(1)
It was nearly 5:00 PM. A sudden shower from a few minutes ago had washed the dust from the sky and carried away the last traces of clouds.
Although the setting sun poked its head out again, it was greeted only by a sky of washed-out azure blue.
A plain white Fukang sedan slowly pulled up to the entrance of City No. 2 Middle School. Droplets of water on the body and glass slid down slowly, as if telling the story of just how heavy that sudden rain had been.
There was a large open space in front of the gate where a few cars were already parked, though not many. After all, there was still nearly one hour until the parent-teacher meeting was scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM.
Yu Minghui lightly tossed her long, straight hair and stepped out of the car. She stared blankly for a moment at the school building, which had been freshly repainted, and then couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. “It’s been renovated, but no matter how many times I come here, it still feels the same as before.”
Walking through the retractable electric gate — which was different from the one in the past — Yu Minghui stood in the lobby of the teaching building.
The floors and classrooms corresponding to all the classes were posted here to prevent parents from losing their way.
A tall girl was coming downstairs carrying a class sign that read: Grade 9, Class 5.
Yu Minghui glanced at it briefly but didn’t ask for directions, as she had already found the floor where An Jing’s classroom was located on the bulletin board.
The teaching building was still a bit deserted. Most of the parents hadn’t arrived yet, and the students helping out were almost finished with their tasks.
The classroom for Grade 9, Class 5 looked very simple. It wasn’t decorated with fake flowers and ribbons like some of the other classes. On her way up, Yu Minghui had even seen some classes decked out with a massive amount of balloons, making it look like a wedding venue.
A woman who looked like she had just graduated from college was placing materials for today’s parent-teacher meeting on every desk — a middle school graduation handbook and a file folder.
Perhaps hearing footsteps in the corridor, she turned her head slightly and met Yu Minghui’s gaze.
“Are you a student’s parent?” she asked with a smile.
“Yes, I’m An Jing’s older sister. Hello.”
“Hello, I’m the head teacher of Class 5.” Her smile was very friendly. “You can call me Teacher Ye.”
“All right, Teacher Ye. How has my Little Jing been performing in school lately?”
“His grades are actually quite good,” Ye Wen said, sitting on a desk near the door while holding her documents. “He’s been in a relationship lately, hasn’t he? His rank has even improved slightly, and the girl he’s ‘dating’ has also made a lot of progress alongside him.”
“That’s a good thing, then.”
“A healthy romantic relationship can give a person more motivation to move forward.” Ye Wen smiled and winked. “So, I’m not really against students dating, unless it starts to seriously affect their normal studies.”
“Then, has Little Jing been in any fights lately? Has he had any unpleasantness with his classmates?”
“As far as I know, no. He gets along quite well with most of his classmates.”
“He got into a fight in seventh grade. He said he was helping a friend… He came home covered in bruises back then,” Yu Minghui recalled.
“He’s in ninth grade now; it’s time for him to grow up.” Ye Wen pointed to An Jing’s seat. “You can sit down for a bit, or take another walk around the school. After all, it’s still early before the meeting starts.”
“True, I’ll take a look around… Oh my, Little Jing’s handwriting is still so ugly.”
“An Jing is a good student. If I had to mention a flaw, it’s probably that his handwriting is too hard to read. It’s easy to lose points for presentation during exams.”
“I know. I’ve told him many times, but a habit formed in childhood is probably hard to change…”
“Well, I have an idea.”
“What kind of idea?”
“Why not ask ‘his girlfriend’ for help? With a girlfriend supervising him, it should improve quite a bit.” Ye Wen chuckled knowingly. “Compared to adults, boys sometimes listen to their girlfriends much more. Little boys are all like that.”
“That really is a good idea.” Yu Minghui’s eyes curved into crescents. “Teacher Ye, you’re truly special and interesting. You’re different from the head teachers I’ve met before.”
Ye Wen did not shy away from the praise. Instead, she nodded, clearly pleased. “Teaching is a job. Many people can be teachers, but not many can truly be ‘Teachers.'”
(2)
Work at the Water Delivery Station always ended before nightfall. Even if there were orders left, they would be postponed until tomorrow.
It wasn’t that everyone was unwilling to work, but rather that the station was closing.
In the words of the manager: “There’s no end to the work, leave some for tomorrow!”
Fang Qiang stretched his shoulders. He had delivered a whole afternoon’s worth of water in one go after school, and he was exhausted. The toughest one was an order for a seventh floor. The height wasn’t the issue; the problem was that the property management of that high-end community wouldn’t let him park his bicycle downstairs. He had to park in a centralized area, walk a long distance, and then head up.
And those were two large buckets of mineral water.
“You delivered quite a lot today. Watch your health and don’t push too hard. It’s not worth it if you have to spend your money at the hospital,” the manager said, patting Fang Qiang’s shoulder. “Here, let me settle your wages for today.”
“Thanks, Uncle.” Fang Qiang took his pay. Although it was just a pile of small change, it still filled his heart with a sense of satisfaction.
