Time is short
(Twenty-five)
I was woken up by the sound of an argument coming from downstairs. I rubbed my eyes and opened the window to see that it was the production crew's staff and an old man wearing a straw hat arguing about something. Zhao Yin was standing next to them with his back to me.
As I put on my coat and went downstairs, the argument had just subsided. The old man, carrying his hoe, walked out of the yard, muttering, "Young people don't know the rules." Zhao Yin turned around, saw me, and asked, "Are you awake?"
"Well," I walked over to him and saw a bamboo basket at his feet, half filled with green and yellow oranges, "this is..."
"Uncle Li's tangerines," he bent down to pick up the bamboo basket, and the enamel jar was casually placed on the stone table. "I passed by the orchard this morning, and he said they were ripe, and he insisted on giving them to me."
I remember when we were filming yesterday afternoon, Li Bo came to the B&B to borrow a hoe, and it was Zhao Yin who helped him find it. At that time, the old man even praised him for being "more honest than the kids in the city."
Just as she was about to say something, Jiang Li poked her head out from the kitchen: "Brother Wenxi, Brother Yin, how about porridge with pickles for breakfast? Auntie said there aren't enough eggs in the refrigerator."
"I'll go buy it." Zhao Yin put down the bamboo basket and was about to go out, but I grabbed his sleeve.
"The production team has a rule that guests can't leave the village without permission." I pulled him back and pointed to the 'Filming Instructions' posted on the wall. "I'll go talk to the director and have the crew run over."
He looked down at his sleeve, which I was pulling at, and said, "That's fine."
When I came back after communicating with the director, I saw Zhao Yin sitting on a stone bench peeling oranges.
"Here." He handed over a petal.
I took it and put it in my mouth. Just as I was about to praise the taste, I heard him say, "Those kids from the elementary school yesterday said they wanted to eat oranges."
"Then should we buy some more to bring over?"
"I've asked the staff to increase the amount." He peeled another clove, but this time he didn't give it to me. Instead, he ate it himself. "After the class is recorded this afternoon, let's take them to the orchard to pick some. Uncle Li agreed."
Some sweetness will quietly slip from yesterday's sunshine into today's wind.
(Twenty-six)
On the way to the elementary school, Xiao Chen followed behind with his camera, muttering, "Brother Xi, please walk slower with Brother Yin. My camera can hardly keep up."
I subconsciously slowed down my pace, but Zhao Yin seemed not to hear me and continued at the same pace until I tripped over a rock on the side of the road. He then stopped, turned around, and held my arm: "Watch the road."
"I understand." After I stood firm, I wanted to let go of his hand, but he held me tighter.
Xiao Chen clicked the shutter in the background: "Perfect! That's the feeling!"
Zhao Yin looked back at her without saying anything, but the hand that was holding my arm loosened and changed to a loose embrace.
When we entered the classroom, the children were having their morning reading. The little boy who asked yesterday, "Do you like Teacher Wenxi?" stood up with his textbook in hand when he saw us and said, "Teacher Wenxi, Teacher Yin, I've put up yesterday's painting on the wall at home!"
"Really? Then take us there next time?" I smiled and ruffled his hair.
Zhao Yin distributed oranges to the children. When it was the timid little girl's turn, he squatted down and asked, "What do you want to draw today?"
The little girl pinched the corner of her clothes and whispered, "I want to draw... a flying fish."
"A flying fish?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then we need to give it wings."
"But fish don't have wings."
"Then let's create a fish with wings." He picked up his paintbrush and drew a whale with wings on the paper, with waves splashing on its tail. "This way it can fly into the sky and chat with the stars."
The children all gathered around to watch, chattering about wanting to draw flying cats and running clouds.
As I looked at Zhao Yin surrounded by the children, I suddenly felt that his "iceberg" shell had melted unknowingly, revealing something hidden inside that was warmer than the sun.
Xiao Chen held up the camera and leaned close to my ear: "Brother Xi, do you think Brother Yin looks like a kindergarten teacher?"
I couldn't help laughing out loud, and Zhao Yin heard it.
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with helplessness, but the corners of his mouth curved: "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing," I walked over to help him tidy up the corners of his clothes that were torn by the children, "I think you are quite suitable to be a teacher."
I asked him again, "What about you? What do you think I am suitable for?"
My shadow is now clearly reflected in those eyes that always seem a little distant.
He said a few words without making any sound, as if he was lip reading.
(Twenty-seven)
When I went to the orchard to pick oranges in the afternoon, the sun was a little hotter than in the morning. Zhao Yin took out a straw hat from his backpack and handed it to me: "Put it on to protect yourself from the sun."
"You don't wear it?"
"I'm tough." He replied casually and turned to help Uncle Li move the ladder.
