Chapter 59

The midterm test at the end of the year was a joint examination for more than a dozen high schools in Runcheng, and Tang Junhe got the first place in the city, which made Tang Xiaonian very proud. Yang Chengchuan was also very happy, and gave Tang Junhe a watch. Knowing that Tang Junhe had always refused to accept his gifts, he specially sent this congratulatory gift through Tang Xiaonian's hand. Tang Junhe took it and put the watch in the drawer without even looking at it.

A few days before winter vacation, Tang Junhe got a piece of news—Yang Xuan was going abroad for the New Year. This news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for him.

Yang Xuan's grandfather was the top leader of Runcheng more than 20 years ago. After retiring, he went to the United States on the other side of the ocean to spend his life. When Yang Xuan's mother passed away, the old couple tried to bring Yang Xuan to the United States to continue his studies. After all, leaving their grandson with a scumbag would always make them feel uneasy. But Yang Chengchuan refused to let Yang Xuan go live abroad no matter what, and their wishes could not oppose the weight of law. They could only watch Yang Xuan "degenerate" from a young seedling to the sports student of today.

Yang Chengchuan was unwilling to send Yang Xuan abroad, but after all, his father-in-law had shown him kindness in the past (although this has made the old man regret it to this day), and filial piety must be fulfilled. Yang Xuan, every other winter vacation, would be sent to his grandfather's house to stay for more than ten days, and come back after spending the Spring Festival with the old man. Last year, Yang Xuan celebrated the New Year with Yang Chengchuan, so this year it was his turn to go to his grandfather's house.

That afternoon, both Tang Xiaonian and Yang Chengchuan went to work, and Yang Xuan was using the computer in the study, with Tang Junhe lying on the carpet taking a nap.

The doorbell rang a few times suddenly, and Yang Xuan got up to open the door. He looked down as he passed by Tang Junhe. His younger brother was lying sprawled on the ground, revealing a section of white belly, fast asleep like a small animal that didn't feel the slightest danger from the outside world. He bent down and pulled Tang Junhe's wrinkled T-shirt down to cover his exposed belly. Tang Junhe didn’t react; he was already fast asleep. Yang Xuan got up again and walked to the entrance, opening the door to let Chen Xing in.

"Your father is in a meeting, and he couldn't get away, so he asked me to take you to the airport," Chen Xing said standing on the floor mat at the entrance, "I’d have to change shoes so I won't go in. Everything is packed, right? Are you ready to leave?"

"It's packed, I'll go get the luggage." Yang Xuan said, then turned and went into his room. When he changed his clothes and came out with a suitcase, Tang Junhe had already woken up and was standing barefoot at the door of the study, looking at him.

"Ge, are you leaving?" Tang Junhe asked sleepily with a red mark on his cheek.

"Well," Yang Xuan carried the suitcase to the entrance, took off the coat from the hanger. While stretching his arms and putting it on, he asked Tang Junhe, "Do you want to see me off?"

Hearing Yang Xuan's question, Chen Xing also said: "Jun He, come with us and send your brother off, and I will bring you back later."

Tang Junhe nodded and said, "I'm going." After finishing speaking, he walked quickly to his room and put on a fleece hoodie that Tang Xiaonian had bought him a few days ago. When he came back, the red imprint left by the carpet had faded, and his cheeks had a light blush that made his complexion look extraordinarily fair. He reached out and took the white down jacket that he often wore from the hanger, put it on, and followed Yang Xuan out the door.

From childhood to adulthood, Tang Junhe had never been out of Runcheng, not even to go to the train station, let alone the airport. He held Yang Xuan's hand. He looked out the window for a while, and looked at his brother for a while. For the time being, the cold wave bid farewell to Runcheng; the sky had cleared up for several days in a row, the snow on the road had gradually melted, and the car ran on it very smoothly.

"Uncle Chen, how long will it take to get to the airport?" Tang Junhe asked.

"Half an hour, it's not too far." Chen Xing said while driving.

Tang Junhe didn't like this answer. He hoped that the road would be longer, because he would be separated from Yang Xuan in a short time. He loosened the hand that was holding Yang Xuan tightly, slipped his fingers between Yang Xuan's, and interlocked their hands. Yang Xuan didn't react at all, he didn't know whether he was indulging him or simply didn't care.

