The weather in June grew hotter day by day, reaching the point where even sitting on the outdoor rooftop required a small electric fan.

With the college entrance examination approaching, the students’ mindsets became increasingly calm. They maintained their own rhythm each day, and had even properly arranged their tasks for the college entrance examination week in advance.

“Why do I have to be responsible for putting bags on tomatoes?” Lin Wanxing couldn’t understand. As the owner of this small building, she should have the right to eat well and work less.

“Because if we don’t bag them, the newly grown tomatoes will be eaten by birds and bollworms,” Fu Xinshu explained.

Lin Wanxing was taken aback, so she reported on Wang Fa: “Why doesn’t your coach have to do any work?”

“I’ve been assigned to wash dishes today and tomorrow,” Wang Fa added. “I can also switch with Teacher Lin.”

“Teacher, you’re the one who taught us that people must first learn to take care of their own lives and do what they can.”

“But I didn’t plant the tomatoes!”

“But the teacher likes to eat them.”

In short, her protest was ineffective.

After lunch, the students said they wanted to cultivate an examination atmosphere and went downstairs to do English listening exercises.

Lin Wanxing moved a chair and supervised Comrade Wang Fa as he washed the dishes.

The sky was azure, and grape vines swayed gently.

Wang Fa had been trained to do housework by his mother since childhood and washed dishes well. They had a clear dishwashing process here: first clearing, second washing, third rinsing, fourth disinfecting, and fifth cleaning. By the time Wang Fa put the tableware into the disinfection cabinet, Lin Wanxing had finished a bag of chips. As she was about to get a second bag, she heard Wang Fa ask: “Isn’t Teacher Lin going to farm yet?”

“Shouldn’t an excellent boyfriend volunteer at this point?” Lin Wanxing countered.

Wang Fa laughed: “Your boyfriend is certainly willing to serve you.” He paused, then said gently, “But mom and dad are about to call, you know, family meeting time.”

Hearing this, Lin Wanxing immediately jumped up: “Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

Hurriedly finding the nylon mesh bags and cotton strings left by the students, Lin Wanxing ran to the tomato rack and began “seriously” farming. Wang Fa sat at the dining table and opened his laptop.

Only after dating Wang Fa did Lin Wanxing learn that despite saying his family relationships were cold, his parents cared very much about him. Whether he played football or gave it up, his parents always supported his choices for the future. When he encountered changes before, his family had specialized family psychological counseling meetings. After he returned to China, these psychological counseling sessions became family online casual chats, once every half month.

Previously, Wang Fa would always call his parents in his room, but later when they were in Hanling, the house was too small. Before Wang Fa sat in the living room of the old house to talk, he mentioned this to her.

“My parents are a bit troublesome, requiring regular maintenance of family feelings, so I must fulfill this obligation,” was how Wang Fa explained it.

Although unexpected, Lin Wanxing envied such family relationships.

During the calls, Wang Fa would never ask her to appear on camera in front of his parents, and would always politely inform her before each call, leaving it to her to listen or not. Wang Fa always had a reassuring measure in maintaining intimate relationships, probably also stemming from his parents’ good education.

But inevitably, when Wang Fa chatted with his parents, the topic would unconsciously revolve back to her—middle-aged people had their gossip.

The summer breeze carried the sound of his gentle conversation with his family.

Wang Fa’s mother was concerned about the blue plumbago the students had planted because these were cuttings that hadn’t bloomed for a long time, so she offered some maintenance suggestions. Wang Fa’s father was reportedly an engineer whose after-work pleasure was doing woodworking in the backyard, so he particularly enjoyed admiring the students’ “work.”

They chatted for a while, and Lin Wanxing suddenly heard Wang Fa’s mother ask: “How is our Teacher Lin doing?”

Across half the terrace, Lin Wanxing couldn’t hear clearly but instinctively looked toward Wang Fa.

Their little black cat was lying on the table licking its paws.

Wang Fa looked up, glancing at her with a slight smile, and said: “Teacher Lin is wearing an apron, putting bags on tomatoes, very cute.”

Then, a long summer breeze blew past, and Lin Wanxing couldn’t hear what was said on the other end of the video call.

After a while, Wang Fa said to the camera: “We’re progressing very quickly. I can’t be like dad, secretly loving someone for three years without confessing.”

Who would tease their father like this? Lin Wanxing couldn’t help but laugh. She finished bagging the tomatoes and picked a lemon to add with honey for a drink.

“So what are your plans? After your students finish their college entrance examination, will you live in Hanling for a while?”

Lin Wanxing, holding the freshly made lemon water, standing behind Wang Fa’s laptop, heard this question.

“That’s the plan for now, but Dad…” Wang Fa looked up at the camera. “You didn’t manage me when I was 19, and now I’m 29, you don’t need to think too much.”

