At the Corner of North Street

"At the Corner of North Street"

Lin Ran x Chen Ao

Flowers in the woods are dyed by rain of longing; old stories from Chen's past are hard to find.

[Warm and witty literary arts rep] x [Cool, gentle sports rep]

June 19 / July 17

Romance / secret crush / HE

That summer, at the corner of North Street, Lin Ran saw someone she never expected to see: Chen Ao.

One July afternoon, she had gone to buy oil for her grandmother. At the foot of the old locust tree, she switched hands to rest. When she looked up, she saw him standing at the mouth of the alley. He wore a black T-shirt and carried a bucket of water. Sweat ran down from his temple, and he couldn't even be bothered to wipe it away.

They stood five or six meters apart, neither of them moving.

In the end, she spoke first. "You... live here?"

He nodded, came over, and took the oil from her. "I'll walk you home."

"How do you know where I live?"

He didn't answer.

Only later did she learn that every morning, he saw her pass the bun shop. She walked slowly, eating a bun as she went, never looking into the alley. He would stand at the corner and wait until she had passed before heading out to play ball.

For so many mornings, she never once noticed.

During the rest of summer vacation, she began to notice little things. The convenience store auntie said, "Ao keeps buying the brand you drink." A smiley face drawn in chalk appeared on the plane tree downstairs from her home. On rainy days, he would inexplicably show up, press an umbrella into her hand, then run off soaked through himself.

Once, she asked, "How did you know I'd pass by that day?"

He was shooting hoops. The ball arced through the air and swished through the net.

"Because I wait every day."

He said it softly, as if it were just an offhand remark.

But the wind had just stopped, and she had just heard him.

-

That summer, there was an old locust tree at the corner of North Street.

Beneath it was a boy who had waited a long time, and a girl who had finally noticed.

Theme: Keep striving every day.