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墨書 Inktalez
The night before Mao Na was to be sent back to Jiang City, Hu Ruoyun walked with her along the banks of the Dai Gong River for a long time. It felt as if they had endless conversations and unbreakable connections.
As the night deepened, May in Jiangbei had become quite warm. Even after nine o'clock, Mao Na was reluctant to return to her new home in Chengguan Town. Tomorrow she would be heading back to Jiangcheng, and it would be a long time before she could hold onto this “black coal” again.
The streetlights behind them stretched their shadows several feet long. Ahead, a cluster of stone heather awaited them. As they approached, both of their bodies were engulfed in darkness. Mao Na stopped and gazed at Hu Ruoyun. He was puzzled until he noticed her face, half playful and half sulky, looking up at him. Understanding her silent plea, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and their lips met.
She allowed his hand to slip under her shirt, where it roamed restlessly over her smooth back for what felt like an eternity.
At ten o'clock, he walked her to the gate of her home and waved goodbye. Tomorrow she insisted he not accompany her any further; a friend of Vice County Head Mao would pick her up from home on the way to the Provincial Capital for school.
Hu Ruoyun planned to stay overnight at Brother Biao's place in Annan County. In just two months, their class would face their first major turning point: the college entrance examination!
If he relied solely on his exam results, he was certain he would fail. Did that mean he would have to follow the predicted path of attending a vocational college?
Hu Ruoyun felt discontented. Little did he know that his homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, was also inquiring about him and had even made a special trip to the Provincial Capital.
For Teacher Wang, life might remain stagnant, but he had an impressive group of students—some even held positions at the Jiangbei Provincial Education Committee, while others taught at universities after pursuing further studies.
Regardless of their academic performance, this graduating class welcomed July with anticipation.
The exam venue was still in the county town, and students were once again gathered at the Annan County Guesthouse (now called the Annan County Hotel). They shared rooms of three, though the price had risen to seven yuan per person per night.
The night before the exam, just as Hu Ruoyun was about to head out for dinner, he suddenly heard a girl shout from the direction of the female dormitory: “Teacher Wang, come quick! Tong Caiying has fainted!”
Immediately, he saw Teacher Wang sprinting toward the girls' room, and Hu Ruoyun hurriedly followed suit.
In the chaos of the moment, the girls forgot that Tong Caiying was wearing only a short top. As an unmarried man himself, Teacher Wang froze upon entering and seeing her in such a state.
Hu Ruoyun rushed in and shouted at the two girls sharing a room with her: “What are you waiting for? Wrap her up in a bedsheet!”
Finally snapping out of their shock, the two girls scrambled into action.
Seeing that they had managed to cover Tong Caiying, Hu Ruoyun crouched down and said, “Teacher Wang, help me get her on my back!”
Fortunately, the Annan County Hospital was only about two miles from the hotel. With Teacher Wang assisting him, Hu Ruoyun carried Tong Caiying out of the county guesthouse's main entrance. Just then, a tricycle passed by; he quickly hailed it and placed her in a seat. “To the county hospital, hurry!”
Within less than ten minutes, Tong Caiying was already lying in the emergency room of the county hospital.
After seven or eight minutes, a doctor rushed out and asked, “Who is Tong Caiying’s family member?”
Teacher Wang stood up from his chair. “I am her homeroom teacher!” Hu Ruoyun, who was almost exhausted, managed to rise and follow Teacher Wang.
The doctor inquired, “Is she a student taking the college entrance examination?”
“Yes,” Teacher Wang replied. “She has her first exam tomorrow morning.”
The doctor sighed. “She’s fine; it’s just malnutrition combined with excessive stress. You can take her home soon. Make sure she eats well, rests properly, and relaxes.”
Two other girls who lived with Tong Caiying also came over, bringing her clothes with them.
Hu Ruoyun said to Wang Hongjian, “Teacher Wang, why don’t you head back first? Tell the classmates that Tong Caiying just had a heat stroke… We don’t want everyone to panic or gossip. We’ll go back together later.”
At this moment, not only did Teacher Wang understand the implication, but the two girls were also moved by her words.
If there wasn’t a proper explanation, rumors would surely spread and negatively impact Tong Caiying.
The doctor called for someone, and Hu Ruoyun let the two girls take Tong Caiying’s clothes inside. Before long, they helped Tong Caiying out. Hu Ruoyun approached her and said, “The doctor said you’re fine; it’s just that you’re a bit overly stressed!”
Seeing Hu Ruoyun waiting outside made Tong Caiying feel relieved. She weakly said, “Thank you, it’s you again!”
Feigning ease, Hu Ruoyun told the three girls, “You scared me so much that I’m even hungrier now. Let’s go eat something together.”
There were many small restaurants outside the county hospital. They found a clean one and ordered a dish of Stir-Fried Seasonal Vegetables, Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, Cold Cucumber Salad, and four servings of rice.
“Come on, I’m punishing you all to eat with me to calm my nerves,” Hu Ruoyun said seriously to her three classmates.
Being in high school now, the two girls seemed to understand what was going on as they picked up their chopsticks to eat while saying, “Now that you mention it, we’re feeling hungry too! You’re the rich one; treating us won’t hurt your wallet!”
Tong Caiying’s eyes turned red. “Thank you all! I was just afraid that if I didn’t do well on the exam… I thought too much about it and got more scared. Eventually, I just blanked out!”
While shoveling rice into her mouth, Hu Ruoyun self-deprecatingly replied, “If you don’t do well on the exam, what do you think will happen to us? You’re just overthinking it.”
The two girls agreed: “Caiying, you’ve never ranked outside the top three in our class during exams! We’re only in the teens; Hu Ruoyun is even in the twenties…”
Hu Ruoyun added, “No matter how much you think about it, it doesn’t really help. At this time, you should ‘focus on the exam and not worry about the future.’”
Later on, Hu Ruoyun learned that not long before the college entrance examination, Tong Caiying’s parents had a talk with her: “Daughter, given our current situation, if you can get into university this year no matter how hard it is, your father and I will do whatever it takes to support you. But if you don’t get in, let’s not think about reviewing anymore.”
Tong Caiying was very aware of her family’s situation; throughout her three years in high school, she often felt guilt and a sense of responsibility weighing down on her.
People are different at any time; with varying backgrounds and circumstances come vastly different life paths.
After a round of comforting, the meal was finished, and Tong Caiying regained her spirits. "Thank you all, I've come to terms with it! At worst, I'll just graduate high school and get married early. What's the big deal? Most of our classmates, whether boys or girls, will end up in the same situation after this exam, right?"
Thanks to the early return and explanation from Teacher Wang, Hu Ruoyun and Tong Caiying didn't cause much of a stir when they went back. It wasn't a big deal; it was just that the weather was too hot, and one female classmate had suffered from heatstroke.
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