Attempted first love

A wisp of white mist rose from between the two.

The balcony door is made of frosted glass, and the indoor light is softened and separated out. There is no temperature, but it is enough to create a warm atmosphere.

In the dim light, Xia Yan held the cigarette in his arms, and did not move for a long time. The smoke was not puffed out, and half of it was floating upwards.

After waiting for a long time, but seeing no sign of him handing over the lighter, Lu Zhouyu bit his cigarette holder and turned his head to look at him.

Xia Yan's fingers trembling with the cigarette, shaking off scattered dust, said seriously: "Didn't I say to exchange the answer for the lighter, I can't give it to you right now. But—"

Before he finished speaking, he bit the cigarette loosely between his lips, the arched leg suddenly exerted strength, raised his upper body, turned sideways, and brought the scarlet flame close to Lu Zhouyu's unlit cigarette.

When the touch was not touched, there was a slight pause in the movement, and the pink-orange light just stopped on his face.

Lu Zhouyu bit his cigarette holder and stared at him silently without avoiding it.

In the sight, Xia Yan blinked his eyes in surprise, and moved forward tentatively. The two cigarette butts collided and burned into one quickly.

The evening wind was negligible, and the smoke lingered in front of us for a long time.

Amidst the smog, Xia Yan sat back to his original position, and complemented what he said just now with a smile: "But I can help you."

Lu Zhouyu didn't answer, staring at a gaped clay basin under the steps, slowly swallowing and exhaling mist.

The distance from entering the family courtyard to the room was like a tight rubber band, which was stretched by every step, until the moment the door lock was opened, it bounced back to him with a "snap".

It's not painful, but like a malicious, no-culprit joke, it's unpleasant.

The silence broke out, and after a long time, Xia Yan changed the subject very naturally.

"What is the ending of that movie?"

"Which one?"

"The one I watched in the hospital at night."

In the blink of an eye, there was only half of a cigarette left. Lu Zhouyu pinched the filter and extinguished the cigarette butt in the pottery basin, "I don't remember."

"Why don't you remember?" Xia Yan asked him, turning his face sideways.

Without waiting for Lu Zhouyu to answer, he was suddenly choked by the smoke, buried his head in his knees, arched his back, and coughed until the sky was dark.

The jagged spines vibrate violently through the fabric, as if a crustal movement is taking place.

Lu Zhouyu raised his hand to pat him on the back, and it took him a while to calm down.

After a few intermittent coughs, he raised his face, his eyelids were red, and his eyelashes were wet with the coughed up tears, as if he had cried a lot.After blinking slowly twice, while thanking, the hand holding the cigarette continued to send it to his mouth.

Lu Zhouyu grabbed his wrist with a tiger's mouth, smoked his cigarette with the other hand, and said calmly, "I still smoke after coughing like this."

Xia Yan put his fingers together, "I still owe a favor for this pack of cigarettes, it must not be wasted."

"No one has lived here for seven or eight years," Lu Zhouyu said indifferently, "There is no sweet thing for you to eat."

When he was about to withdraw his hand, Xia Yan loosened his fingers, and put the cigarette into his hand kindly, "I'm just kidding, I won't smoke."

The cigarette holder was bitten mottled, Lu Zhouyu glanced at it, turned his head and crushed it in the clay basin, but did not let go of the other hand.

The skin on the wrist held by the tiger's jaw was very thin, and the wrist bone protruded sharply, and it was stuck in the palm of his hand. His thumb and index finger were unconsciously folded, and after a little measurement, although he was not lonely, it was still in the thin category.

"Did you find anything?" Xia Yan tilted his head on his knees, his wrist bones were turning back and forth in Lu Zhouyu's palm, "How long can I live?"

Lu Zhouyu let go of his hand expressionlessly, and his arm fell back to his knees in a free fall.Xia Yan's tone was rather regretful: "Looking at your expression, I thought you were thinking about something important."