“But I want to see Teacher Lin, just let Mom secretly take a peek,” Wang Fa’s mother’s voice was gentle and cute.

“Secret photos are not legal, and she would be shy,” Wang Fa refused again.

Just then, Lin Wanxing placed the water cup beside Wang Fa’s hand. The lemon slices and ice cubes swayed gently, hitting the cup wall with a tinkling sound.

The cat on the table was startled. Lin Wanxing caught the jumping little black cat in her arms and sat down beside the young man under his stunned gaze.

She pinched the cat’s paws and looked at the computer screen.

The couple on the display were elegant, poised, and dignified, somewhat similar to what Lin Wanxing had imagined, but also different. And now, they were nervous.

Lin Wanxing smiled and greeted them: “Uncle, Auntie, hello.”

—

The warm breeze was hot.

For the students of Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s football team, in less than a year, they had experienced too many important moments.

The first confused reorganization of the team, the breakthrough in the preliminaries, the life-or-death battle in the group stage, the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals…

There were so many important things in their lives, most opportunities never to return, that even the college entrance examination was just one of those unique events. Worst case, they could go try out for other teams, worst case, they could repeat a year, or even work screwing bolts.

The students thought very thoroughly, making the pre-exam psychological counseling prepared by Lin Wanxing hardly necessary.

On the evening before the college entrance examination, they washed dishes, cleaned, and watered plants according to the duty roster.

In a corner of the rooftop, Chen Jianghe added new food to Qiuqiu’s cat bowl.

“Are you taking little Qiu to Hanling?”

Though they had already discussed this topic before, the boy repeated the question.

“Yes.”

“Then we don’t need to feed it anymore.”

“Only Qiuqiu. You still need to continue feeding the cats in the new village—my Little Pot Lid, Little Charcoal, Big Yellow, Little Yellow, Big Fox, Little Baka.” Lin Wanxing listed all the names of her “outside rooms,” then suddenly remembered, “Oh, last time we couldn’t catch Big Fox for sterilization. If you can catch it, take it to the hospital.”

“Cruel,” Chen Jianghe said.

Qin Ao passed by with a plate and couldn’t help saying: “Do you need to explain so clearly? Didn’t you say you still don’t know what you’ll do in the future?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Lin Wanxing said.

For some reason, none of the students continued the conversation.

The June sunset was as gentle as pink cotton candy. Wind and water sounds floated on this five-story high platform, intertwining with the distant city’s background noise and traffic sounds.

The small cat let out a low “meow.”

As the sky darkened, the world gradually returned to tranquility.

—

After dusk, Lin Wanxing took Wang Fa to buy watermelons nearby, which was a childhood memory type of thing.

Hongjing had many waterways. When she was young, her grandparents would take her to choose melons from nearby boats. She hadn’t returned for many years and thought most habits would have changed, but surprisingly, the downstairs neighbor told her that boats were still at the original place.

Street lamps lit up one after another, the light between half-bright and half-dark.

Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa strolled by the small river, where the water was a deep teal, particularly peaceful.

After the students’ college entrance examination, they would go to Hanling to live for a while because her psychological treatment wasn’t yet complete, but what about plans after that? She had never actually discussed this with Wang Fa.

“I feel… you haven’t exercised for a long time,” thinking of this, Lin Wanxing said to Wang Fa. “I don’t mean anything else, just stating a fact. When you were training the football team before, you exercised with them, but since they started preparing for the cultural subjects examination, you’ve been slacking off too.”

Wang Fa couldn’t help but smile: “How does Teacher Lin know?”

“Definitely through my meticulous observation.”

“But Teacher Lin’s observation time begins after 10 a.m. Wouldn’t there be some gaps?”

Uh…

“Or is Teacher Lin unsatisfied with recent experiences? Then I can also increase my practice intensity.”

“…” In a battle of words, the shameless side had the advantage. Lin Wanxing blushed.

The watermelon boat was at the small dock ahead. She broke free from Wang Fa’s hand, walked quickly forward, and jumped onto the deck.

Choosing melons required looking, smelling, asking, and tapping.

The melon boat swayed gently, and Lin Wanxing greatly enjoyed this blind-box-opening joy. The owner was familiar with them. Previously, she would pick and pay, letting the students carry them back the next day. But now during the college entrance examination period, the candidates could enjoy some special treatment.

“Please give us two bags, we’ll carry them back ourselves,” Lin Wanxing said to the owner.

“Watermelons are so heavy. When I’m not busy later, I can deliver them to your door?” the owner kindly suggested.

Wang Fa took the bags: “No need to trouble you, I can carry them.”

The riverside was darker than when they had arrived.

