My second year of high school coincided with a disaster, and life became extremely difficult.
Every day is filled with classes, reviewing, and self-study. The only fun is going back to the dorm and chatting with a bunch of guys.
Just after class ended that day, a classmate came in and said that a girl was looking for him. Liu Jingze was still wondering, "Who's looking for me?" His two nosy roommates egged him on and came out with them.
When I went outside, I saw it was this little girl. "Hongmei, what brings you here?"
Zhang Hongmei held up the paper package in her hand. "I brought you mooncakes. My great-grandmother told me to make sure you could try them too."
"I'm going back the day after tomorrow."
"Grandma loves you dearly, so of course she'll think of you first when there's good news."
"Alright, hurry up and eat it. There are two red bean paste ones. They won't last long, so don't let them spoil."
"Hmm, where are you going? How about staying at school for the night?" There are definitely no cars available at this time.
"I have a house in the city. I'll deliver mooncakes to Third Uncle tomorrow, and then go home."
“Hongmei, let’s go back together. Wait for me for one day.”
"You think I'm going to get lost? It's okay, I come to the city often, it'll be fine."
"I just thought we could go back together so we'd have company."
Zhang Hongmei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
These three words took root in my heart and have been echoing ever since.
Watching the departing figure, the two roommates beside them both blamed themselves for not introducing him.
Of course he knew what the two of them were thinking. They were such beasts. She was just a young girl. How could they have any other thoughts?
“You two, calm down. This child has suffered so much. Both his parents were soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the border.”
The two of them quieted down, but they thought to themselves that Zhang Hongmei was indeed too beautiful, that kind of beauty was truly rare.
Back in the dorm, I gave one to each of my two roommates, ate one myself, and took the rest to my teacher.
The old man ate the mooncake and exclaimed, "It's made with high-quality ingredients, and it's delicious! Are you from a wealthy family? How come you still have mooncakes to eat at this time of year?"
"It was sent from one village."
Back in the dorm, I lay on my bed and continued reading. Actually, I already knew all this knowledge, but I just felt like I had nothing else to do.
I dreamt about something that happened a few years ago. Zhang Hongmei was my fiancée back then, but I rejected her.
The next afternoon after school, Liu Jingze went straight to her house to find her, feeling his steps were very light.
I had a delicious meal that I hadn't had in a year.
I ate too much white flour pancakes and fried eggs without realizing it. I've never done this before. I'm a self-disciplined person, but I just couldn't control myself in front of this little girl.
After finishing my meal—I really ate too much—I could only stroll around the yard, watching the incredibly beautiful little girl laughing at me with amusement in her eyes. I felt that it was all worth it to have eaten so much.
He was still rubbing his stomach while sleeping, and I doubt he'll want to eat for days.
The next day, the two ate breakfast and carried a lot of things to catch the bus.
The little girl bought a bus ticket to the county. It turned out her bicycle was left at the middle school.
With so much stuff, they only had one bicycle, and everything was tied to the back. Zhang Hongmei sat on the crossbar in front.
The first time I was driving a girl, the wind was blowing against me, and the scent of her hair filled my nose.
I feel like I have inexhaustible energy, and I can pedal my bicycle very fast.
"Brother Jingze, your long legs are such a great advantage, you're much faster than me."
"Are my legs really that long?" How could this little girl say something like that? She really dares to say anything! She's still so young.
Back in the village, she wanted to go home first. Seeing her little scared expression when she mentioned her great-grandmother, she found it particularly amusing and really cute.
After staying at home for two days, I still went to school.
I find myself thinking about Zhang Hongmei more and more often these days, and sometimes I find it funny that she was just a child back then.
She came to the high school to take the exam, and I waited outside early.
She also brought herself some pine nuts, as she knew that pine nuts were very difficult to peel.
"You're not asking me to eat raw food, are you?" He didn't want her to leave; she said she was leaving today, and he couldn't bear to part with her.
"Then I'll cook it for you tomorrow."
I was very happy that I managed to keep her.
But then a boy of similar age appeared, and judging from their appearance, they seemed to know each other quite well.
Watching the two of them leave together, I was lost in thought.
When she finished her exam, I waited for her at the classroom door. I treated her to a meal and invited her to rest in my dormitory. Seeing her lying on my bed made me feel comfortable.
Actually, I already knew that this girl did very well on the test when I got out of school.
So when I went to her house that night, I encouraged her to go straight to the second year of high school.
The little girl's cooking skills are really excellent. The two of them had dumplings for dinner, meat dumplings, which were very delicious.
She also made potstickers, which were fragrant and crispy. She was willing to be bossed around like a headless chicken.
The next day, I took her to her homeroom teacher. All the teachers in the school knew about her grades, so the teacher made an exception for her and gave her two math problems from the first year of high school to the second year.
Her mathematical thinking is incredibly fast; even the last question took me a while to figure out. But this little girl solved both questions beautifully.
She alarmed the principal and the teachers of the second-year high school students.
The little girl didn't disappoint him; she got a perfect score in math, and all the other subjects were above 90. The principal agreed to let her go directly to the second year of high school. That way, she could come to find him a year earlier.
Time passed in longing and remembrance. I took the college entrance exam; the questions were alright, and I should have no problem getting into a university in the capital.
On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, I packed up all my materials and went home. This girl will be coming here to study for her second year of high school when school starts. She's really smart.
We must make sure she gets into the university in the capital, then the two of us can be together.
I didn't even know what I was thinking back then. I just wanted to bring her with me. Because of this, I didn't even go to Haishi. I stayed home with her before the New Year.
She seemed to get along very easily with her great-grandmother, and her great-grandmother seemed very energetic because of her presence, something she hadn't seen in many years.
I accompanied the little girl to the county town. She was really popular; someone actually found her a newspaper in the city. In those days, newspapers could only be subscribed to by work units, and she was able to find one.
I spend every day with her, watching her interact with the children with such patience, teaching them to read. I've never had such thoughts before.
Seeing her get along well with her family, and seeing that her parents treat her the same way they treat her, makes me happy.
The little girl's life is so fulfilling every day.
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