The memories and past on the journey of life are like the scenery presented in the rearview mirror of a car. No one can drive while looking at the rearview mirror all the time, and no one can drive without looking at the rearview mirror all the time.
The second time I saw Xu Nanfang was three years later, in the season when gardenias were in bloom. At that time, I had successfully entered the first grade of Linjiang Middle School. In terms of study, I was naturally the best in my grade. Compared with three years ago, my height growth has slowed down. With the onset of menarche, I officially entered the age of teenage girls. The bungalow at home has been renovated and a two-story building has been built. The evergreens in the yard have been cut down, but the big sycamore in the center of the yard is still preserved, and it is lush and leafy every spring and summer. There is a small garden on the roof, and my grandfather built a grape trellis on it and planted all kinds of flowers, jasmine, camellia, gardenia, rose... It is said that my grandmother likes gardenia the most. Later I learned that the legendary flower language of gardenia is "waiting love", and another saying is "joy".
As the cuckoo calls out affectionately to the new summer, the pure gardenias bloom on the roofs of houses and on the hillsides near the city.
Grandpa Xu brought his children and grandchildren back to this small city in the southwest of the motherland to visit relatives. This trip also had another purpose. The Xu family planned to find some projects to invest in and do business in the mainland. Therefore, Uncle Xu stayed in his hometown for only two days before flying to Shanghai to investigate the market situation. Grandpa Xu and Nan Fang stayed at my house for a week.
This time, Eunuch Xu did not give me toys, but brought a few sets of fashionable girl clothes, a white shirt with a small round collar and lace, a small bow tie, a pleated skirt... Nan Fang said that her mother had specially chosen them, and the style was quite popular among female students in Taipei. In addition, Eunuch Xu brought a valuable gift to grandma, which I secretly saw.
That day, I came home from school. The house was quiet. No one could be heard. Even the talkative and cheerful Nan Fang was not there. I wondered where everyone had gone. I went into the living room, dropped my schoolbag, went upstairs to the bedroom to do my homework. When I passed by the study, I vaguely heard someone whispering in the room. The door was ajar. When I opened it a crack, Grandpa Xu stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, and Grandma sat in a rattan chair. I couldn't help but stop and quietly stood by the door, listening...
"Ruinian, have you been alone there all these years?" Grandma's voice was very low.
"Yufen died early. The children have grown up, and I am old, with no desires or requests."
“Having a large family and someone to carry on your career is also a blessing.”
"I just want to keep my mind clear and live a peaceful life for a few days." It can be heard that Eunuch Xu lowered his voice deliberately. He always has a strong and loud voice.
"Haha, you were not like this back then."
"Back then? Qianru, you and I are no longer the you and I of those days."
"Yes, yes. *Those years, I thought I would never see you again in my lifetime. You guys left and there was no news for decades." Grandma was a little excited, and her voice sounded a little nasal.
Eunuch Xu turned around and held the back of the rattan chair. "I also thought that I would never be able to come back. I didn't expect that at my age, I would still have the opportunity to return to my hometown to see you and visit the graves of my ancestors. Although it's a bit troublesome, I have to go through Hong Kong every time."
"Mingde also often told me that our generation has experienced so many things in life, and it is really not easy, especially you, Ruinian."
"Qianru, I have something for you..."
"oh."
There was no sound after that. I couldn't help but push the door open a little and look out.
"I don't know what kind of jewelry you like." Eunuch Xu said as he took something out of his arms.
I saw a blue jewelry box from a distance, but I couldn't see what was inside. Accidentally, the door creaked open, and the two people in the room looked over here at the same time. I panicked, kicked off my slippers, picked up my shoes and ran downstairs on tiptoe. In a hurry, I bumped into Nan Fang at the corner of the stairs.
"Ouch!"
"Zhao Qinqin, are you out of school?" Nan Fang looked at me with joy on his face.
"Yes, yes. You don't look where you're walking!"
"You were the one who left in a hurry, why are you hiding in such a hurry? Hey, you're not even wearing shoes." Nan Fang smiled mischievously. In my memory, he always liked to tease me like this.
"It's none of your business!" I pushed him away, without even raising my head, and went downstairs.
In the evening, Nanfang and I set up a table and benches in the living room to play marbles and checkers. He didn't know how to play, so I taught him. After all, students can't beat their teachers. Nanfang lost three games in a row. I teased him that a boy in the third grade couldn't beat a girl in the first grade. It seems that Taiwanese students are not good enough.
He was a little anxious, and quickly called my father to be his military advisor. My father's level was naturally beyond doubt, and I was no match for him. I made a mistake and was defeated miserably, losing more than eight steps. I was not convinced, and continued, "Xu Nanfang, for the sake of fairness, you are not allowed to ask adults for help."
"Okay, okay." He nodded with a grin.
We were both very careful with this plate. I held my chin with both hands and pondered. Nanfang scratched his head and accidentally took a wrong step. Just as he was about to reach out to take it back, I stopped him, "Xu Nanfang, you can't cheat!"
"I accidentally put it in the wrong place. Just one step, just one step, and don't do it again." He begged me.
