Butterfly and Whale - Chapter 17

Descending the mountain in the evening, Hu Die didn’t insist on walking on her own, and lay on Jing Yue’s back, her two long legs dangling in mid-air, and she was drowsy.

Jiang Man walked over from the side, saw that her eyes were about to close, and said, “Sleepy?”

She stared in a daze, as if she had no strength.

“Then let’s sleep for a while.” Jiang Man looked at Jing Yue again: “It’s your uncle who recites it for a while, you won’t be able to bear it all the way.”

“It’s okay.” Jing Yue’s tone was light and light: “The training used to be much heavier than this.”

“That can’t be…”

Jiang Man persisted, but Hu Die joked with her eyes closed: “Mom, don’t embarrass Dad.”

“You, just stand and talk without back pain.”

Hu Die chuckled: “I’m lying on my stomach.”

Jiang Man smiled and sighed, and said to Jing Yue, “Let’s take a break when we’re tired, don’t be brave.”

Jing Yu nodded: “Yes, I see.”

More than 9,000 steps are easy to say, but when they got down the mountain, Jing Yu sat down on a bench for people to rest.

Hu Die was handing water and wiping off his sweat, and even fanned him with a small fan when he was done, and asked concerned: “Do you want to drink water?”

Jing Yu shook the bottom of the mineral water bottle in his hand, “Enough.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Brother Jingyu.”

He closed his eyes, leaned back on the back of the chair, tilted his head back to reveal a slender neck, and his protruding Adam’s apple rolled up and down: “It’s not hard to carry you.”

“What’s the hard work?”

“sandbag.”

“…”

He laughed, sat up straight again, looked at her who was squatting next to his legs, and touched her knee with his knee: “Aren’t you tired from squatting?”

“It’s comfortable to squat.” Hu Die looked back at the bustling market and muttered, “I don’t know where my parents went shopping.”

Jing Yue followed her gaze.

At this moment, the previously empty streets are filled with various vendors. In the middle of the square, there is a century-old banyan tree covered with red ribbons for blessings.

When the wind blew, the ribbon swayed, blowing the tree-full wishes to the distant horizon, longing to be seen by the gods.

“Let’s go.” After drinking the last bit of water in the bottle, Jing Yue stuffed his hands into the trash can beside him, and pulled Hu Die to stand up: “Let’s go shopping too.”

“Can you go eat first?” Hu Die said, “I’m so hungry.”

“Didn’t you just eat the vegetarian meal?”

“It takes energy to go down the mountain.”

“?” Jing Yue smacked her forehead with his fingers, “How dare you say that.”

“I have a thick skin.”

“…” Jing Yue couldn’t say anything to refute for a while.

“Oh, oh, let’s go.” Hu Die dragged him and headed straight into the market, eating and drinking all the way, Jing Yue was carrying all the things she hadn’t finished eating.

Hu Die ate and drank enough, burped a few times contentedly, and took Jing Yue to the cultural and creative market beside him, planning to buy some souvenirs.

Passing by a tattoo shop along the way, it’s not really a shop, it’s just a stall set up under the eaves of a corridor. There are many people coming and going, only Hu Die stopped for it.

The boss is a pretty girl, and she doesn’t look like a businessman. Seeing someone parked in front of the booth, she just threw a picture album over and said, “Look for yourself.”

Hu Die picked up the album, and Jing Yue walked over, “Want to get a tattoo?”

She nodded, and was about to open the album, but Jing Yue blocked it with her hand: “You can’t have tattoos.”

Hu Die didn’t raise her head, and said in a low voice: “There’s nothing I can do now.”

Jing Yue didn’t speak, and moved his hand away after a while.

Hu Die opened the picture album, glanced at the patterns on it, and said in a heartless tone: “Brother Jingyu, some things are destined, we just try to remember the happy ones.”

Hearing the conversation between the two, the boss looked up and saw that Hu Die was flipping through the album without deciding what to write, so he asked aloud, “What do you want to write?”

“Is everything okay?”

She nodded: “Say, I can draw.”

“Then…” Hu Die glanced sideways at Jing Yue who was standing silently at the side, and said with a smile, “Then let’s write a whale, is that okay?”

