Chapter 79 Sister Caiwei
At 4:55 ., as the bell rang, the teachers and students of Baitan Middle School also ushered in the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but Xu Cailing always felt that the security guard who was responsible for ringing the bell used different methods at different times.
For example, the bell for class always makes people feel solemn and dull;
But the bell for the end of get out of class makes people feel light and clear.
During the holidays, the bell sounds feel like the bell music of a joyful celebration with lights and decorations!
One evening, Cai Ling told Fang Wei about her discovery.
I thought Fang Wei would praise her for being so attentive, but unexpectedly Fang Wei just rolled his eyes at her and said, "That's just your own illusion! You must be thinking about the end of get out of class and the holiday every day!"
'Didn't you hear that?'
'It all sounds the same to me.'
Cai Ling was not convinced and said, "No, no, the sound of the bell is different anyway!"
Well, Fang Wei couldn’t really tell whether the bell sounds were really different during normal classes, but now that the Mid-Autumn Festival was about to start, he seemed to hear that the bell sounds were different.
After all, the one in charge of ringing the bell is the security guard, and he is not a machine. He is about to have a three-day holiday, and his son and daughter may also want to go home. Perhaps he is in a much happier mood when ringing the bell at this moment, and the sound of the bell will naturally sound more light and graceful.
……
When school is over, the whole teaching building is bustling with noise.
Xu Cailing had probably packed her schoolbag before the get out of class was over. As soon as the teacher walked out of the classroom, she trotted over to Fang Wei with her schoolbag in her hand.
"You two are so slow! Hurry up!"
"Uh-huh!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiyi also quickened her pace to pack. During the three-day holiday, she had to take more books back than during the weekend, and she almost emptied the drawer.
Fang Wei was quite leisurely, neither hurried nor slow, which made Cai Ling very anxious.
"Whatever you do, it doesn't matter if it's earlier or later, it's still three days off."
"If it's earlier, will the holiday be extended?" Cai Ling said.
"...If you get up earlier on weekdays, will your vacation be longer?" Fang Wei said.
"That won't do! If you don't sleep in during the holiday, how can you still call it a holiday?"
"..."
Fang Wei didn't argue with her. Cailing was right.
In fact, after leaving school, Xu Cailing became more relaxed.
After all, as long as she steps out of the school gate, the vacation begins for her.
"Ah~ It's the wind of freedom!"
Xu Cailing rode her bicycle, feeling the wind blowing across her face. She became more leisurely and even began to appreciate the sunset.
As Liu Zhiyi practices cycling more and more often, he no longer needs to be protected by three people in the middle when riding the bike like he did at the beginning.
Of course, if she wanted to compete with Cai Ling in cycling skills, she was still far behind, but at least now, cycling was no longer a burden for her.
Riding leisurely on the way home, Liu Zhiyi was in a better mood to appreciate the scenery along the way.
"Zhiyi, what are your plans for tomorrow?"
"Well, doing homework."
"Would you like to come to my house and do your homework together?"
"Ah? Going to your house..."
"I can go to your house!"
"Then, why don't you come to my house?"
Liu Zhiyi thought about it and said that after all, she was still a little embarrassed to go to Cailing's house to do homework.
Regarding Xu Cailing's "homework invitation", Liu Zhiyi also looked at her with a new respect. He didn't expect that Cailing was also a person who loved learning.
Fang Wei was much clearer. For Xu Cailing, it was just to finish her homework earlier so that she could play more peacefully.
But it's better than not doing homework but being able to play peacefully, right?
Sorry, Sheng! I wasn't talking about you!
The girl's characteristics haven't changed much. She still gets a headache when it comes to studying, but she has made a lot of progress compared to when she was in elementary school.
Cailing is good at sports. But in the current education environment, especially on the island, sports are a neglected part. Good high schools, including No. 1 Middle School, don't even recruit students with special talents.
Perhaps many inland cities have already had special talent admissions, but here on the remote island with scarce educational resources, there has been no such thing. In junior high school, let alone sports students, there are not even students with special talents in art and music.
However, Fang Wei knew that with the success of the Olympic bid, an education system that benefits students with special talents would also be implemented on the island.
If I remember correctly, even No. 1 Middle School may open special sports recruitment channels by then.
Of course, even so, there are very high requirements for cultural scores.
Fang Wei naturally wouldn't tell Cai Ling about these uncertain things. Firstly, he wasn't sure, and secondly, he was afraid that it would affect her enthusiasm for studying.
After all, people who come from small islands don’t have many choices.
……
The four of them rode slowly and soon arrived at Baitan Pier.
From a distance, we saw a transport boat preparing to dock.
