Lin Qile encountered countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his life.
She stepped over it every time.
When I was nine years old, an accident happened.
"There is no way out." Yu Qiao was tall. He stepped over the edge of the cliff. Fine sand and gravel rubbed off the soles of his shoes and fell far down the cliff.
The echo didn't stop for a long time, I don't know how deep it was.
Dushan was thin, carrying a school bag on his back, his legs trembling. He stretched his neck and looked down the cliff, but only took a glance. "No, no, no—" Dushan took a few steps back, his face pale, "It's too scary, let's go back."
Cai Fangyuan, a fat man, fell far behind. He was obviously the same age as the others, only nine years old, but his body was too heavy, like a ball supported by two thin legs. When he was still dozens of meters away from the cliff, Cai Fangyuan could not walk anymore. He held his knees and panted, cursing: "Lin Qile, what a stinky road you are leading!"
Lin Qile, the only girl among the four, stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the deep valley.
She raised her head again and stared at the deep forest path on the opposite side of the cliff several dozen meters away.
"I can jump over!" Lin Qile suddenly shouted.
"You can't." Yu Qiao glanced at her from the side and said immediately.
"Are you sick?" Cai Fangyuan shouted from behind.
Lin Qile refused to give up. She was determined to go to the farm opposite to see the white geese raised by the villagers. "I can fly over there!" she shouted.
Du Shang rolled his eyes from the side and reached out to pull Lin Qile's two pink arms: "Back, back, back!"
Lin Qile was unwilling to give up, and pouted. The sun had not yet set, and the four elementary school students were walking on the way back to school from the cliff. Lin Qile stepped on the thick pine needles on the ground, listening to the creaking sound, and she said seriously to Du Shang and Yu Qiao: "It is written in the book that if we make up our minds and muster up the courage to jump down, wings will grow from our backs and we can fly!"
Yu Qiao was the tallest, youngest and most mature. He put his hands in his trouser pockets, and seemed to be used to Lin Qile's bizarre ideas.
Du Shang frowned, and his frown moved the band-aid on his forehead. Du Shang said to Lin Qile seriously, "Have you seen meat pies? Cherry, the kind sold at Aunt Zhao's window in the construction site cafeteria."
Duchamp stretched out his hands and made a circle in front of himself.
"If you really fly out, your face will be smashed into this size! So flat! Your nose and eyes will be sunken in, like chopped green onions. Your arms and legs will also be smashed, like that big curly—"
Cai Fangyuan was walking in front of them, eating a big roll from his pocket. Du Shang told Lin Qile: "Did you see that? Cai Fangyuan's big roll is pink, the color of your arms and legs. It will be so disgusting when you fall down—"
Cai Fangyuan held a big roll in his mouth and turned around to scold him: "Will you let me eat it or not?"
The mountain road passes through the forest, and near the foot of the mountain, there is a high pass. This is specially set up by the municipal department of Qunshan City to warn those passers-by who are unaware that it is dangerous to go up the mountain. At the same time, it also stops Lin Qile and Yu Qiao, who like to act recklessly and love "adventure".
Lin Qile climbed over the pass holding on to bricks.
Du Shang crawled after her, muttering, "I've been walking for so long today and haven't seen any big white geese... Cherry, I want to go to your house after school to see the little white rabbit that Grandma Zhang gave me—"
"No!" Lin Qile said, her eyes red.
"Why?" Dushan asked dissatisfiedly.
"You just disgust people," Lin Qile jumped off the pass, rubbing the dirt off her palms, "You still want to disgust my little white rabbit!"
Lin Qile strode towards the school alone. She always walked the fastest among the four people, like a gust of wind and lightning, like riding on clouds.
"No, I..." Du Shang was about to say something but stopped. He looked at Lin Qile's back and turned back to the other two people angrily, "Why would I disgust the rabbit if I have nothing to do?"
Zhongneng Power Plant, a major taxpayer in the city, does not get off work until 5:30 p.m. The power plant primary school under it often keeps children until 5:30 p.m. to match the off-get off work time of the employees' parents.
