Joyride

555.

On the day of my senior year graduation photos, I wanted to find An Jin and take a picture of us together to save as my homepage wallpaper. I didn't know where he was, and I couldn't find him. I ran into Qiu Yang on the way and asked him why he wasn't going to practice. He said he had taken the day off and didn't need to go because it was his birthday.

"Let's have dinner together after school?"

"I have something to do and can't go. Happy birthday."

"What will it be like to go once? There won't be many people."

"Not much, not going."

"Who are you looking for?"

"It has nothing to do with you, don't drag me down."

"I'll send you the address later. I don't have classes tomorrow, and I'm setting up the exam room next week, so I won't be in class either."

556.

The restaurant was on a back street, very close to the school. After the afternoon cram class, An Jin still hadn't replied to my text. I called him, but he didn't answer. Coming out of the institution, I ran into Qiu Yang. He grabbed me and said, "Let's go, cut the cake."

We were having hotpot. To say it wasn't crowded was a lie. Half were from my class, and the other half seemed like junior high school classmates. They looked familiar, but I couldn't remember their names. I didn't say a word the whole time, just thinking about when An Jin would text me back. After a long wait, Qiu Ju arrived and asked the question I'd been wanting to ask the most: why did Qiu Yang forget to order the cake?

"I make a wish every year, but it never comes true. I won't eat it this year because I'm angry," said Qiu Yang.

Qiu Ju pulled up a stool and sat next to me, chatting with us about their high school days. He said he'd also been at No. 1 Middle School, back when Old Li wasn't the Dean of Students and wasn't as aggressive. He also recounted his freshman year of high school, when SARS hit, and how they'd gather in the playground every day before and after school to queue up for a huge pot of soup.

"What is a big pot of soup?" I asked.

"It was Isatis root. Everyone got a paper cup and was allowed to leave after finishing the drink. Conditions were not good back then, so your generation was still very lucky..."

I barely listened to what they talked about afterwards. The atmosphere was so strange. Qiu Yang kept looking my way, and they'd start to boo me if I sneezed. I was just dazed. When the party ended, Ju Ge's boyfriend came to pick him up. They looked very close, and I guess it was still the same person from back then.

"This motorcycle is beautiful. How can I buy it?" I asked Qiu Ju.

"This model is very old. If you want a new one, you'd better go to the provincial capital and take a look at it in the store," he said.

"Never mind."

"Why not? The provincial capital isn't far from here."

"Too lazy to run."

"Are you in love?" he suddenly asked me.

"No."

"Then Qiu Yang, isn't that all his happiness for nothing? I thought you two were talking before you came here."

"No, I don't like him."

"You still don't like me after all these years. Are you so hard to pursue?"

I don't want to talk anymore, Qiu Ju said again,

"If you like this one, I can give it to you at a low price. I just want to buy a new one. Do you know how to ride it? If not, let Qiu Yang teach you."

"Need not."

557.

I didn't need his instruction, but I wanted this one. Old is better, and I wouldn't mind if it got scratched. Learning to ride a scooter isn't hard; you'll get the hang of it after a few falls. But before I got the hang of it, I fell so many times I wanted to give up. Qiu Ju collected the fee, said he'd give me two helmets, and asked me to save his number. He told me to get a license when I had time. If I didn't have one, I could practice on the outskirts of town and avoid crowded areas where I'd be fined.

"Are you an adult?"

"It was made last year."

"Oh, you're older than Qiu Yang? No wonder."

......

558.

The college entrance examination was over soon. An Jin was assigned to the No. 4 Middle School examination room. I went to pick him up after the exam. I said I would take him for a ride, but he was afraid to sit in it. He asked me if this car had been modified. I said,

"I don't know inside, but there shouldn't be any outside."

"I'm scared."

"Are you so timid?"

"Where are we going to eat?"

"Is there anything good to eat nearby?"

“Yes, but you have to queue.”

"Then you go line up first, I'll find a place to park."

"OK."

"How did you do on the test?"

"It's okay. Math isn't difficult."

"Well, go ahead and I'll call you later."

559.

After dinner, he said he was going home and would see me another day. We couldn't go to the concert together in July, and within a few days after his exams, he found various part-time jobs to make ends meet. He washed dishes at restaurants, sold tickets at movie theaters, and distributed flyers on the shopping street, all for 10 yuan an hour. I thought the hourly wage was too low, but he thought it was good to have a part-time job. He worked several jobs a day, so busy that the only text messages I received were about him going to work, leaving work, and then going back to work.

Senior: Rest today.

Me: I don’t have class tomorrow.

Me: Eat together?

Senior: It depends.

Senior: We provide food and lodging here, so why not go to the movies together? There's a discount.

Me: OK.

Me: What are you looking at?

Senior: Horror movie.

I don't like horror movies, but he does. I'd already bought the tickets, but he had to work overtime, so he couldn't come. When I went to see it on my own, I found Qiu Yang was there, and Wulin City is pretty small. I left before the movie was over.

560.

While An Jin was busy at work, I found time to get my driver's license. But he's still afraid to sit behind me, saying it's unsafe. He also said he's afraid of the kitchen and fire. I thought, what a coincidence, one is afraid of water and the other is afraid of fire.

"Did you see that movie?"

"I've seen it, it's just average."

"What's it about?"

"It tells the story of a male protagonist who suffers from schizophrenia and falls in love with a non-existent person." This is what I saw online.

"Falling in love with my own illusion?"

"You could say that."

“In reality, there seem to be very few people with schizophrenia.”

"I don't know, but I've seen it." I saw it when I was two or three years old.

"What kind?"

"When he's not sick, he looks just like a normal person. But when he's sick, he sees his arm as a snake and wants to cut it with a knife."

"So scary? You didn't lie to me?"

"I'm not lying to you."