Chapter 20 Tide Proverbs (Part Two) The Duty of the Duty Student.
Fifteen people were already seated in the classroom. The bell rang again, and a middle-aged man walked in, carrying a stack of books.
She looks like the teacher for this class.
The man's appearance was somewhat strange. His face was fairly handsome, but the skin was pressed against his bones, his cheeks were sunken, and the stubble on his chin seemed unkempt. Despite his thin face, his upper body protruded with a bulging belly. As he walked from the doorway to the podium, his body under his shirt bounced up and down in a startling arc, like a balloon about to burst.
What's even stranger is that he has a pair of slender limbs.
Four sticks were stuck into the balloon.
He placed the book on the desk, rummaged in his pocket, took out a piece of chalk, turned around and wrote the word "Biology" in big letters on the blackboard. Then, without saying a word, he distributed the book to each student one by one, and finally returned to his seat, behind the teacher's desk, below the clock.
As she walked past Xia Zhu, she could smell a rotten, fishy odor emanating from the man.
“Okay… let’s open our books… today’s biology class… will be about primates…” He was breathless, and seemed to have exhausted himself after finishing the sentence.
“A disgusting, evil creature…” he added in a low voice, and laughed nervously at the end of the sentence, then quickly suppressed it, his skin too dry to adapt to such a rapid change in expression, piling up around his cheekbones.
His words inevitably evoked unpleasant associations.
This biology book is similar to, yet different from, the textbooks used at Xia Zhu School. It has a pure white cover without any extra patterns. The book is thick with pages dedicated to primates, with one or two animal illustrations accompanying every few paragraphs.
Xia Zhu flipped through the entire book but couldn't find anything unusual.
The man on the podium simply read from the book without offering his own analysis or any further elaboration.
His listless voice, which went from discussing species evolution to behavioral sociality, was so soothing that even Xia Zhu couldn't stand it, let alone Feng Feng. She simply focused her attention on analyzing who Liang was.
The geographical structure of this dream is both complex and simple.
The boundless sea brings many possibilities, but the small island they are on and the dilapidated building seem quite monotonous. Analyzing the building alone, if Feng Feng's investigation last night was correct, the number of rooms doesn't seem to match the number of people.
If the teacher doesn't sleep in the room visible from both floors at night, then it can only be in the square, box-like room by the pool. Being unconventional always raises suspicion.
The man on the podium who was still chanting like a sutra became Xia Zhu's prime suspect.
The sound of the waves would drown out his faint voice for a few seconds, and this agonizing biology class lasted for a full three hours.
"Alright... that concludes today's biology class... a new round of cleaning duties will begin after class... the students responsible for cleaning will need to clean the sink separately after meals; the tools are in the storage room next to the sink..."
The pool that the man mentioned that needed cleaning should be the one downstairs from Xia Zhu, and the small box-like room next to it turned out to be the school's warehouse.
"So... today's person cleaning the pool is... number 1... Xia Zhu."
The wind suddenly picked up, howling and creaking against the fragile window frame. The rain clouds that were far away in the morning were now spreading out overhead. Lightning flashed across the sea, and the sky quickly darkened. The flashes of light shone through the window, casting squares of silvery-white light in the center of the dimly lit classroom.
The man stood in the shadow of the podium, turning his slender neck to meet Xia Zhu's gaze through the damp sea breeze.
A thunderclap exploded by the window, and the whole building swayed precariously.
"Alright... Same rules as always... Students, go to the cafeteria for lunch... After lunch, return to your rooms... No wandering around the campus is allowed... get out of class dismissed..."
Another flash of lightning, and the man appeared like a ghost outside the classroom window. The other students got up one after another, and the biology book was left on the desk.
"Ah Zhu! Let's clean the pool together!"
The brother and sister came to Xia Zhu's side. It was too close to the sea, and the wind and waves were too loud. Even if they were close together, they would almost have to shout to talk.
Xia Zhu shook her head. The wind, carrying moisture, made her hair messy, some of it sticking to her mouth. She shouted as she pulled her hair away, "The rule is to clean separately. It's best to do as he says. He also said we all have to eat in the cafeteria. Let's go with those people!"
