The biology competition that Ruan Mian participated in wasn’t particularly difficult, and the awards didn’t carry much prestige. When the list of winners was announced at the end of October, there were over a dozen first-place winners, and Ruan Mian was among them.
On the day the award certificates arrived at the school, the leadership of No. 8 High School notified all the homeroom teachers of winning students to bring their students to the front of the Civics Building for photos. It was still lunch break at the time, and Ruan Mian was lying on her desk drowsily half-asleep. When Zhou Hai suddenly called her to stand with the school teachers, administrators, and other students for a group photo, she had a completely confused expression on her face.
The autumn afternoon sunlight was bright and warm. The photography teacher pressed the shutter button several times in succession, then stopped and looked at the photos, smiling as he spoke to the Director of Education Wu Yan standing beside him: “The little girl on the right in the first row is too pale—the photos are overexposed and can’t be used.”
Wu Yan leaned toward the lens to take a look. In the photo, half of Ruan Mian’s face was completely washed out in white. He raised his head and gestured with his hand in the air. “That Ruan Mian, you stand over on the left side.”
“Oh, okay.” Ruan Mian walked to the leftmost position where the light wasn’t as strong, and only then could they barely get a few usable photos.
After finishing the large group photo, there were individual photos of each student to be posted in the school’s bulletin board display cases.
The teachers and administrators gradually returned to their offices, while the remaining students chattered away standing under the shade of trees, waiting for the photography teacher to call their names.
After all the first-year students were photographed, it was the second-years’ turn. Following class order, Ruan Mian was first. She held her certificate and stood on the steps in front of the building, smiling at the camera with exceptional stiffness.
The next day at noon, this photo was posted in the first bulletin board upon entering campus. After Meng Xinglan and Liang Yiran finished eating outside school and returned, they passed by the bulletin board and used their phones to photograph Ruan Mian’s picture through the glass.
Back in the classroom, she showed her phone to Ruan Mian, laughing uncontrollably. “Why did you smile so stupidly at that time?”
Ruan Mian: “…”
Meng Xinglan laughed until her shoulders shook. Ruan Mian was truly embarrassed, but couldn’t help glancing at the phone screen.
Back then, most people used phones like Nokia button phones—small screens with low resolution, but it didn’t affect viewing.
Ruan Mian noticed that the left edge of the photo also captured several lines of small black text. She zoomed in to look, and it was a familiar name.
Chen Yi.
Class 1, First Year.
…see all of Chang’an’s flowers in one day.
The last sentence wasn’t fully captured. The complete verse was “With spring wind and triumphant spirit, my horse’s hooves are swift; in one day I see all of Chang’an’s flowers,” from the Tang dynasty poet Meng Jiao’s “After Passing the Imperial Examination.”
That was from shortly after the school term began. The physics competition Chen Yi had participated in during summer vacation announced its winners list, and he had won first place. At that time, the school also took a one-inch photo of him and put it in the bulletin board. Later, Ruan Mian had even gone to photograph that picture.
About a month and a half had passed in between. Ruan Mian never imagined that one day she would appear in the same place as him in this way.
When she thought about it, she was actually even happier than when she’d won the award herself.
That afternoon during the last self-study period, Ruan Mian went to Old Zhou’s office. On her way back to the classroom, she looked out from the third-floor corridor and saw the school gate in the distance. Her footsteps gradually slowed.
A few seconds later, Ruan Mian turned back and ran down the stairs on the other side of the teaching building, running straight forward and stopping in front of the bulletin board near the school gate.
In the display case, the edges of Chen Yi’s one-inch photo with its blue background had already yellowed somewhat. The boy’s face was handsome, his eyes jet black, with no particular expression on his face—forming a stark contrast with the silly-looking girl smiling beside him.
Apart from the security guard in the gatehouse, there was no one else around. Ruan Mian took out her phone and carefully photographed her and Chen Yi’s first “photo together.”
She looked so serious, as if photographing some precious and valuable treasure. After she left, the security guard from the gatehouse strolled over with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze scanning from left to right.
The display case was full of photos of excellent students. The expressionless boy and the silly-smiling girl were among them—just one insignificant glance to others.
On the weekend, Ruan Mian went to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city center. Following the book list Chen Yi had given her, she bought a pile of books. Additionally, she picked up two copies of “How to Read a Book” and “1000 Book Reports,” in case she brought these books home and didn’t know where to start.
After leaving the bookstore, Ruan Mian found a print shop nearby and had that photo printed out. Later, when she couldn’t find a place to put it, she simply placed it in the inner lining of her diary’s cover.
Ruan Mian wasn’t good with words. She didn’t write in her diary every day. Occasionally when she remembered to write, there were only a few brief sentences, but every single sentence couldn’t escape mentioning him. Only at those times could she truly stay on topic in the genuine sense of the phrase.
With Chen Yi’s help, Ruan Mian no longer went to the essay tutoring class. A younger schoolmate who had added her as a friend earlier asked her on QQ why she wasn’t coming to class anymore.
Ruan Mian only said she had found another tutoring class. She also sent her a copy of the book list Chen Yi had given, saying these were books the teacher recommended.
The younger schoolmate expressed her gratitude. Later when they ran into each other at school, she stuffed several lollipops into Ruan Mian’s hands. Before Ruan Mian could refuse, the girl had already run off.
She stared at the retreating figure and laughed aloud, casually putting the candies in her bag. After returning home, she said thank you on QQ.
