Chapter 28: The Kind You

  Qing Lan and An Shaojie started boarding school after entering junior high school, living in school from Monday to Friday, returning home on Friday afternoon, resting at home for two days on Saturday and Sunday, and going back to school with rice on their backs on Monday morning.

  Qing Lan has a bicycle, so on Friday afternoons when she goes home from school and Monday mornings when she goes to school, she rides her bike.

  Shao Jie doesn't have a bicycle, every week he walks home and walks to school.

  Every time, Qing Lan's bicycle would fly past An Shaojie's side.

  After flying over, every time Qing Lan would jump off the bicycle, put it by the side of the road, look left and right, as if something was wrong with the bike, fiddle around with it for a while, wait until An Shaojie passed by, then after walking a long distance, she would fly back onto the bike and speedily chase after him.

  Or on a uphill road, Qing Lan caught up with Shao Jie again, pushing the cart, one left and one right, walking along both sides of the road with An Shao Jie.

  Or after surpassing An Shaojie by a short distance, Qing Lan jumped off the bed, pretending to be very tired, and placed the vehicle at the side of the road, sitting down on a stone or a clump of grass at the side of the road for a brief rest. After An Shaojie surpassed him again by a short distance, Qing Lan would get back on the vehicle and chase after him.

  In this way of chasing and hurrying, every time Qing Lan rode her bicycle and An Shaojie walked, they almost always arrived home and returned to school at about the same time.

  When returning to Liu's village, when passing by the stone bridge in front of Qing Lan's house, Liu Xiu Zhen would always stare at An Shaojie's back for a long time as he walked into the village with Qing Lan.

  She was puzzled, how could her daughter who had a bicycle always arrive home with An Shaojie who walked every time? If they were on good terms now, it didn't seem like it from the situation, because she had never seen them talk to each other!

  Bai Cuifen, who came out to greet An Shaojie, would also glance in the direction of the village and catch a glimpse of Qing Lan's figure just entering the village. Bai Cuifen would then smile faintly at Qing Lan's back, her smile filled with gratitude.

  Liu Xiu Zhen doesn't understand things she does!

  Good you! Bai Cui Fen muttered to herself.

  In school, An Shaojie still didn't speak with Qing Lan.

  But in the classroom or dormitory, when classmates asked Qinglan about An Shaojie, Qinglan would be as proud and enthusiastic as when she talked about her brother to her friends in the village when she was a child, telling them as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between her and Shaojie.

  "When he was in elementary school, Shaojie's grades were always the first in the class, and no one had ever surpassed him. His compositions were also well-written and often read by the teacher as a model essay in class."

  "No wonder, now in class grades are still so good."

  There is a female classmate named Xiang Yuanqiu, who has excellent grades and admires An Shaojie while also secretly liking him. Knowing that Qinglan and An Shaojie are from the same village, she often asks Qinglan about his affairs.

  Xiang Yu's family is a well-known local Tujia surname, her father started doing wood business in the town very early, so they have houses in both the town and Xiangjia Village. Her father and older brother and sister-in-law live in the town to do business, while her mother takes care of her older brother's children and younger brother in the village. Usually when she goes to school, sometimes she stays overnight and eats at school, sometimes she goes to her father's place in the town to stay overnight and eat, during holidays, she returns to Xiangjia Village where her mother lives.

  Yuē Yuǎn Qiū's family conditions are not bad, and her grades among the girls in the class are also top-notch. She thinks that the only girl who can rival her in the class is Qīng Lán, although Qīng Lán's grades have never surpassed hers, because everyone in the class knows that she is more diligent and serious than Qīng Lán.

  Qing Lan entered junior high school with her personality unchanged, still as talkative and cheerful as she was when she was younger. She got along well with everyone in class, had a good relationship with others, and was generous with her help, whether it was in academics or daily life. As a result, both boys and girls liked to hang out with her. However, when it came to studying, her classmates and teachers all thought that Qing Lan only used 30% of her effort.

  Xiang Yuqiu is a shy, quiet and introverted girl who likes to be alone and stay away from the crowd. So whether it's in terms of personality or studies, Xiang Yuqiu has always been somewhat jealous of Qinglan, especially when it comes to personality. Sometimes she envies Qinglan's carefree nature, while other times she mocks her for being a country bumpkin, wild and unrefined.

  However, Qing Lan didn't mind her and still showed enthusiasm and generosity in front of her.

  "Shao Jie Ge is not only excellent in his studies, but also helps with all kinds of household chores."

