Chapter 29 Lonely Soul "We're basically fighting each other."...
Winter darkness falls quickly. Jiang Yueming had only completed half of the bonus questions when he yawned several times. He propped his face up with his hand and dozed off for a while before slamming his math test shut. He pulled out several of Li Leshan's Chinese language test papers from his bag. They were all consistently around 97 points. Apart from occasionally losing two or three points on the composition, Li Leshan had almost no mistakes on the other questions; they were so clean that not a single cross could be found.
Looking at his exam paper felt like looking at a work of art. Jiang Yueming looked at the "Name: Li Leshan" column, quickly picked up a pen, symbolically shook it, and then solemnly imitated the handwriting next to him, writing his name as well.
Although Jiang Yueming tried very hard to imitate it, it was still different. The two very different "Li Leshan" looked so different when placed together.
Most elementary school students' compositions are in the format of narrative essays, but there are still some differences between narrative essays. For example, if they are both about the most unforgettable event, Jiang Yueming and others will write that it was raining heavily and they had a high fever, and their mother braved the rain to take them to the hospital. If they are both about the most touching event, Jiang Yueming and others will write that it was raining heavily and they had a high fever, and their mother braved the rain to take them to the hospital.
In response, Yin Guiying even gave them a lecture, saying that if there were really so many people with high fevers seeking medical treatment, the health center wouldn't be able to handle it all.
Even when describing scenery or emotions, people write differently.
Li Leshan wrote about the red bricks and green tiles of the alley, the small and narrow floating bridge, and the silent and solitary cypress tree. Nothing has changed over the years, and there will be nothing new tomorrow.
He always paid attention to things that no one else cared about. People walked through the alley every day, stepping on the stone slabs. This road used to be a dirt road, with pedestrians coming and going, and no one would stop for the asphalt on the walls. The pontoon bridge was older than the city itself, right next to the Lijiang Bridge. The opening of the Lijiang Bridge ended the history of Shengping people taking boats and walking on pontoon bridges. And the cypress tree at the end of the alley was always so silent and speechless.
Jiang Yueming was terrible at reading comprehension; he couldn't understand what he read, and his understanding was unclear. Whenever asked about the author's thoughts and feelings, or the main theme of the article, he could only use the template summarized by Yin Guiying, just to get a few more points. Was it because he didn't read carefully enough, or his emotions weren't genuine enough? Perhaps. But at this moment, for the first time, Jiang Yueming glimpsed a silent and lonely soul through Li Leshan's words.
During the next two days of the holiday, he didn't see Li Leshan again. As the weather got colder, the two no longer met under the locust tree, as the wind stung their faces at this time of day. Jiang Yueming assumed he was at home studying and didn't pay much attention, until Xu Qing knocked on his door.
"Jiang Yueming! Jiang Yueming!" Xu Qing pounded on the door and shouted, her voice so sharp it seemed to pierce through the floorboards.
"If you shout again, I'll sue you for disturbing the peace!" Jiang Yueming hurriedly opened the door, genuinely surprised to see the uninvited guest. It seemed that ever since that "pinball battle" in second grade, which created a grudge, Xu Qing hadn't set foot in his house again. He wondered what had gotten into her this time; was she here to mess with him again?
He rarely saw Xu Qing like this. Her two braids hung listlessly on her shoulders, her bangs were messed up by the wind, and the hair clip on her head had fallen to the side, seemingly about to fall off. It was a stark contrast to the arrogant, bright, and flamboyant girl he remembered.
Something's not right.
Jiang Yueming's heart skipped a beat. At that moment, he didn't care whether she was disturbing the neighbors or not, and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Who bullied you?"
Although he felt that no one would dare to bully Xu Qing.
"No, no." Xu Qing, probably having run all the way, supported herself on her knees and gasped for breath, "It's Li Leshan!"
