Chapter 26.1

Chapter 26.1

Lin Jingzhe said that school staff members would pick them up, but that wasn’t exactly the truth—someone else was waiting for them.

Yan City’s rail station was much more crowded than Qunnan City’s, even more so at this time of year, when students were enrolling into new schools. Everywhere, there were travellers with plastic tote bags rushing around.

In the distance, Lin Jingzhe caught sight of a sign with his name on it, so he led his friends in that direction. Coming closer, they saw a young man propping up the sign stick in his elbow and looking at his pager.

He seemed to be in his early twenties. His face was classically handsome, but he slouched nonchalantly, which gave him a rather mischievous air.

Lin Jingzhe asked, “Are you Brother Fang Wenhao?”

Startled, the young man stood up straight and raised his head. After his eyes fell on Lin Jingzhe, he promptly took off his sunglasses and pinned the pager back to his belt before holding out his hand. “Hello. Are you Lin Jingzhe?”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

The young man crooked his mouth in a happy smile. “That’s great, then I don’t have to wait any longer. My grandfather forced me to come here right after breakfast, can you imagine?”

As he talked, he took the bags Lin Jingzhe was carrying, greeted Gao Sheng and the others by nodding to them, and turned around to lead them to the exit.

He clearly had a penchant for flamboyance—the car he drove was big and bright red, a rare sight in those times, and was very conspicuous amongst the small, pale-colored cars filling the streets. After putting all the luggage in the trunk, he sat in the driver’s seat and put on his seat belt. “The train from Qunnan takes about thirty hours to get here, you guys must be tired,” he said casually as if he was already familiar with Lin Jingzhe and his friends. “First, I’ll take you home to eat and rest for a while. Don’t refuse, you came early enough that you don’t have to hurry to enroll, and my grandfather is looking forward to seeing you again. He’s been talking about it for days.”

Acting like he was unaware of the measuring gaze from the rearview mirror, Lin Jingzhe said, “All right.”

After Lin Jingzhe got his admission notice from Yan University, he mentioned it once over the phone while talking with Elder Fang who then inquired about his schedule and travel arrangements in detail. He warned that there were many swindlers at the long-distance train station and that it was easy for young people unfamiliar with Yan City to be cheated, so he would send his grandson Fang Wenhao to pick them up in person.

Since the antiques donation, the old man treated Lin Jingzhe like a family member and called him every now and then, wanting updates on his life. Lin Jingzhe found it hard to turn him down. Besides, he knew that he and his friends would definitely bring a lot of luggage with them, so after thinking it over for a moment, he agreed.

However, Fang Wenhao’s temperament was different from his expectations. He’d thought that with Elder Fang’s upbringing, his grandson would be equally enlightened and self-possessed. Now that they had met, it turned out that Fang Wenhao was lively and outgoing, not much different from other young men. His family circumstances and education gave him poise and some diplomatic skills, but he was still too young and inexperienced to suppress the curiosity and speculation in his eyes.

If you want to guess, then guess to your heart’s content. Lin Jingzhe wasn’t afraid of other people’s speculations. The gaze from the rearview mirror was a bit rude, but not malicious. Using his actual age, Lin Jingzhe was old enough to be Fang Wenhao’s father, so he was extremely tolerant. He quietly leaned against the back seat of the car and looked out the window, watching the city he hadn’t seen for a long time; it was both the same and very different from the city in his memory.

Lin Jingzhe couldn’t remember what Yan City looked like when he had first came here. In fact, in his last life, he’d arrived barely a year or two later, but these changes were always subtle—today, foundations for a new building were being laid down; tomorrow, construction of a new subway line started, and before anyone had really noticed, the city was bustling with people.

Suddenly thrown into the past, Lin Jingzhe was able to witness the city’s transformation from a three-dimensional perspective, which naturally had much more impact than simply browsing through old photos. He was amazed to find that there were moments when the street they were driving on was completely devoid of traffic.

The complex spider web of viaducts and overpasses had not yet covered the sky. The high-end CBD, which in the future would house nearly a third of all elite white-collar workers in the city, was still a low-rise residential area, with elderly residents sitting under the shade of roadside trees, cooling themselves with palm-leaf fans and chatting leisurely. Off-duty workers still in uniform riding on bicycles turned into hutongs from the main street, an old lady collected bedding hanged out for an airing, a hill myna was called out, imitating a human voice… Here was a street barber stall, there was a wonton stall… An elementary schooler with his school bag was coming home from school, carrying a soccer ball…

Lin Jingzhe chatted with Fang Wenhao but focused on the sights beyond the car windows. This city had witnessed all his years since he was twenty; it was his youth.

Fang Wenhao looked away from the rear mirror. He was a bit surprised.

