Winter Returns

Chapter 215 The Road Is Long or Short, It's Good to See It

“I think I understand,” Zhang Shutong thought for a moment.

"You'd better really understand," Lu Qinglian said in a helpless tone.

"But we've already bought them, should we make an exception this time?"

“We’ve made exceptions several times already. Let’s return it or exchange it.” Lu Qinglian glanced at his backpack. “Thank you for your kindness, but I have my own principles.”

Perhaps similar conversations occurred on the Weaver Girl's Thread.

Otherwise, that cardboard box wouldn't have been lying quietly on the shelf for so many years.

Zhang Shutong advised:

"I understand, but there's nothing wrong with getting used to other people's kindness."

"I am the temple keeper."

They walked out of the teaching building, and in the night, all they could see was Lu Qinglian's slender figure.

Her long, flowing black hair danced in the wind, perfectly complementing her short and elegant statement; she was truly incredibly stylish.

But Zhang Shutong thought to himself, what does this have to do with you being a temple keeper? Even if he gives a gift to a human, he won't say "I am Ultraman," even though every Ultraman eventually flies back to the M78 Nebula alone.

Okay, okay, he thought. Lu Qinglian was just a temple keeper after all, not a giant of light. She had long legs that countless women envied, but she wasn't a giant. Besides, it was nighttime, and she was standing in the shadow of the teaching building.

"So you can't get used to it."

When she said this, Lu Qinglian's voice was very flat, as if she were talking about something as ordinary as drinking water.

"That's a bit heartless."

"I think I've already been very lenient with you."

Although the words were spoken with a smile, they really felt like she was taking advantage of him. Zhang Shutong knew she was a cunning woman, so he pretended not to hear them.

The two walked through the quiet campus.

Their homes were in the same direction, so they could walk together for a while. Fortunately, Lu Qinglian's foot injury had finally healed, so he no longer needed to ride his bike to take her home.

Zhang Shutong hasn't been riding his bike lately; he's gotten used to running to and from school, greeting people breathlessly every morning, even though they complain about his sweaty smell.

Fortunately, it was already late, so there was no need to rush.

They walked slowly on their way home.

Occasionally, groups of students could be seen, both male and female. As they turned a corner in an alley, a couple was seen kissing intimately inside. Zhang Shutong looked away.
"Tomorrow is Christmas, time flies."

"It's very soon." Lu Qinglian glanced at it as well. "So, who are you planning to confess to?"

"Uh……"

He glanced at Lu Qinglian with surprise. Although he knew she was never the puritanical type, but rather full of wicked humor, it was still surprising.

"how is this possible?"

“You’ve been emphasizing for a long time that Christmas is coming soon, and as far as I know, many students will treat Christmas like Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s how they celebrate it in Japan,” Zhang Shutong corrected. “Our family is more traditional; we celebrate it as a family reunion festival.”

"That's for the best." Lu Qinglian nodded. "Something you said earlier bothered me. What did you mean by 'the gift' was already bought?"

“This…” Zhang Shutong didn’t know what to say.

"The next sentence should definitely not be, 'I had another dream.'"

"I've already said I don't dream."

"Oh, whatever."

"Actually, I did do one recently," Zhang Shutong suddenly said, changing his words, "In my dream, you received the Christmas present."

"Daydreaming," she said bluntly. "Zhang Shutong, you..."

"Is it best if you dream about me less?"

Lu Qinglian stopped in her tracks, her face expressionless:

"Now I'm really starting to suspect that your motives aren't so pure."

"Don't take it seriously," Zhang Shutong said, feeling like he'd dug himself a hole. "But how can you be so sure it's a lie?"

"Spending too much time with someone who likes to lie will eventually teach them a lesson, don't you think?"

"Where is that person?" Zhang Shutong looked around.

Lu Qinglian took a step forward.

He followed them in a few steps. They were an odd pair, but people on the street were busy with their own things and no one paid attention to them. Even an apple was busy that day. Zhang Shutong had seen the cart selling "peace apples" no less than five times.

Soon the two arrived at an open area where the lights came on. The area ahead was noisy and crowded, blocking the entire road.

"There's probably some event going on, let's take a detour." Zhang Shutong glanced at it a few times.

They walked towards the commercial street.

Many shops played Christmas music, had a small Christmas tree at the entrance, and decorated their glass display cases with snowflake-shaped window decorations. The festive atmosphere is often awakened by these inconspicuous places.

"Ruoping invited you to lunch tomorrow, are you going?"

"Actually, I've never really understood why so many people are excited about Christmas."

"It wasn't anything particularly grand, but people need a reason to convince themselves to do something, even if it's just to have some fun."

"Okay." Lu Qinglian thought for a moment, "Alright."

