Chapter 113: Heart Rain Patter (06)

  After completing the registration formalities, Li Jia officially became a member of Yannan S Middle School.

  Although so, Chen Haonan still felt that Li Jia giving up Y Middle School was a real pity, after all, not everyone can get into a provincial key middle school like Y Middle School; however, on the other hand, her decision was undoubtedly correct, after all, in one year she could save several thousand yuan, which is not a small amount for a small woodworking workshop family.

  Although Li Jiana always emphasized that it was not just to save money for her family and reduce her parents' workload, Chen Haonan was particularly happy for her - because he felt she had really grown up.

  Just as attention was focused on Li Jia's affairs, the relationship between Chen Haonan and Ouyang Ywen underwent some subtle changes. The previous time, Xiao Qiuming went north to study, and at the time of farewell, his sincere words made Chen Haonan wake up a lot from the confusion of emotions.

  Like many people, Chen Haonan was born with a few silly and foolish tendencies, especially when it came to personal relationships. He had been spending a lot of time with Ouyang Yiweng, often discussing problems together, listening to each other's inner voices, and in the eyes of outsiders, their relationship had long surpassed the boundaries of friendship. Of course, her beauty, intelligence, kindness, and talent were all deeply etched in his mind. However, he himself was very vague about it, unaware that it was the sprouting of youthful love...

  Fortunately, Xiao Qiuying's words at the time of farewell made Chen Haonan suddenly enlightened, and he only knew that his heart had been secretly sprouting. But what can be done about it? He felt himself drifting aimlessly on the sea again, lost and without any direction.

  In front of Ouyang Yiweng, Chen Haonan had repeatedly hesitated and concealed his feelings, but he really wanted to express his admiration for her. However, after several rounds of painful mental struggle, he quietly abandoned the idea. After all, at this critical moment when he was sprinting towards the college entrance exam, he couldn't afford to be distracted, nor did he want her to be distracted. Moreover, he still carried his father's dreams and the expectations of many loved ones - he couldn't let them down. So, he resolutely decided to bury that foolish love deep in his heart, still treating her with a normal attitude, chatting with her as usual, telling her jokes, discussing problems with her...

  Although so, Chen Haonan still couldn't face Ouyang Yiweng as freely and unrestrainedly as before, because Xiao Qiuming's words had dug a big hole in the dike of his heart, no matter how hard he tried to hold back that surging tide of emotions.

  However, Chen Haonan did not want to be overwhelmed by the flood of emotions that had burst its banks, and he was even more unwilling for that flood to overwhelm Ouyang Yiweng. So, he carefully controlled his emotions and various behaviors, in order not to get deeper because of too much indulgence, he began to consciously avoid her.

  Of course, Chen Haonan's "hide" is not that he runs far away when he sees Ouyang Yiweng, nor is it intentional to perfunctorily deal with her. Rather, he has begun to consciously try to avoid being alone with her and has started to consciously try to avoid discussing sensitive emotional issues with her.

  In this way, Chen Haonan's entire mentality and life slowly returned to calmness, and he happened to devote all his thoughts to studying. However, this calmness didn't last for even a week, when a simple registered letter broke it again...

  This letter was brought by Ouyang Yiweng. She said she had just gone to the head teacher's office and found Chen Haonan's letter, so she brought it over conveniently. This happened on Friday evening.

  Taking the letter from Ouyang Yiweng's hand, Chen Haonan knew that Yu Fen and Yu Na, the two sisters, had written to him as soon as he saw the sender's address. "Haha, these two girls have sent me a letter again..." He smiled and slowly tore open the envelope.

  However, Chen Haonan soon felt strange because he found that there was only one letter in the envelope - he was very clear that each time Yu Fen and Yu Na came to write a letter, it was one letter per person, and the two letters were folded separately and placed in the same envelope. But now there is only one letter, and he can't help but feel a little strange, his eyebrows also furrowed involuntarily.

  "What's wrong? What happened?" Ouyang Yiweng seemed to have noticed that Chen Haonan's face was not quite right, and she hastily asked with concern.

  "No, nothing..." Afraid that Ouyang Yiweng would worry, Chen Haonan hastily glanced at her and forced a smile.

  Since Chen Haonan said so, Ouyang Yiweng stopped talking. Moreover, she also knew that the letter was written by a pair of twin sisters who were very close to Chen Haonan, so there shouldn't be anything bad about it. So, she just stood quietly beside them.

  He slowly opened the letter, and upon seeing the handwriting, Chen Haonan knew it was Yu Nana who wrote it. He hastily looked at the signature at the end, and indeed it was her. Without thinking much, he began to read the letter:

  Hao Nan Ge Ge:

  Delighted to hear from you! From your last letter, we learned that everything is fine with you, and my sister Fen and I were relieved. We truly hope everything is going well for you and wish you happiness every day!

