"IF Childhood Sweethearts" has love, Jiang Yingxu, and sometimes nothingness.
Shi Miao's first thought was, whose things were accidentally stuck in her workbook?
I was just about to pick it up to see if there was a name written on it.
Jiang Yingxu reached out first and pressed the pink envelope under her pale, pinkish fingertips.
His already cold voice became even more icy and strained as it tightened.
"No need to look."
He said, "If you're not going to respond, it's best not to know who it is in the first place."
Shi Miao met his calm, dark eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly realized.
His voice was filled with excitement and joy.
"Oh, it's a love letter!"
Jiang Yingxu: "..."
Shi Miao was genuinely curious as to who had sent it to her.
Was it someone from her own class or another class? Her workbook was lying on the table; logically, anyone could have quietly slipped an envelope inside.
But Jiang Yingxu is right, it's better not to know, otherwise both sides will feel awkward.
She simply pulled out a drawer under the table. "Put it in there. After all, it's a token of someone's goodwill."
Jiang Yingxu put the love letter inside, paused, then remained silent, using his fingertips to pry aside the blank envelopes, letters, and other miscellaneous items piled up inside, and casually stuffed it at the bottom.
When she straightened up, Shi Miao was still smiling, propping her face up with her hand.
Her eyes were bright, reflecting the shimmering lights.
On her fair and soft face, there was not a trace of girlish shyness about wanting to fall in love; instead, she was full of smug pride at receiving a love letter.
"You have good taste."
She even praised it.
"This is the first time I've ever received a love letter."
Jiang Yingxu pressed down on the corner of his lips and said calmly, "It's not the first time."
Shi Miao nodded in confusion.
Trusting Jiang Yingxu, I thought back carefully and confirmed that there was none.
My memory is fine.
That's Jiang Yingxu talking nonsense!
She snorted defiantly, swung her leg under the table, and kicked Jiang Yingxu's shin.
She said breathlessly, "It's the first time."
"How could I not know I receive love letters?"
Jiang Yingxu simply got up, walked to the bookshelf, glanced at the messy stack of books, and pulled out a hardcover copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales from the top.
Shi Miao leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at his inexplicable actions, "?"
I was just about to ask Jiang Yingxu what he was going to do.
The boy lowered his head, calmly opened the book, his fingertips rustling across the pages as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from the inside.
He picked up the corner, gave it a light shake, and turned the side with writing on it, which had been unfolded with a whoosh, towards Shi Miao.
He swayed slowly and deliberately.
Amidst the rustling sound of paper.
"I like the letter paper."
Jiang Yingxu said calmly, "This is the first love letter you've ever received."
Shi Miao stood up abruptly, took a few steps over, picked up the letter, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
Children's fingers are weak, so even though they started practicing calligraphy back then, their handwriting wasn't as sharp and neat as it is now, falling squarely on the clean white paper.
[To Miaomiao:]
Happy New Year.
I've prepared a New Year's gift for you. After you and Aunt Shidai return to Beijing from your trip, come to me with the envelope to redeem it. Don't forget.
Because I like you, I miss you a lot.
You should think of me too.
I especially like your Jiang Yingxu
Shi Miao silently held up the letter. "This is what you wrote to me when you were in elementary school."
That New Year, Shi Dai took the kitten out to see the scenery.
Upon learning that they would be staying in a city for three days to celebrate the Spring Festival, Jiang Yingxu immediately finished writing the letter and asked the group's logistics channels to deliver it to Shi Miao.
At most, it's a childish way of expressing longing.
How can that be considered a love letter?!
Jiang Yingxu ignored him, turning his head away in a manner reminiscent of Shi Miao's usual selective obedience.
"Doesn't that count?"
He asked, then nodded affirmatively, "I think so."
"If you want to hear more, there's more than just this one."
The two families would occasionally take their children on trips to other cities.
Of course, the Yan family usually goes to the seaside, to luxury resort hotels, and to have parties on private jets and cruise ships.
Shi Dai, on the other hand, went up mountains and down rivers, carrying a backpack and a bunch of equipment, while Shi Miao at most got the treatment of nestling in her arms.
The two children, despite living in such an advanced era of communication, share a tacit and romantic understanding.
Mail letters and greeting cards.
Gift vouchers made by stamping them myself.
The countdown to our meeting is marked on the calendar.
Letters are scarce, the journey is long, and the longing between the lines is as light as a piece of paper, yet as heavy as a heart full of joy, giving rise to the most fervent anticipation.
Of course, Jiang Yingxu also helped this forgetful little cat sort out the letters that were brought back with him.
Therefore, if Jiang Yingxu wanted to find it, he could indeed find a lot of "evidence".
Christmas cards.
Jiang Yingxu twirled his long finger and calmly recounted, "Santa Claus delivers presents to us through the chimney. I asked my mother, since we don't have a chimney, does he have to climb up the range hood duct to get in? My mother beat me up."
He gave a barely perceptible lip curl.
"...If I slept with you, I don't know if Santa Claus would deliver to the wrong place. I hope his job is accurate enough to track everyone sleeping in different beds, otherwise I'll give him a bad review!"
Just in case, I'd better buy you a gift first.
"I also really like your Shi Miao."
There's also the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The kitten rambled on for over a hundred words describing the delicious mooncakes it ate. It liked both the traditional lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk and the innovative white peach oolong. Shi Dai pinched its belly and said, "You like everything that's edible. It didn't turn you into an orange, did it?"
Shi Miao: "?"
Shi Miao: "I said I like mooncakes!!!"
A smile flickered in Jiang Yingxu's eyes as he said matter-of-factly, "There is liking, there is Jiang Yingxu, and sometimes there is indifference."
"So it's a love letter."
The kitten was stunned—
Wow, how can Jiang Yingxu be so unreasonable, so self-righteous, and so full of ambition... No, wait.
Seeing that Jiang Yingxu was about to turn to another sheet of paper, Shi Miao jumped forward in anger and tried to snatch the fairy tale book from his hand.
He pulled her into his arms.
His eyes widened, and he said fiercely, "Love you, my foot!"
"Can't you focus on your studies and stop worrying about love letters!"
I almost made the cat furious.
What confession? What love letter from who-knows-who?
All of that was overshadowed by Jiang Yingxu's self-righteous attitude; all that remained in my mind was the image of him reading the letter and greeting card in a low, slow voice!
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"Preface Diary"
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