Chapter 213 Have you forgotten me so quickly? (Two in one)
When Fang Wei and the other two returned to Baitan Wharf, it was already six o'clock in the evening.
The days are long in midsummer, and now is the brilliant dusk. The island town is wrapped in a soft orange and yellow hue, and the afterglow of the setting sun glows on the stone road.
"Today's sunset is so beautiful~"
“Gold everywhere!”
Returning to the quiet island from the bustling city, the girls felt relaxed and at ease.
"So when we go to high school, will it be dusk like this every time we go home?"
"no."
"what is that?"
"It's morning."
"Morning?"
"Yes, we have to leave after school. The last boat from the city back to the island is at 5pm. We will definitely miss it after school. We can only go home the next morning."
"So that's it!"
"But once we got to high school, every time we went to school, it would be dusk like this."
"Haha, it's the opposite of junior high school! I go home in the morning and go to school in the evening!"
The three of them chatted while Fang Wei rode his motorcycle back to Baitan Middle School.
It is summer vacation now and there are no classes in school. The campus is quiet and the brilliant sunset is dyed with a warm color.
The gatekeeper is on vacation and there is no one guarding the school gate. The main gate is locked on weekdays, but the small gate next to it is open.
Is this the first time returning to school after graduation?
Think about it, just over a week ago, they were all fresh graduates, but now they are all graduates.
It has only been more than a week since I left school, but when I walked back here, I inexplicably felt a sense of nostalgia in my heart, as if I had been away for a long time.
The three of them came to the academic affairs office together. The teacher on duty was just about to close the door and go off work. The golden sunset light in the corridor stretched his shadow very long.
"Teacher! Teacher, wait a moment!"
"...Huh? Are you here to pick up your acceptance letter?"
"Yup!"
"Fang Wei, Liu Zhiyi, and Xu Cailing, right?"
"Teacher, you know us!"
"Haha, you three are the only ones who haven't received your admission letters today!"
The teacher on duty in the academic office smiled. Even without looking at the admission letters, he recognized Fang Wei, Xu Cailing, and Liu Zhiyi. After all, these three were celebrities in the school, two academic masters and one sports goddess, and their names were still hanging at the school gate.
"Why are you here so late? Didn't I call your family early in the morning?"
The teacher on duty said this as he reopened the door of the academic office.
"Hey, sorry for delaying the teacher's get off work. We were not at home today and just got back..."
"Oh? Are you out having fun or working a summer job?"
"Let's go play in the city!"
"You went there on your own."
"correct."
"Haha, that's good too. There's plenty of time during the summer vacation, so it's good to go out more..."
On weekdays, the teachers in the Academic Affairs Office are very businesslike and serious. I don’t know if it’s because they are in a good mood today or because they are already graduates, but when we met like this, even though we didn’t have much interaction in the past, I greeted them and chatted with them very cordially.
Fang Wei and the other two followed the teacher on duty into the academic affairs office.
There was no light on in the academic office, and there was no need to turn on the light. The setting sun shone in from the windowsill and fell on the books, papers and other papers on the desk. The interweaving of light and shadow gave off a sense of the yellowed story of an old silent film in memory.
Fang Wei picked up a stack of papers and flipped through them casually. They were all the final examination papers for the first and second grade of junior high school. The grades had been corrected and calculated long ago, but the final examination papers had never been distributed and were sealed in the academic affairs office.
"The students are getting worse with each passing year. Your class is still the best. The first and second place in the first and second grade are far behind your grades back then!" The teacher on duty turned around and smiled.
Fang Wei also smiled. Exceptions can't be considered as cases! Even in the history of Baitan Middle School, students with excellent grades like him and Liu Zhiyi are rare.
"Teacher, I've always been curious, why haven't the final exam papers been distributed yet?"
"On the one hand, the final exam is over and there is no time to review the exam papers. Let's wait until next semester. I guess after a summer vacation, the students will have forgotten everything. It won't make any difference whether we review it or not. On the other hand, let's keep it for archiving."
