[013] A Gift in Return

The cafeteria wasn’t crowded. The two girls waited under the shelter, and when Fang Chang’an walked over, Fang Dianqiu complained, “Why are you so late?”

“Washing my meal tin.”

Fang Chang’an naturally didn’t tell the truth. Fang Dianqiu and Fang Ying didn’t pay much attention and went in together to get their food.

Fang Chang’an ordered a serving of salty soup and a small bun, costing forty cents. He tore the bun and soaked it in the soup. The two girls had similar meals, spending about fifty cents each.

Fang Dianqiu was holding a plastic bag with a few pan-fried buns inside. She said she hadn’t finished them in the morning on the street and brought them back to share with Fang Ying and Fang Chang’an.

Fang Chang’an didn’t refuse her generosity but ate only two. When she offered more, he declined. Although her family was a bit better off, she couldn’t eat much more either. Everyone was frugal; there was no real need to split things evenly.

After dinner, before they reached the dormitory door, they ran into Liu Yan and Liu Cheng heading outside. Fang Chang’an waved casually, “What a coincidence, you guys are eating too?”

Liu Yan’s expression remained sour and didn’t reply. Liu Cheng, however, smiled and asked, “Hey, you’re already done?”

“Yeah, I’m leaving.”

“Hey!”

Fang Ying and Fang Dianqiu secretly sized up the Liu brothers. Once they passed, Fang Dianqiu whispered, “Who are they?”

“The one with the crew cut—he’s the uglier one, from Class Five, same dorm. The other, uglier still, is his cousin, eighth grade.”

“Oh.”

Fang Dianqiu nodded. Fang Ying suppressed a laugh, “They’re not that ugly. Why do you introduce them like that?”

“If they’re not that ugly, they’re still ugly.”

Fang Chang’an laughed as he bid the girls goodbye, then went to the sink to scrub his meal tin clean and placed it back in the basin under his bed.

Wang Hao was already back, sitting on his bed. There were a dozen others in the dorm. When Fang Chang’an came in, their expressions were a bit odd. After he bent over to put away his meal tin, Wang Hao gathered his courage and asked, “I heard you almost got into a fight with Liu Yan just now—is that true?”

Some had seen it firsthand, others just heard about it, and their eyes sized up Fang Chang’an, curious, expectant, and carrying the same wary look as when they glanced at Liu Yan and Liu Cheng—like he was someone not easily messed with.

Fang Chang’an straightened up. “No, not at all. We never even raised our hands. There are two of them—would I be stupid enough to fight?”

Wang Hao thought that made sense and asked again, “Then why would they want to fight you?”

Fang Chang’an looked puzzled, “Who said they wanted to fight me?”

“But wasn’t it said…”

Wang Hao was about to continue, but Fang Chang’an interrupted with a smile, “Nothing like that. We’re all here to study. If we really fought and got marks on our record, maybe even expelled, our parents would have to beg and spend money. What’s the point? Studying is what matters most.”

Wang Hao was a bit stunned, thinking it made sense, but also feeling something was off. Fang Chang’an slung his schoolbag and asked, “Are you going back to class?”

Wang Hao nodded dazedly. He had a round, chubby face and looked honest and cute. Fang Chang’an felt the urge to pinch his cheeks, but thought it’d be more fitting to pinch Shen Mo or Wang Ke instead.

“Xu Yang, Hao Mingci, and that Li… Dongfeng, are you going to the classroom?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m going.”

“I’m not going yet, you guys go ahead.”

The boys he called looked surprised. Xu Yang didn’t go with them, but Hao Mingci and Li Dongfeng followed. The earlier incident had made Fang Chang’an fully aware that showing off could easily backfire. Besides, Shen Mo wasn’t around, so there was no point in impressing these boys. He stayed quiet on the way.

The three boys seemed wary of him at first, but when they saw he wasn’t fierce, they relaxed and chatted among themselves, getting to know each other.

Arriving in the classroom, Shen Mo was absent. Fang Chang’an sat at his desk, opened a new textbook, and glanced at the Chinese book—People’s Education Press edition, with many familiar texts.

“Back View”
“The Antelope Wood Carving”
“From Hundred-Grass Garden to Three-Flavour Bookroom”
“Spring”
“Winter in Jinan”
“The Emperor’s New Clothes”
…

Fang Chang’an read and clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking that if he ever went shopping with Shen Mo and said, “I’ll go buy some oranges. Stay here, don’t move,” would he get beaten up?

