Chapter 12
It’s hard to explain why, but Zhang Jusong really doesn’t like this kind of scene.
After hesitating for a second, before she could sort out her thoughts, she walked out from behind the tree trunk where she was hiding and called Xia Zhiheng's name.
"Xia Zhiheng, I'm here."
Accompanied by the warm summer breeze, her soft call was heard by the other party.
Xia Zhiheng raised his head and looked over here. His sight found its focus and fixed his gaze on her. He slowly smiled.
The loneliness just now was like the moment when a butterfly stayed on a flower, and disappeared without a trace.
He took a long step and walked towards her at a brisk pace.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
Two or three steps away, Xia Zhiheng suddenly realized something and stopped: "Ah - wait a moment, I'll go up and get something."
Before he finished speaking, Xia Zhiheng turned around and hurried back.
This person keeps running back and forth, and never feels tired.
Zhang Jusong chuckled and shook his head.
Not long after, Xia Zhiheng rushed out from the dim stairwell again, holding a glass jar in both hands.
"Here, I made this - basil, peach and ginger -"
"It's made with the peaches you gave me. It tastes pretty good."
He ran too fast, and a small tuft of hair on Xia Zhiheng's forehead stood up. Zhang Jusong saw it, and felt itchy for some reason, and wanted to push the hair down.
But no, she secretly warned herself, the person in front of her was not Qu Ling, and she couldn't just mess with his hair.
Zhang Jusong coughed lightly and took the can of basil peach ginger.
In the sunlight, the colors of the peach petals and perilla in the glass jar are particularly beautiful, and just looking at them makes people think of the refreshing and sweet taste.
Zhang Jusong spun the glass jar and looked at it. Xiaoxiao exclaimed: "You can also make this, it's amazing."
"As long as you like it."
Xia Zhiheng smiled, and his little tiger teeth came out to bask in the sun again.
Ding—the cell phone rings, it’s the classic built-in ringtone.
When Zhang Jusong heard the ringtone, she became a little nervous reflexively, but then she realized it was not her own ringtone because her phone was always on silent.
Xia Zhiheng took out his cell phone from his pocket, and it was actually a video call. He pressed the answer button.
"Xia Zhiheng, congratulations, you did really well in the exam this time."
"Thank you, Teacher Zhang. It's also Teacher Zhang who taught me well."
Teacher Zhang? Which Teacher Zhang? Hearing this familiar female voice, Zhang Jusong curiously cast her eyes towards the phone. When she saw Teacher Zhang's face clearly, she immediately took a step to the left, but it was too late.
"Xia Zhiheng, is that Zhang Jusong next to you?"
Oops.
Zhang Jusong closed his eyes, opened them again, and greeted Teacher Zhang with the look of someone who was caught slacking off in class.
"Hello, Teacher Zhang."
This is her former head teacher.
Teacher Zhang yelled in a loud voice: "Zhang Jusong, you are such a heartless person. You haven't come back to see me since you went to college! What's the matter? How did the teacher offend you?"
"No, no," Zhang Jusong explained quickly, "I'm just busy with my studies, so I haven't found the time..."
"I'm just kidding." Teacher Zhang laughed, "Why are you with Xia Zhiheng?"
Xia Zhiheng naturally continued:
"Oh, isn't your senior at University A? I want to ask her for advice on filling out the application form."
“You really need to ask more questions.”
Teacher Zhang continued, "Xia Zhiheng, Zhishan Middle School's centennial celebration is coming up soon. The school wants you to make a speech on behalf of the graduates at the celebration ceremony. Is that okay?"
"Of course."
"And, Zhang Jusong!" Teacher Zhang changed the subject and called on him, "You have to come back to see me during this school anniversary celebration, otherwise you won't be able to see me."
Zhang Jusong leaned closer to the phone screen and asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Is the teacher feeling unwell?"
"Not really. It's just that I'm retiring this year!"
At this point, Teacher Zhang burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm very happy when I talk about retirement. Xia Zhiheng's class is the last one I will teach. So, I want to see you again while I'm still in school."
She deliberately put on a stern face: "If you don't come, don't come again in the future."
Zhang Jusong opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say no.
Teacher Zhang said a few more words to Xia Zhiheng: "Think carefully about filling out the application form. On the other hand, also think about what to say during the interview. According to my experience, there will be reporters coming to interview us in the next few days or soon. Remember to help us to call GG. Okay, that's it. Bye."
After the phone call was hung up, Zhang Jusong was still frowning, and she hugged the glass jar tighter.
She had heard about the centenary celebration of Zhishan Middle School. As a well-known high school in Province C, Zhishan Middle School in A Dali had many graduates, with more than a dozen or twenty students in each class.
In the Zhishan alumni group that had turned on the do not disturb function, some people had already made appointments to attend the school anniversary together.
But Zhang Jusong always turned a blind eye.
She subconsciously avoided these things and wishfully cut off her connection with Zhishan or the people and things in the past.
It's not that she has any opinion on Zhishan Middle School or Teacher Zhang. On the contrary, that was almost her favorite time. From the junior high school to the senior high school of Zhishan Middle School, she has always been the best student and the most favored student of Teacher Zhang among her classmates.
She herself couldn't explain why she didn't want to go back to Zhishan to attend the school anniversary.
Just resisting subconsciously.
"If you really don't want to go, forget it. I'll explain to Teacher Zhang."
A gentle boy's voice reached his ears, Zhang Jusong raised his head and met Xia Zhiheng's gaze.
"But... Teacher Zhang invited me personally just now, it feels very important."
Xia Zhiheng tilted his head slightly and said, "Whether you are happy or not is the most important thing."
His tone was particularly firm.
Zhang Jusong was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and stared at the basil peach ginger in the glass jar.
"Well, I'll think about it and we'll talk about it later."
The cell phone rang again. After Xia Zhiheng answered it, he mouthed the words "Reporter" to Zhang Jusong.
Wow, did the reporter come so quickly for an interview? Zhang Jusong said goodbye to him in a hurry.
She was afraid of disturbing him, so she lowered her voice and almost whispered, "I'm leaving."
When I got home, I was still tossing and turning, thinking about the school anniversary.
Needless to say, the 100th anniversary celebration of the school was grand.
When she was still studying at Zhishan Middle School, Zhang Jusong had thought that when Zhishan celebrated its 100th anniversary, she would return home in glory. By then, she would stand on the stage and speak as a representative of outstanding graduates, right? At that time, Zhang Jusong even had a draft of what kind of speech she would give when she returned to her alma mater.
As it turned out, she was overthinking it.
Lying flat on the soft mattress, Zhang Jusong stared at the ceiling in a daze.
Zhishan has so many graduates, but only a few are finally invited to stand on the stage and speak.
She is not one of the elites on the stage; she is just one of the ordinary people off the stage.
As the future gradually becomes today, those daydream bubbles will dissipate on their own without even needing to be popped.
Zhang Jusong sighed, stood up, and dragged out a small brown suitcase from under the bed.
Taking away the admission notice and college entrance examination certificate on top, Zhang Jusong took out her school badge. After being left for a long time and the air was humid, the iron pin on the back of the school badge was already stained with reddish-brown rust. Even the photo printed on the front had become a little blurry.
She placed the school badge in her palm and stared at it for a long time.
Like watching a dream from yesterday.
Unfortunately, this dream has ended.
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