ten years love letter

[7]

The winter vacation is here, and Zhibo comes to play with Shu's house as promised.

Kazuki ran down excitedly and opened the door, and Zhibo was standing outside the door.

Zhibo was wearing a short brown coat with horn buttons, a black and white striped sweater inside, and a red scarf tied around his neck.

The boy's hair was black, his skin was as white as snow, and his cheeks were slightly red, as if the wind had blown outside for too long.

He Shu said happily: "Student Aoki, come in quickly!"

"Ah."

Shiba walked into the room, took off his scarf, and looked around cautiously.

The house of the Heshu family is the most common dwelling, and both the house and the land are old.

The furniture and daily necessities are arranged in an orderly manner in the house, and there is a faint smell in the air, which is the smell of home.

Anyone who walks into this home will feel very relaxed.

But Shiba didn't.

Shiba stood stiffly in the porch.

His eyes were timid, as if he was very uncomfortable going to a friend's house to play.

Kazuki saw Shiba's discomfort.

Although Shiba looks very cold on the outside, his personality is actually very shy and introverted.

Hesitation and timidity are often revealed in those seemingly indifferent light brown eyes.

It's easy to overlook the past if you don't look closely.

He Shu knew that the three years of bullying in junior high school must have left a deep psychological shadow on Zhibo, otherwise Zhibo would never have become what he is now.

Zhibo should have been more confident, cheerful, brave, and forthright...

However, this cowardly Zhibo who does not match his appearance now fills Kazuki's heart with pity.

Be gentler to Aoki-san, even more gentle.

Kazuki took the scarf from Shiba's hand.

He hung the scarf with residual warmth on the hanger seriously, and smiled at Zhibo: "My mother has gone out to work, but she made a cream stew in advance and put it in a pot. I'll heat it up. Then we can have lunch."

Zhibo asked, "Xiaosugi-san, are you alone at home?"

"No, my younger siblings are also on winter vacation." He Shu turned his head and shouted upstairs, "Yingtai, Reina, come down quickly!"

Shiba couldn't help looking down the stairs.

Soon, a little boy and a little girl ran down the stairs.

The little boy had dark skin, and his facial features looked like a miniature version of Kazuki.

The little girl had two crooked braids, and she was wearing a dress with a pair of sweatpants underneath.

Heshu smiled, pressed the top of the little boy's head with his right hand, and held the little girl's back collar with his left hand.

Holding his younger siblings in his arms, the young man proudly said to Zhibo, "This is my younger brother and younger sister, Eita and Reina."

Zhibo nodded slightly, and said a little nervously, "You... how are you."

He Shu lowered his head again and said to his younger siblings: "This is my brother's good friend Aoki."

Yingtai asked curiously: "Can elder brother Aoki play baseball?"

Shiba shook his head.

"Ah... I still want to play pitching with you..." Yingtai showed disappointment without concealing it.

Reina opened her bright eyes and looked at Aoki with admiration: "Brother Aoki is so handsome, like a comedian on TV!"

Zhibo froze for a moment, not knowing how to answer, his fair ears turned red suddenly.

He Shu laughed loudly: "I also think this guy looks like a movie star, how about it? Isn't your brother very powerful?"

Reina snorted: "What's so great about Brother Heshu? Brother Heshu looks like a monkey."

"Monkey, monkey?" Heshu looked angry on purpose, "I will never braid your hair again!"

Li Nai said with disgust: "I originally wanted my mother to braid my hair, but brother Heshu's braid is too ugly!"

"Ah, there is an opportunity!"

Yingtai suddenly tore off Reina's hair bow, turned around and ran into the living room.

Reina covered her hair in embarrassment, and shouted at the top of her voice: "Idiot, return it to me quickly!"

Yingtai laughed and shouted, "Get it yourself!"

"Idiot, big idiot!" Linai chased after him angrily.

The sound of children playing suddenly came from the living room.

Heshu scratched the back of his head, a shy smile appeared on his wheat-colored face.

His teeth are extremely white, like shells on the seashore: "Student Aoki, I'm sorry, I made you laugh, my younger siblings are simply the grandchildren of monkeys."

Zhibo shook his head, and said seriously: "I think your family...is very energetic."

"Haha, you don't have to be so polite."

Kazuki grabbed Zhibo and walked into the house: "Come in, I'll cook for you."

Shiba lowered his head and stared at Kazuki's hand on his wrist.

His hands are so slender and so strong, as if they can convey to him a steady stream of happy power.

Is this a friend?Zhibo suddenly thought.

Mom had already prepared the creamy stew, and He Shu deftly lit the stove and cooked another pot of rice.

While cooking, he babbled about school and family affairs.

Zhibo silently followed Kazuki, like a silent and loyal big dog.

After making lunch, Heshu rolled up his sleeves again, grabbed his younger siblings and sat them down at the dining table one by one.

The four of them ate cream stew and rice, Kazuki sat with Shiba, and Eita sat with Reina.

However, Yingta and Rena actually pinched each other while eating, it was simply amazing.

Kazuki had no choice but to get up and switch places. He asked Eita to sit with him, and then asked Reina to sit with Shiba.In this way, the siblings finally stopped.

After a noisy lunch, Eita and Reina went to grab the TV again.

