"You can keep the clothes to wear. Some of them are too small for me now." Chen Chao pushed two boxes of clothes toward Miao Jiayan and told him.

Miao Jiayan shook his head.

"They're really too small. I grow fast. When I first came, I wasn't even 1.7 meters tall." Chen Chao was telling the truth; he had grown more than ten centimeters in these three years.

Chen Chao didn't take those books either, only a few dictionaries. He gave the rest to Miao Jiayan as well.

"Keep the notebooks and books to read," Chen Chao said, squatting on the floor and looking at the messy pile of books under the desk. "Study hard."

Whatever he said, Miao Jiayan would just nod to show he had heard, but he didn't want to say anything.

Chen Chao said, "Don't just foolishly bury your head in your homework. For the useless assignments, just copy the answers."

Miao Jiayan still just nodded.

Chen Chao looked up at him and casually brushed a small flying insect off Miao Jiayan's pants.

When Chen Chao first arrived, it was summer. Now that he was leaving, it was still the height of summer.

The day before he left, Miao Jiayan was wearing the dress, draining water in the cotton field. There had been a heavy rainstorm the previous night, and they were worried the water in the field wouldn't drain. The air was muggy like a steamer, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

Chen Chao also went to the field. By this time, there were already bollworms on the cotton. There were many bollworms this year, and despite spraying pesticide several times, they hadn't been completely eliminated.

Miao Jiayan reached out and picked a worm off Chen Chao's back. Chen Chao turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Miao Jiayan had already thrown the worm away. "There was a small leaf."

When they arrived, the air was just muggy and a bit overcast. But by the time they finished, it had started to rain.

Grandpa Miao and Grandpa Chen had both come on three-wheeled carts. Grandpa Miao took the two youngsters and left first.

The two of them sat in the back of the three-wheeler. Chen Chao's legs were cramped.

"Put them on my legs," Miao Jiayan said.

Chen Chao didn't object and directly stretched his legs out, resting them on Miao Jiayan's.

Miao Jiayan also naturally rested his hand on Chen Chao's leg.

"Brother Chao is leaving tomorrow," Chen Chao moved a little closer and said to Miao Jiayan, "I have to go back to school."

Miao Jiayan turned his head, looked at him, and only let out an "Ah" after a few seconds.

The rain pattered down. Chen Chao took off his sun jacket and held it over the two of them.

Miao Jiayan said, "You won't be coming back again."

Chen Chao didn't refute it. He knew Miao Jiayan wasn't talking about coming back for visits during holidays.

As for living long-term in one place like this, it was true that Chen Chao would not be coming back.

Back in Chen Chao's room, they both changed their clothes.

Since someone was living there every day, the mattress on the floor was never put away. Chen Chao took a shower and came out to sit on the floor. Miao Jiayan, wearing Chen Chao's T-shirt and shorts, sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Why are you growing so slowly," Chen Chao said. "They're so small on me, but they're still loose on you."

Miao Jiayan said, "It's because I'm too skinny."

"I'm not fat either," Chen Chao patted his own leg. "I'm pretty skinny too."

Miao Jiayan said, "Mm."

His disappointment was becoming hard to hide, but Chen Chao didn't have any words to comfort him.

"Don't walk to and from school by yourself. Take the school bus, or go find Ding Wentao," Chen Chao said. "If he ignores you, just follow behind him."

Miao Jiayan lowered his head and said, "Mm."

Chen Chao took his phone out of his pocket and stuffed it into Miao Jiayan's hand. "I've used this phone for several years. I'm leaving it for you to use. It's old and not worth much. Just use my SIM card. I'll text you when I get a new number. Call me if you need anything."

Miao Jiayan didn't want it, but Chen Chao kept pushing it into his hand, so Miao Jiayan just said, "Mm."

"Cat got your tongue?" Chen Chao sat by his legs, looked up at his face, and said with a smile, "Just 'mm-mm-mm-ing' over here."

Miao Jiayan's eyes were already red. He opened his mouth but still couldn't say anything.

"You have to go to high school, and you have to go to college too." Chen Chao rested his arm on Miao Jiayan's knee, leaning against him as he spoke. "This place is very small. The world outside is very big. You have to go out and see it, and so do I."

This was the second time Chen Chao had said this to him.

"If your dad comes back, come stay here. If he hits you, run."

Chen Chao raised his hand and stroked his hair, twirling a strand around his finger a couple of times. "Your hair is very beautiful, but it also brings a lot of trouble. You have to find a way to protect yourself."

Miao Jiayan didn't even say "Mm" anymore, just kept his head down. Chen Chao looked up at his eyes from below and asked, "Are you crying?"

Miao Jiayan didn't answer, nor did he shake his head.

"If you didn't really make me a little worried, I wouldn't have to fuss over you like this. It's like I'm scolding you."

This time, however, Miao Jiayan spoke. His voice was very soft. "You're not."

Chen Chao said, "Three years went by faster than I thought."

Miao Jiayan raised his hand and wiped his nose with the back of it.

"Although there are a lot of mosquitoes here, the summers are too hot, and there's a lot of dust." Chen Chao finished with a smile, then continued, "But once you get used to it, it's not so bad."

"Before I came here, I thought I'd have to walk around with a sour face for three years and leave the second it was over. Now, it's passed in a flash, and I've even stayed an extra month and a half."

Chen Chao was very handsome. Although a boy who had just graduated from junior high hadn't fully grown into his features yet, his bone structure was already clear. His brow bone and the bridge of his nose were high, and his lips were also very nice. Miao Jiayan looked at him. Right now, Chen Chao wasn't fierce at all; he was a very gentle big brother from next door.

"These three years weren't as hard as I thought they would be," Chen Chao said.

Tears fell from Miao Jiayan's eyes. His thin eyelids finally couldn't hold them back any longer.

"Even with all my issues, I was still able to live quite comfortably." Chen Chao looked into his eyes and said, "Thank you, Miao'er."

Two more tears fell. Miao Jiayan squeezed his eyes shut.

A pair of damp, cool lips trembled as they pressed against his face. At first, Chen Chao didn't react, because he was momentarily dazed by the rush of wet hair in his face.

When he did react, his breath caught in his throat. He stared at Miao Jiayan, unable to say a single word.

Miao Jiayan stood up, not daring to look at him again. Leaving behind a trembling, "Thank you, Brother Chao," he pushed open the door and ran.