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“Xiao Yudie, are you skipping class again? Won’t the homeroom teacher give you a hard time?”
Zhuang Zi’ang and Su Yudie walked side by side down the snack street, each holding a skewer of fish balls.
As Su Yudie munched on her food, her cheeks puffed out like an adorable pufferfish.
She smiled and said, “I’m not skipping class; I have a leave slip.”
Zhuang Zi’ang clearly didn’t believe her. “How is that possible? Do you think I’m a three-year-old?”
Su Yudie shrugged off her shoulder bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a pile of leave slips.
The homeroom teacher’s signature was already there, but the date section was blank.
This meant Su Yudie could fill in the current date whenever she wanted to leave.
“You can do that?” Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes widened.
He stared at the scribbled signature for a long time, unable to recognize a single character.
This must be what other people’s homeroom teachers are like.
“Wait, if you have a leave slip, why did you climb over the wall?”
“It’s faster that way, and I can eat all sorts of delicious food.”
Su Yudie’s foodie reasoning left Zhuang Zi’ang speechless.
He always felt that this girl was mysterious and inscrutable.
Zhuang Zi’ang changed the subject. “How did you know I was unhappy?”
Su Yudie raised her right hand, extended her index finger, and poked Zhuang Zi’ang’s chest.
She lightly tiptoed, leaning close to his ear. “Because we’re friends, we have a psychic connection.”
The warm breath from the girl’s mouth sent a tingling sensation down Zhuang Zi’ang’s neck.
That explanation of a psychic connection was a bit too flimsy, wasn’t it?
“Come with me.”
Su Yudie naturally grabbed Zhuang Zi’ang’s wrist, pulling him away from the snack street and down a long flight of stone steps.
The school was built on a hillside, and a river flowed through the city below.
The river flowed peacefully eastward, with willows swaying gently in the wind along the banks.
The two of them crossed a wide expanse of grassy land and arrived at the riverbank, which was littered with smooth pebbles.
These seemingly unremarkable pebbles had all gone through millions of years of river erosion and mutual collisions to become round and polished.
A human life lasts just a century, which is indeed insignificant in comparison.
As ancient sages have said, life between heaven and earth is like a fleeting shadow, here one moment and gone the next.
In the long sweep of history, three months and a hundred years are actually not that different; both are fleeting moments.
As they approached the river, they could hear the sound of the water lapping against the shore.
A cool breeze stirred their hair and the edges of their clothing.
Su Yudie took off her shoes and socks, revealing a pair of crystal-clear, delicate feet, and gently stepped onto the smooth pebbles.
The river water rose up, soaking her tiny feet.
White waves splashed up, wetting the hem of her blue dress.
“Take off your shoes and come down with me,” Su Yudie beckoned to Zhuang Zi’ang.
“It’s clearly class time. Is it really okay for us to play in the water here?” Zhuang Zi’ang hesitated a bit.
“Have you always been so rule-abiding since you were a child?” Su Yudie asked.
Her words struck a chord with Zhuang Zi’ang.
Yes, why should he adhere to the rules so strictly?
He quickly took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and carefully stepped on the pebbles until he reached Su Yudie’s side.
The cool river water reached their ankles, feeling wonderfully refreshing.
Su Yudie cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the gently flowing river, “Zhuang Zi’ang is a big dummy!”
Her voice carried into the bridge archway, echoing back.
“Zhuang Zi’ang is a big dummy, a big dummy, a dummy…”
Su Yudie burst into silvery laughter. Her smile was absolutely beautiful.
“Why are you calling me names again?” Zhuang Zi’ang grumbled, dissatisfied.
“Because you’re always unhappy, torturing yourself. That’s what makes you a big dummy!” Su Yudie pouted her cherry-like lips.
Zhuang Zi’ang, unwilling to be outdone, imitated her, shouting towards the river, “Xiao Yudie is a little silly goose!”
“Xiao Yudie is a little silly goose, a little silly goose, a silly goose…”
The echo from the bridge archway had a layered effect.
Su Yudie, far from being angry, smiled, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents.
She shouted again, “Big dummy, you have to be happy every day!”
Zhuang Zi’ang turned his head, looking at Little Butterfly’s perfect profile, and a wave of immense sorrow washed over him.
He felt like he’d been poisoned by this girl.
Even knowing he shouldn’t, he was deeply entangled, unable to extricate himself.
In three months, how would he face that separation?
Su Yudie noticed that Zhuang Zi’ang had been silent for a long time. She looked up at him and realized his eyes were brimming with tears.
“B-big dummy, if you’re feeling really sad, I allow you to cry it out.”
Those words completely broke Zhuang Zi’ang’s resolve.
From the moment he came into this world, all the grievances and sorrows surged to the surface.
Large droplets of tears rolled down his cheeks.
They fell into the river, creating silent splashes.
Zhuang Zi’ang didn’t want Little Butterfly to see his vulnerability, so he bent down.
He tried his hardest to stifle his sobs, but low sounds of weeping still escaped him.
His whole body trembled slightly.
Su Yudie reached out, gently stroking Zhuang Zi’ang’s back, hoping to comfort him.
Unknowingly, her own eyes also filled with tears.
“Xiao Yudie, why are you crying?”
“We’re good friends. Seeing you sad makes me sad too.”
Two days ago, in the hospital, when Zhuang Zi’ang saw his diagnosis, although he experienced a brief moment of daze, he wasn’t particularly heartbroken.
Because this cold world had given him little to cherish.
But at this moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of reluctance.
Why?
Why did I have to meet you when I’m terminally ill?
Zhuang Zi’ang struggled to stop his tears, then reached out and wiped away the glistening teardrops from Xiao Yudie’s cheek.
Those were the most precious jewels in the world.
“Xiao Yudie, I’m not sad anymore. You can’t cry either, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Let the river wash away all your sadness. You have to be happy every day from now on,” Su Yudie sobbed.
Zhuang Zi’ang crouched down, scooped up a handful of cool river water, and splashed it on his face.
He let the endless flow of the river carry away his tears.
A large wave surged forward, causing the water level to rise further, reaching Su Yudie’s calves.
She had to hold up her skirt with both hands, stepping back quickly.
“The stones are slippery. Be careful not to fall,” Zhuang Zi’ang quickly warned her.
“Carry me up,” Su Yudie’s face showed a hint of panic.
Without a word, Zhuang Zi’ang reached under her knees and scooped her up in a princess carry.
After all, he’d already carried her twice over the wall, so he was quite used to it.
Once they were sitting on the grass, Su Yudie rested her small feet on Zhuang Zi’ang’s legs to dry them.
Zhuang Zi’ang questioned himself; he wasn’t a foot fetishist before.
But the sight of her delicate white feet still made him steal glances.
“Big dummy, why are you always looking at my feet?” Su Yudie asked, blushing.
“I’m not; I’m looking at the grass,” Zhuang Zi’ang denied it vehemently.
“You’ve looked seven times already.”
“Nonsense, my gaze has to land somewhere.”
Zhuang Zi’ang, having been caught, turned his head away to look at the clouds on the horizon.
His cheeks flushed slightly.
“Okay, okay, I’m not blaming you. Help me put my shoes on.”
“Put them on yourself; you’re not disabled.”
“Hmph, you’re such a cheapskate.”