"Is this the ship coming from Shanghai?"
"correct."
"Fang Wei, was this the boat you took to send Teacher Wen off at noon?"
"Yeah, like this one, but not this one."
Because it is a long-distance transport ship, it is much larger than the transport ships that only sail between nearby islands. It is also equipped with air conditioning, tea and water, and toilets, which are not available on the small boat, and is similar to a bus.
"There are so many people today!" said A Sheng.
"It's a holiday. We've all come back to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Fang Wei and Xu Cailing both stared at the transport boat curiously. It came here from Shanghai and would stop at some islands along the way. Baitan Island was the last stop and also the last boat of the day. After docking at the pier, it would not depart from here until tomorrow morning and return to the final stop, Shanghai.
"Did Sister Caiwei say when she would be back?"
Fang Wei asked. Seeing the girl staring at the ship, he guessed what she was thinking.
"My sister called home yesterday and said she would be back today. By the way, did you see my sister at noon?"
"No, if Sister Caiwei comes back today, it might be this ship. Let's wait for a while."
Fang Wei, Cai Ling, and A Sheng pulled over and braked their bikes. Liu Zhiyi, who didn't quite understand what was going on, also pulled over and braked his bike.
"Cai Ling, who are we waiting for?"
"My sister, hehe, her name is Caiwei! The name was also given by Uncle Liu!"
After she said that, Liu Zhiyi understood. He had seen her sister in a photo when he went to Cailing's house before.
None of them had cell phones, so naturally they couldn't contact Sister Caiwei. In an era when information exchange was inconvenient, there were many people waiting early at the docks and train stations.
As the transport ship on the sea docked at the pier's corridor bridge, the passengers inside came out of the ship one after another, carrying their luggage.
Because it is the last boat, there are no more passengers on board compared to the boat at noon.
Xu Cailing had sharp eyes and immediately spotted a figure that was familiar to her core.
So he raised his hand and called out from a distance: "Sister! Here, here! Sister!"
There were a lot of people who had just got off the boat. After Xu Cailing noticed it first, Fang Wei and A Sheng also noticed it and waved in that direction together.
Liu Zhiyi was the last to notice it. After all, she didn't know Xu Caiwei. It took her a while to find a figure in the crowd that looked both familiar and unfamiliar.
Forgive her for not being able to find the right adjective. After all, they are sisters. Xu Cailing and Xu Caiwei have subtle similarities and differences. They look familiar and strange. Seeing that Sister Caiwei didn't notice when they greeted each other, the four of them rode their bicycles to the shore of the covered bridge together.
……
It took Xu Caiwei a total of seven hours to travel from the staff dormitory to the Shanghai Pier, then take a transport boat and stop at several islands along the way.
After floating on the sea for so long and travelling such a long distance, everyone felt a little dizzy.
Through the window glass, Xu Caiwei saw the familiar environment from afar. She could no longer hold back her excitement. Before the ship docked, she was already carrying her luggage and waiting outside the cabin door with other passengers returning home.
She had a schoolbag on her shoulder, which contained some of her clothes, but the suitcase in her hand had no clothes at all. Instead, it was filled with gifts, snacks, some strange and interesting items, moon cakes, fruits and other things that she had bought specially for her parents and sister in Shanghai.
Every time she went home during the holidays, she would buy them, even though her parents told her not to spend money indiscriminately. But Xu Caiwei could see the happiness in their eyes when she bought them.
Especially my younger sister. Not to mention the snacks, she treats the hat and surfboard I gave her as treasures.
The desire to go home grew stronger as the ferry sailed on the sea, until her feet finally touched the shore. She smelled the unique sea breeze at the pier, and a sense of comfort and belonging that seemed to be in her genes arose in Xu Caiwei's heart.
Arrived at Baitan Pier!
When she was in middle school, she spent three whole years at the dock!
She has also seen too many people leaving the island and returning home here. At that time, she was just curious, but never thought that one day she would become one of them. Now, she finally experienced that feeling.
Xu Caiwei quickened her pace until she suddenly heard a familiar voice in her ears. She came to her senses suddenly and looked up to see her sister riding a bicycle.
"Eh?! Cai Ling! A Wei, A Sheng! Why are you here?"
"Waiting for you! I called you so many times over there just now, but you didn't hear me!"
With unexpected joy, a smile bloomed on Xu Caiwei's face:
"I never thought you would be here. Have you been waiting for a long time? I said I would call my dad and ask him to pick me up!"
"We just got out of school and passed by here. We happened to see the boat and thought you must be on this boat! Am I smart?"
"So clever! You guys are out of school... Oh! I forgot that Cai Ling and you guys are all in junior high school now!"
