Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Leaving the Garden, Old Dreams

On weekends, when Sang Li went out to do some shopping and was waiting for a parking space in the supermarket parking lot, he fell into an old habit of nostalgia for no apparent reason. It's really strange, after so long, she doesn't understand why she thinks of Tian Miao.Unexpectedly, I still think of them quarreling, fighting, and growing up quietly behind their respective curtains. Thinking about it now, it was her and Tian Miao's good fortune that they didn't fight like in the movie until one was sent to heaven and the other to prison. When she thought of this, she sighed, and when she looked up again, she saw Ma Yu.

Perhaps it was because Sang Li and Ma Yu exchanged a few words when they met in the cherry blossom forest. Since then, Ma Yu would raise his hand slightly every time he saw Sang Li, and his smile was not strong but comfortable.Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Sang Li always nodded slightly, with a very polite smile, neither alienated nor close.In fact, she always thought that she was a little brain-deprived of oxygen in that afternoon when the cherry blossoms were scattered—a person like her, who is used to not trusting anyone, how could she tell strangers about her private affairs?

However, it seems that as long as we get to know each other, the strangeness of "occasional encounter" will gradually become the familiarity of "regular". "I can meet you here too." Ma Yu waited for her to park the car, and greeted her with a smile, "I knew it was the same road, why not take my car, which saves trouble and fuel." Sang Li also smiled lightly: "Do it yourself, and have enough food and clothing." Ma Yu froze for a moment, followed her up the stairs, and asked her with a smile, "Are you always so wary of others?" Sang Li looked at him in surprise: "Why do you say that?"

Ma Yu turned to look at Sang Li: "It feels like...it feels like there is a shell in the middle, it always seems to be separated by something." Sang Li smiled slightly: "Mr. Ma, are you always so open and honest with everyone?" Ma Yu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Sang Li shook his head, and said while picking out the trolley: "Where is it rude? It's just that there are too many blurry and unclear things in this world. You want to see more clearly, but I have long since given up the desire to see." .” Ma Yu took the cart from Sang Li's hand, walked forward side by side with her, and smiled: "You don't look like a student of vocal music, but rather like a student of philosophy."

Sang Li returned a faint smile, then glanced at the well-dressed man pushing a supermarket shopping cart beside him, and changed the subject: "Mr. Ma, why are you still dressed so formally when you go shopping on weekends?" "I was going to the company," Ma Yu explained, "YOYO clamored to eat bear cakes and 'Fuerjia' toffee, so I had to buy them for her first." Sang Li hesitated for a moment, then raised his head and said softly, "Ma Yu, you are actually very happy." Ma Yu was taken aback for a moment, he seemed to see through the loneliness behind Sang Li's silent expression in an instant, but these emotions disappeared suddenly.

In the next second, he only heard Sang Li's slightly happy voice: "Look, bear cake, what flavor does YOYO like?" Ma Yu turned his head and saw Sang Li squatting in front of the shelf with his back turned to him, concentrating on studying the biscuits with various flavors in front of him, and said to himself: "I must like strawberry, chocolate flavor is more traditional, oh! And white cream ..." Ma Yu stared at Sang Li's long and curly hair, and felt that the atmosphere at the moment was quite weird: it seemed that they knew each other a long time ago, and this woman should be by his side, smiling, playing the violin, and even picking out a box of bears for her daughter cake.

Coming out of the supermarket, Ma Yu and Sang Li's cars drove towards "Sakura Garden Green View" one after the other. Sang Li's car was behind, and the Audi logo on the rear of Ma Yu's car could be clearly seen.Sang Li felt strange: Is it more suitable for a man like Ma Yu to drive a BMW? So I couldn't help but think of Shen Jie who was driving a BMW. When I thought this way, I suddenly saw a huge advertisement appearing on the blank billboard at the intersection in front of me. One line of advertising slogan: Liyuan mansion, Jiangnan old dream, meet again. With a "creak", Sang Li slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the road.

But in an instant, Sang Li's hands and feet were cold, and he just sat in the driver's cab blankly, looking at the billboards at the intersection through the front windshield: antique courtyards, the layout of Jiangnan gardens, lotus-colored gauze lanterns hanging on the lintels, Quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Vaguely, I can still remember what Shen Jie said: "Little Li, do you still remember the 'Lingering Garden' in Suzhou? Even though life is full of parting, as long as we come to Liyuan, we can still meet again. Because parting is for meeting again..."

Liyuan mansion, Jiangnan old dream, meet again... These words kept ringing in Sang Li's heart, mixed with Shen Jie's voice, that warm voice in the past, getting louder and noisier. Sang Li finally lay down on the steering wheel, crying bitterly. She cried so desperately, so out of breath.That was her own world, her old dream, she didn't care about the traffic jam in the middle of the road, she couldn't hear the horns around her one after another, and she couldn't notice the furious curses of the car owners, she just let the tears flow down and her ears swelled. It is full of the phrase "Liyuan mansion, the old dream in the south of the Yangtze River, meet again"...

"Tuk tuk tuk", someone knocked on the window of the cab, Sang Li looked up and saw Ma Yu's anxious face. It seemed that she had only just heard the sound of trumpets around her, and woke up like a dream.At the same time, Ma Yu opened the car door and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with you?" Sang Li stretched out his hand to wipe his face, and forced himself to smile: "I'm fine." Ma Yu frowned: "Get out of the car and sit on the side." "What?" Sang Li was a little confused.Ma Yu didn't wait too long, stretched out his hand and dragged her out of the car, then stuffed her into the co-pilot's seat, then got in the car, adjusted the seat, and started on the road again.

