Fleeting Midsummer Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2- Preparing for the Beginning of School

She didn’t know what was wrong with Fang Yu Ke, but his small white face became quite red.

She used her hand to touch him: “You’re okay right? The time I got 120th place, I really did have a high fever, and I didn’t pass mathematics.”

Fang Yu Ke drank a cup of a beverage and lowered his head: “I know.” He paused for a moment, but was afraid we didn’t hear it and added, “I know now.”

The days passed like this for two more days when the days of preparing for school finally came.

Peking University’s South Door extended its doors and it became bustling with activity. Half of the people were immature students like me, the other half was the parents who were more excited than the students. Xiao Xi had already went to the train station to pick up their younger brother and sister students (people in school are very colloquial with each other in China, term does not refer to blood relations). Me and Fang Yu Ke went our own ways, looking for our own organizations. After I found the School of Foreign Languages, picked up my keys, medical card, new guidelines, and a bunch of other trash, I excitedly rushed towards my dormitory.

The meatpie hit my head again [1], haha, I lived in a new building. The most important part was that the school had planned for me to live in a place by the window, and opposite the window was Xiao Xi’s dormitory building. This way, I could always see when Xiao Xi left, and when he returned. Extremely pleased, I went to the balcony outside the window, stretched, when I suddenly saw a familiar figure at the opposite dormitory balcony. I immediately took out my glasses from my bag, and looked. I originally thought I had luck but now my heart sank. That was right, the person opposite from me was that poisonous mouthed Fang Yu Ke!

Fang Yu Ke just happened to look up and see me. But he was much calmer. Like he had nothing to do. He expressionlessly turned back to his dormitory, leaving me standing alone on the balcony, grinding my teeth.

It hadn’t passed too long before the other three people in the dormitory also came successively. The person living underneath me was a maiden from Jiangxi province (located in southern China) called Wen Tao, her nickname was A Tao. I didn’t know if she had tanned her skin dark or if her skin was always so dark, but this made her teeth exceptionally white. The top bunk across from me was a Beijing maiden. She was dressed particularly mature, with brown eyes, thick lips, and her name was also very mature, Julie, like Angelina Jolie. The bottom bunk across from me was a Shanghai maiden. Her figure was very hot and beautiful, and she was called Wang Jie. Everyone was brought over by their parents; there was only me all alone- it was particularly bleak. The Shanghai mother especially passionately sold her daughter away: “Our family’s Jie’er is usually more shy, and can’t really speak to strangers. But she’s really good to her friends. All her friends all say that my Jie’er is the best.” My heart thought, aren’t all of these lies. In front of you, can friends say that your daughter isn’t good, how stupid would that be? But the Shanghai mother didn’t care about how we reacted to it, and continued to say: I picked the name Jie’er. That “Jie” character is seen less. It isn’t the Jie from Czech Republic, but it is the Jie as in “Jie Yu”. Do you know what that means? The other people all didn’t speak. Only I instinctively shook my head. The moment the Shanghai mother saw my reaction she explained, very satisfied.

Besides the Beijing mother, the other mothers all began to throw books onto the shelves. The moment I glanced over, I thought ‘oh boy’. Wang Jie’s table was full of piles of sheet music, Wen Tao’s table was filled with literary history. Only my book shelf didn’t have any books on it at all, bare except for a cup for brushing my teeth. Wen Tao’s mom secretly asked: “A Tao, does that Zhou Lin Lin have any family problems or a single mother or is she an orphan? Why did she come by herself from so far away?” I was angry, and immediately took out my cell phone to call Fang Yu Ke.

This rascal actually answered the phone pretty quickly: “What’s the matter?”

I began to put on an act: “Big brother, have you reached the train station? The past two days you didn’t even help me settle down yet! When you get home, tell dad and mom a bit of how things are going.”

“Idiot!”

The other side had already hung up. I hung up too, and suddenly thought, Why did I call that rascal? My family didn’t even have difficulties, both my dad and mom were alive. Couldn’t I just have called my father and mother? I had really become an idiot from all of Fang Yu Ke’s cursing!

The admission day and the second day, were all days of the newbie physical examination. I grabbed a Peking University map slowly going around the University. Where was the university hospital? Alas, if only I had my parents to accompany me. All the other dormitory mates didn’t even need to worry, their parents had probably already asked around for it. Today they would even have time to go shopping and look around at the scenery. I walked around, swaying, following my ability to read a map. I was afraid I would be turning for a while. In the end I made my way to a crossroads that made me very uncertain. Oh well, I could only use the large crowds to my advantage. I blocked the path of two people whose age looked like they had both gone through many great changes.These people were dressed like they had been at Peking University for many years. Before I came to Peking University, my mom told me to say things a little politer and a little nicer. Thus, I drew out the words “Miss” the two words [2] a little longer. After I finished even I wanted to puke, but my old mom’s words actually worked.

That face that had been hit with countless wrinkles and folds immediately bloomed into a big flower [3]. She said: “Ah you, only need to keep following this path. You make a left, another left, and another left, and then y0u’ll see it.” I expressed my extreme gratitude and followed the way her hand had pointed out. After I got to the school hospital, I felt that the face with a big flower had really laughed to the point of being evil. At the time, I regretted that I couldn’t have tossed her out or leaned on myself. Because I had walked in a full circle, and found that school hospital was actually right next to the crossroads where I had asked for the way. It was in this way that I winded around in a big circle, rather foolishly.

I collected all kinds of information while also beginning to think about it all: My height and weight was smaller than others. So first I would start from there. Taking my blood that would probably be under control, but if I got dizzy, I could at least finish 95% of the exam even before I had to be lifted back. I was very satisfied with my coordination arrangements.

When they were ranking our heights, weights of the others, I purposely glanced at the person in front of me. The doctor measuring his height and weight was more careful. He actually just had to fill out the whole packet, as if we were illiterate. I watched those girls in front of me. I hated that I couldn’t be 165 cm, 45 kg. When it got to me, the doctor unwillingly got up and lowered the measuring bar [4], rigidly saying: “157 cm, 52 kg.”

Panicking, I snatched the report, and turned around to run. I hadn’t even run a few steps before I bumped into someone. I quickly apologized: “Sorry, I need to pass by.”

“Idiot.” A familiar cold voice.

[1] meatpie hit my head: In case you don’t remember, meatpie refers to good luck that hits you at the right time.

[2] 小姐 xiaojie “Miss” in Chinese is two words.

[3] “immediately bloomed into a big flower”- means that her face has become super super super happy and patronizing

Chapter end