The mid-term exam at the end of the year was a unified joint exam for more than a dozen high schools in Runcheng, and Tang Junhe got the first place in the city, which made Tang Xiaonian very proud. Yang Chengchuan was also very happy, and gave Tang Junhe a watch. Knowing that Tang Junhe had always refused to accept his gifts, he specially sent this congratulatory gift through Tang Xiaonian's hands. Tang Junhe took it and put the watch in the drawer without even looking at it.
A few days before the winter vacation, Tang Junhe got a piece of news—Yang Xuan was going to go abroad for the New Year. This news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for him.
Yang Xuan's grandfather was the top leader of Runcheng more than 20 years ago. After retiring, he went to the United States on the other side of the ocean to spend his life. When Yang Xuan's mother passed away, the old couple tried to bring Yang Xuan to the United States to continue their studies. After all, leaving their grandson with a scumbag always made them feel uneasy. But Yang Chengchuan refused to let Yang Xuan go to live abroad no matter what, and their wishes could not resist the force of the law. They could only watch Yang Xuan "degenerate" from a young seedling to a sports student today.
Although Yang Chengchuan was unwilling to send Yang Xuan abroad, after all, his father-in-law had kindness to him in the past (although this has made the old man regret it to this day), and the filial piety that the younger generation should do must be fulfilled, so Yang Xuan During the winter vacation every other year, he would be sent to his grandfather's house to stay for more than ten days, and he would come back after spending the Spring Festival with the old man. Last year Yang Xuan celebrated the New Year with Yang Chengchuan, this year it was his turn to go to his grandfather's house.
That afternoon, both Tang Xiaonian and Yang Chengchuan went to work, Yang Xuan was using the computer in the study, and Tang Junhe was lying on the carpet in the study and taking a nap.
The doorbell rang a few times suddenly, and Yang Xuan got up to open the door. When Tang Junhe passed by, he looked down. His younger brother was lying sprawled on the ground, revealing a section of white belly, fast asleep like a small animal that didn't feel the slightest danger from the outside world. He bent down and pulled Tang Junhe's wrinkled T-shirt down to cover his belly. Tang Junhe was already fast asleep, so he didn't react at this time. Yang Xuan got up and walked to the entrance, opened the door and let Chen Xing in.
"Your father is in a meeting, and he couldn't get away, so he asked me to take you to the airport," Chen Xing said standing on the floor mat at the entrance, "I won't go in, and I have to change my shoes. Everything is packed. Right? Are you leaving now?"
"It's packed, I'm going to get the box." Yang Xuan said, then turned and went into his room. When he changed his clothes and came out with a suitcase, Tang Junhe had already woken up and was standing barefoot at the door of the study, looking at him.
"Brother, are you leaving?" Tang Junhe asked sleepily with a red mark on his cheek.
"Well," Yang Xuan carried the suitcase to the entrance, took off the coat from the hanger, stretched his arms and put it on, and asked Tang Junhe while putting it on, "Do you want to see me off?"
Hearing Yang Xuan's question, Chen Xing also said: "Jun He, come with us and send your brother off, and I will send you back later."
Tang Junhe nodded and said, "I'm going." After finishing speaking, he walked quickly to his room and put on a fleece hoodie, which Tang Xiao bought for him a few days ago When he came back, the red made his complexion extraordinarily fair. After he came out, he reached out and took the white down jacket that he often wore from the hanger, put it on outside, and followed Yang Xuan out the door.
From childhood to adulthood, Tang Junhe has never been out of Runcheng, not even the train station, let alone the airport. He held Yang Xuan's hand and looked out the window for a while, and looked at his brother for a while. The cold wave bid farewell to Runcheng for the time being, the sky cleared up for several days in a row, the snow on the road had gradually melted, and the car ran on it very smoothly.
"Uncle Chen, how long will it take to get to the airport?" Tang Junhe asked.
"Half an hour, it's not too far." Chen Xing said while driving.
Tang Junhe didn't like this answer. He hoped that the road would be longer, because he would be separated from Yang Xuan in a short time. He loosened the hand that was holding Yang Xuan tightly, moved his fingers, inserted between Yang Xuan's fingers, and interlocked with his fingers. Yang Xuan didn't react at all, he didn't know whether he didn't care or indulged.
