Chapter 26 When disaster struck, the three of us fled in different directions.
New semester, new look; old class, old classmates.
Jiang Yueming carried a schoolbag containing three summer homework books and a set of math worksheets. The math worksheets were an extra assignment; Jiang Yueming brought them specifically to do in class.
Cao Fan's folded paper airplane hit Jiang Yueming perfectly. He caught the paper airplane and threw it back at him.
"You seem pretty energetic this morning." Jiang Yueming sat down in her seat and looked at her radiant deskmate next to her. "Don't you need to do your homework?"
"I finished my homework a long time ago, okay?" Cao Fan put his summer homework on the table and said mercifully, "You probably haven't done it yet, so you can copy it."
“No need—” Jiang Yueming said with such confidence for the first time.
"My God," Cao Fan exclaimed in surprise. He had been sitting next to Jiang Yueming for at least three years, if not five, and at least a year or more. During that time, he had never seen Jiang Yueming properly finish his summer and winter vacation homework. "Did you have a sex change?"
"Is it really necessary to be so surprised?" Jiang Yueming said. Couldn't he just study harder? Couldn't he just act like a studious person? Who wants to be a bad, unreliable student all day long?
"Did you write this yourself?" Cao Fan asked.
"Ah, of course not." Jiang Yueming was very frank. Not only did he not write it himself, but he also did not copy some of it.
That night, after collapsing onto the table, he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was lying on Li Leshan's bed. He didn't know if he had insisted on lying there or if Li Leshan had reluctantly let him. He had come to Li Leshan's house to do his homework, but it turned into Li Leshan doing his homework for him. He had also taken over Li Leshan's bed, otherwise Li Leshan wouldn't have been able to fall asleep on the table.
Jiang Yueming still feels a little embarrassed when the topic comes up.
"Alright," Cao Fan said, puzzled, as he withdrew his hand from the summer homework. "Where did you go during the holidays? I haven't seen you around."
"We didn't go anywhere, not even outside the county," Jiang Yueming said. Cao Fan's home was in the county center, a long way from Sanxiang, so it was impossible to run into him. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they were unlikely to bump into each other.
"Damn, this is so unlike you," Cao Fan said. "I thought you'd be at some lake. I've been to lakes all over the country, but I've never seen you once."
"Do we have a North Lake here?" Jiang Yueming pondered for a moment. He only knew about East Lake, West Lake, and South Lake. West Lake was in the development zone, which he had almost never been to because it was quite far away.
“Of course there is,” Cao Fan said. “Isn’t there a lake over there in the Palm Tree area? It’s called North Lake, an artificial lake, but the scenery is quite nice.”
Whatever. Jiang Yueming slumped onto the table. He hadn't gone anywhere but had been attending tutoring classes. However, it wasn't as boring as he had imagined. For the past two months, he had been spending every day with Li Leshan, even more time with Cuicui than with Li Leshan.
“I went hiking during the summer vacation.” Cao Fan recalled, still feeling tired and dizzy. “I will never go again. I almost died on the way.”
Shengping has no mountains, it's too small, too crowded with too many people and too little land. Its area is less than a quarter of that of other places. It's the kind of place that you can't find on a map for half a day. You don't even need to put it on a map of China, you can't find it on a provincial map. It can't accommodate a mountain.
"You're really energetic," Jiang Yueming gave him a thumbs up. Although he also loved to run around and play, climbing trees, fishing, and swimming in rivers, he loved everything. But he couldn't be too tired. Han Jiang had climbed mountains before, one summer vacation, and it was a famous high mountain. When he came back, he was not only tanned, but he hadn't gotten out of bed for two days. His legs ached, his back hurt, and his eyes were blurry. He said that just standing at Zhongtianmen, he felt like he could see his great-grandmother.
"When I looked up, I saw a string of stars on the mountaintop. I thought I'd appreciate the scenery and write a poem, but my dad told me that was just the light bulb at the South Heavenly Gate!" Cao Fan smiled bitterly. He should be able to empathize with Han Jiang. "I really won't climb it again. I didn't even make it to the top. I came down as soon as I reached the South Heavenly Gate."
Jiang Yueming found it amusing, not that she was laughing at Cao Fan, but simply that she found his words interesting, though she didn't show it outwardly. As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes one run itself to death," and since they were almost out of reach, they might as well give up.
“There are so many temples on the mountain, and it’s so crowded with people praying to the gods and Buddhas that it’s impossible to find a place to go. My mom is even praying that I’ll get into a good junior high school this year,” Cao Fan said.
"Is it effective?" Jiang Yueming asked.
"We always hope for a good omen," Cao Fan said.
Sixth grade, the most crucial moment in Yin Guiying's eyes. Although in her eyes, grades one through six were unimportant. She spoke for a full hour on stage about how to seize the time and get into a good junior high school, making all sorts of exaggerated and irresistible claims.
