"Where are you going?"
Yan Jingxing found that his voice was trembling slightly, whether because of excitement or nervousness.
"Go to the secret base."
Miss Xie on the other side of the phone replied calmly.
"...Oh, secret base."
He relaxed a little and felt that the eldest lady should talk to him about the business.
"Okay, I'll come."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Well, see you tomorrow."
Yan Jingxing hung up the phone and couldn't help but feel speechless when he saw his uncle looking at him as if he were meeting him for the first time.
"It's nothing. She just asked me to hang out with her tomorrow."
"oh……"
"It's really nothing, spring algae will come too."
He said.
"Uncle, you must have misunderstood. Do you... do you think Xie Yuzhi and I are in puppy love?"
When Yan Jingxing said the word "puppy love", he still felt a little embarrassed.
"We are still junior high school students, we don't know how to fall in love. This is all in the future... in the future, right?"
At this time, the uncle sighed softly.
"When Boss Xie came that day, he specifically told me what happened between you and classmate Xie Yuzhi. Why do you think it was because of that?"
"Because...I don't know."
Seeing his nephew's confused look, Yan Yongzhi realized that although Jing Xing had changed a lot since moving to this small town and looked more mature than before, there were still things he didn't understand, such as The views of adults on the relationship between men and women are definitely different from those of children in school.
"Boss Xie is the parent of classmate Xie Yuzhi, and I am your guardian."
Yan Yongzhi began to seriously discuss possible connections with his nephew. He first pointed at his nephew and then at his own heart.
"When two guardians are talking, under what circumstances will they bring up their own children? The reason why they bring up you is because you saved his life, so why do they bring up Xie Yuzhi?"
"..."
Yan Jingxing was silent for a while. He finally understood what his uncle meant. So he asked tentatively:
"Uncle Xie, do you have any intention of bringing it up?"
"He didn't say, I guessed."
"That……"
“When adults speak, they often come from listening to the subtext in other people’s words.”
"Subtext……"
Yan Jingxing held his forehead and suddenly remembered several words Xie Yuzhi had said to him.
Is there some kind of subtext hidden in the words of the eldest lady? Although she is a junior high school student of the same age as herself, she is more like an adult in terms of her attitude and behavior.
Seeing him frowning and covering his head with an extremely troubled expression, Yan Yongzhi found it funny.
"Stop having a headache. Wouldn't it be nice if you went to see that girl tomorrow? If she was really interesting, she would tell you straight up."
"The problem is, the problem is..." Yan Jingxing still didn't put his hand down on his forehead, "If - I'm just saying it's possible, if she is really interesting, what should I do?"
"You're still asking me? You have no idea?"
"Of course my idea is..."
Miss Xie's face flashed before his eyes. If she really said she liked her, Yan Jingxing had no doubts about what he would choose.
Up to now, their relationship is already very close. They are very good and very good friends. What's the problem if they take another step forward?
Once he had this idea, his heart began to beat fast. Xie Yuzhi's smiling face appeared in front of his eyes. The vivid memory picture made the girl's appearance seem to be coated with a layer of dusk light, and her beautiful facial features were With snow-white skin shining in the light...
In a daze, he found that she seemed to be very close to him in his imagination, and even the feeling of her breathing and skin contact was so clear.
In order not to show it in front of his uncle, Yan Jingxing had no choice but to suppress the throbbing in his heart and stop himself from having random thoughts. Then he heard his uncle say:
"I'm not your parents. If you really have plans, you'd better call your parents and find out."
"Forget it then."
Yan Jingxing couldn't help but retorted.
"It's not certain whether they both remember having me as their son."
"You..."
Yan Yongzhi shook his head helplessly, but didn't say anything. In his opinion, his eldest brother and sister-in-law are indeed irresponsible in raising children, otherwise they would not be the hands-off shopkeepers and hand over the custody rights to him, and it is normal for their children to complain.
"Okay, let's not mention others. My idea is very simple. Just follow your wishes."
He said.
"I won't say much else. Everyone is young only once, so make the most of it and don't let yourself regret it."
Yan Jingxing nodded silently, already having a plan in mind.
*
the next day.
There are no clouds in the sky, and under the clear sky is the endless ocean. The bright sunshine envelopes the seaside town that smells of fish.
There is a winding mountain road, with green fields beside it; tall trees on the mountain, their shadows are dancing, and the breeze is blowing, making a rustling sound.
Yan Jingxing walked on this path with a relaxed and anxious mood.
I feel relaxed because the final exam is over, and the biggest burden as a student has been put down. The next step is to spend a happy summer vacation with friends:
And the anxiety is because...
He is about to go see Xie Yuzhi.
