Yu Lele couldn't help but grumble, "But basically no one signs up for the 3000 meters! Running seven and a half laps around the track, you'd be half dead by the end! You're a junior, why are you showing off? Let the freshmen and sophomores run it!"
Lian Haiping chuckled: "Yu Lele, can I take your nagging as you feeling sorry for me?" As he spoke, he lazily sat in his seat, crossed one leg, tilted his head back, and stared at Yu Lele with a grin.
Yu Lele angrily hit him on the head with her textbook and said, "Yes, I feel sorry for you. If you fall and die, who will tutor me for the CET-4? If you want to die, wait until I pass the CET-4 before you die."
Lian Haiping yelled angrily, "Yu Lele, you heartless bastard! Can't you even speak like a human being? You should at least offer some assistance, like helping me with my clothes or handing me water during the sports meet. I'm your mentor, after all. How can you be so cold-blooded..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Lele threw a notebook at him, which landed face down on Lian Haiping: "I knew it was pointless for me to say anything. Take care of yourself, you old bones, be careful not to fall."
Lian Haiping almost fainted this time.
However, despite saying that, during the sports meet, Yu Lele still diligently squatted by the track, holding Lian Haiping's clothes. Lian Haiping was still wearing his signature Adidas vest, jumping and hopping around on the starting line doing warm-up exercises, with a group of Chinese literature girls cheering him on from behind. Even before the competition started, he was already very popular.
Yu Lele looked at him from afar, a little puzzled: This person wasn't particularly handsome, and he didn't participate in many group activities. Logically, he should be someone who wasn't very well-known, so why were so many young girls so eager to express their admiration?
Just then, the starting gun fired, and a group of people rushed out. Yu Lele stood up, her gaze following the Adidas vest as he walked, and she saw him in the distance, either in 7th or 8th place, unhurried, his head held high, like a proud camel.
A proud camel—Yu Lele didn't know why she came up with this adjective, but she still chuckled at her own imagination. Her eyes were glued to the Adidas vest as she counted for him: 1 lap, 2 laps, 3 laps, 4 laps…
By the fifth lap, many runners were clearly exhausted. Some started running and walking intermittently, while others hunched over, grimacing as they struggled to keep going. Meanwhile, some runners began leading the way, forcing a group of staff to frantically search the area like birds being chased from a wheat field, shouting through a megaphone: "Please leave the area; no leading the way..."
By this time, the atmosphere in the stands was quite enthusiastic. Yu Lele didn't need to listen carefully to hear the powerful cheers behind her: the girls' voices were sharp and high-pitched, shouting in unison, "Lian Haiping, go!" "Lian Haiping, go!"... Yu Lele was also in high spirits, and when Lian Haiping ran past her, she shouted, "Master, go!" Lian Haiping heard her and waved to her in a moment of respite.
On lap 6, Lian Haiping began his sprint. His stamina was already failing, but he was still slightly better than the several obviously older and weaker runners behind him. Yu Lele, tense by the atmosphere, ran ahead to the finish line and stared intently at Lian Haiping, clutching his clothes tightly. There were five runners ahead of Lian Haiping, each drenched in sweat, pushing themselves to the limit. Finally, in the last half-lap, Lian Haiping gritted his teeth and surged past the 5th, 4th, 3rd… actually crossing the finish line third! Third place was practically his!
By this time, the stands were practically in an uproar. A large group of girls were chanting, "Lian Haiping, well done!", "Lian Haiping, keep it up!", "Senior, I love you!"... Everyone was clearly thrilled: for a department with a severe imbalance of female and male, this was a victory that could redeem them!
But no one expected that at the very moment of crossing the finish line, the boy behind Lian Haiping suddenly sprinted forward and, due to exhaustion, collided with Lian Haiping. Lian Haiping was unable to dodge in time and tripped and fell to the ground—crossing the finish line!
