kiss
Wen Sheng walked out of the college entrance examination hall and let out a long breath. The sun was blazing outside, and the cicadas were chirping noisily, but she felt completely relaxed.
She remembered the summer a year ago.
At that time, the auditorium in Cangzhong was brightly lit, and a banner read "Outstanding Graduates Commendation Ceremony".
Xu Jianing, as an outstanding graduate, stood center stage. That year, he was admitted to a key university in the capital with the highest score in the city. And she, as the top student in her second year of high school, was specially arranged by the teachers to sit in the front row to witness this moment.
After the event, they agreed to meet under the old locust tree next to the playground.
A summer breeze rustled through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. He looked down at her and said, "Wen Sheng, you will definitely get through this."
"Yes, you must wait for me."
That year was a summer that belonged to Xu Jianing;
And now, it is Wen Sheng's summer.
After leaving the examination hall, Wen Sheng took the last bus back to the warehouse.
Upon arriving at the school, she did not choose to enter through the main gate, but instead went around to the east wall of the school, where the words "No Climbing" were still prominently printed on the red brick wall.
Practice makes perfect. Wen Sheng stepped on the familiar bluestone and nimbly flipped up. Just as she was about to steady herself and jump down, she suddenly stopped.
Unlike the previous time.
This time, Xu Jianing opened his arms and said to her, "I've finally waited for you."
After a year apart, he had become even more handsome and outstanding, even more so than I remembered.
Wen Sheng jumped down and landed steadily in his arms, where he caught her firmly.
Just as she regained her footing and was about to push him away, he grabbed her hand and they intertwined their fingers.
"Let's go."
Where to?
"The usual place."
After reaching the old locust tree in the warehouse, Xu Jianing let go of her hand, took a box out of his pocket, and handed it over.
Wen Sheng looked up at him in confusion, then looked down and opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a star pendant.
Xu Jianing explained, "This is one of the missing stars that night. The moon said it heard me and asked me to deliver it to you and put it in your pocket."
Wen Sheng stood there, stunned. These were the words she had casually uttered when the four of them were admiring the moon on the playground:
“I wrote to the moon, saying that if it could really hear me, I asked it to pluck a star from the sky and hide it in my pocket. After all, there are so many stars in the sky, one less won’t be noticed.”
Xu Jianing took a notebook out of the upper left pocket of his shirt. The notebook was a bit old, but the cover was clean, showing that its owner had always taken good care of it.
"This is the second gift."
Wen Sheng took it, opened the cover, and asked in confusion, "Isn't this a gift from me?"
She continued flipping through the pages. The once blank pages were now filled with dense handwriting. The date on the first page was September 1989, the day Xu Jianing went to register at the city's high school, which was also the beginning of their separation.
Since then, he has written a little bit almost every day, sometimes a sentence, sometimes a paragraph.
"September 1, 1989. Today I passed by the locust tree in the school cafeteria. Although all locust trees look the same, I always think the old locust tree in Cangzhong is more beautiful."
"On September 2, 1989, I wrote that the old locust tree in Cangzhong was beautiful, but I really can't remember what it looked like. I only remember the people who were with me under the tree."
"On September 3, 1989, the novels in the bookstores near the city's middle school were too expensive, but I had already read most of the novels in the library. Oh well, I'll just borrow a copy of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
"The results of the opening exams on September 4, 1989, are out. Just like with the locust tree, this bulletin board is meaningless, so I'm not going there anymore."
"September 5, 1989. Today is Saturday. Saturday... I should go to sleep."
"On October 8, 1989, I went to buy some things and saw White Rabbit milk candy. Even though I don't like it, I bought it anyway."
"It rained on October 25, 1989. I wonder if she remembered to bring in the blankets this time."
"I'd better buy a smaller umbrella next time; Old Zhang's umbrella is the perfect size."
"November 21, 1989. I was strolling around the city center alone. So this is what cake tastes like. Hers is still the best."
"It snowed on November 25, 1989, Wen Sheng."
"On February 15, 1990, I set up a stall in the city to sell Spring Festival couplets. It's easier to make money from city people. I've already earned enough for my travel expenses in the first year."
"On June 1, 1990, with the college entrance exam approaching, I went to the playground to look at the stars by myself."
"On September 1, 1990, the fare to the capital was more expensive than I had imagined. I still had to find a way to make money."
"September 2, 1990. The capital is a bit dry. I wonder if she'll be able to adapt. Will she go to the same school as me?"
"September 28, 1990: I started taking cold showers more and more often. Remember: I need to control myself."
"On October 15, 1990, I really had a fever. Her method of lowering the fever was still effective."
"Happy birthday, Wen Sheng, June 26, 1991."
"July 9, 1991. Today, I finally met the person I love."
Wen Sheng turned the pages one by one, already sobbing uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, landing right on the last line of text, blurring the words "I waited for the person I love" into a hazy mess.
He wrote down his longing, filling the entire notebook.
Xu Jianing reached out to wipe away her tears and whispered, "I told you, you will get through this."
“Xu Jianing,” Wen Sheng suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?" He leaned down, his gaze level with hers.
