Joke

On the first day of summer vacation, the cicadas were chirping even louder than on the day of the graduation ceremony.

When Feibiao went out, her mother put a box of cut watermelon in her hand, wrapped in plastic wrap, and put the box in a plastic bag to prevent leakage.

"Be careful on the road," Mom's voice came from the kitchen.

"understood."

Instead of going directly to Xia Mo's house, Fei Niao went to the station first to wait for Hua Hua—they had agreed to meet at the station.

When she arrived, Huahua hadn't arrived yet, so she stood by the checkpoint waiting, carrying a box of watermelon and a bottle of Ramune soda.

Five minutes later, Huahua rushed out of the turnstile, carrying a paper bag, and ran towards Feiniao.

"Asuka-chan!" Hana ran up to her, panting, "I'm not late, am I?"

"No, I just arrived not long ago," Asuka said, shaking her head.

"That's good!" Hua Hua said matter-of-factly, pulling her outside. "Come on, it's so hot outside."

The two walked along the road they had walked countless times toward Xia Mo's house.

The cherry blossom trees along the roadside have turned completely dark green, their thick leaves gleaming glossy in the sunlight.

The cicadas chirped in waves, as if they were having a competition to see who could make the loudest sound.

Hua Hua walked in front, with Fei Niao following beside her. Hua Hua chattered on and on about what Fei Niao had told her the night before.

"You said yesterday that Xia Jun is going to practice the oboe extra during the summer vacation?" Hua Hua asked.

"Um."

"Didn't Professor Tanaka refuse?"

"He practices at home by himself," Asuka said. "He practices with the windows closed."

Hua Hua walked a few steps in silence, then said something that surprised Fei Biao: "He's really serious. He's working so hard to keep his promise to me."

Feiniao glanced at her. Huahua's face held an expression she rarely showed—

It wasn't his usual carefree laugh, but a softer expression, as if he had been touched by something.

"So I'm going to see him." Hua Hua hugged the paper bag to her chest. "I also brought him some things."

"What is it?"

"I won't tell you." Hua Hua hid the paper bag behind her back and quickened her pace.

"It wouldn't have mattered if I had told you in advance, honestly."

The bird couldn't do anything about the flower.

Xia Mo arrived home. Hua Hua rang the doorbell and waited for about ten seconds before the door opened.

Xia Mo stood at the door, wearing a faded T-shirt and shorts, his hair a little messy, as if he had just gotten out of bed—but Fei Niao noticed a faint red mark on his lips, a trace left by the friction of the reed.

He must have been practicing for quite a while now.

"You're here?" Xia Mo's voice carried a hint of disorientation, as if she had just been interrupted.

"I've come to visit you!" Hua Hua had already changed her shoes and walked straight into the living room. "It's the first day of summer vacation, of course I have to come and play!"

Xia Mo glanced at the flying bird.

Asuka handed him the watermelon and Ramune soda, saying expressionlessly, "My mom told me to bring these."

"Thank you." Xia Mo took it and placed it on the coffee table.

The three of them sat in the living room for a while. Hua Hua opened the paper bag, took out a beautifully packaged little box, and pushed it in front of Xia Mo.

"Here you go," she said.

Xia Mo was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"Open it and take a look."

When I opened the package at the end of summer, there was a box of reeds inside—not the cheapest kind in the music store, but imported ones, with German printed on the packaging.

Feiniao recognized the brand; she had seen it in a music store before, and it was several times more expensive than the one she bought herself.

"Huahua, this must be very expensive, right?" Asuka couldn't help but ask.

"It's alright." Hua Hua waved her hand. "It's my saved-up allowance. Xia Jun, didn't you say that reeds break easily? This one is supposed to be more durable."

Xia Mo looked at the box of reeds, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Hua Hua smiled, her eyes crinkling. "You wanted me to practice the oboe, so I have to do something for you."

Asuka sat beside him, tapping her fingers lightly on her knee.

