"Settling things privately means that the family should resolve the matter privately. Family scandals should not be aired in public. Lin Henggui is a scoundrel, worse than an animal, but he is your uncle's cousin. Your uncle has treated you well, hasn't he? You've been fortunate to have him and your aunt over the years. If this gets out, your uncle's family will never be able to hold their heads up again."
"Dad, you mean...that person won't go to jail?"
Hearing this, Mom interjected, "Silly child, what good will it do you to go to jail? You've already beaten him up, and he didn't even have a chance to do anything he deserved. Your uncle will tell that shameless guy that he shouldn't expect any medical expenses. Whether he has a concussion or a broken head, he deserves it."
"That beast deserves to die," Mom cursed as well.
The uncle, who had been silent all along, said, "Don't worry, that beast will still have to pay the emotional compensation he deserves."
Ju Nian was stunned. "I don't want his money."
"Ju Nian, you're still young and don't understand anything. Let's just let this go," her mother comforted her.
"No, I want him to go to jail." Ju Nian's voice was soft, but her attitude was extremely firm. "I'm going to sue him!" Thinking of the nightmare at noon, in the narrow, dimly lit room, Lin Henggui's disgusting hands, Ju Nian blinked and tears fell.
"Shut up!" Dad threw his cigarette butt on the ground. "Don't you have a brain? If word gets out, how will you, a young woman, face people?"
“I’m not afraid of this,” Ju Nian retorted timidly.
You're not afraid, but I am. Our Xie family has never been the target of any improper gossip. I've told you before, girls should respect themselves. Your aunt also said that you're always hanging out with those frivolous boys; who would consider you a decent person? Otherwise, why hasn't that beast gone after someone else? Don't cause me any more trouble. Things have been bad enough lately. I'm supporting you and your family, running around like dogs, and you're still causing me trouble. This is settled. If you dare tell anyone, I'll disown you. Also, pack your things. You've troubled your aunt and uncle for too long. From now on, you're moving back home.”
And so, this deeply unforgettable event quietly came to an end, no one mentioning it again, as if it had never happened. She was finally going back to her parents. It's strange how people are; six years ago, living with her aunt, she felt like the sky had turned gray; six years later, returning to her parents, not a single star of joy appeared in the sky. It was just a circle, back to where she started, but everything was different. Life is like a kaleidoscope; you think you've only turned it slightly, but inside, everything has changed, a completely different world.
The adults had repeatedly emphasized that Ju Nian and Wu Yu were no longer allowed to play together, or even talk to each other. Dad said that if Ju Nian disobeyed, he would have his uncle break Wu Yu's legs. During the days of packing, Aunt also kept a close eye on him, always afraid that something might go wrong before the task was completed, and she would have a hard time explaining it to her parents.
The farewell came too quickly, catching everyone completely off guard.
Amidst this melancholy, the admission notice for No. 7 Middle School was officially delivered to Ju Nian. She attended a junior high school in the suburbs, whose teaching quality was incomparable to that of the key middle schools in the city. More than 200 graduating junior high students took the high school entrance exam, and Ju Nian ranked third in her grade. Those who scored higher than her went to vocational schools. In those days, vocational schools were more prestigious than high schools. In the end, only Ju Nian received an offer from No. 7 Middle School, while Wu Yu was admitted to a vocational high school.
On the day she left, Ju Nian woke up very early. Her father had already brought the large pieces of luggage home the day before, and then he went on a long-distance transport trip to another province. Her mother was at home taking care of her younger brother and couldn't leave, and her aunt and uncle also had their own things to do. So the adults told her to pack the last few small things and take the bus home by herself. Ju Nian was happy. She had to leave, but she had to say goodbye to Wu Yu.
Thinking of this, Ju Nian was troubled again. How could she find Wu Yu? He didn't have a phone at home. If she knocked on his door, someone would see her and it would reach her aunt's ears, causing another uproar. Just as she was hesitating, someone knocked on the small window. This was a secret signal known only to her and Wu Yu.
Ju Nian was overjoyed by this unspoken understanding. She opened the window, and sure enough, Wu Yu was standing outside with a smile.
Ju Nian smiled too. She had felt she had so much to say to Wu Yu. But now, with this golden opportunity, it took her a long time to squeeze out a single sentence.
"Wu Yu, I'm leaving."
She spoke calmer than she had expected.
Through the open window, Wu Yu could see that Ju Nian had emptied many of the rooms.
