Fleeting Midsummer Fm Chapter 35 (1/2)
Living up to Summer Vacation (2)
When we reached our hometown, Mr. Tan, the Bureau Chief of Education of our small town, personally received us, even br.i.m.m.i.n.g with pa.s.sion as he gave some speeches: “Yesterday, you were proud of your hometown, but now, your hometown is proud of you” and stuff like that. The news video camera of the small town kept flas.h.i.+ng past our eyes. Every time it flashed before me, I would stand upright and still as I made my body rigid. When it flashed to my side, I would return to being bored, with a lifeless look in my eyes. Thus, on TV, whenever my front view was shown, you would see me rouse to vigorous action, but when you saw my side view, my energy would immediately deplete and become depressed.
The mission for our first day was to return to our old school and give speeches to the students about to go into junior year and prepare them for the Gaokao (Chinese SAT). The academic atmosphere of our little town was extremely prosperous. Summer vacation right before the Gaokao was practically the third term of school.
As I pa.s.sed by their cla.s.sroom, I saw their tables had a pile of textbooks and review materials. I laughed like a pervert. That type of “even a submissive daughter-in-law will one day become a domineering mother-in-law” [1] feeling as I saw raised eyebrows and exhaling moods, made me feel very satisfied.
Original and most updated translations are from volarenovels.com. Please do not steal our work or read this anywhere other than volarenovels!
When we set foot in the auditorium, I saw a ring shaped lectern on the stage. Offstage were the dense ma.s.s of juniors. Senior brother Yu personally made a speech at this meeting, saying some things that sounded like recruiting lines: “Peking University is not a dream”. When he finished, the applause offstage sounded like thunder, as they changed beyond recognition. Thus I took it that I had hidden myself well. The encouragement cla.s.s finished, and then Senior Bro Yu warmly invited students to question him at will. Seeing the full house of heads, I comfortably leaned on the back of a chair, watching everyone interact.
I thought about how obscure and unknown I had been back in high school. Many people didn’t know my name, and luckily the school didn’t know as well otherwise they would have carved my name onto the “humiliation pillar”
A girl wearing gla.s.ses stood up and asked: “Right now, the most difficult thing for me is English. I always feel there’s not enough time, and that I can’t remember so many terms. Do you guys have any secret know-hows?”
A senior sis sitting in the middle, pa.s.sionately stood up to reply: “To remember terms, you must make use of every second and every inch. Before, when I was drying my hair or waiting for the bus, I would always bring a English handbook with me. With time, I became like a sponge, able to cram everything in.”
I suddenly remembered that this senior sis was also the one who had started all the rumors, hit the shuttlec.o.c.k, fished out a English handbook, and then rallied it back. She had never neglected exercising or learning, and she was also the leading scholar at the time who we could not touch. Towards her extorting, I thought that this whole lifetime, I was afraid of unable to reach that boundary. We were two separate people, and two different types of people. Beside me sat hidden dragons and crouching tigers. I should bring my wooden stool and go downstage to sit downstage.
Wen Tao who sat next to me, quietly asked: “Are you very appreciative?”
I sneered: “I am currently depressed. I will forever maintain a gap with you people who are full of knowledge and experience. For example, you guys know how to say things like: “With time, I became like a sponge, able to cram everything in”, but if it were me, I wouldn’t know how to say things like that.”
Wen Tao asked: “Then what would you say?”
I would say: “Time is like cleavage. Even if you squeeze, you will still have a lot.”
Original and most updated translations are from volarenovels.com. Please do not steal our work or read this anywhere other than volarenovels!
Wen Tao howled with laughter despite his image. The senior sis thought that she had said something wrong and panicked, as she turned her head around to look at him. As for Wen Tao, he still twitched as he lay on the table, unable to control himself. Ru Ting and Fang Yu Ke at the other side, had probably heard my words. Ru Ting’s whole face thoroughly went red. Only Fang Yu Ke was completely calm and collected as he twirled a pen in his hands, with a shallow smile on his lips. Fang Yu Ke had gotten used to my way of saying things early on, so he was able to keep his calm in the face of the unexpected. This was the benefit of getting used to something.
In the midst of the orderly questioning, I couldn’t help but sigh with feeling at the speedy lives of all these high schoolers. Most of the questions were “XX do you have any know-alls for XX?”. This really made it hard for the few science master’s degrees students and the students who had to stake everything to think of themselves at that time, and the shortcuts they used for literature and language. Suddenly, someone asked: “Is Zhou Lin Lin here?”
