16
The Jasmine Milk Tea Shop incident kept replaying in Zhong Yan's mind.
She did consider repeating a year of high school, but it was just a thought.
Repeating a grade requires not only time but also money, plus pressure from teachers, schools, and families.
Everyone would think that it's a waste for her to repeat a year of high school.
The acceptance letter, the scholarship promised by the school, and her mother's promotion all left her with no way out.
I can't think about it, I can't think about it anymore.
The little petrel's new nest was on top of the wardrobe. It gradually gave up its bad habit of waiting to be fed and began to hunt for itself.
However, its wings are still too weak to fly for long periods of time.
Zhong Yan was worried that it might have some hidden illness, so she took it to the vet again.
Dr. Bai examined the little seagull again and concluded that it was simply too fat and needed to lose weight.
Its excessive weight puts pressure on its wings and claws.
Dr. Bai explained to her, "Unconditional protection is not conducive to the wilding of the little petrel. It is a wild bird and needs the ability to withstand storms independently, stronger wings, and more powerful webbed feet."
Zhong Yan listened carefully to the doctor's advice and said she would give Xiao Haiyan more exercise.
/
Lin Yuhang is leaving the island to go home today, and he's treating everyone to a final meal.
Chen Baoran and Coco also came, and the table was bustling with activity. They had so much to talk about that they could chat about anything under the sun and could join in on anyone else's conversation.
Zhong Yan envied their extensive knowledge and could only listen silently.
"I heard you're learning to swim with Ji Feng," Chen Baoran suddenly changed the subject to Zhong Yan.
"Jifeng Elementary School was on the swimming team. The coach said he was a frog reincarnated and was an expert in breaststroke."
"A frog reincarnated, hahaha." Lin Yuhang laughed out loud, but choked on his drink and coughed incessantly.
Zhong Yan couldn't help but smile faintly.
Not to be outdone, COCO vividly described how Ji Feng, a fifth-grader, was chased by a dog for two blocks.
Lin Yuhang slapped his leg and laughed, "This trip was worth it!"
The monsoon let them talk and laugh, not caring at all.
He said, "Isn't this normal? Those were a pack of dogs. Even if you're 1.8 meters tall, you still have to run. The point is, I won the race."
“You didn’t win the race, you hid in my uncle’s hardware store,” COCO revealed.
“We have different definitions of winning.” Monsoon, not getting worked up, said with his chin in his hand, “Next time you can try racing a dog, while I just want to avoid being bitten by a dog.”
COCO laughed, "I can't argue with you, so I admit defeat."
Ji Feng nodded generously and said, "Thank you for your kind offer."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
In this relaxed atmosphere, Zhong Yan also talked about her swimming progress.
She doesn't learn very fast, but she's at a normal level. The main problem is that, aside from the monsoon, she doesn't actively practice in the water, so her training time is very limited, and naturally, her progress is slow.
All I can say is that it can float in the water now and paddle forward a few meters.
"Once you learn to swim well, you won't be afraid of falling into the water. Your body has its own memory, and as long as you don't panic, you won't sink." Chen Baoran agreed.
Having more skills is never a bad thing.
"Didn't we report before that someone tried to commit suicide by jumping into a river, but ended up learning to swim within half an hour?" Lin Yuhang said enthusiastically, "That's truly a case of potential being unleashed at the critical moment of life and death; it's like God didn't want them to die."
Zhong Yan's smile froze slightly. She couldn't help but glance at Ji Feng's expression, unable to suppress her curiosity yet afraid of being teased by him.
Because Ji Feng knew, knew that she had... she had cowardly and insane thoughts.
Could this be the reason he wanted to teach her to swim?
Zhong Yan never talked to Ji Feng about what happened that night. He seemed to know everything, yet he also seemed to know nothing.
He remained silent at appropriate times, and offered reminders unintentionally.
After lunch, it was already afternoon. Zhong Yan went with Ji Feng to the port to see Lin Yuhang off to his ship.
Lin Yuhang took out an airplane model from his backpack and gave it to Zhong Yan. "I was going to treat you to milk tea, but the timing didn't work out and I had to go back early. Here, take this. Don't be shy, I bought a lot."
Zhong Yan accepted the toy airplane.
She hadn't received such a gift in a long time. Her father used to give her small airplane models often because of his work. Receiving it again after so many years made her inexplicably sad.
