The 2016 college entrance exam had just concluded, and two torrential downpours had unleashed their fury. Yet, Qingyi City remained sweltering, the oppressive heat refusing to dissipate.
The third-year teaching building of Ruijun Middle School was unprecedentedly boisterous. Some students recklessly tossed test papers at their juniors below, others brazenly whistled at attractive female teachers, and a group of immature ones surrounded a battered stone pillar in the corridor, playing some foolish game of planetary collision.
“How old are you to still be playing this shit?”
Qu Yihua muttered disdainfully as he passed through the corridor. Without further comment, he grabbed one of his class’s male students and strode purposefully toward Classes 3-8. At the classroom door, he patted the boy’s back, “Go, call Xu Zhi out for me.”
Qu Yihua was the homeroom teacher of Class 8, a retired military man who looked like Zhang Fei but handled affairs like Zhang Ma.
Inside the classroom, chaos reigned. The girls, probably exhausted from estimating their scores, had given up and decided to conquer science with mysticism, though their efforts were already misguided.
“Where’s my future other half?”
“Let me see… Mars represents your ideal partner. Wow, according to the star chart, it should be a hunk.”
“What about me? What about my boyfriend?”
“Your boyfriend might be an older man, rich and powerful, but quite rational about love. Doesn’t seem very impulsive—”
Xu Zhi, strikingly pale among the group of girls, didn’t join in. She focused intently on filling out a classmate’s yearbook, meticulously tracing over the characters for a “bright future” repeatedly. Only her clean, slender nape was visible, yet it exuded an inexplicable air of resilience.
“Huh, what’s not impulsive?” someone asked.
“It means your boyfriend won’t perform well in bed,” the male student who’d entered quipped as he passed by. Before the girls could react, he turned to Xu Zhi, “Class monitor, Old Qu’s looking for you.”
“You turtle jelly! I’ll smash your skull into a slide phone!”
The girls immediately launched a collective attack, ferociously grabbing books from the desk and chasing after him, beating him mercilessly until he fled with his head covered, pleading, “Hey, hey, hey, have mercy, ladies! A slide phone is hard to maintain, you know? It’ll let water in when it rains!”
…
As Xu Zhi went out, she found Old Qu leaning against the corridor in an exaggerated pose, a stainless steel thermos tucked under his arm as always. His hair was slicked back, gleaming with oil, presenting the image of a high-quality male specimen. He opened with the usual question: “How did the exam go?”
She was carrying two books and a thick stack of materials, about to reply when she suddenly glimpsed a familiar figure in the bustling corridor.
“Still aiming for Qing University?” Qu Yihua continued.
Xu Zhi stood absentmindedly at the edge of the corridor, watching that incongruous, solitary figure disappear at the end of the hallway.
“Mm, Qing University should be no problem,” Xu Zhi said hastily, pointing at the materials in her hands. “Um, Teacher Qu, I need to—”
Qu Yihua glanced at the name on top, “Tan Xu’s?”
“Yes, he lent me these review materials earlier.”
Tan Xu.
Qu Yihua mentioned that he had transferred from No. 1 High School in their second year as part of a poverty alleviation program. Rumor had it that at No. 1 High, his competition awards were so numerous they were used to wallpaper rooms. No. 1 High was a provincial key school, standing at the pinnacle among the province’s thirteen key high schools. Of the top hundred students in the province, eighty percent came from No. 1 High.
Ruijun Middle School was an ordinary high school. After transferring, Tan Xu had never scored anything but first place. So in their third year, with Tan Xu’s help, Xu Zhi’s grades had skyrocketed, turning her into a dark horse. She’d charged into the city’s top ten in the third mock exam. Ironically, Tan Xu himself had performed poorly in recent tests, even falling out of the top ten in the third mock exam.
“Leave them in my office,” said Qu Yihua. “Tan Xu will likely repeat the year.”
Xu Zhi was taken aback, “But the scores aren’t out yet, are they?”
