“When you look up at the sky, the place you see is the farthest place you can see, but it is not the farthest place in the world. Xiakong, no matter how far apart you and I are in the future, as long as you look up, you will know that we are under the same sky and I am very close to you.”
At that time, Qiange said this to Xia Kong.
Qian Ge was adopted from an orphanage by her foster parents. When she left Fu'an Orphanage, the ten-year-old Yu Anjiu kept chasing her. The February poplar flowers covered the road. Yu Anjiu shouted, "Qian Ge, Qian Ge, don't go—"
Pure white snow-like poplar catkins fell one after another, blocking Yu Anjiu's way to Qiange. Qiange lay on the back seat of the car, looking out through the unwashed glass.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. One day ago, the director of Fu'an said, "Qian Ge, someone has come to adopt you. You will have a father and a mother soon."
But for some reason, Qiange couldn't be happy, especially when she saw Yu Anjiu fall to the ground, with willow catkins scattered all over the ground.
"Brother Anjiu." Little Qiange suddenly called out vaguely, but Anjiu outside the car could not hear it.
The Jiang family adopted Qiange. They lived in City B. They were not rich, but at most well-off. However, raising Qiange as a child was enough. It was said that Jiang's mother had a daughter who died of illness when she was one year old, so she came to the orphanage to adopt a girl.
After Qiange arrived at the Jiang family, she took her adoptive parents' surname Jiang.
The Jiang family lived in a courtyard in City B. The courtyard was antique, clean and tidy. There were three families in the courtyard. When Qian Ge arrived at the courtyard, the doors of the other two families were tightly closed.
"Qiang Ge, this is our home now." Mother Jiang held Qiange's chubby hand, while Father Jiang carried the luggage behind them.
Mother Jiang lifted the door curtain and brought Qiange into the room.
The room is very large, and most of the furniture is made of walnut. It is said that these high-quality wood furniture were given by Jiang's father's former boss. Now placed in this room, it adds a bit of luxury.
Qiange glanced at the furnishings in the room and her eyes stopped on the dining table.
She paused and nervously grasped Jiang Mu's hand.
Next to the dining table sat a dirty little boy with a bowl of rice and bone soup in front of him. His black pearl-like eyes stared at Qiange with confusion, and his mouth was covered with rice grains stained by soup.
Mother Jiang patted Qiange's little hand, walked to the boy, gently wiped his mouth, pulled him over, and said, "Xia Kong, come here, let me introduce you."
Xia Kong was pulled in front of Qiange. Mother Jiang held Xia Kong's hand with one hand and Qiange's hand with the other. She squatted down and said, "This is Aunt Fang's child. Her name is Qiange. Jiang Qiange, you are the same age. You should become good friends in the future."
Qiange was timid, she clasped her hands together and didn't dare to look up.
Xia Kong wiped his hands on his clothes and called out crisply, "Jiang Qiange."
Qiange was so scared that she hid behind Jiang's mother. Xia Kong's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, staring at Qiange in confusion.
Embarrassedly withdrawing his hand, Xia Kong said, "My name is Xia Kong, um... Xia for summer, Kong for sky, and I live next door to you."
Qiange still didn't say anything and buried her head in Jiang Mu's back.
Xia Kong became more and more embarrassed and looked at Jiang's mother helplessly.
Father Jiang smiled behind him and said, "Qian Ge is shy, but she will be fine in a couple of days."
"Xia Kong, sit for a while. Aunt Fang will take Qiange to see her room." Mother Jiang stood up and took Qiange to her room.
Everything in the room was pink, as if it was a fairytale world specially transformed to welcome Qian Ge. There was a carved wooden bed, pink silk gauze curtains, pink bed sets, a cute teddy bear, and a simple desk and wardrobe.
"Mom doesn't know what you like, so she only arranged the necessities. Just tell mom what you want, Qiange, and I'll prepare it for you." Mother Jiang is so gentle that people can't help but want to get close to her.
However, even though Qian Ge was only seven years old, she knew that the woman in front of her was not her biological mother after all, and she couldn't be too willful. So, she shook her head obediently and said softly, "I like these very much."
Children who are easily satisfied are likable. This is what Qiange learned in the orphanage.
After staying in City B, Qiange went to school with Xia Kong in City B Elementary School. Xia Kong was her neighbor and also her classmate.
Although Qian Ge had studied with the headmaster before, she still found it difficult to go to the new class. The classmates in the class who were wearing clean school uniforms had bright eyes full of hope and their grades were mostly excellent. Qian Ge could not keep up with them.
During the whole day at school, Qiange was silent. After school, she walked quickly in front. Xia Kong caught up with her and asked with concern: "Qiange, are you used to it?"
Qian Ge shook her head.
"You'll get used to it slowly, don't be afraid." Xia Kong said soothingly.
"I'm not afraid." Qiange's voice was soft, although small, but it finally responded to Xia Kong. This morning, Xia Kong bought meat buns and followed Qiange happily to introduce her to the delicacies of City B. Qiange ate the meat buns silently and ignored him.
