Hello, Old Times Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Whose Perfect Life

Yan Li gently prodded Yu Zhou Zhou’s elbow, “Yu Zhou Zhou, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong with me?”

Yan Yi shook his head, not knowing what to say.

Yu Zhou Zhou had always been lazy, sitting on her seat with her head down doing questions or reading novels and comics. During classes, she also often daydreamed or slept. Yan Yi had heard before that good students loved to pretend that they didn’t work hard then when they got home, they’d work like crazy. But Yu Zhou Zhou’s state really didn’t seem like that of a good student with ambitions.

However, it was different now. After she had a day off, it seemed as if she was possessed. She spent the entire day buried in the principles of political philosophy, messing up all the questions in her papers and redoing her answers. When she stared at the papers, it was as if flames would sprout from her eyes.

“Hey, why are you so passionate all of a sudden? Are you in love with the politics teacher?”

Mi Qiao was as unrestrained as ever. Yu Zhou Zhou turned around and lazily responded, “Yeah, love develops over time.”

She wanted to get first in the grade. Just this once, before she went to meet that person.

She knew that Zhou Shen Ran was in the sub-branch and would definitely hear about it so she had to get first in rank in the humanities stream.

She must. Yu Zhou Zhou suddenly thought of Shen Qi, that girl who had looked her in the eyes and said, “I must get into Zhen Hua.”

In this moment, Yu Zhou Zhou discovered how fortunate she was. Her mother had never said anything like, “You have to do well for me”, “I’ll depend on you in the future”, “Mum’s only hope in this life is just you” to her. Even despite being unfairly treated, it had been dissolved by her thick and wordless love. Her mum was always clear and straightforward and she never taught Yu Zhou Zhou through her actions what resentment was so Yu Zhou Zhou never needed to be like Shen Qi.

Noone wanted her to take revenge so she had no resentment. Noone wanted her to become powerful so she had no inferiority complex.

There wasn’t any obsessions that forced her to say “must”.

Yu Zhou Zhou suddenly wavered a little. Was her current state what her mum wanted to see?

Her eyes were fixed on the bold words, “objective law and subjective initiative” when she was harshly poked with a pen by Mi Qiao.

“What’s the matter?”

“As soon as the end of semester exam is over, the anime society I’m in needs to find some temporary actors for cosplay, are you in?”

Yu Zhou Zhou was a little interested. She put dwn her book then turned to lay on Mi Qiao’s desk, “But this is my first time…”

Mi Qiao’s expression froze then in the next second, she burst into laughter. She knocked loudly on the desk, every knock hitting her man, Iverson’s face.

“You can’t say words like these randomly…although I know that you’re telling the truth…”

Yu Zhou Zhou was stunned for a full minute before realising what Mi Qiao was saying. Her face flushed red and her eyes flew wide open. She stretched out her hands without hesitation to knock down Mi Qiao’s tall tower of exercise books.

—

Ling Xiang Qian hated winter.

She didn’t know that winter would make people particularly lazy. She was clearly so anxious inside that she felt like she was on fire, she hadn’t finished her textbooks but her mind had already floated away.

Her water bottle was filled with water but she still carried it to the water room for more water. On her way, she saw Xin Rui sit at her desk with her full focus on studying. It gave her a strong sense of guilt and fear.

The ‘trust’ of her parents, the praises from those aunts and uncles, her reputation at the school and Chu Tian Kuo’s polite yet admiring smile to her, these all piled up into an unsteady and crumbling tower that was high in the sky yet had a foundation that was too weak to handle a single strike.

When she was younger, the adults would teasingly ask what they wanted to be when they grew up. Both Lin Yang and Jiang Chuan had decent dreams even if it was ridiculous to think about now. However as for Ling Xiang Qian, she had never told anyone about her dream since young yet it had never changed.

She wanted everyone to say that she was outstanding, envy her and like her.

