One year, a heavy snow finally fell in a small wet and cold southern town after more than a decade. The bare branches were covered with crystal clear white snow, and the rubble on the roof was covered with a thick layer of white. At this time, many children truly saw what a world covered in silver was like.
"Hey, little guy, are the sweet potatoes delicious?" A girl of seven or eight years old sitting on the wall shook her legs and shouted excitedly to a boy who was walking by on the side of the road holding hot sweet potatoes.
The boy looked up and saw that she was wearing a furry blue dress. Her two black eyes were rolling around, revealing a hint of cunning. Her round and pretty face was blown red by the wind, just like a little apple.
"It's delicious." The boy answered naively.
The girl narrowed her eyes and smiled, her voice more beautiful than the call of the oriole in the valley: "Then am I pretty?"
It took the young boy five seconds to react to the question. His cheeks instantly turned red with shame, and he hurriedly ran away with his head down.
The girl laughed triumphantly. Another girl sitting next to her, who was wearing the same clothes as her, looked in the direction the boy left and said, "Jiuqiu, you have fooled all the boys in Yuncheng."
"No way, I haven't teased you, Tang Cheng." The girl named Jiuqiu stared at her and then smiled maliciously.
The girl's eyes, as clear as lake water, suddenly widened and she shook her head like a rattle: "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense!"
“Hahaha! Liangxia, what are you afraid of?” Jiuqiu jumped down from the wall, turned around and stretched out his hand to Liangxia, “Come down, I’ll buy you some sweet potatoes!”
Liangxia looked at the height of the wall, then closed her eyes and mustered up her courage to jump off the wall. There was soft snow on the ground, and Jiuqiu was protecting her, so she landed safely.
Jiuqiu grabbed Liangxia's hand and ran towards the old man selling roasted sweet potatoes at the end of the road.
Most people in Yuncheng know them.
The two girls are smart and lively. The more extroverted girl is called Lu Jiuqiu. She often takes the other girl, Lin Liangxia, to walk around the streets and they know almost everyone in the city.
Lu Jiuqiu was born two months earlier than Lin Liangxia, so she often protected Liangxia like a sister. Because their mothers were best friends, they once put a handful of loess into a bowl, stuck a few incense sticks in the bowl, and became sisters facing the sky and earth.
In fact, Liangxia and Jiuqiu were already sisters in their lives. Why? Because when Jiuqiu was born, Liangxia's mother was waiting outside the hospital with her big belly; when Liangxia was born, Jiuqiu's mother was waiting outside the hospital with Jiuqiu in her arms. They were born in the same delivery room at the same time, and have been inseparable since childhood.
The Tang Cheng that Jiuqiu mentioned is a boy from the next class, and Liangxia likes him very much.
How much do you like him? Liang Xia asked the teacher to move her seat to the aisle window, so that she could often see Tang Cheng passing by her window.
Every time Tang Cheng passed by, Liang Xia pretended to be reading a book, and then waited for the moment when Tang Cheng passed by, and the sunlight outlined his figure on the pages of her book.
Liangxia was only eight years old at that time and was in the third grade.
Of course, she didn’t know at that time whether that feeling was liking someone. Maybe when she grew up a little bit more, she would understand that that kind of “secret attention” was a kind of liking.
Jiuqiu was the only one who knew that Liangxia was concerned about Tang Cheng. Jiuqiu wanted to help Liangxia, but Liangxia was shy and embarrassed to speak up, which made Jiuqiu's restless heart that wanted to be a matchmaker difficult to calm down for a long time.
Until the first day of the ninth autumn.
In the first year of junior high school, Jiuqiu told Liangxia which class he wanted to go to and asked Liangxia to fill in that class. Liangxia didn't know it was a trick, and when she arrived at the class, she saw Tang Cheng was also in that class.
Tang Cheng was wearing his newly issued school uniform, blue and white, like white clouds on a blue sky. He helped to put the tables and chairs in order, then found a seat and sat down, with a faint , seeming to be looking forward to the new semester.
