Chapter 35: Postcard

——I wish I knew how to quit you.

The handwritten cursive letters are beautiful, and the curly tail hook is flexible and light, full of artistry. Lu Zhiqiao quietly stared at the card, and repeated this sentence several times silently, with a bitter smile in her eyes, which gradually deepened. She usually despises such little tricks the most, thinking that they are just false romances that young people come up with in their heads, and she won't even take a look at them, let alone have any thoughts.

But her heart began to beat wildly again, hot fresh blood started from there, and it couldn't wait to climb up her face, blooming a beautiful peach color.

It seems to have regained a little of the innocence and throbbing of girlhood, just like that night, when she smelled the same but different perfume, her mind immediately returned to more than a decade ago, reminding her and reassuring her that all was not yet too bad.

The light in the gift shop is orange-yellow, very warm, and softly falls on Lu Zhiqiao, covering her from head to toe. With her head lowered, Qi Yan can look at her openly and hug her with her eyes, instead of her hand that she wants to move but dare not.

After a while, Lu Zhiqiao raised her head and met Qi Yan's straightforward gaze.

The faces of each other were reflected in each other's eyes as if strung together by an invisible thread, intertwined and entangled, so sticky that they could not be separated. Lu Zhiqiao saw warmth in Qi Yan's eyes, as well as frankness, expectation and care.

For a long time, Qi Yan gave her the impression that she was not serious, and even thought that such a person should not be a teacher for a moment, but after getting in touch with her a lot, she realized that she was narrow-minded.  She admitted that her thinking was rigid, and she felt more and more that they aren't the same, one was born in the sun, the other shrank in a dark corner, each had their own way of life, and there should be no intersection at all.

She had seen people like Qi Yan before. Most of them have a good family environment, not only materially rich, but also spiritually.

With these kinds of people, she at most treats them with courtesy and keeps a distance, and never talks heart-to-heart. It's not because she has any prejudices, but because she feels that she doesn't belong to the same world and cannot be forcibly integrated.

Maybe she can take a gamble and treat Qi Yan as an exception.

"The words are beautiful." Looking at each other for a long time, Lu Zhiqiao curved the corners of her mouth, and there was a faint glint in her eyes, "I'll wait for you outside." After speaking, she quickly lowered her head, pushed open the glass door and went out.

Qi Yan didn't chase after her, and saw her standing under the streetlight through the glass, with her back to this side, her hands raised all the time, whether she was holding the postcard, or...

The night on the island is cool and breezy, the sky is a strange dark blue, the stars are dense, bright like diamonds, and occasionally a passenger plane with flashing lights passes by at low altitude, bringing a whistling roar, which is very comfortable.

Back at the hotel, Lu Zhiqiao went to take a shower first, Qi Yan took out the computer, and saved the photos of the mother and daughter taken today, she screened them one by one, deleted some that she thought she didn't take well, and picked a few more good ones, and put it in a dedicated folder.

Lu Wei watched from the side, her mouth slightly opened: "Wow, Teacher Qi, it's like you're making a movie." She wanted to say it was good-looking, but it seemed that she was poor at words and dry, and could only look for the most similar analogy in her life.

"Of course." Qi Yan praised generously, squinted her eyes and smiled, raised her hand and pinched her face, "I'll sort out the photos when I get back, pick a few that you like, and I'll make a photobook for you."

"Teacher Qi is the best~"

The little girl hugged and kissed her face, caught off guard, Qi Yan was a little dazed, but she quickly came to her senses and rubbed the girl's head.

After a while, the sound of water in the bathroom gradually stopped, and the door opened. Lu Zhiqiao came out stepping on the lingering steam, her cheeks flushed from the heat. The nightdress she wore was a haltered v-neck, which only covered half of her thighs. At that moment, she almost forgot that there was another person in the room.

As soon as Qi Yan looked up, she saw such a picture, and her fingers froze when she clicked the mouse.

Lu Zhiqiao was also taken aback.

"Mom, come and take a look at the photos! Teacher Qi took a super beautiful picture of you!" Little Lu Wei didn't realize it. After all, she was still out of words, and her crisp voice sounded cute.

Qi Yan's throat gulped, and she looked away with difficulty, quite consciously.  Lu Zhiqiao also hurriedly picked up the sun protection clothing and put it on, fastened the belt around the waist, the hem of the clothes was enough to cover the knees, and the scenery was tightly covered.

