After the summer rain, the rose trellises beside the school wall were in full bloom, and the fragrance seemed to fill the entire playground.
Time, accompanied by the summer breeze, rushes towards June without a breath.
Many years later, Ning Xi still remembered it until he graduated from university. It was the day before the college entrance examination. The sun was shining brightly, covering the large green grass on the playground, as if giving the best blessings to the group of high school students who were about to go to the battlefield.
In the last class, according to the rules of previous years, all the students in the class wrote their names on the blackboard. The head teacher burst into tears, and all the class committee members who had worked hard for three years stood up and led the students to bow to her.
They signed their school uniforms, carefully put away all the books, and arranged the tables, chairs and benches neatly.
The head teacher scolded the students one by one, told them what to pay attention to in the college entrance examination, emphasized it over and over again, and even started to make fun of them. Many students laughed so hard that they fell under the table.
Laugh at the end and start crying.
We were dismissed early that day and only had two classes in the afternoon before leaving, but everyone seemed reluctant to leave and just stood there. Some girls cried, and some boys cried too.
Ning Xi recalled that he occasionally watched NBA live broadcasts on his phone during class, and after class, there were people everywhere, standing in the corridor facing the boys who were playing, and the girls who were drawing their eyebrows in front of a small mirror...
Just like the lyrics say, will there be a day when time can really go back to the long days that he can never go back to?
The students in the classroom finally began to leave one after another. Many of them had already walked out of the teaching building. Suddenly, they heard the younger students in the first and second grades downstairs starting to shout for them.
They stopped in their tracks as they were in their senior year of high school.
I'm skipping class and shouting. It's time to go to class now.
Ning Xi stayed in the classroom for a while longer and left late. He clearly heard a familiar voice. He ran to the window and looked down, only to hear waves of collective shouts that were louder than the last.
"Dreams come true! Give it a try!"
"Bull in the Stone!"
He also ran downstairs.
Ning Xi stood at the bottom of the teaching building and looked up, and saw that everyone in the school had come out and stood in the corridors of each grade. Paper planes and banners were all taken out, mixed with paper pages thrown down from the upper floors by the senior students.
It's like a fairy scattering flowers...
These are all dreams flying in the sky, sparkling in the scorching summer sun.
Ning Xi was tall and stood out among the group of senior high school students. He was anxiously looking for Xing Cheng in the corridor on the second-year high school floor.
He immediately saw Xing Cheng's group of brothers, more than a dozen older boys, who had taken off their school uniforms and put on the same red and black basketball team uniforms. They tied the school uniforms on their arms, raised them up, and waved them around.
After they shouted slogans continuously, they shouted out the names of seniors on the school team who were going to take the college entrance examination amid the noise, cheering them up, until their voices were almost hoarse.
They didn't call Ning Xi's name.
Ning Xi stood there with a smile on his face, looking up at Xing Cheng.
He seldom smiled in front of outsiders, but on this day he simply couldn't control himself. He was in a good mood when he saw Xing Cheng, and he wanted to convey this joy to him.
They seemed to be born as one, like two scattered pieces of a puzzle that had to be put together to be complete.
Most of the papers in the sky have fallen, but there are still some pieces floating down from the upstairs.
Xing Cheng had handsome features and was of outstanding height. He stood there like a benchmark. When he saw that none of his brothers had shouted, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted in the direction of Ning Xi.
"Ning Xi!"
Ning Xi was stunned, his eyes quickly locked on Xing Cheng, and then he heard the remaining students in the school team follow Xing Cheng's command and shout: "Pass the exam!"
Xing Cheng smiled and with a push, a paper airplane flew down from the second-year high school floor. It looked like it was made from a large fold of paper and flew right in the direction of Ning Xi. Ning Xi ran a few steps and reached out to catch it.
The younger students were still shouting slogans for the college entrance examination.
Ning Xi saw words inside the paper airplane, so he opened it and read them.
Just a line of small print: "Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport."
There was even an arrow symbol drawn, from Chengdu to Beijing.
Ning Xi smiled, silly or not. No matter what, he should have taken a plane back to Chengdu to find Xing Cheng. How could he run around in his third year of high school?
There was blue sky and white clouds in front of him, and the most important person to him was standing on the teaching building. Holding a paper airplane in his hand that could keep moving forward, Ning Xi suddenly understood the meaning of this paper airplane.
It felt like wings suddenly grew under my armpits.
The sunlight was a bit dazzling. Ning Xi squinted and saw that in the corridor of another building, the dean of studies and a group of teachers knew that the class had already started, but did not stop the "shouting" scene.
Yes, life is so short, "Goodbye" and "Hello" are just four words.
Perhaps every class of students truly falls in love with the school when they are about to leave it.
