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墨書 Inktalez
The college entrance examination loomed ahead, and I felt as if I could split every minute in half to make the most of my time. The intense studying was pushing my brain to the brink of explosion. I longed for a break, a chance to return home.
Then an opportunity arose: June 17th and 18th were the days of the junior high graduation exams, which meant the school would be using the classrooms. I finally had a reason to go home.
On the 17th, after finishing lunch at school, I rushed out of the dormitory and sprinted to the bus station. A bus heading from Dongkou to Suining was just about to depart, and I squeezed my way onto it with great effort.
When we reached Youlan, there were still over twenty miles to go home. I got off the bus and noticed that it was still early. Buses heading towards Li Family Ferry were few and far between (in my four years at Third Middle School, I had only taken a bus once, and that was when Fourth Uncle drove me from the courtyard into the cabin). Not wanting to wait for a bus, I set off on foot.
Not far past Hehe Middle School, a small truck came roaring up behind me. I instinctively glanced back and saw what seemed to be a distant cousin from my grandmother's yard in the driver's seat. Just as I was about to wave him down, the truck hit a puddle by the roadside, splashing mud all over my face. By the time I wiped away the dirt from my mouth and eyes, all I could see was its retreating figure.
With no ride in sight, I continued walking, thinking about all the delicious food waiting for me at home. Energized by this thought, I quickly traversed not only the road ahead but also the mountain paths and muddy stretches of Terrace Edge beneath my feet.
Around four in the afternoon, I arrived home. Normally, my mother would be busy in the fields at this hour, but surprisingly she was at home. Someone in my grandmother's yard had caught some fish in the reservoir; my grandmother bought two and brought one over for us three grandchildren to enjoy, believing that eating fish would make us smarter.
My mother and siblings tried their best to persuade my grandmother to stay for the night, but she was anxious about the chickens and ducks back home and hurriedly left after a brief visit.
After eating fish, I sat at the entrance of our house, watching as night gradually deepened around me. Surrounded by the warmth brought by my mother, grandmother, and younger siblings, I suddenly found our little mountain village incredibly beautiful—almost poetic. After failing my pre-exams two years ago, I had once expressed to classmates that I wanted to prepare for a life of obscurity buried in yellow earth; at that time, I hadn’t realized how picturesque this village could be—it had been more about seeking momentary pleasure than anything else. Now that I no longer wished to waste away my life in such obscurity but instead saw such intoxicating scenery before me, it felt somewhat ironic. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach the state of mind where one "overlooks worldly affairs" and simply enjoyed it; instead, I found myself wandering aimlessly along the roadside.
On June 18th at noon, it started to rain. After eating three large bowls of rice, I packed my bag, opened an umbrella, and set out with a basket of eggs. When I arrived at Li Family Ferry, two men were looking around at the intersection. Since my legs were sore from walking yesterday without waiting for a bus, I paused to try my luck. After waiting for over an hour without seeing any buses pass by, those two men eventually got on a tractor. Realizing that my wait had been in vain, I continued on foot along the muddy mountain road filled with gravel toward Youlan Town.
It seemed that fate was on my side; just as I hurriedly approached Mupai Road's main street, a bus heading from Huayuan to Dongkou appeared. I waved my hand hopefully and managed to catch this bus.
Once it came to a stop, I jumped down and opened my umbrella as I walked slowly forward. Just after taking three or four steps, I suddenly heard someone calling "Long Biao Song." Just as I thought I'd misheard it, another voice shouted "Laozi," which was a nickname I'd earned back in Third Middle School—someone really was calling me! Turning around, I saw my good friend Peng Zequan standing on the fourth floor of the Health Bureau building not far away; we made our way toward each other and met at the bottom of the stairs.
After exchanging pleasantries, he told me he had returned home a day before Dragon Boat Festival because things had gotten chaotic at school. He planned to wait until school reopened before going back; however, his parents worried there might be changes at school and insisted he check things out. They had already bought him a ticket for tomorrow morning's bus to Changsha with plans for him to take a train from Changsha to Shanghai two days later. He didn't intend to meet up with other classmates but became interested when I mentioned Zeng Guangchun's internship at a commercial building and suggested we visit him together since it was on our way. Peng Zequan said he hadn't heard from Guangchun in ages and had some questions for him.
On our way there, Zequan shared some news about student protests and sit-ins happening in Shanghai and other places while advising me not to get involved casually.
"Guangchun! Look who’s here!" With textbook-like enthusiasm, I led Zequan into Guangchun's dormitory. There weren't enough chairs available so we all sat on the edge of beds while chatting.
Guangchun asked Zequan what he had been up to recently and what his plans were now. Zequan replied that he intended to return to school but would stay one night in Changsha; however, he wasn't sure if any classmates studying there would be around since they might not be back yet. Guangchun mentioned Zeng Jianhua and Zeng Zhengrong among others; Zequan said he wasn't too familiar with them but did know Liu Tieshan from Class 104 quite well—though he mentioned Liu wouldn't be in Changsha these days either. As they talked on, Peng Zequan looked at me with a smile and said “Your sister will definitely find you,” prompting me to quickly respond “What do you need her for...”
Continuing from Zequan’s lead-in remark about Guangchun’s sister crying over letters I'd sent her before made my face flush slightly; reluctantly I said “I’m just someone who loves joking around.”
Seeing that the atmosphere had cooled down a bit, Zequan changed topics discussing possible changes in this year's college entrance exam but concluded that as long as we studied hard during these last two weeks we could achieve good results regardless of any unexpected developments. He suggested applying to East China Normal University or Shanghai Maritime University since both brothers would have company there; then he asked about my own plans. Truthfully speaking I'd thought about these matters many times before—even written them down extensively in my diary—but since nothing was set in stone yet how could I bring it up in front of two classmates who had already stepped out into society?
In between conversations while munching on candies and peanuts I'd brought from home they quickly disappeared; Guangchun then invited us all out for dinner at the cafeteria before returning back to their dormitory where we played several rounds of cards while sharing some light-hearted jokes unrelated to romance or drama.
As time approached eight o'clock we prepared ourselves for another round of intense studying back at Fourth Uncle's house while they planned on taking a stroll nearby before checking out their former classmates from Third Middle School attending Remedial Class. As we descended down stairs Guangchun asked Zequan if he was dating anyone yet; Zequan replied that nothing satisfactory had come along so far. Seeing Guangchun almost ask “What about so-and-so?” but then swallow his words made me quicken my pace ahead of them.
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