Chapter 65 Ending
A year and a half later.
Mid-June is the time when college entrance examination results are released across the country. As soon as the results were announced, all the teachers and students of Wenhua No. 1 Middle School were excited, because this year's senior class had two provincial top scorers in science, which was unprecedented.
One is Lin Qinhe from this province, and the other is Taoxi from the southwestern province.
But strictly speaking, Tao Xi should be a student of Qingshui County No. 1 Middle School. He came to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School to "study abroad" for two years because of the remote live broadcast project. In the end, he naturally returned to his original place of origin for the college entrance examination.
“Isn’t that still how he was taught at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School?” Faced with the controversy, the principal of Wenhua No. 1 Middle School made the final decision.
So two top-scoring banners were hung at the gate of Wenhua No. 1 Middle School, and on both sides of the gate there were big red display stands with photos of the two people printed on them. In the center, there were two big red words "Congratulations" in bold black font. Someone said that this looked too much like a balloon gate for a newlywed couple, and Tao Xi was embarrassed to go to school during that period of time.
Reporters from various media outlets and admissions offices of prestigious schools flocked to the school, but after searching the entire school for a long time they couldn't find anyone. It was only then that they learned from the beaming head teacher Zhou Qiang that the two top scorers had already applied to the world's top universities, one to study art and the other mathematics, both on the west coast across the ocean.
At the same time, the Fang family held a lively graduation banquet for Tao Xi. All the relatives and friends who had been in and out of contact for many years were invited. Tao Xi's background had been announced at a private banquet last year, and it was discussed and sighed for a long time. Now everyone has accepted it, and they only sigh that it has not been easy for the Fang family. Fortunately, the grandson they welcomed home did not bring disgrace to the family's scholarly family.
At that time, Tao Xi did not take the gossip of those relatives to heart, but his life experience made Qiao Henian feel deeply moved. Fang Hui was once his proudest female student, and her biological son also became his student by accident. He had to sigh at the wonder of fate. When Qiao Yitang found out about this, he got crazy and said he wanted to write down this story which was as cliché as a 8 o'clock drama, but Tao Xi flatly rejected it.
When Tao Xi came back from a whole day of banquet, she was exhausted and her face was stiff from smiling. She even had to be carried to take a shower by Lin Qinhe.
"I envy you. You only have a simple family dinner, unlike me who is watched by so many people like an exhibit." Tao Xi stood in the bathroom with his eyes closed, his forehead resting on Lin Qinhe's shoulder, letting Lin Qinhe's hands rub foam on his body.
In fact, he understood why Fang Zuqing wanted to invite so many people. He was simply afraid that some people didn't know that his grandson had returned, and was worried that he would feel that he was not accepted or recognized.
Lin Qinhe looked at the "exhibit" in front of him that was covered with white foam, raised his hand to wipe the foam off Tao Xi's collarbone, and asked casually: "Did you have dinner tonight?"
"No." Tao Xi shook his head and sighed for a long time. "My relatives kept asking me questions, asking me why I was so good at studying and if they could borrow my notes. I felt like I could open a tutoring class and then bring you in. I could name it the top-ranking tutoring class and I'm sure I could make a lot of money."
Lin Qinhe laughed. Tao Xi was not short of money now, but maybe he was afraid of being short of money in the past. Every time he talked about making money, he was very knowledgeable.
"Oh, I really think I can make one." Tao Xi became excited with the idea.
"I don't teach others." Lin Qinhe said in a noble tone.
"Oh, Teacher Lin is only my teacher." Tao Xi smiled with curved eyes.
After taking a shower, Tao Xi was dried by Lin Qinhe and wrapped in a bath towel. He realized something was wrong and quickly held Lin Qinhe's hand, shaking his head and saying, "I'm so tired today and I don't have much energy left."
Lin Qinhe raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you need your strength?"
Tao Xi was speechless and could only blush and say, "I have to go out tomorrow and I haven't packed my luggage yet."
Lin Qinhe finally let him go, put pajamas on him, and just bit his lips hard.
Tao Xi walked into the bedroom and found the newly bought lubricant in the bedside table. The blush on his face spread to his neck. He remembered that the first time he was with Lin Qinhe was on his eighteenth birthday. They also had a grand birthday party at his grandfather's house. The experience after returning home that night completely overturned his perception of life.
