Chapter 77 The Price of Growing Up Youth is like that—rushed and swift. ...

Jiang Yueming remained silent for a long time, somewhat afraid to look Li Leshan in the eye. How could he begin? How could he tell him what was on his mind? Was this being paranoid? Was this being unreasonable? Was this making trouble for no reason?

"I……"

The next second, Li Leshan draped a coat over him, the coat still slightly warm from his body heat. His gaze towards Jiang Yueming held a hint of doubt and inquiry. Jiang Yueming knew he desperately wanted to know, desperately wanted to understand, desperately wanted to know what had happened.

“Lele…” Jiang Yueming’s heart stirred. He suddenly hugged Li Leshan, burying his face in Li Leshan’s shoulder, his words tumbling out in a soft, incoherent voice, “Back then, I was the one who held your hand first, and I was the one who kissed you first…”

Everything started with Jiang Yueming. He didn't ask Li Leshan's opinion, acting impulsively and recklessly, almost stubbornly, like a sudden summer thunderstorm, without asking Li Leshan if he wanted to get soaked.

“If you feel uncomfortable or regret it, you can tell me, and I will listen to you.” Jiang Yueming felt that every word was especially difficult to say. He truly meant it; as long as Li Leshan was willing to tell him, he would do anything.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds before Li Leshan gently kissed Jiang Yueming's ear.

“I don’t regret it.” Li Leshan signed, his gaze particularly firm. Or rather, how could he possibly regret it? They weren’t children; they could still distinguish right from wrong. “I like you, truly. So don’t hide anything from me.”

Concealing things won't solve the problem; it will only take root in each other's hearts, sowing the seeds of future trouble that will become deeply entrenched.

"I..." Jiang Yueming hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up her courage, "What were you and Xu Qing doing last night?"

He had barely finished speaking when he quickly added in a low voice, "I wasn't trying to cause trouble. I was just trying to give you your exam paper and I accidentally saw it."

Li Leshan was a little confused. While thinking, he took Jiang Yueming's hand and walked into the room. A thick quilt was already laid on the bed, along with an electric blanket that his grandmother had prepared; otherwise, winters in Shengping would be quite unbearable. Li Leshan had turned it on beforehand, and the bed was warm now.

The two sat cross-legged on the bed, knees touching.

Li Leshan explained in sign language, "Everyone at Shigao High School has to get a haircut, both boys and girls. The girls' haircuts have to be very short."

He gestured, indicating that it reached about shoulder height, and in some classes, it was even required not to go past the ears.

“Xu Qing couldn’t bear to part with her hair, so she came to me crying after evening self-study.” Li Leshan looked into his eyes.

Jiang Yueming reacted for a moment, then suddenly looked up, "What...? Cut it that short? She's had her hair long for so many years!"

Xu Qing started growing her hair long in elementary school. She loved dancing, and her long hair looked beautiful. Although she didn't pursue a dance career in high school, she had grown it for so many years that she had developed a fondness for it. Jiang Yueming's most vivid memory of her was her long ponytail, which swayed as she walked.

That was like Xu Qing's life, she cherished it dearly. When she was in elementary school, a naughty kid cut a small piece of her hair with a scissor, and Xu Qing chased after him and beat him all the way home. In the end, the kid cried and went home to find his mother.

Li Leshan nodded, still able to recall Xu Qing's tearful face from last night. He could only watch helplessly, wanting to comfort her but unable to, since Xu Qing couldn't understand a single word of the sign language he was using.

So that's why you touched her hair back then. Jiang Yueming thought to herself.

"Your school is really sick..." In an instant, all the confusion and grievances in Jiang Yueming's heart vanished. If there was any emotion left, it was only anger. "Can't I just not cut it? What's going on? How can hair affect studies?"

In all my years, I've never heard of hairstyles affecting academic performance. How can someone with such short haircuts get into Tsinghua or Peking University?

Li Leshan shook his head, looking somewhat helpless. "Her homeroom teacher is very strict and a bit fierce. You can't reason with her."

"Damn it..." Jiang Yueming gritted his teeth, somewhat unconvinced, "I'll go find him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Saturday," Li Leshan reminded him.

"Then I'll go look for her on Monday." Jiang Yueming knew Shi Gao was ruthless, but he didn't expect her to be this ruthless. She was just a teenage girl. No wonder Xu Qing cried. She cried too. She had kept something on her body for so many years and it was gone in an instant. She cried from one end of the alley to the other.

Li Leshan squeezed his palm to signal him not to be angry. "Xu Qing isn't so upset anymore after crying. She said she'll cut her hair and donate it to younger brothers and sisters in need."

"Shall we get it cut this week?" Jiang Yueming asked.

Li Leshan nodded.

Jiang Yueming felt a pang of sadness, as if something was stuck in his throat. He knew Xu Qing had always been like this since she was a child. Over the years, although she seemed impulsive and impulsive, she was actually very kind and sensitive.

