Chapter 14
On the lush green camphor tree, cicadas suddenly started chirping, and the sound of cicadas was dry.
Xia Zhiheng looked incredulous.
Being stared at in this way, Zhang Jusong subconsciously lowered his head to lift the hair beside his ear. His fingers touched the tip of his ear, which was very hot.
Oh, what was she talking about? She has no sense of propriety at all.
Realizing that something was wrong, Zhang Jusong hesitantly tried to make amends.
"Ah--just yelling, just kidding."
Amid the chirping of summer cicadas, she heard a soft laugh.
The laughter seemed to have a profound meaning. Xia Zhiheng said slowly:
"Sister, are you teasing me?"
"What?"
Zhang Jusong stamped his feet and stared at him angrily: "Little boy, how can you have such complicated thoughts? I just... they all called you like this just now, I was led astray!"
She explained a lot in a rapid manner, at a speed she hadn't spoken in a long time.
The louder the cicadas chirped, the quieter the air between them became.
Until Xia Zhiheng burst out laughing, smiling at the sun with his tiger teeth.
"Hahaha……"
When he smiled, the students and alumni around him all looked over here in confusion.
Zhang Jusong was almost going crazy!
She subconsciously took two steps back, but the next second, she felt her feet go empty and she lost her balance.
Before she could react, she was already in the pond, with the water just reaching the hem of her skirt.
Exclamations were heard.
Zhang Jusong stabilized his balance and looked up, only to see Xia Zhiheng jumping into the water without hesitation.
He held her arm, his palms were surprisingly hot, or perhaps it was an illusion because the water was too cold.
"Are you okay?"
This time, both he and she were drowned in the water.
Looking at the dark green tie so close to him, Zhang Jusong suddenly felt an urge to bury his face in Xia Zhiheng's shirt.
It's so embarrassing!
Xia Zhiheng changed his body position and almost held her in his arms, but his posture was very measured so as not to touch her waist.
A gentle comforting voice sounded in my ears: "It's okay, I'm here to embarrass you."
Zhang Jusong raised his eyes and met his.
He was serious. He completely ignored the eyes of the people around him and only looked at her.
The surrounding students and alumni rushed to lend a helping hand and tried to pull them up.
"Come up quickly."
"Are you okay? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"Come, I'll pull you up."
…
A familiar figure emerged from the crowd.
"Xia Zhiheng?"
"Ode to Zhang Ju?"
Teacher Zhang’s loud voice remained the same, and I was very shocked.
"What are you two doing?"
Even though he had graduated for several years, when he heard Teacher Zhang's roar, Zhang Jusong's mentality turned back into that of a high school student in a second.
It feels like being caught doing something bad by the teacher.
Her skirt was wet and her clothes were soaked with water.
Xia Zhiheng wasn't much better.
The two drowned rats were taken home obediently by Teacher Zhang.
The teachers' family housing is inside the school and is very close.
"Luckily I still have two sets of school uniforms!" Teacher Zhang scolded as he rummaged through the closet. "How could you fall into the pool at your age? Fortunately, the school thought of this when they built the pool and made the water very shallow, otherwise it would be terrible."
"It's my fault."
"It's my fault."
Coincidentally, Zhang Jusong and Xia Zhiheng spoke at the same time, and their voices happened to overlap.
They looked at each other and fell silent again.
Teacher Zhang was amused: "Why, are you singing a duet?"
She threw a set of school uniform to Xia Zhiheng: "Go, go to the bathroom and change quickly. Look at the time, it's time to go to the auditorium for rehearsal."
"Orange, come here and change in my bedroom. Here, take a new towel."
The door was closed, and the room was silent again.
This familiar silence finally made Zhang Jusong's heart calm down. However, the embarrassing scene of falling into the pond just now began to replay in his mind.
She held her face in her hands and uttered “Ahhhh” wordlessly.
How can you be so embarrassing?
Will it be rumored among alumni that a senior school girl fell into a pond because she was too excited about the school anniversary?
She doesn't want to become this weird type of campus legend!
The scene of Xia Zhiheng jumping into the pond just now was replaying over and over in my mind.
Before the smile on the boy's face could completely disappear, he jumped down, splashing water.
Why jump down?
That doesn't make sense.
Falling into the water in public is definitely not a good thing.
But he unexpectedly turned back and jumped into the pond with her.
Zhang Jusong patted his cheek gently, warning himself not to let his imagination run wild.
It must be because Xia Zhiheng is a good person.
He is kind and responsible, that's all.
It must be like this.
There was a large dressing mirror hanging on the wardrobe. Zhang Jusong turned his head and looked at the embarrassed girl in the mirror.
The makeup is smudged, the hair is messy, and the eyes...are still lifeless.
It's very quiet at first glance, a vaguely quiet place. Even if you greet someone in person or talk to them, they will be forgotten when you turn around.