After returning home, Xia Kong wrote the three words "I'm not afraid" on a piece of paper and stuck it on the wall . From then on, this wall became the place to post "the important words that Qiange said".
In fact, Qiange didn’t understand why Xia Kong was having dinner at Jiang’s house when she first met him. It was obvious that Xia Kong lived next door and his parents looked normal.
Until one day.
A relative was getting married, and Xia Kong's parents were invited to attend the wedding.
They came back in the evening, even though it was a wedding banquet at noon. When they came back in the evening, they were both drunk and staggering. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they shouted, "Xiao Xia."
Xia Kong was accompanying Qiange in feeding the chicks, which were newly raised by Jiang Mu.
Hearing his parents' voices, Xia Kong obediently got up and went into the house to pour them water for washing their faces and get them some clean slippers.
Qiange kept staring at Xia Kong and felt that Xia Kong was very familiar with doing these things, as if he was born with the ability.
However, when Xia Kong poured the water for washing his face, his father was not satisfied and kept shouting, "Why is it hot? How can you sober up if it's hot?"
Xia Kong continued to change the water silently, but Xia's father was dissatisfied with Xia Kong's inefficiency. He raised his hand and the tin basin embroidered with red peony fell to the ground with a clang.
Xia Kong was startled, and Qiange was also startled.
Hearing the noise, Jiang's mother ran out of the house wearing an apron: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
When Jiang's mother saw Xia's father's red face and Xia's mother sitting on a small stool leaning against the door frame to take a nap, she understood. She quickly sent the two children into the house, walked out, picked up the wash basin, and complained: "Why are you taking your anger out on the children again?"
"Useless thing!" Father Xia stared at the door of the Jiang family in annoyance and cursed.
Since there were outsiders present, Xia's father couldn't get angry, so he cursed and went into the house.
Qiange, who was hiding at home, looked at Xia Kong with sympathy. Xia Kong sat on the sofa without saying a word. He didn't look frightened, but he had a fear that came from the bottom of his heart towards such parents.
"Xia Kong?" Qian Ge was still holding the little chick in her hand that she had not had time to put down.
Xia Kong was in a trance.
Qian Ge put down the chicken, walked to Xia Kong, and tugged at the corner of his clothes: "Xia Kong?"
Xia Kong came back to his senses and looked at Qiange's eyes which were empty and blank, with an imperceptible moisture in them.
"Mom, Xia Kong is crying." Qiange turned to Jiang's mother who came into the room for help. Jiang's mother made a gesture to Qiange to keep quiet, and then gestured to her to comfort Xia Kong.
Qiange turned to Xia Kong. She was not good at speaking and didn't know how to comfort Xia Kong. She just kept pulling the corner of Xia Kong's clothes and didn't let go.
Xia Kong held back his tears.
After a long while, Xia Kong finally said in a hoarse voice mixed with tears: "Qian Ge, I'm fine."
Qian Ge: "Mom made delicious food, let's have dinner together."
I always feel that there is nothing wrong with saying this.
Xia Kong nodded, and Qiange climbed onto the sofa and sat with him. Qiange now understood why she saw Xia Kong eating at the Jiang family's house when she first came there.
However, what happened in the Xia family that time was just the tip of the iceberg. In the nine years from the age of seven to sixteen, Xia Kong was beaten and scolded by his parents after they got drunk almost every once in a while.
However, what is rare is that Xia Kong can still be so kind in such an environment.
Many years later, when Qiange grew up, she felt that it was really difficult for him back then.
“I want to be a ray of sunshine, no matter how weak it is, it can penetrate the thick clouds and reach your eyes.”
This is a passage that Xia Kong wrote in his yearbook when he was in the sixth grade of elementary school and Xia Kong and Qiange were twelve years old.
"Xia Kong, are you a genius?" Qiange stared at Xia Kong with shining eyes.
Xia Kong scratched his head embarrassedly. Why did he say that?
Qian Ge said excitedly: "What you wrote is really great, I like it very much."
Xia Kong smiled, and the smile in his eyes became more and more intense.
In fact, in Xia Kong's eyes, this sentence was not even one tenth as good as what Qian Ge said to him later. In the summer when he was sixteen, the surroundings were filled with the noisy sound of cicadas.
Xia Kong sat under the locust tree outside the courtyard in silence, his face expressionless.
Qian Ge held Xia Kong's hand and said, "Xia Kong, when you look up at the sky, the place you see is the farthest place you can see, but it is not the farthest place in the world. Xia Kong, no matter how far apart you and I are in the future, as long as you look up, you will know that we are under the same sky and I am very close to you."
Xia Kong will remember those words for the rest of his life.
In junior high school, they attended the best school in City B. When Xia Kong's parents were sober, they could not be said to be irresponsible, so they still supported and contributed to Xia Kong's studies normally.
It's just utilitarian and tasteless. I support your studies so that you can support me in the future, not simply because of what kind of person you can become in the future.
Xia Kong's grades have always been top-notch and he is a model student that his teachers often mention.