The three exchanged glances and followed the rest of the students out of the classroom. They returned to the other side of the corner, and the second doorway from the beginning led to the stairs to the front yard.
The ground was soaked. Because the island was low in the front and high in the back, the front yard was almost completely eroded by the sea. People walked along the porch to avoid getting their trousers wet by the waves.
Following the same direction as the classroom, that is, walking clockwise around the building for half a circle, the so-called cafeteria is located at the back of the first floor of the building.
The location here is high up, and the canteen is practically perched on a small cliff. Its decor is also different from the other rooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows several meters high on three sides, making you feel like you're eating while floating on the sea.
As they passed the first floor, the three discovered another empty classroom in the same spot. If they weren't mistaken, there were three classrooms on each of the three floors. Time seemed to be different in the dream than in the real world; here, the bell rang and it was evening by the time the three-hour class ended.
Stepping into the cafeteria, the noise from the outside world is slightly blocked out, and there's no need to shout anymore.
The floors, walls, tables, chairs, and benches are all made of stainless steel, giving off a cold vibe. Coupled with the fact that it is surrounded by the sea on three sides, the canteen is more like a ship's cabin.
The room was almost the size of two or three classrooms, with the tables scattered around, and no one wanted to share dinner with anyone. A line was forming to the right of the entrance, and seeing this, the three people grabbed their trays and joined the line.
It seems that the teacher plays several roles in the school.
At this moment, he stood inside the stainless steel lunchbox, serving rice spoonful by spoonful to the students lining up.
There were three dishes in total. The first dish was a pot of pure white fish soup that was still steaming and occasionally bubbling up. Then there was a sticky fish paste as the main dish. The last dish was a braised fish head that looked like it was gazing at the starry sky. The grayish-white fish eyes, rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, seemed to wink at you in the steam.
"It actually smells alright." Feng Feng gave a fair assessment.
As Xia Zhu passed the teacher serving meals by machine, he noticed some nuts and seams on the wall behind him. Perhaps there was a kitchen hidden behind the wall. The map had expanded to include a canteen, so he should find an opportunity to come in and investigate properly.
They found a spot by the window, away from the crowd, and as soon as they put down their plates, a dense raindrop began to fall on the glass.
The rain finally started.
"Is this thing edible?" Although he didn't feel hungry in his dreams, Feng Feng still wanted to try it.
Xia Zhu remembered the piece of dried ghost vine that Aruo had given her, which she had placed in the pocket she had sewn herself inside her clothes, along with the mugwort sachet.
"I wonder if this can be used to test for poison?" She reached into her clothes in a strange manner and finally held up the piece of ghost vine to show the two of them.
"Doraemon, Ayumu! This thing can detect all the poisons in the world!"
It sounds like someone is swearing.
Feng Feng took it. He only needed to bring the Ghost Vine close to the smell emanating from the food. If it oozed a green sap similar to pus, it meant that the whole fish feast on their plate had been contaminated.
If there is no reaction, it means that it's not too bad except for being unpalatable.
Fortunately, the ghost vine remained unmoved.
Feng Mian picked up a spoon and sipped the fish soup. He raised an eyebrow under the expectant gazes of the two.
"not bad."
Reviews from culinary masters.
They breathed a sigh of relief and began to try the lunch in their own bowls.
In the entire cafeteria, only their table had more than one person, and they all had their heads huddled together, which looked very strange.
"Let's get down to business. From what we've seen so far, the strange school, the strange teachers, the strange classmates—all these elements point to the dreamer being a student who has been oppressed by school life for many years." Feng Feng was the first to express her opinion. "I really resonate with this. I even suspect that this is my dream."
Xia Zhu gave Feng Feng a look that Feng Feng accepted and understood as meaning, "So you went to school."
"Don't look down on us! We have a school in our village!"
“We still don’t have enough clues right now. How about each of us suggest a suspect?” Feng Mian suggested. “I’ll go first. I’ve noticed that apart from the teacher, I can’t really remember what the other people look like. If we don’t have any other clues, I suspect the teacher the most right now.”
"I second that."
"I second that."
The three agreed, exchanged glances, and then buried their heads in their food. After all, the cafeteria was too quiet, and the noise they made was quite noticeable.
