(1)
The fourth period in the afternoon ended, and the familiar dismissal bell sounded much more cheerful than usual.
Students paired up and headed outside the school, while the Ban Zhang busied herself, urging the Duty Students to hurry up and clean.
A slightly chilly breeze blew from the front, causing An Jing to involuntarily sneeze.
Zhu Tai, sitting nearby, instinctively reached into her pocket and pulled out a Sheng Jiang Tang, popping it into Yi’s mouth.
“Ah—what is this… so spicy!”
“Ginger candy,” Zhu Ying tilted her head and smiled warmly, “I usually keep some in my pocket. Eating a little when it’s cold makes you feel much warmer.”
“Then I might as well just bite into a chili pepper…”
An Jing rolled the sharp-edged candy around her mouth with her tongue.
“I wonder how Wang Xinru is doing. She hasn’t come to class all afternoon…”
“Maybe she went to the hospital.”
“Could be. She did look like she was in a lot of pain.”
Zhu Ying tilted her head and smiled softly, taking the initiative to hold An Jing’s slightly cold hand.
“Are you really worried about her?”
“She’s… was an old friend,” An Jing scratched her head awkwardly.
“You know, childhood friends and all.”
“That’s all you know?”
“Nothing particularly special happened…”
An Jing avoided Zhu Ying’s probing gaze with some guilt.
“Xiu was still little back then. It was just like playing house.”
“Hmm,” Zhu Guan wrapped her arm around An Jing’s, teasingly laughing, “You don’t mean to say you’re jealous, do you?”
“Well, I might be a little unhappy, but after all, she was just an old friend…”
“I know, that’s completely normal. I’m not an unreasonable person.”
“Really, you’re not jealous at all?”
“Not at all.”
“Such a scary look.”
“Am I?”
Zhu Ying put on an innocent expression, those clear eyes making An Jing’s face flush.
Thankfully, the long corridor was finally nearing its end.
The wooden door marked with the words Zuo Wu Shi stood firmly closed.
An Jing quickened her pace and cautiously knocked.
Zhu Ying, holding the strap of her backpack, listened carefully to the sounds from inside.
“Hello… is anyone here?”
“It seems very quiet inside,” Zhu Ying nodded at the short-haired girl beside her and playfully said, “An Jing’s ‘quiet.’”
“It’s already cold enough outside, so stop with the cold jokes,” An Jing said helplessly, twisting the door handle.
Her body naturally leaned forward slightly.
The door wasn’t locked, and warm air flowed out from the room.
The He Kong Diao mounted on the wall was whirring loudly.
In the entire school, only the Yi Wu Shi would have the heating turned on in winter.
The teachers’ offices were always as cold as iceboxes during winter—some even colder than the classrooms.
Near the door stood a bed, whiter than the wall behind it.
Ahead was an old double-layered glass window.
Yellowed but still resilient vines tapped rhythmically against the glass, stirred by the wind.
A girl with long hair lay sprawled over the walnut wood desk, covered by a brown overcoat.
Her bitter melon-shaped face was unusually relaxed, as if she was dreaming a pleasant dream.
“Hey—when she’s asleep, she actually looks prettier than usual,” Zhu Ying tilted her head and softly said to the girl resting her head on her arms.
“She wasn’t at all pretty when she was little.”
“Big transformation.”
“Speaking of which, you looked even more… wow!”
Startled by a sudden pinch on her soft flesh, An Jing jumped back half a step, “I didn’t say anything!”
“You better not say anything random, okay?”
Zhu Ying playfully winked, as if this was just a cute prank.
But the strength of that pinch was no joke—it felt like being caught in iron tongs.
“Ow…” An Jing rubbed her arm where she had been pinched, grinning through the pain, “She’s so heavy. Should we wake her up? School’s over…”
“Let her rest. No matter what, it’s definitely more comfortable than going home.”
“Going home is probably not as warm as here, after all, the Yi Wu Shi has heating.”
“But going home at night would be even colder.”
“True…”
An Jing scratched her head, carefully placing her palm on Wang Xinru’s waist and gently shaking her.
“Wang Xinru, Wang Xinru? Wake up, school’s over…”
***
(2)
When was the first time I met An Jing?
In my mind, there seemed to be no impression.
It felt as if I had known her since I had memory itself.
But in reality, the two of us first met at the start of first grade.
“Hey! Isn’t anyone in your group? Hi! What’s your name?”
“Jin.”
“Shang? I didn’t catch that.”
“Wang Xinru.”
“Wang what again?”
“Xinru.”
“Hey, I don’t know anyone here either. All my kindergarten friends are in other classes. Let’s be in the same group!”
“Us…?”
