12 High School
The task of sending Yang Xiao to high school naturally fell on Zhou Qi.
A week before school started, Zhou Dashe called Zhou Qi and asked him to pick up Yang Xiao at the city train station and show her around the city. Zhou Qi was a bit amused and embarrassed, "Dad, I'm not familiar with the city either." Zhou Dashe didn't care and quickly hung up, fearing the boy would say something to reject him.
Actually, Zhou Qi had made all the arrangements long ago. He would first take Yang Xiao to report, and then go shopping for daily necessities. He just didn't expect Zhou Daye to be so anxious and send her over a week in advance. Zhou Qi guessed that his father wanted to take advantage of Yang Xiao and himself being away to smoke and drink. The old man was really acting more and more like a child.
On the day he was supposed to pick up Yang Xiao, Zhou Qi arrived at the train station early, carrying a bundle of lychees. He didn't know what he was thinking; he could have settled Yang Xiao down before buying her lychees, but Zhou Qi felt that Yang Xiao would only take something if it was thrust directly into her hands. If he brought her along to buy something, she'd just turn around and refuse it.
After the train arrived, passengers carrying bags and luggage poured out of the passage, one by one passing in front of Zhou Qi, but Yang Xiao was nowhere to be seen. Zhou Qi looked around anxiously when he heard a voice from behind: "Zhou Qi."
Zhou Qi's heart finally settled down. Turning around, he saw Yang Xiao, carrying a large backpack and two large bags. "Which floor tile did you come out of?" Zhou Qi asked as he handed her the lychees in his hand and took the bags she was carrying.
"Hey, there's another exit over there. Wow! You bought me lychees again! Thank you, Zhou Qi."
Zhou Qi had picked up and dropped off Yang Xiao countless times, and he was already very skilled at the job. And Yang Xiao no longer tugged at the bag strap like she had at the beginning, hesitating for a few times and then saying something politely saying sorry for bothering Zhou Qi before she gave him the bag.
Yang Xiao peeled litchis and followed Zhou Qi, walking one in front and one behind.
"Here, try it first and see if it's sweet." Yang Xiao ran to Zhou Qi and handed him the half-peeled lychee.
"I tasted it when I bought it. It's very sweet. You can have it." Zhou Qi looked at her holding the lychee shell in one hand, with the plastic bag of lychees tied around her wrist, and handing the lychees to him with the other hand.
"I don't believe it. Try it first." Yang Xiao blocked in front of him, as if she would not leave until she had eaten.
"Okay, I'll only eat this one. You can take the rest to school and share them with your classmates." Zhou Qi put his luggage at his feet and took the half-peeled lychee from her. He took a bite, and the sweetness filled his mouth. He also took the lychee shell from her hand and threw it into the trash can.
"Is it sweet?" Yang Xiao looked at him with a smile, "This is the biggest one I chose!"
Zhou Qi looked at Yang Xiao, who had just reached his shoulder, with a smile on her face. He remembered what Zhou Daye said to him on the phone that day when he decided to adopt her: "She is a sensible and poor child." Zhou Qi felt a little distressed. She was so sensible even when she showed her childish side.
"Sweet." Zhou Qi nodded and handed her a tissue to wipe her hands.
Yang Xiao's school, the No. 1 Middle School in the city, was quite user-friendly. Students from far-flung families could apply for accommodation in advance, but parents would need to confirm or sign a safety guarantee. While Zhou Qi was signing on the first floor of the dormitory, he went upstairs again. Yang Xiao had already made her bed and was running around packing her things, her face flushed from the heat.
There were fewer students in the Strong Foundation Program, but there were quite a few dormitories. So, the girls' dorm had a vacant desk for storage. There were only three people in each dorm, and Yang Xiao was the first to arrive. Zhou Qi stood at the door and looked around, seemingly incredulous. "Yang Xiao, this seems to be my old dorm, too."
Now it was Yang Xiao's turn to be surprised. She waved Zhou Qi in, inviting him to reminisce about their youth. Zhou Qi didn't refuse and walked a few steps inside, pointing out his former bed, which was now the "table" with a bed above and a desk below where the miscellaneous items were stored. "Back then, our conditions weren't very good. We all had bunk beds, eight people to a room." Yang Xiao nodded in understanding. "It's the same in town now. This is the first time I've had a desk like this."
Zhou Qi smiled and said, "You will have a bigger desk in the future."
When everything was almost packed, Zhou Qi took Yang Xiao out of the school gate and asked her what she wanted to eat. He said he would take her to dinner and then go back to school. Yang Xiao pointed to the big golden arches sign across from the school gate and said she wanted to try a hamburger. Zhou Qi laughed again after hearing this and said, "You can eat something more nutritious and healthy."
Yang Xiao shook her head. "I saw the billboard when I first arrived in the city and I really wanted to try it."
"Then let's go."
As soon as she pushed the door open, the cool breeze hit her face, making Yang Xiao excited. It was Yang Quezi who first told her about hamburgers. Yang Quezi would use steamed buns with fermented bean curd and tell her that these were hamburgers made by his father, and that she had to take a big bite to enjoy them. As she grew older, she realized it was just a trick to trick children into eating properly, but she still longed to know what a real hamburger tasted like.
Yang Xiao sat by the window. As Zhou Qi walked toward her with the plate, she stared intently at the burger on the plate. When he placed it in front of her, her eyes seemed to leap with joy. Zhou Qi thought she was a little cute, a sensible, poor kid, but still a kid.
