Chapter 119 Everyone has their own destiny. The person who was meant to leave, from beginning to end...
"I've arrived in Guangdong!" Jiang Yueming answered the phone and began talking to himself with a hint of excitement. "I arrived the day before yesterday, but I've been busy settling in and forgot to mention. I'm not so busy now."
Li Leshan listened to him ramble on on the phone for a long time, saying a lot of things. He could imagine what he looked like even through the phone, so he just listened quietly.
Jiang Yueming talked for a long time, until she got tired. She'd already told Li Leshan all the interesting things, so she didn't need to tell him the less interesting ones. Although everything was new and exciting when she first arrived.
"I'm hanging up now. Text me if you need anything." Jiang Yueming hung up the phone.
Ever since he went to the south, Li Leshan always felt that something was missing and he couldn't get used to it. The two of them had spent seven years together since childhood, and before high school they were almost inseparable. Without him by his side, it felt like a piece of his flesh was missing.
However, he's doing quite well over there. Li Leshan thought that he could help his aunt a bit, which would make Jiang Yueming feel better than him staying in Shengping anxiously. Besides, Li Yong could no longer find him, and as long as Jiang Yueming was doing well and wasn't hurt, everything was good in Li Leshan's eyes.
Although QQ was already widespread and popular a few years ago, with features like Moments and message boards, Jiang Yueming's QQ number was a "lucky" number. Not only were the numbers few, but it also had three eights at the end. It wasn't particularly rare back then, but it would probably be worth a lot now. He added a few friends, including Han Jiang and Xu Qing, but Li Leshan didn't do that.
Firstly, he didn't have time for this; he was always studying and had no time to go online. Secondly, he and Jiang Yueming were always inseparable, so they spoke directly and didn't need this. He only contacted Jiang Yueming.
So even now, they still communicate by text message, because Jiang Yueming is talkative and they contact each other quite frequently.
Electronic products are updated very quickly. I heard that mobile phones have already been upgraded to smartphones. Flip phones are no longer commonly used. Smartphones can make video calls, the kind where you can see the person, even if the picture quality isn't great, it's still good enough to see the person, much better than just hearing their voice. Not to mention people like Li Leshan, who can't speak, so you can't even hear their voice.
Every time Jiang Yueming called, it sounded like he was doing a stand-up comedy routine, and Li Leshan felt a pang of sadness. He didn't want Jiang Yueming to keep doing this, always talking to himself, asking and answering his own questions. What was the point of that? Even though the other person didn't seem to mind.
So Li Leshan wanted to save up to buy one. Or, he could buy a secondhand one and give Jiang Yueming a brand new one. Since he didn't call often, he could see Jiang Yueming no matter how far apart they were. If he could see her, no matter how far away they were, maybe he wouldn't miss her so much.
After officially entering their senior year of high school, everything progressed at breakneck speed, leaving no room for error. In Zhang Fang's words, every second was crucial; if you didn't study, others would, and you'd be left behind.
Last time, when Li Leshan skipped his exam to chase after someone at the train station, Zhang Fang scolded him for a whole week. She wouldn't listen to any reasons, only looking at the consequences, not the process. What's the point of listening then? The fact that he skipped the exam without a word is undeniable. She said she'd long noticed that Li Leshan's mind sometimes wandered off somewhere, like somewhere else entirely.
Li Leshan wasn't sure exactly where it was either. Maybe it was with Jiang Yueming, maybe with Li Yong, but in any case, some of it wasn't in the classroom or on the test paper.
Li Leshan could only bow and apologize. He bent his waist at a perfect 90° angle, as if he were performing some kind of grand ceremony for Zhang Fang. Every time he did this, Zhang Fang felt a little embarrassed and didn't say anything more.
Summer is gradually fading, and the weather is turning cooler. In Shengping, it's already quite pleasant; a jacket is definitely in order, while in Guangdong, people are still wearing short sleeves and shorts. It's no wonder, being separated by such a large part of China, the difference in latitude and longitude is striking.
The internet cafe was filled with smoke, the pervasive smell of which was rather pungent. Li Leshan, holding a set of mock exam papers, decisively pushed open the door and came out. Without even pulling up a chair, he leaned against the wall to write the exam. He should have been used to it by now, but for some reason, he was in a bad mood today.
The dilapidated scene, the serious attitude, and the harsh conditions—it's a shame it wasn't reported. If it had, it would have been on CCTV-1 in no time, and students would have been awarded one of the top ten outstanding students in the country, with accompanying phrases like "No pain, no gain," or "You don't realize the importance of studying hard until you're old and regret it later." The effect of encouraging students to study would be phenomenal.
The lights in the internet cafe were dim, and there was no other light outside, but that was enough. Actually, Li Leshan didn't like writing exam papers at the front desk either, because people would always tease him, "You're so hardworking, with that kind of effort, why are you still working at the front desk?"
After finishing his exam, Li Leshan headed home. He took out Han Jiang's math exam from his bag and helped them write out the solutions. Over the years, he had gotten used to this because of Jiang Yueming, and it really didn't take much effort. Although the humanities math exam was slightly easier than the science exam, the question types were actually quite similar, except for the last few questions which were a bit more difficult in the science exam.
