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墨書 Inktalez
From first grade to third grade, every winter, Shaw Min's school attendance was almost sporadic, yet her grades consistently ranked among the top in her class. This often led the parents of other children from her village and class to compare their kids with her, saying, "Look at Shaw Min; she hardly goes to school, yet her grades are better than yours."
Time flew by, and soon it was February 1991.
Although the beginning of spring had passed, a spring snow had brought back the chill of winter. The entire Southwestern Hubei and Xiangxi mountainous region resembled an ice cellar, with snow covering the roads. The damp winds of spring combined with the cold of the snow made the chill even more penetrating.
The Spring Festival had just ended, and the laziness and festive atmosphere had not completely faded. The village school was already welcoming students back. On the way from Liu Family Village to school, small figures could be seen carrying backpacks, shivering as they trudged through the cold wind.
These small figures were Qinglan and Lin Xi.
The two of them shared a black umbrella, with one arm wrapped around each other's waist as they walked against the wind.
The cold wind made them shiver. They held tightly onto the umbrella's handle with their small hands—one hand slender and long belonged to Qinglan, while the other hand was chubby and soft belonging to Lin Xi. Both wore identical handmade knitted gloves.
The gloves belonged to Lin Xi and were crafted by her mother.
Every day on their way to school, Lin Xi would take off one glove and put it on Qinglan's hand that was holding the umbrella.
In fact, there was neither rain nor snow falling from the sky, yet Qinglan and Lin Xi still held up that black umbrella firmly.
This was an unspoken agreement between them: whether it was snowing, raining, or any other chilly weather, regardless of whether both brought their own umbrellas or just one of them did, they would only open one umbrella together.
Thus, Lin Xi hurriedly took off the glove from her other hand.
"Here, Lanlan, put on this glove; your hand won't be cold while holding the umbrella," Lin Xi said gently.
"Thank you, Lin Sister," Qinglan replied quickly with a smile.
The wind blew against her bangs, and her high pigtails swayed in the breeze. Qinglan looked at Lin Xi's face, which had turned red from the cold, and smiled sweetly. Her eyes squinted slightly due to the wind.
She rubbed her small hands together and then placed them near her mouth to warm them before putting on the glove that Lin Xi had given her, as if worried that her cold hands would ruin it.
After putting on the glove, Qinglan exchanged a slight smile with Lin Xi before suddenly bending down and bursting into laughter.
"What's so funny? Lanlan." Lin Xi was a bit confused by Qinglan's sudden laughter, but she couldn't help but be infected by Qinglan's carefree giggles and chuckled along, looking at her.
"Lin Sister, do you think Brother Shaojie will still talk to me in the future?" Qinglan suddenly stopped laughing and showed a serious expression.
"He will," Lin Xi said with a giggle, deliberately speaking loudly.
Walking ahead of Qinglan and Lin Xi, An Shaojie heard their conversation and his small body trembled slightly.
Lin Xi quickly took a few steps forward, and Qinglan followed suit, quickening her pace.
After catching up to An Shaojie, Lin Xi pulled out a pair of gloves and a sky-blue diary from her backpack. "Here, Brother Shaojie, these gloves were knitted for you by my mom overnight, and this diary is a gift I bought for you as a keepsake."
Lin Xi placed the gloves on top of the diary and held it out to An Shaojie, who stared blankly at it without reaching out.
"Take it," Lin Xi stepped forward again, extending her hand further toward An Shaojie.
An Shaojie bit his lip tightly, and after a long time, a tear suddenly fell onto the gloves.
Qinglan reached out to help wipe away the tears from his face.
With a loud "smack," An Shaojie slapped Qinglan's hand away forcefully.
Qinglan winced in pain, rubbing her arm while pouting at Lin Xi.
"Brother Shaojie, don't be like this. After I leave, I'll come back to see you. In the future, Lanlan will still go to school with you," Lin Xi glanced at Qinglan, then looked back at An Shaojie, whose tears were streaming down his face. She couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up too.
"That's right, Brother Shaojie. Even though Lin Sister is leaving, I will be here with you. I will always stay by your side. Wherever you go, I will go too," Qinglan said with a pout, enunciating each word carefully.
"Who wants you to keep me company?" An Shaojie shouted angrily at Qinglan, his eyes filled with tears.
