Chapter 85 Farewell and Welcome
After Mid-Autumn Festival, the third day of the holiday.
Although they are still on school vacation, their parents have already started working.
As usual, Dad went to the dock early in the morning, and after breakfast, Mom also rode her bike to work in town.
"Your dad said he won't be home for lunch, so you can take care of it yourself, Awei."
"I know, Mom."
Fang Wei woke up early in the morning, set out from home, and ran all the way towards Shayang Village.
……
After returning from releasing sky lanterns together on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Zhiyi went to bed early.
This was probably the longest sleep she had had in a long time.
I slept from ten o'clock in the evening until eight o'clock the next morning.
As a result, I missed the appointment and did not catch up with Fang Wei's running the next day.
But today was different. She set an alarm clock and woke up at five o'clock. She changed her clothes and shoes early and went to the gate of the yard to wait for Fang Wei to come.
The early morning was quiet, with a light mist in the air, and the weather seemed to be slowly getting cooler.
Liu Zhiyi followed Fang Wei's instructions and did some warm-up exercises while waiting.
As the body starts to move, warmth begins to flow through the skin of the limbs.
She tore open a pack of biscuits and ate them in small bites to fill her stomach before running, then looked up in the direction of the country road towards Dongyang Village.
"Tweet-"
The sound of birds singing in the branches of the yard attracted her attention.
Liu Zhiyi turned around and saw two little birds.
They didn't seem afraid of her, and they were watching her as much as she was watching them.
They flapped their wings and flew up together, then landed on the top of the courtyard wall very close to her.
For some reason, Liu Zhiyi remembered what Fang Wei said to her that night.
[They just disappeared as your parents, but they are everywhere, and continue to protect you in their own way.]
It was like waking up from a dream. They had reincarnated for several lifetimes and finally turned into birds that still came to visit her, chirping to announce the arrival of autumn.
It is hard to describe the tenderness that arises in the girl's heart at this scene.
She approached the two birds cautiously and crushed the biscuit into pieces in her palm.
"Did you come to see me..."
"Tweet-"
The two birds tilted their heads, then flapped their wings to keep a little distance as she approached.
"Here you go."
Liu Zhiyi didn't move closer, but just gently sprinkled the biscuit crumbs in his hand on the low wall.
She took two steps back and put some distance between them.
The two sparrows then flapped their wings and flew over again, looking at her with their heads tilted and pecking at the biscuit crumbs.
"It's autumn now, why don't you go south to spend the winter?"
"Tweet-"
"Take care of yourself."
"Tweet-"
Que'er naturally didn't understand what she said, but Liu Zhiyi didn't mind. She just smiled to herself and picked up another biscuit to eat with them.
After untying his knot in his heart, Liu Zhiyi didn't dare to say how much he had grown, but at least his mentality was much more relaxed now.
Life didn't seem as bad as she had imagined. She still had a grandfather who loved her, new good friends, and the scenery and various little beauties were everywhere.
It has been more than half a month since she returned to the island. It was not until today that she felt that her new life had just begun. This feeling is wonderful.
From a distance, she saw a figure running towards her from the other end of the country road.
Liu Zhiyi quickly finished the biscuits in his hand and ran towards the figure.
After she left, the two sparrows on the wall flapped their wings and flew away to the distant fields.
……
"Morning, Zhiyi."
"Good morning, Fang Wei."
Fang Wei slowed down his running pace a little, but did not stop. He ran straight past her. The girl next to him then joined him and followed his pace, running forward together.
"Why don't you get more sleep today?"
"Um... I set the alarm. I overslept yesterday and missed my appointment..."
Liu Zhiyi said this somewhat embarrassedly.
"Sleep is important. You got up so early today. Did you get enough sleep?"
"Have enough sleep."
Liu Zhiyi said, and added: "I slept well these two days..."
Fang Wei blinked his eyes. This was rare. Normally, when asked about her sleep condition, she would be vague. Since she took the initiative to say that she slept well, it meant that she really slept well.
"How are you feeling?"
"It's pretty good too."
"That's good."
"My legs have been sore these past two days..."
"It's always like this at the beginning. Just hold on, and it won't hurt after a while."
"Ah."
"Are you warming up?"
"hot."
"Have you eaten anything to fill your stomach?"
"Have."
"Are you okay today? Let's run to the beach in one go!"
"No, no problem!"
"Very good, stop talking, adjust your breathing, swing your arms, raise your legs... Yes, come on, come on!"
Just like the first day when they ran together, Liu Zhiyi ran while Fang Wei gave her guidance on her movements from time to time.
The two ran all the way from Shayang Village, through the grove, to the coastal path, and passed the pier...
It is about one kilometer here, and Liu Zhiyi is about to reach his first limit point.
