Chapter 13 (2/2)

“Let me help you find the report cards,” Zhang Yuan offered, having just returned from moving the booklets. “There are more people now. Look at you being all fl.u.s.tered.” As he stood by her side, He Luo became embarra.s.sed and worried that her father would suddenly arrive.

“There is no need!” She avoided Zhang Yuan’s gaze and turned towards the next parent. “h.e.l.lo, auntie. Can you tell me your child’s name?”

Zhang Yuan repeated, “h.e.l.lo, auntie. Can you tell me your child’s name?” He purposely made his voice high-pitched to mimic hers.

“We are having a parent-teacher meeting. Don’t make trouble!” she whispered.

“Exactly! We are having a parent-teacher meeting and you are still making trouble!” The long-haired madam rolled the report card into a tube and smacked Zhang Yuan on the forehead. “Calling me auntie? I have wasted all these years raising you!”

It turned out to be Zhang Yuan’s mother!

He Luo’s tongue knotted and she was speechless.

“Look at you! Going crazy at school. Look at your s.h.i.+rt collar, one is inside out.” After Zhang Yuan’s mother tidied his collar, she said, “You are making a joke out of yourself in front of your cla.s.smate.” She turned to smile at He Luo. “Eh, you are…?”

“My name is He Luo. I am a transfer student from another cla.s.s.” He Luo sounded deferential. I have to be lively, but not overzealous! I have to smile, but not cackle! She reminded herself and then straightened her back. She did not dare to look Zhang Yuan’s mother in the eye, so she lowered her head.

“Ah, you are the girl who wants to be a diplomat!” Zhang Yuan’s mother smiled. “When I was an English teacher in junior high, Xiao Yuan once brought home your essay. It really was written well. I even told my students to read it out loud. You are really a smart child.”

“Truthfully I heard all those from my uncle who works in the Foreign Affairs ministry.” She was no longer sure of what she was saying. It was too late for her brain to process her words, All her concentration was used on controlling her lips and tongue so she would not stutter. “It is Zhang Yuan who is clever. He is especially good at Chemistry and he often helps me out with the questions.” Dear G.o.d, can she sound any more diplomatic? It sounded like she was praising the revolutionary friends.h.i.+p between students. Her back began to sweat.

“I know this child the best,” Zhang Yuan’s mother said, patting her son on the arm. “He is only a little street-smart, and never works hard on his grammar. His English essays are half-baked and a mess. He Luo, you have to help him.”

Zhang Yuan pushed his mother to sit in his seat but he didn’t forget to smile at He Luo before he left.

“Hurry up and go! Find a place to hide,” He Luo urged him. “My Dad is coming in a moment!”

“Ah, then I better go now. I am also very scared of him.” Thinking about b.u.mping into He Luo’s father made him tremble a little.

*

When Dad saw He Luo’s report card, he immediately smiled. She placed fourth in the cla.s.s, her science subjects improved drastically, and even scored 92 in maths.

Most of the time, parents would still think their child is good. Gold does not change silver; but parents were exception(?).

Teacher Lin was young but her tone was respectful. Without having to list them by surname, the parents have all obediently sat in their respective places. It was a gathering of a bunch of middle-aged people - the men were beginning to bald, the ladies were beginning to have to dye their white hair - but they still have to listen to a teacher’s surmon. Whoever whose child’s results were not ideal, they really want to complain.

Dad had been worrying that his daughter would not test well and end up as the teacher’s example of what puppy love does to students. But who knows she ended up scoring better than she has ever done. Of course, he was also aware that before the finals, He Luo burned through the night to earn her results. He had also checked Zhang Yuan’s score. No matter how difficult it was, his physics and chemistry scores were no less than 90; his maths score was close to perfect.

He couldn’t say if he was happy or unhappy.

After the meeting, Dad was going to send He Luo back to Grandma’s place but when he b.u.mped into Zhang Yuan’s mother, there was no choice but to small talk. They mainly complimented each other’s child.

Several students were waiting for their parents in the corridor. Tian Xin cannot help herself. Resting her head on Li Yun Wei’s shoulder, she giggled. “Look, look. Doesn’t that look like a marriage meeting?”