"No, okay...okay?" Zhang Shutong was doing this on someone else's behalf and was prepared to hear a negative answer from her, but Lu Qinglian agreed so easily.

"Wait a minute, why is Ruoping so popular?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled. "You went as soon as I said it was her who invited you?"

"It's just a meal." She smiled enigmatically. "Or do you want me to treat you differently?"

Zhang Shutong looked exasperated.
"I mean, you just mentioned it when you got out of school, whether you're dependent or not."

“Zhang Shutong, why do you feel that eating a meal constitutes dependence?” Lu Qinglian asked, her head aching. “Sometimes I wonder, in your eyes, should I say ‘no’ to everything?”

Is not it?
Zhang Shutong secretly grumbled.

Well, it's good that she agreed; that means my mission is complete.

Zhang Shutong took out his phone and replied to Ruoping with "Done". She had specifically asked him to do this before school ended. He didn't quite understand why he had to go through all that trouble when he could have just asked Lu Qinglian directly. The facts now proved that he, as the middleman, had indeed not played any role.

Therefore, Zhang Shutong added:

"I only did it because of you. You can call me that yourself from now on."

In the time it took to reply to the message, they had already reached the end of the commercial street.

As the surrounding lights dimmed and the buildings on both sides no longer blocked the view, the commercial street was not far from the mall, so you could see the huge Christmas tree in front of the mall from a distance.

"Want to go take a look?" Zhang Shutong asked. He remembered that Lu Qinglian had said that the Christmas tree was very beautiful.

It was indeed very beautiful. The stars on the treetop shone brightly. A few days ago, he and Lu Qinglian observed the Christmas tree up close on the rooftop of the shopping mall. At that time, it looked prosperous. Now, all the lights surrounding the tree were lit up, making it look like a lighthouse and the most eye-catching landmark on the entire island.

Based on past experience, if you miss tonight, it will be difficult to get close tomorrow, as some temporary structures will be set up around the Christmas tree.

But by Wednesday the day after tomorrow, this lively scene will melt away overnight, just like the accumulated snow.

"No, thank you." To everyone's surprise, Lu Qinglian refused again this time.

"Who was it that just said we shouldn't say no to everything?" Zhang Shutong found herself increasingly unable to understand her thoughts.

“I’ve already seen it.” Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze and said calmly, “There’s no need to look at something you’ve already seen again.”

"Why?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't you think it's so beautiful that you want to go again?"

"If there's a second time, there will be a third, and if there's a third, there will be countless times."

A dazzling array of colors shimmered in her eyes, and Lu Qinglian seemed to have no lingering attachment to anything.

“You’re such a contradiction,” Zhang Shutong said helplessly. “Then why did you agree to go out for dinner tomorrow so readily?”

Perhaps the only way to sum it up is that Ruoping is loved by everyone, even by Xiaolu, who has such a cold personality.

Zhang Shutong thought half-jokingly that if it were Ruoping who was inviting her now, she might nod and agree.

Just then, the phone rang, presumably from Ruoping replying to a message. Zhang Shutong shook the phone, feigning seriousness:

“I misremembered just now. Ruoping asked you if you wanted to go look at the Christmas tree…”

“Because it’s the first time,” Lu Qinglian interrupted, her voice soft. “Also, I’m talking to you seriously, so don’t interrupt.”

Zhang Shutong, however, once again failed to understand what she meant:
"First time?" "Eating together was the first time." She paused, "But it was also the last time. Isn't that contradictory?"

Zhang Shutong was taken aback, then realized that what he said was true.

It was indeed the last time. They were already in their fourth year of junior high school and would be graduating next year. Where they would spend Christmas next year and with whom was still unknown.

But one thing is for sure: gathering with a few close friends for a lively lunch at a restaurant on the island is a thing of the past.

This is their last Christmas on the island. For Zhang Shutong and his friends, there have been three similar Christmases, so no one counts how many this is, and no one thinks about whether this is the last time.

But there will always be someone who cares.

It's like picking a flower and counting the petals one by one, not because she likes it so much, but simply because flowers are rare in her world.

"The road ahead is long, you..."

“I know. So for me, three times is too many. Whether the road is long or short, it’s enough to see it.”

"..."

Zhang Shutong really wanted to say that what you said sounded very philosophical, but who would calculate the remaining days and the remaining road, and directly divide every event in life into the first and the last? Natural naiveté is indeed natural naiveté, but that's just Lu Qinglian's style, just like no one would search online for "what day is Christmas" and then look at the answer on Baidu Encyclopedia and wonder why anyone would be excited.

By the time Zhang Shutong came to his senses, Lu Qinglian had already walked far away.

Speechless all the way.

Although their homes are in the same direction, they are ultimately not together, and are not even close. She will have to walk the road ahead on her own.