The night wind gradually became noisy, and there was a tendency to start a prairie fire. Lu Zhouyu didn't want to say more, but stood up and stood at the bottom of the steps, "I'm really thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?"

"The movie in the hospital."

The wind lifted Xia Yan's hair in front of his forehead, covering most of his eyebrows and eyes. He didn't care, his eyes were hidden in the hair, and he asked, "Do you remember what the ending is?"

"No," Lu Zhouyu looked at him and replied, "I can't remember because I'm bored."

While speaking, the wind became stronger, and the plants in the yard were blown in the same direction, falling down into a blurred shadow.

"Go in, it's going to rain again." After Lu Zhouyu finished speaking, he stepped on the steps and pushed open the balcony door.

The unsoftened light instantly swept down his head, making him feel blind for a moment, afraid to take another step forward.

In the pause of less than two seconds, the trousers suddenly felt a tugging feeling, with little force, like a naughty puppy biting the trousers with its milk teeth, trying to stop the owner who was about to go out.

Lu Zhouyu lowered his head, and Xia Yan's two fingers, which were pinching the cigarette not long ago, were now pinching the hem of his trousers.

I don't know if it's because of embarrassment or a prank, he said in a low voice, "Can you give me a hand, I can't stand up anymore."

"The legs are shaking from the hospital to now?"

When he was about to continue to climb the steps, the two fingers at the trousers' hem became five, and the light pinch turned into a violent pinch.Xia Yan raised his head, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, "It's true that my legs cramp, and I haven't recovered from the moment I lighted your cigarette."

Lu Zhouyu stood still on the steps, staring at his raised hand. The cuffs of the loose sweater slid down, revealing a smooth forearm, not as thin as the wrist bone, with a thin layer of muscle attached.

Compared with the row upon row of buildings in the commercial area, the family courtyard is much more spacious, so the wind is more primitive and vigorous, and the plants in the courtyard have completely overturned.

The arm in sight was also shaken by the wind. Lu Zhouyu pushed his open hand aside, bowed slightly, clamped his elbow with his palm, and lifted him up.

Xia Yan's body trembled violently, and then became stiff.

Lu Zhouyu asked him, "Can I go?"

As if he hadn't recovered, his face was blank, and he smiled hastily when he heard the sound, "Thank you."

Not long after arriving indoors, there was the sound of rustling rain outside.

Xia Yan was originally leaning on the sofa, but when he heard the sound, he walked to the balcony door, covered his eyes with both palms, and looked out from the glass, "It's really raining."

Lu Zhouyu caught a glimpse of his movements and thought it was funny for a moment, because there is no sun outside, so is it to cover the moonlight?

It rains and there is no moon.

After watching for a while, Xia Yan turned his head, and the hot air from his exhalation left a cloud of soft white mist on the glass, "Why are you more accurate than the weather forecast?"

Lu Zhouyu rummaged under the coffee table for the wires of the kettle, and said without raising her head, "My mother taught me."

Finally, he found the wire in the drawer. He picked it up and prepared to try it. When he got up, he saw Xia Yan leaning against the door frame, looking at him with a sorry face: "I'm sorry."

"Drink water?" Lu Zhouyu raised his foot and walked to the kitchen.

The two cooperated and finally turned on the dusty kettle. For a while, only the sound of electrical appliances operating was left in the room.

With hot air pouring out continuously, Xia Yan lay on the island stage, his voice was a bit vague: "Guess who I met in the exhibition hall before I went to the hospital this afternoon?"

"Who?"

"Mr. Shen Ru."

The name sounded familiar, Xia Yan reminded at the right time: "The main curator of the Biennale."

The Haicheng Biennale has a long history and is recognized by the industry as one of the most internationally influential art exhibitions in China. It is held every two years, and the next one will be held at the Haicheng Art Museum in March of the following year.

Lu Zhouyu nodded and said nothing.

Three or five minutes later, the switch automatically pops up, and the water boils.

