sugar
Before the alarm clock rang on Wednesday morning, Xu Yang was awakened by the white light outside the window.
He rubbed his eyes and opened the curtains. Snow flakes were slowly falling all over the sky. A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the branches of the sycamore tree, which was bare yesterday. Even the old locust tree downstairs was covered with white fluff. The whole world was immersed in soft milky white.
He had just put on his clothes when his cell phone vibrated. It was a message from Lu Jinyu: "Xu Yang, it's snowing! I brought some hot eight-treasure porridge and also built a little snowman for you under the old locust tree. Take your time coming down, don't be in a hurry~" He added a tongue-out expression at the end.
Xu Yang stared at the screen and smiled for a long time, then grabbed the scarf and wrapped it around his neck twice, put the strawberry candy he had bought yesterday in his pocket, and ran downstairs briskly.
As soon as I turned the corner of the apartment building, I saw a familiar figure standing under the old locust tree. Lu Jinyu was wrapped in an off-white down jacket, the fluff on the hood stained with snowflakes. In his hands, he held a steaming insulated bag. Sure enough, squatting at his feet was a palm-sized snowman—two black buttons for eyes, thin branches for arms, and a dry locust leaf crookedly pinned to his head, like a small hat.
"Xu Yang! Here!" When Lu Jinyu saw him, he immediately waved his arms and shouted, his voice full of joy, and even a few snow grains on his hat fell off.
Xu Yang ran over, and just as his fingertips touched the snowman's head, Lu Jinyu grabbed his hand. "Don't touch it, your hands will get cold!" He stuffed the insulation bag into Xu Yang's other hand and took out a pair of gloves from his pocket. They were a pair of light gray knitted gloves with small strawberry patterns embroidered on the fingertips. "My mom knitted them until midnight yesterday. She said they were for you to warm your hands. Try them on to see if they fit your hands."
Xu Yang put on the gloves. The size was just right. The wool felt soft and still had the residual warmth from Lu Jinyu's pocket.
He bent down and pinched the strawberry on his glove, and suddenly felt something hard hidden between his fingertips. He took it out and saw that it was a strawberry candy wrapped in candy paper, and the candy paper was printed with the same small strawberry as the one on the glove.
"You still hid the candy?" Xu Yang smiled and shook the candy in his hand. The candy wrapper sparkled in the snow.
"I thought you might not have had any candy this morning," Lu Jinyu's ears were red from the snow. "This candy is orange flavored... No, it's strawberry flavored! I picked it out specifically to match the pattern on the gloves."
As he spoke, he laughed first. He fumbled with his hands and took out another candy from his pocket. He peeled off the candy wrapper and handed it to Xu Yang. "Try it. Is it sweet?"
Xu Yang opened his mouth and took it. The sweet fragrance of the strawberry melted in his mouth, mixed with the cool air in the early morning, and it was particularly sweet and refreshing.
He watched Lu Jinyu stare at him nervously, put the candy in his mouth, and leaned over to gently touch his cheek. Lu Jinyu's face, slightly cold from the cold, instantly felt hot, and even the corners of his eyes were stained red. "Sweet," Xu Yang said with a smile, "sweeter than the fruit wine last time."
Lu Jinyu's ears turned red instantly, and he even forgot to put his hands in his pockets. He just looked at Xu Yang and smiled foolishly.
It was not until Xu Yang reminded him that "the porridge was getting cold" that he hurriedly opened the thermal bag. The aroma of eight-treasure porridge immediately filled the air. The sweetness of red dates, longans, and lotus seeds mixed together, warming people's hearts.
"Hurry up and drink it! I've been keeping it warm inside my down jacket all the way, and it's still warm," Lu Jinyu said, pulling out a small spoon from his pocket. The handle was wrapped in cotton thread, "I was afraid the spoon would get cold, so I wrapped some cotton around it so your hands wouldn't get cold."
Xu Yang took the spoon and scooped a mouthful of porridge. The soft and glutinous rice grains wrapped in sweet soup slid into his throat, warming him from his stomach to his toes.
He looked at Lu Jinyu standing in the snow, staring at him with sparkling eyes, and occasionally reaching out to brush off the snow on his hat. Suddenly, he felt that the snow in the sky became gentle.
