Chapter 31: Shayanna La, Xiuying (Part 2)

  Big thanks to all the little friends who accompanied me on the new book charts last month, first of all "Sleepy Caterpillar", this guy has been following me since the masked stage, then there are other little friends who have voted for recommendations, and those who hit bricks on my head, finally, "Blowing Snow" little friend who voted 144 times in half a month, wow! Thanks a lot!

  It took Li Qiu and Cui Xiuying all morning to prepare the food and necessities for their picnic.

  The small mountain's staircase is not very wide, but it winds its way through the mountains and forests, with the terrain on both sides sometimes high and sometimes low. One moment it's sandwiched between cliffs, and the next you can gaze out at the plains beside it. Li Qiu climbs every morning, usually jogging, each time drenched in sweat, her lungs burning like fire. Today, carrying a pile of things, she follows behind Cui Xiuying, relaxed and carefree.

  In the scorching midsummer noon of Japan, the sun was blazing in the sky and the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius, evaporating the earth. Today, although there were a few pure white clouds floating in the sky, there wasn't even a slight breeze on the mountain steps, and the scorching sun made the steps emit wisps of rising heat. Choi Soo-young wore a crisp white one-piece dress, tied her hair into two ponytails, stepped out with her slender legs, twirled a uniquely Japanese paper umbrella, and ascended to the mountaintop step by step with light footsteps.

  Unlike the divine demeanor at home earlier, Choi Soo-young seemed to have regained her usual bright and cheerful self, with a laughter like wind chimes, accompanied by the lush greenery beside the stairs, like blooming flowers. She would occasionally point out the colorful butterflies and dragonflies fluttering in the grass along the road, and sometimes gaze out at the endless fields below the mountain, admiring the vast expanse of rice paddies that stretched as far as the eye could see, shrouded in a haze of water vapor. The surrounding villages were also veiled in mist, making this small mountain seem like an isolated island, appearing and disappearing in the scorching sea...

  They walked slowly, and it wasn't until an hour later that they finally climbed to the top of the mountain. In this sweltering weather, climbing a mountain was actually a good choice. There was not even a hint of cool breeze on the mountain waist or ground, but at the summit, the cool wind swept past without any reserve, constantly brushing against their bodies. Even though they were closer to the scorching sun in the sky, they could still feel this unique coolness. Li Qiu spread out the mat under the shade of a big tree not far from a small platform, and sat down on it with Cui Xiangying.

  They took out the sushi and rice balls they had prepared in the morning from the lunch box, and the two of them started their picnic today, blowing mountain wind, admiring the endless fields, busy people, and occasionally flying birds chirping.

  "Autumn brother, the food you made is still so delicious, Xiuying loves it the most." Cui Xiuying elegantly picked up a piece of sushi, slightly opened her red lips, took a small bite, and savored the flavor carefully.

  "Then eat a bit more." Li Qiu smiled and stroked her left hand, which was tied with a ponytail, and replied. Cui Xiuying was enjoying the food, but Li Qiu felt strange. Generally, when Cui Xiuying ate, she would not be so elegant, although it wasn't to the extent of being ferocious like a tiger pouncing on its prey. But today, she was eating with such restraint, like a refined lady, which was unusual for her. Li Qiu didn't want to ask why, thinking that if Cui Xiuying wanted to say something, she would say it herself, and he didn't want to pry. Everyone has some secrets in their heart, or everyone is changing at every moment. This year, he and Cui Xiuying hadn't seen each other often either.

  Choi Soo-young enjoyed Lee Choo's gentle touch, looked at the sushi that had been bitten in half in her hand, thought for a long time, and then handed it to Lee Choo's mouth. "Oppa, do you know? You've changed a lot."

  Li Qiu didn't pay much attention, and put the half piece of sushi near her lips into her mouth, savoring its delicious flavor. A lingering fragrance on the sushi passed through her teeth and slid down her throat. "What have I become?"

  "Your eyebrows have changed, they look really cool; your eyes have changed, they're shining brightly; your nose has changed, it's higher now; your lips have changed, they're sexy; your voice has also changed, it's warm and gentle; even your ears have changed; your shoulders have broadened; your chest looks safe and secure; your arms are stronger now; and, your personality has changed too, Autumn brother, you smile more often now. Hmm, overall, you've become more handsome, it's great." Cui Xiuying pointed at each part of Li Qiu's body, listing out the changes she observed.

  "It's not that exaggerated, right? However, Soo-young, you've changed, become cute, pretty and charming, and your voice sounds great..." Wait, voice? Yes, Choi Soo-young's voice is different too. "Soo-young, you've also changed your voice."

  "Yeah, I entered puberty a bit later than autumn brother." As soon as he mentioned his voice changing, Choi Soo-young's expression darkened slightly. He turned his head and picked up a piece of sushi from the plate beside him, eating it in small bites. "Autumn brother, do you still remember our first meeting?"