Especially when he saved up enough to give a stack of money to his mother; it gave him the joy of feeling like he had grown up and could finally take care of his family in return.
‘Giving money to other women isn’t as good as taking care of my own mom. Zhou Chao was right…’
Fang Qiang hopped on his bicycle and parked it in front of his garage. Then, he turned back out of the alley, crossed a few roads, and arrived at a somewhat deserted street.
This area was filled with home renovation shops — places that sold glass, paint, and wooden flooring. Often, the shop doors were locked. It wasn’t that the owners weren’t open for business, but rather that they were likely out working at someone’s house.
Perhaps the rent on this street was low, which was why such shops were usually located here.
In addition, there were some auto repair shops and car washes. After all, the empty streets made it convenient for parking.
“Boss!” Fang Qiang walked into an auto repair shop and asked nervously, “Is it fixed?”
“The parts arrived today, so I swapped them out for you. You know the market; I’m charging you 100 including labor. It’s really not expensive.”
“I know.” Fang Qiang sighed helplessly. This kind of Second-hand Motorcycle was prone to problems. Even if it had been overhauled that day, issues were unavoidable. However, the replacement part wasn’t a wear item, so it should last a long time after being replaced. “Uh, let me see… five, ten, twenty-five, forty…”
He pulled a heap of small change from his pocket and cobbled together 100, handing it to the owner.
“Alright, take it away. I even washed your bike for you while I was at it.”
“Thanks, boss!”
Fang Qiang stroked the small motorcycle, which didn’t quite match his physical size, as if he were caressing a lover. Although they hadn’t been together long, it felt like an inseparable part of his life.
Having not touched it for several days, he missed it terribly. Thinking about driving it back today, he couldn’t help but feel excited. ‘I’ll go get some gas first, then drive back. I’ll just drive slowly today…’
The nearest gas station was near the warehouse shopping street, and whenever he arrived there, he felt like he was doing himself a disservice if he didn’t buy something.
Fang Qiang parked the bike and calculated what to buy to take home. ‘Dad said he’s been bored lately. I’ll buy some discs for him to watch. At least it’ll kill some time in the evening. I wonder if they still sell video tapes. I saw some on clearance last time. I’ll buy a few for myself too. Anyway, the VCR in the garage still works…’
While talking to himself, he suddenly froze and leaned against the wall at the corner.
Not far away, a couple was strolling toward him. Fang Qiang wasn’t familiar with the boy, but the girl — though she had grown up a bit — her face was still so familiar.
That was Zhou Chao’s former childhood sweetheart, Di Jiuai.
The city really wasn’t that big, but in his memory, it had been a long time since he had run into her.
In the past, Fang Qiang only felt awkward. But having gone through some things himself, he now found himself clenching his fists.
He somewhat understood why Zhou Chao had cried so bitterly back then. To be honest, at the time he had thought it was quite funny, thinking it was just a breakup and a grown man shouldn’t be like that.
However, a man was still human after all, not a piece of flawless stone.
Furthermore, even now, Zhou Chao couldn’t really be called a man. In terms of age, he was at most a big boy.
Di Jiuai popped the last meatball into her mouth with a bamboo skewer, and her gaze lingered on Fang Qiang for a second or two.
She most likely recognized him.
“Xiao Ai, Xiao Ai, don’t walk so fast. Do you think I could be as handsome as a star when I lose weight?”
“Of course. You used to be very handsome, in a roguishly handsome way, but you don’t have that vibe anymore.”
“Aren’t I turning over a new leaf for you?”
“Is that so? Don’t you still smoke?”
“Fine, fine. I’ll quit tomorrow!”
It was an ordinary conversation, but it made Fang Qiang heave a long sigh.
Speaking of which, her current boyfriend wasn’t from City No. 2 Middle School, yet she still attended classes there. The fact that they never ran into each other — could it be that she was also deliberately avoiding people she used to know?
Was she afraid, or did she hate everyone close to Zhou Chao?
Fang Qiang sighed, feeling like a fool for thinking so much. That was all in the past. Zhou Chao himself probably didn’t care anymore.
“— Ah Qiang!”
“Ah, Zhou Chao? Wait? What? Uh, up ahead…”
“What’s up ahead?”
“Uh… Di Jiuai. She just walked past.”
“Who is Di Jiuai?” Zhou Chao smiled faintly, but there was no mirth in his eyes. “Did you just finish your part-time job?”
“Yeah.” Fang Qiang couldn’t help but look back, both relieved that their voices were drowned out by the noisy shopping street and curious to see the expressions on their faces if they met again.
“Is the motorcycle fixed?”
“Fixed. Let’s go back together. It’s on the way.”
“Sure. What are you buying?”
“Discs and video tapes, and… uh, what are you looking at?”
Zhou Chao pulled his gaze back from a sign that read “Zhenai Wedding.” He shook his head with a peaceful smile. “Nothing. I’ll go buy them with you.”
“Let’s go!”