It wasn’t important what she did in the future. All she wanted was this limelight and doting.

Ling Xiang Qian leaned against the window of the water room and gently closed her eyes. She had always understood that this type of doting love was like the floating clouds. You had to work hard and climb up high to be able to see it. However, despite giving out ten times the amount of effort, you could only grab at water vapor that disperses when the wind blows.

Just like her father who struggled his way up from being a poor boy from the countryside and married her mother who was from a wealthy family. He was careful and timid his entire life as they tortured one another.

She took a deep sigh when she suddenly heard laughter behind her, “What are you doing, do you want to jump off the building?”

That voice made Ling Xiang Qian flustered. She hurriedly put on a smile then nodded towards Chu Tian Ku who was holding a water bottle.

“The exams start in three days, how is your preparation going?”

Ling Xiang Qian calmed her senses then decided not to put on that pretend polite, gentle and pleasant appearance.

“Not good, really not good.”

Chu Tian Kuo didn’t seem to hear the honesty and grievance in her voice. He continued to collect water and casually replied over the steamy air, “It’s fine, you’re definitely very brave when you take the exams.”

They had been immersed in boring conversations like this since they were young. It was like learning the piano with Lin Yang and Jiang Chuan when they were kids. She didn’t like to practice the piano and would always use her homework as an excuse so every time her mum picked her up from school, the opening line would always be, “Do you have lots of homework today?”

If her answer was “Not a lot,” her mum’s answer would naturally be, “Then you can spend more time practicing the piano today.”

If her answer was, “A lot,” her mum would stare guardedly at her, “You have to practice the piano even if you have a lot of homework so hurry up and do it when you get home!”

So why do you even bother to ask.

Ling Xiang Qian had wanted to say this to her mum ever since she was small as well as to all the students, including herself, who asked each other, “How did you do in the exam”, “How is your revision going”. Since they all knew that one another weren’t saying a single word of truth, that was the point of having such a futile conversation?

“I’m not you,” Ling Xiang Qian said in a low voice, “You don’t have to say these to me either.”

She didn’t collect any water. She squeezed past him with her heavy thermos bottle.

Chu Tian Kuo shouted her name from behind. Ling Xiang Qian held back her tears and did not look back.

—

On the morning of the end of semester exam, it was snowing heavily.

Yu Zhou Zhou ate the bread and cheese on the clean plate then drank the milk in one gulp, making her choke. Just as she was about to sneak out the door, she suddenly heard her grandma’s hoarse calls, “Zhou Zhou, Zhou Zhou!”

Yu Zhou Zhou looked towards her uncle’s room that was quiet without any movement and guessed that they were still in deep sleep hence she lightly pushed open the door to her grandma’s room and walked in.

Her grandma had somehow sat up by herself. Her hair was already white without a single trace of colour. Yu Zhou Zhou walked over, “Why did you wake up so early, should I help you to the bathroom?”

“No need.”

Her grandma’s mind was extraordinarily clear. Yu Zhou Zhou suddenly had an ominous premonition.

“You’re going to take the exams today right?”

“Mhm,” Very clearminded as if returning to the light. Her heart sank suddenly.

“Do well.”

“I know. It’s snowing outside today. The heating hasn’t been working well these past two days. Lie in bed for a while more. Don’t get up so early.”

Her grandma smiled faintly, “Okay, Zhou Zhou has grown up. What is your mum busy with these days?”

Yu Zhou Zhou’s heart skipped a beat but she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “They are moving their sub-office, she’s busy cleaning up their inventory.”

“Oh, oh, let her be busy, let her be busy.” Her grandma’s eyes closed up again. Yu Zhou Zhou helped her lay down again then used a soft pillow to cushion her neck and lower back to allow her to lie more comfortably.

“Then I’m going off to take the exams. If you need anything, shout loudly for uncle.”

