Chapter 33 How good should it be? "It's not a joke, it's something that can be considered..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Han Jiang called out softly, "Who are you writing about?"

“Damn it/Turn back,” Jiang Yueming hurriedly said, glancing furtively at the proctor. “Do you think we’re chatting now? We can’t chat for more than five minutes. If we keep chatting, we’ll hand in our papers.”

“I’ll write about Xu Qing,” Han Jiang said, then paused for a moment before quickly changing his mind, “No, I can’t write about her, I can’t reach 600 words. If Xu Qing reads my whole rambling account, she’ll criticize me. I’ll write about Xiao Bai.”

Although writing for beginners is also a kind of diary entry, beginners won't understand it or comment on whether it's well-written or not; they'll just wag their tails at you.

Jiang Yueming did the math in his head, "Then I'll write a book."

"Books are the ladder of human progress," "There are houses of gold in books, there are beauties in books," "Read ten thousand books and your writing will flow like a god's," he even came up with famous quotes. Although these quotes seem a bit off-topic on their own, it doesn't matter, Jiang Yueming can bring them back together.

"You're not writing about Li Leshan?" Han Jiang was surprised. He had assumed Jiang Yueming would definitely write about Li Leshan. Knowing Li Leshan for a year or two was a stronger bond than knowing him for five or six years; they spent every single day together without fail, or perhaps there was no other candidate. Han Jiang figured that if this person saw the topic, they probably wouldn't even remember him.

“Li…” Jiang Yueming was silent for a while. He waved to Han Jiang, signaling him to turn back quickly and stop nagging him.

His best friend. The word "best," as the superlative of the comparative degree, carries a very strong connotation. Was Li Leshan his best friend?

And how good does it have to be to be considered the best?

During the time he knew Li Leshan, they walked to and from school together, and always spent time together during holidays. He was so familiar with Li Leshan's house that he acted like it was his own home; even Li Leshan's grandmother treated him like her own grandson. He had even slept in Li Leshan's bed, that somewhat hard wooden plank bed, at least eight or ten times. He had never even properly slept in Han Jiang's bed, and Han Jiang had never slept in his either, because he usually let Han Jiang sleep on the floor.

Being with Li Leshan was both relaxing and comfortable. Li Leshan had also taught him sign language, so the two communicated without any problems. Jiang Yueming would do exactly what Li Leshan did.

Throughout the entire exam, including the afternoon's English test, Jiang Yueming was completely distracted. The English listening comprehension section was playing, and when they reached question one, he suddenly snapped back to reality. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his head. He already didn't understand much, and this further distraction made him lose focus. He didn't need to do anything else; he just had to wait for the results to come out and for Yin Guiying to come looking for him.

It wasn't until school ended in the afternoon that Jiang Yueming finally snapped out of his daze. As usual, he waited for Li Leshan at the entrance of Class Two. Tian Xiaoyun was giving him some instructions. To get out of the situation where he would peek out every three seconds, Jiang Yueming pretended to look at the sky, the trees, and the scenery.

What would Li Leshan write?

Thinking about this made him feel a little agitated. He didn't know why, but he felt lightheaded and unsteady. This essay topic was really something—"Best Friend," such a controversial one! What if someone doesn't have a best friend? Or what if they have many friends and can't choose a best one? Why couldn't it be "My Friend" or "My Good Friend"? Good is one thing, but best is another.

Jiang Yueming pondered for a long time, then started kicking imaginary pebbles on the ground again, until Li Leshan patted him on the shoulder. The man visibly jerked, then quickly chuckled.

"What are you planning to do this weekend? Review your studies? Do practice problems?" Jiang Yueming asked.

Li Leshan noticed something was off about him, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He nodded and asked, "To the locust tree, or to my house?"

"Huai..." Jiang Yueming stammered, or rather, trembled, for some reason, "It's a tree, right? Your grandma still has to cook when we get to your house..."

Jiang Yueming had visited quite often before, and his grandmother would cook for him, serve him tea and water, and stuff him with food. Jiang Yueming said that he was already very familiar with Li Leshan, and that his grandmother didn't need to be so polite. The old woman pretended to be angry and said that it wouldn't do, that's why she had to eat more, precisely because she was familiar with Leshan.

Li Leshan never uttered a word, seemingly enjoying watching him struggle with his words and feel embarrassed, while he sat there like nothing was wrong, oblivious to everything else, focused only on... watching him feel embarrassed, huh?

Jiang Yueming always carried a bunch of snacks in his arms. He knew that his grandmother must have bought them for Li Leshan. These were all snacks, but Li Leshan didn't want to eat them, and his grandmother couldn't bear to part with them, so in the end, she gave them all to him.