  "Of course, at that time I was still very short, standing in front of you felt very inferior, so I lowered my head and didn't look at you, didn't expect to be misunderstood as stealing glances at your thighs." Now Li Qiu is still a bit shorter than Cui Xiuying, but not as much as before, about one head shorter.

  "Hehe, now Autumn brother has grown taller, and won't need to secretly glance at Xiu Ying's long legs anymore. Autumn brother is growing up so fast! I only grew a few centimeters this year."

  "Eat a lot." The boy entered puberty and ate more. This year, his appetite was also increasing rapidly.

  "Then I also want to eat more, I also want to grow 'big'!" Brother Qiu, you are growing taller, but I haven't grown "big", it's very frustrating. Must be because I didn't eat enough, need to eat more in the future...

  "Eat more and grow up, every child wants to grow up quickly, don't they? I also hope to grow up soon." I want to grow up too, sister. Li Qiu gazed at the distant green rice fields at the foot of the mountain, this field seemed too sentimental, just one glance, it evoked Li Qiu's memories, and Lee Hyori's pretty face suddenly emerged from the green."

  "Uh, to grow 'big'."

  Choi Soo-young also followed Lee Qiu's line of sight, gazing at the lush green rice field,

  "I also took a break from school and only then did I realize that school life is really fun. Do you still remember Gao Chenggang?"

  "Hmm, that big oaf."

  "He has a crush on another girl now, that one, in our class, who wears those very tacky glasses."

  "Her? The delicate and lovely one?" Although Li Qiu and Cui Xiu Ying didn't spend much time together studying, she still had some impression of her classmates' faces.

  "Yes, hehe, Autumn brother, tell me about your life here..."

  "Me..."

  The gentle breeze on the mountain top was blowing gently, and under the shade of the trees, the sound of two people talking kept coming, and from time to time, Choi Soo-young's laughter, which was as cool as the mountain wind...

  Unconsciously, an afternoon slipped away like this, time was like a slow-turning waterwheel, creaking and turning constantly, in the western sky, the sun had already sunk halfway down, losing its spirited and proud appearance of the afternoon, but instead highlighting a sense of shame, even the white clouds drifting by its side were tainted with this shame, dyed into a transparent orange-red color...

  "Are you tired?" After a whole afternoon of chatting, Cui Xiuying had unknowingly leaned against Li Qiu's shoulder, her long hair tied in two ponytails gently covering one side of Li Qiu's back.

  A little bit.

  "Let's head down the mountain, it's late, you should return to Tokyo."

  "I'll stay overnight and head back tomorrow morning."

  "Overnight stay……" Li Qiu thought for a moment, the house she had lived in for a year, one master bedroom, Feng Mu Sheng and Yamaguchi Mirei's room, one guest room, her own room, one study room, full of bookshelves, one kitchen, on the side of the house, one laboratory, inside was all formalin smell, then, nothing! So, where did Choi Soo-young sleep?

  "The house is like... there's no room left..." Li Qiu replied awkwardly.

  "It's okay, just sleep in Autumn brother's room."

  A gentle breeze blew, and the pink flush that could not be extinguished climbed up the cheeks of both people, just like the sunset burning at the horizon.

  ……

  In the early morning, yesterday was still scorching hot, but today it suddenly started raining. It wasn't heavy, but it was pouring down rapidly, like the rapid melody of a pipa being played quickly. The raindrops were big and small, falling hastily to the ground. Summer rain is not as gentle as spring rain, nor is it as ethereal as autumn rain. Even when it's just a light drizzle, it's still wild and uninhibited, bold and fearless. Li Qiu got up from the tatami mat in the living room and listened to the summer rain. The exhaustion of a year's worth of intense training seemed to be washed away by the rain, like the green vines on the wall being cleansed. Although he felt refreshed, a sense of melancholy crept into his heart, as if something was about to happen.

  Choi Soo-young stayed overnight, sleeping in Lee Chiu's room, while Lee Chiu spread a mat and slept in the living room. As the sky was getting light, he was woken up by the rain, his tongue constantly rolling in his mouth, and his daily vocal training had unknowingly become a habit. He sat at the front door, frowning, gazing out at the drizzling rain...

  Choi Soo-young also woke up, to be exact, she didn't sleep all night, lying on the bed filled with the smell of boys, reluctant to close her eyes, until the rain started in the early morning, then got up, very seriously folded the quilt, opened the window, gazing at the raindrops outside the window, standing still for a long time. "I should leave now, go home, wasn't that what I've been looking forward to? Why do I feel reluctant to part with you, Autumn brother?"

  He rummaged through his bag, pulled out a chocolate bar, and the chocolate in his hand triggered memories, causing him to grip it tightly.

  "I gave it to you when I went out."

  "Was it specially brought out for me?"

  "Ah, I saw you didn't have breakfast, so I brought some along; aren't you starving?"