“Go, go.” Her grandma closed her eyes. “Do well in the exam and get into an outer-state university, leave this place and live a good life. Live a good life…”

Her grandma had started to mumble again. Yu Zhou Zhou’s nose turned astringent. She lowered her head, picked up her schoolbag and opened the door to leave.

—

The seating in the exam room was in the same order, Yu Zhou Zhou, Ling Xiang Qian, Xin Rui.

Xin Rui answered the questions very quickly. When she started on her essay, there was still an hour and ten minutes left in the literature exam. The topic was, ‘The Ordinary and Extraordinary in Life’. She filled her essay with lots and lots of detail about stories of many ordinary people in ‘Touching China’. As she wrote, she couldn’t help but want to smile.

Sima Qian’s greatest contribution wasn’t the ‘Historical Records’, Thomas Edison’s greatest contribution wasn’t the lightbulb and the highlight of ‘Touching China’ wasn’t the touching factor.

To Xin Rui, their greatest significance was in being able to be used to fill in the blank lines of every essay composition in exams. In the 20 sample essays from last year, Sima Qian had an exposure rate of 100%. Under the pens of tens of millions of high school students, these figures weren’t able to live nor die in peace.

She raised her head and stared at Ling Xiang Qian’s back. Ling Xiang Qian’s hair was soft and smooth and shone with luster. Xin Rui suddenly wanted to write about herself. Everyone’s lives were an ordinary struggle. Her greatness lay in her struggle to become someone else.

This type of courage couldn’t be seen let alone praised.

Xin Rui sighed, lowered her head and continued to describe touching China.

—

Ling Xiang Qian sat in the office with her head down.

She knew what Wu Wen Lu wanted to say to her.

If there was one person who wouldn’t look up to Ling Xiang Qian because of her grades, talents and beauty, then it must be Wu Wen Lu.

She could even see through Wu Wen Lu’s eyes what he thought of her.

Frivolous, proud, difficult to make any great accomplishments.

The homework that this old-fashioned male teacher liked to give was meaningless copying of notes/ Correspondingly, the students he liked were those who could finish copying, for instance, Xin Rui.

“Students like you are those who know well deep inside. Your mother keeps calling me, asking me to take care of you since at your age, it’s inevitable not to have some impetuous thoughts and be very immature…”

Ling Xiang Qian lost her ranking as number one in the grade in the end. This gave Wu Wen Lu the opportunity to say the line, “I had expected that if you continued like this, you’d suffer sooner or later.”

Not handing in history homework, completing maths exercise books in politics class, English papers in literature class, skipping PE, not going to evening self-revision classes, sitting on the stairs in the school corridor revising away from the crowd…plus, frequently going in and out of Class 2 to hang out with Ling Yang and Jiang Chuan.

Ling Xiang Quan thought that some of the teachers were just wasting her time by nagging endlessly in class so why couldn’t she use the time in that class to complete the exercise books from other classes? She got annoyed whenever she saw Xin Rui in the self-study classes and Lu Pei Pei’s small mouth was like a tweeter that couldn’t stop hence why couldn’t she take her books to self-study outside?

As for regularly visiting Class 2… She was actually just using Ling Yang and the others as cover. Class 1’s back door could be seen from the main door of Class 2 and Chu Tian Kuo’s back seemed to be just within reach.

“I know you won’t listen. As the old saying goes, the moon waxes only to wane, water brims only to overflow*. You won’t improve by being like this, these are only small tricks…”
*[Idiom that means the all good things will come to an end]

“Teacher, next time I’ll take the first place in the exam.”

Ling Xiang Qian had enough of her mum’s trembling left cheek, the cynicism of Lu Pei Pei and the others, the prejudice of Wu Wen Lu and her own emptiness.

Wu Wen Lu’s expression turned dark at being cut off while Ling Xiang Qian leaned on the chair, feeling the despairing coolness from the steel bars of the back of the chair.

Since when did things like pleasing people which she had done since young start to make her unhappy as well?