“Yeah! It’s decided then. I’ll go see if there’s anyone else without a group. The teacher said each group should have four people.”
“Dang…”
“Teacher, I found out we can’t make four people! Everyone else has groups. Only the two of us are left. Is it okay if it’s just us two?”
“Fine. You two will be a group. Here’s your group’s Wish Card.”
“Wang something, I’m holding the card. Others share one Qi Qiu among four people. We get to share one between two—what a steal!”
“You don’t like talking?”
“I…”
“Dang, you’re so shy.”
“You… you talk too much…”
“That’s why I think my parents named me wrong! Hey, I forgot to tell you, my name is An Jing, An Jing’s An Jing!”
“An Jing…”
“So, what do you want to write on the card? The teacher said it must be a wish everyone in the group wants to come true, something that… cultivates our cooperation… or some kind of spirit, I don’t know, whatever.”
“I… anything’s fine.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘anything’s fine’ wishes! Quickly think of some, maybe I want the same!”
“World… Peace?”
“Huh? You actually thought of that too? Then let’s write ‘Wish for World Peace’!”
“An Jing, you should wish for what you really want. The teacher doesn’t want you to write those grand, empty wishes. Children should have childlike innocence.”
“But teacher, I really wish for world peace, no one bullying anyone, and everyone living happily!”
“Wang Xinru thinks the same.”
“So… then write that. Teacher, how do you write ‘World’?”
“You can write ‘He Ping’.”
“I can write that!”
“If you don’t know how, write it in pinyin.”
“I—I can write it.”
“Wow, you’re amazing. Then you write ‘Shi Jie,’ and I’ll write ‘He Ping’?”
“Okay, okay…”
The colorful Qi Qiu carried everyone’s wishes written on the Wish Cards, soaring into the sky.
They didn’t yet know those balloons, which seemed like they could float endlessly upwards, would soon fall, becoming shriveled, dried-up trash.
As for the Wish Cards, the ink would blur until the words were no longer legible.
Later, they would all be collected and taken to La Ji Zhan for disposal.
A few might drift into the remote Huang Ye.
But no matter what, the children would never see them again.
Some shouted their wishes out loud; others pointed to the sky, claiming that was their Qi Qiu.
Every child was immersed in joy.
Only Wang Xinru felt an inexplicable sadness rise within her.
She wanted to say something, but the limited knowledge in her mind left her speechless.
“Wang Xinru, do you think the world will be peaceful?”
“I don’t know…”
“I don’t think the world will be peaceful.”
“Huh? Then why do you still…”
“Because it’s an absolutely impossible wish, that’s why it gives me… so much…”
“Motivation?”
“Yes, it’s why I have so much motivation to keep going!”
“But you think it’s impossible to achieve…”
“Yes! That way I can always be on the road!”
“But… but you’ll never reach the finish line…”
“Why do you have to reach the finish line?”
“Because… everything must have… a result.”
“Hmph! Then I’ll just take a step forward and reach a finish line every time.”
Wang Xinru stared blankly at this optimistic little boy, feeling that he was different from all the kids her age she knew.
Huh… could he be mentally deficient?
If not a fool, how could someone be that optimistic?
***
(3)
“Hey, you came to see her,” the Yi Wu Shi teacher in a white coat pushed the door open and walked in.
“She’s sleeping so soundly, no matter what we do, she won’t wake up,” An Jing pointed at Wang Xinru, still deeply asleep.
“Lately she seems a bit sleep-deprived. Does your class have a lot of homework?”
“Not really. I finish it every day and even have time to play games. Well… some of it I do at school.”
“Just give her a little shake, but don’t be too loud or you’ll scare her. I have to attend a meeting. Turn off the He Kong Diao when I leave, okay?”
“Okay, teacher.”
An Jing watched the Yi Wu Shi teacher pick up a notebook, then turned back to gently shake Wang Xinru’s waist again.
“Wake up, school’s over. If you don’t go home soon, it’ll be dark.”
“If you’re tired, just rest a little longer.”
Zhu Ying put her backpack on a nearby chair and turned to follow the teacher out.
“Where are you going?”
“To the office.”
“Oh, okay, go ahead.”
“If I don’t come back, remember to wait for me.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely wait for you.”
An Jing nodded, placing her hand gently on Wang Xinru’s head.
“You’re totally not waking up… your sleep quality is even better than Fei Jie’s…”
The Yi Wu Shi door was softly closed, and the room was left with only the sound of the He Kong Diao blowing.
Although she could see classmates running outside through the glass window, there was not a single sound.
“So quiet…” she murmured absentmindedly.
The girl in deep sleep finally fluttered her eyelashes and murmured as if still dreaming, “Everything must have… a result.”
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That sounds… ominous