Chapter 133 Overcoming One Challenge After Another "Lele, I really hope you get better..."
Ultimately, Jiang Yueming chose a school in the south. Perhaps he had come to terms with it, realizing that life isn't just about one person, and that he wasn't carrying the burdens of his own life alone. Or perhaps there was something else entirely, but he simply made this final decision.
The admission notices have been sent out one after another in the past few days, but it seems that they are sent out in batches. In any case, Li Leshan's was the first to receive it.
During the video call, Li Leshan showed him the admission notice. To be honest, graduates from good universities are indeed high-class; just having it gives off an air of sophistication.
"When will your notification be sent out?" Li Leshan asked him.
"Oh," Jiang Yueming's attention wasn't really on the admission notice; it was mostly on Li Leshan's face. Even compared to Tsinghua University, Li Leshan was incomparable to him. "Let's wait a few days. How can we compare to you? I'll ask my aunt and the others to come and see your admission notice."
"Lin Tiantian! Come here right now!" Jiang Yueming shouted behind him, "Hurry up, you have to get into this school someday, you know?"
Li Leshan smiled and said, "Don't even mention Tian Tian, she's still young, she'll definitely be able to do it in the future."
"Stop flattering her, okay?" Jiang Yueming pulled Tian Tian close. "Give your brother Leshan a heads-up."
"Brother Leshan, congratulations!" A sweet face appeared in the video, smiling broadly. "I missed you so much! My brother is never home, and when he does come back, all he does is bully me..."
“If you want to complain, then go away,” Jiang Yueming suddenly picked up her phone, ignoring Tian Tian’s shouts on the other end. “Come on, Auntie, let me show you the top scorer’s admission notice.”
Li Leshan greeted his aunt. Perhaps due to the busyness of the past year, she looked more tired in the photos than he remembered, and had a few more gray hairs. However, her smile remained unchanged, still so gentle. "Leshan, do you still remember your aunt? Your aunt misses you too. How are you doing over there? I saw the admission notice. Oh dear, it must be very hard."
Li Leshan's nose suddenly stung with tears. He first nodded, meaning that he certainly remembered his aunt and that she was doing well, then shook his head, meaning that he was not having a hard time.
“Your aunt is usually busy and hasn’t been back to see you much,” Lin Cuiqin said with emotion, feeling that Li Leshan had changed a lot in the past year. “Take good care of yourself over there. If anything happens, just tell Yueming. I’ll have Yueming transfer some money to you later for when you go to university. Please don’t refuse it; it’s all from your aunt’s heart…”
Before Li Leshan could refuse, the camera switched to Jiang Yueming's face, "Did you hear that? Don't refuse. Cui Cui is probably wiping away tears, don't let her worry about it anymore."
“I really don’t want it,” Li Leshan said in sign language, expressing his heartfelt gratitude, which he would never forget. “I don’t know how to thank my aunt and you.”
"You're doing well, that's something to thank her for." Jiang Yueming looked at Li Leshan and continued, "As for me, don't thank me, don't say those things. Wouldn't it be too unfair to you if I didn't treat you better?"
"Lele, do you know, there are really people in this world who don't want anything or want anything, but insist on hoping for something. We just hope you are doing well."
Looking at Li Leshan's slightly reddened eyes and the way he avoided looking directly at the camera, he felt a pang of sadness himself. He whispered, "When you're sad, I'm sad too; when you're happy, I'm happy too. Lele, I truly wish you well."
He knew that Li Leshan also hoped that he would be well. The feeling of separation was unbearable, and it hurt. If it weren't for hoping that he would be well, Li Leshan wouldn't have been so stubborn in wanting him to stay here.
"Seriously, remember to keep it." Jiang Yueming looked at him, a little helpless, but with a hint of comfort and teasing. "Lift your face up so I can see you. If you don't look at it, I'm hanging up."
Li Leshan only reacted after hearing this, slowly raising his head, "I understand, remember to let me know when your admission notice comes."
“Okay—” Jiang Yueming laughed, “Well, then I won’t bother you anymore. You have to go and share the good news with a lot of people. Let me guess, your homeroom teacher, Lao Wu, and Yin Guiying, right? They’re probably eagerly waiting, haha.”
