Chapter 31
Perhaps it was nearing noon, the sunlight seemed to have been filtered in advance, falling densely on the treetops, the grass, and the shoulders of passersby. The wind blew from afar, carrying dry air and a barely perceptible warmth.
The sky was clear enough to reveal a hint of blue, with wispy clouds drifting about. But the park itself had already taken on a completely different look. The golden leaves of the ginkgo trees at the entrance shone brightly in the sunlight, and a few specks of light filtered through the treetops, dancing on the asphalt. It was hard to tell whether it was the sunlight that had dyed the ginkgo trees yellow, or the ginkgo trees that had dyed the sunlight yellow.
The sanitation workers swept the floating leaves to the side, piling them up into a small hill. The leaves were piled one on top of the other, and if you looked closely, you could still clearly see the texture of each leaf.
The car stopped at an intersection and they found an empty patch of grass behind a park. Liu Guoxing touched the grass with his hand. The surface was dry, the early morning dew having been completely dried by the sun. He spread out the picnic mat he had brought with him, and Zhou Yiheng opened the trunk and pulled out a brand new, unopened and unused camping tent.
The moment the zipper opened, he could clearly smell a strong, stagnant smell of plastic. Xiao Xiao got out of the car, carrying the snacks and snacks she had prepared for lunch. Liu Guoxing and Li Cheng carried down a few folding tables and chairs.
Zhou Yiheng followed the instructions in the manual, putting the tent together piece by piece. He first fixed the nails in place, then hammered them into the soil, using a firm, steady hammer. He lifted the poles, and the aluminum alloy rods extended, supporting the tent's frame.
"Thanks for your hard work, Xiao Zhou. You did it all by yourself." Li Cheng was untying the other strap holding the tent parts. He was originally helping, but unfortunately his body and strength were not up to par. When he was hammering the nails just now, he squatted a little too hard and felt that the man was about to get dizzy and fall.
"It's okay. I often went camping with my friends when I was a freshman. I'm used to setting up tents." Zhou Yi squatted on the ground and quickly tied the rope into a special sailor's knot.
Li Cheng handed the remaining things to him in batches. "That's why I say young people are the best. The tent was set up so quickly. If it were me and Liu Guoxing, it would take us forever."
Zhou Yi tied the last knot horizontally and said, "It's done. Why don't you go in and try it first?"
Li Cheng unzipped the front and bent down to get into the tent. The strong plastic smell of the new tent immediately hit him. He pressed the fabric of the inner tent with his hand to see if it was tight. "Wow, your tent is really strong!"
He sat on the ground and banged his fists a few times. "This tent is much better than the one Liu Guoxing bought last time. His tent was made of rags and it felt like it would be blown away by the wind."
Zhou Yiheng was outside adjusting the tightness of the windproof rope. "Is it stuffy in here? Do you want me to remove this curtain cloth first?"
"Take it off," Li Cheng said as he emerged from the tent and took a deep breath of fresh air. "It smells like plastic in there. I wonder how long Yang Ye has kept this thing."
Zhou Yiheng smiled when he heard this, untied the rain curtain next to him, and pulled the tie of the side vent. "This is how a new tent is. Let it air out, and it will be gone in a while."
Li Cheng stood up and clapped his hands. "Then let him pass first. I'll go see if Xiao Xiao needs any help."
Up ahead, Yang Ye had already spread out the picnic mat. The corners were slightly curled, so she found some rocks to hold them down. Lying on the light yellow mat, her hands tucked behind her head, she lay there quietly, gazing up at the sky.
The autumn sun was no longer as glaring as it had been in the summer, but rather just the right amount of gentleness. Through her sunglasses, she saw the sky was a wonderful gray-blue. The sunlight filtered through the clouds, transforming into countless threads that gently covered her body.
She felt the sunshine and the warmth seeping through her clothes and into her skin. She felt like she was lying in a huge, soft and warm embrace.
Zhou Yiheng set up the tent and got up to see them standing by the car talking. He didn't want to disturb them, so he turned and saw Yang Ye lying alone on the picnic mat. The mat was large, and he hesitated for a moment before finally walking over and lying down next to Yang Ye.
The mat sank slightly. Zhou Yiheng deliberately kept a distance, but he couldn't help but lean towards Yang Ye.
White clouds drifted across the sky. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, but unconsciously, he turned his gaze away and looked sideways at Yang Ye. The sunlight traced her features, from the tips of her hair to her shoulders. She lay quietly beside him, breathing slowly and evenly. Zhou Yiheng's gaze was gentle, as if he didn't want to disturb her. He only dared to linger briefly, then looked away with restraint. But before long, his eyes slipped back, as if drawn by some invisible force.
He looked at her and she looked at the sky.
"Why are you staring at me?" Yang Ye had already caught a glimpse of Zhou Yiheng out of the corner of her eye, but she had never said anything.
