Winter Returns

Chapter 10 Twist, Lick, and Bubble

Du Kang ran down, waving his hand and carrying a stool. Lu Qinglian followed behind him, her pace neither hurried nor slow.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the two of them, and was about to ask where they had run off to, but Du Kang was panting heavily and wanted to get some water. Ruoping took a bottle of mineral water out of the car basket and threw it to him, then pulled Du Kang aside to ask him questions, like a big bad wolf coercing a little white rabbit.

Needless to say, it's going to be gossip again.

Zhang Shutong was too lazy to join in the fun. He called out to Qingyi, handed him the rod in his hand, and then took out his own telescopic rod, asking the other person to help him shine a flashlight so he could start tying the fishing hook.

Qingyi watched for a while, then asked curiously:

Why are you tying me up like that?

Zhang Shutong paused, realizing that he had a slight flaw in his plan.

He used to know a "two-finger wrapping method," which, in short, involves wrapping the fishing line directly around his finger and then pulling the end of the line to hook the fish securely—quickly and efficiently.

I haven't fished for many years, and I've forgotten even the most skillful techniques. I almost tied two fingers together after struggling for a while. I had no choice but to start figuring out the most basic method, like threading a needle.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind:

"Wasn't he tied up like this before?"

Looking back, I realized that Lu Qinglian had somehow appeared behind me. The girl was leaning down, her delicate face expressionless.

"Of course not, he thinks only idiots who are just starting out would tie their clothes like that, which is very beginner-friendly." Qingyi replied casually.

Thank you so much for thinking so highly of me.

Fool, catch the hat.

"Then you can teach me this."

Unexpectedly, Lu Qinglian said to him.

Then she naturally walked over and sat down next to Zhang Shutong, as if she had tacitly agreed to teach her. That was originally Ruoping's seat.

If you were to say she was interested, her eyes and expression showed nothing like the words "interested"; but if you were to say she wasn't interested, Lu Qinglian blinked and examined the fishhook in his hand.

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to politely decline.
"I'm busy, you'll have to wait for Du Kang to come."

Putting aside the fact that he himself hasn't figured things out yet, this is clearly not the script he should be given.

"But he was still talking to his classmate Feng Ruoping."

"...You can wait until they finish speaking."

"You hate me?" she asked, puzzled.

"No, I'm used to being alone."

This girl must be a bit of a ditz.

"So you like me?" she asked unexpectedly.

"..."

Zhang Shutong bit the soft meat in his mouth.

He couldn't help but glance up at Lu Qinglian. She sat calmly on the bench, her skin appearing even whiter in the moonlight, and she was looking directly at him.

"I thought there were two types of guys who liked girls: one was always looking for opportunities to talk to her, and the other was deliberately ignoring her to get her attention. You have a rather awkward personality?"

In the end, she even frowned, as if she were really treating it as a topic to be studied.

“Neither of the two.” Zhang Shutong lowered his head and continued tying the fishing line. “I neither like nor dislike it. I’m... well, I’m rather aloof. Please understand.”

This was the first time someone had asked him to voluntarily accept the word "aloof," and Zhang Shutong suddenly felt that being aloof wasn't so bad.

I thought that was the end of it, but then Lu Qinglian said:
“But you just lent me your gloves.”

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Zhang Shutong sighed. He thought to himself, "Girl, aren't you the temple keeper? Temple keepers should be up in the mountains, why are you arguing with me by the lake?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, so why can't you teach me how to fish?" Lu Qinglian asked, puzzled.

She had a pair of peach blossom eyes, which were filled with a cold indifference when she was not speaking, but whenever she was confused, the corners of her eyes would curve down slightly, as if an ice sculpture was melting. Zhang Shutong took a look at her and felt that the name was not wrong. She really did have a pitiful feeling.

But her words made Zhang Shutong seem rather strange.

Okay, he is indeed a bit strange, but Zhang Shutong also has his own helplessness:
Teaching her to fish shouldn't be a big deal, but with her best friend secretly in love with her, Zhang Shutong can still recall Du Kang's heartbroken expression eight years later.

It's not that going back in time necessarily means you have to bring the two together. Du Kang would be happy to, but the girl might not be. His attitude towards such things is to let things take their course.

But Zhang Shutong always felt that for a boy who loves fishing, night fishing with a girl he likes is a romantic thing. Under the moonlight, with the evening breeze blowing and the grass swaying, the two of them hold a fishing rod that is still warm together...

Although others may not think the same way, and although he has never met a girl who is good at fishing, this is his idea of ​​romance. So even if he doesn't play matchmaker, he doesn't really want to do anything that would spoil the mood.

But then I thought, since Du Kang will be here soon anyway, instead of wasting time arguing with Lu Qinglian, I might as well teach her some peace and quiet sooner rather than later.

So Zhang Shutong agreed:

"Then I'll demonstrate it for you first, watch carefully..."

Lu Qinglian also stared intently.

He tied it once, but didn't tighten it. Instead, he shook the fishing line out and handed the entire rod to the other person.

