The English teacher still didn't let Li Nan off the hook. During the evening self-study session, he specifically called her to the lectern to check her English exam paper and ten essays, and he also took away her math paper.
Unsurprisingly, Brother Nan got a severe scolding.
Brother Nan wasn't surprised either and faced the English teacher's scolding with the same expression the whole time—mouth slightly open, looking not too bright. Though facing the English teacher, her eyes were unfocused, as if she was looking at some point between herself and the teacher.
Occasionally, she would nod her head.
You're absolutely right, but I'm not listening.
As soon as she turned away from the lectern, Li Nan immediately snapped out of her zombie-like state. Her eyes were dark and furious as she huffed back to her seat. She habitually turned to Zhou Li, who was memorizing vocabulary, and said, "This old lecher is just too much! I used to be quite good at English in my first year of junior high, but these teachers are the ones who made me hate learning it!"
Zhou Li glanced at her once. His English in the first year of junior high had also been quite good.
Brother Nan didn't need his response and, after a brief pause, continued, "If I don't do well in the college entrance exam English test, I might as well beat him up!"
Zhou Li fell silent, and after a moment, he put down the book in his hands.
Beating up a teacher—that's a dream many students have had. Zhou Li was sure Brother Nan had the guts to do it.
"But what if he finds out it was you?"
"Good point!" His comment seemed to enlighten Brother Nan. She fell into thought and quickly came up with an answer, "I'll pick a night, put a sack over his head, and wear one too—you know, the kind robbers wear on TV. Triple insurance! There's no way he'll recognize it's me!"
He'd totally recognize you.
Zhou Li shook his head, too lazy to say more. After all, it was all just talk.
After the evening self-study session, the English teacher held Brother Nan back again.
The English teacher had heavily revised the awful essay she wrote. It seemed this process had also built up a lot of anger in him, so he scolded her fiercely again. He almost threw the notebook in Li Nan's face, his own face livid as he told her to go back and memorize it.
Brother Nan felt miserable.
She had already memorized three of her previous essays. Now, not only did she have to memorize them all over again, but the new versions seemed even harder to remember.
The English teacher also said, "You must memorize these by the end of this week. There's more next week!"
Li Nan walked out of the classroom, looking ashen-faced.
In just a few minutes, the students on that floor had almost all left. She stomped on the stairs, waking up the voice-activated lights. The orange lights brightly illuminated the hallway but also cast many dark shadows.
When she reached the ground floor, Li Nan saw someone squatting ahead of her—a well-built male classmate.
Hearing the sound, the male classmate turned around, still holding a cigarette butt in his hand.
"Zhang Hao, you haven't left yet?"
"You haven't left either!"
"What a coincidence. Were you also held back by the teacher?" Li Nan said as she walked past Zhang Hao, continuing on her way.
"I'm kind of struggling with something," Zhang Hao said, catching up to Li Nan. "Brother Nan, do you think Kang Xue'er and I can actually make it?"
"Aren't you two already together?"
"I mean in the future. Don't lots of couples break up after high school graduation, once they start university? Her grades aren't as good as mine, so we probably won't get into the same university," Zhang Hao said.
"You're thinking pretty far ahead," Li Nan said, a corner of her mouth quirking up.
"Of course, I have to think about the future! I just don't feel confident right now, Brother Nan, do you think we can make it?"
"You can make it!" Li Nan answered incredibly fast.
"…"
"I'm just trying to give you some confidence. Whether you can make it or not, you've got to have confidence," Li Nan said, stuffing her hands in her trouser pockets as she walked. Playing matchmaker for classmates is always a good idea. If a couple gets together, that's one less wedding gift I'll have to give in the future.
"Enough about me. What about you, Brother Nan?" Zhang Hao changed the subject. "Are you waiting until university to think about settling down? I've noticed you've been quite close with Zhou Li recently."
"I... huh?"
Brother Nan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Zhang Hao also stopped, turning to look at Li Nan, slightly nervous. "What's up?"
"So that's why you weren't rushing home to squat on the stairs and smoke! You were waiting for me on purpose, weren't you!"
"No, not really."
"Did Wu Yuanliang ask you to help?"