Well, although he had tasted the sweetness of it, it was the critical period of senior year in high school after all, so he and Lin Qinhe resisted the urge to do much.
Tao Xi shook his head, cleared the images in his mind, and hurried to pack his luggage with Lin Qinhe.
They are going to Qingshui County tomorrow. Not only did Wenhua No. 1 Middle School feel delighted about Taoxi's provincial top scorer, but Qingshui No. 1 Middle School was even more ecstatic. The principal had been setting off firecrackers at the school gate all day long, and the scene was probably even more lively than that of Wenhua No. 1 Middle School.
This event coincides with the celebration of the two-year anniversary of the remote live broadcast project. Taoxi's class is the first graduating class of senior high school since Qingshui No. 1 Middle School adopted remote live broadcast classrooms. I heard that many students in this class were admitted to key universities, including several major universities, which made the leaders of Qingshui County government proud. It will be promoted throughout the province as a typical example of education poverty alleviation.
In addition to this matter, he also had to deal with the matter of transferring his household registration when he returned this time. He was busy studying before and had not transferred his household registration back. Yang Zhengming did not say anything about transferring Taoxi's household registration back to the Fang family. He just said that it would be fine to transfer it back.
It was only ten o'clock when the two of them finished packing their luggage. Tao Xi went to open the gifts for his studies given to him by his grandparents and Yang Zhengming. His grandparents gave him a painting that he had wanted for a long time. It was a painting by a famous foreign landscape painter, and it was not easy to get it.
Yang Zhengming gave him a sports car. Tao Xi was speechless looking at the car keys. He didn't even have a driver's license and was going abroad to study soon. Was he going to just leave the car to gather dust? He recalled that on his 18th birthday last year, Yang Zhengming gave him an apartment and a book called "How to Balance Premature Love and Studying", which he has never opened.
Does he need to make a trade-off? He wants both studying and falling in love early.
As expected, Tao Xi found another book in Yang Zhengming's gift box. The title of the book was "Things Adults Must Know". Just by looking at the cover, you can tell that it is about that kind of thing.
He was about to throw the book away as if it were hot, but Lin Qinhe took it, flipped it open and glanced at it, and said indifferently: "Uncle Yang also gave me a book last year."
"What book?" Tao Xi asked in surprise.
Lin Qinhe's expression was a bit indescribable, and he said, "How to Become a Responsible Man."
“…”
Tao Xi quickly skipped this topic and asked Lin Qinhe: "When will Luo's mother return home?"
Lin Qinhe put down the book that was not suitable for children and said, "The flight is next Tuesday."
Luo Zhengyin gradually walked out of the shackles she had set for herself. She divorced Lin Zeshi and became the talented female pianist again. In the past six months, she has been participating in piano performances all over the world. Every time she arrives in a city, she will send two postcards to Tao Xi and Lin Qinhe, telling them about the scenery there and letting them have the chance to visit in the future.
"That's a good thing since we're back now. We can have a meal together," Tao Xi said.
Lin Qinhe said "hmm".
"It's a pity that my sister has to take the high school entrance exam and can't go out to play with me." Tao Xi said regretfully.
"After she finishes her high school entrance exam, you can take her out for a trip." Lin Qinhe said as he helped Tao Xi put away the gifts.
Tao Xi didn't know what she was thinking about, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She shook her head and said, "She said she didn't want to be a light bulb and planned to go to summer camp with her classmates."
Tao Le transferred here in the second year of junior high school and attended a boarding school. She would come here to stay during the holidays. The little girl came to the big city to broaden her horizons. I don’t know what she saw, but one day she whispered to Tao Xi, "Brother, is Qinhe my sister-in-law?" He told Lin Qinhe about Tao Xile several times, and ended up being scolded by Tao Xile's sister-in-law in bed that night.
After packing up and looking at the gifts, Tao Xi jumped onto Lin Qinhe and was hugged skillfully. He leaned his head on Lin Qinhe's shoulder, yawned and said, "Go to bed. You have to get up early tomorrow."
Lin Qinhe carried Tao Xi to the bedroom.
