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As the Chinese New Year approached, the children had relatively more leisure time, considering what to play all day long. For adults, however, it was a time of various kinds of busyness.
School had officially closed for the holidays, and the campus became deserted with hardly anyone around. Two days ago, Yi Xin had left the campus to return home. Mr. Jiao and the other teachers had pretty much stopped going to the courtyard after a summary meeting and took the test papers home to grade. Meanwhile, Jiao Yuan was enlisted to do the grunt work, with Little Youzi helping out on the side.
There was one major course and one elective, but combined across several departments and classes, there were quite a few papers.
Jiao Yuan helped with the multiple-choice questions. He didn't know the specialized knowledge, but he could handle the ABCDs. After tallying the scores, he'd write them down in the blank space next to them with his pen, making it convenient for Mr. Jiao to calculate the total score after grading the other questions.
Mr. Jiao asked Little Youzi to help on the side, double-checking the papers that Jiao Yuan had gone over. Although Little Youzi was only in the second grade, she was very familiar with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Moreover, Mr. Jiao had placed a calculator next to her so she could use it to verify the totals. As for Jiao Yuan, about to enter junior high, did he really need a calculator for basic arithmetic? He couldn't afford to lose that much face.
The school's report cards were out, and this time Jiao Yuan ranked fourth in his class. Mr. Jiao had never explicitly demanded that he achieve a certain rank or score. Jiao Yuan had set his own standards, sometimes meeting them, sometimes failing. However, this time he clearly had got what he wished for. And matters unfolded just as Mr. Jiao had predicted: when Jiao Ma took him to the department store, passing by the toy guns, Jiao Yuan's eyes glued to them. In the end, he chose a gun, giving up the right to choose clothes instead.
As for why he was sitting here today diligently helping to grade papers, Jiao Yuan was mainly looking to earn some pocket money. At 10 cents a paper, there were around two or three hundred of them here. He could buy some "junk food" when he went out to play.
Zheng Tan squatted on the folding table with a chessboard pattern, watching them grade the papers.
Each paper was marked with juvenile red-numbered traces. Sometimes, when he came across someone who had doodled out of boredom on the back of their exam paper, Jiao Yuan added a few strokes and chuckled to himself.
"Hey, I know this teacher. Dad, isn't this the one who always likes to carry a portable loudspeaker? The drawing's quite good!"
Zheng Tan craned his neck to see. On the back of that paper with a ballpen, there was a simplified caricature of an invigilating teacher, to which Jiao Yuan had added a few strokes with his pen. Little Youzi wanted to see it, but Jiao Yuan covered it up, pressing the paper down to hide it and waiting until the rest had been graded before handing it to Mr. Jiao. He did it because he couldn't let her see the little penis he'd drawn at the crotch of the teacher's trousers, and conspicuously he'd used a pen of a similar color, not the red pen used for grading.
After all, end-of-term papers were not usually returned unless a student who questioned their grade requested to review it, so it was unlikely anyone would see those drawings. Therefore, Mr. Jiao didn't say anything about Jiao Yuan's actions.
Zheng Tan tugged at his ear, thinking this little rascal really had a wicked sense of humor.
Not too long after, Zheng Tan heard Jiao Yuan utter a "huh."
"Dad, this person says they've never learned English and is asking you to show some mercy," Jiao Yuan said, pointing to a test paper in his hands with an explanation exercise for English terms in the multiple-choice section, telling Mr. Jiao.
Zheng Tan saw that on the blank space following the all-English vocabulary explanation in the first major question of that test paper, there was a fountain pen annotation, "Dear Mr. Jiao, I am of the XX nationality and have never learned English before. I took the R language for the college entrance examination and didn't do well, please be lenient..."
According to Chuhua University's requirements, those who failed had to retake the course. Previously, there were make-up exams, but later the school realized some people were gambling on just getting by with make-ups, as they were usually passed anyway, resulting in a lack of concern. Consequently, the school instituted a new policy this year that failing subjects required retaking.
Initially, many people protested. Zheng Tan saw several anonymous protest notes posted on walls and trees during his morning jogs. The other schools in Chuhua City were not this strict, and the students condemned the university for being inhumane, but eventually, they capitulated. Some felt it was too embarrassing to attend class with juniors after failing a course, but others saw the upside as an opportunity to meet lots of cute younger female students.
