Chapter 53 Mutual Understanding, Mutual Kisses, and Warm Embraces

  Along the school gate of Yangzhuang Township, walking down less than a hundred meters is the gurgling river water, which is clear and visible at the bottom all year round. Even in the dark night, you can see the new moon and stars reflected on the water surface. Wang Huating sat on a stone in the middle of the river, washing her feet, and combed her long hair draped over her shoulders, not saying a word for a long time. It seemed that she didn't even notice Dan Yong standing by the river bank behind her.

  Very beautiful, the innate elegance of women is reflected in the night-colored moonlight, and even in the midst of vagueness, one can feel that kind of beauty with a hint of greenness. However, Dan Yong's heart was not on this, when there were things on his mind, even if there were scenery in front of his eyes, he couldn't appreciate it.

  My heart is hanging, and I haven't seen the result yet. I'm afraid my heart will drop when I see it. The internship is over, and we have to return to school. Even though Song Siying had some comforting words, my heart is still hanging. What's more, Wang Huating and Ren Qun teacher gave us so many things to pay attention to today... Of course, including Wang Huating's matter. Thinking of this, Shan Yong couldn't help but glance at the pile of hay in front of him, feeling a bit regretful about that sudden night. Because of that suddenness, there was so much awkwardness afterwards. Like now, standing here awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

  Do you like it?

  Perhaps... As he watched Wang Huating roll up her pant legs and tie her hair, the outline of her face was vaguely visible, but her expression couldn't be seen, just like that day when they shared a passionate kiss. Shanyong wondered if his liking for her was a bit too forced, if the sudden passion that night was just a momentary impulse that could only arise in a specific environment. If she calmed down and thought about it carefully, she wouldn't really like someone as useless as him. In the past, this classmate who was nicknamed "Party Flower" always stood together with school leaders, department leaders, and students who were required to make progress. Despite knowing each other for so many years, the two of them had never been close before.

  "May I ask you a question?"

  Wang Huating spoke up, interrupting Shan Yong's thoughts, and got up, her footsteps moving out of the water, creating a splashing sound, as she headed towards the other end of the riverbank.

  "What's with the politeness? Ask away."

  Shan Yong took a big step and jumped to the other side. Then he heard Wang Hua Ting ask with a smile: "Actually, if it were you, I would like to ask, when we are together, or when you see me, is your desire stronger or your emotional purity higher?"

  Shan Yong laughed, with a slightly awkward pat on the forehead, and didn't answer. Unexpectedly, Wang Hua Ting stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked at him with an unusual gaze, very serious, as if waiting for a correct and accurate answer. Shan Yong was taken aback for a moment, and said tactfully: "Do you want to hear me say sorry, or do you want to hear me say I like you?"

  "What are you going to say then?" Wang Huating retorted with a stern tone.

  "I actually prepared two sentences to say, but I never had the chance. And I don't know which one to say first." Yanrong said with difficulty.

  "Tell me one true sentence." Wang Huating pressed on, although her body didn't move, but Jian Yong felt that oppressive force.

  "It's all true, if I deny that I like you and deny the apology in my heart, then that would be a lie."

  With a magnetic male voice, it dissolved Wang Huating's pressure as if it were magic. In an instant, Wang Huating seemed to be relieved, moving away from her direct gaze. Under the starlight, she saw Xianying standing alone, and in the hazy night color, Shanyong's clear eyes shone like moonlight, warm and gentle. The taste of that sweet rice seemed to emanate from his gaze, unassuming yet stirring the heart. That knot that had been accumulating for a long time seemed to be suddenly untied at this moment.

  "After a moment, Wang Huating said softly: 'Let's take a walk... we're about to leave this place, and I'm really going to miss it.'"

  "We don't belong here, we'll all leave sooner or later." said Shan Yong.

  "You seem to be taking everything very lightly, how is it that you don't have any feelings about this?" Wang Huating asked.

  "I often come here, so I don't have any special feeling. You will soon forget this place. Even the locals can't stay, let alone me who is an outsider." said Shan Yong.