People who are too quiet seem to be unpopular.
So, don't have expectations that you shouldn't have.
Once expectations are dashed, it hurts a lot.
Don't bring humiliation upon yourself.
She stared at the mirror quietly for a while.
Only after he had completely calmed down did Zhang Jusong take off his wet clothes.
When I opened the door, Xia Zhiheng had already left.
It was almost lunch time. Teacher Zhang was sitting in the restaurant picking vegetables. When he saw Zhang Jusong had changed his clothes, he said unceremoniously, "Come on, help me pick the vegetables."
"good."
Zhang Jusong took the vegetable basket and worked honestly.
Teacher Zhang turned and went into the kitchen.
The refrigerator door opens and closes. Chop the meat on the chopping board. Heat the oil in the pan and push the ginger, onion and garlic in with a sizzling sound. Soon, the aroma of food wafts out.
Teacher Zhang has a habit when teaching. Whenever there is an exam, no matter whether it is a big exam or a small exam, as long as you get the first place in the class, you will be invited to Teacher Zhang's home and have a meal with him.
Although it is a common meal and not worth much, students treat it as a big deal. Before the exam, there is no shortage of jokes such as "Have you decided what dish you want Lao Zhang to cook?"
Zhang Jusong came so often that he could skip the step of ordering food.
A bowl of fried pork with chili peppers was placed in the middle of the square wooden dining table.
Tender green Zhangshugang peppers, 70% lean and 30% fat pork slices, each slice is evenly colored by soy sauce, and the soup at the bottom of the bowl looks even more tempting.
I can eat two bowls of rice just by mixing it with the broth from the fried pork with peppers.
Teacher Zhang took out a bottle of red wine and a can of Sprite.
"Can you drink something now?"
"It should be possible."
"Then I'll pour you some more Sprite."
The red color of the red wine in the glass was diluted by Sprite, showing a very beautiful luster.
Zhang Jusong took a sip and only tasted the sweetness of Sprite, so he took another sip.
Hmm, is this what red wine tastes like?
Teacher Zhang sat down next to her.
"Okay, let's eat. I remember you always ordered fried pork with chili peppers. Try it and see if my cooking skills have deteriorated."
"Of course not."
Zhang Jusong took a piece of stir-fried pork with chili peppers and ate it with the chili peppers. He didn't feel anything at first, but after a while, his mouth started to feel spicy, so he quickly picked up the glass and drank another sip of Sprite red wine.
"Oh, you can't eat spicy food now?" Teacher Zhang was a little surprised. "But it's true. I guess your ability to eat spicy food has deteriorated since you went to college in City A."
Zhang Jusong took another bite with his chopsticks: "It's okay, it's really delicious. I was studying over there and was thinking about the taste."
"Then you should eat more."
Teacher Zhang deliberately moved the bowl of fried pork with peppers in front of her.
"Come to think of it, Xia Zhiheng also has a special liking for stir-fried pork with peppers. Thanks to you two, I can immediately go to a restaurant to be a chef after I retire."
Zhang Jusong didn’t know how to respond, so he just smiled and continued eating.
After eating and drinking, Zhang Jusong was about to clean up the dishes, but when he was about to stand up, someone held his shoulder.
Mr. Zhang smiled kindly.
"No hurry, let's talk."
She looked at Zhang Jusong and sighed softly: "Are you not having a good time in college?"
Just a simple greeting.
But for some reason, Zhang Jusong felt a lump in his throat when he heard this and looked away.
After a while, she finally said "hmm" with a strong nasal tone.
Before the college entrance examination, almost all adults said: "After the college entrance examination, you will be liberated."
It seems that all the problems in life will be solved the moment the final bell of the College Entrance Examination English Test rings.
But why, after entering university, she not only did not feel liberated, but instead felt that the path of her life seemed to be getting narrower and narrower.
Every day, I feel very tired.
This kind of tiredness is different from high school. At that time, it was really tiring to do exercises and exams, but I had infinite expectations for the future.
Is it possible for me to become a doctor? Yes.
Is it possible to become an archaeologist? Yes.
How about being a designer? It seems not bad.
However, once I chose my major and entered university, these expectations disappeared one by one.
Many times, Zhang Jusong himself despised himself for being pretentious.
While everyone else was running forward, she was the only one who stayed where she was, holding on to old memories, paddling along, and getting caught in her own trap.
"I didn't expect that you are actually a little King of Western Chu."
Two napkins were handed to him. Zhang Jusong took them and whispered, "Thank you."
After a moment of silence, Teacher Zhang's voice rang out:
"I remember that in one class, we were learning Li Qingzhao's poem 'To this day I miss Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River.' How did you answer at that time?"
"You said - you don't understand why Xiang Yu didn't cross the Yangtze River."
"Now, you should understand."
Teacher Zhang sighed and hugged Zhang Jusong in his arms.
The girl's shoulders trembled, but she said nothing.
