Window words bloom

Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, but still protected Qiao Yu as they walked into the crowd.

The woman's face was stained, and tears made her cheeks look even dirtier. Qiao Yu took out a wet wipe and handed it to her.

[The police ask you, are you injured?]

Upon seeing the familiar gesture, the woman's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "I'm not hurt. I thought this person was going to make me pay. I support my family by delivering food; I was just in a rush and didn't pay attention."

[It's good that you're alright. Can you get up? I'll talk to the car owner for you.]

Qiao Yu stepped forward to support the woman, but the woman was a bit overweight, and Qiao Yu stumbled. Lu Yu quickly caught her and helped her up to the woman, then walked to the roadside to sit down.

Qiao Yucai went to talk to the car owner and explained the woman's situation.

The car owner was very magnanimous; he waved his hand and said he didn't need her to compensate him, and only then did the crowd disperse.

Watching Lu Yu pick up the electric scooter and retrieve the box and hat.

The woman smiled gratefully at the two of them, saying, "Thank you so much!"

It's okay, just be more careful in the future.

After saying goodbye to the woman who delivered the food, the two got back on their bikes. Lu Yu was surprised: "You know sign language?"

Qiao Yu paused, unsure how to begin, and simply gave a soft "Mmm".

The two remained silent the entire way. At the intersection near their home, the light turned green, and Lu Yu slowed down: "Qiao Yu..."

Qiao Yu was about to ride her bike over when she heard, "Ah..."

Lu Yu opened his mouth, but in the end only said, "Goodbye."

"goodbye."

On Sunday evening, Qiao Yu moved into her dormitory, which was located at the far south end of the school. It would take 15 minutes to walk out of the school from there.

The dormitory manager assigned her room 316, the innermost room on the third floor. It was a bit far from the stairs, but it was quiet.

As I pushed open the door, warm yellow sunlight streamed in through the south-facing window, and the air still carried a faint smell of disinfectant.

The bunk beds are made of natural wood, with a single bed on three or four steps leading up to it. Below the bed are a desk and bookshelves, and a wardrobe is located on one side of the stairs.

Qiao Yu closed the door casually, pushed her suitcase inside, and found a washbasin on one side and a separate toilet on the other.

Outside the window, rows of small trees stand in the bushes on both sides of the road, and there is an iron fence separating the school buildings.

Across the street, rows of small villas stand nestled in the greenery.

Qiao Yu snapped out of her daze and began packing her things.

I laid out the duvet cover and sheets, hung up the clothes one by one, put the books in the bookshelf, and tidied the shoes in the small compartments on the stairs...

Only after everything was done did I put my toiletries on the sink.

Outside the window, the setting sun cast only a faint golden glow on the horizon, and my stomach, to my dismay, began to rumble.

Qiao Yu raised her hand to draw the curtains, and not far away, in the shade of greenery, on the third floor of a brick-red villa, a familiar figure stood.

He had one hand in his school uniform pocket, and was still wearing a white T-shirt.

The moment she looked over, he raised his hand and waved to her.

Qiao Yu never expected it to be Lu Yu.

It wasn't until the second day that I learned from him that his home was in this villa community next to the school, and the back gate of the school was not allowed to be opened, so he had to take a long detour to get back.

Lu Yu also said that they would be neighbors from now on.

Qiao Yu: "..."

It must be the neighbor not far from the window.

Time flies, and it's already the end of November.

On Friday after school, Qiao Yu went home and ran into Lu Yu at the bus stop.

Before we could even say hello, bus number 54 slowly pulled into the station.

Qiao Yu was hesitating when Lu Yu said, "Let's get in the car together."

"ah?"

They boarded the bus one after the other, found their seats, and Qiao Yu turned her head to look at Lu Yu standing next to her, his forehead almost touching the high handrail.

As if sensing her gaze, he lowered his eyes, and their eyes met. Qiao Yu pursed her lips tightly and looked away.

