilight, Li Xiuyu couldn't see Du Jiahao's expression, but when he tried to shake Du Jiahao's hand again, seeking a little warmth, Du Jiahao had already walked away.

He still couldn't forgive himself, Li Xiuyu thought dejectedly.

After changing clothes in the tent, Xie Kang and Xu Zhen had already started a fire not far away. They put a grill on the fire and were roasting the Orleans roast chicken they bought from the supermarket. The aroma filled the air.

Perhaps because swimming consumed too much energy, Li Xiuyu had a rare appetite. He walked to the fire and sat down. The fire made a quiet "crackling" sound.

Xie Kang said: "The packaging says to bake in the oven for half an hour, but I don't know how long it will take to bake it this way."

Du Jiahao was cutting a watermelon nearby and looked up and said, "Poke it with chopsticks. If you can poke it through, it's ripe."

"Oh, I see." Xie Kang touched his nose and looked a little clumsy as he turned the roast chicken.

Zhuang Yongyuan took the guitar and speakers from the trunk of Xu Zhen's SUV, sat down cross-legged, and said to Li Xiuyu, "It's a pity that your keyboard is too big to fit in the car."

Xie Kang took out his phone from his pocket, handed it to Li Xiuyu, and said, "Try this app."

Li Xiuyu took the phone and looked at it. There were two rows of piano keys on the screen. It must be a keyboard simulator. He tried to press a few notes. Xie Kang said, "You can select the tone in the settings in the upper right corner."

"The screen is a bit small." Li Xiuyu said, and tried to play an accompaniment he had practiced before. He suddenly found that his muscle memory had disappeared, along with the musical sense he had always been proud of. Facing the two rows of keys, he was at a loss like a talentless beginner.

He shuddered again and handed the phone back to Xie Kang: "The screen is too small. It's not easy to use."

While the chicken cooked, they played the piano and sang. They were no longer restricted to songs written by others. Although childish, Lily's heart already had a voice of her own. Everyone was laughing, including Li Xiuyu himself, as he thought about something, the last thing, but he couldn't think for long. His memory had become very poor, and as he thought about things, his brain turned into a mess and hurt.

After playing in the mountains for half a day, everyone was hungrier than usual. The roast chicken was quickly shared and an iron pot was placed on the fire again, cooking instant noodles. Xie Kang broke the ham into pieces and threw them into the soup. Xu Zhen grabbed his hand to check if it was clean. Du Jiahao counted the number of people and cracked five eggs into the soup.

After eating and drinking, everyone, though still quite excited, was already showing signs of losing interest. Fatigue from an entire afternoon's play had set in, and conversation had become quieter. The mosquitoes outside were getting more and more aggressive, and Zhuang Yongyuan sprayed everyone with half a bottle of toilet water, but it was no use. They all retreated to their tents, lit mosquito coils, and gathered around their computers to watch horror movies.

As midnight approached, Li Xiuyu noticed everyone yawning frequently. He couldn't sleep, so he decided to go out and sit for a while, waiting for everyone to fall asleep before returning. Just as he was about to get up, Xu Zhen suddenly said, "It's almost time, come on."

"What's coming?" Li Xiuyu asked in confusion. Zhuang Yongyuan gave him a sly look and said, "Just wait and see."

Xie Kang lifted the cloth at the door of the tent, and several people came out of the tent one after another, walking towards where Xu Zhen parked his car with flashlights. The crisp sound of crushed leaves could be heard all along the way. Li Xiuyu stood there, staring blankly at the circular light spot swaying in the dark night.

They returned quickly, each holding a heavy cardboard box. Xu Zhen found a relatively flat area and instructed everyone to line up the boxes on the ground, with each box about two meters apart.

Xie Kang waved at Li Xiuyu, flicking his flashlight on and off, urging him to come over. Li Xiuyu trudged over to the group. Zhuang Yongyuan and Du Jiahao had already opened the cardboard box with a utility knife, revealing tightly packed circular paper tubes.

"What is this?" he asked puzzledly.

Xie Kang replied, "Did you forget that your birthday is the day after tomorrow? We just happened to be out having fun today, so I celebrated your birthday in advance."

"Birthday..." Li Xiuyu murmured. How could it be such a coincidence that the day after tomorrow is his birthday?

Du Jiahao stood at the edge of the cardboard box, raised his hands to his mouth like a trumpet, and shouted, "Shall we start?"

Xie Kang gave him an OK sign, bent down, and flicked his lighter, lighting the fuse protruding from the cardboard box. The fuse flickered for a moment, and several people quickly hid under a nearby tree. Several beams of light quickly climbed into the night sky, then burst open, and dense sparks poured down like a waterfall. The fireworks curtain blocked out the stars and the moon, illuminating half the sky and everyone in Lily's heart.

"Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Li Xiuyu!"

Everyone came up to him and shouted, some urged him to make a wish, some secretly took his hand and then let go. He closed his eyes and put his hands together devoutly for the first time in his life, but he couldn't think of any wish. He opened his eyes again and saw the last few strands of fireworks falling to the foot of the mountain, which was as dark as the end of all things.

He was happy from the bottom of his heart, even though he knew that this happiness was as fleeting as fireworks and would only stay in his body for a moment. He was still very grateful to everyone, grateful to his friends, teammates and lover, for making his last night as Li Xiuyu a happy one. With this happiness, he was no longer afraid of the next journey.

Li Xiuyu frantically opened his camera, pointed it at the final fireworks and everyone, and snapped one last picture. The camera's night photography wasn't great, but the picture was our world, our place, forever preserved in this overexposed image, forever and ever.

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The background music for this chapter is the Yeule version of "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl". This rather heavy memory is coming to an end. I didn't expect it to be so long. I still feel a little sad when writing this.