September 6, 1999, it was a Monday.
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
The principal of Zhongneng Power Plant Primary School stood in the guard room, flipping through the student list in his hand, cursing: "Class 1, Grade 4, Lin Qile, Yu Qiao, Du Shang, Cai Fangyuan—" He picked up the thermos cup on the guard table, took a sip, and spit out the tea foam in his mouth, "This little 'Gang of Four', wait until I catch them today—"
Lin Qile and four other primary school students crawled on the concrete floor with their hands and feet, and sneaked in from the guard room and nimbly climbed into the school gate.
In the past, when the four of them came in, they would immediately go back to their classes. If they were called by the dean or caught at the school gate after school, they would at most reply, "I just went to the toilet!" No matter how angry the dean was, he couldn't lose his temper.
But today is different.
"You...you guys go back first." Cai Fangyuan said hesitantly while walking halfway.
Yu Qiao turned around and Lin Qile and Du Shang were both looking at him.
"I'm going to the principal's office." Cai Fangyuan said awkwardly.
"Why are you going to the principal's office?" Dushan asked.
Cai Fangyuan glanced at Lin Qile, then at the other two buddies. "I..." He restrained his flickering eyes and said seriously, "My girlfriend's photo album was taken away by the principal!"
Lin Qile opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise: "You have a girlfriend?"
Dushan pulled Lin Qile from the side and told her not to hurt other people's self-esteem.
Yu Qiao looked at Cai Fangyuan coldly: "Can you go by yourself?" As he said that, he raised his head and saw how high the second floor of the school was.
Yu Qiao and Lin Qile looked at each other, and Lin Qile turned around without saying a word and started leading the way again.
As a former announcer of the school radio station, Lin Qile had been in and out of the principal's office many times in the past. There were probably few people in the school who were more familiar with that office than she was.
The four elementary school students walked around the school wall and came to the window of the principal's office. The principal's office was on the second floor, a long way up. Cai Fangyuan had a bitter face, and under the resolute gaze of the other three, he squatted in the corner with his head in his arms.
Lin Qile was the second one to walk up, and the soles of her little red shoes stepped on Cai Fangyuan's shoulders.
Among the four people, Lin Qile was the lightest. But the delicate body of Manager Cai's son still couldn't bear such a "heavy burden".
"Can't you step more gently?" Cai Fangyuan groaned in pain from below. Lin Qile stepped on him, standing higher, but his feet were not stable. "You... you... don't move!" Lin Qile said in panic, holding his hands on the rough wall.
At this time, Yu Qiao and Du Shang came from behind. They each took one side, lifted up the soles of Lin Qile's shoes with both hands, and pushed her up further, letting Lin Qile step on their shoulders.
Lin Qile used all his strength to dig at it, until his fingers were sore, but he finally managed to pry the window of the principal's office open a little further.
Cai Fangyuan completed the task. He brushed off the dust on his butt, stood up, stepped back, and shouted upwards: "Hurry up, Lin Qile!"
Du Shang supported one of Lin Qile's feet from below, and it was also very strenuous: "Lin Qile, you... are sinking again..."
Lin Qile clenched her teeth, held on to both sides of the window with her hands, stepped on Dushan's hand with her left foot, bent her right knee, and knocked it against the metal window frame of the principal's office.
Her knees pressed down on the window frame, and when they came up again, three blood marks were left, but Lin Qile didn't care. She kicked with her left foot, and somersaulted forward through the window of the principal's office, landing in a heroic and perfect manner.
There were still more than twenty minutes before school was over. At this time of the day, the old principal would always be standing under the flagpole, nodding his head as he listened to Shan Tianfang's storytelling. There was always no one in the principal's office.
Lin Qile opened her round, cherry-like eyes wide.
Today is different.
