The sky was dark and the clouds were extremely low. The rainwater slid down the eaves and hit the small puddles on the ground, causing ripples.
There is a faint aroma of food floating in the kitchen.
Yu Yuan simply cooked two dishes, and the three of them sat at the only old small square table in the kitchen to eat. Neither Meng Yao nor Xu Yao were talkative people, but because Yu Yuan stirred up the topic in the middle, the atmosphere was very harmonious.
While eating, Yu Yuan received a call from someone who sounded like a nearby villager. It was said that the rain had not stopped, and the rain was so heavy that the tiles on the roof were broken and blown away by the strong wind. The room was almost flooded, and even the cowshed was affected and was about to collapse.
The villagers sounded anxious. They called to ask for help. There were not enough people at home, and the neighbors were busy with their own affairs. Almost all the young people worked hard outside. It was too dangerous for the older people to climb on the roof in the rain. The villager carefully asked on the phone if he could ask two male teachers from the school to help him.
Tan Hong takes care of his mother at home, and only one of the two male teachers at the school is available.
Yu Yuan didn't agree directly. She looked at Xu Yao. The villagers' voices were loud, and the kitchen space was only so big. What's more, Xu Yao and Yu Yuan were sitting at the same table for dinner. She didn't fully hear the content of the phone call, but she did. A rough idea. He nodded towards Yu Yuan. Yu Yuan confirmed his intention and replied to the person on the phone, telling him not to worry and Xu Yao would come over later.
After hanging up the phone, Yu Yuan said to Xu Yao, "It's Uncle Jiang's house."
Xu Yao hummed.
Yu Yuan glanced out the window, it was still raining, and asked him: "Should we go after dinner or wait for the rain to stop later?"
Xu Yao didn't think much and said, "Let's go after dinner. The rain probably won't stop for a while. There are children at home, so we'd better fix it as soon as possible."
Yu Yuan nodded and sighed worriedly: "There is also the old man, Jiang Jun's grandma."
The name Jiang Jun seemed familiar. Meng Yao was immersed in eating when he suddenly remembered that there was a student in the class with this name.
She asked Yu Yuan for confirmation, and Yu Yuan nodded and said, "It's him."
Meng Yao had an impression of this student. He was a very thin kid who was in the third grade. Meng Yao had taught him math problems two days ago and he was very polite.
Meng Yao was thinking about something, Xu Yao finished his meal quickly, washed the dishes and said hello to Yu Yuan, said to go upstairs and change shoes, and then prepared to leave for Jiang Jun's house.
Yu Yuan responded, not forgetting to tell Xu Yao: "Remember to bring an umbrella when it rains, and pay attention to safety."
Xu Yao said hello and left the kitchen.
Meng Yao finished eating, put down his chopsticks, hesitated, and turned to look at Yu Yuan.
*
When Xu Yao came down from the dormitory, he saw Meng Yao at the stairs on the first floor.
She stood by the corridor, her back to him, her head lowered and her toes kicked on the ground, looking bored.
Maybe she heard the footsteps, so she stopped moving and turned around.
It was raining and foggy, but her eyes were clean and bright.
Xu Yao held an umbrella in his hand, looked into her eyes, and unconsciously grabbed the umbrella handle.
Meng Yao was waiting for someone, and stood there without wasting any time. He slightly raised his head and looked at him and asked directly: "Xu Yao, can I go with you?"
Xu Yao was startled for a moment before he realized that she was referring to Jiang Jun's family.
He didn't know why Meng Yao wanted to go.
Perhaps sensing his doubts, Meng Yao explained: "I want to take a look, and maybe I can help."
She said it very seriously.
But Xu Yao felt that it was not suitable for her to go at this time. It was raining outside, the road was slippery, and it was a dirt road, which was not safe. What's more, Xu Yao went to help deal with broken tiles. Such a thing was obviously not suitable for a girl like Meng Yao.
Meng Yao thought that she might know Xu Yao very well, maybe because she had secretly paid attention to him for the past three years. He didn't say anything. He looked at her and frowned slightly. Meng Yao guessed that he didn't agree very much. Perhaps the words of rejection are being mentally organized.