A boy who seemed to know Tang Cheng walked over and sat down next to him.
Jiuqiu coughed, walked over and threw her schoolbag on the boy's desk. The boy looked up at her, Jiuqiu crossed her arms, raised her chin high, and stared at him fiercely.
The boy hissed silently, picked up his schoolbag and sat down at the back table dejectedly.
Jiuqiu turned around and hooked his finger at Liangxia: "Come here."
Liang Xia took a breath and stood at the door of the classroom without moving. Jiu Qiu saw her like this, ran over, grabbed her arm, and took her over to press her into her seat.
Then, Jiuqiu sat in the back, patted the boy's shoulder vigorously, and said, "Please give me more advice, classmate."
The boy chuckled and consciously kept a safe distance between himself and Jiuqiu.
Liang Xia sat next to Tang Cheng, as if she had been hit by acupuncture points, and her whole body could not move. Jiu Qiu kicked Liang Xia's stool from behind, and Liang Xia came back to her senses, breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced at Tang Cheng in panic.
Tang Cheng's profile was the most beautiful profile Liang Xia had ever seen - the lines were very soft, the skin was fair, and the childishness on his face added a lot of youthfulness.
Suddenly, Tang Cheng's lips moved slightly, and his sight slowly moved to the left, landing on Liang Xia. Liang Xia was startled, and quickly held her breath, placed her hands stiffly on her knees, and tried to straighten her back.
The boy next to him said in a soft voice: "Hello, my name is Tang Cheng."
"Hmm..." Liang Xia opened her eyes wide and slowly turned her head, but she didn't dare to look up. Her face was as red as peach blossoms, and she said softly, "My name is Liang Xia, Lin Liang Xia."
At that time, the wind outside the classroom blew slowly, lifting the white curtains by the window. The two twelve-year-old children faced each other, their eyes did not meet, but their hearts slowly drew closer.
To Liangxia, this conversation was like the first encounter and conversation between a prince and a princess, but to Jiuqiu, it was an embarrassing and frustrating drama.
The September heat in Yuncheng has not yet subsided. The air after school is filled with sultry air. The orange afterglow of the setting sun falls on the ground, and hot steam seems to be coming out of the cracks in the asphalt road.
Jiuqiu bit into a mango-flavored ice cream, wiped the dense beads of sweat from the tip of his nose, and scolded the girl who was silently licking ice cream beside him: "I was so anxious watching! Lin Liangxia, you are usually very smart, why are you so stupid at the critical moment?"
"You've never liked anyone, so you don't understand!" Liang Xia stretched her neck and stuck out her tongue at Jiuqiu - she only dared to be so arrogant in front of Jiuqiu.
Jiuqiu carried a large gray cloth bag on her shoulders, which swung back and forth on her belly as she walked. She said, "I don't want to like anyone. It's so good to be alone. I can be free ."
Liang Xia tilted her head and looked at her, saying, "When you have someone you like, you won't think like this."
Jiuqiu showed an unhappy expression on her face. She reached out and grabbed Liangxia's ponytail, pulling it slightly, and said, "Little brat, you are so young, what do you know about 'liking'?"
"Ah... Jiuqiu, it hurts! You're going to pull all my hair off." Liang Xia dodged Jiuqiu's attack and quickened her pace with resentment.
Jiuqiu rolled his eyes at her back in annoyance and followed her silently.
Since Liang Xia and Tang Cheng became deskmates, she has been studying harder than ever. Because Tang Cheng sat next to her, Liang Xia tried to straighten her back in every class and wrote down the knowledge points the teacher taught neatly in her notebook, because she wanted to prove to Tang Cheng that she was an exceptional girl.
Although Liang Xia studied very hard and always ranked among the top three in every exam, Tang Cheng never said a word to her.
Tang Cheng is actually a very introverted boy. Apart from answering the teacher's questions in class, he seldom speaks on weekdays. The only person he communicates with more is Jiuqiu's desk mate - Guan Linxiu, the boy who wanted to sit next to him before.
Guan Linxiu is Tang Cheng's only friend in the class.