He had no ulterior motives toward Shen Mo. His approach was partly due to old stirrings, but mostly because of her family background.

He was trying to urge his parents to go out and work sooner, but a lifetime of working for others wasn’t the answer, especially since Fang Yanran was only eight and would spend the next ten years in school at home. If his parents could find a livelihood at home, it’d be better than working away.

And for that, leveraging Shen Baoguo’s influence would be much easier.

Fang Chang’an never thought of contacting Shen Baoguo directly—he was too young, wouldn’t even be noticed. His target was Cheng Mengfei; through her, he could borrow some influence.

Shen Mo was merely a means to an end—she was in the same class, easy to reach, young and gullible, and most importantly, pretty. No matter what, he wouldn’t lose out.

After flipping through the Chinese book, Fang Chang’an opened his math book. The concepts seemed familiar, and he felt reassured. Even if he forgot, relearning would be easy with the strong soul from his later life—he wasn’t worried about junior high academics.

The only concern was how to improve his grades most effectively.

Fang Chang’an had been top of his class in the village elementary school, but in the entrance exam for No. 2 Middle School, he scored only a hundred sixty-something, averaging over eighty, which was disappointing and made him feel the real gap between schools.

According to his uncle’s information, his exam rank in class was about thirty-something, below average.

This ranking was surely in Cheng Mengfei’s hands. To match his ambitions, his grades had to improve—he had to score higher in the upcoming placement test.

But what rank would be ideal?

Fang Chang’an was pondering this when he saw Wang Ke walk in. He smiled at her. The little girl didn’t hold grudges; even after the corridor incident, she would have ignored him if she were truly upset.

Now, seeing Fang Chang’an smile at her, she scrunched her nose, looking proud as she glanced at him.

Fang Chang’an asked, “Did you eat?”

The girl hesitated, then answered, “I did.”

“Good. Eat well and do well on the test.”

Fang Chang’an continued with his nonsense. When she sat at the back desk, he turned and asked, “How are your grades?”

Wang Ke thought for a moment. “Not so good. I scored one hundred seventy on the entrance exam. You?”

Fang Chang’an secretly rolled his eyes, “I got one sixty, lower than you.”

Her eyes lit up, a bit happy, worried he’d be discouraged, she comforted him, “It doesn’t matter. We’re both in the honors class, and our scores are close. If you study hard, maybe you’ll score higher than me next time.”

Fang Chang’an nodded, “Thanks for the encouragement. I’ll work hard.”

Wang Hao sat at his desk reading. Seeing Fang Chang’an chatting enthusiastically with his female desk mate, he seemed to want to join in but didn’t know what to say, so just listened.

Wang Ke was amused by Fang Chang’an’s “parade review” response. Her desk neighbor, Zheng Lili, also laughed. Zheng Lili was quiet, gentle, not very talkative.

Fang Chang’an asked her, “What was your score?”

“I got over one sixty.”

“Wang Hao, you?”

“One fifty-something.”

“Then you have the worst grades.”

Wang Hao’s mouth moved, but he didn’t reply—it was true.

After a few casual words, Fang Chang’an confirmed Wang Ke wasn’t angry at him and didn’t want to waste more time, so settled down to read.

Few spoke in the classroom; everyone was preparing for the upcoming placement test. Boarders returned earlier; after five thirty, day students started coming back.

Wu Di still had a grudge against Fang Chang’an, either over the seat dispute or annoyed at Fang Chang’an’s prominence. When he entered and saw Fang Chang’an at his desk, he stood in the aisle silently and tapped his fingers on the desk.

Fang Chang’an glanced at him but didn’t mind, since seats were fluid—he’d have to pass Wu Di again. He moved his chair closer to the desk in front. Wu Di rolled his eyes and went in behind him.

He’d barely sat down when Shen Mo returned, silently taking her seat.

Fang Chang’an didn’t speak to her, just kept reading. Unexpectedly, within two minutes, he felt her tugging at his clothes. Looking down, he saw a fair, delicate hand offering a carton of milk.

Following that hand, he saw the girl looking at him, her eyes blinking shyly, her expression bashful as she whispered, “A… a return gift.”