“That year, I had ‘The Whale That Became an Island’ on repeat: ‘the clouds were too far and too light — after all our wandering, each of us settles into our fate.’ Looking back now, my abstract fascination with the ocean also came from that boy, Y.”

— Sherry Lab, The Ninth Year Through the Dream

The May monthly exam came and went. Xia Li’s ranking climbed several places — sixth in her class.

The English paper this time had a particularly difficult cloze passage, with several questions testing obscure preposition collocations. Even several students who normally performed well stumbled here.

During the English class review, the English teacher went through the exam and, reaching these questions, asked anyone who had gotten them right to raise their hands — to gauge the accuracy rate.

Xia Li usually hovered in the one-hundred-twenty to one-hundred-twenty-five range on English, occasionally hitting one-thirty.

It was a perfectly middling score — nothing to make a particular impression on the English teacher.

But this time around, Xia Li’s hand went up again and again, and the English teacher began to take notice.

On one question, only two students in the entire class had answered correctly — the student who had always ranked first in English, and Xia Li.

The English teacher called on Xia Li with evident curiosity: “How did you get that one right? Share your thinking with us?”

Xia Li said, “I’d come across a similar usage while doing practice problems before, and made a note of it at the time.”

The English teacher smiled. “Looks like doing more problems really does pay off.”

Xia Li had barely sat back down when the student behind her gave her a light poke in the back, passing forward a small note.

She reached back, took it, and unfolded it in front of her. It was from Xiao Yulong:

Your English was so good this time — is it because of that English book you’re always reading? Can you recommend it?

The book Xiao Yulong was referring to was the copy of Guns, Germs, and Steel that Xia Li had borrowed from the city library the previous year.

Three months hadn’t been enough to get through it, so she’d renewed it once. She’d been chipping away at it bit by bit during class breaks every day, and she’d finally finished it this semester.

The going had been very slow at first, but as her vocabulary gradually accumulated, it became easier and easier. When she encountered unfamiliar words, she no longer reached for a dictionary right away — she could piece together the meaning by guessing from context.

Working through that hefty volume, if nothing else, had greatly improved her efficiency on reading comprehension sections.

Xia Li hesitated over whether to tell Xiao Yulong the title.

She thought about it and decided there was no reason to be stingy about it between classmates — she wrote back a reply on the note:

Guns, Germs, and Steel. Borrowed from the city library.

Two days later, when Xiao Yulong passed by her desk during a break, he said with a smile, “You finished that book?”

“Impressive. Every word is one I don’t recognize. How did you even get through it?”

Xiao Yulong gave her a thumbs-up. “No wonder your scores are this good.”

Later, Xia Li asked Xiao Yulong how far along he’d gotten. He laughed it off, said he’d lasted three days before it started putting him to sleep, and one day when he happened to pass the library, he just went and returned it.

Since Mingzhong was going to serve as a university entrance exam testing site, all the classrooms for first- and second-year students had to be cleared out, which was an enormous hassle.

They all had a lot of books — more than a desk could hold — so everything was boxed up into plastic storage bins, which were then lined up in the aisle beside the desks. And those bins had to be moved out as well.

Before the holiday, Xia Li had made a deliberate plan to bring a portion of her books back to the apartment in batches each day, so that by the time classes let out on the 5th and the holiday began, only a few books would remain in the bin, and she could take them with ease.

For those three days of holiday, since her parents weren’t coming home, Xia Li didn’t bother making the trip back either.

On the 7th, a group of classmates made plans to go to the cinema together that evening to see Star Trek.

That afternoon, Xia Li left the apartment and headed toward Tianxing Street. On the way, she passed Mingzhang Middle School. The entrance was crowded with anxious parents waiting outside while the university entrance exam was being held.

She met up with Lin Qingxiao and Xu Ning first, had dinner together, and then made her way to the cinema entrance to join the others.

When she arrived, she found that Ouyang Jing, Nie Chuhang, and Xiao Yulong were all there, along with a few students from the art track and the science experimental class.

Xiao Yulong came over at this point and asked Xia Li and the others, “Do you want popcorn?”

Xiao Yulong said, “Why wouldn’t it be fine?”

He looked at Xia Li and asked with a smile, “Should I get a big tub for you all?”

Xia Li said, “We just ate — not that hungry. Getting a big tub would be wasteful. Just get some for Xiaoqiao if you want.”

Xiao Yulong scratched his head and didn’t say more, heading over to the counter with a friend of his.

He came back shortly with a large tub of popcorn and three cups of cola, passing them to the three of them.

