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"Why didn't you bring anything?" Grandma said, "Both children are not at home, Jiawei and Lanlan must have taken them out somewhere to play."
When Qinglan was young, Qing Shusheng liked to take Liu Jiawei and Qinglan out to the fields or mountains to explore, and after wandering around, they would return home for breakfast.
After hearing Grandma's words, Liu Xiuzhen finally calmed down.
After a while, Qing Shusheng indeed returned with the two children.
Qinglan initially thought this summer would be spent in boredom and frustration since she couldn't see An Shaojie. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the most fulfilling and peaceful summer of her life. Well, not the happiest since she couldn't see An Shaojie, but definitely the most tranquil.
After the busy farming season, Liu Jiawei began learning woodworking from Qing Shusheng. Seeing that Qing Shusheng had started using his old tools again, people from the village and nearby areas brought out their long-stored wood and materials for him to craft various wooden items.
A few days before school started, Qinglan went to the town to book tickets and ran into Xiang Yuanqiu, who insisted on taking Qinglan to her house for lunch.
After lunch, she invited Qinglan to go with her to the Provincial Capital for school. Although Qinglan was reluctant to go with her, she thought about how her train was at eight in the evening. It would be hard to endure such a long wait at the train station alone. Going with Xiang Yuanqiu would allow her to rest at her school for a while, so she agreed.
Later that night, it was fortunate that she went with Xiang Yuanqiu to the Provincial Capital because the train was delayed, and Qinglan didn't board until after ten o'clock.
During her stay in the Provincial Capital, Xiang Yuanqiu warmly hosted her. In the evening, she invited several of her good friends to join Qinglan for dinner and shopping. Eventually, they just sat together in the waiting room at the station chatting.
While waiting for the train in the waiting room, several other friends had to return to school, leaving only Xiang Yuanqiu and a boy named Wang Wei accompanying Qinglan.
Wang Wei seemed very attentive and caring towards Qinglan. When entering the station, it was Wang Wei who helped carry all of Qinglan's bags instead of Xiang Yuanqiu.
At that time, Qinglan didn't think much of it. Xiang Yuanqiu had always been that way; she often carried an air of superiority around Qinglan as if she were more precious than her. In school, she was not very willing to help other classmates with heavy tasks either. Therefore, Qinglan didn't mind; Wang Wei was her friend, and his help counted as a favor. Moreover, since Xiang Yuanqiu was treating them that evening, compared to her previous attitude towards Qinglan, she felt immensely grateful already.
At the Beijing Train Station, it was still Xu Wen who picked her up. However, An Shaojie had already arrived at school a week earlier.
Upon returning to school and seeing An Shaojie, Qinglan recalled the matter that had been weighing on her mind before the break, which made her feel somewhat gloomy for a long time after the start of the semester.
Time quickly moved into early autumn, and the sunlight in Beijing during this season was always a warm orange-yellow. The Red Maple Leaves glowed brightly in orange-yellow hues, while rows of bright yellow Ginkgo Leaves shone like gold, making the campus in early autumn as vibrant as spring.
One thing that filled Qinglan with both anxiety and joy upon returning to school was that Xu Wen's feelings for her seemed to have entered a new phase of intensity.
Before the break, when Xu Wen casually mentioned the word "love," Qinglan felt a brief flutter in her heart. However, once she returned home, she forgot about it, as it was just something he said offhandedly and not in a formally romantic context like others might do. Therefore, Qinglan did not take it seriously.
But Xu Wen seemed to think differently.
After returning to school, he appeared eager to express his affection for Qinglan. His gaze towards her was more intense and ambiguous than ever before.
This development brought joy to Qinglan but also made her anxious.
Although she had always known that Xu Wen treated her well and had been by her side, for some reason, Qinglan had never defined their relationship as romantic. Yet, there was a feeling that her future seemed forever intertwined with this boy.
Thus, Qinglan felt both joy and anxiety.
She knew that if she relaxed even slightly, her life would change direction. However, this change frightened her because there were things in another direction of her life that she cherished and could not let go of. She feared that she would be unable to resist looking back in the future. So at the entrance of that direction, Qinglan hesitated and dared not move forward.
On the other hand, Qinglan's heart was also joyful because she felt she had grown closer to Xu Wen. This closeness gave her a sense that she might never leave him.
He no longer merely accompanied Qinglan to study or meet friends for chatting, tea, or singing; he took her shopping and into girls' accessory stores, buying her little trinkets. Even when they studied together, it was no longer monotonous; he prepared many snacks for her and watched as she ate them while advising her to eat less.
"Meal time is coming soon, you should eat more today. Look how thin you are."
He would gently pat her head, helping her fix the hair that had accidentally gotten caught at the corner of her mouth while snacking.
Qinglan thought that their relationship would continue like this, her heart gradually leaning towards him, slowly accepting him and forgetting An Shaojie.
However, life is full of "buts." Many fates come together or drift apart because of these "buts."
At the end of October, a sudden cold wind swept Beijing City from the warmth of autumn into the chilly winter.
On a weekend morning, Qinglan stood at the entrance of the school cafeteria, dressed in a pink cotton jacket, holding two books in her hands, and wearing pink snow boots.
Xu Wen had just delivered a tray to the cleaning area and was now washing his hands by the sink.
"Come on, let me take those books," Xu Wen said as he dried his hands and walked over to Qinglan to take the books from her.
"It's fine, they're just two books. I can carry them myself," Qinglan declined.
"The wind outside is strong and cold; your hands will freeze," Xu Wen replied.
"It's not that cold yet; it’s not winter. Besides, I have gloves on. You don’t even have gloves; how can I let someone without gloves exploit someone who is wearing them?" Qinglan said, waving her gloved hand in front of Xu Wen. He took her hand and gently rubbed it against his chest. The thick woolen material separated their hands, preventing him from feeling her warmth, but Qinglan still flinched slightly. She thought he might take this opportunity to hold her hand, but he didn’t. After breathing on her hand to warm it up, he released it and took the books from her before walking side by side with Qinglan towards the library as usual.
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