Sandbag throwing and dodgeball (5)
Zhao Shihua didn't know how long he slept.
I only remember that after she left the mess behind, she angrily left the teaching building. In the end, she did not go to the library, but returned to the dormitory, drank a large cup of cold medicine, and fell asleep.
The dream wasn't peaceful either, with chaotic scenes flooding through her mind: she was chased by monsters and pinned by a curse. Whether it was the effects of the drug or the sheer complexity of the dream, Zhao Shihua suddenly woke up with a dazed feeling of lost track of time. The room was dark and unlit. She pulled out her phone to check the time. Less than ten minutes before the dormitory door locked, and Xu Jiamei and Qiao Xiaoling still hadn't returned. Just as she was thinking of calling them, she faintly heard familiar laughter drifting down the hallway.
Xu Jiamei opened the door and flicked on the light. The blinding white light pierced Zhao Shihua's eyes, and he instinctively covered his head with the quilt. The other two, realizing he was resting, quickly called out to each other, "Shh!" However, their excitement was unstoppable, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter again and again.
"It's okay, I wasn't asleep."
"You're still awake? That's great!" Xu Jiamei suddenly became excited, but was alerted by the lights-out bell that rang at the same time. She lowered her voice again, "That Taiwanese movie today was pretty good. Xiaoling's recommendation was right. And guess who we ran into? It was Pei Nachuan! What a coincidence!"
Even after turning off the lights, Zhao Shihua could still see the other person's eyes sparkling with joy. After Xu Jiamei finished speaking, she patted herself and gently tucked the quilt in for her: "You go back to sleep. I have to take a shower at the speed of light!"
Lying in bed, Zhao Shihua felt nothing but envy and regret. If she had gone to the movies with them, would she have run into Pei Nachuan? And would that farce from the evening have been avoided? Thinking of Shao Yifu's blushing question, she couldn't help but shudder, goosebumps covering her skin. All her previous good wishes and silent efforts seemed to have been wasted. She even called others "toads." Zhao Shihua felt that she was the one who was truly ugly.
She didn't want to think about it anymore, so she shrank back a little into the quilt. Her eyelids drooped heavily, pulling her back into the chaotic dream.
One moment, the whole class voted, choosing her and Shao Yifu as the best partners. Before she could resist, they were tied up with red ropes. Pei Nachuan pressed the launch button and sent them aboard a spaceship to pay tribute to the aliens. She was so scared that she struggled desperately. Looking back, she saw Shao Yifu had transformed into a giant clam spirit, staring at her with two pearly eyes and asking her if she had a crush on him. A moment later, she was back in the exam room. The other students were writing furiously, but she was the only one who had no idea where to start facing the questions. Zhuo Siqi stood at the podium with his arms folded, acting as the examiner, watching everyone intently. As time passed, she was so scared that she almost cried in her sleep...
It is said that dreams in the first half of the night are opposite and dreams in the second half are positive. Zhao Shihua did not know the exact time when he had these dreams, but he only knew that the dream about aliens would definitely not come true. However, he did not expect that the latter dream would come true.
Just one weekend later, the midterm exam results came in. To show respect for the students' self-esteem, the school handed out individual report cards to each student, and the names of the top 100 students in the grade were posted on the blackboard in the corridor as an encouragement.
Daytime classes were mainly focused on reviewing exams, and there were no teachers staying after class during breaks. Yet, Zhao Shihua waited until the afternoon to check the rankings. She stood at the blackboard for a long time, staring at the names illuminated by the sunlight, unable to process the reality before her. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, constantly reminding herself that Yangcheng Middle School was a place of exceptional talent and that a low ranking was normal, she had assumed she was simply no longer at the top. Unexpectedly, she had simply fallen into the same category, her name no longer appearing on the honor roll.
What made it even harder for her to accept was that the usual 50-60 centimeters between her and her deskmate had, when translated into rankings, translated into a gap of 500-600 places. Zhuo Siqi shone at the top of the pyramid, while she was squeezed and suffocated in the middle. It turned out that having a classmate who was so much better than her was such a bittersweet experience.
Despite her feet still planted on solid ground, Zhao Shihua felt as if she were suddenly weightless and falling. She'd anticipated the steps, but she'd misjudged the height difference and tumbled headfirst. She was suddenly panicked. The illusion of being in the top 30 of Meizhou City, which had promised her admission to Peking University or Tsinghua University, felt like a black hole swallowing her whole. Not a ray of hope could escape.
Zhao Shihua subconsciously loosened his clenched fists, as if the meaning of getting into Yangcheng Middle School had suddenly faded. Winning was too hard, and losing was painful. Wouldn't it be nice to go back home and be the king of the mountain?