Xia Li quickly said thank you. “How much was it? Let me give you some money — ” “No no no!” Xiao Yulong stopped her. “I said I was treating.”

“Then I’ll buy you a drink next time.”

“Deal.” Xiao Yulong laughed.

Just then, Nie Chuhang walked over, holding a small tub of popcorn in one hand and a cola in the other.

He glanced at what Lin Qingxiao had in her hands. “…You bought your own?”

“No! This is Xiao Yulong’s — I’m just holding it for him!”

Lin Qingxiao instantly thrust the popcorn and cola back at Xiao Yulong and happily took what Nie Chuhang was holding.

Xiao Yulong: “…What kind of world is this — you try to treat someone and they still give you grief.”

When the film ended and the audience streamed out, everyone talked over the plot while debating whether to go for a late-night snack.

Going out to have fun while the third-year students were grimly sitting their university entrance exam on this very day — there was, among the soon-to-be third-years standing on the threshold of it themselves, a feeling of people enjoying their last good meal before the executioner comes, a kind of last-hurrah revelry at the end of the road.

The group went and found a barbecue stall.

In a crowd this lively, Xia Li was actually the quietest one.

When there were too many conversations at once, she didn’t know which one to join.

Besides, she had Yan Sishi on her mind.

She didn’t know how his SAT exam had gone the previous day.

While everyone was eating and talking over each other, Xia Li pulled out her phone.

But she sat there staring at the messaging screen for a long time and couldn’t type a single word.

She let out a quiet sigh, put her phone away, and quietly started eating.

At this moment, Ouyang Jing beside her suddenly shoved her phone toward Lin Qingxiao. “Look at this…”

“Where is this? Singapore?”

Those three words made Xia Li’s ears prick up. She leaned over. “What is it?”

Lin Qingxiao held the phone out for her to see.

It was Tao Shiyue’s QQ profile page.

A post from that afternoon, with a backdrop of Singapore’s iconic landmark, the Merlion Park.

A group photo of four people: Yan Sishi, Wang Chen, Tao Shiyue, and another student from Class Twenty.

Lin Qingxiao: “Did they all go on a trip together?”

Ouyang Jing: “They probably went to take the SAT.”

Xia Li said nothing. Her gaze fell to the caption Tao Shiyue had written for this photo:

Singapore is so hot! Praying the SAT score clears in one try. Hopefully the next time I come it’ll be because Universal Studios has opened 😛

Ouyang Jing: “Thoughts?”

Lin Qingxiao made a face. “No comment.”

Xia Li lost her appetite and finished the meal without tasting much of it.

Everyone dispersed and headed home.

Xia Li returned to the apartment, dropped her schoolbag on the desk chair, and fell back onto the bed.

She picked up her phone, opened QQ, and navigated to Tao Shiyue’s profile. Tao Shiyue had added her QQ account back when she was in Class Seven — they had never actually chatted.

She went in and immediately saw the photo.

Xia Li tapped to enlarge it and silently stared at the girl in the photo, her smile radiant and bright.

She couldn’t really describe it as envy or jealousy. When the gap was this obvious, those feelings were actually quite difficult to sustain.

In the photo, the other three were all smiling brilliantly. Only Yan Sishi’s expression was as composed as ever.

He was standing with Wang Chen, dressed in white. Even under the blazing equatorial sun, there was something frost-and-snow cool about him.

Xia Li saved the photo and stored it in her private, password-protected photo album.

That album already held the photographs she’d taken of him at the sports meet, and a large group photo from the New Year’s gala that she’d copied from Xu Ning.

Beyond those, she had photographed and backed up, afraid of losing them, the page of vocabulary words he had written Chinese definitions on, and the computer component list he had drawn up.

She counted them up. Pitifully few.

But they were all the treasure she had.

School resumed after the holiday. Xia Li caught a glimpse of Yan Sishi during morning exercises and knew he was back.

During breaks she’d run into him once or twice, exchanged greetings, asked how the exam went — he said fine.

Apart from that, there was no further contact.

It was like playing a game with no walkthrough and no way to reach the final stage — yet she kept at it, tirelessly and with pleasure.

June 21, 2009 — the summer solstice again, and Father’s Day as well.

Xia Li’s seventeenth birthday.

The experimental class had one and a half days off per week.

Her parents wanted her to come out to Juzhu Township on Saturday to celebrate her birthday, but she found the trip too far and didn’t go. They told her to buy herself something nice to eat, and they’d make up the gift later when she was home for the holiday.