"Lin Sister, don't worry. After you leave, I will take good care of Brother Shaojie for you," Qinglan said like a little adult.
Her hands still held the Sky Blue Notebook and the pure blue gloves in front of An Shaojie.
"My Mother En said she intentionally knitted these gloves a size larger, so you can wear them for a few more years," Lin Xi said softly, her hands trembling in the air. "If you miss me, write in this diary. Didn't the teacher say it's about expressing your true feelings? Write your thoughts in here, and when I come back, you can show it to me. That way, it will be like I never left you."
As Lin Xi spoke, she glanced at Qinglan. The gloves and notebook had been given to Qinglan by Lin Xi just the night before when she visited her home, so Lin Xi's words were also meant for Qinglan.
Last night, An Shaojie had overheard his Mother talking about Teacher Lin getting a public teaching position and being recruited by a middle school in the county, meaning Lin Xi and her Mother would leave Liu Family Village with Teacher Lin. Lin Xi would no longer attend school with him.
When his Mother shared this news, he secretly ran to the village's threshing ground and hid behind a haystack, crying uncontrollably.
He felt as if he was about to lose the most precious thing in his life, and the pain in his heart was overwhelming.
On his way back, under the cold moonlight, he hugged his trembling body and looked at the lonely shadow cast on the ground. He felt as if he were just like that shadow—forever chasing after his heart but never able to catch up, eternally lonely.
Looking at the gloves and notebook that Lin Xi held out, An Shaojie finally couldn't hold back his emotions and began to sob violently, his frail shoulders shaking in the wind.
Qinglan reached out to try to steady his shaking shoulders but was pulled by him and stumbled, nearly falling.
Qinglan glared at An Shaojie angrily. An Shaojie glared back defiantly, tears streaming down his face.
Seeing Brother Shaojie's tear-streaked face softened Qinglan's heart again, and she smiled. "Brother Shaojie, don't be sad. Even though Lin Sister is gone, you still have me. I will take care of you." Qinglan reached out again to wipe away the tears on An Shaojie's face.
An Shaojie seemed unmoved by Qinglan's words and stubbornly pushed her hand away with force.
"Nobody cares about you," An Shaojie said.
Hearing An Shaojie's words, Qinglan looked over at Lin Xi.
Lin Xi took An Shaojie's hand gently and placed the gloves and notebook into his palm. Then she took Qinglan's hand and placed it on An Shaojie's hand. "Brother Shaojie, please take care of Lanlan for me in the future, okay?"
Upon hearing Lin Xi's words, An Shaojie's sobbing shoulders suddenly stopped. He raised his head, bit his lip, and stared at Lin Xi without speaking for a long time.
Qinglan looked at Lin Xi with gratitude, then glanced at An Shaojie, a smug expression appearing on her face.
After waiting for a long time and seeing that An Shaojie remained silent, Lin Xi turned to Qinglan, blinking her eyes and pouting her chubby lips. She said to Qinglan, "Lanlan, don't hold it against Brother Shaojie. After I leave, you have to call him to school every day and wait for him after school. Don't ignore him, okay?"
Qinglan pulled her hand away from Lin Xi's grip, pouted her lips, stood on her tiptoes, placed her hands behind her back, lifted her chin high, and lightly huffed through her nose. "Hmph! He doesn't care about me, and I don't care about him. I have plenty of friends to play with."
"Lanlan, you..." Lin Xi stomped her foot, looking angrily at Qinglan. Her delicate white face flushed red with either anger or anxiety.
"Hmph!" Qinglan arrogantly turned her face away, but her eyes were watery, tears swirling in her eyes.
In fact, Qinglan had already learned this news last night.
Upon hearing the news, she didn't feel as sad or lost as An Shaojie did.
Although she was reluctant to see Lin Xi leave Liu Family Village, she believed that Lin Xi should be the one feeling sadder because Lin Xi would no longer be able to go to school with Brother Shaojie every day or see their dear Brother Shaojie daily.
As for her, she could still go to school with him every day and come home with him.
So she thought she was the happy one and that Lin Xi was the one who should be sad.
Moreover, she optimistically thought that without Lin Xi around, she would treat him even better.