"Take a sip too," Xu Yang handed over the spoon. "It's so cold, you're standing here waiting for me, don't get cold."
Lu Jinyu shook his head, but still opened his mouth to take a sip. His eyes immediately lit up. "My mom put a lot of sugar in it this time. It's even sweeter than the sweet potato porridge last time!" As he spoke, he remembered something and took out a small thermos from his schoolbag. "This is hot ginger tea. My mom said it keeps you from catching a cold on snowy days. You can drink it later when you get to school."
The two walked side by side towards the bus stop. The snow was still falling slowly, making a slight "crunching" sound when they stepped on the snow.
Lu Jinyu held Xu Yang's hand all the time and put his hand in the pocket of his down jacket, clasping his fingers tightly, for fear that the wind would get in.
Occasionally, when they encountered icy roads, he would slow down, pull Xu Yang to his side, and whisper, "Walk slowly, don't slip, I'll hold you."
There were already a few classmates at the bus stop. When they saw them holding hands, they all greeted them with a smile.
Lu Jinyu didn't hide, but held Xu Yang's hand tighter. He even raised Xu Yang's hand wearing strawberry gloves and showed off to his deskmate: "Look, this is the gloves my mom knitted for Xu Yang. Isn't it beautiful? There are strawberries on them!"
His deskmate laughed and joked with him, "Why don't you knit a pair for yourself?" Lu Jinyu immediately said, "I don't need it. My hands are warm, and Xu Yang's are cold. I can just knit one for him."
Xu Yang felt warm in his heart when he heard his words. He quietly peeled a strawberry candy from his pocket and stuffed it into Lu Jinyu's mouth. Lu Jinyu's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of his mouth curled up to his ears. He even forgot to remind him that the bus was coming.
When we arrived at school, a thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the open space in front of the teaching building. Several boys were making a snowman, while the girls were taking pictures around them.
Lu Jinyu dragged Xu Yang towards the classroom. When they passed the flower bed, he suddenly stopped and pulled out a small glass bottle from his pocket. "I froze some snow last night and put it in this bottle. Look, does it look like crystal?"
Xu Yang leaned over to take a look. The glass bottle was half filled with snow. The sunlight shone through the glass, and the snowflakes sparkled with tiny light, really looking like tiny crystals.
"It looks good," Xu Yang took the bottle and carefully put it in his schoolbag. "I'm going to keep it well and look at it again in the spring."
Lu Jinyu's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, and he pulled Xu Yang towards the classroom: "Let's go, we'll be late for morning reading class, and I want to memorize English words with you."
During the morning reading class, the class monitor led everyone to memorize words, but Lu Jinyu couldn't help but look at Xu Yang.
Xu Yang was wearing strawberry gloves knitted by his mother and was taking notes with his head down. The sunlight fell on the side of his face, and his eyelashes were covered with some snowflakes that had drifted in from the window, like a layer of broken diamonds.
As Lu Jinyu was reading, he started laughing and even forgot to move the pen in his hand. It was not until the teacher reminded him, "Lu Jinyu, it's your turn to recite the words" that he hurriedly stood up and stumbled through the words. When he sat down, his ears were still red. He secretly handed Xu Yang a note with a small snowman drawn on it and the words "Xu Yang, it's nice to have a snowy day" written next to it.
Xu Yang looked at the crooked words on the note and couldn't help laughing. He drew a strawberry on the back of the note, wrote "It's better with you here", and quietly handed it back.
Lu Jinyu took the note, blushed after taking a look at it, and carefully put the note in his English textbook as if he had hidden a treasure.
In the first math class, the teacher wrote formulas all over the blackboard. Xu Yang listened carefully and occasionally lowered his head to take notes.
Lu Jinyu was a little distracted, his eyes always fixed on Xu Yang's hands - Xu Yang was wearing strawberry gloves, and when he wrote, his fingertips were slightly bent, and the strawberries on the gloves moved with them, which was so cute that he couldn't help laughing.
It was not until the teacher called on him to answer the question that he stood up hurriedly, his mind blank. It was only after Xu Yang quietly reminded him from below that he stumbled over the answer. When he sat down, he did not forget to whisper "thank you" to Xu Yang, and his hand quietly touched his hand under the table.