Ever since Qiange came to the Jiang family and became a classmate of Xia Kong, she often secretly took Xia Kong as her role model, which Xia Kong may not know yet.
When she was in junior high school, Qiange's name was already known to many people in the school, because at every graduation ceremony, Qiange would be singled out and praised by the teacher.
"Qian Ge, please walk slower!"
In February, Xia Kong was stepping on the poplar flowers on the ground while looking up and calling Qiange's name.
Qiange stopped, slowly raised her head, and stared in a daze at the poplar catkins blown by the wind.
All in all, she has been in the Jiang family for six years, which also means that she and Yu Anjiu have not seen each other for six years.
She still vividly remembered the scene when she was taken away by the Jiang family and Yu Anjiu followed the car and cried out her name.
Anjiu is Qiange's best friend in Fu'an Orphanage.
"Qian Ge, what are you thinking about?" Xia Kong caught up and asked in a nice voice.
Qian Ge smiled slightly and said, "Yanghua, so beautiful."
Xia Kong followed Qiange's gaze and saw the falling poplar flowers dancing in the air like white snow. He smiled, pure and innocent: "Yes, it's beautiful. When Qiange first came to Siheyuan, there were such beautiful poplar flowers on the streets outside."
Six years have passed in a flash. These six years were neither fast nor slow. They were uneventful. Nothing earth-shattering happened, just like their ordinary lives.
"Qian Ge, can you help me wrap the book?"
The day after tomorrow is the day when the second grade of junior high school starts. The new style of book cover invented by Qiange last semester is very beautiful. Xia Kong has always wanted it and finally waited for the day when new books will be distributed.
"Okay, what color do you want?" Qiange slowly walked forward on the poplar flowers.
"Blue, as blue as the sky in midsummer." Xia Kong was walking behind Qiange, one step away from her.
Qian Ge smiled and said, "Then I'll go pick out blue paper for you!"
At the end of the courtyard alley is a stationery store, which has a lot of beautiful paper. Qian Ge bought blue paper for Xia Kong and pink paper for herself.
On the afternoon when the new books were distributed, Xia Kong and Qiange brought small stools and a small table and sat in the courtyard to "dress up" the new books. The warm sunset in the evening cast a layer of golden color on their hair and eyelashes.
"It's all useless." Father Xia muttered aside.
"As long as the child likes it," Jiang's mother defended with a smile.
It's always like this. The Jiang family's parents will protect these two children. As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. When the Xia family's parents are conscious, they usually won't beat or scold Xia Kong.
If we say that Qiange and Xiakong's lives were not peaceful, then we have to start from this year.
In the second year of junior high school, a little boy named Lin Fangke came to the class. He used to be in Class A, but because he was too naughty, the head teacher of Class A didn't want him anymore, so he came to Class B.
Lin Fangke is simply the nightmare of Qiange and Xia Kong. No, to be precise, he is the nightmare of all students with good grades.
Lin Fang is the leader of a group of uneducated hooligans in school who like to bully those who have good grades.
In his words, all people with good grades are those who love to show off, and he hates this kind of people the most in his life.
People like this who say the grapes are sour because they can't eat them are a headache for teachers.
Therefore, those who had good grades in school kept their distance from Lin Fangke, which further encouraged Lin Fangke's arrogance.
Until one day, Lin Fangke turned his thieving hands to Qiange.
However, although Qian Ge looks like a pushover, he is not a pushover at all.
Qiange and Xia Kong are the best students in Class B and get along well with their classmates. But Lin Fangke has long disliked them because every time the head teacher lectures him, he always says: "Look at Jiang Qiange, look at Xia Kong, and then look at yourself!"
At that time, Lin Fangke would curl his lips and say, "What's so good about it? The little baby hasn't grown up yet, all he has are two eyes and a mouth."
When Lin Fangke retorted, the head teacher scolded him even more harshly.
Therefore, Lin Fangke hates students with good grades, especially Qiange and Xia Kong.
Recently, Lin Fangke discovered a secret of Qiange - she always wrote a diary secretly in her spare time.
Lin Fangke didn't know what she was writing, but he was sure it was something shameful.
So, during the physical education class, Lin Fangke deliberately slipped into the classroom under the pretext of going to the bathroom because of a stomachache, and opened Qiange's diary.
The diary records all of Qiange's secrets.
And Lin Fangke has seen all of Qiange’s secrets!
After school that day, Xia Kong went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables, and Qiange was waiting for Xia Kong at the entrance of the market.
Suddenly, Lin Fangke and a group of hooligans stopped in front of Qiange on their bicycles and whistled loudly. Lin Fangke made a face and said, "Jiang Qiange, aren't you ashamed?"
Qiange looked puzzled.
Lin Fangke pointed at Qiange and said loudly: "Jiang Qiange, I know why your grades are so good, because you are afraid that if you don't perform well, your parents will send you back to the orphanage, right?"
Qian Ge felt as if a wall had collapsed in her heart. How could he know? How did he know! That was clearly the secret she had written in her diary, how did Lin Fangke know it?
