After I had been wandering aimlessly on the street for half a day, I received a call from Bai Lin.
"Where have you been?" she asked. "I've been looking for you everywhere, but you didn't answer your phone. I've called you so many times."
I was stunned: "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong? There's still an hour and a half before the performance tonight. Where's the pipa you brought?" she asked angrily.
Only then did I remember that in addition to meeting Mu Chenghe, I also had an important task, which was to go home and get the pipa, and then lend it to the female classmate in our class who danced classical dance to use as a prop.
"I'll go back and get it right away." I suddenly realized.
"You're still on the way?" Bai Lin became even more annoyed.
"It's not far. I'll be home soon, and I promise you on my life that I will never be late." I almost swore to the sky.
"Okay, if you dare to be late, I will slap you to death." Bai Lin said harshly.
I chuckled, not angry at all, hung up the phone, and hurried home.
I know how important this performance is to everyone.
The school holds a show on Friday night at the end of every month at the basketball stadium in the west district. Each department or college takes turns, and each cycle lasts for a year.
November happens to be the month of the School of Foreign Languages.
Our college has five departments: English, German, French, Japanese and Russian. Each department will be responsible for two or three programs, which will make up a half-hour evening show.
Bai Lin was the vice-director of the Arts Department of our college before, but she retired in her senior year. But she was caught by the counselor again last month, helping the junior schoolmates and taking charge of the English Department's program. Although she is not very good at dancing, her ability to direct people is first-class.
I don’t know why, but these senior students who are still participating in it are not slacking off like they were in the first three years, but are becoming more serious instead.
Maybe it’s because we are the graduating class, and it feels a bit like our swan song.
I am a person who doesn't clean up. The Pipa was placed in the closet. The leather of the suitcase was scratched and the zipper was broken, which made it look very old. I looked at the box and thought about it quickly. I decided not to take it with me, otherwise it would ruin my image. But when I stood on the bus holding the naked Pipa, I realized what a bad decision it was.
Many people looked at me again and again, their inquiring eyes fell on the piano and then slid across my face.
I pursed my lips, thinking that people wouldn't think I was going to set up a stall and sing at the night market.
When I arrived at the West End, there were still ten minutes before the show started. They were putting on makeup backstage.
The girl in our class who danced the flying dance had already put on her makeup and a fake bun on her head. Bai Lin got a set of clothes from the fairy sisters in Journey to the West from somewhere and put them on her. I gasped and hurriedly handed over the pipa.
Bai Lin admired his masterpiece and asked me proudly, "How is it?"
"As beautiful as Chang'e."
"She's dancing the Flying Apsaras dance, not the Chang'e dance," Bai Lin corrected.
"Isn't it the same thing?"
"What's going on?"
"Chang'e ate the elixir and flew to the sky, right?" I asked.
"right."
"That's flying."
"But… "
Just as Bai Lin and I were chattering about the principle of Chang'e's flying to the sky backstage, we heard the host start to announce the show.
"Good evening, students and teachers. As we bid farewell to the sweet-scented osmanthus autumn, we usher in the cold wind of November. In the early winter, there is more cold air and less warm sunshine, but our scene is full of love and warmth..."
The two hosts, known as the "Belle" and "Hermit" of our Foreign Languages College, stood on the stage, delivering the opening speech fluently with blushes on their cheeks.
"I'm going to watch the show. I wish you a successful performance." I said and walked towards the stands. I heard Bai Lin shouting from behind: "Remember to save a seat for me. I'll come find you later."
I didn't even bother to turn my head and just made an OK gesture.
But the shows held by the School of Foreign Languages have always been the most popular, so it was difficult for me to find a seat. In the end, I had to find a corner on the stairs of the stands and sit on the floor.
Fortunately, this is a basketball arena and the stands are high above the stage. Otherwise, with my height, I wouldn’t be able to see what’s in front of me even if I stood on tiptoe, let alone sit down.
The first program was a solo by the French department.
The second program was a passionate dance by sophomores from the English Department.
The light was dim, and I looked around. I saw some people I had seen before, some I had never seen before, but I didn't recognize most of them. My mother often said: "The army may change, but the camp remains the same." I hadn't been to the West District for only a few months, and I was already unfamiliar with the people here.
I don’t know if Zhao Xiaotang is here.
I picked up my phone and sent her a text message, and within two seconds she replied.
"I'm here. Where are you? I saved a seat for you."
"I'm behind you." I sent it to her again.
Then, I saw someone standing up on my left hand side. I looked back and saw that person was Zhao Xiaotang, who was looking for me in the crowd. Zhao Xiaotang's figure attracted the attention of many boys.
She was an exceptionally beautiful person and should have had more admirers, but her personality that was incompatible with this school scared away the boys of the same age.