As soon as the bell rang, Lu Jinyu immediately turned around and took out a small snowball from his schoolbag - it was in a plastic bag and the snow grains were still sparkling.
"I want to build a snowman with you during the break," he said, his eyes full of anticipation. "In the small garden behind the teaching building, there's lots of snow and no one's around. Let's build a big one, bigger than the little one we made this morning."
Xu Yang nodded. Seeing his excited look, his heart softened. He took out a strawberry candy from his pocket, peeled off the candy wrapper and handed it to Lu Jinyu: "Then you eat the candy first, replenish your energy, and have strength to build a snowman later."
Lu Jinyu took the candy and put it in his mouth. It was so sweet that his eyes narrowed.
He looked at Xu Yang and suddenly remembered something. He took out a small camera from his schoolbag - it was a gift from his mother on his birthday. It had a small silver body and a small screen.
"After we finish building the snowman, let's take a picture," he said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I want to take a picture of the snowman we built, and... and of you wearing the strawberry gloves."
Xu Yang smiled and nodded, watching Lu Jinyu happy like a child, his heart filled with happiness. He knew that this winter, because of Lu Jinyu, even the cold snow had become sweet.
During the break, Lu Jinyu pulled Xu Yang to run to the small garden. The snow was still falling, and a layer of snow had accumulated on the branches of the wintersweet in the small garden. The faint fragrance of wintersweet mixed with the crispness of the snow was particularly pleasant.
The two found a place with a lot of snow. Lu Jinyu was responsible for rolling snowballs, and Xu Yang was responsible for finding decorations. He picked up two small red fruits from the flower bed as eyes, found a thin branch as a nose, and took off the small pompom on his scarf to use as a hat for the snowman.
Lu Jinyu rolled two big snowballs, stacked them together, and patted the snowman's belly with his hands. He watched Xu Yang put the small ball of fluff on the snowman's head and couldn't help laughing. "This snowman is wearing a hat just like you. How cute." As he spoke, he took out a camera from his pocket, took a picture of the snowman, and pulled Xu Yang to stand next to the snowman. "Let's take a picture together, okay?"
Xu Yang nodded and leaned against Lu Jinyu. Lu Jinyu's arm rested lightly on his shoulders, and his fingers did not forget to help him brush off the snow on his hair.
The camera clicked, capturing the two people's smiles and the snow in the frame. Lu Jinyu immediately showed the camera to Xu Yang: "Look, is it a good shot? You look so beautiful when you smile, even cuter than a snowman."
Xu Yang looked at himself in the photo with a smile on his lips. Lu Jinyu's head rested lightly on his shoulder, his eyes shining like stars. He suddenly felt fulfilled in his heart.
He returned the camera to Lu Jinyu, leaned over and kissed him gently on the corner of his mouth - the corner of Lu Jinyu's mouth still had the sweetness of strawberry candy, and it instantly became hot. Even the hand holding the camera shook, and the camera almost fell on the snow.
"You... why did you suddenly..." Lu Jinyu's voice was a little shaky, but he still held the camera tightly, looking at Xu Yang with sparkling eyes, "Can we... can we take one more picture?"
Xu Yang smiled and nodded, watching Lu Jinyu hurriedly raise the camera, and couldn't help but move over and kiss him on the cheek.
The camera clicked again, capturing Lu Jinyu's flushed face and the snow all over the sky, becoming the sweetest memory of this winter.
During lunch, Lu Jinyu took Xu Yang to the second floor of the cafeteria and found a seat by the window. Snow was still falling outside the window, dyeing the teaching building in the distance white.
"My mom brought me some sweet and sour pork ribs this morning," Lu Jinyu opened the thermal box, and the sweet aroma of the ribs immediately filled the air. The ribs were bright in color and coated in a thick sweet and sour sauce. "Try it now. My mom said they've been stewed for a long time, so they're super soft. I'm sure you'll like them."
Xu Yang picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of pork ribs. He bit into it and it fell off the bone. The sweetness of the sweet and sour sauce mixed with the aroma of the meat spread in his mouth, and the sweetness was not greasy at all. He watched Lu Jinyu put the best pieces into his own bowl while he ate the vegetables next to it. He couldn't help but pass the ribs to him: "You eat too, don't give it all to me. It's so cold, you need to eat more to keep warm."
