Chapter 29: There’s nothing you can’t get through
Some important people were late. For instance, the leaders.
Finally, at ten thirty, the leaders greeted each other full of smiles and offered for one another to sit first at the rostrum as the host announced for the performance to officially start.
After the leaders and representatives of the Communist Youth League Committee each gave a speech, they finally made it to the moment Yu Zhou Zhou went on stage. She stood on stage, saluted, gave a fake smile, read the nauseating, lyrical and repetitive script that she had written then saluted again amidst the applause and went off-stage. Behind the stage, the four recitalists were already standing in a row with flowers in hand, ready to go on stage. The bouquet team had also finished adjusting their position and were waiting for the instructions that were to come later to stride in with flowers held up high in tune to the music from the drum and horn teams.
Yu Zhou Zhou walked over to them and said to Shan Jie Jie, “Good luck”.
At the same time, Xu Yan Yan suddenly whispered to Jiang Chuan, “What to do, I’m suddenly nervous.”
It was the first time Xu Yan Yan had participated in such a large scale event. Shan jie Jie couldn’t help but temporarily abandon her prejudices and feel somewhat sympathetic for her. Plus, because of Zhang Shuo Tian’s presence, she herself was also somewhat nervous so for the first time in her life, she put aside her arrogance and comforted her dryly, “What are you afraid of, there’s nothing to be nervous about here.”
At that moment, Zhang Shuo Tian and Lin Yang were walking up to step onto the stage. When they passed by the four recitalists, Zhang Shuo Tian actually winked at Shan Jie Jie and lightly chuckled, “I’ll be watching your performance.”
Xu Yan Yan sneered. Towards Shan Jie Jie’s comforting, she only lightly replied, “Truly, there’s nothing to be afraid of. However, in a while, someone might make a fool of themselves on stage.”
As Xu Yan Yan spoke, Shan Jie Jie happened to see Zhang Jie go on stage. He strode on stage with his back straight and from his white rear profile, he looked like a prince.
Shan Jie Jie immediately forgot the first line of her script. In the moment of panic, she burst out into sweat and turned to look in panic at Yu Zhou Zhou.
It seemed as if she was saying with her eyes, save me.
Before Yu Zhou Zhou could react to her expression, Jiang Chuan who was standing on the outermost side whispered, “Prepare, let’s go!”
Shan Jie Jie hurriedly followed as Jiang Chuan led them up the stage.
Luckily, as soon as the background music started, Shan Jie Jie was able to rely on instinct to say the first line.
Shan Jie Jie calmed down a little and her fake smile also looked more relaxed. As she robotically said the script, her eyes inadvertently drifted to the drum and horn players who were standing in a sea of turquoise. Suddenly, she saw two boys standing within the horn players who had their heads lowered and were whispering to each other. They also pointed to her direction.
Were…his friends judging her appearance?
Shan Jie Jie was a bit dazed.
“The Communist Youth League!” Xu Yan Yan stepped forward.
“The Communist Youth League!” Shan Jie Jie stepped forward.
“You will forever be our big tree!” The boy who was third stepped forward.
“Forever be our big tree!” Jiang Chuan who was the last one also stepped forward.
“One!!!” “Big Tree!!!”
The whole place for a second.
The other three had called out “one!” while saluting with their right hand.
Shan Jie Jie however, called out “tree!” while saluting with her left hand.
More precisely, she called out “Big, big tree.” When she called out the first “big”, she heard the others call out “one” at the same time. However, she couldn’t stop so after a pause, she still stammered out big tree.
She heard laughter from below, overwhelming like an avalanche.
Yu Zhou Zhou watched as Shan Jie Jie continued to force a smile and finish the rest of the script.
She then watched as Shan Jie Jie stepped down from stage with a large smile.
Then, she looked as Shan Jie Jie’s smile collapsed and her tears spilled.
Yu Zhou Zhou held Shan Jie Jie’s hand and gripped it tightly as the battalion instructor’s scolding came pelting down.
The mood of the teenage girl changed with the start and breaks of the bus on the road.
It doesn’t matter, it all doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter at all how the classmates laughed or whispered.
They could only feel each other’s cold fingertips and the sticky sweat of their palms.
Shan Jie Jie’s tears flowed but she pursed her lips closed tightly, still trying her best to put on a serious face like those from the Women’s Rescue Association.
The teenage heart that moved with the start and breaks of the bus on the road was now sour and had sunk down to the bottom and wouldn’t waver in the slightest.
Occasionally, some harsh words would drift out from the commotion in the background.
For instance, Xu Yan Yan’s clear and distinct words, “Everyone worked so hard to practice for so long. It’s Really. Such. A. Pity.”
Or for instance, Zhuang Shuo Tian and a group of boys and girls who were laughing and playing by the back door of the bus and letting out screams every now and then.
Yu Zhou Zhou turned her head. Xu Yan Yan’s tortoiseshell hairpin was illuminated by the sun and the brightness of the small light speckles stung her eyes.
“You’re really annoying,” Yu Zhou Zhou said expressionlessly even though her voice was covered by the sea of laughter that was like boiling water.