While doing these things with ease, he looked at her worriedly: "what's wrong with you?" Sang Li had already recovered, and lowered his head slightly: "No, I just thought of something suddenly, and I'm very sad!" Ma Yu sighed: "I was startled, and suddenly I heard someone slamming on the brakes from behind, and it turned out to be you! It's not good where you parked, but you parked in the middle of the road, causing the car behind to almost rear-end. Are you picking on the traffic police? Test everyone's driving skills when you go to work? I can tell you, road killers like you are everywhere, one is better than the other, driving on the road is simply challenging the limit of life!" He deliberately said it lightly, and Sang Li couldn't help laughing.It seems that he just laughed and realized that after graduating from university, he left Gu Xiaoying and Shen Jie. How long has it been since he laughed so happily? It wasn't until he was about to get home that Ma Yu suddenly remembered something and asked Sang Li: "Miss Sang, our company plans to plan a bar art salon with the theme of classical music next month. I would like to invite you to participate. Presumptuous?" Sang Li suddenly turned to look at Ma Yu. Ma Yu was a little confused, so he explained subconsciously while driving: "I just think your singing voice is really beautiful. I know that people like you are going to stand on the stage of the opera house, but this kind of classical music salon is also a kind of music. Explore, we have held similar movie-themed salons, and they are also very successful. These bars are all elegant art bars with a good cultural atmosphere and are well-known in the city, really.” Sang Li withdrew his gaze, and after a long time, he sighed: "Let me think about it." Ma Yu nodded and stopped talking.He actually didn't know that Sang Li hadn't considered other people's suggestions for a long time these years. Because for her, there is nothing in this world that she wants, and there is nothing she is afraid of losing, so there is nothing she must do. There is nothing more sad than death - many times, this sentence does not only refer to love. However, all crimes and punishments start from the first love. The first time I met Xiang Ning, Sang Li was fourteen years old. It was a class break, and someone shouted at the door of the classroom: "Sang Li is looking for someone." Sang Li hurried out of the classroom, only to realize that it was Tian Miao who was looking for her at the door. Sang Li was surprised and his eyes were wary.In contrast, Tian Miao's eyes were bolder and more disdainful. She put her hands in her pockets and raised her chin to look at Sang Li: "My mother will take me back to my grandma's house tonight, and your father is on duty. Let me take the I'll give you the money, and I'll buy my own food tonight." She stretched out her hand and held the corner of the five-yuan bill, her expression was so arrogant that she didn't look like a thirteen-year-old child at all. Sang Li stared at Tian Miao for a few times, and the two eyes met in the air, carrying the hatred that made people around wonder.After a while, Sang Li finally stretched out his hand to take the banknote, but just as he was about to receive the banknote, Tian Miao let go of his hand suddenly, and the dark yellow banknote fluttered to the ground. Sang Li was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously bent down to pick it up, while Tian Miao, who had a mocking face, had already turned and walked back.The airflow brought up by her steps even blew up the banknotes that fell on the ground, and then floated a little farther away.So, after all, Sang Li's hand still didn't grab the banknote, but caught nothing not far from the banknote. At that moment, Sang Li kept the posture of bending down and reaching out, and Tian Miao's heels could still be seen from the corner of his eyes, but something in his heart collapsed again, and thick dust rose. That day, during that second of stagnation, Sang Li suddenly felt like a beggar, a beggar with nothing and no one to rely on.As for Tian Miao, Tian Miao, who has two mothers and two fathers, even though he cannot live with his biological father, he is still like a giver. Finally, Sang Li stared at the five-yuan note in the crowded corridor, squatted down slightly, and remained motionless. Even if there are countless pairs of inquiring eyes around, even if there are countless people watching curiously, she no longer cares.She just crouched in despair and cowering in the noisy corridor, neither afraid of being bumped into by boys who were fighting, nor afraid of gossiping girls discussing her relationship with Tian Miao behind her back.She could only squat there, trying to suppress the pain in her heart that others could not understand, trying to keep her eyes wide open, staring at the paper money fluttering in the wind on the floor. Until he picked up the banknote with both hands, and asked her inquiringly, "Student, did you drop your money?" She raised her head from the indescribably empty sadness, and looked directly into the clear and beautiful eyes of the boy in front of her, completely unaware of how the sadness in her eyes shocked the boy in front of her at that moment. That was the first time Sang Li and Xiang Ning met. He said eight words that day, but she only said two words - thank you. A few days later, Nan Yang celebrated his birthday, and when Sang Li received the notice, he had no room to refuse—Nan Yang stood upright in front of Sang Li, half seductive and half threatening: "I don't want a birthday present, but you have to go play with us." .” Sang Li was a little moved in her heart, she could feel that Nan Yang was afraid of spending money by herself - he also knew that she had no money at all. "Where are you going?" "Crouching Dragon Canyon." "So far away..." Sang Li hesitated, "What's so interesting there?" "You'll know as soon as you go." Nan Yang said. Sang Li looked at Nan Yang, still hesitating: "I still have to practice singing on weekends." Nan Yang thought for a while, then smiled: "There is an art student in the class next door, why don't I help you find a teacher, anyway, you can't always sing in the Children's Palace, how old are you, why are you pretending to be a child?" Sang Li punched Nanyang bitterly, stared at him, and finally agreed: "Then I told my dad to celebrate your birthday, don't tell him where to go, I'm afraid he won't let me go so far away .” Nan Yang nodded, and looked at Sang Li with the eyes of an idiot: "Nonsense, letting your father know is the same as letting my mother know? I'm looking for death!" But later Sang Li found out that he was really courting death by agreeing to Nan Yang to go to Wolong Canyon. Because it was not until he stood at the entrance of Wolong Canyon that Sang Li was horrified to find that there was actually a project called "Bungee Jumping" in the picturesque Wolong Canyon!And the birthday star Nan Yang just wants to commemorate his adulthood in the way of "gravitational acceleration"? ! Sang Li just stood in front of the ticket office of Wolong Forest Park, and as soon as he heard his plan, he wanted to run away.But it was useless, Nan