When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The moment I stepped out of the eaves, the world suddenly opened up and became quiet.The rain had almost stopped, and only the rainwater accumulated among the leaves in the high places occasionally fell. With a “snap” sound, it hit the ground where there was shallow water, causing small splashes of water.The air was humid, full of moisture, and pressed down heavily, but it washed away the previous stuffy heat and revealed a complete and clean coolness.

The two walked one behind the other on the slippery ground.The two layers of plastic raincoat on Ye Qiulan’s body rubbed together, making a soft rustling sound, which was particularly clear in the excessively quiet space after the rain.Ling Xueqing walked half a step ahead of her, walking very slowly, as if he was deliberately waiting for her.Her back was still straight, but the soaked gray thin shirt clung tightly to her body. The fabric was dark in color due to water absorption, clearly outlining the shape of her shoulder blades and the subtle depression of her spine.Water droplets dripped down the tips of her wet hair and the corners of her clothes, leaving a series of intermittent, dark dots on the ground where she walked.

Ye Qiulan looked at the dots and then at Ling Xueqing’s silent back. The coolness of the medicine in his stomach seemed to have melted away, but something else was blocking his heart.She wanted to say something, such as “Thank you for the medicine” or “Your clothes are soaked”, but when the words came to her mouth, they felt dry and unnecessary.Ling Xueqing probably doesn’t need this.

They walked onto the tree-lined path leading to the dormitory area.The sycamore trees had been baptized by heavy rains, and their leaves were shiny green. The ground was covered with a layer of fallen young leaves and twigs, mixed in the stagnant water, and they were soft when stepped on.The sun struggled to squeeze out a few rays from the gaps in the clouds that had not completely dispersed, and sparsely sprinkled on the wet road, reflecting broken golden light.

When approaching the fork in the road, Ling Xueqing stopped.She turned around and faced Ye Qiulan.Her face looked a little too fair under the clear light after the rain. You could even see the light cyan blood vessels under the skin, and the color of her lips was also very light.Only those eyes were dark, as if soaked by the rain, with a bottomless silence.

“That’s all.” Ling Xueqing said, her voice a little hoarse than usual. Maybe she was caught in the rain or something else.”Change out of your wet clothes immediately when you get back and drink some hot water.” She paused and glanced at Ye Qiulan’s hand still pressed against her stomach. “If you still feel uncomfortable, don’t hold on.”

Her instructions were concise, direct, and without any unnecessary emotion, just like a doctor’s instructions.But when Ye Qiulan listened, he felt that the voice was like a feather, gently tickling the softest part of his heart, causing a subtle, indescribable shiver.

“Yes.” Ye Qiulan nodded and curled his fingers unconsciously.”You also… go back and change quickly.”

“I know.” Ling Xueqing responded, but did not leave immediately.Her eyes fell on Ye Qiulan’s face and stayed there for a few seconds. Her eyes seemed a bit complicated, as if she was confirming something, but also seemed to be hesitating.After a moment, she suddenly stretched out her hand.

Ye Qiulan held his breath subconsciously.

The hand did not touch her, but just hovered in front of her forehead – after her raincoat and hat fell off, a few strands of wet hair stuck randomly to the corner of her forehead.Ling Xueqing’s fingertips were only a hair’s breadth away from her skin, and she could feel the extremely weak warm air flow from the other person’s fingers.

Then, Ling Xueqing’s hand gently pushed away the obstructive strands of wet hair and tucked them behind Ye Qiulan’s ears.The movements were very fast and very light, and the fingertips did not even really touch her skin, but just brushed through her hair, bringing out an extremely cool breath of rain, and a hint of the cold fragrance of cedar that was almost impossible to capture.

After doing this action, Ling Xueqing withdrew her hand, as if she was just sorting out an item.Her expression didn’t change at all, it was still that calm look.

“Let’s go.” She said. Without waiting for Ye Qiulan’s reaction, she turned around and walked towards the graduate student apartment.His steps were faster than before, and his soaked back quickly disappeared into the shadows of the sycamore trees.

Ye Qiulan stood there, and the slightly cool and vague touch seemed to remain where his ears had been played.The surrounding air was moist and cool, but the small piece of skin that was brushed by the airflow from Ling Xueqing’s fingertips felt faintly warm as if it had been burned by something.She raised her hand and touched her ears, her fingertips were cold.

The wind after the rain blew with a full coolness, passing through the two wet plastic raincoats on her body, causing her to shiver slightly.The feeling of bloating in my stomach is still there, but it seems less acute.She lowered her head and looked at the half bottle of water given to her by Ling Xueqing that she still held in her hand. There were thin drops of water condensing on the plastic bottle.

She unscrewed the cap and took another sip.The water was still cold and passed through my throat.

Looking up, Ling Xueqing had disappeared.There was only the wet road surface, shimmering with fragments of light, and the outline of the dormitory building in the distance that was particularly clear after being washed away by the rain.The air is filled with the fresh smell of soil, vegetation and rain, which is strong and pure.

She walked slowly towards the old dormitory building in the West District.The footsteps stepped into the stagnant water, making a slight splashing sound.The two layers of raincoat on my body rustled like a clumsy cocoon.

The blockage in her heart did not dissipate because of Ling Xuequing’s departure.It sank there, sour and swollen, like a seed soaked in rain, swelling silently, causing a slight pain in the chest.But in the depths of this sore place, there is clearly something, with a faint sweetness that cannot be ignored, stubbornly seeping out, slowly flowing along the blood veins to the limbs and bones.

The dark blue umbrella was still leaning against the corner of her dormitory.The medicine given by Ling Xueqing had just dissolved in her stomach.The fingers that hovered in front of her forehead and finally only brushed her wet hair, and the soaked back figure that turned away…

These fragments of images, mixed with the smell of rain, the fishy smell of soil, the cold fragrance of cedar, and her own heartbeat like a drum that has not yet completely calmed down, together formed an extremely clear and extremely chaotic perception on this afternoon when the rainstorm had just stopped.

She knew something was different.Maybe it started to be different a long time ago, but in this sudden rainstorm, under this narrow eaves, in that slightly cool pill and the fingertips that seemed to be tactile, it became impossible to ignore it anymore, and it could no longer be explained by just “dependence” or “habit”.

She walked downstairs to the dormitory, stopped, and looked back at the way she came.The shadow of the sycamore tree stretched long on the ground, and the water stains were still shining.

The corridor was a little dark, and the sensor lights lit up with her footsteps, casting a dim yellow light on the damp stairs.She walked up step by step, her soaked canvas shoes leaving dark footprints on the steps, which were soon covered by the footsteps behind her.

Insert the key into the lock and turn.The door opened, and the air inside was warm and slightly stuffy, with a familiar scent that belonged to her.

She walked in and closed the door behind her back.He stood for a while with his back against the cold door panel.Then she began to slowly remove the two ridiculous layers of soaked plastic raincoat she was wearing.