  Although Qing Lan knew that Yuan Qiu liked Shao Jie, she didn't mind praising Shao Jie in front of her. Because every time someone asked about Shao Jie's affairs, her knowledge of his every move, the stories of his childhood, and her memories of his every detail, always made Qing Lan feel that among all people, only she was most familiar with him, familiar to the point of being able to talk about the things he wore when he was young and the jokes he told. This familiarity often made Qing Lan's heart feel very sweet, and she had a special sense of closeness to An Shao Jie.

  Every time she sees Qing Lan's innate confidence, as if she is An Shaojie's most intimate person, a disdainful anger arises in Xiang Yuqiu's heart, and the corner of her mouth often carries a sneer. "Hmph! Who doesn't know that An Shaojie has never paid attention to her? And yet, she calls him 'Shaojie Ge' with such familiarity."

  Her lips were thin, her hair was soft and dense, her skin had a pale complexion. She usually spoke with narrowed eyes, her voice was gentle, looking like a delicate and sensitive girl. She studied hard, rarely participated in conversations with classmates and roommates, belonged to the type of person who liked to observe quietly, but occasionally when she spoke, there was always some sharp and bitter tone.

  Yes, she's absolutely right. When Qing Lan was enthusiastically telling the story of her crush on An Shaojie to the girls, An Shaojie would tell other classmates in the boys' dorm or other settings that he didn't know Qing Lan and wasn't familiar with her.

  "Aren't you and she from the same village? How can you not know each other?" asked a chubby little boy with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a round head and a round face.

  "I have nothing to do with her." An Shaojie said coldly.

  "Oh."

  Everyone saw An Shaojie's icy face and seemed unwilling to talk to them, so they dispersed.

  Since the start of school, An Shaojie rarely spoke with his classmates in class, always keeping his head down to read. This wasn't enough to arouse anyone's curiosity, as there were many diligent students in the class who hardly ever spoke, even during the 10-minute break between classes. They would either be intently doing math problems or quietly memorizing English vocabulary and reciting texts. At least they would occasionally look up and exchange a couple of humorous sentences with their classmates, or return to the dormitory and jokingly hit each other on the shoulder.

  However, An Shaojie was different. He almost always had a cold face and never joked or laughed with other classmates, nor did he participate in extracurricular sports with them. For example, on the basketball court, ping-pong table, morning running track, and gymnastics class, where almost all boys could be seen, his figure was never seen.

  Every night, back in the dormitory, he climbed up to his upper bunk and pulled out a sky-blue diary from under his pillow. The system is not human!

  Qing Lan and An Shaojie started boarding after entering junior high school. From Monday to Friday, they lived in the school, went home on Friday afternoon after school, rested at home for two days on Saturday and Sunday, and went back to school with rice on their backs on Monday morning to attend classes.

  Qing Lan has a bicycle, so on Friday afternoons when she goes home from school and Monday mornings when she goes to school, she rides her bike.

  Shao Jie doesn't have a bicycle, every week he walks home and walks to school.

  Every time, Qing Lan's bicycle would fly past An Shaojie's side.

  After flying over, every time Qing Lan would jump off the bicycle, put it by the side of the road, look left and right, as if something was wrong with the bike, fiddle around with it for a while, wait until An Shaojie passed by, then after walking a long distance, she would fly back onto the bike and speedily chase after him.

  Or on a slope, Qing Lan caught up with Shao Jie again, pushing the car, one left and one right, walking along both sides of the road with An Shao Jie.

  Or after surpassing An Shaojie by a short distance, Qing Lan jumped off the bed, pretending to be very tired, and placed the vehicle at the side of the road, sitting on a stone or in the grass to rest for a while. When An Shaojie surpassed him again by a short distance, Qing Lan would get back on the vehicle and chase after him.

  In this way of chasing and hurrying, every time Qing Lan rode her bicycle and An Shaojie walked, they almost always arrived home and returned to school at about the same time.

  When returning to Liu's village, when passing by the stone bridge in front of Qing Lan's house, Liu Xiu Zhen would always stare at An Shaojie's back for a long time as he walked into the village with Qing Lan.

  She was puzzled, how could her daughter who had a bicycle always arrive home with An Shaojie who walked every time? If they were on good terms now, it didn't seem like it from the situation, because she had never seen them talk to each other!

  Bai Cuifen, who came out to greet An Shaojie, would also glance in the direction of the village and catch a glimpse of Qing Lan's figure just entering the village. Bai Cuifen would then smile faintly at Qing Lan's back, her smile filled with gratitude.

  Liu Xiu Zhen doesn't understand things, she understands!

  Good you! Bai Cui Fen muttered in her heart.

  In school, An Shaojie still didn't speak with Qing Lan.

  But in the classroom or dormitory, when classmates asked Qinglan about An Shaojie, Qinglan would be as proud and enthusiastic as when she talked about her brother in front of the village children, telling them as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between her and Shaojie.