  Maybe you'll find it strange, Haonan brother, that every time it's always me and Fen'er sister writing to you together, but this time it's only me?... Haonan brother, please don't have any doubts, I'm taking advantage of sister being fast asleep to secretly write to you, tomorrow I'll also secretly go mail the letter. Actually, a long time ago I wanted to write a letter just to you alone, to tell you some of my thoughts and small opinions.

  If I'm not mistaken, it's been over four years since we met in junior high school. During this time, especially during our time at Zitan Middle School, we often gathered together to discuss our studies and homework, worked together on the radio station, and talked about our dreams and future. Although there were some unpleasant things that happened during that period, my memories are mostly filled with happiness and laughter. Those moments often flash before my eyes, and every time I think of them, I feel very fortunate. Every time I mention those things to Fen'er sister, we get especially excited...

  Hao Nan, do you still remember the scene of our first meeting? I still clearly remember that it was not long after my sister Fen Er and I had just entered Zi Tan Middle School. One afternoon, we two went out for a walk, who would have thought that halfway through, it suddenly started raining heavily. My sister and I quickly rushed into a small thatched hut by the side of the road. Who would have expected that just after a while, a boy who had been drenched in the rain suddenly burst in, my sister and I were frightened and shouted loudly. Haha, that boy was you! Thinking about it now still makes me laugh, remembering how as soon as you entered the door, our screams scared you away, until several seconds later when you finally came into the small hut...

  Perhaps our unexpected first encounter destined our acquaintance and understanding; perhaps the unexpected first encounter also destined the story between us.

  However, as time passed by, many things have been quietly changing, including our purest friendship and sibling love. I remember when we first heard the news that you didn't do well in the middle school entrance exam, my sister and I were really sad, and Fen'er sister even cried several times. Later, when we heard that you got into S Middle School, my sister and I finally put our minds at ease a little, although it was a long time before we could contact you again. However, my sister and I often mentioned you, and we tried every way to get news about you. Later on, my sister and I went to S Middle School despite our parents' objections - on the rooftop of the teaching building in S Middle School, my sister Fen'er and I reunited with you after a long time, and at that moment, my sister and I were overjoyed...

  Originally, my sister and I had agreed that no matter what, we wouldn't tell you that the reason we went to S was because you were there - we wanted to be with you. However, due to your repeated questioning, we ended up telling you. In fact, there's another important reason that has been hidden in our hearts all along. My sister Fen and I don't have any other siblings, and in our hearts, we had already acknowledged you as a brother. But as the days spent together increased, and as we gradually grew older, our feelings towards you were no longer just simple friendship and sibling affection - my sister Fen and I unknowingly fell for you at some point...

  As he read to this point, Chen Haonan's heart suddenly trembled violently, and the five flavors in his heart seemed to have all turned over at once. The sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors were all there, but he couldn't say which one it was. Suddenly, he thought of Ouyang Yiweng standing beside him, and hastily looked at her, wanting to say something, but ultimately not saying a word. So, he continued reading the letter:

  Hao Nan, maybe my way of speaking isn't quite right, because I'm not very clear about this so-called romance between men and women either. I don't know what that feeling is like. But I do know that Fen Er sister has very deep feelings for you, even though you're a bit dull and haven't noticed anything. I know she really likes you, it's just that she hasn't confessed to you yet.

  At this moment, Fen Er sister is sleeping soundly, she has not slept so well for many days. In the past few days, she was ill, with a high fever that lingered on, and in her daze, she kept calling out your name. My dad and mom were especially worried about it, but I knew that Fen Er sister had you in her heart, thinking of you, she was happy, and she would soon recover...

  Hao Nan, you really are something! We've all written several letters to you, but you only replied with one. I know you're very busy studying now, but I still hope you can spare some time to write us a few more letters - if not, even a phone call would be good! I hope during the National Day holiday, you can come to the city and visit Fen Er sister, I can tell she really misses you...

  I also suggested going back to Yannan S to see you, but Fen'er sister always said it would delay your studies. So, I'll trouble you to come over and take a break from studying, relax and unwind!

  It's getting late, I'll stop here. When you come to the city next time, remember to call me in advance, and Fen'er sister and I will go to the station to pick you up...

  Hao Nan Ge, remember to take good care of yourself, wishing you peace and happiness!

  Nana Grass Script / On a certain night in a certain month of 2003

  After finishing reading the letter, Chen Haonan slowly let out a sigh of relief, then carefully folded the letter back to its original shape and put it back into the envelope, before gently putting it into his own pocket.

  On the surface, Chen Haonan seemed so calm, but in the depths of his heart, it was a stormy sea. Suddenly, the lovely faces of Yu Fen and Yu Na appeared in his mind, but before he could see them clearly, they suddenly disappeared.

