Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1417, Section 637: A Simple Date [Part 2]

When it comes to courage, the car driver is definitely the bravest.

Wang Xiaohu was just making a joke on the spur of the moment; this is a school, not a vegetable market.

Is it something they can just walk in whenever they want?

But it was too late for him, because the girl beside him was already beaming with excitement.

"No, Arlene, are we really going in?"

Don't you want to see the school where I went to elementary school?

Wang Xiaohu certainly wanted to, but the problem was...
"Wait for me!"

Before Wang Xiaohu could react, the car drove straight toward the school gate, and Wang Xiaohu quickly followed.

Xiao Che: "When we enter the school gate, just follow me openly and honestly. Don't be sneaky or talk. Just nod and smile."

"Nod and smile, nod and smile," Wang Xiaohu murmured as he followed the car to the school gate.

The security guard standing at the school gate had already noticed the two acting suspiciously.

Seeing that the two were about to walk towards the school gate, the security guard stepped forward and stopped them.

"Uncle Ma, it's been a long time! We've come to see our teacher."

As soon as the little boy took off his hat, the security guard was taken aback when he saw the little face under the brim. Then his eyebrows relaxed and he let the two of them walk into the school gate.

"Thank you, Uncle Ma."

Wang Xiaohu obediently said nothing, smiled and nodded, and then quickly followed the car into the school gate.

"It has to be Arlene again."

Looking around the small campus, Wang Xiaohu whispered, "Even the security guards know Li."

“Of course,” Xiao Che said happily. “The first time I climbed over the wall into the school, Uncle Ma caught me red-handed.”

What could Little Tiger say to this? He simply gave a thumbs up.

"Uncle Ma is a very nice person. Every time I am left in the security room, he will let me sit on a chair and give me something to eat."

Wang Xiaohu: "Wait, were you often kept in the security room when you were in elementary school?"

Car: "Mm."

Wang Xiaohu touched his nose: "That's quite a coincidence."

Xiao Che: "We're different. You're mischievous, but I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up."

Wang Xiaohu: "Uh."

The car said, "Wait here for me, don't wander off. I'll be down soon."

The two stopped in front of the office building, and the car drove through the gate alone.

The car didn't want to cause any real trouble for the security guard.

Climbing the stairs, the car easily found the homeroom teacher's office.

She suddenly stopped when she reached the door. Strangely enough, he was never afraid to come to the office.

Perhaps it was because the notice board downstairs still displayed the information that she had been specially recruited and admitted to Shipo.

moment
"Report."
-
Wang Xiaohu also found something fun.

It turns out that the school song of Shengli Street Primary School was written by the teacher.

In front of an exhibition wall, Little Tiger was quietly humming and commenting on something.

Suddenly, his phone rang in his pocket. He looked down and took it out. It was a message from Tang Xiaoxing.

Tang Xiaoxing: Captain! How did the date go? Did you have a big meal? Did you go shopping at that place I mentioned? Why isn't Arlene replying to my messages?!

Upon receiving Tang Xiaoxing's message, Wang Xiaohu smiled and took a screenshot, which he then sent to Xiao Che.

Upstairs in the office, Xiao Che was chatting with the homeroom teacher about summer vacation. He glanced down at his phone, and as soon as he finished talking to the homeroom teacher and left the office, he immediately replied to Tang Xiaoxing's message.

Xiao Che: We're just strolling around my elementary school, then we'll go check out that shopping mall later.

Within seconds, Tang Xiaoxing replied to the message.

Tang Xiaoxing: Ah...it's too plain!

Xiao Che smiled as he stared at the screen, then casually stuffed his phone into his handbag.

"What did Xiaoxing ask?" As the car came downstairs, Wang Xiaohu came up to him.

"They say we're too boring." Xiao Che was also thinking about whether they should plan a little more activities today.

She's going to Yanjing tomorrow, and in another week Wang Xiaohu will be boarding a plane to go abroad.

It seems like the two of them will never have another chance like today.

"Do you think today was too easy?" she asked.

Wang Xiaohu was taken aback: "No, I really like this feeling."

Little Car: "In that case, I'll take you to see my secret base. Only you and the teacher know about it."

