School starts
Late August is the hottest time of the year.
Xu Jianing carried a cloth bag made by Chen Tianying on his back, with a towel around his neck to wipe away sweat as he walked. His forehead was already red and burning from the scorching sun.
Chen Tianying escorted him to the bridge. Several times along the way, she tried to say something, but her lips moved and she swallowed her words back.
This side of the bridge is a village, and the other side is a town. After changing buses, you'll reach the county's key middle school.
Chen Tianying lifted the canvas bag in her hand, which contained bedding, a washbasin, a bag of rice, and two eggs wrapped in old newspapers. As she walked, she instructed, "Don't cause trouble at school, remember to eat on time, and write home if you don't have enough money. Don't always think about saving money for your mother."
Xu Jianing hummed in agreement, gripping the opening of the canvas bag. Chen Tianying added, "Be careful on the road."
"Mother, I have to go."
Chen Tianying stood by the bridge, watching her son's figure disappear little by little, and murmured, "Don't get heatstroke... Nobody at school will spoil you."
Xu Jianing didn't turn around, but after walking a dozen steps, he quietly took off the towel around his neck and wiped away what he couldn't tell was sweat or tears, but his face and eyes were burning hot.
He tugged at the shoulder strap, the bag slung askew, but his mind was still replaying Chen Tianying's last words, "Be careful on the road."
He dared not turn around, afraid that if he did, he would burst into tears.
After crossing the bridge, they walked to the town, and then squeezed onto a bus to enter the county seat. When they arrived at the gate of the key high school, Xu Jianing stood there, unsure of which way to go.
The iron gate was very tall, and a red paper strip was pasted on the wall that read "Welcome new students" in large characters, but he felt somewhat out of place.
There were many people standing at the school gate, with more adults than students. Some were helping to carry bedding, others were carrying enamel basins and buckets, and still others were fanning the children to wipe their sweat.
Several parents huddled together, chatting idly:
"I heard that the top class is Class 1 of the first year of high school. Getting into that class is amazing. This school is better than other schools in the city."
“My husband’s workplace said that this school has a strong foundation, and many of the teachers were transferred from key municipal schools. Now it’s on par with those key municipal schools. If it weren’t for that, who would want to come all the way from the city to study in the county?”
"My son was among the last to get in. The teacher said he was just two points away from being dropped to the regular class. I'm still worried about him."
As they chatted, their conversation naturally drifted to each other's homes.
Where do you live?
“My husband works at the county's cigarette factory; he's the accountant and works in an office.”
“We work for the grain bureau. We were allocated houses a few years ago, right by the river embankment.”
"Oh, that's a great location, just a few minutes' walk from school."
"I heard that your relative's uncle works at the Education Bureau?"
"Sigh, I'm just a logistics worker, how could I dare to ask for favors? I didn't even dare to ask for a shift assignment."
As they were talking, someone noticed Xu Jianing standing at the door and suddenly lowered their voice to ask, "Did that child come by himself? He doesn't have any parents."
"This guy looks like he's from the countryside. His clothes are so old, and his schoolbag is a canvas bag."
"Sigh, most of the kids still in high school these days are from the city, their families have jobs or connections. Those from the countryside dropped out a long time ago."
"Yes, going to a vocational school to learn a skill at least guarantees job placement; if that doesn't work, you can go out and work, and at least you can earn three or five hundred. Unlike going to high school, which is expensive and there's no guarantee of a future."
"If you don't get into university, you'll end up back to farming, and all your previous efforts will be wasted. How many people do you think would dare to take that gamble?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone glanced toward the school gate and whispered, "Look at that kid, he's probably the one gambling."
Xu Jianing showed no reaction on his face, not even lifting his eyelids.
He heard everything they said, from "from the countryside," "to change one's fate through education," to "how many people can win at gambling"—every word entered his ears, but he didn't care.
He stood there for a while, stuffed the admission notice into his bag, and walked towards the registration desk at the entrance.
The registration teacher was a middle-aged woman who wore glasses. When she saw him, she asked, "Which class are you in?"