A low, deep laugh emanated from his chest beside me.

Qiao Yu couldn't help but blush.

She asked, "How did you get up here?"

The scenery outside the window was slowly receding. Lu Yu said, "I have something to tell you."

Qiao Yu turned around: "Hmm?"

Are you free tomorrow? Let's go somewhere together.

"where?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sell you. Remember to bring your phone tomorrow so we can keep in touch."

After Lu Yu finished speaking, he walked past Qiao Yu just as the bus was about to pull into the station.

In the window, Lu Yu's reflection showed him walking behind her, his hands supporting a high place, as if he were wrapping her in front of him.

"I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow."

Lu Yu stepped off the bus, but didn't hear a response from the girl.

He turned around, and through the glass, she smiled and waved goodbye to him, her dimples curving upwards.

On Saturday morning, the two met at the agreed-upon bus stop.

The cold wind rustled the advertising paper on the bus stop sign, and a few withered sycamore leaves were piled up on the platform, swirling in the wind stirred up by the wheels.

Qiao Yu was wrapped in a thick coat, and the white breath she exhaled was dispersed by the wind as soon as it rose.

Lu Yu, wearing a black windbreaker and carrying a backpack, stood beside her.

A bus, distinct from other buses, pulled into the station with "Suburban Route 12" written on it.

The two got on the bus. There weren't many people on the bus, just a few elderly people with children. They found a window seat, and Lu Yu let Qiao Yu sit inside.

As the car drove away, Qiao Yu asked in a low voice, "Do you go there often?"

Lu Yu: "I go once a month, and I go more often during long holidays."

Last night, Qiao Yu couldn't contain her curiosity and couldn't help but ask him.

He then explained that he was a volunteer at a social welfare organization in the suburbs of Haicheng.

There are also many deaf and mute people there. He was surprised to find that Qiao Yu could use sign language, and he thought she could help those people.

Qiao Yucai understood that she was of course willing to help them.

She was once someone who received help from others.

After about an hour of driving, the passengers gradually got off at their stops, and Lu Yu called out to her to get ready to get off, saying that they had arrived.

Only the two of them remained on the bus. As they got off, the driver kindly reminded them, "The last bus back is at 5 p.m., don't miss it."

Lu Yu thanked them and led Qiao Yu into a small courtyard.

Two "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) characters are pasted in the center of the wrought iron gate, flanked by couplets. Having withstood wind and rain, they have become somewhat dim and lackluster.

There was an opening in the gate, and just then someone came out. The woman was in her forties, dressed in a cotton and linen suit. When she saw the two of them, she smiled and said, "Little Lu is here again."

Lu Yu: "Aunt Zhang, I'm off today, so I came to see if there's anything I can help with."

Aunt Zhang waved her hand: "No need, no need. You're in your senior year of high school now. You need to prepare well for the exam. Everyone is waiting for you to become the top scorer in the college entrance exam."

Lu Yu: "I will work hard in my studies, and this won't interfere with my studies."

Aunt Zhang smiled gently and glanced at Qiao Yu: "Alright, alright, you can go in. Erbao and the others are waiting for you. I'm going to buy something."

After Aunt Zhang left, Lu Yu introduced her to Qiao Yu, saying that she was the person in charge here.

When she was 30, her daughter was hit and killed by a drunk driver on the road ahead.

She felt gloomy for a time, but two months later, at a bus stop on the roadside, she found an abandoned baby boy.

She rediscovered herself in that boy, so she transformed her factory into a social welfare station, growing from just a few people to dozens.

Inside the compound.

The faint sunlight filtered through the dappled shadows of the sycamore trees, casting shimmering halos of light.

Several swings swayed gently under the shade of the trees, and a group of children played around them. In front of the building not far away, several elderly people sat on small stools, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting.

The moment they saw Lu Yu, the children ran and happily gathered around him.

"Brother Lu Yu, you're here."

