Chapter 17 "Brother Cong, I'll miss you..."
Two faces, expressions instantly changed. Li Jiacong was excited and happy, almost jumping for joy.
"I can finally go home!"
His grandmother said, "You little rascal, I haven't treated you badly while you've been with me!"
Li Jiacong went over and hugged his grandma: "I know, I know! I miss home! I'll come back to see you and grandpa later!"
Li Jiacong forgot about everyone behind him and rushed into the room to pack his luggage, as if he was about to go back the next moment.
He didn't bring much; some of it was mailed by his mother, so he didn't need to bring it. He picked out a few clothes and pants that he liked and planned to take them back with him.
Li Sheng slowly followed behind him, watching him stuff clothes into his schoolbag.
Li Jiacong turned around and saw Li Sheng. He tossed out a few pieces of clothing: "See if you can wear these. I can't carry them back, and I doubt my grandma can mail them to me. You can wear them."
Li Sheng didn't say anything. He wanted it; he wanted to keep as much of this person's stuff as possible.
Li Jiacong thought for a moment, then took out his Walkman: "I'll give this to you too!"
Li Sheng: "No need for that."
"Keep it. I'll send you cassette tapes if you find any good songs in the future."
He spoke very sincerely, and Li Sheng accepted it.
Li Jiacong hummed a tune, his heart already flying home.
-
That evening, Li Sheng took the things Li Jiazong had given him home. He put his clothes away, lay down on the bed, and examined the Walkman. He put in a cassette tape, flipping through the songs—love songs from the 1990s, every single one heartbreaking: Anita Mui, Hou Xiangting, Meng Tingwei…
Songs have a kind of magic, they can transport people to a certain situation. Li Sheng lay in that small cubicle, in the dark. He stretched out his hand and looked at it in mid-air, only able to see the blurry edges of his fingers.
A black background should make it easier to imagine. He believed in Li Jiacong's face. He had touched his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Even though they had been so intimate, he never felt that Li Jiacong belonged to him for even a moment. The touch would disappear from his fingertips, and he could never hold on to her.
Li Sheng lowered his hand, suddenly stood up, put on his shoes, and went out the door.
At ten o'clock at night, all the lights in the houses were turned off. Li Sheng walked along the village path without a flashlight.
Driven by some bad mood, having gained and then lost, and then regained, his month-long dream came to an end.
This month, he's been through so much...
Summer is almost over.
He still seems to have nothing, and now he wants to go and see what belongs to him.
So he went to see his sheep.
They were all dirty and clueless in the circle.
He just wanted to watch them quietly for a while, but the sheep thought there was food when they saw him and started bleating.
It's noisy.
Li Shengping said calmly, "Could you please stop calling me?"
The sheep are still bleating.
Li Sheng sighed and walked towards the ground again. The road was dark, and he could see nothing. He was like a nighttime thief, a wandering ghost, pacing back and forth at the edge of the cornfield.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him: "Li Sheng?"
Li Sheng was a little dazed when the other person called out again, "Li Sheng!"
It's Li Jiacong.
Li Sheng saw a scarlet dot in the darkness. He was smoking, just like the first day they met again.
"What are you doing out at this hour?" Li Jiacong had thought he was hallucinating.
Li Sheng couldn't see him clearly, nor did he come over. Instead, he asked him, "What are you doing out at this hour?"
“Smoking, huh?” Li Jiacong once said. “What are you doing here on earth?”
Li Sheng: "Look at my corn—why don't you smoke it at your doorstep?"
"Let me see the corn you planted, how does this answer sound?"
Li Sheng was half-joking. He couldn't see Li Jiacong, but Li Jiacong should be able to see him: "Trying to steal my corn?"
“Does anyone steal corn?” Li Jiacong said. “What are you standing there for? Come here.”
Li Sheng: "I can't see the road."
"You can't even see the road, yet you're wandering around here." Li Jiacong walked over. "I can't sleep, I'm a little excited, and a little..."
It's hard to say. He could have smoked at the door if he wanted, but he came into the field and looked at the quiet crops, which gave him a moment of comfort.
This can be considered a peaceful farewell to this period of time.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Jiacong asked. "Feeling down? Came out for some fresh air?"
Li Sheng: "Why would I be upset?"
Li Jiacong: "I don't know."
Li Sheng suddenly looked up and grabbed Li Jiacong's shoulder: "Pretending not to know again?"
“I really don’t have any this time,” Li Jiacong said. “If you miss me, you should go to my house to find me.”
"What can I possibly need you for?"
Li Jiacong looked somewhat surprised. He felt that Li Sheng had turned the tables on him. He laughed and said in a carefree manner, "Do whatever you want."
Li Sheng felt a moment of disgust for his frivolity, his playfulness, and his lack of sincerity, seeing only his animalistic nature.
"Damn..." Li Sheng swore for the first time. He grabbed Li Jiacong's shoulders and pulled him in front of him. He leaned forward slightly and bit his lip.
Li Jiacong hissed in pain and pushed Li Sheng away: "I don't do this kind of thing, I don't really like it."
Li Sheng looked at him and kissed him again.
This time, he was gentle, giving her a light kiss.
Li Jiacong: "This place. You..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Sheng pulled him into the cornfield next to him.
Li Jiacong thought it would be the same as before, but when Li Sheng turned him around, he felt that it wasn't that simple: "No, no, this is about us..."
He wanted to say that he couldn't do it.
"Shhh."
Li Jiacong shut his mouth, and suddenly felt a cool breeze somewhere, followed by a heat that shot up his spine.
It was very quiet around, with only the corn leaves rustling softly.
With legs slightly bent, it weaves through the gaps.
Li Jiacong suddenly understood, and suddenly regretted it.
