Part 2
Harboring a secret in her heart, walking beside Gu Youchen, she felt her breathing become a bit erratic.
So she reached into the bag, took out a piece of malt candy, and handed it to Gu Youchen.
The man took it and naturally took a bite.
Crunchy, covered in sesame seeds on the outside. The malt sugar inside was a bit sticky when chewed, but not too sweet, very fragrant.
“Is it good?” Ning Qingqing also took a bite.
Gu Youchen smiled at her. “Very delicious.”
Ning Qingqing remembered Nan-Nan saying Big Brother always smiled at her.
Thinking carefully, she suddenly realized that Gu Youchen indeed wasn’t the type who loved to smile.
Actually, she had seen it at the Qingyang Club that day. Gu Youchen was slightly aloof in front of friends, not very talkative, with a rather bland expression.
Even when they met in the corridor of Shen Zhiqian’s friend’s club, the feeling he gave was cold and unapproachable.
But when he was with her, he always smiled at her, so much so that she forgot what he looked like at other times.
It was like a honey pot had tipped over in her heart. Ning Qingqing felt sweetness and a rich floral fragrance.
The man beside her held her hand, and her heart banged like a little deer.
It’s really sweet. She couldn’t wait to verify her guess!
Because the items were a bit heavy, the two went home to drop off the malt candy first. Gu Youchen suggested going for a walk.
Ning Qingqing tried hard to suppress the little secret in her heart, deciding to ask when they returned.
The sunset had sunk below the horizon. Children in the town ran and played after dinner, and the atmosphere was full of life.
Gu Youchen and Ning Qingqing had no specific destination, just walking hand in hand quietly on the stone slab road.
Passing some places, Ning Qingqing would tell Gu Youchen: “We all went to elementary school from here. There weren’t many kids. From first to sixth grade, I only had one class with thirty-something kids.
“The teaching quality was actually very average, but my mom is strict. In sixth grade, she hired a tutor for me to make up for each subject.”
Gu Youchen talked about his own past. “I didn’t have specific subject tutoring in elementary school, but our teachers were famous elementary school teachers. So learning in class was completely enough.
“I learned painting when I was young. You know my mom is an oil painter; she originally wanted to cultivate my skills in that area, but I wasn’t interested. She told me to paint, and I ran out to play soccer. Anyway, I couldn’t sit still.”
Ning Qingqing was surprised to hear this. She really couldn’t imagine Gu Youchen being mischievous and running out to play soccer.
Gu Youchen added, “The only extracurricular hobby I stuck with was piano, and that was because of my piano teacher.”
Ning Qingqing’s eyes went round. “A beauty?”
Gu Youchen looked at the little vinegar jar beside him and explained, “A 1.9-meter burly man. I felt like I’d get beaten up if I didn’t play.”
Ning Qingqing was amused. “Oh my god, I can’t imagine that scene!”
Gu Youchen shook his head with emotion. “He looked fierce on the outside, but he was gentle inside. He played piano because his wife was sick. He took care of his bedridden wife for ten years, but in the end, she still left him.”
Ning Qingqing felt a bit sad hearing this.
Gu Youchen stopped and pulled her into his arms. “Qingqing, besides my parents, my views on relationships were also influenced by him.”
Thinking of the harmonious scenes in Gu Youchen’s family, Ning Qingqing couldn’t help saying, “They are all different forms of happiness.”
“We will be too.” Gu Youchen lowered his head to kiss Ning Qingqing’s hair, holding her hand as they continued walking.
They stopped to rest when tired. Their shadows were elongated, and finally, night fell, and they walked under the moonlight.
“Tired?” Gu Youchen asked Ning Qingqing.
Ning Qingqing shook her head. “I’m okay.”
If it were shopping, walking this much would be tiring. But strolling in the quiet town of her hometown was a relaxation after the noise.
However, the town was only so big. They almost circled a large loop, and ahead was Ning Qingqing’s grandmother’s house.
They returned to the courtyard and brought in the quilts.
After hours in the sun, the quilts smelled of sunshine.
