Because Xu You had a short vacation and didn't have time to return to Linshi for the New Year, she invited Chen Lizhi's family to celebrate the New Year on the evening of New Year's Eve. The two families get together for a reunion dinner to celebrate the New Year.
At the dinner table, Chen Lizhi and Xu's father talked about Xu You's achievements.
"What school does Achai plan to take in the future?" Chen Lizhi asked.
Father Xu replied conservatively, "Look at her performance in the college entrance examination."
According to Xu You's current normal level, if she doesn't fall behind in her third year of high school, it's no big deal that she should be able to enter China's top universities. She has a calm temperament, she can calm down, and the family members are very relieved of her.
"I'm just afraid that she will be influenced by others at school." Father Xu shook his head and sighed.
The students studying in Linshi No. 1 Middle School usually come from families with superior economic conditions, and the cost of food and clothing will definitely compare with each other.
Chen Lizhi knew what Dad Xu was worried about, so she said a few words of relief.
After a while, Chen Xiuyun brought out the sliced fruit and put it on the dining table, "Hey, eat more, let's take a break and talk about something else."
"Don't be so busy, hurry up and eat, sister."
"I'm not hungry, is today's food delicious?"
Chen Xiuyun frowned, and lightly patted Xu You's shoulder, "Ah Kai, why are you always distracted when I'm talking to you?"
Hearing her mother's urging, Xu You stopped being in a daze, stopped eating and raised her head.
"May I ask if today's food is delicious?" Chen Lizhi made a relief from the sidelines.
Xu You recovered and nodded, "It's delicious."
"Aren't you under a lot of pressure recently? You don't talk all day long, just stay in your room. I didn't see you go out to play with your classmates during the holidays."
Chen Xiuyun wiped her hands on the apron, pulled aside a chair and sat down, looked at Xu You with a little worry, "Study is important, and the body is also important."
"That's right, Achai, don't be like this all the time, go out for a walk more often, it's easy to bore yourself if you stay at home all the time."
Father Xu interrupted them, knocking on the bowl with his chopsticks, "What time is it going to go out to play? It’s not going to be a big deal, I can’t stand this little bit of suffering, what should I do when I leave the society.”
Xu You lowered her head and ate silently, listening without saying anything.
After dinner, I called my grandma. Xu You missed her very much after not seeing her for a long time.
Grandma was discharged from the hospital some time ago and has been recuperating at home. She was very happy to receive a call from Xu You, and repeatedly shouted in the familiar dialect: "Ah, grandma misses you so much. If you don't come back for the New Year, you won't be able to eat. Mama made oil cakes for you."
There are two or three cousins who are of the same generation as Xu You in the family, but Xu You is the one that grandma loves the most. She grew up with her grandma, and after she moved here to go to school, her grandma was always worried that Xu You didn't have anything to eat, or didn't eat enough, or wasn't used to it. But grandma is getting old and can't remember many things firmly, and she likes to repeat one thing many times.
"Grandma, I'll go back to see you on vacation, are you feeling better?" Xu You suppressed the bitterness in her heart and asked with a smile.
"Health is much better, did you have a good meal over there?"
"I have a good meal every day, and I can go back after the summer vacation."
"Be good, my Achai. When you come back from summer vacation, grandma will give you red bean soup and steamed cakes. Grandma has made a lot. Tell me when the time comes, and I will prepare them for you."
She obediently agreed, "Okay, Grandma, you have to be good over there, I'm obedient."
After listening to grandma's chatter, hang up the phone.
Xu You lowered her head, sitting on the sofa in the living room in a daze. The cheerful and festive Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV in front of me. Occasionally, I could hear the laughter of children playing and running downstairs, accompanied by the crackling of fireworks and firecrackers.
She took off her shoes, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and unconsciously checked her phone.
Xu You didn't bother to reply to the many congratulatory text messages in the inbox, so she scrolled down one by one.
When she suddenly saw a name, she snapped her fingers.
thanks
When was the last time you saw him? Half a month ago? a month? Can not remember.
She hadn't contacted him since that night. Xie Ci never looked for her again. The connection between the two seems to have been broken.
Except for the last few nights when Xu You was writing papers and received a call from Xie Ci.
After connecting, he didn't say a word. Xu You was not good at words, didn't know what to say, and didn't know what the purpose of the call was, so she remained silent.
"Thank you?" After a while, Xu You called out tentatively.
There was only the sound of inaudible breathing, and then he asked, "Where are you?"
"At home."
"oh."
She has nothing to say.
He asked: "Is it because I don't call you, you will never find me, and you want to dump me after the shift?"
At this time, a soft voice called his name from the phone, followed by crisp laughter.
"Are you outside, are you drunk?" Xu You asked quietly.
"You don't come with me, you just want to perfunctory me, now you don't have to come with me, are you very happy?"
Xie Ci's voice was tired, his words were confused, and he avoided the question.
"A Ci..." Another faint voice came from the other side.