"No…"
"Are you sure?"
Li Nan tilted her head and stared at him.
Zhang Hao silently puffed out his chest. "That's right! Wu Yuanliang was worried Zhou Li is too handsome, so he asked me to find out. He said he'd treat me to an all-nighter next week, dinner and late-night snacks included."
Li Nan's expression was priceless. "What on earth are you idiots thinking about all day long?"
Then she felt a pang of heartache; she'd always thought of them as her underlings.
Zhang Hao carefully studied Li Nan's expression and tone and felt relieved. At least it meant Brother Nan had no romantic interest in Zhou Li.
"Brother Nan, you're right. I also think Wu Yuanliang is being ridiculous. That's totally impossible. But, you know, teenage boys aren't always the brightest. Don't be too hard on him." Now that his all-nighter was secured, Zhang Hao put in a few good words for Wu Yuanliang. "Don't worry, as soon as I get home, I'll call and give him a good talking to. I'll make sure he mends his ways!"
"Hold on!" Li Nan called out to Zhang Hao, who had quickened his pace as if to leave. "You also need to keep an eye on Wu Yuanliang. Don't let him go bothering Zhou Li. This is the last month before the college entrance exam. If you guys mess that up for him, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
"Don't worry, that's impossible!"
"Alright, go on then!"
Li Nan sighed quietly to herself.
There were many vendors at the school gate, brightly illuminated by lights, with various fragrances intermingling. Students were crowded around in layers, and even a few teachers could be seen mingling in the crowd, creating a scene like a small night market.
Brother Nan took a breath. It smelled great.
She kept her hands in her pockets. The feeling of them being empty urged her to walk faster.
「...」
The residential area was lush with Small Ye Rongs, interspersed with a few fruit trees. There were two or three peach trees and loquat trees, with a single pomegranate tree among them.
Zhou Li searched for the two little demons.
The loquat trees were a native variety, tall and lush, bearing small but very sweet fruits. Zhou Li recalled his grandfather having one in his yard when he was younger. However, the loquat trees in this residential complex were rather strange. Every year they bore a good crop, and just as they neared ripeness, many golden-red fruits would be hidden beneath the leaves. But by the time people thought they were ready to be picked, only a few would be left.
Probably eaten by birds, right?
No one paid it much mind.
Pomegranates would only ripen in the latter half of the year, during autumn, and they always disappeared too.
The fruit season for the early peaches was approaching. However, these trees were mainly ornamental. Their flowers bloomed beautifully each spring, but the fruit they produced was tiny and dry. No one ate them; only children would occasionally pick them to play with.
Zhou Li found the two little demons under a peach tree.
Under the tree were a few old porcelain basins filled with cheap cat food. The gray cat demon sat next to one basin, chatting with the round mouse demon nearby. It would occasionally dip its paw into the basin, grab a piece of cat food, and pop it into its mouth.
Next to them was a bewildered black cat. Although it couldn't see the two little demons, it could see the food float up and disappear.
"He's been coming around these days without even saying hello to us. That's really rude!"
"Exactly, this is our territory."
"He's relying on being a Great Demon, which is just too much."
"Do you dare to confront him?"
"Nope…"
"Speaking of which, these peaches are about to ripen. We need to guard these trees so the birds don't peck them all. We're very busy, you know."
"Mhm, true enough."
The two little demons looked up in unison—
The peach tree wasn't tall. Its sparse branches held a few tiny, dry, green orbs, only slightly larger than a thumb, looking quite malnourished.
They soon noticed Zhou Li.
The round mouse demon pointed at Zhou Li, "Has that human forgotten something again?"
"So forgetful," the gray cat demon disapproved.
"…"
Zhou Li silently walked into the building.
Opening the door to his room, he saw Huai Xu sitting in his chair, facing the window and looking out at the night scene.
Only when Zhou Li walked in did Huai Xu turn the chair around to face him. "I remembered some scenes, but I don't know where they are from, so I came to ask you."
At his words, Zhou Li turned around to close the door. "Is it a place?"
Huai Xu showed a reminiscent expression. He thought for a long time, but only spoke one sentence, "A range of mountains in the sky, forming a line."
"How can there be mountains in the sky…"