The other 12 students sat at a round table, heads bowed, eating. The man behind the food bowl had vanished without a trace. A violent storm was raging outside, rain streamed down the windows, and thick gray clouds pressed down on the sea, the almost black waters seeming to conceal some colossal creature beyond comprehension.
The contrast between movement and stillness creates two distinct worlds, indoors and outdoors. Outside the window, it feels like the end of the world, while inside, an eerie sense of security pervades the air.
She followed the others to put the plates back into the bowl, reminded Xia Zhu to be careful when acting alone, and arranged for the two siblings to wait for her in her room so they could discuss things together then.
The three parted ways at the stairwell. Xia Zhu looked up, and the raindrops, like sharp blades and spotlights, pinned her to the spot. She took a deep breath, waded through the puddles, and ran straight to the warehouse, pushing open the unlocked door.
As she expected, it was a room without windows or even lights.
Xia Zhu took off her glasses, lifted a corner of her clothes to wipe the water droplets off the lenses, and then put them back on. The warehouse was so dark that it was almost impossible to see; she could only let in a little grayish-blue light by pushing the door open completely.
Several dark raincoats were hanging in a row in one corner, and a pile of black tarpaulins was in another corner for some unknown purpose. Then there were some tools for cleaning the sink.
Xia Zhu took a raincoat from the shelf and put it on. The plastic exterior smelled of mud and algae, and the fishy smell was so strong that it was as if someone had once worn it to dive into the deep sea.
The warehouse was empty except for miscellaneous items, so it was clearly not where the teacher was hiding. Xia Zhu pulled a net bag from the pile of tools standing in the corner and picked it up with an iron bucket.
I haven't done similar cleaning work before, but I just passed by the pool and saw some moss and seaweed floating on the surface. Seawater washing ashore might bring in some shellfish. I think it should be enough to clean them all up with a net.
After getting everything ready, she noticed a stack of work notebooks hanging on the other wall, with a slightly sticky ballpoint pen dangling from the top of the books held together by a wooden clip.
The sign-in sheet for the water pool duty roster is written on it.
After hesitating for a moment, she still wrote down her number and name.
Number 1, Xia Zhu.
The advantage of this is that you can learn about the identities of the other students in the class later.
The room was so stuffy, and the darkness always gave her a feeling of being watched. She pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head, picked up the bucket and net bag, and went out to start cleaning.
The wind and rain were strong, making movement difficult. Xia Zhu had to keep her head down to avoid the wind blowing her hat off. The noise was deafening, and she couldn't even hear her own voice.
The tide pushed the water ashore layer by layer. Xia Zhu dared not get too close, for fear of being swept away by the waves. She placed the iron bucket where the seawater could not reach it, and then returned to the edge of the pool.
Purple or green aquatic plants floated tangled on the surface of the water, and the wind stirred up waves, causing the floating objects to sway back and forth. The pool was surrounded by tiles covered with dark green moss and rose-colored rust, and as the water receded, barnacles that clung tightly to the bottom were exposed.
The pool water had turned a thick, dark green, like a potion carefully brewed by a witch.
Fortunately, the net handle was long enough that she could barely reach the pile of trash in the center while standing on the edge of the pool. She gathered the floating debris together until it was roughly the right amount, then scooped it up with the net, walked a few steps, and dumped it into the metal bucket.
When she returned to the pool, there were even more water plants floating on the surface. Xia Zhu sighed and was about to start dredging again when she suddenly noticed that the water plants floating in the center seemed a bit strange.
She walked a few steps along the pool and changed her perspective. The clump of water plants looked like a ship floating on the sea, and no matter how big the wind and waves were, it could not be destroyed or scattered.
Summer candle tilted its head slightly, and the water plants slowly swirled into a symbol in the rain.
The triangle is composed of three connected squares, with the center seemingly being the serif letter "U".
Supported by water and wind, at the eye of the storm, the triangular symbol seemed to be caught in an endless vortex.
A note from the author:
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My next book is a heartwarming, non-fantasy, mystery story with no female protagonist – "Happy Birthday." If you're interested, please add it to your favorites. Thank you everyone! [heart emojis]
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