When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The incandescent light from the window of the pharmacy in the school hospital was particularly dazzling in the afternoon, illuminating the pharmacist’s serious face and Ling Xue’s cold silhouette somewhat distortedly.The smell of disinfectant in the air stubbornly penetrated into the nasal cavity, mixed with the vaguely bitter medicinal aroma wafting from the corridor.Ye Qiulan stood half a step behind Ling Xueqing, looking at her straight back and her smooth negotiation with the slightly impatient pharmacist behind the window. The heart in his chest that was suddenly tightened due to the quota issue was slowly supported by a warm and unquestionable force and fell back to its original place.

Ling Xueqing’s voice was not high, but her articulation was extremely clear. Every question was to the point, and the logic was so strict that it was impossible to refute.The sound of the pharmacist typing on the keyboard gradually changed from hesitant to smooth.Ye Qiulan’s eyes fell on Ling Xueqing’s hand hanging by his side. The fingers were long and slightly curled up, and the knuckles were a little white from the exertion.It was this hand that had just pressed down her hand that was clenching the strap of the bag and trembling slightly due to nervousness in a very natural and soothing manner.

A wave of heat rushed into her eyes unexpectedly, and she hurriedly lowered her head and stared at a small, imperceptible stain on the toe of her canvas shoes.

“Okay.” Ling Xueqing’s voice sounded, slightly gentler than before, “There is a system synchronization problem, the quota is enough. Sorry for your trouble.”

The impatience on the pharmacist’s face dissipated a little, he nodded, and turned to prepare the medicine.The window was temporarily empty, leaving only some vague fingerprints on the glass partition.

Ling Xueqing then turned slightly sideways and looked at Ye Qiulan.Her eyes were calm, like the surface of a lake in late autumn. There was no trace of the sharpness in her eyes when she was negotiating with someone just now, only a calm, reassuring ink.”It’s okay.” She said in a calm tone, as if she was just stating an ordinary fact.

Ye Qiulan raised her head, her eyes still a little red. She tried hard to put on a reassuring smile, but the corners of her mouth were a little stiff.”…Thank you.” The voice was very soft, as weak as the aftermath of a disaster.

Ling Xueqing shook her head imperceptibly and said nothing.Her eyes glanced at the slightly red corners of Ye Qiulan’s eyes, stayed there for a moment, and then quickly moved away, looking back at the busy pharmacist’s back in the window.It’s just that the fingers that were hanging slightly curled up by his side seemed to tighten even more.

The prepared medicines were delivered quickly, with several medicine boxes and a bottle of oral liquid packed in transparent plastic bags.Ling Xueqing reached out to take it, thanked her, then turned around naturally and handed the bag to Ye Qiulan.

The handles of plastic bags are thin and constricting.When Ye Qiulan took it, his fingertips inevitably touched Ling Xueqing’s fingers.After a very brief contact, Ling Xueqing’s fingertips were slightly cold, and her fingertips were still a little sweaty due to the tension just now.The slightly cool touch was like an electric current, making her heart tremble slightly.

“Let’s go.” Ling Xueqing said, turning around and walking towards the hospital door first.

Ye Qiulan hurriedly followed, the plastic bag swaying slightly as he walked, and the medicine boxes inside collided with each other, making a thin, dull sound.The sound made her clearly realize again what she was holding in her hand – it was her father’s peace at night, a symbol of the family’s illness, and a part of the weight that she had to bear alone.Ling Xueqing, who was walking in front, had just shared this sudden and trivial trouble for her.

Walking out of the hospital building, the afternoon sun hit our faces, bringing with it the warmth of early summer, instantly dispelling the lingering cool atmosphere inside the hospital.The camphor trees on the avenue cast mottled shadows, and the cicadas chirped loudly overhead.

The two walked side by side, neither of them speaking.Ye Qiulan was holding the medicine bag, and Ling Xue had his hands empty. They walked in unison, maintaining a tacit understanding of a distance that was neither far nor close.The sun shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves, jumping on them.

From the corner of his eye, Ye Qiulan could catch a glimpse of Ling Xueqing’s clear-cut profile, her slightly pursed lips, and her eyebrows that always looked too calm, as if all her emotions were tightly restrained.Many times, when she encountered trivial troubles like today that were beyond her ability to deal with, Ling Xueqing would always appear like this, solve the problem calmly and effectively in her own way, and then leave a “It’s okay” or “Let’s go” without asking any questions or saying anything.

This silent protection was once the most stable source of light in her gloomy life.But she doesn’t know when, this protection brought her not only peace of mind, but also a deeper, dull longing.She longed to know whether there were thoughts as turbulent as hers hidden under the silence. She longed for the fingertip touch that was always instant to stay for longer. She longed for something to be said between them… other than “thank you”, “let’s go” and “it’s okay”.

This thought made her heart beat a little out of order.She squeezed the handle of the medicine bag tightly, and the plastic made a slight creaking sound.