Yang tightly grasped Sang Li's wrist, and shouted happily into the distance: "This way, this way!" Sang Li narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of the sunlight, and saw a few small black dots slowly moving over.Getting closer, getting closer... The faces of the boys became clearer and clearer. Sang Li identified it carefully, and found that the one walking in the middle seemed very familiar, and couldn't help but let out a "huh". Nan Yang heard it and was very curious: "You know him?" Sang Li didn't answer. She just continued squinting at the tall boy who was coming out of the sun until she saw the same surprise appear in his eyes, and then quickly put away the surprise and put on a kind and warm smile. Nan Yang introduced to Sang Li one by one, and when he introduced the tall boy, he said: "His name is Xiang Ning, and he is a grade nine in piano." Sang Li raised the corner of his mouth and said to him in a clear voice: "Hello!" While speaking, the morning sun shone on her like a transparent angel. At that moment, Xiang Ning could see God. He thought: This girl with a smile on her brow, and that girl with despair in her eyes, are they really the same person? On the way to the bungee jumping platform, Xiang Ning didn't even think about it. But he himself didn't know why, when he saw the little girl's frightened expression facing the bungee jumping platform, he pulled Sang Li to his side without thinking, patted Nan Yang on the shoulder and said, "You guys go up, this Give the child to me." When he said this, his expression was calm and his tone was sincere. Nan Yang hesitated: "Forget it, I won't go either." "Go, you are a birthday star, don't regret it, I'll go with her." Xiang Ning patted Nan Yang, and then looked at the river bank, "We will wait for you on the bank." Nan Yang was worried, he began to regret bringing Sang away to such a thrilling place.But Sang Li's reaction quickly reassured her, because she said: "Brother, you go and play, I will go down with Brother Xiang Ning." That "Brother Xiangning" sounded soft and sweet.The girl's bright eyes and red face were shining in the sun, Nan Yang couldn't help laughing, and then turned to look at Ning, only to see that he was also smiling at Sang Li, with a gentle expression as if he was really a little Sang Same as Li's brother. Also since that day, Sang Li and Xiang Ning seemed to have become very close acquaintances, to the point where Xiang Ning would often help Sang Li buy meals. At that time, junior high school and high school bought meals in the same cafeteria—not a spacious and bright cafeteria with tables and chairs like today, but a row of two-story independent small buildings next to the playground, a row of windows on the first floor. meal.Every morning after the fourth class, many students would swarm down from the upstairs and rush to the food outlet with their lunch boxes to line up.The senior three and junior three who are both graduating classes are special care groups. The classrooms are on the first floor of their respective teaching buildings, so they can often buy steaming meals, and occasionally there is "dry fried pork tenderloin" which is not cheap but is at least a meat dish. . Every time Xiang Ning buys rice, if he can buy tenderloin, he always remembers to give Sang Li a portion: only seven or eight pieces of tenderloin are quietly placed on the corn leaves that are usually used to steam buns, exuding an attractive aroma . Then, Xiang Ning, a handsome boy, would hold a corn leaf, together with seven or eight pieces of dry-fried tenderloin on it, and stand downstairs in the teaching building of the junior high school, calmly waiting for Sang Li to come out to get it. Gradually, many girls became acquainted with Sang Li from Class 3 (Class 2) of junior high school. Sometimes when they saw her, they would secretly point them out.Nan Yang also seemed to see something, and asked Xiang Ning, but Xiang Ning's answer sounded righteous and open-minded: Your sister is my sister, so what does it matter if I love my own sister? ! I will add another sentence later: Didn't you say she has no mother?I just think we have to treat her better. This sentence was sincere and touching, and Nan Yang was also moved, and the gaze he looked at Xiang Ning became more like looking at a confidant. In fact, at that time, Nanyang's friendship rules were also very simple - all people who are good to Sang Li are friends of Nan Yang; all friends of Nan Yang must be good to Sang Li. This is not love, at least at that time, in Nan Yang's heart, this is a simple and sincere but heartfelt care that has been accumulated for many years. A care that tends to be instinctive. Tian Miao watched all this coldly. A thirteen-year-old girl is actually not very clear about the reason why she hates Sang Li, but she is very sure of the fact that she hates Sang Li.Tian Miao's grades are very good, so good that she has never fallen out of the top three in the class and the top ten in the grade. In the class, she has many good friends who can whisper to her ears, and she is very popular with the teacher.But inexplicably, when she saw Sang Li, she would be particularly fierce and unlike herself.In this regard, Chang Qing, Sang Yuecheng, and even Nan Yang, who wanted to mediate, were helpless. At that time, no one would have thought that the first person Tian Miao fell in love with would be Xiang Ning. Although Xiang Ning is famous enough, if there was no unexpected performance, Tian Miao would not have paid any attention to the boys walking beside Sang Li - she has always disdained anything about Sang Li, including friends. It was the eve of Xiang Ning's graduation, and the school decided to hold a cultural performance on the eve of the "May 4th Youth Day".The third grade is about to take the college entrance examination, so there is no need to produce a program. The other grades have their own indicators, and they are required to show the best programs of each grade to participate in the performance.Sang Li’s class selected Sang Li to perform female solo without any suspense, and Tian Miao’s class also selected Tian Miao to perform piano performance without any suspense. He was actually recommended to participate in the city's primary and middle school students' "July 1st" large-scale theatrical performance that year! Moreover, according to the requirements of the Youth League Committee, each school can only submit one program. Therefore, the secretary of the Youth League Committee with a very quick mind made a decision: Sang Li will sing, Tian Miao will accompany, and come up with a truly unique program! The moment they heard the news, the two of them, who were both very happy and a little secretly competitive, were stunned. Tian Miao even wanted to smash the piano. However, both of them are students with a sense of collective honor after all, and since the order has been given, they have to bite the bullet and go on stage.It's just that during the rehearsal period, Tian Miao often deliberately made things difficult for Sang Li during the accompaniment, making Sang Li practice in pieces. The day Xiang Ning passed by the piano room, what he saw was this scene—in