Chapter 2 Heather 2
The teacher rejected all these requests. Everyone knew that Yao An was a poor student. He couldn't even bear to study, and he wanted to take others to study with him. Who would believe it?
But the teacher doesn't know that no matter how bad a child is, there is a soft spot in his heart. For the softness deep in his heart, he can do all the impossible things.
So, since Xi Ru was hospitalized, Yao An ran to the hospital every day after school.
He didn't care about the gossips of outsiders. He just wanted to accompany Xiru and help Xiru to express his inner guilt.
However, Mu Nan, who had been waiting for Xi Ru, felt full of loss.
That noon, Mu Nan waited in the classroom, even holding back to go to the toilet, but Xi Ru did not come. He went to the Heather Park for several days in a row, but there was no new news from the gaps between the benches. He wanted to pick up the phone and call Xi Ru back, but he failed to muster up the courage again and again.
Why didn't she come? Mu Nan couldn't figure it out.
Finally one day, the bad boys in the class rushed into the classroom, waving a letter and shouting to Mu Nan: "Hey hey hey! Mu Nan, that girl wrote you a love letter!"
The class suddenly became lively. Mu Nan was stunned for a moment, and when he reacted his face turned red.
"Give it to me, give it to me!" Mu Nan chased them, trying to take back the letter from Xi Ru, but the group of bad boys circled the classroom and refused to give the letter to Mu Nan.
Mu Nan stood at the back of the classroom, fuming with anger, smoke almost coming out of his nostrils.
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Seeing that Mu Nan was angry, the bad boy stuffed the envelope into his hand. Although he was naughty, he knew that he couldn't make too much jokes about other people's secrets.
"It's so annoying." Mu Nan complained and hid in the men's room with the letter.
He hid in the compartment, carefully opened the letter, and looked at the familiar handwriting:
Heather, I'm sorry I broke your promise.
Something happened on the way to see you that day. I accidentally fell into the pond and I'm still in the hospital.
I'm sorry, Heather. When my parents found out how I got hurt, they told me not to come back to see you.
Let’s not meet anymore. Just consider that notebook as a gift from me to you.
Thank you.
Xi Ru
After reading the letter, Mu Nan felt anxious and sad. He was anxious because she was injured in coming to see him, and he was sad because she said, "Let's not meet again."
Mu Nan didn't blame Xi Ru, but his heart suddenly ached for no apparent reason. He had never even seen that girl, so why did he feel this way?
Perhaps it was because of the subtle "encounter" after nearly two months that my full of expectations suddenly turned into disappointment, and I felt a little uncomfortable inside.
Yes, that must be the case, he consoled himself.
Xi Ru didn't come back to get the notebook, and Mu Nan hid it in the deepest part of the drawer, just like hiding someone in the deepest part of his heart. Occasionally, when he passed by the Heather Park, he couldn't help but stop, think for a while, and then go in again.
For some reason, he still had a glimmer of expectation of meeting Xi Ru here.
But then he thought, Xi Ru was in the hospital, how could he meet her?
We won't meet again anyway, so why not... go to the hospital and secretly see her? Even just a glance would be fine. It shouldn't matter if it's just a sneak peek, right?
When he thought of this, Mu Nan seemed to be afraid of leaving any regrets, so he got excited and rode his bike to the only hospital in the town.
In a hospital ward facing the lake, Yao An stood obediently in front of the bed. The girl on the bed frowned and stared at him suspiciously: "Did you really deliver my letter?"
"I delivered it." Yao An raised his hand and swore.
It was delivered, but why didn't Mu Nan come to see her? Was it because the little thoughts in her letter scared him? Yes, how could a little girl write such a letter to a strange boy? He must feel that he was not reserved enough.
Xi Ru was lost in thought and didn't notice that Yao An's fingers were nervously tugging at her clothes and his feet were rubbing against the floor.
"Forget it, Yao An, you should go back to school first." Xi Ru raised her head and said.
"I won't go back. I'll stay here with you longer." Yao An shook his head.
Xi Ru said: "But you have been with me for many days."
Because I hurt you. Yao An didn't dare to say it.
At this time, Mom and Dad came in from outside and said to Xiru, "The discharge procedures have been completed. Have you packed your things, Xiaoru?"
"It's packed!" Yao An answered first. He was the one who packed everything.
Xiru's mother smiled and said, "An An is such a good child. Let's go out for dinner together later." "Okay." Yao An couldn't ask for more.
