Chapter 7: From Year 12 to Year 2
Xiaokai is very particular about his bed. If he doesn't sleep well, he will make a fuss. After dinner, he occupied Nanjiu's bed. Nanjiu didn't want to sleep with him, so he simply slept on the floor outside. Nan Zhendong got drunk and lay on the recliner of Grandpa Nan, snoring loudly. Nanjiu was annoyed by what he heard. After lying down, he sat up again and shook him: "Dad, can you go back to your room to sleep, Dad..."
Nan Zhendong scratched his belly without blinking. A quarrel erupted outside the window. Nan Jiu pushed open the hanging window and heard Li Chongguang's ghostly screams. His family lived across the street from the teahouse, and he could see Li Chongguang's father standing by the curtains.
"You stay at home all day without any skills, and you don't even know how to find a class. Get your driver's license before the end of the year, and go run a truck with your cousin..."
The quarrel continued, but Nanjiu's thoughts drifted back to her past. Liu Yin was working, Li Chongguang was idle, and most of the friends she'd met in the alley had stopped studying. The path she'd fallen into was nothing more than staring into the abyss for too long, ignoring the sun shining brightly above her.
After taking a shower, Song Ting carried Nan Zhendong back to the room and put him on the bed.
When he came out, Song Ting quietly closed the door. Nan Jiu lay on the windowsill, staring blankly at the raindrops sliding down the hanging window.
"Can't sleep?" Song Ting asked as he passed by her.
"It's already August."
"What happened in August?" Song Ting walked over to pour a glass of water, picked it up and took a sip.
"Have you heard about the end of the world in 2012?"
"No."
"That's a Mayan prophecy, saying there will be a major disaster on Earth on December 21st of this year."
"Is there ever a day when there hasn't been a disaster on Earth?" Song Ting put down his water cup and asked her, "Would you like some water?"
"Pour me some." Nanjiu turned his head and continued, "It's a disaster that could destroy humanity, just like the extinction of the dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period. I heard that many people abroad are already preparing for it. If it's true, doesn't that mean we only have four months to survive?"
Song Ting handed her the water cup and said, "You should stop browsing those messy forums."
"You don't believe it? If it's true, this would be the last time we meet."
Song Ting curled his lips slightly: "You say it as if you really want to see me."
"That's not the case." Nanjiu took a big gulp of water and handed the cup back to him. "Are you afraid?"
"I'm not the only one who will be killed. There are so many people accompanying me on the road to the underworld. What is there to be afraid of?" Seeing that Nan Jiu was not sleepy, Song Ting held the water cup for her, leaned against the windowsill, and chatted with her casually.
Song Ting and Nan Zhendong each drank a bottle of baijiu. Nan Zhendong collapsed, but Song Ting remained calm. He stood a step away from Nan Jiu, the faint smell of alcohol wafting over him, not unpleasant. Perhaps it was because he had just showered, the alcohol mixed with the scent of shower gel, blending into a unique aroma.
"What about you? You've only survived four months, so are you planning on doing something earth-shattering when you go back?" Song Ting's tone contained a hint of sarcasm.
Nan Jiu held his chin, looking at the dripping water outside the window, his face full of worry: "I don't know, four months is too short, there is not enough time to get the diploma."
"Then finish high school well." This was the last sentence Song Ting left for her.
Nan Jiu turned his head and stared at Song Ting's departing back, his thoughts circling around his figure.
That night, she and Song Ting were having a late-night snack when they discussed premature love. She retorted, "You've never had a premature love?" He replied, "No." She'd assumed he was being serious in front of a younger generation, but now she realized he probably wouldn't have the chance to grow up freely like a typical teenager. His seventeen years were filled with sticky touches, murky vision, rancid odors, and a hideous home.
Song Ting's figure disappeared down the stairs. Nan Jiu withdrew her gaze and reached out to catch the raindrops falling from the hanging window. At seventeen, her palms were untouched by raindrops. The quiet and peaceful streets stretched endlessly, the air thick with the sweetness of earth and the scent of life emerging.
......
Nan Zhendong booked a train ticket for the next morning. Nan Jiu didn't sleep well on the floor the day before, so he got up late in the morning and ran to say goodbye to his grandfather without even having breakfast.
Old Man Nan waved his palm-leaf fan, his eyes half-closed. "You'll have a tough battle to fight next year, so you need to be aware of it. It's always better to rely on yourself than on others. Your Uncle Song will drive you to the station later."
"I see." Nan Jiu turned around and came back after a few steps. "I ran into Song Ting on the road in the first year of junior high school. Was he out looking for me?"
"Your dad called and said you'd disappeared, and he was worried about you coming to me. I wasn't sure if you'd really come looking for me, so he was planning to drive to Feng City and look for you along the way."
