“Th-this is my birthday present for Yan, please… please accept it!”
Liu Xuerou rose to her feet, her fair hands cradling something as she lowered her head, her face flushed, towards Yan.
“Oh… mm.”
Yan, observing her earnest demeanor, paused for a moment before a faint smile touched his lips. He gently accepted the gift that Xuerou held out with both hands.
“Thank you.”
“Is this a spear tassel?”
Yan gazed at the gift Liu Xuerou had given him—a tassel-like ornament woven from pure white silk threads—and his mouth parted slightly in surprise.
“It’s so beautiful…”
He exclaimed with genuine admiration. Having practiced spear arts since childhood, this was the first time he had ever seen such an exquisite spear tassel. In truth, most of the spear tassels he had encountered were those left by his grandfather, dark red ones that had been used for countless years, often appearing quite tattered.
Yet, the spear tassel Xuerou had given him was remarkably delicate. Woven from an unknown type of silk, its pristine white threads shimmered with faint silver glints under the dim, yellowish glow of the summer night.
Seeing that Yan seemed genuinely pleased with her gift, Liu Xuerou released a long breath, finally settling her racing heart. A serene smile blossomed on her lightly flushed face.
“As long as Yan likes it…”
“Mm! I like it very much. I’ll cherish this gift.”
Yan nodded, smiling as he spoke to Liu Xuerou.
“N-no need to cherish it too much…”
Liu Xuerou waved her hands dismissively, a hint of panic in her gesture. Meeting Yan’s gaze, she quickly lowered her head again, muttering softly.
“If Yan cherishes it too much, he won’t be able to use it, will he?”
“I still hope Yan can tie it to his spear…”
A flush of crimson spread across her cheeks, and her voice grew even softer, barely audible to Yan, who sat beside her.
“That way, whenever Yan practices his spear, he’ll think of me…”
“Hm? What did you say, Xuerou?”
Yan asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
“N-nothing…”
Liu Xuerou shook her head, her cheeks still flushed, and settled back down beside Yan.
“Since Xuerou said so, I’ll go tie it to my spear then.”
Rising with a gentle smile, Yan recognized that though he hadn’t quite caught the crucial last words, Xuerou’s desire for him to attach the tassel to his spear had certainly conveyed itself clearly.
Given that, he would simply do as she wished.
Smiling, Yan turned and walked towards the spear rack on the open-air training ground, effortlessly drawing a long spear with a gleaming new tip.
It was his own spear, a gift from his grandfather.
He recalled that before giving this spear to Yan, his grandfather had thoroughly refurbished it, knocking off the rusty old spearhead and replacing it with a new one.
Unfortunately, at the time, his grandfather had no new spear tassels available, so he had simply handed it to Yan bare.
Now, however, it was perfect. Xuerou had gifted him a brand-new, pristine white spear tassel, which would fit perfectly on this very spear.
“Since the opportunity presents itself, would you like to watch me practice for a while?”
Yan, having secured the spear tassel, turned his smiling face towards Liu Xuerou, who was seated at the edge of the training ground.
“I’d also like to see what the spear tassel looks like in action.”
“Mm.”
Liu Xuerou offered a faint smile and gently nodded to Yan.
“Then this humble one shall make a fool of himself.”
Yan gave her a formal, almost theatrical, fist-and-palm salute, prompting her to burst into laughter, covering her mouth with a hand.
Watching Liu Xuerou laugh at his antics, Yan couldn’t help but let a smile touch his own lips. Then, with a turn of his wrist, the long spear spun gracefully in his grasp.
The pristine white spear tassel danced and swirled with his movements, tracing ethereal white arcs in the depths of the dimly lit summer night alley, across the dark expanse of the training ground.
Liu Xuerou sat at the edge of the training ground, quietly watching Yan.
Yan, as always, practiced the spear techniques he knew by heart,一遍又一遍.
Liu Xuerou, as always, watched Yan practice, a sight she should have long grown accustomed to,一遍又一遍.
Both of them were just as they had been in the past… like the boy and girl who had grown up together, so long ago. Once again, on that old training ground, one wielded a spear, and the other smiled softly.
‘If only such moments… could last forever.’
Liu Xuerou lowered her head, her hands clasped behind her back, her fair, delicate fingers subtly intertwined.
“Ah? Xuerou? What did you say?”
“I can’t hear you!”