She held the burger, tearing off the outer wrapping paper layer by layer, and then recalled her father's trick when she was a child: take a big bite.
Such a soft shell, such tender chicken, and such a fragrant sauce (*▽*).
"Zhou Qi, this is delicious. Eat quickly." Yang Xiao pushed another burger in front of Zhou Qi while chewing. Zhou Qi looked at her happy face while eating and handed the burger in front of him back, "I'll go order another one, you eat first."
Yang Xiao grinned, a little embarrassed, "It's delicious, I've never eaten such soft bread."
As they emerged from the Golden Arches, they were met by the setting sun, a blaze of orange, smearing vast swathes of clouds with tangerine hues. From within, beams of golden light emanated, creating a beautiful evening scene. Neither of them spoke, simply standing by, quietly watching the sky's saturation play.
By the time he dropped Yang Xiao off at the school gate, it was already dark and the figures were blurry. He slipped her some extra pocket money and repeatedly told her to call him from the dorm phone if she needed anything. After watching her disappear into the twilight, Zhou Qi turned and headed for the subway station. The subway was much less crowded at night. He sat near the door, pulled out his phone, checked the seventy-plus messages, and flicked off the screen in frustration.
It was a message from Miao Yue.
My acquaintance with Miao Yue began six months ago. Medical students sometimes attend classes at the hospital, and the day I met Miao Yue, Zhou Qi had just finished his odd job at the store and was standing at the bus stop, waiting for his ride. Spring had just arrived in the city, and it wasn't exactly warm. Zhou Qi, dressed in all black and carrying a backpack, was reviewing his textbooks.
Miao Yue had just stepped off the overpass when she spotted his tall, thin figure from a distance, clutching a book. From time to time, people would pass by him, knocking the book over and over. He would open his mouth and form the words, "It's okay," as if responding to their apology.
Miao Yue suddenly became interested. She wanted to know how he would react if the book fell to the ground.
Would it be a plain "It's okay" or would it reveal some annoyance that she wanted to see.
So she changed her original route and quickly walked towards Zhou Qi in her high heels. When she was almost in front of him, she twisted her left foot to the side, leaned forward, and quickly grabbed Zhou Qi's medical imaging books, pretending to fall to the side. Seeing this, Zhou Qi pulled her wrist back, his right hand still firmly holding the side of the book.
"Are you okay?" He used a little force to pull the book out of the other person's hand, and then released Miao Yue's wrist.
"It's okay, thank you." Miao Yue stood firm and raised her hand to tidy up the loose hair beside her ear. Then, a gust of wind blew over, and Zhou Qi smelled the scent of Miao Yue's perfume. There was no distinction between top and bottom notes, it was a single scent that did not feel distant.
"You're welcome."
After saying that, he stood aside, put down his backpack, stuffed the book back in, and quickly boarded the bus that had just arrived. Miao Yue watched him get on the bus, and when he turned around to find a seat, she waved to him again, and Zhou Qi nodded politely.
A car passed by her, and the rising wind blew her hair away again. Miao Yue felt the wrist where Zhou Qi had grabbed her was slightly warm. She hadn't expected that despite his distant and distant demeanor, his palm was still quite hot. Miao Yue admitted that her heartbeat was a little too fast at that moment.
But in such a vast city, seeing each other again felt like a miracle, a perfectly natural reaction to the perfect combination of time, place, and people. This kind of reaction happens many times in a lifetime; a fleeting moment of experience, a constant anticipation, and a long aftertaste is enough. So Miao Yue never imagined meeting again.
But God helped her, and they met again soon. The second time they met was in the Third Municipal Hospital.
Miao Yue brought a bowl of chicken soup cooked by her mother to her father, who worked at the Third Municipal Hospital. His father was the deputy director of the hospital, and his office was in the administrative building behind the inpatient building. Usually, one had to walk through the garden in the middle of the building and take the elevator upstairs.
As soon as she entered the hospital building, Miao Yue saw Zhou Qi.
Like a group of medical students, he was wearing a white coat, holding a pen and paper, and walking behind the teacher, his face still clear and bright. Miao Yue saw that they were about to go upstairs and immediately called out "Zhou Qi". Her voice was not loud but loud enough for the group to hear. Zhou Qi turned around and saw that it was Miao Yue. Before she could reply politely, she heard the teacher calling her name with some surprise.
"Miao Yue? You're back? I haven't seen you for a long time." The teacher in charge hurried over to greet her, and waved to the remaining students to go upstairs first. Miao Yue saw the elevator was about to close, and said, "Sorry, senior brother, I have something to do first," and followed Zhou Qi into the elevator.
In the narrow elevator, Miao Yue stood opposite Zhou Qi, with only a narrow gap between them. Unable to retreat any further, Zhou Qi crossed his arms and silently used the pen and paper to distance himself. Miao Yue found this person somewhat amusing. This person was truly difficult to approach, yet she was always bold.
So, under the gaze of a group of medical students, she handed over her cell phone and asked for Zhou Qi's contact information.
As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound erupted from the elevator, accompanied by a few teasing urgings, "Zhou Qi, give it to me quickly!" Zhou Qi felt like he was being held in a difficult position, not knowing how to move forward or backward. He disliked this teasing and condescending way of making friends, or rather, he resented it. His twentysomething body was filled with old-fashioned habits.
The elevator door opened.
He walked out first, not accepting the phone call that came from someone with bad intentions, nor responding to Miao Yue's gaze. Miao Yue shrugged, as if she had expected him to refuse, and followed him out of the elevator.
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