Upon hearing Jiao Yuan's remark, Mr. Jiao looked at the name on the test paper and said, "I'm aware of this person's situation; the other teachers know too. They will definitely be more lenient with him when the time comes."
"Man, that's lucky. Then when I take the Chinese exam, I'll write 'Teacher, I injured my hand and had to take the test with an injury, so please be lenient with my poor handwriting' at the end of my essay. Maybe the person grading will soften up and give me a high score."
Composition was Jiao Yuan's Achilles' heel, dragging down his Chinese grade, because his handwriting with a fountain pen wasn't good, which always lowered his marks. Missing the cut by a point or two could mean falling several ranks behind, which would mean not getting what he wished for from his parents, so Jiao Yuan harbored a deep grudge against writing essays.
However, although his handwriting with a fountain pen was poor, Jiao Yuan's calligraphy with a brush pen was quite the opposite.
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Jiao Yuan was hardly recognizable when he took out his calligraphy in the elementary school brush pen competition. His ballpoint pen handwriting was so scrawny, like a malnourished child, but his calligraphy was this good? Even some middle school students might not be able to match such brush pen skills. As his homeroom teacher put it, his calligraphy already had "a bit of character".
Later, his teacher would sigh, "Jiao Yuan, when will your ballpoint pen writing also have a bit of character? Don't always be so underdeveloped."
Zheng Tan had seen Jiao Yuan's ballpoint pen handwriting, and there was a piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall of Jiao Yuan's room. There were also some sticky notes written with a ballpoint pen around the room. The contrast was really damn strong. If he hadn't known the truth, Zheng Tan would never have believed they were written by the same person.
Jiao Yuan looked at the test paper in his hand, twirling his pen and started thinking about crafty ideas.
The final exams were marked by a different teacher; your own teacher graded another class's papers, and the teachers who graded your papers didn't recognize your handwriting. Jiao Yuan nodded to himself, Mm, this might work!
"Wipe that cunning thought from your mind. During the junior high entrance exam, if you pull something like this, it will definitely backfire. Do you think those teachers are fools?" Mr. Jiao didn't even look at him, but the sound of Jiao Yuan spinning his pen indicated to him that the boy was coming up with crooked ideas again.
"Oh." Jiao Yuan sighed and continued to correct the rest of the test papers.
Beep beep beep—
The phone in the bedroom rang.
Mr. Jiao glanced at the caller ID and his expression grew noticeably cooler.
"Hello..."
Zheng Tan's hearing was much better than the two children's, and the room was only so big, not too far away, so he was able to hear the conversation on the phone.
It was a woman's voice, and for the most part, it was just that woman talking, occasionally letting out a burst of English. Mr. Jiao stood there with the receiver, simply responding with short affirmations, not saying much.
Although Mr. Jiao wasn't very talkative, according to Zheng Tan's understanding, he wasn't usually this indifferent on the phone.
The person on the other end mentioned "her" several times, but Zheng Tan did not know who this "her" referred to. Then, what the person said the most was that she would send money and hoped Mr. Jiao could take care of "her".
After a few minutes, Mr. Jiao finally said something other than "uh-huh", "oh", "okay", asking, "Do you want to talk to her?"
The person on the other end was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, I've still got some things to do over here, so I'm afraid I can't talk for long."
Mr. Jiao didn't listen to the low murmurs on the other side any longer, and turned to look at Little Youzi, who was pressing the calculator, "Youzi, your mom wants to talk to you."
Zheng Tan's ears perked up at once.
Little Youzi's mom? The mother who never wanted to come back from abroad, who sent her seven-year-old daughter back to the country and lived a carefree life abroad?
Zheng Tan didn't associate it with Youzi's mom right away because those words and the tone of the conversation were too distant, like making an excuse to avoid getting attached to the people on Mr. Jiao's end.
No wonder Mr. Jiao reacted that way.
If Zheng Tan had his way, he would have started cursing. Unfortunately, Zheng Tan couldn't speak; he could only caterwaul.