He’d heard his grandfather talk about this youth from a small southern town many times. The story made an even bigger impression on him because the selfless donation a huge amount of cultural relics had been reported by the national newspaper and was loudly praised by various authorities.

He’d lie if he said he didn’t admire the young man—after all, if it was he who owned so many priceless antiques, he would almost certainly have cashed them out a long time ago—but after listening to his grandfather’s stories, the picture of a righteous, conservative country boy inadvertently appeared in his mind. Although Elder Fang always said that Lin Jingzhe was very good-looking, Fang Wenhao thought the old man must be biased because he was so fond of him. Besides, the elderly’s taste typically ran towards hearty “strong as a bear in the hips and with a back as supple as a tiger’s” boys with large, squarish faces, no?

So, when this “Uncle Lei Feng” deeply ingrained in his mind suddenly turned out to be a beautiful youth with an elegant temperament, Fang Wenhao was so shocked he’d barely managed to greet him coherently.

The car smoothly turned into a secluded lane. Lin Jingzhe’s eyes flicked to the two sentries standing on both sides of the entrance. Fang Wenhao, worried that he was scared, lied, “Oh, they’re just security guards.”

Lin Jingzhe just smiled slightly, but Gao Sheng and the others believed it. After getting out of the car, Deng Mai nudged Lin Jingzhe’s shoulder. “The big city really is different from our little Liyun Town,” he said.

Lin Jingzhe patted this pure and honest child’s head, soothing him, “Just remember to be a little more restrained from now on and everything will be fine.”

Deng Mai nodded. He thought, sure enough, the capital was the capital—the security guards were more imposing than the police uncles in Liyun Town. But Big Bro was still as impressive as always; he looked calm and collected as usual.

When Elder Fang and his wife heard the movement at the front door, they immediately rushed to greet the guests. Upon seeing Lin Jingzhe, the old man’s eyes brightened. He stepped forward to touch Lin Jingzhe’s head and arms, announcing that he was too thin and that his complexion didn’t look well, before shepherding the four youths inside to quickly have a meal. He even forgot about his grandson.

Before entering the house, Lin Jingzhe glanced towards the far end of the small yard. Between the trees, he could make out the shapes of many partially-concealed houses, evoking some memories he wasn’t keen on recalling.

In his last life, he had lived in one for five years, but his stay there was far from peaceful—he’d made too much of a mess of it.

He couldn’t be considered unfamiliar with this area, but he’d never met Elder Fang and Fang Wenhao before. Looking back on that period of his life, though he seemed pretty popular, the more respectable children of upper-class families—like the true heirs—avoided associating with him.

Lin Jingzhe remembered that he’d been the leader of a bunch of second-rate wastrels. At that time, he was snooty and never satisfied, and hated his father. His mother always said that his father was “good-for-nothing,” “irresponsible,” and that “he seduced her first, then abandoned her,” so he’d wanted to ruin his father’s new family—and in the end, he succeeded.

Most people had some period in their lives that they considered their dark history and would feel embarrassed or ashamed when remembering it. Lin Jingzhe paid a much more bitter price for his youth’s stupidity—a lifetime of endless, agonizing regret.

At the table, Elder Fang showered the pickles Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang took out of their bags with praise. Lin Jingzhe awoke from his daze, finding that he was unknowingly eating nothing but plain rice.

The Department of Computer Science at Wutong University was not far from Yan University, so they headed there first. In the admissions office, Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang touched the fabled “computer” for the first time in their lives (or, in Gao Sheng’s case, for the second).

The two played King’s Quest for a while, only letting go of the mouse after being urged to do so several times.

The simple and unsophisticated computer game was incredibly attractive to those who hadn’t been exposed to this type of entertainment before, making a deep impression on the two youths’ minds. His previous apprehension completely wiped out, Gao Sheng said happily, “So this is what we’re going to learn? Computer science is so fun!”

“Yeah!” Zhou Haitang looked equally excited. “I like this major very much!”

The expression in Lin Jingzhe’s eyes turned complicated, but upon noticing the sly smile in Fang Wenhao’s face, he decided not to say anything.

Zhou Haitang and Gao Sheng were sharing the same dorm room, but since it was still a few days before the beginning of the school year, their other roommates hadn’t arrived yet. Looking forward to a pleasant life of playing games, they quickly put away their luggage to accompany Lin Jingzhe to Yan University.

When the car passed through the eye-catching main gate, Gao Sheng and the others’ faces were filled with longing. Lin Jingzhe had already gotten used to the fact that he’d be attending this school, so his attitude was quite calm. The only surprising thing was that the female student in charge of welcoming freshmen recognized Fang Wenhao and called him “Senior Fang.”

In front of the others, Fang Wenhao acted like a serious and respectable young man. After Lin Jingzhe’s enrollment, he said, “I’m two grades above you. If you encounter any trouble in school, you can go to the Student Union’s Publicity Department to find me.”

