MM | Chapter 28

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The students at the Affiliated High School have mixed feelings about the monthly exams. The process is excruciating, but once it’s over, they get two days off.

Since adding Gao Tianyang and Song Sirui, Sheng Wang’s WeChat has been flooded with groups like “Mingli Chaos Pot,” the Affiliated High School Grade 2 group, “Most A on Earth” (no teachers), and “Grade 2 Class A Family” (teachers included), along with various smaller groups.

Once the break starts, teacher-included groups remain silent at the bottom of the message list, while the teacher-free groups explode with activity, each showing 999+ messages.

Sheng Wang muted all the notifications, but he couldn’t escape being tagged repeatedly.

The “Chaos Pot” group was the most active, with students from every class discussing various topics. Gao Tianyang, as the social butterfly of Class A, was particularly lively, along with Song Sirui, Qi Jiahao, and Xiao Lajiao.

Sheng Wang almost thought Gao Tianyang had publicized the thug incident in the group, but upon checking, he found they were discussing the break.

Two students from Class 9 complained about the amount of homework, saying it couldn’t be finished in two days. Other classes agreed, except Gao Tianyang, who provocatively said, “Old He spared us this time, no homework,” which drew widespread envy.

Then Qi Jiahao chimed in: “Jealous.”

Class 7 – Xue Qian: Aren’t you in Class A? What are you jealous of?

Class A – Qi Jiahao: I can’t take two full days off, only a day and a half.

Class A – Gao Tianyang: They have to attend an English competition on Tuesday afternoon.

Class 9 – Chen Di: Damn, the problems of top students.

Class A – Qi Jiahao: Finally got a break, and now half a day is gone.

Sheng Wang couldn’t help but laugh at this point. Their class rep had a “praise me” vibe, and his last sentence left the group silent for a while. When the next message popped up, it even showed the time.

Class 7 – Xue Qian: @Boom, who else is competing?

Class A – Gao Tianyang: @Canned @.@Seven-colored Koi, four from our class, besides Old Qi, there’s Sheng-ge, Tian-ge, and Class Monitor Xiao Yu.

Class A – Qi Jiahao: Sister Jing showed me the list, also He Shu from Class B and Ma Shi from Class 9.

Class 7 – Xue Qian: Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are both going?

Class A – Qi Jiahao: [sweat]

Class 7 – Xue Qian: Suddenly regret not studying English well.

Class 7 – Gong Xinyue: Suddenly regret not studying English well.

Class 8 – Li Jue: Suddenly regret not studying English well.

…

The entire group was flooded with similar messages, around a hundred in total.

Gao Tianyang couldn’t stand it, copied the same message, and then tagged Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian again, saying, “If I studied English well, maybe I’d have girls lining up for me too.”

His comment sparked another wave of messages from the boys, leading to Sheng Wang being tagged dozens of times.

At that moment, he was nestled in Jiang Tian’s room working on Sister Jing’s competition papers, both of their phones buzzing simultaneously.

He skimmed through the chat, shook his hand, and said, “How did your Affiliated High School recruit so many repeaters?”

“Don’t know,” Jiang Tian glanced at the screen, showing no intention of responding.

Sheng Wang originally didn’t plan to reply either, but then Qi Jiahao suddenly tagged him, Jiang Tian, and Class Monitor Li Yu, asking: How are you planning to get there the day after tomorrow?

The English competition’s location changes every year. Last year it was at the Affiliated High School, but this year it’s at No. 2 High School, which is far from the city, known for its desolate surroundings.

Finally, Class Monitor Xiao Yu spoke up.

Class A – Li Yu: I’m okay with anything. Do you want to go together?

She tagged Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian.

Xiao Yu was nice, and Sheng Wang didn’t want to leave her hanging, so he nudged Jiang Tian and said, “The class monitor is asking how we’re getting to No. 2 High School the day after tomorrow.”

“I have something to do in Wutongwai in the morning. I’ll take the subway from there after lunch,” Jiang Tian said.

Sheng Wang had planned to ask Uncle Xiao Chen to give them a ride, but after hearing Jiang Tian, he changed his mind.

“What’s the station name again?” Sheng Wang opened the map.

Jiang Tian’s gaze shifted slightly. He looked up from his paper and glanced at Sheng Wang’s phone screen, asking, “Why do you want to know?”

