The noisy and annoying old dog Doudou died in the spring from natural causes at the age of fourteen.

Aunt Du worriedly said she would not tell Xu Xilin at first, but then she thought to herself, he is not blind, how could he not notice that such a big living thing in the house was gone? That’s why Dou Xun, who happened to be home, informed him.

Xu Xilin dug a hole in the backyard and buried Doudou, and his mood didn't seem to be affected at all.

"A dog," he said to himself, "has only such a short life span, there is nothing I can do about it."

As for people, although their life span is long enough to accompany each other, they are also divided into old and young, and there are also natural disasters and man-made disasters, which are unpredictable. Xu Xilin has been very calm. He found that a lot of people's pain comes from too much nostalgia. If you don't have an obsession with the "past" and understand the truth that "the past is the past", you will not be afraid that life will become unrecognizable.

It's like after turning seventeen this year, there will never be another seventeen-year-old in this life. Although it's regrettable, it's normal. No one will try to commit suicide over their birthday.

But grandma was not used to it. Without a dog at home, the house was less lively. Xu Xilin saw her several times not listening to opera, her voice was not so good, and she sat at the gate of the yard in a daze. He knew she was lonely.

While Aunt Du was out buying groceries, Xu Xilin whispered to his grandmother, "If Aunt Du leaves, can we go to the housekeeping center and ask someone to come back and talk to you?"

Grandma Xu thought about it and shook her head.

Xu Xilin thought she was worried that the strangers she invited from outside would be difficult to get along with, so he said, "It's okay. We don't have many family affairs. At most, we can pay a little more money and hire someone with a good personality and good conversation skills. If that doesn't work, ask Aunt Du to introduce a fellow villager. We know each other well and are all relatives."

Finally, the grandmother whispered to him, "It costs money to hire someone."

Xu Xilin was stunned on the spot.

To put it bluntly, his grandmother was a person who was a little out of touch with the world. When she was young, she relied on her husband. Later, when her husband died, her daughter was able to support the whole family. The two generations tacitly worked together to maintain her beautiful and pampered life. To this day, she always dresses decently when she goes out, and the old men playing chess or walking their birds on the roadside all vied to greet her.

She has never worried about the daily necessities of life and still doesn't know how to light a fire. She is vain and picky all day long and never asks the price of things when she goes out to buy them. She has to nod and say "yes" first, and then the seller will give her the price with a smile.

As far as Xu Xilin could remember, he had never heard her use any nickname for "that thing", as if that would dirty her mouth.

His expression was so unbelievable that grandma sighed a little worriedly: "You have to study now, and when you grow up, you have to get married and support a family, which all requires money. You didn't know these things before, so it's good to know them now."

Xu Xilin said incoherently: "Grandma, we...we have enough money."

Grandma: "How much is enough? Save more now, so you won't have to worry about money in the future..."

She was old and couldn't stop nagging. She held him and gave him instructions from both near and far for a long time.

Xu Xilin responded a few times and left in a daze. Of course, he didn't want her to teach him how to live, but he was shocked. Because when Xu Jin was alive, grandma might not even know how to write the three words "live", but at the age of seventy, she actually learned this skill quietly!

Xu Xilin walked a few steps, stood on the stairs and turned back: "Grandma, what exactly is Aunt Du..."

He wanted to ask, "Aunt Du, do you really not want to do this job anymore, or do you want to fire her?" But when the words came to his lips, he felt it was pointless.

He thought, does she know how much pork and eggs cost per pound? Does she know how much money Xu Jin left? She may not be able to count even if he gives her 1,800 yuan in cash. She knows nothing about life. In the final analysis, the pillar of the family has collapsed. She doesn't think Xu Xilin can take up this responsibility, so she is uneasy and worried about leaving him more things.

She had no confidence in this spoiled grandson.

Grandma Xu asked with a smile: "How could Aunt Du?"

Xu Xilin shook his head silently, swallowing the inappropriate question at the same time, he also swallowed the confession of "Don't worry and rely on me, I can also make a lot of money and take care of you comfortably". He had said similar words once, and he basically did not do it. It would be embarrassing to say it again, so he might as well keep it in his heart.