The academic affairs teacher said, pointing to the old papers piled up at the counter: "Your previous final exam papers are all here too."
"Teacher, can we look through it?"
"Okay, just don't mess it up."
Fang Wei and the other two went to look for their final exam papers in the pile of old papers. The papers were neatly classified and arranged, and it didn't take too long, so they easily found the papers.
"Final exam for the first semester of the first year of junior high school! Haha, my handwriting was so ugly back then! How come it was like that of an elementary school student?"
Xu Cailing found her math test paper from that year. After three years, she had long forgotten what she was on the test. Now looking at it, apart from the ugly handwriting, the questions were also very simple. How come she only got such a low score back then!
Fang Wei comforted him, "It's okay. Actually the change isn't that big. Your handwriting is so ugly now."
"Hit you!"
Xu Cailing slapped him in annoyance, and then burst into laughter.
Liu Zhiyi also found her own test paper. She flipped through the Chinese test paper and felt that her handwriting was so childish and her composition was also so childish. Yet she still got full marks.
"Don't compare yourself with yourself now, you should compare yourself with your peers back then, like Cai Ling's composition... Hey, hey, hey?"
"Beat you!"
Seeing the two of them playing and joking, Liu Zhiyi also laughed happily. Looking at the test paper in his hand, he couldn't help but sigh: "I miss it so much..."
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. It was hard to notice when I was in the middle of it, but now looking back, I realize that the changes brought about by growth in these three years have been so great.
After a quick look and recollection, the three of them put the papers in their hands back to their original places. These all belonged to the school.
The academic affairs teacher handed over three postal envelopes, which contained what belonged to them now—three admission letters from Xuanzhu No. 1 Middle School.
"You can't take the test paper away, but you need to take this back. Congratulations!"
"Thank you, teacher!"
Fang Wei and the other two were quite excited when they received the admission letters from each other.
Three years of hard work were all for this admission letter. When I held the letter in my hand, I finally brought my junior high school career to a successful conclusion.
"Teacher, how many students from our school were admitted to No. 1 Middle School this year?" Cai Ling asked curiously.
"This year is pretty good. Including the students with special talents, a total of ten students were admitted to No. 1 Middle School, and six of them are from your class two."
Among the six people in his class, Fang Wei knew who the three were without having to think about it. In addition to the three of them, there were Wang Yushan, Guo Yuanshun, and Du Peipei who specialized in art.
Originally, there were only five students who were guaranteed to be admitted to No. 1 Middle School. Unexpectedly, Guo Yuanshun also performed exceptionally well in the high school entrance examination, adding one more place to No. 1 Middle School for Class 2.
"Okay, go home and tell your families the good news. I'm off work too. I wish you all the best in your studies at No. 1 Middle School!"
"Thank you, teacher! Goodbye, teacher!"
……
After leaving the academic office, the three of them walked slowly on the campus road. On the way, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi couldn't wait to open the envelope and read it.
The post office uses a hard paper document bag to send the admission letter. There is no design with easy-to-pull tabs at this time, and it is all glued together.
The girls carefully tore open the envelope along the edge and took out the contents.
Among them was a piece of printed paper, which was the admission instructions, and a thin, rectangular piece of red paper, which was the payment slip.
The most eye-catching thing is the admission letter.
It uses the same smooth coated paper as the book cover, which feels very textured in the hand. The cover is printed with the campus of Xuanzhu No. 1 Middle School, and the overall color scheme is red and blue.
Following the fold, I opened the admission letter and saw several lines of neatly printed words:
[Xu Cailing] Student: (Admission ticket number xxxxxxxxxxxx)
Based on the principle of comprehensive assessment of moral, intellectual and physical qualities and admission based on merit, and with the approval of Xuanzhu City Admissions Office, congratulations, you have been admitted as a freshman in Class 2003 (6), Grade of our school.
Please bring this notice, admission ticket and residence registration book to the school on August 8th or 30st to complete the enrollment registration procedures.