Lin Jingzhe realized that some things were indeed more beautiful from a distance. Today, the halo of the glorious Yan University, which he hadn’t dared to long for in his previous life, lost quite a bit of its lustre due to this lackadaisical “senior.”

Yan University’s dorm was much older, and as such, much shabbier than Wutong University’s. At this moment, Lin Jingzhe truly felt that his life was entering an entirely new course, completely different from his past one.

His accommodation was a four-person room, and two out of his three roommates were already here. The pale-skinned, chubby, and friendly-looking one came from Shen City and his name was Lu Xiaojiang. The other one, called Wang Jun, was a Yan City native. He wore black, thick-framed glasses, had some acne on his face, and was so tall that Lin Jingzhe had to look up at him.

In the college entrance exam, Lu Xiaojiang had ranked fifth in Shen City, and Wang Jun’s scores were also among the highest in Yan City. However, it was Chen Jiankang, who had yet to arrive, that was the most impressive—he was the provincial champion! Lin Jingzhe’s roommates turned out to be top students, and unlike him, they were all genuine goods.

Due to his lack of education, Lin Jingzhe had experienced a lot of hardship in his last life, so he learned to respect knowledge and educated individuals. As such, his attitude towards Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun was quite gentle.

He was good-looking, had an elegant temperament and good social skills—if he put his mind to it, he could make friends with anyone. Initially, Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun were a bit shy, but after speaking with him for a bit, they relaxed and felt much closer with him. Since Deng Mai, who was blessed with the gift of gab, joined in as well, by the time the last roommate arrived, everyone had already become quite chummy.

Chen Jiankang was skinny and even shorter than Lin Jingzhe. His complexion was dark but sallow, very different from Deng Mai’s healthy bronze skin. He resembled Yu Zhiliang’s father.

And he was just as reticent as the man; when he entered the room and faced everyone’s gazes, he stopped, awkward and at a loss. It was only after a middle-aged woman, probably his mother, pushed his back and he stumbled, that he came back to himself.

The woman gave an embarrassed smile and asked, speaking with a rural accent, “Schoolmates, is this room 305?”

Deng Mai rushed to take the large roll of bedding she was carrying on her thin shoulders. “Yes, it’s here.”

“Oh, thank you.” After the heavy burden was removed, the middle-aged woman let out a sigh of relief, then squatted down and anxiously rummaged through the bags. After a moment, she pulled out a large glass jar, opened it eagerly and set it on the table, then added some cloth bags filled with peanuts and sunflower seeds. “Have a taste, have a taste, I specially brought this from our hometown. This is the first time Chen Jiankang has traveled away from home, and he knows nothing but studying. I hope you can help me look after him from now on…”

As soon as she opened the lid of the jar, the crisp scent of chopped peppers wafted throughout the room. Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun looked at the jar filled with large chunks of smoked fish, unsure of how to react. Chen Jiankang stood in place, his head hanging low as his ears turned red because of his mother’s ill-timed actions. However, since young people normally cover up their embarrassment with anger, his brows were furrowed and the expression on his face didn’t look good.

Seeing no one respond to her greeting, Mother Chen also froze. She hunched and looked around at the young people in the room, her hands nervously tightening on the sides of her cloth pants.

The scene was about to plunge into complete embarrassment when Lin Jingzhe suddenly reached out, grabbed a piece of smoked fish from the jar, and took a bite.

All eyes turned to him.

“It’s delicious.” Lin Jingzhe unhurriedly finished eating and said calmly, “You guys try it too, it’s delicious.”

He leaned over and took out a pickle jar, half-emptied by Elder Fang, and opened it, placing it on the table next to the jar of smoked fish.

The uncomfortable silence was dispelled by his actions. His three friends instantly rushed to eat, and Lu Xiaojun and Wang Jun subconsciously followed them, conforming to the general trend. Mother Chen smiled widely and pulled her son to the corridor to reluctantly bid him farewell.

Guiltily arranging his too-big shirt, she said, “The boys in your room are all good kids. You don’t have to be afraid that they will bully you like your high school classmates.”

Chen Jiankang had also thought that his roommates would scorn and ridicule him for his humble origins, but his vigilance dissipated the moment Lin Jingzhe ate the smoked fish. He saw his mother off, returned to the room, and stood in the door watching everyone devote their full attention to the jar of pickles.

When one of his roommates saw him, he raised his hand and called him over in a natural manner, “Why are you just standing there? Come here and try the pickles Lin Jingzhe brought, they’re too damn good!”

Chen Jiankang hesitated for a moment, swallowed his saliva, and walked into the room with slightly stiff steps.

Translator’s Notes:

“Strong as a bear in the hips and with a back as supple as a tiger’s” [虎背熊腰] – lit. ‘tiger back bear waist’ – an idiom often used when describing burly, physically strong people.