the empty music classroom in the afternoon, the pair of sisters practiced "Little Back Basket" together. Unwilling to admit defeat, he wanted to continue singing, his voice was about to burst. Xiang Ning couldn't stand it anymore, so he walked into the music classroom, stood beside Tian Miao for a while, and then sat next to Tian Miao. Tian Miao stared at Xiang Ning with wide eyes, he pressed the keys a few times casually, and looked at Tian Miao with a slight smile: "You play the piano well." Tian Miao's face turned red all of a sudden. Sang Li watched coldly, did not speak, just watched quietly. Xiang Ning looked up at Sang Li, then at Tian Miao, and nodded, "Listen to me." He lowered his head and began to play the piano intently. His fingers were long and slender, and Tian Miao even held his breath when the strings of notes were floating in the music classroom. Perhaps, it was at that moment that the thirteen-year-old Tian Miao lost her hostility towards Sangli's friends for the first time. It was also at that moment that Sang Li knew what "flowing clouds and flowing water" is. Although it was just a very simple accompaniment track, even though it was just a well-known song, when it was played by Xiang Ning, everything was different. On that day, Xiang Ning temporarily resolved the conflict between Sang Li and Tian Miao in such a gentle way. At least since that day, Tian Miao never felt sorry for Sang Li during the rehearsal. But Sang Li didn't know that the reason why Tian Miao didn't make things difficult for her anymore was because Tian Miao liked to repeat Xiang Ning's performance over and over - just because Xiang Ning played like this. Sang Li only knew that every time Xiang Ning appeared, he meant to save himself. In the middle of the night, Sang Li closed his eyes, and couldn't help thinking of Xiang Ning's smile, Xiang Ning's slender fingers, and the warmth of Xiang Ning's palm, and he couldn't help but smile slightly in the dark. This is Sang Li's little secret. Perhaps, it also belongs to Tian Miao. However, God did not give Xiang Ning more blessings - that year, Xiang Ning failed the college entrance examination because of missing the exam. Speaking of it, it was really an accident: Xiang Ning's student status was in the provincial capital, and he was supposed to go back to the provincial capital to take the college entrance examination.But on the way back to the provincial capital to take the college entrance examination, the long-distance bus that Xiang Ning was riding in had an accident. Ten of the passengers in the car were killed and nineteen were injured.This incident was also reported on the "News Network" that day, and became a household name as a major traffic accident. But Sang Li doesn't watch the news, so when Xiang Ning was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, she and Tian Miao were walking happily on the way home—their program won the first prize in the art show, maintaining Sang Li's long-standing The undefeated record also made Tian Miao temporarily give up her fighting spirit to be an enemy of Sang Li. But on the way home, Sang Li wiped his sweat and thought: This summer is really hot, it's suffocatingly hot. It was more than half a month after I finally learned the news of Xiang Ning's car accident—the careful Nan Yang found that Xiang Ning's phone calls were always unanswered, so he was very surprised by his friend's bizarre "disappearance".He called Xiang Ning's mother's school with the mentality of "I want to see the dead if I want to live". After countless detours, I learned the news of Xiang Ning's car accident, and cold sweat dripped from the top of my head in an instant. That night, Nan Yang went home to pack his luggage, and at the same time asked his mother for travel expenses, saying that he would go to the provincial capital to see Xiang Ning. Nanyang's mother naturally disagreed with her son going out at the critical moment of waiting for grades, and she was even more afraid that her son would encounter the same unexpected disaster as Xiang Ning.However, Nanyang's father actually stood by his son this time, comforting his wife: "The son is getting older, and he always has to go out by himself. It's useless if you don't worry about it. You just let him go out, isn't it good?" Nanyang's mother looked at her man bitterly, finally gave up resistance, and agreed to her son's request, but she wanted to send her son to the train station in person. Before Nan Yang went out, Sang Li and Tian Miao who heard the news also rushed out of the house.The faces of both of them were not very good, but Tian Miao concealed and said nothing, and Sang Li expressed it more bluntly, directly grabbing Nan Yang's arm: "I want to go too." Nan Yang looked at Sang Li in surprise, then at his parents, then at Tian Miao who was behind Sang Li, and comforted her: "I asked, the injury is not serious, there is no use for you to go, just wait at home .” Sang Libuyi: "I'm going." Nan Yang pressed Sang Li's shoulder with a serious expression: "Xiao Li, how old are you? You don't even have an ID card. Where can you live? Besides, you're a girl, so it's inconvenient to go there. Just wait for me obediently at home. Have him call you." Sang Li bit her lip and finally stopped talking. Nan Yang sighed: "I know you are a kind and righteous girl, we are all friends, and no one wants to see this. But I will not lie to you, he is really fine, just don't worry, I will call you anytime .” With this promise, Sang Li finally let Nan Yang out of the house.Also from that day on, Sang Li kept on the phone throughout the summer vacation.Even after Nan Yang came back from the provincial capital and brought back the news that Xiang Ning had been discharged from the hospital, Sang Li kept guarding his phone and didn't go anywhere. However, until the summer passed, Nan Yang went to the Department of Political Science and Law of the Provincial Normal University to report, and Sang Li did not wait for a word from Xiang Ning. Then, autumn passed quickly.Nan Yang did not go home on the National Day, saying that he wanted to participate in the celebration activities with his classmates at school.Thus, the last person who could bring news to Xiang Ning also disappeared from Sang Li's sight. In Sangli's almost numb disappointment, the weather gradually cooled down.On the day when the first snow fell, during recess, Sang Li followed a group of classmates with a broom to sweep the snow on the sidewalk at the school gate.It was very cold that day, and Sang Li was wearing a thick down jacket and a fluffy, round white hat that looked like half a Lantern Festival from a distance. Standing in the bitter air, he tried his best to remove the snow that the boys had shoveled up with shovels. Sweep the pieces into the dustpan.While scanning, she heard whispering voices around her. Sang Li looked up without knowing why, but the moment she looked up, she suddenly froze in place. It's Xiang Ning! At that moment, Sang Li looked at the boy standing not far away without blinking his eyes. He was wearing a dark blue down jacket, carrying a schoolbag that didn't seem to contain much in his hand, and was greeting a few people around