Back to school
Cangshui County Middle School.
On the first day of the new semester, the list of first-year high school students assigned to arts and science classes was posted on the bulletin board at the school gate. Many first-year high school students who had just returned to school would stop and check which class they were assigned to when they passed by.
"Oh my, I'm from Class 2, isn't this the humanities honors class?" a girl exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the list.
The boy next to him leaned over for a look and said with a sneer, "What's so good about the honors class? Lots of homework and strict teachers."
"Are you jealous of me?" The girl raised her chin smugly.
"Pshaw, I'm a science major."
"So what if you're a science student? You only got a 30-something in physics, didn't you?"
Some students stood on tiptoe to look at the list, shouting as they squeezed through the crowd, "Don't block my way! Let me see which class I'm in."
"Hey, hey, hey, can someone help me find this? My name is Yang Xin, I'm short so you can't see me from behind!"
A tall boy in the front row turned around and laughed, "How are your grades? Don't cry if you end up in a regular class."
"Pah, stop jinxing me! My mom says I'm a shoo-in for the top class." Yang Xin anxiously patted his back on tiptoe. "Hurry up and check for me, stop being so sarcastic!"
The crowd around the list grew larger and larger. Some people had already finished reading it and were still shouting into the crowd, "Oh no, I'm in the same class as Lao Liu!" and "Oh no, I've been assigned to the regular science class!"
However, after the science and humanities classes are separated in Cangshan, students do not need to change dormitories. This is the school's consistent rule: only classrooms are changed, not beds.
In this way, even if students are separated into arts and sciences groups, they can still return to their original dormitories at night and live with their familiar roommates. The teachers also feel that this is a more secure approach, so that the students won't be unhappy about changing dormitories and it won't affect their studies.
Wen Sheng, carrying a heavy cloth bag, stood on the periphery of the crowd. After assessing the situation, she realized she had no chance of squeezing in, so she stopped a boy who came out and asked, "Excuse me, which class is the science honors class?"
The student answered decisively: "The top science class is Class 3."
"Okay, thank you." After understanding the situation, Wen Sheng dragged the cloth bag towards the dormitory.
The door to dormitory 308 was ajar, indicating that someone had already returned inside.
Wen Sheng gently nudged her with her shoulder and found that her roommate Lin Yiwan had returned. She was squatting on the ground organizing her luggage, taking things out of a large cloth bag one by one.
"Wen Sheng, do you want some of this?" Lin Yiwan grabbed a handful of fried peanuts and handed them over with a grin. "My mom fried these fresh last night, they smell delicious."
"And also, pickled radishes! My mom made them for Chinese New Year, it's her specialty, they go perfectly with rice." As she spoke, she pulled a glass jar from her large cloth bag.
"Oh, there's more, there's more!" Lin Yiwan excitedly rummaged through her bag, pulling out a bag of beef jerky wrapped in newspaper. "My uncle gave it to me, saying I should take it to school and share it."
"Thank you, Yiwan." Wen Sheng smiled and accepted the gift, but then felt it wasn't right to accept it empty-handed. "My family doesn't have anything good to eat. How about I treat you to a meal at the cafeteria another day?"
Lin Yiwan waved her hand dismissively and said, "Oh, we're in the same dorm, why are you being so polite with me! I brought so many to share with everyone, my family specifically told me to."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the dormitory door was pushed open again, and Jiang Xiufang came in carrying a bulging snakeskin bag, panting as she put it on the bed: "Ugh, I'm exhausted."
Wiping away her sweat, she pulled out a few pieces of cured meat and two bundles of sausages from the bag. "These are sausages my dad made. He's making an extra dish for our dorm tonight."
"Oh right, I almost forgot, there are also the fried meatballs he just made, they're so delicious!" Jiang Xiufang said, stuffing a small packet of oil paper into Wen Sheng and Lin Yiwan's hands.
Wen Sheng had just accepted the peanuts and beef jerky from Lin Yiwan when she took the meatballs and stuffed her hands full.
"Oh dear, Wen Sheng, quickly put it on the table! You're too small to hold it!" Lin Yiwan laughed and slapped her thigh, then quickly reached out to help her take it.
Jiang Xiufang pushed the burlap sack to the corner and asked, "By the way, what subjects did you choose? Arts or sciences?"
"Of course I'm a humanities student!" Lin Yiwan eagerly tore open the oil paper package, stuffed a meatball into her mouth, and mumbled a praise: "Mmm, Uncle's cooking is really good!"
Wen Sheng said, "I'm a science student."
Jiang Xiufang said with a smile, "I'm also a humanities student. Math is too torturous. Memorizing is more suitable for me."
As they were talking, Li Qingmiao pushed open the door, somewhat surprised: "Hey, how come you're all here?"
She sniffed hard for a second, her eyes lighting up: "It smells so good! Who brought these meatballs? I smelled them as soon as I entered the building, it's from our dorm!"
"Come, come, Qingmiao." Jiang Xiufang immediately offered the meatballs, "Try them, they're freshly fried and still hot."
Li Qingmiao didn't stand on ceremony, casually picked one up and popped it into her mouth, chewing as she gave a thumbs up: "I wish there was this every day, it's much more fragrant than the stir-fried dishes in the cafeteria."
"By the way, Qingmiao, what did you choose?" Lin Yiwan asked.
"Me? I wanted to be a doctor, so I chose science." Li Qingmiao threw the blanket on the bed and went to get meatballs and beef jerky.
She was chewing with gusto when she suddenly remembered something and looked up sharply: "Oh dear, wait a minute! My parents are still downstairs! They prepared lots of food for me, I'll go find them and bring it up."
Not long after, she came running back, panting and patting her chest.