Lu Jinyu shook his head, but still opened his mouth and took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up. "My mom put a lot of sugar in it this time. It's even sweeter than the braised pork last time!" He said, and took out a small lunch box from his schoolbag. "There are red bean paste buns in here. My mom just steamed them this morning. They're still hot. Eat one later to fill your stomach."
Xu Yang took the red bean paste bun and took a bite. The sweet and sticky red bean paste spread in his mouth, warming his heart.
He looked at Lu Jinyu sitting opposite him, staring at him with sparkling eyes, and occasionally reaching out to brush off the snow on his clothes. He suddenly felt that this was probably what happiness was - there was someone who kept your preferences in mind, left the best things for you, and gave you full of sweetness and warmth in the cold winter.
The afternoon classes ended quickly. When school was over, the snow had stopped and the sun came out from behind the clouds, making the snow on the ground sparkle like broken diamonds.
Lu Jinyu held Xu Yang's hand and walked towards the bus stop. The shadows of the two were stretched out long by the setting sun. They were pressed tightly together, and the snow made a slight "crunching" sound when they stepped on it.
"I'll be waiting for you under the old locust tree tomorrow morning," Lu Jinyu's voice was filled with anticipation. "I'll ask my mom to make you some sweet soup with your favorite white fungus and lotus seeds, and some red bean paste buns. We'll eat together. By then, I'll also learn how to make porridge myself."
Xu Yang nodded and held Lu Jinyu's hand tighter: "I'll come down early tomorrow and build a bigger snowman with you, okay?"
Lu Jinyu's eyes lit up immediately and he nodded vigorously: "Okay! Let's build a snowman as tall as me and give it a scarf the same color as yours."
When I walked downstairs to Xu Yang's house, the setting sun had dyed half the sky orange-red. The snow on the ground reflected the light, and it was so warm that it made people shiver.
Lu Jinyu took out a small box from his schoolbag and handed it to Xu Yang: "I bought this for you yesterday, open it and take a look."
Xu Yang took the box and opened it. Inside was a small snowman pendant. The snowman's hat was red, the scarf was light gray, and he was holding a small strawberry candy in his hand, exactly the same as the small snowman he had made in the morning.
"Does it look good?" Lu Jinyu's voice was a little nervous. "I went to the stationery store after school yesterday to pick it out. I think it suits you very well."
Xu Yang held the pendant in his hand. The snowman was made of soft material and felt very comfortable to the touch, and his heart was warmed.
He looked up at Lu Jinyu, leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips: "It looks good, I like it very much, thank you, boyfriend."
The tips of Lu Jinyu's ears instantly turned red, but he still held Xu Yang's hand tightly and whispered, "I want to take pictures with you tomorrow, take pictures of the snowman we built, and... and the picture of you wearing strawberry gloves."
Xu Yang smiled and nodded, watching Lu Jinyu happy like a child, his heart filled with happiness. He knew that this winter, because of Lu Jinyu, all the cold turned into warmth, and all the ordinary turned into sweetness.
After returning home, Xu Yang hung the snowman pendant on his schoolbag, took out his physics notebook, opened the last page, and wrote below yesterday's handwriting: "December 11th, it snowed. Lu Jinyu built me a small snowman under the old locust tree and brought me eight-treasure porridge and hot ginger tea. His mother knitted me strawberry gloves with strawberry candies hidden inside, sweet as his kisses. We built a big snowman in the small garden and took photos. He also gave me a snowman pendant. It turns out that when you like someone, you will save all the sweetness for you. I will watch the snow with you, build snowmen with you, and turn the cold winter into a sweet season. I have to go down early tomorrow to build a bigger snowman with him, and tell him that his candies are sweet, his smile is sweet, and I like him very much."
After finishing writing, he closed the wrong answer book, walked to the window, looked at the snow outside dyed orange by the setting sun, and thought that he would see Lu Jinyu tomorrow morning, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
He loves Lu Jinyu, and Lu Jinyu loves him too. They can be entangled with each other until old age, forever.
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