After Awakening of Insects1, the temperature in Pingcheng rose sharply. The noon sun even carried a touch of summer’s scorching heat, and the classrooms were filled with the sounds of paper fans during lunch break.
Ruan Mian had been exceptionally busy recently. On top of classes from morning to night, there were also extra tutoring sessions on weekends.
In her free time, she still had to go over test papers with Zhao Shutang.
Speaking of which, Ruan Mian still found this a bit unbelievable. She and Zhao Shutang had always been like water and fire, but because Zhao Shutang had been absent from school for a month since the start of term, it seemed that both Teacher Zhou and Fang Ruqing had taken it for granted that she could help out Zhao Shutang.
During school, Teacher Zhou would always get Ruan Mian to help pass on any test papers or homework to Zhao Shutang. Girls in class who were close with Zhao Shutang would also get Ruan Mian to bring back any notes they had made.
Even Liu Jingyi had gradually changed from sarcasm to reluctant overtures. Ruan Mian guessed she had probably heard something again from Zhao Shutang.
Initially, Ruan Mian was only responsible for delivering things back and forth. At the end of February, Zhao Shutang remotely took part in a weekly exam organized by the class while at home, and didn’t get a good result.
Afterwards, Teacher Zhou went to find Fang Ruqing. When Ruan Mian came home from school that evening, Fang Ruqing brought up the matter with her, “Your Teacher Zhou came by the school today and said Shutang has fallen behind on quite a bit of course content staying at home recently, and is having some trouble keeping up with the class progress. He suggested you tutor her a bit during your time off.”
Ruan Mian pressed the pen in her hand and said tonelessly, “I don’t have any objections to this, but you should ask Zhao Shutang first if she’s willing.”
“I asked her about it when I got home today, she said it’s okay.”
The attentive care Fang Ruqing had given Zhao Shutang while she was home recovering from her injury over New Year had brought about some change in their relationship. Although they were still not close, at least it was no longer as antagonistic as before.
“Then let’s start from this Sunday.”
That was what Ruan Mian said at the time.
The stuffy, drowsy lunch break ended abruptly with the ringing of the bell. Ruan Mian lifted her head from the pile of test papers, massaging her slightly sore wrist as she stifled a yawn.
The first lesson in the afternoon was English class. Teacher Song had already come in early with the textbook, and since class hadn’t started yet, no one was taking his presence too seriously. Some students went to the bathroom, some chatted – Meng Xinglan even wanted to pull Ruan Mian to the tuck shop, but in the end they didn’t have time to go because of the short break.
Once class started, time seemed to drag on, especially right after their nap at noon. Drowsy in spring and autumn2, Ruan Mian’s eyelids drooped heavily in Teacher Song’s monotonous voice. Her head was just about to crash onto the desk when Teacher Song walked over and rapped the corner of her desk.
Ruan Mian jolted awake from her stupor, Teacher Song’s amused voice at her ear, “I know it’s hard to get through the first lesson, but we’re at this point now, you absolutely can’t slack off again. Anyone else who wants to sleep, go wash your face in the bathroom to wake up before coming back.”
Right after he finished speaking, several students around the classroom slowly stood up. Ruan Mian rubbed her eyes and saw Chen Yi also walk out.
The double period of English class finally ended. Ruan Mian went with Meng Xinglan to the tuck shop for snacks, and on the way they passed the notice board downstairs. A familiar name caught their eyes.
Sheng Huan.
Given a major demerit last Friday for fighting at school.
News of the fight had already spread after it happened. It was said Sheng Huan had gotten into an argument in class, and when the girl who reported it to a teacher was cornered by Sheng Huan’s clique in the bathroom, Sheng Huan brought people to beat her up.
But that wasn’t the truth. The real instigators were different people.
Sheng Huan’s arts exam class had a majority of girls. She acted wildly and shockingly, yet was also beautiful. She had admirers that could line up from the sixth floor to the first floor. A few girls in class who disliked her deliberately stirred up this incident.
Although the cause was fabricated, Sheng Huan did beat someone up, so she was still punished according to school rules.
“How awful for Sheng Huan.”
Meng Xinglan clicked her tongue in astonishment. “Girls really do cause more trouble when there’s a lot of them.”