Upon returning to the dormitory, she saw Zhuo Siqi standing on the balcony, washing clothes. His movements were as swift and efficient as ever, but water splashed everywhere. Zhao Shihua took off her shoes and leaned against the edge of the bed, staring at her back, her fingers running up and down the ladder of the upper bunk. Finally, she spoke the words that had been lingering in her heart, trying to sound calm and natural: "Siqi, you're amazing! You got second in the grade."
The first place was from another class, Wu Mian, as far as she could remember. As for who was in third place, she couldn't remember for a moment, but it didn't matter, as the gap was still too huge to reach.
Zhuo Siqi stretched the school uniforms on the clothesline, with each piece of clothing precisely spaced apart. Then she turned around and said, "It's okay. There are still some places where you shouldn't lose points."
Zhao Shihua couldn't help but frown at this. She'd actually said something similar herself before, like at the mock exam review meeting for her third year of junior high, where she'd always habitually add, "Strive even further" or "Keep working hard to achieve even greater progress." She'd meant it sincerely at the time. After all, it was impossible to just say, "I'm very satisfied with my results, you guys can do whatever you want."
But now, as she sat in the audience, listening to the successful figures on stage admit they still had areas they weren't perfect in, she found their words somewhat jarring. They'd been taught from childhood that "humility leads to progress, pride leads to backwardness," a truth that was inherently true, but when someone achieved success, they seemed to be shackled by the very concept of humility, forgetting even the instinctive joy of a moment and instead relentlessly pursuing further progress. In contrast, Shao Yifu, who could candidly self-deprecatingly say, "Next time, I'll win the Most Improved Award," seemed unusually genuine.
Zhuo Siqi poured out the water in the basin and said something she couldn't hear clearly, only the vague second half: "...and I wasn't in second place, I was in third place."
"But what I just saw was clearly——"
"Didn't the teacher mark one of the questions wrong? Li Xuping got five extra points, so he's the top student in the class."
"Huh? Li Xuping?" Zhao Shihua was a bit confused, and after a few seconds, he remembered that Li Xuping's name was written third on the top 100 list. Perhaps this dark horse was so unexpected that he simply forgot about it because he couldn't accept it.
Yet, even as the truth slammed into her face once again with unstoppable force, Zhao Shihua still couldn't imagine that a group of four people who had come together by chance actually contained a pair of powerful figures: Li Xuping? The introverted boy who usually stayed with Shao Yifu and rarely spoke, and when he did, his words were incoherent. She had originally thought that Shao Yifu, Li Xuping, and Zhou Xin were just three cobblers, but she had never imagined that Li Xuping was the hidden Zhuge Liang.
She had the nerve to criticize him for his illogicality. It turned out his incoherence wasn't due to a lack of intelligence; quite the opposite: he was incredibly clever, jumping straight to the conclusion without needing to reason. Zhao Shihua finally understood his style of expression, but she couldn't understand why he was lumped in with Shao Yifu, whose academic performance was a world away.
If that were the case, Zhuo Siqi shouldn't be friends with her—wait, that's not right. Zhao Shihua thought about it and realized something was wrong. She'd been using grades as the criterion for friendship, but grades and reliability were two completely different things. She'd been through junior high school herself, so she clearly understood the situation best. Yet, when it didn't concern her, she easily fell into the trap of assuming good grades equated to good character.
Zhao Shihua glanced up at Zhuo Siqi again. She was already combing her hair, getting ready for evening study. Perhaps inspired by Li Xuping's "If you don't make a sound, you'll make a splash," she seemed to tense up, her entire body gearing up for battle, seemingly even faster than before. But Zhao Shihua suddenly couldn't tell whether she was upset because of her poor grades, or because she felt more upset because everyone around her was better than she was.
Faced with another unsolvable problem, Zhao Shihua felt like he was standing still. The more anxious he became, the deeper the pit he dug, making it even harder to get out.
She'd wanted to find a place to let out her frustrations, but she realized there were practically no enclosed, safe spaces on campus. The dorms were always crowded, the rooftop door was locked, and the small woods in the biology garden were probably hiding countless secrets of premature love. As for the restrooms... the ones in the teaching building and library were so crowded that lines sometimes formed. The restrooms in the office building were so eerie that it felt like a ghost story might unfold at any moment. And the restrooms near the playground, with the sports meet over and everyone's enthusiasm for sports waning, seemed to be a good option.
However, when Zhao Shihua rationally analyzed all the places and finally turned around to lock the door, she could no longer squeeze out a single emotional tear. She was not the heroine in the comics. There was no rooftop where she could cry her heart out, and no good friend waiting for her on the rooftop to listen to her heartfelt words.
All the world left her was a one-meter-square cleaning room, which she had stumbled upon during the last sports meet. She hadn't carefully read the sign on the door, and the lock was broken; a simple push opened it. It was filled with mops, brooms, buckets, rags, and other items. The afternoon sun streamed in through the high glass windows, illuminating the room with a brilliant light. Dust danced quietly in the beams, a stark contrast to her gloomy mood.
