Cheng Ruoxi remembered that it snowed heavily that year when she was twelve years old.
The time is still long, the carriage and horse are very slow, and she lives with her grandma in an old house.
As usual, the annual Spring Festival Gala was on TV, and the almost magical "I miss you guys so much" was bumping around in the living room.
Cheng Ruoxi thought this man was very funny, and she would giggle for no reason every time she saw him.
On the table are the dishes that grandma started preparing early in the morning. They are all her favorites or Jiang Qiao's favorites.
That's right, Jiang Qiao has been celebrating the New Year at Cheng Ruoxi's house for several consecutive years.
"Grandma, when will parents come back? Jiang Erqiao and I are both hungry." Cheng Ruoxi ran to the kitchen and asked while looking at the old man who was still busy.
"Hey, don't call me Erqiao!" Xiao Jiangqiao protested on the sofa in the living room.
"It's almost time. I called you this morning and said I'd be on the plane in the afternoon." The old lady smiled, "You and Xiaoqiao can eat first if you're hungry."
"Oh." Cheng Ruoxi's little face was full of doubts.
The afternoon flight should have arrived long ago, right?
She sat back on the sofa and continued to watch the Spring Festival Gala, but she was not as happy as before.
After a while, the old lady brought all the prepared dishes to the table, and then reheated the cold ones.
At this time, the phone in the living room rang.
"I'll pick him up," Cheng Ruoxi said hurriedly.
A pair of calves flew very fast, and she ran to the phone in a flash.
"Hello?" she said expectantly.
"Hey, is this the creek?" There was a tired female voice on the other end of the phone.
"Mom!" Cheng Ruoxi was pleasantly surprised, "Are you home? Do you need me to pick you up?"
"This... creek," there was silence on the other end of the phone for a while.
"Mom wants to say sorry to you. Something happened to the archaeological team's project. Mom and dad may not be able to go back these days."
Cheng Ruoxi listened without saying a word, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little.
"Xiaoxi, will you be obedient? Have a good New Year with grandma and Xiaoqiao, um... in a few days... half a month, your dad and I will go back in half a month."
"I'll buy you whatever gifts you want then..."
"Hey, Xiaoxi? Can you hear me?"
"Hello……"
Cheng Ruoxi didn't know when she hung up the phone, she only knew that this would be another boring New Year.
"Sister Xi, what's wrong with you?" Jiang Qiao looked puzzled, as if a good pistachio suddenly withered.
"Xiaoxi?" The old lady poked her head out of the kitchen and seemed to know something when she saw her look like this.
Tears rolled in Cheng Ruoxi's eyes. She wiped her tears and showed a clear smile.
"It's okay, I'm just hungry," she ran to the dining table first.
"Grandma eats, Jiang Qiao eats."
…
She was sixteen years old that year and had just entered her first year of high school.
The snow all over the sky seems to be heavier than before.
The sound of the Spring Festival Gala trailer came from the LCD TV, the lights in the living room were turned on, and Cheng Ruoxi had been busy in the kitchen for a long time.
"Sister Xi?" Jiang Qiao stepped into the living room with one foot.
"Hey...Jiang Qiao! Change your shoes!" Cheng Ruoxi poked her head out of the kitchen, "I finally mopped the floor."
"Oh..." Jiang Qiao scratched his head in embarrassment, changed his shoes before walking into the living room, "Did uncle and aunt say you would be back today?"
"I don't know," Cheng Ruoxi picked up the iron pot with unusual skill in her slender hands.
"Never mind them, let's eat ours."
At the end, she added: "Why, do you think my cooking is not delicious?"
"How is that possible?" Jiang Qiao shook his head hurriedly, "The rice cooked by Sister Xi, um... is even more delicious than decapitated rice."
"Pfft..." Cheng Ruoxi couldn't stand it anymore, "If you don't know metaphors, you don't have to use metaphors, just praise them."
…
It was already half past eight after dinner, and Jiang Qiao suggested going to the yard to build a snowman.
The heavy snow floating in the sky looked like a swarm of moths in the dim light.
Surrounded by thousands of lights, lively sounds surrounded this quiet courtyard, surrounding Jiang Qiao and Cheng Ruoxi.
"Jiang Qiao, do you think he looks like you?" Cheng Ruoxi built a snowman and put a scarf and hat on it.
"It doesn't look like him. He's not even one-tenth as handsome as me." Jiang Qiao complained.
"Hahahaha..." Cheng Ruoxi laughed to tears and squatted on the ground with laughter.
The laughter gradually became silent.
The lively sounds surrounded the emptiness, silence and darkness of the yard, surrounding her, the girl in the red down jacket, and her lonely soul.
"Sister Xi, don't be sad." "Sister Xi, let's go back. It's warm in the house." "Sister Xi, I admit, this snowman does look like me."
Jiang Qiao only dared to say these words to himself in his heart.
I don't know when the snow stopped, and the moon climbed up, illuminating the silver-white girl. She seemed to be sleeping in the moonlight.
The courtyard under the moonlight looked like a pure white stage, and she was the lone dancer on the stage.
Two wandering souls cling to each other, and a heavy snow falls in this world that is roaring towards the end, falling towards their respective lonely destiny.
"Sister Xi, there is still me." Jiang Qiao murmured.
…
Jiang Qiao said to Zhou Cheng: "Don't talk nonsense, can't Cheng Ruoxi wait for someone else?"
"Bah, Brother Qiao, just pretend. Cheng Ruoxi has only come to No. 2 Middle School three times in total. Every time he comes, he comes looking for you." Zhou Cheng looked disdainful.
"Okay, go find her quickly. The girls are already anxious, so I won't disturb your enjoyment... Hehe."
Zhou Cheng gave a knowing look, walked out of the gate, walked around another road and walked away.
Under the school gate are a dozen wide steps with street trees planted on both sides.
Cheng Ruoxi was standing at the foot of the steps. After her evening self-study, a turbulent flow of people passed by her. She stood on tiptoe, trying to keep an eye on every direction.
"Sister Xi?" Someone called her from behind.
She turned around, and Jiang Qiao was standing behind the street lamp smiling at her.
"Ah? I didn't even see you." Cheng Ruoxi said.
"But I saw you," Jiang Qiao said, "Why are you here? Don't you need to study late?"
"There is a power outage today and evening self-study is cancelled."
Jiang Qiao said in surprise: "Damn, you are so lucky."
Cheng Ruoxi smoothed her bangs: "Here, I brought you a cake. I bought it on the way."
"Sister Xi..." Jiang Qiao cried until he burst into tears: "You are so good to me."
Cheng Ruoxi smiled and cursed: "Get out... can you be more disgusting, Jiang Erqiao!"
…
The evening self-study on Saturday ended very early, so the two of them got on the subway home at about nine o'clock.
The evening rush hour has passed, and people sitting on the subway are eager to go home.
"High temperatures will continue in most parts of the south..."
"Extreme weather occurs frequently, and experts point out that this is due to subtropical high pressure..."
The news is playing on the TV on the subway.
"Jiang Qiao, why do I feel like the world is going to be destroyed?" Cheng Ruoxi said half-jokingly.
"Don't worry, we won't survive until then." Jiang Qiao tilted his head and leaned on the armrest next to his seat.
"Does what you said still count?"
"What?" Jiang Qiao looked confused.
Cheng Ruoxi frowned, then relaxed her eyebrows, resting her face on her hands and looking to the other side.