"Teacher Wenxi, come quickly!" The little boy waved at me under the fruit tree. "The oranges here are the biggest!"
When I ran over, Zhao Yin had already climbed up the ladder and was reaching out to pick oranges from high up. He threw one down and I reached out to catch it, but I missed and it rolled into the grass.
"So stupid." He laughed, jumped down from the ladder, and bent down to pick up the oranges.
I squatted beside him, watching him pick the grass leaves off the oranges, and suddenly said, "Brother Yin, your straw hat..."
"Hmm?" He looked up with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Nothing," I quickly looked away, pretending to look elsewhere, "I just thought it looked pretty."
He chuckled and stuffed the orange into my hand: "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"So what are you wearing?"
"I have this." He fished a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. The lenses reflected the sunlight, making it difficult to see his expression. "Let's go. The kids have already filled their baskets."
On the way back, the children ran in front carrying oranges, and Xiao Chen followed them with a camera to take pictures.
Zhao Yin and I walked behind him. He put his straw hat on my head with the brim pulled down very low. When I looked down, I could only see his hand holding the handle of the bamboo basket.
"Actually," he said suddenly, "I embroidered that straw hat."
My steps paused, but I didn't look back: "I can see that."
“The stitches are ugly, aren’t they?”
"Not ugly," I looked up at him, his eyes behind the sunglasses seemed to be smiling, "pretty good."
(Twenty-eight)
The B&B threw a party that night to celebrate the end of the show's recording. The director raised his glass and said, "It's over in three days. Everyone, relax tonight."
I'm not a big drinker, so after Jiang Li persuaded me to drink half a glass of beer, my face started to turn red. Zhao Yin sat next to me and pushed his juice towards me: "Drink some of this."
"No, I'm fine." I waved my hand, but he held my wrist.
"obedient."
Some people around started to make noises: "Hey, Brother Yin is protecting him!"
Zhao Yin ignored them and just pushed the juice towards me. I took it with a red face and drank it in small sips.
The bonfire burned brighter and brighter, and someone suggested singing.
Jiang Li volunteered to sing a nursery rhyme, which drew applause. When it was Zhao Yinshi's turn, everyone quieted down and waited to hear him sing.
He picked up his guitar, tuned it, but instead of singing his usual songs, he played a song I had never heard before.
"If... I can give up the whole world..."
His voice was very soft, different from usual, with a little emotion...
“We have a hard time, we have no choice…”
I never imagined that five years later, I would be sitting by the campfire with him, listening to him sing such a gentle song.
"Wenxi," he suddenly stopped and looked up at me, "it's your turn."
"Ah? I can't sing." I waved my hands quickly.
"Just sing a few lines." He handed me the guitar, "I'll accompany you."
Everyone around me was applauding, and I was in a dilemma, so I had to take the guitar.
My fingers were on the strings, but I didn't know what to play. Zhao Yin came over and whispered in my ear, "Just play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I'll teach you."
His fingers covered mine and taught me the chords.
"Twinkle, twinkle little star, the sky is full of little stars..."
I sang haltingly, but he played steadily. Halfway through the song, I looked up at him and found that he was looking at me.
(Twenty-nine)
After the party, I went to the yard to get some fresh air. After standing there for a while, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Are you still awake?" Zhao Yin walked over with a coat in his hand.
"It's a bit hot." I looked at the stars in the sky. "Brother Yin, the song you just sang..."
"It was my favorite before." He put his coat on my shoulders. "I've never sung it to anyone, and I'm not the original artist."
“It sounds good.”
"As long as you like it." He stood beside me and looked at the stars with me. "When I was a child, there was a rice field behind my grandmother's house. I often went there to enjoy the cool air in the summer."
"Sounds comfortable."
"Well," he paused, "I'll take you there after the show is over?"
I turned to look at him: "Really?"
"Really." He looked at me with a serious expression, "But I'll have to wait until you're free."
"I'm always free!" He felt so excited the moment he said that that he quickly lowered his head. "I mean... I'll see what the schedule is when the time comes."
"By the way," he suddenly said, "When will you change your nickname back to your original one?"
"Huh?" I was stunned for a moment before realizing he was talking about "Silver and Nozomi". "I don't know, maybe... I won't change it."
"Why?"
"Silver's Business Store is also quite good."
I whispered.
He was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and ruffled my hair: "Yeah, it's fine."
(thirty)
When I woke up the next morning, I found the coat I put on last night was neatly folded and placed at the head of the bed.
When I went downstairs, Zhao Yin was already having breakfast. When he saw me, he pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "The porridge is still hot."
"Thank you." I sat down and picked up the spoon to drink the porridge. He was looking at his mobile phone. The screen showed my small account page, which was stuck on the "Song by the Campfire" that I posted last night.
