Chapter 3 Weekend Embankment

  Today is the weekend, Lin Xiaoyu, who wanted to sleep in, was reluctantly woken up early by Li Jingru from next door and was called to fly a kite on the embankment of Yudai River.

  One hundred unwilling Lin Xiaoyu was coerced and bribed by Li Jingru, who knew herself thoroughly, out of the house.

  Lin Xiaoyu, with sleepy eyes, rode her red mountain bike behind Li Jingru, who was riding a light yellow women's bicycle in high spirits, heading towards the river embankment.

  The refreshing morning air and gentle breeze slowly drove away Lin Xiaoyu's drowsiness.

  Early summer mornings always come a bit earlier, the golden dawn brings a refreshing atmosphere to the road above the riverbank, and the slightly dazzling light shoots forward on the endless riverbank road ahead, making Lin Xiaoyu, who is wearing a black duck tongue hat, involuntarily squint her eyes.

  A gentle breeze carrying the last hint of spring's flavor blew over from the riverbank, bringing with it the refreshing scent of the lush green grass along the river embankment, making Lin Xiaoyu feel extremely comfortable. The remaining drowsiness she had was completely dispelled in this intoxicating fresh air.

  The Yu Dai He River Embankment was a place where Lin Xiao Yu and Li Jing Ru loved to play when they were young.

  The river embankment they were going to was located in the suburbs of the city, and few people went there normally. So this section of the river embankment was very quiet.

  This section of the river embankment is about a ten-minute bike ride from their home. The Yudai River is a sea-entering river in Feicui City, and because its water is clear and green, locals have given it the very fitting and pleasant name "Jade Belt River". On both sides of the Jade Belt River, high and wide embankments have been built, with gentle slopes and broad grasslands along the riverbanks, making for a breathtaking view.

  The Jade Ribbon River is a river that runs through the city of Feicui, its source comes from somewhere Lin Xiaoyu doesn't know, only knows that this Jade Ribbon River divides the city of Feicui very evenly into two districts: Hedong and Hexi.

  Lin Xiaoyu's home is located on the east bank of the Jade Ribbon River.

  In the middle section of the Yu Dai River embankment, there is a piece of open grassland. At the slope side of the grassland, some large stones are piled up, which were abandoned during the construction of the embankment. These gray stones, over one meter high and of various shapes, are piled on the green land, resembling small artificial hills. Not far from these stones, a very tall and straight kapok tree grows, which blooms with many red flowers like fire every late winter and early spring, forming a beautiful landscape on the embankment. This is Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru's favorite place to stay. They like to call it "Little Artificial Hill".

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru rode their bikes to this familiar place, stopped at the top of the riverbank, and looked out into the distance. The sky and earth were devoid of human traces, everywhere was a lush green grassland, with occasional sprinkles of tiny, colorful wildflowers among the grass. Between the two banks of grassland, a wide river flowed, shining with golden light refracted from the sunlight, as if many golden spirits were flashing in the water. The scent of flowers and grass carried by the gentle breeze made Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru feel as if they had entered a world beyond this one.

  The two of them quietly enjoyed this indescribable feeling of happiness on the riverbank for a few minutes.

  Lin Xiaoyu looked at Li Jingru standing beside a light yellow bicycle.

  Li Jingru, dressed in a white dress, stood out against the backdrop of lush green grass. The golden sunlight cast a subtle golden glow on her pure white clothes and skin, while the gentle breeze lightly rustled the ends of her black hair tied in a ponytail, and the hem of her skirt swayed slightly in the wind, making Li Jingru appear to Lin Xiaoyu like an ethereal fairy emerging from a dream.

  This is Li Jingru without any affection in Lin Xiaoyu's eyes. This is the most pure scenery in Lin Xiaoyu's eyes, who still doesn't know what it is.

  Li Jingru turned her head to face Lin Xiaoyu, who was still indulging in the atmosphere. "How's that, Xiaoyu? I told you it's better outside than in your bedroom, didn't I?"

  "En, very good." Lin Xiaoyu replied sincerely. But it was unclear whether he was referring to the scenery or Li Jingru. The current Lin Xiaoyu had not a bit of sleepiness left, only the energetic spirit of preparing for a big play.

  "Alright, let's go. Let's head towards the small hill over there." Li Jingru pushed the cart slowly along the slope towards the small hill.

  "Alright, I'm going to charge!" Lin Xiaoyu straddled the mountain bike and sped down the slope.

  Every time Lin Xiaoyu comes down the slope, she rushes down the grassy slope with a not-so-steep slope, which is something that Lin Xiaoyu enjoys very much.

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru stopped the car under a tall, straight eucalyptus tree. At this time, spring had just passed, and the eucalyptus tree no longer had those fiery red beautiful flowers, but the lush green leaves surrounded the straight brown trunk in this green space also looked very good. The lush leaves were like a giant umbrella casting a large green shade on the lawn.

  Li Jingru took out a blanket from the basket of her light yellow women's bicycle and spread it under the green shade of a eucalyptus tree, putting some food and things she had brought with her on the blanket.

