Beside the stone railing on the third floor, Yugali and Hesta stood together, looking down at the situation under their feet - the newlyweds of the North 14th District were slowly going upstairs along the stone steps, and their relatives and friends were also following them. came and almost surrounded the entire exit of the city hall.
Qiqi and Shiyi squatted on the edge of the stone railing, looking down through the gaps in the railings.
"The bride's dress is so white," Qiqi whispered, "so beautiful."
"It's hard to fight in clothes like this," Eleven stretched out his hand in the direction of the woman, "You just need to grab her veil -"
Before she finished speaking, the bride's veil was hooked on the statue on the side of the steps. She exclaimed and quickly covered her hair with both hands. Several bridesmaids immediately rushed forward to untie her.
"Look!" Eleven grabbed the stone railing excitedly, "What did I just say?"
"Is the bride's dress only worn once?" Qiqi asked.
"I don't know, it should be."
"I feel like I can make a lot of clothes with this cut."
Eleven frowned and thought carefully, "Really? It seems like there's not much we can do - who makes clothes with yarn, and it's uncomfortable to wear..."
The two children were discussing each other word by word. Their voices were drowned in the roaring "Amazing Grace" and no one paid attention at all.
Beside them, Hesta and Yugali remained silent.
"...It seems that only people from the North 14th District here come to the city hall to get married," Yugali lowered his eyes and suddenly said, "Is it the same for marriages in the 3rd District? They wear wedding dresses and come to the city hall. A wedding?"
"have no idea."
"Have you never attended other people's weddings?"
"No."
"Because you've been in the army?"
"No," Hesta recalled seriously for a while, "it seems like no one around me is ever married."
"so……"
After a while, Yugali sighed softly, "I'm sorry for keeping you all here today..."
"Let's find a chance to come out and play next time," Hesta whispered, "Anyway, those scenic spots are always there, and they won't run away."
Yugali glanced quickly towards Hesta and then looked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two people walking out of the conference hall at the other end of the corridor—it was the young man who had been talking to Hesta earlier.
Kseniya and Mesnan both held a cardboard box in their arms. They also saw Hesta here, so they took the initiative to say hello.
"Why didn't you follow the car?" Before Ksenia could finish asking her question, she saw Yugali's red and swollen eyes. She put the cardboard box in her hand aside, "...What's wrong?"
Yugali didn't know how to explain it and stood there awkwardly.
"Some hard things have happened." Hesta replied from the side.
Kseniya showed some sympathy on her face. She took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Yugali, "...there are always some difficult things in life."
The corner of Yugali's mouth sank slightly, silently echoing.
"Do you have any plans next?" Ksenia asked with a smile, "If not, you can go to the church with us. There is a choir rehearsal in the afternoon and there is also a tea break."
Methnan, who had been standing behind Kseniya, suddenly panicked. He blinked in surprise, as if he did not expect that Kseniya would suddenly send out such an invitation.
"...Forget it." Hesta observed Yugali's reaction, "We will go back in a while."
Yugali nodded in relief.
"That's it," Ksenia smiled slightly, "Then we will——"
"Wait," Hesta walked quickly to Ksenia. She leaned down and helped her pick up the carton from the ground again, "...can you tell me your number? Well, it will be convenient...in the future. connect."
"Can."
After taking down Ksenia’s phone number, Hesta immediately called back.
The phone in Kseniya's pocket vibrated, and she smiled and said, "Okay, now I also have your number."
"...Goodbye," Hesta looked into her eyes, "See you next time."
After saying goodbye, Hesta stood upstairs and watched the two people leaving. Yugali also noticed something and said softly, "If you are interested in that rehearsal, you can go... I will help you Send the children back—"
"No," Hesta turned his head, "Do you still have the strength now? If you have the strength, we will find a place to sit nearby. If we don't have the strength, we will all go back and rest early."
Yugali's throat moved slightly and he lowered his head, "...I do want to go back and lie down for a while."
"Okay." Hesta nodded, "Let's go to the station together."
The two called Eleven Qiqi before leaving. Qiqi suddenly grabbed Hesta's sleeve, "...wait a moment, can you wait a moment?"
"What's wrong?"
"Can you take a photo for me?" Qiqi asked. She walked to the stone railing and pointed at the newlyweds below. "When the bride finishes taking the photo, I... also want to stand on that step and take a photo. .”
…
In the evening, Hesta took Eleven and Qiqi back to the fried chicken restaurant for lunch. Since Teacher Yan did not allow her to buy gifts for her children in private, Hesta could only bring them to eat - but Eleven and Qiqi didn't think about anything else at all.
After breaking up with Eucalyptus, Hesta's mood was always a little depressed. She always looked at somewhere near or far away in trance. It wasn't until Eleven stretched out his hand in front of her or started to slap the table that her consciousness would rise. Back briefly.
"Forget it, since you took us to eat delicious food today, I won't argue with you." Eleven chewed hard and said vaguely, "But you can't always desert while talking to me. !”
Hesta held up her face and looked at Eleven with a smile.
Before parting, Qiqi went to Hesta's cell phone again and took a look at her photos in it.
On the screen, she opened her eyes wide and stood very upright in the middle of the stone steps. Beside her, a solemn half-length figure extends upward along the steps to the highest point of the picture - where Orange Town's golden city emblem and city message are engraved on the marble slab, everything is quiet and solemn.
Qiqi touched Hesta's phone reluctantly and raised her head, "Don't delete it, okay?"
Hesta understood this request. She squatted down and looked at Qiqi on the phone. While making gestures, she said in the non-standard Southern District 14 dialect, "I will... print it out and send it to you. .”
Qiqi understood for a long time, and when she finally understood what Hesta meant, the little girl let out an exclamation and hugged Hesta's neck excitedly.
After leaving the Hope Center, Hestad felt almost extremely tired again. The day was so long that she almost forgot how she got back home. When she pushed the door open, as expected, the lights in the kitchen were still on, and there were jingling sounds and footsteps moving back and forth in the area.