Lin Yiwan leaned closer to take a look and her eyes nearly widened in surprise: "My goodness, so much stuff?!"
Li Qingmiao said proudly, "Of course! On the first day of school, our dorm has to eat something good! This is lotus root sandwich that my mom fried, this is beef that my dad marinated himself, and a big jar of roasted chestnuts!"
As she spoke, she placed bags of food on the small table in the dormitory, and soon the table was piled high with food.
Lin Yiwan and Jiang Xiufang couldn't wait to unpack their food and chat, making the dormitory lively. No one noticed that Wen Sheng had run downstairs with the money.
The convenience store wasn't far from the teaching building. Rows of glass bottles of orange soda were neatly arranged in the freezer. Wen Sheng stood on tiptoe, pointed at the cabinet, and said, "Boss, give me eight bottles."
The shop owner brought out the bottles of soda one by one and asked, "Do you need any bags?"
Wen Sheng nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, boss, do you only have old cardboard boxes and bottle openers?"
"Yes, I'll pack it for you." The shop owner skillfully packed the bottle into an old cardboard box, the bottles clinking together with a crisp "clinking" sound.
Wen Sheng carried the cardboard box back. Several people in the dormitory were arguing about whose cured meat was the best, and the whole floor could hear them.
"Come and judge! My dad's cured pork is the most fragrant!" Jiang Xiufang shouted, still holding a piece of meat in her hand.
"Pah! My mom's lotus root sandwiches are definitely the most delicious!" Li Qingmiao said, hands on her hips, clearly unconvinced.
Lin Yiwan was chewing on beef jerky and said with a muffled laugh, "Stop arguing, Wen Sheng and I will be the ones who benefit anyway!"
Speak of Wen Sheng, and Wen Sheng will appear.
Wen Sheng put the cardboard box on the ground, stood up straight and took a breath. The others were stunned for a moment. Looking down, they saw eight bottles of orange soda, still steaming, lying neatly in the cardboard box.
"Oh my god! It's orange soda!" Lin Yiwan exclaimed.
Jiang Xiufang ran over to look, stamping her feet anxiously: "Quick, quick, does anyone have a bottle opener? If not, chopsticks will do!"
“Since you all brought food, I definitely have to buy some drinks. Otherwise, I’d feel bad just taking advantage of you. The bottle opener is at the very bottom.” Wen Sheng smiled, bent down, and patted the cardboard box. “The bottle opener is at the very bottom. Check it out.”
Lin Yiwan immediately squatted down and rummaged around, and sure enough, he found a small metal bottle opener in the corner: "There's even a straw!"
"Come on, one bottle each." She opened the sodas for everyone and handed them out.
Several people raised their glass bottles and clinked glasses, "Cheers!"
"May our dormitory have a prosperous new semester!" Jiang Xiufang shouted first, her voice the loudest.
"Yes, yes, everyone got high scores!" Li Qingmiao immediately echoed.
"And there's delicious food every day!" Lin Yiwan said, holding up a bottle of soda.
Wen Sheng was also caught up in their lively atmosphere, "Wishing everyone a smooth and successful new year!"
Lin Yiwan took a big gulp, but the bubbles rushed up and made her cough and cough, tears welling up in her eyes.
Wen Sheng quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it over: "Are you alright?"
"Thank goodness, cough cough cough." Lin Yiwan laughed while wiping away her tears, her voice still a little hoarse, "This soda is so delicious!"
She made everyone laugh, and the dormitory became lively. Before long, the other roommates returned one after another, carrying things they had brought from home. Some brought sunflower seeds, others candy; the small table was piled higher and higher, it felt like a second Chinese New Year.
Seeing that the sun was shining brightly outside, Wen Sheng picked up the blanket from the bed and said to everyone, "You guys eat first, I'll go air out the blanket."
"Go on, go on, get some sun early, or there won't be any spots left." Lin Yiwan mumbled a reply while chewing on a meatball, and waved her hand.
Jiang Xiufang swallowed the cured meat in her mouth and asked, "Do we have to go to the bathhouse early today? The day before school starts is the busiest."
"It's wrapped up," Li Qingmiao replied without looking up as she peeled roasted chestnuts.
After she finished speaking, she suddenly paused, and stopped peeling chestnuts.
Looking back, every time school started, she was so crowded in the bathhouse that there was nowhere to shower. Sometimes the water would run out while she was showering. When she got home, she would always complain for a long time. Her parents would comfort her, but her brother Li Changshui would just say "uh-huh" to brush it off.
Li Qingmiao stared at the half-peeled chestnut in her hand, a strange thought suddenly popping into her mind: Could it be...?
"Wen Sheng!" she called out to the person who was about to leave.
Wen Sheng was carrying a blanket to the door when she was startled and almost dropped it. She turned around with a puzzled look and asked, "Huh?"
"I'll go with you to air out the blankets. Could you come with me to the boys' dormitory to stop people later?" Li Qingmiao said seriously.
"Stop someone?" Wen Sheng was stunned. "Stop who?"
"Who else could it be but my brother!" Li Qingmiao gritted her teeth and squeezed out these words, filled with nothing but hatred.
Lin Yiwan was the first to react, and burst out laughing: "Oh dear, what did your brother do to you again?"
Li Qingmiao didn't laugh; instead, her face grew darker and darker. She even crushed a chestnut she was peeling halfway through, ignoring the chestnut paste on her fingers and casually wiping them with a tissue.
Jiang Xiufang lowered her voice and quietly asked Lin Yiwan, "I feel like something's not right, should we stop them?"
Wen Sheng stood at the door with a blanket in her arms. Looking at Li Qingmiao's posture, she realized she couldn't stop her and sighed softly, "Let's go."
She thought to herself: I hope no one dies in the warehouse tonight.
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