thebusnovel Chapter 134 Sunset
Chapter 134 Sunset
After the annual feast, the relatives all went back to their own homes.
Ah Wu stood at the gate of the courtyard, a cigarette between his fingers, but he didn't light it.
"Are all high school students this good these days?" He turned to look at Song Huan beside him. "What you just said is more knowledgeable than the old masters in my factory."
Song Huan leaned against the door frame and smiled. "I have relatives in this line of work, so I've heard about it a lot."
Ah Wu nodded, folded up the address Song Huan had just written for him, and stuffed it into his shirt pocket.
"Okay, I'll give it a try." He rubbed his hands together. "If I can pass the exam, it'll be better than working in the factory."
"Definitely strong," Song Huan said. "In welding, the older you are, the more sought-after you become. You've been doing it for five years, so you have a solid foundation. Getting certified shouldn't be difficult."
Ah Wu grinned and took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.
The cigarette box is red, hard, and unopened.
He tore open the plastic seal, pulled out one, and handed it over.
Before Song Huan could even raise his hand, a figure rushed in front of him.
"Song Huan! You're not allowed to smoke!"
Xiao Yunqing appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of him, staring at him with her big eyes.
Her face was fierce, but her voice was pleasant, with a crisp quality that carried a hint of anger.
She snatched the cigarette from Ah Wu's hand and stuffed it back into the cigarette case.
"Uncle Wu, you're not allowed to give him cigarettes!" She turned and stared at Wu. "He's still a student. Even if he weren't, he shouldn't smoke in the future."
Ah Wu took a half step back because of her glare.
This little brat, when she gets fierce, she's just like her dad.
"Okay, okay, I won't give it to you." He put the cigarette pack away, took one for himself, gestured to Song Huan, and turned to leave.
After taking two steps, he turned back and gave Song Huan a thumbs up, meaning "You're lucky, kid."
Before Song Huan could respond, Xiao Yunqing had already started rambling on.
"How can you smoke? How old are you? Don't you know smoking is bad for your health? Besides, you're still a student. Students can't smoke, and even after you start working, you still can't. Look at my dad, he used to smoke, but my mom scolded him for years before he quit. If you smoke, what will happen to you in the future..."
"Alright, alright," Song Huan said, covering her ears. "I wasn't planning on smoking anyway."
"Then why did you reach out to take it?"
"I didn't take it; he handed it to me. Before I could even say anything, you rushed over."
Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment, then blushed.
But she remained defiant, saying, "Anyway, you can't smoke."
"Okay, okay."
She snorted and turned to walk into the yard.
He took two steps and then turned back, saying, "If you dare to smoke, I'll tell Aunt Zhang."
"What else can you do besides tattling?"
"I'll still be watching you."
Song Huan was speechless.
Under the longan tree, Xiao Haifeng sat in a chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
Xu Wan sat next to her, peeling an orange in her hand.
Grandpa moved a rattan chair over, leaned back in it, and squinted his eyes.
Grandma stood beside the tree, holding a winnowing basket, picking green beans.
The four people looked at the two young men in the courtyard.
One walked ahead, their short hair blowing in the wind.
One followed behind, hands in pockets, strolling slowly.
The two people were two steps apart, but their shadows overlapped and were stretched long by the setting sun.
Xiao Haifeng took a sip of tea, put the cup down, and said, "This kid is alright."
Xu Wan put an orange segment in her mouth, chewed it, and said, "He resolved Ah Wu's matter in just a few words, which was more effective than us talking for a long time."
Grandpa squinted, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You're quite sharp."
Grandma placed the winnowing basket on her lap, looked at the two figures from behind, and smiled, "They're good-looking too, and they're a perfect match for Yunqing."
Xiao Haifeng coughed. "Mom, they're still young."
"What do you mean 'little'?" Grandma glared at him. "I got married at sixteen, and Yunqing is almost sixteen too."
Xiao Haifeng fell silent and lowered his head to drink his tea.
Xu Wan smiled slightly but didn't say anything.
Grandpa shook the rattan chair, and it creaked.
"Alright, alright," he said. "Let the young people handle their own affairs."
Grandma didn't reply, she just looked down and picked up the green beans.
But he was smiling, and looked happy no matter how you looked at him.
The sky was ablaze at dusk.
It wasn't the kind of burning that slowly turns red; it exploded suddenly, shooting up from the horizon in shades of orange-red, deep red, and purplish-red, layer upon layer, like someone had spilled a palette of paints.
The clouds were burned into fragments, which were spread across the sky, their edges inlaid with gold.
Xiao Yunqing ran out of the house, grabbed Song Huan's wrist, and ran outside, "Let's go, let's go, let's watch the sunset."
Song Huan was dragged out of the courtyard, onto the village road, and across the paddy fields.
The path between the fields was narrow, and the two of them walked one after the other, she in front and he behind.
Her short hair was blown by the wind, revealing her ears, which were white and turned pink in the sunset.
She ran to a high place, stopped, let go of her hands, and looked up at the sky.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
The clouds on the horizon were burning fiercely, stretching from the horizon all the way to overhead.
The distant paddy fields reflected the sky, turning a bright red, like a layer of silk.
The wind blew in from the fields, carrying the scent of moisture and straw, and felt cool.
Song Huan stood next to her and looked up as well.
The sunset was indeed beautiful, but after looking at it for two seconds, his gaze fell on her face.
Her face was bathed in the glow of the sunset, rosy red, her eyes bright, and her mouth slightly open, like a child seeing fireworks.
"Do you like looking up at the sky that much?" he asked.
Xiao Yunqing shook her head.
The wind blew again, blowing her short hair onto her face.
She reached out and brushed it aside, not looking at him, but staring at the reddest cloud on the horizon.
"Taking a walk, feeling the breeze, watching the sunset..."
Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, "These things are beautiful now, but without you by my side, they are called walking, the wind, and darkness."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and looked at Song Huan.
Their eyes were bright, brighter than the sunset.
Song Huan was stunned for a moment.
He just stood there stunned for a few seconds.
By the time he came to his senses, she had already run away laughing.
Her short hair fluttered in the wind, and her laughter came from ahead, crisp and clear, bouncing twice on the edge of the field.
Song Huan stood there, watching her run away, her body turning orange-red by the sunset.
She ran for a while, then stopped and looked back at him.
"Hurry up, let's go back."
He looked up at the ball of fire on the horizon.
The clouds were still burning, even redder than before, turning a deep purple, then a dark, almost black, red.
A cool breeze blew in from the fields, but he felt warm all over.
The sunset looks even more beautiful than before.
He smiled and followed.
On the ridge of the field, two people walked one in front of the other.
She walked ahead, her steps light and quick.
He followed behind, hands in his pockets.
The setting sun cast long shadows, one in front and one behind, very close together.
After walking for a while, Xiao Yunqing spoke again.
"Song Huan".
"Um."
"You must accompany me for walks, to feel the breeze, and to watch the sunset from now on, okay?"
"it is good."
She didn't turn around, but her steps slowed down a little.
A smile appeared on his face, a very happy smile.