Xin Xiaolu entered the relaxing summer vacation earlier than in previous years. In the city where she has lived for several years, summer is a time of bustling downtown, busy crowds, rare green streets, and days so hot that you need to get into an air-conditioned room.
But the sand pool is different. Whether it is the sun or the sea, it makes summer have a special flavor.
There weren't many people here, and people were walking at a leisurely pace, unlike in big cities. Early in the morning, they changed their clothes and got up. Before the sun rose, grandpa had watered the flowers and plants in the garden, and then took them to the small vegetable market.
The market in the early morning is probably one of the two busiest times of the day here. Fresh vegetables are placed on the stalls, and there are many large white and red basins on the ground, which are filled with fresh fish and various seafood. Living in a coastal city, seafood is always cheaper and fresher than inland cities.
As Xin Xiaolu was walking, a fish jumped out of the big basin next to her and landed right at her feet, its mouth opening and closing. It was like a fraud.
The middle-aged fishmonger recognized my grandfather and said to him with a smile, "Teacher Du, is your grandson back? I haven't seen him for several years. He has grown so big!"
He spoke Mandarin, but with a bit of Shachi accent, which sounded a little strange. Xin Xiaolu learned from Xin Yanlai that his grandfather was a teacher before he retired, a high school math teacher.
After chatting with the fishmonger for a while, grandpa asked him to pack up the fish that jumped to Xin Xiaolu's feet and sell it. Xin Xiaolu looked at Xin Yanlai carrying the fish and thought that the fishmongers were well-trained nowadays. They knew how to sell themselves and took the initiative to jump out and recommend themselves. This fish was very promising.
Xin Yanlai heard her say this, and he laughed all the way while holding the fish. The aunts who sold vegetables all praised the boy for being handsome and a good boy, which made the young man who had just become an adult blush. After leaving the vegetable market, grandpa bought two side dishes at a braised food store outside.
He is an old man who doesn't like to talk. He took the initiative to praise the stewed food shop to the two younger generations: "The duck feet and duck intestines are good, and the stew is homemade and delicious."
The shop owner was preparing the braised duck intestines for them, grinning, "That's right, our duck tastes the best, Teacher Du often comes to buy it... Hey, is this Teacher Du's descendant?"
Grandpa: "Grandson and granddaughter, come over for the summer vacation."
He took his two children to several shops he often visited with a calm face, and introduced his eldest grandson and granddaughter to people he knew. He did not speak on his own initiative, but waited for others to ask before explaining, and praised the achievements of the two, appearing particularly reserved.
Walking home in the morning light, the sun soon became a little hot. Xin Yanlai took off his hat and put it on Xin Xiaolu's head, sighing, "Grandpa, there are still many people here who remember me."
Grandpa hummed, "You and your mother look alike, you can tell at first glance."
Xin Xiaolu raised his hand to hold up the slightly wide hat, and saw his brother's smile pause. He was very polite to his father and stepmother at home, almost indifferent, but his indifference was not innate. To those who cared about him, he could be gentle, considerate, and cheerful. He probably had a lot of sad things in his heart.
Xin Xiaolu could hear the waves in her room. The sound was particularly obvious in the dead of night. Even if she couldn't sleep, she could still listen to it for a long time while lying quietly in bed.
That night, she was lying in bed listening to the sound of the waves, when she suddenly heard a very slight sound of a sliding door, which came from Xin Yanlai's room next door.
Xin Xiaolu got up, walked to the balcony next door, opened the door and went out. Sure enough, Xin Yanlai was sitting on the small balcony next door, quietly looking at the sea. Hearing the voice, Xin Yanlai looked at her, "Xiaolu, can't you sleep again?"
"Yeah." Xin Xiaolu sat on the small rattan chair on the balcony.
The two balconies were very close to each other, and Xin Yanlai was sitting very close to her. The two of them sat there looking at the sea, and the shell wind chimes that Xin Yanlai had hung himself made crisp sounds.
There is a bright moonlight tonight, and the sea and the beach below are very clear, which is a very beautiful picture. Xin Xiaolu leaned her head on the railing. After a while, she felt someone gently touching her head. She looked up and found that the little brother had stopped looking at the sea. He also leaned on the railing, looking at her quietly. His eyes were as soft and bright as the moonlight tonight.
"Xiaolu, do you like it here?"
"like."
"I like it too... but my mother died in this house, and then my father took me away, and I rarely come back here." If it weren't for Xin Xiaolu this time, he would probably have to wait a few more years before coming back here. If that were the case, he felt that he might regret it.
"I didn't dare to come back here before." Xin Yanlai didn't wear glasses, his eyes were drooping, his hair was a little messy, and his voice was very soft: "But I really want to come back in my heart, thanks to you for accompanying me."
Xin Xiaolu stretched out his hand and touched his head. Like a little boy, he would show such an expression when he wanted to be comforted.
Her hands were always cooler than those of ordinary people, and Xin Yanlai subconsciously grabbed her hand that was touching his head. Xin Xiaolu didn't take it back, and held his fingers casually. The two of them were separated by a balcony, holding hands, and no one spoke for a long time. Xin Xiaolu rested her head on her arms and looked at the sea calmly. She felt Xin Yanlai's warm palm move, as if she wanted to pull it away, but after hesitating for a long time, he finally held hers gently.