One time, he saw the ideal university registration form that the school required to be filled out by the second-year high school students. Every student wrote the name of the university in a neat and tidy manner, all of which were "xx University" and "xxx College". He glanced at it several times in the office and couldn't help asking the teacher if he could see it. The teacher raised his chin and said, "Look."
Ning Xi reached out to flip through the list of Class 3, Grade 12, and found it was arranged alphabetically. The second one was Xing Cheng, the only one. Five words to describe it: the one closest to Peking University.
Ning Xi's youth was long but short.
If one had to use a picture to represent this period of his youth, it would probably be Xing Cheng leading a group of comrades from the school team cheering for him on the teaching building.
Free and happy, even the wind brought by the paper airplane has sweetness.
Four years of his life were gone just like that. The next four years would be in college. Where would the next four years be?
Some faces will never be seen again, some stories will never continue, but we all have dreams and they will not stop here.
Thanks to love, they have the best time in this most brilliant season.
Ning Xi, Class 3-4, Senior High School, please get your name on the list of successful candidates.
Love hard and keep trying.
Ningxi held the college entrance examination for two days on the 7th and 8th. Shizhong, as the examination venue for Qingyang District, also had a holiday for the entire school.
Early in the morning on the 7th, Xing Cheng got up very early and brought down the crab roe porridge cooked by his mother from upstairs to his brother. Ning Xi wanted to add some Lao Gan Ma to the porridge, but Xing Cheng refused and held the can of Lao Gan Ma with a fearless attitude.
Xingcheng was worried that his brother would get an upset stomach from eating spicy food, so he ran upstairs to get his mother's hot milk. Later, worried that traffic would be congested on the morning of the college entrance examination, Xingcheng's father volunteered to drive the black Hummer and personally take Ning Xi to the examination room and was responsible for picking him up and dropping him off.
On the way to the examination room, the two of them got together and called Ying Yuchen, who was laughing happily and said that he had dreamed of eating ice cream in the examination room last night, and it was a pity that they were not taking the exam in the same examination center.
Ying Yuchen was talking to Ning Xi when Xing Cheng suddenly said, "The fight lasted too long. He's almost dead. Don't make my brother forget his ancient poems by nagging him."
Ying Yuchen turned on the loudspeaker, and a voice from the other end shouted, "Why didn't I notice that you change your expression like turning the pages of a book?"
After he finished yelling, a deep male voice coughed, which frightened Ying Yuchen so much that his throat choked. He immediately lowered his voice and whispered, "My brother thinks I'm noisy. I'm going to hang up first. Ning Xi, do well in the exam."
Ning Xi couldn't help laughing while covering the microphone, and said, "You should do your best too."
Xing Cheng followed to the entrance of the examination center like a follower, under the pretext of feeling the atmosphere in advance, but in fact he was just waiting at the entrance with a black schoolbag on his back, holding mineral water and tissues. Standing among the parents with a height of about 1.8 meters, he looked like a young poplar.
He is still a young boy who is ready to punch someone for Ning Xi at any time, but he has learned more about how to think about Ning Xi.
Some reporters thought he was a late candidate and looked at him with regret, resisting the urge to interview him.
As soon as the Chinese test was over at twelve o'clock in the morning, Xing Cheng was very nervous. He watched his brother running out from the crowd of candidates and standing at the door looking for him. Fortunately, Xing Cheng was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and he could see him at a glance.
The two of them drank soda and ran towards the Hummer parked across the street while sweating. Xing Cheng's father asked about the situation and Ning Xi said with confidence that it was not a big problem.
On the evening of the 7th, Ning Xi did not review. Instead, he rode his bike with Xing Cheng and circled the Funan River for several laps. It was past eight o'clock, and then he rode his bike back to wash up and go to bed.
When Xingcheng's mother saw Xingcheng coming back with sweat all over his head, she poked his forehead and started scolding him.
"Why are you hanging around with your brother? You're taking the college entrance exam tomorrow and you're still having so much fun! After tomorrow you'll be a senior in high school!"
"I know, Mom! Okay, I know, no problem!"
Xing Cheng nodded and begged for mercy, then ran to the bedroom with his shoes in hand, his soles feeling as if they were greased.
Xing Cheng was so nervous that he barely slept all night, tossing and turning. He would finish the exam tomorrow morning and relax a little in the afternoon. He would be truly liberated after the exam. By this time next year, he would probably be able to break free and go to Beijing to find Ning Xi...
Just as Xingcheng wished, Ningxi No. 8 performed very easily. He did not doze off or get distracted in the examination room. He finished the questions carefully and checked them over and over again.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the last exam.
Even though they were not in their own school and were not with their classmates who they spent every day with, thunderous cheers broke out in the entire examination room of the test center.
Ning Xi sat by the window. He remembered that the sun was very strong that day, making the test paper a little warm.
He raised his eyes to look out the window at the cheering candidates, watched them wiping their tears, watched them leave without looking back, leaving the last high school classroom in their lives.
