“…”
Hua Jie’s lips were smeared with cream, and her usually upturned cat eyes were wide open as she stared blankly at Shen Mo, suddenly deprived of the ability to move or speak.
The taste in her mouth was sweet but not cloying, creamy and delightful, yet there was an emotion sweeter than that swirling in her heart.
Shen Mo was just… too wonderful.
Sweetie Shen Great Mo.
She was about to cry.
It turned out she didn’t need to say anything; he understood all the emotions she wanted to show off. He had already bought the cake and was sitting quietly in the classroom, waiting for her.
How lucky she was to have such a good friend.
Yet, her touched feelings, combined with his handsome face and long limbs, made her want to throw herself into his arms and hug him tightly, manipulating his arms to embrace her.
Fortunately, her soul was that of a self-controlled adult, and even if the cake and his beauty had clouded her mind, she still had a sense of shame and knew to keep her composure.
Licking the cream off her lips, her eyes moist, she blinked and sighed softly:
“Shen Mo, you are really kind.”
The boy hummed, his left elbow on the table and his right elbow on the armrest of his ‘throne’, sitting boldly like a king, he coolly said:
“Of course, good that you know.”
He was extremely pleased with himself.
Hua Jie couldn’t help but laugh at his demeanor; she no longer wanted a hug, she wanted to pat his head.
The boy’s words slightly diluted his sultry charm with cuteness.
…
When Liao Shanshan entered the classroom, the first thing she saw was the big cake on Hua Jie’s desk by the window.
She was not as polite as the others, rushing over:
“Wow! Hua Jie, is it your birthday?”
“No,” Hua Jie replied and then turned to Shen Mo, asking softly, “Can I share it with my friends?”
“It’s your cake, do as you like,” he said with a shrug, leisurely enjoying his own slice.
“Why is there cake, though?” Liao Shanshan asked curiously. Was it possible to eat cake casually, not just for birthdays?
“Here, have a piece.” Hua Jie somewhat embarrassedly didn’t answer her question. A little brag about winning an award and receiving some positive feedback was fine, but it wasn’t good to be too ostentatious.
“Wow! Thank you, Hua Jie!” Liao Shanshan gleefully took the piece of cake with the character ‘sheng’ (生) on it, savoring it blissfully.
“Wow, wow, wow, this is so delicious~~~~”
She leaned on Hua Jie’s desk, munching on the cake and happily mumbling to herself, putting her schoolbag aside, fully immersed in the joy of enjoying delicious food.
Many who were on good terms with Hua Jie received a slice of cake upon arriving in the classroom.
Yao Nan specifically asked for a large piece, devouring half of it in one bite, nearly choking in ecstasy, the cream clogging his throat, almost sending himself off.
As they ate, Liao Shanshan nibbled on the cake while casually kneading Hua Jie’s arm.
“I wonder if the final exams will be tough. If I do poorly, how am I going to get through the entire winter break?”
Jinsong City had particularly long and cold winters, resulting in short summer breaks but exceedingly long winter breaks, sometimes lasting up to two months.
“Just review well, we covered everything in class last week, and we’ve been revising for many days now,” Hua Jie said with a smile.
“Ah, my brain is just slow. Hua Jie, your arms are so nice to squeeze, oh, they’re so soft~” Liao Shanshan suddenly exclaimed as if she had discovered an exciting new toy, setting down her cake and her hands clung to Hua Jie’s arms. Not satisfied with just the wrists, she rolled up Hua Jie’s sleeves to knead her forearms too, rubbing until the skin turned pink:
“So smooth, and you smell so nice~”
“…” Shen Mo, who had just taken out a copy of “Zhuangzi” to read, sat nearby.
What was this ear-piercing noise?
If he was guilty of anything, it should be the law that punished him, not this torment by someone named Liao Shanshan!
“Hua Jie, your flesh is so soft, unlike mine which is all firm. You’re warm, soft, and slippery, how can you be so nice to touch!” Liao Shanshan marveled yet again, like a child who loved playing with dough, unable to let go.
Embarrassed, Hua Jie pinched Liao Shanshan’s wrist, just about to return the compliment about how smooth her hands were, when Shen Mo suddenly spoke up:
“Isn’t it time for morning self-study? What are you still doing standing around here?”
His voice was particularly cold, his eyes devoid of warmth as they fixed on Liao Shanshan.
“…” Liao Shanshan stiffened, flashed a grin at Hua Jie, hurriedly grabbed her nearly finished cake, picked up her school bag, and ran off.
She was out of there.
