That Nameless Summer Chapter 9

Let’s have a snowball fight tomorrow, okay?

The wind in December was as cold as a knife, and it hurt my face.The morning reading class bell has not yet rang, and the campus of No. 5 Middle School has been covered with a thin layer of white frost. On the bare sycamore branches, there are a few dead leaves that refuse to fall, swirling in the wind.

Song Li woke up from the cold. The heating in the dormitory was out for most of the night. He huddled up in a ball wrapped in a quilt. When he woke up, the tip of his nose was cold.As soon as my feet touched the ground when I got out of bed, I shivered and couldn’t help but curse.

Ling Qingye was fully dressed and was standing by the window collecting clothes.The school uniform jacket he washed last night had been left to dry overnight, with a thin layer of ice forming on the corners.Hearing Song Li’s movement, he glanced back and handed over his coat: “Wear this, yours is too thin.”

Song Li took the coat. The fabric was a little bit icy, but the scent of soap locust from Ling Qingye’s body was faintly revealed.He was not polite and put on his clothes. The size was just right, and the cuffs were a little longer, just enough to cover the backs of his hands that were red from the cold.

“Thanks.” He said vaguely and turned to wash up.

The water flowing out of the faucet in the corridor was bone-chilling. Song Li hurriedly wiped his face. When he looked up, he saw Ling Qingye standing next to him, holding a thermos cup in his hand and pouring hot water into his cup.

“Warm water, don’t use cold water.” Ling Qingye handed the cup to him with a calm tone.

Song Li took the cup, and the warm feeling spread from his fingertips to the bottom of his heart.He looked at Ling Qingye’s side face. The morning light fell on his eyelashes, coating them with a light golden color, which was too beautiful to behold.

The two walked into the classroom together. As soon as they sat down, they heard someone outside shouting: “It’s snowing!”

Song Li immediately went to the window, and sure enough he saw fine snowflakes falling from the gray sky, falling on the window sill, and instantly melting into a small puddle of water.

“It’s really snowing.” He was a little excited and turned to look at Ling Qingye, “Are you going to the playground to build a snowman tonight?”

Ling Qingye was flipping through an English book. Hearing this, he raised his eyes, with a smile flashing in his eyes: “Let’s see if you can survive the early reading.”

Song Li curled his lips and was about to retort when he saw Xu Jiang You rushed in furiously, followed not by Qin Jiangwen but by Qi Yuan.Both of them were holding hot roasted sweet potatoes in their hands, chewing them as they walked, with caramel-colored sugar stains on the corners of their mouths.

“Li Zi! Look! It’s snowing!” Xu Jiangyou raised the half-eaten sweet potato in front of Song Li, “I bought it at the school gate. It’s super sweet!”

Song Li ran away in disgust: “Stay away from me, you’re slimy.”

“Tch, you don’t know the goods.” Xu Jiangyou snorted, turned around and brought the sweet potato to Qi Yuan’s mouth, “Yuan Yuan, you eat it.”

Qi Yuan smiled and took a bite, and the two of them got together and chatted about buying scarves after school. They didn’t notice at all that Qin Jiangwen in the back row was looking at them, the pen in his hand was hanging on the homework book, and he didn’t write a word for a long time.

In the morning reading class, Song Li was not in the mood to recite, and kept staring out the window.The snow fell harder and harder, from fine snow particles to heavy snow, and soon the playground was covered with white.He was so absorbed in watching that he didn’t even notice Chen You approaching.

“Song Li.” Chen You knocked on his desk, “Get up and recite “Qinyuan Chun·Snow”.”

Song Li stood up suddenly, his mind went blank.He didn’t memorize it at all yesterday. He hesitated for a long time and couldn’t hold back a single word.

The whole class was holding back their laughter, and Guo Guangchen’s face became darker and darker.

At this moment, Ling Qingye’s voice sounded softly, not too loud or too small, just enough for him to hear: “The scenery of the North Country, thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow drifting.”

Song Li seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and immediately followed his words: “Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, there is nothing but vastness; the river up and down suddenly stopped flowing.”

He was stumbling while reciting it, but fortunately, Ling Qingye gave him some pointers from time to time, and he finally managed to finish it.Chen You glanced at him, then at Ling Qingye, without saying anything, and waved for him to sit down.