  "It may not be the case, but this place has left me with a deep impression, much more than my four years in college. For example, I always thought poverty was far away from us, like Somali refugees, but it turned out to be just tens of kilometers away; for instance, I always thought happiness was far away from me, but coming here made me realize that more than half are left-behind children, and more than half will drop out of school after junior high to work. In comparison, I have been happy for over 20 years without even realizing it... For example, I thought I might make up for the regrets of my college life here, but instead, I gained another regret."

  Wang Hua-ting strolled along, listlessly plucking the twigs that stretched out from the roadside bushes, rustling as she passed by. She felt both relieved and regretful, but Shanyong didn't dare to respond. Perhaps she wanted to make up for the emotional deficiencies of her university life, but unexpectedly, there were so many rights and wrongs. These days, even the class leader wouldn't talk to her and her brothers.

  "There's gain, it's better than nothing." Dan Yong responded randomly and changed the subject. After a few steps of silence, Wang Huating asked softly: "Graduation is approaching, have you thought about what to do? Be a teacher? Or apply for that company? Or take the civil service exam?"

  "I really didn't think... I was just thinking, I don't even know if I can get my graduation certificate yet." Shanyong said a truthful sentence, which made Wang Huating burst out laughing and teased: "I think some things are self-inflicted, and I really want to see what kind of ridiculous expression you'll have when you can't get your graduation certificate. Being a hero is so easy?"

  "You'll definitely be disappointed, maybe I'll get angry and do something irrational, or maybe not at all, definitely won't have fun. Actually, I never wanted to go to college, after high school graduation I didn't want to read anymore."

  "Why bother reading it then?"

  "My parents forced me to repeat a year, and after repeating for a year, my grades were still not great. Who knew that the school would expand its enrollment that year, recklessly sending out admission notices to grab students, and even someone like me wouldn't be spared. When I received the notice, my parents were overjoyed, thinking their son had finally achieved academic success through hard work... Sigh..."

  "Hehe......"

  Wang Hua Ting smiled again, the smile was irresistible. It's like when Lu Yuan Institute, a third-rate college, upgraded from a specialized college to an undergraduate university that year, and merged with Nanbei University, expanding enrollment by more than double. People like Shan Yong and Lei Da Peng were just lucky enough to catch the wind, but looking back today, it's hard to say whether they were fortunate or unfortunate.

  "Actually, going to university is more of a comfort for our parents. To be honest, I still haven't found the practical significance of it for myself until today. Do you know how severe the current employment situation is? Everywhere is overstaffed, especially in the large teaching workforce from cities and counties to towns, where there are many people who do nothing but collect a salary. The possibility of accepting us, who have learned useless things, is almost zero. Of course, those with connections or family background are exceptions... I'm talking about the vast majority of people, who study majors they don't like in school and then face doing something completely unrelated to their major after graduation. What's the point? The other day, when discussing 'Nasi Bu Mai Jiangsheng', it said: 'Because we fear this will happen, so we do this, but still have to do this, what's the point of doing this?' It really hits the nail on the head."

  Shan Yong sighed, indeed with a "what's the point" expression. Wang Huating didn't expect that an offhand question would lead to so many topics, and just as she was about to offer some comforting words, Shan Yong suddenly turned around and said: "Right, what's the point of telling you all this? You're not like most people, you shouldn't have these worries, should you?"

  "No, compared to you, I'm on the path planned by my parents. Like you, I didn't have a choice either. Or rather, my parents made a better choice for me." Wang Huating said without hiding anything. She was afraid of stimulating Single Yong, but unexpectedly he seemed to feel nothing when she glanced at him, and casually asked: "So what do you plan to do after graduation? Continue studying or work in that unit?"

  "It's a bit more possible to read research. Otherwise, you try... take the postgraduate entrance exam, now the postgraduate entrance exam is also expanding enrollment, not as difficult as before." Wang Huating said.

  " Forget it, I don't want to take exams in my next life. I'm not afraid of heaven or earth, but I'm afraid of being hung again in the exam." Dan Yong smiled, but what he said didn't seem like a joke. Because of frequent absences from class and numerous make-up exams and re-exams, he had accumulated more than Lei Dapeng. In the whole department, he was absolutely the first to be afraid of exams, and over time, he had developed a phobia of exams.

