Chapter 146: Rearranging Seats

(1)

An Jing had thought that she wouldn’t have to change seats again for the rest of junior high, but she didn’t expect a new homeroom teacher to arrive.

So, the seating arrangement in the class changed dramatically.

The most basic change was that several main groups switched spots—the ones by the window moved to the middle, and the ones in the middle moved to the window.

An Jing and Zhu Ying were moved to the first row of the third group.

Compared to most other pairs who were split up, the two of them were lucky enough to still be seated together—even though it always felt like Wen Ye did it on purpose.

“Phew… Thankfully, I’m still sitting with Xiao Jing.”

“Actually, I think even if you weren’t, if you asked Teacher Ye, she’d probably agree right away. After all, she really seems easy to talk to.”

“Who says? Sun Wei wanted to sit with Fang Qiang, but they still got split up.”

“Ahem, those two are different…”

“Zhou Chao, you and Zhang Qiqi will sit in this row.”

Wen Ye pointed to the second-to-last row of the third group and said, “Though the teacher won’t stop you two from dating, don’t be too noisy in class, okay?”

“So it’s the class monitor and vice monitor combo, huh…”

An Jing propped her chin and glanced back.

“But I really didn’t know Zhou Chao was interested in Zhang Qiqi. Maybe after talking to too many ordinary girls, he wants a challenge?”

“That sounds like you’re just joking.”

“I think so too, doesn’t sound serious.”

An Jing mumbled as she turned back, only to be startled by Wang Xinru suddenly appearing by her side.

“Waa! Wang Wang, how come you made no sound at all?”

“Did I not?”

“Yeah! Uh… Are you sitting here?”

“Yup.”

Wang Xinru was assigned by Wen Ye to the first row of the second group, and her deskmate was the thin and small Sun Wei.

As everyone knew, the second and third groups in the classroom always ended up really close to each other, the aisle in the middle often not even worth mentioning.

Over time, the two groups would get closer and closer until there was barely any room to walk, at which point someone would take the lead and nudge the desks back apart.

In a sense, Wang Xinru sitting to An Jing’s right could count as half a deskmate.

Wen Ye was efficient, and she rearranged the seating within the last ten minutes.

The moment the bell rang, she strode out of the classroom without a second’s delay.

Looks like she’s not the type to drag out class in the future…

***

(2)

The incident of someone jumping off a building yesterday already felt like a distant memory; today, the new homeroom teacher was all anyone talked about.

An Jing joined in too, but not many people believed her words—after all, most couldn’t believe that the daughter of a huge conglomerate chairman would take on the thankless job of a grade three homeroom teacher.

Still, everyone agreed on one thing: the new homeroom teacher’s family was definitely well-off.

Just look at the quality of those clothes.

Of course, the most widely agreed upon point was her looks—everyone thought the new teacher was especially beautiful.

Even if you didn’t listen in class, just looking at her face would make you feel happy.

Quite a few people tried to guess her age, mostly putting her in her twenties.

The few who guessed she was nearly thirty got laughed at.

Time passed steadily, and before anyone knew it, it was already afternoon.

As the bell for the last period rang, the students’ subdued hearts soared with joy.

The time after school always lifted everyone’s spirits; even the wind blowing past felt fresher.

A metallic clang rang out in the distance, likely from construction—yet it sounded as pleasant as the bell itself.

“Class duty students, stay and clean up. Xiao Qian, trying to run again? Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a girl! Come back, finish cleaning before you leave. Boys on mopping duty, go rinse the mops first.”

Zhang Qiqi kept issuing orders; she really seemed more like the hygiene monitor.

But there was nothing to be done—the actual hygiene monitor was a frail-looking girl who didn’t seem like she could command anyone.

If Zhang Qiqi didn’t help keep order, the daily after-school cleaning would fall entirely on the monitor herself.

“Qiqi~ Xiao Jing and I are heading out, okay?”

“Mm, bye-bye!”

“See you tomorrow!”

Zhu Ying waved, pulling An Jing out of the classroom.

The hallways were crowded with students heading downstairs.

Some met friends from other classes and stopped to chat.

“Awei and A Qiang ran off so fast today… already vanished.”

“Didn’t they say loudly they were going to play games?”

“The game arcade?”

“No idea, maybe an internet café or just home?”

“Home’s unlikely. At night, Awei’s parents never let him play on the computer. Only after eight can he sneak a little play.”

An Jing scratched her head.

“Looks like it’s just the two of us again today.”

“Isn’t having me enough?”

An Jing was a little embarrassed, but she dragged out her “eh” deliberately, putting on an annoyed act.

