1
It is an early summer. On an old street at a jelly shop, Jiang Jing is enjoying a bowl of bean jelly. Leaves hanging high on the phoenix tree, some fall onto the plain table, some beside the white porcelain bowl filled with bean jelly. All of a sudden, he thinks of Su Sha. They have known each other for years. Su Sha sometimes could be as quiet as a piece of wood, but when she went cycling she could be as fast as a greased lightning. Years ago, she used to sit in front of him, both in their young ages, uttering no words but full on their minds.
And today, Jiang Jing is sitting under the phoenix tree alone eating the bean jelly, as if he wants to fill up the memories of the past few years. The familiar food would be the best nostalgia for the past. It has been years since he came back to Luohe Town.
There is a river called Luo River running through the town. Hence the name of the town is Luohe Town. Jiang Jing lived in the south part. His parents were away most of the year. He and his grandma kept one small grocery store. He has known Su Sha since childhood. His home was just a few blocks away from hers.
2
To Su Sha, the memory of Jiang Jing was like the memory of Luo River to Luohe Town, long lasting. One summer day, she went to shop at the small grocery shop owned by Jiang Jings family by herself. Jiang Jing was doing homework at the counter. A yellow kitten was lying beside his workbook, curling in a roll. Everything seemed still at that moment. That image has been embedded in her mind for years.
Jiang Jing and Su Sha only started to get to know each other after middle school; they were assigned to the same class. Every morning, Jiang Jing would bike past Su Shas home and call her name. Then Su Sha would push her bike out with her backpack and join him to cycle together to Luohe Middle School in the north.
Every evening after school, they would company each other home. At that time, Su Sha was apparently a bit taller than Jiang Jing. He looked thin and weak beside her. Girls that age always outgrew their peer boys.
Jiang Jing, how come you are so short? Su Sha asked him curiously while riding the bike.
Its none of your business! Jiang Jing shouted. Frankly, sometimes he couldnt help wondering about the same question. Su Sha, her thin body covered in the warm setting sun, rode the bike so fast as a swift swallow. Jiang Jing was looking at her and couldnt help laughing. He started to speed up following Su Shas lead.
3
After the final test of middle school, Jiang Jing went to the coastal city to visit his parents for the summer by train. When he came back to Luohe Town, he was no longer that thin boy.
Jiang Jing rode by Su Shas home, calling her name from the yard as usual. When Su Sha opened the door and looked up, she saw him as a white poplar tree standing against the wind, tall and straight. Suddenly somewhere in Su Shas heart fluttered a bit.
Lets ride to take a look at our school. Jiang Jing said. And this shell is for you. His voice was low but gentle, like the breeze along the river. He opened his hand and there lay a small milk white shell, with its surface full of fine complex patterns.
Alright. Su Sha replied and picked up that small shell from his palm.
During their senior high, they still companied each other in freshman year. Su Sha would ride the bike and listen to him talking about the beach and tides in the coastal city. Jiang Jing told her he would sometimes take the bus to the last stop and walk along the highway to the beach. He would wander around the beach by himself, with his ankles merged under the seawater.
After the second year, they have grown apart into separate paths, no long close like before. Jiang Jing, like the rest of the teenage boys, lost himself in games, Internet bars and billiards, confused and arrogant. Cutting school and fights seemed so common as daily life. Su Sha sometimes would see his name on the school bulletin.
Since then, Su Sha started to ride home alone. As she passed by the shop and Luo River, the morning river was as quiet as her.
One day, Su Sha went shopping at Jiang Jings store. His grandma asked, Why Jiang Jing is not here together with you? He always arrives home late recently, what is he busy with?
He might be busy with school work. Su Sha answered. She lifted the paw of the kitten and touched its pads.
I dont know how his grades are... Jiang Jings grandma started mumbling. Su Sha had to think about how to phrase and talked about some of his status in contempt.
All of a sudden, Jiang Jing showed up out of nowhere. He grinned and asked Su Sha whether she was talking bad about him to his grandma. Su Sha looked up and saw Jiang Jing standing in front of her, like a tree. He was still with his bike, with a clean and bright smile on his face. He has grown even taller. Su Sha could only reach to the height of his chest. As the setting sun shined from his back, along with a kind and familiar smile. Su Sha suddenly felt warmth in her heart. A kettle of wine has been brewed in Su Shas mind, a kettle filled with love for a person in her young age, clean and beautiful.