“Yes.” The boss reached out to the drawing board beside him, and quickly drew the outline of a whale. “If you are afraid of pain, you don’t need to paint it. The lines of the text are also very beautiful.”

Hu Die glanced at the drawing, and found that the girl’s brushwork was very neat. Although it was only a draft, it was not bad, so she said with satisfaction, “Then I won’t paint it, what do you think?”

She looked back at Jing Yue.

He pursed his lips slightly, remained silent for a while, and finally let go: “Yes.”

“Then write this.”

Hu Die handed the drawing back, and the boss confirmed with her where the text was, “Then come with me, my studio is inside.”

“Okay.” Hu Die pulled Jing Yue and followed her into the shop, seeing that she called a young boy to look outside the stall.

The boss took Hu Die to the inner room to make preparations. When he was about to remove the tools, he glanced at the girl sitting alone on the sofa chair, and then at the boy sitting outside the door. Are you sure you have thought about what you are going to take away when you die? It will be very difficult to wash it off.”

After hearing her words, Hu Die was taken aback for a moment. Before she could get the tool, she stood up apologetically: “I’m sorry, I’m not writing anymore.”

She is the one to go.

It would be unlucky to take him away with tattoos on his body.

The boss seemed to be used to this kind of thing, so he wasn’t too surprised, he shrugged and said, “OK.”

Hu Die didn’t have a tattoo, but bought the drawing.

When he came out of the shop, Jing Yu watched her carefully roll up the drawing and put it on the side of the bag, and asked softly, “Why are you not writing anymore?”

“Afraid of pain.” Hu Die smiled: “That sister said it would be very painful. I was a little scared, so I didn’t want to write.”

Seeing that she didn’t look very interested, Jing Yu comforted her, “I’ll take this sketch and order some tattoo stickers for you when I get back, so you don’t have to suffer pain.”

“OK.”

The two walked into the bustling market in the twilight holding hands.

The tattoo stand behind him is still full of people, waiting for the next person who is destined to stop for it.

…

The last ferry ended at nine o’clock in the evening, and it was past the usual bedtime when Hu Die followed her parents back to the hospital.

She lay on the bed after taking a shower, and texted Jing Yu good night, and he returned quickly.

Jing Yue: Take a good rest recently.

Jing Yu: I have a surprise for you in two days.

Jing Yue: Good night.

Hu Die held her mobile phone and laughed, Jiang Man walked in in her pajamas: “What are you laughing at?”

“I was chatting with Jing Yu, and he said he would give me a surprise in a few days.” Hu Die replied “yes” and put down her phone, moved to the bed and said, “Mom, you can sleep with me tonight.” .”

“Okay.” Jiang Man dried her hair, lay down on the empty seat Hu Die left for her, and asked, “Have you taken your medicine tonight?”

“I’ve eaten it, I’ll eat it when I come back.” Hu Die slipped into Jiang Man’s arms and put her arm around her, “Mom.”

“Um?”

Hu Die closed her eyes, felt the fragrance and temperature of her mother, and said softly: “I offered two lamps for you and Dad in the temple today, remember to put the lamps next year.”

Offering prayer lamps is an ancient custom in Tanhai Temple. The prayer lamps offered to family members and relatives in the first year must be put into the sea by the recipients on the same day in the second year.

In the early years, Rongcheng advocated the protection of the marine environment, but the local government of Tandao wanted to preserve this custom, so it allocated a sum of public funds to make degradable prayer lamps, which melt when exposed to water.

Jiang Man’s eyes became hot, and he said with a sore nose, “Okay.”

“It’s strange, I think I seem to be more energetic recently than before.” Hu Die smiled and said, “I don’t know what surprise Jing Yue brother prepared for me.”

“That must be what you like.” Jiang Man caressed the protruding butterfly bone on her back, and sighed: “Time flies so fast, mom still remembers that when you were young, you didn’t want to sleep with us Together, you have to sleep in the same bed alone.”

Hearing this, Hu Die smiled and said, “Because I was new to figure skating at that time, and I fell all over my body every day, and I was afraid that I would be found out sleeping with you.”

“I knew it was the reason.” Jiang Man said: “In the blink of an eye, you are so old.”