"By the way, Grandpa Lin didn't say anything to you about going to the family dinner this time, right?" Tao Xi suddenly remembered this and asked quickly.
"No." Lin Qinhe put Tao Xi on the bed and said, "He asked you to go to the family dinner next time."
Tao Xi straightened up from the bed, his eyes full of disbelief and joy: "Grandpa Lin doesn't object to us anymore?"
Lin Qinhe was somewhat helpless when he heard this, and said, "Grandpa didn't object to it in the first place."
"Does this mean you completely agree?" Tao Xi couldn't help but pounce on Lin Qinhe, hugged his neck and asked.
Lin Qinhe leaned back, put his arms around Tao Xi's waist on the bed, and said "hmm" with a smile.
Their relationship was discovered by their family in the second semester of their senior year of high school. In fact, it was difficult to keep it secret since they lived together and went in and out together every day.
The first ones to know about it were the two elders of the Fang family. Fang Zuqing reacted a little strongly at first. It was not that he thought Lin Qinhe was a bad person, but that Tao Xi was still young and should not embark on a difficult road so early. But then Ye Yurong cried and asked, "Do you still want to see him go down your daughter's path again?", which made Fang Zuqing completely silent.
Soon after, Lin Qinhe's grandfather Lin Weiliang also found out. This old man who had been in a high position for a long time and was old-fashioned and conservative was not so easy to compromise. He was very furious and threatened to let Lin Qinhe transfer to another school. Seeing that Lin Weiliang disagreed, Fang Zuqing, who was very protective of his grandson, could not sit still. He felt that his grandson was looked down upon, so he immediately went to the Lin family to argue with this old friend of many years. Lin Qinhe's father Lin Zeshi also tried to persuade him, saying that his life was not fulfilled and he did not want to see his son like that.
But in the end, Lin Qinhe went to his grandfather's house by himself, and the grandfather and grandson had a long talk all night. It was not known what Lin Qinhe said, but Grandpa Lin's attitude softened. At least he did not let Lin Qinhe transfer schools, and he turned a blind eye to the fact that the two lived together.
Now he took the initiative to suggest that Tao Xi attend the Lin family's family dinner, it seems that he really agreed.
After hearing such good news, Tao Xi was no longer sleepy. He sat astride Lin Qinhe's legs and was about to discuss with Lin Qinhe the precautions for the Lin family's family dinner, but before he could open his mouth, he was pressed down on the bed by Lin Qinhe.
Lin Qinhe held his hand, leaned over and looked at him at a very close distance, his breath lingering, his voice low and hoarse: "Are you really not going to do anything tonight?"
Tao Xi raised her neck, kissed Lin Qinhe lightly on the lips, and answered his question.
The new thing in the bedside table finally came in handy.
Early the next morning, the two rushed to catch the plane. After arriving at their destination, they took a long and winding car ride to Qingshui County. It was almost evening when they arrived.
They arrived at Qingshui No. 1 Middle School but did not disturb the teachers. The big red banner with the words "Provincial Champion" on the school gate was still fluttering in the wind. Tao Xi led Lin Qinhe into the campus with familiarity. It was not summer vacation yet and there were students in every classroom. The sounds of reading and listening to English could be heard faintly.
The two of them stood quietly in the twilight outside the teaching building. Tao Xi pointed to a classroom on the second floor and said to Lin Qinhe, "I was in this classroom during my freshman year of high school. It was facing west and there was no air conditioning. It was so hot every day."
Lin Qinhe looked up at the classroom and could only see the colorful sunset clouds on the window glass, like an oil painting.
Two years ago, his Tao Xi spent the cold and hot summers in this classroom and wrote letters to him.
"All classrooms will be equipped with air conditioners this summer." Lin Qinhe said that Qingshui No. 1 Middle School received funds from the government and also received support from the Lin family's industries.
"That's great! Why didn't I catch up?" Tao Xi exclaimed enviously.
The two stayed in a hotel in the county town for one night. The next day, Tao Xi took Lin Qinhe to his hometown, Taoxi Bay.