“To go with you, is that not okay?” Sheng Wang said.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard, waiting for Jiang Tian to tell him the station name. Jiang Tian hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s called Wutongwai.”

Sheng Wang quickly set the location on the map, then noticed Jiang Tian still looking at him.

“What are you looking at?” Sheng Wang snapped his fingers at him.

Jiang Tian’s gaze returned to his paper. He spun his pen twice and then looked up again, asking, “Have you ever taken the subway?”

Sheng Wang: “…”

Who do you think I am?

He lifted his foot as if to kick Jiang Tian and said, “I’ll give you a chance to say that again.”

Jiang Tian pointed at his phone with the pen. “Reply to your message first.”

“Oh right, almost forgot because of you,” Sheng Wang grabbed his phone and replied to Li Yu: I’ll take the subway.

Class A – Li Yu: Oh, okay.

Class A – Qi Jiahao: @. Tian-ge, what about you? Want to meet at school and go together?

“They’re asking you,” Sheng Wang said, holding his phone.

Jiang Tian looked like he didn’t want to talk. “Reply for me.”

“Alright.”

So, less than five seconds after Qi Jiahao tagged Jiang Tian, Class A – Sheng Wang popped up: He’s taking the subway too.

After replying, Sheng Wang tossed his phone aside and continued working on the questions, unaware that after he spoke, the thousand-member group fell silent for a long time. Then a bunch of girls started flooding the chat with question marks.

*

The break didn’t reduce the workload, but at least they could sleep in. However, Jiang Tian didn’t sleep too late, as his long-standing biological clock couldn’t be broken in just a day or two.

He woke up before 6, vaguely hearing sounds of someone washing up in the next-door bathroom, a glass clinking on the counter, and the soft hum of an electric toothbrush.

The person next door usually stays in bed for an extra ten minutes if possible. Getting up early during the break? Impossible, must have forgotten what day it is.

Jiang Tian lazily guessed in his drowsiness.

He didn’t open his eyes, his fingers clasped behind his head, tugging at his hair before relaxing, as if stretching a part of his body. Sure enough, he soon heard a commotion, Sheng Wang muttering “damn” as he turned off the water.

The boy curled up on the bed moved his Adam’s apple slightly, a low sound escaping his throat, unclear whether it was a laugh or a scoff.

Soon, a cup clattered, resonating with its owner’s frustration and dissatisfaction. The half-dead sound of slippers shuffled from the bathroom back to the bed. He must have gone back to sleep, as there was no more noise.

Jiang Tian never had the habit of sleeping in.

He always got out of bed within minutes of waking up, regardless of the time, though his face might look like a storm was brewing, his actions were always brisk.

But today, he unusually fell back asleep.

When he woke again, the sun was high, light streaming through the curtains, dazzlingly bright. The digits on his phone read 8:36, nearly three hours later than usual.

It was a rare lazy morning for him in recent years.

The room next door was silent, clearly still lost in sleep. Jiang Tian quickly washed up, gathered his papers, and headed downstairs with his backpack.

Downstairs, there was a quiet bustle.

Breakfast had been prepared long ago, and Auntie Sun was cleaning the living room. Jiang Ou, not used to watching others work, followed Auntie Sun at a respectful distance, sometimes tidying the remote on the coffee table, sometimes picking up a fallen leaf by a vase.

Meanwhile, Sheng Mingyang stood outside the glass door on the first floor, taking a call.

Jiang Tian paused on the stairs. He adjusted his backpack, silently taking in the scene below.

It was ironic, he thought. He could see a semblance of ordinary family warmth and coziness, a scene he hadn’t witnessed in over ten years.

It was as if there was a frame around the three of them, and if he stepped in, the picture would break.

Jiang Ou was the first to notice him, waving and saying, “Come down for breakfast, we made some crystal dumplings today.”

“Not eating,” Jiang Tian said hastily as he descended, “I have something at school, I’m going to be late.”

“You can’t go on an empty stomach,” Jiang Ou insisted, tearing off a piece of food wrap, and packed four dumplings from the steaming basket into Jiang Tian’s backpack. “Leave four for Xiao Wang.”

Jiang Tian glanced upstairs, realizing he wasn’t the only one outside the picture.

There was, of course, nothing at school.

Jiang Tian walked past the Affiliated High School’s north gate, entering the nearby residential area. He first went to Building 6 to find Zhao Xi, inquiring about the situation with the thugs, and Zhao Xi managed to snag two dumplings from him. Then he circled to the west gate at Wutongwai, entering Old Man Ding’s yard.