Wen Sheng suddenly stood on tiptoe, her eyes still glistening with tears, and leaned close to him, gently placing a kiss on the corner of his lips.
“You can include it in the second book.”
She was about to step back when Xu Jianing suddenly grabbed her wrist. The boy tilted his head slightly, clumsily and eagerly chasing after her, awkwardly deepening that shallow kiss.
Because of a lack of experience, even after rehearsing countless times in my mind, I still felt flustered and overwhelmed when I actually did it.
He forgot how to avoid the angle, and as a result, their noses collided head-on, causing both of them to cry out in pain.
Wen Sheng laughed out loud, and was about to tease him when her lips were covered by his.
Xu Jianing held her waist with both hands to prevent her from losing her balance. They were both novices, but they still kissed passionately and reluctantly.
"Why are you sticking your tongue out!" Wen Sheng complained softly while catching her breath.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to..." Xu Jianing said hurriedly.
Just as Wen Sheng was about to laugh, he kissed her again. One kiss after another, he wouldn't stop, chasing her breath little by little.
She pushed him away slightly, but he caught up with her again. Finally, she closed her eyes and let herself be immersed in the sudden embrace and kiss.
The old locust tree in the warehouse witnessed their beginning and their first love. This time, their shadows were no longer misaligned and overlapping, but truly locked in a tight embrace.
A new story has begun.
—
On the day the college entrance examination results were released, the two walked hand in hand to the bulletin board in the warehouse.
When Wen Sheng saw her results, she felt surprisingly calm. She could finally take the train out to see the world, just like the girl from the next village.
On the contrary, Xu Jianing was very nervous, and his hand holding hers was sweating.
He knew that with Wen Sheng's grades, she could attend any top university in the capital. But it was precisely because there were so many choices that he was nervous.
What if they don't attend the same school?
Xu Jianing began introducing his school like a salesperson.
"Wen Sheng, would you like to consider the university I'm attending? It's one of the top two universities in the country, with excellent faculty and environment. Whether you continue your studies or find employment in the future, you'll have a great advantage."
Seeing that she didn't respond immediately, he quickly added, "And the library is incredibly large, with a huge collection of books. There are many canteens, each with three floors, and the food is especially delicious, great value for money, and they even have Western food."
He became increasingly unsure of himself as he spoke, and finally, he cautiously revealed his true intentions:
"Most importantly... we can still be in the same university."
Wen Sheng said, "Okay, I understand. I'll think about it carefully."
The short sentence contained neither a clear agreement nor a direct refusal; it was a vague, perfunctory statement, or even a consolation.
Moreover, they weren't even from the same village, and they didn't have telephones at home. Aside from occasionally sending messages through intermediaries, they had virtually no way to stay in touch.
She wouldn't tell him, and there was nothing he could do.
Xu Jianing's eyes darkened, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pressing her against the rough trunk of the old locust tree and kissing her. His other hand instinctively braced between her back and the trunk, protecting her from being hurt by the impact.
Before Wen Sheng could even be surprised, he lowered his head and blocked her breath. She was trapped under the tree, the fragrance of locust leaves and his scent lingering around her nose.
During the period leading up to the release of the results, the school didn't rush the senior students to leave, and Xu Jianing came to meet her every day.
Before each separation, Xu Jianing would lower his head and kiss her, even if it was just a light touch.
At first, Wen Sheng would shyly refuse, but later she learned to take the initiative to respond, and even whispered teasingly in his ear: "Your kissing skills have improved again."
From initial clumsiness to later finding each other's rhythm skillfully; from tentative pecks to gradually deepening into French kisses.
As their lips mingled, Xu Jianing held her waist and asked again, "You really won't tell me?"
Wen Sheng's eyes were slightly red. She patted his shoulder weakly and shook her head with a smile: "I really won't tell you."
When Xu Jianing packed his bags and boarded the train heading north, he still didn't know which school Wen Sheng had applied to, let alone what major she had chosen.
The capital city is so big, with countless schools and a wide variety of majors. If they weren't in the same school, he felt he could barely manage; but if they weren't in the same district, he would truly be driven crazy.
On the day of freshman registration, the school gate was packed with people.
Xu Jianing originally wanted to sleep in the dormitory, but the counselor dragged her to the volunteer group to help freshmen move their luggage. She even had to tie a red ribbon to her sleeve.
He repeated the same actions from morning till night, mechanically taking the suitcase and delivering it to the designated location, his mind elsewhere all day.
Until he heard a voice.
"Excuse me, senior, how do I get to the freshman registration office?"
Xu Jianing suddenly looked up and saw Wen Sheng dragging a suitcase and smiling at him.
He instinctively ran over, took her luggage with one hand, and naturally took her hand with the other.
Wen Sheng pretended to break free: "Oh, senior, this isn't a good idea! I have a boyfriend, what if he sees this?"
Xu Jianing chuckled softly, tightened her grip on his hand, and pried open his fingers to interlock them.
"No way, I've waited so long for you."
He wouldn't let go, even if it was just an act.
Seeing that he wasn't cooperating, Wen Sheng gave up on acting and let him hold her hand.
The old locust tree in the warehouse witnessed their beginning, and a new story finally begins here.
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