Jiuqiu would sometimes help Liangxia ask Guan Linxiu about Tang Cheng, but Guan Linxiu would often keep silent, even if he was beaten black and blue by Jiuqiu.
Jiu Qiu said: "Those two guys are like rocks."
Liang Xia didn't think so. She felt that she must not know Tang Cheng well enough.
Because Liang Xia sat on Tang Cheng's left, closest to his heart. During their nap, they lay on the side-by-side desks, and she could hear his heartbeat. She felt that Tang Cheng must be beautiful, but she just hadn't discovered it yet.
What’s frustrating is that Tang Cheng is a nice and taciturn person, and Liang Xia is almost the same.
Until one day, Tang Cheng was writing words in his English homework book, and suddenly, the pencil tip broke on the book. Tang Cheng frowned slightly, turned his head to look at Liang Xia's desk, then moved closer to Liang Xia and called in a low voice: "Lin Liang Xia."
Liang Xia turned her head suddenly and almost bumped into Tang Cheng's face. The close distance made Liang Xia blush instantly.
Tang Cheng didn't notice the girl's hot breath, but asked softly: "Can you lend me a pencil sharpener?"
Liang Xia quickly came to her senses, hurriedly opened her pencil case, put the pencil sharpener on Tang Cheng's desk, and then hurriedly lowered her head to continue doing her homework. Tang Cheng looked at the pencil sharpener on the desk, then at Liang Xia's reaction, and seemed to find it a little strange.
However, he didn't think too much about it, and he couldn't think too much about it.
Seeing this scene, Jiuqiu slowly turned his gaze from them back to the textbook, and then sighed slightly.
The relationship between Liang Xia and Tang Cheng has always been like this, neither hot nor cold.
But fortunately, Liang Xia was not in a hurry and did not fall behind in her studies. Otherwise, if her bad-tempered mother knew about it, Liang Xia would be in big trouble.
It’s strange to say, Liangxia is so gentle, but her mother is a real "shrew"; Jiuqiu is so wild, but her mother is very elegant and virtuous. When the two mothers get together to talk privately, they always feel that they have picked up the wrong child.
Liangxia and Jiuqiu were not shy about it. They called their own mother "Big Mom" ​​and the other's mother "Little Mom", and they were very happy.
"Did your mom ask my mom out to play mahjong again?" Jiuqiu pushed the door open without knocking.
Liang Xia was changing clothes, and out of habit she hid for a moment, complaining, "Jiu Qiu, you should knock on the door before entering!"
"You changed your clothes without locking the door, and you blame me." Jiuqiu walked in carelessly, not caring at all. After all, they had bathed together and had seen each other's bodies before. I don't know what's wrong with Liangxia. The older she gets, the more shy she becomes.
Liangxia put on her clothes, pulled her long hair out from her collar, and said, "What do you mean by going to eat hot pot after playing mahjong? My dad and your dad felt abandoned, so they made an appointment to go out for a barbecue and a drink. Hey, Jiuqiu, let's go out to eat tonight too."
Jiuqiu crossed her arms and smiled silently. She walked over quietly and slapped Liangxia's butt hard.
Liang Xia was startled and jumped a meter away, covering her butt and staring at her with a red face.
"Let's go eat snail noodles, Lin Liangxia!" Lu Jiuqiu's eyes sparkled.
Liangxia really didn't know what was so delicious about snail rice noodle. But Jiuqiu loved it so much that Liangxia was forced to eat it every time.
It was still the century-old shop at the entrance of the old alley. The fat boss asked Jiuqiu cheerfully, "Is it still the same as before?"
Jiuqiu nodded rapidly.
Liangxia propped up her chin in distress, raised her head and stared at the tattered poster on the wall, reading weakly word by word: "Snail rice noodle is a specialty rice noodle in Liuzhou City, Guangxi. It has..."
A figure suddenly flashed before her eyes. Liang Xia stopped muttering, straightened up, and looked at the two boys behind Jiu Qiu in surprise.