"Wow! Sis, you don't care about me at all!"
"I definitely knew it, but I just didn't react to it right away."
"You're not that bad. You've been away for the New Year and haven't come back until now. It's been six, seven, or eight months!"
"Cai Ling, have you grown taller?"
"Really? Sister, have you become shorter?"
"No, I've grown taller too."
"Then I grow taller faster than you!"
The two sisters got together and chatted happily here.
Xu Caiwei always felt that the time difference between here and Shanghai seemed to be different. When she left, it was still the cold spring of the Lantern Festival, but when she returned, it was already the end of summer and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even her sister had grown a lot taller and her hair had become longer, and she could even tie it into a ponytail!
Of course, she herself has grown a little taller, just one centimeter at most, and is now meters tall, while Cai Ling is meters tall and is about to surpass her.
Fang Wei was leaning on the side, looking at the two sisters with a smile.
Sister Caiwei hasn't changed much. In fact, she is only four years older than them. If she had been admitted to high school, she would probably be in her second year of high school now.
He just entered the society to work very early, and compared with his peers who are still in school, his face is much less childish and looks more mature.
Although there is not much age difference between everyone, Sister Caiwei is still the oldest among the group of childhood friends. When we were playing together as children, she was like an older sister, very considerate and caring.
"Awei, Asheng, you two have grown taller too!"
"Sister Caiwei, didn't you say before that people who come back from outside always say 'you've grown taller' when they see children? Are you doing the same now?" Fang Wei joked with amusement.
"I'm telling the truth!"
Xu Caiwei smiled and was in a very good mood.
Liu Zhiyi blinked and looked at her secretly. When she saw them from a distance, she thought the two sisters were quite similar. But now that she looked closer, she found that the difference between the two sisters was quite obvious.
Xu Caiwei's eyebrows are softer, while Xu Cailing's eyebrows are more heroic; when Cailing smiles, there are dimples at the corners of her mouth, while Sister Caiwei has no dimples; Cailing's skin is darker, while Sister Caiwei's hair is longer; Cailing has double eyelids, while Sister Caiwei has single eyelids, and their personalities seem to be different...
"Is this your classmate?" Xu Caiwei also noticed Liu Zhiyi who was quietly standing aside.
Liu Zhiyi was not good at socializing, and didn't know how to greet them at this moment, so she imitated Fang and called out to them: "Hello, Sister Caiwei..."
"hello."
"Hey, she's Liu Zhiyi! Sister, did you know that our names were chosen by Grandpa Zhiyi?"
"Huh? Really?"
"Xiaoya Caiwei, Tangfeng Cailing, and Nanfeng Zhiwoyi's Zhiyi!"
"Zhiyi, your name is so nice!"
Liu Zhiyi: “…”
Well, the two sisters are exactly the same in terms of being very familiar with others...
……
Since she had met Fang Wei and his group, Xu Caiwei no longer needed to trouble her father to come and pick her up.
But I still called my dad using my pager, fearing he didn’t know, so I calculated the time and came back.
"Sister Caiwei, please tie the luggage to my car."
"Okay."
"What did you buy? It's so heavy!"
"They were all fruit snacks and the like. Some of them were very expensive on the island but cheaper in Shanghai, so I bought some more."
There was a leather rope wrapped around the rear rack of Fang Wei's bicycle. He moved the suitcase up and tied it tightly with the rope.
Xu Cailing, who always likes to ride a bike to carry people, doesn't do that now.
"Sister, give me a ride!"
"I've been running all day and I'm exhausted. You still want me to give you a ride?!"
"Hurry up, hurry up, this is your bike, if you don't ride it, who will?"
“It’s not your car now.”
"Your car will be yours when you come back!"
"How is it? Is it good to ride? How about I give you money and let dad buy you a new one?"
Xu Cailing was immediately moved!
But he still shook his head and said, "Your car is not broken. If you continue to spend money recklessly, Dad will scold you to death."
"It's not like I'm wasting money. I'm usually very frugal."
"Then spend the money on yourself. I don't need to change my car, and I don't like snacks."
"Haha, I don't like snacks, haha..."
"...Just go!"
At Xu Cailing's urging, Xu Caiwei got on the bike and rode leisurely on the way home with her sister behind her, Fang Wei, Liu Zhiyi and A Sheng.
"Do you usually go to and from school together?"
"correct."
“I haven’t walked this road for a long time. I miss it so much!”
In the distance between the sea and the sky, there is a brilliant sunset and the wind brushing across your cheeks.
Xu Caiwei rode her bicycle, chatting and laughing with them, as if she had returned to junior high school.
(End of this chapter)