She thought for a while and added: "I just want to see their life. I just told Principal Yu that there is water leakage in their house, and there should be other things that can help besides laying tiles."
Meng Yao didn't mean anything else, and it wasn't even just out of curiosity. She didn't know how to express it. She just wanted to take a look and understand the lives of the people here. After that, she might be able to better understand how to care for the students and interact with them. Communicate and help them on a deeper level.
She always feels that the significance of volunteer teaching is not only to teach students some inherent knowledge.
Xu Yao looked at her for a while. He didn't expect Meng Yao to be so insistent. She said she wanted to go and had a strong intention, so Xu Yao didn't stop her.
"Then let's go." Xu Yao said.
A flash of joy flashed in Meng Yao's eyes, and Xu Yao caught it and glanced at her subconsciously.
Meng Yao didn't notice. She was wondering if she needed to go upstairs to her room to get another umbrella. Thinking of umbrellas, Meng Yao inevitably remembered that there was an umbrella in her suitcase that once belonged to Xu Yao.
She has carefully treasured it for so many years. Except after the rainy night when she met Xu Yao, she never used it again. She always used other umbrellas when traveling.
That umbrella meant so much to her that she always carried it with her even when she went to college or came to Yunnan.
She was still thinking about the umbrella in the suitcase, but Xu Yao had already walked to her side. The umbrella he was holding belonged to the school. He had used it a week ago and kept it in his room.
The umbrella cover was enough to cover the two people's bodies. Xu Yao held the umbrella and saw that Meng Yao didn't move. He turned his head and looked over and called her: "Let's go."
Meng Yao looked at him and took nearly ten seconds to confirm what he meant, his heart beating violently.
For a moment, she forgot that she was still hesitating whether to go upstairs to get another umbrella. She hid under the umbrella and walked side by side with Xu Yao. When she turned around, she could see Xu Yao's slender hand on the handle of the umbrella. And a clear and smooth jawline.
This scene is like a dream.
It was a beauty that Meng Yao could not even imagine.
She even felt lucky.
In April of that year, she and Song Siqi met Xu Yao and Zheng Hua in the cafeteria. That was the last time she saw Xu Yao in high school. Although she never thought about getting it, in her opinion, the moon should hang cleanly in the sky, but as Xu Yao was recommended to leave school early, she felt that for For her, youth seems to have come to an end.
She never thought that such a day would come. She could meet Xu Yao again in Yunnan, get along with him, walk in the same rain, and hold an umbrella together.
Meng Yao couldn't help but feel excited.
People are greedy.
she thinks.
You can tolerate it when you are far away, but it is difficult to restrain it once you get close.
For example, this moment was too precious for Meng Yao. For a moment, she selfishly hoped that time would stay at this moment, or to go slower, even slower.
The rain was falling, and Meng Yao was immersed in it, unable to wake up.
After walking out of school, Xu Yao reminded her to be careful.
The road outside the school became very muddy due to the rain, making it difficult to walk.
The narrow and winding slope was even more dangerous in this weather. The slope was slippery and the dirt road turned into mud.
This slope was not suitable for two people to walk side by side at this time. Xu Yao didn't think much and handed the umbrella to Meng Yao and said, "I'll walk in front."
Meng Yao didn't expect the road conditions to be so bad, and she realized that she might have caused trouble for Xu Yao.
It's not like drizzle is harmless. If Xu Yao doesn't hold an umbrella, he will get wet in the next second. The two of them walked in tandem, but it was inconvenient to hold an umbrella together.
Meng Yao didn't want to take the umbrella. She didn't want Xu Yao to get wet in the rain, and would rather get wet herself. She calculated in her mind that it would only take about four or five minutes to walk up the slope, which was not a big deal.
But before she could say no, Xu Yao handed the umbrella forward again, as if he had seen through her thoughts.
This action completely exposed Xu Yao to the rain curtain. Meng Yao missed the time to refuse, and there was no point in refusing anymore.
Meng Yao took the umbrella and Xu Yao walked in front of her. Meng Yao looked at his back, feeling a little guilty.
Xu Yao didn't care so much. He was worried that it would be difficult to walk with Meng Yao behind him, so he looked back from time to time.
