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There seems to be no follow-up to Mao Qiu's incident.
The rumors in the town did not seem to arrive as expected.
After spending three to five days in the hospital, Mao Qiu returned home to recuperate. Her pain felt like a calendar, flipped through with ease. No demonic punishment awaited, no siege was launched against Mao Qiu. All was quiet, all was quiet. Yang Xiao didn't know if this stillness was earned by He Zhengzhen's repeated roars, but she felt that this silence was truly hard-earned.
This was different from the books she had read. Whether in textbooks or leisure books, the distinction between good and bad characters was extremely clear, and the bad characters always met a tragic end. But after this incident, 15-year-old Yang Xiao began to realize that the world is not black and white, and bad people do not necessarily get their comeuppance.
As usual, she rose early to make and sell bracelets, then went to visit Maoqiu after lunch. Maoqiu, already frail, seemed even thinner as he lay on his wooden bed, as if layers of flesh had been peeled off, leaving only a sliver of skin clinging to his bones. Seeing Yang Xiao approach, he would grin at her, even through bared teeth. He Zhengzhen was often by his bedside, and occasionally, Li Haichang.
In the past few days, Yang Xiao deliberately left a few branches of yellow orchids that were about to bloom on the treetops every day. After coming back from selling the flower strings, she would use a bamboo pole to knock them down, string them into a full bracelet, cover them with thick leaves to prevent them from being burned by the scorching sun, and then trot to tie them around Mao Qiu's wrist. The fresh fragrance of the flowers might make her happier.
I just muddled through day after day until the day came when the results came out.
The junior high schools in the town will check the grades of the top students and send them to the class teachers. Students who go to key high schools or regular high schools will have a separate red list with their names and grades marked on it. This is the case every year.
Zhou Daye was also counting the days. That morning, he skipped his chess game and said he'd accompany Yang Xiao to check her grades. Yang Xiao, who had originally planned to go alone, was now getting a little nervous, repeatedly going over the calculation steps and answers to the questions. Zhou Qi also added to the confusion, calling one after another, asking, "Have you checked yet?"
"Just arrived at the grocery store."
"Have you found out?"
"Just walked past the creek."
"Have you found out?"
“I haven’t squeezed in to see it yet.”
"Yang Xiao, don't be nervous." But Zhou Qi on the other end also sounded nervous. Yang Xiao thought to herself, I just took a few deep breaths, but he was on the phone all the way.
Seeing that the crowd in front of them was about to disperse, Zhou Daye dragged Yang Xiao in and went straight to the first row in front of the red list. Just as Zhou Daye was about to take out his reading glasses from his pocket, Yang Xiao said excitedly: "You passed, you passed. You should have passed the strong foundation line." Zhou Daye laughed and gave Yang Xiao a thumbs up.
After hearing this, Zhou Qi smiled and breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great. I'll continue working then. Be careful when you get home with Dad. Don't jump around too much, or you might fall." Yang Xiao nodded and hung up the phone, with an unconcealable happiness on her face.
He scanned the red list again, wanting to check for Maoqiu as well. He scanned line after line, and finally saw Maoqiu's name on the general high school line. The corners of his mouth that had been raised fell down again.
Hearing Zhou Daye bragging to everyone that he was going to attend high school in the city, Yang Xiao felt a little complicated. What should she do with Maoqiu? With something on her mind, she passed by Maoqiu's house and told Zhou Daye that she would go see Maoqiu. Zhou Daye waved his hand and left.
As soon as she entered Maoqiu's house, Yang Xiao wondered how she should tell him about her grades. Should she just pretend she didn't know? But wasn't that the way friends should be? She bit her finger, standing there, not knowing whether to go forward or back. She made up her mind and decided to go home. She didn't know if Maoqiu would ask about her grades and whether that would make her even more disappointed.
Mao Qiu's house is one of the few small Western-style buildings in the town. It is very novel and stylish, with a beautiful floor-to-ceiling window.
Unexpectedly, Yang Xiao's tangled expression fell into Mao Qiu's eyes behind the window. She walked to the balcony, called out "Xiao Xiao", and burst out laughing: "What's wrong? Did you do too well in the exam? But I didn't do well, and you're worried that I'll be jealous of you."
Yang Xiao looked up at the sound and saw the sunlight shining on Maoqiu's head. A few strands of hair were blown by the wind. She was still thin, but her complexion had improved a lot and she looked a little rosy. Maoqiu said that this was because Aunt He stewed chicken soup for her every day. She had had nosebleeds several times.
"No way." Yang Xiao would touch her nose repeatedly with her hand when she felt embarrassed. At this moment, Mao Qiu had guessed most of what she was thinking. She was so embarrassed that she almost rubbed a layer of skin off her nose.