It was the busy farming season, and the villagers were busy planting late rice in the fields. An aunt who was planting rice recognized Tao Xi on the ridge of the field. The story of the Tao family's children being swapped had already spread throughout the village, but she had watched Tao Xi grow up and still cared about her like all the elders, asking about her, praising Tao Xi for his achievements and bringing honor to Taoxi Bay.
After talking to the aunt for a few words, Tao Xi took Lin Qinhe up the mountain, pointing at the mountain streams, the chirping of insects in the forest, the smoke from the roofs... and recounted interesting stories from his childhood in detail. Lin Qinhe listened carefully and walked along the way through the place where Tao Xi had lived.
Returning to Taoxi Bay again, Tao Xi's mood has completely changed. He used to think of this place as his hometown, where his innocent and cheerful footprints were everywhere. Later, this place became his prison, where the rolling mountains turned into impassable thorny fences. Now, this place is just a small punctuation in his long life, the side of a sunken boat that has sailed past thousands of ships, and once he crosses over it, he will cross it forever.
Just like the name he did not want to change, it was the indelible mark of fate in his life, a cup of bitter tea that had tormented him and also nourished him. After enduring the initial bitterness, only the lingering sweetness remained.
The two wandered aimlessly in the mountains, and on their way back they passed by a farmhouse with black tiles and white walls halfway up the mountain. The house seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time, with the shabby wooden door tightly closed, a lot of weeds growing on the ground, and broken spider silk tangle under the eaves.
Tao Xi stopped and looked over, and Lin Qinhe knew that this should be where Tao Xi used to live.
"In the past, I usually dried the tea in this Taoist temple at this time. I would collect the tea in the evening and continue drying it the next day." Tao Xi pointed to the Taoist temple covered with grass and said to Lin Qinhe.
Lin Qinhe didn't quite understand this, so he just asked, "Have you ever drunk the tea you dried yourself?"
Tao Xi laughed and said, "You probably don't know this. After drying the tea, you can't just brew it and drink it. You have to go to the tea factory to stir-fry it."
Lin Qinhe raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
The two turned around and left the deserted old house. Tao Xi suddenly grabbed Lin Qinhe's arm, shook it gently and said, "What should I do? I can't walk anymore."
Lin Qinhe glanced at Tao Xi's hand, with a smile on his face, and said, "Didn't you say you're good at climbing mountains?"
Having said that, he still bent down, lifted Tao Xi's legs and carried him on his back, then continued walking down the mountain with steady steps.
The sun was shining brightly in the mountains, and the breeze was not noisy. Tao Xi held a dogtail grass in his hand, rested his chin on Lin Qinhe's shoulder, and quietly used the dogtail grass to tickle Lin Qinhe. He only became obedient after his thigh was pinched hard.
In fact, he was not tired, but suddenly remembered that a long time ago, he seemed to have longed for a tall figure to carry him on his back, over the mountains, across the rivers, and take him to the other side of the mountains.
So I did it childishly.
On the third day, the two could no longer travel around because Qingshui No. 1 Middle School was scheduled to hold a two-year anniversary celebration and commendation meeting for the remote classroom live broadcast project that morning.
The celebration was a grand occasion, with guests including city leaders, Wenhua No. 1 Middle School leaders, representatives from the Lin Group which founded the project, and of course Taoxi, the first provincial champion in Qingshui County and even the entire city.
Early in the morning, Tao Xi brought the top scorer's family representative Lin Qinhe to report to Qingshui No. 1 Middle School. They were welcomed and applauded by the extremely enthusiastic teachers and students of their alma mater. Tao Xi felt that the only thing he lacked was a big red flower on his chest and riding a horse.
He met his teacher whom he had not seen for a long time. Feng Yuan, the head teacher who had taken an overnight train to send him to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School with many bags, was obviously very happy to see him, but his eyes were red. He patted Tao Xi's shoulder hard, praised him for becoming confident and cheerful, and told him to continue studying hard and not to come back to the mountains.
When teacher and student met, Tao Xi couldn't help feeling a little sad. After chatting with the teacher for a while, he went to the lecture hall to attend the meeting.
Because he was going to speak later, he was arranged to sit on the side of the podium in the lecture hall, while Lin Qinhe sat in the audience seats below. However, due to his outstanding appearance, Tao Xi saw that the girls in the audience all stretched their necks to look at Lin Qinhe.