*

He Luo happily returned to her Grandma’s place. Before Dad left, he said, “You have done well this time. But don’t be complacent. Remember, it is easy to conquer the world, but to keep your dominance of the world is difficult. You have to keep this up. Remember our agreement.”

“As long as I don’t regress, I don’t have to keep progressing, right?” He Luo counted on her fingers. “There is still one year to graduation, there will be at least ten more mock exams. Tell me, how do I progress even further? Into the negative?”

“Why are you more and more challenging?” Dad frowned. But the corners of his mouth were still upturned. Evidently, the joy from the parent-teacher meeting had not worn off.

“Adults are sometimes even more vain,” He Luo snickered to herself.

The next day, when Grandpa was caring for the birds, they could still hear the sound of chirping outside the window. He Luo ran downstairs and saw Zhang Yuan with an old-fas.h.i.+oned bike.

“This bike is really old. Other than the bell, everything else clangs,” he said. “But it is still durable.”

Durable? It wasn’t like this was a b.u.mper car. He Luo laughed. “Who are you planning to run down?”

“This is actually my mom’s dowry” Zhang Yuan patted the brown seat, so worn there were cracks on the leather. “I move this out from the corridor with much difficulty. If a fat girl crush it, how do I go back and explain to my mom?”

“Hey…” He Luo pouted. “How can you call me fat.”

“You are not fat.” Zhang Yuan got onto the bike and leisurely circled around He Luo. “That’s why I didn’t say I would take you.”

“Then who are you taking?” He Luo giggled and held onto the bike’s basket.

Unable to move forward, Zhang Yuan planted his foot down. “Take your paws off. I am going to go pick up the fat girl.”

“No!”

“Then come up.”

“...”

“Fat girl, come on up!” Zhang Yuan grinned.

“The backseat is too high. I can’t jump.” If this meant she would acknowledge herself as a fat girl, then so be it. Her entire head was filed with the image of Maggie Cheung humming a song, two slender legs swinging from the backseat. She no longer bothered to argue.

“Then settle down properly.”

“Do you know how to ride with someone behind? You have always rode alone.”

“Nope. I will drop you in a ditch later.”

“Then… that’s okay.” He Luo retreated. “Safety first.”

“I really can’t stand you! Sigh. Big sister, where did so much nonsense come from?” Zhang Yuan laughed. “When I was in elementary school, I learned to ride using this bike. I would always ride with the neighbourhood’s little beauty around.”

“So I am not the first one!” He Luo grumbled and angrily sat down again.

“But you are the most ‘important’ [heavy] one.” Zhang Yuan emphasised the word. “Absolutely the heaviest.”

“You are full of nonsense.” She hit him on his back. “Let’s go.”

“You must sit securely!”

“Mm.”

“...” Zhang Yuan paused, then dragged his words. “You must hold on securely, or you will fall when we are riding down the hill.”

He Luo grabbed onto the part of the bag peeking from the basket in front. She kept her hands very still, not at all comfortable. She gingerly stretched out her right arm, brus.h.i.+ng past Zhang Yuan’s s.h.i.+rt. He was slender, his s.h.i.+rt was blowing lightly in the wind and it brushed across her arm. It was a little itchy. But she was prim. Her arms bent in a large arc and did not touch him at all.

“I am going to go!” Zhang Yuan started pedalling. In that instant, He Luo jerked forward and instinctively tightened her arms around his waist.

Inertia? Inertia?

She was unsure what to say. Your waist is so small. She wondered if this would be considered a compliment to a boy but decided not to say it. She kept her arms apart and never once placed it on his waist.

Then she quietly placed her hands down.

Zhang Yuan suddenly burst out laughing. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Ai…” Riding across the busy street, her embarra.s.sed face had gotten all red.

“Place your hands properly. Don’t tickle me.”

His clear voice resonated from the person in front, with subtle resonance.

He Luo raised her head. The leaves were transparent from the sunlight illumination; the summer sun left a warm feeling on her skin. Hot air were raising from the asphalt road. He Luo’s heart trembled as they went over every b.u.mp on the road; following the rhythm: Sweet honey, your smile is like sweet honey.

The sky was as clear as water, as blue as the ocean.

Every tree was dancing in the wind.

[artwork by Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor]

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