Although Ruan Mian stood at odds with Sheng Huan, she could still recognize right from wrong in this matter. If they had to assign blame, Sheng Huan was also a victim here.
Ruan Mian inevitably felt some sympathy for her. “Hope this doesn’t impact her too much.”
“Hopefully not.”
Later, back in the classroom, their class was also discussing it. Ruan Mian learned from Qi Jia that Sheng Huan’s parents were friends with the school’s board of directors, so the demerit would probably be overturned quickly.
She felt inexplicably relieved, but unconsciously glanced over at Chen Yi.
The boy was lying face down on the desk, one arm folded under his head. She couldn’t see his expression.
The bell for next period rang, and the boy sat up, putting his arm down. Across the crowd, Ruan Mian caught a glimpse of his distinct side profile.
Still cold and handsome as always.
Ruan Mian silently withdrew her gaze, opened her textbook on the desk. The remaining two periods passed by hazily.
She still had cram school in the evening.
After eating dinner with Meng Xinglan, Ruan Mian went back to the classroom for her schoolbag and happened to run into Sheng Huan, who had come to Class 1 looking for Qi Jia. Although they didn’t know each other well, Sheng Huan’s candid and warm personality made her impossible to dislike. “You’re so amazing. I saw you got full marks again for math last monthly exam. Unlike me – I didn’t even get a fraction of your score.”
Ruan Mian smiled. She didn’t know how to respond, and finally just said, “Thanks.”
Sheng Huan chatted with her briefly about studying, before continuing her cheerful conversation with Qi Jia.
When she smiled, it was uninhibited, revealing a set of straight, pearly white teeth. Her eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.
It was pleasing to the eye no matter who saw it.
Ruan Mian bid them goodbye, schoolbag in hand. On her way out of the classroom, she happened to run into Chen Yi and Jiang Rang who had just returned from outside.
At that moment, a burst of laughter sounded from the classroom. Chen Yi looked past her shoulder at the room, and Ruan Mian’s heart skipped a beat as she pretended nothing was amiss, brushing past him.
Heaven and hell were only a moment apart.
The next second, Chen Yi withdrew his gaze and shifted to the side, standing where he couldn’t be seen from the classroom. He said to Jiang Rang, “Help me grab my schoolbag.”
Jiang Rang glanced puzzledly at the classroom, then smiled knowingly, “Are you really avoiding her that much? She might not even be here for you.”
Chen Yi frowned. “Hurry up, I’ll wait for you downstairs. Just toss my bag down.”
Jiang Rang patted his shoulder. “Alright, you’re really something.”
Ruan Mian, who hadn’t gotten far, stood on the stairs and raised her head to look at the distant sunset. The lingering glow blanketed the entire sky.
That day, it seemed even the wind carried a subtle sweetness.
The competition classrooms were arranged in the small multimedia classrooms of the Ideology and Politics Building. The physics competition class had the most people, twenty-eight in total.
Among them were twenty-four boys and only a handful of girls.
When Ruan Mian arrived, there were not many people in the class yet. These selected students, at first glance, all looked like the studious type.
Eight or nine out of ten wore glasses, their hair cut short but not too short, modest and introverted, very quiet.
Ruan Mian’s deskmate was a girl from Class 2 named Yu Tian, who was always nipping at Chen Yi’s heels for the second spot on the grade’s big rankings, and also one of the rare lively personalities in the class.
Seeing Ruan Mian arrive, she stopped writing and grabbed her to chat, able to talk about anything, from astronomy and geography to entertainment gossip.
After chatting, Yu Tian exclaimed, “When you’re not around, I feel like I’m suffocating.”
In the competition class, everyone was on tenterhooks, treating time as life. Chatting like this was not something that belonged, so only Ruan Mian had time to talk to her about these things.
Just as they were speaking, Ruan Mian saw Chen Yi walk in from outside. He preferred positions by the wall or window, and in the competition class he also sat in the corners.
But outstanding people attracted attention no matter where they sat, and after just a few weeks, almost everyone in the class had added Chen Yi on QQ.
Unlike Ruan Mian, who had only added Yu Tian and a big group chat for the competition class, the contrast was especially pathetic.
