Chapter 9

Chapter 9



Sun Yuhe: “Born in the same year, same month, same day?”

Xu Hui nodded his head.

“Wow.” Sun Yuhe carried the beers and wines before asking, “Who is it?”

Xu Hui: “You guys don’t know her, I just happened to run into her.”

Sun Yuhe narrowed his eyes at Xu Hui, a little curious, “It’s a girl?”

Xu Hui gave a joyful cry, “Yes. She is very tiny, like a little sister. She even left her phone number.”

“I knew it.” Sun Yuhe tsked twice, lamented, “You always attract bees and butterflies……” put some ice in the drinks before putting them on the kitchen table, and said, “What kind of sister?”

Xu Hui: “Ordinary. ‘You know me I know you’ kind of sister”

“Is she good-looking?”

Xu Hui thought of Bai Lu’s appearance and pursed his mouth, “Average.”

Sun Yuhe, “You don’t have too high acceptance, right?”

Xu Hui replied in rare sincerity, “She is really average.”

“Average and you still let her leave contact information?”

Xu Hui: “I met her several times. This was just to stay tuned with each other.”

Sun Yuhe: “Your phone is going to burst.”

Xu Hui shrugged his shoulders.

Sun Yuhe was interested in this girl who popped up, “When you say she’s generally average, you mean she is unattractive?”

Xu Hui recalled the moment he first met her. The first thing that came to his mind was not her face but her faintly glowing hair that day. That day from the hospital when they took the bus and Bai Lu stood in front of him with her back hunched over.

Her somewhat messy hair, they were glowing in the sunlight with a faint golden color.

“She is not ……that ugly.” Xu Hui said, “Just an average girl.”

“How about compared to Xiao Ye?”

Xu Hui shook his head, “Not as good-looking as Xiao Ye.”

“How do you know each other?”

“We chatted in front of my apartment last week. It was raining, she came to take shelter.”

Sun Yuhe remembered that day, “ah ……” the corners of his mouth hooked in a smile, “What if she did it on purpose? How easy it is to pick the home of a handsome guy to take shelter from the rain. How come there is never a girl on my place to take shelter from the rain?”

Xu Hui looked at him with a contemptuous look.

“Your apartment is eleventh floor. If someone really went to your place to take shelter from the rain, that would be called deliberate.” His voice gradually lightened, and whispered, “But meeting with her is indeed quite destiny. We match in so many things.”

“I’ve rarely seen you saying meeting with a girl saying destiny.” He looked at Xu Hui, “If it was destiny, then go for it.”

Xu Hui squinted, “For what?”

Sun Yuhe tone was quite sour: “Anyway, in this kind of thing, you have no disadvantage.”

Xu Hui shook his head, a little helpless.

“You don’t know, our meeting was really ordinary.”

“Damn it ……he got so many drinks so cheaply.” Sun Yuhe could not help but curse, outside came Liu Yuhai’s roar: “Where’s the drinks, ah? Did you guys stole my drinks to drink alone!”

Sun Yuhe shouted from the kitchen: “Here it comes!”

He took the bottles and hurriedly went outside, leaving Xu Hui in his place. Xu Hui stretched lazily, letting out a hum as he heard a satisfying pop. He could hear the deafening sound of the game box. Xu Hui yawned and was about to go back when his eyes swept at the slightly open door of the refrigerator, he stopped in his tracks.



He turned around and went inside the kitchen, opened the refrigerator fully and took the jar out. After pinching two more lemon slices and putting them in his mouth, he returned to the living room.

*******

It is said that people’s intention determines if they will succeed or fail, and this phrase is particularly valid for high school students.

After a weekend of hard work, Bai Lu was able to overcome her illness with her own strong faith and proper medications, along with ample amount of rest. By the time she went to school on Monday, she was much better, and by Wednesday she was feeling basically as normal and usual.

The Sixth Highschool does not allow students to bring cell phones in the class, but most students have them. They just turned them to silent and carry them quietly, pretending they are as innocent as newborn baby.

Bai Lu’s cell phone was always inside her school bag. She rarely used them on school.

From the time she returned to the dorm on Sunday, she hadn’t taken out her phone.

She treats the problem with a very clear boundary distinction.

Wu Hanwen’s often jokes are diminishing, because in a few days, he will go to the Chemistry Olympiad.

Wu Hanwen doesn’t live at dormitory, his family rented a house for him nearby. His mother quit her job at his senior year to take care of him at home and help him prepare for the exam.

