Did Not Say Anything About My Feelings

Early the next morning, Ding Chun dragged his suitcase out and passed by Ling Pan's room. After hesitating for a moment, he knocked on the door.

Ling Pan opened the door, saw him dragging his luggage, and asked, "Where are you going early in the morning?"

"The company has an emergency meeting, I have to go."

"Aren't you going to the small alley?"

Ding Chun shrugged: "No way, let's go again when we have a chance."

Ling Pan nodded.

"What about you?" Ding Chun looked at her, "You have two choices now, first, pack up your things and go home, or second, go to the small alleys and reminisce about your childhood."

Ling Pan remained silent.

Ding Chun sighed, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Anyway, don't regret it, let's go."

He pulled up his suitcase and was about to leave, but Ling Pan called to him: "Ding Chun!"

Ding Chun paused and looked back at her.

Ling Pan smiled slightly: "Thank you."

He tilted his head, smiled and said, "You're welcome!"

Throwing the jacket over his shoulders, he entered the elevator without looking back.

After Ling Pan watched him leave, he returned to the room and sat on the sofa in a daze.

She took off the bag on the back of the chair, rummaged inside for a while, and then remembered that yesterday she had lost her mind and gave him the small mirror.

Ling Pan suddenly felt that his behavior was a bit naive.

She threw the bag aside, lay straight on the bed, staring at the ceiling absentmindedly.

After lying like this for two hours, Ling Pan sat up suddenly, looked around the room, and finally, she sighed.

It's not too cold today, and the sun came out almost at noon, so I took a taxi to the old town, got off the car and turned left at an intersection from the main market crowded with small vendors.

Standing at the entrance of the alley, Ling Pan couldn't move for a long time.Looking at it from the top, the alley is narrow and stretches unhurriedly, just like an old man who has gone through many years of vicissitudes.There are many doors on both sides of the alley, most of which are black, and some are made of mahogany...

Lifting your legs and stepping into the alley, it is still the familiar stone road. The temperature has cooled down in the past two days, it has just rained, and there is still some water in the potholes.

There are two stone lions standing at the door of some households, and withered morning glory hangs on the wall of some small courtyards.

Ling Pan remembered that in summer, many morning glories grew on both sides of the alley.The freshly grown leaves of the morning glory are light green and dazzlingly green.The leaves grew bigger and bigger and turned dark green.

They used to pluck morning glories and tie them with small rubber bands to the big erect ears of Wang Jiulong's big wolfdog.

On a starless night, the children like to play hide-and-seek in the alley. The alley is pitch black, listening to the sound of footsteps, echoes, and whispers from their playmates. They are both exciting and frightening...

The small alley that carried her happiest time...

Before she knew it, she had walked into this long alley.

Before coming to a small yard, the exterior of the house has been completely refurbished, and the door has been replaced with a strong anti-theft door.

This is her former home.

Ling Pan is now in the middle of the road, and the winding alley has no end in sight.She squatted down, stretched out her hand to stroke the stone road, and seemed to mutter to herself:

"It's a good thing you haven't changed, otherwise, I'm really afraid I won't be able to find you."

Ling Pan looked up at the sky, the sun was shining straight down, she squinted her eyes, and heard a few familiar dialects in her ears.

"Aunt Sun talked about you every day at that time, why did you walk for so long!"

"Didn't I say that the cross talk has gone! I haven't been back for several years, so I'll come back today to have a look."

"You guys are in trouble. Pan'er left first, then you, and that idiot moved later. Alas, there are only a few good-for-nothing left who all went to work when they grow up."

Ling Pan stared at the old and the young sitting at the front door.

The old man was sitting on a reclining chair, holding a walking stick in his hand, with gray temples, looking at the squatting man beside him with a smile on his eyes.

He was wearing a black sweater and gray "overalls". His bangs were lowered to cover his broad forehead, giving him a softer and more youthful look.He grinned and chatted with the old man, his skin was even fairer under the sun.