“I’m going to grow up.” Hu Die was afraid that if she continued talking, it would make Jiang Man sad, so she yawned and said, “I’m so sleepy, mom, let’s go to bed.”

“it is good.”

Jiang Man reached out to turn off the light, but Hu Die opened his eyes again in the dark, looking at the moon outside the window, almost sleepless all night.

In a few days, the whole of August is over.

Hu Die was tormented by the surprise that Jing Yue said that day, and her curiosity was not satisfied, so she sent him countless messages every day.

But this time, Jing Yue was like eating a lock, guarding his mouth tightly, and when he was busy, he couldn’t see anyone all day long.

Later, even Hu Yuanheng became inexplicably busy.

Hu Die waited for more than a week, and did not receive a call from Jing Yue until the Ghost Festival, saying that she would take her to see the surprise.

She sat on the back seat of Jing Yue’s bicycle, with her arms around his waist, and deliberately threatened: “If you don’t have any surprises, you will die today.”

Jing Yue didn’t explain much, he just speeded up and said, “You’ll know when you get there.”

The car sped straight forward from the slope, the summer wind whistled by my ears, and the boy’s bulging clothes gently kissed the girl’s cheek.

More than ten minutes later, the bicycle stopped at the gate of the Rongcheng Figure Skating Sports Training Hall.

Hu Die jumped down from the back seat, looked at the familiar logo in front of her, and looked back at Jing Yue: “Are you taking me to watch the game?”

“Guess again.” Jing Yue took off his hat, raised his hand and brushed back the messy hair on his forehead, approached her and said, “Let’s go.”

Hu Die was very curious: “What the **** is it?”

“Go in, you’ll know when you go in.” Jing Yu led her towards the training hall, and all the decorations along the way were still as they were in Hu Die’s memory.

Walking to the ice rink, Hu Die discovered that Jiang Man and Hu Yuanheng, who had disappeared after lunch, had put on the uniforms of the national figure skating team and stood outside the court.

There are also those teammates who have fought side by side with her, and the coaches who have led her to fight in the north and south.

There are also Shao Yun and Fang Jiayi, and many, many people they know or don’t know, all standing outside the arena or sitting in the auditorium.

She suddenly realized something and looked sideways at Jing Yue.

He put his hand on her shoulder, with a gentle and serious expression: “Today is a special performance for you alone, and we are all your audience.”

“I…” Hu Die’s eyes were red, unable to speak.

Jing Yue smiled, reached out and pushed her back: “Go.”

Hu Die took a step forward, and Jiang Man came over with her past training bag: “Your skates and Mama Costen are ready for you.”

Tears fell unexpectedly, she looked at Jiang Man, at Hu Yuanheng, at all the people in the venue, took a deep breath and said, “I’m going to change clothes.”

Jiang Man wiped away the tears on her face: “Let’s go, mom will accompany you there.”

The locker room is behind the locker room. Hu Die has changed clothes countless times here. From the first time she set foot on the ice rink to her retirement, everything here is a witness.

Kausten was sewed by Jiang Man himself during this period of time. There are many dancing butterflies embroidered on the light blue tulle.

After changing her clothes and putting on her skates, Hu Die slid slowly to the mirror. Jiang Man walked up to her and braided her hair with her own hands as usual with her in the competition.

Hu Die looked at herself in the mirror, and she seemed to see the shining figure of Hu Die sliding on the ice under the spotlight.

Slowly, something seemed to be awakened deep in her heart. She clenched her hands and then let go, feeling as nervous and excited as if she was participating in a competition for the first time.

Jiang Man tidied up and patted her on the shoulder: “Okay, let’s go out.”

Hu Die looked at the figure in the glasses again, exhaled slowly, nodded and said, “Okay.”

After leaving the locker room, all the voices in the venue stopped, and Hu Die came to the entrance to meet everyone’s gaze.

Hu Yuanheng walked up to her, stroked the hem of her skirt, and said, “The song was chosen by Dad for you. It is the song you used to win the championship for the first time after you joined the Chinese figure skating team.”

The figure skating soundtrack officially lifted the ban on “human voice” in 2014, and that year, Hu Die won the championship of the Four Continents Figure Skating Championship with this song.

Hu Die raised her head to meet her father’s gaze, smiled and nodded: “Thank you, Dad.”