Hual ...
The waves and moonlight at night were so gentle. She seemed to be listening to the sound even in her dreams.
The hottest time of the day is the afternoon. Even though Xin Xiaolu came here, he could not escape the torture of the academic master. The academic master had a habit of letting people get used to a new place for three days, and then he would start studying.
He rented a bicycle and went to the express delivery point to bring back two parcels, which were quite heavy. Xin Xiaolu didn't know what they were, so he leaned over to take a look. He saw a pile of books and exercise books that were opened, and they were from the third grade of junior high school. He knew something was wrong.
In the past summer vacations, there was Xin Yuan, the unlucky kid, blocking the way, but now she was alone. She immediately moved away from the little brother and pretended not to see him.
Unfortunately, this kind of self-deception will not work. Although Xin Yanlai likes her, he has never relaxed his attention on her studies. He specially has books mailed to her so that she can study hard and make progress every day during the summer vacation.
Every afternoon at three or four o'clock, when Xin Xiaolu wakes up from her nap, Xin Yanlai will grab her and teach her for two hours. The two of them are in the living room on the first floor, where there is no sun in the afternoon, and you can see the sea from the floor-to-ceiling windows. There is a cool breeze in the shade, so it is a good place to cool off. When you get tired of writing, you can turn around and look at the sea in the distance to relax your eyes.
Grandpa was afraid that they would be too hot, so he took an electric fan and blew it towards them.
Xin Xiaolu was in a daze after finishing her homework. She didn't want to continue and put down her pen silently. Xin Yanlai knew that she was tired of studying, so he closed the book and stood up: "Xiaolu, shall we go buy some ice cream?"
"Okay." Xin Xiaolu followed him out.
Xin Yan came to see the dazzling sun outside, took off the two straw hats that his grandfather had woven, put one on Xin Xiaolu's head, and wore the other on himself. One of them wore a white T-shirt and blue washed jeans, and the other wore a denim skirt of the same color and two large light yellow straw hats, looking like a mix of styles.
Walking to the yard, Xin Yanlai gently plucked a rose in the yard, said hush to Xin Xiaolu who was holding the brim of her straw hat, and ran out of the yard with her hand. When they walked to the road outside, Xin Yanlai inserted the rose in his hand into Xin Xiaolu's straw hat and chuckled twice, "Grandpa doesn't allow us to pick his flowers casually, we should do it quietly, don't let him find out."
Xin Xiaolu touched the soft rose on the hat and felt that the little brother was indeed melted by the sun.
The nearest store was about a kilometer away. There were few people on the street. The two of them walked alone in the sun, with one shadow higher than the other. When they arrived at the store, Xin Yanlai went to the freezer to get ice cream, while Xin Xiaolu ran to open the refrigerator and took out a large bottle of Coke.
"Xiaolu, what kind of ice cream do you want?" Xin Yan came to pick and turned around to see Xin Xiaolu holding a big bottle of Coke.
"Coke is not..." Xin Yanlai looked at Xin Xiaolu who had already put the Coke on the counter, "...Okay."
Xin Xiaolu went to him again to choose ice cream, "This one has milk flavor."
Xin Yanlai: "Okay, milk flavored." He took a small box and prepared to go back and put it in the refrigerator to eat slowly.
On the way back, Xin Yanlai held a box of ice cream in one hand and a milk-flavored ice cream in the other, while Xin Xiaolu held her big bottle of Coke and also nibbled on a milk-flavored ice cream.
After returning home, he put the ice cream away and poured Xin Xiaolu a large glass of ice cola. For this reason, Xin Xiaolu was willing to patiently accompany him to do his homework for another hour.
At the end of June, Xin Yanlai's college entrance examination results came out. Xin Xiaolu heard Xin Yanlai answering the phone. It was Mr. Xin who called. The other party first asked in a low voice whether his father-in-law was there. When he learned that he was not there, he raised his voice.
When they were sitting on the balcony watching the sea at night, Xin Xiaolu heard Xin Yan talk about why his father was so afraid of his grandfather. It was because after his mother committed suicide due to depression, his grandfather beat up Mr. Xin who came to visit and broke his legs. It was said that he took several months to recover. After that, he was always afraid of this old man, mostly because he felt guilty.
President Xin didn't scold Xin Yanlai this time. His voice was filled with joy and pride. Xin Xiaolu also heard about Xin Yanlai's achievements soon.
First in the school and top scholar in the province.
Xin Yanlai did not turn off his phone that day. Many people called him, including teachers and classmates, to congratulate him. Mr. Xin called two of them, urging him to go back. Xin Yanlai did not agree. Just as Mr. Xin on the other end of the phone was about to get angry, his grandfather deliberately coughed next to Xin Yanlai.
Mr. Xin: "Ah... Then you should spend some time with your grandpa."
After hanging up the phone, grandpa asked him, "Are you really not going back? You still have things to deal with at school."
Xin Yanlai: "It's okay, I have discussed it with the teacher. If there is a need, I will go back for a day by myself."
He had his own plans, so grandpa didn't ask any more questions. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go out for dinner tonight to celebrate your good grades."
Grandpa took them to eat the most famous barbecue here - the seaside night market.
The author has something to say: Fresh summer and first love, how wonderful~