She didn't speak, but her gaze lingered on the box of reeds for a moment before shifting away.

The three of them had only exchanged a few words when Xia Mo began to fidget.

His fingers tapped lightly on his knees—not to keep time, but as an unconscious little movement, a hint of wanting to go back to his room and continue practicing.

The bird noticed it, and so did the flower.

"Xia Jun, do you want to learn the oboe?" Hua Hua asked directly.

Xia Mo didn't deny it, raising her hand to touch her ear: "Hmm... I haven't finished today's practice yet."

"Then you keep practicing!" Hua Hua jumped up from the sofa. "We can play by ourselves!"

Xia Mo hesitated for a moment and looked at the flying birds.

Asuka turned her face away: "Why are you looking at me? It's not like I'm stopping you from practicing."

"I'm going to my room now." Xia Mo stood up and pointed towards the kitchen. "There's barley tea in the fridge, help yourselves. And remember to eat the watermelon too."

He went into his room and closed the door.

A few seconds later, the sound of an oboe came from the room—thin and rustling, but very clear in the quiet living room.

They were practicing long tones, playing one note for over ten seconds, then taking a breath before playing the next one.

Hua Hua sat on the sofa, listening to that voice, and suddenly whispered, "It still doesn't sound very good."

The bird did not respond.

"But it's much better than the last time I heard it," Hua Hua said again. "The last time I came to his house for dinner, he couldn't even play such a long note."

Feiniao still didn't respond. She stood up, walked to the refrigerator, took out barley tea, poured two cups, handed one to Huahua, and drank the other herself.

The watermelon was also brought out, cut up, with red flesh and green rind, and a layer of fine water droplets condensed on the plastic wrap.

The two sat on the sofa, eating watermelon, drinking barley tea, and listening to the intermittent sound of an oboe in the room.

"So boring." Hua Hua put the watermelon rind on a plate, leaned back on the sofa, and asked, "How much longer does Xia Jun need to practice?"

"I don't know," Asuka said. "He said he has to practice several times a day."

"So what do we do? Just sit here?"

Feiniao thought for a moment and pulled out a textbook from her bag, which was already worn and curled at the edges.

The chubby panda on the cover is still there, but the pages are obviously old, the edges are worn white, and there are several handwritten notes tucked inside.

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn Chinese?" Asuka flipped open the book. "Perfect, I can review it."

Hua Hua leaned over for a look and saw that it was covered with Chinese characters and pinyin written in pencil, with notes made by Fei Niao next to it.

She exclaimed, "You've practically worn this book out from reading it so many times!"

"You have one too," said Asuka. "You didn't bring it with you."

"I didn't plan to study here," Hua Hua stuck out her tongue. "I'll just watch together."

Feiniao flipped to the middle lesson, which contained a short dialogue. She cleared her throat and read aloud in Chinese, "Hello, how have you been lately?"

Hua Hua's eyes lit up: "I know how to do that!" Then she answered in Chinese, her tone still a little off, but every word was clear: "I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

"You still remember everything you learned?" Asuka said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I thought you had forgotten everything."

"How could that be!" Hua Hua exclaimed, hands on her hips. "I review every night before bed! Although sometimes I fall asleep while reviewing..."

Feiniao couldn't help but laugh. She turned to a longer short article, a short piece about the seasons.

She read it once, and although her pronunciation wasn't perfect, it was quite fluent.

Hua Hua followed along, but paused when she got to the word "autumn," and had to read it again before she could get past it.

"I can never remember the pronunciation of the character '秋' (qiū)," Hua Hua said, frowning.

"Qiu," the bird slowed down, "its beak rounded, and the airflow directed outwards."

"qiū——qiū——" Hua Hua practiced several times and finally pronounced it correctly. She clapped her hands happily, "Foreign languages ​​are something you have to practice with someone."

"It's because you practiced a lot." Asuka turned back to the page she had just read, pointed to a sentence, and said, "Read this paragraph again."

