critical

"Yeah." Yan Ji answered absent-mindedly, and almost threw the bowl out in fright when he came back to his senses, "Huh?"

Before Grandpa could speak, she shook her head again and again: "No, no, I'll make an appointment... the day after tomorrow, can I? Tomorrow is really not possible."

Grandpa took out two train tickets from his coat pocket, unfolded them on the table, and pushed them in front of her.Yan Ji poked his head to look, glanced at the time and was immediately discouraged, and pushed the bowl: "I won't eat."

Grandpa frowned: "What's wrong?"

Yan Ji muttered, "I made an appointment with him to go out tomorrow."

Grandpa didn't take it seriously: "I just know how to play... Stop! Where are you going!"

"I'm going to tell someone!"

"Just call."

"Dengdeng's house doesn't have a phone!"

"I knew it!"

The grandpa and grandson refused to give way to the other, staring at each other in a stalemate.The large electric fan above the head whirred, and the train tickets on the table were blown to the ground. The grandpa and grandson looked at each other at the same time, and each relaxed their tense shoulders.

Grandpa took out a green paper ticket from his pocket, Yan Ji grinned with eight teeth, stepped forward to touch the two-yuan note, picked up the train ticket on the ground and put it on the table, turned around and ran out the door.

Grandpa picked up the train ticket and folded it. Hearing the clanging of the bicycle, he shouted loudly, "Come back early!"

Yan Ji pedaled his bicycle at a fast pace.

Yan Deng's family lived in a remote place, and the small town was not well-built in those days, so there was not enough light in places a little bit out of the way, and there was only a slanted concrete pillar at a long distance, with a dimly flickering street lamp on it.The dark area in the middle is like a ghost's lair, and once you enter it, you will sweat coldly on your back.From time to time, a light bulb will go out, and the darkness will be prolonged, which will be extraordinarily tormenting.

After the meal time, it was not time to go to bed, and there were many people enjoying the cool air on the side of the road. Seeing Yan Ji coming, several pairs of eyes glanced over.

Yan Ji pulled over on a familiar road, lifted the gray quilt from the freezer in front of the small supermarket, took a box of three-color ice cream, touched a wooden stick, sent a two-yuan green ticket, and took the plastic bag handed over by the boss.

The wheels of the bicycle knocked against the uneven blue bricks of the old alley, and the night wind blew past the girl's ears, which couldn't stop the whispers that suddenly rose behind her.

Yan Ji got out of the car and locked it.

The thin iron door squeaked open, and Yan Deng stood inside the door both surprised and delighted.Yan Ji raised his head for joy, and grinned: "How did you know I was coming?"

As he spoke, he hurriedly presented the ice cream in his hand as a treasure.

"Voice." Yan Deng bent his lips and took her hand.

Yan Ji peeked into the crack of the door, his voice sounded like a thief: "Is Auntie asleep?"

"Ah."

Yan Deng hesitantly let go of Yan Ji's hand, but Yan Ji squeezed over, smiling at Yan Deng with obvious intentions.Yan Deng stepped aside, she tiptoed in, glanced at the main room, and smiled triumphantly.

Yan Deng's family lives in an old-fashioned one-story house. There is a main room in the middle connecting the rooms on both sides. A small yard is surrounded outside. Two sheds are built on the left and right corners of the fence.

The floor of the utility room is damp, mixed with the hot air, making it feel humid and stuffy.Yan Ji was relieved. She came to deliver New Year's goods at the end of last year, and was taken home by Yan Deng for the first time, but when Yan Deng's mother fell ill, she was so frightened that she ran away.The two of them didn't mention it afterward, either Yan Ji sent Yan Deng to the alley after school and returned, Yan Deng refused to pick up Yan Ji in the morning, so the two met on the road.

Yan Ji couldn't help being curious at the moment, and looked around: "What is this?"

There was a big red plastic bucket on the ground, with a ladle floating on it, Yan Ji flicked it with his hand, it was warm.

Yan Deng took the empty water bottle at her feet to the side: "Take a bath."

