Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Zhang Jusong stopped walking abruptly, and many thoughts flashed through his mind at that moment.
He clearly saw himself, right?
So why talk to others first?
She stopped where she was, feeling a sense of loss in her heart, and she herself didn't know why she felt this way.
After waiting for a minute, Xia Zhiheng looked at her, still with his warm smile as usual.
"Senior, you're here."
There is no difference from usual.
Zhang Jusong pursed his lips and nodded.
Xia Zhiheng's eyes stopped at her backpack: "Did you bring a lot of things? It looks heavy."
"Oh," Zhang Jusong followed his gaze and glanced at the backpack, "I brought the binoculars with me."
"Telescope? But today we are here to watch meteors." Zhou Qunxing, president of the Astronomy Club, interrupted, "For meteors, it's more appropriate to observe them with the naked eye. That bag you're carrying must be heavy, right? You'll have to carry it all night."
Zhang Jusong held the backpack strap in his hand: "Then...should I put it back?"
Zhou Qunxing looked at the time: "It may be too late, the car we called has arrived."
"That's easy." Xia Zhiheng smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't explain it clearly. Senior sister, give me the bag and I'll carry it."
Zhang Jusong quickly refused: "No, no, I can carry it myself."
"It's okay."
"I say, you two, where are the red envelopes for the New Year?"
Zhou Qunxing, who was standing by, couldn't stand it anymore and made the final decision: "Girl, he doesn't look bad since he looks so strong. You can let him carry you. Or should I carry you?"
Zhang Jusong was stunned for two seconds and silently let go of the backpack.
"Then... thank you for your help." Zhang Jusong said embarrassedly.
Xia Zhiheng smiled, said nothing, threw the bag behind him, and carried it with one hand.
We rented an eight-seater van, which was just full.
There were a total of seven people participating in the stargazing activity this time, three women and four men.
Zhang Jusong sat in the back row with two other girls, while Xia Zhiheng and other boys sat in the front row.
Looking from this angle, she could see a little bit of Xia Zhiheng's silhouette.
He seemed to be texting, typing very quickly.
Zhang Jusong glanced at her phone and didn't receive any new messages. She put her phone away angrily and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
In between sending messages, Xia Zhiheng looked up at the rearview mirror in the car.
The girl's face was facing the window. The wind blew in from the slightly rolled down window, making the fine hair by her ears flutter.
There were several text messages in the phone, all from Zhou Qunxing, an old friend of Xia Zhiheng's, whom he had met when he participated in a competition.
"The girl you like is really quiet. I said, she must be a little socially anxious."
"You have to approach this kind of girl slowly. If you act too enthusiastic, she will think you are crazy."
"Don't worry, buddy will help you."
Xia Zhiheng typed: "Are you sure this will work?"
Zhou Qunxing: "Of course, let me ask you, have you ever been in love?"
Xia Zhiheng: “…No.”
Zhou Qunxing: "I have talked to you three times! So, listen to me."
...Okay.
Xia Zhiheng raised his eyes and secretly looked at Zhang Jusong in the rearview mirror, cautiously.
The second before she was about to turn her head, she immediately looked away.
The location for this stargazing is set at Xiaodongshan, which is in the suburbs of City A. It is not a well-known tourist attraction. There are not many people there at night, which is very suitable for stargazing.
Zhou Qunxing had been here several times and was familiar with the route, so he led everyone up the mountain path.
"Everyone, keep going, we're almost there."
“We’re here, we’re here!”
Zhang Jusong, who was walking on his way, raised his head and was stunned when he saw the scenery in front of him.
This is the top of a small hill, with a pavilion in classical style. The special thing is that it is surrounded by red silk hangings, and even the trees are tied with some red silk. Only the side facing the cliff is empty.
Under the faint moonlight, the red silk flutters in the wind. This feeling...
“No matter how many times I come, the pavilion still looks eerie,” an old member of the stargazing club commented sharply.