Indeed. Now that you mention it, the workload is quite substantial.
Li Leshan will have to take his admission notice back to Shishi High School, No. 1 Middle School, and Tieta Primary School in a while. It's not that he wants to show off, but he also needs to take a picture and keep a record. To borrow Wu Jinzhong's words, he'll be an outstanding alumnus from now on. Just posting that photo at the gate will be a living admission brochure. It's much better than the teachers in their admissions office talking themselves hoarse with pamphlets.
Wu Jinzhong stood at the entrance of the school from afar to greet him, practically making a point of having him walk on a red carpet. A banner was also set up at the entrance, red with yellow lettering, brightly proclaiming, "Congratulations to Li Leshan, an outstanding graduate of our school's Class of 2007, for achieving a score of 723 in the college entrance examination!"
Li Leshan was a little embarrassed. He had already caused this scene at Shigao High School, and now that it was happening again, he was not only not used to it, but even more embarrassed.
"Come, come, let the teacher take a look..." Wu Jinzhong waved his hand.
Li Leshan handed over the notification letter.
"Oh dear, what do you mean!" Wu Jinzhong said with a beaming smile. "The teacher was just looking at you, not expecting to see the Tsinghua University admission letter!"
In reality, his eyes never left the notice, Li Leshan thought to himself, he's still the same after all these years.
After taking photos and videos and completing the entire process, Wu Jinzhong finally had time to sit down and have a proper chat with Li Leshan.
“You don’t know, I praise myself every year for having such a worry-free student,” Wu Jinzhong said with a gratified smile. “I knew you could do it, you’re amazing! You’ve grown quite a bit taller over the years, and look how handsome you are. I’ve been teaching my whole life…”
After praising Li Leshan, he asked about Jiang Yueming, "Where's Yueming? Why didn't he come with us? You two were inseparable back in school. I wonder how his exams went. That kid is smart, but a bit mischievous..."
Wu Jinzhong was unaware that Jiang Yueming had gone south, as he hadn't specifically gone to say goodbye when he left. Only a few close friends probably knew about it.
Li Leshan typed on his phone for Wu Jinzhong to see, meaning that he went to the south during his senior year of high school, did well on the exam, and filled in schools in the south as his college application.
Wu Jinzhong carefully examined it, saying "Oh!" several times. "Nanjing University of Technology is great, it's a good school. Good job, Yueming did well on the exam, you two are both amazing!"
Wu Jinzhong was satisfied and relieved. Looking at the tall boy in front of him, he felt very gratified. He had been Li Leshan's homeroom teacher for three years and knew that the boy had a tough time. Seeing him getting better and better, he felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
This scene indeed played out three times. When he came out of the Iron Pagoda Elementary School, Yin Guiying and Tian Xiaoyun held his hands, telling him to take care of himself and to remember to contact them if anything happened.
This gratitude came from the bottom of his heart; no matter how low he bowed, it couldn't express the gratitude in his heart. He thought that he had no way to repay them, so he could only carry the expectations of his teachers and keep moving forward. He couldn't let them down.
The setting sun cast its light on Li Leshan's shoulders as he walked back to Third Alley, having finished all his work. The future that had once seemed so uncertain now felt much more real to him. Li Leshan faced the setting sun and squinted his eyes.
The bag clearly only contained an acceptance letter, yet it felt incredibly heavy at that moment.
Li Leshan straightened his back. Although the future was unclear at this moment, he was fortunate that he still had a future. Looking back on this journey, he had grown up through hardship and struggle, with tears mixed with blood and sweat staining the path he had traveled.
What lies ahead? Are there still mountains to climb? Are there still hurdles to overcome? Are there still great rivers to cross? Li Leshan didn't know what lay ahead, but no matter what, even if he had to kneel or crawl, he would raise his head.
Every obstacle is difficult, but he'll overcome them all. Bring it on, no matter which one it is. He has nothing left to lose.
Li Leshan wanted to make a copy of the notification letter and burn it for his grandmother. If she could see it, she would be so happy, seeing her grandson truly become successful. He could finally live a good life now, but he could no longer take her with him.