My father also said, "He is just a student, if he accidentally goes the wrong way, let him take it back. Quilt, don't take it so seriously."
How could I give up? He made a wrong move, and I had a glimmer of hope. "No, a boy is still cheating, are you a man?" I said deliberately.
When he heard what I said, his face immediately became embarrassed and he said, "Okay, okay."
Naturally, Nan Fang lost that game, and it was obvious that he was not convinced.
I saw that he was not very happy. The next day was the weekend, so I went upstairs and knocked on his door before going to bed. "Nanfang, I'll take you to a fun place tomorrow."
"Where?"
"You'll know when you get there. Don't sleep in."
"Okay, okay, you come and wake me up tomorrow."
The next day was a sunny early summer day, and I took Nanfang to Luohanpo, near the county town. Before leaving, I filled a whole pot of water and put it in Nanfang's backpack.
It took us more than half an hour to climb to the top of the mountain. I saw pure gardenias blooming on the branches of the sturdy small trees, like white jade smiling faces. The whole gardenia tree was white and green, shiny and glossy, just like a jade sculpture. The breeze wafted with a faint and elegant fragrance. I shuttled among the flowers, picking up small flowers, and soon I had a full handful. At this time, I suddenly looked up, and Nanfang had left my sight without knowing when. I looked around, afraid of losing him, after all, he was a foreigner and was not familiar with this place.
Just as I was getting anxious, my eyes went dark and a pair of big hands covered my eyes. "Quilt!" I pulled his hands away and turned around. Under the sunlight, his skin was a color similar to wheat, his eyes were clear and bright, and he smiled with his mouth open, revealing his shell-like teeth. If he smiled more brightly, his pointed canine teeth would also be exposed. His hair was cut short and neat, full of sunshine and health. He took the bouquet from my hand, gently placed it on the ground, picked out the most blooming flower, broke off the extra branches, and gently inserted it on my head. At that moment, I felt the left side of my face starting to burn, and that must have been a red glow all over the sky. I was a little embarrassed and turned away.
"The flowers of Shu have all withered, but the moon peaches are now in bloom again. Their color seems to be leaning against jade trees, and their fragrance seems to come from Jade Capital." These words were recited by a southerner with a thick Taiwanese accent.
I never thought he was interested in ancient poetry, and I couldn't help but look at him with new eyes. "Nan Fang, can you recite this poem?" It was Liu Yuxi's "Ode to Gardenia".
"Grandpa likes poetry. He taught me since I was young, and I slowly memorized some of it." Nan Fang looked into my eyes intently, "Qinqin, you have almond eyes."
I felt a little embarrassed and changed the subject, "What poems do you remember? Read them to me."
Nan Fang took a few steps forward, picked a neat piece of grass to sit on, put down his backpack, took out a magazine, opened the pages, and spread them on the ground, "Come and sit."
I sat down next to him happily.
Nanfang looked at me mysteriously, turned his head and began to say, "Are you leaving? It's not even daybreak yet! What's stimulating my eardrums and making them tremble with fear is not a lark, but a nightingale. It sings in the pomegranate tree over there at night. Believe me, my dear, it's the nightingale singing." He paused and blinked at me.
That was a classic line from Romeo and Juliet. I suddenly felt a little embarrassed, looking down at my feet, then suddenly remembered something, opened his backpack, took out the water bottle and handed it to him.
Nanfang took a sip and continued, "That is the lark that announces the dawn, not the nightingale. Look, dear, the jealous dawn has gilded the dark clouds in the east; the candlelight of the night - the stars have gone out, and the noisy day has quietly come to the misty mountains. I must leave to escape, or stay and wait to die. ..."
I never thought that Xu Nanfang, who sometimes smiled and laughed, could recite the dialogues in the novel with such emotion. Later I learned that he was an actor in the school drama troupe.
That early summer when the gardenias were in full bloom became colorful because of the arrival of the South, not just pure white. I only remember that the South rolled happily on the grass, and I sang happily.
When we were going down the mountain, I went to a roadside store to buy spicy anchovies. At that time, it was a very popular snack among students in our area. It was spicy and fragrant. I got addicted to it and ate one bag after another. Nanfang saw that I was enjoying it, so he tried it too. It tasted really good. He ate the whole bag in one breath. The aftereffects were so spicy that he was panting and jumping up and down. He patted my shoulder several times and couldn't say anything. I asked him what he was doing, and he stopped panting and said hurriedly, "Qianqian, hurry up and buy me a bottle of ice water."
I took the money and ran away, giggling as I went.
This time, they stayed for only a week. Time passed quickly, and when they left, I mustered up the courage to ask, "Will you come back to the South?"
Nan Fang didn't answer, but stared at my head.
I felt uneasy, thinking, is there something wrong with my face? I waved my hands in front of his eyes twice, "You—" I was halfway through the sentence when I realized there was something on my head.
"Don't move!" he said, gently brushing my hair. A sycamore leaf fell to the ground, and a fat little caterpillar rolled out. It really scared me and gave me goose bumps.
When I came to my senses, Nanfang raised the corner of his mouth, revealing his little canine teeth a little bit, and said with a smile, "We will come again, Qinqin, we will see you again!" (To be continued)