The tutoring classes were two and a half hours, with only a fifteen minute break in the middle. After class ended, Ruan Mian and Yu Tian walked out together and happened to run into Jiang Rang and Shen Yu, who didn’t know when they had been waiting there at the flowerbed outside the Ideology and Politics Building.
Yu Tian and Shen Yu were classmates, the kind of classmates who would only nod in greeting.
Jiang Rang chatted with Ruan Mian for a bit. He had also participated in trying out for the competition class, but got cut during the interview. In just a few minutes, Chen Yi walked out from the building.
Ruan Mian bid them goodbye and left first with Yu Tian.
Yu Tian and Ruan Mian lived in different directions. They parted ways at the school gate, Ruan Mian following the crowd turning right. The day and night temperature difference was big, and the night wind carried a slight chill.
When Ruan Mian got to her door, before going in, she heard sounds of arguing coming from inside.
Previously, Zhao Yingwei had followed the crowd investing in scams and lost over a hundred thousand. Fang Ruqing had fought with him over this several times.
But that matter had blown over after they argued about it for a few days. Ruan Mian didn’t know what had happened this time. As she hesitated whether to go in or not at the door, it was suddenly opened from the inside.
Ruan Mian stopped short and called out, “Uncle Zhao.”
The anger on Zhao Yingwei’s face lessened somewhat. He forced a smile. “Mianmian’s back, I have something to take care of and need to go out for a bit. Tell your mom to rest early.”
Finished speaking, he left without waiting for Ruan Mian’s response, blending into the night and disappearing from sight.
Fang Ruqing had also heard the sounds at the door. When Ruan Mian entered, she saw her raise her hand to wipe at her eyes, then turn around with red still at the corners.
Ruan Mian pursed her lips. “Mom, what’s going on with you and Uncle Zhao?”
“It’s nothing, just some work matters. We both got a little agitated.”
Fang Ruqing smiled. “It’s fine, you go wash up and sleep early.”
With both unwilling to talk about it, Ruan Mian returned to her room. She thought for a bit, then still went to knock on Zhao Shutang’s door.
A few seconds later, a voice sounded from inside. “Door’s unlocked, come in.”
Ruan Mian pushed the door open. Zhao Shutang was sitting at the desk, her leg in the plaster cast tapping on the stool next to her. Without turning her head, she said, “My dad wants to resign and go into business with someone, Aunt Fang doesn’t agree, so they argued over it.”
Ruan Mian oh’d. “Okay, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
She didn’t stay long, turning to leave.
Inside the room, Zhao Shutang stopped writing and looked back. She let out an imperceptible sigh.
For a period of time after this, Zhao Yingwei basically left early and returned late every day, sometimes not even coming home all night. Duan Ying would occasionally reprimand Fang Ruqing over this as well.
One time she went too far, and Fang Ruqing had a huge fight with her. It was only that night that Zhao Yingwei came home much earlier than usual.
Each side had its reasons, Fang Ruqing and Duan Ying sticking to their own views, almost fighting again. Zhao Yingwei didn’t take either side, and eventually stopped interfering altogether, leaving them to sort it out.
During that time, the house was always filled with a depressing mood. Duan Ying looked down on Ruan Mian, was disgusted by Fang Ruqing’s dominance, and angry at Zhao Shutang’s compromise that she had unintentionally revealed.
In short, except for Zhao Yingwei and Zhao Shuyang, no one satisfied her.
Things continued this way until the Qingming Festival3. Zhao Yingwei took Duan Ying and Zhao Shuyang back to their rural hometown to sweep ancestral graves, while Fang Ruqing received a call from her maternal side and went back for a bit.
The three adults didn’t communicate beforehand and all thought the others would stay home, so in the end only Ruan Mian and Zhao Shutang were left in the house.
It just so happened that those two days were when Zhao Shutang had a follow-up at the hospital to remove her cast. With the household situation recently, no one remembered this matter either until the doctor called the house phone and Ruan Mian found out about it.
She scheduled a time with the doctor over the phone, and went upstairs to tell Zhao Shutang, “I made an appointment for 10 AM tomorrow at the hospital for your follow-up.”
The plaster on Zhao Shutang’s arm had already been removed half a month ago, only the splint on her leg remained.
Hearing this, she asked, “Just the two of us going?”
