Snow falls silently
The first snow came quietly.
The night before, a dry, cold north wind howled, but when I woke up in the morning, the world had changed. The gray sky was like a giant, slowly swaying sieve, silently sifting down a fine, soft snow foam. Without wind, the snow fell vertically and continuously, covering the roofs, streets, dead branches, and all the chaotic and noisy outlines in the distance.
The city was enveloped in an unprecedented, fluffy, and pure silence. Everyday noises—traffic, voices, construction noises—were absorbed and melted away by the thick blanket of snow, leaving only an almost sacred tranquility. The light, too, became strange. The light filtering through the windows was an even, soft, bright white light reflected off the snow, illuminating every corner of the room without a single glare.
Ye Shu woke up a little earlier than usual. He walked barefoot to the window. The chill from the ground was even stronger than usual. Outside the window, a vast expanse of white, the snow still falling relentlessly. Everything within sight lost its edge, becoming rounded and blurry.
He didn't turn on the light, simply standing quietly by the window, watching. His gaze was no longer the penetrating, analytical gaze of his usual self, but more like a pure, immersive feeling. It was as if he had melted into this vast silence, becoming part of the snow.
The snow fell silently, but it seemed to have aroused some extremely subtle and ancient resonance in the deepest part of his heart.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a gentle knock on the door. The voice was very restrained, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Ye Shu walked over to open the door. Chen Xu stood outside, a thin layer of snow covering his hat and shoulders. His nose and cheeks were red from the cold, but his eyes were startlingly bright, filled with childlike excitement and awe. He wasn't carrying food in his hands as usual; he was just stuffing it in his pocket.
"It's snowing!" He lowered his voice, as if sharing a huge secret, his tone full of amazement. "What a heavy snow! There's almost no one outside. It's so quiet."
He shook off the snow on his feet, squeezed in sideways, and brought a cool and clean breeze.
"Look!" He rushed to the window impatiently and pointed outside. "It's all white! It's like the whole world has been restarted!"
Ye Shu followed behind him, his gaze returning to the boundless whiteness.
"Yeah." He responded softly.
Chen Xu looked at it excitedly for a while, then suddenly turned around, his eyes sparkling. "Let's go out for a walk, Ye Shu! Just for a while! It's such a waste of snow to stay indoors!"
Ye Shu's gaze returned from the window to Chen Xu's expectant face. Go out? Into the absolute silence he was currently experiencing?
He was silent.
"Let's walk!" Chen Xu clasped his hands together and made a pleading gesture. "I promise not to make any noise! Let's just walk quietly and feel it! Please!"
Perhaps it was the vast tranquility outside the window that softened his boundaries, or perhaps it was the pure joy in Chen Xu's eyes that touched him. Ye Shu was silent for a moment and nodded very slightly.
Chen Xu almost cheered, but quickly covered his mouth, afraid of breaking something. He helped Ye Shu find the thickest off-white coat and scarf, and watched Ye Shu dress meticulously.
Pushing open the door to the apartment building, a gust of extremely cold, yet incredibly fresh air hit them, instantly filling their lungs. Absolute silence reigned. The streets were deserted, and the thick snow swallowed up all sound. Even their footsteps became a dull, soft creaking sound, like the only rhythmic whisper allowed in this silent world.
Chen Xu took a deep breath. The cold air stung his nose, but it also invigorated him. He took a few steps and couldn't help but open his arms, as if to embrace the entire snow-covered world, but he was careful not to make any noise.
Ye Shu followed him, a slow half-step. His gaze swept over tree branches bent by the weight of snow, over the cars parked by the roadside piled like a white fortress, over the dilapidated fence, now perfectly covered by the snow, obscuring every flaw. All the familiar sights seemed strange and new, taking on their most essential, simplest forms.
The world seemed to be simplified, leaving only black, white, gray, and a gentle silence that enveloped everything.
Chen Xu occasionally couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice: "Look at that street lamp! Doesn't it look like it's wearing a big cream hat?" "Wow, the snow here is so deep, it's almost over my ankles!" But he quickly covered his mouth and expressed his apology with his eyes, as if the sound was a blasphemy.
Ye Shu didn't mind. He just walked, looked, breathed in the cold and pure air, and felt the occasional cold touch of snowflakes on his face, which then melted away.
They walked to a small park nearby. The benches, swings, and slides were covered in a thick layer of snow, transformed into sleek white sculptures. The empty snow, devoid of any footprints, was as smooth as a newly laid canvas.
Chen Xu looked at the flawless snow, his eyes eager to try, yet a little hesitant, as if he couldn't bear to step on it and destroy the ultimate perfection.
Ye followed his gaze and saw that the snow was indeed dazzlingly white and breathtakingly pure.
After a few seconds of silence, Ye Shu suddenly took a step forward and walked over first. His footsteps were light, but they left a clear and lonely trail of footprints on the fluffy snow, leading straight into the depths of the park.
Chen Xu was stunned for a moment, then a big smile broke out on his face. He immediately ran over and deliberately stepped next to Ye Shu's footprints to leave a bigger shoe print of his own.
Two sets of footprints, one deep and one shallow, extend side by side on the boundless whiteness, like the first two notes of a silent poem.
After walking for a while, Chen Xu suddenly stopped, raised his head, closed his eyes, and let the snowflakes fall on his face and eyelashes. He stood there quietly, as if accepting the baptism of snow.
Ye Shu also stopped and looked at him. Snowflakes also fell on his shoulders and hair, but he was completely unaware. He just looked at Chen Xu's rare quiet and even pious profile.
"It seems..." Chen Xu suddenly whispered, his eyes still closed, his voice vague and dreamy, "I can hear the sound of snow falling."
Ye Shu's gaze shifted slightly. He listened intently. There was no sound at all, only a vast, vibrating silence that transcended hearing.
"Yeah." He responded softly again, "It's the sound of silence."
Chen Xu opened his eyes and looked at him, a glint of enlightenment in them. He stopped talking and took a deep breath of the cold, snowy air.
The two walked silently in the snow for a while until their hands and feet were numb from the cold, then they turned around and walked back.
On the way back, my footprints were slightly covered by the newly fallen snow, becoming blurry. The world was still shrouded in silent snow, as if no one had ever been there.
Back at the apartment building, they shook off the snow and walked into the hallway, one after the other. The warm air instantly enveloped them, bringing a comfortable dizziness.
Chen Xu's face was red from the cold, but his eyes were brighter than ever. He looked at Ye Shu, suddenly chuckled, and pulled out something from his pocket that was slightly warm from his body heat—a small, crooked rabbit made of snow, only the size of a thumb, with one ear broken off.
"I pinched it in my pocket just now," he handed it over a little embarrassedly, "for you. It's a little ugly... but... well, it's a souvenir of Xue."
The snow rabbit in his palm had begun to melt slightly, and the edges had become transparent.
Ye Shu lowered his head, looking at the rough, disappearing gift. He was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and carefully picked up the snow rabbit with his fingertips.
The cold touch mixed with the slight warmth of Chen Xu's palm.
He didn't say thank you, nor did he comment on its ugliness, he just looked at it, at that white, fragile, fleeting form.
Looking at his focused expression, Chen Xu suddenly felt that this ugly snow rabbit might be more important to Ye Shu than any expensive gift.
The snow is still falling silently outside the window.
And a tiny, cold, melting gift was lying quietly at Ye Shu's fingertips.
Just like the snowy day itself, quiet, short, yet incredibly real.
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