Since then, Xu Xilin had one more thing on his mind, and the impetuousness in his body almost disappeared. He began to no longer act like a teenager who was proud of calling friends, and he could sit still, saving several carts of nonsense every day, piling them together, and keeping them to talk to his grandmother when he got home.

Although Dou Xun was hiding from Xu Xilin, he heard everything he was supposed to hear. One week after Doudou was buried, he suddenly brought a living thing home one day.

It was a gray parrot. No one knew where Dou Xun got it from. It looked weird, probably a young bird. Its body was disproportionate, as was typical of small animals. It was ugly and a little scared of unfamiliar places. Its feathers would sometimes flutter, or it would walk around the shelf restlessly.

This bird probably had some incompatibility with Dou Xun, as it screamed in his ears all the way, making his head hurt. But when it got home and saw its grandmother, it shut up and pretended to be quiet and well-behaved.

"It can talk, but you have to teach it slowly. Once it's taught, it can chat with you. I heard that its intelligence is okay, but I don't know what its personality is like." Dou Xun explained to his grandmother a little stiffly, and then added, "It has a long lifespan, it can live for fifty or sixty years."

Grandma Xu was so happy that she pulled Dou Xun to ask him a lot of questions. As she was talking, Xu Xilin came back. Dou Xun looked at him with a complicated expression, took the opportunity to get rid of his grandmother's "torture of love", and quickly went upstairs.

Xu Xilin absentmindedly accompanied his grandmother to watch the bird for a while. This flat-haired bird might not like men. Not only was it rude to Dou Xun, it also pecked Xu Xilin when his grandmother wasn't paying attention. Seeing that his grandmother was happy, he didn't say anything. He felt that he might not be destined to have pets in this life.

Then he went upstairs reluctantly. Just as he put his hand on the door handle of Dou Xun, the door opened with a creaky sound. It was actually ajar. Xu Xilin was startled, but it was too late to go back.

The two of them had been in a cold war for more than a month, and during this period, Dou Xun had not said a word to him except for a text message sent to him at Aunt Du's request. The look in Dou Xun's eyes just now made Xu Xilin think that he might want to talk to him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he went upstairs hesitantly.

The sound of the door startled Dou Xun, and he turned around quietly.

Xu Xilin's throat moved slightly, and he asked nervously, "Is the bird's cry loud?"

Dou Xun paused, then calmly accepted the situation, saying, "I won't like to be called that when I grow up."

Xu Xilin breathed a sigh of relief - this seemed like a ritual, and after passing this stage, the two of them would be reconciled.

Xu Xilin: "Can I ask you a question?"

Dou Xun said "Oh", stood up and followed him to the living room.

Anger comes and goes quickly. Since Dou Xun calmed down, he has actually been regretting every second, but it is impossible for him to apologize on his own initiative - he won't, so what should I say? Shouldn't I have kissed you that day?

They had no choice but to consume each other.

He had been accumulating affection and tenderness for a month, and finally he had an outlet for it. For a moment, he was so nice that he almost didn't seem like himself. After explaining the questions, Dou Xun sat quietly aside, opened Xu Xilin's devastated English reading training book, and with his head down, he used a highlighter to highlight the original text corresponding to each wrong question. He was very well-behaved.

The grey parrot downstairs couldn't see the annoying boys and naturally quieted down, only calling softly occasionally, but not noisy at all.

Dou Xun lowered his head, holding the plastic ruler and highlighter without distraction. His white cuffs were spotless, his wrists were bony, his palms seemed a little thin, his eyebrows were calm, and his facial features were beautiful. He was a kind-hearted and pleasing young man.

The beautiful boy usually has a bad temper, which makes others think that he is ugly and not beautiful. With this change, his hidden goodness is revealed. Dou Xun does not beat around the bush, speak sweet words, or pretend. Behind his 20% gentleness and consideration is 120% sincerity. He always cares about whoever he sees, which makes people feel particularly moved when they think about it carefully.

Xu Xilin glanced at him, and was distracted for a while, thinking of the differences between the two that had been temporarily suppressed and the problem of Dou Xun's relentless pursuit. He couldn't help but follow the crooked train of thought and imagine himself a little, putting himself into some scenes he had seen on TV, imagining himself walking over, hugging Dou Xun, and pulling the hands that he had been looking at for a long time... There was no need to remember the part about holding hands and looking into each other's tearful eyes for the time being - then touching him here and there in a cuddly and crooked way, and kissing him...