She sighed, took out her cell phone, sent a message to ask Zhao Shuhua if he was free, and then dialed the other party's number.
"Sister, are you done with get out of class?"
"I don't have classes this afternoon." The sound of a chair being moved came from the other end of the phone. Zhao Shuhua seemed to have stood up and walked away. "Have you got your midterm exam results?"
As expected, "No one knows a sister better than her sister." Zhao Shihua looked up and caught a glimpse of a spider web in the corner. "Well, it's not very good... I think it's pretty bad."
There was no response for a moment. Zhao Shihua vaguely heard the deep breath of the other end of the phone, probably thinking about how to comfort and encourage herself: "Actually——"
But for some reason, she suddenly didn't want any comfort anymore. Even though she understood the reason, she always waited for her sister to help her, which seemed too pitiful. Zhao Shihua quickly changed the topic to another equally important one: "By the way, can you come to the parents' meeting?"
"Me?!" Even though she was my biological sister, she couldn't accept the fact that she had become the elder all of a sudden.
"Mom won't be coming anyway." Zhao Shuhua even accompanied her to school registration. Zhao Shihua had given up hope on her parents, who were busy with their business. She also didn't want them to know her grades. "It's this Friday afternoon, probably around four. Can you come?"
"Friday afternoon? I think I have an appointment with a classmate..."
"Forget it, it's good that no one's here!" Zhao Shihua had lost her temper for some reason. It wasn't her sister who was wrong, but she took all her anger out on her. She just needed an outlet for her emotions, but that outlet was often directed at the people closest to her. She was clearly a coward who bullied her own way.
"What's wrong with you? It's okay, I'll just tell that classmate," Zhao Shuhua said, trying to maintain a calm tone. "Anyway, I'll be here, so don't worry."
"Whatever!" Zhao Shihua suddenly hung up the phone, her eyes instantly red. She didn't know what had gone wrong with her, and her mentality suddenly collapsed. The soldiers and generals who had been guarding the Tear Bank also fled in panic.
After a while, the screen suddenly lit up again: "I'll be here on Friday. It's okay, sister. There will be another time for the exam, and the next time, and the next time after that [hug]."
"Maybe it's my period, so I've been feeling really upset and aggrieved these past few days." Zhao Shihua took a long time to reply.
But the moment she saw her sister approaching the school gate, even though nine-tenths of her wanted to rush over to greet her, the one-tenth of her wanted to turn around and run. Amidst a crowd of parents, some slovenly with beer bellies and others lavishly dressed, Zhao Shuhua, dressed in a black suit and formal shoes, with her long hair meticulously combed into a bun, looked like a college graduate seeking a job.
"Why are you dressed... so formally?" Zhao Shihua even felt a little regretful for asking her to come.
"Aren't you here for a parents' meeting? You should at least act mature."
She's not mature at all, is she? She's just trying to hide it. Zhao Shihua glanced at the bright lipstick on her lips. Her sister, who usually wore no makeup, looked like a child secretly imitating her mother's makeup. Just as she was about to make a joke, she smelled a faint fragrance. Looking down, she saw Zhao Shuhua holding a plastic bag with a cartoon chicken printed on it in her other hand.
"What is this? Food? For me?"
"Here, I bought you some fried chicken!" Zhao Shuhua couldn't help but feel happy too when he saw his sister so easily smile. "I bought it near school. It might be a little cold now, but it should still be delicious. This shop is so popular. I spent half an hour waiting in line."
"Wow - thank you, sister!" Zhao Shihua snatched the plastic bag and hurriedly opened it to look inside.
"Don't eat it all by yourself. Share some with your roommates. Leave some space for us to eat together after the meeting!"
"I know, I know," Zhao Shihua practically put her head into the bag, "It smells so good! Do you want me to save a piece for you?"
"No need, it's not like I haven't eaten before."
Zhao Shihua was so happy that she hugged Zhao Shuhua tightly, but the latter quickly pushed her away: "Be careful, you rubbed my blush."
The sisters not only look alike, but also have similar tastes in food. Growing up in a restaurant, they rarely had the chance to enjoy snacks, especially since their grandmother was suspicious and disdainful of snacks sold outside. Whenever they craved something, they had to ask their older sister to sneak out with them. So, there's nothing a meal can't cure. If a meal isn't enough, they'll add snacks: even now, it doesn't matter if they fail a test; a good meal will make up for it.
The two chatted and laughed happily all the way, almost completely forgetting the phone call a few days ago that was shrouded in the dark cloud of exams. When they turned the corner, they caught a glimpse of the head teacher standing on the podium organizing materials.
"That's our homeroom teacher, her last name is Rong," Zhao Shihua added softly, "She's pretty strict."
"But she looks very friendly and young. She seems only a few years older than me."