Tao Xi was sitting next to an acquaintance, Su Yun, the secretary of the Lin family. Su Yun had been in charge of following up the remote classroom project. This time, she was attending the conference on behalf of the Lin Group. The two exchanged greetings for a while, and the conference began with a speech by the principal of Qingshui No. 1 Middle School.
The leaders and representatives took turns to speak on stage, each of them made impassioned speeches. Tao Xi felt a little bored, so he quietly chatted with Lin Qinhe on his mobile phone about random things.
But soon it was his turn to give a speech. When the host said, "Now, please welcome our province's top scorer in science this year, Tao Xi, a student of the first live rocket class of Qingshui No. 1 Middle School, to speak," the entire lecture hall suddenly erupted in thunderous applause, and many students even stood up and cheered loudly.
Tao Xi felt flattered. He didn't expect that he was so popular. He stood up and walked to the center of the podium amid thunderous applause. He adjusted the microphone and looked at the students who were gradually quieting down. They were looking at him with eyes full of expectation and admiration.
At that moment he suddenly remembered himself two years ago, sitting in the shabby classroom of Qingshui No. 1 Middle School, looking up at Lin Qinhe who was thousands of miles away on the screen with such a warm, bright and hopeful gaze.
At this moment, Lin Qinhe was sitting in the audience, looking at him tenderly.
His eyes suddenly felt warm, he took a deep breath, and began his well-prepared speech into the microphone. He did not use flowery words, nor did he quote from classics, but simply narrated his own experiences, telling these students who were as young as he was in the past, that he had also been confused and lost, but as long as he had something firm in his heart, he could see the way forward clearly and move forward with the wind.
At the end of his speech, he gave his blessing to the students of Qingshui First Middle School:
“I hope you will not forget to look up at the moon in the sky when you bow your head to study. I hope you can find your own moon like me, and on the way to it, you will find that you can also shine.”
Tao Xi returned to his seat amidst even more enthusiastic applause. After sitting down, he was still a little emotional. Su Yun smiled and praised him, "You spoke very well. I have been working for so many years, but now I feel like I am back in my senior year of high school. I also want to work hard to study hard."
Tao Xi just smiled.
The next part of the conference was the commendation session. Starting this year, the top three students in Qingshui County's final joint examination will be awarded to study at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School. At this time, the three awarded students were taking turns to go on stage to give their speeches, and each of them looked very excited.
Tao Xi looked at the students on the stage and couldn't help but whisper to Su Yun beside her: "They are all very lucky. Like me, they can encounter such a good project and have such a rare opportunity."
Only when you throw a rope into a deep well will the people at the bottom of the well climb out. These students from the mountains should grab this rope and go to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School to study, just like he did in the past. Perhaps they can completely change their destiny.
"They have to thank you for their luck." Su Yun said with a smile.
Tao Xi was stunned for two seconds, not understanding what Su Yun meant, and asked, "This is the ranking they got by studying hard, why should they thank me?"
Su Yun looked at Tao Xi in astonishment and said, "Don't you know yet?"
"Know what?" Tao Xi's eyes were blurred.
Su Yun seemed to feel that she had said something wrong, and she couldn't help but look down at the audience. Even though the auditorium was packed, she could still find Lin Qinhe at a glance. The male teacher next to him was talking to him.
She didn't plan to say anything, but Tao Xi kept asking, "What do you know?"
Su Yun thought it would be okay to say it again, so she whispered to Tao Xi, "If it weren't for you, our group wouldn't have had the system of rewarding the first place in Qingshui County to study at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School. You were the first one, and it's because of you that we have the current follow-up."
As if he had a premonition, Tao Xi suddenly felt his heart beating wildly. He still looked confused: "What do you mean if it wasn't for me?"
Isn’t this the public welfare education program designed by the Lin family from the beginning?
As early as the year before last, Tao Xi had learned from his grandfather that the distance learning program that had enabled him to study at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School was founded by Lin Qinhe's father, Lin Zeshi. In order to repay his grandfather, he even told Lin Zeshi that Tao Xi should recognize Lin Zeshi as his godfather. Lin Zeshi smiled and said no need, as Tao Xi would be his son after all. His grandfather, who didn't know the truth at that time, was a little puzzled when he heard this.
