you are with the light

Chapter 23

Gu Jinbei returned home with an apple in his hands. Xia Yin was sitting in the living room reading a book, and looked towards him when he heard the door knock.

"came back."

"Yeah." Gu Jinbei walked over to her, and showed her the apple, "Brother Chen gave it to me, it's a Christmas Eve gift." He paused, "What is Christmas Eve?"

Xia Yin propped her face and looked at him with a smile: "It's a western festival, the night before Christmas." She glanced at the apple in his hand before continuing to speak slowly: "Send the apple, and hope that the person who gets it is safe and sound." , because of homophony."

The apple in Gu Jinbei's hand suddenly became heavy, and he couldn't bear the joy.He restrained himself, but still smiled: "Do we have any apples at home? I want to give them to Brother Chen too."

Xia Yin still smiled: "No." She lowered her head and continued to flip through her book. Gu Jinbei stood where she was, looked at her for a while, and suddenly said, "Is there still time for me to buy it now?"

Xia Yin ignored him.

Gu Jinbei turned around and left.

Suddenly, there was a stabbing pain in his waist, and the huge thrust pushed him staggeringly. He took several steps forward before he stabilized himself.

"Stay at home and don't go anywhere." Xia Yin said, her voice couldn't hear any emotion at the moment, but Gu Jinbei could still feel her anger.

Gu Jinbei said, "Okay."

Although he couldn't go out at night, after school the next day, he still ran to buy an apple. He wrapped the apple in beautiful plastic paper and tied it with ribbons. He even liked it.

Holding an apple in his hands, he waited for Chen Ke at Chen's house until Chen Wanran came back.

Chen Wanran smiled when she saw him: "Xiao Bei."

"Hi Auntie." He called out with a smile.Chen Wanran came over to open the door. It was rare that there was no one in the room. She was stunned for a moment, then turned to Gu Jinbei and asked, "Are you waiting for Chen Ke? Would you like to come in and sit down?"

"Okay." Gu Jinbei took off his shoes and walked in, waiting on the sofa for a while.It was already dark at night, but Chen Ke hadn't come back yet.

Both Chen Wanran and Gu Jinbei sensed something was wrong.

Chen Wanran went to call Chen Ke's head teacher, who said that he had left long ago.It was only at this moment that Chen Wanran became anxious. She was so flustered that she almost forgot to change her shoes and was about to step out. It was Gu Jinbei who reminded her: "Auntie, I need to get the key."

Chen Ke came home at this time.

A large piece of skin was scraped off his face, his nose was cut and blood was oozing, his clothes were wet, his hair was wet, he walked home in the cold wind, and his face was pale when he got home .

Gu Jinbei rarely saw Chen Ke in such a mess.

"Mom." As soon as Chen Ke opened his mouth, his voice turned into a twist, "I'm back."

Chen Wanran stretched out her hand, touched his coat, and squeezed it to squeeze out cold water. The cotton wool inside was hard, saturated with water, and frozen again when blown by the cold wind.

"I fell into the water." Chen Ke said, "I accidentally rubbed my face."

His lie was too false, Chen Wanran went to the parents' meeting, and she knew that Chen Ke's school didn't have a pool.

"I went to the river." As if knowing what Chen Wanran was thinking, Chen Ke said again, "Someone asked me to go for a walk, so I agreed."

What he said was true and false, Sun Jiani called him to the river, and then Lu Weijian and the others waited for him there.

It's not that no one else is there, but the hearts of the people in this small town are permanently frozen by winter, and they never intervene to meddle in "nosy".

Chen Wanran looked at him for a while, and her eyes became wet.She knew it was a lie full of loopholes, but she had to believe it.Just like Chen Ke knew her pain, but could only turn a blind eye.

"You are... so careless." Chen Wanran said, "Come in and take a shower, don't catch a cold, it won't take long."

When Chen Ke walked in, he saw Gu Jinbei sitting on the sofa.When Gu Jinbei saw his appearance, he was stunned for a moment, and his heart suddenly felt as if he had knocked over a pepper bottle, and his whole body became irritable.

But he restrained himself.

He lifted up the apple in his hand and asked Chen Ke to look at it more carefully: "Merry Christmas."

Chen Ke looked at Gu Jinbei, with a smile on his pale face: "Let's have fun together."

Gu Jinbei sometimes feels that people are too forgetful, as long as the scar is healed, the previous pain will be forgotten.Gu Jinbei thought, only by leaving the scar forever and letting him hurt for a lifetime, can he never forget it.

Gu Jinbei's plan was neither too brilliant nor too meticulous.