Xuanzhu City Admissions Office (official seal)——Xuanzhu City No. 1 Middle School Admissions Office (official seal)
——November 2003, 7
Xu Cailing read these few short lines several times and couldn't help but spin around happily while walking.
"Yes~!! That's great!! Zhiyi, what about you! What about you! I'm in Class 6 of Grade 1! Check out which class you are in!"
On the side, Liu Zhiyi also opened his admission letter.
In her excitement, she couldn't help but let out a howl, and Xu Cailing also let out a howl.
"Ahhh! Zhiyi, why are you in Class 5? Ahhhh! We were almost in the same class!!"
"Oh My God……"
The two girls were excited and regretful, and for a moment they didn't know what to do to feel good.
When they came to their senses, they saw that Fang Wei's admission letter had not been opened yet, so they rushed to grab it.
"Hey, I didn't see it until I got home. What are you doing?"
"We'll help you check it first!!"
Compared to looking at their own admission letters, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi seemed more nervous when looking at Fang Wei's admission letter.
After all, they are in different classes now, maybe... they can be in the same class with Fang Wei?
With such little expectations, the girls opened Fang Wei's admission letter——
Student [Fang Wei]: (Admission ticket number xxxxxxxxxxxx)
Based on the principle of comprehensive assessment of moral, intellectual and physical qualities and admission based on merit, and with the approval of Xuanzhu City Admissions Office, congratulations, you have been admitted as a freshman in Class 2003 (1), Grade of our school.
"Class 1?!"
“┗|｀O′|┛Ouch~~”
There was another burst of screams. The two girls' dreams of being in the same class with Fang Wei were shattered at the same time!
Now, they all went to No. 1 Middle School, but they were all assigned to different classes! Three people! Three classes!
Seeing Fang Wei's indifferent look, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi became even more depressed and pinched and pushed him in annoyance.
“…What are you doing?”
"You, you've been assigned to Class 1!"
"It's just one class. Cailing, are you in class six? Zhiyi, are you in class five?"
"Yeah! What should I do?"
"…What else can we do? We are not in different places. Aren't we still in the same school?"
"But they're in different classes!"
Although they were in the same school, they were assigned to different classes. At that moment, Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi still felt like they were in different places and were so far apart.
"...We can live together at night, too." Fang Wei said.
"Forehead……"
The two noisy girls calmed down.
Right, we live together at night anyway, so it's okay...
Even though they thought so, Cailing and Zhiyi still sighed slightly:
"What a pity! It would be better if we were in the same class..."
"Do you two really want to be in the same class with me?" Fang Wei teased.
The girls all rolled their eyes at him: "Shame on you! Who, who wants to be in the same class with you!"
"I want to be in the same class with Zhiyi!"
"I want to be in the same class with Cai Ling!"
"Haha. Don't be so greedy. It's great that we can go to the same school!"
"That's true..."
The class division has become an established fact, and Cai Ling accepted it the fastest. After all, before that, her only wish was to go to the same school with Fang Wei and Zhiyi. No matter what, this wish has been perfectly fulfilled!
"Are there any key classes in No. 1 Middle School?" Liu Zhiyi asked curiously.
"Well, there are sixteen classes in each grade in No. 1 Middle School. Classes one to eight are key classes, and classes nine to sixteen are ordinary classes." Fang Wei said.
"Is there such a score? Anyone who can be admitted to No. 1 Middle School is already very impressive, right?" Cai Ling was surprised.
"The admission scores are different in each region. For example, in the city, the admission score for No. 1 Middle School is much lower than here. And there are also some high-priced students who bought their places."
"Well, then I'm in Class 6, which is also a key class!"
"Yes, the system of recruiting students with special talents was only introduced this year. There aren't many students with special talents in No. 1 Middle School, and there probably aren't any special classes at the moment. Everyone studies together. If the track and field team has training arrangements, you might go to the training alone."
Liu Zhiyi thought for a moment and asked again: "Will we be divided into classes again after entering high school?"
