Chapter 39: Drenched in Snow with You Today, It Counts as Growing Old Together
"Huh?"
Gu Yifan paused, stopping to look at Su Qinghe beside him.
"What’s this?"
"Gloves."
Su Qinghe said softly.
Gu Yifan looked down at the pair of blue, hand-knitted gloves, then looked up at Su Qinghe standing before him. He asked gently, "Did you knit these yourself?"
"Mhm~"
Su Qinghe nodded.
"For me?"
Gu Yifan asked again.
"Mhm-hm~"
Su Qinghe nodded gently once more.
Looking at Su Qinghe’s earnest expression, Gu Yifan smiled slightly and said, "Well... thank you. The gloves are very well-made. I like them a lot."
"But I think you need these more than I do right now!"
As he spoke, he took Su Qinghe’s hand, took the gloves from her, and gently helped her put them on.
Seeing Su Qinghe staring at him blankly, Gu Yifan explained in a soft, gentle voice, "It’s snowing and it’s cold. You wear them for now. You can give them back to me when you get home."
"Oh, oh~"
Hearing Gu Yifan’s explanation, Su Qinghe nodded, a bit dazed, and let him put the gloves on for her.
"There!"
After helping Su Qinghe with the gloves, Gu Yifan clapped his hands together.
"Alright... let’s keep walking!"
With that, he started walking toward the intersection ahead.
Su Qinghe looked down at her own hands, then looked up at Gu Yifan, who was already a few steps ahead.
The gloves blocked the cold wind. Her hands felt warm, and so did her heart.
After a few more steps, Gu Yifan realized Su Qinghe hadn’t caught up. He glanced back and saw her staring blankly at the ground.
’She’s such a Hanhan!’
He paused, shaking his head with a helpless sigh. Then he called out to her, "Stop spacing out and catch up!"
"Oh, oh... C-Coming!"
Hearing Gu Yifan’s voice, Su Qinghe quickly replied and hurried to catch up to him.
"What were you thinking about just now? You were so lost in thought," Gu Yifan asked casually, glancing at Su Qinghe, who was now walking beside him again.
"Huh?"
Su Qinghe was startled. She said in a small voice, "N-Nothing."
Since she said that, Gu Yifan knew she didn’t want to talk about it. He shook his head and didn’t press the matter.
"Let’s hurry. The snow is starting to come down harder!"
He said, then reached out and took Su Qinghe’s small hand. The two of them quickened their pace.
As Gu Yifan pulled her along, a faint blush appeared on Su Qinghe’s face, but she didn’t say anything, letting him hold her hand.
The snow...
It began to fall more heavily.
The snowflakes, which had been melting before they even landed on their heads, were now starting to stick.
Before long, a thin layer of white had dusted both Gu Yifan’s and Su Qinghe’s hair.
Su Qinghe looked up at Gu Yifan, and a line of poetry suddenly flashed through her mind: *Should we walk in the snow on a day yet to come, we can count it as growing old together in this life.*
But this line seemed a little too sad, and Su Qinghe couldn’t help but frown slightly.
*Walking in the snow with you today, we can count it as growing old together in this life.*
’Maybe changing it like this would be more fitting,’ she thought. But with that change, it seemed a bit... Her cheeks flushed, and she snuck a glance at Gu Yifan.
As if sensing her gaze, Gu Yifan happened to turn and look at her at that exact moment.
Their eyes met.
Both of them froze for a second.
Su Qinghe, snapping out of it, quickly looked away like a startled rabbit.
She lowered her head slightly, the blush on her cheeks growing even more noticeable.
’What’s with this Hanhan?’
Looking at Su Qinghe’s flustered state, he felt a bit puzzled.
He thought about it but couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to just drop it.
He shook his head, and just as he was about to look away, he saw that Su Qinghe’s hair was now dusted with frost from the snow. For some reason, an image of the two of them, holding hands with their hair turned white, flashed through his mind.
He froze,
and another line suddenly came to mind—*Holding hands in the snow today, we’re destined to grow old together in this life.*
He subconsciously repeated it in a low voice, "Holding hands in the snow today, we’re destined to grow old together in this life."
Although Gu Yifan’s voice was very quiet, they were so close that Su Qinghe heard everything.
"Hm?"
Su Qinghe, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head to look at Gu Yifan, her eyes shining.
"Ahem~"
Gu Yifan faked a couple of coughs to hide his embarrassment.
"So, um, do we turn left or right up ahead?"
He said, deliberately trying to change the subject.
"Right."
Su Qinghe pointed to the small path on the right with her free left hand.
"Oh, oh~"
"Then let’s hurry!"
Gu Yifan said, continuing to change the subject as he pulled her along, quickening their pace again.
Su Qinghe watched the tall figure walking ahead of her, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.
...
「Eleven o’clock at night.」
"We’re here."
Standing before a row of somewhat short, old buildings, Su Qinghe spoke softly to Gu Yifan.
"Oh..."
Gu Yifan nodded and looked around curiously, taking in the surroundings.
There was a large, old-fashioned iron gate, mottled with rust, and the surrounding walls were covered in withered vines.
Dongba Street Xingfu District.
The district’s name was written on the adjacent wall, though part of the last word in the name had chipped away.
Everything about this place indicated that the district was quite old.
"So you used to live here?"
Gu Yifan asked casually.
"Mhm-hm~"
Su Qinghe nodded gently.
"Um... you have a bed and blankets upstairs, right?"
After all, Su Qinghe had been living at school since high school, so Gu Yifan thought to ask.
"I do."
Su Qinghe said softly.
After a moment’s thought, she added, "I always come back here to stay during school breaks."
"I see!"
Gu Yifan nodded upon hearing this. "Well... you should head up?"
"Okay."
Su Qinghe nodded.
However, she made no move to leave, simply staring at Gu Yifan.
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing her looking at him, Gu Yifan asked, confused.
"Y-You have to let go of me first."
Su Qinghe said in a small voice.
"Huh?"
Gu Yifan paused. "Sorry, I forgot!"
Realizing this, he said, a little embarrassed.
Su Qinghe didn’t say anything. She just silently took off the gloves and handed them to Gu Yifan.
"The snow is coming down harder, and it’s cold. You should wear these on your way back."
She said softly.
"Okay!"
Gu Yifan didn’t refuse. He took the gloves from her hand and put them on.
The gloves still held Su Qinghe’s warmth, and they felt cozy after he put them on.
Just as they were talking,
the snow began to fall even harder!
Gu Yifan glanced at the increasingly heavy snow and said to Su Qinghe, "Alright, it’s too cold out. You should hurry inside."
Su Qinghe didn’t speak. She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say something.
"What is it?"
Seeing her hesitate, Gu Yifan asked.
Su Qinghe hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Gu Yifan and said in a small voice, "There are two rooms upstairs."
...