At five o'clock in the morning, the sky was just getting light, and the blue-gray morning light shone through the sparse new leaves of the old plum tree and fell on the window lattice of Sun Guixiang's cottage.
A dim light was already on in the room.
Sun Guixiang, hunched over, bustled about in the small kitchen. Thick millet porridge simmered in the pot, bubbling and bubbling, its steam thick with the aroma of rice.
Her skinny hands were deftly peeling the boiled eggs, and the smooth egg whites looked exceptionally white between her rough fingers.
Next to it was an old aluminum lunch box that had been washed so much that it looked white. It was open and covered with a layer of clean gauze.
She carefully put the peeled eggs in, and then added a few pieces of white flour buns that she had specially steamed last night to make them extra soft and cut into squares.
"Little friend," she called softly towards the inner room while busying herself.
"Have you packed everything? Check again: your hat, water bottle, and the small packet of hawthorn slices that grandma prepared for you. If you get carsick, just hold one in your mouth..."
The door curtain of the inner room was lifted by a cold, slender hand.
Ye Qingliu walked out.
He didn't wear his signature white shirt today. Instead, he wore a pair of soft, grayish casual trousers and a light beige thin knitted cardigan.
Silver-rimmed glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose, and the gray-blue eyes behind the lenses appeared particularly cold in the dim morning light.
He carried a simple dark canvas backpack on his shoulder and held the old water bottle with a faded panda pattern that Sun Guixiang had prepared for him.
"Yeah." He responded, his voice slightly hoarse from waking up in the morning, and his eyes swept over the aluminum lunch box in Sun Guixiang's hand.
"That's good, that's good." A smile broke out on Sun Guixiang's face, and her wrinkles were filled with anticipation.
She carefully covered the aluminum lunch box and wrapped it carefully with a clean blue floral cloth before putting it into her canvas shoulder bag, which she had used for who knows how many years and had badly worn edges.
"This time we're going to Cuiping Mountain in the neighboring city. I heard the bamboo there is growing beautifully and the air is fresh! All the old ladies are going there, so it's so lively! You can just follow Grandma and relax and take in the scenery, okay?"
She kept on talking, her cloudy eyes shining, as if she was not going to join a senior citizen group, but to take the children on a spring outing.
Ye Qingliu didn't say anything, but just stood quietly at the door. His gray-blue eyes looked through the lenses at the row of succulents bathed in the morning light at the foot of the courtyard wall.
The rosette-shaped succulent plant named "Green Bean Cake" has leaves that stretch out in the cool morning breeze, with a healthy pink halo on the edges.
The entrance of the old town community activity center in the town is now bustling with people and a colorful and noisy scene.
Dozens of elderly men and women were like birds out of a cage, all of them in high spirits, wearing brightly colored jackets and sneakers, wearing various hats, carrying bulging backpacks, and their faces were filled with excited smiles.
"Old Zhang! What are you dawdling about? I'm waiting for you!"
"Sister Li, is this a new hat you bought? It's so bright!"
"Master Wang, did you bring your motion sickness medicine? Don't throw up all the way!"
"Hey, Sister Liu, why is your bag so heavy? Is it filled with gold ingots?"
Sun Guixiang held Ye Qingliu's hand, and as soon as they approached the edge of the bustling ocean, they were immediately discovered by a sharp-eyed acquaintance.
"Hey! Sister Sun! Over here! Over here!"
The fat aunt's penetrating voice immediately rang out, and she waved a big red sun hat like a striking flag.
Standing next to her were a few old sisters who usually chatted at the alley entrance, as well as a few energetic old men. At this moment, everyone's eyes were like spotlights, "swish" and focused precisely on the cold and upright figure next to Sun Guixiang.
The noisy sound seemed to be briefly paused.
The air froze for a second or two.
"Oh my God! Is this the...child from Sister Sun's family?"
"Oh my! This... This girl is so... So beautiful! She looks like a movie star!"
"Look at this figure! Such aura! Wow, Sister Sun, you have such a precious treasure hidden!"
"Little boy? You look quite old! That look, that air of dignity...tsk tsk tsk!"
"He's wearing glasses! You look like an educated person! A college student, right?"
Countless gazes, filled with undisguised amazement, curiosity, inquiry and pure love, fell on Ye Qingliu as if they were real.
Ye Qingliu's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.
His gray-blue eyes narrowed slightly behind the lenses, and his gaze calmly swept over the faces in front of him that were flushed and wrinkled with excitement and curiosity.
His gaze was as clear as a stream formed by melting snow from the mountains, with a natural sense of alienation and scrutiny, as if he was not a member about to join this lively group, but a silent observer who happened to pass by here.
The temperature around him seemed to drop a few degrees, forming a sharp contrast like ice and fire with the bustling atmosphere around him.
The fingertips of the hand that Sun Guixiang was holding tightly curled slightly, revealing a barely perceptible stiffness.
Sun Guixiang felt it immediately.
A hint of understanding and heartache flashed across her cloudy eyes, and then she held his hand tighter with greater strength and straightened her hunched back.
Sun Guixiang put on a smile on her face, like an old but firm wall, blocking those overly enthusiastic gazes and her children.
"Yes, yes, this is my child!" Sun Guixiang's voice rose a few degrees, with pride and a sense of declaring ownership.
"Bring him out to see the world and have some fun with everyone!"
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