And so the two began practicing. Asuka would correct Hana's pronunciation, and Hana would occasionally correct Asuka's intonation in return—

Although Asuka's pitch was much more accurate than hers, she could always find some minor flaws. Neither of them would admit defeat, and they would end up laughing together.

The sound of the oboe in the room was intermittent, separated by a door, like background noise.

Hua Hua read a short passage, and Fei Niao commented, "It's alright, but the tone of '是' dropped again." Hua Hua, unconvinced, read it again.

After practicing for about half an hour, Hua Hua suddenly put down the textbook.

"Asuka-chan".

"Um?"

"You tell me, Xia Jun has worked so hard, shouldn't I thank him properly?"

Feiniao paused, holding the pencil, and looked at Huahua.

"Didn't you already send the reed?"

"But I don't think it's enough." Hua Hua's eyes were bright, not the playful kind of brightness she usually had, but the kind of brightness that came from serious consideration.

"He promised me he'd practice the oboe, and he kept his word. I have to do my part in return."

"Isn't such an expensive reed enough to show your appreciation?"

"That's material," Hua Hua waved her hand. "Material things aren't enough; we need spiritual things too."

Asuka put down her pencil, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at her: "So, what are you planning to do?"

Hua Hua hugged the cushion, rested her chin on it, rolled her eyes, and suddenly grinned, revealing a sly smile.

"How about—" she deliberately dragged out the sound, as if she were telling a particularly funny joke.

"When I graduate, I'll give him the second button? Hahaha, he definitely won't dare to accept it then, he might just run away."

As Hua Hua spoke, she started laughing, laughing so hard that she bent over backwards and the cushions slipped to the ground.

The bird was stunned.

The second button.

The one closest to the heart.

This is a custom at Japanese graduation ceremonies—boys and girls give their second button to the person they like, representing giving their whole heart to that person; it is a token of love and a declaration of affection.

Hua Hua's tone was too exaggerated; it sounded like she was joking—no, not even joking, more like she was deliberately telling a lame joke and then laughing at herself.

But Asuka's fingers still gripped the hem of her skirt above her knees.

"No," she blurted out.

Her voice wasn't loud, but her tone was firm, so firm that even she herself was taken aback.

Hua Hua was also stunned for a moment, tilting her head to look at her, her smile still lingering on her face.

"Why not? I'm not really going to give it to him! Just kidding!"

The bird opened its mouth, as if to say something, but its mind was a jumbled mess.

Looking at Hua Hua's smiling face, she realized that her reaction just now had been too much.

It was clearly a joke, but she actually took it seriously.

"Because..." She lowered her head, her gaze shifting to the unopened box of whistles on the coffee table, "because the second button can't be given away casually. Not even as a joke."

Hua Hua blinked, then burst out laughing again, and patted Fei Niao on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore! Look how nervous you are. If I really went to give him the buttons, he'd probably be so scared he wouldn't dare see me for a month!"

She laughed again, then said seriously, "Let's give something else. What should we give...?"

Hua Hua started counting on her fingers, her brows furrowed, her expression as serious as if she were doing a math problem.

As she looked at her, Fei Niao suddenly realized how stupid her reaction had been.

Hua Hua is Hua Hua. When she said she wanted to give a gift, she really meant it; she didn't mean anything else.

Her "second button" story was a joke from beginning to end; she laughed at herself after telling it.

But she had already said "no," and there was no going back.

"Asuka-chan," Hana suddenly leaned in, her eyes sparkling, "what do you think we should give her?"

Asuka thought for a moment: "His oboe cleaning cloth seems to be old."

"A cleaning cloth? Isn't that too ordinary?"

"He won't care about these things."

"That's true." Hua Hua nodded. "Then how about a cleaning cloth? And what else?"

Just as the bird was about to speak, the door to the room opened.

Xia Mo came out of the room with her oboe case in her hand. She placed it next to the shoe cabinet, then went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and gulped it down.

