“Ahem—”
Xu Tingbai suddenly put down his fork. He was choked by the soup, which was not very spicy, and started coughing hard.
Lin Qingle didn't expect him to react so strongly, so he quickly pushed the water over to him and then pulled his wrist to hold the cup: "Drink some water! Be careful!"
The boy had very fair skin because he had stayed in a small room all year round. After choking, his fair skin turned crimson.
Lin Qingle looked anxious: "I'll pour you another cup!"
"No need!" Xu Tingbai took two sips of water and recovered, but his expression was still unnatural, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Lin Qingle was stunned for a moment: "Ah? You said noodles, I didn't react for a moment... It's okay, here, this is yours, you continue to eat. Give me mine."
When Lin Qingle pushed his box of noodles over, he also wanted to take his own from in front of him, but he was stopped by him as soon as he touched it.
Lin Qingle: "What's wrong?"
Xu Tingbai: "... I've used it, don't move."
Lin Qingle glanced at the fork he had used. She didn't mind him eating with it. But at her age, she knew that there should be a little distance between men and women. For example, two people shouldn't use the same fork.
Lin Qingle withdrew his hand: "Then I'll go get a pair of chopsticks, okay?"
Xu Tingbai's throat was still burning from choking. He suppressed the irritation and hummed with a serious face.
After finishing her bowl of noodles, Lin Qingle hurried home. Although she could use the excuse that she was too absorbed in studying in the library, she couldn't be too late.
The following week, the temperature dropped sharply and everyone put on thick down jackets over their school uniforms.
Winter has fully arrived, and it even snowed on Sunday.
"It snowed outside today and the ground is slippery. Don't go to the library. Study at home." Lin Yufen took a day off that day and was cleaning the house.
Lin Qingle stood by the desk packing her schoolbag and said, "But they are still playing mahjong, and the noise is too loud."
The distance between the floors is very small, and you can hear the mahjong and conversation sounds from the building opposite.
Lin Yufen frowned, and after mumbling a few words to the people opposite, she had no choice but to say, "Then you should walk carefully."
"Okay, I know."
When I put on my backpack and went out, the snow, which had stopped for two hours, started falling again.
Lin Qingle likes snowy days very much. The feeling of white makes her feel that the world is very clean, and her mood becomes better.
Today, her way to the library once again became the way to Xu Tingbai's house. She planned to put her schoolbag down at his house first, and then go to the vegetable market near him to buy some vegetables.
She said last weekend that she would cook at his house today to give him some nutritional supplements.
When she arrived at Xu Tingbai's house, she took her hand out of her pocket and reached into the box next to her. This time she found the key as she wished.
Fortunately, Xu Tingbai did not secretly hide it after she found out.
After entering the house, Lin Qingle originally planned to put down her schoolbag and go out to buy it herself, but when she saw that Xu Tingbai's room door was not closed tightly, she suddenly had other ideas.
Walking to his door, Lin Qingle knocked lightly.
"Enter."
Lin Qingle pushed open the door and poked a head in: "Xu Tingbai."
Xu Tingbai was originally squatting on the ground sorting school textbooks. When he heard her coming, he stopped and stood up.
"I'm going out to buy groceries soon." Lin Qingle paused and said, "It's snowing today."
Xu Tingbai frowned slightly, as if he didn't understand the connection between her two sentences.
Lin Qingle smiled and said, "What I mean is, do you want to go with me?"
Xu Tingbai was slightly stunned, and immediately said, "No."
Lin Qingle knew that Xu Tingbai never went anywhere else except the road to school unless he had to.
On weekdays, the food he ate was either brought back from around that road, or he asked Grandma Jiang to bring it for him.
He doesn't go anywhere else, isolates himself from society, and lives alone and silently in his own little world.
Lin Qingle: "But it snowed today."
“…So what?”
"The snow is getting heavier. When I first came here, it was all over the grass, trees, and roofs. Not to mention the ground, which is so thick and comfortable to walk on." Lin Qingle walked over and pulled his sleeve. "This is the first snow this year. Would you like to come with me to feel it?"
The girl's voice was full of temptation, and as she spoke, the world she described actually appeared vaguely in his mind.
"Pull me and I'll take you away."
Xu Tingbai was slightly startled, and she continued, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."
—
The snow was still falling, and the snow on the ground was getting more and more, making a crunching sound when the shoes stepped on it.
Xu Tingbai didn't know how he came out. When something cold fell on his face, he seemed to come back to his senses.
But it was too late.
"Walk carefully, the ground is a bit slippery."
Xu Tingbai didn't bring a blind stick, so Lin Qingle was more cautious. He held his sleeve with one hand and led him, while holding an umbrella with the other hand.
But with her height, it was too difficult to hold an umbrella for Xu Tingbai. She tried her best to raise her hands, but the posture was too painful and she obviously couldn't keep it up for too long.
So before they had walked far, Xu Tingbai noticed her trembling state.
"Give it to me." He held out his hand.
"What?"
"Give me the umbrella."
Lin Qingle quickly stretched his hand out a little more: "It's okay, I can take it!"
Xu Tingbai said in a deep voice: "Bring it here."
"… oh."
He held the umbrella steadily in his hand, unlike when she held it, which was tilted all over the place.
Lin Qingle stole a glance, then looked at the hand holding the umbrella. His knuckles were long and clean, and his bones were clear. He looked very handsome when holding the umbrella handle...
