Vol 2 Chapter 27: Lu Li’s Birthday (Part 1)
The temperature in Chuanhai dropped subtly. At some point, students had switched to sweaters and jackets, and the loudspeakers in the Low-Rent District were constantly broadcasting reminders to “keep warm.” Lu Li drew back the curtains and saw the morning city shrouded in a continuous drizzle, finally realizing that autumn in Chuanhai was shorter than he had imagined.
He was awakened by a clanging sound from next door. His alarm was set for six, still three minutes away. Lu Li turned it off, hoping his sister could sleep in. Sister Yameng’s sleeping posture was, as always, less than graceful. His left arm was numb when he got out of bed. He had shifted slightly during the night, and Sister Yameng had mumbled and pushed him away, “You’re pressing on my hair.” He drew the curtains closed and turned, meeting his sister’s slowly opening eyes.
“Good morning, Sis.”
“Little Li…” She was still drowsy. “Happy birthday.”
Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then a happy smile spread across his face. “Oh, it’s my birthday.” Today was October 22nd, his birthday. Sister Yameng mumbled in acknowledgement and actually lay back down, her eyes still closed, asking, “Hmm~ what time is it…”
Lu Li didn’t answer, just looked at her tenderly. Soon, Zou Yameng fell back asleep. Lu Li covered her with the blanket, shook his numb arm, and went to the bathroom to wash up. His hair had grown a bit long, messy and resembling a bird’s nest. Lu Li pinched his bangs, thinking about when he should get a haircut. Usually, Sister Yameng would cut his hair, and she seemed to like him having this medium-length, messy hair. Lu Li actually preferred a clean-cut buzz cut, easy to manage and more masculine.
“Sister Yameng, I’m going to school.” Although his sister was asleep, Lu Li still liked to say goodbye. It gave him a sense of belonging, like a wanderer returning home.
Opening his tattered umbrella, Lu Li carefully navigated a puddle. Raindrops hit the black umbrella surface like pearls falling on a jade plate, creating a pitter-patter sound that evoked contemplation. If the Enter key was a catalyst for modern poetry, then rain was the flint for emotions. In the rain, one’s thoughts tended to wander far and wide, not in an uplifting way, but with a touch of inexplicable melancholy.
The drizzle made the already distant seem even further away. Pedestrians on the road held umbrellas, their faces hidden beneath the canopies. Cars drove silently on the road, only their windshield wipers swaying lonely. The continuous rain seemed to thicken the barriers between people. The world was gray, the wind cold and chilling, until Lu Li reached the school gate and saw a colorful figure. Suddenly, even the wind felt warmer.
Chu Jingyi held a lovely blue umbrella with a wave pattern, wearing a long skirt, and was carefully lifting the hem to cross a puddle in front of her. She looked adorable, afraid of getting her skirt dirty, seemingly hesitating whether to take a detour. Lu Li walked up to her and gently pinched Silly Goose’s small earlobe. “Good morning.” It was soft and cool, like pinching jelly.
“Ah! Lu Li!” She turned around. “What are you doing! Don’t touch me.”
“Let me carry you across.”
“I, I can just take a detour.”
“No one can see us here. I’ll carry you across quickly.” Lu Li wouldn’t let the roast goose that had flown into his mouth escape. Without further ado, he picked up Chu Jingyi. The Class Monitor was very light, and Lu Li didn’t find it difficult to carry her. Silly Goose struggled at first, but she was worried that she would make Lu Li fall, so she pouted and let him hold her like a zombie, her body stiff as a board.
I’m going to tell Baili… Lu Li is a pervert. The little girl thought to herself.
After crossing the puddle, Silly Goose saw that the soles of Lu Li’s shoes were wet, and her heart softened. “Are your feet wet? I’ll take you to the logistics department to change shoes later.”
“It’s fine, the water didn’t get inside the shoes.”
“Oh… Where’s Baili? Didn’t she go to school with you?”
“She’s busy with something recently.”
Chu Jingyi suddenly laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “What kind of hairstyle is that? Why did you come out with a bird’s nest on your head?”
Lu Li scratched his hair. “Really? I think it’s fine.”
“It’s ugly. Lower your head.” Chu Jingyi made Lu Li bow his head, then reached out her small hand and carefully smoothed out his messy hair. “There, much better now.” Her face suddenly flushed red as she realized that this action was a bit intimate. She quickly looked around, relieved to see that no one was paying attention to them.
The two swiped their access cards and were about to reach the teaching building when Silly Goose suddenly said, “Right, that, that… happy birthday.”
This was the second time Lu Li spaced out today. He paused for a while before chuckling self-deprecatingly. “Who am I? You even remember my birthday? I almost forgot myself…” He remembered back in middle school, when classmates would fill out student profiles, writing their names, birthdays, zodiac signs, and mottos. It seemed that only when one was young and innocent could one receive such birthday wishes. As he grew older, apart from the birthdays that An Baili celebrated with him, he usually only received automated birthday emails from WeChat.
Was that a bit sad?
A tattered black umbrella and a delicate blue umbrella stopped in front of the teaching building, letting the rain drip down their edges like thin threads.
“What’s this?”
“…Your birthday present.” Even the most beautiful sunset Lu Li had ever seen couldn’t compare to the blush on the girl’s face at this moment.
He looked at the carefully wrapped gift in Chu Jingyi’s hand, wondering what was inside. If it was Chu Jingyi, the gift she would give him would probably be a pen or a notebook, right? Lu Li took the gift and replied softly, “Thank you.”
A while after the two arrived in the classroom, An Baili finally showed up late. She seemed to have been running, her hair wet and plastered to her head from the rain. Since Lu Li had reconciled with her, An Baili had stopped dressing up deliberately. In her words, “It’s not for others to see, as long as you see it, it’s fine.”
An Baili had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t stand the cold. Lu Li had already warmed a cup of water and added some brown sugar, which he borrowed from a female teacher in the office. Seeing An Baili clutching her stomach and sitting at her desk, Lu Li handed her the hot water. “Does your stomach hurt?”
“Ugh… Good morning, Li~” He didn’t need to ask to know that her eyebrows were furrowed in pain.
An Baili used to use heat packs to relieve menstrual cramps. Lu Li didn’t have any heat packs, so he handed her a hot water bottle.
“Where did you get this? Did a girl give it to you?” An Baili suddenly became sharp. It was true, what man would carry a pink hot water bottle with him?
Lu Li had bought it when he passed by a supermarket this morning. He was worried that An Baili wouldn’t be able to handle the cold weather, so he splurged and bought one.
“Another girl gave it to me.”
“Ugh…” As expected, An Baili’s face crumpled with grievance.
“Just kidding. I bought it for you this morning. The tag is still on it.”
“Hehe.” She instantly burst into a smile. “Love you~” An Baili was indeed a good actress. After so many years, she had already figured out Lu Li’s temperament.
Chu Jingyi, who was sitting next to them, watched in a daze, speechless for a long time. Lu Li waved his hand in front of her. “Class Monitor, you should go check attendance.”
“Oh, oh!” Chu Jingyi finally snapped out of it and quickly stood up. After taking two steps, she looked back at the two of them, who were chatting and laughing. A strange thought popped into her head: What birthday present would Baili give Lu Li?… Would my gift be worse than Baili’s?…
There it was again… that feeling of tightness in her chest. Chu Jingyi discreetly pressed her hand against her chest, as if she could eliminate that uncomfortable feeling.
Leave a Reply