There was a street lamp at the entrance of the residential area, and the two stopped under the street lamp.

She nodded casually as a farewell.

Zhang Shutong also waved.

"Zhang Shutong, you're not saying anything just because of a Christmas tree?" she said casually. "You really are a bit childish."

"Think what you will, I'm very sad that I didn't give the gift."

"It's best not to cry while you're sleeping," she said in a dismissive tone, as if she were comforting a little boy.

“Actually, my mom bought that gift,” Zhang Shutong suddenly said.

Lu Qinglian was not surprised; on the contrary, she seemed to have expected it.

"If you're still making excuses now, I shouldn't have believed you when you said you understood."

"Really don't want it?" Zhang Shutong asked again to confirm.

"Really, no." Lu Qinglian frowned slightly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shutong put down his schoolbag. Under the dim streetlights, he bent down and unzipped his schoolbag.

Lu Qinglian was helpless about his actions:

"you really……"

"Take it."

The schoolbag was still full of that rectangular box, but Zhang Shutong straightened up and handed her an apple wrapped in a gift box:
"I bought this myself, so it's not a gift."

The streetlight cast a shadow on his outstretched arm, linking the two figures on the ground.

"Did you buy this beforehand again?" Lu Qinglian lowered her eyes, looking at the apple. "Or is this a backup plan you prepared?"

"No, it's because you walked too fast when we were on the shopping street. I originally wanted to give it to you as a Christmas present, but Ruoping said apples don't count, so I gave up on it."

Zhang Shutong added:

"It's just an apple, it shouldn't count as a gift. I don't think you've ever received a Christmas apple from anyone before, so this is probably the first time. Unless another condition comes up, you should be able to fulfill even the most demanding request."

Zhang Shutong shrugged and mimicked her words:
“Lu Qinglian, I’m not that dramatic.”

Zhang Shutong deserves full marks for this impromptu performance; it was truly impressive.

Five seconds later, feeling the cold wind blowing across his face, he said helplessly:
"Please, for the sake of our cooperation, give me some face. My arms are getting sore from holding it up."

"What if I don't answer?" Lu Qinglian asked with a slight smile.

Before Zhang Shutong could speak, Lu Qinglian lightly took the apple from his hand.

“Zhang Shutong, I’m not that shameless.”

She learned it very well.

"You really are petty."

"I've met a guy who's been relentlessly pursuing me."

Zhang Shutong couldn't argue with her either, so he picked up his schoolbag:

"Goodbye, Merry Christmas Eve."

"Yes, Merry Christmas Eve."

Lu Qinglian said softly.

The streetlights cast her silhouette in place.

……

On Tuesday morning, Zhang Shutong was awakened by a burst of cheerful music.

"Tink tink, tink tink, tinkle bell..."

He thought to himself, "Damn it, can't I just let him sleep a little longer?" But the music was playing on repeat, and the jarring sound filled his ears. Zhang Shutong couldn't take it anymore. He sat up with a cold face and covered his ears in protest. But it was his mother who played the song, so Tongtong dared not say anything.

He sighed, put on his pajamas, and went to wash up. He had just squeezed out a bit of toothpaste when the woman jumped out from behind him and put a Santa hat on his head.

"Ding ding ding ding, Merry Christmas!"

Mom is full of energy.

"Merry Christmas," Zhang Shutong said while rinsing her mouth.

But his mother didn't give him time to calm down and kept asking him how his gift preparation was going.

Zhang Shutong nodded on the surface, but in her heart she thought, "Mother, you're so out of touch. Four of the six gifts were revealed last weekend. One of them I just can't give away, and I'm about to give away the other one today."

Mom said:
"come on."

"Yeah, come on."

Zhang Shutong nodded perfunctorily.

"I'm not coming back tonight."

"Oh, so busy?"

"No, it's a trip to the island with your dad for Christmas. We'll be back on the first ferry tomorrow morning. Are you coming?"

Zhang Shutong stopped brushing her teeth.

"...I won't go."

"Hey, can we not be so romantic?" he silently protested in his mind.

"Mom, that's a bit cruel."

“I knew you wouldn’t go. Anyway, you’re going to spend time with those friends. It’s not that your dad and I don’t want to take you, it’s that you don’t want to take us. So we’ll just have to find somewhere else to go.”

She's being portrayed as if she were the victim:
"Alright, alright, I'll leave a little early today, okay~"

Mom patted the pom-pom on his head.

Zhang Shutong smiled helplessly:

"have fun."

"have fun."

Mom waved her hand.

Zhang Shutong still runs to school.

Yesterday his backpack contained a shoebox, and today it contained a necklace.

Zhang Shutong remembered Xu Zhiruo's words, that the young lady liked surprises, so he would prepare a big surprise for her.

(End of this chapter)