“Tan Xu didn’t even attempt the last few math problems. This goes beyond a simple mistake; he wasn’t in any state to take the exam. Tan Xu’s parents have already called me, requesting the school give him another chance to repeat the year for free.”
Qu Yihua didn’t tell Xu Zhi that Tan Xu’s parents had spoken quite harshly on the phone, even mentioning her by name. They’d used words like “seduce,” believing that Xu Zhi and Tan Xu’s relationship had affected his performance. They even demanded that Xu Zhi explain the situation to the school and admit it was her fault.
“You and Tan Xu…” Qu Yihua hesitated.
“We’re not dating, and we won’t in the future either.”
Xu Zhi was grateful to Tan Xu. For a while, she had mistaken this gratitude and emotion for love. But after enduring Tan Xu’s repeated cold shoulders and unreasonable outbursts, Xu Zhi suddenly realized how tiresome seventeen-year-old boys could be. After sorting out her feelings, she gradually understood that what she felt for him was mostly gratitude. She had planned to have a good talk with Tan Xu after the exams, but he had been avoiding her.
Qu Yihua suddenly let out a dry laugh, “Alright, it’s fine. I was just asking. About your college choices, think it over carefully. We believe you should consider Beijing or Shanghai. Your scores certainly give you a shot.”
Xu Zhi’s gaze remained calm: “Qing University’s score requirement is quite high too. I remember it was around 670 last year.”
Qu Yihua had always believed that excessive calmness was a form of putting on a brave face.
“You’re close to 700 without even taking the elective modules. Don’t tell me you didn’t take those either?”
“What do you mean by ‘either’? Did someone not take them?”
“That’s right,” Old Qu took his thermos from under his arm, unscrewed the cap, blew away the floating tea leaves, and took a helpless sip before saying, “No. 1 High produced just such a prodigy.”
Now that was truly a prodigy, especially considering No. 1 High’s notorious intensity. If Tan Xu’s competition awards were enough to wallpaper a room, this person could probably cover the city walls.
This year happened to be the last year of educational reform in S Province. The elective modules were additional subjects within the province, worth only sixty points, and used solely for bonus points for first-tier university candidates. Even without the elective module scores, as long as the raw scores in other subjects reached the first-tier university threshold, students could still apply for first-tier universities. Rumor had it that the student from No. 1 High had scored over 700 without even including the elective modules.
Qu Yihua didn’t go into all these details with her, just screwed the cap back on, “So, I still need to talk to you properly about your college choices. This parallel admission system is quite complex—”
“Teacher Qu, I understand.” Xu Zhi was getting annoyed; she’d heard this spiel at least ten times.
“Don’t think I’m nagging. Sometimes, one choice determines the path ahead, who you’ll meet.”
“I know. Since childhood, I’ve aspired to be someone useful to society.”
Xu Zhi had a knack for delivering the most perfunctory responses with the most sincere tone. She was the champion of outward compliance and inner resistance. Those who knew her were aware of this, but this tactic worked particularly well on Qu Yihua.
Sure enough, Old Qu walked away contentedly, thermos tucked under his arm.
The corridor’s gentle breeze slowly wafted in, the humid wind caressing her face with a touch of moisture. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, seemingly brewing the next torrential downpour. Xu Zhi thought to herself, that Old Xu’s arthritis would probably act up again. She sighed vaguely, pondering what it meant to be useful to society. How useful? To what extent? She didn’t know. Being useful was enough.
The sky lowered, clouds darkened, and a fierce wind swept across the ground. Trees rustled violently, and in an instant, heavy rain poured down.
Xu Zhi waited by the roadside for Cai Yingying, the girl who had been giving mystical relationship readings in the classroom earlier. They were childhood friends who had been classmates from elementary through high school, lived in the same community, and had barely been apart. If it weren’t for Xu Zhi’s sudden academic improvement in their third year of high school, the two would probably still be inseparable.
As soon as Cai Yingying saw her, her backpack swinging, she ran over with a grin and hugged Xu Zhi. “Ah, wifey, I knew you’d have an umbrella!”