The car soon stopped in front of the airport. Half an hour had passed faster than expected. Chen Xing opened the trunk from the driver’s seat, and trotted over to help Yang Xuan carry the luggage.

"I'll do it myself," Yang Xuan bent down and stretched the trolley of the suitcase, holding it with his hands, and said, "Go back."

"You're already familiar with the road, right?" Chen Xing said with a smile, "That's fine, I won't follow you in. If anything happens, just call me." After finishing speaking, he turned his head and looked at Tang Junhe again, "What about Xiao He? Would you like to go in with your brother and have a look? I'll wait outside for a bit."

Tang Junhe thought for a while and said, "I can take the bus back by myself."

"Yo, that's a bit far away," Chen Xing saw that he wanted to go in with Yang Xuan, and said empathetically, "Go, see your brother off, I'll wait for you. Your father's meeting will take the afternoon, I’m not in a hurry."

Tang Junhe turned and looked at Yang Xuan without blinking, waiting for him to speak. If Yang Xuan let him leave, he would go with Chen Xing.

But Yang Xuan just looked at him and said, "Come in with me, thank you Uncle Chen."

Tang Junhe turned his head to Chen Xing again, and repeated like a parrot: "Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Chen Xing laughed as soon as he heard it, patted Yang Xuan on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Xuan is becoming more and more like a big brother."

Yang Xuan was dragging the suitcase with one hand, and Tang Junhe held his other hand, printing the boarding pass and checking in the luggage with him.

While they were checking in, the baggage screening machine briefly malfunctioned, leaving them waiting for a few minutes. The airline staff member was a girl in her mid-twenties. While waiting, she asked curiously, "Are you brothers?"

They said "Mnn" at the same time.

"No wonder you look alike."

They have heard this sentence more than once, and many people who saw them standing together have said it. And when they stand together, they often receive the attention of many strangers. The slender and tall teenagers aged seventeen or eighteen held hands with each other. They didn't talk much, but occasionally they looked into each other's eyes and had a conversation. Other than that, they didn't seem to pay much mind to the surrounding environment and the crowd’s attention.

There was a short line at the security checkpoint, and Yang Xuan and Tang Junhe stood at the end and moved forward slowly.

Tang Junhe looked up at Yang Xuan, and asked the question he was most concerned about: "Ge, when are you coming back?"

Yang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Seventh and eighth day."

Tang Junhe lowered his head, looking at the ticket in his hand silently. After a while he said: "Then we can't celebrate the New Year together."

"Isn't New Year's Day over?" Yang Xuan looked at the line in front and said.

"That's different, that's a foreign New Year, this is Chinese New Year."

"Those are just formalities."

"This may be the last New Year we spend together," Tang Junhe raised his chin and looked at Yang Xuan, "Ge, you won't be in Runcheng next year."

"Then you come with me," Yang Xuan turned his face to look at him, "I'll buy you a plane ticket, and you go abroad with me to celebrate the New Year."

Tang Junhe lowered his eyes and said with some disappointment: "You know it's impossible."

"Impossible," Yang Xuan smiled disapprovingly, "It's just a matter of a plane ticket."

"It's not just about a plane ticket." Tang Junhe said.

Yang Xuan didn't speak, but just when Tang Junhe thought he would no longer have any reaction, Yang Xuan spoke: "In my opinion it is."

"If it's that simple, then you can stay too." Tang Junhe said angrily. Since that night, he has become a little sensitive to Yang Xuan's teasing. Yang Xuan always seems to like to propose things that he knows are impossible, and then watch his embarrassing and flustered reactions indifferently.

As he said this, the line had already moved up and they stood at the entrance of the security check. Yang Xuan turned to look at Tang Junhe and reminded, "Here we are."

Only then did Tang Junhe come back to his senses. He let go of Yang Xuan's hand, handed him the ticket, and then stood at the side of the line, watching Yang Xuan walk over to the security check.