"Okay, I'm just kidding. I know what level I'm at this time. You don't have to worry about me. I can study well in a regular high school." Mao Qiu said, waving at Yang Xiao and asking her to come upstairs. Yang Xiao then grinned happily and trotted upstairs.
After going upstairs and entering Maoqiu's room, Yang Xiao saw a suitcase spread out on the ground and several pieces of clothes that had been folded and packed into the suitcase. So Yang Xiao asked, "Maoqiu, where are you going?" Now it was Li Maoqiu's turn who was speechless for a long time. He stood next to Yang Xiao, fingering the seam of his trouser leg with his right hand, as if thinking about how to start.
"Xiaoxiao, I'm going to the next city to take another exam. It's run by our school. If I pass, I can go to high school there." Li Maoqiu said, looking at Yang Xiao. His eyes suddenly brightened, reflecting the sunlight outside the window. "But I don't know if we'll be able to see each other often in the future." At this point, Maoqiu choked up again, wiping his hands across his face, trying to wipe away the tears of reluctance.
After hearing this, Yang Xiao's happiness for her overwhelmed her sadness of parting, and she skipped over and took her hand: "That's great, it's okay, Maoqiu, maybe we can meet again during the New Year or other holidays." Yang Xiao had already begun to imagine that they were in different high schools but working hard for the same goal.
At that time, Yang Xiao and Mao Qiu would definitely sit upright in class, finish test paper one after another, use up bundles of pen refills, and memorize one knowledge point after another in their minds, in exchange for a ticket to a distant place.
"Yeah, but I probably won't go back to Lu Town very often in the future. My mom... went to the city with me." Mao Qiu looked at Yang Xiao, with more and more reluctance in his eyes. Afraid of tears falling, he lowered his head again, holding her hand and shaking it back and forth, trying to ease the atmosphere of impending separation.
"It's okay, Mao Qiu. As long as we both think of each other, we will always be together."
"Yes!" Mao Qiu nodded heavily, as if he was promising, or as if he was swearing.
"I hope we can all go wherever we want to go!" Yang Xiao said.
“May we all be able to go wherever we want to go!”
"Xiaoxiao, I wrote you a letter. Please open it when you get home. Hey, hey, you can't read it now! You're so annoying."
Yang Xiao deliberately pretended to make a fuss about opening the letter, and looked at Mao Qiu's anxious and angry look and laughed foolishly.
After leaving Mao Qiu's house and on the way home along the river, she could no longer hold back her infinite anticipation and curiosity, and she opened the envelope neatly to read it.
Dear Yang Xiao:
I'm Li Maoqiu. I've never written you a letter because I find it cheesy, even now.
But separation is like a chewing gum that is unpalatable and I dare not spit it out. It blocks my mouth, making it more and more bitter the more I chew it, and I cannot open my mouth to say these words to you.
Thank you, Yang Xiao.
That night we went to the hospital, you jumped out of the back of the car and lay on the side of the road vomiting. Seeing you in pain, I felt terrible too, maybe even worse than you, because it was all my fault. But at that moment, I actually wanted to hold your hand and say, "Let's go home, don't go to the hospital," because I was so cowardly and selfish, I was afraid of the outcome.
Later, it was you who held my hand and walked forward on the deserted street.
Walking behind you, looking at your determined face, I felt less scared. All I could think was that we should be good friends for life, and I would be extra nice to Yang Xiao.
After returning home, you appear in front of my bed on time every day with a necklace of flowers like a little sun. Sometimes when I fall asleep in a daze, I can still smell the fragrance of the flowers you sent me. When I open my eyes, I find that they are already tied on my hand. No wonder they are so refreshing.
My mother said that such friendship is extremely precious and is like a timely help in times of need.
Yes, Yang Xiao, I thought my summer would become dull and bleak, like the coldest month of winter, making me shiver. But you came with flowers and a smile, stepped over the thick snow in my heart, walked up to me, and told me:
Li Maoqiu, it's summer now.
Yang Xiao could no longer suppress the slight tremor at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes, unable to hold back the tears, sat down by the river and burst into tears. Fortunately, the sun was blazing, and no one saw or heard her. Her tears dripped onto the letter, wetting the words "Mao Qiu." She immediately wiped them away with her arm, neatly placed the letter back into the envelope, and tucked it into her bosom. The tears she had just wiped away fell onto her pants again.
The stream still flowed quietly, the sound of water was gentle, and one or two protruding stones sparkled like diamonds. The scenery was no different from usual, but in Yang Xiao's memory, the riverside seemed particularly beautiful and the blue sky was particularly clear.
This was Yang Xiao's first experience with the book's refrain: "A bosom friend afar brings the world near." She had always believed that friendships could only be built and developed through frequent contact and communication, and that parting was a parting, and if it was the last meeting, the friendship would only fade with time. But this time, she vaguely sensed that her relationship with Mao Qiu didn't need such a method; caring for each other was enough.
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