him.Sang Li recognized that the person standing in front of Xiang Ning was the leader of the third grade team - a little old man in his fifties who smiled and patted Xiang Ning's shoulder affectionately while talking. At that moment, a warm current gushed out from the bottom of Sang Li's heart, rushing towards the limbs and bones.Sang Li's eye sockets were even wet. She didn't know why she had such emotions, but she knew that she was very happy to see Xiang Ning's recovery, very happy to see him standing here intact and smiling. At the age of fifteen, Sang Li, who still doesn't know what liking and love is, knows: In this world, there is always one or a few people like that who are quietly placed in your heart.You don't need to be clear about your feelings for them, but you know you care, terribly. However, Xiang Ning did not look back that day.He didn't look back at Sang Li until he followed the grade leader into the school gate and walked to the high school teaching building. Sang Li comforted himself with some sadness and expectation: he didn't see you, he just didn't see you. She couldn't tell anyone that at that moment, the one thing she wanted to do the most was to rush forward and hug him tightly, and hear him call her "Little Li" with a smile. She knew that during the five long months of waiting, she really seemed to be waiting for her relatives to come back—relatives like Nan Yang. It wasn't until many years later that she participated in the report performance as an outstanding student and sang "That Sunny Day" on a bright stage, that she didn't know that in that year and that month, she waited for Xiang Ning just like Qiao Qiaosang for Pinkerton The waiting is the same, hard and persistent, and consistent. Moreover, she also believed so stubbornly: he will come back, he will definitely come back! Xiang Ning did not forget Sang Li.It should even be said that Xiang Ning came back here for Sang Li. No one wanted to relive the tragic memory of that car accident, but Xiang Ning still recalled it countless times and was glad that he soberly made a judgment to protect himself when the car overturned.He didn't turn into a vegetable, let alone lose his life.When he was lying on the hospital bed, he didn't even have any regrets for his injured arm. He just looked at his mummy-like self covered with plaster, and let out a long breath. He has always been an optimistic person, and his optimism swelled to the maximum when he saw Nan Yang who came all the way to visit him—because he suddenly thought that he could repeat his studies for another year and see that very interesting little Sangli again.This kind of joy ignited in an instant, so much so that he wished he could give Nan Yang a hug right away! That's why he said to the worried Nan Yang on the day Nan Yang reported to the Provincial Normal University: "Don't worry, I will cover your sister, no one will dare to bully her." When he said this, his arms were still hanging on his chest, and his appearance was ridiculous. Nan Yang looked at him in disbelief and asked, "Are you telling the truth? Your mother asked you to go back and borrow it?" This question is really sharp! Sure enough, that night, Ms. Guo Yunhua's answer shook the world: "Go back and borrow it? Impossible!" Ms. Guo deserves to be one of the four major sopranos in the province, and her momentum is quite surging: "Don't even think about it! I have enough regrets now. If I had known such a thing would happen, I would not have gone to Russia! And you Dad, he has been in the organization department for more than ten years, and he can’t go to any department, but he has to go to such a far place to be a poor mayor! If he hadn’t come up with this bad idea, let me send you back to your hometown for borrowing, how could this happen? thing?" After all, she was a mother, and tears fell while talking: "I am just such a son, what should I do if something happens to me? No matter how successful my career is, I still have nothing..." That day, Xiang Ning was also dumbfounded. He had never seen his mother cry: she had always been graceful and beautiful, even though she was in her forties, she was still very beautiful, and she looked radiant on the stage.When she went to the TV station to serve as a judge for the provincial sub-division of the Young Singer Grand Prix, the camera scanned the judges one by one, and she was the only one who looked the best.She has taught at the Academy of Art for 20 years, and her students are all over the world, from the resplendent opera house to the sea, land and air art troupe. She even went to Russia for a one-year visit. It is said that she was welcomed by former students when she got off the plane... Xiang Ning respected and loved her mother very much. However, this was also the first time he resisted his mother's wishes: "Mom, I'm eighteen years old. I know how to treat myself well. Don't worry. The teaching over there is stricter than that in the provincial capital, and besides, I'm used to it. Environment, come back to study now, it’s too late to get familiar with the teacher, how can I have enough time? Mom, don’t worry, I will take good care of myself, besides, isn’t grandma still there? The stewed chicken with pine mushrooms made by grandma is delicious, mom..." Righteousness is strict until the end, and gradually becomes coquettish and shameless. Xiang Ning said while wiping the goosebumps on his arms and shivering, but looking at his mother's expression, he was clearly persuaded by himself, so he struck while the iron was hot: "Mom, look at my grades. I won’t take the exam so high, because the teachers over there are very strict, and I don’t have time to play basketball. Didn’t you let me take the entrance exam for the University of Foreign Languages ​​to study translation? I dare to enter a better school in 2019, Mom, do you think it’s okay?" ... In this way, Xiang Ning's negotiation was a great success. Until later, he joked that it was the first time in his life that he negotiated with adults, and that negotiation was more challenging than any task he accepted after working.Because I am a diplomat after work, winning or losing is just a task.And at the age of eighteen, he was a mother's son.He can't lose, and neither can mother, because no matter who loses, one party's feelings are bound to be hurt. That night, Xiang Ning fell asleep with a satisfied smile.In the dream, he actually dreamed of Sang Li, dreaming that she smiled so brightly when she saw him, and called him "Brother Xiangning" with a sweet voice.And he still had time to pat her on the head and say, "Don't call me brother." But often, dreams are the opposite. Because, in reality, the moment Xiang Ning appeared in front of Sang Li, what he saw was not Sang Li's bright smile, but tears that kept falling. It was the evening self-study break, and during the 15-minute break, Xiang Ning intercepted Sang Li on the playground who was about to run to dispel his sleepiness.On the pitch-black playground, the winter north wind blew loudly, blowing into Sang Li's eyes, and the tears burst open. Xiang Ning suddenly became at a loss. He looked at Sang Li and saw that there was no expression on her face, only tears were