"Xu Jianing, Class 1, Grade 11." Her voice was a little hoarse. Only after she finished speaking did she realize that the water bottle in her pocket was empty; she had already drunk all the water while walking along the mountain path.
The teacher glanced down at the list: "Xu Jianing? Hmm, a good prospect. Teacher Li even gave her special advice."
As she marked the names, she pointed in the direction of the teaching building ahead: "Go to the teaching building and report to your homeroom teacher. It's the first room at the end of the corridor."
The teaching building is made of red bricks and has only three floors. Each grade occupies one floor. The cement between the bricks has long been mottled and peeled off by wind and rain, and mottled moss grows on the walls.
Xu Jianing carried a cloth bag and searched up the stairs, floor by floor. The corridors were narrow, the floors were rough cement, and the walls were covered with certificates of merit and student rules, held down by nails at the four corners.
“Xie Liming.” He stopped in front of one of the certificates of merit.
This name looks familiar.
I remember now, this is the guy who bought those cucumbers from him at the market before. He's not very polite, and his behavior has a sense of superiority.
It's not very polite, and it doesn't suit the name.
Xu Jianing walked around the teaching building, down from the third floor to the first floor, and walked to the end of the corridor. There was a yellowed piece of paper pasted on the classroom door, with the words "Class 1, Grade 1" written in hand, the ink slightly blurred.
He stopped, gripped the bag strap, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
The homeroom teacher was a middle-aged man named Liu Zhigang. He was wearing old-fashioned gold-rimmed glasses and was squatting by the podium counting the textbooks. When he heard the door open, he looked up and glanced at it.
"Hello teacher, I am Xu Jianing, a freshman."
Liu Zhigang narrowed his eyes and flipped through a page of the roster on the lectern: "Xu Jianing... Hmm, I remember her. Come and get your book. Cover it up properly when you get home, don't tear it."
Xu Jianing quickly stepped forward, took the stack of textbooks wrapped in straw paper, and put the books into his schoolbag.
Liu Zhigang watched him pack his books and nodded. "I heard from others that you did well in the high school entrance exam. Don't be arrogant. It's not easy to get into the top high school in the county, and it's even harder to get into the honors class."
"Yes," Xu Jianing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Liu Zhigang didn't say anything more, just waved his hand: "Go to the dormitory. Your dormitory is 201, the boys' dormitory building. Turn left after entering, it's the last room."
Xu Jianing slung her backpack over her shoulder and nodded, "Thank you, teacher."
The dormitory building had only two floors, with peeling paint on the walls, brooms and shovels piled up in the corners, and a musty smell in the stairwell. When Xu Jianing found room 201, the door was half-open, and the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard from inside.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Is anyone home?"
A boy peeked out, wearing a faded white vest, and was using his teeth to bite the rope and tie up the mosquito net.
"You must be Xu Jianing, right? Our dorm is just missing you."
Xu Jianing nodded and shifted the cloth bag on his back: "I am. And you are?"
"Li Changshui." The man grinned. "I'm from the city. Find a bed to put your things on first. The one by the window is empty."
The dormitory was small, with eight iron bunk beds arranged in two rows facing each other, barely enough for a person to pass through in the middle. Under the beds were crooked enamel basins, buckets, and thermos flasks, most of which were printed with words like "Double Happiness" or "Made by the Ministry of Railways." Some of the basins had chipped enamel edges, while others had cracks patched with tape.
Xu Jianing walked to the empty bed by the window, put down the cloth bag, and casually touched the iron bed frame. It was rusty and especially hot in the summer.
"Have you had lunch yet?" Li Changshui asked, leaning closer.
"not yet."
Did you bring your meal tickets?
"I brought it." Xu Jianing took out a meal ticket with curled edges from his pocket, which was rubbed by sweat, and carefully flattened it. This was a meal ticket he had just exchanged for the rice he had brought from the canteen.
"Let's go then, let's get in line early, otherwise all we'll have left is soup and broth."