Yan shouted, asking from the training ground. To prevent accidental injury to any spectators by the training ground, it had been built quite large. Indeed, with Yan and Xuerou separated by such a distance, speaking at a normal volume, their words would indeed be lost.
Still, there was no need to shout quite so loudly.
Even so, an occasional shout didn’t seem like such a bad thing…
Watching Yan, drenched in sweat yet still brandishing his spear without pause, Liu Xuerou felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of strength welling up within her heart, as if urging her on, propelling her forward.
Bravely, with great strides, she would continue onward.
A bright, unreserved smile suddenly bloomed on her face. She raised her hands to cup her face, forming a makeshift megaphone with her palms over her mouth.
“I said!”
Xuerou unleashed that power with a sudden burst, shouting, her voice unexpectedly loud, as she responded to Yan.
“Thank you, Yan!”
“Thank you for always worrying about me!”
“Thank you for still treating me with the same kindness as when we were children!”
“Thank you for actively seeking me out!”
“Thank you!!!!!”
****
Liu Xuerou used all her might to yell out the emotions she had held within, the feelings she desperately wished to convey to Yan at that very moment!
“Phew~”
She took a deep breath, easing a slight dizziness—a likely consequence of her strenuous effort and temporary oxygen deprivation. Slowly, she brought her overheated mind back to a state of calm, only then realizing the utterly embarrassing words she had just uttered.
She bowed her head again, feeling the heat on her cheeks, a flush even more intense than the lingering summer warmth. A deep crimson stained her delicate ears.
Yan froze in place, his spear-wielding arm involuntarily stilling. His mouth slightly agape, he was unsure of how to respond. The suddenness of it all made it difficult for him to distinguish reality from illusion.
Yet his heart, pounding furiously in his chest, told him one thing was undeniably true.
At this moment, he felt the same as Xuerou, equally moved, equally exhilarated.
“No, I should be saying, thank you, Xuerou.”
A faint smile gracing his lips, he endeavored to calm his surging emotions, responding to Liu Xuerou’s heartfelt confession with a voice both clear and resolute.
“Thank you for being willing to forgive my inaction and cowardly hesitation in the face of your suffering all these years.”
“Thank you for still being willing to stay by my side after overcoming the fear in your heart.”
Liu Xuerou quietly raised her head. Her gaze met Yan’s, finding the same bright eyes and familiar warm smile she had always known.
“Mm…”
At the corners of her eyes, tears of joy welled up and subtly spilled over.
****
Though Liu Xuerou still hadn’t fully overcome her shy nature, her fear of strangers, and her reluctance to interact with outsiders, she shyly fled back home after that long-brewing flood of emotions finally burst forth, not uttering another word.
But Yan believed that the distance between them had undoubtedly shrunk.
Lying on his bed, Yan gazed at the familiar, pristine white ceiling of his room. The air conditioner, mounted high on the wall, hummed softly in its cooling mode.
Perhaps one day, Xuerou would truly be able to laugh wholeheartedly and without reservation in front of him, just as they had, carefree and unburdened, when they played together as children.
Much more effort was still needed for Xuerou to finally become a little more cheerful.
Yan pulled the thin summer blanket over his abdomen, closed his eyes, his resolve firmly set.
Yet, upon reflection, Xuerou’s newfound cheerfulness wasn’t his doing at all. He hadn’t done anything special, just played games as usual…
Who or what had truly caused Xuerou to change?
Regardless, Yan had every reason to feel fortunate. Liu Xuerou’s willingness to interact with him kindly already made him immensely happy, happier than any birthday he had celebrated before.
Speaking of which… why did he dislike celebrating his birthday again?
His consciousness began to blur, as if he might slip into dreams at any moment. Sleep after exercise was always profoundly satisfying, especially after a summer night of spear practice. His thoughts gradually drifted into a realm of darkness, unable to form coherent fragments.
He felt as though he had forgotten something important…
Ah, well, who cared? He could think about it tomorrow.
And so, he drifted into slumber, sleeping soundly.
****
The screen of the phone on his bedside table suddenly lit up. A message appeared on Yan’s phone, though it failed to rouse him from his deep sleep.
[Yuluo University, Class of ’56, Digital Technology Department]
–Teacher Li: Regarding the start of the new semester in three days, the university requires all students in our department to arrive on campus in the morning, staggered to avoid peak times. Please take note, students. For those not in the group, please inform each other. There will be an evening self-study session and a class meeting on the first day of school…