Ning Qingqing turned on the light in her old bedroom and made the bed with Gu Youchen.
She then went to the adjacent room, her grandmother’s, planning to sleep there tonight.
However, just as she unfolded the newly bought sheet, the light in the room flickered and went out.
Gu Youchen, who was helping in the room, went to the door, turned the switch off and on again.
The light remained off.
Gu Youchen said, “The bulb probably burned out. Sometimes bulbs get damp and break if unused for a long time.”
Saying that, he cut the power again, found a stool to stand on, and used his phone flashlight to check.
“It really burned out.” Gu Youchen took down the broken bulb.
He asked Ning Qingqing, “It’s so late, would the hardware store in town be closed?”
Ning Qingqing shook her head. “I don’t know either. It’s fine; there’s moonlight.”
Gu Youchen nodded and took the bulb downstairs to avoid accidentally breaking it and causing injury.
Grandmother’s house only had one bathroom. Ning Ruojun had installed a water heater and air conditioner before.
But Grandma couldn’t bear to use the air conditioner. The water heater was convenient, so she used it, and it hadn’t broken.
Gu Youchen told Ning Qingqing to wash up first, and he would go in after she came out.
Ning Qingqing rearranged the bedding. Remembering the item she had buried under the courtyard flower bed, she suddenly felt a childlike urge, so she took a small shovel and went downstairs to dig.
So, when Gu Youchen came out of the shower, he didn’t see anyone. Walking to the window, he saw Ning Qingqing fiddling with something below.
He went downstairs and walked to her side.
Ning Qingqing had just opened a small metal box she dug up. Because it had been years, it was rusty, and she couldn’t pry the lid fully open.
“Youchen, help me open this.” She handed the item to Gu Youchen.
Gu Youchen took it, looked at it under the moonlight, and found it was a rusty tin box.
He chuckled low. “What’s inside?”
“Treasure.” Ning Qingqing’s eyes were bright.
Hearing this, Gu Youchen laughed. Holding it in his hand, he applied force from four directions and opened it.
Inside were two crystal balls, one pink and one blue.
Seeing them, Ning Qingqing couldn’t help blushing.
She quickly grabbed the crystal balls.
They were real crystals. Ning Ruojun had bought them for her back then—one rose quartz, one aquamarine.
At that time, playing with glass marbles was popular among Ning Qingqing’s classmates. Red and blue were a pair, and she wanted them too. Ning Ruojun thought glass marbles were too cheap, so she found a friend in the stone business to buy two crystal stones for Ning Qingqing.
Ning Qingqing took the blue one from her palm, took Gu Youchen’s hand, and placed it in his palm. “Youchen, for you.”
Gu Youchen was in a trance for a moment.
He remembered when he was in the first year of middle school, giving glass marbles was popular in class.
It was a way to express affection.
The aquamarine in his palm was icy cold, but his heart was exceptionally hot.
“Qingqing—” His Adam’s apple rolled. “Is this the meaning I think it is?”
Ning Qingqing spoke first. “There’s a photo in your wallet. I accidentally saw it when I was buying malt candy. The person in the photo is me.”
Her heart beat fast, her palms slightly sweaty. She asked softly, “Youchen, is it the meaning I think it is?”
Gu Youchen looked at her. “Qingqing, do you remember when we first visited my parents, my mom asked who chased whom and how we got together?”
He answered himself, “I said then that I chased you, and I fell in love with you at first sight.”
Ning Qingqing quieted her breathing, listening seriously.
She saw that under the moonlight, the man’s features were even more handsome. He had a temperament as unapproachable as a snowy peak, yet right now, he was so close she could feel the temperature in his eyes.
He said, “I didn’t lie back then, nor was I acting to deal with the parents. Because I really did fall in love with you at first sight. Not at the meeting in the club corridor, but ten years ago, in Qingtang Town.”
Author’s Note: Mm, a formal confession! Congratulations to Qingqing for no longer being jealous of herself~~~ Alright, I know everyone is hungry and waiting for some “meat” (intimacy) and soup. It will be arranged, right here in town, don’t worry~
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