Half an hour passed faster than expected, the car soon stopped in front of the airport, Chen Xing opened the trunk, and trotted over to help Yang Xuan carry the luggage.
"I'll do it myself," Yang Xuan bent down and stretched the trolley of the suitcase, holding it with his hands, and said, "Go back."
"You're already familiar with the road, right?" Chen Xing said with a smile, "That's fine, I won't follow in. If you encounter anything, just call me." After finishing speaking, he turned his head and looked at Tang Junhe again, " Where's Xiao He? Would you like to go in with your brother and have a look, I'll wait for you outside for a while."
Tang Junhe thought for a while and said, "I can take the bus back by myself."
"Yo, that's a bit far away," Chen Xing saw that he wanted to go in with Yang Xuan, and said empathetically, "Go, see your brother off, I'll wait for you outside, your father's meeting will take an afternoon ,Not in a hurry."
Tang Junhe turned his face and looked at Yang Xuan without blinking, waiting for him to speak. If Yang Xuan let him go, he would go with Chen Xing.
But Yang Xuan just looked at him and said, "Come in with me, thank you Uncle Chen."
Tang Junhe turned his head to Chen Xing again, and repeated like a parrot: "Thank you, Uncle Chen."
Chen Xing laughed as soon as he heard it, patted Yang Xuan on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Xuan is becoming more and more like a big brother."
Yang Xuan was dragging the suitcase with one hand, and Tang Junhe held his other hand, changing the boarding pass and checking the luggage with him.
While they were checking in, the baggage screening machine briefly malfunctioned, leaving them waiting for a few minutes. The check-in staff member was a girl in her mid-twenties. While waiting, she asked curiously, "Are you brothers?"
They said "hmm" at the same time.
"No wonder you look alike."
They have heard this sentence more than once, and many people who saw them standing together have said it. And when they stand together, they often receive the attention of many strangers. The slender and tall teenagers aged seventeen or eighteen hold hands with each other. They don't talk much, but occasionally look into each other's eyes and talk a few words. Apart from that, they don't seem to pay much attention to the surrounding environment and the crowd. s concern.
There was a short line at the security checkpoint, and Yang Xuan and Tang Junhe stood at the end of the line and moved forward slowly.
Tang Junhe looked up at Yang Xuan, and asked a question he was most concerned about: "Brother, when are you coming back?"
Yang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Seventh and eighth day."
Tang Junhe lowered his head, looked at the ticket in his hand silently, and after a while he said: "Then we can't celebrate the New Year together."
"Isn't New Year's Day over?" Yang Xuan looked at the team in front and said.
"That's different, that's a foreign New Year, this is a Chinese New Year."
"It's just a form."
"This may be the last New Year we spend together," Tang Junhe raised his chin and looked at Yang Xuan, "Brother, you won't be in Runcheng next year."
"Then you come with me," Yang Xuan turned his face to look at him, "I'll buy you a plane ticket, and you go abroad with me to celebrate the New Year."
Tang Junhe lowered his eyes and said with some disappointment: "You know it's impossible."
"It's impossible," Yang Xuan smiled disapprovingly, "It's just a matter of a plane ticket."
"It's not just about a plane ticket." Tang Junhe said.
Yang Xuan didn't speak, but just when Tang Junhe thought he would no longer have any reaction, Yang Xuan spoke: "In my opinion it is."
"If it's that simple, then you can stay too." Tang Junhe said angrily. Since that night, he has become a little sensitive to Yang Xuan's teasing. Yang Xuan always seems to like to make some proposals that he knows are impossible, and then watch his embarrassing and embarrassing reactions unmoved.
After saying this, they had already lined up at the entrance of the security check. Yang Xuan turned to look at Tang Junhe and reminded, "Here we are."
Only then did Tang Junhe come back to his senses. He let go of Yang Xuan's hand, handed him the ticket, and then stood at the side of the line, watching Yang Xuan walk over to accept the security check.