  "Sit down for a while." Wang Huating saw that Wu Yi had unknowingly walked to the place where several people were playing mahjong, and invited him to sit down. She sat down on an old stone millstone under a locust tree, and Wu Yong leaned against the millstone, touching the cold stone roller with his hand, glancing at Wang Huating who seemed to be lost in thought. He wanted to ask her about something, but after thinking for a moment, he swallowed back his words, feeling that it was unnecessary. If she knew, she would definitely tell him first, and somehow, he had this premonition and trust.

  "Yeah, I really want to stay in the student era forever... But you definitely don't think so, haha, let's talk about something happy and not discuss these sad topics anymore."

  "As soon as I get back to school, my mood just can't lift up, it's suffocating."

  "Bragging again, your old habit."

  "When did I brag about this?"

  "You've been bragging all along, don't you think... bragging about food, bragging about your great achievements in school, bragging about what you want to become in the future. Do you need to be so serious? Anyway, no one is laughing at you."

  "Hehe... bragging requires a certain mood, but with so many annoying things now, I really can't get into the state. However, you ask me what kind of person I want to become, and I do have some ideas."

  "What is it?"

  "Do you remember Lüyuanyuan Shijiacun?"

  "What's wrong?"

  "I just want to have a large estate, with villas standing everywhere, donkeys and sheep in groups, and with a stomp of my foot, the food scene in Zhejiang would tremble. But that place is biased, if it were in the city district, it would be awesome."

  "Oh, I see, so it's also necessary to have a lovely wife and concubines, just like the men you wrote about, who are good at everything."

  "It must be dripped."

  "Haha...... you rascal......"

  The first sentence blew to the ideal, a sentence that made Wang Huating laugh and patted Dan Yong's mouth. At this time, it was actually refreshing and happy to have such an unpretentious conversation. They talked about their ideals, and also talked about the past. Although they only spoke a few words, Wang Huating could hear that he had many ideals, wanting to regain what he had lost, even thinking bigger, wanting to take back the wine tower that had expanded several times, and create a hotel chain. He even wanted to dig up the ten famous banquets in Luzhou, move them to the hotel, invite Lei Dapeng as a food critic, invite Simu Xian as a promoter, and recruit Lao Bao, Chou Jiao, Ma Gan and others to work under him with a title.

  As for myself, I don't do anything, just drink wine, taste tea, chat with them, and then exploit them.

  It really is inflated, one blow and the ideal is so vivid, Wang Huating couldn't help but laugh out loud from time to time. No wonder she could be friends with Lei Dapeng, it turned out that both of their ambitions were unrealistic, without even having a rice bowl, they were already dreaming of golden mountains and silver mountains. However, the more it was like this, the more Wang Huating felt that Dan Yong also had a certain kind of charm, at least this kind of unpretentious and simple ideal was very charming, much more so than when the student union mobilized everyone to confess their desire to devote themselves to mountainous education before internship. Those obvious lies that even Lei Dapeng could hear were not as charming.

  "Haha……blowing this and that, you don't have any new ideas, it's just the usual ideal of most men, but I think the possibility of realizing this ideal is too low." Wang Huating had been sitting for a long time, her back was very cold, she jumped down from the millstone, looking down on Shan Yong.

  Dan Yong walked along, smiling and saying: "My motto is: if it's not an unrealistic ideal, it's not worth pursuing."

  "If you pursue too high and get too little, you will be very disappointed." Wang Huating reminded.

  "No, actually my ideal is just a process of eating, drinking and having fun, just like the essence of our banquet. It's not necessarily that we need to have high status or wealth to enjoy the best taste. We are nothing, but we can still be the guest of honor. The ideal is the big feast in our mind, there will always be a way to taste it."

  "Hehe... your ideals are all about eating, and you can even eat them. Your ideal is just eating."

  "It's almost like two in one. Same thing."