Yan Ji said "ah", and nodded repeatedly: "Oh, I know, I know. Then, take a shower first, don't get cold."

Yan Deng looked calm, and raised the corner of his mouth: "Don't imitate me, talk."

Seeing her smile, Yan Ji breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped his hands behind his back on his clothes: "I didn't, but, um, you should take a shower first, the water will be cold soon."

Yan Deng's eyes wandered: "Today's cartoon, isn't it good?"

Yan Ji's face suddenly collapsed, and he puffed out his cheeks and complained: "No, grandpa insists that I accompany him to the provincial capital tomorrow. I told him that I made an appointment with you, but he lost his temper at home and was so annoying."

The two have been together for a long time, know some little secrets, and have also developed some little habits. Without Yan Deng asking, Yan Ji will say anything when he thinks of it: "I see, the train ticket is [-]:[-] tomorrow morning, why don't you arrive at noon?" .I don’t know if Grandpa will go to see his comrades this time. He will come back the day after tomorrow at the earliest.”

Yan Deng remembered that Yan Ji had mentioned that it would take an hour from her home to the train station: "Early to bed and early to rise, bring clothes, essential oil..."

Yan Ji touched his nose, his eyes fluttered: "Mmm, I will leave after you take a shower, and I will watch the door for you."

She picked up Yan Deng's change of clothes, took a small bench and sat at the door: "I won't peek, you can wash it."

After pricking up his ears and listening for a few seconds, Yan Ji urged in a low voice: "Hurry up, I'm waiting to go back, I still have to get up early to go to the train station tomorrow."

Outside the wall, there are cool people passing by with their slippers on, maybe holding plantain fans, because Yan Ji is a little hot, and maybe Monkey King is passing by, pointing at Yan Ji and yelling "Ding".

She just sat on a small low bench like that, holding a plastic bag of three-color ice cream in one hand and a scented dress in the other.

I don't know how long it took before there was a slight sound behind him, it couldn't be heard properly, it rang in his ears and itched in his heart.

The sound of the water was rippling, very light, very light, like swallowing Yan Ji pressed in his throat.This kind of deafening sound is a young man's secret, if someone eavesdrops on it, he will become an ostrich looking for a crack in the ground.

When the drops of water rolled down, little ants crawled across Yan Ji's scalp, itching and numb, and soreness appeared in his bones.She licked her lips, her lips were dry, her tongue was dry, but she heard the sound of water behind her, and if there was no caress, it added fire to her throat, and her thirsty voice hummed hoarsely: "..."

Done yet?

Yan Ji was not willing to rush, tightened his legs, looked down to see the clothes on his knees, covered his head and buried his face in the clothes, and took a deep breath as if sucking oxygen.

It smells good.

Yan Ji was dizzy.

The wet footsteps sounded at first, and then stopped immediately, like Yan Ji's back suddenly straightened.

"Da da da……"

The footsteps stopped, Yan Deng's hand stretched out from behind her, Yan Ji rolled his eyes, and looked at the thin white wrist.

Yan Ji slowly picked up the light pink briefs and handed them to Yan Deng.After a few seconds of stalemate, the girl took her underwear, and when she bent down, her hair hung down on Yan Ji's back, burning a piece of skin, and she wanted to make people jump up.

In less than 10 minutes, Yan Ji drank several catties of wine, feeling dizzy and blissful, and forgot how to let go of the hand that passed the clothes: "You smell so good."

Yan Deng pulled away his nightdress, his hands and feet were stiff, his movements were fast, his arms stretched out from the neckline, he turned the front side into the back side, and tossed back and forth to create a pleated pattern.

Probably drunk, a teenage girl will change her words, and Yan Ji will only say over and over again: "Dengdeng...Dengdeng...I heard your mother call you...Dengdeng, you The smell on my body is really good, sweet and sweet...Deng Deng, can I smell you...it smells really good..."