Xi Ru sighed helplessly, got up from the bed, and followed them out of the ward.
When they reached the hospital entrance, a young man was parking his bicycle at the entrance. He walked in, she walked out, and the two of them glanced at each other inadvertently, but it was only for a moment.
The boy ran to the front desk and asked, "Excuse me, is there a patient named Xiru?"
"She's been discharged," the nurse replied, flipping through the roster.
"When was she discharged?" he asked.
The nurse looked up: "Today is the day."
It was still too late, and a look of regret appeared on his face. He didn't know what to do next.
I didn't want to miss it, but I missed it in the end.
That passing encounter was the last time they met in their first semester of high school.
Xi Ru, who did not receive any response, firmly believed that Mu Nan must have been scared by her, but she never thought that it was Yao An who did not deliver the real letter to Mu Nan.
The note with Mu Nan's contact information was also soaked after falling into the water, and the words were blurred and could not be seen clearly. She only remembered his school, but she didn't know if he was still in the same class now that he was in the second year of high school.
"If you ask me, why don't you just go to the school to find him?" Xiang Qing has always known that Xi Ru is still obsessed with this matter.
Xiru shook her head.
Xiang Qing stared at her like a detective: "I've always been curious, what kind of letter did you write to Mu Nan?"
Xi Ru's face felt hot: "I won't tell you."
"Could it be a love letter?" Xiang Qing guessed.
"No!" Xiru frowned.
"What is that? Why is there nothing wrong with telling me? You won't even tell me." Xiang Qing pursed her lips and took a bite of the straw.
Xi Ru slowly turned her head away: "I just can't say it."
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me." Xiang Qing snorted, pointed at the cold drink in front of Xi Ru, and said, "Drink it quickly!"
Xi Ru pursed her lips and said nothing.
At this time, four or five teenagers walked into the cold drink shop, threw their school bags on the table, took off their school uniforms and put them on the chairs, and started talking loudly and making a fuss.
"It smells like sweat." Xiang Qing fanned her nose with her palm and said with disgust.
Xiru looked up and saw the boy whom she had met once or twice among the group of teenagers. When she looked at him, he happened to be looking at her.
"Judging from the school uniform, it looks like they're from No. 2 Middle School," Xiru said.
Xiang Qing suddenly had an idea and said with a sly smile, "Then how about asking about that heather flower?"
"No way!" Xiru became nervous and picked up her schoolbag and wanted to leave.
"What are you doing? It won't hurt to ask." Xiang Qing pulled Xi Ru.
Xiru broke away from Xiangqing's hand, picked up her schoolbag in one hand and a cold drink in the other, and ran out in a panic. Xiangqing hurriedly followed her, but saw Xiru running out of the door and disappeared. "Really? You may not be able to ask, why are you so nervous?" Xiangqing murmured in confusion.
Xiru ran a long way, holding her schoolbag in her arms, and kept looking back. Under the hot summer sun, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
This Xiang Qing is too reckless.
Xiru didn't have the courage to ask about Heather. Ever since the letter fell into oblivion, she didn't dare to ask.
In that letter, she told others her inner thoughts and her little enthusiasm, but she didn't receive any response, which made her feel anxious.
Before she knew it, Xiru arrived at the gate of No. 2 Middle School.
It was now time to go home from school. Several students who stayed in school late walked out of the campus together, playing and frolicking along the way, looking very happy.
She actually came to No. 2 Middle School several times, and each time she would stand at the school gate and then turn around and leave. After a long time, she got used to it.
Then over time, every time she passed by the school gate, she would habitually take a look inside.
But she didn't know Heather's real name, or what he looked like. And she might never know.
Time passed slowly, and finally, Mu Nan gradually faded away in Xiru's life.
This beautiful dream will eventually end.
He was like an episode in Xiru's life, and now that the episode was over, life was back to square one. She bought a new notebook and began to record every detail of her life. She still liked to go to the heather park, but she would never forget to take the notebook with her.
That day, Xi Ru was standing on a stool at the back of the classroom making a blackboard newspaper. Yao An, who was sitting on the podium, was pushed towards her by his friends. Xi Ru caught a glimpse of the person coming and slowly turned her head to look at him: "Yao An?" "Ah." Yao An responded awkwardly, and the others cheered, "Speak up."
Xi Ru jumped down from the stool and looked at Yao An: "Do you have anything to say to me?"
"Yes, yes." His teammates pushed Yao An forward and ran away laughing. Yao An almost bumped into Xi Ru, who dodged slightly, looking a little unnatural. She knew what Yao An was thinking from the beginning, even if she couldn't feel it herself, she heard it from others.