When I squeezed next to Zhao Xiaotang, I was already sweating profusely.
"Did Bai Lin find you?" she asked.
"found it."
I was afraid she would continue to ask, so I changed the subject and said, "Do you have the program? Which program is ours?"
"Look for yourself." She handed me the preview.
At this time, the magic performed by two boys from the Russian Department on the stage suddenly ignited the atmosphere of the whole audience, and the applause lasted for a long time. One of the boys picked up the microphone and smiled playfully: "I have two tasks today. The first is to perform magic, which I have completed; the second is to announce the next poem recitation "Яваслюбил" entrusted by the host friend. Obviously everyone knows why he asked me to speak."
The boy motioned to the male host on the side of the stage. Then everyone laughed, apparently because they had to use the original Russian title, which really made the "courtyard grass" a little embarrassed.
The boy said, "Okay, stop laughing. Let's listen to this poem with a different mood. It was written by Pushkin."
Then the lights dimmed.
I heard the poem over a soft humming of music, first in Russian and then in Chinese.
How to pronounce "your name"Use "your name" in a sentence
Любов ьеще，быть может，
В душе моей угасла не совсем;
Но пусть она вас больше не тревожит;
Я не хочу печалить вас ничем.
Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно,
То робостью, то ревностью томим;
Я вас любил такиск ренно，так нежно，
Как дай вам бог любимой быть другим.
I have been Love You before;
Love, maybe,
It has not yet completely disappeared from my soul;
I hope it won't bother you anymore;
I don't want to make you sad anymore.
I once loved you silently and without hope,
I endured both shyness and jealousy;
I once loved you so sincerely and tenderly
May God bless you and another person love you as much as I do.
After the girl finished the last word of the Chinese paragraph, she put down the microphone in her hand and did not move for a long time. Her pronunciation was a little different from Mu Chenghe's, shallow and light, but just as moving. She was wearing a white dress, standing under the spotlight on the stage, with a pair of big eyes looking at the audience below, transparent like an elf, a lonely elf in such a noisy party.
Then, applause broke it all.
I heard someone next to me say, "I hate this kind of poetry recitation the most. If it weren't for the Chinese translation at the end, the beginning would sound like bird language.
One person said: "I think it's OK. Look, that girl is pretty good looking."
Then, someone laughed.
When Zhao Xiaotang followed everyone in clapping, he turned around to look at me and said in surprise, "Xue Tong, what's wrong with you?"
"Ah?" I came back to my senses, wiped my face casually, and found that I had been crying without realizing it.
Then, I don’t know what happened next. I just remember that on the way back to the dormitory, Bai Lin hugged me tightly and said loudly, “Why are you crying? We don’t want him anymore. It’s no big deal. You have to have some backbone!”
Friday, October 21st Cloudy
"I once loved you silently and hopelessly. I once loved you so sincerely and tenderly." I don't know why, but I started crying when I heard this.
It always rains in City A in November.
I walked out of the dormitory building with my book, and after a few steps I found that the raindrops were heavier than I thought, so I jogged a few steps and took shelter under the eucalyptus tree outside the girls' dormitory. Just as I was wondering whether I should go home, an umbrella was held over my head.
I turned around and saw Liu Qi.
"What a coincidence," I said.
"Yeah, I just happened to be passing by."
I smiled and played dumb with him.
"I'm going to the library to study."
"Me too." He raised the book in his hand.
"Do you read CET-6?"
"Yeah, the competition for jobs is fierce right now, I'll give it one last try next year, and I can ask you about it while I'm at it."
I lowered my head, still feeling his burning gaze. He definitely wasn't just passing by, nor was he trying to pass level 6. Maybe he had been waiting for me here, or maybe Bai Lin tipped me off.
I thought of what Bai Lin said: giving him a chance is also giving myself a chance.
I took a few steps, turned my gaze away, and said casually, "Okay, but if you want me to be your tutor, you have to charge me by the hour."
He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Since we know each other so well, can I give you a discount?" he asked.
"No. And it costs more than tutoring high school students."
"Why?"
"Because you are a college student. Haven't you noticed that college teachers earn more than high school teachers?"
"Really? I think the income is about the same."
"You are not sincere. If you keep complaining like this, I will introduce you to another teacher who is willing to give you a discount." I said viciously.
“…” This trick worked very well and he immediately fell silent.
We walked on the tree-lined path to the library. Liu Qi held an umbrella for me, and then we crossed the sidewalk next to the administration building. I always felt that this place was very similar to the road under the fourth teaching building in the west district, probably because both were planted with sycamore trees.
I glanced back.
Liu Qi asked: "Anyone familiar with me?"