In that final second, third-place finisher Lian Haiping dramatically collapsed to the ground, eliciting screams from the crowd and chaos at the finish line check-in area. Yu Lele, startled, rushed forward to help Lian Haiping up, but all she heard was him gasp, clutching his ankle in pain, and crying out, "Yu Lele, you jinx! My leg's broken!"
Yu Lele was stunned.
Lian Haiping strained his muscle and took a month of sick leave, so he had to stay home obediently. When he was bored, he would text Yu Lele, his tone resentful: "My disciple, you jinx! How could you curse your master to fall? Now your master has basically lost the ability to work and can't take care of himself. You have to take responsibility!"
Yu Lele received a text message during class and couldn't help but smile while looking at her phone. Xu Yin saw her and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Yu Lele pushed her phone in front of Xu Yin: "Isn't Lian Haiping a bit too free?"
Xu Yin glanced at the text message and laughed: "You really are a jinx. Are you going to see him or not?"
Yu Lele imagined it and whispered, "I don't know where he lives."
Xu Yin, with a fearless expression, said, "I'll lead the way for you."
Yu Lele was very curious: "You know his family?"
Xu Yin laughed: "Nonsense! Our two families live in the same courtyard."
Yu Lele asked in bewilderment, "Why haven't I heard you mention this before?"
Xu Yin scoffed, "What's there to say? The military compound is so big, I've had so many playmates since I was little, who does he think he is!"
Yu Lele smiled and shook her head.
Over the weekend, Yu Lele and Xu Yin went to Lian Haiping's house to visit the wounded.
As they walked, Xu Yin smiled and said, "My mission this year is to accompany you two to visit each other and help you buy gifts."
Yu Lele thought for a moment, then smiled: "What does he like to eat?"
"Him?" Xu Yin thought about it seriously, puzzled herself. "Yes, what does he like to eat?"
Yu Lele found it hilarious: "Aren't you familiar with each other?"
"Not familiar with him?" Xu Yin laughed loudly: "I've known him since he was wearing open-crotch pants. I know exactly how many pimples he had on his arm. How could I not know him?"
“But,” Xu Yin thought hard, “to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever paid attention to what he likes to eat. His parents are too busy with work and live apart, so he was raised by his grandfather since he was little. He doesn’t seem to have eaten anything good. Every time he comes to my house for a meal, he acts like he’s starving and he’s very enthusiastic. My mom likes him a lot and says he’s not picky about food, has a good appetite, and is obviously a healthy baby.”
"Healthy baby?" This title made Yu Lele pause for a moment. She carefully recalled Lian Haiping's appearance, and it really was the style of a healthy baby, so she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The two bought milk and fruit from a roadside grocery store and carried them into the military compound. Yu Lele looked around the heavily guarded compound with great curiosity.
The courtyard was very large, with an auditorium, basketball court, football field, and many dormitory buildings and family quarters. The two of them walked for a long time but did not reach the end. They only saw more and more green trees and the environment became more and more tranquil.
Yu Lele took a deep breath: "This place really feels like a botanical garden."
Xu Yin laughed: "You haven't seen Lian Haiping's house yet. Their house is like a botanical garden. While other people's yards are used to grow roses and grapes, only his grandfather uses the yard to plant trees. All kinds of trees grow in different sizes. If you want to enter their living room, you have to be prepared. If you walk on that path, you'll either get pricked by pine needles or trip over some random flower vines."
"Really?" Yu Lele found it hard to believe.
“You’ll see for yourself in a moment,” Xu Yin smiled, pointing ahead: “That’s it.”
Yu Lele looked up and saw a two-story house with its own courtyard standing quietly among the green trees. Not far from the door, there was a small sentry post with a soldier standing straight. When he saw the two of them approaching, his eyes were very alert.
Xu Yin clearly recognized the soldier on guard duty, and introduced him with a smile: "This is my classmate. We've come to see Lian Haiping."
As she spoke, she gestured with her feet: "To offer my condolences to the disabled."