Yao An stomped his feet at his teammates who were running away, and cursed, "Idiots, idiots!"
"Yao An, what can I do for you?" Xi Ru looked at him with her hands on her hips. He looked up and saw the girl pretending to be angry. He thought she was cute, so he lowered his head and said blushingly, "Nothing. I just want to ask if you have time later. Let's go to the movies."
"I don't have time." Xiru refused. If her parents knew that she went out to see a movie with a boy, she would be scolded badly.
"Then...then let's go for a walk in the park?" Yao An said quickly. It didn't matter if we didn't watch a movie, just taking a walk would be fine.
Xi Ru shook her head, walked back to her seat and picked up her schoolbag: "Yao An, I have to go back. My mother will scold me if I go back late." After that, she left without looking back.
"Hey——" Yao An wanted to call her, but she was walking very fast, so he could only catch up quickly. "Xi Ru, walk slower." The boy, who obviously had longer legs, could not walk faster than a girl.
Xi Ru looked around and said to Yao An, "Can you please stop following me?"
"Why don't you let me follow you? Do you dislike me for being a poor student?" Yao An asked puzzled. Logically speaking, Xiru wouldn't do that. She is nice to everyone, so why is she not nice to him?
"No!" Xi Ru turned to Yao An and said shyly, "I'm just afraid that it would be bad if others saw me!"
So that's how it is .
But Yao An was not afraid. He smiled generously: "It doesn't matter if classmates interact with each other."
It doesn't matter to you, but she is a girl after all, Xiru thought distressedly.
She tried to refuse: "Yao An, I have to go home early tonight. Did you know that relatives are coming to my house?" Then she turned and left. Yao An was unwilling to give up, so he chased after her and asked, "You are rejecting me on purpose, right? Xi Ru, why are you willing to see Heather but not to stay with me?"
Xi Ru——
Heather
As if a flash of lightning flashed through his mind, the young man who was buying fruit in the small shop was stunned for a moment and walked out of the fruit shop.
The only sounds left on the street were the sounds of speeding motorcycles and cars, but no more of the voices that had just been talking.
Did he hear it wrongly? He began to doubt himself.
"Classmate, do you want some more fruit?" The voice of the vendor behind him woke him up from his thoughts.
"Oh, yes." He came to his senses, walked over to pay and take the fruit.
At that time, a cool breeze blew from the street, making the plastic bag in the boy's hand rustle.
Time flows quietly, no one asks about the boys and girls' worries anymore, not even they themselves. The brown paper notebook still lies quietly in the deepest part of Mu Nan's drawer, as if it is sleeping with time.
Soon, time came to the third year of high school.
There was a literature cup competition in the county, and the teachers recommended Xiru to participate.
Unable to refuse such a kind offer, Xiru agreed.
She is a talented girl known throughout the middle school. She is sure to win this competition.
Half a month after the Literature Cup competition, the rankings were announced. Xi Ru lived up to everyone's expectations and won first place. The town's horns rang all morning: Xi Ru from Grade 3 (1) of No. 1 Middle School and Mu Nan from Grade 3 (5) of No. 2 Middle School participated in the County Literature Cup competition and won first place in the county. Everyone in the town congratulated them.
It is a great honor to receive congratulations on the town radio, which means that people in the whole town know my name.
But just after her own name, Xiru heard another name.
Mu Nan, Mu Nan, Mu Nan.
I don’t know why, but when I heard this name, Xiru felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity in her heart, and her calm heart began to ripple slightly.
"Xi Ru, Xi Ru, congratulations." Yao An ran over from a distance, but saw the girl's brows were tightly furrowed.
"Xi Ru, what's wrong with you?" Yao An asked.
Xiru's mind was filled with the name "Mu Nan". His name was Mu Nan, and he was in Grade 3 (5). Could he be Heather? Could he be? The emotions in her heart seemed to be pushing Xiru to do something, and her heartbeat was getting faster and faster.
Yao An saw Xi Ru was in a daze and wanted to push her, but when his hand was just halfway in the air, he saw the girl in front of him brush away her ponytail and run away like the wind.
"Xi Ru!" Yao An shouted in surprise and hurriedly followed.
It was the same scene again, he was chasing after her, but she was getting farther and farther away from him.
The streets of early autumn were filled with golden leaves, and Xiru stepped on them as she ran to the heather park. The heather flowers had already withered early, and the fruits weighed down the branches.
