Qing Ye followed the Gobi Desert back to the street before hailing a car to return to Xing Wu’s home. She placed the three thousand two hundred yuan in grandmother’s drawer, then went directly to the county town.
Qing Hongzhi and Sun Hai circled the county town before finding a decent hotel to check-in. Qing Ye went to find Qing Hongzhi there and told him she would return with him, but not tomorrow – she needed one more day.
Qing Hongzhi told her time was pressing; they must return to Beijing the day after tomorrow. After returning, there would still be procedures to handle, and with the college entrance exam drawing closer, they couldn’t delay any longer. Qing Ye agreed with her father.
That evening, she returned to the factory and listed out everything she could think of item by item. Worried that Du Qiyan and Liu Nian couldn’t handle everything, she specially instructed Quan Ya again. No one had expected her to leave so suddenly, and everyone’s spirits fell with her departure. Several times, Liu Nian wanted to ask her: “Are you really leaving like this? Not waiting for Brother Wu?”
But each time the words reached his lips, seeing Quan Ya shake his head at him, he couldn’t bear to ask.
Qing Ye left rather hurriedly, not even having time to say goodbye to everyone she knew. She only went to Old Yang’s office the next morning to fill out forms. Old Zhu and Miss Yu, who liked Qing Ye the most, came to give her countless reminders and see her off one last time. In all their years of teaching, they had never taught a child as naturally gifted as Qing Ye. If she hadn’t transferred, perhaps her college entrance exam results would have been their most brilliant achievement in their teaching careers. But this achievement would ultimately belong only to her, not to them. After all, she was born in an environment of excellence, and now was merely returning to where she belonged.
Coming out of Old Yang’s office, Qing Ye walked back to Class 2’s door. Everyone was in self-study, most people with heads down doing practice problems, some memorizing things, or several people discussing questions.
Qing Ye remembered when she first came, the class was in chaos every day, especially during self-study periods, so noisy she couldn’t even focus on solving problems.
But now looking around, most people were making final preparations for their future. Regardless of how this battle would end, at least they had tried their best.
Qing Ye moved her gaze to that solitary desk in the last row, which had been empty for a long time. Though knowing no one would be there, Qing Ye still looked at it every day when she came to class, often turning back to look during breaks, as if by persistently looking back for him, he would suddenly appear behind her one day, staring at her with that casual, warm smile.
But she knew she couldn’t wait anymore.
Qing Ye finally called Fang Lei, Fat Tiger, Shi Min, and Xiao Ling Tong out of the classroom to tell them what she planned to do. This was perhaps the only thing she could do for them before leaving.
So that evening after the last class ended, half of the third-year students hadn’t left. Everyone gathered in the fifth-floor corridor facing the main entrance. This unprecedented scene quickly drew the attention of many parents at the entrance and school officials.
Several school leaders hurried to the high school building and loudly questioned what they were trying to do.
At this moment, two banners suddenly dropped from the fifth-floor corridor, with red cloth and gold characters reading “Return our evening self-study, return our future.” These ten powerful brush-written characters were personally written by Qing Ye.
The school leaders were stunned. When they originally decided to cancel evening self-study, many teachers complained to school leaders and protested, but ultimately couldn’t resist parent pressure, and this matter was never restarted. Most of those An Zhong children didn’t care about canceling evening self-study at all.
What the school leaders hadn’t expected was that now these children would suddenly organize themselves to demand the resumption of evening self-study, something that had never happened in An Zhong’s history.
First came the unified cry from the third-years on the fifth floor: “Return our evening self-study, return our future!”
And those first and second-year students gradually walking out of school began to stop, passionately joining their senior schoolmates in shouting.
When Principal Zhong arrived, what he saw was the campus shrouded in night, with deafening shouts rising and falling. He had been at this school for over ten years, experiencing many large and small incidents, but this was the first and only time these students who usually gave him headaches were shouting for the sake of studying.
He had received a call and come to disperse these students, but when he truly stood under that huge banner, with students’ shouts in his ears and the third-years’ yearning for the future before his eyes, that passion deeply moved Principal Zhong for the first time.
More and more student parents gathered at the school gate, some coming to pick up their children, some rushing over after hearing about the student protest, and surrounding residents all ran out of their homes not knowing what had happened.
It was then that Fang Lei squeezed through the crowd to personally hand the prepared megaphone to Qing Ye. Qing Ye asked: “Have all your parents come?”
Fang Lei nodded: “Both my parents came. I’ve notified others in other classes, though I’m not sure exactly how many came. At least all the parents from our class who could come are here.”
Qing Ye nodded, and Fang Lei said somewhat worriedly: “Are you sure? Once you speak up, the school might come after you, after all, the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”
Qing Ye directly took the megaphone and looked at her: “My transfer procedures are already completed. Strictly speaking, they can’t control me. This matter can only be voiced by me.”
After speaking, the classmates around Qing Ye automatically made way for her. The last rays of sunset fell on the corridor, illuminating everyone’s determined faces. Under everyone’s gaze, she walked step by step to the center, standing between the two banners, raised the amplifying megaphone toward the many faculty, students, parents, and onlooking crowd below, saying: “I’m very sorry to waste everyone’s time, making all of you who should be having dinner come watch a group of third-year students making trouble. I think the school leaders below and parents at the school gate must all think we’re making trouble, but our time has already been wasted for several months. We wouldn’t spend our final sprint time making trouble unless necessary.
