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墨書 Inktalez
As the classmates gradually became familiar with each other, their youthful spirits burst forth in playful teasing. The history of "literary battles" and "martial contests" had faded, and this teasing took on a more refined air. The concentrated expression of this was the creation of Elegant Titles for one another, leading to almost every student in the class having a new identifier.
On an autumn afternoon, while dinner at the school cafeteria had yet to begin, students from the day school had already returned home, and those boarding at the school had trickled out to the playground. Only Shao Jiajian, Zeng Chuanhan, and I remained in the classroom. On a whim, with Shao leading the discussion and Zeng taking notes, I occasionally chimed in to add my thoughts as we wrote down everyone’s Elegant Titles on the Blackboard. To our surprise, a large section of the Blackboard quickly filled up, and there were even a few students whose titles we hadn’t managed to write down.
The ways of creating these Elegant Titles varied widely, but they could be categorized into several types:
First was homophony, which seemed to be the most common method. For instance, our politically correct teacher Xie Guoqing was humorously dubbed “Crab Shell Green” because his name sounded similar to a vigorous cricket from the text “Cricket.” Another example was a teacher's son named “Ling Fei,” whose name evoked images of soaring ambitions but was humorously twisted into “Phosphate Fertilizer,” fitting since his father was a chemistry teacher—how relatable yet aspirational! The instigator of the Elegant Title gathering, Shao, who loved assigning titles to classmates, received the not-so-elegant title of “Young Tutor,” though he took it in stride. The first title written on that Blackboard was indeed his.
Second was imagery, where titles were derived from distinctive characteristics of certain classmates. For example, our exceptionally strong sports representative earned the title “Mighty Bull,” coincidentally sharing the surname Liu, which also played into the pun. Meanwhile, my classmate Peng Zequan, who came from a well-off family with many sisters and possessed fair skin that made him a “prince charming” in many girls' eyes, was humorously dubbed “Chicken,” both appealing and delicious. Other titles like “Bean Sprout,” “Winter Melon,” and “Cabbage” filled up quickly; almost every plant name was taken except for “cabbage,” which somehow avoided being associated with the stories of “Yang Naiwu and Little Cabbage” or “Good Cabbage Is Always Taken by Pigs.”
Third were stories; some classmates left behind legendary or amusing tales that became their natural Elegant Titles. I remember a girl with decent grades who aspired to great heights; during an essay about her dreams, she mentioned wanting to be China’s first female Prime Minister. Someone saw her essay and gave her the title “Prime Minister.” Another classmate once commented during math class when Mr. Luo wrote out a “Δ,” saying it looked like something learned back in middle school. However, he spoke too soon; this symbol represented a parameter rather than a shape and should have been pronounced “Delta.” Consequently, he earned the title “Δ.” As for Zeng, who quickly wrote down others’ titles on the Blackboard, he received the title “Er Zhuge,” reportedly inspired by his village's fondness for reading “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” In my view, it was actually a character from “Xiao Er Hei Gets Married” that catalyzed his title's popularity.
Fourth was metaphor; during an era when even holding hands or linking arms while dating was frowned upon, boys would give girls Elegant Titles, albeit discreetly through indirect means. For instance, after circulating for some time in class, I finally learned what “B1” meant: our school had created a "Beauty Ranking," using the first letter of "Beautiful" in English as its head letter and numbering from 2 to 10. The top spot remained vacant—perhaps because that girl had graduated before us or because no one could agree on who truly deserved it. Coincidentally, our classmate Huang Dongxiu, who excelled academically among her peers and stood out as Third Middle School’s genuine female "Number 1," quickly became recognized as "B1" due to her petite and graceful appearance. Another girl from a cadre family who dressed fashionably and mingled freely with boys earned an "YJ" title based on her initials; I too followed along with this trend without much thought.
As for myself, being part of the "three-person group" for Elegant Titles, I naturally received one as well. Since I enjoyed shouting out loud and often overlooked social norms, my classmates bestowed upon me the title "Call of the Cicada," which I accepted cheerfully. However, later on, due to an incident, I acquired an even louder and less elegant title.
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