The sky had completely darkened, and Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao stood side by side, silently gazing at the village in the distance.
“I remember when I came here as a child, it looked just like this,” Wu Chun said calmly, his eyes soft as he looked at the village.
The changes here are really minimal. The small stream in front of the village is still as clear as it was ten years ago. On summer mornings, before the sun fully rises, a group of women would wash their clothes by the stream.
There is a well not far from the stream. Although most households in the village have had their own wells for drinking water for the past ten years, the elderly people who live in this area still rely on this well. During these ten years, the well has never been damaged.
Not far from the well is a large tree. Ten years ago, Wu Chun once hugged it. At that time, he had to open his arms and walk around the tree a total of ten times. Now, when Wu Chun opens his arms and goes around the tree, he still has to do it ten times.
Changes are happening here as well. The old mud houses in front of the village are collapsing and getting smaller every year. Houses are being built on the land behind the village, and the wealthy families have built red brick houses among them, which surprisingly do not look out of place.
“Xu Shi Yao,” Wu Chun suddenly turned around and looked at Xu Shi Yao with a serious expression. Seeing the confusion in Xu Shi Yao’s eyes, Wu Chun chuckled softly. Then he patted his chest and said, “If I can come back here after graduation, give me ten to twenty years, and I will make the people in the village replace their wooden doors and live in red brick houses.”
“Do you need my help?” Xu Shi Yao asked.
“Of course!” Wu Chun’s mind quickly shifted and immediately changed the subject. “I need your help, and I need you.”
For the last three words, Wu Chun deliberately said them in an unserious manner.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chun clearly felt that Xu Shi Yao was momentarily stunned.
The moonlight was gentle, casting a soft glow on Xu Shi Yao’s slightly pale cheeks.
If Wu Chun were to associate a color with Xu Shi Yao, the first color that would come to mind would be a cool, subdued white. However, at this moment, it seemed as if a ray of soft light had pierced through.
Wu Chun stared at Xu Shi Yao’s face, slowly raised his right hand, and gently touched Xu Shi Yao’s right cheek.
This time, Xu Shi Yao didn’t dodge.
“What’s wrong, Wu Chun?” Xu Shi Yao looked at Wu Chun’s somewhat dazed expression and asked worriedly.
“It’s nothing.” Wu Chun withdrew his hand and immediately replaced it with a smile on his face, teasingly saying, “Xu Shi Yao, I feel like you’re carrying some warmth with you after being with me for so long. Haven’t you always longed to experience warmth? Maybe you should reconsider?”
Xu Shi Yao was taken aback and looked at Wu Chun with a teasing look, but eventually turned away.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say it anymore,” Wu Chun quickly backed away and walked towards the base of the pine tree, preparing to climb up.
“Come over quickly, I want to discuss what I learned today with you.”
Wu Chun didn’t wait for Xu Shi Yao’s answer and turned around in confusion, only to see Xu Shi Yao still standing at the same spot, lost in thought. What shocked Wu Chun the most was that Xu Shi Yao’s right hand was resting on the very spot where Wu Chun had just touched it.
The cold sensation in Wu Chun’s right palm had not completely disappeared. He slid down from the tree trunk and walked over to Xu Shi Yao. Taking advantage of Xu Shi Yao’s inattention, he suddenly grabbed Xu Shi Yao’s left hand and placed it on Xu Shi Yao’s chest.
“Actually, it’s warmer here…” Wu Chun paused as he gradually released Xu Shi Yao’s hand and let his own hand rest flat on Xu Shi Yao’s chest.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He had forgotten that Xu Shi Yao could not possibly have a heartbeat.
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“Do you feel it?” Wu Chun asked.
Xu Shi Yao nodded and added before Wu Chun could speak, “It’s beating.”
Wu Chun’s nose tingled, and with a light tug on Xu Shi Yao’s hand, he threw himself into other’s embrace.
Wu Chun hugged Xu Shi Yao tightly and buried his face in Xu Shi Yao’s chest.
Xu Shi Yao didn’t say anything, but after a while, he also extended his hand and hugged Wu Chun.
…
The weather had finally turned cool.
Although the daytime temperature remained scorching, standing outside for a while would still make one sweat. However, as evening approached, the temperature would drop.
Perhaps others were not particularly sensitive to such temperature changes, but Wu Chun was different.
The long embrace with Xu Shi Yao last night caused Wu Chun to wake up the next day with a slight headache.
Xu Shi Yao was much taller and broader in build compared to Wu Chun. When he hugged Wu Chun, it felt like every part of his body was being held in his arms.
To say it without exaggeration, last night, until the end of the hug, Wu Chun didn’t feel like he was hugging an ice block, but it was still too cold.
However, in the end, Wu Chun couldn’t bring himself to push away Xu Shiyao’s hug.
After waking up, Wu Chun drank a cup of hot water, hastily ate a few bites of food, and then left the house.
Today, the village will start cutting down trees, and Wu Chun will follow the village chief to take a look.