He just took advantage of Liu Man's wind and stopped by Lu Weijian's house to do a little work.

As for the result, it will not be too different from what he expected.After all, he is Xia Yin's son, so he cannot embarrass Xia Yin.

The final exam is getting closer and closer. If you want to have a good year, you must have good final grades.Xia Yin has no expectations for Gu Jinbei in this regard, but Gu Jinbei doesn't want his grades to be too ugly. Sometimes he will compete with himself. If he wants to do something well, he must do it well. .

Chen Ke didn't pay much attention to the final exam. He already had a certain plan for the future, but after hesitating for a long time, he decided to wait until the end of the new year before telling Chen Wanran.

Chen Wanran will rely on him in other areas, but she will never back down when it comes to studying.

After the exam, it is almost equivalent to a holiday.After getting the report card, the winter vacation will start completely.The new year is getting closer and closer with the sound of firecrackers every day, and the taste of the new year is getting stronger and stronger in the process of buying new year's goods.

Xia Yin's parents have long since lost contact, but her stepfather still has elderly parents, so they have to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year.The year of the Chen family seems very ordinary. Chen Wanran divorced her husband in the early years, so there is no such thing as a husband's family, and there is no need for her mother's family. The only younger brother has not been contacted so far, let alone going around during the New Year.

Previous years have been like other years, and the new year may be just as mediocre as previous years.Chen Ke originally thought about it, but on the last night of the year, Gu Jinbei came to him and asked him if he wanted to set off fireworks.

There is no such thing as a holiday in Chen Wanran's career. Single men need physical comfort when they are lonely. It sounds dirty, but it is true.Chen Wanran went out after dinner and told him that she would not be back tonight.

Chen Ke followed Gu Jinbei to the courtyard downstairs, where several children were already setting off fireworks.The old lady on the first floor stared at everyone unhappily, her eyes were full of anger that the territory had been invaded, but she knew the rules of the New Year, she would not get angry, Chen Ke knew it.

Gu Jinbei had already bought the fireworks and firecrackers. When he brought the pile of things to Chen Ke, Chen Ke only felt a headache. He said, "Why did you buy so many?"

The surrounding life was very noisy, covering up Chen Ke's voice.Gu Jinbei looked at Chen Ke in confusion, not knowing what he just said.

Chen Ke then raised his voice: "Why did you buy so many?"

Gu Jinbei also replied loudly: "It looks good!"

The two looked at each other and smiled suddenly.

The two went to a remote corner of the yard to set off fireworks. The fireworks went up with a "swoosh" and exploded into bright flowers in the air, illuminating both of their faces.

After the first firework was set off, the subsequent fireworks will be set off more naturally and generously.

Chen Ke looked up at the night sky, and Gu Jinbei looked up at Chen Ke.It was very dark around, but Chen Ke's face was illuminated very brightly, and the small raised scar on his nose was more obvious when viewed from the side.

Gu Jinbei raised his hand and pulled Chen Ke's sleeve.

Chen Ke turned his head: "What's wrong?"

"Let's go for a walk." Gu Jinbei said, "Anywhere, let's go for a walk."

The two finished setting off the remaining fireworks and walked out of the noisy yard.The air is filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke, and there are children running around on the street.

They walked to the river, and there were many people by the river, and there were vendors selling Kongming lanterns.The two bought one and released it with the large army.It was interesting to watch the fading yellow light.

After setting off the Kongming lanterns, they walked along the river.The moonlight tonight is very good, shining on the lake, making the water sparkle, a bit like the sea in Norse mythology.

Gu Jinbei wanted to say something to Chen Ke, but he felt that he didn't say anything, just walking with Chen Ke like this made him very comfortable.

The two walked for a while before turning back the same way.Tonight is more lively than usual, because the New Year is approaching, so we are all very excited.Gu Jinbei's mood seemed to be infected by this atmosphere, and he became excited.

Because he suddenly discovered that this was the first year he spent with Chen Ke.

He can't wait to share the joy that only those around him can understand.He tugged at the corner of Chen Ke's clothes, and Chen Ke turned his head to look at him.

"This is the first year." Gu Jinbei said, "We are together."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and it fell just right in Chen Ke's ears.Chen Ke smiled, revealing the dimple, which weakened his sharpness and made him look more approachable: "Yes."

Gu Jinbei smiled.There was a firework exploding behind them, and they followed the sound and saw the fleeting light of the firework.

The two walked home, Gu Jinbei watched Chen Ke open the door, and suddenly said, "Do you want to come to my house?"

