A can of cola, which would cost three yuan a decade later, remained surprisingly affordable at the same price. It seemed as if the price of drinks was the only thing that hadn't risen over the years.
Back then, a pair of meat buns outside the school cost just one yuan. If you preferred vegetarian ones, you could get three for a yuan.
Four yuans might not seem like much to Cheng Xing and his friends. He had just spent that amount on a bowl of noodles at the noodle shop outside the school. However, not every student could afford such a luxury. For someone like Jiang Luxi, four yuan could mean an entire day's worth of meals.
Ancheng was a poor city, and many students at Ancheng No. 1 High School came from rural areas. Cheng Xing had seen classmates bring homemade chili oil to school—a frugal way to make their humble meals more satisfying. For many, steamed buns dipped in chili oil were the most affordable and filling option during school hours.
"Since I'm asking you for a favor, you definitely don't need to pay," Cheng Xing offered.
"Alright, I'll help," Jiang Luxi agreed.
Just then, Li Dan turned to Jiang Luxi, eyeing her suspiciously. "Cheng Xing said you asked him to bring something for you. Is that true?"
Jiang Luxi nodded slightly. "Yes."
If she could avoid trouble with Cheng Xing by simply nodding and uttering two words, Jiang Luxi figured it was worth it.
Li Dan fell silent, unsure what to say.
Before the tension could linger, Zheng Hua suddenly appeared at the classroom window.
"Cheng Xing, come here," he called, his expression serious.
Cheng Xing followed Zheng Hua to the teacher's office. Inside, Zheng Hua sat down and began grading a stack of notebooks.
"Why were you arguing in the classroom during the break instead of eating?" Zheng Hua asked without looking up.
"Chen Qing asked me to bring her food," Cheng Xing replied casually.
"Then why involve Jiang Luxi?" Zheng Hua pressed.
"I refused Chen Qing's request because Jiang Luxi had already asked me to bring something for her," Cheng Xing explained. "Chen Qing and the others didn't believe me, so I told them to ask Jiang Luxi themselves."
Zheng Hua paused, his pen hovering over the notebook. He looked up, his voice calm but firm. "Jiang Luxi doesn't eat in the evening. She wouldn't have asked you to bring food for her."
Cheng Xing froze. For once, he was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected Jiang Luxi's eating habits to betray him.
Zheng Hua leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Cheng Xing, Jiang Luxi is not like you. Your family is well-off. Even if you don't excel in school or get into a good university, your parents will ensure you live a comfortable life. But Jiang Luxi's situation is very different. Her parents died when she was young, and she now lives with her grandmother. Her only path to a better future is through her studies. The college entrance exam isn't far off. I hope you won't distract her."
Zheng Hua's tone softened slightly. "You may not care much about studying, and I know you enjoy picking fights. But in all the time I've taught you, you've never bullied anyone in your class. I trust you won't bully Jiang Luxi either. Am I right?"
Cheng Xing said nothing, though a flicker of guilt passed through him.
Zheng Hua, a veteran teacher at No. 1 High School for over a decade, understood students like Cheng Xing all too well. He had learned the hard way that some students couldn't be pushed too hard. Discipline could sometimes backfire, turning defiance into rebellion.
In his early years of teaching, Zheng Hua had been idealistic, believing he could help every student. But everything changed after one incident. A bullied student had come to him for help. Zheng Hua had reprimanded the bully, only for the student to be hospitalized after an even worse beating the following day.
From that moment, Zheng Hua understood that some students were incorrigible. The more you tried to control them, the more they lashed out. Sometimes, the best approach was to let them be, avoiding unnecessary escalations.
This hands-off approach had its costs. Disruptive students often sapped a teacher's energy and hindered the learning environment. To keep the peace, teachers sometimes chose to ignore minor distractions. As long as the student wasn't causing major problems, they'd turn a blind eye—even if the student spent class time reading novels or doing nothing at all.
For students like Jiang Luxi, this reality posed a dilemma. Reporting bullying might briefly stop the harassment but often led to worse retaliation. Teachers could only protect them for so long.
In the end, students like Jiang Luxi learned to endure. After all, silence was often safer than speaking up.
"Teacher, don't worry. I won't bully her," Cheng Xing said after a moment of silence.
In his past life, without Jiang Luxi's influence, he might never have turned his life around. How could he bully her now? He had only known that her family wasn't well-off and that she had lived a hard life before graduating from university, relying on scholarships to finish both high school and college. But Zheng Hua's words painted an even bleaker picture of her past.
For the first time, Cheng Xing began to understand why Jiang Luxi had chosen to become a nun later in life. If the grandmother who had supported her also passed away, then she truly would have no one left in the world. That crushing loneliness could drive anyone to seek solace away from society.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Go have your dinner," Zheng Hua said, breaking Cheng Xing's thoughts.
Cheng Xing nodded and left the office. Outside, Zhou Yuan was waiting for him, leaning casually against the wall.
