Chapter 41: Establishing Connections
There was a faint moisture in the air, and the white dew on the grass leaves reflected the colorful world and slowly evaporated in the sunlight.
"Tap tap tap——"
On the quiet and deserted country road, the boy's footsteps were particularly clear. The steady and powerful footsteps, accompanied by his breathing and heartbeat, echoed in the empty wilderness.
Sweat began to pool on his forehead and run down his cheeks, but he paid no attention to it, only occasionally wiping it away with the back of his hand.
The scenery along the way changes, from the quiet countryside to the bustling pier, and finally arriving at the beach where seabirds are circling and singing, and golden sunlight is dancing on the waves.
The waves rushed in, stopped two meters in front of him, and then retreated, leaving behind a trail of white foam.
The rising sun stretched his shadow from his feet to behind him, spreading flatly on the fine sand.
Fang Wei completed his morning run.
He stood on the beach with his hands on his knees, squinting his eyes and looking at the sun in the distance. A satisfied smile was on his young face. At this moment, all his fatigue turned into a sense of accomplishment.
I raised my wrist to check the time: five thirty-five.
Excluding the ten minutes wasted at Liu Zhiyi's house, he completed the running task today about half a minute faster than yesterday.
It’s a pity that he missed the sunrise today. The sun was already above the sea level, and the dazzling light made it difficult for him to look directly at it.
But there is not too much regret about this. After all, the original intention of running is to exercise the body. Watching the sunrise is just a side thing. We can't put the cart before the horse.
In fact, there are many things in a person's life that are upside down, such as -
Obviously, work is for a better life, but for work, you have to sacrifice a lot of private life;
Obviously, economic development is to improve living standards, but people accuse a person's lifestyle of not contributing to economic development;
Few people really know what they want. It is particularly valuable to be able to find your true heart and move forward in this direction unswervingly.
……
Fang Wei lifted the piece of clothes on his belly, wiped the sweat off his face, and after a short rest, he began to walk or jog slowly in the return direction.
The speed of going back was much slower than the speed of coming. When he passed the path in front of Liu Zhiyi's house again, he saw the girl again.
The sun has illuminated her yard and the narrow loess country road. The sound of cicadas surrounds her ears and the mottled shadows of the trees are cast on the ground.
Liu Zhiyi had already brushed his teeth, washed his face, and eaten breakfast, and was now practicing riding a bicycle.
She originally wanted to practice in the yard. Maybe what Fang Wei said to her just now had some effect. When Fang Wei saw her, she was sitting on a bicycle, close to the edge of the path. She pushed the ground lightly with her feet, and the bicycle started to move along the side of the road...
She had her back to Fang Wei, and all he could see was her smooth long hair, which neatly covered her entire back and made her look slender. The late summer sun, shining from the east, cast a layer of gold on her and the bicycle beneath her, and cast a shadow at her feet.
The picture of a girl practicing cycling on the roadside in the early morning sun was imprinted in Fang Wei's eyes. He felt it was beautiful... but also a little funny.
The reason why it is so beautiful is that the scene is really beautiful. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but the girl is also very beautiful. This beauty does not come from her facial features, clothes or makeup, but from the youthfulness that comes from the girl's bones.
As for what's funny... She was practicing on the bicycle, her body was stiff, her expression was tense, she was holding the handlebars tightly, her eyes were wide open and she was staring at a point in front of her. I didn't know if she was shaking or the bicycle was shaking. From the perspective of physics, if we regard her and the bicycle as a whole, then the whole thing is shaking, swaying, and looking clumsy and somewhat cute;
Fang Wei thought about this while jogging towards her.
The clattering sounds behind her penetrated into the girl's delicate ears. She did not look back, but twisted the handlebars awkwardly and used her small feet to push the bicycle, which was already very close to the side of the road, even further to the side.
"Just come out and practice. You can't learn it in the yard."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded, and she turned her head to look behind her, her little face slightly surprised.
"Fang Wei? Have you finished running?"
"Well, I saw you practicing driving when I got back. How was your practice going?"
“…establishing contact with it.”
"..."
Do you still want to pledge your loyalty by shedding blood?
