Reunion after long separation
Ten years after graduation, Xia Qing did not expect to see Xie Junlu again on this old street.
That summer, they were still at the same table. He loved to stuff mints for her under the desk, while she would press a notebook full of thoughts under her English book. During the last evening study session before the college entrance examination, he said, "Let's go to the same city." She nodded, thinking it was an agreement.
Later, by mistake, he went to the north and she stayed in the south. There was no talk of breaking up, but there was no contact again.
At this moment, the used bookstore on the corner is still the same as it was back then. She pushed the door open and walked in. The wind chime rang softly. At the end of the bookshelf, a man was bending over a yellowed exercise book.
He looked up.
Their eyes met, and time suddenly gained weight.
"... Xia Qing?" He spoke first, his voice much lower than in memory.
"Xie Junlu." She called out this name, like opening a dusty box.
The store was quiet except for the old fan whirring. He pointed to the book in his hand: "Look, this is the physics paper we used for our senior year. The words you wrote are still there." Turning to a certain page, there was a line of small words in the margin - "Tomorrow will be better."
Xia Qing was stunned for a moment, that was what she had written casually when she was distracted. She suddenly felt a little sore in her nose: "Do you still remember?"
"I can't forget it." He said it very softly, but it seemed that he had used all his strength.
The cup of milk tea cooled down and was refilled, and they chatted from the evening until the bookstore closed. It turned out that he had returned to this small town several times over the years, and he would come here every time. It turns out so is she.
When leaving, he hesitated and took out a mint candy from his pocket: "It's still the same old brand."
Xia Qing took it and suddenly smiled: "You are still so childish."
"You are still so good at lying." He paused, "We agreed to go to the same city, but you didn't even tell me your wishes."
Only then did she know that he had been waiting for news about her throughout the summer that year.
The evening breeze blew over and the lights on the old street turned on. He said: "This time, can you tell me the address?"
She didn't say anything, just took a step forward and stood side by side with him.
Some reunions are not to make up for regrets, but to confirm that some people have never really gone far.
(Full text 498 words)
Purpose: The core of this article is not "making up for regrets", but "deep feelings proven by time". The fact that two people return to the same place on the same day every year without any agreement shows that no one has really let go during the days of separation - the reunion after a long separation is not accidental, but a two-way longing for each other.