"I'm sorry, Lin! We had no choice but to sell this shop and move to the village. Your grandmother is very worried. If Mom and Dad don't take care of her, then who will? We are the only family that we have left, Alina."
Disappointment is perhaps the best word to describe how I feel right now. Looking at Mom and Dad, I cried, holding my own head together with my hands on the table. "But why now, Dad? Why didn't you tell me this in the first place? So I don't have to take the scholarship test."
"Lin." Mama touched the back of my hand, then took a deep breath. "We're really sorry. We're so sorry, girl." I could see that disappointment also took hold of Mama's face, making those lines even more vivid. "I didn't mean to waste your effort, but you know for yourself that we weren't aware of your grandmother's condition until yesterday. Little did we realize that Uncle Tom had chosen to leave grandma's house and chase his girlfriend to America."
Dad also touched my shoulder, then looked at the scholarship statement in front of me with regret. "Or tell you what, why don't you just stay in boarding school?"
"Honey, what are you talking about?" Mom tugged at Dad's rough hands with a look of dislike. "You mean what you said? Let our daughter stay in the hostel. I won't agree."
"So what? Isn't this a good solution?"
Mom took a deep breath and then gave a wistful smile. "Didn't you forget that moving to the village means that you can't really keep an eye on your child? Teachers at boarding schools also cannot guarantee whether our children will be well watched. And we also don't have the money to pay our dorm fees. Back home, we won't have this shop anymore. Have you forgotten?"
"My goodness!" Dad patted his own face. "I'm sorry. I almost forgot. My daughter, forgive us. Your mother and I had to send you back to school. But you stay calm. The quality of schools in the village will not be vastly different from those in the big cities. We promise to."
"Lin, we'll send you to the best schools in the village. Your uncle's school The school that takes your uncle to the best college in our province"
Best school in the province?
Are you shitting me?
This school is even worse than the worst school in the city we lived in before. Only a four-story prison building with wooden benches. Without air conditioning, the summer is more intense. The field is dusty, and it makes anyone think twice about playing there.
Dad bought me a cheap old bicycle at the flea market when we were on our way. It needed a little work, and I took it to the shop before going to school.
"Hi, Alin!" An old man, Mr. Han, greeted me in his family's workshop, which was right on the edge of the main road. The streets are very quiet, and it's actually less strategic to start a business. "You grew up when you were just a big, fat baby girl who used to cry."
I smiled. "I'm sixteen now. It's only natural that it gets bigger. When it's not big, it's amazing."
"You're so funny, Lin. "It looks like your mom when she was a kid." Mr. Han laughed, then took my bike and started to fix it.
Actually, the ambience in the village is quite amusing to me. Because it's still very nice. There are plenty of big trees, plenty of rich molds, and a panoramic view of mountains in the distance. There's no motor vehicle noise or factory smoke, but that's exactly the problem.
"You like it here?"
"I don't know, Mr. Han!" I answered. "I'm used to the hustle and bustle of the town, and the thought of living in the village makes me feel strange. Not much entertainment."
"At the weekend there will be a night market," Mr. Han said while repairing my bicycle with makeshift equipment. "Come with your parents. They'd love a good night market. because they used to meet at the fair and end up dating. You know this story?"
I nodded. "They say it all the time."
"Good morning!" A young man on an old bicycle passed by in front of the workshop; he greeted Mr. Han with a friendly smile. And Mr. Han made it happen.
The people of the village still have a warm culture. They greet everyone, whether foreign or not. In fact, there's no such thing as strangers here. Everyone knows each other.
"He's the grandson of the village chief." Mr. Han explained it to me. "He's a good boy."
*
*
*
Towering paved roads and dying leaves swept away by the dry summer winds are no surprise here. Dad says that it hasn't rained for a long time and that we were forced to enjoy this dry weather. However, distant fountains give the appearance of peace and contrast with the surroundings. It would be nice if I stopped by at noon.
Global warming does make the earth bake. Getting hotter and boiling like water in a big pot.
"You're the new student from the capital city?" A young teacher greeted me in the teacher's room, specifically asking me when we met in the teachers' lounge and when I submitted the rest of the school enrollment papers.
I nodded. "Right, Miss."
"I heard you were in class X-3." She tidied up her bag, then continued, "Just put the document on the principal's desk. You're coming with me. By the way, what's your name?"
"Alina. My name is Alina Gwen."
"Very well, Alina. How do you do it? I'm your homeroom teacher, Mrs. Lili."
Mrs. Lili smiled ever wider. Somehow, I'm less interested in my teacher this time. I mean, seriously? She's too young for a high school teacher. And it wasn't until the next semester that I found out that this school was short of teachers. That's why the school recruits anyone who will teach for cheap. Mrs. Lily herself was actually a freshman at a small university in a nearby town, and she took up an online school schedule so she could teach. After all, it turns out that university studies don't have many students, so the school is forced to go online.
My poor luck After being a student at a prestigious school and getting a scholarship, I am now stuck at this crappy school. Which I'm not sure are of quality. After this, my luck is over. I'll just be an ordinary girl who lives and works as a laborer in a small village. A lifetime.
"This is your classroom," said Mrs. Lili at the time. "May you stay and study well with your friends."
She's talking about a friend of mine who's my age and who looks kind of tacky. They're even trapped in the past. So old-fashioned. Did I time travel?
Teenage girls check on technological developments. A young girl with two plaited hairs with bright streamers. They looked at me in amazement, but they just waved, saying hello.
"Hi!"
"You're from the capital city?"
"Oh my, how beautiful!"
I ignored their babbling and headed straight for the chair designated by Mrs. Lily as my grave. "Boys, where are the boys? Why aren't they in class?"
"Leon was playing with some friends at the park, Miss. They're pranking kids from another class."
"Oh, my goodness!" Mrs. Lily's geldings: "Why do they have a hobby once they reboot?" Troubled kids."
Of the fifteen students in this class, only three were male. Leon was one of them. He's a troubled kid, to be honest. Nooo! He's in a lot of trouble and might not want to go to this school. He should have been sent to a school for troubled children to be treated further because he was going too far. He likes messing with people.
Even Leon stole Kim's shoes, bringing our classmates to tears. Unmoved, Leon threw Kim's shoes into the river behind the school. And forced us to search for her.
Well, I do shy away from something like Leon. I don't want any trouble.
"Guys, open your books." Mrs. Lily came to the front of the class and began writing down mathematical formulas on the board. A simple lesson "Hey, why are you new to class at this hour?" She said this, pointing out the window.
From the classroom terrace, a young man smiled widely. "Miss, we're having fun."
"Having Fun? Oh, my goodness!" Mrs. Lily tugged at the boy's hand and looked back, and I raised my head to see the three teenage boys get scolded. "Leon, Deric, and Friz, what do you want exactly? Why do you enjoy making Miss Lili emotional?"
"Come on, Miss. We're not serious."
"Up to you! Now quickly take a seat on your seats and don't disturb any of your other friends, or your parents will be called to school."
Without answering, all three went in. And at that moment, I was very surprised to find out that the man who was walking to the very back seat was the same man who greeted Mr. Han.