……
……
The final exams and the lengthy winter break are about to arrive back-to-back.
The students are both sad and happy, their emotions extremely complex.
In the last week of classes, everyone listens with heightened sensitivity.
While following the teacher’s emphasis on key points, working on exercises, and listening to explanations of difficult questions, students intensely interpret every word of the teacher—
What does that sentence mean?
Why did the teacher say, ‘This problem might not be on the test, but a similar type appeared in the college entrance exams two years ago, so memorize it anyway’? The college entrance exam is still three years away. Why would the teacher say it might not be on the test but then bring up something so critically important that it was included in a major past exam?
Could this be a trap set by the teacher? To make the students relax about this topic, only for it to actually appear in a major question on the final?
Only those who diligently remember every word of the teacher deserve to score well on this major question, right?
No, I must memorize this question!
The teacher mentioned this was important in the last class, so why mention it again today?
Is he hinting that this question is definitely going to be on the test?
“Hua Jie, what did the teacher mean just now in class? Why did he say it would ensure we have a good winter break? Does it mean that the content he covered these past few days will definitely be on the final exams? If we just follow him closely and revise well these days, won’t we perform poorly on the finals?” Liao Shanshan asked, her hand resting on Hua Jie’s desk, tilting her head in distress.
Her neurotic demeanor was like the madman described by Lu Xun in his writings, questioning why “the Zhao family’s dog looked at him one more time.”
“The teacher won’t leak the questions, but if we follow closely and review well, we should also—” Hua Jie was only halfway through her sentence when Liao Shanshan’s spirit seemed to drift towards the classroom door.
“…” Hua Jie tilted her head slightly, a twitch playing at the corner of her lips.
Thankfully, there’s only a week of review before the exams.
If the review period were any longer, everyone might go insane.
These past few days, Hua Jie hasn’t even had time to paint, focusing solely on revising and occasionally dragging Shen Mo to explain difficult problems to her.
Once immersed in something, time flies unusually fast.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the exam arrives, stretching over three consecutive days.
After each subject is completed, everyone relaxes a bit more, and by the time the last paper is handed in, Hua Jie feels completely relaxed, utterly limp and incredibly comfortable.
The exams are over!
No matter the results, it’s time for a holiday~~
She let out a long sigh, just about to turn around and pack up her things to go home, when the proctoring teacher suddenly asked:
“How did the exam go this time? You rushed into the top ten of your class last time, what’s your goal now?”
Hua Jie scratched her head, looked up at the history teacher’s gentle smiling eyes, and playfully said:
“The goal is first place, but I’d be happy if I make it into the top five. If I don’t, I’ll cry right away.”
“Ha.” The history teacher chuckled, continuing to organize papers while adding:
“I heard you’ve done quite well in humanities this semester. With the class splits into arts and sciences in your second year of high school, have you decided what you want to choose?”
“I’ve decided.” Hua Jie didn’t even need to think before she firmly nodded.
The history teacher raised an eyebrow, wondering if this child had her plans laid out early?
“I’ll study literature,” she said.
Not out of fear of the art exams, but for the goals she discussed with Teacher Shen.
She wanted to study arts to understand society, the meaning of life, philosophy, and history—including the people in it—and literature… She wanted to gain a deeper insight into world affairs and become more emotionally perceptive and sensitive.
In her second life, she not only wanted to paint but also wanted to depict the human world that interested her through her painting.
“…” The history teacher smiled, “That’s good, you’ve done very well in history this semester, it suits you.”
“Thank you, teacher.” Hua Jie sweetly and politely packed her things, said her goodbyes to the teacher seriously, and then left the classroom.
The history teacher watched the girl’s departing figure, feeling an affectionate pride.
At this age, to have such a clear idea about one’s future is not easy.
He hoped that what she chose was truly what she would aspire to and be interested in for her entire life.
……
……
After finishing the exams on the 4th, Hua Jie started packing as soon as she got home.
She stuffed her daily necessities one by one into a new trolley suitcase her mother had bought for her: change of clothes, toiletries, ID card…
In an era without mobile phones, and inconvenient payment methods, she also needed to carry some cash.
With plans involving trains and planes, and running around having fun, Hua Jie was worried about losing her money, so her mother simply sewed a small pocket inside her thermal underwear to keep the cash close.
This finally set her mind at ease. She stuffed in several hundred-yuan bills, along with fifties, twenties, tens, fives, and ones until it bulged out, round like a full belly.
It looked as though she had eaten her fill…
If she were to go to the capital and eat a couple of meals of Peking duck, and really get a round belly, wouldn’t that be something to see?