Xu Zhi opened the umbrella, “If you could tell that the study committee member’s partner is a hunk, this shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?”
“Hey, what did Qu Mama want with you earlier? Still about college choices?” Cai Yingying asked as she ducked under the umbrella.
“He wants me to apply to H University.”
Cai Yingying knew that Xu Zhi was set on attending the local Qing University.
“That’s a top-tier scumbag. Can just anyone get in there?”
Cai Yingying had a saying: For underachievers, the college entrance exam is like a scumbag. It doesn’t tell you if you’re good enough, but if you try hard, you might just get what you want.
“Besides, the scores aren’t out yet. Let’s wait and see. Why is he in such a hurry? What if you perform exceptionally well and rank first in the province? Then forget H University, you’d go straight to A University.”
Xu Zhi sighed, “…Your thinking is simpler than a watermelon.”
“You bet. Oh, I’m about to die from anger because of Zhai Xiao,” Cai Yingying pouted, taking out her phone to show Xu Zhi their chat history, eager to complain. “While I don’t like those little fools who give up on the last two big questions for love, jerks like Zhai Xiao who brag endlessly about how well they did must be one of a kind. Doesn’t he know my score might not even be as high as my dad’s blood pressure!”
Zhai Xiao was Cai Yingying’s almost-boyfriend from No. 1 High School. They had met at a ball game and their relationship had been developing passionately ever since, just short of making it official.
Xu Zhi glanced at their chat history without any mental preparation, only to see the screen filled with “baby,” “miss you,” and “kisses,” which was truly an eyesore.
Xu Zhi mercilessly burst her bubble: “Is there just a thin paper between you two? Seems more like tempered glass to me.”
“Whatever, we’re just not officially dating yet,” Cai Yingying stubbornly denied. “By the way, where’s Tan Xu?”
As they passed a pharmacy, Xu Zhi closed the umbrella and went in to buy two boxes of medicinal plasters for Old Xu. She found the shelf with practiced ease. “He bombed the exam.”
“No wonder he hasn’t been talking to you lately. Looks like he’s taking out his frustration on you again,” Cai Yingying followed her, belatedly realizing, “Geez, why does he always do this? Last time when he did poorly in the physics competition, he gave you the cold shoulder too, getting angry at you for no reason. I think he’s just trying to manipulate you.”
“Mm, I’ll find time to clear things up with him,” Xu Zhi said, lowering her head to study the difference between Yunnan Baiyao and Musk Bone-strengthening plasters, seemingly unconcerned. “Hey, which one does Director Cai usually use?”
“He doesn’t use these at all. He’s too image-conscious, you know,” Cai Yingying said, spreading her hands.
“Then what does he do about his arthritis?”
“He just uses a hot water bottle.”
“Old Cai is quite particular, isn’t he?” Xu Zhi couldn’t help but praise.
“He’s just particular about the wrong things,” Cai Yingying joked.
Neither of them had a mother, but their situations were different. Cai Yingying had grown up without a mother; in her early years, Old Cai was too busy with work to properly raise her, and when he finally tried to discipline her, Cai Yingying unfortunately entered her rebellious phase. So their relationship had always been rather tumultuous. Xu Zhi’s mother had passed away only a few years ago, leaving her and Old Xu to rely on each other. Given that Old Xu was severely socially anxious, Xu Zhi was very understanding and didn’t give him any extra worries. She hadn’t even let him attend parent-teacher meetings.
When Xu Zhi’s mother was still alive, Xu Zhi was more of a spoiled little princess than Cai Yingying. She used to cry a lot as a child. Old Xu would say that while other people’s daughters were made of water, his daughter was made of a faucet, crying endlessly once she started.
Now, although Xu Zhi had become much more outgoing and talkative, she neither cried nor got angry easily. If she made a mistake, she would apologize. She seemed unwilling to argue with anyone, maintaining this attitude even when Tan Xu treated her poorly.
**
“Dad, I went to school this morning to estimate my score.”