“You’re using your phone… I forgot you didn’t,” Zhang Shutong pulled out his own. “I’ll show you, you try it first.”

The flash illuminated the girl's hand. Zhang Shutong looked at the small cuts on her fingers and said helplessly:

"You can't tie your hands like that."

"fine."

After saying that, she gently pinched the fishing line—this is the difference between boys and girls. Zhang Shutong doesn't have long nails, so she naturally pinched the line with her fingertips. She hadn't thought it could be done like that.

Lu Qinglian was quite clever; she learned the technique after watching it only once. Zhang Shutong looked at those hands that had done a lot of work and thought that she must have mended clothes herself before, otherwise she wouldn't be so skilled.

The fishing hook and line were incredibly obedient in her hands, like vines dancing in a magician's hands, seemingly possessed by life, winding themselves around the wire. She succeeded on her first try, and Lu Qinglian politely thanked him. Zhang Shutong nodded and then taught her how to bait the hook:

"You did very well the first time. Next, choose a good spot to cast your line, preferably standing up, and then..."

Before she could finish speaking, the girl twisted her waist and cast the fishing rod out while seated. Her movements were swift, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing.

Lu Qinglian then added:

"I've already learned how to use the swing club."

"That's the best."

Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he could finally have some peace and quiet and was about to relive the fun of his childhood when he looked down and found that his hands were empty.

His fishing rod was being held by Lu Qinglian.

The girl maintained a similar posture to that in the photo, with her back straight and focused on gazing at the water.

“That’s my rod…” He was about to remind her when he saw the girl stare intently at him, stick out her finger to cover her lips, and shush him. Then the float twitched, and Lu Qinglian lifted the fishing rod, and a palm-sized fish leaped up.

Zhang Shutong was stunned.

It seems like less than half a minute has passed since the hook was cast?
real or fake?

Even in his prime, he wasn't this good. No, it wasn't a matter of skill anymore; it was pure luck. Lu Qinglian took off the fishing hook, threw the fish into the bucket, and before he could remind her, she baited the hook again. With a twist of her slender waist, a ripple spread across the water.

The whole set of actions flows smoothly.

"Have you ever fished before?"

"First time." "Oh, newbie protection period."

"What do you mean?"

"It's to let beginners fully experience the joy of doing something..."

"and many more."

Before she could finish speaking, she shushed again, the float bobbed, and another fish was caught. This time it was smaller, but the frequency was completely abnormal.

Even if a penguin went into the water to catch fish, it wouldn't be as fast as her.

"What did you just say?" Lu Qinglian once again gracefully tossed the hook, her high ponytail swinging with it. It has to be admitted that she is quite cool when she gets serious, like a queen descending upon this body of water.

"...didn't say anything, just go fish yourself."

Zhang Shutong suddenly lost interest. He came here to fish, but now he felt like all he could see in the water was alcohol.

Fortunately, the third one didn't happen as quickly as the previous ones.

The two looked at the water, one with a focused expression, the other yawning with boredom.

"What brings you here today?" Zhang Shutong asked casually, resting his chin on his hand.

"Fishing." Lu Qinglian said without changing her expression.

"Hmm...that's so perfunctory."

However, he didn't care much. She was different from Gu Qiumian. At least she could safely get through these eight years, and he didn't even need to pay attention to her occasionally.

Moreover, sitting next to her would affect his Dao heart, and would probably cast an indelible shadow on his beloved fishing career.
Just as he was about to call Du Kang and Ruoping over to replace them, and had barely left the bench, he heard Lu Qinglian say calmly:

"Haven't you been just giving me the runaround too, Zhang Shutong?"

Zhang Shutong subconsciously stopped what he was doing.

For some reason, when she said those words, I could somehow detect a hint of sternness in her voice. Although her tone remained calm, she had shed her innocent and naive air, as if she had suddenly removed her disguise... or rather, transformed from a girl into a queen.

Zhang Shutong knew it was inappropriate to say this, but he had seen Lu Qinglian's portrait. The young woman had a slight frown, and her eyes were calm and still, sealed on the black and white photograph. She was as beautiful as she was eight years ago, but the feeling was completely different from when she was a student, just like now.

"If you have nothing more to say, then sit down and listen to what I have to say."

The girl spoke calmly:

"First of all, there's something you need to apologize to me about."

Zhang Shutong was a little surprised to hear this, but it was indeed his oversight, and there was nothing to say: "It was my fault, I'm sorry, I will try to make up for the impact in the next two days."

"That's not it."

To everyone's surprise, she shook her head, staring at the gloomy water, her face equally expressionless.

"I mean, you shouldn't keep putting me off because of your friend; it's very impolite."

"you mean……"

"Don't play dumb." She seemed to have suddenly taken control of the conversation, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Also, it's best not to try to match us up. Although it may seem like making a mountain out of a molehill, I think it's better to talk about this sooner rather than later."

Zhang Shutong stood there stunned, not knowing what to say.