"Huh?" Chen Ke turned his head, understood immediately and smiled, "No need."

Gu Jinbei still looked at him, his pace was not necessarily half-minute.He was very stubborn when he was stubborn, even a little unreasonable, Chen Ke looked at him, and finally compromised: "I went...wouldn't it be too good?"

Seeing that he was loose, Gu Jinbei smiled: "No, my mother...don't mind."

Chen Ke followed Gu Jinbei in the end.

Xia Yin and Fu Laoqian had gone to bed early, and the room was dark.Gu Jinbei asked Chen Ke to wait for him outside the door, and then went to his room in the dark and turned on the light.

So in the whole house, only Gu Jinbei's room was lit with a faint light.

Gu Jinbei turned on the light, then ran back and took out slippers from the shoe rack to Chen Ke.

The two entered Gu Jinbei's room in a soft voice.The structure of the two houses is the same, and the rooms of Chen Ke and Gu Jinbei are also the same.When Chen Ke came in, he had the illusion of returning to his own room, but it was still a little different, because the place that really belonged to Gu Jinbei was smaller than him.

The two stayed together at night, but neither of them fell asleep.Gu Jinbei opened his eyes wide and couldn't help but talk to Chen Ke: "Brother Chen, are you asleep?"

Chen Ke answered him with a sober voice: "No."

Gu Jinbei said: "Then can we chat?"

"Let's talk." Chen Ke thought for a while, "What are we talking about?"

"Hmm..." Gu Jinbei said hesitantly, "Brother Chen, what were you like before?"

"Before?" Chen Ke fell silent, as if he had fallen into some kind of memory, but also seemed to be asleep. Gu Jinbei waited nervously and expectantly for a long time, but Chen Ke didn't speak.

Until Gu Jinbei thought that Chen Ke was asleep, and was about to close his eyes and try to fall asleep, he suddenly heard Chen Ke say, "I used to be just like you."

Gu Jinbei retorted almost without thinking: "It's not the same."

"No, it's the same." Chen Ke's tone was full of determination, "I used to have a good temper, I didn't know how to fight, and I liked to make friends. Just like you, I wouldn't resist even if I was really bullied by others."

Gu Jinbei said: "Then we are still different. There is a reason why I didn't resist." He knew that Chen Ke would not believe it, but he must say what he said.

"Okay, okay, the same." Chen Ke laughed in the dark, "Later, some things happened--Those things are just like that when you think about it now. Adults tell them what kind of malice children can have. They just told me that I was still young, I didn’t understand anything, and I was very angry.”

"Because I didn't know anything at first."

Chen Ke, who was eight and nine years old, didn't know his mother's occupation, and didn't know the hardships of life. He lived under the sky that Chen Wanran supported him, and he lived so innocently.

Chen Wanran is weak, the sky she propped up is not invincible, the fortress she can give is too fragile and easily broken.

Chen Ke gradually grew up after the fortress glass shattered.

If a person becomes naive, he can be naive for a lifetime, but he grows up very quickly. In a certain moment, a person grows up.

Gu Jinbei is indeed different from the old Chen Ke. If it was the old Chen Ke, he would be at a loss for what the current Chen Ke said, and he would not understand anything, but Gu Jinbei can do it. Although he is only eight years old, he can The heart grows much bigger than his appearance.

"It's all over." Gu Jinbei said, "You are fine now, and I like you very much now."

Chen Ke said, "Thank you." He hesitated for a while, but still didn't say the phrase "I like you very much."

"I didn't have any friends before." Gu Jinbei suddenly answered, "Because I'm always moving. Now, I feel like I've found it."

"We're friends now, aren't we?"

"Eat together, walk together, sleep together, so we are friends." Gu Jinbei said, he suddenly became cautious, "Is that right?"

Chen Ke laughed, Gu Jinbei heard his laughter, it was very weak, but it was magnified clearly in the empty room.

Chen Ke said: "..."

There was an untimely sound of fireworks exploding outside, and the voices below suddenly became noisy. I don't know who shouted loudly: "The New Year is here——"

At this time, no one will blame this person for disturbing lucid dreams, because they are also a part of it.The sound of fireworks explosions continued, and the light from the explosions flashed through the curtains in the room.

This light allowed Gu Jinbei to see Chen Ke's face in an instant.

They waited until the surroundings became a little quieter, and Chen Ke repeated his answer just now: "Yes."

The author has something to say: Eight or nine-year-old Xiaobei and twelve or thirteen-year-old Chen Ke: Goodbye everyone

This age group has finished writing, three chapters more than expected (??ω?)?