Chapter 27
"Are you asleep, Tianer?"
Zhang Xiaotian was wearing headphones, propping up his head and looking out the window. The sound of the train hitting the rails made the moonlight even brighter. Before he could see where he was, he was traveling thousands of miles in his dream. Zhang Xiaotian felt uncomfortable sitting there, and his head felt dizzy. He wanted to rest early, but after lying in bed for a long time, as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind was full of the things that happened in the past few days, which made him feel uneasy and unable to fall asleep. Unable to fall asleep, Zhang Xiaotian simply got up and sat by the window to listen to music, brewing sleep in the rhythmic swaying. But as he listened, he seemed to hear someone calling him.
"Tian'er? Are you asleep?"
He opened his eyes and saw Lu Bai leaning over, startling both of them. Lu Bai leaned back suddenly, knocking the water bottle off the table. Zhang Xiaotian quickly reached out to catch it, thus avoiding waking up the others.
"...I thought you were asleep." Lu Bai didn't dare to speak loudly, so he just whispered, "Are you sleepy?"
After that, he felt refreshed no matter how sleepy he was. Zhang Xiaotian shook his head at him.
"Then... take a stroll?" Lu Bai pointed to the aisle. The two tiptoed to the washbasin at the end of the carriage. Across from them was a window, offering a view of the rolling mountains, resembling a herd of migrating animals in the dead of night.
"I don't know why, why am I so energetic and not sleepy at all." Lu Bai turned around and closed the door, shivering again, "It's cold at night..."
"Go get some clothes?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him, and he shook his head.
"No, it's okay." The two leaned side by side against the sink, and Lu Bai asked him again, "You were actually sleepy just now, weren't you? I woke you up."
"No." Zhang Xiaotian looked out the window. "I can't sleep well on the train."
"Then tell me if you're sleepy." Lu Bai rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a stick of gum. He tore it in half and gave one half to Zhang Xiaotian. "Time flies so fast. It feels like I just arrived yesterday and I'm leaving today. I haven't had enough fun yet."
Zhang Xiaotian took the gum and put it in his mouth, chewing it while saying, "Yesterday you said there was nothing fun in City B and you wanted to go home."
"Yeah," Lu Bai stretched lazily, "but today I can't bear to leave. What do you think is going on?"
"Who knows?" Zhang Xiaotian said, "You have to ask yourself."
"Hmph." Lu Bai smiled and sighed, "Oh, I don't want to go back! I feel uncomfortable when I think about going back to class, taking exams, and doing homework."
"You made a wish during the day to get into a good university. How can you pass the exam if you don't go to school?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him.
"I've already made a wish." Lu Bai shook his head. "It's up to the gods to make wishes come true. I'm just going to leave it to fate."
"Tsk." Zhang Xiaotian laughed at him.
During the day, all you could see was the vast expanse of fields. At night, the fields faded into the darkness, and the surrounding woods became the most prominent. The moon's shadow flickered between the branches, appearing and disappearing. Lu Bai had said he'd invited everyone out for a chat and a stroll, but now it was he who remained silent. Zhang Xiaotian didn't ask him any questions, and the two of them just stared out the window in a daze.
Lu Bai looked at Jing'er for a while, then asked Zhang Xiaotian, "Tian'er, which university do you want to apply to in the future?"
Zhang Xiaotian was stunned: "I...I haven't thought about it yet."
"Then tell me what kind of school and place you like." Lu Bai looked down at him, "Or what major do you want to study?"
Zhang Xiaotian thought for a moment and said:
"I want to study medicine."
"Yeah, study medicine." Lu Bai repeated.
"Also, your eating habits shouldn't be too different..."
"Yeah, then what?" Lu Bai nodded.
"And... the climate is similar to here?"
"Yeah... indeed, here we have hot summers and snow in winter. The four seasons are different, and there are all kinds of scenery. It's pretty good." Lu Bai smacked his lips, "It's just that the wind is strong."