Smoke billowed from the copper kettle's spout, tea bubbling in a swirling haze. The polished tea table was bathed in light filtering through the window. Stepping out of the teahouse, the sweet aroma of aged tea left behind. Picking up his luggage, this time, Nanjiu didn't hesitate.
Song Ting parked the car at the entrance of the alley, got out, bought two hot osmanthus cakes, and knocked on Nanjiu's window, handing them to her. Nanjiu reached out to the window, took the cake, and her knuckles touched, a subtle yet undeniable touch that went straight from her fingertips to her heart. She raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on his brows. Song Ting didn't look at her, withdrew his hand, and sat in the front seat.
The car drove to the station, Nanjiu and Xiaokai sat in the back seat, and Nan Zhendong sat in the passenger seat. Along the way, Xiaokai kept making noises and twisting and turning. Nanjiu was silent, her body pressed against the car door, turning her head to look at the street scene of South City. When the light turned red, the car slowly stopped, and Song Ting glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror. Nanjiu noticed something and turned her gaze from the window to the inside of the car. In the rearview mirror, the two pairs of eyes met without warning, their eyes briefly touching and exploring. The green light came on, he looked forward, and her eyes shifted.
As they were approaching the station, Xiaokai started clamoring for a toilet. As soon as the bus stopped, Nan Zhendong carried Xiaokai to find a toilet, leaving his luggage bag to Nanjiu.
Song Ting got out of the car, opened the trunk, took out a bag from it, and handed it to Nan Jiu: "Your grandfather gave it to you."
Nanjiu took the bag and asked, "What's in it?"
"Go get in the car and take a look. If you encounter any difficulties when you get back, call me."
Nanjiu had a lot of bags on him, and he didn't have the hands to look through them. He said goodbye and hurried into the station.
After getting on the train and finding a place to put down the luggage, Nanjiu opened the bag and found a tightly sealed box inside. When he opened the box, a brand new laptop came into view.
......
After Nanjiu got a laptop, he no longer lingered in internet cafes. The games he once had to play, after a while, were put aside.
At the end of 2012, the world didn't end, but new rumors surfaced online, claiming that the original time and space had been destroyed, and that all of humanity had simply moved to a new, parallel time and space. How could this not be considered the rebirth of all humanity?
Nanjiu removed her belly button ring and earrings and stopped dancing for fun. Most weekends, she spent her days alone in her dorm, poring over a sea of homework. Occasionally, she thought of Song Ting, his troubled family background and tragic past. Whenever that happened, his silent gaze would drift into her mind, briefly occupying her thoughts like an eternally silent place. Nanjiu wondered if Song Ting had met a suitable blind date. She'd wanted to ask her grandfather several times on the phone, but the words never came out.
The boring days passed by in a hurry. Nan Jiu performed steadily and was admitted to the university of his choice.
Nan Zhendong and Uncle Nan Jiu had a bitter dispute over a job offer at the company. Now, Uncle Nan Jiu's shaky business is prospering. The company, once thought to be a stable source of income, is experiencing declining performance. With delayed salary payments, Nan Zhendong hasn't received a paycheck for three months now.
The acceptance letter arrived in the mail, and Nan Jiu excitedly ran to school early in the morning. Holding the acceptance letter, he opened the door with a beaming smile. Liao Hong's irritable voice echoed from the room to the door: "How dare you ask me for money for cigarettes? I'm paying for my son's education, and I'm also supporting that money-losing child your ex-wife had. From now on, I'll raise my son, and you can figure out how to take care of your daughter yourself."
Nanjiu clutched her acceptance letter and quietly closed the door behind her. She sat in the building as the sky darkened, the streetlights lighting up, a dim glow streaming into the building. She flipped open her acceptance letter, and the payment slip tucked inside fell out. She bent down, picked up the payment slip, tucked it back inside her acceptance letter, and went downstairs to catch the bus.
My biological mother, Guo Wenhui, lived on the other side of the city. Her residential complex had rockeries and fountains, and the property management kept it well-maintained. Nan Jiu lingered at the entrance, peering into the complex from time to time.
Guo Wenhui walked out of the community wearing slippers and holding a red wallet. Nanjiu handed the university acceptance letter to her mother. Guo Wenhui read it over again and again, her eyebrows bright with joy: "You really made Mom proud. Does your dad know about this?"
Nan Jiu lowered his head, grinding the stones under his feet: "I haven't told you yet. Something happened at my dad's workplace and he hasn't received his salary for a few months."
The expression on Guo Wenhui's face changed from joy to worry.
At the ATM, Guo Wenhui inserted her bank card and entered the amount. Nan Jiu leaned aside and glanced at the balance. After withdrawing the money, Guo Wenhui only had a few hundred dollars left on her card.