He suddenly regretted the conversation he had just had with Yang Xuan, which made them break up unhappy when they parted. Obviously those were not what he wanted to say the most, he just wanted to tell Yang Xuan that he would miss him very much after he had been away for so long.
"I will miss you very much."
"Can you come back sooner?"
"America is so far away."
"Without you in this family, time will be very difficult."
"Could you give me a hug before you go?"
"I can't go with you now, but I will in the future."
—Obviously these are the words he wants to say.
After Yang Xuan accepted the security check, he looked back at Tang Junhe, then picked up his ticket and mobile phone and left. Tang Junhe wanted to wave goodbye to him, but Yang Xuan quickly turned around and left, so the hand he just raised froze for a moment, and then put it back into his pocket. He stood where he was, watching his brother's back disappear into the crowd, and left the airport listlessly until he could no longer be found.
When he turned and walked back, he saw a couple hugging and kissing. He then thought that maybe the parting between him and Yang Xuan would never be accompanied by a kiss. There were too many people at the airport, and their kiss could only happen in a secluded room with no one in it.
"Send your brother away?" Chen Xing saw him coming, got out of the car and opened the door for him, saw that he was not in a good mood, and persuaded him, "I'll be back in a few days, Nian is the fastest runner. "
Tang Junhe got into the car and let out a "hmm".
Is the year the fastest? These words seemed to come from Tang Xiaonian's mouth, but he never felt anything. In the past, Tang Junhe didn't care about any festivals, New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Qixi Festival...these are all the same, only the difference is whether to have a holiday or not. But from a certain point, he began to attach great importance to every festival. It seems that no matter which festival, it would be a great regret if he could not spend it with Yang Xuan.
On the way back, he suddenly thought that the last sentence he said just now was a bit unreasonable-"If it's that simple, then you can stay too." Obviously he wanted to spend the New Year with Yang Xuan, but he hoped that Yang Xuan For him to stay, instead of choosing to go with Yang Xuan, it makes no sense at all.
Thinking of this, his frustration increased a bit.
This depression lasted until midnight, and Tang Junhe couldn't sleep again. Thinking that the room next door was empty at the moment, his heart seemed to be empty too, with cold wind leaking from him.
He sat up, took out the cigarette case from the drawer, thought about it for a moment, then put it beside the bed, and took off the pajamas over his head.
He walked to the closet, leaned over and pulled out a black sweater and put it on. Tang Xiaonian always treats him like a child, and likes to buy him all kinds of brightly colored clothes, this is the only clothes he looks a little bit mature. He put on a pair of slightly tight black pants under his lower body, and walked lightly to the bathroom to look in the mirror.
Standing in front of the mirror, he suddenly understood why someone could tell at a glance that he and Yang Xuan were brothers. They were indeed somewhat alike, especially when they wore the same clothes and made the same indifferent expression.
The hair looks a little too obedient, Tang Junhe looked at the mirror and thought, then walked to his room, found the baseball cap Tang Xiaonian bought for him before, and put it on his head. He took the cigarette case and the house key in his hands, took out some money from the drawer, and then walked lightly to the living room, put on his coat, carefully held the doorknob of the anti-theft door, and turned it carefully downwards .
The door of this house opened and closed quietly, unlike the old house where he and Tang Xiaonian used to live, where the door creaked as soon as it was opened. The door lock opened silently, he opened the door and walked out, closed the door carefully, and walked out.
At one o'clock in the morning, the corridor was quiet, and the sensor light above the head automatically turned on. He took the elevator downstairs, walked out of the community, and walked around the quiet green belt. This place once brought shadows to him, because Zhou Lin was hiding behind one of the trees and watching him a few months ago, waiting for the opportunity to jump out and hug him tightly. But now he has nothing to be afraid of, Zhou Lin is dead, and even the shadow and fear he brought were crushed under the wheels that evening.
The night wind blew the bare branches slightly, and the birds, insects and cicadas in summer disappeared without a trace, and the silence was a little scary. Tang Junhe felt a little cold, he reached out and pulled the hood of the sweater over his head, walked quickly to the side of the road, and stopped a taxi with his hand.
"The city that never sleeps." He said to the driver after getting in the car, even the tone of voice was similar to that of Yang Xuan.