Since her last name was Jiang, she was very well-behaved and obedient. She also studied very hard, but she was afraid that one day her parents would dislike her for being useless and send her back home.
But how did Lin Fang know all this?
"Jiang Qiange, who is Yu Anjiu?" Lin Fangke was very satisfied with Qiange's reaction and continued to ask with a sly smile.
"I can't believe you're in love too early!" Someone among Lin Fangke's followers whispered. Qian Ge's ears were buzzing and her mind was in a mess.
"Lin Fangke, you...you peeked at my diary?" Despite this, Qiange still asked cautiously.
Lin Fangke said disdainfully: "Tsk, who wants to see your little shit?"
Qiange pursed her lips and stared at Lin Fangke with tears in her eyes. But Lin Fangke continued the prank and said, "Humph, Jiang Qiange, don't think you are great just because you have good grades. You have to listen to me obediently in the future, otherwise, I will tell everyone the secret in your heart!"
That diary contains all of Qiange's secrets, including her life experience and Yu Anjiu, as well as Xia Kong, who lives in the same courtyard with her.
Someone was selling fish at the entrance of the vegetable market. Qiange clenched her fists and wanted to throw a bucket of fish on Lin Fangke's head. But she held back. What if Lin Fangke exposed all the diaries tomorrow? What would she do?
Lin Fangke blew a whistle, proudly called his followers to leave the vegetable market.
Qian Ge lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Qian Ge, I bought it."
Xia Kong's clean and pure voice came from behind.
"Qian Ge." Xia Kong walked to Qian Ge and saw her crying. He asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with you? Qian Ge, who... who bullied you?"
Qian Ge shook her head, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and said, "No, let's go back."
As she spoke, Qiange took the lead and walked in front. Xia Kong tilted his head and looked at Qiange's back, feeling a little confused.
Qian Ge didn't want to talk, and Xia Kong usually didn't ask too much. But not long after, Xia Kong knew the reason.
It was noon on the second day of that day.
Most students in middle schools bring their own meals and eat them at noon after heating them up. They can sit in the cafeteria or stay in the classroom.
Qiange was sharing the braised pork in her lunch box with Xia Kong when Lin Fangke rushed in from the back door of the classroom. Seeing the fragrant braised pork in Qiange's bowl, he swallowed and said, "I want some too."
Qiange rolled her eyes at him and ignored him.
Lin Fangke was not happy and said loudly: "Jiang Qiange, you promised yesterday afternoon that you would listen to me obediently."
Qiange paused in picking up the meat, and Xia Kong also noticed Qiange's action. He turned his head and looked at Lin Fangke. Lin Fangke strode over, snatched Qiange's lunch box, and poured all the braised pork in it into his own lunch box.
"Lin Fangke, are you a robber?" Xia Kong stood up. Although his momentum was weak, he was still courageous.
"I am a robber, what's it to you? Take care of yourself first! Poor stray cat!" Lin Fangke was very arrogant and slammed the lunch box on the desk.
The few people who stayed in the classroom for lunch looked back.
Poor stray cat?
That was how Qiange described Xia Kong when she first met him in her diary, full of pity and no malice.
"What stray cat did you say?" Xia Kong asked.
Just as Lin Fangke was about to speak, Qiange quickly stopped Xia Kong and said, "If you like to eat, I'll give it all to you."
The sound was neither loud nor soft, but everyone in the classroom could hear it.
"That's better. Remember, I want braised pork tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every day from now on." Lin Fangke patted Qiange's shoulder proudly, picked up his lunch box again, and sat aside contentedly to enjoy his food.
Xia Kong didn’t know why Qiange was so dependent on Lin Fangke, and he didn’t understand what Lin Fangke meant by “poor stray cat”.
But the only thing he was sure of was that something must have happened between Lin Fangke and Qiange that he didn't know about.
"Qian Ge, tell me honestly, did Lin Fangke bully you?"
At the end of February, the road was covered with poplar flowers. Xia Kong and Qiange walked side by side on the way home from school.
Qiange took two steps, then stopped and looked up at the scattered poplar catkins and the sky washed by water.
Turning around, Qian Ge squatted down, sat on the road covered with poplar flowers, and said lightly: "Xia Kong, am I your best friend?"
"Of course, it's the best, the best of the best!" Xia Kong lifted his school uniform and quickly sat next to Qiange.
Qian Ge looked a little bewildered and said, "Even if we are the best friends in the world, there will always be a day when we will be apart."
"I...I won't separate from you." Xia Kong turned his head to look at Qiange and said sincerely.
Qian Ge smiled weakly: "I also told Brother Anjiu the same thing."
Anjiu?
This was the first unfamiliar name Xia Kong had ever heard from Qiange.
Qiange said slowly: "Lin Fangke peeked at my diary. I wrote a lot of things in it that I had never said out loud. I came to the Jiang family, and my parents were very good to me, but I was afraid that one day I would not behave well and make them angry, and they would send me back to the orphanage, and I would become a homeless child again. I also wrote about you, Xia Kong, and about my best friend in the orphanage - Brother Anjiu. In fact, I have always missed him so much, and I wanted to go back to see him, but I dared not say anything..."