  Lin Xiaoyu, on the other hand, still had a strong affection for this kapok tree that she had climbed since childhood, and with a few swift movements, she climbed up the tree to play.

  Li Jingru was busy arranging the food and some utensils with her head down, when suddenly a small flower hoop fell on Li Jingru's ponytail.

  They are actually made of small twigs and leaves, tender green branches and leaves forming a delicate little circle, looking like a large beryl stone bracelet.

  Li Jingru knew without thinking that it was Lin Xiaoyu, the little monkey, who had made this small flower hoop and put it on her own head, from childhood to adulthood.

  Li Jingru also likes these small flower rings very much. She doesn't know how many of them she has brought back to her own little room.

  Li Jingru remembered that when Xiaoyu first came here as a child, she always wanted to climb up this kapok tree, but due to her lack of climbing skills and the fact that the trunk of this kapok tree was extremely straight and thick, Xiaoyu didn't know how many times she tried before finally climbing up the tree.

  When Lin Xiaoyu first climbed up this kapok tree, shouting loudly on the branches and telling herself about the scenery she saw from the top of the tree, Lin Xiaoyu's excitement was like that of a mountaineer who had just conquered the highest peak in the world. Li Jingru still remembers it clearly to this day.

  Li Jingru took off the flower garland on her head and put it aside on the blanket, lifted her head to Lin Xiaoyu who was lying lazily on the tree branch and said: "Okay, come down and fly a kite, little monkey."

  Every kite that Li Jingru releases is made by herself, from the first crooked and twisted kite to the increasingly beautiful and varied kites she makes.

  This time, Li Jingru made a small bird-shaped kite using red paper. On the kite, she painted very beautiful floral patterns. The tail of the kite trailed two long yellow ribbons. Such a kite is in no way inferior to those bought in stores and has its own unique characteristics.

  Li Jingru threw a brush at Lin Xiaoyu who was coming down from the tree and said: "It's your turn to write your wish."

  The local custom is to write down one's wishes on a kite, so the higher the kite flies, the easier it is for the wish to come true.

  Lin Xiaoyu held the brush and thought for a moment, then painted a football and a boy's head portrait at the bottom left wing of the small bird kite, writing "Football match must take first place" in a crooked line, and then wrote her own name in a crooked way.

  After Lin Xiaoyu finished writing, Li Jingru took over the brush and wrote a line of elegant characters on the right wing of the kite: Forever happy.

  "Xiao Ru, why do you always write this sentence? The last few times were also this sentence." Lin Xiaoyu asked with some curiosity.

  Because Li Jingru is a few months older than Lin Xiaoyu, family members let Lin Xiaoyu call Li Jingru as her sister, but Lin Xiaoyu was very unwilling to be treated as the younger brother of Li Jingru who is almost the same age, so Lin Xiaoyu usually calls Li Jingru as Xiao Ru.

  "It can't be, last time was last time, this time is this time, the timing is different. And it's always very long, you have to make several wishes before they come true." Li Jingru took out a kite and walked towards the widest lawn. Lin Xiaoyu followed behind her with quick steps.

  Flying a kite is a very familiar game for Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru. However, the wind is not strong today, and it's still quite difficult to fly the kite.

  Lin Xiaoyu turned the brim of her duck-tongue hat to the back of her head, holding the kite string axis with her left hand and lifting the kite string with her right hand. She was directing Li Jingru, who was standing at the other end of the line, holding up the kite.

  Lin Xiaoyu felt the wind coming and shouted at Li Jingru to let go, then pulled the kite against the wind all the way.

  But because the wind was relatively small, after trying several times back and forth, the kite floated in mid-air for a few moments before falling back onto the grass. This made Lin Xiaoyu feel somewhat disappointed.

  "This kite of yours has a problem. It must be like that. Otherwise, how could it not fly up?" Lin Xiaoyu doubted and said to Li Jingru.

  "It's impossible. Every kite I make can fly high in the sky. You must have a problem with your technique." Li Jingru retorted fearlessly.

  "If it's a problem with my technique, then who sent up all those kites before?"

  "Hum, you were lucky last time."

  "It's not like that!"

  "Exactly!"

  "No!"

  "Alright now that the wind is strong, let's go try it out." Li Jingru's suggestion ended the childish argument between the two.

  Li Jingru was used to this kind of bickering with Lin Xiaoyu since childhood. The debate between the two seemed to have never had a pause.

  The first time I flew a kite with Lin Xiaoyu in my memory was when that crooked and twisted kite that couldn't fly high fell into the Jade Belt River.

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru, the two children, looked at each other in dismay as they stared at the kite that was supposed to be soaring high in the sky but was now swimming in the river.

  Later, two children sulkily made a large flower ring that could barely be grasped with both hands stretched out.

  The last two children, who had made a big flower hoop for themselves, were delighted and threw away the kite, carrying the big flower hoop with a smile on their faces, and trotted home.