She turned around and handed the money to Nanjiu: "Take this. If your dad gives you tuition later, you can keep this money for school."
Nanjiu held the stack of money tightly, nodded, and never looked up at his mother.
Guo Wenhui gave birth to her younger sister at an advanced age. She was frail from birth, so she never worked, focusing on raising her at home. The family's financial resources depended on her stepfather. A veil separated the couple, and after they married, her stepfather didn't hand over his salary, leaving Guo Wenhui to ask her husband for monthly expenses. The apartment complex she lived in looked upscale, but Guo Wenhui's name wasn't on the property title.
"That's all the money I have, and I can't let your Uncle Feng know about it yet. In the future, try to discuss these matters with your father."
Nanjiu understood what her mother meant and decided not to pay for future tuition. Nanjiu saw Guo Wenhui's predicament, but she didn't blame her mother. She took out the sand painting she had bought for her younger sister from her schoolbag, handed it to Guo Wenhui, and got on the bus.
Nanjiu joined the hip-hop dance club right after her freshman year. She was a fixture at club events, as long as she could earn money. In her spare time, she worked as a substitute teacher at several dance studios. Parents prioritized teachers based on their backgrounds and credentials. Nanjiu also competed with the club to gain experience.
Nan Zhendong never mentioned the tuition, assuming her mother would pay, and he simply ignored it. He left his job and went to work for a private employer. He'd give Nan Jiu a few hundred yuan for living expenses when he remembered, but when he didn't, he wouldn't call for months. Gradually, Nan Jiu's contact with her family faded.
During her freshman summer vacation, she crisscrossed the city, braving 38-degree weather, crisscrossing Fengshi. The summer classes were so crowded that the studios were practically empty, the air conditioning barely effective. By the end of each class, her underwear was soaking wet, and she'd only earned a few dozen yuan in substitute teaching fees. Even so, she didn't dare take a break. Tuition was a sword of Damocles hanging over her head, whipping her like a spinning top, making her spin endlessly.
That laptop accompanied Nanjiu from high school to college. Nanjiu used it to edit videos, make resumes, and look up information, but the time he spent playing games was getting less and less.
During her sophomore year, Nanjiu became a bit of a celebrity at the dance studio, and more and more students came to book her classes. Xingyao offered to sign a contract with her, offering a slight increase in tuition fees, but she couldn't substitute for other dance studios.
Xingyao was the largest institution in Feng City. Nanjiu had only been able to substitute for classes there when a senior teacher went abroad. Signing with Xingyao was undoubtedly a dream come true for Nanjiu.
After weighing the pros and cons, Nanjiu signed her first contract. She had been teaching at Xingyao for the better part of six months, but it wasn't until the day she signed that she finally spoke to the company's boss, Lin Songyao, a true second-generation wealthy man who had returned from overseas.
When Lin Songyao first met Nanjiu, he was wearing designer sunglasses, crossing his legs, and talking on the phone. Nanjiu waited for him for more than ten minutes before he hung up the phone. He picked up Nanjiu's resume and glanced at it: "Are you still in school?"
"Sophomore." Nan Jiu replied him.
Lin Songyao's face was expressionless. He took out his phone and placed it in front of Nanjiu: "Add me on WeChat. We can communicate online later if there's anything."
When Nan Jiu took out his cell phone, Lin Songyao looked at the old-fashioned phone and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.
After signing the contract, Nanjiu's weekly class schedule was fixed. She also filled in for other teachers when they needed leave. The scheduler, who thought Nanjiu was easygoing, often asked her for help, unaware that she was short on cash.
After such a relentless schedule, Nanjiu injured her back before the summer break of her sophomore year. The doctor told her she needed to rest and wouldn't be dancing again for a while. At night, Nanjiu lay in her dorm bed, tossing and turning in pain. She pulled out her phone and told Lin Songyao about her situation. She needed to take a leave of absence, but she also hoped to keep her job.
Lin Songyao replied in the early morning. The message was brief, asking Nanjiu to wait until he had recovered before going.
With the summer break approaching and no way to go to the dance studio, Nan Jiu had no idea where to pay for the next semester's tuition. With nowhere else to turn, Nan Jiu called his grandfather and asked him to borrow money.
After Nan Jiu left Maoer Lane with her father, she hadn't been back to see him for several years. When she called, she wanted to borrow money. Old Man Nan snorted coldly and asked what she wanted the money for. Nan Jiu said she had recently sprained her waist and couldn't work at the dance studio, so she needed money for tuition.
Old Master Nan asked her to go back to the teahouse and work for him. If she did a good job, he would pay her tuition and treat it as salary, and she wouldn't have to pay it back.
When Nan Jiu heard about such a good thing, he immediately booked a train ticket.
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