Because he lived so close, Wu Hanwen arrived at school early every day. So early that he could compete with Bai Lu, a student who lived at school dormitory.

Thursday early morning, Bai Lu was again the first to arrive at class, and not long after she sat down, Wu Hanwen also arrived.

“Do you wear makeup to school these days?” Bai Lu looked at the dark circles under his eyes and said.

Wu Hanwen sat down and said in a righteous voice, “Don’t be so discouraging, save your breath.”

Bai Lu lowered her head and went back to do the problem.

Today, they have relatively less class than normal days. Three periods of self-study plus a physical education class and the school ends in the afternoon, equivalent to free of afternoon studies for the students. But they have to come back at evening for evening study.

Wu Hanwen was in a state of great concentration. Until the bell rang in the last class, he kept solving problems for the upcoming Chemistry Olympiad.

He looked up and saw the students all packed their things in a hurry and trotted out of the classroom, filled with enthusiasm. Today was a rare free time for them after all, and he believes they are going to enjoy it.

The people in the classroom have almost gone, they basically went to eat and play.

He huffed and got up to go on the podium to clean the board.

When he looked up, he was surprised to find that the blackboard had already been wiped. From the cleanliness, it should be wiped with the duster once, and then wiped again with a wet rag. The blackboard slot was as neat as new, and the chalk tips that were too short were thrown away and replaced with new ones.

Bowing his head, he noticed that the floor was also cleaned and the trash in the corner had been emptied.

Wu Hanwen opened his mouth slightly in astonishment and looked in front of his seat.

Bai Lu was not there, she should have gone to the dormitory.

Wu Hanwen sat back to his seat and put his books on the table.

Today it was their turn to clean the classroom – more accurately it was Wu Hanwen and Bai Lu’s turn to do the work.

When the work was assigned in advance, Wu Hanwen, with great enthusiasm and sense of responsibility, took the jobs of emptying the garbage and weeping the blackboard and windows, leaving only Bai Lu to sweep the floor. But he didn’t do anything in the end. It was Bai Lu who took the garbage, wiped the blackboard and windows, even the floor. She basically did all the work while he did nothing.

“Hey ……”

After eating, students came back one after another for evening study.

Bai Lu also came back after eating.


She quietly took her seat, quietly took her book out of her bag, quietly took out her pen, and then slowly turned her head to look at Wu Hanwen.

“Are we meeting for the first time?” She said.

Wu Hanwen gave a tsk: “Look, your memory has gotten so rusty. As if you don’t know anything”

Bai Lu: “What do I have to know? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Wu Hanwen: “You really don’t know?”

Not getting any reply, Bai Lu turned her head to solve the math problems. Wu Hanwen tilted his head to look at her from the side.

“I’m sorry.” This sentence was quite sincere.

“It’s okay.”

“I really wasn’t paying attention. I only came back to my senses when the school bell rang.”

Bai Lu turned his head, “You apologize for this. Don’t boast about it now.”

Wu Hanwen smiled, “Tomorrow I’ll give a treat. You can choose anything you like.”

Bai Lu looked at him quietly. Wu Hanwen thought that she misunderstood so quickly changed his tone, “Just treating you to a meal. I am really quite embarrassed.”

“Okay.”

After the evening study session, Bai Lu walked towards the dormitory building. While passing by the school grove, she vaguely saw two backs of students walking towards the school entrance, taking advantage of others’ inattention, they slowly intertwined their hands together.

They held hands just a few seconds, and then separated.

The senior year of life is like a replica of machine, one day after another going through same routine was engraved in their brains, step-by-step.

But under this solid ground of routine, there are occasionally one or two weeds that are too lonely to follow the crevices and grow quietly.

When did Xu Hui started thinking of Bai Lu?

The first time was when the honey-lemon was finished eating.

He likes to eat sour foods, and limes with honey are perfect in the summertime. Xu Hui does not live in school. Occasionally when he feels bored at home in the evening, he would think of picking one or two slices to eat but ended up eating a few more. So the jar was finished in a few days.

At that time he thought of Bai Lu once.

The second time was Friday at night.

When the vocational high school was closed on Friday, they usually went out to play. The boys were planning to go to a cyber cafe and have a large private room to eat, drink and have fun. Xu Hui does not like to play games, so he sat in front of the TV to watch movies.

He picked a few movies but felt bored. He was about to take a nap when Sun Yuhe came over and sat next to him.