"Well, we will start to divide students into arts and science in the second semester of senior high school. At that time, there will be arts classes and science classes, and there will also be key classes and ordinary classes. After this division, there should be no need to divide students into classes again until the college entrance examination is over."
Although Fang Wei did not study in No. 1 Middle School, all the high schools are basically the same. It was like that when he was in No. 3 Middle School.
"Then, then does that mean we'll have a chance to be in the same class next time we're divided into classes?!" Smart Cai Ling immediately discovered the key point.
"...Don't think too much, it's still a long way off. You two are both good at liberal arts, so you will definitely choose liberal arts when you are divided into classes. High school studies are different from junior high school, so let's see how the exams go at the end of the first semester!"
"OK then……"
Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi were both a little disappointed. If they had to choose between arts and science, Fang Wei would definitely choose science, which basically meant that they would not have the chance to be in the same class during their three years of high school.
Both girls are quite rational, so it is impossible for them to choose subjects they are not good at just to be in the same class with him.
Fortunately, no matter how they were divided, the three of them still lived together! Think about Asheng and Yushan, they are now one in the east and one in the west, separated by a school!
There is no happiness without comparison. When the girls thought of this, their depressed mood suddenly became cheerful.
"Let's go. Keep the notice and payment slips. Let's get in the car."
"Go home~!"
The evening twilight grew thicker.
Maybe it was the feeling of separation brought about by the class division, or maybe it was not so hot at the moment, Liu Zhiyi hugged Fang Wei's waist very unrestrainedly and held him tightly.
Xu Cailing, who was sitting at the back, felt that the back seat suddenly became super spacious, so she squeezed forward not to be outdone.
"...I'm telling you guys! Can you please sit back a little? I'm almost sitting on the hood of the plane!"
"Oh."
The motorcycle carrying three people rode leisurely on a road that they had walked on thousands of times.
Riding through the small town and across the Baitan Bridge, the brilliant sunset and dusk are between the sea and the sky, seagulls are circling above the waves created by the collision of the reefs, and the wind is blowing the girls' soft long hair.
……
When I returned to the village, smoke was already rising from every household.
Liu Zhiyi got off the car first. Xu Cailing didn't mind the hot seat she had just sat on, and moved up again, leaning against Fang Wei's back.
"Zhiyi, let's go!"
"Uh-huh!"
Fang Wei Cailing left, and Liu Zhiyi pushed open the courtyard door and walked into the house.
"Grandpa, I'm back~"
"I'm back. Your school teacher called home this afternoon and said that the admission letter..."
“Ting ting ting~! I got it!”
"Wow! I was just about to tell you!"
Liu Zhiyi handed the admission letter to his grandfather. The handwriting was small, and the old man had to wear reading glasses and squint to read it clearly.
Uncle Liu also had a smile on his face. His son was admitted to No. 1 Middle School that year, and now his lovely granddaughter has also been admitted to No. 1 Middle School.
"Grandpa, I bought a new cell phone. I'll write down the phone number for you."
"Okay, next time you go to school, remember to call home often to let them know you're safe."
"Yeah, I know."
My grandfather doesn’t have a mobile phone and doesn’t know how to use it. There is a landline phone at home, and there is a small address book next to the phone.
Liu Zhiyi picked up a pen and wrote down his own phone number on the most eye-catching page, and also wrote down Fang Wei and Cai Ling's phone numbers.
"Grandpa, the first one is my number, and the next ones are Fang Wei and Cai Ling's. If you can't get through to me, you can call Cai Ling and the others."
"Okay, Grandpa will remember it."
"Remember not to dial the wrong number! 1919 is my phone number!"
"Haha, got it. Wash your hands and get ready for dinner."
……
On the other side, at the dinner table, Cai Ling also took her father's mobile phone and helped Xu Zhiyuan record her new mobile phone number.
"Dad! I saved my phone number and Fang Weizhiyi's number for you!"
"okay……"
Xu Zhiyuan was squinting his eyes and looking at her admission letter with a smile.
