Chapter 19 It's so good to know you. I'm not going anywhere else, just staying in Third Alley. ...
In early July, the final exams for Tieta Elementary School will begin, after which everyone will eagerly await the summer vacation.
The final exam period was chaotic, with an air thick with the unsettling feeling of impending doom. Jiang Yueming knew her good days were over; if she didn't do well on the exams, she could just wait for Yin Guiying to cause trouble.
"Li Leshan, let's go recite our lessons under the locust tree," Jiang Yueming said. He had brought a whole backpack full of books, so he wasn't worried about carrying them all.
The locust tree refers to the large locust tree in front of the convenience store. Its canopy is like a canopy, providing shade. It's too hot these days, and there aren't many old men playing chess here. Moreover, when it comes to playing chess or students studying, the old men have to give up their seats to the children.
"Oh, two college students, huh?" Grandpa Li greeted Jiang Yueming while reclining in a rocking chair in the shop and fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.
“You were calling me a second-year student not long ago!” Jiang Yueming shouted into the shop.
Undergraduate? That's a goal you have to achieve after finishing junior high and high school. It's a full seven years away from someone like him who's still struggling in elementary school. It seems like an unattainable dream.
Furthermore, in 2005, not many people around me actually went to university. Most of them went to find jobs after graduating from high school. Those who wanted to try their luck went to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, while those who wanted stability stayed in Sanxiang. Here, Sanxiang is an expanded term, referring to Shengping.
Jiang Yueming just wanted to stay in Shengping. He didn't have any grand ambitions. Aside from the high cost of university, he felt he couldn't go that far. Besides, Shengping did have undergraduate institutions, both third-tier and second-tier. Back then, third-tier universities hadn't been abolished yet… and many of his older siblings were still attending universities near their homes. However, thinking like this was still too far ahead; he was still just a primary school student and couldn't think that far ahead.
Seeing the two of them reciting their lessons under the locust tree, Grandpa Li specially brought over a fan, an old-fashioned floor fan with a very long cord. Jiang Yueming said that while they were reciting, a cool breeze suddenly blew over. He turned around and saw the fan creaking and groaning as it ran. He glanced at Grandpa Li again, who was still lying in the rocking chair, sleeping as if nothing had happened.
A warm feeling welled up inside him. The people in the alley he encountered were all kind; even passersby would deliberately walk quietly past them. He had a deep affection for the Third Alley, mainly because it held his and his parents' only and few memories. Leaving? He had never considered it.
Li Leshan recited his lessons silently, very quietly and attentively, even the sound of turning the pages was very soft. Jiang Yueming had to recite aloud, otherwise the cicadas chirping and the shouts from the street vendors would drill into her ears, and she wouldn't be able to remember a single word.
He was memorizing English essays. Memorizing English is hard work, difficult, and tongue-twisting. Jiang Yueming didn't know phonetics, so he used Chinese characters to represent the sounds, as long as he could write it down from memory. This learning method even spawned a professional term in the future, called "mute English," which sounds quite impressive.
Jiang Yueming didn't care anymore. Anyway, he didn't make a living using English.
Twisty English words bounced around in his mouth. Jiang Yueming took a deep breath, feeling dizzy as he looked at the English book. He glanced at Li Leshan again; a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead. He had switched from memorization mode to doing math problems.
Jiang Yueming carefully observed how the top student solved problems. Han Jiang always told him to learn from them, but is it really a matter of whether or not to learn? Li Leshan had already turned seven or eight pages, but he was still pondering the first page. There's no comparison; trying to learn from him would only lead to humiliation.
Li Leshan felt a breeze. He looked up from his sea of problems and saw Jiang Yueming fanning him with a palm-leaf fan. Anyone who didn't know better would think Jiang Yueming had been hired by Li Leshan specifically to cool him down.
Li Leshan's lips curled into a smile. He reached out and pressed down on Jiang Yueming's wrist, which was holding a palm-leaf fan. Perhaps due to the summer heat, Li Leshan's hand was no longer so cold.
"Have you finished memorizing your English essay?" Li Leshan asked in sign language.
Jiang Yueming covered his face with a large palm-leaf fan, which completely obscured his face. He said guiltily, "I've almost finished memorizing it."
But this trick was clearly ineffective. Li Leshan stood up from the stone bench, took the fan from Jiang Yueming's hand, and this time became the one fanning the flame.
“Then memorize one for me,” Li Leshan said.
Jiang Yueming felt dizzy, and the wind blew past his ears, but his face still felt burning hot.
"some...some people likes..."
He felt even more nervous than when he was reciting his lessons to Yin Guiying! Li Leshan's face was cold when he wasn't smiling, exuding a cool and distant aura. Even now, with him leaning against the locust tree, fanning him while listening to his recitation, this serene and peaceful scene still made him uneasy. When Jiang Yueming stumbled over a word, Li Leshan couldn't offer any hints. Although he didn't seem to intend to.
"Hey! Moonlight!" Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
Jiang Yueming looked in the direction of the sound with delight. The recitation task could be temporarily interrupted. Even if it was Yin Guiying who came, he would be happy.
"Hanjiang?" Jiang Yueming asked.
He saw Han Jiang walking this way.
"What, didn't you see me?" Xu Qing's voice came from afar, clear and melodious like a lark. She was wearing a white dress and carrying a bag of dance costumes, looking like she had just come back from dance class.