Jiao Yuan didn't continue grading exams either, his eyes filled with sympathy as he looked over at Little Youzi.
The words Little Youzi said on the phone were even fewer than Mr. Jiao's, just a "Hmm" and an "Oh," and then, that was it. The call was already ended.
Zheng Tan couldn't help but stretch out a paw and scratch underneath, as Youzi's mother had only said two things. One was asking Little Youzi, "Are you alright?" and the other, instructing her to "be good at aunty's house."
Little Youzi pursed her lips, hung up the phone, and came over to continue using the calculator to finish double-checking the few exam papers. Afterward, she drew a check on each paper she had gone over to indicate there were no mistakes. Those papers still bore the marks where Zheng Tan had scratched them with his cat's paws.
"All right, let's call it a day," said Mr. Jiao, clapping his hands as he collected and sorted the exam papers from Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi's area. "By the way, Youzi, your mother transferred some money for you to buy a New Year's gift. What would you like?"
Little Youzi thought for a moment and replied, "A bicycle."
"I want one too!" exclaimed Jiao Yuan, suddenly animated. How had he forgotten about bicycles? He would need to ride one to junior high school; he should start practicing early to race with Xiong Xiong and the others! Besides, there weren't many motor vehicles at school, so it was perfect for racing bikes.
Mr. Jiao looked at Jiao Yuan, his expression unchanged, "Request denied."
"Why?"
"Your mother said to wait till the summer vacation to buy it. Xiong Xiong, Su An, and the others will be doing the same. None of them will get bikes ahead of time."
The mothers had already discussed buying bicycles, and they unanimously decided against it for the time being. There were still six months to go, and if they bought them now, the kids would go wild playing with them. When summer vacation came, they could go and buy the bikes together. Xiong Xiong's mother knew a place where they could get a discount, and it would be easier to deal with any issues with the bikes if they went together.
Knowing that the other kids were being treated the same, Jiao Yuan felt more at peace.
For a child of Little Youzi's age, obviously, she wouldn't need a bike like the ones for Jiao Yuan and his friends, but rather a children's bicycle. The place to buy the bicycle was at the nearby Central Department Store. The three of them had walked there that afternoon. Zheng Tan didn't follow. With the New Year approaching, it was crowded over there, and it wouldn't be convenient for Zheng Tan to tag along, so he rather stayed at home to nap. Or, he'd squat in the kitchen to watch Jiao Ma prepare some New Year's food, like fried Yuanzi, stuffed lotus root slices, and braised items.
When Zheng Tan crouched there, occasionally Jiao Ma would hand him a recently fried, warm meatball. Chewing on the flavorful meatball, Zheng Tan felt like he was living the good life, truly. This was what one called the life where food was handed to you, you ate till full, slept, and didn't have to worry about anything.
The threesome made a quick trip and returned swiftly. Mr. Jiao came back carrying a preassembled pinkish-purple children's bike.
Choosing a children's bike was not a simple task; don't think that just because the rear wheels have two support wheels attached, it meant all was safe and sound. One also had to check whether the brake lever on the handle suited the child's size. If the lever was too large, the child wouldn't be able to grip tightly enough to brake effectively. It was also important to assess whether the braking force was too strong, if the chain cover was well-made, among other details, to lower the chance of injury for the children.
That's why Mr. Jiao had Youzi personally come and pick out a bike, to try it herself.
After trying out the bike, Little Youzi requested a bigger basket to be fitted; the original one was too small. Even if it didn't look as good as the original, Little Youzi liked it, and both Mr. Jiao and Jiao Yuan could guess the reason for such a large basket, so they didn't object to it.
"Wow, this bike is pretty!" exclaimed Jiao Ma, wearing her apron as she came out of the kitchen and saw the bike's basket. "Is this especially prepared for Heitan?"
"Yep!" nodded Little Youzi, then she looked at Zheng Tan.
Zheng Tan flicked his tail and leaped onto the basket. Because it was a child's bike, it wasn't as high as Mr. Jiao's electric scooter, and Zheng Tan felt it was quite close to the ground. Luckily, the space was ample for him to squat comfortably. It would be great if there could be a fluffy pad or something in there...