  At the thought of this, Choi Soo-young couldn't help but laugh out loud, without making a sound, just smiling with her mouth raised, "I hate it, I'm not flat-chested, I'm still developing, and later if I eat more, they'll get bigger..."

  Put the chocolate on the neatly stacked quilt, Cui Xiuying quietly walked out of the room, she originally wanted to leave quietly, but Li Qiu had already woken up and was sitting at the door, looking at the rain.

  "Brother Autumn..."

  "Xiū Yīng, it's very early, are you going back?" Li Qiu looked at Cui Xiū Yīng who walked out of the house, still with that ponytail, still in that pure white dress, still with those slender legs...

  "Uh-huh." I have no choice but to leave now, it's time to go home, I've been out for too long.

  "I'll see you off at the station."

  "Uh-huh."

  Li Qiu took out a transparent plastic umbrella from the house and handed it to Cui Xiuying, while she herself took another light blue one. The two of them each held an umbrella and walked into the dense rain, along the winding cement road, walking further and further away...

  At the end of the village, there is a very old train station. From here, you can take the morning, noon, and evening trains to reach Kurashiki City, then transfer to the Shinkansen in Kurashiki, and arrive in Tokyo within six hours at the latest. Choi Soo-young usually leaves from Tokyo to Kurashiki the night before, spends a night in Kurashiki, takes the train to the village the next day, stays for a day, and then takes the evening train back to Kurashiki and returns to Tokyo by night train. When the two of them arrived at the platform, the train had already arrived, with only a few cars, and although it was clean in the rain, it couldn't hide its age.

  "Get on the bus, back to Tokyo, give me a call." Li Qiu came here without a mobile phone, only having a landline at home.

  A transparent white umbrella, and Choi Soo-young wearing a pristine white dress, standing on the edge of a platform with one corner missing, her back to an old train with only a few cars, like an oil painting that has aged beautifully.

  "Before I go home, Brother Autumn, let me give you a gift." Choi Soo-young held a small bag in one hand and twirled a pure white umbrella with the other, her head lowered as she mumbled something that was carried over to Li Qiu's light blue umbrella by the sound of raindrops hitting the top.

  "What gift?"

  "Close your eyes first." Cui Xiuying raised her head, through the curtain of raindrops, a faint blush appeared on her cheek, and she looked at Li Qiu.

  Li Qiu cooperated and closed his eyes, immersing himself in the darkness, allowing the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella to echo continuously in his mind. Slowly, an umbrella with a similar sound was approaching him...

  "Hmm?" The sound of raindrops hitting two umbrellas gradually merged into a beautiful melody, and then one umbrella disappeared, leaving only a warmth beside him. Li Qiu opened his eyes to find a face with tightly closed eyes, slightly lowered, like a water lily blooming in the rain, close to him, pressing against him. The sudden touch of lips made his mind go blank, without any movement, letting her quietly leave...

  Choi Soo-young's height was a bit taller than Lee Choo's, so when they kissed, she had to slightly lower her head. The kiss didn't last very long, it was like a dragonfly touching water, creating ripples and then flying away. Choi Soo-young also boarded the train, "Oppa, the last time on the mountain, that kiss doesn't count, this one is my real first kiss... goodbye, I'm going home, back to Korea..."

  When Li Qiu came to, the train had already started moving slowly. She picked up a pure white umbrella that had fallen beside her and gazed at the train as it chugged along through the lush green mountains, its rhythmic clatter echoing through the air as raindrops washed over it. In Li Qiu's heart, a complex mix of emotions stirred, like the flavors of a dish, as she thought to herself, "Going home... so she was returning to Korea after all..."

  "Xia Yang Nuo, Xiuying..."

  ……

  Li Qiu returned to the house, still immersed in the kiss from earlier, touching her lips, the fleeting kiss left a lingering warmth that had yet to dissipate. Entering her own room, on top of the neatly stacked quilt, lay a piece of chocolate, quietly and peacefully lying there, not saying a word, just like that, lying silently...

  "Chocolate..." Two girls appeared in Li Qiu's mind, one was the unforgettable, chocolate-scented Jeon Yul-li; the other was Choi Soo-young, who had left a piece of chocolate in his room. Suddenly, another girl flashed into his mind, the classmate who sat with her back to him, singing a Chinese song while staring at a patch of ivy, Jung Soo-young...

  "If I go back, when we meet again, how many people will remember me, this person who used to be called Muzi Qiu but is now called Li Qiu? Hmm, Xiuying will remember me, and maybe Zheng Xiuyan, who likes singing Chinese songs, will also remember..."

  Inspiration source, Xu Zhimo's "Sanya La"

  It's that gentle bow of the head

  Like a water lily flower that cannot bear the cool breeze's gentle caress

  Take care, take care

  That one word "goodbye" contains bittersweet sorrow.

  Shayanna Lara