Zhan Dongzhen drove all the way from City B. He was extremely worried that she would keep crying. He found Xieyi at the playground according to the address she left. Unexpectedly, Xieyi was sitting on a wooden chair in the park, talking to a few children in front of her. She looked calm, and she was not as out of control as she was on the phone. She became familiar with the children in a few minutes, guessing riddles together, and the winners shared candy.
A chubby child looked around for a dead tree branch and asked, "Auntie, what do you think this is?"
"A wooden stick." Xieyi said.
"Four words."
Xieyi thought for a moment and said, "A wooden stick."
Those are indeed the four words. She has been like this since she was a child, nonsensical and a first-class teaser.
Zhan Dongzhen, who was watching from the side, could only shake his head and wanted to laugh.
Sure enough, her answer caught Xiaopang off guard, and he waved his hands hastily and said, "No, no, that's not what I meant. It's the kind of thing you say with four words."
"That's called an idiom." Xieyi was happy.
"Yes, yes, it is an idiom. How do you say it?"
This really stumped her. She tilted her head and frowned, "I don't know." It was too hard to guess.
Xiaopang said proudly: "This is called intact."
Then he broke the branch again, without breaking the bark, and continued, "This is a lingering connection."
Xie Yi heard this, smiled, took the stick, broke it in two, and asked, "Auntie, let me test you. What is this idiom?"
Xiao Pang scratched his head, knitted his eyebrows together, shook his head and said, "The teacher hasn't taught me yet, I don't know."
Xie Yi blinked and said, "This is a clean break."
The whistling autumn wind ruffled her hair, and she returned to her usual self, with the only sign of crying being her red and swollen eyes. She had always been extremely strong and had never shed tears in front of him, even when her parents died.
He saw the children leaving with the candies, then he walked towards her and asked, "Why are you crying into the phone?"
"That's because I have a toothache," she said.
Zhan Dongzhen found a secluded place for her in City B, where she could live alone. Xieyi turned off her cell phone, refused to watch TV, and refused to buy newspapers, staying in Zhan Dongzhen's apartment. The toothache was really severe. Because of the inflammation of her gums, her whole face was swollen. She had to go out to the pharmacy to buy medicine, and the pharmacy recommended a lot of varieties.
She frowned, "Not the kind I'm used to eating."
"What did you take before?" the pharmacist asked her.
She was stunned for a moment, "I... don't know."
On the way home, Xieyi suddenly took a taxi to the cemetery in Dongshan, Xijiao. Xieyi saw the two tombstones from afar. Counting from the top, they were the third and fourth on the roadside. On the left was his father, and on the right was his mother. His mother was not his legal wife, so in order to respect Aunt Ren, they were not buried together in a double coffin. The photo showed his father smiling. He had only one dimple like her. When she was a child, she was so naughty and mischievous, but when his father mentioned her, he was still very proud and always said, "My Xieyi, my Xieyi..."
So much so that Xie Qing hates her so much.
So, Xie Qing said, "Don't think that just because Dad asked you to come back, you are a member of the Shen family. Let me tell you, no matter the Shen family's property, even Zhan Dongzhen, I will not let you get even a single bit."
She smiled faintly at that time. She didn't want anything but her A Yan.
In Germany, there is Ayan.
Li Zeliang is always the most outstanding one in the crowd. Among the blond and blue-eyed crowd, an Asian like him is still eye-catching. He has a slender figure, double eyes, and his hair is trimmed just right, not too long and not too short. Every time after cutting his hair, the skin behind his ears will be temporarily exposed to the air for a few days, white and delicate. It is completely different from those white young people with pierced ears, mohawk-style hair, and pungent body odor. Whenever a woman looked at Li Zeliang sideways, she would pull his sleeve and say, "I must keep a close eye on you."
When Xieyi went there, he was already investing in stocks, cooperating with friends to start a company, and driving back and forth between Frankfurt and Heidelberg all year round. His temper was not as strange as it is now, but he was a little taciturn and very low-key, which was also a personality that Xieyi was familiar with. She came suddenly, her German was not good, and she spent a lot of time on the language. Because of this, she usually didn't go out except for school, so he usually brought ingredients back to cook for her.
That day, Li Zeliang went to Frankfurt again and would not come back at night. Winter comes very early in Germany and is much colder than in City B. It is dark after four o'clock. When Xieyi came back from school, it was already dark. Unfortunately, she forgot her gloves and hat in the library. As the dusk deepened, the temperature dropped sharply and she was freezing. She was too lazy to go back to get her things, so she took a shortcut and tried to get home as quickly as possible through the alley. She was the only one in the alley, and her footsteps squeaked in the snow, as if there was an echo. She started to get scared when she was halfway there. She looked back nervously, a little panicked.
After turning her head again, she found a person walking hurriedly in the distance. She felt nervous, fearing that she might meet a drunk homeless person, so she moved her worthless handbag closer to her chest and held it tightly. Seeing that person getting closer and closer, she stopped, her heart in her throat, and she almost wanted to turn around and run away.