"What did you say?!" Jiang Yueming panicked even more. He grabbed Xu Qing's shoulder, signaling her to explain, "What happened to Li Leshan?"
"I just... I just went to the market with my mom... I saw him! I saw he had a bruise on his face!" Xu Qing was absolutely certain; she recognized Li Leshan's back at a glance. She was excitedly about to go over and greet him when she inadvertently noticed the bruise on his face. "What a big bruise! Right here! I don't understand sign language, I don't know what happened, I'm so worried..."
Afraid she might be mistaken, yet hesitant to approach rashly, she hid behind the vegetable basket and carefully checked several times before finally running towards the Third Alley. From the bustling, greasy vegetable market to the dusty Third Alley, she traversed the streets and alleys without daring to stop for a single step.
"Bang!" Before she could finish her last word, Jiang Yueming rushed out the door, his slender figure disappearing instantly into the dimly lit stairwell. Only the sound of his hurried footsteps and a shout echoing in the cold air came from downstairs:
"Don't go, just rest at home! Tell Cuicui I'm going out for a bit!"
"Jiang Yueming, you're not wearing a coat!" Xu Qing exclaimed. He had gone out in just a thin sweatshirt, and it was only a few degrees Celsius outside!
But she never heard Jiang Yueming respond again.
who……
Who is it?!
Is it Wang Hao? Or who else?
Who else could it be but Wang Hao?!
Jiang Yueming cursed inwardly. He truly didn't understand why Wang Hao was so persistent in harassing Li Leshan. He couldn't understand why anyone would be so malicious. Was it because of the time he stood up for Li Leshan that Wang Hao harbored resentment...? But if he hadn't stood up for him, would Li Leshan have to keep enduring it? Would he have to keep being bullied? Why? Why? Why could he be so arrogant? Why could he keep harassing others?
Why do some people get bullied for no reason, even though they haven't done anything wrong?
Why won't you let him go?
The cold wind seeped into his collar and cuffs like ice water. Jiang Yueming's mind was in turmoil; he didn't know which way to run, yet he felt no cold at all. His heart was pounding, and sweat was beading on his back. Should he go to the market or to Li Leshan's house? Li Leshan should have been back long ago.
Jiang Yueming stopped in his tracks. He had only run halfway and now he had to turn back. So without stopping, he ran towards Li Leshan's house.
"Lele!" Jiang Yueming called out, pounding on the door as he felt a sharp pain in the side of his hand. "Li Leshan!"
After calling several times without success, Jiang Yueming guessed that he might not have returned yet. Now he could only wait for Li Leshan to come back. Perhaps after calming down, the coolness in the air gradually swept over his body, and Jiang Yueming felt a chill in his hands and feet.
He didn't know how much time had passed, whether it was twenty or thirty minutes, he really couldn't estimate it. Finally, he heard the sound of people coming up the stairs. Jiang Yueming hurriedly stood up and instantly felt a tingling numbness in his legs, but he had no time to care about it at the moment.
Li Leshan's figure slowly appeared in the dim light. He was carrying a white plastic bag in one hand. When his eyes met Jiang Yueming's anxious and burning gaze, a fleeting look of surprise crossed his face. Then, almost instinctively, he quickly turned his head away.
Is he hiding?
Because of the injury on his face?
But Jiang Yueming could still clearly see that there was a very noticeable bruise on his left cheek.
Silence condensed and expanded in the cold air, making it hard to breathe.
Only their heavy, uneven breathing echoed in the hallway. Li Leshan lowered his eyes, silently took out his key, and inserted it into the lock. Just as he turned the key and opened the door a crack, his wrist was suddenly gripped by a cold force.
"What are you doing here? How long have you been waiting?" Li Leshan asked first, using sign language, "Your hands are so cold!"
Jiang Yueming felt his mind was in complete chaos. He couldn't care less about anything else now, let alone whether his hands were cold or not. He couldn't even understand the sign language Li Leshan was using, and asked with a hint of accusation, "What happened to your face? Is it Wang Hao?"