When I was taken away at the age of seven, the director smiled and said to Qiange, "Qiange, come here. They will be your adoptive parents in the future."
It didn't say: Qiange, they are your biological parents.
Qiange has been well-behaved and sensible since she was a child. She never blames her parents for abandoning her. She also thought that if her parents came to take her back, she would definitely be a filial and obedient daughter.
However, it was her adoptive parents, not her biological parents, who took her back.
Her adoptive parents gave her a home, a warm bed and delicious meals, and sent her to school. They were so good to her, so she would not make any requests to her adoptive parents for fear of troubling them.
"Qian Ge, your parents are good people."
Xia Kong didn't dare to say anything else, but he was sure that if Qiange made any request, Jiang's parents would definitely find a way to satisfy her.
"I know, it's because they are so good that I will... repay them with my better side." Qiange's eyes were red. Lin Fangke had read her diary. She really wanted to teach Lin Fangke a lesson, but she was worried that the teacher would call the parents and disappoint Jiang's parents.
Xia Kong reached out and gently held Qiange's hand, patiently comforting Qiange: "Qian Ge, don't be afraid, you know? If you occasionally act like a spoiled child to Aunt Jiang and make requests, they will like you more, because only in this way can you become a closer family. As for me, hehe, I know that the things you wrote about me in your diary must be good. As for that Anjiu... Qiange, let's work hard together. After we get into a good high school, we will apply to our parents to go to the place where you used to stay to look for him, what do you say?"
Qian Ge raised her head, with crystal tears still hanging on her long eyelashes. She asked nervously, "Can we still find An Jiu?"
She has been gone for seven years.
"Yes, I will." In fact, Xia Kong didn't know whether he could find Anjiu, but in order to make Qiange feel at ease, he could only say this.
It's already the seventh year of Yanghua Flying. If Anjiu was still in Fu'an Orphanage, he should have grown a lot taller, right?
Anjiu was originally three years older than Qiange. When she graduated from junior high school and went to look for Anjiu, Anjiu was already an adult. I don't know if Qiange could recognize Anjiu at that time.
In the seventh year of knowing Qiange, Xia Kong heard Qiange mention the name Yu Anjiu.
Xia Kong didn’t know what kind of person Yu Anjiu was. He only knew that Yu Anjiu was the person that Qiange had always been thinking about.
Xia Kong and Lin Fangke both knew Qiange's secret, but one of them could keep it while the other could not.
It is said that a young man should be frivolous when he is young. But Lin Fang is not frivolous, he is crazy.
After losing a roller skating game, Lin Fangke had to reveal a secret that he knew but no one else knew. So, without hesitation, Lin Fangke revealed Qiange's secret.
Jiang Qiange is a wild child who doesn’t know who his biological parents are!
Lin Fangke knew more than one secret, but he was smart. He would only tell one secret after losing a game, and kept those secrets for future use.
As a result, this secret, which was originally known only to him and his followers, was known to everyone in the school and even to other schools.
Not knowing who your biological parents are is already a pitiful existence. But some people, just for fun, use these as a topic of conversation after dinner.
Qian Ge returned to the classroom with a red face. She saw Lin Fangke and his friends gathered together and told jokes. Qian Ge's clear voice rang out in the classroom: "Lin Fangke."
Lin Fangke pretended not to hear.
Qian Ge clenched her fists, walked to the back of the classroom where sports equipment was placed, and raised her voice: "Lin Fangke!"
"What are you doing? I'm not deaf, why are you yelling so loudly?" Lin Fangke asked impatiently, waving his hand to disperse the crowd.
"Bang--" A basketball flew over and hit Lin Fangke's nose hard.
"Ouch, ouch!" Lin Fangke covered his nose and cried out in pain, with bright red blood flowing down his fingers.
Everyone watched this scene and fell silent.
Is this really Qiange? She usually obeys Lin Fangke's provocations, but today she dares to hit Lin Fangke with a basketball. Are they seeing things?
"Lin Fangke, I have tolerated you for a long time. Today I will beat you. Let's meet in the teacher's office." Qiange said this calmly and unquestionably, turned around and walked out of the classroom.
Lin Fangke's nose hurt badly, but before he could come to his senses, the head teacher called Lin Fangke to the office.
Xia Kong, who returned to the classroom late due to some matters, was told by a classmate he was close to: "Xia Kong, Jiang Qiange just beat Lin Fangke badly, and now the head teacher has called him to the office."
Xia Kong looked incredulous. What? Didn't the main character of this "accident" say anything? Did Qiange beat Lin Fangke?
Without time to think, Xia Kong hurried to the office. The head teacher's office was on the third floor of the classroom office building. Running all the way made Xia Kong pant. Before he could calm down when he reached the door, he heard the head teacher scolding Qiange and Lin Fangke: "Let me ask you again, Qiange, was it really you who hit Lin Fangke in the face with the basketball?"
Qiange nodded silently, and Lin Fangke also nodded hurriedly.