Ruan Mian hmm’d. “Probably. I don’t know when my mom will be back, when are Uncle Zhao and the others coming back?”
“Don’t know, I didn’t ask.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
Ruan Mian asked, “What do you want to eat for lunch? I’ll order takeout.”
Zhao Shutang said, “Anything is fine.”
“Okay, you rest. I’ll bring it up when the food arrives.”
Ruan Mian went downstairs. After eating lunch, she watched TV downstairs for the afternoon.
Early next morning, Ruan Mian called a cab in advance. She helped Zhao Shutang downstairs and pushed her in a wheelchair to the alley to get in the cab. At the hospital, the follow-up went well. The doctor had Ruan Mian help Zhao Shutang onto a chair to one side to remove the cast.
After the plaster was taken off, Ruan Mian pushed Zhao Shutang out of the hospital. While waiting for a car at the intersection, Zhao Shutang looked at the traffic on the road and suddenly said, “I’m sorry.”
A car happened to honk right then, nearly drowning out Zhao Shutang’s voice. She wasn’t sure if Ruan Mian had heard, but didn’t speak again.
The taxi driver they hailed was very kind. He helped them in the car and helped them out, sending them all the way to the door before leaving.
Once inside the house, Ruan Mian didn’t have the strength to bring Zhao Shutang upstairs to her room, so could only have her sleep in Duan Ying’s room downstairs first.
After helping her settle down to lie down, Ruan Mian went to the door. She suddenly turned back and called out, “Zhao Shutang.”
Zhao Shutang lifted her head. “What is it?”
“I heard you.”
Ruan Mian said, “So it’s okay.”
This was incoherent, if it were someone else they probably wouldn’t understand. But Zhao Shutang was very clear. She froze for a few seconds, then genuinely laughed out.
Ruan Mian also laughed.
All grievances dissolved in laughter.
Zhao Shutang’s reconciliation was unexpected for Ruan Mian, but it was still a rare good thing during this time. When school resumed after the holiday and they returned, Meng Xinglan clearly noticed the change in Ruan Mian and Zhao Shutang’s relationship.
During break between classes, she asked Ruan Mian, “What’s up with you and Zhao Shutang?”
“We reconciled.”
The sunlight was somewhat glaring. Ruan Mian narrowed her eyes slightly. “She apologized to me, I said it was fine. We really are family from now on.”
Meng Xinglan exclaimed, “This holiday was worth it!”
Ruan Mian smiled. “Right?”
At that time, everything was clear skies and smooth sailing. All was beautiful.
In mid-April, No. 8 Middle School had midterm exams for 10th and 11th grade. Ruan Mian’s exam room kept changing, from the original 46 down to 30, then to 13, followed by single digit rooms, and now she could even be in the first exam room with Chen Yi.
The first three exam rooms were mostly Class 1 and 2 students, surrounded by familiar faces on all sides, and the proctors were also much stricter than average exam rooms.
Three days later, the midterm results came out. Ruan Mian had an excellent performance in English, for the first time crossing over the 130 mark. Her grade ranking also directly squeezed into the top ten because of her high scores in science and math.
Zhou Hai rearranged the seating according to these rankings shortly after, moving Ruan Mian from the third group third row to the second group third row. She was now only a aisle apart from Chen Yi, who sat in the first group first row.
In the second year of high school, every time the seats were rearranged in the class, it was both a blessing and a torment for Ruan Mian. A blessing because she could get closer to Chen Yi, and a torment because such opportunities were rare.
However, she always believed that as long as she pursued him fast enough, he would one day notice everything.
Unfortunately.
That was just what she thought.
- ?? (Jingzhe) – literally translated to Awakening of Insects, refers to the traditional East Asian solar term and the awakening of hibernating insects. It marks the beginning of spring. There are a total of 24 solar terms in Chinese culture based on the sun’s position if you’re interested to learn more. ↩︎
- ???? (Chun Fa Qiu Kun) – a Chinese idiom describing the fatigue or weariness felt during spring and autumn, basically refers to the tiredness of a person during seasonal transitions. ↩︎
- ??? (Qingming Festival) – Also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a Chinese tradition where families visit ancestral graves, clean tombstones, and pay respects to deceased relatives. Typically falls in early April. ↩︎
Leave a Reply