Wang Xiaohu pouted: "I'm not the first one?" Xiao Che laughed and scolded: "You're crazy!"
-
Before we knew it, it was 4:30 in the afternoon.

As the temperature gradually dropped, sunlight filtered through the roadside trees, cutting out fragmented light and shadow on the ground.

Occasionally, I would encounter elementary school students walking home from school, playing and running around with heavy schoolbags on their backs.

The two people in the video have already visited the school building where Xiao Che was in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade.

Childhood trivia, coupled with the mystery of the classroom seating arrangement, these little tidbits from the car always plunged Wang Xiaohu into a certain emotion.

He listened quietly, only asking a question every now and then.

After leaving the teaching building, the two said goodbye to security guard Uncle Ma and headed to the shopping mall along the side street.

Upon entering the first floor of the mall, a wave of cold air hits you.

A white upright piano stands in the central courtyard, which guests can play for free on weekdays.

There were no tourists around at the moment, and the instrument was spotless.

The car paused, its gaze falling on the piano keys.

"Want to give it a try?"

Wang Xiaohu raised an eyebrow and pulled out a piano stool.

The two sat down side by side, tacitly agreeing not to discuss the songs beforehand.

The prelude, played by a small car slowly descending from fingertips, is a Bach invention that I had practiced repeatedly before.

Wang Xiaohu smoothly transitioned into the second half of the melody, his four hands moving in a staggered fashion across the black and white keys.

The piano music was gentle and warm, without any virtuoso fluctuations, and the rhythm matched the pace of the two people's time together.

Passersby stopped occasionally and stood quietly to listen.

"Whoosh—"

As the song ended, its lingering notes slowly faded away in the empty shopping mall.

Xiao Che withdrew his hand, the tingling sensation from the vibrating strings still lingering on his fingertips.

"It's been a long time since we sat down to play the piano together."

"Yeah, I don't know when the next time will be." Wang Xiaohu's tone was flat, but there was a hint of sadness hidden in it.

The car didn't reply, and got up to leave the piano.

The two strolled through the shops floor by floor, not buying clothes or snacks, but simply looking at the various goods through the shop windows.

Passing by a snack shop, Wang Xiaohu picked up a small bag of milk candy, divided it in half, and stuffed half of it into the cart.

Passing by a stationery store, the car stopped, and the driver picked out two identical fountain pens, one for each of them.

We found a food court on the ground floor and ordered two simple meals for dinner.

A bowl of wontons, a plate of fried dumplings—no other lavish dishes.

As the city lights began to twinkle outside the window, the two walked out of the mall and strolled slowly along the north bank of the river.

The river flowed slowly, and the wind, carrying the coolness of early autumn, brushed against the hem of my clothes.

An elderly man sat quietly on a small stool, fishing on the bank, the float on the water gently swaying with the ripples.

The two were still discussing Bach's music.

Walking along the road, stopping frequently, Wang Xiaohu saw an old-fashioned newsstand on the street and bought two bottles of room-temperature soda.

The glass bottle caps made a soft clinking sound as bubbles rose and churned inside the bottle.

As the streetlights gradually illuminated the night, their warm yellow glow finally heralded the arrival of night.

Roadside food stalls opened one after another, and the smoky aroma of grilled skewers drifted in the wind.

The two did not stop for a second meal, but returned along the route they had taken.

As we traveled more than halfway, the number of pedestrians around us gradually decreased, and the daytime hustle and bustle slowly subsided.

No one deliberately brought up the parting, but every casual conversation inevitably touched on the reality of their impending separation.

Subtle sorrows are hidden in everyday words and actions; they are not intense, but rather lingering.

After walking for nearly forty minutes, the familiar community wall came into view at the end of the road.

At the entrance of the residential compound, Wang Xiaohu stopped.

Wang Xiaohu: "I'll leave you here."

"Okay, you should go home too." The car waved goodbye.

Their eyes met, and the boy and girl exchanged a cute smile.

Then the car turned and walked into the gate of the community. Wang Xiaohu stood there and watched it go for a moment before walking across the road.

The evening breeze dispels farewells, leaving behind a warm night sky.

Even though there was no popcorn or movie theater today, and no holding hands.