falling down.She didn't wipe it, she just stood in front of him, her fists were clenched tightly, her neck was raised high, her eyes seemed a little happy but also very unhappy.It was so cold that no one could be seen on the playground, but only the little girl in front of me stubbornly maintained the state of exertion before running, looking at him with her neck stuck. He didn't know how long it took, maybe three minutes, or five minutes. He looked at the students walking up and down the brightly lit corridor not far away, and vaguely saw a girl holding a piece of cake similar to roasted sweet potatoes. class of objects. Then he asked cautiously: "Xiao Li, are you cold, may I buy you a roasted sweet potato?" In the next second, the little girl who was still like a statue just now threw herself into his arms with a cry of "wow". He was even pushed back by her impact, and staggered to stand up.Then he looked down and saw the crying girl hugging him tightly, as if she would never let go. She cried and complained: "You didn't look at me in the morning, I was standing at the gate, and you didn't look at me... You said you would call me, but you didn't call at all..." In the cold winter night, a smile slowly bloomed on Xiang Ning's face. He stretched out his hand, hugged Sang Li into his arms, lowered his head, and could touch the girl's cold ears.He pressed his cold cheek against it, and whispered in her ear: "I was wrong, it's all my fault, Xiaoli won't cry." Hearing her sobbing, he tightened his arms and said in a low voice, "You can't blame me, there are so many people sweeping snow at the school gate, how would I know you were inside?" Sang Li raised his head, with tears still hanging on his eyelashes, sobbing: "You didn't call me either!" He stretched out his hand to cover her face, and replied with a smile: "At that time, my arm was covered in plaster, and I couldn't even hold the microphone." He took his palm away from Sangli's cheek, stretched his left arm lightly, and said with some regret: "It's a pity that playing the piano will be affected in the future, after so many years of learning." "What?!" Sang Li was startled. "It's not very sensitive anymore, and the strength is not good enough," Xiang Ning said regretfully. Sang Li looked at Xiang Ning's arm, touched it with his hand, then let it go quickly, raised his head anxiously and asked, "How is it possible?" "Why am I lying to you?" Xiang Ning looked at Sang Li amusedly, "Why are you more sad than me?" Sang Li wanted to cry again: "No way..." Xiang Ning hurriedly rubbed the corners of Sang Li's eyes: "Don't cry, don't cry, what a big deal, I didn't like playing the piano at all." "Huh?" Sang Li looked at him, sobbing, "But you play so well, you're already in the ninth grade!" Xiang Ningman didn't care: "If it wasn't for my mother, would I be able to learn that thing? I really like learning brush calligraphy with my father. Hey, I will write a calligraphy for you some other day. It's a pity that calligraphy doesn't take a grade test, otherwise you should be lucky now Thankfully my right hand is still fine." He spoke so easily, and Sang Li finally became relaxed.However, it was only then that Sang Li realized how ignorant he was of the person in front of him that he had been thinking about for five months—he could play piano, calligraphy, good basketball, and good spoken English. What else could he do? However, Sang Li still has deep regrets in her heart, because she once hoped so much to listen to Xiang Ning play the piano one day in the future.Only for herself, without Tian Miao, without anyone else, playing "Little Basket" and "Edelweiss"... while she was singing, the sun was warm and her smile was calm. That day, she hugged Xiang Ning's arm carefully, and the evening self-study had been forgotten. He didn't see his fault during the class break in the morning and didn't intend to condemn him.At this moment, she just wants to hold on to the person in front of her who can always give her a sense of security and warmth, hold on, and never let go, never let go for the rest of her life. It was also after Xiang Ning returned to school to resume his studies that Sang Li and Xiang Ning's contact opportunities increased significantly. Xiang Ning has good grades, and there is almost no suspense in getting into a prestigious university.So he put aside his own homework and always went to the junior high school to make up lessons for Sang Li.At that time, the high school uniform was a dark purple and white sportswear. Xiang Ning was used to wearing a down jacket over the school uniform, so it became a pair of plump dark blue down jacket and dark purple sportswear pants.Logically speaking, it should be very uncoordinated, but it can still look good on a boy of eighteen or nineteen. Xiang Ning often went to the teaching building of the junior high school to give Sang Li extra lessons at noon or after evening self-study classes. At that time, there was no one in the classroom, and the surroundings were very quiet. Occasionally, only Sang Li's sigh when he couldn't solve the problem, or the tip of his pen The rustling sound when it collides with scratch paper.Sometimes Sang Li would lie on the desk and take a nap, not sleeping soundly, always half asleep, half awake, and vaguely saw Xiang Ning standing up, carefully closing the windows tightly, or tucking the thick curtains so that it was airtight.The heater in the classroom is very hot, Xiang Ning would often put a pack of milk on the radiator, hand it to Sang Li when she woke up, and then supervise her to finish drinking. Compared with Sang Li's habitual desertion, Xiang Ning was always very serious when giving lectures.He frowned slightly, and drew auxiliary lines on the draft paper with a pen. Sang Li felt sleepy and started yawning.Xiang Ning glanced at Sang Li and continued to talk about the topic. Sang Li yawned again, but Xiang Ning was still unmoved.When Sang Li yawned for the third time, Xiang Ning finally put down his pen and looked at Sang Li seriously.Sang Li's eyes were full of tears, and he hurriedly stretched out his hand to wipe it away, the back of his hand became wet. Xiang Ning just sighed helplessly, and patted Sang Li's head: "Xiao Li, you have to study hard, you know? Think about it, if you can't get into high school, how can you get into art college?" Hearing the words "Art Academy", Sang Li suddenly cheered up: "Can you sing? I heard from Nan Yang that your mother taught singing." Xiang Ning was stunned for a moment, then coughed: "No." "You lied, Nan Yang said that you sang at the party before graduation," Sang Li begged him, "Sing it, sing it..." After thinking about it again, I added: "You are not allowed to sing popular songs!" Xiang Ning was amused: "Why not sing pop songs?" Sang Li thought about it seriously, and when he looked up again, his eyes sparkled: "Sing "Little Boy", that year there was a singing competition held in the city, and there was a boy who won the first place in solo singing "Little Boy". "Youth" is very nice to listen to." Xiang Ning was taken aback, and looked at Sang Li: "No way? You're so childish... What year was the competition?" Sang Li replied, "When I was in