"What did that old man say to you?" Zhou Yuan asked as Cheng Xing stepped out.
"Nothing much," Cheng Xing replied, rubbing the back of his head. "After the first evening self-study session, ask Wang Cheng to come see me."
"Got it. I'll pass the word after we eat," Zhou Yuan said.
The two of them left the school grounds and headed to a wonton shop nearby. They each had a bowl of wontons, and after finishing, Cheng Xing went to the bun shop next door and bought two meat buns and three bottles of soda. Handing one bottle to Zhou Yuan, he returned to school alone.
Back in the classroom, Cheng Xing placed the buns and a soda can on Jiang Luxi's desk. Her reaction was not what he expected.
"I helped you earlier to avoid trouble, that's all. We're even now," she said coldly. "I don't need this."
Ignoring her words, Cheng Xing turned and left.
Jiang Luxi stared at the buns and soda, a faint sigh escaping her lips. She wanted to return them, but the classroom was already filling up with students who had come back from dinner. Taking the buns to Cheng Xing now would only attract unnecessary attention. Reluctantly, she decided to wait until after school to return them.
She didn't want any of it—especially from Cheng Xing. The less interaction she had with him, the better.
During the break between the first and second evening self-study sessions, Cheng Xing walked out of the classroom and leaned against the corridor railing. The moon hung high in the sky, its silver light casting a cool glow over the campus. A soft autumn breeze carried the sounds of students laughing and talking as they strolled arm in arm across the grounds.
The scene filled him with a bittersweet nostalgia. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the energetic boys and girls, their youth and vigor radiating through the night.
"Brother Cheng, Wang Cheng is here," Zhou Yuan's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Cheng Xing turned to see a thin boy with glasses and a simple demeanor approaching him.
"Brother Cheng," Wang Cheng greeted him with a slight bow.
"I heard you're from Pinghu," Cheng Xing said.
"Yes," Wang Cheng nodded.
"Is your home far from Jiang Luxi's?" Cheng Xing asked.
"Not far. Just across the street," Wang Cheng replied.
"Do you know her well?" Cheng Xing asked, his tone casual but probing.
"Pretty well. Pinghu is a small place. Everyone knows each other," Wang Cheng said.
"Tell me what you know about her—her family situation, anything," Cheng Xing said.
Wang Cheng hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Jiang Luxi… she's really, really pretty."
"We already know that," Cheng Xing said with a faint smile.
Wang Cheng nodded quickly. "Her family's situation, though… it's awful. She lives with her grandmother, who's old and sick. Her parents… they passed away when she was in elementary school."
Cheng Xing frowned. "What happened to them?"
Wang Cheng sighed deeply. "They worked in Haicheng on construction sites, like many people from Pinghu. One day, her father fell from a building, and her mother… she tried to save him but fell too."
The words hung heavily in the air.
"Jiang Luxi was born in Luxi Town, where her parents worked," Wang Cheng continued. "They named her after the place. It's a nice name, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Cheng Xing murmured. "What about her education?"
"She's incredible. First in the entire city in the high school entrance exams. That's how she got into No. 1 High School with her tuition waived and a scholarship. But most of that money went to treating her grandmother's illnesses. She works part-time during the summers and even tutors on weekends to make ends meet."
Wang Cheng paused, looking directly at Cheng Xing. "Brother Cheng, I mean no offense, but… please don't mess with her. She's already struggling enough."
Cheng Xing chuckled lightly. "What do you mean by 'mess with her'?"
"Well…" Wang Cheng fidgeted, then blurted out, "I heard about your confession to Chen Qing. If you're thinking about pursuing Jiang Luxi now, I'd advise against it. She's not in the same world as you and Chen Qing. She won't date anyone in high school, and you'd only disrupt her studies."
"That doesn't sound like you," Cheng Xing said, amused by Wang Cheng's uncharacteristic boldness.
"She's… she's just too pitiful," Wang Cheng muttered.
"No," Cheng Xing said with a knowing smile. "You like her."
"I—I don't!" Wang Cheng stammered, his face turning crimson.
"Come on, there's nothing wrong with liking someone, especially someone as outstanding as her," Cheng Xing said. "Isn't it normal for a boy to admire such a girl? I bet every guy in Pinghu feels the same way."
Wang Cheng's face reddened even more, but he nodded slightly. "Yeah… but none of us would dare say it. We all promised ourselves that whoever succeeded in life first would go back and give her a better one."
"And who's closest to that goal now?" Cheng Xing asked curiously.
"Well, besides Jiang Luxi, I'm the only one who made it into No. 1 High School," Wang Cheng admitted.
"Then work hard," Cheng Xing said, his tone encouraging.
Every sincere emotion deserves respect. Even the timid Wang Cheng found the courage to stand up for the girl he admired. If it had been the old Cheng Xing, his rejection by Chen Qing might have left him too bitter to feel compassion. But now, he only felt a strange pang of heartache.
Looking up at the starry sky, Cheng Xing exhaled softly.