I hope everyone won’t come again next year, right?
As Ning Xi walked out of the examination room, he walked in a hurry. He was so anxious that he threw his machine-reading pen and gel pen while walking. Finally, he put his admission ticket and ID card into his schoolbag and ran towards the entrance of the examination center.
From a distance he saw Xing Cheng standing at the door waiting for him. Somehow this kid managed to squeeze into the first row of the parents' group.
Ning Xi did not hesitate at all. In front of so many parents of candidates, he ignored the big words "College Entrance Examination" on the banner, and did not care whether there were media interviewers waiting with cameras at the door. He just ran to stand next to Xing Cheng amid the excitement and anxiety of the parents.
He looked up at Xing Cheng and felt his eyes getting hot, as if some emotion was about to burst out.
Xing Cheng dragged him out of the crowd while rubbing against him, muttering, "We are liberated, we are free, Ning Xi, we are all free..."
Ning Xi knew very well what it meant to be able to study in another place for four years alone, and what it meant to be out of the control of his parents.
From this day on, Ning Xi was completely and totally free.
Ning Xi stood up straight and flicked his head. Ren Xingcheng wiped his sweat with a piece of paper and hummed, "It will be your turn next year. You should do your best."
Ning Xi paused for a moment, then said, "I think I did very well in the exam, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Upon hearing this, Xing Cheng picked him up and spun him around, playing around like a big dog.
"I knew it, I knew you were the best!"
The two of them, wearing short-sleeved shirts and carrying backpacks, crossed the road in front of the test center together and ran towards the Hummer parked not far away.
Ning Xi was tired from all the fun, so he ran while drinking soda.
Ning Xi looked at Xing Cheng who turned around and waited for him, his eyes curved with a smile, and he really wanted to say thank you.
The days of waiting for the results are long and fearless.
It’s as if growth has suddenly reached a critical point, and I’m full of expectations for the future. I do everything bravely and confidently, and I’m not afraid of any hardship.
At that time, Xing Cheng and Ning Xi had a lot of fun for several days after the college entrance examination. They visited every street and alley in the city, rode more than 30 kilometers a day, and the next day their buttocks were so sore that they had to lie down all day.
Ning Xi's mother called to ask about his grades. Ning Xi's tone was indifferent, but still nervous. She said that the results would not be available until the 23rd, so don't worry about him during this period.
Mom transferred a thousand yuan to Ning Xi, who kept it carefully and said he would save it for future use.
It seems that after the college entrance examination, his mentality has improved a lot. Xingcheng plays with him every day. They play street ball, grab dolls, watch movies , and eat at very small restaurants...
The two of them went to a street brand basketball shooting contest together and won some money. They grabbed a bunch of claw machines and took them to the night market to sell them at night. All in all, they got a few hundred yuan. Ning Xi opened an account and deposited all his previous savings into it.
The summer after the college entrance examination is so beautiful.
Xing Cheng goes to the watermelon stall downstairs every day, cuts the watermelon into pieces and slices, and serves them in different ways to entertain Ning Xi.
Two people lay on the edge of the bed holding a spoon to see whether the moon was full tonight.
Occasionally he would open a bottle of Budweiser beer, Xingcheng would drink half of it in one gulp, hold a mouthful of beer with ice cubes in his mouth, hum a little tune comfortably, and pick up the guitar to play something.
The sky in Chengdu changes from bright to dark, and from dark to bright again.
And their two young hearts are warm and shining.
On the evening of the day when the college entrance examination results came out, the afterglow on the banks of the Funan River was beautiful.
Ning Xi had just finished dinner. It was around five or six o'clock and he was walking with Xing Cheng towards the city center.
He received a text message from the Education Bureau on his mobile phone, but he thought it was just another message and just took out his phone.
Just a quick glance.
In just that instant, Ning Xi seemed to have lost all his strength. He turned around and hugged Xing Cheng on the street, regardless of how many people were walking around them.
Xing Cheng was already extremely nervous that day, and seeing his brother stunned like that, with some hot and wet liquid flowing down his neck, he was so scared that he didn't dare to move. He hugged his brother tightly and moved towards the bridge step by step.
Ning Xi's heart was beating wildly as the number kept replaying in his mind.
Three digits, starting with six.
The second number is also six, and the third number is zero.
Six hundred and sixty points, just an even number.
Ning Xi expected to perform well in the college entrance examination, but this result surprised him. Last year, the top scorer in liberal arts in Sichuan Province only scored 663 points.
With this score, there is basically no problem in getting into Peking University, but...
He looked up at Xing Cheng and took a deep breath, followed by a sigh of relief and relaxation.
Seeing Ning Xi was silent, Xing Cheng coaxed him to take his phone and look at it. In his excitement, he accidentally pulled the half-hanging willow branch by the river. He didn't have much idea in his mind, and asked excitedly and tangledly: "Brother, brother, with your score, can you get into Peking University?"