After walking through the path and passing Mirror Lake, Xiru ran all the way to the bench with a story.
Sitting on the bench was a quiet boy with short flat hair, wheat-colored skin, and a pair of deep eyes under thick black eyebrows, looking straight at her.
Xi Ru stopped and looked at the boy. He stood up slowly, and leaves from the deciduous tree beside him fell down, swirling between the two of them.
There was a slight suspicion in the eyes of both of them. Is this the person in front of them?
But they had seen each other so many times, passed each other so many times, how could they not notice? In the park, hospital, and ice cream shop, their eyes met so many times, how could they miss it...
I missed it again and again.
"You..." Mu Nan spoke first, but didn't know what to say next.
Xi Ru looked at him, her eyes like clear spring water: "Heather?"
Yes, it's her! A smile gradually spread across Mu Nan's face: "Xi Ru."
Xi Ru narrowed her eyes and smiled, the autumn wind blowing her hair: "Yes, I am Xi Ru."
Time suddenly creates a ripple, wrapping the two of them in the best years, waiting for the future to carve them.
That day, someone saw a young man walking out of the Heather Park with an unhappy look on his face.
His mouth curled up high, feeling that after trying so hard for so long, he still couldn't compare to the heather.
One day two years ago, Xiru asked him to deliver a letter to Heather. Out of curiosity, he opened the letter without Xiru's knowledge. After reading the contents of the letter, he felt very unhappy, so he imitated Xiru's handwriting and wrote a new letter.
By the way, the original letter was as follows:
Heather:
Sorry, maybe I kept you waiting for a long time.
I had an accident on the way to see you. I am in the hospital now and I don't know when I can be discharged. I will leave my notebook with you for the time being. I know that you are a kind and warm person and you will definitely take good care of my notebook.
I have always wanted to see you. I don't know what you look like, but I can't help but look forward to it. So, can you wait for me a little longer?
Wait for me, I will appear in front of you soon, it won’t be too long.
Xi Ru
Xiru wrote the letter with a blushing face.
Later, there would always be two boys and girls in the heather park in the town. They would sit together, holding two books, listening to the same song, or putting fallen leaves in a notebook and recording the most important things of the day.
Later, they both took the college entrance examination and applied to the same university.
After he turned eighteen, the shyness of his youth finally faded a little, and the boy plucked up the courage to confess his love to the girl when they returned to the heather park.
The heather is still in full bloom, and the bench with peeling paint is still there.
Xi Ru sat on the bench, tilting her head , looking at Mu Nan, whose facial features were more angular than before, and smiled slightly, a smile gentler than time.
She didn't know what surprise Mu Nan was preparing for her, she just looked at him as usual.
Mu Nan's ears turned red. He lowered his head slightly and asked, "Xi Ru, are you willing to bring us closer?"
As smart as Xiru was, she guessed something when Mu Nan said this. But she was a reserved girl after all, and even if she thought of it, she didn't dare to answer rashly, so she avoided her gaze and asked, "How...how can I get closer?"
Mu Nan's heart was beating "boom boom" in his chest. He bit his lips gently, and for a moment he was a little afraid to say the rest of the words.
He encouraged himself in his heart: You are a boy, be brave, Mu Nan.
Mu Nan took a breath: "Xi Ru."
Xiru looked up at Mu Nan, but Mu Nan leaned down at this moment, put his hands on Xiru's shoulders, and gently approached her. When she was not prepared, he pecked her lips gently, and then moved away for a long time. Xiru's face quickly turned red, and she stared at Mu Nan in a daze. Mu Nan looked at her seriously and said, "This is how we can get closer. Xiru, can we...date?"
He looked at her, his eyes clear and sincere, waiting for her answer.
Xiru's mind went blank. Her rich vocabulary was unable to allow her to respond in time to a young boy's confession.
The wind was blowing gently, and the leaves were rustling.
Mu Nan was waiting for Xi Ru's answer, feeling more uneasy than ever before.
Xi Ru bit her lip, and suddenly stood up. Mu Nan looked at her in surprise, and she leaned forward and quickly kissed Mu Nan on the lips.
Then she bounced away, backed away, stood aside with her head down, her fingers clutching her clothes, her face flushed.
The wind became stronger, blowing away the surprise on Mu Nan's face, and then replaced it with a smile that gradually widened.
In such a beautiful time, I have such a beautiful you.
It must be very happy, right?
Then, let us live happily for the rest of our lives.