Zhou Yiheng straightened his body and looked up at the sky like Yang Ye did. "Boss, you really like looking at the sky."
"What a beautiful sky!" said Yang Ye.
"It's beautiful, but won't you get tired of looking at it all the time?"
"How can I get tired of it? The sky I see is different every time."
Zhou Yiheng asked: "Isn't the sky always the same?"
"It's just different." Yang Ye opened her arms, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, felt the wind blowing through her body, and the grass roots on the ground pressed against her back through the picnic mat.
She opened her eyes and took off her sunglasses.
Mother, the time when we could only see the four corners of the sky is over.
The sky now has no boundaries, just like the prairie you like.
The sound of music carried on the wind, the gentle plucking of guitar strings, followed by the sound of drums hammering down, one after another, beating out the most passionate and exciting rhythm.
The air around seemed to be heated by the shock. The young faces on the stage were filled with ecstasy, and their arms were waving vigorously in the air.
"What's that sound?" Li Cheng was startled by the sudden noise.
"Jazz" Xiao Xiao was cheerful, and her body swayed slightly to the distant music.
"Hey, don't lie down anymore," Liu Guoxing said to the two people lying down, "There's no water left. Go buy two bottles of water."
Yang Ye sat up and pointed at himself, "Me?"
"Besides you two, who else is lying down? Otherwise, I'll go buy some water and you go cook?" Liu Guoxing asked.
They prepared food in the car. These snacks alone were definitely not enough. Xiao Xiao brought jam and bread and prepared to make a few sandwiches. Li Cheng was packing up the things he wanted to take down by the car.
Yang Ye looked over there. She couldn't cook by herself, and she found it too tiring to even stand up and pick up things to clean up. After looking around, she felt that buying water was the most suitable option.
"Where is the shop?" she asked, standing up.
Liu Guoxing shook his head. "I don't know. Just walk around and have a look. The park is so small anyway, you should be able to find it."
"I'll go with you," Zhou Yiheng also stood up. "The water is too heavy, you can't carry it alone."
"You were the one who carried it originally," Yang Ye said.
Strolling along the stone path, the fallen leaves under my feet made a crackling sound, and the red and yellow leaves spread on the ground, emitting the unique dry smell of grass and trees.
When the wind blew, several fan-sized leaves fell from the sycamore tree in the park. One of the leaves landed squarely on Zhou Yiheng's shoulder.
Yang Ye saw the fallen leaf and carefully grabbed Zhou Yi's arm, asking him to stop. "Wait a moment."
"What's wrong?" He turned his head and watched Yang Ye walk up to him.
As the distance slowly approached, my heart seemed to skip a beat.
Picking up the leaf that fell on his shoulder, Yang Ye smiled and said, "Congratulations, you won the prize."
"What?" Zhou Yiheng still didn't respond.
"My mother once said that if a leaf falls on you, it means that God likes you and he asked the wind to send you this gift."
She handed the leaf to Zhou Yiheng and said, "Take good care of it. You should be very happy this winter."
Zhou Yiheng asked, "What does this mean?"
"When God gives you something, it will naturally bring you good luck for the whole year." She smiled, like the warm sun, falling right on Zhou Yiheng's heart. Even the curve of her lips was so natural, gentle and bright.
He looked down at the sycamore leaf, thought for a moment and said, "I'll give it to you."
Yang Ye stretched out her hand, her fingertips touching the rough, still-undried leaves. An unexpected surprise flashed in her eyes, "Are you really giving it to me?"
"Isn't it said that when God sends gifts, he also sends luck?" Zhou Yiheng said, "I don't need anything, I just hope you're lucky."
His voice dropped a few notches, and his speech slowed down. Each word was heavy, like a blow to Yang Ye's heart.
The wind passed by them, picking up a few sycamore leaves on the ground and swirling them around their feet.
"Thank you." Yang Ye nodded, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the leaf.
"What's there to thank me for?" Zhou Yi smiled, naively, a little embarrassed, but also very sincere.
He turned his head and his eyes fell on Yang Ye again.
Sunlight shone obliquely across from her. She wore a simple off-white singlet, her hair loosely tied behind her head, a few strands falling down her cheeks and onto her fair neck. Her nose was high, and her eyes were a rare light color, like amber soaked in sunlight, clear yet impenetrable.
Zhou Yiheng looked a little dazed, but also a little absent-minded.
Although Yang Ye didn't make his heart flutter like when they first met, it made him unable to take his eyes off him even more. It wasn't the stunning sight he felt when they first met, but a deeper attraction, as if there was a mysterious force pulling him closer to Yang Ye.
Yang Ye suddenly turned his head and met his gaze.
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"
"No," Zhou Yiheng took a deep breath, "Although it's wrong, but boss, do you have someone you like?"
He took a step forward and looked at Yang Ye seriously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