The lingering heat spread out, and Xia Yan asked, "If Teacher Shen Ru invites you to participate in the exhibition, will you stay and participate?"

Lu Zhouyu put the washed glass on the island stage, "Let's talk about it when she invites me."

Both of them are well aware that this is an impossible assumption. As the most important international exhibition in Asia, the Biennale has decided on the topic as early as the end of last year, and is now in the final stage.

But no one said anything.

"Don't pour it into the cup yet." Xia Yan snatched the handle of the pot, "Boil it for the first time to sterilize it."

He stood some distance away from the kettle, stretched his arms suddenly, and let out a "hiss" reflexively.

As soon as he let go, the kettle hit the countertop, and a puddle of water swung out from the mouth of the kettle.

When he was about to take it again, Lu Zhouyu held his wrist, and opened his sleeve without any explanation, and saw a bloody patch on his elbow.

The blood had coagulated and scabbed, but there was a half-inch long opening, like a second crack, and the hardened edge opened up, revealing the bright red flesh.

Thinking that when he was pulled up in the garden, it was also this arm that was pulled, Lu Zhouyu frowned, "Why didn't you say you were injured?"

"I fell on the way to the hospital." Xia Yan glanced down at the wound, as if he didn't expect it to be so serious, "I thought it was just a bruise."

Lu Zhouyu raised his arm, rolled his sleeve up to his forearm, and looked closely at the wound. Although the wound was not deep, he could still see gravel mixed in it.

"Go to the hospital."

"Just wash it off," Xia Yan said, "Does your house have alcohol?"

"There are hospitals."

"It's too exaggerated to go to the hospital for such a small injury."

Lu Zhouyu squinted his eyes and stopped insisting. He held his wrist with one hand, and bent the index finger of the other hand. He used his knuckles to scrape the gravel attached to the wound, and felt the arm under his hand stiffen suddenly.

He moved lightly, "It hurts?"

"It doesn't hurt, I don't feel anything."

His eyes flicked across Xia Yan's slightly pale face, and stopped at his fingers resting on the table, the back of his hand was arched, his knuckles were white, as if he was trying his best to suppress the trembling.

"Why are you shaking if it doesn't hurt?" Lu Zhouyu pierced him.

"Okay, it hurts a little." Xia Yan smiled loosely, "But my trembling hands are not because of the pain."

The stones were almost cleared, Lu Zhouyu withdrew his hand, didn't pay much attention to what he said, just thought he was embarrassed, just like years ago he never admitted that he was afraid of the dark.He casually asked, "Why is that?"

"I told you in the hospital," Xia Yan curled up his fingers, "You don't shake your hands when you feel pain, you only feel nervous."

After reheating the hot water, Lu Zhouyu lowered his eyes and found a deep red smear on his fingertips. It was a drop of dried blood, which should have been stained when he treated the wound.Before it could be erased, Xia Yan added in the heat: "I'm nervous, can't you see it?"

He put his fingers on the countertop very hard, focusing on the fingertips, and all the blood rushed to that spot, leaving a subtle red mark.

Lu Zhouyu shifted his gaze to his face, "Why are you nervous?"

Xia Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled brightly, "You brought me home, didn't you want to sleep with me?"

Two streets away, there is a dying temple. At zero o'clock on the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the mellow and simple bells will be used to bless the people on this acre of land.

The voice was deep and distant, which seemed a bit abrupt in a modern city.

After the trembling of the bell dissipated, Lu Zhouyu dipped his finger into the water on the table, and the blood clot on his fingertip instantly fainted.He didn't wipe it off, but pressed the back of Xia Yan's hand with his fingertips, starting from the metacarpal bone and lingering all the way to the wound, drawing a beautiful stain.

Finally, when the fingertips were lifted away from the skin, the blood and water stuck together, like an inseparable kiss.

He turned and walked out of the kitchen, "I don't sleep with people covered in blood."