To be honest, three years ago, Xu Zhiyuan would never have thought that his naughty second daughter could be admitted to No. 1 Middle School. After all, Caiwei couldn't even get into a regular high school, not to mention Cailing who was busy playing all day.
But I didn't expect that Cai Ling's "playing" could really be very interesting... No! It's not playing! It's called sports! It's called exercise!
Not only did he win double championships in the city's track and field competition, he was also recruited by many major schools, and he was actually admitted to No. 1 Middle School, which is a place only top students can attend!
Normally, whenever someone praised his daughter Cai Ling, Xu Zhiyuan would be very proud.
"hey-hey……"
Xu Cailing smiled, came forward, looking caring and filial, and stood behind her father to massage his shoulders and back.
"Dad, I got into No. 1 Middle School?"
"Yeah, that's right. People say it's hard to get into high school, but once you're in high school, getting into college is a sure thing. Work hard."
"Then, then you have to give me a little reward! I'm so awesome!"
"Reward, reward, reward. What reward do you want?"
"I bought a new phone, so you can reimburse me. You said you would buy me one before anyway."
"Report, report, report. How much is it?"
"Not expensive! Only eighteen thousand!"
"...How much more?! Your one phone is equivalent to three of mine?!"
……
Flipping through the admission letter handed to him by his son, Fang Xianfeng lit a cigarette with a smile on his face.
"The payment slip... Tuition and miscellaneous fees are 745, which is not expensive!"
"Dad, you're rich now, right?"
"Hey, what are you talking about..."
Having said that, Fang Xianfeng still held the cigarette in his mouth, opened his wallet, took out twenty hundred-dollar bills, and put them in front of Fang Wei.
"Use this money to pay tuition, and for the rest, you can buy anything you need for the new semester. If you don't have enough, tell me."
"Row."
Fang Wei didn't bother to be polite with him. He took the money with a smile and put it in his pocket.
This showed that Fang Wei was mature and sensible. Basically, no matter what money Fang Xianfeng asked for, he would give it to him without hesitation. After all, he was the only son in the family, and when the family became wealthy in the future, all the money would be left to him.
"When the time comes to report to school, do you still need me to take you there?"
"No, just mind your own business. By the way, Dad, I noticed that there's a feed processing plant in town that seems to be for sale. You can go take a look when you have time and buy it when the time comes."
"Feed mill? Why would I buy this?"
"We should develop the upstream industry. We can't just focus on the scale of aquaculture. If we put all our money on aquaculture, we will be dependent on the weather. In addition, our family is now engaged in seed breeding, so why not do the feed supply as well? There are more and more individual mussel farmers on the island, and the feed supply is a big market. We will specialize in the supply of feed for marine aquaculture. This thing does not require high technology, so it is always a good idea to do it first!"
"..."
Fang Xianfeng took a deep breath. The cigarette butt between his fingers glowed red. As he exhaled and spoke, smoke came out of his mouth and nostrils.
"Your idea is good... I originally wanted to set up a direct sales channel..."
"Don't worry. It's not as easy as you think to open up the consumer market. Distributors should make money. If you want to do direct sales without distributors, you have to build a brand, logistics, cold chain, franchise stores, etc. The cost investment is too high. Let's do a good job in the upstream industry first. These are all real market demands."
"Hmm... let me think about it..."
Fang Wei's words made Fang Xianfeng fall into thought. If someone else had said this, he probably wouldn't have taken it to heart at all, but he was still willing to listen to his son's words.
"Don't think about it. It's better to go to the factory for inspection. I'll accompany you to take a look at the factory tomorrow."
"also!"
"Smoke less, Dad. You are at an age when you should work hard. I don't want to take over the burden so early!"
Fang Wei took the cigarette from his hand and put it out.
"Hey you kid..."
Fang Xianfeng shook the cigarette box and took out another cigarette, but he didn't light it and put it back.