While tidying up the tableware, He Shu asked, "Is the food my mother cooks delicious?"

Zhibo helped Heshu tidy up the dining table, nodded, and said, "It's much more delicious than my mother's cooking."

He Shu was amused by him, and asked, "Then who is cooking in your family now?"

Zhibo looked down at the clean rice bowl and said, "Yes...the maid hired by my father is cooking."

He Shu suddenly realized that he shouldn't have asked this question.

After all, he was only a high school student, and he didn't understand the calmness and composure of an adult. In a moment of anxiety, he awkwardly changed the subject: "That's right! Do you want to see my father's portrait?"

"Okay."

Then, Kazuki put down the bowl and chopsticks, and pulled Shiba to the front of the shrine.

He said excitedly: "This is my father. Look, isn't his portrait particularly interesting?"

Zhibo took a closer look, and there was a black and white photo in the shrine. In the photo, the uncle's muscles were atrophied, his skin was wrinkled, and his hair and teeth had all fallen out. He couldn't be seen as Kazuki's father at all.

But the old man smiled happily.

He laughed so hard that his eyes couldn't keep open, and he was so carefree, as if nothing in the world could make him sad.

This is Heshu's father?

Shiba stared at the portrait steadily.

Suddenly, Zhibo let out a "puchi" laugh.

Kazuki looked at Zhibo strangely: "Aoki-san, this is the first time I've seen you smile!"

"Hahaha——" Zhibo held his stomach and couldn't stop laughing.

Zhichang is handsome, and when he smiles, he is like a spring breeze, like a crystal reflecting colorful light.

He Shu also couldn't help laughing, and said happily: "My father will definitely be very happy, he likes to make others laugh the most."

Zhibo laughed until tears came out: "You father and son are really similar."

"It's the first time someone said that, I think I'm much more handsome than my father." He Shu was very happy, "Okay, let's wash the dishes quickly, and then go to my room to play games!"

"Ah."

Later, they played games all afternoon.

That winter vacation was the happiest period of Heshu's life.

As long as Shiba doesn't have to go to cram school, Kazuki will invite him to come to play at home.

After coming many times, Zhibo finally met Kazuki's mother.

Mother learned about Zhibo's experience from Heshu, and she felt very compassionate in her heart, so she was very gentle towards Zhibo.

The younger siblings would often pester Heshu and ask, "Is brother Aoki coming today?"

They were too young to understand what happened to Shiba.They just simply like the silent and gentle Shiba.

Kazuki is pleased to find that Zhibo is slowly becoming cheerful.

This crystal-like boy often smiles, and he is no longer the boy who was indifferent to the whole world.

It was one afternoon when the winter vacation was about to end.

He Shu was writing homework in his room.

Shiba sat on the floor next to him.

He leaned against the bed, held a pencil in his hand, and drew on the white paper.

Kazuki accidentally caught sight of Shiba's drawing paper, and Shiba seemed to be depicting a windmill in detail.

Kazuki asked with great interest: "Student Aoki, do you like windmills?"

Zhibo stopped the pen tip, blocked the windmill uncomfortably, and replied, "I just like to draw."

He Shu boasted sincerely: "It's amazing."

Zhibo replied: "Not very good, I'm only good at drawing objects, I'm not good at drawing people."

He Shu smiled and said, "That's amazing too! Do you want to be an artist in the future?"

Zhibo lowered his head and said, "I...my dad wants me to study dentistry so that I can inherit his clinic."

He Shu suddenly realized, and said, "Is Aoki the only child?"

Zhibo whispered, "Yes."

Heshu put down his math homework and said annoyedly: "I also hope that I am the only child. I helped Yingtai with a lot of math problems yesterday, and that kid only cared about playing during the whole winter vacation! And Rena's winter vacation observation report was also helped by me." She drew... well, my own homework and no one to help me."

Zhibo put down the pen and paper.

He stood up, walked slowly to Heshu, and said, "Let me teach you."

He Shu was overjoyed and nodded again and again: "That would be great!"

Zhibo smiled lightly.

He bent down and put his right hand on Heshu's desk, and the tall figure enveloped Heshu from behind.

Kazuki could feel Shiba's warm body temperature coming from behind.

He raised his head suddenly, Shiba's light brown eyes were full of tenderness.

At that moment, Kazuki stared blankly, Shiba's face was extremely beautiful.He is so handsome and so gentle.

Why would someone hurt Aoki?

Why does the world hurt Aoki?

He Shu really couldn't understand the cruelty of this world.

Zhibo quickly finished reading the topic, and said, "I will tell, and you will write."

When he spoke, the hot air from his lips and teeth blew gently on Heshu's face like the wind.

He Shu froze for a moment, then lowered his head hastily, his wheat-colored skin showed an imperceptible blush.

Zhibo supported the table with one hand, pressed Heshu's chair with the other, and whispered in Heshu's ear: "According to the conditions in the question, assuming that the unknown is X, then it is easy to set..."

Kazuki carefully wrote down Shiba's words sentence by sentence in his homework book.

A piece of pure white snowflakes drifted outside the window.

The heating was turned on in the room, and the rumbling sound of the old air conditioner was making a noise like an inexplicable heartbeat in someone's chest.

Is it your heartbeat, or is it my heartbeat?

The boy kept a close distance.