Although she took the high school entrance exam here, Zhang Lei was supposed to return to Shanghai this summer to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a mother, as had been agreed upon long ago. For every educated youth sent to the countryside, returning home was their dream.
However, at least he can spend the first half of this summer vacation at his hometown. During the previous holidays, Zhang Lei was either preparing for competitions or worrying about his internal strength. Now he can finally relax completely.
Now that his internal energy cultivation has basically gotten on track, there aren't many things that urgently need to be studied, and the daily practice time isn't too long. Of course, the rest of the time is Zhang Lei's time to play around.
But he was about to go to a big city. Although he had been there a few times when he was a child, he had only ever been around his grandfather's house and had never really experienced what a big city was like. Thinking about it, Zhang Lei felt a little nervous. They say that hidden talents are everywhere, and perhaps there are many kids in Shanghai who are even more capable than Lei Xiaofeng, and quite a few of them probably have martial arts skills.
...
The first episode is over. There was a poll beforehand to see how many episodes people wanted me to finish the preparatory stage for primary and junior high school. At first, 30 episodes were in the lead, but later 20 episodes took the lead. However, by then, Lao Gui's drafts had already exceeded 20 episodes, so he couldn't completely follow public opinion. Hehe, let's just consider it as a weighted average of several options.
The original plan was to have at least fifty chapters, but considering that not many junior high and elementary school students are reading it, we'll move on to the next stage sooner.
Episode 2: Metropolis, Chapter 13: The Pre-Departure Adventure
Originally, Zhang Lei was supposed to have a few days of fun after the exams before heading back to Shanghai. However, his uncle informed him that a ruthless gang from Northeast China was moving south, causing chaos on the train lines. Plus, train tickets were hard to come by, so they postponed their trip for a month to see how things developed. If all else failed, they decided to fly. Although airfare would be a huge burden for an ordinary family if not reimbursed, safety came first.
Zhang Lei's score has already been obtained, but the cutoff score for Yanbian No. 2 Middle School has not yet been released. However, based on the difficulty of the questions and the reference of previous years, it is certain that Zhang Lei's score is at least 50 points higher than the cutoff score for No. 2 Middle School, so there is nothing to worry about.
After the students go on holiday, the teachers work a few more days, argue a bit, and then go on holiday too. The school is naturally empty. Even the teachers on duty come sometimes and don't come at all, and they are mostly concentrated in the middle school's teaching building. The elementary school classrooms and offices have been virtually deserted for the past two months.
Zhang Lei and his classmates still had to go once more. Although their junior high school graduation certificates weren't worth much, they still had to get them. Today was the day they were to receive their graduation certificates.
Many classmates hadn't seen each other for several days, and a large group of them gathered together, chattering incessantly. One reason was the long absence, and another was the lack of chairs to sit on.
It's been so long, the chairs and tables are covered in a thick layer of dust. Everyone dressed up especially for the occasion, who would want to use their own clothes to wipe the dust? As for who would fetch water to wipe the tables and chairs? Good heavens, what are you talking about? It's July in the book, not March! Comrade Lei Feng isn't home! If it were six months ago, maybe, but now everyone's graduated. Who would do such a thing? Even if the teacher spoke up, would it make a difference?
"Zhang Lei, Zhang Lei!" Tian Zhiguo squeezed in from the side. "They all say we're going to explore the back of the mountain today, are you coming?"
"Oh? That cave in the back mountain? Are you going? If you're going, I'll go!" Zhang Lei perked up at the mention of it. Although he had been relaxing lately, there wasn't much to do in this small town. The most he could do was go fishing in the river and have a picnic. Picnics were a novelty for city kids, but here it was nothing special. If they wanted to, they could walk to the countryside for a picnic in three minutes. However, lighting a campfire by the river and simmering fish soup was still quite fun.
"Go! Of course I'm going. Lots of girls are going this time, how could I not go? I've been so bored at home these past few days. My mom keeps comparing me to you, it's driving me crazy. You little Lei Lei, what's the point of getting such good grades?" Tian Zhiguo half-jokingly pinched Zhang Lei's head with his fist.
Behind the primary school is the hill behind the school. As mentioned before, there is no wall in front of the hill. The side closest to the primary school is a steep cliff, which usually serves as a wall.
On that mountain, there is a large cave, which is not natural, or at least not entirely natural.
Some said it was a military tunnel built by the Japanese devils, while others said it was built a few years ago to store grain for war. None of the students could say for sure. The elderly might know, but no one could get anything out of them. Zhang Lei's family moved there later, so even if they wanted to ask the elders, they had nowhere to turn.
Zhang Lei had been there once when he was in elementary school, but he hadn't brought all the necessary lighting equipment and had to come back as soon as he entered the cave.
Thinking of this, Zhang Lei asked, "So what will we use for lighting this time? Did anyone bring anything?"
"It's alright, it's all settled. Xiong Yong and the others will go home down the mountain to get rags and gasoline. Those who have flashlights at home should bring them too. But we'll split the cost of the batteries. We'll settle it after we buy them. Do you have any money? If not, I'll cover it for you!"
After graduation, the relationships between classmates seemed to become harmonious all of a sudden. No matter what, Zhang Lei had no connection with Xiong Yong and the others in the later years of junior high school. Xiong Yong once tried to bully Zhang Lei again, but Zhang Lei stood up for him, and that was the end of it.