  In the past, whenever Chen Hao Nan received letters from Yu Fen and Yu Na, as long as Ou Yang Yi Wen was by his side, he would smile and hand the letter over to her after reading it. However, this time, after finishing the letter, he slowly folded it up and even put it in his pocket. Ou Yang Yi Wen didn't mind that Chen Hao Nan wouldn't let her read the letter, but she did feel a bit worried because she inadvertently noticed that his seemingly calm face had flashed with a few threads of worry. So, she anxiously asked: "What's wrong? What did the letter say? Are Yu Fen and Yu Na doing well?"

  "It's okay, it's okay. It's just that Fen'er had a low-grade fever the day before yesterday...” Chen Haonan said somewhat hesitantly, his heart was in turmoil, but he still tried his best to control himself, making sure his voice wasn't too loud. However, Chen Haonan couldn't tell Ouyang Yiweng the truth, so he hastily came up with something to say. Just as Chen Haonan was about to add something, their class teacher Wang Ze suddenly appeared from the other end of the corridor, puffing on a cigarette - he winked at Ouyang Yiweng to remind her. Then, they walked into the classroom one after the other.

  Then, Wang Ze also entered the classroom. However, it was strange that Wang Ze didn't say anything, he just smiled and walked around the corridor in the classroom before slipping out. Everyone originally thought that the head teacher would give a long speech again, so when they saw him come in, they all sat up straight, who would have thought that he wouldn't even fart before leaving, the classroom which had just been quiet for a moment suddenly became a vegetable market, with all sorts of voices ringing out.

  Just now in the corridor, Chen Haonan hastily read Yu Na's letter. When the head teacher left, he couldn't help but take out the letter again to take a closer look. However, as soon as he took it out, he hesitated because his deskmate Liu Xiaogang was right next to him. That kid didn't have any other bad habits, but he liked to snoop on people's private matters and had even boasted about writing a book called "China's Most Awesome Private Matters". Chen Haonan thought: If this kid were to sneak a peek at the letter's contents, it would be disastrous! So, he quickly put the letter away. Moreover, there were already rumors circulating in the class that his relationship with Ouyang Yiweng was ambiguous, and the head teacher seemed to have heard something too. Chen Haonan didn't want to stir up any more trouble for himself or her at this time...

  Dazed, Chen Haonan sat in his seat, letting his deskmates chat and laugh loudly beside him. Fortunately, the evening study bell rang soon, and the classroom gradually quieted down.

  Tonight was all math class, and Teacher Sheng, who taught math, quickly slipped into the classroom. As soon as he entered, he began distributing test papers to his classmates. This was his usual practice - every time it was his turn to lead the evening study session, he would bring in test papers for his students to take a quiz. Moreover, he would often finish grading the papers overnight and review them with the class the next day. Because Teacher Sheng took the time to carefully grade each exam and often provided individualized tutoring on problems from the exams, his students also treated the weekly math quizzes very seriously, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

  As soon as Chen Haonan unfolded the test paper, he quickly started doing the questions. Fortunately, most of the topics covered were from the lessons in the past few days, and he finished the multiple-choice questions quickly.

  However, as soon as he turned the page of the test paper, Chen Haonan began to lose his concentration again. The hand that was calculating on the draft paper also stopped unknowingly. What appeared in his mind were all the contents of Yu Nana's letter and the scene of Yu Fen being ill...

  "What are you spacing out for?" It was the voice of Liu Xiaogang, his deskmate, who gently pushed Chen Haonan with his elbow and whispered softly.

  "Oh, it's okay, it's okay..." Chen Haonan immediately woke up and smiled foolishly at Liu Xiaogang, then he quickly finished the remaining questions.

  His heart slowly calmed down, and Chen Haonan continued to do several fill-in-the-blank questions in a row. Only then did he realize that the questions behind were much more difficult than those in front, and there were many questions that seemed to have never been seen before. He really regretted not taking a good look at the test paper earlier. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but clench his fists and punch them heavily on his knees.

  The exam was about to end, but Chen Haonan still had two big questions that he hadn't started writing, and for another big question, he only did two of the three small questions below it, and he wasn't sure if they were right or wrong. However, there was no other way, he could only hand in his exam paper with trepidation. When he asked his classmates around him, he heard them all sighing and saying that the questions were very difficult, and that many of them hadn't even started writing, Chen Haonan felt a little more at ease.

  The evening self-study of the three classes was occupied by two classes because of the exam, and Chen Haonan felt that he had wasted a lot of time with such poor results. So, he decided to put Yu Na's letter aside for the time being and do a few questions seriously.

  As Chen Haonan concentrated on various numbers and geometric symbols, time slipped away quietly, and the bell for the end of the evening study session rang unnoticed. However, he didn't hear the bell; he was engrossed in doing his exercises...

  He finally solved a geometry problem and Chen Haonan put down his pen with satisfaction, letting out a sigh of relief.

  After sitting for a while, Chen Haonan stretched his waist and slowly got up. He only then discovered that almost all of his classmates had left. Hehe, probably because everyone was tired from the exam, they were all eager to return to their dormitory to rest - after tidying up the messy desk, Chen Haonan also quickly walked out of the classroom.