"Where is the vegetable market?" Xu Tingbai suddenly asked.
Lin Qingle abruptly withdrew his gaze, but then he remembered that he couldn't see it either, so why was he panicking for no reason...
"Go straight ahead, then turn right and then left. It will be there in about ten minutes."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that Xu Tingbai had a stern face, and it was obvious that he felt that ten minutes was still a long time.
"Actually, it's nice to go out for a walk..." Lin Qingle said as he stretched his hand out of the umbrella.
Snow fluttered and landed in her palm. A smile appeared at the corner of her eyes, and her voice became more cheerful: "Xu Tingbai, the snow is very cold, you can feel it."
Xu Tingbai walked forward holding an umbrella and felt his sleeve being pulled by someone beside him. He said, "Haven't you ever seen snow? What's so exciting about that?"
"Well... because in the southern cities a few years ago, it didn't snow much in winter, and even if it did, it was very light." Lin Qingle said, "I haven't seen such heavy snow for a long time."
"oh… "
"It's been a long time since I last saw the snow. I'm a little excited." Lin Qingle stepped on the snow with thick steps, feeling very satisfied.
After walking for a while, they turned a corner. Behind the corner was a stone stairway, where the snow was not too thick and was a little icy.
"It's a bit slippery here." While Lin Qingle reminded, he also tightened his hand around Xu Tingbai's sleeve, fearing that he would slip.
"Xu Tingbai, be careful—ah!"
As a result, just after I reminded others, my feet slipped away!
Xu Tingbai felt his sleeve being pulled by someone beside him, and he was almost dragged down! But fortunately, he was prepared and managed to keep himself steady, and by the way, he also helped the person beside him to stay steady.
"Are you more careful or am I more careful?" Xu Tingbai frowned.
Lin Qingle puffed up his cheeks, his ears felt a little hot: "... Let's all be careful."
"Watch the road."
"oh… "
However, it was not possible to walk steadily on this stretch of snow just by looking at the road. Lin Qingle slipped every two steps and had a hard time walking. When she was about to finish the road, she just breathed a sigh of relief, but she slipped and fell to the bottom!
"ah-"
This time he was really going to fall. In the blink of an eye, Lin Qingle loosened Xu Tingbai's clothes in time! Then he fell to the ground with a plop, and sat on the snow.
Xu Tingbai felt his right arm loosen, and then the person who was pulling him screamed and suddenly disappeared.
His breathing stagnated: "Lin Qingle!"
"Hiss..."
Lin Qingle's pants were not thick, and her butt hurt from the hit... She exhaled and looked back at Xu Tingbai who was standing behind her.
So embarrassing…
Not only did I fail to take care of him, I almost got him into trouble.
What kind of shoes are these? They are not slip-resistant...
"Lin Qingle! Speak!"
Xu Tingbai took a step forward, but he didn't know where she was, so he could only let her speak.
Seeing him coming over, Lin Qingle hurriedly said, "Don't move! Don't move! I'm here, don't come over, it's very slippery here!"
Xu Tingbai breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't listen to her. He took a few steps in her direction. When the tip of his shoe touched her, he stretched out his hand: "Can you get up?"
Lin Qingle raised her eyes and was stunned when she saw his anxious face and the hand he extended to her without hesitation.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that her fall was worth it.
"I can get up, it's okay..." She subconsciously reached out to pull his hand, but when she was about to touch it, the bony hand made her realize something.
She was a little embarrassed to hold that hand.
Feeling a little hot in his ears, Lin Qingle hurriedly grabbed his arm.
"Aren't we already moving very slowly?" Xu Tingbai asked in disbelief.
Lin Qingle used his strength to stand up from the ground, feeling extremely embarrassed: "It's all because of the shoes..."
"Then why did you let go just now? If you had held on tighter, you wouldn't have fallen."
"You're going to fall. I feel it. That's why I have to let go. Otherwise, what if I let you fall too?"
Xu Ting paused: "... I'm not as stupid as you."
Lin Qingle laughed dryly: "Well, it's cold standing here, let's keep walking."
"etc."
"Um?"
"Hold on tight." He stretched his arms across her face. "Hold on tight with both hands. Don't fall again."
Lin Qingle looked at the slippery stone steps that had already reached the end, hesitated, and didn't say anything to make it slippery like before. He just listened to his words and used both hands to pull his right arm.
Xu Tingbai: "How far is it?"
“It’s almost there.”
Xu Tingbai hummed and said nothing. Afterwards, he felt the girl pulling him harder than before... It seemed that she was really afraid of falling again.
Her current caution reminded him of how she had staggered along the way just now, and some images inexplicably appeared in his mind.
She must have been like a penguin, moving forward foolishly.
And now, the silly penguin was clinging to his hand, almost walking close to him.
So stupid…
"What are you laughing at?" Lin Qingle wanted to ask him what he wanted to eat most today, but when she raised her eyes, she suddenly saw a slight arc at the corner of his lips.
Xu Tingbai was startled, then calmed down and said, "No."
"You laughed." Lin Qingle wrinkled his nose: "You are not laughing at me falling down..."
Xu Tingbai listened to her somewhat annoyed voice and felt like laughing. "You also know that you were stupid just now."
"How can there be someone like you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Xu Tingbai's eyes were truly filled with a smile. "I'm just weird. Lin Qingle, am I the one who can't see, or are you the one who can't see?"