Xu Qing glanced at Jiang Yueming and suddenly froze. Her face visibly flushed, and even her steps became much more ladylike.
Jiang Yueming had seen everything. He beckoned the two men over and couldn't help but ask, "What are you two doing here?"
"We were just passing by when we saw you," Han Jiang said, glancing at Li Leshan. He exclaimed in surprise, "What are you two doing together?"
He wasn't particularly surprised, because it wasn't unusual for Jiang Yueming and Li Leshan to always be together. He was just surprised in his tone, but not really in his heart.
Jiang Yueming held up a book of perfect English essays and said, "Study."
"You actually study?" Xu Qing's big eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know about Jiang Yueming's "No. 1 Middle School Plan." As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that her way of speaking was not very elegant, so she quickly changed her words: "Isn't it hot studying like this?"
Jiang Yueming thought to herself, "It's not hot; Li Leshan is fanning me."
He said, "Why can't I study?" He was still planning to secretly amaze everyone at the end of the semester.
Seeing that Xu Qing and Han Jiang didn't intend to leave, Jiang Yueming pointed at them and said, "This is Xu Qing, from Class 3. This is Han Jiang, also from Class 3. They are both my friends."
Li Leshan nodded, acknowledging them. He actually knew the boy next to him was Han Jiang, as they often bumped into each other, and he also knew that Han Jiang had a dog named Xiaobai. Li Leshan hadn't seen this girl much before; this was their first formal meeting.
"Xu Qing just came back from dance class. What do you do? Did you learn to dance too?" Jiang Yueming asked Han Jiang.
"No way," Han Jiang said. "That's something little girls learn. Besides, how could someone as uncoordinated as me learn to dance?"
Jiang Yueming scoffed, not quite agreeing with his statement. He gestured towards the two of them and said, "Let's go now that we're done. Li Leshan and I need to continue reviewing."
"I think you're just previewing the material!" Han Jiang didn't want to stay a second longer; the sight of textbooks gave him a headache.
Xu Qing, however, seemed reluctant to leave. Her gaze drifted back and forth between Li Leshan, but she dared not look at him openly. Li Leshan, meanwhile, was staring intently at the ground, his eyes lowered, as if flowers were blooming on the concrete...
She noticed that Li Leshan had long eyelashes and a high nose bridge. The pure white t-shirt looked especially good on him; he looked so clean and handsome. Looking further…
"Hey, hey, hey," Jiang Yueming waved his hand in front of Xu Qing's eyes. This girl was so mesmerized by Li Leshan that she didn't even blink. "Aren't you leaving?"
"Let's go, let's go," Xu Qing stammered, still looking back longingly until Han Jiang asked her, "What are you looking at? Li Leshan or Jiang Yueming?"
It was unclear which name she heard, or whether she was dissatisfied or embarrassed, but Xu Qing raised her voice slightly, with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance, "I didn't look at anyone!"
The sun was finally setting, and the weather was no longer so hot. A gentle breeze was blowing, and Jiang Yueming, resting his face on his hand, was feeling sleepy. He had really learned more than he could in a week today; he felt like he hadn't memorized as much as he had in a single day.
"Where are you going during summer vacation?" Jiang Yueming asked, her eyes half-open.
Li Leshan said he wasn't going anywhere else, he'd stay in Third Alley.
“I’m not going anywhere either.” Jiang Yueming laughed, propping his chin on his hand and asking Li Leshan, “Let’s go out and play sometime. I’ll take you to the river to catch fish and loaches. You know, the fish at the west end of the Lijiang River are huge…”
Jiang Yueming excitedly began to fantasize. For the entire summer vacation, he usually stayed home, occasionally going to play in the river with Han Jiang or to the old skating rink under the Lijiang Bridge. But Xu Qing always joined them, dragging them to play house. Jiang Yueming didn't want to be the father, and he didn't want to be the son either. There was no role Jiang Yueming could play.
Oh right, he'll also have to take care of Tian Tian during the summer vacation. Tian Tian used to be little and always making a fuss. She's not much older now, but she's not as boisterous as before. We can invite Li Leshan over to play then.
“Teach me sign language again during the summer vacation. I know quite a lot now.” Jiang Yueming told Li Leshan with a smile and great pride that he could recognize about 70-80% of the entire beginner’s guide to sign language.
Li Leshan nodded with a smile.
“Ah,” Jiang Yueming suddenly sighed, her voice softening, “It’s so good to know you…”
He didn't know what fate had done; even though they were both in the Third Alley, they had met so many years later. Jiang Yueming had also heard of the "mute's" reputation. He was such a gossip-loving person, why hadn't he thought to find out who this "mute" was back then? And why hadn't he thought to try and get on the school's honor roll these past few years?
"Hey!" Jiang Yueming suddenly remembered something and interrupted Li Leshan. He slammed his hand on the table, making it hurt a little. "Let's go to the Zhonghua Market another day. They sell small turtles there, just a few yuan each. I've been wanting to keep one for a while!"
Li Leshan lowered his hand, which was about to use sign language, and nodded.
Jiang Yueming was still engrossed in the world of turtles when, after a long while, he belatedly realized, "What were you about to say? Did I interrupt you?"
Li Leshan said no.
He actually wanted to say, "I also feel so good to know you." But now, with Jiang Yueming's bright, sparkling eyes staring at him, he was too embarrassed to say it. The evening breeze rustled through the locust tree leaves, as if it were telling a story, as if it were speaking for him.
A note from the author:
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