Chapter 25 At my age, I'm still playing the "the more I like it, the more..." game...
Zhu Xu didn't know where He Yanzhou was taking her, and surprisingly trusted him, so she didn't ask any questions.
He still held her hand, and she lagged half a step behind, glancing up slightly to see his handsome profile. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling directly on his broad shoulders.
The temperature rose a few degrees, but the sea breeze was still quite cool.
After passing through a sparse grove of trees, the view suddenly opened up before me.
Zhu Xu unconsciously held his breath as an unknown pink flower bloomed all over the hillside.
She made no attempt to hide her admiration: "Wow! So beautiful."
Turning her head, she saw He Yanzhou looking at her.
She asked, "Did we accidentally wander in? Or did you already know?"
He Yanzhou looked around to confirm that this was the area: "I already knew. There are more flowers and the colors are more beautiful during the transition from spring to summer."
Zhu Xu gathered her long skirt, squatted down to observe carefully, and confirmed that it was a species she had never seen before.
The flowers are stacked one on top of the other, forming two layers.
The top layer is pure white with rounded petals; the bottom layer has pointed tips, a warm pink, that stretch outwards. The tail hidden beneath the petals resembles the taut tentacles of a jellyfish, beautiful and peculiar.
She searched it on her phone and learned that this wildflower is called columbine, a resilient Ranunculaceae plant.
Zhu Xu asked, "May I pick a few branches?"
He Yanzhou nodded: "A gift from nature."
Zhu Xu stood up and handed his hand to He Yanzhou: "Hold this for me."
He Yanzhou lowered his eyes and saw that the bones and tendons on the back of her hand were stretched to their limit, and her clenched fist looked like a small bun filled with filling.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and opened his palm.
She loosened her fingers, and the items all fell out. They turned out to be some delicate little seashells, pink, white, and purple, as well as a few round, semi-transparent pebbles.
Perhaps because I've been holding it for so long, it's become warm to the touch.
He Yanzhou looked at it carefully for a while, and it was actually just a small pile in his palm.
He tucked his fingers together and naturally put them into his pocket.
Zhu Xu carefully picked through the items, having already walked several meters away.
She wore a long, white dress that reached her calves, with short sleeves and a loose fit that didn't accentuate her figure. He didn't know much about fabrics, but he felt that it looked as light and airy as a cicada's wing on her, and that the skirt moved gracefully and swayed in the breeze.
I've always felt that Zhu Xu, though thin, has a certain curves. I've seen her in clothes that accentuate her figure, but I prefer her simple and carefree self right now.
He Yanzhou glanced elsewhere, then looked back at her and called her name: "There are more here."
Zhu Xu lifted her skirt and walked over, squatting down among a cluster of flowers, picking out the two most lush branches.
Not long after, He Yanzhou called to her from behind again: "Come here."
Zhu Xu got up, walked to his feet, and squatted down.
After several attempts, she sensed something was amiss. She noticed him bossing her around while he stood with his hands in his pockets, not bending over at all, like he was walking a small dog.
When he spoke again, Zhu Xu ignored him.
A gentle sea breeze blows from afar, and the columbine sways in the wind.
She squatted there for a long time without moving, so He Yanzhou had no choice but to go back. He wanted to get closer to see what the little mushroom was doing, but she suddenly raised the flower in her hand and poked his face.
He Yanzhou merely tilted his head to dodge, making no other significant movement: "Childish," he warned with his eyes.
"You're the childish one." Zhu Xu wasn't deterred by his feigned seriousness; on the contrary, she was in a good mood: "Am I a puppy?"
He Yanzhou smiled faintly without answering, and ruffled her hair a few times, truly treating her like a pet. He looked down into her eyes, paused for a moment, and secretly mocked himself for playing the childish trick of "the more you like someone, the more you tease them" at his age.
Zhu Xu turned and walked forward. Before he knew it, he had a large handful of columbine in his hand. Picking more would probably be a waste of this gift.
They walked to the top of the hillside and found a flat spot to sit down.
The sun was already high in the sky, but thankfully there was a small tree overhead that provided shade.
The view from this vantage point is extremely expansive, encompassing almost the entire island. Below, the school's red rooftops stand out, while in the distance, the boundless sea stretches out before you.
