Zhuang Zi'ang held his phone, editing a message for the contact named "Xiao Hudie."
He wrote, revised, and then deleted again.
Finally, he drafted a sentence: "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? I'll bring it to you."
After pondering for a while, making sure the wording wasn't too casual, he bravely pressed send.
He waited and waited, but received no reply from the girl.
Zhuang Zi'ang had no choice but to fetch a basin of water and scrub the floor, bending over.
Actually, they had already cleaned the room thoroughly at noon.
It was just that the waiting time was too agonizing; if he didn't find something to do, he felt like he would explode on the spot.
Ten minutes later, Zhuang Zi'ang picked up his phone with anticipation, but still hadn't received a reply from Su Yudie.
What could she be busy with so late at night?
He stared at the screen for more than ten seconds, then finally steeled his heart and made a call.
Sorry! The subscriber you dialed cannot be connected for the moment, please redial later.
In the past, when Zhuang Zi'ang made a call and heard this female voice, he would immediately hang up.
This time, he even listened to the English message completely.
What era was it? Were there still places without signal?
Are you a primitive person living in the mountains?
Zhuang Zi'ang pushed open the window, and a cool night breeze blew in.
A crescent moon hung high in the sky.
He finally did what he had wanted to do ten years ago: run away from home completely.
No longer having to read people's expressions, no longer having to be constantly on edge, he could do whatever he wanted, see whoever he wanted to see.
He was clearly about to die, yet it felt as if he had only just begun to live.
Even if he only had three months, he could still live them splendidly.
Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Zhuang Zi'ang was seized by a "drinking" urge and poured a glass of cola.
His reflection in the window had clear features and a spirited look.
"Congratulations, Zhuang Zi'ang, cheers!"
Zhuang Zi'ang clinked his glass with his reflection in the window, then drank it all in one gulp.
That night, in this simple little home, he slept exceptionally soundly.
He dreamt he turned into a Xiao Hudie, joyfully flapping his wings, flying over famous mountains and great rivers, seeing all the beauty of spring on earth.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight slanted through the window.
A 'ding' sound woke Zhuang Zi'ang from his dream.
He fumbled for his phone under his pillow, saw Su Yudie's reply, and immediately lost all sleepiness.
"I made Qingtuan myself, do you want some?"
Zhuang Zi'ang immediately typed back: "Sure, then I'll buy drinks. Milk or soy milk?"
"Soy milk, wait for me at the bus stop." Su Yudie replied instantly this time.
Zhuang Zi'ang immediately flipped out of bed and went to the bathroom for a hot shower.
He was used to showering in the morning because he could wash his hair at the same time, which was more convenient.
He never wore that floral shirt again.
Yesterday, when he went shopping with Su Yudie, he bought several discounted spring outfits and chose a light blue thin jacket to wear, paired with black casual pants.
This conformed to his usual image as a good student.
When he left home, he tore a page from the desk calendar.
It was as if his life had become concrete, with each page being torn away by his own hand.
Coming downstairs, Zhuang Zi'ang saw his neighbor sister doing morning exercises, so he greeted her: "Good morning, Sister."
The neighbor sister smiled and said, "Xiao Zhuang, going to school? Did that girl not stay with you yesterday?"
"Sister, please don't joke, she is my friend."
"Alright, young people should have friends. Bring her back to play more often."
Su Yudie was beautiful and well-behaved, with an optimistic and cheerful personality.
The neighbor sister took a liking to her after seeing her once.
Seeing Zhuang Zi'ang and Su Yudie together, she couldn't help but recall her own vibrant school days.
However, she didn't know that such a young man was already facing the end of his life.
Arriving at the breakfast shop, Zhuang Zi'ang ordered two cups of soy milk.
One with red date flavor, one with black sesame flavor.
He didn't know which flavor Su Yudie preferred, so he figured she could pick one, and he would drink the other.
Arriving at the bus stop, he waited for almost ten minutes before the route 19 bus finally arrived late.
The bus doors opened, and students with youthful smiles streamed out.
Walking at the very back was an unbelievably beautiful girl.
She was still dressed the same: a white shirt, blue skirt, white canvas shoes, with a peach blossom tucked into her hair.
Zhuang Zi'ang found it a bit strange; it had been three days, and she was still dressed like this.
White clothes should get dirty easily.
But her shirt and shoes remained spotless.
"Xiao Hudie!" Zhuang Zi'ang called out.
"Zhuang Zi'ang, I'm sorry, have you been waiting long?" Su Yudie blinked her watery big eyes.
"No, I just arrived too. See, the soy milk is still warm." Zhuang Zi'ang smiled.
Actually, the soy milk was still quite hot when he first left the breakfast shop.
After holding it for ten minutes, it was now just the right temperature.
The two walked into the school together and came to the flower bed from yesterday.
The hyacinths and wisteria in the flower bed still had morning dew on them.
Shining in the sun, they were crystal clear.
Su Yudie carried a black shoulder bag today. She took out a waxed paper bag from it, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out.
Inside were green-colored pastries, which were Qingtuan.
Qingtuan is a traditional snack with a history of over a thousand years, made by mixing green mugwort juice with glutinous rice flour, then adding a filling of red bean paste or lotus seed paste. Its color is emerald green, and its fragrance is fresh and elegant.
Taking a bite, it felt like eating spring itself.
Zhuang Zi'ang picked up a Qingtuan and took a bite; it was red bean paste, sweet but not cloying.
"Wow, it's both beautiful and delicious. Did you really make this yourself?"
Su Yudie nodded: "Of course, I learned from my grandma."
"Your hands are so skillful, this Qingtuan is beautiful." Zhuang Zi'ang praised her from the bottom of his heart.
"Mugwort can reduce internal heat and dampness. Eat more, and you definitely won't have nosebleeds anymore." Su Yudie took a sip of red date soy milk.
"What? This was made especially for me?" Zhuang Zi'ang was surprised.
"Of course! Making this is super troublesome. You have to pick tender mugwort, mash it and mix it into the dough, then steam it and wrap the filling. I woke up so early today." Su Yudie said, covering her mouth and yawning.
Zhuang Zi'ang felt a warmth in his heart.
He never expected someone to be so thoughtful for him.
What a pity, this Qingtuan couldn't cure his nosebleed symptom.
"Xiao Hudie, there's nothing wrong with my body. Don't do so many things for me in the future."
Su Yudie stubbornly shook her head: "No way, we're friends. Friends should care for each other."
Zhuang Zi'ang silently bit into the Qingtuan, his heart a mix of emotions.
Oh, Heaven, are you playing with me?
Why, when I'm about to die, do you send someone like this to me?
"Oh, by the way, Zhuang Zi'ang, I'm sorry, I can't use my phone at night, so I only saw your message this morning." Su Yudie suddenly remembered the message and quickly apologized.
"It's okay, I knew you would reply once you saw it." Zhuang Zi'ang said softly.
"It's time for class. Thank you for the soy milk, goodbye!"
Su Yudie shook the cup in her hand and lightly skipped up the stairs.
In a few steps, she disappeared around the corner.
Zhuang Zi'ang still stood by the flower bed, silently gazing in the direction where the girl had disappeared.
He had originally been standing in the shadow of the teaching building, but now the sun was gradually rising, and the shadow was slowly retreating.
Warm sunlight poured down, illuminating his entire being.