Silent Armor

However, the storm of adolescence is not expressed only through rebellion.

There is another kind of growth, which is to accept the weight handed by life in silence, and to smooth out and restrain those edges that were once so rampant.

That autumn, Lu Xingye suddenly cut his hair into a neat short style, with his sideburns shaved short, looking like what a "refreshing" male student should look like in the eyes of all teachers.

This really doesn't look like the look of the "Hanchuan Little Overlord".

After all, one of Lu Xingye's life mottos is probably "The head can be cut off, the blood can flow, but the hair cannot be messed up."

"Did he...take the wrong medicine?" Lulu widened her eyes in shock.

We took turns going up to Lu Xingye and reaching out to touch his short hair. It was a little prickly, but it felt strangely good.

Lu Xingye glared at him and said, "Try to touch another one."

This is just right, this is the Lu Xingye we know.

I withdrew my hand in disappointment and a bit strangely.

In addition to his hairstyle, this guy also started to wear school uniform properly.

His school uniform, which used to be always unzipped, revealing the T-shirt with various patterns underneath, is now neatly zipped up.

He even started wiping the blackboard before morning reading, handing in his homework neatly to the class monitor, and even quietly taking out two more rows of trash when on duty.

The little bully of Hanchuan who once blew sand all over the sky now even smiled with his lips pursed, as if all the sharpness and hostility in his body were suddenly taken away, leaving only a neat empty shell.

I'm really not used to it.

"Hey, Lu Xingye, are you... okay recently?" I finally couldn't help but ask him.

"What can happen to me?" he asked.

"You've been...too quiet lately." I scratched my head.

He gave me a look of looking at me like I was stupid, "Lin Nian, don't you always complain about me being noisy?"

What he said...is not wrong. I used to think he was talkative, sharp-tongued and unreliable. Now that he has quieted down, I'm actually a little uncomfortable.

I was amazed.

Strange things happen every year, but this year there are especially many.

I just never thought that one day I would see Lu Xingye being so obedient.

"Now that I've grown up, I can't always be as crazy as I was when I was a kid." Lu Xingye said, lying down and continuing to do math problems.

————

In the basketball final, Lu Xingye was the main guard. During a scramble for a rebound, the opponent's tall center raised his elbow and hit him hard in the ribs.

We all heard the muffled sound on the sidelines.

Lu Xingye staggered a few steps after being knocked around, and only managed to stand steady after supporting his knees with his hands.

The referee blew the foul whistle.

"Damn it!" Jiang Yuanzhou cursed loudly from the sidelines, "That guy did it on purpose!"

According to Lu Xingye's previous temper, he would definitely turn around and grab the other person's collar immediately, and a conflict was inevitable.

His personality offended many people.

The opposing player obviously knew Lu Xingye and looked at him provocatively, waiting for his reaction.

Lu Xingye took a few deep breaths and slowly stood up.

He clearly frowned, but in the end he did nothing. He raised his hand to signal the referee that he was fine and the game could continue.

After the game, we gathered around.

When I saw him lift up his jersey, there was a large bruise under his ribs.

"That bastard did it on purpose! Why don't you deal with him?" Jiang Yuanzhou was still indignant.

Lu Xingye took the bottle of ice water that Lulu handed over and pressed it against the wound. It was so cold that he gasped.

"Winning is all that matters. What else can a fight lead to besides punishment?"

His words were strangely rational.

Lu Xingye, who would explode at any moment and solve problems with his fists, seemed to have disappeared suddenly.

————

On a weekend evening, I remembered that I had left my homework book in Aunt Chen’s studio in the afternoon, so I took the opportunity before dinner to get it.

The studio was quiet and I thought there was no one there. I turned around and found Lu Xingye was still there.

He stood in front of the easel, his short hair making him look unusually calm.

Seeing that he was painting seriously, I tiptoed around without wanting to disturb him.

He had already noticed me, "Why are you back?"

"I'll get my homework book." I pointed to the book on the table.

He said "oh" and returned his gaze to the easel.

I took my homework book and prepared to leave.

I hesitated for a moment before leaving, but then I remembered his recent series of abnormal behaviors and walked over to him.

Looking at the unfinished sketch on the canvas, the lines were clean and sharp, and the light and shadow were so delicate that it didn't seem like his style.

"Hey, Lu Xingye, what happened recently?"

He looked sideways at me, "Why do you ask?"

"I feel like you are different from before," I said embarrassedly, "You are a little bit unlike yourself now, you must explain it clearly today."

"Nothing."

He wanted to evade the question at first, but seeing my persistent look, he sighed helplessly, "Lin Nian, you really are..."

What is the truth?

He didn't say anything else.

The studio fell into a brief silence. After a long while, he spoke again, his voice much lower than before. "Last month, my mother's physical examination showed that many indicators were abnormal. The doctor said that her long-term disordered work and rest schedule and irregular diet have caused her body to be severely overdrawn."

I didn't expect this to be the reason.

In my impression, Aunt Chen is always full of energy. She can forget about food and sleep for the sake of painting. She is a typical "artist".

"You know my mom," he said, curling his lips. "When she starts painting, she forgets to eat, forgets to sleep, and doesn't care about anything else."

"I have to...keep an eye on her. I can't let her suffer like this any longer."

The sentence "I have to keep an eye on her" was said very naturally.

I suddenly felt a little sad.

He put away his edges, not because he was afraid, but because he had someone he wanted to protect more.

Therefore, those passionate fights among young people suddenly lost their meaning.

The weight of things called "responsibility" and "life" is far more real and heavier than the outcome of a basketball game or a verbal dispute.

He turned around and probably saw my red eyes and the silly look on my face, as if I was about to cry. He pulled my ponytail in a funny way and said, "What! What's with that expression on your face?"

"I..." My throat was choked and I couldn't speak.

"Okay, okay, I'm fine." He seemed to be comforting me, "You should go back quickly. Aunt Bai will probably have the meal ready soon."

"Come with me to my house for a meal"

It seems that apart from this, I can't think of any other way to share a little bit.

Lu Xingye was slightly stunned, but I wouldn't let him refuse. I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out. "It's decided. My mom made some soup today."

That year, I stood on the safest track, watching Ye Zhixia's resolute back as she left, and watching Lu Xingye smooth out his edges bit by bit.

I think the adults are all wrong.

Adolescence is not something that will “just pass”. Faced with surging hormones and the suddenly awakened self-awareness, some people choose to fight, some choose to compromise, and some choose to grow up overnight.

There is no right or wrong.

We just chose different ways to grow up stumbling along.