"The wind is stronger in City B," Zhang Xiaotian said. "Look at the weather forecast these days. Has there ever been a blue alert?"
"Then we won't go to B University from now on." Lu Bai said.
"But the climate in City B isn't much different from ours." Zhang Xiaotian turned to look at him, "It's also different in each season."
"That's right." After hearing what Zhang Xiaotian said, Lu Bai changed the subject and said, "Besides, University B is also a very good university in our province. I don't have to worry about not being able to adapt when the time comes... But the food here has been a bit sour these past few days. It's okay for a day or two, but will it last for a long time?"
"You're ordering food here, wanting everything?" Zhang Xiaotian finally laughed. "Shouldn't you decide based on your test scores?"
"Hey, set a goal in advance, otherwise there will be no motivation in studying." Lu Bai laughed.
"Then what kind do you like?" Zhang Xiaotian also asked him.
"I haven't thought about it yet..." Lu Bai saw that the teasing in Zhang Xiaotian's eyes was becoming more and more obvious, and continued, "Don't laugh yet, I can think about it now!"
"Then think about it."
Lu Bai leaned back against the sink and crossed his legs. "I want to go to a more lively school, with students from all over the world. It's obviously different from here."
"Ah, it's different." Zhang Xiaotian drew out his voice and imitated him.
"Then we can make new friends. During the holidays, if they're willing, we can bring our new friends to meet old friends. It'll be lively and fun." Lu Bai paused and turned to Zhang Xiaotian, "Tian'er, please tell me where you got in. It doesn't matter how far it is. I'll come visit you when I'm free."
"Don't worry," Zhang Xiaotian laughed. "As for me, I'll stay at home with your old friends and wait for you to bring back new friends."
Lu Bai shook his head, his eyes shining: "That's not enough, Tian'er, as long as I'm free, I will definitely come to find you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaotian shifted his gaze from the window back to Lu Bai's face. The moon was bright tonight, but there were few stars. Zhang Xiaotian searched for a long time before finally finding two. He examined them carefully, feeling the glare piercing his eyes.
"That's a deal." He lowered his head and said in a low voice.
"Yeah." Lu Bai replied.
The night breeze blew in as the carriage swayed. Lu Bai stood up to stretch his muscles, then leaned back down. "I really want to go home. The hotel bed is not relaxing at all. I can sleep in my own bed when I go home, and my mom can make me some delicious food."
Zhang Xiaotian finally felt a little sleepy at this moment. He closed his eyes tightly and nodded.
"My mom can also make the steamed buns we had the other day. Although they're a little different from the ones in City B, they're still delicious. I love them anyway. My mom wanted to teach me how to make them, but I couldn't learn after teaching her for a long time. It really pissed her off, haha." Lu Bai laughed as he spoke, stretching out his hand to show Zhang Xiaotian, "Don't you think too highly of me? How could I possibly learn how to make them when I can barely tell the difference between my fingers? She's better off expecting me to eat more than she is to make them!"
The sleepiness came suddenly, and Zhang Xiaotian wasn't paying attention to what Lu Bai was saying when a hand reached out to him. He looked at Lu Bai's hand. The palm was thick and rough, the fingers were long, the knuckles were obvious, and the middle finger had calluses left by writing. Zhang Xiaotian wanted to rub his eyes, but as soon as he raised his hand, he forgot what he was doing and just placed his hand side by side with Lu Bai's. His hand was very thin and didn't seem as strong as Lu Bai's, as if it was just skin and bones.
"Your hands are so thin." Lu Bai also looked down, "You are thin too. When we get back, I will take you to my house for dinner. My mother cooks delicious food."
Zhang Xiaotian didn't agree, and Lu Bai didn't try to persuade him anymore. He seemed certain that Zhang Xiaotian would agree, and instead asked Zhang Xiaotian directly what he liked to eat.
"...Anything is fine." Zhang Xiaotian blinked slowly, "I'm not picky about food."
"Nonsense, you're not picky about food?" Lu Bai laughed after hearing this. "In the past few days, I've discovered that there are many things you don't like to eat. Tell me, do you dislike onions?"
Zhang Xiaotian nodded.
"Not only onions, celery, and cilantro, but you also pick out the chopped green onions from the dishes." Lu Bai became excited and began to list the foods Zhang Xiaotian didn't eat. "The other day we went out to eat steamed dumplings, and you didn't eat many. I thought you didn't eat beef, but you ate the stir-fry that night. Don't you like steamed dumplings?"
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head: "No, that one is too oily."
"Oh, I don't like oily food, not that I don't want to eat beef dumplings." Lu Bai repeated in a low voice, then asked, "Where are the carrots?"
"Eat." Zhang Xiaotian said.
"I don't like carrots, though raw ones are fine," Lu Bai continued. "My mom always cooks whatever I don't want to eat. She's always trying to put carrots in every dish. When I was little, I didn't even eat leeks. One New Year's Eve, I pretended to be sleepy and went back to my room to play games to avoid eating leek dumplings. My mom caught me red-handed and forced me to eat ten. It was hilarious."
Zhang Xiaotian also laughed: "I eat stuffed leeks and cooked carrots."
"Then come to my house for dinner. My mother will definitely be happy." Lu Bai said.
"Didn't you say I was picky about food?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him.
"I'm not that picky." Lu Bai said, "Besides, my mom can cook a lot of dishes, so it won't be difficult for her."
"You really can cause trouble for your aunt." Zhang Xiaotian smiled sullenly and yawned.
"Are you sleepy, Tian'er?" Lu Bai turned to look at him, "Shall we go back?"
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head: "No, go on, what kind of dishes does Auntie usually make?"
"Okay." Lu Bai looked at him again and continued, "I usually just cook some home-cooked dishes, which doesn't reflect my mother's level. My mother is very good at frying pot-fried pork. The ones made in restaurants outside are not as delicious as hers!"
"Really?" Zhang Xiaotian took a deep breath of cold air and felt a little more alert.
Lu Bai also took a deep breath, as if he could smell something: "Yes, it's crispy and fragrant, but it's too troublesome to make. Otherwise, I really want her to make it every day."
"Auntie is awesome." Zhang Xiaotian nodded.
"She wasn't always this good," Lu Bai said. "My dad said that when they first got married, neither of them knew how to cook. Back then, our family wasn't well off, and we couldn't eat out every day, so my mom and dad took turns cooking. But one day, my mom didn't cook the beans well enough, and that meal sent both of them to the hospital. My dad has been making fun of my mom ever since."
"Auntie, are you kidding me?" Zhang Xiaotian felt a little cold leaning against the pool, and he couldn't help but move closer to Lu Bai.
"Yeah, he made fun of my mom, saying she couldn't even stir-fry beans, and told her he'd cook from now on because he didn't want to go to the hospital again. It pissed my mom off." Lu Bai laughed at the memory. "Then my mom started looking for cooking tutorials online and went into the kitchen every chance she got. That's why she cooks so well."
"So it's your aunt who cooks at home now?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him.
Lu Bai shook his head: "That's not it, it's still my dad."
"Oh." Zhang Xiaotian nodded and couldn't help yawning again.
"Let's go back. You're sleepy." Lu Bai stood up directly this time and wanted to pull Zhang Xiaotian up. Zhang Xiaotian was still dazed. He grabbed Lu Bai's hand and said, "I'm not sleepy. I'm fine."
"You've already yawned twice." Lu Bai exerted force and Zhang Xiaotian was lifted up. He stumbled twice, and Lu Bai helped him stand up again. "Besides, there's no point in listening to me talk about this all the time."
"No." Zhang Xiaotian said in a low voice, "I quite like it..." Before he finished speaking, he woke up.
"Hmm?" Lu Bai didn't hear clearly, "What did you say?"
"Nothing." Zhang Xiaotian let go of Lu Bai's hand and walked straight to the door without raising his head. He didn't care whether Lu Bai followed him or not. "Go to sleep. I'm sleepy."