"Jiang Qiaoxi was a well-known Mathematical Olympiad student in the Experimental Primary School in the provincial capital! He even won first place in his grade! It's impossible for him to only score 10 points in the entrance exam for our small power plant primary school. Old principal, there must be a mistake in the grading—"
"What's wrong? Wrong," the old principal said helplessly outside his office. "He only answered one question on the test paper and didn't answer the others! Whether he can't do it or doesn't want to do it, with this score, he will have to repeat the third grade here."
"Principal Sun!" the man said, "This kid came here from the provincial capital for the first day today. He had a long bumpy ride in the car. He's not used to eating or sleeping. He...he's just not performing well!"
"You are making things difficult for me," said the old principal.
"You are making things difficult for us! Manager Jiang's son was able to transfer from the provincial capital to our school. This is a sign of trust and help to us. The child is nine years old. You want him to repeat the third grade. It's impossible! You should also consider the reputation of the Electric Power Construction Company. Manager Jiang is raising this now. I tell you, in a few years, when he returns to the headquarters, he will be the second in command—"
Compared to the noise outside, the inner room was much quieter. Lin Qile seemed to have forgotten to blink, lost in thought, she stared at the boy in front of her.
No, not once, twice.
Lin Qile encountered countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his life.
When she was nine years old, she encountered two difficulties.
At least she couldn't get over it until Lin Qile grew up.
The boy was standing a little far from her, at the opposite corner of the office. He was extremely quiet, so quiet that it was even a little solemn. He was wearing clothes that Lin Qile had never seen before, carrying a square black schoolbag that Lin Qile had never seen before, and standing next to a plaid suitcase that was almost as tall as Lin Qile. He didn't look like someone from Qunshan City. His skin was white, and he looked like the kind of boy that Lin Qile had only seen in cartoons. He raised his eyes, and in this unsettling silence, he took in the entire "crime process" that Lin Qile had just committed.
"Lin Qile!" Cai Fangyuan urged from outside the window behind him, lowering his voice, "Have you found my book?"
Then came Duchamp's voice: "Tell her what book it is first."
"I used a calendar to cover the book," Cai Fangyuan shouted upstairs, "and wrote the three words 'Heaven-Envoy-Heart' on the front!"
"Cai Fangyuan! I knew it was you," the old principal suddenly opened the window from outside, "All of you stop right there!"
Lin Qile's hand suddenly grabbed the edge of her skirt. She watched as the door to the inner room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Many strange adults rushed in, surrounded the quiet boy, and put on a gesture of concern and protection.
They all looked at Lin Qile. The old principal also came in. When he saw Lin Qile, he said with great sorrow: "Lin Yingtao, you-you call and call your dad now!"
Lin Haifeng, an electrician from the Electric Power Construction Company, was working in the workshop. He received a message from his colleagues, the first of which was that Manager Jiang, the leader of the headquarters, had been transferred to the Qunshan construction site and would hold a small welcome party at the Workers' Club tonight.
The second one said that Lin Yingtao got into trouble again, and the principal of the power plant primary school asked Lin's father to go and give him a lecture.
Electrician Lin came down from the ladder, took off his gloves and helmet with a wry smile. He was wearing a simple dark blue work suit, wiped off the dust on his body, and walked out. He had a naughty daughter at home, and everyone in the construction site in the mountains knew about it.
After signing his name on the duty roster and turning over the sign to leave, Electrician Lin could leave work. He walked to the desk of the Human Resources Department. "Xiao Tang," he said, "Happy wedding!"
"Engineer Lin, hurry up!" Xiao Tang handed him a bag of wedding candy and smiled with several female colleagues around him, "Manager Cai and Team Leader Yu are already waiting for you outside! Listen carefully to their lecture!"
The general manager of the Qunshan project site, Cai Yue, is the father of elementary school student Cai Fangyuan.
Yu Zhenfeng, the foreman of the maintenance team at the Qunshan project site and a model worker, is the father of primary school student Yu Qiao.
Lin Haifeng, an ordinary electrician at the Qunshan project site, is the father of elementary school student Lin Qile.
