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墨書 Inktalez
In Xi Hu's view, 1992 had already passed, and the next six months of 1993 would be Hu Ruoyun's final time in high school.
The last winter vacation was about to begin, and during this period, Hu Ruoyun found various excuses to visit the Gaoqiao Town Post Office several times, whether it was to buy stamps or envelopes. Each time he entered, he feared running into Mao Na. After several visits without seeing her, he felt an anxious longing to know what she had been busy with during this time and where she was.
With this secret weighing on his mind, he dared not ask Mao Jie, afraid that he might discover something or sense his feelings.
A week before the winter break, although classes had not yet officially ended, the midterm exams were over, and many students had already taken it upon themselves to start their vacations early. The gatekeeper had also relaxed the rules regarding entry and exit.
It had been half a month since Hu Ruoyun had any news of Mao Na, and during this time, he felt almost as if his soul were absent.
Mao Jie came looking for him to play basketball. Normally bold and competitive, Hu Ruoyun's performance disappointed him greatly. Mao Jie noticed that something was off with him and put an arm around his shoulder, asking, "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to accompany you to the Town Health Center?"
Hu Ruoyun quickly denied it. "No, no, it's just that I've been a bit sleepless lately..."
Mao Jie felt relieved and casually held the basketball under his arm. "As long as you're okay! By the way, my sister went to the Provincial Capital for some studies a while back and returned last night. She wants you to accompany her tomorrow to find her two friends from last time in the county town. Do you have time? She said she was scared at the karaoke place last time and feels more at ease with you around—someone who can handle eight at once!"
That was music to Hu Ruoyun's ears! He felt as if a heavy stone that had been pressing on his heart for half a month had suddenly been lifted. Now he could breathe freely and felt energized; he wanted to run laps around the playground shouting out loud to release the worries and gloom of the past two weeks...
He didn’t remember when Mao Jie left; he only heard him say one last thing: "Tomorrow morning at six-thirty, my sister will be waiting for you at the bus stop outside town... Make sure to arrive early; she’s afraid of the dark!"
On a winter morning in Jiangbei, it was still dark at six o'clock when Hu Ruoyun arrived early.
At six-twenty, a bicycle with a headlight approached from Town. A figure got off from the back seat after exchanging a few words with the rider. The flashlight flickered towards Hu Ruoyun before the bicycle turned away.
A lively figure quickly ran over—so familiar to Hu Ruoyun.
He hurried forward but slowed down as he got closer; his mind suddenly went blank, unsure of what to say to start this meeting.
The figure opposite him also slowed down. Just two steps apart, they gazed at each other.
Almost simultaneously, they both stepped forward without any hesitation or pause. She threw herself into his arms, and he held her tightly!
Her hair brushed against his cheek as his breath felt so clear beside her ear.
In that moment, it seemed as if time stood still; everything froze.
Beautiful moments always pass too quickly.
In the distance, headlights of a car swayed; the first bus heading to the county town was about to arrive. They released each other but kept their hands tightly clasped together.
As the bus pulled up in front of them and the doors opened, Hu Ruoyun led Mao Na onto the bus hand in hand. There were only a few passengers on board, yet they silently made their way to the back and sat closely together in the last empty row.
When the ticket collector approached, Hu Ruoyun reached into his pocket for money while Mao Na watched quietly and naturally.
Along the way, there were occasional greetings from passersby, and the driver frequently stopped to pick up passengers. The two of them sat quietly in the last row, with Mao Na leaning against Hu Ruoyun. Her hands were clasped tightly in his palms, and though they didn’t speak, the grip of their hands seemed to convey more than a thousand words.
When the bus arrived at Annan County City, the sky was bright, with no wind and the blazing sun shining down on the earth. They didn’t wait for the vehicle to pull into the station and got off at Binhe Park. The banks of the Dai Gong River were lined with evergreen trees, providing shade for joggers, tai chi practitioners, and badminton players. Without a care in the world, Mao Na wrapped her arms around one of Hu Ruoyun’s, leaning against him as if afraid he might run away. Hu Ruoyun seemed oblivious to everything around them, as if they were the only two people in existence.
Finally, Mao Na broke the silence. “Did you miss me?” she asked softly.
Hu Ruoyun replied without hesitation, “I haven’t slept well for the past two weeks... I bought stamps and envelopes and went to the post office several times but never saw you! I even dreamt for several nights that you had reconciled with Qiu. You were holding hands and walking ahead of me. I wanted to shout for you to stop, but no sound came out; I wanted to run up and grab you, but my legs wouldn’t move... I was struggling until my classmate on the upper bunk woke me up!”
Tears shimmered in Mao Na’s eyes. This wasn’t a grand declaration of love, but rather a boy’s sincere expression of his feelings for her. She felt that these words meant more than a thousand “I love yous.”
The two seemed to forget about time until they heard each other’s stomachs rumbling. Mao Na playfully said, “I’m hungry; take me to eat something.”
They found a clean bun shop and ordered two baskets of soup dumplings—one meat and one vegetarian—along with two bowls of millet porridge. Mao Na sat there contentedly as Hu Ruoyun busily prepared small plates of pickled vegetables and poured vinegar and chili oil, wearing an expression full of happiness and satisfaction.
After breakfast, they strolled through a shopping mall where Hu Ruoyun bought Mao Na a beige wool coat that she tried on multiple times. In return, Mao Na bought Hu Ruoyun a tailored suit. It was true what they said: “Clothes make the man.” When trying on the suit, Hu Ruoyun felt that his appearance was significantly enhanced by it.
They packed up the clothes into bags for Hu Ruoyun to carry. Mao Na then picked out a women’s trench coat. When Hu Ruoyun offered to pay, she firmly insisted, “You don’t need to worry about this; I’ll handle it.” Reluctantly, he let her have her way.
Once outside the mall, Mao Na raised her hand to hail a tricycle. “To Experimental High School; let’s go see our ‘matchmaker’,” she said.
Hu Ruoyun then realized that the trench coat was meant for Jiang Qiuying.
They waited at the school gate while an enthusiastic female classmate went off to call for someone. Before long, Jiang Qiuying came running over. Upon seeing Hu Ruoyun in his sharp suit and Mao Na standing gracefully beside him, she paused for a moment before joyfully rushing over to embrace Mao Na first and then winking at Hu Ruoyun. “Hu, congratulations!”
Hu Ruoyun replied sincerely, “Thank you, Qiuying!”
Mao Na asked Jiang Qiuying, “Where’s Beautiful Zhang?”
Jiang Qiuying hesitated for a moment before responding, “Sister, what do you need Meina for?”
Mao Na replied earnestly, “It’s nothing; just asserting my claim.”
Hu Ruoyun couldn’t help but laugh at her seriousness while Jiang Qiuying understood perfectly and responded earnestly, “Don’t worry, leave it to me!”
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