At this moment, the man slowed down and shouted in Chinese: "Xie Yi?"
At that moment, Xie Yi was stunned, and then he almost ran over and threw himself into his arms, "A Yan!"
"Why don't you walk on the street by yourself?" He was panting as he spoke, as if he had hurried from somewhere else. When he came under the light, Xieyi saw that he was walking in a hurry, and in such cold weather, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"You said you wouldn't be back this afternoon?"
"I'll be back when I'm done."
It snowed heavily in the afternoon. When he was in Frankfurt, he suddenly thought about what would happen if she was left alone at home in such cold weather. So he drove home for an hour, found no one at home, and went to the library again.
"Then come and pick me up?" Xie Yi asked him with his head tilted.
He kept a straight face and did not answer.
Xieyi happily rubbed her hands with her hot breath. She was not wearing gloves and her clothes had no pockets, so her fingers had turned red from the cold.
"Where are the gloves?" he asked.
“I forgot it at school,” she said.
"When will you learn to remember this? You are always forgetful."
After he finished speaking, he took her hands in his palms and rubbed them. His hands were usually a little cold, but at that moment they were warm.
She smiled foolishly, "Ayan, you are so nice."
When he looked up, he noticed that she was only wearing a down jacket, without a hat or scarf, so he let go of her hand and took off his scarf to put it on her.
"Where is it cold?" he asked.
"My hands are cold." She acted coquettishly.
He was at a loss now, as he was not used to wearing gloves and kept his hands in his pockets in winter. So he unbuttoned his coat and prepared to put it on her.
"No, I'm not that delicate. If I make you catch a cold, it will be even more troublesome."
Xieyi rolled his eyes and said, "How about this!"
She grabbed his right hand and put it in his coat pocket. He was wearing a navy blue coat at the time, and the pockets were filled with the warmth he had just warmed up.
Her left hand and his right hand simultaneously filled the pocket.
Then, Xie Yi smiled at him and said, "That's good."
Her five fingers passed through Li Zeliang's fingers and interlocked with his smoothly. Li Zeliang's hand seemed to stiffen inadvertently, and then, he did not deliberately cater to her, nor did he deliberately resist, but just rubbed her a few times so naturally, passing the warmth to her.
Then, she raised her other hand that was hanging outside and muttered, "I'm sorry, Miss Right Hand. A Yan's right hand writes very beautifully, so Xie Yi will hold his right hand first. But A Yan will come to warm you up in a while."
Li Zeliang laughed in silence. So, the two of them went home side by side. She didn't know whether it was because they walked too fast, or the temperature suddenly rose, or because she was nervous, but the palm of the hand holding Li Zeliang began to sweat. She wanted to reach out and wipe it, but she didn't dare. She was afraid that if she moved a little, she would startle him and he would never let her hold his hand again.
That was the first time they held hands. If she hadn't been so shameless as to come up with such an idea, it would have taken forever. It took seven years from the first time they met to the first time they held hands.
After a while, he asked, "Don't you want that hand anymore?"
"What?"
"Your right hand."
"want!"
So the two of them changed directions, switched hands and held hands again.
Xieyi smiled happily all the way.
"What are you happy about?" he asked.
"Nothing, I didn't pick up any money." Xieyi suppressed his smile and said with a stern face, imitating his usual demeanor.
In fact, she was wondering whether she should never buy gloves again in the future.
Li Zeliang also had a hobby, which was watching football. It was hard for her to imagine how such an introverted person like him could be interested in that kind of sport, even though she knew he never played it. He wasn't a fanatic, but he would turn on the TV to watch the local broadcast on Saturdays when he had some free time. When he watched football, he would make a cup of tea and sit there, watching quietly by himself. Whenever he saw something exciting, he would clench his fists, stand up suddenly, and then sit down slowly.
"They keep kicking the ball but never score. How annoying. With so many people fighting for one ball, why not let the referee kick a few more balls at a time?"
He glanced at her coldly.
She immediately fell silent.
After a while, she started to get restless again.
"Did you choose Germany to watch the game?" she asked.
"Then I'm here to watch the game, what are you here for?" he asked back.
"… "
Xieyi glanced at him. This question was not very challenging. Didn’t he know what she was here for
That weekend was the last round of football matches before Christmas, so he drove her to nearby Frankfurt to watch the game. Before leaving, she carried a small bag with everything she needed and set off.
He suddenly asked, "Did you bring your gloves?"
"Ah," Xie Yi said deliberately, "I think I forgot to bring it!"
"I clearly saw you put it on the chair," he said.
"Really?" She played dumb.
"Yes." He said firmly, and then gave her a look that told her to go back and get it quickly.
The evil plan was discovered before it was even put into action. She looked at him with resentment, but had to obey his orders. She had never been to a live football match. Their seats were very close to the front, right in the middle of the home fans. Xieyi raised her hands and followed them to learn the gestures and slogans. She was completely engaged and never complained about being bored. It started to rain at halftime, but fortunately she was wearing a raincoat and he was wearing a baseball cap. When the home team scored a goal, Xieyi jumped up with the fans next to him.