Ning Xi closed his eyes: "Yes."
Xing Cheng suddenly grabbed Ning Xi's hand, and the two of them ran desperately along the sidewalk of Binjiang East Road, going deeper into the road, bypassing the grass and trees, ignoring the dim street lights above their heads and the sidelong glances of passers-by, Xing Cheng ran and shouted.
Ning Xi couldn't keep up with the pace behind him, with a smile on his face. He heard Xing Cheng turn around and say to him, "Brother, let's go to Beijing to study."
Beijing.
Ning Xi, who had a dream in the hearts of most college entrance examination students, finally turned his dream into reality and made it come true after a year of competing for the second time.
That night, Ning Xi walked slowly at the back, looking at his tall brother in front of him. It seemed as if he saw the little glutinous rice dumpling from more than ten years ago, walking backwards while holding a basketball.
"Brother, please don't ignore me, okay?"
"Brother, why is this ball so round? Why are so many people fighting for it? Can't you just buy a new one?"
"Brother, where are you going to school? My grades are a little poor, but I can work hard."
"Brother Ning Xi, I'm pretty good at basketball now, would you like me to spar with you?"
"Brother, look at me."
Ning Xi's grades undoubtedly became a hot topic of discussion among classmates. After all, Sichuan Province's top scorer in liberal arts this year was announced, and he scored eight points more than Ning Xi in a foreign language school.
With this score, Ning Xi will definitely go to Peking University. Everyone in the school thinks so, including Ying Yuchen.
Ying Yuchen's grades remained good after he transferred to another school. He put all his cleverness into studying and did very well in the college entrance examination, scoring 637 points. He said that he could study forensic medicine at Sichuan University, which was also pretty good.
Ning Xi slept alone all year round and tossed and turned at night because he couldn't fall asleep. He was a little afraid of these things, but he still couldn't help but ask about the admission score of forensic medicine this year.
Ying Yuchen was very puzzled: "Why are you asking this?"
Ning Xi whispered: "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask the teacher..."
Ying Yuchen's voice rose eight tones: "You're not going to let that brat Xingcheng go to Sichuan University, are you? Can't you just let him pass the exam to Beijing next year?"
Ning Xi hurriedly turned down the volume of the receiver. Xing Cheng, who was busy unpacking takeout, seemed not to hear what he said. He saw his brother looking over here and nodded with a smile.
Those eyebrows and that expression made Ning Xi's throat choke up.
He didn't say anything more, and hung up the phone in a hurry. He returned to his usual cold expression, turned his phone to silent mode, and then sent a message to Ying Yuchen as if nothing had happened.
After Ning Xi finished explaining, he took his cell phone, slowly stood up, and took off the hood of his pullover.
The impending separation was as if he owed Xingcheng a handwritten poem, and this agreement had no deadline.
Xing Cheng came over with the food, spread newspaper on the small table, and asked Ning Xi to sit down and eat.
He was just about to say that the quality of this table was pretty good, and it hadn't broken in half a year. Next time he went to the furniture store, he would buy another one, put together a big one, and have a full banquet...
When I looked up, I heard Ning Xi talking to me.
"I suddenly want to go back to high school."
"I want to see you again on the basketball court."
As soon as the college entrance examination results were announced, the busy graduation season arrived and the weather in Chengdu became even hotter.
Xing Cheng hasn't had his holiday yet, but he's already started reviewing for the final exams. He's officially become a senior high school student, and he doesn't have many classes on a regular basis, so naturally he has a lot of free time to play with his brother.
Ning Xi couldn't bear to see Xing Cheng like this, so he stopped reading books and stayed at home every day, reading magazines and novels, and occasionally writing a few sentences.
Ning Xi simply pulled it over and used a pen to trace the words one by one, then tore off the paper and crumpled it into a ball, letting it break into pieces.
For three whole months, he still hadn't figured out how to spend his time. He made an appointment with Xing Cheng to go to Aba Prefecture or Ganzi Prefecture for a trip at the end of July, and he also wanted to go to the beach in August.
The school was going to give out scholarships, and Ning Xi calculated that the money, plus some from Xing Cheng's family, would be enough for two people to go on a budget.
He didn't know how much time he and Xing Cheng had left. Ning Xi had never been an optimistic person in terms of emotions.
He went to school several times in the past few days to fill out the application form. The teachers from the Academic Department took turns to persuade him. Even Ying Yuchen, who was in Beijing, called him several times a day.
Ying Yuchen is having a great time in Beijing. It's not enough for him to play at home every day. He is calling his friends and having a great time. Ning Xi really can't understand why Ying Yuchen wants to go to Sichuan University. Doesn't he have to go back to Beijing after graduation?
"Don't be silly, Xi. I know you've always wanted to get into Peking University..."