I hereby represent all An Zhong students, especially the third-years facing the imminent college entrance exam, to request the school restore evening self-study!”
At these words, the entire fifth floor shouted in unison: “Restore evening self-study!”
It was then that among those standing at the school gate, a middle-aged woman suddenly questioned: “Why restore evening self-study? There are already enough classes every day. Those who want to study can study at home just the same. Dragging everyone to stay so late, if someone’s body breaks down before the college entrance exam and can’t participate, who will take responsibility?”
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in an uproar, with a group of parents shouting: “That’s right, those who want to study can study at home, don’t drag out classes like this. Students are already under enough pressure.”
Principal Zhong looked back at the parents outside the school, somewhat helplessly exchanging glances with other school leaders. The school’s attitude had always been to avoid trouble, so when many parents proposed canceling evening self-study, the school could only compromise, fearing these parents would cause trouble. But now the school was caught in the middle, in a difficult position.
This was probably the first time in An Zi County’s history that students and parents were shouting at each other across space.
Shi Min said in Qing Ye’s ear: “Class 6 parents.”
Qing Ye wasn’t flustered at all, directly raising the megaphone to say: “This parent is talking to us about responsibility, so today all of us students present will talk to you about responsibility.
You say those who want to study can study at home, then when we go home and don’t understand problems, can we come to your home for guidance? When we can’t organize our review framework ourselves, can we ask you to help organize it? If we can’t reasonably allocate time, can we also ask you to help everyone allocate and supervise three hours of after-school review progress?
With one sentence about fearing body breakdown, you forcibly deprive all students of three hours every day, 360 hours in four months. If your children are physically weak and unable to bear the heavy study tasks, thereby wasting everyone’s 360 hours of study time, and everyone cannot maximize efficiency in these 360 hours leading to college entrance exam failure, can you bear this responsibility?
If you can guarantee the prospects of every student present here, we will disperse immediately. Please answer, parent!”
Instantly, more parents began speaking up in support of restoring evening self-study. Most of them had objections when evening self-study was canceled, but simply hadn’t realized how big an issue it was, and hadn’t taken it seriously at all.
When Qing Ye directly linked evening self-study with prospects, all parents exploded. Parents who had maintained silence all began speaking up to fight for their children’s interests.
As if in a very short time, those parents opposing evening self-study were surrounded by voices. Both sides of the parents argued until red-faced.
Qing Ye raised the megaphone again to look at the school leaders: “On behalf of all An Zhong students, I request the school consider restoring evening self-study…”
As she spoke to this point, a group of teachers had already come to the fifth floor heading straight for her. Qing Ye turned her head to look at that group of teachers, her gaze unwavering, staring at them as she said her final words: “We… have no time left…”
After speaking, she directly placed the megaphone on the ground, and then she was taken to the educational affairs office. After she left, those usually muddleheaded, introverted, shy students one by one squatted down to pick up the megaphone she had put down, like a silent inheritance. She had left, leaving her final determination for the college entrance exam to them.
And the overwhelming shouts finally moved the school. They withstood the opposing voices, carving out space for these third-year students at the last moment, ensuring their evening self-study venues and teaching resources going forward. Finally, that group of parents’ voices were drowned in everyone’s passion. Even the onlooking residents could feel the ignited youth of the students inside the gate and their yearning for a beautiful future.
The school ultimately didn’t make things difficult for Qing Ye, only giving her some education. Until very late, when Principal Zhong finished handling matters outside and walked into the educational affairs office, Qing Ye raised her head to look at him, prepared for anything, but Principal Zhong only said to her: “It’s late, go rest quickly.”
Qing Ye stood up stunned, bowing deeply to him: “Thank you, Principal.”
Principal Zhong didn’t say anything, just nodded. As Qing Ye was about to walk out the door, Principal Zhong finally said behind her: “You’ve worked hard, child.”
When Qing Ye turned her head, her eyes were red. Principal Zhong smiled and said: “Good luck on your college entrance exam.”
Relief finally showed on Qing Ye’s face. She left this campus where she had spent most of the year, facing the night. Familiar playground, familiar corridors, familiar classrooms, goodbye.
…
Qing Ye left An Zi County with her father the next morning. Apart from Li Lanfang, she hadn’t told anyone. She didn’t want to see farewell scenes; rather than saying she was afraid of seeing others cry, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself. This was good, coming silently, leaving silently.
However, sitting alone in the back seat, she kept editing messages, wanting to explain her departure to Xing Wu. She typed many, many words, but finally, the wheels hit a deep pothole, splashing muddy water that flew onto the glass. Qing Ye was jolted into putting down her phone to look at the mud spots on the car window, her gaze turning to the scene outside the glass.
Lovely middle-aged women with baskets bantering with garlic-selling bosses, several middle school students chasing each other, followed by a group of wagging-tailed mongrels, the faded green paint on mailboxes had been repainted at some unknown time, the skewer stands at the street corner, the old man wearing a worn apron with hands covered in black ash, but his face still wearing the same friendly smile as when she first came.
Time moved very slowly here. This county town seemingly sealed in the last century had its own ease and peace, struggles and hesitation, courage and tenacity.
Perhaps it developed slowly, perhaps it couldn’t compare to big cities, but the people here wouldn’t be overcome by their innate environment. Perhaps one day in the future, this place will become completely renewed.
A faint smile suddenly appeared at the corners of Qing Ye’s mouth. She lowered her head and deleted all those lengthy words, only telling him: I’ve returned to Beijing with Dad.
She thought he would understand.