Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Lin Lin slowly opened the neatly folded letter, which still emitted a faint fragrance. She leaned closer to the light, where the paper was densely filled with writing. Lin Lin read it over and over again, a joyful smile spreading across her face. There were some words she couldn't recognize yet, as she had graduated from fifth grade and didn't know many characters. But she understood the meaning well enough.
The night had grown deep, and it seemed to have gotten a bit darker outside, as if the wind had picked up again. The trees in the yard rustled in the breeze, and the plastic covering on the window flapped noisily. The room felt a bit stuffy. Lin Lin's heart raced as she carefully folded the letter back up and tucked it into Toy Cat's belly. She turned off the lamp by her bedside and lay back down, covering herself with the blanket while the fan whirled noisily above her. With her eyes wide open, she gazed into the dimness of the room, where Changqing's singing seemed to flicker in her mind. She couldn't help but cover her lips with her hand and smile sweetly.
Reluctantly, she drifted off to sleep but soon reached for Toy Cat again, retrieving the letter from its belly. She held it for a moment before putting it back inside. Hugging Toy Cat tightly, she rolled around on the bed with a sweet smile, enjoying the soft fur of the cat.
Later, she lay on her side with one arm wrapped around Toy Cat, her face pressed against its smooth fur. With her eyes closed, a shy smile lingered on her lips. Her toes, painted with purple nail polish, curled as they playfully kicked at the mosquito net's poles.
At some point, she woke up again and listened closely; it seemed to be raining outside. The sound was gentle and clear, with the wind softly tapping against the plastic covering on the window. It felt like there was a bit of moisture at her bedside. Lin Lin opened her eyes to find Toy Cat pushed to the edge of the bed. She turned onto her side, resting her face on her fragrant arm, which felt slightly damp and sticky.
Lin Lin wiped her lips with the back of her hand and got out of bed to turn off the fan. She lifted the mosquito net and slipped on her slippers before grabbing a towel from the wall to dry her arm. Then she adjusted the plastic covering on the window and tore off some paper to wipe away the rainwater from her bedside and windowsill. Finally, she found a clean sheet to spread over her bed.
After settling back in, she took Toy Cat into her arms and checked that the letter was still there. Holding Toy Cat close, she pointed at its face with a shy smile and said, "You... are you shameless? A boy wrote you a letter just like that!"
"Hehe! I'm not shameless!" Lin Lin replied to Toy Cat's silly grin as if talking to herself. Then she flipped over onto her stomach in bed, her feet still playfully kicking about. Stretching out an arm, she turned on the lamp by her bedside and pulled out her diary from under the cool mat of her pillow. It was a beautifully crafted notebook with a blue floral cover and plastic wrapping; even the pages inside smelled nice. Lin Lin planned to write down her thoughts in it.
She lay on her bed and took out an exquisite ballpoint pen from the diary, searching for a page with pretty patterns as she earnestly wrote: "Hello Changqing." After writing for a while, she shook her head in frustration and tore out that page into a ball, tossing it aside. She found another similar page and tilted her head in thought before writing: "Qing!" After writing just that one character, she tore it out too.
This process repeated many times until finally she wrote a complete note that she read over several times while nodding in satisfaction. She tossed her long hair back with a smile before folding up the finished letter and tucking it between the pages of her diary under her pillow. Stretching out comfortably, she lay back down with wide-open eyes, feeling as if this night would never end.
Fortunately, dawn finally broke. Lin Lin woke up early, dressed in a white shirt layered with a blue calf jacket and blue fitted pants beneath. On her feet were white socks paired with white sneakers trimmed in red—she had bought them for nine dollars!
Stepping outside, she breathed in the fresh air. A light drizzle fell outside; everything felt exceptionally refreshing. The trees were lush and vibrant against the backdrop of misty rain—a truly delightful sight that made Lin Lin hum softly to herself.
At breakfast time, Two Brothers returned home for their meal. Lin Lin was in high spirits today because of the rain; there would be no work in the fields! She prepared several dishes with care as they all gathered around the table to eat happily together in a warm atmosphere.
After breakfast, Two Brothers headed off to school while Lin Lin hurriedly washed up before returning to her room. She pulled out that letter from her diary again and smiled shyly as she tucked it into her pocket before stepping out to greet her mother excitedly before skipping away joyfully.