He seemed to notice I was looking at him, so he put away his phone, picked up his enamel pot and took a sip of tea: "Today's mission is to pick up trash at the beach."
"Well, the director said so last night."
"Remember to wear sneakers, there are a lot of rocks on the beach."
"knew."
Jiang Li sat beside them, chewing on a bun and said, "You two are talking like an old married couple now."
I almost spit out my porridge, but Zhao Yin said calmly, "She's young, so just remind her a little more."
"Who's younger?" Jiang Li was unconvinced. "I'm only five years younger than you!"
"Five years old isn't old enough?" He raised an eyebrow. "When I was five, you weren't even born yet."
"Zhao Yin!" She was so angry that she wanted to hit him with a bun. I shook my head and laughed softly, then grabbed the corner of his clothes.
Xiao Chen held up his camera and filmed enthusiastically: "This wave of material is great, it's like an old couple teaching their child!"
I glared at Xiao Chen, then turned around to see Zhao Yin snickering, "What are you laughing at?"
(31)
The tide had just receded, and there were many plastic bottles and foam boards scattered on the beach, as well as some dead branches washed up by the waves.
The director shouted through a loudspeaker: "Everyone, divide into two groups. One group will pick up the trash, and the other group will sort and bag it. Try to finish before noon!"
Zhao Yin and I were assigned to a group responsible for picking up trash. He pulled two pairs of gloves from his backpack and handed one to me: "Put them on, to avoid getting scratched by shells."
"You still remember." I remembered the last time I scratched my foot while going to the beach.
"Yeah." He responded, put on gloves and started picking up plastic bottles.
The beach was very long, and we walked slowly along the coastline. He walked on my left, and his shadow just covered me a little, so I secretly looked at him.
"Brother Yin, have you ever done this before?"
"No," he stuffed the garbage he picked up into the bag, "I just feel it's a pity that such a beautiful sea has been polluted by these things."
I remember he had donated money to a marine conservation organization before, and it was in the news, but he never responded.
This person is always like this. He doesn't like to show off when he does good things. Like a fish in the deep sea, he silently guards the things he cares about.
As I was picking up things, I was attracted by a piece of glass buried in the sand.
"Don't move." He took out a small shovel from his pocket and carefully dug away the sand around the glass. "This thing is sharp and can easily cut your hands."
"Thank you." I looked at his focused profile and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
He put the glass into a special hazardous waste bin, stood up and said, "Next time you see something like this, call me to deal with it."
"I understand, Teacher Zhao." I teased him on purpose.
He was not angry, but smiled: "Just be obedient."
In the distance, Xiao Chen was waving at us with her camera in hand. Zhao Yin and I looked over at the same time. She made an "OK" gesture and continued taking pictures.
The sea breeze blew over, and I looked at Zhao Yin's hair blown by the wind, and suddenly I felt that these three days seemed a little too short.
(32)
At noon, during the picnic at the beach, everyone was exhausted. The director took out the sandwiches and fruit he had prepared and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work. You can take a half-day break this afternoon."
I bit into my sandwich and watched Zhao Yin distribute fruit to the children.
The little boy ran over with an apple and held it in front of me: "Teacher Wenxi, Teacher Yin said this apple is the sweetest."
"Really? Thank you then." I took the apple and found a small smiley face sticker on it.
"It was posted by Teacher Yin!" the little boy said proudly, "He said the apple for Teacher Wenxi must be the sweetest."
I looked up at Zhao Yin, and he happened to look at me too, with a hint of smile in his eyes, but he quickly looked away and continued to distribute fruit to other children.
After lunch, the children were picked up by their teachers.
I sat on the beach, watching the waves rush in and recede. Zhao Yin came over, sat down next to me, and handed me a bottle of water: "What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about...what to do tomorrow."
"Tomorrow we're going to the fishing village to visit the old fisherman we met last time and learn how to weave fishing nets," he said. "That's what the director said this morning."
"Oh." I felt a little disappointed, as I had thought there would be some special arrangements.
He seemed to see through my thoughts and suddenly said, "Where do you want to go for the afternoon break?"
"have no idea."
"I'll take you somewhere." He stood up and held out his hand to me. "Let's go."
I looked at his outstretched hand, and I put my hand on it. His hand was very warm.
"Where are you going?"
"You'll know when you get there." He pulled me towards the rocky area by the sea. Xiao Chen wanted to follow with his camera in hand, but he turned around and glared at her, so she had to stop where she was in disappointment.
After passing a rocky area, a small bay appeared in front of us with turquoise water.
"This is what I found yesterday." He let go of my hand and pointed at the small fish in the bay. "No one comes here. It's very quiet."
I squatted on the reef, watching the little fish swimming in the water, and suddenly felt that this was probably the quietest afternoon I had since I participated in this program.
This afternoon is too short...
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