Jiang Yueming didn't believe any of the claims about falls, scrapes, or accidental bumps. He wasn't blind or stupid; he didn't understand what Li Leshan couldn't say or what he was hiding.
Li Leshan looked at his bloodshot eyes and remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, he unzipped his worn-out jacket, took it off deftly, and stuffed it into Jiang Yueming's arms without saying a word.
“Put it on, and I’ll tell you,” Li Leshan said.
Without saying a word, Jiang Yueming quickly put on the still-warm jacket, and as if in a fit of pique, even zipped it up all the way down to his Adam's apple.
Li Leshan glanced at him, then walked straight into the room, gesturing for Jiang Yueming to follow him.
The room remained largely unchanged, except that the summer blanket had been replaced with a slightly thicker cotton quilt, though not quite as thick.
Li Leshan gestured to Jiang Yueming with his chin, indicating that he should sit on the bed. Jiang Yueming didn't move. He came here to find out what happened, not to sit on the bed. If Li Leshan was willing to tell him, Jiang Yueming would do anything, even a backflip on the floor, let alone sit on the bed.
Jiang Yueming remained silent, as did Li Leshan.
Of the two, only Jiang Yueming could speak. When even he remained silent, the entire room was filled with an unspeakable quiet.
Jiang Yueming finally gave in, sat down on the bed, and said with a hint of displeasure, "Now you can talk, right?"
"It's Wang Hao." Li Leshan told him the truth. There was no need to hide it now, or rather, there was no way to hide it anymore. Whether Jiang Yueming would believe him after being hit by a car and falling down was another matter. It was unlikely that he would fall or be hit like that.
"Damn it!" Jiang Yueming sprang to his feet, then sat back down after a glance from Li Leshan. His body was timid, but his anger was undiminished. "When? What's he up to this time? Does he owe us something?!"
"Don't be angry." Li Leshan gestured with his hands. "I'm not badly injured. We were just fighting each other."
Because this time he couldn't hold back, he took action too.
If the foul language Wang Hao used when he blocked his way had only been directed at him, Li Leshan might have simply walked past him with his head down, as usual. But Wang Hao deliberately dragged Jiang Yueming into it. At that moment, Li Leshan felt a buzzing in his head, as if something had snapped completely. He couldn't care less about anything else.
"You..." Jiang Yueming was somewhat surprised. Hearing that his injuries weren't serious, her anger subsided a little. "You know how to fight?"
Li Leshan's eyes darkened for a moment. "No, it's just that I couldn't hold back this time."
"Was Wang Hao seriously injured?" Jiang Yueming asked.
Li Leshan pondered for a moment. He was cornered at the alley entrance. Perhaps he was alone, perhaps Wang Hao didn't take him seriously at all, or perhaps he thought that dealing with a "mute" didn't require any help. In any case, he was all alone.
Li Leshan recalled Wang Hao's staggering figure as he clutched his stomach at the end and nodded firmly.
Seeing this, Jiang Yueming's expression softened. He breathed a sigh of relief, pressed on Li Leshan's shoulder, and carefully looked at his face several times. His voice unconsciously softened, "Are you alright? Are there any other injuries?"
Li Leshan shook his head and quietly covered himself with his arm.
"I really didn't expect that..." Jiang Yueming's tense lips finally relaxed, curving upwards into a tiny arc, with a hint of disbelief and surprise, "You're... quite amazing."
"I just don't cause trouble."
"Then, then this time with Wang Hao..." Jiang Yueming felt that his words were a bit illogical.
“Because he’s all alone, there’s no need for him to put up with it.” Li Leshan made a “1” gesture.
Also because he dragged you into this.
The second half of the sentence remained silently in Li Leshan's heart; he didn't gesture it out. He didn't intend to say it, nor did he need to. Getting to this point was enough.
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