Seeing Liu Zhiyi saying this seriously, Fang Wei almost laughed at her.
"So how was the connection established?"
"not so good."
Liu Zhiyi was very honest and also very frustrated, as if she and the bicycle had their own ideas. She tossed around on the bike for a long time, but this cold bike just didn't give her any response.
It was still early, so Fang Wei watched her practice driving with great interest.
"Just try riding it. I'll see how you practice."
“…Ride?”
"Uh, just show me your current progress."
"Ah."
Liu Zhiyi nodded and sat her little butt on the bike bag. Her legs were very slender, but not long enough to touch the ground. She had to tiptoe to barely stabilize the bike.
Her body was stiff, her expression was tense, and her hands were tightly gripping the handlebars. Perhaps she was a little shy because she was practicing in front of him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her lips were tightly pursed, and her beautiful big eyes were fixed on the front wheel. Then she pushed her toes lightly, and the bicycle wobbled forward a little. Before it could move forward any further, she was so scared that she quickly propped her legs up on the ground and braked the bike.
Fang Wei: “…”
Liu Zhiyi: “…”
The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
After a while, Liu Zhiyi said in a somewhat frustrated tone: "Do I, do I really have no talent for riding a bike?"
"really."
Fang Wei nodded.
So Liu Zhiyi’s eyes widened even wider.
"But talent also depends on who you compare it with. For many ordinary girls, when they first learn to drive, they are actually about the same. You are just too nervous."
“Because it’s on the roadside…”
"Hmm? Do you ride better when you're in the yard?"
“Just as bad.”
"..."
Fang Wei was about to say something, but stopped himself. He could only comfort her, "Don't worry, there are almost no cars passing by on the village roads. Even if there are cars, you can hear them from a distance. You can get off first."
"Ah."
Liu Zhiyi nodded and hurriedly got off the bicycle, breathing a sigh of relief as if he was finally liberated.
Fang Wei understood that the reason why Liu Zhiyi was nervous was probably because he lacked a sense of security, such as the sense of security of having no one to help him, the sense of security of being in a stable environment, the sense of security of maintaining balance, etc.
He got on her bicycle and rode around twice in front of her. There was nothing wrong with the bicycle.
Liu Zhiyi was even more frustrated. Seeing that he could not control the car, he felt a strange feeling...
Fang stopped the car, lowered the support frame, and then lowered the height of the seat.
"When you first learn to drive, don't adjust your seat too high. If you can put your feet flat on the ground, it will make you less nervous. Come on, try getting on the car again."
"it is good."
Liu Zhiyi got back on the bicycle. After he lowered the seat, she finally didn't have to force herself to support herself on the ground with her toes. As he said, putting her feet flat on the ground did give her a greater sense of security.
"When you practice, you don't have to be too close to the roadside. You can practice in the middle of the road."
"I'm afraid there's a car..."
"Don't worry. There are no cars on the island. You can hear motorcycles from far away. This is a small road in the village, not the main road outside. It's okay if you are brave. There are the least cars at this time."
"Ah."
After hearing what he said, Liu Zhiyi moved his bicycle to the middle of the path and suddenly felt that the area under his control was much wider.
"Practice your balance first. Use your feet to push off and try to slide as far as possible."
"Like I just did?" "Yes, I'm watching, you won't fall."
"it is good."
Liu Zhiyi listened to him and pushed the ground hard with her legs, and the bicycle slid forward on the path. After sliding for two or three meters, the power was exhausted and she stopped shakily, but because she could easily land on the ground with both feet, she did not fall, so she supported the bike with her hands on the handlebars.
This little bit of balance might be something Xu Cailing was able to do naturally when she first learned to drive, but for Liu Zhiyi, it was a remarkable improvement!
A hint of excitement appeared on Liu Zhiyi's pretty face. Without Fang Wei's words, she started to practice her sense of balance on her own.
"There is progress!"
"fine……"
Perhaps Fang Wei's guidance worked, and Liu Zhiyi trusted him even more.
"Let's feel what it's like to ride. You sit on the bike and I'll push you slowly from behind. Put your feet on the pedals and follow the speed of the chain to slowly pedal and feel it."
"Ride?"