He slowly walked to the supermarket at the entrance of the third alley, where there was a photocopying machine. The supermarket owner saw Li Leshan from afar and waved to him.
Li Leshan quickened his pace, taking his schoolbag off his shoulder as he went.
The moment he unzipped the bag and saw what was inside, he froze on the spot.
Four stacks of money wrapped in envelopes were quietly placed in the bag next to the admission notices. It was unclear when they were put there; some were from Zhang Fang, some from Wu Jinzhong, some from Yin Guiying, and some from Tian Xiaoyun.
Li Leshan's eyes instantly welled up with tears. He didn't know what he had done to deserve so many good people and so many people who wanted him to be well.
The hardships of growing up are indeed unbearable, but the support and encouragement along the way are what are most touching. He is no longer afraid of those bitternesses, those difficulties, or the pain that has been etched on his body. He is no longer afraid of storms or injuries; he is only occasionally blurred with tears.
/
At the end of August, Li Leshan packed his bags and prepared to leave Shengping.
This time of year is the most beautiful in Shengping. Although it's a bit hot, the locust, sycamore, and camphor trees are all in full bloom. The Virginia creeper and trumpet vine growing in the corners of the walls are also climbing vigorously. This scene blends peacefully into every everyday landscape.
On his last night before leaving, Li Leshan rode his bicycle around Shengping. From Sanxiang to the vegetable market, then to Lijiang Bridge, Zhonghua Market... finally, his bicycle slowly came to a stop on an overpass.
A gentle evening breeze blew, ruffling his hair. Li Leshan stood on the overpass, looking down at everything in Shengping. Every corner of this place was strangely familiar; he had walked through it countless times in his memory. Those corners that he might not have glanced at before were now being looked at by Li Leshan again and again.
He stared at one spot for a long time; the road led to the highway, the only way out. There was a time when Li Leshan often stood here, looking down at the flow of traffic. He knew the road was there; it was just a matter of whether he could walk out. This time, he could finally walk out with his head held high.
It was late at night. Li Leshan didn't know how long he had been sitting before he got up and went back to the third alley. As he passed the supermarket at the alley entrance, he glanced at the marks on the wall.
The marks made with red bricks on the wall, after many years, have become less clear due to wind, sun, and rain. They had agreed with Jiang Yueming to come here periodically to measure their height and growth, but one day they never returned.
This gap lasted for three years; it turns out that a period of time can actually last for three years.
His height stopped at 1.75 meters and didn't increase any further. Li Leshan picked up a small piece of red brick from the ground and roughly drew a line on the top of his head, comparing it to the wall.
He still remembered that the one on the far left was Han Jiang's, the one in the middle was Jiang Yueming's, and the one on the far right was his own.
How tall is he now? Li Leshan wasn't quite sure, but he was already considerably taller than 175 cm. Maybe seven or eight centimeters, he couldn't quite estimate.
Am I the tallest now? Li Leshan looked at the horizontal line and wondered.
A slight smile played on his lips as he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the three horizontal lines that were completely out of place. He didn't send it to Jiang Yueming; if Jiang Yueming saw it, he would definitely say, "Wait till I get back, you'll be sorry."
It's just that we don't know if this height marker will be there when Jiang Yueming returns. Maybe it will need to be repainted soon, or maybe it will be gone in a few years. Perhaps it will be there, or perhaps it won't.
Finally lying on this familiar wooden bed, Li Leshan closed his eyes but couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know what to call this feeling—was it reluctance? Nostalgia? What else could it be called? Up to this point, he felt he had properly said goodbye to this small town, to the place where he had lived for more than ten years.
Actually, saying goodbye feels a bit inappropriate. I don't know if we'll ever meet again. He might come back, but I don't know if he'll stay.
All those memories flooded back to him—this place that held both happiness and pain, the land, his hometown, and his innocent childhood. He must have loved it. But because he was too shy to express it, the words he swallowed became muffled syllables.
On countless afternoons like today, as the setting sun quietly casts its rays, Li Leshan, with his meager belongings, puts the final lock on this rusty iron gate.
He turned around and never looked back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com