She believed he wouldn't be able to endure loneliness and that as long as she continued to be good to him, there would come a day when he would notice her.
Thus, while Qinglan felt confident about herself, seeing the stubborn An Shaojie made her feel somewhat wronged inside.
An Shaojie put his gloves and diary into his backpack and took Lin Xi's hand to walk forward.
As Lin Xi was being pulled along by An Shaojie, she turned back to look at Qinglan still standing in the wind.
Qinglan turned around with tear-filled eyes, watching An Shaojie slowly walk away with Lin Xi. In her heart filled with resentment yet softness, she called out gently, "Brother Shaojie, one day I will make you like me!"
However, she did not know that at this moment, An Shaojie was secretly saying to himself, "An Shaojie, no matter how good Qinglan is to you, you must not be good to her. Do not forget the humiliation brought to you by her Father and Mother."
In mid-March, it was the season of blooming flowers and lush willows.
The few willow trees by the pond in Liu Family Village had already sprouted bright green buds, the pear tree flowers in front of the door were blooming vigorously, and several peach trees were on the verge of blossoming, revealing hints of rosy pink.
Lin Xi transferred to Wufeng County Experimental Primary School due to Lin Wenhui's job relocation.
Since Lin Xi left, An Shaojie no longer finished his meals quickly like before. He would not go to school with Lin Xi and Qinglan without waiting for Shaw Min. Now, no matter how much earlier he finished his meal compared to Shaw Min, he would quietly wait for her to finish before going to school together.
If Shaw Min finished her meal first, he would no longer remain silent as before but would call out to her, "Sister, wait for me a moment; I'll be done soon."
Thus, after Lin Xi left, An Shaojie always went to school and returned home with An Shaomin.
He was not alone.
This situation was something Qinglan had not anticipated.
But An Shaomin could not possibly accompany him to school forever! So Qinglan still had confidence in herself.
After Lin Xi left, Qinglan did not follow Lin Xi's instructions to invite An Shaojie to school every day because he had been in a bad mood those days. After school each afternoon, he either locked himself in his room or ran off to cry in the haystack at the threshing ground, refusing to talk to anyone. Even his Mother did not know what to do, so Qinglan dared not risk it.
However, every day after finishing breakfast early, Qinglan would wait for him by the bridge at her doorstep.
Liu Jiawei still acted as he always did; he would not accompany Qinglan while waiting for An Shaojie and Shaw Min to go to school together.
When An Shaojie and Shaw Min reached the bridge, An Shaojie always walked past her without glancing sideways.
After Shaw Min passed by her side, she would turn back and give Qinglan an apologetic look.
Shaw Min knew that Qinglan was waiting for An Shaojie, but she also understood that An Shaojie did not like her. To accommodate her moody and stubborn younger brother, Shaw Min could only smile apologetically at Qinglan after passing by but dared not say a word to her.
Shaw Min's apologetic glance and a warm smile were enough to comfort Qinglan's heart.
So Qinglan returned Shaw Min with a smile of understanding.
After An Shaojie and Shaw Min walked past her, Qinglan followed behind them. When they walked quickly, Qinglan matched their pace; when they strolled, she slowed down as well.
At the end of school, it was quite the opposite.
Qinglan walked ahead while An Shaojie and Shaw Min walked behind her.
However, An Shaojie did not follow Qinglan in the same way. He walked at his own pace, whether fast or slow, so it was actually Qinglan who adjusted her steps to match his.
Sometimes, Shaw Min would look at the distance between them and Qinglan, adjusting her pace to influence An Shaojie's speed.
After Lin Xi left, although there was no one to share snacks with Qinglan anymore, she still brought some snacks from home to keep in her backpack. After school, she would either take out the snacks she brought or buy some from a small shop along the way, eating as she walked ahead.
Qinglan knew that now between her and An Shaojie, it was impossible to share snacks like they used to with Lin Xi around. So after Lin Xi left, she prepared double portions or bought double portions of snacks—one for herself and one to gently place by the roadside at an appropriate time.
She knew that An Shaojie would not take the snacks left by the roadside.
But she also knew that Shaw Min would pretend not to see the snacks she placed there and would pick them up, feigning surprise as she exclaimed, "Wow, An Shaojie, look! Who dropped this bag of snacks? Haha, I found it!"
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