[179] Three Wishes for Chang'an

Fang Changan had originally felt a bit uncertain about Wang Ke's score, fearing most that missing the cut by just a few points would cause her to miss out on the City No. 1 High School. Upon hearing that the admissions score line for City No. 1 High School had been released, he finally let out a sigh of relief, settled his mind, and called Wang Ke.

"Really?"

Throughout the day, Wang Ke had learned the scores of quite a few classmates and had a vague sense that scores seemed to be slightly higher across the board. Consequently, she was terrified that City No. 1 High School would raise its admission threshold accordingly. Hearing Fang Changan relay the cut-off score, her voice sounded so joyful she seemed ready to jump for joy.

Fang Changan chuckled. "False."

Wang Ke made a couple of huffing sounds, clearly aware that he was teasing her, yet she couldn't help pressing further, "Is it really true or false?"

"True, unless Teacher Cheng gave me false information, the admission score line for City No. 1 High School in the surrounding area is seven hundred and fourteen. You beat it by three points, so rest easy!"

"Mm-mm."

The little girl responded happily twice, and then said in a very soft voice, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. You should thank a group of nameless heroes who defied the heavens and changed your fate."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing. Go quickly and tell Uncle and Auntie this good news."

"Um, bye-bye then."

"Bye-bye."

Fang Changan hung up the phone, then dialed Liu Bei's home to share the same news with her, after which he headed out to inform his parents.

Just as he stood up, he hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should let Shen Mo know, but immediately dismissed the thought. There was no real need; Wang Ke would surely tell her.

Once outside, Fang Changan instantly regretted it.

It was way too damn hot!

He decisively retreated back into the house. Although there was no air conditioning, there was a fan and no direct sunlight, which was far more comfortable than walking a long way in the heat. The only regret was that neither of his parents had a mobile phone; otherwise, he could have called them directly and saved himself the trip.

"Changming, let's discuss something with you."

Fang Changan sat down on the sofa and said to Fang Changming, who was watching television, "I'll give you fifty cents if you go tell Mom and Dad that the score line for City No. 1 High School is out. Deal?"

Fang Changming glanced at him sideways. "Not going."

"A dollar!"

"I wouldn't go for five dollars."

Fang Yanran raised her hand unashamedly and said, "I'll go for five dollars."

Fang Changan glared at her. "Sit down. Can you have some ambition? In this blazing sun, what will you do if you get tanned?"

Fang Changming chimed in, "Aren't you worried about me getting tanned?"

"You're already dark. Even if you get a bit darker, it won't show."

Fang Changming wanted to roll his eyes, failed to do so, and instead huffed through his nose: "Not going!"

The television was playing *The Prince Who Turns Into a Frog*. Having failed with enticements, Fang Changan resorted to threats: "If you don't go, I'm turning off the TV."

"Turn it off then. I don't care to watch it anyway." Fang Changming maintained his backbone.

"Ah, no, I want to watch!" Fang Yanran immediately spread her arms to block the television screen.

"How about this? You go tell Mom and Dad, and I'll go buy popsicles."

Ignoring his unpromising younger sister, Fang Changan changed tactics. "At the same time, I promise you that the next time you want to go out and Mom and Dad say no, or if you make some mistake, I'll speak up on your behalf."

This condition still held considerable persuasive power for Fang Changming. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright."

Fang Changming's personality somewhat resembled Fang Lujun's—he was decisive and straightforward in his actions. Having agreed, he stood up and got ready to leave. Seeing that his older brother remained seated, he prompted, "Let's go. Aren't you going to buy the popsicles?"

"You're going out anyway, just buy them on your way back."

"I won't!"

"Look, you're making the trip anyway, why should both of us suffer in the sun? Next time I go buy them, whenever you want to eat, I'll buy them whenever you want, deal?"

Fang Changming thought about it and realized it made sense. "Fine then, don't go back on your word."

"Rest assured, when has your older brother ever lied to you?"

Fang Changming left the house, and Fang Changan turned his gaze to his earnestly watching younger sister. "Yanran, how much of your summer homework have you finished?"

"I finished today's part already, you watched me do it this morning." The little girl found it strange, wondering what madness her older brother was up to.

"Completing the task isn't the goal; acquiring knowledge is."

Fang Changan lectured with a straight face. "Besides, if you write a bit more today, won't you be able to write a bit less tomorrow?"

The little girl pouted and stayed silent.

"You've always been more obedient than Changming. Be a good girl, go write for another half hour, and you can watch TV after you finish. Isn't this episode almost over anyway?"

