Meeting in Winter

In the long and narrow alley, the faint morning mist has not completely dissipated, making the light falling from the top of the head look cold.

　　The sun hasn't climbed up to where you can see it, and the sky is hazy.

　　Every day at school and after school, the same sight is seen. If you have to say it, it would be better to come back from school. At that time, there is often residual heat like a quilt covering a day.

　　Xu Xiangyang closed the door, locked it with a key, and walked down the steps with his schoolbag on his back.

　　"It's obviously spring..."

　　He rubbed his hands while grumbling, and there was a bustling voice in his ears.

　　Most of the people on both sides of the alley are awake, occasionally I can see people wearing sweaters and pants, sleepy eyes and yawning coming out to fetch water and take out the garbage. The sound of children running, the shouting of adults, the collision of pots and pans, full of life, this alley is just a corner of the city that is slowly waking up from sleep.

　　Looking up, you can see the staggered black pipelines, and at the end are the telephone poles by the roadside. Below are rows of clothes swaying in the wind.

　　The alleys are very narrow and the eaves are not high. If you don't pay attention, you will easily come across clothes hanged by others. In the rainy season, the clothes on the lanyard always look wet. Xu Xiangyang walked forward with his head lowered, and from time to time he would deliberately bypass the area where women's underwear was hanging, which is said to be unlucky.

It seemed to have rained last night, and the damp ground and walls were glowing with a dim blue color. Occasionally, you will step on unstable slates under your feet. If you don't pay attention, you will easily get dirty water splashed on your shoes and socks.

　　Xu Xiangyang walked to a trash can with a lid on the side, just in time to hear a woman cursing nearby.

　　"Fuck away! You've learned to find a man at a young age. Are you shameless? Are you going to be a chicken in the future?"

　　A girl carrying a backpack in one hand walked out the door, and when she heard this, she turned her head and choked.

　　"I will learn from you one day!"

　　Xu Xiangyang could recognize that they were a mother and daughter who had moved into this alley recently. The daughter and herself are the same age. I know this because Xu Xiangyang met her at school before the start of the new semester.

　　The girl who hurried out the door almost ran into Xu Xiangyang and stood still with some surprise. This girl, who is the same age as Xu Xiangyang, has a beautiful and upright face. She has fair skin like a female star in a TV commercial. She wears a plain school uniform, but she has a youthful beauty.

　　The girl's facial features are slightly immature, and her body is thin and weak, but she can be called a pure beauty in all aspects. She just stood in the dim and hazy world like this, it seemed to brighten the alley around a bit, and it seemed incompatible with this dirty place.

　　However, there was always no expression on the girl's face. She glanced at him and walked away quickly. The smooth black long straight hair swayed behind her, with proud vitality in her steps.

　　The girl's name is Lin Xingjie, and Xu Xiangyang noticed this girl when she moved here on the first day.

　　Because of this, he found that he was not the only one paying attention to the other party. In the alley, there are a few unmarried men in their 20s to 30s, and even middle-aged men in white vests with beer belly, often sneaking at her with a less serious look.

　　It's no wonder, after all, Lin Xingjie's appearance and figure are very outstanding, and she stands out among the neighbors in the alley. However, Xu Xiangyang's focus is a bit different from others: For example, today, he looked at the girl's face, and there was a band-aid, probably covering the treated wound-and it should have been applied only recently.

　　When Lin Xingjie was walking, she intentionally or unconsciously used her hair to hang down to cover her, as if she didn't want to be discovered.

　　Xu Xiangyang shook his head.

　　Although he cared a little, he did not speak, because he knew that the other party would not answer and would only treat himself as air. He watched the other person walk away until he disappeared in the alley before he was willing to continue walking.

　　He didn't want to go to school with her, and he didn't even want to be known by the people in the school that they were neighbors, just because he was afraid of being mistaken for each other's relationship.

　　——"From now on, stop being nosy."

　　At that time, the girl's cold voice still echoed in her ears. Such a shameful experience of being shameful in front of everyone, for a boy his age, sensitive and self-esteem, once is enough.

　　*

　　The day Xu Xiangyang met Lin Xingjie was a winter afternoon before the second half of the second half of the high school.

　　At that time, because of the transfer of Li Qinglian's working relationship, he followed the guardian to a new city. Naturally, the original school couldn't go to school, so Xu Xiangyang ushered in the first transfer in his life.

That afternoon, he and his sister had just returned from the school after finishing the transfer procedures, and they were still carrying big bags that they had bought from the vegetable market. Carrying a plastic bag in both hands and holding something under his arm, walking from the bus stop is really not easy; but the young woman dressed in a lady's suit walking in front of him walks fast, without any difficulty.

　　Sister Lian is from the public security department and has received special training. She is still an elite in the criminal police brigade. Not to mention minors like him, even three or two adult men may not be her opponents.

　　Seeing her sister's figure go further and further ahead, Xu Xiangyang just wanted to open his mouth, but closed it again.

　　My sister didn't intend to leave him behind. After a long period of time, he naturally understood this. His guardian has the bad habit of ignoring external things because of being over-immersed in self-thinking.

　　If you call her twice now and rest for a while, there is no need to continue to work so hard. But Xu Xiangyang finally failed to do so.

　　He gritted his teeth, his sore arms pulled two bags of heavy objects, panting and trotting all the way to keep up.

　　"Don't cause trouble to Sister Lian, she has been working hard every day because of her work and taking care of herself" - Xu Xiangyang told herself this way in her heart.