The young soldier chuckled and waved, "He's at home. The commander just went out."
Xu Yin nodded and pulled Yu Lele inside. Yu Lele didn't react immediately and asked Xu Yin, "Who is the commander?"
As Xu Yin pushed open the courtyard gate, she turned to look at Yu Lele: "You don't know? Lian Haiping's grandfather is the military region commander, a general."
Yu Lele gasped.
14-2
As Xu Yin had described, Lian Haiping's courtyard was indeed a large botanical garden.
The yard was filled with saplings of varying heights, whose names I didn't know, and small tea tables and stools were scattered under their shade. Fruit trees that looked like pomegranate, apple, and peach trees were mixed with Brazilian wood and Monstera deliciosa, making it hard to tell whether it was a Chinese orchard or a Western garden. Fortunately, the different heights of the different plants made the mix quite pleasing to the eye. A winding path led to the living room, paved with red bricks that were already showing signs of age, with faint patches of moss on them.
Just as the two were about to enter, they suddenly heard a loud clang from inside. Yu Lele and Xu Yin glanced at each other simultaneously, and Xu Yin said with schadenfreude, "Guess what Lian Haiping broke this time?"
The two of them rushed into the house, and from a distance they saw Lian Haiping leaning on his cane, his back to the door, hopping around in the living room picking up a broken teacup lid. Hearing the footsteps, he didn't turn around, but just complained, "Grandpa, I'm in this state and you still have the mood to go out and play chess? How can you have no sympathy at all!"
Xu Yin and Yu Lele stood at the door, suppressing their laughter and holding back their words. Lian Haiping, not hearing a reply, turned around with a resentful expression, only to suddenly freeze in shock.
He blinked as if he couldn't believe his eyes, then stared at Yu Lele and Xu Yin standing in the living room doorway for a long time before saying, "Hallucination, it must be a hallucination?"
He pouted, looking completely innocent as he muttered to himself, "It must be a hallucination. That girl Xu Yin is always heartless; she wouldn't come to see me. As for my disciple's jinx..."
He paused, then added, "That's even more inhumane!"
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Yin let out a cold laugh: "Lian Haiping, are you itching for a beating?"
Lian Haiping shuddered, staring at the two people in astonishment: "Huh? They're alive?"
“You’re the one who’s dead,” Yu Lele said irritably, looking at his injured foot wrapped up like a dumpling. “How old are you to still be so cocky? You deserve it!”
As they talked, the two put their things down by the door. Lian Haiping looked at them and laughed, "Milk and fruit, why do all the people who come to see me these days bring these two things? There's no creativity at all."
"You're already being kind by bringing me things, be grateful." Yu Lele said as she walked up to Lian Haiping, glancing at his leg in a cast: "How is it? Does it still hurt?"
As Lian Haiping struggled to sit down, he muttered, "You only think to ask me if it hurts now? Why didn't you think of that when you were cursing me?"
Yu Lele reached out and helped him sit down: "You're so superstitious. What kind of curses are you talking about? If that's the case, I might as well make a little cloth doll and prick it with a needle every day."
"Ah! Sure enough, you heartless woman—" Lian Haiping wailed dramatically, "No wonder I've been aching here and there lately!"
Yu Lele snorted: "I didn't realize you were such a good actor. Keep pretending!"
Xu Yin, who had been silent until now, finally spoke with a smile: "No matter how you look at it, I look like a third wheel, quite superfluous."
“No, you’re definitely not a third wheel,” Lian Haiping said seriously, “because I completely ignore you!”
Xu Yin rushed forward and, with lightning speed, kicked Lian Haiping's injured foot hard, showing no mercy. At the same time, Lian Haiping let out a chilling scream: "Murder!"
The three of them were making a ruckus, their laughter carrying far into the yard. No one noticed that an old man in a gray jacket had already walked to the living room door and was peeking inside with his hands behind his back.