This could be considered as Wu Chun’s first time going out into the field. He saw the lumberjacks cutting down the trees in this forest, and there was a group of people surrounding the village chief. It is said that this land is fertile, and many people want to lease it for the first few years to grow crops.
Seeing that the village chief was too busy to pay attention to him for the time being, Wu Chun decided to explore on his own.
It was peanut harvest season, and the lush foliage from a month ago had begun to turn yellow and fall off.
Wu Chun walked and observed at the same time. Although this was a mountainous area, it didn’t take him long to roughly survey the area.
Even though it’s a mountainous area, in Shili Village, it’s like a low-lying area surrounded by mountains, with relatively flat terrain in the middle. To facilitate irrigation, there is a large artificial lake in almost every direction.
These so-called lakes are nothing more than huge pits dug to store water during the rainy season.
This approach solves some of the farmers’ irrigation problems. However, these lakes are over ten meters deep and there are no safety measures around them. If someone were to accidentally slip in, it could easily lead to a tragedy.
Wu Chun took out a previously prepared notebook from his pocket and wrote down everything he had just seen and thought.
After he had almost finished inspecting this area, Wu Chun returned to the original spot.
The group of people who had surrounded the village chief had already dispersed, and a third of the trees in the forest had been cut down.
“Do these trees belong to the village or to individuals?” Wu Chun asked as he approached.
“They belong to the village. Why is your voice hoarse? Have you caught a cold?”
Wu Chun had brought a bottle of water with him when he left. In the morning, he had only had a slight headache, but now his throat was itching uncomfortably and his nose was stuffy.
“I must have caught a cold last night,” Wu Chun said and took a big gulp of water.
It was a time of great temperature differences between day and night, but the village chief didn’t feel anything unusual. However, when he happened to look at Wu Chun who was walking around, he noticed that Wu Chun didn’t have a single drop of sweat on him.
On the contrary, the village chief himself was already drenched in sweat.
Despite his surprise, the village chief didn’t ask any more questions. After giving some instructions, he asked, “When does school start?”
It was only after the village chief reminded him that Wu Chun realized he might be starting school soon.
“In about ten days, I think.”
As Wu Chun replied, his mood gradually turned gloomy.
Three months of summer vacation passed in the blink of an eye. During those three months, Wu Chun had experienced many things, broadened his horizons, and gained many insights. This time, he could truly return with a sense of fulfillment.
Except for Xu Shi Yao.
Returning after the start of school would only be possible during the October 1 holiday, which was a long time away. Wu Chun wouldn’t be able to meet Xu Shi Yao during that time.
Xu Shi Yao’s memories would only last for one day, and Wu Chun didn’t know how much familiarity Xu Shi Yao would retain when he returned.
Besides, the relationship between Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao is currently in a stagnant phase, making it difficult to move forward.
It’s already challenging at the moment, and when they return, it’s likely that they’ll have to start all over again.
Wu Chun let out a slow sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about school starting soon.”
“Are you reluctant?”
Wu Chun nodded.
The reluctance towards Xu Shi Yao, towards his grandfather, and towards the places he had once set foot in here.
“You can still come back during the holidays. The people in the village will never alienate you.”
Wu Chun forced a smile and nodded.
Fortunately, the village chief quickly became busy helping with the tree cutting and was once again unable to pay attention to him.
Wu Chun looked in the direction of Shili Mountain and gently held the pine cone in front of his chest.
…
Wu Chun had practically walked through half of the village that day, and in the afternoon he even felt a little dizzy and lightheaded.
The village doctor advised him to get an intravenous drip. Wu Chun looked at the time and realized that if he took the drip, Xu Shi Yao would probably have to wait for him for a long time. If he didn’t go to Xu Shi Yao for a long time, Xu Shi Yao would undoubtedly get worried.
With this in mind, Wu Chun decided to receive the injection later. After the injection, his arm felt a little sore and numb. He went back to his grandfather’s house and rummaged through his grandfather’s wardrobe, finding a thick coat that belonged to his grandfather.
“Wu Chun, why are you wearing such a thick coat on such a hot day?”
Wu Chun replied with a hoarse voice, “It gets cold at night in the mountains.
After saying that, he grabbed the coat and headed toward Shili Mountain.
When he reached the foot of Shili Mountain, Wu Chun stood there for a moment and decided to put on the coat before climbing up.
Despite the heaviness of the coat, Wu Chun didn’t feel warm at all.
He sat under a pine tree with his legs crossed and his hands folded. Despite his illness, he had been busy outside all day. At this moment, Wu Chun’s body could no longer hold on. His swollen brain made him feel sleepy, and even before sunset, his eyelids were fighting a losing battle as he kept yawning.
As the sun set, Wu Chun couldn’t resist the discomfort and sleepiness that overcame his body. His eyes closed and his body slumped to the side.
A white figure flashed on the tree, and Wu Chun accidentally fell into Xu Shi Yao’s arms.
A soybean:
Wu Chun’s college is about to start! No way, they haven’t gotten together yet?
I’m dreading the time he’ll be away!! QAQ