However, Tian Zhiguo and his group continued to be bullied. Although things improved a bit after Wang Baozhong organized a small gang, it wasn't much better. The difference in strength was too great. There wasn't a single person from Daonan who could fight, except for Zhang Lei later on.
Now it seems like the two groups have no grudges left. Judging from the tone of Tian Zhiguo's voice when he calls Xiong Yong, it's as if nothing ever happened. Maybe it's because they've graduated and everyone is going their separate ways, and their relationship has suddenly become harmonious.
"What are you looking at me for! Tell me, I'm serious, if you don't have the money, I'll cover it for you! If I go back on my word, may I write the character '田' upside down!" Tian Zhiguo patted his chest, which was thin and bony, "Or you can turn it to the side, whatever you want!"
"Ugh!" Zhang Lei pouted. He'd been saying this since elementary school; it seemed to have become his catchphrase. It was the same no matter how you looked at it. "I brought it, you don't need to pad it!"
Xiong Yong's dad is the team leader for the little car team, so his family must have plenty of gasoline. He'd be embarrassed to ask for money if he brought out such a small bucket, not to mention the tattered clothes and scraps. As for the batteries, the adventure definitely won't be a short trip; we might need to buy a couple more sets. Since everyone's paying for it, no one can say anything. If you're going to play, don't think you can be stingy.
There was nothing special about issuing graduation certificates. Basically, everyone who made it to the junior high school graduation exam received one, including Wang Baozhong, even though he didn't pass a single subject. But considering he had already become a proud member of the People's Liberation Army, the graduation certificate wouldn't hold him back. Wang Baozhong was in good health and hardworking, so I believe he will soon be appreciated in the army.
A large group of students marched towards the back of the mountain. They agreed to wait at the foot of the mountain. Those who lived nearby went home to get their things and then ran over quickly. A few of the stronger students went to the small shop to buy some batteries.
As for food, it's unnecessary. Although there are no corpses to see there, it's cold and damp, and there's a musty smell. I doubt anyone would want to eat there.
There are two hidden bunkers at the entrance of the cave. Although they are very old, they still exude a strong murderous aura, making people dare not approach them easily.
Uh, okay, it's a strong stench. The local mountain people have been using this bunker as a toilet, with a man and a woman in it, and it's even written on it in red paint.
However, the bunker is quite well-built, with thick walls at least a meter thick. I don't know what material it is, it looks like stone but isn't, but it just feels so heavy. If the mountain people didn't use it as a toilet, it would be nice to go inside and play a game of sacrificing yourself to blow up the bunker.
Nowadays, sacrificing oneself is like throwing a depth charge, even if the splash isn't very appealing.
The first thing you see when you enter the cave is a horizontal tunnel about five or six meters long. The real main tunnel is accessed by climbing through a small hole above this horizontal tunnel. It's not very high, only about one and a half meters. For lively students, it's easy to climb up with just a little help.
Wrapping a wooden stick in rags and pouring gasoline on it creates a makeshift torch. The flickering flames illuminate the shadows of people in front of it, making it look somewhat like a ghost cave.
Of course, it would be even better if the tunnel were a bit more winding and the ground a bit more rugged.
Unfortunately, even the ground here is made of cement, and there are even metal water pipes around the cave walls. However, these water pipes are obviously broken. A few lively students tried to turn on the tap, and only a few loose pieces of rust fell out due to the shaking.
The cave is definitely man-made, at least most of it. Although it has a few curves, most of the time it feels like a corridor with a broken light.
The cave walls were surrounded by small windows, about half a meter square, which looked like shooting holes. Even shining a flashlight inside, it was impossible to see what was inside. However, everyone kept walking forward, and no one said they wanted to go inside for a visit.
Although it's not particularly scary here, that's only when you're with a large group. With so many people chatting and laughing, it's not scary at all. But if you get separated from the group, this dark place can be quite frightening.
Several students who had been here before kept telling speculative stories, about dead people and ghosts, basically just trying to scare the girls into screaming.
"Just around the next corner, it'll be out in a few minutes. The exit leads right to the back hill of the elementary school!" Leng Weifeng appeared beside Zhang Lei without him noticing. "The exit is quite well hidden; you can't see it from the elementary school playground at all..."
Upon seeing Leng Weifeng approach, Tian Zhiguo and the others immediately dispersed, suggesting that the previously harmonious post-graduation relationship still had some limitations.
Just as the people in front had turned the corner, several screams came from ahead.
"Go to hell, what are you yelling about? Don't use such a corny trick to scare people!" Xiong Yong was standing among a few girls behind him. These were the girls who sat next to him when he took the vocational school entrance exam. He had been following them all the way, so now he naturally had to play the role of a protector of the flowers, even though the girls didn't seem frightened at all.
But to his surprise, the screams that came from the front did not decrease at all because of his call; on the contrary, they became even more intense.
"Fuck your mother, can't you understand human language? I told you to stop yelling, didn't you hear me?" Xiong Yong took a few quick steps and turned the corner.
"Ah!" A scream that was just as loud came from his mouth. Only then did the few people who were slowly swaying behind realize that something was wrong. However, the group of teenagers had no idea what had happened or what they should do. Should they turn around and run back, or go forward to see what had happened?