How come this child cries so silently and quietly?
"It's okay. This is normal."
Teacher Zhang patted her back gently.
"Before entering college, the only thing you can measure is your grades. But after entering college, there are suddenly many things that can be measured. It is normal to feel confused and lost."
Zhang Jusong buried his face in Teacher Zhang's arms and sobbed, "But, I'm sorry... Teacher Zhang."
"What's there to be sorry about?"
"I'm sorry, I seem... I seem to be just an ordinary person."
Teacher Zhang laughed and said, "Who isn't?"
"Orange, no matter how well or badly you are doing, the teacher wants to hear from you. People who really care about you won't care about those messes."
"Hua Xue, who used to play well with you, and Chen Yueran mentioned you when they came to see me. Their tone was very proud. Don't you want to see them again?"
Zhang Jusong shook his head: "How could it be?"
"So you think that since you are no longer number one and the school beauty, they will hate you?"
"I..." Zhang Jusong opened his mouth and said nothing.
Her hand was held tightly by Teacher Zhang.
"You have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in us."
Teacher Zhang pretended to be angry: "I said that I am not a superficial person who flatters the powerful and looks down on the weak in your eyes, right?"
"Of course not!"
"That's right. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay."
Teacher Zhang took her to the bathroom and said, "Wash your face. You look pretty even when you cry."
"teacher--"
Zhang Jusong muttered something and began to wash his face seriously.
After leaving the restroom, Teacher Zhang said mysteriously, "You won't suffer any loss if you come to see me."
She took out a ticket from behind her back: "Here, do you want to listen to Xu Chong sing?"
Zhang Jusong's eyes widened slightly: "Teacher, you...you left me a ticket for the school anniversary ceremony?"
"If you don't come, it will belong to someone else."
Teacher Zhang stuffed the ticket into her hand and said with a smile, "Luckily, you're here. Go ahead."
“Enjoy your time.”
When sitting in the red-backed chair in the school auditorium, Zhang Jusong was still a little dazed.
Looking from the second floor, the arched ceiling of the auditorium remains the same, the number of spotlights remains the same, and even the potted plants on the edge of the wooden stage remain the same, still camellias.
She was surrounded by young classmates, wearing a school uniform.
It doesn’t seem very abrupt?
The president gave a speech, followed by a speech by an alumni representative, and then by a speech by the graduates.
Xia Zhiheng walked onto the stage with a warm smile on his face.
The spotlight shone on him, and the boy's outline was almost glowing, looking indescribably energetic.
"Time flies and people are easily left behind. Cherries turn red and banana leaves turn green. After twelve years of studying, it seems that it should come to an end today. But I hope it is an ellipsis, like an endless summer. There may be many ups and downs in the future, which may make people discouraged, but please don't forget the courage and expectations born during this period. They will continue until the end of time."
Sitting in the audience, Zhang Jusong listened very carefully and smiled bitterly.
Like the courage and hope of an endless summer?
Will it really last forever?
She looked up blankly, and there was a lamp in the dome of the auditorium right above her head. The light was dazzling, and after staring for a long time, everything in front of her was slightly white.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. When you open your eyes again, Xia Zhiheng's graduation speech is almost over.
Under the spotlight, Xia Zhiheng's eyes were extremely clear.
"Finally, I wish us——"
He paused and looked around the room.
Across a long distance, his eyes met Zhang Jusong's.
A firm and clear voice came from the surround sound system.
“No matter how difficult or dangerous the situation may be, we should never forget how precious we are.”
There was warm applause in the auditorium.
Zhang Jusong raised his hands and clapped, not caring even though his palms turned red.
The most lively atmosphere at the school anniversary ceremony was, unsurprisingly, when the big star Xu Chong appeared.
As soon as the host announced the show, the whole audience became agitated, and a few brave students shouted Xu Chong's name.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xu Chong finally took the stage.
As soon as he came on stage, he sang a rock song from his new album, which excited the whole audience.
After singing, Xu Chong held the microphone and said:
"Summer is the season of farewell. There are many graduates today, including graduates from long, long ago, so next, I want to sing a song called "Farewell". I think everyone can sing it, right? You can sing along."
He took off his riveted jacket, wearing only a white shirt, and sat in front of the microphone with a guitar in his arms.
There is no accompaniment, just simple chords being plucked.
"Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green and endless."
…
"When will you return? When you come back, don't hesitate."
Hearing this, Zhang Jusong burst into tears.
It seemed that only at this moment did she truly understand the song.
"I ask you when you will return", this is easy to understand, it is asking when the person who leaves will return.
But why do we need to add the sentence "Don't hesitate when you come"?
Is it because you foresee that some people will wander around, lost and confused after you leave?
Unable to explain the answer clearly, Zhang Jusong just sang along with everyone with tears in his eyes.
I ask you, when will you return?
Don't hesitate when you come.
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