elementary school." "No wonder," Xiang Ning breathed a sigh of relief, "I remember that was a song we sang when we were young." "Sing..." Sang Li pleaded, the girl's voice was irresistible.Xiang Ning looked down at Sang Li, only to see that she was holding on to the sleeves of her tracksuit with both hands, looking at him expectantly.After a stalemate for a while, Xiang Ning finally surrendered. He stretched out his hand and tugged at his sleeve while saying, "Okay, okay, I'll sing, let go, my sleeve is about to fall off." Sang Li finally let go of his hand, happily leaned back on the table, and looked at Xiang Ning with burning eyes.Xiang Ning looked around and made sure that the doors and windows of the classroom were tightly closed.Then he cleared his throat and took a look at Sang Li: "I don't remember the lyrics very well, so I'll just sing a paragraph." Sang Li nodded with a smile, then raised his hand, signaling Xiang Ning to start quickly. Xiang Ninglue pondered for a moment, then raised his head and sang softly: "Little boy, I seldom worry, looking at the sun shining around me. Little boy, I seldom worry, I hope it will always be like this... Flying every year, little boy The little boy is growing taller, and as the years grow from small to large, his troubles have increased..." His voice was clean, but with a boyish low-pitched voice.When he sang, his eyes looked at the blackboard in front of him, as if he was trying to remember the lyrics, but he seemed to be immersed in the situation.His singing voice is so beautiful, so good to hear Sang Li suddenly feel that everything so beautiful is so unreal.She stretched out her hand to pinch her arm, and let out a "Yeah". Just as Xiang Ning sang the last line, she was startled by Sang Li's cry.Hastily looked down at Sang Li: "What's wrong?" Sang Li didn't speak, just stared at Xiang Ning, and Xiang Ning stretched out his hand in front of Sang Li with a frustrated expression on his face: "Is it that ugly? What is it called?" When Sang Li heard this sentence, she suddenly laughed. She leaned closer and looked at Xiang Ning's face carefully. Xiang Ning was a little scared by her, so she hurriedly pushed her away: "If you can't sing well, just tell me, don't pretend to be a fool." .” However, Sang Li suddenly found the New World, and pointed to Xiang Ning's chin: "Ah, you have a beard!" Xiang Ning was almost choked, and looked at Sang Li angrily: "Nonsense, can boys have no beards? Those without beards are eunuchs!" Sang Li was still shocked, staring at Xiang Ning's chin thoughtfully: "But Nan Yang didn't even..." "How could it be?" Xiang Ning didn't believe it, "That's because you didn't see it, you'll know if you take a closer look." Hearing this sentence, Sang Li seemed to realize that the distance between himself and Xiang Ning was too close.She blushed and retreated back to lie on her stomach behind the table.The afternoon sun shines in from the open windows in front of the classroom, making it warm.This kind of time is so beautiful, so beautiful that Sang Li couldn't help but want to smile. At the same time, Xiang Ning seemed to be touched by something in his heart. He stretched out his hand, gently rubbed Sang Li's hair, and said to himself: "Xiao Li, why are you so young, you have to grow up quickly." what!" Sang Li looked at Xiang Ning ignorantly, looked at his gentle face, and felt the warmth of his palm.His handwriting is still on her exercise book, his singing is still echoing in her ears, he is so close to her, he seems to tell her in a completely different way from Nan Yang - she is not alone, he is by her side , she will not be alone. It was a quiet, pure afternoon when nothing happened.No hugs, no kisses, no intimacy about love that you can think of in this world, not even the positioning of "love".However, such an afternoon, including Xiang Ning's singing in the afternoon sun, the warmth of Xiang Ning's palms, and even the stubble of an 18-year-old boy, all became memories of Sang Li's life. In the shade of green poplars, Xiang Ning accompanied Sang Li through the spring and then through the summer.Because of this kind of company, even the black June and July became less hideous—that year, it seemed that the senior high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination came one after another in an inadvertent time, without any tension or fear.Sang Li calmly walked into the examination room of the high school entrance examination, while Xiang Ning returned safely to the provincial capital to take the high school entrance examination.Xiang Ning's first choice was the German Department of the University of Foreign Studies. If there were no accidents, he should be admitted smoothly, while Sang Li learned that he was admitted to the provincial key middle school with a slight advantage of two points in early July. It was a happy ending—everything seemed so satisfying except for the separation that had to be accepted. It was already summer vacation when Sang Li saw Nan Yang again—at 6:30 in the morning, Sang Li was standing in the middle of the yard drinking a bowl of soy milk thoughtfully, and she didn’t hear the door being pushed open with a creak, she was still busy. I don't know what to count with the free hand.I don't know how long it took, until she raised her head and poured the remaining soybean milk into her mouth, then raised her head with her mouth full, and suddenly saw Nan Yang standing at the gate of the courtyard, and the warm smile on his face. Smiling, in an instant, Sang Li almost spit out a mouthful of soy milk. "Ah—" she began to scream. Nan Yang frowned: "Xiao Li, I haven't seen you for half a year, so you greet me like this?" In the next second, Sang Li had rushed towards Nan Yang, cheering happily: "Brother, brother, brother, brother..." Nan Yang smiled and hugged Sang Li: "Are you a repeater?" While talking, Nan Yang's mother heard the noise and came out of the kitchen. She immediately saw her son holding Sang Li in her arms, happily pulling Sang Li's ponytail with one hand, making a mess like when she was a child. Nan Yang's mother was taken aback for a moment, and she beamed with joy: "Yang Yang!" As soon as Nan Yang looked up and saw his mother, he hurried over to give her a hug again.He is already so much taller than his mother. Nanyang's mother had to look up to see her son's face clearly. The mother looked at her son with relief and asked, "Did you sleep well on the train?" Nan Yang scratched his hair: "Let's do it, I came back with a few classmates, I took a hard seat, played poker for half the night, and then slept for a while." Nanyang's mother looked at her son distressedly, and reached out to stroke his forehead: "I just cooked noodles, you eat some, go to sleep, your father didn't come back from work last night, let's call your Uncle Sang's family tonight have a meal together." Nan Yang let out a "hmm" and looked back at Sang Li who was standing there holding a soy milk bowl in a silly way. He suddenly thought of something and stretched out his hand to touch the back of his neck. Then he looked at his palm and asked Sang Li with a frown: "Little Li, did you rub the oil on my neck again?" Sang Li was taken