While everyone was busy studying, some occupied with their life and other activities, in 2004 there were so much going on. Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that it will return to Earth two years later. In January 3 2004, there was a news that Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board. That day, the world had been mourning for the lost of 148 souls. On February 4, Mark Zuckerberg, the american billionaires, launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room and made history. There were so much happening, some receiving good news and some mourning for the unfortunate events. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami hit Indonesia killing hundred thousands of people, the news was all over the world. Just like that, 2004 passed with tragedy, and 2005 welcomed the world. Then 2005 flows by quickly. Suddenly, everyone was celebrating 2006. The time leap like a water flow.
The classroom was lively with laughter and noises during their break time. Some students grouped themselves into a crowd and playing together, some grouped themselves into a team talking about life and gossips especially the girls, some went for their break meals, and some had their own matters. Since Yi Ling hadn't been able to sleep well the previous night, she uses her break to take a nap.
Earlier An Ran had asked her if she wanted to join the group for break meals but Yi Ling was so sleepy and she decided to refuse. Yi Ling had heard before, students who study liberal arts do not need to study so much as those who study on science. Only later once she experience it herself she realized the lies behind those saying. Eventually, they have to study hard for their Gaokao be it students from liberal arts or science.
Lao San, the class troublemaker whom known for his mischievous smile and cheeky way, saw Yi Ling whom had sprawled herself sleep on the desk, decided to tease her in his own mischievous way. Lao San took out his blue highlighter which supposedly used for highlighting his notes and decided to use it to draw on Yi Ling's face.
Yi Ling, was still motionlessly asleep, lazily sprawled across the desk with her face resting on her arms, unaware of the mischievous Lao San drawing her face with his highlighter. Some of them looked at Lao San with a grin, some even hold their laughter to themselves so their burst of fit would not woke Yi Ling. An Ran who saw this, decided to keep her laughter to herself and watched the scene with a grin.
Yi Ling got to find out what Lao San had done to her face only later when Jin Sing old her her face looked funny. At first, Yi Ling was clueless about this and Jin Sing had asked her to see her own reflection through the mirror.
"Who did this?" Yi Ling asked herself as she saw her own face drawn with the blue highlighter Lao San had used.
An Ran burst into a fit of laughter, couldn't hold back her tears as she laugh out loud. "Lao San, that boy did it." An Ran told the truth.
Yi Ling face became sour. "Lao San, that hooligan!!!! When he did this?", Yi Ling asked as she washed her face with the water inside the school's washing room.
An Ran washed her hands too. "When you were sleeping in the class."
"How come you didn't say anything earlier?" Yi Ling looked at An Ran accusingly.
An Ran surged her shoulder. "It's fun seeing you like that."
In their school, they have a flag raising ceremony every week, especially on Monday. After raising the national flag, the Principal will first give his speech and praises, then criticism and at the end, award the previous week's best class. The principal too would give his talk especially to senior student who are preparing to go for their Gaokao.
The same week was the same. During the ceremony, Yi Ling had lowered her head and didn't bother to concentrate since whichever class got awarded had nothing to do with her. She was not an exactly a smart and an A class student. She was like the ordinary student who would often struggles with their studies and no matter how hard she study, some subject she just couldn't do really well during her exam. So she knew, such announcement wasn't meant for her. However, Yi Ling heard Chen Yang's name being called out.
"Student Chen Yang should be everyone's example. He is so focus on his studies and did really well during his internal exam. Especially to senior students, be like him. Now it is not the time to play the fool anymore and focus on preparing your Gaokao. The exam is around the corner. Remember this, once you left the school life, you are going to enter a new chapter of life. The university life is not going to be the same as the school's life. No one is going to guide you one by one like how we did it in the school. Most of the time, in your university life, you are going to do it on your own. And you will be responsible for your own future."
Back then, Yi Ling didn't take such words from the Principal seriously. She didn't think that what he said would carry so much meaning. After experiencing the life herself, only she realized, how beautiful the school life is, and as she grow older, she often wish that she could turn back into those days where she would be getting scoldings from her teachers. After awarding Chen Yang and few students for their outstanding performance on their studies, the Principal started talking in a serious manner about theft and what was against the law.
"Students, the school should be the safest place. In here, we don't tolerate those who don't follow the school's rules and those who broke the law." The principal said sternly. Then he asked the boys to come up. "You brats, came up!!"
Two boys were lead up the stage. Yi Ling noticed the boys were her juniors. Yi Ling had seen them going out during the class hours instead of attending their school's lessons, and often mixed with those boys of their school's neighborhood who are known for their boisterous characters. The principal asked the boys to stand close together. Then the principal started announcing the boys crimes: stealing a bicycle, stealing a student's wallet who was a daughter of one of the school's teacher, blackmailing younger students along with older students from higher year levels, forcing them to give their pockets money, gang fighting, writing love letters to girls from higher year levels.
"This kind of student, their boisterous way should not be followed. As students, your responsibility is to study and follow the rules. Don't be like them!" the principal pointed the stick he was holding to the boys.
Everyone stared at the boys. Some students listened and were dumbstruck with the boys crimes. Yi Ling and An Ran had run into troubles together couple of times, but they didn't dare to do the crimes the boys had done. If Yi Ling and An Ran dares to do so, probably her third uncle would wack her using his thin bamboo stick and An Ran would probably couldn't walk to the school after receiving a good whacking from her parents.