Comrade Xu Guangji was cooking in the kitchen, his glasses perched on his bald head, pots and pans clanging noisily. He hadn’t heard clearly and turned around in confusion, holding up a spatula, “What did you say? Sun Wukong cried?”
“…”
“Right! Tang Seng was kidnapped by Zhu Bajie!” The old lady playing cards nearby exploded. “Score estimate! Your ears are worse than mine!”
Xu Guangji heard this time and turned back with a smile, “How did you do?”
“Not bad,” Xu Zhi was playing cards on her phone with her grandmother.
Xu Guangji made a sound of acknowledgment, “What about Little Cai? How much did she estimate?”
The old lady threw down a pair of twos. Xu Zhi, lowering her head and contemplating whether to play a bomb, finally replied after a while:
“You seem very concerned about Little Cai.”
Xu Guangji was flipping potato pancakes, not turning around: “I’m mainly concerned about Director Cai’s high blood pressure. He’s not as healthy as me, can’t handle too much shock.”
Hearing this, Xu Zhi looked up from her phone at his busy figure in the kitchen and smiled, “Dad, I used to hate it when people asked what you did for a living because I found it embarrassing. Now I think you’re pretty great. You’re healthy and spend a lot of time with me. Little Cai says she didn’t even know what her dad looked like when she was little, though that might be because she’s been face-blind since childhood.”
Seeing Xu Guangji about to react, Xu Zhi quickly raised her hand in a pledge: “I swear, I respect all professions in this world, especially male urologists.”
“Then please also respect my razor and don’t use it to shave your legs,” Xu Guangji retorted in an affected tone, then glanced at her again, “Any plans after the exam?”
“I want to work,” Xu Zhi tilted her head, “I heard your department is looking for an old man to collect bed sheets and quilts?”
Xu Guangji couldn’t be bothered to respond. He just poured out the freshly made watermelon juice slowly and said, “If you have nothing better to do, go on a trip with some friends. Kashgar, Mohe, anywhere far is fine. The world is so big, stop giving your old man a hard time all day.”
After Xu Zhi’s mother passed away, Xu Guangji’s life and career had taken a nosedive. For a while, he had almost lost his job, but he still liked to put on a brave face, telling Xu Zhi, “I’m very rich, you can travel the world.” Xu Zhi couldn’t be bothered to expose his lie.
After lunch, Xu Guangji reminded Xu Zhi not to forget to help her grandmother bathe before hurrying off to work, leaving Xu Zhi and the old lady staring at each other across the dinner table.
“I won’t bathe.”
Xu Zhi said decisively while clearing the dishes, “That’s not up to you.”
Grandma, who was already temperamental, was like a powder keg when it came to bathing, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. “I said I won’t bathe. If you dare try to bathe me, I’ll call the police and say you’re trying to drown me.”
Without turning her head, Xu Zhi said, “Instead of wasting time on that, why don’t you go take off your clothes now?”
In the end, the old lady didn’t call the police. She turned the bathroom heater to the maximum, and in the sauna-like bathroom, she cursed at Xu Zhi non-stop throughout the afternoon—
“The whole family is a bunch of sinners, sinners!”
“Your dad is useless! You’re useless too! You’re nothing like your mom!”
Ever since Lin Qiudie passed away, the old lady hadn’t bothered to maintain even basic decency. She would curse when angry and hit when unhappy. Despite this, Xu Guangji couldn’t bear to leave her alone in their hometown and decided to bring her to live with them.
Xu Zhi was used to it. She calmly tested the water temperature while warning her grandmother, “You can scold me, but don’t scold my dad.”
The old lady retorted, “Your dad, your dad. You ungrateful child, you don’t even know that when your mom first got pregnant with you, your dad didn’t even want you—”
With a “bang,” Xu Zhi closed the door without a word, her chest heaving violently. She tried hard to calm her breathing as if a river was overflowing its banks. The rainwater accumulated in her chest was about to drown her, leaving her gasping for air in the interval of a rainstorm.