"Why?" The head teacher was puzzled. Qiange has always been an obedient child, so why would he hit others?
"Why else? Jiang Qiange is a lunatic. He hit me for no reason!" Lin Fangke said in a muffled voice, covering his swollen nose.
"Qian Ge, why did you hit Lin Fangke?" the head teacher asked Qiange patiently.
Qiange said calmly, "Lin Fangke always bullies people at school. Recently, he has chosen me as his target. I couldn't help it, so I beat him up."
Even so, the head teacher didn't believe that Qiange would hit anyone. She thought Qiange was lying.
Xia Kong knew the secret, but he also knew that Qiange would never tell it.
But Xia Kong remembered that on the day when Qiange registered for middle school, Aunt Fang specifically told her class teacher while Qiange was cooling off under the shade of a tree, "Qiange is an orphan. Although she doesn't say it, I know that she is trying hard to be a good and obedient child to please us and the teacher. So, if Qiange does anything unusual in school, please be tolerant and contact us parents to solve the problem first."
"Teacher." Xia Kong knocked on the door, went in and closed the door.
Lin Fangke turned his head and glanced at Xia Kong, muttering, "Tsk, help is here."
"Teacher, should people who peek at other people's secret diaries and spread the contents of the diaries to hurt others be punished?" Xia Kong walked to Lin Fangke and looked at the head teacher with sparkling eyes.
Lin Fangke shrank his neck with a guilty conscience and said hurriedly, "It's just a diary. Isn't it written for others to read?"
"Lin Fangke!" The head teacher shouted at Lin Fangke. Lin Fangke reacted and stuck out his tongue.
"Do you know where you went wrong?" The head teacher tapped the table with his knuckles.
Lin Fangke grumbled reluctantly: "Stingy, isn't it just an orphan, adopted, trying to become a better person, having someone I like, it's not something shameful, so what if I say it out loud, it's the truth."
Qiange lowered her head even lower, and Xia Kong's expression turned not so good.
The head teacher was so angry that his face turned blue, and he slammed the table and stood up: "Lin Fangke! Didn't the teacher teach you to think from other people's perspectives and respect other people's privacy? Some things may seem insignificant to you, but they are unspeakable secrets in other people's hearts!"
Lin Fangke was startled. On his right, Qiange sobbed softly, her neat shoulder-length hair covering the side of her face.
Xia Kong on the left was emitting a terrible aura that seemed like it was about to explode at any moment, while the head teacher in front of him had a ferocious face, as if he was going to swallow him in one gulp.
What's wrong with these people? He's the one whose nose is black and blue and numb from the pain!
Lin Fangke sniffed his nose tremblingly, and the numbness made him lose his sense of pain.
In the end, the head teacher asked Lin Fangke to apologize to Qiange in front of the whole class.
Qiange also reflected on her behavior of hitting Lin Fangke with a basketball, and then the two shook hands and made peace in front of the whole class.
It just looked like they were at peace, but in fact, Lin Fangke hated Qiange even more, and he hated Xia Kong as well.
These people with good academic performance are stingy and pretentious. Lin Fangke hates them more and more.
But Lin Fangke, who hated Qiange and Xia Kong so much at that time, didn't know that they would become his best friends in the future.
Lin Fangke openly and covertly opposed Qiange Xiakong for a whole year, until the early autumn of the following year, when the situation ended because of a transfer student.
The transfer student's name is Yuan Qingyou. Her "Qingyou" means "the blue sky after the rain", as in "After the rain, the sky becomes blue and the clouds break, and this color will be the future."
Xia Kong had met Yuan Qingyou before she transferred to Class B of B-Middle School.
City B in August was like a furnace. Xia Kong got up early, put a few coins under his pillow in his palm, and ran to the street wearing a vest.
Because last night, Qiange and Xiakong were enjoying the cool in the courtyard, and Qiange said unintentionally: "I really want to eat ice cream, but my mother said that I had a stomachache last time I ate ice cream, so she won't buy me any this time."
So, early in the morning, while Aunt Fang was still asleep, Xia Kong hurried to buy ice cream so that Qiange could hide it in the freezer at the bottom of the refrigerator.
As soon as the store owner opened the shutter, he saw a 15-year-old boy staring at him excitedly, holding up the coin in his hand and saying, "Boss, two ice creams."
The boss was still yawning, but he was very clear about the "good start". He quickly took the money, opened the freezer door, and said cheerfully: "What do you like? You pick it."
Xia Kong picked two ice creams and rushed back quickly, but unexpectedly bumped into a girl at the corner. It was so early in the morning, and the sky was just getting light. Where did this girl come from, and she also brought a pleasant fragrance.
Xia Kong stood firm on his feet, and then he could see clearly the girl who had bumped into him. She had black hair like a waterfall and a fluttering green skirt. At first glance, she was actually quite stunning.
However, Xia Kong had no time to be amazed. He looked down and saw that the ice cream in his hand was deformed. He then looked at the girl and saw that two lumps of cream on the ice cream were all stuck to her skirt!
