Polaroid camera
The two decided to eat at Pizza Hut. The nearest Pizza Hut was on the third floor of the mall. As they took the escalator to the second floor, Ruan Xiyan caught a glimpse of a Polaroid camera shop next door. He suggested, "Shall we take a picture?"
"We just took photos, do you want them again?"
"We finally got out here, let's take some pictures." Ruan Xiyan had already walked over. Inside the Polaroid shop, the shelves were filled with all sorts of dolls and trinkets, Sanrio, Kikawa, Disney dolls... It was like accidentally entering a much larger Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
When the staff saw customers arrive, they enthusiastically explained the package pricing details: "Three for thirty-nine, five for fifty-nine, nine for ninety-nine. The regular themed rooms here are free, but the Sanrio co-branded ones will cost an extra ten yuan." A bit pricey, Lu Er glanced at Ruan Xiyan, but he readily agreed, "Three, please."
Noticing Lu Er's gaze, he chuckled softly as he picked out a themed room and said to her, "Actually, it's cheaper than what we did at the amusement park. Teacher Lu, it's rare for you to come and play with me like this, so you can keep a Polaroid photo, okay?"
There was nothing Lu Er could do; she was just accompanying him and could only let this young master do as he pleased. Ruan Xiyan had just whispered in her ear, and Lu Er felt a little uncomfortable as she reached out and rubbed her ear.
After consulting Lu Er's opinion, the two chose a room themed around Hello Kitty, Jiyikawa, and a Christmas tree. Ruan Xiyan picked out a plush toy to hug, then turned around and saw Lu Er sitting there without anything, so she casually grabbed a pair of pink cat-ear headphones and put them on her.
His movements were so natural, as if he were doing it to his own sister, that Lu Er froze for two seconds.
"Miss, you're so pretty, give me a smile. Look at the guy next to you, he's smiling so happily." The shop assistant holding the Polaroid camera said. Upon hearing this, Lu Er became even more nervous, her lips pursed slightly, and then she forced a smile.
The shop assistant was dissatisfied no matter how she looked at the photos. She advised Lu Er, "Relax, be natural. This isn't your first time taking photos, is it? Why do you smile so stiffly?"
The shop assistant's words were a bit tactless. Ruan Xiyan smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "She's always like this, it's okay, go ahead and take the picture."
As Ruan Xiyan pressed the shutter, her arm wrapped around Lu Er's slender right shoulder, stopping at a comfortable distance on her left shoulder, and she flashed a peace sign. In the photo, Lu Er smiled at the camera, a little reserved.
The next scene is Jiyikawa. As Lu'er was choosing a hairband, her eyes suddenly blurred, and the thing she was holding in her hand turned into a Xiaoba doll.
The shop assistant looked out the small window and said, "It's raining."
After much deliberation, Ruan Xiyan finally picked out a hat with a flat Usachi head design, its two rabbit ears standing up like antennas. He always seemed to be able to find the perfect one for himself.
"Okay, okay." Ruan Xiyan sat back down next to her excitedly and pulled the Ji Yi doll next to her to hug.
The shop assistant pointed her eyes at the Polaroid camera and looked at the image on the lens. She wondered to herself, "Why is it that the boy isn't smiling and the girl is smiling now?"
It's like the two of them have switched places.
-
Ruan Xiyan temporarily kept the Polaroid photos in Lu Er's crossbody bag, while he kept the three from the amusement park. After eating at Bike Sang, Ruan Xiyan went to the automatic ticket machine to get his ticket, scanned the code, and then came back to give one to Lu Er.
After the staff tore off the corner of the ticket, Lu Er followed Ruan Xiyan into the theater. Holding the ticket stub in her hand, Lu Er thought for a moment, then carefully put it inside her pocket.
Ruan Xiyan and Lu Er chose a seat right in the middle, with a good view, except that leaving early would be slightly inconvenient. A few seconds after Lu Er sat down, Ruan Xiyan handed him a can of orange soda. Lu Er glanced over and saw that he had also taken out a large bucket of popcorn.
Lu Er laughed: "Can you finish this?" They had just eaten.
Ruan Xiyan said matter-of-factly, "How can we watch a movie without these? It's not just me eating, you eat too, and we'll finish it all."
People gradually took their seats, and as the movie began, the surrounding noise slowly subsided. The movie was titled "My Family Runs a Zoo," and as the title suggests, it's about a family that runs a zoo.
The protagonist, Benjamin, is devastated by the loss of his wife and reluctantly returns home to care for his children. However, his son is rebellious and degenerate, getting expelled from school for stealing money, and his youngest daughter becomes depressed after her mother's death. He moves to a new house and takes over a struggling zoo next door.
The film has an overall inspirational and heartwarming tone, making it suitable for watching on a not-too-cold rainy day.
Lu Er stared intently at the screen. The movie was about Benjamin and his brother discussing what to do with the money his wife had left behind.
Benjamin's brother urged him to give up the zoo and use the money to take the children back home and start a new life. While Benjamin hesitated, he found his wife's letter underneath. After reading it, which encouraged him to follow his heart, he decided to stay.
“Dylan will probably end up with Lily,” Ruan Xiyan said. Dylan is Benjamin’s son.
The plot development was obvious. Lu Er replied, "It's a redemption story. But the romance won't be that smooth; there will be at least a minor hiccup."
Ruan Xiyan chuckled: "I bet Lily confessed first."
"I think it's Dylan."
Ruan Xiyan looked up and met her gaze. He raised an eyebrow: "Then take a guess?"
“Okay,” Lu Er agreed.
