As she spoke, she pulled Ye Qingliu, almost half-pushing and half-reluctantly, and brought him to the small circle of Fat Aunt and the others, trying to provide some buffer with the familiar faces.
"Little friend, this is your fat aunt, Aunt Li, Uncle Zhang, Master Wang..." Sun Guixiang introduced them one by one in a softer voice.
Ye Qingliu's gaze lingered briefly on each face as she introduced them.
He didn't nod or call out to anyone, but calmly used his gray-blue eyes to confirm the individuals marked as safe by Grandma Sun.
The elderly people who were named did not care about his silence and indifference.
The fat aunt was the first one who couldn't help herself. She stretched out her chubby hand and wanted to pat Ye Qingliu's arm to show her affection: "Oh, little friend is really..."
As soon as she raised her hand, Ye Qingliu's body leaned slightly, almost imperceptibly, behind Sun Guixiang.
His movements were small, but carried an unquestionable sense of avoidance.
The fat aunt's hand stopped awkwardly in mid-air.
Sun Guixiang quickly tried to smooth things over, smiling and slapping the fat aunt's hand away: "His aunt! Our little boy doesn't like to make noise, he's very shy! Don't scare him!"
"Ohhh! Yes, yes, yes! Look at my hands!"
The fat aunt withdrew her hand awkwardly, but her face was still filled with an extremely fond smile, and her eyes were almost glued to Ye Qingliu.
"It's okay, it's okay! Children are just like that, quiet and gentle! You can tell at a glance that they're going to be great scholars!"
The other old men also laughed and agreed. Although they didn't dare to reach out their hands easily, their eyes full of love and curiosity were fixed on Ye Qingliu like searchlights, as if he was a rare treasure.
The tour guide held a loudspeaker and started asking everyone to line up according to their bus numbers.
The noisy crowd began to move.
Ye Qingliu was pulled by Sun Guixiang and walked at the edge of the team.
He was like an ice sculpture thrown into a boiling ocean. Silently and out of place, he allowed Grandma Sun to lead him towards the huge vehicle that was about to be filled with the worldly atmosphere.
The bus had a large interior, but it was packed with excited old people and their luggage backpacks, making it immediately crowded and noisy.
Sun Guixiang pulled Ye Qingliu and moved with difficulty in the aisle, and finally found their seats - a double seat at the back.
Sun Guixiang asked Ye Qingliu to sit by the window, and she sat on the outside like a barrier.
As soon as I sat down, the elderly people in the front row and several seats next to me couldn't wait to turn around or lean over.
"Little boy, are you carsick? Grandma has plums here!"
"Little boy, do you want an apple? Auntie just washed it, it's so crispy!"
"Young man, you look so handsome, do you have a girlfriend? Auntie can introduce you to a good one!"
Several hands holding snacks, fruits, and even a photo were enthusiastically stretched over the back of the chair or from the side, almost stuffing them into Ye Qingliu's arms.
Ye Qingliu's body instantly tensed, like a fully drawn bowstring. He jerked his head to the side, his gaze piercing the passing scenery outside the window. His jawline was taut, his thin lips pressed into a cold line.
The coldness that kept people away instantly spread from his body, causing the hands that reached out to him to subconsciously pause.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone!" Sun Guixiang quickly stretched out her skinny hand, thanked with a smile, and subtly blocked away those overly enthusiastic gifts.
"Our little boy just had breakfast and is full! He doesn't get carsick either! He just loves to quietly enjoy the scenery!"
Her tone was gentle, yet filled with unquestionable firmness.
She took the two plums handed to her by the fat aunt, stuffed them into her pocket, and then smiled and waved at the aunt holding the photo: "The child is still young, no rush! Let's enjoy the scenery, enjoy the scenery!"
After finally calming down the overly enthusiastic attention around her, Sun Guixiang breathed a sigh of relief, took out the aluminum lunch box and water bottle wrapped in blue floral cloth from her bag, and placed them on the small table in front of Ye Qingliu.
"Little boy, are you hungry? Drink some water if you're thirsty." She whispered, with soothing look in her cloudy eyes.
Ye Qingliu didn't touch his lunch box or drink the water.
His gaze remained fixed on the window, his grey-blue eyes reflecting the rapidly receding fields and villages, just as the surface of a frozen lake reflects the flowing scenery.
But beneath the surface of the lake, it seemed as if something was forcing it to surge.
The knuckles of his hands, placed on his knees, turned slightly white from the force applied.
The clamor in the train car was like a constant background noise. On the in-car TV, an old man was singing in a high-pitched voice, "I am a carefree person in Wollongong...", but the melodious singing now seemed particularly piercing.
Sun Guixiang looked at his tense profile with concern, then looked at the eyes of fondness and curiosity that were still cast at her from time to time, and sighed silently.
She stretched out her hand and gently covered the back of Ye Qingliu's hand, which was clenched into a fist and placed on his knees.
The hand was cold.
Sun Guixiang's skinny fingers, covered with warm calluses, stroked the back of his cold hand very gently and soothingly, conveying silent strength.
She said nothing, but used her hunched body to try her best to create a small, relatively quiet corner for him.
The bus was driving steadily on the road, and the sunlight outside the window gradually became brighter and more dazzling.
Ye Qingliu still stared out the window silently, but the surging undercurrent in the depths of his eyes, which were like the surface of an ice lake, seemed to have calmed down temporarily.
Sun Guixiang was also exhausted. She pulled Ye Qingliu to sit on the stone bench and handed him a water bottle: "Come, little friend, have a drink of water and take a rest."
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