In fact, if you carefully consider the situation, the homeroom teacher, Ms. Rong, is only about ten years older than them, and indeed around the same age as Zhao Shuhua. Perhaps it's the teacher-student relationship that creates the feeling of an unbridgeable gap. Furthermore, Ms. Rong's constant stern expression, despite her seemingly friendly, girl-next-door appearance, earned her the nickname "Madame Rong" shortly after school started.
Zhao Shihua felt that there was no need to greet the teacher specifically, and she felt a little guilty for not notifying her parents, so she led Zhao Shuhua in through the back door.
A classmate complimented her, "Your mother looks so young," and she replied, "She's my sister," leaving him speechless. After all, the age difference between what people generally consider an older sister isn't so great that she could attend a parent-teacher conference in their place. If they didn't look alike, they'd definitely be suspected of being hired stand-ins. Instead, Zhao Shuhua, the person involved, acted solemnly like a mother, nodding and greeting every classmate who greeted her.
Even Shao Yifu was no exception.
Since their last falling out, Zhao Shihua and Shao Yifu had practically not spoken to each other. The few times they interacted were limited to the other handing him his homework book when they handed in their homework, or the other hand passing his test paper when they were handed out. No, it wasn't even communication, as the conversation consisted of only a few monosyllables:
"Hello." Shao Yifu tapped the back of her chair with a notebook.
"Oh." Zhao Shihua stretched out his hand and took it without looking back.
It was so concise that it seemed as if saying even one more word would take a lot of effort.
The classmates nearby seemed to have vaguely sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere: Zhuo Siqi would definitely not inquire about the matter proactively given her personality, and perhaps in her opinion, a quiet presence was a good thing; Li Xuping didn't say anything either, after all, he usually only joked with acquaintances like Shao Yifu, and maintained a certain distance from other people, whether out of politeness or introversion; and Zhou Xin, one of the instigators, interpreted it as a "conflict between the young couple", but seeing that both of them had gloomy faces, he didn't dare to say anything more.
When Zhao Shihua heard the words "young couple," her hand gripping the compass trembled, and a spiral line appeared, moving away from the center of the circle. And when Zhao Shuhua smiled and said to Shao Yifu, "Hello, classmate," she seemed to see the deviating curve suddenly go off the paper. Everything was moving further and further away from her expectations.
Shao Yifu subconsciously glanced at Zhao Shihua, probably asking her what was going on. However, Zhao Shihua looked away and ignored him. When she pulled out a chair for her sister to sit down, she heard Shao Yifu reply respectfully, "Hello, Auntie?"
"She is my sister." She still didn't turn around and retorted coldly.
"Ah? Sister?"
"Right. Hello, hello!" The latter part was addressed to the parent sitting in Shao Yifu's seat. Zhao Shuhua turned, extended her hand, and bowed slightly, like a graduate who had finally received an acceptance letter. At the same time, she nudged Zhao Shihua gently with her elbow and muttered, "Why don't you say hello to others?"
Zhao Shihua wasn't a child without manners, nor was she shy. When she was little, she would shout auspicious words to receive red envelopes, and she would shout them a hundred times louder than any other child. Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Zhao Shuhua patted her back harder.
"Auntie, hello." Zhao Shihua said, lowering her head slightly. She didn't remember ever meeting Shao Yifu's mother in elementary school, so it was better to keep it a secret just in case.
"Hello," Shao Yifu's mother looked very kind, which reminded people of the idiom "kind-hearted and kind-hearted". She was the complete opposite of her own son, Shao Yifu. "What's your name?"
It was clearly just a casual exchange, a situation where even if she gave the answer, it might not be remembered, but Zhao Shihua was stunned. The three people around her couldn't help but look at her at the same time, probably confused. Was this a difficult question?
"Her name is Zhao Shihua." In the end, it was Shao Yifu, who often mispronounced her name, who reported his own name word for word.
"Hello, classmate Zhao," Shao Yifu's mother looked up at her son, "Zhao... Zhao Shihua? Wait, don't you have a classmate in elementary school named Zhao Shihua?"
Zhao Shihua suddenly heard a sharp countdown of a time bomb in her mind. She stayed where she was, staring at the ground below her feet in a loss. She wanted to turn around and run away, but her legs were so weak that she couldn't move at all.
"Oh, don't you remember? One year, your class went on an outing and a little girl nearly broke her leg. I only discovered it when I went to pick you up... Have you forgotten? I think her name was Zhao Shihua, and we even accompanied her to the People's Hospital." She turned and examined Zhao Shihua curiously. "Is that you? And I heard you guys speaking Hakka just now, so I guess I'm not mistaken, right? Or do you just happen to have the same name?"
It was too late. The shrill sirens grew more and more frequent, until finally there was a loud bang, and the illusion she had worked so hard to create collapsed.
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