The boys though, stood there lazily with their head bowed as though they were acknowledging their crimes but occasionally when they glanced to each other, the corners of their mouth were curled up into a smile. Yi Ling looked at them and only shook her head in disbelief. She could never understand them.
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ONE summer's afternoon, they had one hour of free time. The students who didn't need to be on duty all ran out to the fields to play. As Yi Ling liked the spot of sunshine by the window, she sat on the windowsill reading and looking out into the distance. An Ran had gone out for her duty.
Wei Wei, their class monitor who was known for her tomboyish way, was at the front wiping the blackboard. The classroom wasn't so quiet. Some students who don't prefer going out to the field to play, they choose to stay inside the class. As Yi Ling was reading her comic she recently borrowed from An Ran, Jin Sing suddenly called out her name in panic. "Yi Ling!"
The classroom became quiet and Yi Ling looked up at him. Even Wei Wei had stopped wiping the blackboard.
"Your grandpa! Your Grandpa!" Jin Sing was breathing heavily. Yi Ling froze in her spot. Her heart beat quickened. Some instinct told her she was about to receive a bad news. "Your Grandpa passed away! Faster go out! An Ran Xiao uncle already waiting for you outside!"
Without being told, Yi Ling keep all her book inside her bag in a rush. After that, she sprint outside. As she ran out, her eyes watered and there was a pain of loss. She had expected this to come, it was just a matter of time with her grandfather's condition. However, no matter how she told herself she was prepared for such loss, she couldn't help but still had the feeling of pain, pain from losing someone who was so dear to you. Then she thought of her grandmother, how painful it is for her to lose a life partner, and knowing her grandfather had not remembered who she was while he was dying. Thinking about this, her tears flows even more without her realizing it.
When she went out from the school's compound, Yi Ling found Ren Wei Gan's cr parked under the maple tree. She quickly approached him and Ren Wei Gan, seemingly noticed Yi Ling small figure approaching him, he unlock the car door and scrolled down the front window.
"Quickly get in," Ren Wei Gan instructed Yi Ling as she was about to open the passenger door.
Once she seated and buckled up on the front seat, Ren Wei Gan started his car and drove off to Yi Ling's grandparent's house. Along the way, with her eyes watered from such grief, she remembered once her grandmother told her grandfather that it is okay for him to not remember her, she will remember him and that's enough for her to live on. Then, she remembered a scene one snowy day when her grandfather who had suffered from alzheimer, who didn't know who himself, who didn't know his own name, was cleaning the snow because he was afraid his daughter would fall sick during such cold weather as she has to go to school. One night, Yi Ling had seen her grandfather suddenly stocked her grandmother's head and told her that she had done a great job and it must be really hard for her to look after him. Yi Ling didn't know, of whether her grandfather had been aware of this or not, or was it just his unconscious mind, but she had seen her grandfather for the first time let his tears fall down during that silent night. Only then Yi Ling realized, although alzheimer patients had forgotten their names and many things in life, the brain may forget but the heart will remember. At the thought all of those memories, Yi Ling couldn't help but cried for her grandfather. He was a good man, a good father whom embraced fatherhood with his whole heart, a great husband and a great grandfather.
"Oh, my poor yeye!"Yi Ling burst out in tears and she cried loudly, as if like a young child who had just being abandoned by her parents. There was a great sadness and sorrow flows inside her heart.
Ren Wei Gan who had seen the whole scene went quiet. He had watched the girl grew up with his niece. He had seen her getting into troubles, had seen her laugh with laughter, and he had watched her grow up from a small girl to a young girl. Although he had been away often, but he had heard so many things about her, though there were things he didn't know. However, it was his first time, seeing her crying so loudly like a little child. There was a great sorrow behind her tears, probably the girl was grieving from the loss. Ren Wei Gan took out the small pack of tissue from his pocket and offered them to Yi Ling.
Yi Ling took the tissue from An Ran's little uncle and wiped her tears. "Has my mother already been informed?" Yi Ling didn't forget to asked this as she blew up her nose.
"Your mother will fly back to China by today. I'm not sure about her arrival." Ren Wei Gan said as he drove his car with speed. Yi Ling nodded.
When they reached her grandparents house, the rooms filled with people. The funeral was taken three days after her grandfather's death. Her mother had flown back to China and arrived her grandparent's house a day before the funeral ceremony. Her father hadn't come to visit. Her grandmother didn't shed any tears. When You Ling asked why she didn't cry, this was what her grandmother had said; "your grandpa wouldn't want to see me crying. Life has to go on. Sooner or later, I will catch up with him. While we breath, the wheels will keep rounding."
Yi Ling looked at her grandmother baffled. Then her grandmother smiled at her, "girl, it's okay. I will remember him." only then as she grow up Yi Ling realised that her grandmother had been mourning the loss of her husband in her own silent way as she had promised her grandfather that she will continue on living with no regrets. Just like that, a month passed. Her mother temporary visit had came to an end and she has to go back to the United States. Yi Ling bides her farewell with heavy hearts. Then comes another week before another new month embracing them. Suddenly, the days passed by quickly, and it was time for their Gaokao. Yi Ling couldn't sleep all night, she was studying, praying and studying. Everyone had their own tensions and worries.