Of the four high schools (No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 15), No. 1 and No. 2 are considered the best. However, they are not on the same level. No. 1 is at the very top, while No. 2 is only halfway up the mountain. Most of the students from No. 1 can get into Shishi High School, a key high school in the city and the "dream school" of all parents in Shengping. It can send seven or eight students to Tsinghua and Peking Universities every year. You have to understand that in this little-known town, sending one student to Tsinghua or Peking Universities a year is a big deal, so sending seven or eight is already extremely difficult. It's like having one's ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.
Everyone in Shengping knows this; it's been passed down by word of mouth, and it's actually true. Getting into Shishi High School is like having two feet in the door of undergraduate studies. As long as you don't do anything heinous or immoral, getting into at least a third-tier university is a sure thing. The undergraduate admission rate is a full 90%.
Yin Guiying spoke with great passion; she was a graduate of Shishi High School, which at the time wasn't a high school but a teachers' college. It wasn't until the 1990s that the Ministry of Education approved its transformation into a high school. Naturally, she couldn't stop praising her alma mater.
"Is this meant for us? Even if you're in a good class, not everyone can go to Shishi High School." Cao Fan muttered to himself. He didn't have such grand ambitions. If he couldn't get into No. 1 High School, he would go to No. 2 High School, or at worst No. 3 High School. Anyway, it didn't matter where he went to school.
Kids this age aren't really that sensitive about going to university. If they get in, they go; if they don't, it's not a big deal. University isn't the only path in life, so there's no need to cry and feel lost about the future. If they haven't considered leaving their hometown, then it's fine.
Jiang Yueming originally shared the same idea as him. However, now he finds it difficult to agree with Cao Fan's thoughts.
"Okay, it's the last year, everyone must give it their all!" Yin Guiying said.
Attending classes, memorizing texts, and doing exercises. The pace quickened somewhat after entering sixth grade, and there weren't as many extracurricular activities. The two physical education classes a week were a rare treat, a time for relaxation.
"Jiang Yueming! Want to play some games?" After the event ended and it was free time, Xu Qing extended an olive branch to him.
Jiang Yueming shouted, "I'm not playing anymore!" and turned to walk back into the classroom.
"Boring!" Xu Qing said, looking unhappy, and asked Han Jiang next to her, "What is Jiang Yueming trying to do?"
Han Jiang pondered for a moment, "Writing practice questions? You know, this kid is aiming for Tsinghua or Peking University."
Xu Qing let out a long "Oh," and then asked, "Why does he want to go to No. 1 High School?"
Han Jiang was stumped. Who knew why Jiang Yueming had suddenly decided to try to get into No. 1 High School, a place that was both far away and too high up? He wanted to go to No. 1 High School so he could continue being with Xu Qing, even if it was just seeing her from afar—that would be a legitimate reason. But what was Jiang Yueming's real reason for insisting on going to No. 1 High School?
"I don't know, maybe they want to give Sister Cuiqin an explanation?"
"He's really filial," Xu Qing said, pursing her lips. With Jiang Yueming gone, there's nothing fun left. It's just her and Han Jiang, and they're even short one player for playing cards.
Xu Qing glanced at Han Jiang beside her and asked, "Aren't you also going to take the entrance exam for No. 1 High School? You also want to fulfill your filial duties?"
Han Jiang suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He looked at Xu Qing, but he couldn't very well say something like, "Because you're going, I want to go too." He could only nod and stammer without saying a word.
Xu Qing is a good girl. Although Hanjiang is still a long way from No. 1 Middle School, she thinks it's good to have this ambition. It's a good thing to have dreams, regardless of whether they can be realized. If you don't even dare to think about it, then you're really too lame.
She wouldn't laugh at how grand Han Jiang's goals were, because dreams are never something to be mocked.
"Then good luck! The three of us will go to school together again." Xu Qing patted Han Jiang on the shoulder, waved to him, and walked into the group of girls.
"The three of us" is a very touching phrase. Our friendship began in kindergarten. Although they seemed to have a "go-with-the-flow" attitude, they were all incredibly loyal, perhaps a natural trait of children. Anyway, they were together when scolded, together when climbing trees, together through good and bad times. Although two of them didn't get along, it was all just playful banter. If Xu Qing got into trouble, Jiang Yueming would be the first to object; and if Jiang Yueming had a conflict with someone, Xu Qing wouldn't stand by and watch either.
Han Jiang goes without saying. As the most sought-after member of the three, he always played the role of a gossipmonger. Without his witty banter and relaying messages, let alone whether "the three of us" could have stayed together until today, we probably would have broken up long ago.
Fortunately, over the years, despite their disagreements, arguments, and even fights, all three of them have good memories and forget everything within a day, no longer holding grudges.
From that day on, Han Jiang became incredibly enthusiastic and started studying seriously.
These two playful kids are surprisingly good at studying. Kids this age have the drive, the energy, and the motivation. If they're determined to do something, even if they don't achieve perfection, they can still do seven or eight out of ten. With a little luck, they might just make it to the top.
A note from the author:
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I accidentally posted my draft ahead of schedule [crying emoji]. Next update will be on Friday! [droopy-eared bunny emoji]
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