  Strolling along, walking slowly, chatting and laughing, the topic of conversation drifted further away. As they walked down the mountain and crossed a small river, their conversation became more relaxed and enjoyable. When crossing the river, Jian Yong instinctively pulled Wang Hua Ting's hand to help her balance, afraid that she might slip into the water with her high-heeled sandals. After reaching the other side, he tried to let go of her hand, but unexpectedly, her small hand grasped his fingers tightly and didn't release them. Instead, it seemed to give him a subtle signal to pause.

  "Huh? Shan Yong was slightly stunned, and when he turned his head back, Wang Huating stood still with her face slightly raised, the clean moonlight pouring down on her, as if a layer of mysterious halo had been added to her face, making her faintly smiling face look holy. Shan Yong swallowed hard, suppressing the impure thoughts rising in his heart, and his whole body seemed to be stiffened, frozen in place."

  "I can see that your eyes are not pure emotion right now." Wang Huating said softly, her voice barely audible, still holding Shanyong's hand, seemingly savoring the gaze of appreciation in his eyes. Shanyong smiled slightly and murmured: "I... I will definitely control myself, I won't make the same mistake again..."

  "But... but I couldn't help myself." Wang Huating said suddenly, her voice low, yet it was like a thunderclap. As they looked at each other, the affectionate and emotional gaze passed through like an electric current, causing Shan Yong's whole body to shudder, as if he hadn't expected such directness. While he was stunned, Wang Huating seemed to whisper with a hint of a smile: "I want to make a little mistake, so my emotional world won't be too empty... How about you being the victim of my misconduct this time? That way, there won't be any psychological burden."

  "I will resist and shout for help..." Yan Yong said with a playful tone.

  "That's what makes it exciting." Wang Huating's hands were clasped together, and the two faces drew closer and closer, until they could hear each other's breathing. At that moment, Wang Huating subconsciously closed her eyes, waiting for that sweet, wild, suffocating feeling to come again.

  But this time it was very gentle, under the moonlight like water, on the banks of a babbling brook, in the warm and tender embrace, Dan Yong kissed very carefully, slowly, passionately, and wholeheartedly, as if savoring a delicious dish with a perfect blend of flavors, with an attitude of respect and reverence. Occasionally, they would slightly separate, their two pairs of eyes, bewildered and lost, like being melted by the fire of emotions, unable to distinguish between each other, and then lightly kiss again.

  That was some kind of kiss, like the sweet taste of a delicious meal, the sweetness that would spread from the lips and tongue to the heart, and yet it seemed like the savory flavor of abalone sauce, spreading throughout her body along the taste buds. Wang Huating wandered in this indescribable wonderful feeling, and the long-awaited experience once again made her whole body tremble with fear. She felt those big hands stroking along her spine, bringing waves of shivers to her neck, hairline, waist, and even slowly reaching her chest, rapid breathing, tense moans, but no desperate resistance...

  Ding... Ring, ring, ring, ring... A sudden burst of ringing startled the two people who were stuck together, and they suddenly separated. It was Wang Huating's phone in her pocket. The two bumped heads, looked at each other and smiled, glanced sideways towards the school direction, and parted ways. Wang Huating took out her phone, saw that it was Liu Cuicui calling, let out a sigh of relief, adjusted her mood and breathing, and listened to the call: "Cuicui, yeah, I'm by the river, I'll be right back... What? Got it, are you sure... Zhao Hui saw it? Hehe, is that so? Alright, I'll head back now, just arrived at the school gate..."

  Hung up the phone, put away the mobile phone, tidied up her clothes, and glanced at Shanyong with a hint of annoyance, as if blaming him for unbuttoning his shirt again. Shanyong smiled awkwardly and changed the subject, asking "What's wrong now?"

  "Our classmate Wu Xiang just saw you two on Lanzhou news." Wang Hua Ting said with a smile, holding hands with Shan Yong and walking a few steps before letting go. Shan Yong was stunned by the new information: "What news did we appear on? We didn't do anything!"

  "It's a good thing, I don't remember blowing the suona to welcome the relatives. They said you gave me such a big special write-up that everyone was laughing out loud." Wang Huating said.

