Chapter 53

The dream is like an old faded film, with a furry halo and rustling noise.

It was the autumn of my second year of high school, the air filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the cool morning breeze. It was her class's weekly duty, and Xia Wan was assigned to clean the third-floor hallway of the teaching building. She gripped her long broom, sweeping up golden fallen leaves and fine dust. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, lengthening her figure and illuminating the scattered figures in the classroom at the end of the hallway.

After cleaning, she returned to the classroom. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and with only a few people in the room, it was so quiet that one could hear the rustling of the sycamore trees outside the window. Jiang Yu sat in his seat by the window, wearing his then-fresh white headphones. He closed his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the beat on the desk. The sunlight fell on his angular profile, casting a soft golden edge on it, and even his usual austerity seemed to melt away a little.

Xia Wan walked softly back to her seat, a row behind him. Feeling a little tired, she laid down on the table, eyes closed, to rest. The world was quiet, with only the distinct sound of her own heartbeat and... the faint, subtle melody drifting from the front.

I don’t know how long it took, it seemed like just a moment, yet it also seemed very long.

A voice sounded softly, like a stone dropped into a quiet lake.

"Xia Wan."

She subconsciously raised her head and opened her eyes dazedly. What caught her eye was a pair of headphones Jiang Yu had taken off at some point, and his hand extended to her. His fingers were well-defined and slender, looking particularly clean and beautiful in the autumn sun.

"Listen to this song." His voice was low, with a rare, almost casual gentleness.

She was completely stunned, her mind blank as she stared blankly at the white headphones held before her. Then, she felt the cool plastic shell and soft silicone earbuds brush against her earlobes, carrying the faint warmth of his fingertips. His movements were gentle, even a bit awkward, as his pinky brushed her cheek and carefully placed the headphones on her ears.

In an instant, all the sounds around me - the sound of the wind outside the window, the noise of the playground in the distance, and even my own heartbeat - suddenly faded away, becoming distant and blurred.

Instead, there was a melody and singing that flowed clearly into her eardrums, gentle yet with a hint of indescribable sadness, which instantly overwhelmed her entire mind.

[“Tears that have traveled through thousands of years can only be seen in dreams…”]

The song echoed in her ears, and every word seemed to strike at her heart. She froze, not daring to move, even holding her breath, afraid that the slightest movement would disturb this incredible, stolen moment.

"How is it? Does it sound good?" He tilted his head to look at her, the sunlight dancing on his thick eyelashes, and there was a barely perceptible expectation in his eyes.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, almost pounding. Her cheeks were burning hot, and she knew without even looking that they were incredibly red. She opened her mouth, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, with a slight tremor:

"It sounds nice...it sounds really nice."

…

“It sounds so nice…”

Xia Wan jolted awake, her heart still pounding, as if the trembling reply had just escaped her lips. The sky was slightly brightening outside the window, and the crisp, cool air of Jincheng's early summer mornings seeped in through the cracks in the screened windows.

She lay there in a daze, every detail of the dream so clear it was frightening - the cool touch across her cheek, the melody that instantly isolated her from the world, his expectant eyes in the sunlight, and her own pathetic heartbeat and trembling sound.

Ten years had passed. That moment, that melody, that pair of headphones that the boy had casually handed her, had been like a deeply buried seed, silently growing in the most secret corner of her heart, entwining her entire youth.

She subconsciously touched her ears, where there seemed to be lingering auditory hallucinations and a slight itch from her dream.

A faint noise came from the next room, as if someone was deliberately moving quietly. Xia Wan snapped back to her senses. It was Jiang Yu. He had to return to Jinzhou today.

The trance and throbbing brought by the dream receded like a tide, and reality calmly surfaced. She took a deep breath, lifted the thin blanket and stood up.

Zhou Wenjuan was already up and preparing breakfast in the kitchen. The aroma of millet porridge filled the small house. Seeing Xia Wan coming out, she lowered her voice: "Are you up? Xiao Jiang seems to be up too. Go see if there's anything you can help with? Breakfast is almost ready."

Xia Wan nodded, walked to Xia Yang's door and knocked gently.

"Please come in." Jiang Yu's low voice came from inside, seeming a little hoarse than usual.

She pushed the door open and walked in. Jiang Yu was already dressed, still wearing the same dark grey windbreaker he wore yesterday, which made his face look even paler, but he looked in good spirits. He was struggling with his left hand to put his simple toiletries into a makeshift eco-friendly bag.

"Let me do it." Xia Wan walked over, took the things from his hand naturally, and neatly put them away. Her eyes swept over his still-fixed right arm and his slightly furrowed brow, and the place in her heart that had been softened by the dream felt a prick of pain again.

"Xia Wan." Jiang Yu looked at her with deep eyes. "Give me a hug."

In the early morning light, Xia Wan leaned lightly on Jiang Yu's chest, carrying with her the lingering feeling of last night's dressing change, and being shrouded in a faint sense of depression by the impending separation.