aback for a moment, then laughed out loud.Nan Yang became furious and chased after him all the way, and the scene of chickens flying around in the yard was staged again. Nanyang's mother couldn't help laughing as she watched from the side, and then she remembered that Sang Li had been used to grabbing fritters with her hands since she was very young, and ran to Nanyang to rub left and right without washing her hands after eating.If it was someone else, Nan Yang's mother, who was in charge of washing clothes, would have already slapped him, but because it was Sang Li, she thought the child was naughty and cute. No one seemed to notice that at the door of Sangli's room, Tian Miao stood there quietly, watching with cold eyes. Sure enough, the two families had dinner together in the evening. Nanyang's mother cooked a lot of special dishes, and Chang Qing rolled out the noodles by herself, saying that she wanted to welcome Nanyang.Sang Yuecheng and Nanlin drank beer while chatting, Sang Yuecheng tried his best to persuade Nanyang to drink some too, but Nanlin hesitated and agreed. So Nan Yang was allowed to drink beer, and he didn't refuse, picked up the glass and drank it down.Nan Yang's mother was taken aback and asked, "Yang Yang, did you learn to drink at school?" Nan Yang was noncommittal: "Do you still need to learn to drink?" Sang Yuecheng laughed: "Yes, drinking is practiced, not learned." Chang Qing also smiled: "Nan Yang is becoming more and more like a man." Everyone laughed together. Sang Li narrowed his eyes and looked at everything around him, feeling strange, unable to tell whether it was warmth or separation, as if everything that was thriving was wrapped in a layer of transparent glass candy paper, which seemed real but could not be touched. During the meeting, Nan Yang's mother asked about Xiang Ning: "What happened to your classmate who had a car accident?" Nan Yang looked up at Sang Li and saw that she was carefully disassembling a shrimp. He replied, "He has applied for the University of Foreign Languages, so it should be no problem. He said that if he is admitted, he will not receive the admission notice until August." Tian Miao looked up with bright eyes, and asked Nan Yang in a crisp voice: "Is the foreign language university easy to take?" Nan Yang was stunned for a moment, seeing that everyone around him was happily persuading him to drink and eat food, and subconsciously replied, "Their school is a famous school, and the score line is not low. Why, Tian Miao, you want to learn a foreign language?" Tian Miao nodded: "I like learning English." When Sang Li heard it, she curled her lips and thought: How good is English? Seeing Sang Li's expression, Nan Yang felt that she was still so childish, so he answered Tian Miao solemnly: "Tian Miao, if you really like learning foreign languages, you can go to the University of Foreign Languages. If you don't like it, your future life will be very boring, because Language subjects are not as fun as you might imagine, for example, there were a few students in our original class who took the English, French, and Arabic exams, and they were almost killed by intensive and extensive reading classes every day." Without hesitation, Tian Miao said, "I just like foreign languages." Chang Qing heard it, and looked at her daughter with gratified eyes.Sang Yuecheng also heard it, so she turned to Sang Li and asked, "What do you like, Xiao Li?" "I like to sing." Sang Li said with a blank expression. "Singing?" Sang Yuecheng was taken aback, "Singing can only be a hobby, how can it be a lifetime job?" Chang Qing glared at Sang Yuecheng: "What's so bad about singing? If it weren't for my main subject being the piano, I would teach Xiaoli to sing personally." Sang Yuecheng still couldn't accept it: "You are different, you are a music teacher, what a good profession a teacher is. Xiaoli, are you learning to sing to become a music teacher in the future?" Sang Li really shook his head: "I just want to sing, like those singers on TV, I will sing for the rest of my life. Singing is my profession, and I live by singing." Everyone was shocked, living by singing—what an unrealistic ideal for traditional families like the Sang and Nan families! Sang Yuecheng got a little angry: "You still plan to sing for the rest of your life? In ancient times, you were called an opera singer!" Sang Li also jumped on the bar: "That was ancient times. Now you are called an artist!" "Art?" Sang Yuecheng sneered, "How many people who study art are good people? Didn't you see that the men who study art all wear pigtails, and the women all make up like fairies." He turned his head and glanced at Chang Qing, who was glaring angrily: "Don't stare, I didn't mention you. You are a teacher, and you are different from those who engage in art in a nonsensical way!" The atmosphere suddenly became tense, Nanlin took a sip of wine, looked at the tense expressions of the people around him, thought for a while, put down his glass and acted as a peacemaker: "Xiao Li, what your father said is not unreasonable, our Public Security Bureau has recently cracked A few cases...well, a few girls from the Art Academy are outside..." He's stuck and doesn't seem to know what words to use.After thinking about it, he said, "It's just that these girls don't study hard, get entangled with some bad men, and betray themselves." After finally finishing speaking, a cold sweat broke out. Nan Yang looked at his father helplessly, and interjected: "Dad, you don't have to be so reserved, right? Isn't it just prostitution?" There was a sudden silence all around. Nan Yang raised his head and found that everyone was looking at him in horror, wondering: "What's wrong?" Nan Yang's mother was a little startled: "Yang Yang, what do you college students learn?" Nan Yang finally understood why everyone was looking at him, so he smiled helplessly: "You can't do that, I'm studying law!" Oh—everyone finally realized it, and let out a sigh of relief. However, the next sentence made Nanyang's parents' hearts hang in the air, only to hear Nanyang say: "The art academy is opposite our school, and there are many beautiful girls! People in our dormitory will get used to it when they pass by the gate of the art academy. Xing took a few glances inside. Hehe, Xiaoli, if you get in, you will be no worse than them!" Nan Yang's mother looked at her son, as if she couldn't believe her ears: "Yang Yang, what kind of habit do you guys have?" Nan Yang smiled: "Mom, everyone has a love of beauty. Let's see what happens to beautiful girls? Besides, even if we fall in love with them, they may not necessarily fall in love with us. Didn't you see How many limousines are parked!" After Nan Yang finished speaking, he suddenly realized what he had said?Isn't this adding trouble to Sang Li? So Nan Yang's expression froze on his face.A few seconds later, he turned his head with a stiff smile, and sure enough, he saw the angry expression on Sang Li's face, and then looked at Sang Yuecheng, his face, which was flushed from drinking, had already turned black. Sang Yuecheng took a sip of wine, and then slapped the glass on the table: "Xiao Li, listen to me, you can take any ex