Chapter 16

"Mom, I'm home!"

As usual, Wang Jinglu entered the door, put down her keys, changed into slippers, and then walked into the living room.

Wang Jinglu's mother was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Hearing her, she poked her head out and said, "You're back? Wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon!"

Wang Jinglu responded, put her bag on the coffee table in the living room, and skipped into the kitchen, leaning against her mother's shoulder, saying, "Mom, I'm hungry... What's for dinner today?"

Her mother looked at her affectionately, "I know you're hungry, it'll be ready soon! Your dad won't be back today, it's just the two of us, but I've made your favorite meatballs..."

"Wow!" Wang Jinglu's face showed a greedy look.

At this moment, her mother pushed her gently and said, "Alright, alright, go out, watch some TV, or practice the piano. It'll be ready soon, don't bother Mom here!"

"Okay," Wang Jinglu said and left the kitchen.

Still skipping, she took her bag to her bedroom and then returned to sit in front of the piano, ready to practice.

She opened the piano lid, and her fingers lightly touched the keys, producing a light and cheerful melody.

Learning the piano as a child was something she did almost without much thought, but later on, she gradually fell in love with the feeling of letting notes flow from her fingertips.

Those joyful, sad, bright, and sacred notes could make her completely forget everything around her, immersing herself fully and experiencing the purest joy that music could give!

Of course... not today.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and perhaps for many days to come, her heart was completely filled with nothing else but the day they spent together.

Was it admiration? Was it love?

She didn't know.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

She only knew that the day they spent together, she was very happy.

Even though they just watched a few movies that she found somewhat boring.

She remembered when they were young, the two families lived next door to each other, and there was always some interaction. Perhaps the relationship between the two families wasn't particularly close, but children didn't understand that. A boy and a girl of similar age met, played hide-and-seek, watched cartoons, played, ran, he made her cry, and he made her laugh...

Those scenes, which adults might think children would forget in a few years, she knew she had always remembered. They quietly stayed in her heart, not moving, but whenever she thought of them, they were as vivid as yesterday.

But later, the boy and the girl grew up, and had to go to school. Their parents would teach them: "You're a girl, you need to be more well-behaved, more reserved, don't always play with boys, especially the boy next door. Look at how wild and dirty he is. If you keep playing with him, your parents, your sister, your teachers, and your classmates won't like you, understand?"

She understood, she knew. Although she wasn't as early as her sister in understanding, she started to be sensible at a young age. She knew that her parents didn't really want her to continue playing with that boy.

So, without realizing it, they started to drift apart.

Of course, just drift apart.

They lived next door to each other, were the same age, and went to the same school. It was hard not to see each other. Moreover, they had known each other for a long time, seemingly living in each other's lives since they could remember. Even if they didn't speak, or even greet each other when they met, a smile or a glance was enough to maintain that indescribable familiarity.

It seemed that as long as one of them made a gesture, they would immediately return to their wild and playful childhood.

Then, they went to the same elementary school, the same middle school, and the same high school.

It should have been... after the high school entrance exam. She remembered that day was overcast, as if it was going to rain but didn't. The weather was very hot and stuffy. He came back from playing basketball, holding a ball, drenched in sweat, riding his bike back. She had just spent a day at Daming Lake with some classmates and was returning home. They almost entered the neighborhood at the same time and arrived at the building entrance almost simultaneously. He locked his bike, she locked hers, he went upstairs, and she went upstairs.

He was in front, she was behind.

She could almost smell the strong sweat from him.

He suddenly said, "Where are you planning to go for high school?"

"Thirteenth High, my dad said," she replied.

He "hmm"ed, didn't say anything. After a moment, she asked, "What about you?"

"Thirteenth High, my dad said," he answered.

She "oh"ed.

This time, it was his turn to say, "We haven't played together in a long time, right?"

She nodded, then remembered she was behind him and he couldn't see, so she softly "hmm"ed.

Then, they reached their respective doors.

The third floor was really too low.

But when they reached their doors, they both stopped.

He turned around, she turned around, they exchanged a brief glance, and she quickly looked away.

At this moment, he said, "It's really hot today, it's supposed to be 35 degrees. I don't think the fan is cool, it's better on the rooftop where there's a breeze."

She "oh"ed.

He didn't say anything, and neither did she.

After a moment of silence, he spoke first, "I'll go home first."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll go home too, see you."

"See you," he said.

Then, about twenty minutes later, he went up to the rooftop.

