Chapter 9 (5)

  On the day of the new student registration, the scene of the class division exam was replayed. Lin's father and mother also rushed to help Yu Xiang move into his dormitory. In Chinese melodramas, the phrase most often used on the day of reunion is one person embracing another, gazing deeply, and saying, "××, you've lost weight." However, Lin's mother examined Yu Xiang for half a day, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Yu Xiang, you've gotten darker." Then she said she wanted to go buy some skin whitening powder. The dormitory was just one floor down from the third floor to the second floor. Roommates soon arrived, and several parents were familiar with each other, chatting and putting up mosquito nets. The students following behind their parents were extremely shy, looking at the ground. The classification of dormitories also carried discrimination. Those with Shanghai urban household registration were assigned to room 1 with a balcony, while those with town and rural household registration were assigned to room 2. Yu Xiang's bed was in room 2 near the door. There were four people in this dormitory, all of whom had taken the entrance exam except for Yu Xiang; next door, there were five people, all of whom were self-funded students. In high school, the most looked-down-upon students were athletes and self-funded students, but self-funded students could hide their status, while athletes were like monsters from ancient myths, always leaving behind some trace that couldn't be concealed by silence - going to training every day was an iron fact.

  After the parents left, a house full of people was silent, tidying up things that didn't need to be tidied. Yu Xiang couldn't bear it and went to room 203 next door to find Yu Xiong, but he wasn't there. Yu Xiang felt disappointed and helpless again, and returned to his own dormitory to make friends with a group of unfamiliar roommates. He asked the four people: "Where are you all from?" Originally wanting to create a lively atmosphere where everyone would eagerly respond, but unexpectedly all four people remained silent. Yu Xiang, as the one who asked the question, was at a loss for what to do next, and could only force himself to ask again: "You, where are you originally from?"

  The question finally got a response, and Lin Yuxiang put down his book and said, "Lingqiao Town Middle School." Lin Yuxiang responded with an "oh," and then added, "They both are too." Lin Yuxiang's upper bunkmate, Tan Weidong, greeted him by saying, "Old Tan, when did you arrive at the dorm?" Lin Yuxiang suddenly realized that the other three had known each other beforehand and were intentionally not speaking to avoid leaving him out. He felt a warmth in his heart. The school was afraid that students would fight over bed assignments on their first day of school, so they put name tags on every bed frame. Lin Yuxiang knew that his upper bunkmate's name was Shen Qi, his lower bunkmate's name was Tan Weidong, and the one farthest away from him was named Xie Jingyuan. The four of them started discussing their middle school entrance exams, seemingly showing off their academic prowess. The sound of laughter came from the neighboring dorm room, making Lin Yuxiang feel itchy. Xie Jingyuan asked, "That guy called...Lin Yuxiang, how many points did you get on your middle school entrance exam?"

  Yu Xiang cursed inwardly, scolding this kid for bringing up the matter, saying: "I messed up on this exam, only getting 484 points, three points short, but because I won an award in sports, I was admitted as a special student for sports."

  Yu Xiang's score increased significantly, and he felt anxious in his heart, carefully observing the expressions of his roommates.

  Xie Jingyuan smiled, causing Yu Xiang's whole body to tense up, thinking that Xie Jingyuan must have seen the scores and was intentionally asking again to mock him. Thinking of this, he couldn't stop sweating and quickly added: "Let me think for a moment, it seems like it wasn't that score, how many points did I get?" Yu Xiang was pretending to be silly, Xie Jingyuan said: "You have a special talent, everything is easy to handle, we don't have any, so we can only take the exam." Shen Qi and Tan Weidong both nodded in agreement.

  It was a false alarm, and he said, "Actually, my 484 score is an extraordinary performance. In the past, I only scored around 420 points in exams. Before the middle school entrance exam, I made up my mind to cram for two or three weeks, and that's how I managed to get 484."

  Three people listened in unison and couldn't help but marvel. Yǔ Xiáng adjusted his clothes while admiring his own cleverness - using his past foolishness to create today's glory.

  Four people went to the classroom to gather. Five people from dormitory No. 1 also came out and made trouble, all the way from the dormitory to the Rain Hall, not a single step was taken normally, laughing wildly and scattering all over the floor.

  When arranging seats, Yuexiang's deskmate was Xie Jingyuan. Classmates politely asked each other their names and hobbies. In his heart, Yuexiang thought that the head teacher should be a certain type of person, not an old man who would take up ten minutes of class time just to walk from the podium to the classroom door - this was what teachers at Gu school were like in theory. After waiting for a few minutes, the teacher came in - it was a woman in her thirties with curly hair and a slightly open mouth. Yuexiang had heard Song Shihua say that a teacher who didn't close their mouth when not speaking was prone to scolding people, and that they needed to be ready to speak at any moment, so they kept their mouth slightly open, like a door that was always ajar because someone was always coming in. Yuexiang connected the dots and indeed saw a fierce expression. Yuexiang shared this discovery with Xie Jingyuan, expecting to stir up fear, but unexpectedly Xie Jingyuan said:

  "Teachers being strict is also for our own good, only a demanding teacher can produce excellent students. Teachers being strict is actually a good thing."

