Chapter 19: Weathering the Storm Together

  The small figure is Qing Lan and Lin Xi. Heaven's Net.

  The two of them held a black umbrella together, with one arm around each other's waist, advancing forward in the wind.

  The cold wind made them shiver, on the umbrella handle, two small hands grasped it tightly. One hand was slender and long, belonging to Qing Lan. The other hand was chubby and soft, belonging to Lin Xi. On both small hands, they wore identical handmade knitted gloves.

  The gloves were Lin Xi's, hand-woven by her mother.

  Every day on the way to school, Lin Xi would always take off one of his gloves and put it on Qing Lan's hand that was holding an umbrella.

  Actually, there was neither rain nor snowflakes in the sky, but Qing Lan and Lin Xi were still holding that black umbrella steadily.

  This was an unspoken agreement between the two of them, on snowy, rainy or other gloomy days, whether each of them brought an umbrella or only one of them did, they would always open and hold just one umbrella together.

  So Lin Xi hastily took off the glove on his other hand.

  "Come on, Lanlan, put on this glove and hold the umbrella, you won't feel cold." Lin Xi said lightly.

  "Thank you, Sister Lin." Qing Lan spoke quickly and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

  The wind blew the bangs on her forehead, and the high ponytail swayed back and forth in the wind. Qing Lan looked at Lin Xue's face, which was frozen bright red, and smiled sweetly, with her eyes narrowed into a smile due to the wind.

  She rubbed her small hands together, then put them to her mouth and blew on them before putting on the gloves Lin Xie had given her, as if worried that her cold hands would freeze the gloves.

  Qing Lan put on his gloves, and after exchanging a brief smile with the other person, he suddenly bent over and burst out laughing.

  "What's so funny, Qinglan?" Lin Xi was perplexed by Qinglan's sudden burst of laughter, but she couldn't help being infected by Qinglan's uninhibited guffaws and found herself chuckling along with her.

  "Lín jiějie, will Shǎo Jié gē take care of me in the future?" Qīng Lán suddenly stopped smiling and revealed a serious expression.

  "Really?" Lin Xi chuckled and said loudly on purpose.

  An Shaojie, walking in front of Lin Xi and Qing Lan, heard their conversation and his small body trembled slightly.

  Lin Xi hastened her pace by several steps, and Qing Lan also quickened her footsteps in response.

  After catching up with An Shaojie, Lin Xi took out a pair of gloves and a sky blue diary from her backpack. "Shaojie ge, these gloves were knitted by my mom for you last night, and this diary was bought by me as a gift to commemorate our time together."

  Lin Xi placed the gloves on top of the diary and handed them to An Shaojie, who stared blankly at them without reaching out.

  "Here." Lin Xi took another step forward and stretched out his hand further in front of Shao Jie.

  An Shaojie bit his lip tightly, for a long, long time, and suddenly a tear dropped onto his glove.

  Qing Lan stretched out her hand to help An Shaojie wipe away his tears.

  With a "slap", An Shaojie slapped Qing Lan's hand and forcefully pushed it away.

  Qing Lan winced in pain, rubbing her arm and pouting as she looked at Lin Xi.

  "Little Brother Jie, don't be like this. I'll leave now, but I'll come back to see you later. In the future, there will still be Lanlan and you going to school together." Lin Xi glanced at Qinglan again, then looked at An Shaojie, whose tears were already streaming down his face. Lin Xi couldn't help but have red eyes too. Super Entertainment Achievement System

  "Yes, Shao Jie Ge, Lin sister has left, but I'm still with you. I will always be with you, wherever you go, I'll go too." Qing Lan said, pouting her mouth and speaking slowly.

  "Who wants you to accompany them?" An Shaojie shouted angrily with tears in his eyes.

  "Sister Lin, don't worry, after you leave, I'll take care of Xiao Jie for you." Qing Lan said with a mature tone.

  Her hands still held the sky blue notebook and those pure blue gloves in front of An Shaojie.

  "My mom said she intentionally made these gloves a few sizes bigger, so you can wear them for several more years." Lin Xixi's voice was soft and gentle, her hands trembling in the air. "If you miss me, use this diary to write down your thoughts. Teacher didn't say that it's just for writing down one's innermost thoughts? You write down your innermost thoughts on this, and when I come back, you can show them to me. That way, it'll be like I never left you guys!"

  Lin Xi said, and Qing Lan also took a look at the gloves and diary. Lin Xi had gone to her house last night and given them to her, so Lin Xi's words also had a meaning for Qing Lan.

  Last night, An Shaojie heard from his mother that Lin Laoshi had been admitted as a public teacher and was favored by a middle school in the county, and was going to be transferred away. Lin Xie and her mother would also leave Liujiacun with Lin Laoshi, and Lin Xie would no longer attend school with him.