Hu Yuanheng supported his daughter’s shoulders and sent her to the entrance, stretched out his hand and gently pushed her behind: “Go, this is your battlefield.”

Hu Die enters.

The headlights in the arena fell, leaving only one spotlight moving to the center of the ice rink following her figure.

She closed her eyes, felt everything familiar around her, slowly raised her arms, and gently stepped back her right foot, in a dancing posture.

The musical prelude sounded.

The tenacious and clear female voice came from all around the venue as the butterfly slid.

“You were the first to find me,

The more expressionless I am, the sadder I feel.

So when I tremble without tears,

You will hold me in your heart…”

…

The song slowly reaches its climax, butterflies dance on the ice, and the gauze hanging from the sleeves when you raise your hands are like flapping butterfly wings.

She took off with it, but her movements were no longer as standard and graceful as before. She couldn’t even do the most basic rotations and jumps.

But Hu Die still persisted, falling down and getting up again and again.

“…you know me better than anyone else,

The desire of the heart is more than the surface,

So when I stumble and eat and let go,

You don’t help me but accompany me to learn to bear the pain…”

When Hu Die fell heavily on the ice again, she failed to stand up as quickly as before, and her upper body was prostrate on the ground.

The singing in her ears continued, Hu Die raised her arms, but the pain from her joints forced her to fall back again.

She closed her eyes, not knowing whether it was tears or sweat that dripped on the ice.

Outside the ice rink, Jing Yue looked at Hu Die who fell on the ground and couldn’t get up for a long time, couldn’t bear to look any longer, and was about to walk into the ice rink when Hu Yuanheng pulled him from the side.

“Don’t go.” Hu Yuanheng looked at his daughter’s thin figure, his eyes were red, but he still insisted not to let Jing Yue interrupt her: “It’s no big deal if you fall down, just try to stand up again. The most important thing is that people have hope.”

“The thing that can penetrate all high walls in this world is hope. It is deep in our hearts, and others cannot reach or touch it.”

“As long as you believe in it yourself, you can move forward indomitably, like a broken bamboo.”

Jing Yue was nailed to the spot by Hu Yuanheng’s few words. He turned his head to look at Hu Die who stood up again on the ice rink, and the sound of music continued in his ears.

“…I will see as far as I can,

Dance with you and talk about dreams,

Like never being disappointed or hurt,

I still believe that if you dare to fly, there is the sky,

I want to be where I can see farthest,

With the first ray of dawn on my shoulders,

Splashed by too cold raindrops and snowflakes,

I insist on smiling as warm as the sun…”

The song sang to the end, leaving only the aftertaste of the coda echoing above the venue.

Hu Die raised her long and slender arms, leaned slightly, and made a final movement. The blazing light in the stadium fell on her.

She closed her eyes and breathed quickly, her face was shining with the brilliance of freedom, and the sweat on her forehead mixed with tears swayed on her favorite ice rink.

She is Hu Die.

It is a butterfly that cannot fly over the sea.

She is also a fallen genius girl.

Jing Yue once thought that he and she were somewhat similar to some extent.

But it wasn’t until this moment that he realized that the similarity between them was only one in ten thousand, but there were tens of thousands of differences.

Geniuses fall, but don’t fall.

The author has something to say:

Note: 1. “The thing that can penetrate all high walls in this world is hope. It is deep in our hearts, and others cannot reach or touch it.” The original sentence comes from “Schindler’s List”: “Don’t forget Now, the thing in this world that penetrates all the high walls, it is deep in our hearts, they can’t reach it, and they can’t touch it, that is hope.”

2. “You were the first to discover me. The more expressionless you are, the more sad you feel. So when I tremble without crying, you will hold me in your heart. You know me better than anyone else. The desire in my heart It’s much more than the surface, so when I fall, you don’t help me but you learn to bear the pain with me… I want to go to the farthest place, dance with you and talk about dreams, as if I have never been disappointed or hurt , still believe that if you dare to fly, there is the sky, I want to be in the farthest place I can see, with the first ray of dawn on my shoulders, being splashed by too cold raindrops and snowflakes, and insisting on smiling as warm as the sun…” – from “The Farthest Place I See” by Angela Chang

Above, intrusion and deletion.