She grabbed Li Zeliang's hand and shouted excitedly.
He smiled slightly and held her back, "Stop shouting. Your voice is hoarse."
In that match, the newly promoted Frankfurt miraculously defeated the defending champion Bayern Munich. It was freezing cold outside and snowing, but the enthusiasm inside the stadium was rising. The moment the referee blew the final whistle, everyone cheered. A German fan who was celebrating with Xieyi by high-fiving excitedly wrapped his team logo scarf around Xieyi's neck and shouted, "Sie haben uns glueck mitgebracht! (Translation: You brought us good luck!)" After saying that, he picked up her face without warning and kissed her hard on the cheek. Xieyi was also very happy and gave him a big hug. She immediately followed the group of people to sing and leave the field together. She went up a step and found that Li Zeliang was still behind, with his hat pulled down so low that his eyes could not be seen.
She reached out to touch him and said, "Ayan? Go away."
The moment she touched his arm, he pulled her closer and put his face close to hers.
She had just climbed a step, and was slightly taller than him, so he had to look up a little. She was still wearing the hood of her raincoat, so she could hear the sound of raindrops hitting her raincoat. She was startled when she saw his face approaching, and then she realized what he was going to do. There were fans nearby lighting fireworks in the drizzle to celebrate the home team's victory. Many people were reluctant to leave. The players had just thanked them, so they took the initiative to create waves of people.
He was standing among these people, in the aisle, his face gradually approaching her. Xieyi opened her eyes wide, staring blankly at his eyes that were staring at her, and unconsciously opened her lips slightly. Unexpectedly, their movements were blocked in mid-air, because the brim of his baseball cap just poked Xieyi's brow bone, and she squinted her eyes in pain. He then hesitated for a moment, his expression paused, and moved his face away, but did not do it again. Xieyi was also at a loss for a while, and then she felt a little lost. She was usually carefree, but unfortunately she was not that open in her bones. She was kissed by someone else a minute ago, and she didn't mind at all at the time, but when the object suddenly changed to Li Zeliang, she suddenly became shy.
On the way back, Xieyi drove. She learned to drive because the doctor said that driving by herself would relieve the symptoms of motion sickness. Li Zeliang was usually a bit lazy, and since someone was willing to drive, he was naturally not needed. Li Zeliang covered his face with a hat and sat in the passenger seat, seemingly sleeping with his eyes closed. The two of them didn't talk much except for the necessary few sentences. Several friends who went to watch the game were happy, and went back to Heidelberg to find a bar to drink, and naturally took them with them.
"I want beer too!" Xieyi shouted along with everyone else.
Li Zeliang glanced at her calmly. She immediately frowned reluctantly and corrected him hypocritically, "How is that possible? I don't drink alcohol at all. I only drink soda water."
Li Zeliang happened to meet acquaintances in the bar, two men and one woman. The woman's surname was Dong, and she was said to be the daughter of a mayor of a certain city. She was very well-behaved. I wrote to her several times, and every time I saw Li Zeliang, almost every sentence would start with the title "Brother Zeliang".
Xieyi naturally disliked her very much. Miss Dong didn't know what the two men next to her said, she looked at Li Zeliang and covered her mouth and smiled softly. In Xieyi's opinion, those eyes that never left Li Zeliang should be dug out and boiled into soup.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she shouted, "I want beer!" After she finished shouting, she glanced at Li Zeliang again, but her actions didn't attract his attention at all.
She picked up the cup and gulped down the drink in anger. When Li Zeliang finished greeting the others and looked back, Xie Yi was already drinking her second beer. She has always had a low alcohol tolerance, even the rice wine from her hometown would make her drunk, so her face was already red from the beer. She knocked her chin on the bar, her eyes were straight, and at this moment, she was unhappy and curled up her index finger and occasionally tapped the beer cup. Finally, he half-supported and half-helped her to go back. She fell asleep when she was drunk, but of course she was the most talkative when she was half drunk. The drunk Xie Yi still did not forget to nag angrily.
"Why do I ask you to choose a good one without my consent?"
"Can she just call him 'brother' casually?"
“Disgusting, isn’t it?”
"Hateful, really annoying."
"Next time, cut off the tongue too."
"No need to make soup, let A Yan braise it, it will taste better."
"What a mess." He shook his head, then took out his key and opened the door.
As soon as he let go, she fell to the side. He had no choice but to hold her in his arms, with his chin resting on her forehead.
She frowned and said, "Your beard pricked me."
He couldn't help but smile, moved his chin, and inserted the key into the key.
Xie Yi looked at his smiling face foolishly, and when the door opened, she suddenly stood on tiptoe, raised her hand to grab his collar, and then raised her head to kiss him actively. Her kiss was so immature that she almost pecked his lips.
After letting him go, Xie Yi actually licked her lips with her tongue and said contentedly, "So... soft." That expression was exactly like a drunk cat that had successfully stolen some fish.
The two failed to kiss during the day, but this time they finally succeeded, and a cat named Xieyi finally satisfied their craving.