Lin Yuhang then said to Ji Feng, "See you when school really starts this time!"
Ji Feng gave a nonchalant "hmm," waved to him, and said earnestly, "Goodbye."
The boat left at six o'clock, while it was still bright outside.
In summer, the sun always sets much later, as if it is reluctant to leave.
Zhong Yan walked very slowly.
Summer will be over soon.
“Hmm,” said Ji Feng.
Zhong Yan said, "I don't want summer to end."
The monsoon said, "Summer comes every year."
Zhong Yan lowered her head, and the little seagull inside the hat quietly preened its own feathers.
That wasn't this summer either.
The two walked together from the harbor to the beach. As dusk fell, the sunset reflected on the sea, like spilled tomato juice, and a sweet and sour aroma wafted from the water.
Streetlights illuminated one by one along the winding coastline, spreading like silver snakes.
Neither of them suggested going back.
They ate a very big meal at noon, and even Xiao Haiyan temporarily abandoned her diet plan and ate a big meal.
The two people and the bird sat on a park bench under a palm tree. A gentle sea breeze blew in, and the humid heat, carrying the fishy smell of the sea, wafted over with the sound of waves crashing on the beach.
call--
call--
It is the sound of the ocean breathing.
"Brother, buy a flower for sister." The little girl in the floral dress, carrying a large bouquet of flowers, accurately spotted the two of them in the scattered crowd.
This kind of sales pitch also requires identifying the target customer. For example, younger men who care about their image in front of women are unlikely to refuse to spend ten yuan to buy a fresh rose.
The little girl smiled and said to Ji Feng, "Sister, you're so pretty! Brother, will you buy it?"
Zhong Yan waved her hand, "We're just friends."
At the same time, Jifeng said, "Pick one."
The little girl's eyes darted around. Ignoring Zhong Yan's refusal, she quickly hugged the flowers and walked over to Ji Feng's side. "Brother, I have red roses, pink roses, and yellow roses here. Which one do you want?"
While Ji Feng was choosing, Zhong Yan took out her phone and said, "Red, I'll pay."
Then the little girl approached Zhong Yan again, found the freshest red rose and handed it to her. Then she glanced at the boy next to her, who didn't seem to be taking out his phone. Instead, she held up the QR code to the girl's phone with a complicated expression.
"Thank you, sister. May you make a fortune."
Zhong Yan lowered her head and smelled the flower. The rose scent was very faint. She tried hard to smell some fragrance, and her lips accidentally touched the petals, as if she had gently kissed them.
Yu Guang seemed to notice Ji Feng's gaze, and she moved the flowers further away.
Jifeng asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhong Yan replied, "I can't smell anything."
"Is it because your scent has been masked?"
"What do I smell like?"
"You smell like gardenias."
"It smells wonderful," said the monsoon.
Zhong Yan suddenly recalled a sentence from the internet, "Only dogs sniff each other when they are socializing; in human terms, it's like..."
"that is?"
Zhong Yan didn't say it aloud, "I don't remember the rest."
Then she said, "Gardenias smell like shampoo."
The monsoon said, "Oh."
After a long silence, Zhong Yan asked in a low voice, "If you hadn't convinced your father and had studied a major you didn't want to, what would you have done?"
Ji Feng said, "This kind of thing won't happen to me. If it does, it means there is an irresistible obstacle."
Zhong Yan asked, "Is this resistance due to fear of hurting your parents?"
Ji Feng said, "If there is no way to have the best of both worlds, then choose the one that causes temporary harm: their momentary harm or my entire life?"
Zhong Yan did not respond.
People are different from one another, just like the little horse crossing the river.
The old ox said the water was shallow, while the squirrel said it was deep.
The difficulty of a problem varies from person to person.
"Monsoon!"
Suddenly a group of people surged forward, carrying guitars and basses and large amplifiers, all dressed in trendy clothes, and they knew Jifeng.
"Let's play together!" A boy with a wolf tail ran up to them. He glanced at Zhong Yan, who was holding flowers, and winked at Ji Feng, saying, "It's been so many years since we played together!"
Ji Feng politely declined, saying, "I haven't sung in a long time. You guys have fun."
"What's wrong? Our Muddy Island Nightingale can't play the guitar anymore?" Another boy with a buzz cut and an earring hooked his arm around the wolf-tailed boy's neck and teased Jifeng together.