"I haven't seen you in so long, I miss you so much."

“I put out one branch every day, and I put out forty branches before you finally came.”

"Brother Lu Yu, what story are you going to tell us today?"

......

Lu Yu was led by the children into the library on the first floor.

The library was only about ten square meters, and the old wooden shelves were slightly tilted under the weight of the books. There were newspapers that the elderly liked to read, as well as some children's books, all with curled edges and yellowed pages.

There were two wooden tables and a few chairs with some peeling paint near the window.

The children pulled Lu Yu to sit down and immediately pulled out a few books to hand to him.

Lu Yu calmly took out several new books from his schoolbag.

"Wow, a new book..." The children's eyes lit up.

"We'll be discussing these books today..."

The children quietly gathered around Lu Yu, surrounding him.

The warm winter sun streamed in through the window, illuminating his profile.

In "The Little Hedgehog's Mysterious Package," in a late autumn forest, little hedgehog A Li receives a mysterious package... The leaf bears the inscription: "Share warmth with friends in need!"

......

In the afternoon, the two played games with the children, such as Eagle Catches Chicks.

Not far away, a few children were sitting quietly watching from the side of a building. Qiao Yu waved to them.

Lu Yu: "They are deaf and mute, so they can't play with the children here. They just sit there and watch from a distance."

Qiao Yu paused for a moment, then nodded and walked toward them.

Seeing Qiao Yu approach, the children became a little nervous, but instead of running away immediately, they huddled together, staring intently at the person walking towards them.

Qiao Yu smiled and squatted down in front of them, raising her hand to gesture—left palm down, turning around in front of herself, and giving a thumbs up.

Hello.

As the children looked at the familiar sign language, they gradually relaxed. One of the older children raised his hand and gestured—pointing at Qiao Yu with his index finger and then giving a thumbs up.

[Hello. ]

Qiao Yu continued—with her right palm facing herself, fingers together, she gently touched her chest twice with her fingertips. Then, with both palms facing each other and fingers naturally curved in an arc, as if holding a small object, she slowly opened her hands to the sides, gradually straightening her fingers...

Can I play with you guys?

With the help of Qiao Yu's sign language, the children on both sides successfully played together.

Although they cannot understand each other's language, when children play together, they can understand what the other wants to do without speaking.

Lu Yu walked beside Qiao Yu: "Volunteers occasionally come over here, but there is still a language barrier."

Qiao Yu: "I can come here often in the future. Before I came to Haicheng, I had some children like this around me."

A breeze rustled through the tops of the sycamore trees, causing the leaves to sway gently. Tiny dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, the light soft and pale, like scattered silver, falling on the cement ground and onto Qiao Yu's fair face.

Lu Yu: "Then thank you for your trouble. We can arrange to come together in the future."

Qiao Yu snapped out of her daze, their eyes met, and the light reflected in their eyes. "Okay, let's come together whenever we have time. I can teach you sign language."

"Okay, I'll have another skill now..."

At that moment, the children came over with a stack of paper and said, "Brother Lu Yu, let's play with paper airplanes."

Each person received a piece of paper, and even Qiao Yu received one from Lu Yu, who taught everyone how to fold paper airplanes, saying that folding them this way would make them fly farther.

It's called Susan Paper Airplane, with a narrow fuselage and a pointed nose.

......

Every month thereafter, the two of them would set aside one day to come here, and Qiao Yu even wrote a song for the children called "Let's See the World Together".

The end of the year is just around the corner.

On New Year's Eve.

The Qin family matriarch called them home, but Qiao Yu was ultimately an outsider, so she declined Qin Zhi's invitation and stayed alone in the school dormitory.

As evening fell and night descended, the only light in the school building came from the darkness.

Lu Yu waited by the window for a long time before finally catching a glimpse of that figure.

The light from the window wasn't bright, casting their shadows on the glass. Across the narrow alley, they gazed at each other silently for a long time.