"Girl, go take a shower." She knelt down to pack the suitcase, using the bed to cover half of her body.

"Okay."

The daughter took the clothes and went into the bathroom, and the room suddenly became quiet.

The sound of mouse clicking came from the sofa from time to time, and it was irregular and amplified infinitely, making it harsh. Lu Zhiqiao lowered her head to fiddle with the things in the suiy case, sorted them over and over again, and finally raised her head, but she didn't know Qi Yan looked over at this time, their eyes met and they were both stunned.

"Look at the photos." Qi Yan reacted very quickly, smiling and beckoning to her.

Lu Zhiqiao pursed her lips, her heart said not to go, but eventually closed the case neatly with her hands, got up and walked over, and sat down next to the person.

Her eyes naturally fell on the computer screen. There were more than a hundred photos, all of which were similar to each other. There was almost no difference in the small pictures. Qi Yan clicked on the first picture, which happened to be the silhouette of Lu Zhiqiao holding a fishing rod. Both the composition and the use of light were very delicate and subtle.

"I took this picture. Just when the fish bit the hook, your expression was full of surprise and excitement, but it's rarely seen on your face. So even if it appeared for only a moment. I wanted to capture it."

"And this one was when you're distracted, you didn't even know you're smiling."

"This..."

She looked at the photo with tenderness and pride in her eyes, and her voice became softer, full of admiration from the bottom of her heart. She didn’t think too much when she was shooting, she just wanted to record, she wanted to stay. When her eyes and heart would get tired, the camera replaced her, and she only needed to remember a certain day in a certain year, when the three of them had a great time on the boat.

Lu Zhiqiao looked over one by one, the corners of her mouth gradually curved, her heart beat faster for some reason, her eyes slowly moved to her face, and she said softly, "It's because of your good skills, I think you can become a professional photographer. "

It was a sincere compliment. As a layman, although she doesn't know the technicalities, she knows how to appreciate it. No matter the person or the scene, it is not a rare thing, but it is a high-quality photo taken by this person, which is an unexpected surprise.

"Lu Zhiqiao."

"?"

Qi Yan turned around, her eyes were infinitely gentle, and she hugged her cautiously: "Without beautiful people, you can't take beautiful pictures."

She had just finished taking a shower, her body was soft and hot, exuding a light and pleasant aroma, and the sunscreen was made of thin material, Qi Yan's warm breath lingered along with her body. An impulse, buried deep within her heart sprouted, and it was very hard to bear.

"I like hearing you compliment me."

"Praise me some more."

She couldn't hide her admiration, she usually tries hard to restrain herself, but now she became more and more unrestrained. Qi Yan knew that she should let her go, but her hands had minds of their own and hugged her even tighter.

Lu Zhiqiao was also choked up, her hands and feet were weak, and she could barely struggle, she just leaned against Qi Yan's arms, her face was red and her ears were hot, her throat was vague for a long time, and she couldn't speak clearly for a long time, she just hummed two words: "Let go..."

"Praise me."

She pursed her lips and ignored the woman.

The more she asks, the less she will give one, afraid this person will be proud and be insatiable.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, guessing that Niu Niu would come out after taking a shower, Qi Yan couldn't afford to be seen by the child no matter how much she tried to delay, so she could only kiss her ear then finally let her go, and continued to organize the photos.

Sure enough, not long after, Niu Niu came out humming a song.

Qi Yan sent a few photos to Lu Zhiqiao's WeChat, packed up her computer and camera, took her clothes and took a shower. Lu Zhiqiao sat on the bed with her daughter in her arms and admired it. She looked at them several times and never got tired. The mother and daughter smiled, and she posted a Moments, which she rarely does.

"Mom, I think Teacher Qi takes better pictures of you."

"You think?"

"...Well, it may be that you are good-looking." The little girl nodded seriously.

Lu Zhiqiao smiled, stretched out her index finger and pointed at her nose: "Sweet talker."

The sound of water came from the bathroom again, and the graceful figure on the non-transparent glass wall attracted someone's imagination. Lu Zhiqiao couldn't help but look up and look again.

On the first night of living together, they didn't encounter any problems.

In the early morning of the next day, the three set off for Kabuo Ranch.

The ranch is located on the second largest island in the Roland Islands. It is about an hour's drive from the beach hotel where they live. It covers an area of ​​more than 5,000 acres and is mainly used for grazing cattle. It is also the shooting location for many famous movies. It is large in scale, has a long history, and the scenery is especially beautiful. Looking at the large green pastures, there are flocks of cattle and sheep, full of a strong pastoral atmosphere.