"Yes, you have to ride it. You can't just keep pedaling. Don't worry, I'll help you hold the bike."
"sorry to bother you……"
"Try it."
"it is good."
Fang Wei started pushing the bicycle behind her, and the bike began to move forward shakily. Liu Zhiyi raised her legs and placed them on the pedals, holding the handlebars nervously with both hands, feeling the increasing speed. Her pupils trembled, and her tender chest was filled with an intense heartbeat!
"Relax a little, don't hold on too tightly."
"it is good……"
"Eyes, don't just look at the wheels, look further."
"it is good……"
"Feet, move your feet, follow the pedals and step slowly."
"it is good……"
"Very good! Keep it up!"
"good……?"
Only then did Liu Zhiyi notice that Fang Wei's voice was getting farther and farther away.
She looked back suddenly and saw Fang Wei standing at the back of the path with his hands on his hips. She didn't know when he let go of her hands, but he was smiling at her from a distance as she rode by herself!
Seeing her turn around, Fang Wei didn't have time to say anything before he heard a cry of "Ouch!" and the girl and her car plunged into the bushes beside the path...
……
Fang Wei ran over and fished out the girl and the car that had fallen to the ground.
"You didn't fall anywhere?"
Fang Wei looked at her. She looked dusty and her hair was stained with some yellow branches and leaves from the bushes. Her clean clothes were also stained with some dust. The delicate skin on her arms was slightly scratched. It must have hurt, but Liu Zhiyi was very strong and didn't say a word.
Perhaps because she had embarrassed herself, her fair face turned red.
"No, it's okay."
"It's okay. Don't be afraid of falling when riding a bike, but you can't fall all the time. You were riding well just now, so why did you lose focus?"
"I thought you were holding me from behind... and then I saw you weren't holding me, so..."
"Panic?"
"Ah."
Fang Wei was both angry and amused, and didn't know what to say to her for a moment.
"Clean it up and continue!"
"it is good……"
Naturally, Liu Zhiyi would not blame him for letting go. It was he who took the initiative to teach her the practice, and she was grateful to him. She was just worried that she might be too stupid and make him angry.
Listening to Fang Wei's words, Liu Zhiyi dusted off his body and got back on the bicycle.
Only then did she notice that she was already one or two hundred meters away from home.
This was the first time she was alone in the village so far away from home.
"Ride back, like you did just now, I'll push you from behind."
"it is good……"
After Liu Zhiyi finished speaking, she looked back at him, hesitant to speak.
"I will follow you this time, don't worry."
"Um……"
Liu Zhiyi got on the bicycle again, and Fang Wei pushed slowly from behind her, then gradually increasing the speed.
With him helping her with balance from behind, Liu Zhiyi rode very well.
So Fang Wei secretly let go of her hand. She didn't look back and continued to ride the bike well.
“Focus, relax, and look ahead.”
His voice followed her closely behind her. Liu Zhiyi felt very safe and rode more steadily.
"You're riding really well. I actually let go of my hand."
"what?!"
After learning from the last lesson, Liu Zhiyi did not look back, but at this moment, the car still shook violently.
"Don't be nervous, stay calm. Didn't I tell you that I'm following you?"
"...?"
How could she have guessed that his words 'I will follow you this time' did not include that he would not let go!
But the sound of his running and talking did follow closely behind him. Gradually, Liu Zhiyi's nervous mood and the shaking car also calmed down.
The fall just now was a good thing. At least she was not so afraid of falling anymore.
With the sense of security she felt with him by her side, Liu Zhiyi was able to successfully ride this short distance on her own.
"Okay, that's enough. Slowly apply the brakes and stop the car."
"I, I can't!"
"The left one is for the rear wheel brake, squeeze the brake slowly..."
This was still too difficult for Liu Zhiyi, who had just barely mastered the balance on a bicycle. In the end, she resorted to the foot brake method. She let go of the pedals, and her pair of small white shoes rubbed against the road surface, stopping the moving bicycle.
Fang Wei: “…”
Liu Zhiyi: “…”
The girl lowered her head in shame, her little ears, red with embarrassment, faintly visible between her hair.
Fang Wei sighed——
There is a long way to go...
(End of this chapter)