He said, "No. 7 Middle School is better than here, and your home is better than here too."
Ju Nian wanted to ask, "Will you come looking for me? Will you forget me?" But then she thought, even if Wu Yu says no now, if he really does forget me one day, there's nothing that can be done about it.
"I saw that Lin Henggui's shop was open again." Fear was deeply rooted in her heart, and she had nowhere to express it but hoped that Wu Yu could move her.
“What are you afraid of? I’ll watch you walk away from the martyrs’ cemetery, I’ll keep watching you. If he dares to do anything again, I will definitely kill him.”
This was Ju Nian and Wu Yu's farewell. Ju Nian thought at least one of them would shed tears. After all, in recent years, their world had practically revolved around each other. She had returned to her parents' home, and although they weren't completely separated, the opportunities to meet were much fewer, and they could no longer be as close as they used to be.
But reality wasn't as sad and sentimental as she had imagined. They remained smiling throughout, everything was understated. Finally, Wu Yu told Ju Nian that he had picked a loquat tree from his yard, unsure if it would survive.
Ju Nian liked loquat fruit, no wonder Wu Yu asked her about the loquat pits she had to spit out; so that's what they were for. Her heart was filled with joy, as if she could already see the bright yellow loquats hanging from the branches when they ripened, peeking out from Wu Yu's moss-covered courtyard wall.
What's there to worry about? Maybe on that day, she can sit under the tree with Wu Yu and carefully pick up the fruit on the ground.
The pomegranates of Wuyu and the loquats of Ju Nian, though not together, are still companions. Besides, one of them should bear fruit eventually.
Wu Yu didn't understand why Ju Nian's face suddenly turned red. Ju Nian tried to hide her embarrassment.
“Plant more trees, otherwise if there’s only one tree in the yard, it will look like the Chinese character for ‘trapped’ (困), which is not good.”
Wu Yu laughed heartily, "Master Xie, you're getting more and more mystical. According to you, shouldn't there be more people in the family? Otherwise, one person in one courtyard would just be like the character 'prisoner'."
With no one home, their laughter can echo freely.
In the afternoon, Ju Nian packed her things and said goodbye to her aunt's house.
No matter how much you disliked a place in the past, over time, you develop a deep and visceral connection with it, and you always feel a sense of loss when you leave. It's an unavoidable thing.
After placing the key under the threshold, Ju Nian carried a large bag and walked alone on the road. Every short distance, she would glance in the direction of the martyrs' cemetery. It was a high place, and from there, one could see all the people, cars, and roads below.
We're almost at the bus stop. From that angle, we can see a splash of red on the Martyrs' Cemetery – blooming pomegranate blossoms – and a white dot beneath them – that's Wu Yu.
Ju Nian could imagine Wu Yu smiling under the flowers, his head bald and his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
Later, Wu Yu told her that he had actually dozed off while sitting under the tree that time, and he had closed his eyes, but Ju Nian didn't know. She only believed that Wu Yu would keep watching her walk away, and keep watching, so she wasn't afraid of anything.
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Imperial Army and the Civilians
Ju Nian got into No. 7 Middle School. Although the joy she felt was overshadowed by her separation from Wu Yu, it was still something to be thankful for. No. 7 Middle School was a prestigious boarding school, and Ju Nian thought that this would at least give her some freedom.
However, things didn't go as planned. After the start of the school year, my mother said that the family's situation was not good, and my younger brother was at the age where money was needed. The tuition fees for high school were not a small amount, so we had to save money wherever possible. Boarding school would cost money, so she asked Ju Nian to submit an application for off-campus accommodation so that she could stay at home and take care of her younger brother.
Ju Nian was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do. If you can't change the desert, you can only try to become a cactus yourself. Coming home from No. 7 Middle School every day meant she needed transportation, and she believed her parents would rather she ride her bicycle than pay for the bus fare. Ju Nian loved bicycles; sitting on one, the wind brushing her cheeks, the surrounding scenery receding—it was smoother than walking, more soothing than driving, a perfectly timeless experience. She excitedly went to register, received the famously nun-like uniform of No. 7 Middle School, and found it quite pleasing to the eye.
The school uniform of No. 7 Middle School is a somber dark blue, paired with a striking white collar. It is said to be a distinctive tradition of the school. When thousands of dark blue figures stand on the playground, it looks like a dark cloud covering the sky. Although it has been criticized many times, the school has persisted in not changing it. Because of the school's reputation, over time, the students who wear it, while dissatisfied, have also developed a sense of pride in being a member of No. 7 Middle School.