In fact, her limit came earlier than the first time she ran, after all, the pain in her legs and feet continued.
However, compared to her first run, she seemed more energetic, after all, she had enough rest and sleep.
Liu Zhiyi's physical condition was poor to begin with, and Fang Wei didn't expect her to improve by running once or twice, but her mentality was quite strong. When she broke her promise yesterday, Fang Wei thought she would never run again.
I didn't expect that I underestimated her.
It feels good to have someone to run with.
Liu Zhiyi persisted all the way, and in the last 500 meters or so, with the help of Fang Wei, he still caught up with today's sunrise as scheduled.
When your mood is different, the sunrise you see every day seems to be different.
"Hu-hu-"
Liu Zhiyi panted for a while, and her slightly pale face slowly turned rosy.
Bathed in the first ray of sunshine, Liu Zhiyi had a strong sense of waking up from a dream and a sense of ownership of life. Her little hand was still on Fang Wei's arm, and she couldn't help pinching him for some unknown reason.
"......?" Fang Wei looked back at her in surprise.
"...What's wrong?" Liu Zhiyi was puzzled.
"No, you pinched me and asked me what was wrong?"
"Ah? I...I'm sorry!"
Liu Zhiyi came back to her senses, her pretty face blushed, and she quickly let go of her hand.
I swear to God, she really didn't pinch it on purpose. She was just feeling a little dizzy from running and felt something warm in her palm, so she pinched it subconsciously.
"How do you feel now?" Fang Wei asked with a smile.
Liu Zhiyi, whose energy bar was exhausted, looked a little embarrassed, but the words he said were not polite at all.
"I, huh, I feel pretty awesome!"
"You're not modest at all. You're almost dizzy, aren't you?"
"Really... I really feel like I'm really awesome that I was able to finish this run!"
"So we'll continue tomorrow?"
Perhaps because of this sentence, if Fang asked her halfway, she might hesitate for a long time before answering.
But now that she had reached the finish line and saw the sunrise, her answer became without hesitation: "Keep going!!"
……
After lunch, Xu Caiwei packed her luggage and prepared to return to Shanghai to work.
"This half chicken has been marinated for you by mom, you can take it over and eat it."
"Mom, no need. Just leave it for Cailing. I usually eat at the store and don't have time to cook."
"Sister, just take it over and eat it. The chicken we raise at home is super delicious!"
"Then you will return to Shanghai tonight, so you will have to eat, right? Take these peanuts, chestnuts, and all the fruits you bought with you. Take some back with you..."
"Also, the weather is getting cold, so you should bring some thick clothes with you. You won't be back until the New Year this time, right?"
Xu Caiwei was both moved and helpless. She brought a lot of things when she returned, and another lot of things when she left. If her parents hadn't thought it was inconvenient for her to carry so many things by herself, they would have even thought of asking her to move a box of salted fish to give to her colleagues.
"Alright, alright, let's set off now. Don't make it too late to get to Shanghai."
Xu Zhiyuan said, taking out the motorcycle key from the drawer, "I'll take you to the dock."
"Dad, no need, I'll take my sister there!"
"How are you going to deliver it? By bike?"
"Just send your sister back the same way you brought her back."
"You can't put all these things on your bicycle, and you have to carry people too."
As she was speaking, Xu Cailing summoned Fang Wei from next door as if she had thrown a Poké Ball.
"Uncle Yuan, you still have to go to the drying yard to work this afternoon, Cai Ling and I will just take Sister Cai Wei to the dock."
"That……"
"Oh no, Dad, let's go!"
"Remember to call and let us know you're safe when you get there!"
"Know it."
Just like when they came back, Fang Wei tied the suitcase to the back seat of his bicycle, while Xu Cailing carried Xu Caiwei, and the three of them rode together, leaving Pineapple Island and heading to Baitan Pier to catch a boat.
"Haha, it feels like when we were kids, with the three of us riding our bikes to town together." Xu Caiwei said with a smile.
"Yes, time flies!" Fang Wei also smiled.
"It's so fast. It feels like I just got back, but in the blink of an eye I have to go back to work."
Perhaps at her age, she is still a high school student in a big city and should be enjoying her youth, but now she has to start working early and there are no more so-called winter and summer vacations.
When she came back, she was in a happy mood, but when she left, Xu Caiwei became much quieter.
She sat on the back seat of the bicycle, carried by her sister who was almost as tall as her. She looked at the scenery along the way. It still looked like summer. When she came back next time, it would probably be winter.
"Sister Caiwei isn't coming back for National Day?"
"Well, I won't be back. I have to go to work. I may not be back until the New Year."
"New Year! So long!" Xu Cailing frowned.
"It hasn't been long. The Mid-Autumn Festival has passed. It's only been four months at most."