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Xia Kong had both hands busy, so he could only keep bowing and apologizing.
The girl combed her hair, looked at her skirt, and blurted out not "It's okay" or "What did you do?", but a gentle and pleasant "Oops, I ruined your ice cream."
Xia Kong was stunned for a moment, and said stupidly: "No...it's okay...your skirt..."
Seeing this, the girl covered her mouth and chuckled: "It's okay, just go back and wipe it off."
Xia Kong stood there, not knowing what to say next.
The girl walked up slowly and asked carefully: "By the way, you are a local, right? Can I ask you a question? Where is Nongqing Street? My family and I just came to this city and couldn't find Nongqing Street. I was thinking, should I come over to ask people, and I didn't expect to run into you."
Xia Kong suddenly realized and said hurriedly, "I, I know, but that street is no longer called Nongqing Street, it's called Qingci Street, and it's over there." Xia Kong pointed to a road and said, "Go straight along this road, turn right at the second traffic light, and you will reach Qingci Street. This is the Nongqing Street I know, I wonder if it's what you are looking for."
"That's great! You're really helpful, thank you." The girl smiled and bowed to express her gratitude. Before Xia Kong could react, she looked around and ran to the store to buy two ice creams that were exactly the same as the ones in Xia Kong's hand. She gave them to Xia Kong and said, "This is my compensation to you and a thank you."
As she said this, she trotted back in the direction she came from, and suddenly turned back and said, "My name is Yuan Qingyu, and I will be studying in B Middle School!"
Is B in the same school as mine?
Xia Kong murmured to himself, but he didn't dwell on it for too long, because Yuan Qingyou's appearance was just a small episode in his morning.
Xia Kong would soon forget her, but what Xia Kong didn't expect was that more than ten days later, he would see Yuan Qingyu again on the podium of his class.
Yuan Qingyu, the transfer student to the school, made the boys in the class almost drop their eyes out in admiration.
Suddenly she saw Xia Kong in the crowd, Qingyou smiled at him, and Xia Kong waved to her naturally. Soon, dozens of sinister gazes gathered on Xia Kong, among which Lin Fangke's gaze was the most terrifying.
Xia Kong felt a chill down his spine.
What made Xia Kong even more frightened was that the head teacher asked Yuan Qingyu to sit in the empty seat behind Xia Kong. Now, Xia Kong seemed to hear the heart-breaking voices of all the boys in the class, as well as the sounds of them rubbing their hands in anticipation.
Xia Kong has always had Qiange by his side, and now there is such a beautiful woman. Isn’t God too kind to him?
Yuan Qingyou's every move was elegant and gentle, and her natural appearance instantly attracted the favor of many male classmates. Even during the ten minutes after class, she was surrounded by boys.
Xia Kong was pushed away from his seat and stood in the aisle, shrugged helplessly at Qiange who was sitting on the side watching the show.
After school that day, Xia Kong was packing his schoolbag. Qingyou patted his shoulder from behind and asked, "Hello, can I go home with you? Mom and Dad are very busy at work, and I just came here, so I'm not familiar with the surroundings."
Xia Kong turned to look at Qiange, who was zipping up her schoolbag. He looked up and asked, "Where do you live?"
“Celadon Street.”
"Then come with us." Qiange put on her schoolbag and said lightly.
The warm sunset gave the city a new look. On the side of the road, Qiange, Xiakong and Qingyou were walking one in front, one in the middle and one behind. Passing by the pond and the dam, they saw the sparkling water surface shining with beautiful light.
"Oh, so you live together, Xia Kong? Jiang Qiange? What nice names."
Qian Ge and Xia Kong briefly introduced themselves and Yuan Qingyou got to know each other. Yuan Qingyou paid out of his own pocket and said, "You all know my name. I came here in mid-to-late August. My parents run a porcelain business on Qingci Street. By the way, I'll let you take me home. Will it bother you?"
"It doesn't matter. Qingci Street and Huaishu Lane are just two streets apart." Xia Kong said, tilting his head slightly.
"Well! You can come to my house when you have time. My house is on Qingci Street, and the name of the porcelain workshop is my name." At that time, Yuan Qingyu sincerely treated Qiange and Xia Kong as friends. They were the first people she met in City B.
The setting sun lengthened the shadows of the three people, and the crisp sound of bicycle bells rang behind them.
Lin Fangke put one foot on the pedal and the other on the ground, pinching his chin with his fingers, muttering to himself: "Strange, why are Jiang Qiange and Xia Kong here again? What magic do they have to bring all the new girls together?"
At that time, the poor student Lin Fangke had never thought deeply about the meaning of the idiom "love at first sight". It was not until he grew up that he understood what true love at first sight was.
He fell in love with Yuan Qingyou at first sight. From the moment she walked up to the podium from the classroom door and the breeze ruffled her long hair, Lin Fangke's eyes never left her.
It was also Yuan Qingyou who changed Lin Fangke's distorted concept of what a "good student" is.
Yuan Qingyou not only has good academic performance, but is also a very nice person. He treats everyone equally, unlike the class monitor who always looks down on students with poor grades.