  Last night when his mother told him the news, he secretly ran to the threshing ground outside the village and hid behind a haystack, crying loudly.

  He felt he was about to lose the most precious thing in his life, and his heart ached with unbearable sorrow.

  On the way back, stepping on the cold moonlight, he hugged his trembling body, looking at the lonely shadow cast on the ground, he seemed to feel that he was just like the shadow on the ground, forever chasing his own heart, but never catching up, forever alone and desolate.

  Looking at the glove and diary in front of him, An Shaojie finally couldn't help but burst into tears, his thin shoulders shaking uncontrollably in the wind.

  Qing Lan reached out to try and steady his uncontrollably shaking shoulders, but was pulled by him, stumbled, and almost fell.

  Qing Lan glared at An Shaojie furiously, while Shaojie stared back at her with equal ferocity, his eyes wide with anger and tears streaming down his face.

  Looking at Shao Jie's tear-stained face, Qing Lan's heart softened again, and she immediately smiled. "Shao Jie, don't be sad, Lin sister is gone, but you still have me, I'll take care of you." Qing Lan stretched out her hand to help wipe away the tears on Shao Jie's face.

  An Shaojie seemed unmoved by Qing Lan's words and stubbornly pushed her hand away with force.

  "No one wants you." An Shaojie said.

  After hearing An Shaojie's words, Qing Lan looked towards Lin Xiwang.

  Xie Lin pulled up An Shaojie's hand, gently placing the gloves and book in his hand. Then she pulled up Qing Lan's hand and placed it on top of An Shaojie's hand. "Shaojie ge, from now on you'll take care of Lanlan for me, okay?"

  After hearing Lin Xi's words, An Shaojie's shoulders, which had been shaking with sobs, suddenly stopped. He lifted his head, biting his lip, and stared at Lin Xi for a long time without speaking.

  Qing Lan looked at Lin Xi with gratitude, then turned to Shao Jie, her eyes rolled upwards, and a triumphant expression appeared on her face.

  After waiting for a long time, Lin Xi saw that Shao Jie was still not speaking, so she turned to Qing Lan again. Her eyes blinked at her, and with a pouting mouth, she said: "Qing Lan, don't mind Shao Jie anymore, after I leave, you have to call him to go to school every day, and when he gets out of school, don't ignore him, okay?" The small figure was Qing Lan and Lin Xi. Little Debt Bride

  The two of them held a black umbrella together, with one arm around each other's waist, advancing forward in the wind.

  The cold wind made them shiver, on the umbrella handle, two small hands grasped it tightly. One hand was slender and long, belonging to Qing Lan. The other hand was chubby and soft, belonging to Lin Xi. On both small hands, they wore identical handmade knitted gloves.

  The gloves were Lin Xi's, hand-woven by her mother.

  Every day on the way to school, Lin Xi would always take off one of his gloves and put it on Qing Lan's hand that was holding an umbrella.

  Actually, there was neither rain nor snowflakes in the sky, but Qing Lan and Lin Xie were still holding that black umbrella steadily.

  This was an unspoken agreement between the two of them, on snowy, rainy or other gloomy days, whether each of them brought an umbrella or only one of them did, they would always open and hold just one umbrella together.

  So Lin Xi hastily took off the glove on his other hand.

  "Come on, Lanlan, put on this glove and hold the umbrella, you won't feel cold." Lin Xi said lightly.

  "Thank you, Sister Lin." Qing Lan spoke quickly and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

  The wind blew against the bangs on her forehead, and the high ponytail swayed back and forth in the wind. Qing Lan looked at Lin Xue's face, which was frozen bright red, and smiled sweetly, with her eyes narrowed into a smile due to the wind.

  She rubbed her small hands together, then put them to her mouth and blew on them before putting on the gloves Lin Xi had given her, as if worried that her cold hands would freeze the gloves.

  Qing Lan put on his gloves, and after exchanging a brief smile with the other person, he suddenly bent over and burst out laughing.

  "What's so funny, Qinglan?" Lin Xi was perplexed by Qinglan's sudden burst of laughter, but she couldn't help being infected by Qinglan's uninhibited guffaws and found herself chuckling along with her.

  "Linsister, will Shaojie brother take care of me in the future?" Qinglan suddenly stopped smiling and revealed a serious expression.

  "Really?" Lin Xi chuckled and said loudly on purpose.

  An Shaojie, walking in front of Lin Xi and Qing Lan, heard their conversation and his small body trembled slightly.

  Lin Xi hastened her pace by a few steps, and Qing Lan also quickened her footsteps.