Her birthday fell on a Sunday. That afternoon she had to return to school for class.

After getting back to school, her close classmates all gave her birthday gifts. Lin Qingxiao gave her a bracelet; Xu Ning gave her an art book by a cartoonist she liked.

Ouyang Jing also brought a gift — a cute, delicate keychain.

During evening self-study, Xia Li received a text message.

It was from Xiao Yulong: Happy birthday, Xia! I’m in the hospital today getting an IV drip — had to take the day off. I’ll give you your birthday present tomorrow.

Xia Li replied: Thank you! What’s the IV drip for? Are you sick?

Xiao Yulong: It’s nothing, just a cold with a fever.

Xia Li: Rest well.

Xiao Yulong: Thanks. Happy birthday again — remember to eat some cake!

The next morning, as Xia Li was passing through the covered walkway on her way to the teaching building, a voice from behind called out to her.

It was Xiao Yulong, gift bag in hand.

He jogged up to her in a few quick strides and held the bag out to Xia Li. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” Xia Li smiled and gave it a little shake. “Please tell me it’s not a book.”

“…”

They walked to the classroom together, and Xia Li asked, “Is the cold better?”

“Better.” Xiao Yulong’s expression was a little sheepish — he seemed a bit embarrassed about having needed an IV drip for a cold in the middle of summer.

Back in class, morning self-study proceeded, everything in its usual order.

When Xia Li opened Xiao Yulong’s gift, it was a puzzle picture frame — Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

When morning self-study ended, Xia Li went with Lin Qingxiao and the others to have breakfast at the cafeteria.

Walking to the first floor, someone in the corridor called out to her: “Xia Li.”

She would never mistake that voice.

She froze, then turned around. Yan Sishi was walking over from the direction of Class Twenty, holding a black envelope in his hand.

Yan Sishi came to a stop in front of them and looked at Xia Li. “Can I have a moment of your time?”

Xia Li quickly said to Lin Qingxiao and Xu Ning, “You two go ahead.”

The cafeteria line would stretch a mile long if you showed up even two minutes late.

Lin Qingxiao: “Should I bring you something?”

“Please… “

“Steamed bun and soy milk?”

“That’s fine. Thank you.”

After the two of them left, Yan Sishi glanced at the windows in the corridor, then gestured for her to come over to that side.

Those windows looked out onto the sports field outside. Students were already running laps in the early morning.

The air carried that scent unique to summer mornings — moisture mingled with the smell of grass.

Yan Sishi looked at her. “Today is your birthday?”

Xia Li paused. “It was yesterday.”

“I ran into one of your classmates giving you a birthday present, so I assumed…” Xia Li was taken aback.

In the covered walkway? Yan Sishi saw? He was there too?

She hadn’t noticed at all.

Xia Li explained, “He took a sick day yesterday and couldn’t come, so…”

Yan Sishi held out the black envelope toward her. “Then consider this a belated birthday gift.”

Xia Li could barely believe it. “For me?”

“Who else?” Yan Sishi’s smile was very faint.

Xia Li didn’t know whether it was the gift, or whether it was Yan Sishi’s smile — lighter than a breeze, more elusive than a dusting of thin snow — that made her heart nearly stop beating entirely.

Her gaze landed on his eyes for just a fraction of a second, then snapped away as if she’d been shocked.

She reached out in a daze and took the envelope. “…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Yan Sishi said. “Think of it as a return for the red bean bread.”

Xia Li was struggling to speak. “…That was so cheap, though.”

“This wasn’t expensive either.”

Yan Sishi took out his phone and checked the time. “I need to head back to class.”

“Okay… thank you.”

Xia Li clutched that envelope and practically sprinted upstairs, back to her seat. She slumped face-down onto the desk and stayed there for a good while, still unable to quiet the wild pounding of her heart.

Last year on her birthday, she had met Yan Sishi for the first time.

This year on her birthday, she received a gift from Yan Sishi.

From that point on, the summer solstice would never again be just another point on the calendar.

The black envelope had nothing written on the outside. She opened it.

Inside was a postcard.

Vivid blue water. Brilliant, jewel-colored tropical fish.

She could almost smell the clean, salt-edged sea tide, on the verge of spilling from her fingertips.

On the back, a profusion of postmarks: “Singapore Underwater World,” “Dolphin Lagoon,” “Turtle Pool,” and more.

They must have been collected deliberately.

In the blank space, a few lines were written:

Life is like the sea.

Happy Birthday.

Yan

2009.6.22