Fleeting Midsummer Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.1- Entering the Campus

Not too long afterwards, I heard a sound of knocking glass, I turned, it was my mom. She blinked to me and protruded her lip towards Fang Yu Ke, and made a “You can do it!” gesture. I gave a hopeless breath and rolled my eyes, and I angrily said: “Can you stop?”

This time, I scared the person wrapped up in his book, Fang Yu Ke. He stared at my angry face and said: “If a girl’s temper is too heavy she won’t be able to marry.” He didn’t wait for me to reply before he went back to his book again.

The train finally thundered forward. I couldn’t come up with anything to say so, I grabbed a copy of “Salon” [1], I flipped through a few pages and felt extremely bored, I didn’t have anything to say but I tried to find something and asked: “Fang Yu Ke, how did you get into Beijing University?”

Fang Yu Ke didn’t lift his head, and continued to twirl the pen: “Before I was always the first in the school, so this is normal.”

“Oh. It’s lucky that I dazedly also tested in, otherwise you would be the only person who made it in of the whole town, then, how lonely would you be? Hehe.” I laughed, in actuality, my wound had been ripped open again and sprinkled with salt (she was trying to make conversation but he just backstabbed her so brutally oo).

Throughout the whole train ride, I lonelily sent short texts, looked through “Salon”, ate chicken, I had nothing much to do. But Fang Yu Ke was like a statue who sat opposite me, reading his book, if it wasn’t for his twirling pen, I would have suspected he wasn’t a living creature. In the end, I became drowsy, lay on the small table, and fell asleep. Within my haze, I was woken up by Fang Yu Ke: “Hey, you can go to the berth to sleep.” I wiped away the saliva on my mouth, and trudged to the back, I didn’t even take off my shoes, I just lay on the berth not conscious of anything else. When I woke up, Fang Yu Ke who was opposite me was reading again. What a nerd.

After it had passed a little more than ten hours, the train finally reached its stop.

Thus we arrived at school early on a Sunday, the train station didn’t pick up our classmates. Fang Yu Ke and I called for a car to take us directly to Beijing University. The taxi driver and I chatted very amiably, Fang Yu Ke was like ice at my side, cooling the atmosphere. When I had someone to talk to, the time passed quickly and I felt it hadn’t passed too long before the driver said that we had arrived. I got off the car, when I looked up I could see the four classic words “Beijing University” that I had often seen on TV.

I threw my suitcase aside, and stood under the big plaque, I told Fang Yu Ke: “Classmate Fang Yu ke, help me take some pictures. If the developed picture doesn’t have me in it, it will tell me that I am really dreaming.”

Fang Yu Ke saw my idiotic expression, he shook his head saying to me: “Can you not be so childish?”

I laughed: ‘That’s not the same, you guys look at Beijing University like you’ve seen your family. When you were born it was already determined that you were a Beijing University person, and you don’t have any feelings for it. I am not the same. I am a stalk of grass that was married into this wealthy family. I don’t know if other wealthy people are regretful. If I’m kicked out, this picture will be evidence of my marriage, it can prove that I used to live a wealthy life.”

Inside the school everything was new. I was like Granny Liu when she entered the Grand View Garden [2], and I looked at that, and touched that. I hated that I couldn’t take a picture of the whole landscape. Fang Yu Ke was probably feeling like I was disgracing him, and said: “Sit here. I’ll give a classmate a phone call, and let him pick us up. On such a hot day, you aren’t afraid of the sun.”

I did a surprised face: “Wow, Fang Yu Ke, you can continuously speak to me in four sentences. That’s not easy, not easy.”

Fang Yu Ke glared at me, lowering his head, not speaking.

We didn’t sit under the shade for long before someone patted Fang Yu Ke and asked: “Why did you get here early?”

I lifted my head, I couldn’t see his face from under the sun. After a while I shook my head and stood up: “Hello senior brother! [3]”

Senior brother laughed and said to Fang Yu Ke: “You even brought your family members over?”

Fang Yu Ke pushed brother’s shoulder and softly said, “What nonsense.” After this push, brother finally stood under the tree’s shade and I could see brother’s face clearly. Small eyes, a pointed nose, a small dimple, a pointed chin. Sunlight fell through the tree leaves and fell on the senior brother’s face.

My heart jumped around a little seriously. I sucked in my saliva and blurted: “Senior brothers? What are their names?”

Fang Yu Ke rolled his eyes, and said: “Call them your senior brothers, they aren’t your department senior brothers anyways. They’re only people from our town. You don’t know them.”

[1] “Salon” magazine: An entertainment magazine

[2] Granny Liu when she entered the Grand View Garden: Granny Liu is a character from “红楼梦” or “Dream of the Red Chamber”; the scene Lin Lin is referring to, is the scene where Granny Liu goes to visit the rich mansion, each time (most likely) gasping in wonder at all the splendor around her.

[3] Senior brother: Term for classmates

Chapter end