  After catching up with An Shaojie, Lin Xi took out a pair of gloves and a sky blue diary from her backpack. "Shaojie brother, these gloves were knitted by my mother for you last night, and this diary was bought by me as a gift to commemorate our time together."

  Lin Xi placed the gloves on top of the diary and handed them to An Shaojie, who stared blankly at them without reaching out.

  "Take it." Lin Xi took another step forward, extending his hand further in front of Shao Jie.

  An Shaojie bit his lip tightly, and after a long time, a tear suddenly dropped onto his glove.

  Qing Lan stretched out her hand to help An Shaojie wipe away his tears.

  With a "slap", An Shaojie slapped Qing Lan's hand and forcefully pushed it away.

  Qing Lan winced in pain, rubbing her arm and pouting as she looked at Lin Xi.

  "Little Brother Shao, don't be like this. I'll leave now, but I'll come back to see you later. In the future, there will still be Lanlan and you going to school together." Lin Xi glanced at Qinglan again, then looked at An Shaojie, whose tears were already streaming down his face. Lin Xi couldn't help but have red eyes too. National Treasure

  "Yes, Shao Jie Ge, Lin sister has left, but I'm still with you. I will always be with you, wherever you go, I'll go too." Qing Lan said, pouting her mouth and speaking slowly.

  "Who wants you to accompany them?" An Shaojie shouted angrily with tears in his eyes.

  "Sister Lin, don't worry, after you leave, I'll take care of Xiao Jie for you." Qing Lan said with a serious expression like a little adult.

  Her hands still held the sky blue notebook and the pure blue gloves in front of An Shaojie.

  "My mom said she intentionally made these gloves a few sizes bigger, so you can wear them for several more years." Lin Xixi's voice was soft and gentle, her hands trembling in the air. "If you miss me, use this diary to write down your thoughts. The teacher didn't say that it's just for writing down one's innermost feelings? You write down your innermost feelings on this, and when I come back, you can show them to me. That way, it'll be like I never left you all!"

  Lin Xi said, and Qing Lan also took a look at the gloves and diary. Lin Xi had gone to her house last night and given them to her, so Lin Xi's words also had a meaning for Qing Lan.

  Last night, An Shaojie heard from his mother that Lin Laoshi had been admitted as a public teacher and was favored by a middle school in the county, and was going to be transferred away. Lin Xie and her mother would also leave Liujiacun with Lin Laoshi, and Lin Xie would no longer attend school with him.

  Last night when his mother told him the news, he secretly ran to the threshing ground outside the village and hid behind a haystack, crying loudly.

  He felt he was about to lose the most precious thing in his life, and his heart ached with unbearable sorrow.

  On the way back, stepping on the cold moonlight, he hugged his trembling body, looking at the lonely shadow projected on the ground, he seemed to feel that he was just like the shadow on the ground, forever chasing his own heart, but never catching up, forever alone and helpless.

  Looking at the glove and diary in front of him, An Shaojie finally couldn't help but burst into tears, his thin shoulders shaking uncontrollably in the wind.

  Qing Lan reached out to try and steady his uncontrollably shaking shoulders, but was pulled by him, stumbled, and almost fell.

  Qing Lan glared at An Shaojie in anger, while Shaojie stared back at her with a fierce gaze, his eyes wide with tears streaming down his face.

  Looking at Shaojie's tear-stained face, Qinglan's heart softened again, and she immediately smiled. "Shaojie, don't be sad, Lin sister is gone, but you still have me, I'll take care of you." Qinglan stretched out her hand to help Shaojie wipe away his tears.

  An Shaojie seemed unmoved by Qing Lan's words and stubbornly pushed her hand away with force.

  "No one wants you." An Shaojie said.

  After hearing An Shaojie's words, Qing Lan looked towards Lin Xiwang.

  Xie Lin pulled up An Shaojie's hand, gently placing the gloves and book in his hand. Then she pulled up Qing Lan's hand and placed it on top of An Shaojie's hand. "Shaojie ge, from now on you'll take care of Lanlan for me, okay?"

  After listening to Lin Xi's words, An Shaojie's shoulders, which had been shaking with sobs, suddenly stopped. He lifted his head, biting his lip, and stared at Lin Xi for a long time without speaking.

  Qing Lan looked at Lin Xi with gratitude, then turned to Shao Jie, her eyes rolled upwards, and a triumphant expression appeared on her face.

  After waiting for a long time, Lin Xi saw that Shao Jie was still not speaking, so she turned to Qing Lan again. Her eyes blinked at her, and with a pouting mouth, she said: "Qing Lan, don't mind Shao Jie anymore, after I leave, you have to call him to go to school every day, and when he gets out of school, don't ignore him, okay?"