The conversation with his uncle last night was still playing out over and over in his mind.
…
The entrance to the secret base is still the same as before, with dense ivy growing wildly into a natural barrier and shelter, just like the cave discovered by Monkey Sun in "Journey to the West".
The wet stone walls are covered with traces of moss crawling over them, and you feel the shade as soon as you get closer; the sun's rays are blocked by the shadows cast by the ridges of the mountains above your heads.
Standing at the entrance of the quiet cave, you can hear the sound of waterfalls falling in the distance, and an invisible sense of coolness comes to your heart.
Yan Jingxing was worried before that this place might have been discovered by Wu Zhifei and others. Now it seems that the group of people should have found the whereabouts of the body and stopped investigating; the former explorer has died, and this place is still It is a "secret base" only for boys and girls.
He walked into the cave and saw Miss Xie squatting on the ground with her back to him, holding a rag and putting it into the bucket.
She heard footsteps behind her, turned her head and saw that it was Yan Jingxing, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised slightly.
"You came."
"Hmm. What are you doing?"
"It's nothing. I got here first and just wanted to clean up the place."
Yan Jingxing nodded and saw the big dog with two heads lying lazily in the corner of the cave. After looking around, he did not see the familiar curly-haired girl.
"Where's the spring algae?"
"She's not here. I didn't inform her."
Xie Yuzhi stood up, the beads of sweat on her fair forehead glistening in the midsummer sunshine, and she slowly approached herself.
"Now, it's just you and me here."
"It's just you and me..."
Xie Yuzhi wore a long chiffon dress with a big bow on the chest. The skirt reached to the calf, exposing a large area of skin on her arms and collarbone. When she came close to him, Yan Jingxing smelled the elegant and light fragrance rushing towards him, surrounding him as if he was in a flower garden.
Yan Jingxing subconsciously lowered his eyebrows and stared at the ground, not daring to raise his head to look at her.
Since yesterday, he always thought of Xie Yuzhi's face when he was alone; and the two of them were already very familiar with each other, so the image of her in the boy's mind was quite specific and clear, and it was often when he came back to his senses that he could see her. I found that I had been in a daze for a while.
Naturally, it is impossible to talk about this kind of thing to anyone; and in front of the real person involved, the unfounded fantasy only brings a sense of shame.
What if Yuzhi didn't mean it at all? Doesn’t it seem like he’s being sentimental…
"Jing Xing, what's wrong?"
"Well, what's wrong?"
"Why don't you raise your head to look at me?"
Miss Xie's voice sounded close at hand, and her gentle tone seemed to have some kind of magic power, drilling into his ears.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Xie Yuzhi felt troubled and asked worriedly.
"No!"
Yan Jingxing immediately raised his head and denied it. He scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly:
"Well, it's my problem, it has nothing to do with you."
"Your question? Oh..."
Xie Yuzhi nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you mean you have something on your mind?"
"almost……"
"What's on your mind? Can you share it with me? Maybe I can help you share your worries."
She moved closer to him, her face almost touching his. The breath from her lips blew on his neck, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin.
How can I tell you this? It was originally about you...
Yan Jingxing was so anxious that he couldn't say a word.
But at this moment, he suddenly had a thought in his mind——
He raised his head and stared into Xie Yuzhi's eyes.
In the depths of those eyes as calm as the lake surface, he was sure that he saw some uncertainty, hesitation, and a touch of shame.
That was not the reflected look in his eyes, but the emotions surging in Xie Yuzhi's heart, which were exactly the same as his own.
"...You obviously know that."
His mood suddenly became calmer.
No matter how long you stay alone with your head and think about it, it is better to meet the person who is causing you distress directly.
It wasn't until he and Xie Yuzhi stared face to face that Yan Jingxing clearly realized that it was definitely not me who was overthinking, nor was it his uncle who was overthinking.
Because Yuzhi is very smart and will not do anything that will cause misunderstanding. In other words, once you notice it, it is no longer a misunderstanding——
The boy bravely stared into her eyes until the girl's cheeks turned red. This time it was her turn to turn her face away uncomfortably.
"You...why are you staring at me like that?"
"I'm waiting for you to speak, Yuzhi." He replied, "You called me here because you have something to say to me, right?"
"...Well, I have something to tell you."
I don't know how long it took, maybe half a minute, maybe half a century - the silence brewing between the two was stretched and extended in the bright summer sun, falling to the earth like a drop of water hanging on the stalactite at the entrance of the cave.
Until Yan Jingxing heard Xie Yuzhi sniff, and then said to himself softly:
"Yan Jingxing, should we... consider getting married?"
(End of chapter)