The breakfast table was quiet. Zhou Wenjuan prepared some light porridge, side dishes, and steamed buns, constantly serving them to Jiang Yu. She kept saying, "Be careful on your way home. Make sure you get enough rest when you get home. Take your medicine and change your dressings on time. No matter how busy you are at work, your health is more important..." Her tone was filled with genuine concern.

Jiang Yu agreed one by one, his attitude respectful and gentle: "Thank you, Auntie, for the trouble. The food is delicious."

Xia Wan drank the porridge in silence, with no appetite.

After breakfast and packing, it was time to leave. Zhou Wenjuan insisted on seeing me off downstairs.

Downstairs, the taxi Jiang Yu had called was parked, quietly waiting to take him to the high-speed rail station. In the early morning hours of the old residential complex, elderly people, rising early, were already entering and exiting, carrying their vegetable baskets. Their curious glances flicked past the elegant young man standing by the car.

"Wenjuan, this is... Wanwan's friend?"

"Ah, yes..."

"Auntie, please stay and have a good rest." Jiang Yu once again solemnly thanked and said goodbye to Zhou Wenjuan.

"Okay, okay, I'll drive slowly on the road." Zhou Wenjuan nodded repeatedly, her eyes complicated, with gratitude and concern, but the worry deep in her heart never dissipated.

Jiang Yu turned his gaze to Xia Wan. In the morning light, she was wearing simple home clothes, her hair loosely tied up, and no makeup. There was a hint of fatigue between her eyebrows, but there was a quiet strength in her.

"I'm leaving." He looked at her and said in a low voice.

"Yes." Xia Wan nodded, took out a small medicine box from her pocket and handed it to him. "This contains a day's supply of medicine. I've divided it up and written the time and dosage on it. Remember to take it on the way. When we get back to Jinzhou, have Li Mo contact the doctor for a follow-up check."

Her tone was full of concern. "Be sure to be careful when you take the high-speed train. Ask Li Mo to pick you up as soon as you arrive at the station."

Jiang Yu took the medicine box. The cold plastic shell seemed to still carry her body temperature. He held it in his hand, his tone full of doting. "Okay."

A step stood between them. It felt as if everything they needed to say had been said, yet it felt as if nothing had been said. The air was stagnant, the weight of separation quietly descending upon them.

Zhou Wenjuan quietly went upstairs, leaving the space to the two young people.

Jiang Yu gave Xia Wan a deep look, a gaze that seemed to etch her image firmly into his mind. Then, as if determined, he strode towards her, his left hand tugging at her neck, forcing her to look up, and gave her a brief, deep kiss. "I'm leaving now. Remember to think of me." He turned and opened the car door with his left hand.

Just as he bent down to get into the car, Xia Wan suddenly stepped forward, reached out, and quickly and gently straightened the slightly folded back collar of his windbreaker. Her fingertips inevitably touched the skin on the back of his neck, warm and slightly cool in the early morning.

Jiang Yu's body suddenly stiffened and he stopped moving.

The touch was fleeting, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

"Be careful on the road." She withdrew her hand, her lips slightly red, and her tone was filled with reluctance.

Jiang Yu looked back at her, hummed softly, then leaned down and got into the car.

The car door was closed, isolating the inside from the outside. The windows were dark, making it impossible to see what was going on inside from the outside.

Xia Wan stood there, watching the car slowly start up, drive smoothly out of the narrow passage, merge into the sparse traffic in the early morning, and finally disappear around the corner.

She stood there until the car was no longer in sight, then she let out a long breath. The inexplicable tightness in her chest didn't dissipate. The morning sun shone on her, but she felt little warmth.

Back upstairs, Xia Wan went to clean Xia Yang's room as usual. The bed had been made, smooth as if no one had slept in it. A faint, refreshing scent of his still lingered in the air, mixed with the scent of ointment.

She walked to the desk, her eyes fixed on the old, pale blue diary. Dreams and reality intertwined at this moment. The figure of the young man who had handed her the headphones and the man who had just left, having taken a heavy blow for her, overlapped and then separated.

She stretched out her fingers and gently brushed the frayed edges of the diary.

Ten years of secret love is like a long and lonely watch. Now, the watch has seen a glimmer of light, but the road ahead is still long.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Lin Wei:

"He went back."

Almost the next second, Lin Wei called.

"How was it? Did the trip to Jincheng to meet the parents go smoothly? Was Mr. Jiang chased out by Auntie with a broom? No, Auntie was so gentle... Tell me quickly!" Lin Wei's voice was as energetic as ever, like a pebble thrown into still water.

Xia Wan walked to the window and looked at the gradually bustling street scene downstairs, with a faint, tired smile appearing on the corner of her mouth.

"It's a long story..."

She spoke softly. Outside the window, a brand new day had just begun in Jincheng. And in the direction of Jinzhou, the speeding "Harmony" train was moving steadily along the tracks, carrying a man with a heavy heart and a pill box in his palm that seemed to still hold some warmth.