A small boat drifted silently on the golden-sparkled sea.
When it's quiet, all you can hear is the rustling of the wind through the grass.
Zhu Xu could not describe his feelings at this moment.
If reincarnation truly exists, I hope my next life will be as clean as a blank sheet of paper, allowing me to live a simple life on this island.
After a long silence, she turned to look at the person next to her.
He Yanzhou sat with his long legs apart and his arms resting on his knees: "You feel that the view outside the window will make you feel better, so this position is irreplaceable."
Zhu Xu paused. He had climbed this hillside to share the stunning view with her.
She asked, "Did you come here often before?"
He Yanzhou said, "I come up here when I want to be alone."
How old were you then?
"Thirteen or fourteen years old? I can't remember."
Zhu Xu couldn't imagine what he would be like back then. His first impression of him was a boy in a white shirt and jeans with deep eyes in his first year of high school.
He had a short buzz cut at the time, was very tall, somewhat thin, and didn't talk much, but he was popular with both boys and girls.
Without asking any further questions, Zhu Xu felt a slight pain in her calf near her ankle. Lifting her skirt, she saw several bloody marks on her skin.
He Yanzhou glanced sideways and noticed it too, his brow furrowing slightly: "How did you get that?"
Zhu Xu was bewildered: "I don't know."
"With so many scratches, aren't you in pain?" he asked. "Do you have any tissues?"
"Yes." Zhu Xu turned the phone strap that was slung across her shoulder to the front. There was a small pocket on the back of the case, just big enough for two tissues. She took one out and handed it to him. He Yanzhou lifted her leg, straightened his own leg and placed it flat on her leg, unfolded the tissue to wipe away the dust around it, and then gently wiped away the blood droplets that had seeped out.
Zhu Xu only then felt the intensifying pain and pursed his lips tightly.
He Yanzhou looked up at her and asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"
"fine."
His gaze fell on the scratches again, and after confirming that they had stopped bleeding and were not serious enough to require immediate treatment, he shifted her attention to amuse her.
He deliberately looked at her face seriously, then raised his hand and rubbed it with his fingertip: "Let me see, it looks like you're crying."
Zhu Xu scoffed, "I don't cry easily."
He Yanzhou raised an eyebrow and smiled meaningfully: "Is that so?"
Zhu Xu sensed the sarcasm in his tone and suddenly remembered how he had once made Zhu Xu cover his face and weep.
Zhu Xu felt extremely uncomfortable and didn't even have the courage to confront him. He just lowered his head and pretended to check his wound, muttering to himself in a low voice, "Look at him, getting indecent again."
He Yanzhou was not innocent, so he did not refute, but only smiled silently.
The sky was azure, and the clouds were like cotton wool, seemingly within reach.
He Yanzhou lowered her skirt; "There's a pharmacy near the school, buy some medicine and cotton swabs on your way back." He crumpled up a used tissue and clenched it in his palm: "I saw you cry once in high school too."
Zhu Xu had absolutely no recollection of it: "I don't remember at all."
"He's just not very bright."
She silently rolled her eyes at him.
He Yanzhou: "Back then, the school cafeteria chefs liked to put Sichuan peppercorns in their dishes, which the students didn't like."
After being reminded, Zhu Xu seemed to have some recollection: "No matter what kind of dish it was, you could pick out a small pile of it. Everyone said that the chef's family sold seasonings... Many students had their meals delivered by their parents."
He Yanzhou nodded.
Zhu Xu is like someone with amnesia; unintentionally, fragments of his memory are slowly pieced together.
She had no choice at that time. After her mother left, Zhu Zhen was unwilling to waste time on her. Her stepmother, Shen Jun, was good at saying nice things, but she didn't even know where the rice bags were kept at home.
One morning, Zhu Zhen, contrary to his usual practice, told her not to go to the cafeteria for lunch, and that he would stew meat for her and deliver it to her. A new batch of pork had just arrived from the slaughterhouse, and Zhu Zhen, who liked to take advantage of bargains, bought some on sale, so the meat wasn't very fresh.
I suspect there's a serious overstocking problem, leading to temporary sales difficulties. I'll cook some at home to help alleviate the burden.
Zhu Xu didn't take it seriously and agreed.