In the twilight, I answered no, but my eyes remained fixed there for several seconds before moving away.
I seemed to see another me in that place, and Mu Chenghe next to him.
The girl squatted on the ground to find his contact lenses, while he stood there holding an umbrella for her to block the falling snow. Finally, he said to the girl: "You are such a child."
Such a scene seems like a lifetime ago.
Gradually, it became natural for the two of them to study together and go to the library together.
One day, I raised my head from my CET-8 review questions, pursed my lips and held the pen with my nose, and looked at Liu Qi across the table for a long time. He seemed to be uncomfortable with my stare, and couldn't help asking, "What are you doing?"
"Why do you like me?"
Although I lowered my voice, the other boy next to me still noticed it. He looked up at Liu Qi, then at me, and then buried his head and laughed.
I thought Liu Qi would say something like, which eye of yours can see that I like you, but he awkwardly held the book up to block my view.
He stared at the cover of the CET-6 mock test for a long time, but he still maintained that posture and refused to surrender. So I surrendered and continued to do my own homework.
I don't know how long it took, but my phone suddenly vibrated, indicating that there was a text message. I opened the phone and found that the sender was actually Liu Qi. I looked at him suspiciously as he started writing again, and then opened the text message.
"Because you're cute."
When I saw he sent me this line of words, I burst out laughing.
The boy next to me who was watching the show turned around and looked at me suspiciously. When I stared back at him, I accidentally glanced at the magazine next to him and my smile faded.
It was a natural science magazine that I would never borrow. The cover featured the topics of some of the articles on the page, and one of the headlines had the three characters "Mu Chenghe" prominently displayed. I couldn't control my gaze and could only let it linger on that name.
There was an empty seat between the boy and I. The magazine and his pile of books were casually placed on the table of the empty seat, less than a foot away from my right hand.
I raised my hand slightly and moved it towards it. As it got closer and closer, and just when it was about to touch the book, I hesitated, rolled my fingers back into my palm, and then slowly retracted them.
The day Song Qiqi returned to school was close to the final exam. Bai Lin and I went to the station to pick her up. When she came out of the ticket gate, we were surprised. She had cut her long hair short and was wearing a thick scarf, which made her head look even smaller.
The first thing Song Qiqi said when she saw us was: "I miss you guys so much."
The second sentence was: "I broke up with him, I swear."
As for why she figured it out and how she split up, she didn't say anything. Xiao Zheng had already become a minefield in the dormitory, and we would never mention him in front of her again. However, Song Qiqi kept her word. Not to mention going out alone, she even stopped using the phone. As expected, she cut off contact with Xiao Zheng and studied even harder.
On the last day of the year, Song Qiqi and I went to the bathhouse with washbasins to take a bath.
She walked beside him and suddenly asked, "What about you and Mu Chenghe? Why haven't you and Bai Lin mentioned him for so long?"
I grinned and said, "What else are you talking about? It's so embarrassing."
She was stunned for a moment, took a few steps and asked again: "Why?"
"Didn't I tell you? Blame me for being sentimental."
"It's not because of me, is it?"
I hastily denied: "No, no."
"I hope not. Otherwise, we'd be lumping everything together. Xiao Zheng and I are completely different from you and Mu Chenghe." When mentioning the name Xiao Zheng, Song Qiqi spoke very slowly and even hesitated for a moment, as if she was trying her best to say it in a natural tone.
I smiled at her and stopped talking about this depressing topic.
Our department had fewer subjects than Liu Qi and his classmates, so we finished the exams a day earlier. As soon as the morning exams were over, it was only noon, and most of the people in the Foreign Languages Department's buildings were gone. I was also thinking about whether I should take some sundries or winter equipment home first. Otherwise, if I let them pile up like this, it would be even more annoying when I graduate next semester.
Just do it.
It took me two hours to pack a full box. After saying hello to Bai Lin, I went out alone with my suitcase.
Bai Lin asked loudly from behind: "Will you be back tonight?"
“I want to come back.”
It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the Girls' Dormitory to the bus stop at the school gate. If you take the main road, you have to go around the Student Activity Center. Bai Lin and I often take a shortcut along the path beside the small canal, which can save us a lot of walking.
I broke the silence of the path by pulling a large rectangular suitcase. The noise of the wheels under the suitcase rubbing against the concrete floor was harsh but rhythmic. I hummed a tune, letting the two sounds complement each other.
However, the good times didn’t last long, as the wheel suddenly made a heartbreaking clicking sound.
I tried pulling it again, but only the left side of the box tended to move forward, while the right side stood still, which clearly told me that its wheel was broken.
I couldn't pull the box, so I had to call Liu Qi and then tried to lift the things and move forward with great effort.