……
After taking a shower, Fang Wei, wearing shorts and a vest, sat on the windowsill, holding his new cell phone, and called Wen Susu who was far away in Shanghai.
[beep—beep—beep—]
The night breeze was cool, and the cat jumped onto the windowsill and lay down under the arch formed by his bent knees, closing his eyes and twisting his big tail like a caterpillar.
Soon, the call was connected, and a soft and clear voice came from the phone.
"Hello?"
In a playful mood, Fang Wei deliberately lowered his voice, suppressed a smile, and replied:
"Hello. You are Wen Susu, right?"
"Well, it's me, who are you?"
"Can't you tell who I am?"
"...I can't tell. Do we know each other?"
"Have you forgotten me so quickly? After all, we've known each other for three years."
"…Who are you? We've known each other for three years? Are you my classmate? In junior high school or high school?"
"Your best dish is braised pork, your favorite color is blue, and your birthday is August 8th. Am I right?"
“……!!! H-How did you know that? Who are you?!”
"I...Puhahahaha!"
"???"
"Still can't you tell who I am?"
Fang Wei couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
It took a while for Wen Susu on the other end of the phone to react. She was surprised, happy, ashamed and annoyed, and wanted to hit someone, but she couldn't hit him.
"Fang--wei--!! How dare you play tricks on me?!"
"Hahaha……"
"Just wait! Next time we meet, I'm going to tear your head off!"
"Stop it, sister! I care so much about you, and you still want to twist my head!"
"Hmph, I told you not to play tricks on me!"
"Are you unhappy to receive my call?"
"How dare you say that? You haven't even called me in such a long vacation. You must have forgotten about me, right?"
"How could I? I still remember your specialty and your birthday. I just bought a new phone, and the first thing I did was call me!"
"You have a conscience."
Wen Susu on the other end of the phone pretended to be serious and her tone softened: "Is this your phone number?"
"Yes, this is my own number. Remember to save it and call me often in the future."
"Haha, you won't fight me?"
"Sure, I'll call every day, just remember to top up my phone credit."
"I packed it. I'm just worried you won't be able to use it all!"
"How are you doing, sister? Are you busy opening a studio?"
"Yes, I just came back from the studio..."
It has been more than a week since Wen Susu resigned and left school, but she still feels very uncomfortable. The burden on her shoulders was lifted all of a sudden, and she feels a little confused. She can only keep herself busy to make the empty feeling in her heart better.
"What about you? I'm sure you had a great summer vacation. Did you get your acceptance letter?"
"Sister, you know everything? I just got the acceptance letter this afternoon."
"Tell me, what does the admission letter from No. 1 Middle School look like?"
"Let me see, there is..."
Unfortunately, they couldn't have a video chat, so Wen Susu couldn't see his admission letter. However, after Fang Wei's detailed description, she felt as if she had seen it.
I was naturally happy. After teaching him for three years, I finally succeeded in sending him to the best local high school.
Maybe if he had changed teachers, Fang Wei would have been able to get into No. 1 Middle School, but she definitely contributed a lot to this too!
"So when do you and Cai Lingzhiyi plan to come to Shanghai?"
"I don't dare to go. My sister just said she would twist my head when we meet. I have to hide."
"You little brat! Stop keeping me in suspense! Tell me now!!"
"The day after tomorrow, early in the morning, we'll take the first boat."
"Okay, okay, then I'll have to arrange your work properly, hehe."
"Sister, we are still child laborers, please take care of us!"
"Hehe, squeeze you dry!"
Mobile phones are really great things. No matter how far apart we are, we can keep in touch anytime and anywhere.
The brother and sister were chatting happily and their phones became hot.
Liu Zhiyi from the neighboring Shayang Village was still worried. She dialed the phone number again and again...
The girl scratched her head, wondering...
Is the phone broken? Why is it always busy?
It must be Cai Ling who has been talking to Fang Wei on the phone through the window!
We actually talked on the phone for so long, even though we were so close!
Well, next time she will do the same...
(End of this chapter)