There are many recreational attractions here, such as horseback riding, ADV riding, milking cows, roasting games and so on.

Having never been exposed to these new things before, Lu Wei was more excited than fishing yesterday, jumping when she got out of the car and walking, loudly yelling that she was going to ride a horse, showing her playful nature as a child. Compared with her daughter, Lu Zhiqiao was much more reserved. She had never played these games before, and she found them new, but her expression remained calm and she didn't say much along the way.

For a person who is used to being calm and serious, laughing too much is fatal.

Children are most able to sense changes in people's emotions. Lu Wei found out that since yesterday afternoon, her mother had been preoccupied, and she thought for half a day but did not dare to forcefully pester her mother, but fortunately there was Teacher Qi, making the atmosphere not so awkward.

There are not many tourists who come to ride horses, and the queue for paying is very fast. This kind of project is different from domestic parks. They weren't led and guided. It is up to the tourists to master the essentials. They can ride horses to any place in the ranch, as long as they can do it.

"But I don't know how to ride..." Lu Wei pouted as she looked at the filly in front of her.

She is a child and cannot ride a full-grown horse.

Qi Yan stepped forward and pinched her face, and said with a smile, "I'll teach you how to ride." After speaking, she took off the camera hanging around her neck, handed it to Lu Zhiqiao, and rented an adult horse.

"Niu Niu, watch me demonstrate."

The adult horse is almost as tall as her and it looked like a huge monster at close range, which is a bit scary.  She walked around the horse, stood in front of the horse's head for a while, raised her hand to touch the mane, patted the neck, then grabbed the rein with one hand, stepped into the stirrup with her left leg, and jumped up lightly. Sitting tight.

"Hold on to the rein, nudge the horse's belly lightly with your calf, and it will start to run, you see—"

The horse snorted and walked slowly. Qi Yan applied more force on her calf, and the horse gradually began to trot, increasing the speed little by little. After a while, she rode the horse and galloped into the woods ahead.

"Wow, Mom, Teacher Qi is so amazing." The figure was no longer visible, and Lu Wei grabbed her mother's arm excitedly.

As far as the eye can see, at the junction of the woods and the grassland, a white figure is riding on a horse, galloping towards this side, her hair is blown up by the wind, her chin is slightly raised, her figure is vigorous and heroic, as the distance gets closer, the gradually clear smile on his face is full of confidence.

Lu Zhiqiao watched with a dazed expression, her eyes were a little blurred, and her heartbeat followed the rhythm of the horse's hooves.

There was a gust of wind in her ear, Qi Yan pulled the rein early to slow down, and just stopped when she returned to the starting point, the tourists on the side applauded in unison, she sat on the horseback and smiled, showing a row of white teeth, generously accepting everyone's admiration, then turn over and get down.

"Teacher Qi! You are amazing!" Lu Wei rushed over and hugged her.

Qi Yan gently patted her head, then turned her hand to lead the little mare, and said, "Come on, let's test your observation skills."

"Well, okay."

The child was the most energetic. After Lu Wei mastered the essentials, Qi Yan led her around twice. The teacher and the student had a great time. Lu Zhiqiao watched silently, not wanting to disturb, so she sat on the bench to rest.

The camera still had that person's body temperature, and it became even warmer when she held it in her hands.

"Do you want to ride a horse?" A pair of feet appeared in her sight, Lu Zhiqiao raised her head, and saw Qi Yan standing in front of her, looking at her with burning eyes.

She shook her head: "No."

"I'll teach you." Qi Yan sat down next to her, "Or I'll take you to ride."

"You take Niu Niu to play, I..." Her voice paused, Lu Zhiqiao lowered her head, as if she couldn't speak.

How can she explain her fear?

Qi Yan could easily see through her thoughts, and without saying anything, she stretched out her hand to wrap her shoulders, rubbing her fingertips gently, silently comforting her.

"I feel like you're not in a good mood."

"You do?"

"Did I take up too much of your time with the child..." Qi Yan smiled wryly, and looked up at the girl who was walking with the filly not far away. She said that if she was tired from playing, she would take a rest.

Lu Zhiqiao's heart tightened, and she hurriedly shook her head: "No, don't think so much, I—"

She really hopes she can play with Niu Niu.