While speaking, he stopped, and slowly turned his head to look at the girl who was standing there blankly.

The girl was wearing an apricot-colored sweater dress, standing alone in the middle of the alley, the sun shining on her body, making her whole body shine brightly.

Ling Pan just looked at him quietly, unable to move.

After staring at each other for a long time, Wang Jiulong finally stood up and walked slowly in front of her.

Ling Pan twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "The small alleys in Tianjin... have a long history and are... a good place to travel..."

In the end, the voice became smaller and smaller.

Wang Jiulong looked at her and didn't speak.

Ling Pan lowered his head and raised his eyes to meet his half-smile eyes.

After a long time, he spoke lightly, speaking in dialect: "Will Pan'er Jie come back?"

When the old man heard this, he straightened up: "What?! Where is Pan'er?"

Ling Pan looked at him in surprise, his eyes were slightly red, and he opened his mouth.

Wang Jiulong gradually smiled, and said softly to her, "Go and say hello to Master Wu."

"Pan'er?"

She responded subconsciously: "Hey."

Wang Jiulong stared at her without speaking.

……

At noon they had dinner at Master Wu's house.

Master Wu's son has been working in Shenzhen for the past few years, and only came back during the Chinese New Year. There are only Master Wu and Grandma Wu at home.

Grandma Wu brought out the food and said enthusiastically, "Come and eat!"

Wang Jiulong grinned and said, "Wow, grandma, I haven't tasted the food in Liuxiang for a long time!"

"Eat more! Just enough!" Grandma Wu smiled until her eyes narrowed.

Ling Pan sat next to him and kept silent. Wang Jiulong glanced at her, put the bowl in front of her, and helped her pick up some food: "Pork belly."

Ling Pan looked up at him, and Wang Jiulong buried himself in his meal with his usual expression.

Sitting across from each other, Mr. Wu looked at the two children with a smile, and said, "You two are taller than the other! Da Nan is older now, and looks a lot better? He used to be a big fat boy!"

Wang Jiulong smiled and said, "Didn't I get fatted by the neighbors?"

"Pan'er has been beautiful since childhood."

Ling Pan smiled slightly: "Master, don't keep praising me, I'm even embarrassed."

"That's why I'm sorry, I'm already good-looking!" Grandma Wu came out of the kitchen at this time, "You should go to the small alley after dinner. After so many years, you must also think about it?"

The two people sitting side by side looked at each other and were silent.

…………

The sun in the late autumn afternoon is not so strong, and it shines in the courtyard, adding a bit of warmth.

The sun shines on the streets in the alley, a man and a woman are walking side by side.

Wang Jiulong put his hands in his trouser pockets, raised his head lightly, and walked slowly in the alley.The girl beside her kept her head down with her hands behind her back, kicking a small stone with her feet.

Most of the households closed their doors for a lunch break, so there was no noise in the alley from the small merchants and hawkers in the main market in the morning.

The two walked for a while in silence, neither of them spoke, as if they were remembering each other, but in each other's memories, there was each other.

After a long time, Wang Jiulong said lightly, "It's been 12 years in a flash."

Ling Pan didn't look at him, she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

"When did you recognize me?"

Wang Jiulong looked down at the girl beside him, smiled, raised his head, and the sun was shining on his face.

He said softly: "If there is still dirt and dust on my face one day, I will look in the mirror and wipe them off. In this way, I will always be clean and tidy in front of others."

Ling Pan's nose was sour, and she buried her head lower, she sneered: "Is it because of this?"

Wang Jiulong stopped in his tracks, he sighed, remained silent for a long time, and then said: "There are also those eyes that are as bright as water, unstained by dust, just like a mirror, where I can see the original me."

Ling Pan raised her head slowly, and met his reddish eyes, her throat was choked, but she didn't say a word.

Wang Jiulong stared at her for a long time, then he said softly, "Long time no see, Paner."

Ling Pan pursed her lips, smiled through tears, wiped the tears on her face indiscriminately, and nodded emphatically.

"Well, long time no see."