He began to recall when Du Kang was officially rejected by Lu Qinglian. She had confessed once before, but it seemed to be after graduating from junior high school. She said how pathetic it would be to like a girl for four years without confessing. Several people tried to cheer him up, but Du Kang went to the temple early in the morning and came back like a wilted eggplant at noon.

But why was it brought forward?

He considered various possible consequences, perhaps related to those few cartons of student milk, or perhaps related to this fishing trip...

As luck would have it, Ruoping finally released Du Kang, and the boy immediately ran over to ask:
"Lu, um, just now..." He stammered for a while, then finally asked, "Do you want me to teach you how to fish?"

"Thank you, but he has already taught me," the girl politely declined.

"What's there not to understand..."

Lu Qinglian then said, "I can ask Zhang Shutong."

Du Kang tried to struggle a little, but Ruoping grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "That can't be right. Could it be that Du Kang went berserk on the way they were traveling together and angered the girl?"
But he knew Du Kang's personality best. If he really dared to do this, he wouldn't have been in love with him for so many years. But what happened on that road that made Lu Qinglian suddenly bring this up?
He looked at Du Kang, then at Lu Qinglian, and found that Lu Qinglian was staring at him.

To be honest, the atmosphere became a bit tense. Then Ruoping ran over again, carrying a large plastic bag.
"Come on, have some cookies, you guys stop fishing for now..."

Then, taking advantage of the moment, she pulled Zhang Shutong close and whispered in his ear:
"I only found out now that they didn't come back together."

"what?"

"Du Kang didn't go with her. I was just asking him about it, and he said he had just caught up with Lu Qinglian, but she wouldn't let him come along..."

"What about the two of them?"

"You guys are really something. He was going to come back the way he came, but halfway there he realized there was no place to sit with one more person, so he ran back to the 'base' and brought back a stool. I really... sigh."

Ruoping hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself:

"Then they ran into each other on their way back, making us think they were coming back together. Alright, alright, you should talk less later, just eat and shut your mouths..."

Ruoping didn't hear his conversation with Lu Qinglian at all, but girls are always more perceptive. She thought that Du Kang had annoyed her by being shameless, so she quickly came out to smooth things over.

Zhang Shutong could understand this, but he couldn't figure out what Lu Qinglian was up to. He realized he had completely misunderstood. Was this the important thing she had mentioned after school? Well, in a sense, they were indeed annoying, which was quite important.

So everyone might as well just eat cookies. Eating cookies doesn't require any brainpower; they're sweet and crispy, and you can just close your mouth and pretend nothing happened. Just as they were about to take one, Qingyi reached out and stopped them, removing her earmuffs.

"You guys wait a minute."

If you're not the eldest brother, where did you come from?

Zhang Shutong and Feng Ruoping both thought the other had some brilliant idea and were about to listen attentively when he pulled out a bag of compressed biscuits from his pocket and smiled:
"When you're fishing, you definitely have to eat this."

"Meng Qingyi, has your brain been compressed too?" Ruoping was completely dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?" Qingyi asked curiously. "You have to eat compressed biscuits to really enjoy fishing, right, Shutong?"

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "With you two standing on either side of me, I'm turning into an Oreo cookie." He simply asked Lu Qinglian, "Which one do you want to eat?"

"What is Oreo?" The girl thought for a moment and asked casually.

Zhang Shutong was also confused. Why are you pretending to be innocent now? Where did your queenly aura go?
But to her surprise, the other person genuinely had never seen Oreo before. She thanked Ruoping, tore open the packaging, took out a sandwich chocolate cookie, and looked it over, asking Zhang Shutong:

How do we eat this?

How else could she eat it? But more than that, Zhang Shutong was more concerned about what she was talking about:
"When you said you needed to talk to me after school, was this what you meant?"

"You can think of it this way for now," she said, emphasizing each word.

Actually, Zhang Shutong didn't understand what "temporarily" meant. Was it "yes" or "no"?
But now is not the time to dwell on that. He spoke more seriously, and after a long pause, he said:
"...I'm sorry, I was too presumptuous. This kind of thing won't happen again."

He suddenly realized that Lu Qinglian was much more three-dimensional than he had thought. His previous impression of her was that of an ice sculpture-like girl who worked as a temple keeper on the mountain. She was indeed mysterious, but mystery meant that your understanding of her was always separated by a layer of fog. She was like a sculpture hidden in the fog.

Later, I realized that compared to being aloof, she was actually a bit naive. But now I realize that she's neither naive nor stupid; she just doesn't want to point it out. She knows exactly what I'm doing.

However, this made her seem less unfamiliar and more like a fairy floating in the sky. Although she was still wearing that green robe, she no longer looked like a fairy floating in the sky.

"I'm not angry, just a little troubled." Lu Qinglian's voice was still clear and calm, her tone completely flat. "So, what's this O-something... how do you eat it?"

Zhang Shutong suddenly looked at her and smiled:
"How else can you eat it? Twist it, lick it, and soak it in water."

Thank you to reader "萤火之森24" for the donation.
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(End of this chapter)