　　Although Xu Xiangyang walked very hard, he was still left behind by Sister Lian before he could keep up a few steps. The rental house that Sister Lian rented is at the end of this alley. Xu Xiangyang just walked from the road to the entrance of the alley, but her figure was about to disappear at the destination.

　　Xu Xiangyang didn't care about the dirt, he put the bag on the nearby steps and sat down.

　　At this time in the afternoon, there were not too many people passing by in the alley, only a few old and sleepy old ladies lying on the bamboo chairs. He decided to rest here for a while.

　　Xu Xiangyang waited for his breathing to calm down a bit, then sat and turned around, trying to lift the bag. At this moment, he saw that on the steps in front of him, there was a pair of old but clean white sneakers, and up there were light-colored socks and fair and smooth calf skin...

　　He froze for a moment, then raised his head.

　　A young girl of the same age as Xu Xiangyang is standing behind him, with a lollipop in her mouth, tilting her head and looking down at herself.

　　The girl wears a baseball cap on her head, and her bright and smooth jet black hair is scattered on both sides of her shoulders. The upper body is a casual wear jacket and a t-shirt. The lower body's jeans only reach the knees, which outlines the slender calf curve. The youthful vitality of the heart.

　　"Excuse me..."

　　"This is my home."

　　"Ah... sorry."

　　Xu Xiangyang thought that the other party was going to leave, he was in the way, and immediately planned to stand up and let go. The other party shook his head.

　　"It's okay, I'm not going to go out, just want to come and see you."

　　"See us?"

　　"Yeah. I heard that there are new tenants moving in."

　　She took the lollipop from her mouth, licked it with her pink little tongue, and stuffed it back.

　　"The one who just walked past is your mother? It doesn't look like it, too young. Is it your sister?"

　　"Yes."

　　"I'll just say."

　　The girl clapped her hands.

　　"Your sister is so beautiful and very temperamental. How should I put it, she feels like a powerful woman with a bold expression. When I talked to her, I was ignored."

　　"Uh... I'm sorry, my elder sister does this when she thinks about work, not on purpose. She is actually a very kind person."

　　Xu Xiangyang scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

　　"Sorry to say something, who are you apologizing to!"

　　She chuckled.

　　"I don't like to be polite, so it's okay. By the way, I've been thinking just now...What is the book under your arm?"

　　When Xu Xiangyang lowered his head, he realized that the thick-skinned hard paper book had not been put down yet. This is the book he brought from his earliest "home" and his parents bought him as a birthday present when he was young.

　　He has turned over this book hundreds of times since he was a child, and he would take it out with interest even now. The title of the book is "The World Record of UFO Events!" ", there are also a variety of weird pictures.

　　Xu Xiangyang just put the book down, and the other party immediately uttered an "ah".

　　"I have this book at home too! It also talks about the end of the world! Right?"

　　Xu Xiangyang couldn't help blushing. Boys at this age are still keen on such messy books, and they still hold them as treasures, which is really nothing to be praised.

　　What's more, now I've been seen by the girl I met for the first time... Will she think she is a naive fellow?

　　"Can you lend me a look?"

　　Just as Xu Xiangyang was a little bit worried about gains and losses, the girl suddenly took the book from his hand, gently groping for the cover with her fingers, but she never opened it.

　　The long eyelashes drooped and trembled slightly, blocking the girl's eyes. After a while, she spoke softly.

　　"Do you believe what's said above?"

　　"...Uh?"

　　Xu Xiangyang didn't react to what the other party was saying for a while, until she repeated it again.

　　"Do you believe it? The prophecy mentioned above. In half a year, this world will usher in the end. Everyone will die, and all mankind will be extinct."

　　The girl doesn't seem to think this book is naive. She looked at the alien with a big head and a dwarf body on the cover of the book with a nostalgic look, and asked him in a serious tone.

　　"I do not know."

　　Xu Xiangyang answered honestly.

　　In fact, he considered this issue a long time ago-after reading this book as a child, and even fantasized about it until recently. But because I feel so embarrassed, I have never talked about similar topics.

　　"If that day does not come, no one will know the answer."

　　"That's also... sorry, I asked strange things."

　　The girl smiled again and returned the book to him.

　　"What's your name?"

　　"Xu Xiangyang."

　　"I am Lin Xingjie."

　　The girl extended her hand to him generously.

　　"The stars of the stars, clean and clean. Are you and your sister moving these days? If you encounter difficulties or don't understand things, you can always ask me for help."

　　Xu Xiangyang nodded, and passed his hand hesitantly. The hands of the young girls were held together in the warm gleam from outside the door.

　　*

　　In hindsight, this short first encounter actually left a deep impression on Xu Xiangyang at that time.

　　He was ashamed to say that when he was in elementary school, he was very unfamiliar with girls. When he went out for spring outing, he would always become alone. He couldn't even find the person holding hands. So the moment he saw the other party, he vaguely felt that this It seems to be an opportunity to change myself.

What's more, even if you put aside the ignorant and ambiguous thoughts of adolescence, Xu Xiangyang, as a transfer student from another place or a transfer student after sub-class, naturally wants to make new friends early when he is not familiar with his life.

　　However, Xu Xiangyang still failed to bring up the courage to knock on the door of the neighbor's house, even though he instinctively believed that the girl who had only met once didn't care if he really had something to trouble her.

　　Therefore, when Xu Xiangyang went to class on the first day and saw Lin Xingjie who appeared in the same class as himself, he did have a little surprise and joy in his heart.

　　However, Xu Xiangyang and Lin Xingjie did not become friends; not only that, they went from ordinary classmates who were able to talk a few words at first, to parting ways, to even strangers who didn't even want to see each other, and even some indifferent and hostile strangers. But two months.