Zheng Tan was thinking when Little Youzi took out a woolen hat, "Padding with this will make it better."
The bike wheels were covered in dust as Mr. Jiao and Jiao Yuan flanked Little Youzi on either side, protecting her on her first bike ride home. With training wheels, the balance was stable, and it didn't take many pushes to get the hang of it.
Watching Little Youzi ride, Jiao Yuan was so envious he felt like dragging one of the bikes parked in a row nearby to practice on. But no matter how much he wanted to, he never considered riding Little Youzi's children's bike. A man riding such a bike would be a laughingstock.
Once Little Youzi had a bike, she would go downstairs to ride a few laps every day, and Zheng Tan would squat in the basket, not feeling cold even with a woolen hat for cushioning. Once, Ah Huang saw Zheng Tan squatting inside and tried to jump in but got slapped away by Zheng Tan. Private cat territory, no outside cats allowed.
Not many children in the courtyard had their own bikes, and they were all envious of Little Youzi riding hers. They pleaded with their families to buy them bikes, and those who were refused at home came over to borrow Little Youzi's bike to ride. But they were all scared away by Zheng Tan. So, within a few days, all the kids in the courtyard knew that there was always a fierce black cat in Gu Youzi's bike basket that was said to scratch children. Gradually, even without Jiao Yuan stepping in, no one dared to touch Little Youzi's bike anymore.
At first, Little Youzi only rode inside the courtyard, but later she began to ride out of it. She didn't want to keep attracting the envy of others within the courtyard; there were too many envious eyes.
Mr. Jiao followed her closely; the weather had warmed up in the last few days, the snow had mostly melted, and the roads were not icy or slippery. After several outings, Mr. Jiao felt much more at ease.
Although Little Youzi was young, she was very sensible. Children who are too sensible are endearing and adults tend to be more lenient with them. The family could tell that Little Youzi had not been in a good mood lately, probably because of the phone call from her mother, so when Little Youzi went out to ride her bike every day, no one said anything.
That day, after lunch, Little Youzi went out of the courtyard to ride her bike as usual. Her children's bike was locked next to Mr. Jiao's scooter to avoid the hassle of carrying it up and down every day, and because there wasn't much space in the house, it was not convenient to keep it inside.
Mr. Jiao did not ride his scooter, walking behind and watching. Little Youzi did not ride fast, and Mr. Jiao could catch up to her with a few quick steps.
Not long after following her, Mr. Jiao's phone rang. Yuanzi needed him for something and asked him to go to the company. Mr. Jiao instructed Little Youzi not to ride too far and to head home after a short while. After receiving her promise, Mr. Jiao then left.
Without Mr. Jiao behind her, Little Youzi rode a little faster, continuing straight along the main road.
Zheng Tan glanced around, recognizing that this road was the one he usually ran on. If one went straight ahead, it would lead to the wooded area on the edge of the campus.
Little Youzi's destination was that woodland; she had been there once with Jiao Yuan and remembered the place.
The woodland area was not quiet, with various sounds from a nearby construction site carrying far. The workers there had been rushing to finish their expected tasks day and night, hurrying to go home for the New Year celebration.
After riding towards the woodland for a while, Little Youzi had no intention of going any further. The area was not very safe, and as the adults had said many times, even though it was daytime, she did not plan to go inside to look and decided to turn back towards home.
Just as she was about to turn, the sound of children's shouting and a dog barking came from inside the woods.
Zheng Tan could identify the dog; it belonged to the side door guard. It was a Black Back, brought there not long ago, only four months old. It usually came to the woods to frolic, and after fighting with Zheng Tan once, they became familiar. When it saw Zheng Tan, it didn't make much fuss anymore and sometimes would follow Zheng Tan around the woods. As soon as its owner whistled, it would run back quickly.
But now, what had happened? Had something scared the child?
After hesitating for a moment, Little Youzi parked her bike to the side and locked it, then took out a rolling pin from her backpack. It was something Jiao Yuan had discarded after getting a toy gun. When Little Youzi was about to go out biking, Jiao Yuan had put it in her backpack.
As Little Youzi walked into the woods holding the rolling pin, Zheng Tan hurried to run ahead, scouting the path not far in front of her.