Lu Yu: [See you at the school gate, let's celebrate New Year's Eve together.]

That night, Lu Yu took Qiao Yu to the most bustling area of ​​Haicheng. They walked side by side, with crowds of people flowing past them.

......

Winter break has just started.

Qiao Yu then bid farewell to Wang Yingxuan and returned to Yun County.

I spent time with my grandmother in her little courtyard, chatting, planting, and weeding...

A week before the start of the school term, Lu Yu called to urge her.

"If you don't come back soon, I'm going to overtake you from first place."

Qiao Yu smiled and said, "Yes, I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay, see you at the library the day after tomorrow."

......

Tender green buds gradually sprouted on the bare branches, and the wind was no longer biting cold, but filled with the freshness of the soil and the faint fragrance of early cherry blossoms.

Late March, evening.

The two had just boarded the bus outside the comprehensive relief facility.

Qiao Yu then received a call from Yang Yu: "Qiao Qiao, where are you? I need someone, you have to help me, you can't refuse."

Yang Yu's urgent voice wasn't quiet, and Lu Yu, who was next to her, also heard it. He first frowned, and then shook his head speechlessly.

Qiao Yu pursed her lips and asked, "What happened?"

"Ugh, like I told you before, our cheerleading team is going to perform next week, and we've almost finished rehearsing. But, but... someone got injured, and we're short one person, so I thought of you."

Qiao Yu: "...Huh? We're going to dance?"

"Yes, yes, it's very simple, I'll teach you."

"...No, I can't do it."

"Qiaoqiao, aren't you my best friend?"

"...Fine, whatever."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yu glanced sideways: "You want to go dancing?"

Qiao Yu was a little embarrassed: "I guess so, cheerleaders."

"Can you?" Lu Yu asked skeptically, a casual smile playing on his lips.

"You can learn if you don't know how."

Lu Yu gave her a thumbs up.

Over the next few days, whenever Yang Yu had time, she would take Qiao Yu to the dance studio and practice diligently for a week.

Saturday is the Ocean University's football league, and Yang Yu's crush is also in it.

The sun warmed the green field, and the players jogged along the sidelines in their jerseys, their shoes kicking up bits of grass as they scurried across the turf.

On the sidelines, the cheerleaders' orange uniforms looked like leaping flames.

Yang Yu pulled Qiao Yu forward, exclaiming, "Qiao Qiao, look! That's my idol, Messi from Haida University! He's so handsome, look at those muscles, those lines, wow..."

Qiao Yu pursed her lips, glanced at it, and then looked away. "It's alright..."

"You call this 'okay'?"

"Qiaoqiao, what kind of girl do you like?"

"...I'm leaving, I'm leaving."

As the game was about to begin, captain Yang Yu, holding a colorful ball, led everyone onto the green field. The team members followed suit, unfurling banners and shouting "Go! Go!" as the wind blew across the field.

The pom-poms traced bright arcs in their hands. As the drumbeats reached their climax, everyone leaped up simultaneously and landed steadily. The pom-poms drew uniform arcs in the air, and that vibrant energy instantly ignited the entire arena.

After the cheerleaders left the field, Yang Yu naturally stayed to watch the game, while Qiao Yu, who didn't know much about basketball, left first.

The moment the orange top and white skirt appeared at the entrance of Ocean University, Lu Yu's grip on the bicycle handlebars tightened abruptly.

"What... are you doing here?"

"Yang Yu sent me."

"......"

Sunlight filters through the sycamore leaves, casting dappled patterns on the road.

The two walked slowly, their shadows close together on the asphalt road. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, ruffling the stray hairs by her ears.

When she reached a shared bicycle parking area, Qiao Yu stopped.

When she looked up, she met Lu Yu's unfathomable black eyes. Although it seemed like a casual glance, Qiao Yu felt her whole body getting hot.

"How can you ride a bike dressed like that?"

"......"