Han Jiang and Xu Qing marked their mistakes with different colors. Although Han Jiang didn't tell him exactly which color was which, judging from the frequency of the circles, it was actually quite easy to guess.
The one that's almost completely circled from beginning to end should be Han Jiang's.
It is indeed very easy to identify.
Li Leshan glanced at the question and began writing detailed explanations and key points on the draft paper, practically a walking answer key and textbook material.
He just considered it as doing more practice problems. Zhang Fang said that doing as many sets of problems as you want is never too much. Although the "sea of problems" strategy is cliché and part of exam-oriented education, the effect is indeed immediate. She said that previous students had gone through every single problem they could find on the market, not just once or twice, but often three or four times. They would do a problem five, six, seven, or eight times, and even if they didn't know how to solve it, they would be able to.
Li Leshan simply couldn't afford to do that, because he couldn't afford all the practice questions available on the market. Some questions were too obscure and difficult; even questions from the 13-year college entrance exam, including those from 1997, were still on the exam papers—there was really no need to work on them. It was a waste of time and money.
"Hey, top student, why don't you take a break?" Liu Yang had come out four times in total: once to use the restroom, once to make instant noodles, once to get some fresh air, and once to get beer from the front desk. He hadn't seen Li Leshan do anything else.
“If someone like you doesn’t get into Tsinghua or Peking University, I can’t think of anyone else who can.” Liu Yang clicked his tongue as he leaned over the counter and negotiated with Li Leshan. “Hey, let’s talk about something. If you get into Tsinghua or Peking University, take a picture of your admission notice tomorrow, and I’ll hang it on the outside wall. Then my internet cafe will be like a top scholar’s mansion, right?”
How did the terms "internet cafe" and "top scorer" end up together? It seems inappropriate.
Li Leshan picked up his pen and wrote a line on the paper: Settle the appearance fee.
Liu Yang raised an eyebrow. This kid's learned to joke now, huh?
No, it's possible it wasn't a joke.
"Are you serious?" Liu Yang clutched his chest, feigning heartache. "Little brother, we've known each other for two years now. Your pride is worth a lot, you know."
Li Leshan's lips curled up slightly, and he added: "Go ahead and stick it on, but don't stick it on the outside."
Actually, he meant well for Liu Yang. Although hanging such a picture probably wouldn't bring in many customers, and would instead make him look like a scammer or get scolded, what's the difference between this and hanging up a thief's picture in a police station? If he really had to hang it up, he should at least blur out his face.
"Just kidding," Liu Yang said, seeing that his expression had relaxed a bit. "I've never experienced the hardships of senior year in high school. Are all your senior years this tough?"
He thought for a moment, “No. You’ve suffered ever since I’ve known you.”
He was telling the truth. Over the two years they'd worked together, he'd been almost always on duty at night, excluding holidays. Liu Yang couldn't imagine him having any time to sleep, although some might say, "Why hire a high school student like him? Knowing how tiring it is."
But Li Leshan needs this money, and there's nothing he can do. Try to persuade, enlighten, or ask? What kind of person is Li Leshan? Even if you asked him from the beginning of time, you probably wouldn't get any information or offer any advice.
Everyone has their own destiny.
Liu Yang decided not to get involved in other people's fates anymore.
Li Leshan's hand visibly trembled, and he gripped the pen tightly, but ultimately said nothing.
"How long will this continue?" Liu Yang asked hesitantly, considering his words carefully, worried that he might not have chosen the right approach. "Will it end after the college entrance exam?"
After the college entrance exam… this is what Li Leshan was thinking. This is what he was thinking all along; he had such beautiful ideas. He would leave Shengping with his grandmother, and if Jiang Yueming was willing to come with him, they would find a strange place to live and have a home that truly belonged to him.
Later, Grandma passed away, and Jiang Yueming also passed away. Grandma's passing was a separation of life and death, something he couldn't control. Jiang Yueming's departure was due to Li Yong and the fear of the unknown, but Li Leshan hoped he would never return.
But now, thinking back, when will this kind of life ever end? The humid, sweltering summers, the biting cold of winter, the lights at two or three in the morning, and the nights constantly waking him from nightmares… Li Leshan didn't know that he had no choice in the path of life. It was set from the moment he was born; he had no choice but to grit his teeth and walk it.
No. That's not right, Li Leshan thought, somewhat bewildered. Why should Jiang Yueming not come back? Shengping was where he grew up, his home. It held his own sorrow, resentment, fear, and despair, but not Jiang Yueming's.
What right does he have to demand that Jiang Yueming not come back? The one who should leave, the one who should depart, has always been him.
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Author's note: I don't understand why QQ is blocked as "口口". Jinjiang, what are you trying to do? Are you two competitors?
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My darlings, my drafts are almost finished. You didn't expect that, did you? My drafts are coming in so fast! [Sunglasses] Old Ji, just keep thinking about double updates. I don't find writing late at night hard or tiring at all.
So I'm currently considering one update in the morning and one in the evening, both around 9 PM. Or do you all prefer a chapter containing the content of two separate chapters?
(If we follow Option 1, we can all save up and read it together tonight, hehe, but I hope you all try not to skip chapters while reading [please] I put a lot of effort into every chapter!!!)
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