Ning Xi coughed: "I'm still thinking about it."
Ying Yuchen was really angry: "What are you considering? Have you filled in your application?"
"Not yet. I'll find an internet cafe tomorrow."
Ning Xi took another sip of grapefruit tea. He liked the sweet and sour taste in his mouth. He licked the corner of his mouth and said, "Don't worry."
That day, Ning Xi read the entrance examination application form for a long time and told his mother seriously that he wanted to apply to Sichuan University.
With this score, he can study the best major in Sichuan University. It should be easy for him to find a job after graduation. If he stays in Chengdu...
Everything should be more convenient.
Before this , he had never thought that one day he would really think about choosing a school because of others.
When they were in their third year of high school, he couldn't understand why some girls and boys would make decisions that would affect their lives because of another person.
Now he understood completely.
At this moment, Ning Xi felt deeply powerless again.
Xing Cheng didn't know about these things yet, and his whole mind was focused on how to help his brother relax. He couldn't avoid being scolded by his parents: "Look at how many points you can get in the exam, and then look at others, they are far better than you!"
Xing Cheng was running and having fun. He liked to hear others talking about his brother and felt very proud.
There were still two or three days left before the end of filling out the application form, so after school Xingcheng found a supermarket and bought two cantaloupe flavored ice creams. He asked the store owner to pack them in ice packs, and then hung the bags on his bicycle handlebars as he rode through the alley.
This year, Shizhong Middle School's entrance exam results were quite good, with a particularly high rate of admission to key universities. The school leaders and teachers were in a very good mood, and the control over the first and second year students was slightly relaxed during this period. Xingcheng often looked out the window during class, looking forward to the summer vacation in his heart.
Xing Cheng came into the house with two ice creams in his pocket. There was a small electric fan next to Ning Xi, which was spinning and blowing the corners of his college entrance examination newspaper.
He was lying on the table, copying something onto a piece of draft paper. The brightness of the small desk lamp was adjusted to the highest level, and a part of his white neck could be vaguely illuminated.
Xing Cheng walked over, unwrapped the ice cream and handed it to him: "Brother, why did you start looking at schools in Hubei?"
"So sweet, cantaloupe?"
Xing Cheng asked casually, licking a little to taste it. Ning Xi did not stop writing and answered him: "My mother's relative's child did not do well in the exam this year, so she asked me to help look for a school."
Xing Cheng fed him the ice cream and ate some himself: "Boy or girl?"
Ning Xi highlighted the key points on the draft paper, closed the pen cap and tapped his brother on the forehead, pretending to be angry and said, "You are too nosy."
"What do you mean I have no say? She's the same age as you!" Xing Cheng took a bite, his teeth trembling from the cold. He frowned, his aura still a little intimidating, "If it were me, I'd say this girl should try harder to take the Beijing entrance exam..."
When Ning Xi heard his brother say this, besides wanting to scold him for being stupid, he also felt a little guilty in his heart. He had no idea how to tell Xing Cheng that he wanted to apply to Sichuan University.
There are no so many high-sounding reasons. It’s not that he can’t leave his hometown, it’s just because of traveling, it’s just because he can’t leave his brother.
Xing Cheng suddenly seemed to think of something, and while picking up the trash, he asked Ning Xi: "Your junior high school asked you to give a speech for the second grade. Have you thought about what to say?"
Xing Cheng stood up and packed the plastic bag, then continued, "It seems to be Tuesday. I have fewer classes in the afternoon, so I should be able to skip one to come and see you."
These days he has been thinking about how to take a good look at his brother in these last moments and how to fight a protracted war, but he didn't expect that Ning Xi was also thinking about how to keep looking at him.
It's about life and destiny.
But most people are like this, when they encounter the last word, they often get confused, and they don’t need to think too much about the first two. They just say "let it be" in a peaceful manner, but they don’t realize that they have fallen into a quagmire.
The boy, who hadn't even had time to take off his school uniform, was carrying a plastic bag of popsicle sticks and empty tomato potato chips packaging, and holding a small fan in his hand, smiling at him.
The veins on his wrists were clearly visible, his tall figure faintly cast a silhouette on the door frame, and even the outline light on his profile brought out his temperament to the extreme.
Ning Xi never thought that his little brat brother upstairs would grow up to be like this.
"Xingcheng, I have to tell you something."
Ning Xi thought of countless opening sentences for his confession, but he didn't expect that he would sound so cautious when he blurted it out. He slowly stood up, gently placed the bag of garbage at the door, pushed the stunned Xing Cheng into the house, and closed the door casually.
Ning Xi grabbed a bottle of mineral water beside him, unscrewed the cap and took a sip before he calmed down. His hands were shaking as he pinched the bottle: "I want to apply to Sichuan University."
When Xing Cheng heard this, he was stunned for half a second before reacting and confirming: "Sichuan University?"