On the Friday at the end of November, No. 8 High School had no evening self-study as usual. During the last self-study period in the evening, Ruan Mian finished writing the book report that was due that week in the classroom, planning to give it to Chen Yi after class. However, Zhou Hai was called away to a meeting midway through. With no one managing the class, Chen Yi and several boys ran out to play basketball and didn’t return until after school.
She stayed in the classroom waiting for Meng Xinglan to finish cleaning duty. They went out to eat dinner together before heading back. Passing by the Li Family Supermarket, she saw Chen Yi wearing a black basketball jersey standing at the store entrance.
It was already deep winter by then. Pingcheng’s highest daily temperature was only eight or nine degrees, and at night it was frighteningly low. Ruan Mian was afraid of the cold and had already put on a thin down jacket early on, but the boy seemed not to fear the cold at all—his arms and lower legs were exposed.
Li Zhi, who was squatting on the steps, saw Ruan Mian before Chen Yi, whose back was to the street. Without moving from his crouched position, white puffs of breath formed at his lips as he spoke: “I heard you won first place in the biology competition. Congratulations.”
That was from so long ago—it was impressive he still remembered. Ruan Mian pulled her chin out from inside her collar and said thank you.
Li Zhi smiled and stood up from the ground.
Chen Yi had already turned around when Li Zhi started speaking. The hair on his forehead was damp with water, forming clumps in the frigid weather.
He raised his hand to rub his hair apart, and as his hand came down, he also scratched the back of his neck, asking: “Did you write your book report for this week?”
“I did.” Ruan Mian clutched her bag strap. “Do you want it now?”
Chen Yi nodded slightly. “Alright, give it to me.”
Li Zhi turned and walked inside. “Come in and talk. It’s so cold outside.”
The three of them walked into the store one after another. Li Zhi went to the courtyard in back. Chen Yi grabbed his school uniform jacket draped over the chair and put it on.
Ruan Mian had brought quite a few textbooks back this week. Her bag was a bit heavy. She set it on the counter edge and flipped to her biology book. Between the pages of the textbook were pens, the composition notebook, and various other miscellaneous items.
As she pulled things out, something that had been tucked at the very bottom of the textbook fell out, striking the glass countertop with a “clang.”
Ruan Mian glanced over—it was one of the lollipops the younger schoolmate had given her before. She’d kept it in her bag all this time without remembering to eat it.
Chen Yi, who had been standing to the side looking down at his phone replying to messages, heard the sound and looked up. “What happened?”
“Oh, nothing, something just fell.” Ruan Mian found the composition notebook and handed it over, her other hand instinctively reaching for the lollipop that had fallen on the counter.
Chen Yi glanced at her movement, took the notebook, and casually flipped through two pages of the essay, saying: “I’ll return it to you at school on Monday.”
“Okay.” Having handed over the essay with nothing else to do, Ruan Mian wasn’t good at being alone with Chen Yi. With Li Zhi not returning for so long, she hesitated, preparing to leave.
Chen Yi sensed her unease and restlessness. He put the notebook on the counter, saying those same words again: “Go back early.”
Ruan Mian had a psychological shadow regarding these few words. Hearing them suddenly, her whole body stiffened slightly. Her eyes blinked twice, then she held out the candy in her hand. “I sent the book list you gave me to the younger schoolmate I was taking essay class with. This is candy she gave me later. Here, have one.”
Chen Yi took the candy. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll head back first then.”
“Mm.”
Ruan Mian walked to the doorway, then remembered something and turned back around. The lights were bright, and the boy’s face was especially clear in the interplay of light and shadow.
She pressed her lips together slightly, speaking slowly: “Chen Yi, thank you.”
The boy was stunned for two seconds before raising his head to say: “You’re welcome.”
Ruan Mian revealed an exceptionally faint smile, withdrew her gaze, and walked out of the store. The night mixed with dim yellow light, and the girl’s figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Chen Yi stared at the mist-shrouded night scene for a moment, then quietly withdrew his gaze.
Actually, when it came to the essay matter, he could only be considered a middleman bridging the connection. The one truly teaching Ruan Mian was his grandmother, the elder scholar Shen Yunmiao.
Elder Scholar Shen attended Pingjiang University’s College of Humanities for her undergraduate degree. After graduation, she remained at the school to teach. Two years ago, she was rehired by Pingjiang University and now teaches in the school’s Chinese Language Department (formerly the College of Humanities). She had dedicated most of her life to teaching and educating. The students she had taught had now achieved great success in their fields—she was truly the best embodiment of “peaches and plums fill the world, her grace extends in all directions.”
That day when Teacher Zhao asked Chen Yi to tutor Ruan Mian, Chen Yi came home and entrusted the matter to Elder Scholar Shen, asking her to take on an unofficial student. She didn’t need to teach her to be exceptionally skilled—just being able to write essays without going off-topic would be enough.
The subsequent book list and book reports were all assignments Elder Scholar Shen had given Ruan Mian. Chen Yi was afraid Ruan Mian would feel burdened, so he didn’t tell her the truth. Each time, the book report annotations were written by Elder Scholar Shen separately first, then he would transcribe them onto the essays.
After studying for so long, although Ruan Mian hadn’t shown any major changes, she had made progress. At least in the midterm exam that had just ended not long ago, her essay hadn’t gone off-topic.
Thinking of this, Chen Yi unwrapped the lollipop in his hand. When he put it in his mouth, there was an overwhelmingly sweet fruity flavor. He furrowed his brow slightly, chewed it roughly, and swallowed it down.