In the two or three months after Lu Chengsha left, little Hua Yan would often lean on the windowsill, looking out in the direction he had gone, hoping that her mother would bring him back someday.
She always had the illusion that when she woke up and opened her eyes, she would see him again and drag him out to play!
Later, after waiting for a long time, little Hua Yan learned that he had gone on a journey with his parents and wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. She slowly let go of this thought. After all, she had many other things to do and many other playmates to keep her company, so she was never lonely.
Time flew by like a fleeting horse.
After that, Hua Yan was busy practicing martial arts, learning about poisons and gu (venomous insects), growing up, and sneaking off to her father to read new hero storybooks. The girl grew as quickly as a willow sprout, and even the baby fat on her face and hands gradually disappeared, revealing a beautiful face similar to her mother’s.
Her black hair grew thicker like clouds. The original two small braids turned into long braids, then coiled into buns on her head like two small drum lumps, with the rest of her black hair cascading down her back, reaching her waist. No one would mistake her for a little girl anymore; she was already a beautiful young lady.
Only occasionally, when passing by the now empty yard next door, Hua Yan would think of the boy who had briefly stayed there.
He hadn’t even left anything behind.
Hua Yan felt a bit of unspoken gloom. She regretted not asking him for something as a memento. If it weren’t for her clear memories of those days they spent together, she might have thought it was all just an illusion.
Xie Yingxian hadn’t forgotten him either.
He folded his sleeves and said, “Stop thinking about it. Taking Qi Xiusi out with us is pretty much the same.”
By now, Qi Xiusi had been subdued by him. No one would have expected that Xie Yingxian, who was always lazily forced by his mother to practice martial arts, could fight better than the diligent Qi Xiusi, who trained day and night. It really showed how unfair the world could be!
Recently, they had gone out with Qi Xiusi a few times, but… Hua Yan thought for a moment and gently shook her head. “It’s not quite the same.”
Although Qi Xiusi had a very rigid personality, he was not gentle at all and never felt embarrassed. When Xie Yingxian took them to see the new dancers, Qi Xiusi even brought a martial arts manual to study. When Xie Yingxian signaled a pretty maid to pour him wine, Qi Xiusi drank it in one gulp and then, with his handsome but cold face, said flatly, “Can we leave now?”
It was no fun at all!
When she teased Lu Chengsha, he wasn’t like that!
He would get awkward, shy, embarrassed, and nervous, which was especially interesting!
Xie Yingxian didn’t understand this, and neither did anyone else. Only Hua Yan vaguely felt that Lu Chengsha was different from others, but sometimes she couldn’t even explain how he was different.
***
One slightly overcast afternoon, with large clouds covering the sky, Hua Yan found two trees, tied a net rope between them, and made a hammock. She lay down and took a nap. Half-asleep, she felt water droplets falling on her face and quickly got up.
Soon, the rain started pouring down. Without an umbrella, Hua Yan had to use her hands to shield her head and face. She activated her lightness skill and dashed back home.
She slowed down only when she was near her own yard. After taking a few steps, she sensed someone approaching.
The fine mist of wetness suddenly disappeared.
Someone had tilted an umbrella over her, shielding her from the pouring rain.
Because she had been covering her face with her hands and the sky was overcast, making the light dim, Hua Yan couldn’t see clearly. She assumed it was some disciple from the demonic sect who was so considerate and was about to praise them. But when she looked up, her eyes met a pair of distinct black and white eyes.
Hua Yan was instantly stunned.
The boy in the light purple shirt, who only appeared in her dreams, was now standing in front of her.
He was holding a large black umbrella. The rain had soaked his shoulders, and he was quietly looking at her, as if he had never left.
Seeing her unresponsive, Lu Chengsha tilted the umbrella more towards her. His black eyes blinked, and there was a clear nervousness in his expression. As if not knowing what to say, he hesitated for a long time and finally said, “… I’m back again.”
Hua Yan was still in a daze.
Lu Chengsha immediately became more nervous: “Do… do you remember who I am?”
Judging by his expression, it seemed he was afraid she had forgotten him.
Of course, Hua Yan remembered, but as she regained her senses, she thought of the long wait, and anger surged in her heart. Following his words, she pretended not to know him, “… Oh, who are you?”
Lu Chengsha was also stunned. His eyes lowered slightly, and his tone became despondent, but he still said, “We met before. I stayed here for over a month, right over there. Back then, you were only this tall…” Saying this, he gestured a height with his hand.
Hua Yan had been secretly laughing in her heart, but when she heard the last sentence, she couldn’t help but say, “I’m much taller now!”
She stood on tiptoe a bit, trying to compare her height with Lu Chengsha, only to find—he had grown taller again!
How did he shoot up faster than her!
Is this fair!
Lu Chengsha also lowered his head to gaze at her. Her face hadn’t changed much, but everything else had. The girl who once had short arms and legs, with slightly plump cheeks and two small braids, now had a slender figure, a sharp chin, and a small face with a pair of bright, big eyes. Even her figure… He suddenly realized that they were too close, and instinctively took a step back, extending his arm to hold the umbrella over her to shield her from the rain, not caring about himself.