  The wind is much stronger now than it was just a moment ago. Lin Xiaoyu is running forward, holding onto the kite string as the red bird-shaped kite soars into the air, carrying with it the wishes of Lin Xiaoyu and her friend. The kite dips and dives in the sky, its movements unpredictable. Lin Xiaoyu expertly manipulates the string, sometimes letting out more line, sometimes pulling it back in, moving forward and backward to guide the kite upward, riding the wind currents.

  Li Jingru stood beside Lin Xiaoyu, looking up at the kite drifting in the wind with a bit of tension, full of expectation that this kite she made could take her and Xiaoyu's wishes to fly to the sky.

  With Lin Xiaoyu's tireless efforts and the help of the wind, the kite carrying Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru's wishes finally slowly flew up into the sky, becoming smaller and smaller. The two long yellow ribbons were almost invisible. The sky seemed to have an additional fiery red beautiful bird flying freely.

  Lin Xiaoyu handed the string to Li Jingru, who was looking up at the kite in the sky with her head raised, and said with a bit of pride: "How's that, Little Ru? My kite-flying skills are not bad, right?"

  "The kite I made is fine too." Li Jingru said with a smile as she took over the spool, handing her white handkerchief to Lin Xiaoyu, "Wipe your sweat, you look exhausted."

  "Haha, my wish can come true, getting first place in the football match!"

  Lin Xiaoyu took the white handkerchief handed over by Li Jingru without hesitation and wiped away the sweat beads on her forehead. The handkerchief had a faint fragrance that smelled very good, Lin Xiaoyu had liked this smell since she was young. So many times, Li Jingru's small handkerchiefs were used by Lin Xiaoyu.

  The kite had been flying steadily in the blue sky, and then the two children tied the kite string to a big stone and each ran off to do their own thing.

  Lin Xiaoyu came to the banks of the Jade Belt River in search of those smooth and strange flower-patterned beautiful rainstones.

  Li Jingru ran to the slope where a cluster of small wildflowers were blooming and picked various colorful tiny flowers. In the flower cluster, there were butterflies and bees flying around collecting nectar, occasionally seeing beautiful butterflies, Li Jingru would always shout for Lin Xiaoyu by the river to come over and help her catch them.

  After a few cups of tea, the two children returned under the kapok tree with their spoils, proudly showing off their harvest to each other.

  Lin Xiaoyu's hands held many rain flower stones of different shapes and colors, while Li Jingru's small flower ring was woven with various colorful wildflowers that couldn't be named. Both children were very satisfied with their own works.

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru, two exhausted children, lay side by side on the grass beside a blanket under a kapok tree, giggling and chatting about their interesting experiences in junior high school.

  Lin Xiaoyu's mouth was holding a dog tail grass, the tip of her tongue savoring the faint sweetness brought by the stem; Li Jingru's hand pinched a small yellow wild chrysanthemum, occasionally putting it in front of her little nose to feel the faint floral scent.

  Both children are experiencing the comfort brought by the riverbank in this seemingly static picture.

  There is no hustle and bustle of the city, no cars coming and going on the streets, no crowded pedestrians, and there is also no pungent smell of smoke emitted from factories.

  There are distant mountains and red kites floating in the blue sky and white clouds. There is cool breeze and fresh air, there are beautiful wild flowers and quiet riverbank scenery. Here has a clean environment like Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru two children.

  At this time, the two children's hearts were filled with nothing but joyful happiness.

  The few bird calls brought by the small birds flying across the sky made Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru feel as if they were the joyful cries of the red kite. Filling these two children with curiosity about the mysterious sky.

  Unconsciously, happy times seem to pass by as quickly as floating clouds.

  It seemed that in the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon. Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru reluctantly rode their bicycles carrying flower garlands and rain flower stones to bid farewell to this happy little paradise.

  And the little red kite carrying the wishes of two children had already let go of the string, drifting out of their sight and floating towards the direction of the clouds at the horizon...

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru rode their bicycles home with a pleasant mood, chatting about topics that seemed to never run out.

  "Tomorrow is the start of the football match, you have to work hard!"

  "Well, that's for sure."

  "Then I'll go watch your game tomorrow."

  "Alright, I'll let you witness Lin Xiaoyu's footwork that's as agile as Maradona's..."

  "Stop bragging, you think I haven't seen you play soccer? You always get the ball stolen from you."

  "Ah, that was an accident. Usually I'm the one stealing the ball from others..."

  "How many unexpected times?"

  "It's really unexpected, I'm recognized as a master of kicking the ball."

  "I don't believe it."

  "Just you wait and see how awesome I'll be tomorrow."

  "Alright, I'll see how you make a fool of yourself tomorrow."

  Lin Xiaoyu and Li Jingru ended their weekend with a pleasant mood. On the riverbank road back home, bursts of silvery laughter echoed from time to time, as the sunset cast two faint shadows behind the two children.

  (PS: This chapter is written a bit dull, it's a true memory of my childhood. Thank you, please collect and recommend)