Words came to her lips, but couldn't speak them. When she came out for a trip, she felt more and more that she was a failed mother who could do nothing but work, but she couldn't do the things the child like to experience. If Qi Yan wasn't by her side, the journey would probably be boring.

It is still difficult to admit that she is incompetent.

She pursed her lips and couldn't help shrinking into Qi Yan's arms.

"Well, it's okay, I was joking." Qi Yan also tightened her arms and hugged her.

It didn't matter if Lu Zhiqiao had a lot of things she couldn't say. There was no need to force her. There will come a day where she'll be able to say them freely.     

...

There is an age requirement for the ADV riding in the ranch. One must be over 15 years old to play. It's okay for two adults, but Lu Wei is very unfortunate. She wants to play and explore everything. In the end, Qi Yan made a promise to bring her here again when she grows up.

By that time, Lu Wei had already graduated from junior high school.

She will no longer be her teacher either.

The three went to see the cows again and participated in the process of milking the cows. The child's attention was easily attracted, and they temporarily forgot the regret for not being able to ride a motorcycle.

The place where the cows are stocked is close to the cliff, and a long line is surrounded by a wooden fence. The view is wide, and there is an endless sea under the cliff. On the right side, they can see the coastline of the main island. Fishing boats can be seen vaguely out to sea from the pier.

While the daughter was milking the cows, Lu Zhiqiao and Qi Yan stood by the fence, leaning back slightly, with their elbows for support, watching leisurely and comfortably, their expressions were exactly the same, almost doting.

The wind is strong, and their hair are flying and messy.

Lu Zhiqiao raised her hand to hold a strand, gently brushed her cheeks, then let it go, and let it fall back in front of Qi Yan, who just happened to look over from the side, their eyes intertwined and their emotions surged.

"Why did you become a teacher?" she asked softly.

Qi Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, and slowly spit out words from her thin lips: "It was my dream."

She may not believe others' answers, but she completely believes what Qi Yan said. Not just believe, but envy.

"When I was young, I felt that teachers looked cool on the podium. I hoped that I could also be cool one day, but I didn't have a strong idea at that time. Until later, I met a few good teachers who gave me positive influences, until my desire became stronger..."

"My parents were born in the countryside, and their education level is not high, but they respect teachers very much and believe that education can change destiny, and those who pass on knowledge are great, so they fully supported me."

"Even Though, at first they thought that I was just a child and will eventually change my mind, I know that no matter what I choose, they will support me."

Speaking of her family, Qi Yan showed a warm and proud expression on her face, her narrow and sharp eyes were curved like crescent moon, as she smiled brightly, her soft voice was shattered by the wind, and fell to the ground.

She was very proud.

Lu Zhiqiao looked at her quietly: "Your parents must be good, right?"

"Yes, my parents are very nice. Although they haven't read many books, they don't stick to the rules. Their education is different from traditional parents. They're also affectionate with each other. When I lived at home, I'd barf everyday… But hey, I might not say it often, but I love them very much."

"What about you?"

Qi Yan smiled sideways, showing six big white teeth.

Lu Zhiqiao's heart was suffocated, she was stunned for a while, her expression became gloomy, and she said in a low voice: "My parents passed away."

There was a brief silence, only the sound of wind in the air.

"...I'm sorry." Qi Yan grabbed her hand, and the corners of her mouth gradually collapsed. Even if she already knew, hearing her speak out at this moment, her heart couldn't help but ache.

Lu Zhiqiao shook her head, pretending to smile relaxedly: "What are you apologizing for? I almost don't remember what happened a long time ago." After speaking, she turned around and faced the cliff and the sea, her eyes suddenly far away.

"They gave birth to me when they were in their forties. They have been strict with me since I was a child. They believe in corporal discipline, so I have never been very confident..."

"You're fine." Qi Yan interrupted her, then turned around and grabbed her hand again.

Perhaps it was because of the strong wind that her hands were a little cold, and she was very restless being wrapped in her palms. Qi Yan had to exert some strength to hold her tightly.

Will she finally be willing to open up?

Lu Zhiqiao, just raised her mouth a few times and talked to her a few more words, she felt full of hope, her heart seemed to grow wings and was about to fly away, it was rampant in her chest, the joy was completely uncontrollable, and she crawled quietly  Up the corners of her eyes and brows.

"Are you an only child?" Lu Zhiqiao smiled at her sideways.

"Yes."

"Very nice."

"Do you have brothers and sisters?" Qi Yan asked in return.