During the break of physical education class, Qingyou, Xiakong and Qiange sat together to rest. Lin Fangke shamelessly rushed over, hugged Xiakong's neck with one hand, and shouted in a loud voice: "Hello!"
Seeing this, Xia Kong and Qiange both frowned.
Lin Fangke looked at Qingyou enthusiastically and said, "How are you?"
This is the best English sentence Lin Fangke learned in junior high school.
Xia Kong pulled Lin Fangke's arm away in disgust, and Lin Fangke said flatteringly, "Don't be like this, buddy."
Qingyou smiled kindly and asked, "Your name is Lin Fangke, right?"
"Oh my God, you remember my name." Lin Fangke felt dizzy and almost fainted from joy.
Qian Ge stood up silently and walked towards the playground. Xia Kong also stood up, turned around and bent down to Qingyou and said, "This person is the most dishonest. Stay away from him."
After saying that, Xia Kong left.
Qingyou also wanted to get up and leave, but Lin Fangke stopped her and said, "You haven't answered me yet, how are you?"
Qingyou smiled helplessly: "I'm fine." After saying that, she was about to leave, but was stopped by Lin Fangke. Lin Fangke said, "Hey, wait, wait, it's still early to gather, Yuan Qingyou, let's be friends."
Qingyou was a little impatient, but still smiled: "Okay, we are classmates and friends. I'm going to go over there and play with Qiange first."
"Hey, wait, you can come to see Qiange any time. I... Qiange is also my good friend. We can play together in the future." Lin Fangke still opened his arms to stop Qingyou.
Qingyue asked doubtfully, "Really?"
"Really? It's real, better than real gold." Lin Fangke nodded.
Not far away, Qian Ge, who was standing by the soccer net, saw this scene and muttered, "I wonder what Lin Fangke is planning next."
"It's probably a bad idea, Qiange, I'll go call Qingyou over." Xia Kong looked over there with some worry.
Qian Ge nodded, and Xia Kong hurriedly called out to Qing You: "Qing You, come here."
Hearing Xia Kong's shout, Yuan Qingyou said, "I really have to go."
Fearing that he might be annoyed, Lin Fangke had no choice but to let her go. He looked at her back and said reluctantly, "Then I'll say hello to you next time we meet."
Qingyou smiled politely and trotted towards the direction where Xia Kong and Qiange were.
Her high ponytail swayed back and forth, and her figure under her sportswear was very attractive. Lin Fangke felt that Yuan Qingyou was truly a stunner.
"Your 'good friend' is quite clingy." Yuan Qingyu said helplessly as soon as she walked up to them.
Hearing the meaning behind Yuan Qingyu's words, Xia Kong said, "Stay away from him. He always bullies students with good grades. Qiange has also been bullied by him."
"Yeah! I understand."
However, the strange thing is that since Yuan Qingyu transferred here, Lin Fangke has become a different person. He no longer bullies others, no longer forms cliques, and no longer talks back to the teacher in class. Instead, he actively answers questions and asks questions when he has questions he does not understand.
Everyone thought that Lin Fangke was crazy, but only Lin Fangke himself knew whether he was crazy or not.
One day at noon, Xia Kong was eating in the cafeteria with Qiange and Yuan Qingyou. Lin Fangke came uninvited and sat down in the seat next to Xia Kong with extremely skillful movements.
"Who told you to sit next to me?" Qiange on the opposite side had an unhappy look on his face.
Lin Fangke looked around innocently and asked, "Qian Ge, is the cafeteria owned by your family?"
Qiange didn't want to chat with him, so she picked up her lunch box and was about to leave.
"Hey, hey, Qiange." Lin Fangke stood up, grabbed Qiange's wrist and said, "Don't leave. I'm not a tiger. Why are you afraid of me? After you taught me a lesson last time, didn't I stop saying those shameful things about you behind your back?"
"Lin Fangke!" Qiange and Xia Kong shouted at him angrily.
"Pfft, pfft, I can't talk." Lin Fangke's hand didn't loosen. "I was wrong, Jiang Qiange. As the saying goes, it's a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. Please forgive me. I'm also trying to be a good student. I have chicken wings in my lunch box. I'll give them all to you, okay?"
Qiange frowned and said nothing.
Lin Fangke's voice was very loud and many people in the cafeteria were looking at them.
Qingyou, who didn't know what was going on, stood up, holding Qiange with one hand and Lin Fangke with the other, and said gently: "Lin Fangke, let go first."
Lin Fangke obediently let go.
Qingyue said again: "Qian Ge, sit down."
Jiang Qiange sat down slowly.
Qingyou added: "Although I don't know what happened between you, we are all classmates. Qiange, since Lin Fangke apologized so sincerely, please forgive him."
"That's right, please forgive me." Lin Fangke nodded repeatedly.
Qiange glanced at Lin Fangke coldly, and Lin Fangke immediately sat up straight.
Forgive him?
Qiange didn't want to be bothered by these things, so she had to nod. That nod made her gain a friend with whom she could confide in the future.