The opening ceremony was the day before the Beginning of Autumn. The book says that the "Four Beginnings" among the twenty-four festivals—the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn, and the Beginning of Winter—are all rare auspicious days, but the day before the "Four Beginnings" is called the "Four Absolutes" day.
On the four days of absolute death, it is inauspicious to do anything.
Ju Nian told herself that everything was brand new—from her aunt's house back to her parents' house, from a suburban junior high to No. 7 Middle School—and her mindset should be just as new. All those feudal superstitions had to be discarded. However, she later discovered that the wisdom of the ancients had some merit, or rather, it did make sense to the very few pitiful people who had once believed in it.
That day, Ju Nian woke up very early. Whenever there was something special the next day, she would never sleep well the night before, and Ju Nian was very disappointed in herself about this. After putting on her school uniform, which she had ironed twice, her mother actually said she looked quite good dressed. Although this made Ju Nian wonder if she was born with a nun-like appearance, she still insisted that her mother's taste this time was normal.
Little Wangnian was very curious about this older sister who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he always liked to lie on her lap and talk to himself. Ju Nian held him in one arm and ate porridge with a spoon in the other. After swallowing the last spoonful, she suddenly felt a strange heat on her thigh. She slowly looked down—early that morning, her mother had held Wangnian and tried to "pee" for a long time without success, but just two minutes before leaving the house, the little guy enthusiastically peed a lot on Ju Nian's pants.
Ju Nian quickly got up, placed Wang Nian on a stool beside him, and looked at his own wet trouser legs, feeling like crying under the innocent gaze of his child. His mother, hearing the commotion, came out of the kitchen, saw the scene, and was amused.
"Let's get a different one."
"Mom, this is the only pair of school uniform pants I have."
"If all else fails, just wipe it with a cloth. It's so hot, by the time you ride your bike to school, your pants will be completely dry."
Ju Nian ended the conversation and went back to her room to change into another pleated skirt. It was her first day of high school, and she didn't want her classmates to think she had incontinence. Then she rode her bike to school at breakneck speed, without looking back, as if there were still a pair of hands pushing her forward, forward.
After entering the school gate and parking her bicycle, Ju Nian had five minutes left before the school's deadline. Everything wasn't as bad as Ju Nian had anticipated. The same old march, the athletes' march, was already playing from the direction of the playground. In the distance, Ju Nian saw a huge swarm of dark blue "ants" rushing in the same direction. The scene was spectacular. She quickened her pace, wanting to blend into that blue ocean. She was almost there when someone called her back about ten meters from the playground entrance.
"Excuse me, wait a minute."
Ju Nian thought that everyone within a mile radius was a "classmate," and that others might not be calling her. So she kept her eyes straight ahead and kept walking.
But the owner of that voice wouldn't let it go, and soon he became an obstacle blocking her way. Ju Nian saw someone dressed in the same dark blue as her, with a dazzling white collar and sneakers, and that face looked strangely familiar.
Han Shu, indeed, life is full of unexpected encounters.
"You called me? Is there anything I can help you with?" Ju Nian asked cautiously.
Han Shu gave a strange look, as if she had said something ridiculous. Then, he pointed to an armband on his hand with two words on it: "On Duty".
“I wasn’t late.” Ju Nian genuinely respected anyone with an “official status,” so she took the initiative to honestly disclaim any potential mistakes she might have made.
Why did you walk in from the school gate? Didn't you stay in the dormitory last night?
"I applied for off-campus accommodation, and this is my off-campus accommodation permit."
Han Shu glanced at the dormitory pass that Ju Nian obediently handed over and asked, "You don't seem to have brought your school badge!"
"Here, here, I put it in my pocket, just about to put it on."
The two men looked like they were a serious and focused pair, with the other obedient and cooperative, resembling the scene of the Japanese Imperial Army interrogating law-abiding Chinese citizens.
Han Shu seemed rather dismissive of Ju Nian's "lack of temper." He glanced at her again, his gaze landing on her white calves, and suddenly exclaimed as if he had discovered a new continent.
"You're wearing a skirt? The teacher already said that all girls must wear pants for today's ceremony. Didn't you hear? I didn't realize you liked to be different."
Ju Nian understood Han Shu's unspoken meaning, as if she deliberately broke the rules in order to stand out. She felt embarrassed and blushed.