However, she immediately grabbed his hand that was holding the umbrella, took a step forward, and pushed the umbrella back.
“What are you doing!” Hua Yan said. “Why are you suddenly avoiding me? There’s only one umbrella; if you avoid me, you’ll get drenched!”
Lu Chengsha’s fingers stiffened, and he wanted to let go, but Hua Yan was holding on tightly.
Outside the large black umbrella, the rain continued to pour. His shoulders were soaked, but the boy and girl under the umbrella were only a shoulder’s distance apart.
Lu Chengsha’s palms began to sweat.
Hua Yan hadn’t noticed anything amiss and casually said, “Are you still staying in that yard? But it probably hasn’t been tidied up yet—why don’t you come to our place to avoid the rain first?”
But to his surprise, Hua Yan directly led him into her bedroom.
He left the umbrella outside the door, and upon entering, he was greeted by a fragrant scent unique to a girl’s room. The room was filled with various items, and Lu Chengsha immediately stopped in his tracks.
Hua Yan found a clean cloth to wipe the water off her body and handed one to Lu Chengsha. She said, “Why aren’t you coming in? Oh…” She remembered something and couldn’t help but smile at him, her eyes sparkling. “Actually, I was just teasing you earlier. How could I forget you? I was just a bit upset that you took so long to come back… Now tell me, where did you go with your parents all this time? Was it fun?”
Lu Chengsha felt inexplicably nervous under her smile, a feeling he didn’t have before.
He stood at the door and took the cloth. Actually, he had used his internal energy to dry the wet spots on his body when he came in, but now he pretended to wipe his slightly damp hair. He said, “We didn’t go anywhere special, just…”
He wasn’t particularly interested in sightseeing, but because his mother enjoyed it, his father enthusiastically found maps and led them around. Lu Chengsha treated it as a form of training and didn’t pay much attention to the places they visited.
Now, he had to rack his brain to recall.
Hua Yan looked at him with great anticipation. “It’s okay, take your time. I’m not in a hurry! By the way, how long will you be staying this time?”
Lu Chengsha was about to reply when they heard another voice from outside.
“I was just looking for him, and here he is…” Hua Ran knocked on the door and then pushed it open, just in time to see the boy and girl standing at the door. The moment she saw them, the boy took a step back.
Lu Chengsha didn’t know why he reacted that way; it was purely instinctive.
Hua Yan didn’t think much of it at first, but seeing him step back, she felt a bit embarrassed and explained, “He’s just here to avoid the rain.”
Hua Ran’s eyes flickered, but she pretended not to notice and said to Lu Chengsha, “We’ve prepared a place for you over there. You can go there now, but if you don’t want to…”
Lu Chengsha immediately said, “I’ll go over right now.”
As he spoke, he opened the umbrella and hurried into the rain.
“Hey…”
Hua Yan wanted to call him back.
He had just started talking and hadn’t said anything yet!
However, her mother had already approached, gossiping, “What were you two talking about just now? Why was his face red?”
Hua Yan was surprised, “His face was red? How did I not notice! Mom, why didn’t you say anything! Is he catching a cold from the rain? It can’t be that fast, can it?”
Hua Ran sighed, “Why did I raise such a silly daughter.”
She pinched Hua Yan’s cheek and said, “His face was red because—” Hua Ran paused.
Hua Yan asked, “Because of what?”
Hua Ran suddenly changed the subject, “You two haven’t seen each other for so long, and you still recognize each other and can chat?”
Hua Yan, annoyed by the change in topic, said, “What’s so hard about that? The first time we met, we started talking right away. We even walked around for a long time… Mom, why won’t you just tell me! Stop keeping me in suspense!”
Hua Ran gave a mischievous smile, “No, I won’t tell you. Alright, I’m going to find your dad. You can play by yourself.”
How could there be such a mischievous mother!
Hua Yan paced around her room for a while, unable to resist. She grabbed a small red umbrella and ran next door to take a look.
Lu Chengsha was in the middle of unpacking. His belongings were simple, mostly clothes for changing. When he saw her come in, he was slightly startled and hid something behind his back, saying, “It’s messy here. You should leave.”
But Hua Yan had already spotted it and curiously blurted out, “What are you hiding…”
Lu Chengsha, embarrassed, said, “Nothing…”
Hua Yan asked, “Can I not see it?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “It’s not that…” Being closely watched by her, he had no choice but to show her what he was hiding. It was a hairpin for women, made of white jade entwined with silver threads. The end was adorned with a delicate silver butterfly, with fine tassels hanging from it, both exquisite and elegant.
Seeing how precious it was to him, Hua Yan’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately asked, “Uh, whose is this?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “My mother… gave it to me…”
His mother knew he was coming and had packed a lot of gifts for him to give to old friends. This hairpin was one of them. She knew that among his friends, there was a little girl, so she specially asked him to bring it.
He had waited by the roadside intending to give it to her, but now he was hesitating.