That Nameless Summer Chapter 27

See you tomorrow

The early morning wind, wrapped in the cool spring breeze, swept through the sycamore branches at the school gate.Song Li walked in front carrying a whitened schoolbag, and Xu Jiangyou followed beside him, holding two meat buns in his hands and muttering about the drama he had not finished watching during the winter vacation. The brother and sister walked slowly and blended in with the crowd entering the school, so they were not conspicuous.

Turning the corner of the administrative building, Song Li caught a glimpse of a figure under the shadow of the trees from the corner of his eye – Ling Qingye leaning on the railing, holding an open book of mathematics competition questions between his fingertips. The collar of his school uniform was tightly buttoned, and his eyebrows were still cold.Hearing the footsteps, he raised his eyes and glanced at the two of them, closed the book and stuffed it into his bag, and said only two words: “Leave.”

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, the three of them walked side by side towards the teaching building. Xu Jiangyou occasionally interjected, Song Li responded twice, and Ling Qingye mostly just listened, with a rare slight curl at the corner of his lips, almost like an illusion.This is their usual way of getting along. There is a tacit understanding hidden in silence, so there is no need to be deliberately warm.

Qin Jiangwen had already arrived at the back door of the classroom.He was still sitting in the corner of the last row, with his back to the door. The cuffs of his school uniform were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the faded red marks on his wrists. He was looking down at the textbook, turning the pages very lightly without making any sound.He came early, and the books on the table were neatly arranged. There was no unnecessary debris on the table, only a frayed canvas pencil case, which, like him, exuded an alienating cleanness.

Xu Jiangyou paused and subconsciously wanted to call him, but Song Li gently pulled his arm.Song Li shook his head and motioned for her not to disturb him – they all remembered Qin Jiangwen’s restraint and did not want to use excessive enthusiasm to force him to feel awkward.Xu Jiangyou pursed his lips, swallowed the words that came to his lips, and followed Song Li to his seat.

Ling Qingye was sitting next to Song Li. As soon as he put down his schoolbag, he noticed Qin Jiangwen’s empty water glass on the corner of the table. There was nothing in his eyes. He just took out an unopened bottle of mineral water from his schoolbag and gently pushed it to the edge of his table across two rows of tables.The mineral water bottle collided with the table and made a soft sound. Qin Jiangwen was stunned and looked back at Ling Qingye. The other person had already turned back to flip the book, as if he was just doing it casually.He held the mineral water bottle, his fingertips slightly stiff, and after a long while, he whispered “thank you”, his voice so soft that it was almost drowned out by the ringing of the morning reading bell.

During the morning reading class, the sound of books was audible in the classroom.Song Li lowered his head and read English. Occasionally, his peripheral vision glanced in the direction of Qin Jiangwen and saw that his back was straight and he was reading silently with everyone. His lips moved very lightly but very seriously.He thought of Qin Jiangwen’s working life during the winter vacation, and sighed softly in his heart, but didn’t look at it any more – he understood this kind of unwillingness to be watched, just like he never wanted to mention things at home. He was a little embarrassed, so he just hid it and didn’t have to worry about it.

The bell for recess rang, and people rushed to the playground.Song Li and Ling Qingye walked behind. Xu Jiangyou was pulled by his classmates to jump rubber bands. Before leaving, he turned back and waved to Song Li.When passing by the equipment room, Qin Jiangwen lagged behind, as if he wanted to avoid the crowd. Song Li slowed down, and Ling Qingye understood and stopped too. The two leaned against the wall, waiting for him to come over.

Qin Jiangwen’s footsteps paused, as if he didn’t expect that they would be waiting for him. A trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and then he regained his composure, lowering his head and trying to go around.”Together.” Ling Qingye suddenly spoke, his voice still cold, but with a determination that could not be refused.Qin Jiangwen pinched the strap of her schoolbag and said nothing. She just walked silently to the two of them. The three of them kept a close distance and followed the flow of people to the playground. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t look awkward either.

During the free activities in the physical education class, Song Li was dragged to play basketball by his classmates on the basketball team. Ling Qingye sat in the stands and answered questions. Xu Jiangyou and the girls sat chatting aside, but their eyes couldn’t help but drift in the direction of Qin Jiangwen.Qin Jiangwen stood alone in the corner of the playground, kicking pebbles on the ground. He didn’t talk to anyone, but he didn’t deliberately hide from the crowd like before. Occasionally he would look up at Song Li on the court.

Song Li made a beautiful three-pointer and met his eyes when he turned around. He raised his hand and waved to him, signaling him to come over.Qin Jiangwen hesitated for a long time, clenched and loosened his fingers, and finally shook his head.Song Li did not force himself, smiled, and continued to participate in the game – he knew that Qin Jiangwen’s integration would take time and could not be broken by an invitation.

When the school bell rang, it was already dark.The four of them walked out of the teaching building, and the crowd at the school gate gradually dispersed.Qin Jiangwen was still walking at the end, keeping a few steps away from them.When he reached the fork, he stopped and said softly, “See you tomorrow” to the backs of the three of them. His voice was low but very clear.

Qin Jiangwen turned around and walked in the other direction. His back was thin and straight, and he quickly disappeared into the dusk at the entrance of the alley.He didn’t take Song Li’s way home, just like he always guarded his own little world, not letting people get close easily, but he no longer resisted the warmth of approaching quietly.

Song Li looked at the direction in which he disappeared and breathed a sigh of relief.Ling Qingye patted his shoulder and said in an emotionless tone, “Let’s go.”

Xu Jiangyou held Song Li’s arm and skipped forward, saying that he would bring red bean paste buns to Qin Jiangwen tomorrow. Song Li listened with a gentle curve on his lips.Ling Qingye walked beside him and looked at the two brothers and sisters. There was a slight warmth in the cold eyes.

The evening breeze of spring blows gently, carrying the smoke of fireworks from street stalls, blowing away the coldness of winter.The new semester for young people is like the beginning of spring. It is not strong and unobtrusive, but in the company of silence, it quietly warms and sprouts slowly.