When Song Li sat down, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.He turned his head and whispered to Ling Qingye: “Thank you, Xueba.”

Ling Qingye didn’t look at him, just turned a page of the book, and his voice was as soft as snowflakes falling on the ground: “Remember to endorse next time.”

Song Li grinned and said nothing, but felt sweet in his heart.

School was over at noon, the snow had stopped, and the sun came out, illuminating the snow.The cafeteria was crowded. Song Li and Ling Qingye took their plates and found a corner seat to sit down.

Xu Jiangyou and Qi Yuan were sitting not far away, chatting animatedly. Both of them were holding the strawberry candied haws they just bought, which were red and tempting to look at.Qin Jiangwen sat alone on the other side, holding a book of physics competition questions in his hand, and looked up in Xu Jiangyou’s direction from time to time.

“Do you think Qin Jiangwen is stupid?” Song Li poked the rice in the bowl, “If you like it, go after it. What’s the use of hiding behind and watching every day?”

Ling Qingye put a chopstick of green vegetables into his bowl and said in a calm tone: “He is waiting for the opportunity.”

“What opportunity are you waiting for?” Song Li was puzzled, “That girl Xu Jiangyou is very ambitious. If you wait any longer, the day lilies will be cold.”

Ling Qingye said nothing, just looked at him with deep eyes.

Song Li felt a little uncomfortable when he saw him. He lowered his head to take a bite of his food, and suddenly felt his foot being kicked.He looked up and saw Ling Qingye’s feet retracted, with no expression on his face.

“Why are you kicking me?” Song Li frowned.

“Nothing.” Ling Qingye took a sip of soup and curled the corners of his mouth.

In the afternoon physical education class, the physical education teacher simply let everyone move freely.The boys rushed to the playground to have a snowball fight, and Song Li was also pulled over.He grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a snowball, and hit Liu Qiuhao on the back accurately.

Liu Qiuhao screamed, grabbed the snowball and threw it towards him.Song Li dodged nimbly, turned around and ran, but he didn’t pay attention to the ice under his feet. He slipped suddenly and was about to fall into the snow.

At this moment, a pair of hands hugged him from behind.

The familiar scent of soap locust lingered on the tip of her nose, and Song Li’s body froze instantly.He turned around and saw Ling Qingye standing behind him, his brows slightly furrowed and warmth coming from his palms.

“Be careful.” Ling Qingye’s voice was a little nervous.

The boys around him started to cheer and whistle one after another.

Song Li’s face instantly turned red. He suddenly broke away from Ling Qingye’s hand, picked up the snowball on the ground, and threw it at him: “Watch the move!”

Ling Qingye dodged the snowball, a smile flashed in his eyes, and he also grabbed a handful of snow and threw it towards him.

The two chased each other in the snow, and their laughter echoed in the empty playground.The sun fell on them, and the shadows on the snow were stretched very long and closely together.

Not far away, Xu Jiangyou and Qi Yuan were squatting on the ground making a snowman. Qin Jiangwen was standing next to him, holding a carrot in his hand. After hesitating for a long time, he finally stepped forward and handed the carrot to Xu Jiangyou: “Use this as a nose.”

Xu Jiangyou’s eyes lit up and he took the carrot: “Wow, Qin Jiangwen, you are so considerate!”

Qin Jiang’s ears instantly turned red when he heard it. He looked away and said in an unnatural voice: “It’s okay.”

Qi Yuan watched the interaction between the two and secretly laughed.

The setting sun casts its golden rays on the snow, like a layer of broken gold.Song Li and Ling Qingye were walking side by side on the way back to the classroom. Their hair was stained with snow foam and their clothes were also wet.

Song Li rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and smiled with crooked eyebrows.

Ling Qingye looked at him with gentle eyes.

Song Li suddenly stopped and turned to look at him with bright eyes: “Ling Qingye, can you come and have a snowball fight tomorrow?”

Ling Qingye looked at him, was silent for a few seconds, and nodded gently: “Okay.”

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on them, stretching their shadows very long, as if they could no longer be separated.

Song Li looked at Ling Qingye’s side face, and an inexplicable emotion suddenly surged in his heart.