  "This director is so unscrupulous, didn't pay me a single penny, and yet used my portrait." Danyong smiled and didn't take it seriously. When they arrived at the school gate, Wang Huating looked around to make sure no one was watching, then turned her head back, as if scrutinizing him, with a smile in her eyes, half-jokingly saying: "We're even now, you took advantage of me once, I took advantage of you once... from now on, we're square."

  After saying that, she covered her nose and laughed lightly, then ran back to school. It wasn't until a while later that Dan Yong came back to his senses, but he didn't know if this was due to an excessive feminist mindset or finding comfort in his own behavior.

  ……………………

  ……………………

  Whatever, the beauty of this night can't be covered up. Shanyou looked back at the small river bank, perhaps he really wanted to leave a good impression here. He watched Wang Huating return to her dormitory, and then quietly walked upstairs. The class leader had rested early, and the lights in the two girls' dormitory were also turned off. When he arrived at the door of his dormitory, he heard Lei Dapeng shouting in the room. He pushed open the door, and was stunned for a moment. Lei Ge, wearing only underwear, was pulling Si Muxian to discuss something. Si Muxian looked back with a bitter expression and said: "Older brother, you're finally back! Lei Ge insisted on discussing love problems, I couldn't take it anymore."

  Shan Yong sat down in front of the bed, and Lei Da Peng rolled over to him, staring at him with his big round eyes for a while before asking very seriously: "Where did you go? Tell me honestly."

  "The moonlight is so enchanting, what can you do? Take a walk, have a heart-to-heart talk, then hug and kiss... Second Lei, she doesn't love you, she has fallen in love with me." Shan Yong said seriously, every sentence was true, but this one shocked Si Mu Xian, leaving him stunned.

  Lei Dapeng rolled his eyes, seemingly weighing the truth of the matter. Dan Yong bluntly asked for a clear answer: "Don't blame me, stupid Lei. If you must blame someone, blame your aunt for giving birth to such a handsome brother with a way with women... Anyway, you two have blown out the lamp and pulled out the wax. Your unfinished business, I'll take care of it for you."

  But unexpectedly, the truth had a more shocking effect than lies. Lei Dapeng thought for a moment, then burst out laughing and pointed at Dan Yong: "It's... it's you, who was scolded and didn't dare to say anything, haha, all these years, your hair is all white, but you still put on a red face and pretend to be a monkey's butt, hehe..."

  Obviously didn't believe it, and was laughed at by Shan Yong's YY until he fell out of bed. Shan Yong gave a sulky expression, as if his lie had been exposed, and didn't say another word. He pulled the quilt over him and lay down, but unexpectedly someone else wasn't comfortable. Lei Da Peng slept between the two of them, and was telling stories to the brothers:

  "Boss, I suddenly found that there's a neglected corner of love worth trying... What the heck, I told your younger brother, you definitely don't know... Haha... Gay gay, get it?"

  This guy has gone mad, excitedly shouting at Shanyong, it turned out that they were discussing this love issue, Simu Xian and Shanyong simultaneously turned sideways, ignoring him.

  Lei Dapeng, however, became even more spirited, speaking in an unusual tone: "Listen to me recite a declaration of homosexuality for you all: Make out with men, you rascals! Make out with men, you rascals! Women are all tigers, only men can bring happiness to men; women are like clothes, needing to be mended and patched up; men are like hands and feet, giving you meticulous care; make out with men, you rascals! Why do men refuse other men? Let youth flourish in making out with men, only men can truly understand men, just as only the earth can hold tree roots... Men have men to love. Not afraid of women snatching away love!...... I'm telling you, neither of you two are speaking up, are you guys hiding from me and going after girls? You two got together and didn't tell me...... Ah!"

  The voice was suppressed, but it was Shuang Yong and Si Mu Xian, one on the left and one on the right, one pressing down and the other covering his mouth. Lei Da Peng was really fed up, he held back for a while, then burst out laughing again, unable to get the better of Shuang Yong, so he bullied Si Mu Xian instead, pinning him down with ill intentions. In the dormitory, sometimes it echoed with Lei Da Peng's loud laughter, and sometimes it sounded like muffled noises of people fighting under the covers, not a moment of peace.

  Why is it so sleepless on this last night...