  Yu Xiang gave him a white eye and smiled on his face: "You're right!"

  The female teacher introduced herself: "My surname is Mei, and from now on I will be your class teacher." Teacher Mei paused for a moment, intentionally leaving time for the students to applaud. The students thought that Teacher Mei was new to the podium and was too nervous to speak, so they didn't dare make a sound. Seeing no reaction from below, Teacher Mei thought that these students were just shy and didn't even dare clap their hands, she almost wanted to take the lead in applauding herself.

  She continued: "The 'plum' in my surname is..." She wanted to borrow Mei Zi Han's name, but then thought that the students might not know who Mei Zi Han was, so she didn't dare use it. Then she thought of using "plum blossom", but felt it was too common, and "plum poison" was even more impossible, so she suddenly became tongue-tied. The students in the audience saw their teacher get stuck again, and when this teacher's verbal expression failed, they all felt anxious for her, not even daring to swallow a mouthful of saliva.

  Miss Mei's energy was all spent on prolonging this "yes", when she finally ran out of breath, she decided to use Meizi Han after all, and broke down Meizi Han's name, saying: "'Mei' is the 'Mei' in Meizi Han, of course it's not Zi Han, how dare I have the same name as the author?"

  This sentence of nonsense was the most articulate one in her speech, mixed with a bit of humor, and the students all laughed awkwardly. Teacher Mei did not expect this sentence to cause a sensation, and followed the students in laughing together. Since it was an awkward laugh, as long as a sound was made, it would be enough, so although the laughter was loud, there was no sustained part.

  Ms. Mei pressed her hands down a few times to indicate that this smile was being forcibly suppressed by her, and then said:

  "My single name is 'Xuan', Mei Xuan. I'm the one who teaches you language and literature. I've finished introducing myself, now it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Come on, one by one."

  Yu Xiang said to Xie Jingyuan, "This teacher must talk a lot of nonsense. Look at what she's saying, 'come, one by one', it's as if she wants two ones or one two, which doesn't make sense."

  Xie Jingyuan said: "The teacher speaks for everyone to understand, can't blame her."

  Here is the translation:

  The student's self-introduction was brief, like a telegram. Suddenly it was Lin Yuxiang's turn. Lin Yuxiang stood up and said: "My name is Lin Yuxiang, Lin is my surname, Yu is my given name, Xiang is my nickname." He paused for comedic effect, expecting thunderous applause, but instead only received sparse laughter that sounded more like ridicule.

  Lin Yuxiang's heart sank, though he had prepared himself for failure. He thought he could at least make some girls laugh, but modern high school girls were as stingy with their smiles as they were with their chastity. Their faces remained expressionless.

  Lin Yuxiang was taken aback, his voice trembling: "I enjoy literature and have won some awards. I've published a few articles and hope to become friends with everyone in our studies and daily lives." The second half of Lin Yuxiang's speech left a good impression on the girls, who gazed at him with gentle, innocent eyes that were as soft as tofu.

  Lin Yuxiang was extremely embarrassed, lowering his head to flip through his book. Xie Jingyuan stood up, looking bashful: "My name is Xie Jingyuan, Xie is my surname, Jing is my given name... uh, no, Jing is the character for 'scenery', and Yuan means 'abyss'. I believe that by working hard, we can achieve something." The classroom erupted in laughter, but his last sentence was drowned out.

  Xie Jingyuan's face turned bright red as he buried his head in his book. After everyone had finished introducing themselves, the school broadcast a meeting about "New Semester, New Plans". Lin Yuxiang recognized the voice of Vice Principal Qian, whose speech seemed to follow a familiar pattern, rehashing what he had said at the previous sports rally.

  Time seemed to be trapped in Vice Principal Qian's words, and he seemed to have the ability to turn time into heat energy. The students in the classroom couldn't help but doze off. Vice Principal Qian droned on for half a day before finally concluding: "That's all I wanted to say." The students were relieved, thinking it was over.

  But then Vice Principal Qian said: "However, I want to emphasize a few points..." The students were shocked and outraged, their faces twisted in anger. Vice Principal Qian seemed to be flirting with the points he wanted to emphasize, repeating them multiple times before finally concluding: "That's all I have to say. The rest is up to you students to put into practice."

  The students let out a collective sigh of relief and applauded. Teacher Mei said: "Day students can leave, while boarding students will stay behind for another meeting. Don't forget to come to school tomorrow!"