At noon, Zhu Zhen brought a whole box of braised pork to the classroom. When the lid was opened, the square pieces of pork were coated with a thick layer of soy sauce, and the aroma was surprisingly strong despite the presence of many spices.
At that time, the students gathered in groups of three or five to eat lunch. Zhu Xu picked up his chopsticks, and then saw Zhu Zhen pick up his lunchbox and turn to the boy next to him: "Classmate, try Uncle's cooking."
At first, the male student was a little embarrassed.
Zhu Zhen picked up a piece and put it directly into his lunchbox. Seeing that the other person was eating it, he put on a smile and asked, "How does it taste?"
"Delicious! Uncle, this meat smells amazing!"
"Then have another piece." He picked up a piece of pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat and gave it to the male classmate. He then stood up and distributed a piece to each of the other boys' lunchboxes, saying, "Uncle sells pork himself, so you can eat it with peace of mind. No one else can cook it with this aroma. If you want more, tell Zhu Xu and ask her to bring it over for you, or go to the shop and ask your mothers to cook it for you when you get home."
A few of the more talkative ones actually asked for the specific address and said they would have their mothers go and buy it.
At that moment, Zhu Xu felt utterly ashamed, as if a pot of charcoal fire had been placed in front of her, scorching her until her skin was torn and bleeding.
Zhu Zhen didn't care about his daughter at all. He even took a pen from the table and carefully wrote down the address before going to the back to distribute the items.
He Yanzhou was engrossed in eating when, out of the corner of his eye, a piece of braised pork landed on his white rice.
He glanced at the meat, then looked up.
Zhu Zhen said with a friendly smile, "Classmate, have a taste."
He Yanzhou had seen this man once at a temple, and for some reason, he didn't have a good impression of him. Too lazy to deal with him, he said nothing and lowered his head to continue eating.
Zhu Zhen didn't care and turned to others.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Zhu Xu suddenly stood up, walked over, and snatched the lunchbox from his hand: "You can go now, you need to take a nap after you finish eating."
"The students haven't had enough yet..."
"I'll divide them!" she shouted as if she had used all her strength.
Zhu Zhen was startled and stared at her with wide eyes, but the coldness in her gaze made him instantly lose his temper.
After thinking it over, I decided against it and left feeling rather uneasy.
He Yanzhou suddenly lost his appetite, put down his chopsticks, picked up the carbon pen next to him and twirled it a few times, then looked up at the person standing in the aisle.
Zhu Xu hung her head. The smell of that box of braised pork was more nauseating than fermented garbage. She wished she could smash it all on the ground and crush it with her feet.
Her hand gripping the lunchbox tightened and then loosened. She hated Zhu Zhen and herself. A lump formed in her throat, and she wanted to vent her anger in a fit of rage.
She looked up, and though it was unnecessary, she still insisted, "I'm sorry, I apologize to everyone. The pork my family sells isn't very fresh, so please don't ask your mothers to buy it."
For a moment, the classroom was silent.
The girls looked at her strangely, whispered among themselves, and secretly threw the braised pork they hadn't even eaten into the trash can.
Suddenly, one of the male students exclaimed, "Damn!"
Then everyone started talking at once:
"Why are you giving us stale food? What's your dad up to?"
"Zhu Xu, what's going on?!"
"Oh no, I just ate two pieces. Should I go to the hospital to have my stomach pumped?"
"vomit……"
...
Zhu Xu almost bit his lower lip until it bled, but he still stood there stubbornly without making a sound.
Suddenly, a loud "bang" rang out, and the classroom fell silent as everyone turned around.
It was He Yanzhou. He kicked over the chair in front of him, leaned back, and stared at them coldly.
He is usually quiet and seems easygoing and easy to get along with, but when he gets angry, his eyes can be intimidating.
For a moment, no one spoke.
He Yanzhou tossed the pen back onto the table, leaned forward, picked up a piece of braised pork from the lunchbox, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. "It's just not fresh, it's not like it was poisoned, why the hell are you going to the hospital?" His tone was slow, with a roguish air unique to young men: "If you're a guy, then shut the hell up."
...
Recalling this, Zhu Xu rested his chin on his hand and turned his head: "Did you have diarrhea when you got back?"
"No." He Yanzhou looked at her. "You ate the rest of the meat. Doesn't your stomach hurt?"