“Are you bringing your daughter to the station?”
Before going to sleep, Hua Jie’s father was still uneasy. He would come over to ask if she had packed her ID card, then return to ask if she had packed enough socks and such.
It was his daughter’s first trip away from home without her parents, and he was understandably worried.
As Hua Jie stuffed her sketchpad, paints, and brushes into her backpack, she reassured him, “Dad, Mom, don’t worry, I’ve packed everything.”
The person living inside her was not some timid girl who had never left home; in her previous life, she had been a homebody but had still traveled alone to many places.
Especially when she struggled alone in the big city, she had been truly tempered by experience.
“You’re taking the sketchpad too? With all these big and small bags…” her father frowned.
He had thought a small suitcase would suffice; why did she need to carry a big bag for the sketchpad and such?
“The teacher said we would go sketching at Tiananmen Square,” Hua Jie replied with a face full of smiles, clearly looking forward to it.
“…” Her father grunted, muttering ‘Carrying so much stuff, it’s dead heavy…’ Looking at his daughter’s slender shoulders, his worries only deepened.
…
The next morning, Hua Jie’s parents had to go to work early.
Hua Jie, with the money her mother gave her, ran out and bought a bunch of boxed instant noodles, sausages, and other filling yet satisfying snacks to eat on the train.
She also specially bought fruits and cucumbers. On the millennium-era green trains, with various smells mixing and the constant swaying making it uncomfortable enough, she didn’t need the added discomfort of those odors.
Fresh oranges could alleviate motion sickness and were refreshing and smelled good.
Cucumbers, hydrating and refreshing, were something of a luxury on the train where fresh food was scarce. Munching on one could make everyone in the carriage envious.
After preparing everything, she heated some food at home to eat.
At noon, her father came in a taxi to pick her up and take her to the train station.
Hua Jie’s father pulled the suitcase with one hand, shouldered the big bag, and also carried his daughter’s small backpack.
Hua Jie reached out to help her father, but the lean man dodged her hand.
“Let’s go,” he urged.
Hua Jie quickly locked Huanhuan inside the house, opened the door for her father, then locked it, and did the same with the yard gate.
The taxi was parked at the gate of the courtyard, and her father loaded the big and small bags into the trunk of the car. The taxi driver also got out to help.
Neighbor Aunt Bian, coincidentally taking her son Bian Hong out, saw them and asked:
“Where are you heading?”
“We’re going to Beijing. She participated in a national art exhibition and won second place, so we’re going there to receive the award,” Hua Jie’s father turned and said with a joyous tone.
Although his words were simple, they flowed smoothly, as if he had rehearsed them many times in his heart, filled with pride and affection for his daughter.
Bian Hong stepped forward to offer help, but Hua Jie’s father had already lifted the suitcase and neatly placed it in the trunk.
“Wow, that’s really impressive,” Aunt Bian exclaimed in admiration, smiling at Hua Jie, “You’ve grown up to be both beautiful and smart, and so talented in painting too. Such a good child.”
“Thank you, Aunt Bian,” Hua Jie said bashfully, then turned to stick her tongue out at Bian Hong.
“…” Bian Hong also looked at her and smiled.
“Well, we’ll be off then,” said Hua Jie’s father as he patted his daughter on the shoulder. The father and daughter bid goodbye to Aunt Bian and Bian Hong and then got into the taxi, which sped away.
After the car was out of sight, Aunt Bian turned to her son:
“Just staring, not a word came out of your mouth.”
“I told you to say goodbye to her, maybe give her a compliment. Is that so hard?”
“Couldn’t even muster a fart, sigh.”
“…” Bian Hong pursed his lips, still silent.
“Sigh…” Aunt Bian patted her son’s back, resigned to the fact that the older he got, the less he talked, and nothing she said made a difference.
“Alright, let’s go.” She adjusted her collar and led the way to the alley entrance.
Bian Hong pursed his lips and followed behind his mother. As they crossed the alley, he looked down at his shoes and gently kicked a stone in his path.
…
…
Shen Jiaru had also prepared many things, packing both large and small bags.
He had even called Hua Jie in the morning, telling her not to bring her watercolor paints. He had brought some solid watercolor paints he bought abroad, which are more convenient for field sketching—no worries about the paints flowing, mixing, or freezing.
This time, Zhao Xiaolei was accompanying him on the business trip, while Shen Mo stayed at home to hold down the fort.
After checking his ID and money, he finally started putting on his down jacket and cotton shoes, ready to head out.