Chapter 85
Desi Middle School is located in the northwest of Xiangcheng. There is a forest on the west side of the school. Behind the forest is an experimental building. Outside the wall is a small printing factory. In Li Qingyao's memory, his classmates often went to that forest to take a walk, play and eat snacks. The forest extended beyond the wall, and some students would climb over the wall and iron gate to play near the printing factory.
Li Qingyao sometimes goes to stay in the woods for some quiet and freedom. Later, she and Luo Huaizheng went into the grove three times.
But don't get me wrong, the puppy love between two good kids is limited to kissing and hugging. Luo Huaizheng's hands never even reached into her clothes. If he really dared to stretch out his claws, Li Qingyao would definitely break them. But at that time, Luo Huaizheng's eyes were clearly warmer, purer and cleaner than a stream under the sun.
Seven years later, the printing factory closed down and was demolished, and disappeared without a trace. Most of the woods outside the school have been plowed flat, and new residential buildings have sprung up. But the forest on campus is still lush and green, taller and more luxuriant than before.
Xiang Siling told her that she put the towel in a glass bottle and hid it under the roots of a tree.
However, at that time, the girl, who was struggling with a secret, was too panicked. She came at night and clearly remembered the characteristics of the tree. But when she came again during the day a few days later, she found that she could not find it at all. She dug at several trees in a frenzy, but there was nothing under them.
After that, she couldn't be found anywhere.
"This is probably God's will." Xiang Siling sighed woodenly in the interrogation room, making it difficult for the detectives to tell whether her words were true or false.
"If the rag is still there after such a long time, you are the only ones who can find it," she said to the detectives.
Ding Guoqiang immediately ordered to mobilize all forces and dig three feet deep into the ground to get a result.
It was destined to be a noisy night. The woods behind Desi Middle School were illuminated by countless lights. The criminal police team began to explore every tree, every handful of soil, every tree hole and even the bird's nest on the tree inch by inch.
Xiang Siling couldn't remember the exact location. If they were unlucky, the tree might be outside the wall and had already been flattened, and all their efforts tonight would be in vain.
The survey work has been going on for more than an hour.
Small excavators, hoes, shovels, police dogs...all were used, with light and shadows interweaving and footsteps rushing.
Li Qingyao has already explored two trees and dug up everything around the roots, but found nothing. When she reached the third tree, she paused.
This tree has a piece of root exposed above the ground. It is very thick and more than one meter long. Because people often sit there, the upper part of the tree root has become smooth and serves as a natural bench. Above our heads, the lush green treetops block out almost all sunlight, making this small spot as secretive and quiet as the depths of a forest.
Li Qingyao didn't expect that after seven years, this place was still the same, without any change.
Some memories that had been buried for so long that Li Qingyao thought they no longer existed suddenly rushed into his mind.
It was an afternoon in early spring and the sun was very bright, so it wasn't cold at all. Li Qingyao strolled over and climbed the hillside to digest his food. Luo Huaizheng left the classroom 5 minutes after her, walked down the hill, found her, and held her hand.
Li Qingyao clearly remembered that day, both of them were wearing thick blue and white winter school uniforms. Luo Huaizheng was wearing a thin black sweatshirt. The sunlight shone on his cheeks and slender fingers, flashing a white and clear luster.
Li Qingyao walked to the "old place" - the tree roots that served as a bench, and sat down comfortably, and Luo Huaizheng sat next to her. The overly quiet environment made the two of them feel a little awkward at first. But they soon started chatting again, just like they were sitting at the same table in the classroom.
"In the basketball game last night, Class 3 beat Class 5 by a large margin."
"I knew it. Doesn't our class have to fight against Class 3?"
"That's right."
"Our class is doomed to fail."
"Ha ha."
"Do we eat in the cafeteria or at the school gate?"
"At the door."
"What do you want to eat?"
"It doesn't matter what we eat. Didn't you notice that when we went to the cafeteria together, there were so many people looking at us? Most of them were looking at you. Alas, a man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure."
Luo Huaizheng was amused by her. He tilted his head to stare at her carefree and casual look, and stretched out his hand to pinch the tip of her nose: "It's obviously me who holds the jade."
She glanced at him and said, "Oh, that's a good love statement."
It wasn't long since they confirmed their relationship. She was carefree, but Luo Huaizheng's cheeks turned red at the word "sweet talk". The famous academic genius was so happy that he squatted on a tree like a fool, pulled some grass from the side, and threw it away in a good mood.
