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墨書 Inktalez
On the eve of New Year's Eve, a heavy snowfall suddenly descended, blanketing Liu Family Village in a sea of white. The air outside felt as if it had been frozen, still and motionless, with no wind to disturb the silence.
Qinglan sat by the stove, where the flames danced up and down, licking at the surrounding cold air. Only the lively flames before her reminded Qinglan that the world was not at a standstill; time was slipping away from her.
She remained motionless, the firelight casting a rosy glow on her face. Leaning against the back of her chair, she rested one hand on her cheek while the other lay on her knee, covered by a bright red blanket.
She had maintained this position for nearly half an hour, lost in thought.
Opposite her sat Qing Shusheng, his head bowed, hands resting on his knees near the flames. He had been in this posture for about ten minutes.
Due to the extreme cold, Grandma had spent some time by the stove before retreating to her room to nestle under the covers. Age had made her unable to withstand the chill.
Miraculously, Liu Dezhou had survived another winter. It was once thought he wouldn't make it through last year, yet here he was again. Although his health had not improved significantly, he seemed much better than during last year's New Year celebrations. Sometimes he even asked Qing Shusheng to carry him downstairs to bask in the sun beneath the Old Locust Tree in the yard.
Thus, this year, the family had no worries about Liu Dezhou's health.
Liu Xiuzhen was busy tidying up in her room, needing to unpick and repair some cotton clothes from a few years ago. Despite the heavy snowfall before the New Year, the villagers believed that after the holiday there would be a stretch of fine weather—a perfect time for mending clothes. So while they couldn't go out to work during the snowstorm, it was an ideal opportunity to organize some household items and prepare for spring cleaning and repairs.
Additionally, she needed to prepare meals for the family over these few days. Soon she would have to head out to the vegetable garden to gather some greens buried under the snow.
Liu Xiuzhen was much quieter now than before and appeared more virtuous. Since Qing Shusheng returned from Shenzhen, their conversations had significantly decreased; most of the time it was Qing Shusheng who sought her out for discussions or inquiries.
Perhaps after experiencing what she thought was an irrevocable loss only to have it return, she had come to understand many things. The pain of loss left her with nowhere to express her sorrow, leading her to no longer idolize Qing Shusheng as she once did or scrutinize his every move for hidden thoughts.
Because she had lost him, didn't she manage to get through and live well?
The one who would definitely not come back was now still in front of her, wasn't he?
She no longer cared so much about loss and gain, which made her suddenly radiate a calm feminine glow.
After tidying up the things in the room, she walked into the kitchen and took down the bamboo basket from the wall, slinging it over her arm. As she passed through the main room, she said, "I'm going to the vegetable garden."
She no longer cared whether this statement was directed at Qinglan or Qing Shusheng.
Qinglan immediately stood up, draping a blanket over the back of the chair and said, "Mother, I'll go with you to pick vegetables."
"Um, that." Qing Shusheng, who had been silent, suddenly cleared his throat and spoke in a muffled voice.
Qinglan and Liu Xiuzhen turned to look at him simultaneously.
"Um. Bai Cuifen's family hasn't had anyone for half a year. With everyone returning for the New Year, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and now it suddenly snowed. They probably haven't prepared many things. Especially firewood; they might not have enough at home. Also, the vegetables in their garden were all planted by me. If you don't go tell her to pick some for herself, she probably won't go," Qing Shusheng said while avoiding Qinglan's and Liu Xiuzhen's eyes.
Qinglan turned her gaze back to Liu Xiuzhen, who waved her hand and said, "Come on, Qinglan, hurry up."
She paused at the door and added, "There’s a lot of firewood in the backyard; since you and Jiawei gathered it, just take some over. The vegetables are also yours; just let Qinglan tell her later."
Qinglan smiled slightly; she understood Liu Xiuzhen's meaning clearly and agreed to Qing Shusheng's suggestion.
Around the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Xiuzhen and An Shaomin returned from Shenzhen, almost simultaneously with An Shaojie and Qinglan arriving at Liu Family Village.
This time, it was a coincidence that Qinglan and An Shaojie took the same train, arriving at the Provincial Capital together and then traveling home from there.
It truly was a coincidence.
Before the holiday, Lin Xi booked tickets home with Simple and others. Knowing that Shaw Min and Bai Cuifen were returning home for the New Year and their travel dates, An Shaojie stayed a few extra days at school to book a train ticket to return home with Shaw Min and the others.
Qinglan initially promised to go to Xu Wen's house, so she did not book tickets with Simple and the others. Later, it became difficult to book tickets, but Xu Wen helped Qinglan secure a ticket through many acquaintances, which happened to be on the same train as An Shaojie.
Although An Shaojie still did not speak to her during the journey, it seemed he did not look at her with anger. This time, Qinglan specifically observed his expression; without Xu Wen by her side, she noticed there was no anger in his eyes, though he still appeared lightly indifferent.
What Qinglan did not know was that when An Shaojie arranged to book tickets home with Lin Xi, she bluntly told him that the person she liked was Lu Chenyu and that her feelings for him were strictly brotherly.
She also said, "You should hold onto Lanlan tightly; don't wait until you lose her to regret it. Xu Wen originally planned to take Lanlan home to meet his parents, and Lanlan agreed. It was only because I suggested she take a break that she didn't go. The person she has always liked is you. So please don't waste any more time on me. Even if you don't like Lanlan, there is no possibility between us because I like someone else."
During her interactions with An Shaojie, Lin Xi realized that he actually liked Qinglan, so she no longer treaded carefully around this topic as she had before, fearing it might hurt him.
An Shaojie remained silent and turned back to his dormitory.
Lying on his bed in the dormitory, he repeatedly pondered Lin Xi's words, reflecting on all past events. Although he still did not admit to himself that he liked Qinglan, at least he confirmed from Lin Xi that Qinglan liked him and had always liked him. His heart, which had been defeated by Lin Xi's words, received some compensation from this revelation. After feeling dejected for a while in his room, he decided to head to the study room. Although school was on break, some students remained on campus for various reasons—some preparing for graduate school entrance exams and others facing difficulties booking tickets—so the study room remained open.
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