My heart immediately sank. Could it be possible that I had owed someone money in the past and forgot to return it? How come someone remembered my name at this time? I stood up and nodded, to show that the untalented me was humbly here.
He seemed like a naughty little demon, as he cheerfully said, when he saw me stand up: “I heard that your grades in junior year were very unstable, so how did manage to exhibit your best moments in the most crucial moment? And are you used to Peking University? Have you found a boyfriend?”
Heaven always gave me the hardest questions. For example, in this public place with numerous people, in broad daylight, there was actually someone who had asked about my lovelife. And did something about unstable grades have to emphasized like this?!
I maintained my elegance: “Thank you for this Junior Bro’s concern. I will answer these questions one by one. First, about expressing yourself. Does everyone want to hear the truth or the lies?”
The people downstage said: “Truth!”
I laughed, satisfied. The feeling of controlling people like this was really not bad. No wonder so many people wanted to run for the President of the Student Union: “The truth is, at the time, my brain only had one thought: After I finish testing, I will be free! Then, I can play mahjong all night and no one will care about me. It was this thought that kept me going until the end. When everyone tests, do not excessively ponder things like ‘what-if’. If you really test badly you can’t worry about it. The first principle for lazy people is: Do not let things that have not happened disturb you.”
Everyone downstage laughed. The atmosphere was full of amiableness.
I continued: “The second principle of a lazy person is: Do not worry about questions that you can answer with instinct. For example, the answer to whether I have adapted to Peking Uni is~ Adaptation is a person’s instinct. There are hard parts, but the basis of adapting is whether you can innovate, and whether you can surpa.s.s everyone else. Some people in Peking Uni who have been there for at least a month and less than a year will adapt to their surroundings. But many other people will stop and be in an identical state during all four years. That is stopping to adapt. But after some people adapt, they even have to exploit themselves of the school’s resources and change their environment, and change themselves. This type is the second state. Unfortunately, I am a slow and patient life form, and I am the type that needs a year to adapt, so we cannot discuss what type I really am.”
The audience was very quiet. I satisfiedly reached the subject I did not want to talk about most: “The third question is on my personal s.e.x life. Just now, this curious younger schoolmate asked in a confused state of mind, so this older sister will just have to think with a confused state of mind. The third principle of a lazy person: If I don’t go over, the mountain must come over. Once the celestial peach blossoms [2] to fall down like rain, then everything will be all right…..”
Everyone enthusiastically applauded. I had completed my mission so I sat down.
Wen Tao looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time: “Springboard, you really know your stuff!”
Original and most updated translations are from volarenovels.com. Please do not steal our work or read this anywhere other than volarenovels!
“You would believe even such a con?! Besides the sentence: ‘Just now, this curious younger schoolmate asked in a confused state of mind, so this older sister will just have to think with a confused state of mind’ which came from the bottom of my heart, the rest were all fabricated. And you still believed it……”
At night, we all made plans to go get a meal. Because this afternoon at the conference, I was going to make a special appearance, I was arranged to be at the same table as Bureau Chief Tan. Fang Yu Ke was the university president’s grandson, and the Bureau Chief seemed pretty familiar with him, and Wen Tao was an esteemed guest so the three of us were arranged to sit in the VIP region.
The Bureau Chief was a modest and una.s.suming old fellow. He personally poured wine and drinks for everyone. When he got ot me, he even especially asked me: “Do you want to drink some wine or some other beverages?” Today, I was in good spirit, but just when I wanted to say “wine”, I saw Fang Yu Ke’s biting cold expression, and I obediently and timidly said: “I’ll just drink a beverage. I am giving up wine.”
Even though the Bureau Chief was an old fellow, he was a Zhou Botong [3] full of gossiping energy.
What a cute old fellow. I tried to touch around the subject: “In the past, I drank wine, and I nearly destroyed someone’s life. I don’t dare drink anymore.”
“Haha……” The old fellow laughed openly, his head working especially bright. “I have a grandson. Next year he’ll be a junior, and his nature seems a lot like you. His head doesn’t work that well, and he just doesn’t like to study. Next time, I’ll introduce him to you guys, and you can help me keep an eye on him for his studies. Even if I ask you to be his private tutor, I don’t know whether you would do me the honor…..”