Wang Fa carried one melon in his left hand and another in his right.

Lin Wanxing had originally wanted to help and just opened her mouth to ask “Is it heavy?” when Wang Fa said: “It is a bit heavy, but her girlfriend asked for more exercise, I have to work hard.”

Lin Wanxing immediately withdrew her hand.

After dinner, more people came out to walk by the small river. Lights decorated the riverbank like pearl strands and looking into the distance, one could vaguely see the rooftop of 7 Wutong Road.

“Wang Fa,” Lin Wanxing called out slowly.

Before she could continue, she heard Wang Fa say, “Up to you.”

Lin Wanxing was taken aback: “I’m not asking what to eat tomorrow. I’m asking about your long-term career plans after we finish in Hanling. For example…”

“For example, where to work, whether to return to England?”

“Mm,” Lin Wanxing responded softly.

“Does it have to be a fixed country? Why can’t it be Spain? Many players like the sunshine in Barcelona. Italian football salaries haven’t been high recently due to economic reasons, but that can also be considered. Additionally, I’m also very interested in our country’s recent Village Super League.” Wang Fa spoke about the future with detailed knowledge, as if seriously considering all options.

Lin Wanxing felt a bit guilty, feeling like she had cared too little about Wang Fa: “Do you have a list? We can discuss it.”

They happened to pass a stationery store. Wang Fa thought for a moment, led her into the store, and bought a world map.

When the shopkeeper handed the rolled-up map to her, Lin Wanxing was still somewhat dazed: “This is the list?”

“Yes, this is the list.”

“Very grand perspective.”

“It’s confidence in skill,” Wang Fa said.

Well… Think about it, Wang Fa could probably train a team that would dominate even if he went to teach football in a remote valley.

Lin Wanxing cleared her throat slightly, feeling it necessary to remind him: “Although we’re in this kind of relationship now, I quite liked your mysterious master aura before.”

“I was like this before too. It’s just that Teacher Lin has become more sensitive.”

“!!!” With reddened ears, Lin Wanxing rolled up the map and swatted Wang Fa’s back.

7 Wutong Road, rooftop.

The iron gate was wide open, and the long summer night breeze blew through.

Lin Wanxing turned on the grape trellis lights and spread the map on the table. The dappled shadows of the vines cast on the paper gave a strange, dreamlike feeling.

Land contours surrounded color blocks, and more areas were large expanses of ocean blue.

The world was so small, just across a stretch of water, yet vast and boundless, stretching as far as the eye could see.

A warm coin was placed into her palm.

Lin Wanxing looked up slightly at Wang Fa.

In the night, the young man’s profile was illuminated, appearing handsome and serious.

“What if it lands on a place I don’t want to go?” Lin Wanxing asked him.

“You can cheat—Teacher Lin taught me that,” Wang Fa answered.

—

The summer breeze blew across the clear sky.

Another year’s college entrance examination was nearing its end.

The former tenants had packed their luggage neatly, the little cat rolled around in its pet carrier, and the paper held down on the table rustled in the wind.

The handwriting was elegant. It was a letter—

TO MY STUDENTS:

I joined Hongjing Eighth Middle School last year. When I stood at the door of the sports equipment room, I never imagined I would become so deeply involved in others’ life journeys.

At that time, I was confined by a tragic fate, deeply aware that the most unconquerable self is the predicament of the mind. Like others, I hoped to witness an unstoppable dark horse journey, hoping to find meaning to persevere from your stories.

Later I realized that the hardest part of life is not the momentary determination to embark on a journey, but the enduring will to climb peaks; the most bitter part of life is not gritting one’s teeth to persevere after falling off a cliff, but the choice more in line with conscience after questioning oneself.

Education has never been my instruction to you, but our mutual help and growth between teacher and students.

The Olympics speaks of faster, higher, and stronger, and you have also told me that in pursuing physical training, the limits of will, and the territory of the spirit also become broader in suffering.

Adults always say that as you grow up, you will find that life’s path becomes wider and wider.

But anxiety and confusion, pain and hesitation, extreme difficulties and moral questioning have always been narrow journeys that few can walk through.

Real life is bitter and long; persevering to the end may not necessarily lead to broad horizons, so it’s okay to escape.

But I always hope that you have free will and independent personalities.

I hope you learn to live, harmonize with yourselves, discover what you love, and have the courage to pursue it.

I hope you can always fight against cowardly human nature, be full of courage, and continually give me the power of enlightenment in despair.

And what I hope even more is that I can become the person I hope to become.

Now you no longer need to read these useless words.

But at graduation, I still want to wish you a future life that doesn’t face narrow paths but eventually sees the light.

Lin Wanxing

June 8th, at 7 Wutong Road · Rooftop

— “Narrow Path” · The End