Yan Deng's fingertips touched her back, Yan Ji stopped chattering, turned his head and nose to Yan Deng's forearm, sniffed like a puppy, resisting the desire to bite his teeth, raised his head: "Really It's very fragrant."

The tips of Yan Deng's ears were burning, and Yan Ji grasped his softly hanging arms, and his voice was as soft as a feather: "...peppermint soap, you gave it to me last Wednesday."

"Oh." Yan Ji reluctantly let go of Yan Deng's hand, "It smells good after I take a bath, I'll let you smell it next time."

Yan Ji stumbled and wanted to find something to say, and stood up from the small bench, then remembered the three-color ice cream box in his hand, and hurriedly took it out of the plastic bag: "Oh, my God, it must have melted. Hey, it's okay. good."

She opened the ice cream box, removed the small wooden sticks and stuck them in, and gave them to Yan Deng together.Yan Deng took it, dug out a large piece of brown chocolate-flavored ice cream, and handed it to Yan Ji.

Yan Ji bent down and licked it into his mouth. The ice cream had already melted half, and the mouth turned into thick ice water: "Well, it still tastes like chocolate. Eat it, eat it quickly."

Yan Ji happily urged, smiling brightly, repeating the same question every time: "Is it delicious?"

Yan Deng picked a spoonful and put it into his mouth, looked up at Yan Ji, his eyes were clear: "This time it's not ice, it's sweet."

Yan Ji was captured by her eyes, lost his momentum, and muttered: "...Yan Deng, your eyes are so beautiful, very, very beautiful."

Yan Deng blushed, wanted to laugh but was ashamed, lowered his head and ate ice cream.

Yan Ji scratched his ears and cheeks, twisted his hands and shook his legs, cleared his throat, touched his face and said to himself: "I, cough, I'm not ugly."

Yan Deng lowered his head and smiled lightly: "You look heroic and radiant."

Yan Ji didn't hear it clearly, but felt that it was a good word, and nodded repeatedly: "Yeah! They all said that I am good-looking. If I were a boy, I would definitely be a high school student in No. [-] High School. When I grow up, I will buy a motorcycle. Take you for a ride."

She raised her chin, her immature face was full of complacency.

Yan Deng probably knew where her idea came from: there were often gangsters on motorcycles at the school gate, waiting for senior seniors to leave school, before walking home before Yan Deng, they would be whistled every day.

"Eighteen years old, talented, take the driver's license test." Yan Deng followed her and dug out the last bite of chocolate ice cream to feed Yan Ji, "Remember grandpa's medicine, blood pressure lowering, heart-saving pills."

Yan Ji scratched his arm: "Well, hey, I haven't packed my clothes yet."

Yan Deng put away the garbage, turned to look at Yan Ji, Yan Ji stood where he was and tilted his head to look at her.Yan Deng's eyelashes fluttered slightly, his eyes drooped, and the corners of his mouth raised: "There are mosquitos."

Yan Ji sighed greatly: "Okay."

The two walked through the small courtyard and walked outside the door. Seeing Yan Deng following out, Yan Ji couldn't help showing his eight white teeth, and smiled blindly: "Go back."

Yan Deng closed the door: "Go to the alley."

Yan Ji shook his head: "No, it's dark, I'm leaving, you go in quickly."

In the gloomy old alley, the girls stared at each other, and no one could bear to blink.

After a while, Yan Ji asked in a low voice, "How is Auntie doing recently?"

Yan Deng: "I take my medicine on time."

Yan Ji heard the buzzing of mosquitoes, and took the trash in Yan Deng's hand: "Come in, I, I'm going home."

"Yan Ji."

"Ok?"

Yan Deng stepped forward, touched Yan Ji with his lips, and quickly turned around and entered the yard to close the door.

Yan Ji was stunned for a while, then he pushed the cart to the alley, startled in a trance, touched his lips and smiled stupidly: "... so soft."

She jumped onto the bicycle, bent her body and pedaled vigorously, her hair flew up, and kissed the evening wind.

The long asphalt road is a roll of tape, the light and shadow flickering, the girl rides a frame of youth.