The next morning, the classroom of Class 2, Grade 5 was noisy.
As Liu Feng entered the classroom, he was greeted by four mottled, peeling white walls, a simple podium, and dilapidated desks and chairs, all of which revealed the traces of time and the unique atmosphere of that era.
The wall is covered with Chairman Mao's famous quote: "Study hard and make progress every day."
The neat handwriting stands out, inspiring generations of students to study hard and strive for excellence.
Liu Feng's gaze wandered around the classroom, finally landing on a petite girl in the front row. Her chubby cheeks were rosy, like fresh red apples.
The girl's name is Wang Juan, and Liu Feng knows her very well.
He suppressed his excitement and his gaze fell on a girl sitting in the fourth row by the window. She was tall and had fair skin. Her name was Yu Jingya.
"Fourth brother, you've been assigned to our class?" Liu Xiaoling exclaimed happily. She was sitting next to Yu Jingya.
"Okay, Sister Ling, we'll be in the same class from now on, please take good care of me," Liu Feng said.
The intimacy between the two made Yu Jingya cast a curious glance at this new classmate. She watched Liu Feng walk to the last row and sit down before she looked away.
At this moment, a tall boy named Xiong Biao walked over. He occupied most of the desk and seemed somewhat domineering.
"Where did you come from? Who let you sit here?"
"I'm new here. I saw that this was the only empty seat in the class, so I came here. Please take good care of me, Brother Xiong!" Liu Feng replied calmly.
"You know me?" Xiong Biao looked Liu Feng up and down and asked in confusion, "How come I don't know you?"
"I'm a nobody, of course Brother Xiong wouldn't know me."
Liu Feng replied, searching his memories of his past life. Looking at the childish faces in the classroom, he could no longer remember the names of some of them.
However, Xiong Biao was an exception. He repeated two grades, making him more than two years older than the average student. Tall and burly, he was a leader among the kids and left a lasting impression. His classmates privately called him "the repeater dog."
"You're quite perceptive. From now on, if you sit next to me, no one will dare to bully you!" Xiong Biao said proudly.
"Thank you," Liu Feng said.
Some classmates couldn't help but whisper among themselves when they saw Liu Feng and Xiong Biao sitting together.
Ignoring the probing gazes of the others, Liu Feng quietly looked at the girl in the front row, lost in his memories.
"Xiao Juan, in this life, we will get to know each other anew, starting from elementary school," Liu Feng thought to himself.
"Ding-dong-dong"—the long school bell rang.
Teacher Li walked up to the podium with her hands behind her back, and the classroom immediately fell silent.
He looked around the classroom and then focused his gaze on Liu Feng, the new transfer student, and said, "Classmates, we have a new student transferring to our class this year. Please welcome him to the front and let him introduce himself to everyone."
"Slap, slap, slap..."
Amidst a round of applause, Liu Feng walked to the front of the stage and introduced himself:
"Hello everyone, my surname is Liu, the Liu of willow tree. I hope that I can be like a willow tree, taking root here and growing strong together with everyone. My name is Feng, the Feng of 'I am the peak when I reach the summit of the mountain.' I hope to climb to the peak together with all of you and make progress together."
After the introduction, Liu Feng bowed slightly to express his gratitude to the students. His face was beaming with a sincere smile, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future.
Amidst applause from his classmates, he returned to his seat.
Teacher Li also smiled with satisfaction. He looked at Liu Feng and secretly admired his courage and confidence. He hoped that Liu Feng's arrival would bring new vitality to the class.
In the second period, Ms. Li, with her textbook tucked under her arm, calmly walked into the classroom and began the first seating arrangement of the year.
As a homeroom teacher, he liked and took good care of students with good grades, while those with poor grades would be seated in the last row.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the classroom became tense again.
Only a few people hoped to sit closer to the teacher and be able to concentrate better on the lecture.
At this time, the teacher was still very authoritative, and the students were very afraid of him.
If you don't pay attention in class, can't answer questions, and get the worst grades on tests, you'll really be punished by the teacher by standing in the corner, having your palms slapped with a pointer, and being kicked in the buttocks.
If the parents find out, they'll inevitably get another beating.
To Liu Feng's surprise, Teacher Li arranged for him to sit in the first row, right next to the podium, and his deskmate was Wang Juan.
This seating arrangement seemed like a clever twist of fate, placing Liu Feng once again in Teacher Li's "focus of attention," allowing his every move to be observed by the teacher.
Looking back on his past life, Liu Feng's math scores were always among the best, and he was highly favored by Teacher Li.
Back then, he also sat in this "prime spot," enjoying the teacher's close attention and guidance.
Now reborn and back in this position, Liu Feng felt a surge of complex emotions. He was determined not to let his teacher down.
He turned to look at Wang Juan beside him, a smile playing on his lips, and said softly, "Hello, we're deskmates again!"
In his words, he seemed to transcend the boundaries of time and space, weaving together memories of his past life with emotions of this one.
In his previous life, he and Wang Juan were deskmates since the third grade. They studied and helped each other, and spent many unforgettable times together.
Wang Juan always patiently helped him explain difficult Chinese problems, and he generously shared his math problem-solving skills. This mutual complementarity and assistance between them seemed to have become a tacit understanding.
That period of time seemed to be frozen in a special space and time, becoming their most precious memory.
However, upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Wang Juan's eyes.
She didn't realize the meaning behind Liu Feng's words, "we're deskmates again," and simply felt his friendliness and closeness.
So she extended her hand and smiled in response, "Hello, Liu Feng, I'm Wang Juan. It's nice to be your deskmate."
Looking at Wang Juan's outstretched hand, Liu Feng's surging emotions instantly transformed into a warm smile. He gently grasped that small hand, as if he were holding onto a predestined bond from a past life and a friendship in this one.
"Hello, Wang Juan, we may have met somewhere before... perhaps in some time or place." His words carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement, but it was quickly drowned out by the sounds of people moving seats around him.
At this moment, sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon them, adding a touch of warmth and beauty to their new time as deskmates.
Wang Juan's rosy cheeks and bright eyes appeared even more vivid under the light, as if they could illuminate the softest part of people's hearts.
Liu Feng was so engrossed in watching that he felt a surge of warmth in his heart, making him cherish this second chance at life.
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