Three middle-aged men squeezed into Manager Cai's car and rushed from the construction site to the Zhongneng Power Plant Staff Primary School.
When we were leaving the construction site, several security guards greeted us with a smile: "Manager Cai! Team Leader Yu! Engineer Lin! Are you going to listen to instructions again?"
Manager Cai was a very gentle man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He was embarrassed that his son was always getting into trouble and making trouble. He waved to the doorman, and the door opened. He said to the two old brothers behind him: "Manager Jiang Zheng, who was transferred from the headquarters, stayed at the guesthouse last night. Today I asked Manager Liu from the production department to bring a group of people to help him move. Tonight, I asked Manager Liu to toast on behalf of the guys—"
"Where did they move to?" Squad Leader Yu was tall and strong. He could take up two seats by himself when sitting in the back row. He looked fierce even when he frowned. "The family dormitory was full a long time ago."
Manager Cai pointed at Electrician Lin who was standing next to Team Leader Yu.
"The captain of the boiler team next to Engineer Lin's house, Yu, was transferred to the Laishui construction site last week. His house is now vacant, so he lives there."
Team Leader Yu listened but didn't say anything. Electrician Lin was surprised: "The house in our row is a little small. He is from the headquarters, can he adapt?"
"There's nothing we can do for those from headquarters," Manager Cai looked out the window. The power plant primary school was almost there. "Manager Jiang only has one son, and the leadership housing is full. We can only get him a double room as a single dormitory."
The four rebels from the Power Plant Primary School, led by Lin Qile, stood in a row in front of the old principal's desk, bowing their heads and being criticized. Lin Qile opened her eyes and secretly looked at the inkstone on the principal's desk, but she didn't say anything. Instead, Du Shang, Yu Qiao, and Cai Fangyuan beside her turned their heads and looked at him, whispering, "Look at the shoes he's wearing!"
Cai Fangyuan covered his mouth with his hand and lowered his voice: "American Jordan! Several thousand dollars!"
There was a polite knock on the door outside the principal's office.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Qile immediately heard the voice of Cai Fangyuan's father, who said in a clear and loud voice: "Cai Fangyuan, what trouble have you caused to make Principal Sun angry again—"
The tone sounded quite majestic at first, but it suddenly changed direction, like a willow leaf in early autumn, swirling and rising up with the wind.
"Oh, Manager Jiang!" Father Cai's voice was full of surprise, and he stopped outside. "What a coincidence, what a coincidence. When did you come here?"
Lin Qile turned her head quietly, and through the inner door, she saw her father appear at the door.
Unlike Manager Cai who was greeting people enthusiastically in the crowd, Mr. Lin stood outside the crowd with a smile on his face.
"Dad," Lin Qile stretched his neck and called him softly, "Dad!"
Three parents followed the old principal in.
As the old principal walked by, he explained to the others: "These three parents come here often. It's like visiting my house!"
Lin Qile hid behind her father, holding onto a corner of his work clothes. Her father first checked her injured knee, then asked the other children, especially Dushan, if they were injured.
"Does your knee hurt?" Dad asked her hurriedly in a low voice.
Lin Qile immediately shook her head, her two ponytails sweeping over her shoulders.
The old principal sat down, drank a sip of tea, and began to lecture again. While listening with the other two parents, Father Lin took out a small piece of red wedding candy from his trouser pocket and stuffed it into Lin Qile's hand.
Lin Qile suppressed his joy, wrapped the candy with his palm, and quickly hid it behind his back.
In order to avoid being discovered by other teachers, Lin Qile secretly turned around and glanced back.
The boy named Jiang Qiaoxi, accompanied by a group of adults, stood behind Lin Qile.
Jiang Qiaoxi lowered his eyes, his face was pale and his expression was cold. It seemed that staying here for one more minute or one second would be torture for him. He could no longer bear it, but there were too many people around him, including his father, so he could only hold on like this.
Lin Qile turned around immediately. She bit her lips and tried to imitate him by putting on a stern face.