After a while, Xu Yin, with her sharp eyes, exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa!"
The other two were also stunned. Yu Lele was too slow to react; her hand, which was about to pat Lian Haiping on the head, was still raised in mid-air.
Lian Haiping smiled warmly and pointed to Yu Lele, introducing her: "Grandpa, this is my classmate, Yu Lele."
Yu Lele lowered her hand and bowed slightly, a little embarrassed: "Hello, Grandpa."
"Hmm." The old man didn't show any obvious expression. He looked Yu Lele up and down carefully, then turned and left. Only when she heard the door close upstairs did Yu Lele breathe a sigh of relief: "That scared me to death."
“Grandpa is still as dignified as ever,” Xu Yin shrugged, looking at Lian Haiping. “And look at you, you really don’t look like Commander Lian’s grandson.”
“Xu Yin, what right do you have to complain? My grandfather treated you much better than he treated me. Back then, those Swiss candies—” Lian Haiping kicked Xu Yin, then stopped mid-sentence.
Xu Yin laughed loudly: "Lian Haiping, you still hold a grudge? Then I'll go tell Grandpa who pulled up his cherry blossom saplings out of jealousy and hatred."
"You dare!"
"What wouldn't I dare to do?!"
The sounds of clapping and clanging rang out again.
After leaving Lian Haiping's house, Yu Lele couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Has his grandfather always been so stern and unsmiling?"
Xu Yin nodded: "It's really strange, actually. His grandfather is incredibly kind to other people's children, but he's extremely strict with his own. When I was little, his grandfather went abroad and brought back a huge bag of Swiss candy. He gave it all to me and didn't leave a single piece for Lian Haiping. He said that boys should eat less candy and more hardship. Ha, that made Lian Haiping so envious."
"Did you give it to him?" Yu Lele asked curiously.
“Yes, I gave it to him,” Xu Yin said matter-of-factly. “I gave him all the candy wrappers and told him very seriously that boys should eat less candy and more bitterness.”
"What a wicked woman!" Yu Lele imagined Lian Haiping's expression and couldn't help but laugh.
"He's no pushover either," Xu Yin said, pursing her lips. "Actually, he knew he could be recommended to a military medical university right at the beginning of his senior year, but he stubbornly refused, saying he wanted to apply to a local university. His father thought he wanted to study economics and follow in his footsteps, so he persuaded his grandfather to give up the recommendation. But who knew that after the college entrance exam, when he filled out his application, he actually applied to the Chinese Literature Department of a teachers' college. This turned their family upside down. It's said that they argue every time they meet, and his grandfather even smashed three inkstones."
Xu Yin grew increasingly indignant as she spoke: "Those two months of summer vacation before senior year were such wonderful times! I stayed up so late watching Korean dramas and slept in late in the mornings, and my mom didn't care. But that jerk Lian Haiping would come knocking on our door every morning. If you didn't open the door for him, he would keep knocking and accuse me of being heartless. My dad had been an advisor to his grandfather, so my mom was too embarrassed to kick him out. He treated our house like a refuge, eating and sleeping here..."
Yu Lele listened with a smile as Xu Yin recounted those old stories, as if a little Lian Haiping was standing right in front of her, mischievous and stubborn.
Xu Yin glanced at Yu Lele, seemingly understanding what she was thinking, and sighed softly, "Lele, to be honest, Lian Haiping is really a good person. Although he's not very handsome, he's at least presentable, right? Look at the quality of the guys in our department; in terms of temperament and looks, they're all getting worse and worse. Plus, he's reliable and down-to-earth, from a good family but not ostentatious, so he has a really good reputation among the female students. If you don't want someone like that, there are plenty of others who would love to have him. Take my advice, people always have to move on. No matter how wonderful something is, if it's not right for you, it's useless."
Yu Lele fell silent.
I seem to remember Uncle Yu saying: What suits you best is not necessarily what you love most.