Zhou Qunxing snorted: "No way, this is obviously a Feng Shui treasure land, okay? Look for yourself, those red silks are for praying. And you have to pay to hang it during the day!"
He looked at the sky and said, "Besides, in this weather, whether you can see a shooting star depends entirely on luck. If you are unlucky and don't see one, you can't make a wish to the shooting star. You can still tie a red silk and pray, how nice."
"Shut up, don't be such a phoenix."
Everyone was noisy and everyone found a seat to sit in the pavilion.
It was Zhang Jusong's first time here, and he was a little curious, so he turned on the flashlight on his cell phone to shine it on the red prayer silk.
Written in gold on this red silk was: "Mr. So-and-so and Miss So-and-so, may you have happiness and longevity every year."
It seems to be a wish for a long-lasting marriage.
She went to take another photo.
"Live as long as the Southern Mountains, and live a hundred years."
This is for birthday celebration.
There are also people praying for a successful career. There are so many red silks in the summer night wind, and each one is a pious wish.
I don’t know how many of these wishes will come true?
The time of sighing was interrupted by mosquitoes.
She felt her arm itchy and when she scratched it, there was a trace of blood and a little black.
It hit the mark.
Fortunately, she had the foresight to bring mosquito repellent.
Zhang Jusong opened his backpack and took out the wind oil, cooling oil, Thai herbal cream and floral water in turn.
Zhou Qunxing, who was fanning the person next to him, was stunned: "You have quite a complete set of equipment."
"I'm more of a mosquito."
Zhang Jusong smiled, lowered his head to apply the medicine, and then touched himself with floral water from head to toe.
"Do you want it?" Zhang Jusong asked.
"Okay, thank you." A round-faced girl came over and complained, "I haven't been out stargazing for a long time. I forgot how poisonous mosquitoes are in the summer."
Zhang Jusong smiled kindly, took the floral water, and carefully sprayed it on the round-faced girl.
"I want to spray some too, is that okay?" another girl asked.
"sure."
After spraying the floral water, the round-faced girl offered her small bag: "Thank you, do you want some snacks? I brought a lot, chicken feet, beef, dried fruits, nuts, everything."
The girls seemed to have become closer all of a sudden.
The round-faced girl is Zhao Yuan, also a sophomore, and has been a member of the Stargazing Club for two years. The other girl is Su Mumu, a junior who will soon be a senior. According to her, this should be her last time to participate in the Stargazing Club's activities while she is in school.
Waiting for too long can be a bit annoying.
Zhang Jusong turned the screen on and off to check the time several times. It was already early morning.
Zhao Yuan tore open a bag of potato chips: "So boring, Mu Mu, what are you looking at."
Su Mumu turned around and said "hush", lowering her voice: "Of course I'm looking at you, little brother. Tsk, how come you're so handsome even when taking photos."
Zhang Jusong followed her gaze and saw Xia Zhiheng holding a SLR camera, photographing the starry sky under the shadow of a tree with fluttering red silk.
Zhao Yuan ate potato chips with a crunching sound: "He is indeed a very good-looking boy. I wonder how many girls from elementary school will be attracted to him after school starts."
"It's not that exaggerated." Zhang Jusong said weakly.
Su Mumu said, "You don't understand, right? Nowadays, any boy who is a little bit decent and has no major flaws is considered popular. For someone like this, you must take the initiative."
Zhao Yuan gently bumped her arm and said with a smile: "Hey, you talk so much, just do it if you like."
"Go, go, go." Su Mumu said with a smile, "He is too young. He has just started school and I am about to graduate."
We chatted with each other until the second half of the night, when the voices gradually faded and everyone felt a little sleepy.
"That's still the old rules." Zhou Qunxing grabbed a bunch of paper balls and said, "Draw lots, pick two people to guard, the others take a nap for a while, and then take turns."
Zhang Jusong took a ball of paper in a daze, unfolded it, and saw a "1" written on it.
"Well, I should be the first one."
Zhou Qunxing took the paper ball and looked at it: "Where is the other lucky person?"
Xia Zhiheng raised his hand: "Me."