Why didn't he think of that back then! Li Sheng hadn't seen those things, yet he knew all this!
There's no wind tonight.
The ears of corn at the top of the stalk trembled violently, as if blown by the wind and battered by the rain, until finally, with a snap, one of them broke off.
Covered in sweat, Li Sheng hugged him from behind and kissed his shoulder. Li Jiacong flinched, saying, "It's hot! Stop it!"
Li Sheng let go of him.
After Li Jiacong finished dressing, he asked, "Aren't you worried now?"
Li Sheng remained silent for a while, then had to admit that for a moment, he had no emotions left. The pleasure he felt could numb his mind, and his animalistic instincts could replace his reason.
In essence, he is the same as Li Jiacong.
He hummed in agreement.
Li Jiacong swept his hair back, revealing his smooth forehead, which was damp with sweat and glistening. From Li Sheng's perspective, it was a very handsome silhouette.
"If you're not upset, hurry home!" When Li Jiacong was with Li Sheng for the first time, he was naturally on top, unaware of how the person below was feeling.
Having played that role himself this time, he was still a little uneasy, both psychologically and physically. But then he thought about it again and admired Li Sheng for daring to let him take the role.
Li Jiacong said, "You can't see the road or people at night, so eat more carrots."
Li Sheng chuckled but didn't say anything.
Li Jiacong felt himself being bitten again. He shook his arms and legs and pulled Li Sheng back. Since there was some light in the village, he didn't take Li Sheng with him and went home first.
I went inside and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed). I needed to wash up, as I was covered in dirt, dust, and bits of grass. I don't even know how two corn kernels got into my pocket.
He took it off, and when he looked down, he saw that his inner thighs were bright red.
Li Sheng's... got smudged on the outside of my underwear...
He actually came back wearing them.
In the past, he would have been disgusted to death if he got even a little bit of dirt on him, but he surprisingly accepted it, wiped it clean, and washed it off—his obsessive-compulsive disorder was actually cured in this way.
The next day was the last one of the three. He had absolutely nothing to do. In the morning, he helped his grandma with some chores, and at lunch, he had some drinks and chatted with his grandpa for a while.
Li Ai came to play in the afternoon. Her parents had both gone to work and no one was taking care of her. He said he was leaving tomorrow, and Li Ai was actually reluctant to part with him. She kept pestering him to play Flying Poker all afternoon.
The day passed unusually quickly. Li Jiacong thought Li Sheng would come to find him, but he didn't show up. When he went to look for Li Sheng that night, he found no one at home. When he returned, his grandmother said that Li Sheng had gone to the market to help someone sell their goods.
Because the woman selling things was an old lady who was rather confused, and people kept giving her counterfeit money, she asked Li Sheng to help keep an eye on things.
Li Jiacong felt a little regretful that he didn't get to see her; otherwise, he could have tried what he did last night. But it didn't matter; no amount of regret could outweigh his excitement about going home tomorrow.
So the next morning, for the 7 o'clock train, he packed his bag in advance and waited at the station. His grandma kept saying that he was too early, but when he arrived, there were already several people waiting.
His grandma grumbled as she waited for him, "You need to study hard when you get back. You're in your final year of high school. You should at least get into a good university so your dad can be proud."
Li Jiacong answered absentmindedly, "My dad is successful enough."
His grandma said, "That's different. He'll be happier if you're outstanding. Don't make friends indiscriminately, be obedient, and don't waste money..."
As his grandmother was talking, she noticed that Li Jiacong's attention wasn't on him at all, so she stretched her neck to wait for the bus.
"Are you hoping it will come?"
"able."
His grandmother got angry and punched him.
Li Jiacong kept bobbing his feet, and when he turned to look at his grandmother, his gaze swept across the road to the village where a figure was running towards them.
His grandmother saw him too: "Is that Sheng'er? She's here to bring you here!"
Li Jiacong waved to him.
Li Sheng ran up to him, panting and covered in sweat: "I just went to your house to look for you, and they said you were already out. I didn't know you could be out so early."
His grandmother said, "He was in such a hurry that he had to take the earliest train."
Li Jiacong patted his chest: "Grandma, I'm eager to go home, please understand."
Li Sheng caught his breath, picked up a bag of dates, and handed it to Li Jiacong: "Take some... to eat on the way."
It looked like a jujube that had just been picked from the tree, Li Jiacong glanced at it. Li Sheng immediately said, "It's been washed, not sour, it's sweet!"
Li Jiacong smiled and said, "Okay."
Seeing that Li Jiazong was clueless about social etiquette and didn't know how to say thank you, his grandmother said on his behalf, "Sheng, when he comes back next time, have him bring you something delicious."
Li Sheng smiled and shook his head.
The people waiting for the bus nearby started moving around, saying, "They're here, they're here."
A white bus drove up from a great distance.
Finally, it's here! Li Jiacong moved forward with the crowd, saying, "I'm off!"
His grandmother waved to him. Li Sheng took a few steps forward, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Let's go back." Li Jiacong turned his head and said, then jumped into the car and walked to the back. He found a seat by the window, and with the window open, he saw Li Sheng again.
Li Jiacong smiled at him.
Li Sheng looked up at him in the car: "Brother Cong."
He reverted to that initial, polite, distant, and earnest form of address. To them, it was a taboo reminder.
Li Jiacong's gaze fell down.
Li Sheng: "I will miss you."
Li Jiacong narrowed his eyes, smiled, and said nothing.
The car started with a roar. Li Jiacong turned his gaze and saw a sea of heads peeking out from the seats.
Soon, the scenery outside the window was left behind.
Li Jiacong closed his eyes with a smile, enjoying the journey home.
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