"Please sign your name here."
A small notebook was handed to Ju Nian.
Ju Nian glanced at it; several names were already on it, either for not wearing the school badge or for not meeting the uniform requirements. She was always a disciplined person; she didn't strive for excellence, but she couldn't afford to be on the list for poor behavior on the very first day of school. Although she didn't know how serious the consequences would be, she absolutely couldn't sign that name.
She tried to plead, "I won't do it again, really."
Han Shu handed her a pen without saying a word.
“Han Shu, we…we even went to kindergarten together when we were little,” Ju Nian said in a low voice. Since pleading didn’t work, she tried appealing to personal connections. After all, they were kids from the same compound, right? Although her father had been dismissed and the whole family had moved out of the municipal procuratorate’s staff quarters, her father had driven for Director Xie for many years and lived in the same building.
"Hey, you've got connections now?" Han Shu chuckled in surprise. "You remember we went to kindergarten together now? Your memory wasn't this good the first few times. Stop dawdling and write your name in the notebook. Let me tell you, I hate people who pull strings and use connections the most."
Ju Nian blushed even more, inwardly groaning. Today was indeed an inauspicious day, an unlucky day to go out. How did she end up in this trouble? Not only was it difficult to get out, but after the conversation, she only appeared to be the one with a dark side, while the other party seemed incredibly righteous.
The march was gradually fading, and people on the platform were already testing the sound system, saying "hello, hello, hello." Everyone had almost finished assembling, and it would be too late if they didn't join the procession soon.
Ju Nian lowered her head timidly and said, "I know you're not the kind of person who shows favoritism, but is it really okay not to remember names? I'll correct that next time."
"Who, who has an affair with you?" Han Shu seemed startled and quickly retorted.
"That's not what I meant, sigh..." At this point, Ju Nian knew there was no hope of communication. She didn't want to be late, didn't want to become a role model, and was truly forced into a corner, leaving her with no choice but to take a desperate gamble. Just as she tried to take a step forward, Han Shu reached out and stopped her.
"You're still trying to cheat. Wearing a skirt is against the rules."
"No, I was actually wearing pants."
No sooner said than done, Ju Nian swiftly lifted her skirt in front of Han Shu.
Han Shu cried out in surprise and froze instantly.
Ju Nian wasn't lying; she wasn't used to wearing skirts, so before leaving home, she had deliberately worn a pair of athletic shorts underneath her school uniform skirt. Before Han Shu could recover from his shock, she dashed into the large blue-clad group, leaving him standing there, speechless.
After the ceremony, because of the dress, the homeroom teacher asked Ju Nian why she didn't wear the same dress as everyone else. Ju Nian explained the reason, and the teacher was magnanimous and didn't hold it against her.
Those athletic shorts were henceforth regarded as "lucky shorts" by Ju Nian.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Who Would Like Kazama-kun?
One of Ju Nian's favorite things about high school was that everyone could pile all their textbooks and workbooks on their desks, like a wall, hiding inside for protection. Therefore, her "wall" was always the highest, and whether in class or out, she kept her head down, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Her favorite thing to do was daydream. Her body was physically present, but her thoughts were wandering far away, embarking on incredible adventures. However, Ju Nian was selective about when she daydreamed. She was very attentive in math and English classes; it had become a habit. She was afraid of falling behind in one class and then finding the next class like listening to gibberish. She was also shy and too embarrassed to ask others for help or borrow their homework to copy extensively; she had to rely on herself for everything. Occasionally, she could daydream in politics and history classes. But for Ju Nian, Chinese class was a breeding ground for daydreams. Chinese was all about a feel for the language; rather than analyzing the profound meanings and central themes of Lu Xun, Ba Jin, and Lao She until she was mentally broken, she'd rather actively engage in a mental breakdown. Xiao Qiushui's battle at Tangmen, and the way he and Tang Fang ran, were far more interesting than Kong Yiji and Xianglin's wife. The Chinese teacher would lecture endlessly on the platform, while Ju Nian stared intently at the blackboard, her soul already chasing after the running figures.
Xiao Qiushui has a solemn and calm face, and when she smiles, she has white teeth. Tang Fang's appearance is always unclear.
While Ju Nian was thinking about this, she was late more than once because of the chalk from her Chinese teacher. Unfortunately, the teacher who was the breeding ground for her daydreams was also Ju Nian's homeroom teacher.