However at that moment, Yu Zhou Zhou who was annoyed and indignant felt a sliver of happiness inside.
She wasn’t taking pleasure in the misfortune, Yu Zhou Zhou felt extremely disgusted by this tiny sense of joy but she wasn’t able to erase this feeling. She felt that Shan Jie Jie was finally equal to her.
Or to say, Shan Jie Jie was finally able to understand her.
The straightforward and enthusiastic Shan Jie Jie had always been Yu Zhou Zhou’s closest buddy. However, being close didn’t mean fully tightknit. Shan Jie Jie’s understanding of Yu Zhou Zhou wasn’t deep and she didn’t know what Yu Zhou Zhou was daydreaming about all day long either. Her little ostentatiousness, inherent superiority and open mouth were all things that required Yu Zhou Zhou to tolerate and be patient over. Shan Jie Jie had never been isolated or hurt before so her world was full of justice and sunshine. There were times where she would directly express her inability to understand Yu Zhou Zhou’s evasive neutrality to things and even had a little hint of disdain towards it.
Yu Zhou Zhou had always just lowered her head and smiled without debating it.
Whereby at this moment, she lightly patted Shan Jie Jie’s shoulder, really wanting to ask her, now do you understand?
This world likes taking pleasure in other people’s misfortune.
This world is one where the big fish will eat the small fish.
This world is very, very unkind…
Once they arrived back at school, under the battalion instructor’s grumbles, Shan Jie Jie silently took off her costume and returned it to the teacher before being pulled away by Yu Zhou Zhou to remove her makeup.
Yu Zhou Zhou felt like she had too much to say to Shan Jie Jie. Whether it’s comforting or pouring her heart out, she finally encountered a breakthrough. A breakthrough to become closer to this friend.
However, once they walked to the school gates, just as she was about to open her mouth, Shan Jie Jie suddenly burst into tears and charged forward into the arms of a lady with short hair.
As her shame and grievances mixed together and flowered out of her eyes, Shan Jie Jie stuttered and couldn’t properly form a whole sentence. However, Jie Jie’s mom continued to hug her without asking anything. Yu Zhou Zhou walked over to their side. She could smell the clean fragrance of fabric softener on Shan Jie Jie’s mom’s clothing. It drifted into her nose and was extremely calming.
“What are you crying for, dad just called to say that he’s going to show off his cooking skills and make steamed fish head with black beans tonight. Be happy!”
Yu Zhou Zhou was taken aback. That tiny little breakthrough opening that appeared from dark part of her instantly sealed shut.
She felt a sense of loss but at the same time, she was truly happy for Shan Jie Jie.
In the end, they were different. She vainly attempted to make the other party become her kind through their frustration and dejection but she forgot that they weren’t a pitiful creature with nothing.
Yu Zhou Zhou finally smiled, she sincerely smiled.
Her thoughts were very chaotic but she inexplicitly felt that the less people who were of her kind, the better.
“Is there no end to your crying, little miss, what is there that you can’t get over?” Shan Jie Jie’s mom continuously patted Shan Jie Jie’s back lightly.
Yu hou Zhou smiled softly on the side. That’s right, what is there that won’t pass by.
Shan Jie Jie’s mom later took three days off to rest at home and take her daughter around to play and help her relax. Shan Jie Jie also finally stopped crying.
Hence, tears will pass by.
Once Shan Jie Jie returned back to school, under the company of Yu Zhou Zhou, the curious stares and pointing gradually lessened.
Hence, ridicule will pass by.
As the rumoured female lead lost face and her popularity dropped, there were no longer any rumours about Zhang Shuo Tian having a crush on Shan Jie Jie and the cheers of “Zhang Shuo Tian” and “Xu Jing Ying” started outside the school gates instead.
Hence, adoration will pass by.
Yu Zhou Zhou also knew why Zhang Shuo Tian liked Shan Jie Jie.
One day during lunch, she was sitting in the second row gnawing on ribs when a few girls behind her started loudly chatting about Zhang Shuo Tian’s fickleness with his crushes – “Originally, he even liked Shan Jie Jie. He said that he liked long haired girls with a pointy chin and big eyes and happened to pass by Shan Jie Jie so he said that he liked girls like her. What nonsense, see how he likes that Xu Jing Ying now, oh my goodness, that square chin, that large face…”
Yu Zhou Zhou didn’t tell this to Shan Jie Jie. After the incident, they never mentioned Zhang Shuo Tian’s name again.
However, one evening, when a random girl was on cleaning duty with Yu Zhou Zhou, after they locked the door, the girl suddenly asked, “Zhou Zhou, Shan Jie Jie still likes Zhang Shuot Tian right?”
Yu Zhou Zhou raised her head and a hint of a smile slowly appeared on her face, “You’re the one who likes Zhang Shuo Tian, your whole family likes Zhang Shuo Tian!”
At that time, she didn’t know that many years later, this line would become very popular.
The pain and hurt gained during youth truly wasn’t that easy to pass by.
However, they still had lots of time.
Tofubyu 