When Tao Xi found out about this, he was shocked and emotional for a long time. It turned out that the white-haired old man who had sponsored him was actually Lin Qinhe's father. He even said to Lin Qinhe in a cheeky manner, "Look, God and your father have arranged for us to be together." At that time, Lin Qinhe nodded and said that you are lucky. He said of course, how could he come here if he was not lucky.
At this moment, as the sound of the lecture hall echoed like a heartbeat in his chest, he heard Su Yun say to him, "This award to send the first place student to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School was arranged by Qin He. At that time, I didn't know what he meant. Later, he always asked me to show him your monthly test scores in Qingshui County. Then I realized that this award was designed specifically for you."
"But it's also because you're smart and work hard enough that you got first place in the exam and didn't let him down."
"As for your subsidy, you should still remember that around the midterm exam, the school gave you a subsidy. It was given to you by Qin He using his own money from the project account."
“…”
The students on the stage were still giving passionate speeches, thanking the teachers, Wenhua No. 1 Middle School, and the sponsoring companies. They vowed to study hard and excel in the future, just like Taoxi did two years ago.
But at this moment Tao Xi could no longer listen. He was in a state of great confusion and heartbeat, as if he had stepped into the endless clouds in his sleep. The moment his body lost weight, he saw the bright moonlight stretching thousands of miles above the clouds, which made him dizzy.
With the last round of applause, the lengthy meeting finally ended. The students in the lecture hall slowly poured towards the door like a tide. Tao Xi quickly stepped down from the stage, trying to find Lin Qinhe in the audience through the vast crowd.
But as soon as he jumped off the stage, he was surrounded by a group of younger classmates. Their young and innocent faces looked at him with smiles and asked him questions.
One of the tall boys rushed to him first and said to him excitedly: "Senior Tao Xi, although I just thanked you in my speech, I still want to say thank you to you in person."
Tao Xi looked over in a daze, vaguely recognizing that the boy was the student who had given a speech on the stage before, but he had not been listening carefully at all.
The boy blushed and seemed extremely embarrassed. He said hesitantly, "Senior, do you still remember me? We went to the same junior high school. You saved me when I was bullied before."
Tao Xi looked even more confused. He had long since deliberately forgotten those "glorious deeds" in junior high school, and had no impression of the person in front of him at all.
"It's okay if you don't remember!" the boy said quickly, "I've always remembered you, senior. I used to have bad grades and thought studying was useless, but after entering high school, I saw you on the live broadcast screen in the classroom and saw that you were also so good at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School. That's when I decided to study hard and go to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School like you. Now that I've achieved my goal, I thought I must come and thank you in person!"
Because the boy spoke so haltingly, the students around him laughed in good faith, making him even more embarrassed.
Tao Xi also smiled. He patted the boy on the shoulder like a senior student and encouraged him, "Cherish the opportunity in Wenhua No. 1 Middle School and repay your alma mater in the future."
The boy nodded very vigorously, clenched his fist and said, "I will!"
The crowd gradually dispersed and Tao Xi finally had some free time. He turned around in the lecture hall and saw clear sunlight shining through the long slanted windows, cutting the old auditorium into bright geometric shapes. In that bright space, Lin Qinhe was half leaning against the chair with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on him with a faint smile in his eyes.
Tao Xi took a deep breath, raised his feet and walked slowly towards Lin Qinhe.
Lin Qinhe lowered his eyes slightly and saw that Tao Xi's eyes were covered with tears, as if they had been wet not long ago, so he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you so happy to be thanked by your junior?"
Obviously, Lin Qinhe saw the boy's excited expression of gratitude just now.
Tao Xi suppressed his lingering emotions, curved his lips and said, "Of course I'm happy that someone is studying hard for me."
He paused, and the smile on his face deepened. "Isn't this just like when I studied hard for you?"
"It's different." Lin Qinhe denied it firmly.
"What's the difference?"
Lin Qinhe raised his eyebrows, raised his chin slightly and said, "He can't catch up with you." There was a hint of arrogance in his expression.
Tao Xi was amused and said with a smile: "My junior brother doesn't want to pursue me, okay."