Meng Yao was indeed walking with difficulty, and her body swayed a bit. Xu Yao was afraid that she would fall, so without thinking, he subconsciously stretched out his hand and spread his palm towards her: "Give me your hand."
Meng Yao was stunned. If Xu Yao hadn't made a move, she would have suspected that she was hearing hallucinations.
Meng Yao felt his face heat up, and he was at a loss to speak in a panic: "No, it doesn't matter, I can leave."
Of course Xu Yao knew that this was a bit embarrassing, but safety was the most important issue right now. He tried his best to appear normal and said: "This road is very slippery and difficult to walk on. Avoid falling."
He kept his hand stretched out, and he was thinking about her. Meng Yao couldn't refuse anymore. He hesitated and raised his hand. While he was still hesitating and struggling, Xu Yao had already grabbed her wrist.
The temperature of his palm was warm, and there was rainwater on the back of his hand. It slipped into the palm along the gaps between his fingers and wet Meng Yao's wrist. Logically, there should be rain, so he should feel a little cold. But Meng Yao lowered his eyes and looked at Xu Yao's hand, only to feel that the piece of skin he was holding was extremely hot.
She felt that this section of the road seemed to be even more difficult to walk than before. She could not focus on her feet, and it was in vain to try to control her heartbeat and let it return to its normal state.
It was a long few minutes.
After walking to the bottom of the hillside and standing firm, Xu Yao let go of her hand.
His movement was very gentle, but Meng Yao's heart dropped heavily. She stared at her hand, her fingers unconsciously tightened, and then she hid her hand back.
Xu Yao's trousers were covered with yellow mud, and his clothes were soaked.
Meng Yao reacted immediately and forced herself to get rid of the embarrassment. She stretched out her hand and raised the umbrella, and moved the umbrella closer to Xu Yao. When she found that she couldn't reach it, she stood on tiptoe again.
Xu Yao noticed her movement and silently took the umbrella.
When he came to take the umbrella, Meng Yao let go very quickly.
The next flat road was much easier to walk, but both of them felt a little uncomfortable and didn't speak while walking together.
No one went out on a rainy day. Meng Yao followed Xu Yao and passed several houses, but no one was seen.
When they arrived at Jiang Jun's house, there was a man standing at the door.
When he saw Xu Yao, he took two steps forward and said hello first: "Teacher Xu, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Xu Yao said: "You're welcome, Uncle Jiang."
He and Meng Yao walked under the eaves and closed their umbrellas. The man whom he called "Uncle Jiang" felt even more embarrassed when he saw the wet stains on his clothes and the mud marks on his shoes and trousers.
He moved his mouth, feeling very sorry in his heart, but he was not good at words and couldn't say any other words of thanks.
Xu Yao noticed his gaze and knew that the man was sorry, so he deliberately changed the topic and introduced Meng Yao to him.
"Teacher Meng, I know, I know." Uncle Jiang turned to look at Meng Yao. He looked very honest, "Jiang Jun came back and told us that there is a new teacher in the school. Thank you."
Meng Yao understood, shook his head, said no thanks, and said it should be.
She was a little at a loss when facing such a simple and kind person.
Xu Yao introduced softly beside her: "This is Jiang Jun's father."
Meng Yao guessed that although the traces of hard work for life on this man were heavy, she followed Xu Yao and politely called Uncle Jiang. Knowing that the other party only asked Xu Yao for help, he took the initiative to explain: "I came to see Jiang Jun."
In Uncle Jiang's opinion, this was their honor, and it meant that the teacher thought highly of them and welcomed them continuously.
He invited Xu Yao and Meng Yao into the room, called Jiang Jun's name in dialect, said that the teacher was here and asked him to come out quickly.
I found another towel and wiped the chair.
Jiang Jun ran out of the room on the right. He was already very thin, but the clothes he wore were still smaller. The sleeves of his coat did not even cover his wrists, and his trousers were also shorter.
At first, he thought only Xu Yao was here. When he ran out of the room and saw Meng Yao, he stopped in his tracks, opened his eyes wide and blinked.
Meng Yao smiled at him and called out his name. Jiang Juncai moved over in small steps, called Brother Xu Yao, and then looked at Meng Yao who shyly called her Teacher Xiao Meng.
Meng Yao touched his head gently.