Ten minutes later, she also went up to the rooftop.

They were very strange, it seemed there wasn't much to talk about, so they both remained silent. Occasionally, he would try to start a conversation, but often, he would say a few words, and she would just "hmm" or "oh."

That day was really hot, and there was no wind on the rooftop.

But it turned out he wasn't lying.

On the rooftop, with the wind, it was indeed much cooler and more comfortable than under the fan.

Of course, after the wind, came lightning and thunder, and then a heavy rain.

They first faced the wind, spreading their arms, and showed wild smiles, then they panicked and ran back to the building entrance.

From that day on, they became more and more in sync.

Or rather, they restored that sense of默契 (rapport).

Every few days, they would go up to the rooftop. Sometimes he went, and she didn't, sometimes she went, and he didn't, but it didn't matter. Even when they were both there, they didn't talk much. It seemed all the words they needed to say were already said during those wild and playful years of childhood, and they didn't need to say them again.

So, just lying on the guardrail, quietly enjoying the breeze, was enough.

Later, when they both had cell phones, it became even more convenient.

When he wanted to see her, he would send her a text.

When she wanted to see him, she would also send a text.

His texts were simple, usually just two words: "Rooftop."

Her texts were even simpler, just a space.

At that time, they would occasionally chat a bit, but never about school or studies. He would talk about a martial arts novel he had read, and she would talk about a dress she had bought, how beautiful it was, and how much she liked it.

Then he would say, "That's great, wear it to school tomorrow, and I'll show you the novel."

She would say, "Okay."

Then the conversation would extend a bit.

His parents, her parents, and her sister.

Later, her stepmother.

And then, the newly married couple on the fifth floor would argue and fight, the old lady on the first floor's dog named Beibei, and so on... Her sister finally released an album, though with four other girls, the male teachers liked to stare at Ms. Qi... and so on.

Of course, most of the time, they were still silent.

Many times, one of them would go up first, and then the other would come up.

Without a word of greeting, without a hello, they would each lean on the guardrail, staring into the distance, not saying a word.

Perhaps ten minutes, perhaps twenty minutes, or even thirty minutes. When one of them suddenly came to their senses, they would say, "I'm going down first, I need to sleep early today," or "I'm leaving, my mom will look for me later." The other would nod, and the first would go down.

No communication at all from start to finish.

But they both felt very comfortable, so they continued to do this.

She didn't know if he thought about the future, but she knew she had.

But they never talked about it.

They were so familiar, yet so strange.

Until... that day.

She didn't know what had triggered it, but her sister insisted she go to Beijing for her senior year, and her parents seemed to be trying to match her with Zhao Yumin. She suddenly felt a bit panicked.

So she thought: This can't continue.

Thinking about it, the future was already right in front of her!

So, she said: You can't just ignore it!

So, for the first time, when he said he wanted to go to the movies, she insisted on going too.

For the first time, they each wore one earphone, listening to the same sound from the same Walkman.

For the first time, they sat side by side in the cinema, watching the same movie on the screen.

For the first time, no, it should be the first time after they resumed communication, they talked so much in one day, and they spent the whole day together!

They didn't say they liked each other, they didn't say they loved each other, they didn't kiss, and they didn't even hold hands.

Several times, she deliberately moved her arm away from her body, hoping for a moment of warmth when their hands touched, while trying to suppress the pounding in her heart.

It was a feeling that almost made her suffocate.

Sometimes, it was her hand that touched his.

Sometimes, it was his hand that touched hers.

She didn't know if he did it on purpose, but she was sure she did.

Neither of them said anything, and neither showed any reaction, but it was... so happy.

In the cinema, she held the popcorn bucket he bought, occasionally putting some in her mouth, then nudging him with her arm, and he would reach out to grab some and put it in his mouth.

His eyes were always fixed on the screen, bright and sharp, his brows slightly furrowed, as if thinking about something serious and important.

She would watch the movie for a while, then watch him.

After returning home, she even thought that if nothing else had disturbed her, just that day would be enough to make her happy for a long time. — Perhaps it was the same for him?

Thinking about this, a sweet smile appeared on her face again.

...

In the kitchen, Wang Jinglu's mother, hearing the completely chaotic piano sounds from the living room, despite being busy, couldn't help but turn to look.

Then, she saw her daughter's sweet, genuine smile, and suddenly remembered when she first met the father of the two sisters. She couldn't help but sigh.

"Wang Jinglu, get ready for dinner!" she called out.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends