Social Practice
It was Friday afternoon, the last self-study class. The chirping of cicadas outside the window made the air sticky. Li Huaizhou hunched over his desk, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the edge of his textbook, his blue hair drooping behind his ears, covering half his eyes—until Ji Jiancheng's elbow slammed into his shoulder, so hard that he nearly stabbed his pen into his workbook.
"Wake up, wake up, don't sleep anymore!" Ji Jiancheng came over, his voice low but his excitement could not be concealed, "We don't have to go to the next class. Sister Zhou said we can go buy things for social practice early. Do you want to go?" Li Huaizhou rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Shen Qitang at the table in front of him, turning back and shaking the shopping bag in his hand at him, his mouth curved: "Let's go, it is said that there is not even a canteen at the base. If we don't stock up on snacks, won't we be bored to death for four days?"
He wanted to shake his head—he was lucky enough to have enough money in his pocket to buy two boxes of instant noodles. There was no need to join in the fun. But when he glanced at the seat next to him, Xie Mo had just closed his book, the tip of his pen made a final horizontal line on his notebook, and turned his head to look at him, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes: "Want to go together?"
His fingertips clenched on the table. The pear candy Xie Mo had stuffed him with yesterday was still there—the wrapper was flattened and folded in his pocket. Li Huaizhou's Adam's apple moved, and the word "no" that was about to come out of his mouth suddenly changed direction: "...Okay."
The back door of the classroom was gently pushed open, and the four of them walked out together. The hallway was filled with noise, with only the setting sun slanting in through the windows, casting long spots of light on the ground. Chen Qitang walked in front, clutching a list in his hand, muttering to himself, "Tomato-flavored potato chips, chocolate... Oh, Huaizhou, would you like some biscuits? The salty kind."
"No need." Li Huaizhou followed behind, his hands in his trouser pockets, his fingertips rubbing the wrinkled candy wrapper in his pocket, "I'll just buy something casually." Ji Jiancheng immediately said, "What's the point of buying anything? I heard the food at the base tastes like pig food. Can you handle it without snacks?" He reached out to hook his shoulder, "It's okay, I have money, just take whatever you want. If it's not enough, I'll get two boxes of chocolates..."
"No need." Li Huaizhou gently pulled his hand down, his tone calm, but it made Ji Jiancheng stunned for a moment - he knew Li Huaizhou's temper, he didn't like to owe favors to others, nor did he like people staring at his embarrassment. Just as he was about to say something else, Xie Mo suddenly said: "I want to buy some cookies too, let's take a look together?" The topic was gently changed, and Ji Jiancheng immediately said: "Yes, yes, Xie Mo, do you want potato chips too? The tomato flavor is super delicious."
The four of them chatted all the way to the convenience store at the school gate. The wind chimes on the glass door jingled. The cold air hit them. Shen Qitang went straight to the snack area. Ji Jiancheng followed behind, reaching for the potato chips on the shelf. Xie Mo stood at the door and waited for a few seconds. Seeing that Li Huaizhou was still standing there, he walked over and lowered his voice: "Let's go, baby, it's cold outside." Xie Mo seemed to like calling Li Huaizhou "baby" when they were alone. Li Huaizhou had argued with him about this, thinking that the name was too corny.
Li Huaizhou hummed, and followed him in. The shelves in the convenience store were not high, and the warm yellow light shone on the goods. He didn't go to the snack area, but instead walked around to the instant noodle shelf at the back, and ran his fingertips over the packaging - the cheapest was the braised beef noodles, 3.5 yuan a pack. He felt that the instant noodles would taste better than the ones at the practice base. Just as he was about to reach out to take them, his wrist was gently held down. Xie Mo stood beside him, holding a piece of instant food in his hand: "You can't just eat instant noodles, it will make your stomach uncomfortable."
Li Huaizhou held the instant noodle bucket, his fingertips a little stiff. Xie Mo smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the snack area. Li Huaizhou followed behind, watching him reach for a bag of soda crackers, then a bag of nuts, and finally stop at the candy section - he picked up a whole bag of Alps lollipops with a picture of a smiling pear on them, paired with poured milk, and turned to hand it to him: "Eat one when your mouth is tasteless."
Li Huaizhou pinched the strap, rubbing his fingertips over the pattern on it, and suddenly felt a little warm in his eyes - he had never been cared about so much by others, even such a small matter as "no taste in the mouth" was taken to heart. "I'll buy it myself." He put the candy on the shelf, but Xie Mo held his hand. "No need," Xie Mo's fingertips gently rubbed the back of his hand, and the warmth made his heart skip a beat, "consider it a loan from me, and when the social practice is over, you can treat me to tomato and egg noodles."
Li Huaizhou couldn't refuse. Holding the tape, he followed Xie Mo to the cashier counter and saw Ji Jiancheng piling potato chips and chocolate jelly onto the counter. Shen Qitang muttered beside him, "There's still one pack of sausages missing. Ji Jiancheng, did you forget to take it?"
"Ah? Is there any?" Ji Jiancheng scratched his head and was about to turn around to get it, but Xie Mo put the nuts and biscuits in his hand on the counter and said to the cashier: "Please give me another pack of ham sausage, thank you." The sound of the cashier scanning the code rang out. Li Huaizhou, holding the fast food and candy boxes, stood beside him and suddenly felt that the things in his hands became heavier.
After paying, the four of them carried their bags and headed towards school. The setting sun stretched their shadows very long. Ji Jiancheng and Shen Qitang walked in front, arguing over what clothes to pack for the next day. Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou walked behind, their bags occasionally bumping against each other.
"Remember to get up early tomorrow morning," Xie Mo suddenly said, his voice a little soft in the wind, "Teacher Zhou said to gather in the playground at 7 o'clock, don't be late."
"I see." Li Huaizhou nodded and turned his head to look at him. The setting sun fell on the tips of Xie Mo's hair, casting a light golden light. The lines of his profile were soft, like an illustration in a textbook. He suddenly remembered the warmth of Xie Mo's hand in the convenience store just now. His heart felt like it was gently bumped by something, soft and limp.
"Xie Mo," he suddenly said, his voice a little low, "the candy just now, I..."
"Let's talk about it when we get back." Xie Mo interrupted him, his lips curled up, and he reached out to gently touch the blue hair behind his ear. "You live nearby, take the things back, you still have to go to the base tomorrow." Li Huaizhou said "hmm" and said nothing more. The candy box in his hand was a little warm from holding it, and the sweetness in the candy wrapper seemed to seep out, slowly spreading into his heart, dispelling the embarrassment just now.
At seven o'clock the next morning, the playground was already packed with people. Li Huaizhou, backpack on his back and a bag of snacks in hand, had just walked into the class line when Ji Jiancheng pulled him over. "You're finally here! Sister Zhou was just asking about you." He peered into his bag and asked, "Is this all you brought? Is it enough?"
"It's not like we're going to the wilderness to survive," Li Huaizhou said, moving his backpack behind him. He glanced at the side. Xie Mo was already standing there, carrying a black backpack and a small bag. He nodded when he saw him looking at him. Not long after, the school leaders stood on the podium and gave a speech. The content was nothing more than "pay attention to safety," "obey discipline," and "cherish the opportunity of social practice," which made people drowsy. Ji Jiancheng grumbled quietly beside him, "It's like military training after all this talk."
Li Huaizhou didn't respond, simply staring at Shen Jianhong, who was standing at the podium. The Dean of Education was still wearing his dark blue uniform, the collar buttoned tightly shut. His eyes, behind his spectacles, scanned the crowd before finally settling on his rustling blue hair. His brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't come over to reprimand him as usual. Perhaps he was used to it, and didn't see the need to make a fuss about his hair.
After the leader finished speaking, everyone carried their luggage and headed for the bus at the school gate. Li Huaizhou was squeezed in the crowd. Just as he was about to get on the bus, Xie Mo grabbed his wrist and said, "Slow down, don't squeeze." Then he pulled him aside and let him get on the bus first. The bus seats were two people per row. Ji Jiancheng and another boy who was on good terms with him grabbed the front row seats. Shen Qitang sat with the other girls in the class. Li Huaizhou was about to find an empty seat by the window when Xie Mo handed him a bottle of water and said, "Sit here, by the window, you can get some fresh air."
He nodded, sat down next to Xie Mo, and placed his backpack on his lap. The bus slowly started moving, the scenery outside the window slowly receding, and the students in front chattered loudly. Xie Mo dug out a pair of headphones from his backpack and gave one to Li Huaizhou. He turned his head and asked him, "Want to get some sleep? It'll take more than three hours to get to the base."
"No need." Li Huaizhou took it and put it on, staring out the window—the farmland and trees receded rapidly, as if stretched into a blur of colors. He suddenly remembered that when he packed his luggage last night, he put the crumpled candy wrapper in the side pocket of his schoolbag, and put it together with the one Xie Mo had given him today, which he had unwrapped one by one. The two candies felt like warmth hidden in his pocket.
Xie Mo said nothing more, put on some music, and turned to look out the window. The sunlight shone through the glass, falling on his face, and his eyelashes cast a faint shadow. Li Huaizhou stared at the shadow for a while, and then he actually fell asleep, his head accidentally resting on Xie Mo's shoulder. More than three hours later, the bus finally stopped at the gate of the base. The gate of the base was made of iron, painted red, with the words "Youth Social Practice Base" written on it. Several instructors in camouflage uniforms stood at the gate, with serious expressions, holding lists in their hands, and were calling out names one by one.
"Everyone line up according to class," the instructor's voice boomed. "Go to the dormitories to put your luggage away first. Gather on the playground in ten minutes for the opening ceremony!"
The dormitory had bunk beds, six people to a room, no air conditioning, only a slow-moving ceiling fan. Li Huaizhou was assigned to the upper bunk, and just as he put his schoolbag on it, Ji Jiancheng came over and said, "This place is too shabby!"
Another boy, Jiang Changnan, was making the bed. He turned around and said, "Be content. I heard that the bed here is much better than the one the seniors from the previous class had."
Li Huaizhou said nothing, but placed the bag of snacks next to his pillow. Just as he was about to head to the lower bunk, he saw Xie Mo walk in from the doorway. He had been assigned to the upper bunk and was just reaching out to put his schoolbag on it. Seeing Li Huaizhou looking over, Xie Mo smiled at him. Ten minutes later, everyone gathered in the playground. The opening ceremony was similar to the morning's, with nothing more than the instructor's lecture and speeches from the school leaders. The autumn wind made people's heads ache. Li Huaizhou stood in the team, listening until he was drowsy. After finally making it through the ceremony, the instructor began to assign tasks: "In the morning, we will have queue training, in the afternoon, we will visit the base's museum, and in the evening, we will gather at 7 o'clock to study and organize our housekeeping!"
The drill was even more tiring than expected. Standing at attention, at ease, at attention, and marching in step—the instructor's requirements were incredibly strict. The slightest movement would result in a reprimand. Li Huaizhou felt his legs go numb as he stood in the queue. Ji Jiancheng, standing next to him, grumbled quietly, "This instructor is too harsh! We've been standing there for half an hour, and we're not even allowed to move." As soon as he finished speaking, he received a glare from the instructor, "That boy in the back, you're talking! Add ten more minutes!"
Ji Jiancheng shut up instantly, standing straight with a bitter face. Li Huaizhou couldn't help but curl his lips, but was caught by the instructor's gaze: "You with dyed hair, what are you laughing at? Step out of line and stand in front!" His heart skipped a beat, and he had no choice but to step out of line and stand in front of the team. The eyes of the classmates around him were all on him, with curiosity, sympathy, and some gloating. After standing for about twenty minutes, the instructor let him return to the team. Li Huaizhou walked back to the team, and just as he stood still, he felt his arm being gently touched - Xie Mo was standing next to him, quietly handed him a tissue, and said in a very low voice: "Wipe the sweat off your face"
He took the tissue, and his fingertips touched Xie Mo's hand, which was so warm that his heart tightened. When he lowered his head to wipe the sweat off his face, he could just see the profile of Xie Mo. He was standing straight, but he glanced at him from time to time, with a little worry in his eyes. Li Huaizhou pinched the tissue, and suddenly felt that the grievance he had just felt seemed to be dispelled a lot by this little warmth. The morning training was finally over, and everyone dragged their tired bodies to the cafeteria for dinner. The food in the cafeteria was pitifully simple, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, a plate of potatoes and chicken stew, and a bowl of clear soup, but there was enough rice. Ji Jiancheng took two mouthfuls of rice, frowned and said, "This meal is too bad. I should have brought more snacks earlier."
Shen Qitang nodded, took out a sausage from his pocket, broke it into two pieces, handed one to Ji Jiancheng, and the other to Li Huaizhou: "It's a snack first, after visiting the museum in the afternoon, we can have a snack in the evening."
Li Huaizhou said nothing, lowering his head to eat the rice in his bowl. After a few bites, he felt a chicken leg in his bowl - Xie Mo was sitting opposite him, using chopsticks to pass the meat from his bowl to him, and whispered, "Eat more, you still have to walk in the afternoon." He raised his head and met Xie Mo's eyes, which were filled with a gentle smile. Li Huaizhou said nothing, but ate the potato.
This afternoon's museum visit was even more boring than I'd imagined. The guide, using a megaphone, slowly introduced the exhibits, which consisted of old farm tools and photographs. I felt even sleepier than I had that morning. By the end of the tour, it was already past five in the afternoon. Everyone dragged their exhausted bodies back to the dormitories. Just as we were about to rest, the instructor blew a whistle downstairs: "Everyone, gather downstairs for housekeeping and study!"
The instructor took a quilt and demonstrated how to fold it into a "tofu block," requiring neat corners and straight lines. Li Huaizhou followed suit, but no matter how he folded it, the quilt was always crooked, like a crumpled piece of bread. Ji Jiancheng, standing next to him, was no better. He frowned and said, "This is too difficult. How can I cover myself with it at night if it's folded like this?"
Xie Mo seemed to be a very quick student. After listening to the instructions once, he folded his quilt into a standard "tofu block". Seeing that Li Huaizhou was still struggling with the quilt, he walked over, squatted beside his bed, and whispered: "I will teach you"
His voice was very soft as he taught Li Huaizhou how to fold the quilt step by step. His fingertips would occasionally touch Li Huaizhou's hand, and the warmth made his heart skip a beat. Li Huaizhou followed Xie Mo's steps and folded it slowly. Although the quilt he folded was still a little crooked, it was much better than before.
"Not bad," Xie Mo's tone was still gentle and patient. Li Huaizhou suddenly laughed, looking at the quilt on the bed, and said helplessly, "Mr. Xie, do you treat me like a child?" Xie Mo didn't say anything, as if acquiescing. At around seven o'clock in the evening, all the tasks were finally completed. Everyone returned to the dormitory, too tired to move. Ji Jiancheng collapsed on the bed, wailing, "I'm so tired, this is not social practice, it's clearly a devilish military training!"
Jiang Changnan took out his phone and checked the time: "Hurry up and wash up. I heard that the lights will be turned off at 10 pm. If you don't wash up now, there will be no water." Li Huaizhou got up from the bed, picked up the washbasin and towel, and was about to go out when Ji Jiancheng sat up from the bed: "Wait for me, let's go together."
The two of them carried the washbasin and walked towards the bathroom. The corridor was very quiet, with only the sound of footsteps echoing.
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