He didn't dare to think further, because he had learned about love from TV and from young couples on the street, which was the trick of "honorable families". The deeper idea was what he had seen in the Internet cafe with Wu Tao and his group. Although there was a natural attraction, it was still a "cult" sorcery at the moment. It was ok for him to think about it secretly in the room, but it was not appropriate to do such an unrighteous thing in broad daylight in front of others.

Xu Xilin picked and chose and fantasized for a while. For a while, he was a little tempted to think: "In fact, it would be good to give it a try..."

Just as he was thinking this, Dou Xun accidentally noticed that he was distracted and asked, "Are you tired?"

Xu Xilin: "Uh... a little bit."

Before he could react, Dou Xun came downstairs without saying a word and brought back some drinks.

Xu Xilin took a look and saw two bottles of iced black tea.

Xu Xilin: “…”

Dou Xun tried to explain, but it only made things more obvious: "This is all that's left in the refrigerator."

Just as Xu Xilin was about to take it, Dou Xun also stretched out his hand. The fingertips of their people touched awkwardly, and Xu Xilin paused.

Dou Xun came back to his senses and cursed himself in disbelief: "Are you sick? Can't he open the bottle cap by himself?"

But his hand had already been extended, and it would be even more embarrassing to retract it. Dou Xun gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He quickly picked up the drink bottle, unscrewed the cap, and put it back like a thief. The series of actions made him look like a landmine thief. Then he looked at Xu Xilin nervously, holding his breath involuntarily, as if he was stunned by his own stupid behavior.

Xu Xilin wanted to laugh, but considering that they had just reconciled, he was afraid that Dou Xun would get angry and embarrassed, so he held it back.

Then Xu Xilin drank a bellyful of beverage, and in the calming effect of the ice water, he realized his own hidden weakness and compromise. He quickly repeated to himself word for word what he had said to Dou Xun that day, and suppressed his fluctuating emotions.

The weather was getting warmer, and the college entrance examination was getting closer. The family began to get nervous because Xu Xilin would get sick easily when the weather was hot, every year. And when he caught a cold, he would have a fever, like a child's physique. But I don't know who was blessing him this year, he has been healthy and lively.

After reconciling with Dou Xun, both of them carefully avoided what happened before. Dou Xun slowly accepted the fact that Xu Xilin had enrolled in another more stable school. He began to understand that not everything could go as he wished, and others could not all follow his plans.

Dou Xun stumbled and learned to give in——

Wu Tao has excellent grades in sports. It is said that he will have basically no problem taking the cultural exams when the time comes. He has studied in a key science class for three years. Although his grades have always been at the bottom, when compared with other gifted students, he still does very well. His future is more than half settled. His heart, which has been suppressed for a year, is finally blooming. He wants to treat everyone in class when he returns.

When Xu Xilin came here, he specifically asked: "Is Dou Xun free on Sunday? Ask him to come along. We had a little holiday before, and I want to accompany him."

Once people graduate, all the grudges and hatreds fade away, and they also know to build up their own network.

Dou Xun didn't want to go, but Xu Xilin said to him: "There are all kinds of people in the world, and everyone has their own uses. Is it better to have more annoying classmates or more annoying enemies?"

Dou Xun thought about it for a moment and took the words to heart.

So on the weekend, a group of people who used to play together but later drifted apart gathered again at the school. Together with Wu Tao, who lived on campus, and Cai Jing, who also came to study on Sundays, they revisited the old place and went to Yuebanwan.

In the dormitory building, Li Bozhi, wearing a large vest, watched Wu Tao leave with a gloomy look - his professional grades were not ideal, and there was basically no one at home to care about him. He didn't know where he would go after graduation, and he just bullied his roommates and wasted his time at school every day. People like Wu Tao who knew how to work hard and make progress could still get along with him in the past, but when he reached his senior year and had to pursue his career, he naturally stopped associating with him.

Li Bozhi leaned on the window with his dog legs, pointed at Dou Xun's back and said to Li Bozhi: "What does Brother Tao mean? He asked us to beat that guy, and now he is playing with others?"

Li Bozhi squeezed the paper cup in his hand beyond recognition and suddenly walked away.