The bottle was deformed by Ning Xi's pinching. He took a deep breath and nodded: "Yes."
Xing Cheng was like being hit on the head with a stick, and he was still a little confused. He asked him, "Why? You can't get into Peking University with this score?"
He knew that his brother had always wanted to study at Renmin University or Peking University, and he had performed very well in the college entrance examination this time. It was impossible for him not to be admitted with this score, and he also knew that...
"When I think about it," Ning Xi said, "if I go to Beijing, I might have a hard time living alone."
These are all excuses. What Ning Xi wanted to say was just "It's hard to see you."
In fact, Xing Cheng could guess a little bit about what his brother was thinking just by looking at his brother's eyes.
Xing Cheng's anger and discomfort surged into his heart. He didn't want to delay Ning Xi at all. For a child from a family like Ning Xi's, college is really enough to change his life.
Xing Cheng's fuse was about to ignite, but when he heard his brother say "life is hard", his heart softened.
"Ning Xi, listen to me."
Xing Cheng's tone was both persuasive and coaxing: "You go to Beijing for a year first. I will come to see you as soon as I finish the college entrance examination, or I can come to see you when I have a vacation. The air tickets from Chengdu to Beijing are not expensive when they are discounted. I have checked. It's only about 500 or 600 yuan..."
Ning Xi fell silent when money was mentioned. He couldn't help but think about how Xing Cheng had earned money from playing dirty ball to buy things for him some time ago. This was like a thorn in his heart, hidden and painful.
Ning Xi's whole body stiffened.
He opened his mouth, not being able to figure out Xingcheng's current mood, and could only slowly say, "If I go to Sichuan University, it's very close, only one or two kilometers away, I can ride a bicycle, and it doesn't cost money."
"Brother," Xing Cheng said, "I know you are here because of me."
Xing Cheng seemed to be talking to himself: "I said I would go to Beijing to find you, so I will definitely come, and I will work hard to pass the exam!"
Ning Xi said nothing, but listened with a frown.
Xing Cheng tried to calm himself down as if he was sighing, raised his head, took a deep breath, and clenched his fists: "Don't disbelieve me."
Ning Xi tends to grab the hem of her clothes when she is nervous, and she doesn't even notice that her clothes are wrinkled: "One year, four years, it's too long."
Ning Xi couldn't think so much, nor could he think about what his life would be like in the future. He only knew that he couldn't stand not seeing Xing Cheng for a long time. Now he could only see what was in front of him, and he even wanted to hold on tighter and tighter, almost paranoidly.
Ning Xi couldn't explain anything else. He couldn't say a word. He slowly loosened his grip on the hem of her clothes. His face was still as cold as ice. He gritted his teeth and said, "It was my own choice to go to university. Maybe Peking University is not suitable for me."
"But this is not what I want!"
Xing Cheng said hoarsely: "I want you to be good at everything, excellent in everything, and not have to worry about anything..."
Including money, studies, family, and even feelings.
Xing Cheng was now completely furious, and his voice unconsciously became louder: "If this is going to affect your college studies, then you don't have to accompany me!"
The thing he feared and expected the most finally happened. He had such a direct and forceful influence on Ning Xi's life, becoming his master and even taking over everything from him. But this feeling was so painful.
Torture each other, influence each other, and grow with each other, even if some steps are wrong from the beginning.
He took a step back suddenly and watched the plastic bottle in Ning Xi's hand fall to the ground, bounce up, and roll to his feet.
"You can say that I am not in my right mind, that I am too irrational, but you can't..."
Ning Xi actually felt a lump in his throat. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the uncomfortable spasm. He opened his eyes wide and said, "I can't tell you. You don't want me to accompany you."
As soon as Ning Xi said this, Xing Cheng wanted to slap himself a few times.
Why couldn't he control his temper? Why did he speak so recklessly and say such hurtful words? He wanted to apologize to his brother in a panic, but he couldn't say the words. He just stared there, raised his hand awkwardly, and gently touched the back of Ning Xi's head.
Xing Cheng was now extremely angry and felt very uncomfortable. All his self-blame turned into sobs that got stuck in his throat and he couldn't swallow them.
"I want you to stay with me forever, but I don't want my actions to affect your bright future." Xing Cheng's eyes were fixed on Ning Xi's, fearing that the tears in his eyes would quietly overflow. "Do you understand?"
Ning Xi should have understood, he just nodded, his eyes turned red uncontrollably, the corners of his mouth trembled and turned down because of discomfort, and he didn't say anything else.
From childhood to adulthood, Xing Cheng had almost never seen such an expression on Ning Xi's face. He suddenly felt extremely heartbroken. All of this was caused by him. When he saw Ning Xi crying when he was a child, it was because he had either fallen or bumped into something.
This was the first time he had red eyes and remained silent.
