Everyone in Yushi knows that winters ten years ago were much colder than they are now.
Back then, the urban villages weren't as dilapidated and chaotic as they are now, and the nearby amusement park was a very popular entertainment venue in Yulin City.
Every weekend and holiday, the amusement park is packed with children and parents, creating a lively atmosphere.
The amusement park was only a five-minute walk from Jiang Cheng's home. He went there often, but he never played any of the rides.
He went there simply because he was very hungry.
Jiang Jin would disappear for days at a time, leaving him no money.
He was so hungry that he had no choice but to rely on himself.
Sometimes he would get a slightly burnt roasted sweet potato when the vendors were packing up.
Sometimes he would steal a few slices of leftover pizza from other people in the pizzeria before the staff noticed.
Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll encounter kind parents who, while buying food for their own children, will also give a portion to the poor kid standing nearby watching pitifully.
He understood from a very young age that dignity is worthless.
Being able to fill one's stomach is the most practical thing.
He accepts anything as long as it fills his stomach, without being picky.
That winter, he was very lucky.
He found a job.
There was a man selling helium balloons in the amusement park. Feeling sorry for him and not wanting to squat outside in the cold, I hired him to watch his stall.
I watched him from noon until dark, for most of the day, and I gave him three yuan.
Three yuan.
You can eat for a whole day.
He readily agreed, and that's how most of the winter passed.
Because he was outside in the cold every day, he developed a large area of frostbite on his hands.
First, blisters appeared. When the blisters burst, the fluid inside flowed out and turned into hard nodules that covered the entire hand. They were swollen and itchy, but more than anything, they hurt.
Some places rot and heal, heal and rot again, eventually leaving a scar.
His hands were covered in sores, with almost no healthy skin left.
One day, a little girl came to the balloon stand, accompanied by a little boy.
The little girl was wearing a pink down jacket and a pink knitted hat; she was all pink, even her cheeks were pink.
She was the prettiest little girl he had ever seen.
Clean and beautiful, like a princess living in a castle in an amusement park.
The girl picked out a pink balloon, shaped like a rabbit, which was a character from an animated film.
They paid, and Jiang Cheng took the balloon down and handed it to her. The girl took it and thanked him sweetly.
But before he could finish saying "thank you," the girl saw his hand, instantly covered her mouth, as if she had been startled.
Your hand...
The boy next to her glanced at it, immediately frowned and said, "That's scary."
Children speak without thinking, and hands covered in chilblains are frightening in themselves, so it's normal to feel scared at first.
Jiang Cheng's raised hand froze in mid-air.
He suddenly felt his face burning, and a sense of shame and inferiority washed over him.
He instinctively tried to hide his hands in his sleeves, but the clothes didn't fit properly, the sleeves were too short, and there was nowhere to hide them.
Looking into the girl's eyes, he could only helplessly let her scrutinize his ugly wounds, leaving him nowhere to hide.
He suddenly felt those wounds start to itch and swell again.
Just when he was about to reach his limit, he heard the girl cautiously ask, "Little brother, does it hurt?"
Then he saw her frown and begin to take off her gloves.
Her gloves were also pink, embroidered with snowflakes and Christmas trees, and were fluffy and looked very warm.
She took off her gloves and shoved them into his arms.
"I'll give you my gloves."
She smiled at him, a little embarrassed, and said, "But this is a girl's style, so please don't mind."
Jiang Cheng was stunned.
He stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe what had just happened.
By the time he realized what was happening, the girl had already pulled the boy beside her away.
He picked up the gloves from his pocket; they felt exceptionally soft and clearly weren't cheap.
He wondered how much a pair of gloves like this would cost.
Jiang Cheng carefully reached his hand inside; the girl's body heat was still there, warm to the touch.
The soft fabric wrapped around his hands, and they immediately felt warm again.
He looked up and saw that not far away, the little boy had taken the girl's hand and asked her with concern, "Hey Pei Xiaoxi, you gave your gloves to someone else, aren't you cold?"
"It's cold," came the girl's sweet voice.
"...Then you should!"
"Brother, let me warm up a bit." The girl put her hands in the boy's pockets, her voice soft and sweet, and she smiled ingratiatingly. "Let me warm them up so you won't be cold~"
Her laughter was like a little oriole, clear and melodious.
Jiang Cheng took off his gloves; he dared not wear them for too long, fearing they would get dirty from the wound on his hand.
So he carefully put the gloves into his pocket.
The boy and girl's voices gradually faded, and he watched them walk away until they reached a tall, good-looking couple.
He stood there, his gaze sweeping over the crowds coming and going in the amusement park, staring blankly at that small pink figure from behind.
At that time, he wondered when he would meet her again.
If they were to meet, he hoped his life would be better so he could appear before her with some dignity, at least enough to have the confidence to greet her.
Then say thank you to her.
However, when he saw her again in the school corridor, he didn't even have the courage to look her in the eye.
When they met again, he was still a person whose life was in a terrible state.
Heaven granted him this reunion, but he was unworthy of it.
A cool breeze blew through the empty alleyway. Jiang Cheng stood there for a long time, so long that the glow of the sunset draped over his shoulders.
He closed his eyes tightly, and suddenly felt a pain in his eyes from the light.
Jiang Cheng lowered his head and rubbed the corner of his eye heavily with his palm.
Then he muttered a curse under his breath.
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