4
It was one summer evening and Su Sha was riding home in the sunset. From afar around the corner she saw Jiang Jing with his bike stopped in front of Mo Xiaoxiao, the campus belle. Su Sha wasnt able to hear what he said, but she could hear Mo Xiaoxiaos clear and melodious giggles. Mo was in the same grade, and almost everyone in Luohe Middle School knew her.
Mo Xiaoxiao wasnt wearing the school uniform; instead she was in a pure white cotton dress, like a blooming jasmine, clean and enchanting. She walked like a melody. She was the beauty in many boys eyes, so was in Jiang Jings.
Su Sha looked at her outworn oversized school uniform. All of a sudden, she felt ashamed of herself and her awkward appearance. Not even the summer setting sun could warm her cold heart. She forgot about riding, and let the inertia carried her bike forward. These ten seconds felt like one hour long.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jing lowered his head, with a few hair from his bangs clung to his forehead due to sweats. He tipped his feet rubbing the fallen leaves as if he wanted to dig a hole out of the ground to release his young love joy.
Su Sha only then stepped hard and pedaled past them. As she turned into an alley, the feeling of disappointment flooded her mind.
The kitten went missing the same summer. Jiang Jing and grandma looked for days and gradually stopped talking about it. Su Sha only found out about the kitten gone missing one month later, as she hasnt visited their store for a while. She missed that kitten somehow, and the old Jiang Jing who was writing homework at the counter many years ago. Nowadays, there was nothing but some bottles and containers at the counter. And finally one day, Jiang Jing and Mo Xiaoxiao were walking on campus with hand in hand.
Jiang Jing was so involved in the love affair. Each morning he would wait for Mo at her first intersection. She would ride at the back of his bike, with her skirt flying in the wind.
5
The last year of high school meant endless exercises and tests for everyone. Su Sha has written many letters for the past two years, but she never posted them. She kept them tidy in the desk drawer, with a shell sitting beside them. And the love kettle of wine in her heart tasted even more mellow and richer.
Those days, her mom was so focused on encouraging her, and always said things like Study hard, and dont stay in this small town for the rest of your life or Do your best so you can enter a good university so on and so forth. Su Sha buried herself under piles of exercises and kept her yearn within her heart. She felt like a dying insect trapped in the shell alone in the many ice-cold mornings and dusks.
Finally one day after the college entrance exam, Su Sha asked Jiang Jing out. They rode past many alleys and old streets. Inside her backpack were the letters from all these years, with all the weight pressured on her heart. In the evening, they wandered around the old streets and sat at the famous bean jelly shop. Both of them kept silent and buried their head in the bean jelly. After a while, Su Sha, her eyes full of tears, couldnt find one word to say to the person right in front of her, like no words could fully express herself. She recalled that day when the light of the setting sun shining from the back of Jiang Jing and she saw the warm smile on his face.
After Jiang Jing paid the bill, they left the shop one behind the other. Su Sha stopped and cried his name gently, Jiang Jing, wait. He turned back , see her blurry eyes and asked her in surprise, Su Sha, what happened?
Su Sha didnt reply. She took out all the letters from her bag and shoved into his hand. And then she jumped on her bike and rode away, disappearing in the next alley, so fast that he couldnt even respond.
For a few years, Su Sha has never met Jiang Jing again. But news of him came to her ears from here and there. He broke up with Mo Xiaoxiao and went to the coastal city after the exam, and never came back
6
Su Sha is listening to some quiet country music in her earphone. She has traveled to many places by herself and arrived back in Luohe Town at fall.
She is wandering around the old streets, and finds herself standing in front of that old famous been jelly shop. Sometimes she could still recall the old times of her and Jiang Jing. One leaf of phoenix tree falls beside her feet. The leaf is the size of a palm, with a fine clear pattern, as if one could read its brief fate.
Su Sha! Someone calls her name from the back, a voice sounded like from years back, from the bank of the Luo River.
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