He suddenly regretted the conversation he had just had with Yang Xuan, which had made their parting unhappy. Obviously that was not what he’d wanted to say the most, he just wanted to tell Yang Xuan that he would miss him very much after being away for so long.

"I will miss you very much."

"Can you come back sooner?"

"America is so far away."

"Without you in this family, it will be very difficult."

"Could you give me a hug before you go?"

"I can't go with you now, but I will in the future."

—Obviously these are the words he wants to say.


After Yang Xuan finished the security check, he looked back at Tang Junhe, then picked up his ticket and mobile phone and left. Tang Junhe wanted to wave goodbye to him, but Yang Xuan quickly turned around and left, so the hand he just raised froze for a moment, and then was put back into his pocket. He stood where he was, watching his brother's back disappear into the crowd, and left the airport listlessly.

When he turned and walked back, he saw a couple hugging and kissing. He then thought that maybe the parting between him and Yang Xuan would never be accompanied by a kiss. There were too many people at the airport, and their kiss could only happen in a secluded room with no one in it.

"Did you send your brother off?" Chen Xing saw him coming, got out of the car and opened the door for him. He saw that the boy was not in a good mood, and reassured him, "He'll be back in a few days, Nian is the fastest runner." [1]

Tang Junhe got into the car and let out a "hmm".

Will this year be the fastest? Tang Xiaonian seemed to have said something similar before, but he never paid it too much attention. In the past, Tang Junhe didn't care about any festivals – New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Qixi Festival...these are all the same, the only difference is whether he would get to have a holiday or not. But from a certain point, he began to attach great importance to every festival. It seems that no matter which occasion, it would be a great regret if he could not spend it with Yang Xuan.

On the way back, he suddenly thought that his last sentence just now was a bit unreasonable – "If it's that simple, then you can stay too." Obviously he wanted to spend the New Year with Yang Xuan, but he hoped that Yang Xuan would stay for him, instead of him going with Yang Xuan. It really makes no sense at all.

Thinking of this, his frustration increased a bit.

This depression lasted until midnight, and Tang Junhe couldn't sleep again. Thinking that the room next door was empty at the moment, his heart seemed to be empty too, a cold wind leaking from inside.

He sat up, took out the cigarette case from the drawer, thought about it for a moment, then put it beside the bed, and took off the pajamas over his head.

He walked to the closet, leaned over and pulled out a black sweater and put it on. Tang Xiaonian always treats him like a child, buying all kinds of brightly colored clothes for him. This is the only piece of clothing that he has that makes him look a little bit more mature. He put on a pair of slightly tight black pants, and walked lightly to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

Standing in front of the mirror, he suddenly understood why people could tell at a glance that he and Yang Xuan were brothers. They were indeed somewhat alike, especially when they wore the same clothes and made the same indifferent expression.

His hair looked a little too obedient, Tang Junhe looked at his reflection and thought. He walked to his room, found the baseball cap Tang Xiaonian had bought for him before, and put it on his head. He took the cigarette case and the house key in his hands, took out some money from the drawer, and then walked lightly to the living room, put on his coat, carefully held the entry’s doorknob, and turned it downward.

The door of this house opened and closed quietly, unlike at the old house where he and Tang Xiaonian used to live, where the door creaked as soon as it was opened. The door lock opened silently, he opened the door and stepped out, closed the door carefully, and walked away.

At one o'clock in the morning, the corridor was quiet, and the sensor light above turned on automatically. He took the elevator downstairs, walked out of the community, and walked around the quiet green belt. This place once brought shadows to him, because Zhou Lin was hiding behind one of the trees and watching him a few months ago, waiting for the opportunity to jump out and hold him tightly. But now he has nothing to be afraid of, Zhou Lin is dead, and even the shadow and fear he brought were crushed under the wheels that evening.

The night wind blew the bare branches slightly. The birds, insects and cicadas in summer had disappeared without a trace, and the silence was a little scary. Tang Junhe felt a little cold, he reached out and pulled the hood of the sweater over his head, walked quickly to the side of the road, and stopped a taxi with his hand.

"Buyecheng." He said to the driver after getting in the car. Even the tone of voice was similar to Yang Xuan's.




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Chapter 58  ✈ Chapter 60



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