Once people get older, their entertainment options dwindle. Old Man Ding didn’t like sitting by the neighborhood flower beds gossiping, his only joy was watching TV, always the same three channels: military, agriculture, and news.

Last night, his beloved TV suddenly broke, refusing to turn on, and the old man felt his world had collapsed. He clumsily called Jiang Tian on his old mobile phone.

Jiang Tian promised to come fix it this morning.

As Gao Tianyang would say, the old man was stingy, short-tempered, and incredibly wary, distrustful of everyone except Jiang Tian, whom he found sensible and steady.

“Had breakfast?” Jiang Tian put down his backpack.

“Eat? How could I think about breakfast?” Old Man Ding looked mournfully at the TV.

Jiang Tian handed him the remaining two dumplings, “Share one with Mute.”

The old man obediently shared with the neighbor and returned, munching on his dumpling. Watching Jiang Tian drag a toolbox from under the bed, he asked, “How can a TV just break like that? Can you fix it?”

Jiang Tian thought, if you ask me, who should I ask?

He had never fixed a TV before, but hearing the old man’s anxious call, he couldn’t bring himself to say “no.”

The old man, having been widowed for life, had taken a liking to Jiang Tian, almost treating him like a grandson. So, Jiang Tian had to fix it, whether he knew how or not. He spent the previous night researching TV repair manuals, devising several methods to try today.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t good with words. When the old man asked if it could be fixed, he replied, “Depends on luck,” earning himself a slap.

Fortunately, his efforts weren’t in vain. He got lucky, and after half an hour of tinkering, the TV flickered to life.

The old man’s smile stretched wide, “Ah, our Xiao Tian is amazing! Knows everything!”

With the TV working, the old man felt motivated to cook, spending from 10 to 11:30 preparing a feast for his hero.

The hero surveyed the dishes: shredded green peppers, soft and flavorful stewed potatoes, and mostly ribs with just the right amount of fat and cartilage.

After a few bites, he abruptly brought up a topic, “I need to leave at 12:10.”

“In such a hurry?” The old man took the bait, asking.

Jiang Tian said, “Competition in the afternoon, meeting someone to take the subway.”

“Oh—” The old man found it intriguing, as it was rare to see Jiang Tian with company, except for that troublemaker Gao Tianyang. The old man asked, “With whom?”

“The one who came for dinner last time.”

The old man said grumpily, “Oh, Xiao Wang! How was that freeloading? The kid’s well-behaved and likable. Why hasn’t he come by again? Does he think my cooking’s bad?”

“No,” Jiang Tian said, “He thinks the cafeteria food’s worse than yours.”

“How can it be worse than mine?” The old man grumbled, “So he thinks my cooking’s good?”

Old folks can’t resist praise. Compliment their cooking, and they’ll want to feed the whole world.

Sure enough, the old man said, “Why don’t you bring him over?”

Jiang Tian said puzzledly, “You didn’t ask me to.”

The old man clicked his tongue, giving Jiang Tian another slap, “What, you need an invitation like a state banquet guest? You don’t bring him if I don’t ask? Is that how you make friends at school? Back in my day—”

“Forget it, I won’t say more. You kids don’t like listening to old folks nag,” the old man said, pouting. “Tell him, if the cafeteria food’s bad, come here. He can order whatever he wants, and I’ll make it!”

Jiang Tian swallowed his food, pulled out his phone, and said, “Say it again.”

He opened Sheng Wang’s WeChat, switched to voice mode, pressed the button, and held it to the old man’s mouth, waiting for him to speak.

“Why do you want me to say it again?” The old man asked, unexpectedly.

“…”

Jiang Tian’s finger slipped, sending the recorded message.

Great, the whole thing fell apart.

Then the old man realized, grabbed Jiang Tian’s phone, and clumsily pressed the button, loudly saying, “Xiao Wang! Stop eating at the cafeteria, come here for lunch from now on. Tell me what you want, and Grandpa will make it!”

He released the button, sending the second message.

Jiang Tian couldn’t retract it, standing there silently.

He thought he must have done something wrong in a past life to deserve such a group of troublemakers in this one.

In a few seconds, Sheng Wang replied.

Canned: You’re having Grandpa Ding cook my lunch?

Jiang Tian: “…”

Whatever, let it be.