Zhong Yan didn't know them, and the flower in her hand made their relationship seem more and more intriguing, making her increasingly restless.
She wanted to explain, but was afraid of making things worse, so she kept looking at Jifeng, which only made the two boys opposite her look at her more ambiguously.
"Come on, it's rare to see you bring a girl out, you have to make a good impression."
Ji Feng said, "Spare me, I'm afraid I'll scare people away."
"You could sing 'Two Tigers' and people would still support you, come on!"
Zhong Yan looked at Ji Feng with curiosity.
I wonder if his cool demeanor will make him look cuter when he sings "Two Tigers"?
Monsoon finally stood up and took the guitar from Wolf Tail Braid.
The band members were all cheering, and a girl even pulled Zhong Yan closer, giving her the best VIP seat—facing the monsoon.
Fortunately, Ji Feng didn't look up at the audience, otherwise he would have noticed that besides Zhong Yan, there were many other girls looking at him.
Zhong Yan was nervous for him.
She put herself in the audience's shoes; if she were facing such a large audience, she would already be drenched in sweat and probably wouldn't even be able to speak clearly.
She is introverted, not good at speaking, and her biggest fear is facing a group of people.
In this respect, Jifeng is completely different from her.
He was open and composed, showing himself in a very natural and unhurried manner.
"What do you want to sing?" the band members asked Ji Feng, wanting to accompany him.
Monsoon said, "Sing whatever you want."
The man clapped his hands and shouted happily, "Great! — An impromptu performance!"
The people around applauded.
Holding the little seagull, Zhong Yan couldn't clap her hands; she could only look expectantly at the monsoon.
Ji Feng plucked the strings a few times, humming a little tune as the melody gradually grew stronger and the rhythm deepened.
He first sang a cappella:
"Seagull, seagull, do you feel like flying today?"
The sound of the guitar blended into his singing, and his voice was melodious and clear.
Tender and affectionate, told in a gentle and detailed manner.
You can be tired, you can be exhausted.
I am patiently waiting for a sunny day.
Petrel, petrel, do you feel like flying today?
You may be troubled, you may be worried.
I'm truly looking forward to it, hoping for a gentle breeze.
Petrel, petrel, do you feel like flying today?
You may feel lost and confused.
But don't forget, you can fly!
I wait for a sunny day, I wait for a gentle breeze.
We await your return, soaring once more into the azure sky.
The melodious tune lingers in your ears, and the touching lyrics soothe your heart.
Zhong Yan's heart was entangled in countless threads, which gently tugged at her, wanting her to fly out of her chest and leap into the sky.
A melody no one has ever heard, lyrics no one has ever heard before.
Whom is he singing about, and for whom is he singing?
Nobody knows.
The impromptu performance ended quickly, and one of the band's boys opened an empty guitar case and placed it in front of the crowd, signifying that he was performing for money and asking for tips.
Those who invest money or release water are not restricted to any particular type of product.
Zhong Yan didn't have any cash on her, but she wanted to leave a reward for Ji Feng.
Without thinking twice, she quickly put the roses in her hand into the crowd and left the bustling crowd.
When Wolf Tail Braid saw it, she specially took out the flower and handed it to Ji Feng, saying, "Here, this is definitely for you."
Ji Feng looked at Zhong Yan through the crowd and shook the flowers in his hand.
The band quickly moved on to the next song. Ji Feng, emerging from the crowd, his understated black hat and black T-shirt allowing him to blend into the shadows, then slipping back into Zhong Yan's arms.
She held the vibrant red rose in her hand.
Sending flowers to someone of the opposite sex is always something that makes people overthink.
My stepfather sends flowers to my mother on important days, and the pretty girl downstairs also receives flowers from her boyfriend on special holidays.
In Zhong Yan's view, flowers are a tool for expressing love.
Although she didn't mean it that way, and she believed Ji Feng didn't either, she still felt embarrassed and her heart was pounding when she saw Ji Feng holding the flowers she had "given".
She began to explain, "I didn't bring any change today."
"We also can't give away the airplane model that Xiao Haiyan or Senior Lin gave us."
Ji Feng looked at her, smiled but didn't say anything.
Zhong Yan said hesitantly, "The song is very nice."
The monsoon suddenly said, "You will have many more summers."
/
Friday, August 15, 2025
I don't want summer to end.
And you don't know why.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com