Xu You couldn't understand what he was saying and lowered her eyes. The small reading light illuminates the words on the book. She turned over a page and put the phone aside.
After a few minutes, she picked up the phone again. The phone has been hung up there.
---
Being in love is really hard work. Xu You couldn't guess what Xie Ci was thinking. The living environment of the two people was very different since they were young, and their concepts of material consumption were also different. The form of being together at the beginning is pretty good, but the future is really uncertain.
She has never had such an intimate relationship with a boy, and even rarely interacts with others. Although Xu You knows restraint very well, she is often at a loss, losing judgment and speculation, as if groping forward blindly.
For her, his emotions are often unpredictable, too weird and difficult to distinguish.
But she couldn't hurt Xie Ci, even if she wanted to leave, she didn't want to be the one who opened the mouth.
After thinking for a long time, Xu You took the remote control and turned up the volume of the TV a little. Looking back, my parents and Chen Lizhi were still talking at the dinner table.
She dialed Xie Ci's phone number.
beep... beep beep.....
One after another, it sounded like a beating on her heart.
"Hello." Xie Ci connected.
Quietly.
Hearing his voice, Xu You breathed a sigh of relief for some reason. She put the phone to her ear and said softly, "Happy New Year."
"It's not past twelve o'clock."
“…………..”
I don't know what to say.
Xu You heard that there seemed to be no noisy sound from his side, and she couldn't help being a little curious, "Are you in the room? Why is it so quiet?"
"outside."
"Outside? Didn't you reunite with your family tonight?"
"No."
"oh... .."
Xu You was distracted while pinching the phone, and just about to say that's it, the thank you on the other end of the phone asked again: "Are you at home?"
"Yes. She doesn't know why.
He said:"... ... .."
Chen Xiuyun called her from behind, "Achai, do you still want to eat?"
Xu You was startled, turned her head hastily, and replied, "Don't eat, Mom."
"Who are you calling?" Chen Xiuyun asked casually as she cleaned up the dishes.
Xu You stabilized her expression and said, "With my classmates."
After she finished speaking, she put on her slippers, ran into the room, and gently locked the door before she dared to continue to put the phone to her ear, "Hello?"
There was no sound again, Xu You explained, "I didn't hear what you just said."
Thank you in a very light voice, as if nothing had happened: "I'm in your community."
Xu You was stunned on the spot, unable to react for a while, and then heard him continue to say, "I'm very hungry after you haven't eaten all day."
"It's snowing this afternoon, and I'm going to freeze to death."
Xu You's heart seemed to be tightly held by a hand. Although she is dull, she is not ignorant.
---
"Mom, is there anything to eat?" Xu You changed her clothes, put on her coat, and ran to the kitchen.
Chen Xiuyun looked at her clothes and paused, "Are you going out? What are you doing changing?"
"..." She had no idea and could only lie casually.
"My classmate lives next door. He didn't have dinner at night. He just called me and asked me to bring her some food and have a conversation with her."
Chen Xiuyun asked: "Huh? Are your classmate's parents not at home?"
Xu You felt guilty, lowered her eyes, and replied: "She didn't say anything, anyway, I will spend the New Year alone, so I will go to accompany her..."
"Oh... well then, take your phone with you."
Xu You was usually too obedient, so Chen Xiuyun believed it without too much doubt, and said, "There are still some hot dumplings, can you bring them to your classmates?"
"Yeah, yes." Xu You hesitated for a while before leaving the kitchen, and then said, "Mom, tell Dad, I'll be leaving first..."
---
The neighborhood is pitch black, and there are street lights every ten meters. The air that had penetrated into the bone marrow walked into the lungs, making people shiver involuntarily.
A little bit of light plum blossom fragrance drifts in the night.
The thin snow on the ground has turned into crushed ice and melted into water. Step on it, there is a small trampling sound.
Xie Ci sat on the bench.
There was a white flower on it, which fell from the branch and landed on his shoulder. He didn't notice.
Holding the thermos in her arms, she stood not far away, with a small, thin and clean face.
The two looked at each other in silence. His dark eyes were slender, and his cold outline was submerged in darkness.
"Thank you." Xu You took a few steps forward and sat beside him.
She picked up the flower on his shoulder, spread it in the palm of her hand, and sniffed it to the tip of her nose.
Clear and light fragrance.
In the silence, only the breathing of two people.
"I brought you something to eat." Xu You remembered, lowered her head and opened the lid of the insulated box.
The hot air of the food touched the cold air and quickly dissipated into a white mist.
She passed the things over with both hands, and said softly: "There are only dumplings, are you jealous, I added some for you."
"If you don't like it, I'll accompany you to buy something else." She added.
Xie Ci first looked at her face, then looked down at the insulated box, and moved his lips, "I'm tired of waiting, I don't want to move."
Xu You: ... ...
After being quiet for two or three seconds, she sighed inwardly.
Xu You picked up the spoon, scooped up a dumpling, and handed it to his mouth.