Xing Cheng raised his head and stared at the snow-white walls of Ning Xi's house, wanting to bang his head against them and die.
There are still footprints left by Ning Xi when he was a child at the base of the wall.
Although he felt uncomfortable, Ning Xi's handsome face was still very depressed, and his signature cold expression appeared on his face again. He bent his elbow to push Cheng away, not wanting to say anything more.
The two of them were silent for a while, both holding their breath. Xing Cheng was about to speak: "I..."
"I……"
Ning Xi also opened his mouth, but was choked. He bit his lower lip and said, "You speak first."
Xing Cheng stood up straight and didn't bother to be polite with him: "Brother, if you really believe me, I will definitely go. I will go to Tianfu Square to swear in front of the statue and make a wish by the Funan River!"
"What purpose will you serve by going to Funan River?"
"Have you never heard of the zombies in Funan River? If I fail the exam, they will all jump out and eat me..."
Ning Xi stretched out his hand, covered Xing Cheng's mouth, and cursed with a suppressed breath: "Don't say bad words."
Xing Cheng coughed in a serious manner, and his anger disappeared for some unknown reason: "You just can't bear to see me being eaten by them."
"Then you'll be the one to be eaten." Ning Xi said, without further ado, he went to the window, grabbed a black plaid shirt and put it on, put his baseball cap on his head backwards, grabbed a mask and put it on, took his keys and was about to go out.
Xing Cheng was standing behind him, staring blankly, "Brother, where are you going?"
Turning around, the evening light drew a silhouette around Ning Xi: "It's time to eat."
Xing Cheng hurriedly gathered his coat and followed, frowning: "Take me with you!"
Ning Xi was holding the mask for Xing Cheng in his hand. He walked over while unpacking it, put his hands on Xing Cheng's ears, gently put the mask on, pinched his nose, and said, "The smog in Chengdu is serious recently. Don't let it make you stupid."
The day before the application deadline, Xing Cheng guessed that his brother would wait until the deadline was almost up before going to the Internet cafe, so he skipped a day of class to follow him. He had to wait until the application form was submitted for it to count.
Ning Xi couldn't persuade him, and he felt more at ease during these days. In addition, Ying Yuchen called him three or four times a day to educate him, so he had to follow his original intention and apply to Peking University.
When Ning Xi submitted it, his hands were shaking as he watched the webpage refresh successfully.
On the day they submitted the application form, Xing Cheng rode his bicycle with Ning Xi to Jinli Ancient Street. They were still hungry when they went in, but they were so full when they came out. Although Chengdu locals rarely go there under normal circumstances, it’s not bad to go there occasionally.
They walked to the end of Jinli, and Xingcheng saw the wine sold in the store, so he bought two bottles of pomegranate and lychee wine. The two of them drank as they walked, and they almost choked to death from the sweet taste.
Ning Xi decided to go to Beijing. Xing Cheng had thousands of words to say in his heart, and they all seemed to melt into this sweet wine, which he fed to Ning Xi.
Xing Cheng hopes that if Ning Xi misses him particularly one day while he is in Beijing, the memories will definitely taste like pomegranate.
Red and sweet.
On the weekend before June, Shizhong held its graduation ceremony.
There were not many senior students in the third year, and most of them did well in the exams. They went up on stage one by one to receive their awards. Ning Xi stood in the front row, wearing the same school uniform, with his chin slightly raised, his skin becoming even whiter, and his eyes narrowed, giving a feeling of not waking up yet.
Ning Xi recalled that when he entered the school as a freshman in high school, he was full of yearning and courage for this place. Now that he has graduated, he still has fond memories of this period of time.
He experienced repeating a grade, loss, setbacks, declining grades, and even family disputes, but he survived them all because he was not alone. He had teachers and classmates, coaches and teammates, and friends and followers.
The spotlight above was very bright, and the seats below were almost full. At that moment, Ning Xi felt as if he had obtained everything that belonged to him.
The graduating students prepared several programs, singing and dancing, and the big screen kept replaying their every moment of the past three years, as if it happened just yesterday.
The plastic playground where sweat and tears have been shed, the flocks of birds flying in the sky, the small flowers that never wither in front of the teaching building, and the cat that always lies on the ground basking in the sun at the corner of the corridor.
Back then, Xing Cheng and he, one was a poor student and the other was a top student, one was in the first year of high school and the other was in the third year, one was on the upper floor and the other was on the lower floor, they seemed so close and yet so far away.
Later, Xing Cheng and he, went from being parallel lines to intersecting lines, chasing and entangling each other.
The graduation ceremony that day ended amid cheers and tears. It was the last time he wore a school uniform and looked at Xingcheng from afar.
Ning Xi stood behind the stage, secretly peeking at everything happening below the stage through the thick dark red curtain.