Arriving at Wen Xin's home, he found Wen Xin was just having a meal. Wen Sheng had skipped class that morning due to the rain. The two of them sat facing each other, with a bowl of pickled vegetables on the stool between them, eating and chatting. Wen Hao was sitting on the edge of the bed; when his mother brought him a bowl of rice, he glanced at it and angrily exclaimed, "I don't want this! Cook me two packs of instant noodles and add four eggs!"
Wen Sheng's mother sighed and tried to persuade him, "You can't have instant noodles for breakfast; everyone eats home-cooked meals!"
Wen Hao glared defiantly, "I just won't eat this! Take it away!"
Wen Sheng's grandmother, frustrated, struck the ground with her stick, "Whose child doesn't eat home-cooked meals? Don't indulge him; let him go hungry!"
Wen Sheng's mother stood there speechless, her expression one of helplessness. Outside, the wind picked up, and the rain seemed to intensify, making the air feel a bit colder. She stood there dazedly.
Wen Sheng's father took his bowl into another room to eat.
At that moment, Wen Hao grabbed a bottle of liquor from beside the bed, lifted it high, and smashed it on the floor in front of his mother. The bottle shattered with a sharp sound that pierced the air. Wen Sheng's mother flinched involuntarily!
Seeing this, Wen Sheng put down his bowl and stood up, giving Wen Hao a cold smile. Wen Xin also stood up; her chopsticks slipped from her hand, dropping the pickled vegetables onto the floor as she timidly tugged at Wen Sheng's sleeve, "Er Ge."
Wen Sheng gently pushed her away and said softly, "It's none of your business; just eat your meal. After eating, you can go to class!"
He slowly walked over to Wen Hao and looked at him coldly with a malicious grin. Wen Hao raised his arm to shield himself and whined, "What do you want to do?" Then he shouted, "Mom! Wen Sheng is going to hit me! Aren't you going to ask?"
Wen Sheng's mother was at a loss for what to do; life had played an unfair joke on them. Reflecting on the years gone by—bitter, sweet, and sour—there had been times when they struggled for food. Even when they cooked wild vegetables together as a family, it felt satisfying and fulfilling. But now, an indescribable bitterness surged within her heart.
After a moment of silence, she turned to Wen Sheng and said softly, "You should hurry up and eat too; after your meal, go to class! I'll go to the store and get him some things on credit." Her voice was so weak and powerless. The wind blew in through the window, lifting her somewhat dry and messy hair; her aged face looked so thin. The fine rain continued to fall gently outside as the leaves of the trees swayed in the breeze. Occasionally, clear droplets would slide down the green leaves and fall to the ground with a splash.
Wen Sheng's smile grew more sinister as his face turned pale.
Wen Hao looked at Wen Sheng in a panic, "I won't eat instant noodles anymore! I want rice. Mother! Don't make Wen Sheng hit me!"
Lin Lin's previously joyful smile suddenly froze as she watched Wen Xin eating pickled vegetables. Wen Sheng's Mother wore a helpless expression, while Wen Sheng's face turned pale. A gust of wind blew by, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
Seeing Lin Lin arrive, Wen Sheng's Mother still pretended to be happy, "Lin Lin is here! Have you eaten?"
Lin Lin forced a smile, "I've eaten. Auntie! I asked my Brother Wen Sheng to bring me something!"
Wen Sheng's Mother called out to Wen Sheng with a smile, "Wen Sheng! Your sister Lin wants you to bring her something!"
At that moment, Wen Sheng and Wen Xin returned to their room. Usually, Wen Xin would tease Lin Lin with a smile, but this time he didn't. With a serious expression, he kept his head down and remained silent. When Lin Lin entered, he softly said, "Lin Lin!" It seemed he wanted to say more but held back.
Lin Lin took out a piece of letter paper from her pocket and handed it to Wen Sheng with a smile, "Brother! Please give this to Changqing!" Her hand accidentally brushed against Wen Sheng's; it felt so cold.
Wen Sheng carefully folded the letter and tucked it into his pocket. He grabbed an umbrella, pushed his old bicycle out of the house, and noticed that the wind outside seemed to have picked up even more...
Comment 0 Comment Count