When they arrived at the canteen, the line was already stretched out the door. Xu Jianing stood behind Li Changshui, her fingers tightly gripping the meal ticket, watching the large iron pot in the window steaming with heat, the air filled with the aroma of food and the smell of sweat.
After the tall boys in front of her finished getting their food and left, Xu Jianing quickly followed and carefully handed her meal ticket to the lady at the window.
"A bowl of rice and a bowl of stir-fried cabbage."
The aunt at the window had her hair soaked with sweat and her white apron stained with oil. Without even lifting her eyelids, she skillfully scooped a bowl of rice from the bucket, then scooped a spoonful of watery cabbage leaves and slapped them into his bowl.
"Next!"
Xu Jianing looked down at the food. The food was not a small amount, as he had redeemed it with his own meal tickets, but the cabbage only had a few leaves.
But he didn't say anything, and silently carried his food to a corner of the cafeteria.
The metal table still had water stains and the smell of soup from the previous meal. He wiped it with the cafeteria's cheap paper towels, sat down, and began his first meal after the start of the semester.
The stir-fried cabbage had already cooled down and had a slightly burnt smell from the bottom of the iron pot, but Xu Jianing ate it quickly, finishing half a bowl of rice in just a few bites.
Across from me sat several local students, chatting and laughing while chewing on small white bread rolls wrapped in transparent plastic bags. The bags had the words "Special Supply to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative" printed on them in red.
Xu Jianing glanced at the bag, then looked down at her empty rice bowl.
He had seen those small bread rolls before; they were displayed on the top shelf of the supply and marketing cooperative's shop window, costing 13 cents each. He stood at the door for a long time, even having the urge to reach into his pocket and pay, but in the end, he walked away.
Thirteen cents, that's enough to sell a few more cucumbers as a thank-you gift.
Several students across from him probably noticed his gaze. One of the boys slowly bit into his bread and deliberately said clearly, "Ugh, I'm tired of eating this every day. I really want to switch to some pickled vegetables."
Another person laughed out loud: "Why don't you go and switch with him? His dishes are watery, you might be able to drink your fill."
A burst of snickers erupted around the table.
Xu Jianing didn't say anything. She picked up her bowl and went to the tap to rinse it. She turned the tap up to make the sound louder, trying to drown out the laughter from the outside world.
"Hey, you look familiar!" A male voice suddenly came from the side and behind.
Xu Jianing looked up and saw a boy with neatly shaved hair, a frivolous smile on his lips, and an inexplicably familiar look.
"Aren't you the one who used to sell cucumbers at the school gate?"
Xu Jianing stared at him for a moment, then asked, "Who are you?"
“Xie Liming.” The man leaned forward as if waiting for him to recognize him, and chuckled to himself, “I bought all your cucumbers last time, remember? I helped you out.”
"I didn't expect you to actually be a student at our school. I thought you were just trying to scam me to sell cucumbers."
"Hmm." Xu Jianing didn't look at him again and continued washing the bowl in her hands.
Xie Liming clearly didn't care about his attitude. With his hands in his pockets, he stood to the side, shaking his head: "You're a freshman, right? Which class are you in?"
"Class 1, Grade 11"
"Oh, I really guessed right, you're in the honors class." Xie Liming raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty good at exams."
"So, is your name really Tiezhu (Iron Pillar)?"
Xu Jianing didn't answer, but simply washed the bowl, shook off the water, and splashed water droplets onto Xie Liming's face.
Xie Liming was taken aback at first, then reached out and touched it, "You fucking did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Xu Jianing, who was about to leave, paused upon hearing this, turned her head, and sneered: "So your real name is Xie Liming. I thought you made it up yourself."
"It doesn't look like it at all."
Xie Liming's smile froze for two seconds, then he resumed his nonchalant demeanor, raising his hand to wipe the water droplets from his face: "So you're not only stingy, but also have a sharp tongue?"
He stood there, watching Xu Jianing's departing figure, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether he was annoyed or wanted to tease her a little more.
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