"Could you help me next time? Grandma's always like this. I didn't come here just to freeload. It's like I'm here to buy things wholesale. Can't you say something?" Jiang Yueming said helplessly.

Li Leshan's inherently mischievous nature usually manifested itself at times like this. The man shrugged and gestured, saying, "I can't speak anyway."

hiss!

This guy!

How could this be!

Jiang Yueming said, "It's not like we have to make him say those words. We can just take him away or something. In short, not being able to speak is no excuse!"

So, given all these past examples, Jiang Yueming felt that things couldn't continue like this. He should encourage Li Leshan to visit his home more often. Lin Cuiqin's enthusiasm was just like his grandmother's, and he would have to make him feel embarrassed and let him know how he felt each time.

"So I have to avoid going to your house during mealtimes from now on, and I can't go all the time, I should go less often. All that food was bought for you by your grandma, if you don't eat it, who are you going to save it for? Are you saving it for the New Year?" Jiang Yueming muttered, what was wrong with him always eating all that food?

"No need." Li Leshan was silent for a while after hearing this, as if he had taken it to heart. "You don't need to avoid mealtimes, and you don't need to go less often. Just take the food I'm given. I don't like it."

Jiang Yueming was surprised that this person would take his casual remark so seriously.

Jiang Yueming took a moment to process what she said. He replied, "If you don't like it, why would Grandma buy it? Do you think you have too much money to spend? You probably don't want to eat it yourself and want to save it for Grandma, right?"

Li Leshan is like that; he's not picky about food at all. As long as you give him some food, he'll be fine. He's very easy to feed.

He didn't answer, but after a while he gestured again, "Grandma will be happy if you go. She'll be especially happy if someone talks to her."

Jiang Yueming suddenly choked up, feeling a sour and swollen feeling in his heart. He then secretly glanced at Li Leshan's expression, but couldn't tell whether the man was sad or upset.

Grandma never went to school and was barely literate. No one taught her to read, and the only thing she could write—her own name, Chunfeng—was taught to her by Li Leshan. Because of her illiteracy, Grandma couldn't understand most of what Li Leshan wrote on paper. Furthermore, Li Leshan was mute and couldn't speak either. Therefore, communication between the elderly woman and the young boy was extremely difficult. Imagine the level of communication difficulties faced by an illiterate elderly woman with a mute grandson.

Perhaps Jiang Yueming's brief silence made Li Leshan think he was speechless, and perhaps feeling embarrassed, he quickly explained, even a little anxiously, "I don't necessarily want you to go..."

“I know,” Jiang Yueming said, quickly explaining to Li Leshan, “I was just joking, you understand?”

Li Leshan was somewhat bewildered.

“Just kidding, don’t take it seriously. I want to go. I won’t go to the locust tree this weekend, I’ll go to your house instead.”

Seeing that his expression was still serious, Jiang Yueming realized that what she had said earlier was really inappropriate. He didn't feel unhappy or embarrassed. His grandmother took such good care of him, and he felt very warm inside.

"No..." Li Leshan was about to continue using sign language when Jiang Yueming suddenly grabbed his hand, preventing him from speaking further.

Jiang Yueming looked into his eyes and said, word by word, "I said I want to go, and I also like talking to Grandma. Besides, do you know that I can not only talk to Grandma, but I can also talk to you?"

Seeing his gradually calming expression, Jiang Yueming's tone also relaxed, "And this isn't a joke, it can be taken seriously."

This is the absolute truth.

Feeling Li Leshan's hand twitch, Jiang Yueming finally let go. He suddenly remembered the Chinese test he had done that morning, pondered it for a long time, hesitated for a long time, and thought about it for a long time. It wasn't until Li Leshan grabbed his arm and pulled him from the roadside onto the bridge.

A small tricycle sped past.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Leshan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Jiang Yueming stammered "Ah, ah, oh, oh" for a while, still struggling with his thoughts. He hadn't even figured out how to phrase it yet. When did he become such a slowpoke? It's just an essay, isn't it? Why is he so conflicted? What if there are other assignments in the future, the best ones...? Will he have to be this conflicted every day?

"Oh, it's nothing." Jiang Yueming chuckled awkwardly, feeling that things couldn't continue like this. He steeled himself, glanced down at the Lijiang River below, and decided to jump in rather than say it.

"That's right, my best friend. What did you write? Haha, it's my book, Han Jiang's 'Little White'. You must have written a book too, right?" Jiang Yueming touched his nose, pretending to be casual, as if it were just an ordinary, mundane remark, but it actually seemed like he was trying to cover something up.

Li Leshan was much more composed than him; his expression remained calm, but he pointed at Jiang Yueming and said, "I wrote about you."