There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his lips were a little redder than before, probably from blowing for too long.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Let's talk about what gift to give you!" Hua Hua shouted.

Xia paused for a moment, holding the water glass. She glanced at Huahua and then at Feibiao.

"No need to send it."

"We've already sent the reed, so it doesn't count!" Hua Hua said. "We need to send another one! Asuka-chan said you're missing a cleaning cloth, right?"

Summer glanced at Asuka, who turned her face away, pretending to look out the window.

"...It's old," Xia Mo said.

"Then let's use cleaning cloths!" Hua Hua clapped her hands. "Feiniao-chan, let's go buy some! Do you know where we can buy them?"

"A music store," Asuka said.

"Let's go together next week! You'll come with me to pick one!"

Asuka wanted to say, "Why don't you go by yourself?", but seeing Hana's sparkling face, the words that came out were "...Oh."

After finishing her water, Xia Mo didn't immediately return to her room. Instead, she sat down on the sofa and glanced at the unopened box of reeds on the coffee table. "Hua Hua, how about we get some cheaper ones?"

"It's alright," Hua Hua waved her hand. "I can save up my allowance."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome! You kept your promise, so of course I have to show my appreciation."

Hua Hua's tone was as relaxed as if she were talking about the nice weather today, "But you don't have to try too hard, it's okay if you don't play well, anyway I can't tell the difference between good and bad."

"No," Xia Mo said. "If you promise, you have to keep your word."

Hua Hua glanced at him, then at Fei Niao, and a smile curved her lips.

"You two," she stood up, brushing off imaginary dust from her pants, "one as stubborn as a rock, the other as unyielding as an iron plate, you're a match made in heaven."

"Hua Hua, what are you saying?" Fei Niao's face was filled with incomparable rage.

Her face turned red, her face turned red.

Xia Mo glanced at Fei Niao and wisely decided to skip the topic.

"I'm going to continue practicing." He stood up, walked back to his room, and closed the door.

The oboe sounded again, this time a short melody, intermittent, like someone walking on the road, taking a few steps and then stopping, taking a few steps and then stopping again. But it was much more coherent than the last time I heard it.

Hua Hua leaned back on the sofa, listening to the voice, and suddenly whispered, "He's really improving very quickly."

The bird did not speak.

"Asuka-chan".

"Um?"

"Why did you react so strongly just now? I was just joking when I said I was giving you the buttons." Hua Hua's voice was soft, tinged with curiosity. "Your face turned cold."

Feiniao fell silent. She looked at the cup of barley tea on the coffee table, now cold, with fine water droplets clinging to the sides, sliding down one by one and leaving a ring of water stains on the coaster.

"Because..." she began, her voice much softer than before, "because the second button is no joke."

Hua Hua said "Oh," blinked, and didn't ask any further questions. After a moment of silence, she suddenly laughed again, stretched, and said in a light tone, "Okay, okay, I know. I won't make those kinds of jokes again, so you won't get nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Asuka said.

"You're nervous."

"……No."

"have."

The bird fell silent. Flower didn't continue either, leaning back on the sofa, closing her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Only the sound of the oboe remained in the living room, drifting out from the room, thin and rustling, as if through a veil. The July wind blew in through the window, billowing the curtains, letting them fall, then billowing them again.

Feiniao picked up the cup of cold barley tea and took a sip.

It's not cold anymore.

She put down her cup and turned her gaze to the closed door.

Behind the door, Xia Mo was still practicing. One note, one breath, over and over again. He didn't know there were two girls outside; one had just made a joke about him, and the other felt a small ripple in her heart because of that joke.

Hua Hua leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes at some point, and her breathing became even and slow.

She was asleep, her pigtails hanging over her shoulders, still holding the cushion in her arms.

The bird did not wake her.

She took the reed box out of her bag, glanced at it again, and then put it back at the very back of her bag.

Outside the window, the cicadas are still chirping. One chirp after another, as if they are counting something.

The oboe's sound didn't stop.