Lu Zhiqiao's expression froze, she didn't speak, and her gaze turned back erratically. There are several fishing boats driving on the sea, dotted with dots, dragging out strips of fine and white waves, and seabirds fly behind.

She didn't want to say it again.

Qi Yan felt slightly lost, but knew that there was no need to rush. Being able to speak a few words was already a huge improvement, so it's better to take it slowly.  So she changed the subject: "Why did you always think that I have no distinction between public and private?"

The hand in her palm shrank, Lu Zhiqiao's lips twitched, hesitated for a moment before saying: "Niu Niu's primary school head teacher is that kind of person."

"..."

Once bitten, twice shy.  Because of the lessons learned from the past, she will always pay attention. Qi Yan finally understood, she had no decency before, and she was always taking advantage of her. Which inevitably gave this person the impression that she was unreliable. Lu Zhiqiao had a reason.

"Then remember, I'm not like that kind of person." She said in a slightly disdainful tone.

Lu Zhiqiao turned her head to look over, with a smile in her eyes: "I blamed you, now I know you are not."

The black tear mole was gentle and vivid, so charming, Qi Yan couldn't hold back for a moment, hugged her from the side, kissed her hair, and was pushed away mercilessly the next second.

Lu Zhiqiao panicked and turned her head to look at the cow shed. Seeing that her daughter was still squatting beside the cow, squeezing hard, not paying attention to the situation here, she was relieved, and gave Qi Yan a reproachful look, her eyes full of shame and annoyance.

Qi Yan was a shameless person, but now her true nature was revealed yet again, she leaned over and brushed her hair, her voice was low and hoarse: "Have you ever dated a woman?"

The sea breeze is cool, but the breath in her ear slightly burns her.

Lu Zhiqiao trembled slightly, her face flushed immediately, she raised her hand and pushed her: "... unrequited love shouldn't count."

--puff

"Ha ha ha ha."

"What are you laughing at?" Lu Zhiqiao glared at her, "I'm so busy every day, I don't have time to fall in love."

"hahahahahahahaha."

Qi Yan asked to know if she was bisexual, but this person only thought it was whether she had ever been in a relationship.

"..."

On their way back in the evening, the three sat in the car, too tired to enjoy the scenery along the way.

The two adults sat side by side in the back row, and while Lu Zhiqiao was staggering, she fell asleep, leaning into Qi Yan's arms with her eyes closed.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled the sky, and the golden-red light came in through the window, which was a bit dazzling. Qi Yan lowered her eyes and stared at Lu Zhiqiao's peaceful sleeping face, her heart softened into warm spring water.  to block the harsh sunlight.

"Mom……"

Lu Wei turned her head and was about to speak when Qi Yan hurriedly raised her index finger at her: "Shh."

She saw that her mother was leaning on the teacher's arms, her eyes were closed, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, as if she was sleeping soundly and at ease.

....

When they arrived at the hotel, it was already dark, and they were really tired after playing all day, so they didn't want to go shopping anymore. Qi Yan went to buy some ingredients and made a simple dinner.

The mother and daughter were well fed.

After taking a bath, they discussed and planned to go to the smallest island tomorrow, where there is a lush tropical rainforest, and it is a must-see attraction when they come to the Roland Islands. But because the small island is far away from the main island, the rainforest is relatively primitive, and there are not many modern facilities. They need to rent a car, drive to the pier by boat, and then drive around by themselves.

"Let's rent one, I'll drive it. I have an international driver's license." Qi Yan said calmly.

Lu Wei was so excited that she slapped her hands and said, "Wow, good!"

Teacher Qi is simply a universal baby.

Lu Zhiqiao: "..."

"Okay, go to bed early, I'm tired today, sleep well, let's continue surfing tomorrow." She turned off the computer, threw off her slippers and crawled back to her bed.

As soon as the lights were turned off, she couldn't see her fingers, and the whole world became quiet.

In the middle of the night, Lu Zhiqiao was woken up by an urge to pee, and got up in a daze to go to the bathroom.  Afraid of waking up the two sleeping people, she didn't turn on the light, went to the toilet in the dark, washed her hands, and returned to the bed in the dark.

An arm wrapped around her waist in a flash, and then the world spun around for a while, and she was caught off guard and taken into a strange bed.

"Qi Yan, uh-"

Her mouth was covered, warm breath came from her ears, and her voice was sleepy: "I won't do anything, I'll just hug you."


 

Author's Note:

Teacher Qi: I really won’t do anything!

No car, don't worry, hhhh

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