It turned out to be Tang Cheng and Guan Linxiu.
Seeing Tang Cheng, Liang Xia lowered her head quickly, propped her elbows on the table, shielded her eyes, and glanced at Tang Cheng through the side of her arms. Seeing Liang Xia's strange movements, Jiu Qiu turned around, saw Tang Cheng, and greeted him unexpectedly.
"Hey! Tang Cheng and my lovely deskmate!"
Jiuqiu waved at them with a smile, and they both responded with a smile.
Liang Xia was stunned for a moment. When did Jiu Qiu become so familiar with them? Just as he was thinking, Jiu Qiu stood up, sat down at their table, and said, "Liang Xia and I, can we sit with you?"
Tang Cheng smiled slightly: "Sure."
Liang Xia immediately covered her face, her face turning red with embarrassment.
Jiuqiu turned back slowly and winked mysteriously at Liangxia. Liangxia looked through her fingers and saw Jiuqiu raised his eyebrows at her: "Come here."
Liang Xia puffed up her cheeks and walked over to sit down next to Jiu Qiu. There were four sides to the table, and the four of them sat on one side each. Jiu Qiu was on Liang Xia's left, Guan Linxiu was on the right, and Tang Cheng was directly opposite. Liang Xia could see him as soon as she raised her head.
The panic in her heart made Liang Xia dare not look up. She occasionally tugged at her clothes and smoothed her hair uncomfortably. Jiuqiu was chatting with them enthusiastically, and Liang Xia could only occasionally interject a word or two.
"Hey, Xiaoguan, come with me to get the chopsticks and pour a few glasses of water." Jiuqiu suddenly supported Guan Linxiu. Guan Linxiu silently glanced at Liangxia, knowing her tricks, so he stood up to help Jiuqiu.
In an instant, Tang Cheng and Liang Xia were the only two people left at the table.
The small shop was lit with dim lights. Under the soft light, Tang Cheng's skin looked particularly beautiful, as if she were a porcelain doll.
Liang Xia looked at him and her face turned red unconsciously. Tang Cheng probably felt that the silence between the two of them was a bit strange, so he raised his head and wanted to greet Liang Xia: "Um..."
When their eyes met, Liang Xia was slightly startled and turned her head away in a hurry. Tang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then asked again: "Liang Xia, do you and Jiu Qiu often come here to eat?"
Liang Xia scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably, hummed, and then said slowly and softly: "Jiu Qiu likes the taste of this snail noodle very much, so I often accompany her here."
After hearing this, Tang Cheng smiled slightly, and his body began to sway with joy: "I like it too. I always think that delicious food is in these seemingly inconspicuous little shops."
"If possible, please introduce us to more delicious restaurants next time." For some reason, Liang Xia stared at Tang Cheng and blurted out this sentence, but then felt a little regretful - she was too abrupt.
Unexpectedly, Tang Cheng smiled and agreed generously : "Sure, we can go eat together."
"Ah?" This time it was Liang Xia's turn to be stunned.
"What are we going to eat?" Jiuqiu came over with two glasses of water.
"Let's go eat something delicious. Jiuqiu, you and Liangxia, and I and Xiaoguan. Next time when there's something delicious, let's go together." Tang Cheng said, raising his head.
Jiuqiu placed one of the cups of water in front of Liangxia, and saw a more intriguing look in her eyes. She looked at Liangxia, but her words were in response to Tang Cheng: "That's great, let's meet often in the future."
Tang Cheng was very happy, and his expression showed his joy. Liang Xia lowered her head silently, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips. Although Guan Linxiu didn't say anything, he also agreed.
Liang Xia didn't care what they talked about later that day. She just focused on eating the snail noodles.
The snail noodles that day were especially delicious. Liangxia also started to love eating snail noodles from that day. It's strange to say, because I like someone, and I like something that I don't really like, it can be considered a kind of happiness.
Liangxia likes this kind of happiness, and she likes it even more after years. Maybe she will be able to experience this kind of happiness when she grows up, but she will no longer experience it with the pure heart she had at the beginning.