  "When he was in elementary school, Shaojie's grades were always the first in the class, and no one had ever surpassed him. His compositions were also well-written and often read by the teacher as a model essay in class."

  "No wonder, now in class grades are still so good."

  There is a female classmate named Xiang Yuanqiu, who has excellent grades and admires An Shaojie while also secretly liking him. Knowing that Qinglan and An Shaojie are from the same village, she often asks Qinglan about his affairs.

  Xiang Yuanchu's family is a well-known local Tujia surname, with great prestige. Her father started doing timber business in the town very early on, so they have houses both in the town and in Xiangjia Village. Her father and older brother and sister-in-law live in the town to do business, while her mother lives in the village with her older brother's children and younger brother. Usually when she goes to school, sometimes she stays overnight at school and eats there, sometimes she goes to her father's place in the town to stay overnight and eat, and during holidays, she returns to Xiangjia Village where her mother is.

  Xiang Yuanqiu not only has a good family background, but she is also one of the top students among the girls in her class. She thinks that the only girl who can rival her in the class is Qinglan, although Qinglan's grades have never surpassed hers, because everyone in the class knows that she is more diligent and hardworking than Qinglan. My wife is a leader.

  Qing Lan entered junior high school with her personality unchanged, still as talkative and cheerful as she was when she was younger. She got along well with everyone in class, had a good relationship with others, and was generous with her help, whether it was in academics or daily life. As a result, both boys and girls liked to hang out with her. However, when it came to studying, her classmates and teachers all thought that Qing Lan only used 30% of her effort.

  Xiang Yuqiu is a introverted and quiet girl who likes to be alone, away from the crowd. So whether it's in terms of personality or studies, Xiang Yuqiu has some jealousy towards Qinglan, especially when it comes to personality. Sometimes she envies Qinglan's carefree nature, while other times she mocks her for being a country bumpkin, wild and unrefined.

  However, Qing Lan didn't mind her and still showed enthusiasm and generosity in front of her.

  "Shao Jie Ge is not only excellent in his studies, but also helps with all kinds of household chores."

  Although Qing Lan knew that Yuan Qiu liked Shao Jie, she didn't mind praising Shao Jie in front of her. Because every time someone asked about Shao Jie's affairs, her knowledge of his every move, the stories of his childhood, and her memories of his every detail, always made Qing Lan feel that among all people, only she was most familiar with him, familiar to the point of being able to talk about the things he wore when he was young and the jokes he told. This familiarity often made Qing Lan's heart feel very sweet, and she had a special closeness to An Shao Jie.

  Every time she sees Qing Lan's innate confidence, as if she is An Shaojie's most intimate person, a disdainful anger arises in Xiang Yuqiu's heart, and the corners of her mouth often carry a sneer. "Hmph! Who doesn't know that An Shaojie has never paid attention to her? And yet, she calls him 'Shaojie Ge' with such familiarity."

  Her lips were thin, her hair was soft and dense, her skin had a pale complexion. She usually spoke with narrowed eyes, her voice was gentle, looking like a delicate and sensitive girl. She studied hard, rarely participated in conversations with classmates and roommates, belonged to the type of person who liked to observe quietly, but occasionally when she spoke, there were some sharp and harsh tones.

  Yes, she's absolutely right. When Qing Lan was enthusiastically telling the story of her crush on An Shaojie to the girls, An Shaojie would tell other classmates in the boys' dorm or other gatherings that he didn't know Qing Lan and wasn't familiar with her.

  "Aren't you and she from the same village? How can you not know each other?" asked a chubby little boy with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a round head and a round face.

  "I have nothing to do with her." An Shaojie said coldly.

  "Oh."

  Everyone saw An Shaojie's icy face and seemed unwilling to talk to them, so they dispersed.

  Since the start of school, An Shaojie rarely spoke to his classmates in class, always keeping his head down to read. This wasn't enough to arouse anyone's curiosity, as there were many diligent students in the class who hardly ever spoke, even during the 10-minute break between classes. They would either be engrossed in math problems or quietly memorizing English vocabulary and reciting texts. At least they would occasionally look up and exchange a couple of humorous remarks with their classmates, or return to the dormitory and playfully tap on other students' shoulders, joking around.

  However, An Shaojie was different. He almost always had a cold face and never joked or laughed with other classmates, nor did he participate in extracurricular sports with them. For example, on the basketball court, ping-pong table, morning running track, and gymnastics bars, where almost all boys could be seen, his figure had never appeared.

  Every night, back in the dormitory, he climbed up to his upper bunk and pulled out a sky-blue diary from under his pillow.