"Why didn't you just ask me last night?" Li Leshan asked again.

Jiang Yueming was even more unable to answer this question, because even he himself didn't know why his first reaction upon seeing that scene was to run, and run so fast that anyone who didn't know better would think he was guilty of stealing something. He clearly had a mouth; he could have asked.

"I wasn't that concerned at first." Jiang Yueming slapped his face, a little embarrassed, though he actually cared a lot; he was just being stubborn. Plus, his body reacted before his brain, and before he even realized it, his legs had already started to turn and run. He couldn't very well turn back halfway, could he? He'd never seen anything like it.

Li Leshan slowly removed Jiang Yueming's hands from her face. "From now on, you have to tell me things. Don't try to think about everything on your own."

“I know…” Jiang Yueming lay down on the bed and mumbled, “But Lele, this isn’t that simple. You’ll understand when you’re like me.”

This feeling of being anxious and insecure, this cautiousness, this indescribable emotion... Jiang Yueming thought to herself, I just like you so much, so much that I'm shamelessly fond of you.

“Then I swear,” Li Leshan looked at him quietly for a few seconds, then raised his hand, “I swear I will tell you.”

Jiang Yueming felt as if he had been struck hard in the heart, a warm current mixed with bitterness welling up and enveloping him. He sat up abruptly, raised his hand, and solemnly held up three fingers, "I...I swear."

They will eventually understand this principle, after enduring the test of time. Between people, it's not necessary for both sides to have mouths, but some things, at least one person should speak.

If you don't speak, and I don't speak, and eyes can't speak, so if we just look at each other in silence, then we'll both remain silent. Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of whether there's a misunderstanding, and regardless of whether the misunderstanding can be resolved, it's possible we'll stop talking.

Xu Qing cut her hair short, to shoulder length, a standard "student haircut." She dared not look at herself in the mirror, closed her eyes, straightened up, and slowly walked towards the entrance of the hair salon, her body trembling slightly.

Not knowing how to face her classmates, friends, or Li Leshan, her hair, which she was most proud of during her teenage years, hastily disappeared. But looking at the long, thick strand of hair in her hand, she knew it still had meaning.

Hair will grow back, and the wounds in the heart of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl will heal sooner or later. It's just that the pain of being forced to let go, the price of growing up, will leave a mark, not too big, not too small, on her heart forever, in that memory of youth.

"Xu Qing!" A familiar voice came from Jiang Yueming.

Xu Qing instinctively covered her face, her ear tips turning slightly red. She shouted, "What are you doing? I'm not used to it yet, don't laugh!"

“Who laughed?” Jiang Yueming’s tone sounded unusually serious. “You look beautiful just like this, really, I’m not kidding you.”

"Really?" Xu Qing still covered her face.

"Really!" This time, Jiang Yueming and Han Jiang said in unison.

Xu Qing raised her hand again, a little embarrassed, "Why is there Han Jiang's voice again... Is Li Leshan here too?"

She peeked out through the gap in her hands, and froze on the spot for a moment, unconsciously lowering her hands that were covering her face.

"How about that? Pretty good, right? My hair is much shorter than yours." Jiang Yueming grinned. "I went to get a haircut too, and Lele got one too. Han Jiang too, we're all with you."

Actually, the haircuts were a spontaneous decision by Jiang Yueming and Li Leshan, as his hair had always been a bit long. Han Jiang, on the other hand, did the same, a testament to their long-standing brotherhood and unspoken understanding.

“Yes,” Han Jiang joked, touching his slightly short hair, “but it looks like they didn’t cut it at all.”

Han Jiang thought to himself that he was still so handsome, so handsome that it made people jealous, so handsome that it was outrageous. The kind of handsome that you could see for miles around, so handsome that it was dazzling.

"No way," Jiang Yueming nudged Han Jiang's shoulder, "I cut it really long, you know? I can't even tie my hair into a little bun anymore. You know how much Tian Tian will cry when she gets home and sees it?"

Xu Qing's eyes suddenly reddened. She lowered her head and spoke, her voice choked with emotion, "Th-thank you."

"Haha," Jiang Yueming started teasing again, putting his hand to his ear, "Didn't you hear me? You were too quiet, were you afraid of scaring someone?"

He heard it all clearly. After all, it was a rare sight to see Xu Qing express her gratitude; he hadn't seen it more than a few times in all these years. He needed to hear a few more words to make his money back.

"I was only touched for a minute!" Xu Qing's sadness was instantly washed away by Jiang Yueming's words.

She glanced at the three of them quickly and discreetly, her gaze finally settling on Li Leshan, who was quietly looking at her and smiling. A warm feeling surged through her heart, lingering for a long time.

Youth is like that, fleeting and swift.

Like a gust of wind that rushes by, it brings something and takes something away. This clumsy yet sincere feeling may never be experienced again. Right now, only by remembering can it leave an eternal mark on your heart.