So he had noticed. Zhu Xu pouted in annoyance: "I remember feeling nauseous and bloated all afternoon, and I only managed to hold it in."
He Yanzhou smiled helplessly: "How silly."
Zhu Xu felt like a fool, not knowing who she was arguing with. She sat down and ate all the braised pork. What was self-respect worth? It had already been trampled on by Zhu Zhen, so she simply didn't care anymore.
Those incidents that others would forget in an instant became a shadow that lingered over her for a long time.
She was truly grateful to He Yanzhou and remembered him for a long time, but he disappeared when the next semester started. Ten years was far too long; so many people had passed through her life, and greater troubles always replaced the previous unpleasant period. Those relatively important people and things were gradually sealed away by time.
He Yanzhou suddenly asked, "Do you hate your father?"
"I hated him for a while." Zhu Xu thought for a moment: "He was my only family member left. I was more grateful to him for not letting me drop out of school halfway through, because my family was in a pretty bad situation at the time."
He Yanzhou said, "Then I'll try to go back and visit more often when I have time."
"I'd better not, lest I get yelled at." Zhu Xu thought about it and found it funny: "But when I transfer money to him, he usually accepts it very quickly. I guess his hands don't shake anymore and his eyes aren't blurry."
He Yanzhou said, "The National Day fireworks show, come back with me to join the fun?"
Considering his collaboration with Zhao Siqiao, Zhu Xu hesitated to agree for the time being: "We'll see. If I'm not busy, I can leave for a few days."
He Yanzhou nodded, glanced at his watch, and prepared to take her down the mountain to the pharmacy. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her secretly glancing at him while resting her chin on her hand, so he turned his gaze to her and waited for her to speak first.
"Thank you." Zhu Xu's gaze was sincere.
He Yanzhou smiled faintly: "For which matter?"
"If you hadn't reminded me, I would have completely forgotten about it."
He Yanzhou crossed his index and middle fingers, raised his arm, and flicked her forehead. Already angry, he didn't hold back: "I told you you have no heart."
"Ouch!" Zhu Xu cried out softly, clutching his forehead, and said defiantly, "How much of what happened many years ago do you remember?"
He Yanzhou fell silent for a moment, offering no reply.
That day, after the storm passed, everyone returned to normal, except for her, who pretended to be strong and immersed herself in her own world.
The first period in the afternoon was PE class. He Yanzhou played soccer with someone and came back to get money to buy water. There was no one in the classroom. He walked through the aisle and suddenly saw a small figure slumped over a desk behind a tall bookshelf.
Her shoulders heaved and trembled violently, uncontrollably.
Perhaps his footsteps were too light for her to notice.
An unnamed emotion welled up in He Yanzhou's heart. He paused slightly, returned to his seat, and silently watched her back. Forgetting why he had come back, he turned to look out the window. It was almost the end of the year, and the bare willow branches trembled in the cold wind.
After some time, he got up and sat down in the seat in front of her.
He moved the heavy stack of textbooks aside and scratched his forehead with his index finger: "Ten minutes have passed, your tears are almost dry, aren't they?"
Zhu Xu's shoulders froze, and he suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met, and He Yanzhou felt a stab in his heart. This feeling was so unfamiliar, and he couldn't take his gaze off her face. Her small face was slightly wrinkled, covered with tears, her nose was red, and her clear black and white eyes were filled with wet grievances.
A sense of melancholy inexplicably welled up inside him.
Upon seeing it was him, Zhu Xu's tears welled up again.
Because in this standoff, he was the only one showing goodwill.
He Yanzhou panicked a little and grabbed two tissues from someone's table, handing them over. He had no experience in comforting people: "Wipe your nose before you cry?"
In an instant, Zhu Xu burst into laughter through his tears.
He Yanzhou followed suit, his lips twitching slightly. Slowly, he shook his head and smiled, his heart brightening as he was moved by her emotions.
It was early winter, less than two months before the holiday.
The first snow quietly fell, and the temperature plummeted, but in his heart, it was like fertile soil, where a seed was quietly sprouting.
But things didn't go as planned. When school started again, he had to follow his family's arrangements and transfer to another school.
The seed then lost its rainwater and could no longer grow.
Everything ended with his departure.
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