“Xueqing.” She suddenly spoke, her voice drier than she expected.

Ling Xueqing didn’t stop, but turned her head slightly and looked at her questioningly.

“Um…” Ye Qiulan licked his dry lips, and his eyes fell on the smooth gravel road in front of him, “Are you really going to the laboratory to return the books this afternoon?” She regretted it as soon as she said it.This question is too stupid, as if you are looking for something to say when you have nothing to say, and it also reveals a cautious temptation.

Ling Xueqing was silent for two seconds.The sun casts thin shadows on her eyelashes.”Not necessarily.” She replied, her voice steady, “It depends on the situation.”

Ambiguous answer.Neither affirmative nor negative.Ye Qiulan’s heart sank, and he felt that his inexplicable loss was unreasonable.Ling Xueqing had no obligation to stay with her all the time.

“Oh.” She responded in a low voice and stopped talking.

The two continued to walk forward in silence.We’re almost at a fork in the road.One leads to the west-side dormitories and bus station, and the other leads to the east-side laboratories and graduate apartments.

The steps invariably slowed down.

Ye Qiulan looked at the fork in the road that was getting closer and closer, and the inexplicable stagnation in his heart became more and more serious.She didn’t want to be separated like this.He didn’t want this afternoon, which had just been rescued from trouble by Ling Xueqing, to end on such a clear dividing line.But she couldn’t find a reason, nor could she muster the courage to make any request that went beyond their usual mode of getting along.

Just when she was almost resigned to walking towards the west road, Ling Xueqing suddenly stopped.

Ye Qiulan also stopped and looked at her in surprise.

Ling Xueqing’s eyes fell on the medicine bag in her hand, and then slowly moved to her face.Her eyes were deep, as if she was examining and weighing.The hot afternoon sunlight flickered on her face, making it difficult to see the true emotions in her eyes.

“Medicine,” Ling Xueqing said, her voice lower than before, with a hint of hesitation that was barely noticeable, “Does it need to be refrigerated?”

Ye Qiulan was stunned for a moment and looked down at the oral liquid in the bag.”…You need this bottle.” She pointed to the small brown bottle for oral administration.

Ling Xueqing nodded.Then, she said something that completely stunned Ye Qiulan:

“There is a refrigerator in my dormitory.”

After the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.The chirping of cicadas, the faint noise in the distance, and the rustling of leaves in the wind all became blurry backgrounds.Ye Qiulan looked at Ling Xueqing blankly, his brain unable to process the meaning behind this sentence.

Ling Xueqing met her gaze, her face still expressionless, but there seemed to be a faint, almost invisible blush at the base of her ears under the blazing sunlight.But she didn’t look away or add any explanation. She just looked at Ye Qiulan quietly, waiting for her reaction.

Go to her dormitory?Put the medicine in her refrigerator?This… this was completely beyond the scope of all their previous interactions.It is a more private and personal realm than the corner of the library or the window of the school hospital.It was a territory that Ling Xueqing guarded closely and was not easily revealed to others.

Ye Qiulan’s heart began to beat wildly and uncontrollably, hitting her chest again and again, making her eardrums buzz.His cheeks also burned quickly.She opened her mouth to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something.

Ling Xueqing looked at her rapidly reddening cheeks and confused eyes, and her eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.She seemed to want to say something, but in the end she just turned her head slightly, avoiding Ye Qiulan’s too direct gaze, and looked at the rough trunk of the old locust tree on the roadside.

“By the way.” She added two more words, her voice was very soft, but her tone was undeniable and almost stubborn.It’s the same clumsy but effective reason as when I “helped you get your book box” or “accompany you to get your medicine”.

Ye Qiulan looked at Ling Xueqing’s slightly turned side face, her pursed lips and her seemingly tense jaw. Suddenly, in the stagnant wasteland in his heart, something burst out of the ground, carrying a scorching, dizzying temperature.She couldn’t tell whether it was panic, embarrassment, or… a secret throbbing that she didn’t dare to go into.

The sun is scorching the ground, and a hot breath is floating in the air.The medicine bag in my hand seemed to become heavier.The chirping of cicadas was overwhelming.

A few seconds of silence lasted like a century.

Finally, Ye Qiulan said a very soft, almost inaudible “hmm”.She didn’t look at Ling Xueqing, she just lowered her head and stared at the small stain on the toe of her canvas shoes, as if it was something worth studying.

Ling Xueqing seemed to be relieved, although her expression remained unchanged.She took another step, this time towards the road leading to the East District.The pace was slightly faster than before.

Ye Qiulan took a deep breath of the hot air, held the medicine bag tightly, and followed.

The two walked one behind the other, keeping half a step apart, as they walked into the avenue covered by the shade of camphor trees that led to the graduate apartments in the East District.The sunlight was cut into fragments by the branches and leaves, casting swaying light spots on them.No one spoke anymore, only the sound of footsteps and the occasional collision of medicine boxes in plastic bags, a thin and dull sound, struck this too quiet and too long afternoon.