The two continued watching the movie. Lu Er was engrossed in it when Ruan Xiyan suddenly placed the popcorn bucket on her lap and said he needed to use the restroom. Lu Er helped him with his bag and continued watching the movie.
About five minutes later, Ruan Xiyan returned. He sat in a chair but didn't retrieve the bucket of popcorn. He remained seated, his ten fingers clenched into fists in anxiety, then relaxed again.
After a moment, Lu Er saw his head lean closer, his voice barely audible: "...Your period seems to be coming."
Lu Er didn't hear clearly and turned her face away: "What?"
Ruan Xiyan's face turned very red, a red so deep it looked like blood could drip from it.
He stammered, avoiding eye contact with her, gesturing wildly in the air as if searching for an adjective, but ultimately failing, his hands fell limply to his sides: "...I said, you, you seem to be, born..."
His last words were mumbled between his lips, but Lu Er understood them.
"..."
It was like a bolt from the blue. Lu Er's mind raced as she thought, realizing her period was also around these few days. She had considered this possibility before, and was relieved that it wouldn't coincide with Ruan Xiyan's. Little did she know that today, by sheer coincidence, her period arrived during the time when Ruan Xiyan was her.
After a flurry of mixed emotions, Lu Er calmed down and said, "...Let's go out first."
These days, no one cares how awkward it is for teenage girls and boys to talk about such private matters. Lu Er led Ruan Xiyan straight into a nearby supermarket.
She went straight to the sanitary napkin section, ignoring the salesperson's inquisitive gaze, and chose two brands she usually used. She paid and handed them to Ruan Xiyan, glancing down at him: "Do you know how to use them?"
"..." Ruan Xiyan's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. If he had a hole in his head, smoke would be constantly spewing out from it right now.
He shook his head. Lu Er imitated it for him in the air, but seeing that Ruan Xiyan still looked confused, he had no choice but to go back to the supermarket, borrow a pair of women's underwear and explain to him: "Take it apart and stick these two sides here."
Ruan Xiyan went into the restroom, while Lu Er stood outside, her heart numb to the point of despair. She and Ruan Xiyan had swapped souls; what privacy could they possibly have left? Lu Er had come to terms with it.
-
When Ruan Xiyan came out, her face had returned to its normal color. After all that, neither Lu Er nor Ruan Xiyan had any interest in watching the movie.
On the way back, the sun was shining brightly, and the bright sunlight felt like a warm blanket. Passing by a coffee shop, the glass reflected the bright shadows of the two people, one tall and one short.
But after walking a few dozen steps, it started raining again.
The sun shower poured down relentlessly on every pedestrian, like a mischievous boy. Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan, seeking shelter, ran to the eaves of a shop.
“…What bad luck.” Ruan Xiyan raised his baseball cap slightly, letting the sunlight and rain stream into his vision. He silently put it back on, his hand clutching the back of his neck, where an unnatural heat seemed to emanate. He pinched it.
Lu Er, clutching her handbag, seemed more composed than Ruan Xiyan: "The sun shower stopped relatively quickly. If it had been a heavy rain, we might have had to wait longer." She thought of something and looked up at Ruan Xiyan, "The kitten probably needs its stitches removed, right? Should I come to your house to take it home tomorrow or some other day?"
"..." Ruan Xiyan originally wanted to say that she would take it with her, but thinking that she would probably not agree, she changed her mind and said, "Tomorrow, you come to my house tomorrow, and we will go together after you finish your tutoring."
Lu Er nodded and agreed.
The rain was still falling, and the eaves were too narrow for the two of them to stand comfortably. The shop owner, a young woman, saw them seeking shelter from the rain and gently invited them in, saying, "Come in, take shelter. There's no one else in my shop." Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan entered and realized it was a piano shop.
A black and white piano stood beside the shop entrance. A breeze blew in through the half-open blinds, and several potted pine trees and succulents swayed and bobbed on the piano lid. Seeing Lu Er staring intently at the piano, her older sister raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can you play?"
“I learned a little bit a long time ago,” Lu Er said. Ruan Xiyan, who had just taken off her baseball cap, also looked at her when she heard this.
The older sister generously opened the piano lid: "Why don't you play it for us? This piano is for guests to try out."
Lu Er didn't refuse; she sat down. The rain had stopped, and wheat-colored sunlight streamed through the window.
She tapped her ten fingers on the black and white keys, slowly and deliberately. The notes seemed to be smashed out of her hands, lingering around the piano.
Lu Er lowered her eyes slightly, and Ruan Xiyan leaned down a little to look at her from the side. She could see Lu Er's delicate upper eyelashes, and her eyes looked like they were filled with water, making the skin around her eyes appear white and translucent.
Suddenly, Ruan Xiyan's Adam's apple bobbed.
Lu Er played "Für Elise," a not-too-difficult piece, and her sister still applauded her, saying, "Very good. How long ago did you play this? It's quite good to be at this level."
“Eight years ago,” Lu Er thought for a moment and said, “it was my father who taught me.”
Lu Zhan was able to win over Xu Qingri not only because of his sweet talk and charming words, but also because he had studied piano for several years. During a romantic candlelight dinner, he played a piece on the piano, thus capturing Xu Qingri's heart.
During the time Lu Zhan kept Lu Er by his side, he would occasionally teach her to play the piano. After eight years, Lu Er hadn't touched the piano again, but today she tried it again and surprisingly found it quite easy.
Lu Er thanked her sister, turned to look out the window, and called to Ruan Xiyan, "Let's go back."
"Ah, okay."
Ruan Xiyan seemed stunned for a while. He put on his baseball cap and followed Lu Er out of the piano store.
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