May 7th, early morning.
Outside the window, it was still very quiet, with only the sound of car horns.
After breakfast, Zhou Li picked up his bag and sat at the door to change his shoes. The door was wide open; Huai Xu had already walked out and was standing outside.
Aunt Jiang came from behind, carrying a paper bag. She looked down into it as she walked, as if checking to see if she had forgotten anything.
"What's up, Aunt Jiang?"
"I fried some crispy meat for you to take to school for lunch."
"Crispy meat, huh."
Zhou Li took the paper bag. It was heavy, and he could already smell a fragrance.
The crispy meat Aunt Jiang fried was usually made from lean tenderloin. She didn't like to use pork belly. After marinating, the meat was coated in starch and fried twice until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Then, it was evenly sprinkled with pepper powder, becoming a favorite for both Zhou Li and Zhu Shuang.
He hesitated, then said, "But isn't it too troublesome this early? The food at school is still filling."
"What nutrition is there in school food? It has no real substance!" Actually, the meals at Yan City Middle School were quite good, but Aunt Jiang always believed they lacked nutrition. "You're burning so much energy every day," she said. "I heard online that some high school seniors get hungry by the third period. What would happen if you got hungry and had nothing to eat?"
"Is all this necessary, though…" Zhou Li looked down again. A large glass food container was filled to the brim, and it also contained two boiled eggs, two boxes of milk, and a handful of small biscuits. He guessed he wouldn't be able to finish all of it for lunch.
Aunt Jiang tactfully said, "It's okay if you can't finish it all. You can share with your classmates."
"Alright then, I should get going."
"Take care on the road."
"Mmm."
Zhou Li left the house and closed the door, feeling increasingly confused. He was sure Aunt Jiang, Zhu Shuang, and even Old Zhou were all normal people; otherwise, he would have suspected that Aunt Jiang had prepared a portion for Huai Xu as well.
"What's up?" Huai Xu asked.
"It's nothing. Aunt Jiang just prepared a lot for me. I can't finish it all by myself. Have some first."
"How could I!"
"While it's hot."
"Alright, alright, let's see. It's just this little, and you couldn't finish!" Huai Xu reluctantly agreed.
By the time Zhou Li walked into the residential complex, one-third of the crispy meat was already gone. He was holding an empty milk carton and a bunch of eggshells in his hands.
Huai Xu smacked his lips. "So tasty!"
Zhou Li nodded. "Aunt Jiang's crispy meat is indeed delicious."
"Can you make it?"
"No."
Just a few steps further, he again saw those two little demons—they were still squatting under the peach tree, guarding the fruit, seemingly anticipating the day the unripe peaches would mature.
The sky seemed brighter than on previous days.
When Zhou Li arrived at the classroom, to his surprise, Brother Nan was already there. She was asleep with her head on the desk, a tuft of hair sticking up at the front.
Zhou Li walked over and sat down.
Perhaps disturbed by the sound of his chair moving, Brother Nan turned her head towards Zhou Li, the tuft of hair now out of his sight. She muttered, "I smell crispy meat…"
"My aunt fried it for me. Want to try some?"
"Is it tasty? It smells so good."
"It's delicious."
"Let me try then." Brother Nan sat up straight. Seeing Zhou Li take a glass container out from the paper bag, she said, "My mom supervised me memorizing essays all night yesterday. She even took all three of my phones away! Then she woke me up really early this morning, and now I feel completely drained… OUCH, that's hot!"
"It was just fried. Be careful." Zhou Li habitually glanced up.
"Mmm, it's really delicious!"
"What time did you go to sleep?"
"I don't know. I didn't check my watch." Brother Nan was full of energy by then.
"You just need to sleep earlier." Zhou Li thought that Li Nan's current life was actually just like that of most high school seniors.
"How can I sleep without my phone!"
"You'll get used to it."
Zhou Li looked past Li Nan to the outside. Huai Xu was hopping around the pond's edge, seemingly chasing birds or something, and San Zheng stood beside him, curiously staring.
Outside the window, birds chirped. It was already noisy even without the cicadas' sound.
Reading voices gradually rose around him. The closest to Zhou Li was Brother Nan, who was reciting distorted poetry she found online, using it as an excuse to shirk work.
"Gently plucking, slowly twisting, brushing and then plucking again; for you, my humble gate now opens wide."
"Men must be strong; I'll just sit before the mirror and apply my makeup."
"Heaven has a road, but I choose not to take it; the sea of learning is boundless, and I use hardship as my boat…"
Suddenly, her voice stopped.
Zhou Li turned to look, only to see her gripping a slim pen in her mouth, her hands raised behind her head, twisting her hair. This pose unavoidably accentuated her figure, although Brother Nan's upper body wasn't particularly well-endowed.
Suddenly, she quickly retracted one hand, removed the pen from her mouth, and inserted it into her hair behind her head, finishing a senior-year version of a bun.
Zhou Li thought it was amazing.
"What are you looking at?" Brother Nan turned her head. A few strands of hair rebelliously sneaked out, resting on her fair neck.
"Nothing."
"Stop spacing out and memorize your books. You've been staring for half an hour."
"Okay." That's still better than your nonsensical recitations.
Days passed in such bland and boring minutiae. Strangely, though every day felt excruciating while it was happening, upon reflection, it seemed to have flown by incredibly fast.
「In the blink of an eye, only the last week of senior year remained.」
In this nearly month-long period, Zhou Li had watched Brother Nan gradually grow haggard. Brother Nan used to be a carefree little flower. She would come and go freely through the school gates, and the security guards wouldn't even stop her. But now, she had been worn down to a shadow of her former self by the English teacher in cahoots with her mother.
The atmosphere in the classroom also grew significantly gloomier. Now, aside from eating and going to the toilet, the students spent all other times studying diligently. They solved problems, asked teachers, and consulted classmates. Even Wu Yuanliang glanced backward far less frequently.
During the last ten minutes before school was out, Mother Zhao stood on the platform looking down, speaking earnestly, "There are only a few days left. Everyone, please stay calm and do your best!"
After Mother Zhao left, a girl in front of Zhou Li stood up and turned to address everyone, "It's the Wuyan Group's turn to clean for this last week. Since it's only a few days, we won't make a rota. The day after tomorrow, everyone come a bit earlier to sweep thoroughly. After that, whoever comes early can just quickly pick up any obvious trash in the classroom when no one's around!"
Zhou Li reminded Li Nan beside him, "Our group is up for sweeping again the day after tomorrow."
Brother Nan, lacking energy, packed up her things and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I've been coming early these past few days."
Zhou Li nodded.
This grouping was based on seating assignments. Initially, it was mainly for academic purposes, like checking homework and reciting texts. Cleaning duties also followed this grouping, but now it had almost completely become just a cleaning group. Li Nan wasn't initially seated here; she belonged to the "Endurance Group." However, because she couldn't stand the boredom of studying and constantly wanted to talk to Jiang Han, she was moved next to Zhou Li and thus naturally joined the Wuyan Group. In the beginning, though, she often feigned confusion. When it was the Wuyan Group's turn to clean, she'd insist she was from the Endurance Group, and when it was the Endurance Group's turn, she'd claim she had now been moved to the Wuyan Group. No one could really do anything about her.
Fortunately, in senior year, they only needed to sweep the classrooms, which didn't require many people.