“My last semester was already over by then!”
"Only you who are still studying would use semesters to calculate time. We who are paid are calculated on a monthly basis~"
"Wow, that's great! Then I can get a salary when I start working."
"What are you thinking about? Study hard and learn from Awei. If I had good grades, I wouldn't go to work."
"Know it."
"I wish you really knew."
"If you don't believe me, ask Awei if I've been working super hard recently!"
"What style of new clothes do you want this year? I'll bring them back for you during the Chinese New Year."
"Sports pullover!"
"...Can't you try something else? Jeans or something. That's what girls in the city wear."
"It's not easy to wear, it's uncomfortable to wear!"
"Okay then. I'll save up some money and buy you a set of branded goods."
"Don't buy something that expensive! Otherwise I won't be willing to wear it. Also, remember to call me before buying it. Maybe I've grown taller and what you buy won't fit me anymore."
"You think your sister is stupid."
"Anyway, you don't look as smart as me."
Listening to the two sisters chatting, Fang Wei was also laughing.
Coincidentally, Fang Wei and Cai Ling rode very slowly and arrived at Baitan Pier ten minutes before the deadline.
"Okay, if you don't have anything else to do, go back. I'll just wait here."
"Then I'll definitely send you on board."
Fang Wei and Xu Cailing did not leave, and accompanied Xu Caiwei to wait for the boat.
Soon, the transport ship connecting Shanghai and Baitan Island appeared in front of them.
As the ferry docked at the corridor bridge, the passengers inside also disembarked one after another.
Completely opposite to the situation before the festival, there were not many passengers getting off the ship at this time, but there were many passengers boarding the ship to leave the island.
Fang Wei and Xu Cailing easily found Wen Susu, who was carrying a suitcase and a backpack.
"Teacher Wen?! It really is Teacher Wen!" Xu Cailing took a closer look.
"Hey, who is that?" Xu Caiwei asked curiously.
"It's our class teacher!"
"Huh? I don't remember there being such a good-looking teacher in school. She's so young! And she's dressed so fashionably!"
"Because Teacher Wen came here from Shanghai and just arrived this year."
Seeing Wen Susu approaching, Xu Cailing waved at her: "Teacher Wen——"
Wen Susu had been sitting on the boat for half a day and was feeling dizzy. It was not until Fang Wei Cailing came up to her that she noticed the two of them.
"Eh? Fang Wei, Cai Ling? Why are you here?"
"I'm waiting for Teacher Wen here!" Xu Cailing said with a giggle.
"Yes, we have been waiting for you here since early morning. Why did you come just now, Teacher Wen?" Fang Wei also said tacitly.
Wen Susu was so moved that she almost cried when she heard this!
"Teacher, there's nothing I can do. I also came here on the first boat early in the morning, and it's almost afternoon here... No! Are you two kidding me?!"
Seeing Fang Wei and Xu Cailing trying to hold back their laughter, Wen Susu finally reacted.
"Haha... Teacher Wen, you are so cute."
"Tomorrow you two will be punished to clean the school!"
"!!"
Then the smile seemed to shift, Fang Wei and Xu Cailing were stunned, and Wen Susu burst into laughter.
Well, even though these two brats were teasing her, Wen Susu was still very happy to meet her students right after getting off the boat.
"Hey, this is... Cai Ling, is she your sister?"
Wen Susu noticed another girl next to the two of them. She was also very young and looked no different from a high school student, but the key point was that she looked very similar to Cai Ling. After a little association, she understood.
"Yes, Mr. Wen, you figured it out!"
"Hello, Teacher Wen~" Xu Caiwei also greeted her with a smile.
"Hello, Cailing's sister. Are you going to take a boat? I remember Cailing said you were working in Shanghai."
"Yeah, Mr. Wen knows me."
"I know. I've heard Cai Ling talk about my sister at home."
"Teacher Wen, how is my sister doing in school?"
Xu Caiwei asked with a sly smile, and Xu Cailing pinched her secretly in annoyance.
You really think you are the parent!
The four chatted for a while, and then the passengers on the boat got off. The ship staff also used a loudspeaker to urge the next batch of passengers to get on board quickly.
"Cai Ling, Ah Wei, I'm leaving now."
"Yeah, remember to call home when you get to the dormitory!"
Wen Susu had just got off the boat, and Xu Caiwei got on the boat and headed to where she came from.
It was not until the transport boat started, the bow broke through the waves and the whistle sounded that Xu Cailing truly felt the feeling of parting.
See you next time, it will be Chinese New Year...
After calming down, Fang Wei and Xu Cailing reached out to take Wen Susu's luggage tacitly.
"Teacher Wen, welcome back. We'll take you to the dormitory!"
(End of this chapter)