The parents who came to congratulate, the teachers who were filled with emotion, and Xing Cheng who sat in the middle of the senior class and refused to leave.
He suddenly realized that growing up means slowly becoming alone, and discovering that he has never grown up, just like when he looks up, he will always be the dazed little brother who wrote in his exercise book in front of the bedroom window in his childhood, looking at the snacks falling from the upstairs.
Repeating his senior year of high school was like hitting a wall, but he is grateful for this wall.
Studying hard should not just stop at the three years of high school and four years of college, but should be a lifetime.
He will always remember the speech given by the head teacher at the graduation ceremony. The future is uncertain and therefore limitless.
The hibiscus flowers in Chengdu will bloom every year, and people will always be as young as they were before.
Xing Cheng entered his third year of high school. The summer vacation was exceptionally short, starting in mid-July and requiring him to return to school almost at the end of August. This was because he chose not to take extra classes. People like Ren Mei who were forced by their families to take extra classes did not have their vacation until early August.
On the night when the admission letter came, Ning Xi's mother and stepfather drove to pick Ning Xi up, found a restaurant to treat some relatives and friends to dinner, and received a lot of gifts.
Ning Xi had a blank expression on his face the entire time. He just nodded politely, picked up food, toasted, and sipped the last bit of wine. He looked up at the big red banner hanging above his head. The four words "Peking University" stung his eyes, and for a moment he couldn't figure out the purpose of his attendance that day.
But Ning Xi is always like this. He will do whatever his parents say because he understands that she is his mother.
The moon was very high that night, and Ning Xi felt dizzy looking at it. Finally, he fell asleep on the dining table .
When he woke up, it was the next day, the sun was high in the sky, and Xing Cheng was sitting beside the bed, pinching his calf with his hand.
The restaurant we had yesterday was remote and far away, not even in Qingyang District. Xing Cheng had to ask many people before he found out where it was. When he got there, Ning Xi's mother was standing next to Ning Xi, talking on the phone. Her eyes were full of anxiety, urging her husband to come and carry her son back.
Xingcheng walked over leisurely, put his hands in his pockets, and said "Hello, Auntie" seriously.
Ning Xi's mother didn't recognize who the boy was at first. After seeing him clearly, she spoke hesitantly, "Hey, isn't this Xing Cheng? Are you here to pick up Ning Xi?"
Xing Cheng nodded without saying much, slowly squatted down, carried Ning Xi on his back, picked up a piece of purple sweet potato cake from the table and put it in his mouth, tasting the sweetness all the way.
It was already late at night when he returned home. He remembered clearly the scene of Ning Xi pestering him and calling him "brother" under the cool moonlight on the ground.
Ning Xi drank too much and could not remember that he hugged Xing Cheng's neck and sang incoherently: "The moonlight in the city illuminates the dream..."
Xing Cheng held back his laughter, tucked the quilt up a little, gently scratched his cheek with his thumb, and continued: "Whose heart are you trying to warm?"
Ning Xi closed his eyes and ignored him.
When Ning Xi got up at noon, he only remembered some scattered fragments in his mind. He grabbed the quilt and got out of bed. His legs and feet went limp, he tied a shirt around his waist and ran to the toilet. He didn't vomit, but he felt a little dizzy.
Xing Cheng was holding a travel guide and marking with a highlighter. He probably never studied so hard. He read as he read: "Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is located in the northwest of Sichuan Province..."
Ning Xi came back from washing up with a cup of honey water made by Xing Cheng in his hand, drank it in one gulp, and asked him, "Are you sure you're going to Aba Prefecture?"
"Tibet is too far away. The Sichuan-Tibet line is in the peak season right now. We can just go to the Chadianzi Bus Station and take a bus inside. Aba Prefecture is relatively safe. Several of my classmates live there."
Xing Cheng thought about it for a long time before deciding to give up Tibet. After all, it was just him and his brother, and it would not be safe to be alone there. Anyway, there would be more opportunities in the future, so it would not be a big deal to travel more.
Xing Cheng made an appointment with two friends in the team who were from Aba Prefecture, who happened to live in Jinchuan, so that they could be picked up when they arrived. Xing Cheng only regretted that he was not old enough and could not learn to drive, otherwise he would have driven into Tibet for a self-driving tour and would not have needed to take the bus.
Xing Cheng carefully explained the itinerary to his brother. Ning Xi only thought that there was a lot of food, so he followed Xing Cheng to arrange everything else. He also confirmed the accommodation and asked with wide eyes, "Have you booked a hotel yet?"
Xing Cheng kept silent. He asked why he decided to go to the Yunding Flower Sea in Jinchuan County. Not only could he see the stars there, it was also a good place for camping in the summer.
He has to find time these days to go to the hospital with his brother to check for altitude sickness, otherwise he wouldn't dare to go in at all.
Xing Cheng drew a circle on the calendar: "August 8th, let's set off on this day."