Chapter 7: A Different Xia Yang
A Different Xia Yang
Xia Yang led Qing Tian through many streets. After a winding journey, they arrived in front of a rice noodle shop. Suddenly, Xia Yang stopped, pulling Qing Tian’s hand, and stood still. His slender eyes gazed at the middle-aged woman busy inside the shop.
Qing Tian followed his gaze and saw a middle-aged woman busy cooking rice noodles for customers. Inside, an old grandfather with white hair was serving guests.
Qing Tian felt Xia Yang’s hand grip hers tightly, causing a slight pain, but she didn’t cry out. She saw an unprecedented smile in his eyes, a look of tears mixed with a smile.
After an unknown amount of time, he led her into the rice noodle shop. After familiarizing Qing Tian with a place to sit, he looked somewhat stiffly at the old grandfather and said, “Two bowls of Crossing the Bridge Noodles!”
The old grandfather’s eyes were uneven, one appearing to be missing. He stood with a hunched back. Upon hearing Xia Yang’s call, he immediately turned to the woman in front and said, “This kid is here again, add extra ingredients!”
This sentence sounded so ordinary, yet Qing Tian noticed a slight wetness in Xia Yang’s eyes. She seemed to understand a little and remained silent, not wanting to disturb his emotions.
She understood his mood. At this moment, he didn’t need any verbal comfort; he just needed to be quiet!
When the rice noodles were served, the old grandfather’s calloused hand rested on Xia Yang’s shoulder and he said, “Young man, this bowl of rice noodles is on me, Grandpa’s treat!”
Qing Tian’s eyes widened as she looked at the old grandfather’s kind smile. She couldn’t help but smile too. It felt like it had been a long time since she had smiled so naturally!
Xia Yang’s shoulder felt heavy. Upon hearing the old grandfather’s words, he simply nodded silently, not saying a word. After the old grandfather walked away, he lowered his head and continued to devour the noodles.
When Qing Tian was halfway through her meal, he suddenly pulled her up, threw a hundred yuan on the table, and left.
Qing Tian was bewildered by his series of nonsensical actions. She firmly grabbed him and asked, “Xia Yang, what are you doing?”
The next moment, he held her tightly in a hug. Under the autumn sky, he held her close, resting his head on her shoulder and crying.
A person known as a hooligan, a ruffian, a scoundrel, had actually shed tears. It meant his heart had been touched, or he had encountered something sad.
Qing Tian’s body stiffened. Her hands didn’t know where to go, and she stood there, letting Xia Yang cry on her shoulder.
The surroundings were an empty plaza. People coming and going watched the pair standing in the center of the plaza, the man leaning on the woman’s shoulder.
A slightly refreshing autumn breeze blew across Qing Tian’s cheek. She tilted her face up, and for some reason, she also felt a sense of inexplicable sadness.
She spoke to the sky: Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother. Are you doing well? Qing Qing misses you all so much…
The only answer she received was the quiet air.
Xia Yang composed himself and looked at Qing Tian with a hint of awkwardness, saying, “I’m sorry, I lost my composure!”
Qing Tian offered a faint smile and said, “It’s my honor to see your vulnerable side!”
Xia Yang was amused by Qing Tian’s humor and said playfully, “When you smile, you’re much prettier than when you have a cold expression!”
Qing Tian said in a calm tone, “One expression doesn’t represent everything!”
Xia Yang put his arm around her shoulder and said happily, “We’ve eaten, Brother will take you to see some beautiful scenery!”
For some reason, when Xia Yang said “Brother,” Qing Tian’s heart skipped a beat. It felt like a warm current flowed into her heart, stirring the depths of her heart that had been settled for so many years.
She looked at his arm resting naturally on her shoulder. For some reason, she didn’t feel any aversion; instead, she felt a sense of warmth.
She tilted her head up to look at his hesitant profile and softly called out, “Brother~~~”
Her voice was very quiet, but Xia Yang still heard it. He didn’t turn to look at her but instead broke into a wide, bright smile, facing the sunshine. It was like wild chrysanthemums in September.
Xia Yang and Qing Tian were ultimately two rays of light emitted from different directions, meeting at a certain point after experiencing countless storms.