Of course it's different.
No one can be as lucky as him, so lucky that someone is willing to create luck for him silently.
The two walked side by side out of the lecture hall. Along the way, there were students secretly looking at them here and there. The bolder girls shouted "Hello, senior" and ran away quickly.
At noon, they had a long and boring lunch with local leaders and were asked to take various photos. When they came out, it was almost mid-afternoon. Tao Xi took Lin Qinhe to do the last thing they did in Qingshui County, which was to handle the household registration transfer.
Because it involved household registration in two completely different places, the household registration transfer was more troublesome than Tao Xi had imagined, and it took him a lot of time to prepare all the documents.
The police station was quiet and empty. Lin Qinhe asked Tao Xi to sit on a chair in front of the window while he stood aside. The staff put all the information next to the computer and carefully looked through and verified the information.
Tao Xi looked at his archival materials in the hands of others, flipping through them like a book bound by fate, and suddenly realized that this place would really have nothing to do with him. The memories of the past ten years flashed before his eyes, as blurry as the vast fog on the ocean in the early morning, but he remembered the most vivid pictures in this fog.
Thinking of Taoxi Bay where he grew up, the bright peach blossoms on the banks of the Qingxi River, and egrets flying over the uneven green and white paddy fields, he hid in the woodshed to paint, and accidentally learned that he was a joke. From then on, he lived in a muddle in the mountains.
Thinking of the dilapidated classroom at the beginning of the first year of high school, the endless heat of midsummer was like a prairie fire. He saw Lin Qinhe on the screen for the first time, and from then on a bright moon rose in the wilderness of his heart.
Thinking of the huge empty concert hall, the setting sun rolling violently on the horizon, the endless red-gold twilight spreading in through the long windows, burning fiercely on the black piano and their kissing bodies.
Thinking back to Christmas Eve of his seventeenth birthday, they stood side by side in front of the French window, watching the bright neon lights and the fluttering snow. Lin Qinhe kissed away the tears from his eyes and said to him, "Tao Xi, I'll take you home, okay?"
It was almost evening when he received the household registration transfer certificate. He and Lin Qinhe walked out of the police station together, pushed open the glass door that was condensed with moisture, and the heavy dusk and summer heat immediately rushed towards them.
They bought two bottles of iced soda and walked side by side aimlessly in the quiet streets of the small county town in the evening. The setting sun was like a coral button fastening the collar of the mountains and fields in the sky. The twilight covered the bluestone road with late autumn maple leaves, and two slanted shadows under their feet swayed and leaned closely against each other.
Tao Xi looked at the setting sun at the end of the alley and said to the person next to him, "I used to feel very unfortunate, but later I felt very lucky. There are three things that I feel are the best luck. Do you know what they are?"
"Which ones?" Lin Qinhe asked.
"The first is seeing you, the second is being sponsored to study at Wenhua No. 1 Middle School, and the third is becoming Grandpa Qiao's student."
He paused briefly, turned his head and looked at Lin Qinhe. Perhaps because he was facing the afterglow of the setting sun, the twilight accidentally blurred the corners of his eyes. He said,
"Now I know that all my good luck comes from the first one."
Seeing you, meeting you, going to Wenhua No. 1 Middle School, becoming Qiao Henian's student, returning to the family I had missed for seventeen years, all my luck is because of you.
Lin Qinhe lowered his eyes, raised his hand and stroked Tao Xi's red eyes with his thumb, lightly brushing her long eyelashes with his fingertips. He asked:
"Then do you know my luckiest thing?"
"What is it?"
"I opened the letter you wrote to me." Lin Qinhe paused, the corners of his lips slightly raised, "After all, it took a lot of luck for me not to throw away such a fancy letter."
Tao Xi couldn't help laughing.
In the sleeves of the summer breeze, in the lapels of the sunset, the hand caressing his face lifted his chin, and he gently closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss of the person in front of him.
Once he was in a deep well, looking up at the moon. He was able to climb out of the well by following a rope that was accidentally dropped, and walked towards the moon without hesitation.
It turns out that the rope was no accident of good luck.
It turned out that when I was running towards the moon.
The moon is also coming towards me.
--over--
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