"Ah, oh!" Lu Bai was stunned for a moment, then followed Zhang Xiaotian back to his bed.
"Take all your things and don't leave them in the car."
As they were about to arrive at the station, Yin Li patted the few people still playing cards on the bus, reminding them to pack their bags. Li An, who was sitting with his legs crossed playing a game, repeated a few of the words, his eyes still glued to his phone. Someone saw this and said to Yin Li:
"Yin Li, you have to ask Li An for your salary. You can't work for nothing!"
Before he finished speaking, someone nearby started laughing, and Li An joined in, saying he'd give it to him when he got back. Yin Li's face didn't look good after hearing this, but she turned around without getting angry and smiled at Li An. "How much do you plan to pay me, squad leader? If it were you, why don't you just let me be squad leader for two days?"
The laughter in the audience got even louder. Li An chuckled twice and put his phone away without saying anything else. After Yin Li finished speaking, she didn't look at anyone else and went straight back to sit down. Lu Bai gave her a thumbs-up, and she waved her hand without saying anything.
"Well said!" Lu Bai came over, "But if you ask me, don't bother with this next time. Some people don't appreciate it at all and just want to watch the fun."
"Next time, for sure." Yin Li hugged her backpack and sighed. "I'm a worrier, trying to control everything. I deserve it."
"You are responsible." Han Chengcheng said.
"When your children get married in the future, don't live with the newlyweds. They will definitely think you are meddling in their business... cough cough cough!" Lu Bai unscrewed the water bottle and said as he drank. He accidentally choked on the water and started coughing loudly, spilling water all over himself.
"Hahaha, I told you to say that to me, you really deserve it!" Yin Li laughed wildly and threw the paper bag over. Zhang Xiaotian hurried over to pat him on the back, but before his hand touched him, he pulled it back. After holding it in for a long time, he couldn't help but say, "You're such a jerk."
"Cough cough cough!" Lu Bai didn't know if he heard it or not. He coughed until his face turned red before he gradually stopped. "...Just tell me if what I said makes sense, cough cough..."
"You bastard!" Yin Li snorted. "Old Zhang will deal with you in a couple of days."
"Why?" Lu Bai asked, "I didn't cause any trouble."
"You forgot, there is an English test when you go back. Have you reviewed it?" Han Chengcheng said.
"Damn it! I completely forgot about it." Lu Bai screamed and held his head, "It's over. I didn't even see anything!"
He howled for a long time without seeing any reaction from the others, so he lowered his hands. Seeing that the others were looking at him with sympathy, he seemed to realize something and asked tremblingly, "Could it be that...you all have reviewed?"
"I just memorized some words and read a few essays. I did it when I had time." Yin Li looked at Lu Bai jokingly, and Han Chengcheng nodded. Lu Bai looked at Zhang Xiaotian again, and sure enough, Zhang Xiaotian shook his head: "I didn't review."
"Luckily, Tian'er is here to keep me company!" Lu Bai breathed a sigh of relief. "I was saying, how could a normal person review while out having fun? You two are not human!"
"Um... well, Lu Bai, let me remind you," Han Chengcheng said tentatively, "it's just a small test, and everyone can get by with just some casual review, but you're Lao Zhang's main focus, and with your English grades..."
"Alright, alright, shh!" Lu Bai raised one hand with the palm facing the person, and with the other hand, raised the index finger and pressed it on his lips. "I understand. It would be rude to say anything more."
The three of them stopped talking and looked at Lu Bai with his head in his arms, looking up at the sky.
"What do you think? Is there a possibility that Lao Zhang forgot..." Lu Bai still held on to some hope while silently shedding tears, but was brought back to reality by others.
"Impossible! I saw Lao Zhang had already finished his exam papers before he left." Han Chengcheng wanted to laugh at his performance, but she managed to hold it back. Now her face was frozen. "I think you should stay up late and cram for the exam."
"You're on your own," Yin Li also said.
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