Xu Hui and Sun Yuhe was in the same class and almost same height. If they sat together, Xu Hui could see the top of Sun Yuhe’s head. But this time for some reason, the moment he saw him, Xu Hui remembered the little girl, Bai Lul.

It is also a coincidence that Sun Yuhe also casually asked: “Where is your destined girl?”

Xu Hui did not speak.

Sun Yuhe: “Did she call you?”

Xu Hui sat quietly and Sun Yuhe blinked at him in question.

“Don’t you think she deliberately bumped into you?”

“Roll.”

“Haha ……” Sun Yuhe nodded his head while smiling, “I will roll, I will roll, haha ……”

He thought of Bai Lu, for the second time this week.


Xu Hui took out his phone, his phone had a variety of social software which was filled with contact information of different people. He searched the contact app from all the apps, opened it and went to the incoming calls area. Xu Hui simply swept through the numbers but didn’t saw the name Bai Lu there. Bai Lu did not contact him.

Xu Hui stood up and came outside the Internet cafe.

“Where are you going?” Someone behind him asked.

“Smoke.”

Xiao Ye muttered, “It’s not like you can’t smoke in an Internet cafe.”

Next to them Liu Yuhai said, “Men’s affairs, you women should ask less.”

In the twinkling of an eye, they started bickering again.

Xu Hui pushed open the door of the Internet cafe, the air outside was 10,000 times fresher than inside the cafe.

The summer night was refreshing, and the wind blew Xu Hui’s hair, making them messy.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and then pressed the call button.

The students of Sixth Highschool was having their evening study session.

The bag behind her chair suddenly started vibrating unexpectedly.

Bai Lu was studying English. She was listening English question papers.

In order to allow senior students to practice listening English, each students were given a small recorder, which can only play English listening questions that is important for the test.

Bai Lu had her headphones plugged in, standard American English was flowing in her ears, and it was the multiple-choice questions.

She raised her eyes and saw Mr. Bao correcting test papers with a serious look on his face.

Her eyes widened.

The vibration from the back wasn’t a simple phone call, but also a reminder, a signal, a proof.

Bai Lu gently averted her eyes and concentrated on finishing the questions.

The phone rang once and then stopped ringing.

In the evening after school, Bai Lu returned to the dormitory and dialed Xu Hui’s phone.

The Internet cafe was playing hot and loud music. Xu Hui took the phone out and turned it off.

After a few seconds, the ringtone rang again, and he turned it off, again.

The third time it rang, Xu Hui slowly stood up and walked out.

Back to the place where he just smoked few moments ago, Xu Hui picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Xu Hui?”

“Who else.”

Bai Lu whispered: “You just called me ……”

“So?”

“I left my phone at home and didn’t bring it with me today.” Bai Lu said, “I’m sorry …… did you want to tell me for something?”

Xu Hui said faintly, “Can’t I call for nothing?”

Bai Lu hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant.”

Bai Lu spoke in a small voice, soft and gentle. Xu Hui listened, inexplicably remembered her white clothes that day, and soft hair with curls, that would turn golden in the sun.

And the way she held the lemon jar with her head down.


Xu Hui held his cell phone in one hand, another hand in his pants pocket, looking at the cars on the road he spoke.

“You’re busy with school?”

Bai Lu: “It’s okay. Not much busy.”

“You didn’t call me.”

Bai Lu explained: “I wanted to call, but I didn’t know when you had time, so, I just ……”

Xu Hui did not wait for her to finish, he tilted his neck upward to look at the dark sky and whispered, ” Are you free this weekend?”

Bai Lu pursed her lips, “For what?”

Xu Hui: “Come to play.”

“Where?”

Xu Hui frowned and was quiet for a moment.

Bai Lu thought to herself that he wasn’t very good at asking people out. Maybe it was because he was always the one who was asked out, never the other way around.

After a while, Xu Hui said, “Forget it …… You don’t have to come, I’ll hang up first.”

Before hanging up, Bai Lu hurriedly asked, “Have you finished eating them?”

“Ah.” Xu Hui then remembered, “Finished eating.”

Bai Lu: “Do you still want some?”

Xu Hui didn’t say anything.

Bai Lu: “I’ll go to your place Saturday night to get the jar and make it for you again.”

Still quiet.

Bai Lu waited for a while and slowly spoke, “Or …… I won’t do it if you don’t like?”

Another ten seconds passed and Bai Lu heard Xu Hui’s faint voice.

“Okay.”

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