“It’s still bright out. Want to stop by Dapeng Shopping Street on the way?”

“Is there something you want to buy?”

“No, I just want to look around!”

“Girls are so weird—wouldn’t window shopping without buying anything feel worse?”

“Not really! Looking carefully at all the things can be satisfying, and if there’s a good deal, I’ll buy something too.”

“I only go in if there’s something I want, though I do browse sometimes—but not much.”

“Doesn’t Xiao Jing also window shop, like at the anime merch stores?”

“Ah, that’s because… I’ve watched a lot of anime and I’m curious how the merch is made.”

“So it’s the same feeling! Boys and girls aren’t that different, really.”

“Now that you say it, maybe so…”

An Jing nodded, mumbling, and walked with Zhu Ying out of the building.

Usually after class, especially during lunch or big breaks, there were always crowds around the vending machines, but not at dismissal—it was much quieter.

If you wanted something, you could just buy it outside. No need to line up at the machines.

Cars occasionally drove out of the school gate—those belonged to the teachers.

Interestingly, most of the drivers were female teachers, while male teachers either walked or rode bicycles.

Maybe most women who could teach in a small place like this had families that weren’t short on money.

Just as the two were about to reach the gate, they saw a small car rolling in—the bottom half black, top half white. Aside from a little curve in the front, the back looked just like a box.

“Do teachers actually drive vans to school?”

An Jing blinked in confusion.

“Is it a van? Isn’t it too small?”

Zhu Ying stopped, taking a closer look at the little car.

“It’s shorter than most cars but a bit taller.”

“Ah, the driver is Teacher Ye.”

“Eh? Really.”

“She’s not driving that flashy red sports car?”

“Guess she doesn’t want to attract attention.”

“But this car is kind of cute too.”

An Jing was speaking when she saw Wen Ye roll down her window and wave gently at them.

“Ah, bye, Teacher Ye!”

“Get home safe~!”

Wen Ye grinned cheerfully, waving even faster, then gripped the steering wheel and slowly maneuvered around the students, driving onto the road.

“Beidouxing… what brand is that? Never heard of it.”

“Oh, I know that badge! That’s a Suzuki!”

“Suzuki?”

“You’ve never heard of it? Um… There used to be loads of old motorbikes in the countryside with that brand.”

An Jing scratched her head.

“Zhou Chao’s bike is a Suzuki too, but lately, with Chinese bikes getting cheaper, you don’t see Suzuki ones much anymore.”

“I see… It does sound familiar.”

“You don’t know cars at all, do you…”

“I know the most common brands, okay!”

Zhu Ying started counting on her fingers.

“Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Buick.” “Anything else?”

“Um—”

“Pfft, ran out, huh. There’s also Mazda, Nissan, Citroën, Chevrolet…”

“There sure are a lot of car brands.”

“Yeah. Do you have a favorite?”

“Not really, they all seem about the same?”

“Tsk…”

“Fine, what kind does Xiao Jing like?”

“Okay, okay, I get it, you like those old cars where the headlights flip up, right?”

“Huh, you actually know that?”

“Of course! People are always talking about them online, like in group chats and forums.”

“Don’t you think they’re cool?”

“They look kind of like a Santana, don’t they…”

“Hey, there’s a huge difference!!”

An Jing began explaining eagerly, while Zhu Ying just smiled slyly, her eyes crinkling with mischief…

***

(3)

It was an ordinary evening.

Most of the people at Dapeng Shopping Street were either middle school or college students—it seemed like the busiest ones were the high schoolers stuck in the middle.

Suning Appliance was holding another promotion at the entrance, but this time there was no one in a mascot costume handing out flyers—just a few standing posters.

“Another new event? TVs on sale.”

“Feels like there’s always something going on here…”

An Jing pursed her lips.

“New promotion every day, all kinds of discounts—doesn’t that mean there’s basically never not a promotion?”

“It’s just a marketing trick. Look, there are other stores that always have something going on too.”

“Copying, probably.”

An Jing pulled a wry face.

“Not really. Remember those shops that used to have ‘final clearance, lease ending soon’ signs for a whole year?”

“True! Oh right, you reminded me—wasn’t this Suning Appliance once that department store with the fake loudspeaker ads every day?”

An Jing smacked her forehead.

“Ah… I nearly forgot…”

“Lots of shops in Dapeng Shopping Street have changed hands and become new ones, but since we come so often, it doesn’t feel like it’s changed much.”

“Yeah, things change every day.”

“Why so sentimental all of a sudden?”

“Maybe because… the sun’s gone behind the buildings, and the wind is a bit chilly?”

“What kind of reason is that!”