"The old clock in the printing factory is quite beautiful." Luo Huaizheng pointed, and Li Qingyao turned around and looked in the direction he pointed, towards the old and dilapidated clock on the roof of the opposite building. The boy took the opportunity to lean over and kissed her slightly cool cheek.
Li Qingyao stopped looking at the clock and just looked at him. Before this, she had never looked at any boy with such bright and affectionate eyes.
Luo Huaizheng slid down, put one hand forward and pressed it on the tree roots behind her, while the other hand was placed properly on his leg. He tilted his head and kissed her.
It was broad daylight, but it was dark all around, with only a few rays of light quietly falling through the leaves. There was no wind and no one. Under their feet was soft soil and dry leaves that had fallen for who knows how long.
Li Qingyao still remembers the feeling that kiss gave her.
She remembered the scent of Luo Huaizheng, fresh and sweet. She remembered the feeling of his cheek against hers, just like hers, a little cool and soft. His lips and tongue were warm, and his movements were clumsy, as if he didn't know what to do. He just licked her tongue gently, again and again, until the top of her head became numb and her entire back trembled slightly as if she had been electrocuted. The sharp current rushed into her heart unreasonably, silently seeming to blow her apart.
She couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to push him away. But he was unusually strong, and the hand that was originally pressing on the tree roots suddenly hugged her waist to prevent her from hiding. The other hand also gently grasped her arm and kissed her for a long time.
It lasted so long that when he let her go, her white jade-like cheeks were red, and her eyebrows and eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of moisture. Li Qingyao didn't know where that slightly wet feeling came from, but she thought that she must not be much better than him.
"This is my first kiss." He said with his head down, then looked at her with a smile.
Li Qingyao: "You make it sound like everyone is not."
His smile became even brighter, and he couldn't help but reach out again, holding her in his arms, and they looked into the distance side by side. After the kiss, they didn't speak for a while, but both of their hearts were filled with the same sweet and happy emotions. There was no room for anything else in the boy's heart.
Before slipping back to class, Li Qingyao looked back again and said, "I will always remember this place and this noon."
Luo Xueba, who was familiar with her, held her head with one hand, lowered his head and kissed her again, saying, "Me too, forever."
They walked and talked as they went.
"When you get into college and have your winter break, I'll bring you here for a date."
"You're planning on revisiting the past now, aren't you?"
"You used the idiom incorrectly, Chinese class representative."
"Okay, squad leader, I'll be frank with you. Please don't keep thinking about kissing... um..."
…
Li Qingyao stared at the old tree trunk, which was covered with clear and deep lines. She didn't expect that this memory would still be vivid in her mind today. It seemed so distant and yet as if it happened just yesterday.
But after the silence, she just looked up and glanced at the dark and dense treetops. From this angle, they looked very tall and silent like giants. So she lowered her head and continued to work with full concentration.
The moon was already hanging high above the treetops. We were destined to stay up late tonight, so the logistics department delivered a truckload of lunch boxes. Chen Pu had been running around all day and hadn't had dinner, so he was already starving. After being called to rest, he took two portions without saying a word and found a clean place to squat. He was almost finishing the first portion when he noticed that Li Qingyao had not arrived yet. He looked up but couldn't find her for a moment.
It happened that Yan Yong also came to eat. Chen Pu remembered that he and Li Qingyao were assigned to the same search route, so he asked, "Where is Li Qingyao? Why didn't you come to eat?" She, like him, did not have dinner.
"I called her," Yan Yong said, "but she said she wasn't hungry and didn't want to eat."
Chen Pu quickly finished both meals, and went to the logistics department to get another one. For the first time, he was picky and did not order the braised pork, but the diced chicken. The logistics staff were shocked: "Chen Pu, how long have you been hungry?"
Chen Pu didn't explain. He picked up another bottle of water, put it in a plastic bag, and walked in the direction Yan Yong came out of the woods.
Not long after, Chen Pu found the figure lying on the ground, cleaning up fallen leaves and searching the tree hole. Most people were eating at this time, so there were not many lights and the woods became darker. Chen Pu looked at her back and felt that she looked particularly thin and frail.
"Li Qingyao."
She turned her head: "What's the matter?"
Chen Pu tapped the paper lunch box with his fingers: "It's already 12 o'clock, eat something before you continue."
She turned her head back again, her hands moving non-stop: "Thank you, I can't eat it, give it to someone else."
Chen Pu frowned and was silent for a while. He put down the lunch box and water, walked over, and gently picked her up from the ground from behind. Li Qingyao was stunned. He had already easily carried the person to the side and put him on the ground.
"I really have no appetite." She said, her eyes revealing stubbornness.
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