At night in Xiaodong Mountain, there are the sounds of insects chirping, leaves being blown by the wind, and occasionally a bird singing from very far away.
Zhang Jusong sat on a portable moisture-proof mat facing the cliff, with Xia Zhiheng sitting next to him.
No one spoke, they just looked at the starry sky quietly together.
On a night without lights, the stars in the sky appear much brighter.
The night wind was a little chilly, and suddenly a gust of wind blew, making Zhang Jusong shiver all over.
There is a weight on my shoulders, an extra coat.
"It's my fault. I didn't remind you to bring a coat. Put it on and don't catch a cold." Xia Zhiheng said softly.
Fearing to disturb others' rest, Zhang Jusong gently declined: "No, don't catch a cold."
"Won't."
Xia Zhiheng smiled slightly and opened his palm to Zhang Jusong: "If you don't believe me, feel it."
With the help of starlight, Zhang Jusong saw a small mole on the palm of his hand.
For some reason, she placed her hand on top of his.
The first feeling is heat.
Compared to her relatively low body temperature, the temperature of his palm was obviously hotter.
"Do you believe it, sister?"
The boy's low laughter sounded in my ears.
As if he had been electrocuted, Zhang Jusong immediately pulled his hand away and pulled his coat closer.
The coat still carried a faint scent of orange blossoms, and... the lingering warmth of Xia Zhiheng.
His ears were burning, so Zhang Jusong lifted the hair beside his ears, looked at the stars, and pointed at one at random.
"Do you recognize that star?"
Xia Zhiheng looked up and said, "That's Altair."
"Huh? There really is Altair?" Zhang Jusong widened his eyes.
"certainly."
Xia Zhiheng's voice was exceptionally gentle.
"Look, the lonely one is Vega."
"To the east, there are the four stars of Tianjin. These three stars together form the Summer Triangle."
His fingertips drew a triangle in the air.
"In the Summer Triangle is the Milky Way."
Zhang Jusong laughed: "'The distant Altair and the bright Vega. Across the water, they are speechless with affection.' The ancients were so romantic."
This starlight seemed to have existed since time immemorial. It had shone on people thousands of years ago, and it was shining on her now.
She gazed at Altair in the starry sky, completely unaware that the people around her were not looking at the stars.
Zhang Jusong stood up and gestured at the Summer Triangle in the night sky: "Actually, you are right."
Xia Zhiheng raised his eyebrows: "What?"
"Even if I can't wait for a shooting star today, it won't be considered a failure. Because I have encountered the red silk with my wishes written on it, a very good friend, and the Altair and Vega stars."
She smiled and turned to look back at Xia Zhiheng: "In A New Account of Tales of the World, it says, 'When you are done with your excitement, why bother to see Dai?' Now I understand. Come with excitement, and leave with your excitement gone. Why bother to see a shooting star?"
Xia Zhiheng stared at her blankly for a while, and suddenly a smile appeared on his lips.
"Sister, turn back."
Zhang Jusong turned around——
The brilliant light streaked across the night sky, illuminating the deep darkness, leaving behind a brilliant meteor trail, and then landed on the horizon.
It's a meteor shower!
Zhang Jusong burst into laughter: "Wake up, the meteor shower is real!"
"Where?"
The dozing companions got up and rushed over to see.
Zhou Qunxing yelled: "What are you standing there for? Make a wish first and then record it!"
Yes, make a wish.
Zhang Jusong realized it later and clasped his hands together, but for a moment he didn't know what wish to make.
One, two, three...meteors streaked across the night sky at an extremely fast speed.
She closed her eyes and made a quick wish: "I hope something good will happen to me."
When she opened her eyes, she met Xia Zhiheng's gaze.
Zhang Jusong: "Have you made a wish?"
Xia Zhiheng nodded and said nothing.
Behind him, the red prayer silk fluttered gently.
The moment the meteor fell, it illuminated the red silk ribbons for praying, and one of them was particularly special.
There is no long wish, only three simple words.
"Ode to Orange".
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