"There's still one more episode."

"You've already watched it once, what's the point of watching it again?"

Fang Yanran pouted and remained silent once more.

"Go on, go upstairs and do half an hour of homework."

"Why should I?"

"Another day, I'll take you to play billiards."

"I don't even know how."

"I'll teach you."

Unwillingly pouting, the little girl turned off the television and headed upstairs. Fang Changan looked left and right, confirmed there was no danger, and then returned to the telephone, dialing Shen Mo's home number.

After all, always failing to reach someone when calling back was a bit humiliating; it was better to avoid doing so in front of his younger siblings if possible.

Could what Wang Ke said be the same as what he would say?

"Beep—beep—"

"Hello?"

"Hello, Au—"

The phone rang twice and was picked up immediately. Fang Changan was just about to blurt out "Auntie," when he heard a soft, tender "Hello" on the other end—it was actually Shen Mo who had answered.

He hurriedly swallowed the second half of the word, almost choking on his saliva. "Um, hello, I'm looking for Shen Mo."

"She's not here."

The little girl's voice was stiff and rigid, as if he could picture her pursing her pretty little face on the other end of the line. Only, he wondered what she looked like now after two years?

Suppressing a smile, Fang Changan said with a straight face, "Then please pass along a message for me: Fang Changan scored over seven hundred and fifty points, more than forty points higher than the cut-off for City No. 1 High School. Admission should be no problem."

"Anything else?"

"By the way, tell her as well: see you at the start of term."

"Anything else?"

"By the way, also tell her..."

Fang Changan paused, slowed his voice down, his tone turning low and disappointed, with a slight hint of choking up, before pulling himself together just as the emotion threatened to show, rich in nuance: "Fang Changan misses her quite a bit..."

With that, silence fell on both ends, save for the faint sound of breathing. A moment later, a sharp "click" was heard as Shen Mo hung up the phone.

After listening to a few dial tones, Fang Changan hung up as well. He paced around the living room for a moment, then went upstairs in high spirits. Halfway up, feeling it was too unethical to disturb his sister's studies, he turned back, switched on the television himself, and watched happily.

Meanwhile, Shen Mo, whose telephone call had been interrupted, returned to her room to resume organizing her junior high school books and belongings, preparing to pack them all away neatly. This signified the end of yet another chapter in her life.

She had been doing this ever since the senior high school entrance examinations ended, and very little was left now. Sitting on the bed, she dazed out for a while, seemingly hesitating over something.

*Thud*

The sudden impact startled her. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Yu transform into a gray blur, darting from the living room into her room with fluid grace, leaping effortlessly onto her bed. Xiao Xue, who had jumped up just a fraction of a second earlier, struck her head squarely against the wall, appearing somewhat dazed. She lay flat on the bed, blinking her eyes, and then rolled over. Seeing this, Xiao Yu crouched down beside her, waiting for the other to run again so it could give chase.

"You're such a dummy!"

Alternately amused and exasperated, Shen Mo reached out and tapped Xiao Xue on the head. Seeing that Xiao Xue still wouldn't run, Xiao Yu darted off the bed with a *whoosh* and escaped back into the living room. Upon seeing this, Xiao Xue kicked off hard with her hind legs and bolted out after her, soon accompanied by the sound of two cats screeching to a "halt" in the living room.

The two little creatures relieved her melancholy somewhat. Seemingly having made up her mind, she reopened the cardboard box she had just packed, fished out a delicate red iron box, placed it on the bed, and then laboriously dragged the box and shoved it into the wardrobe, officially banishing these items—which bore the weight of her junior high school days and had now become the past—into cold storage.

Having done all this, she returned to the bed, hesitated for a moment, and opened the red iron box. Inside lay thick envelopes. She looked at the topmost one, seemingly wanting to open it, but hesitated and placed it back on the bed.

Then she took them out one by one by one, as if searching for something, or perhaps simply wishing out of boredom to touch every single letter again...

At the very bottom of the iron box were a few poorly printed greeting cards and even a red candy wrapper.

Shen Mo poked the printed image of Zhao Min on the greeting card with her finger and pouted; she now preferred Jia Jingwen's portrayal of Zhao Min.

Then she picked up the candy wrapper and examined it. Feeling that keeping such a thing was a bit embarrassing, she picked it up, hesitated, and tossed it into the wastebasket beside her.

Yet not two seconds later, lacking any real resolve, she went back, picked it up, blew on it gently, and carefully placed it back inside the iron box.

After finishing these meaningless tasks, she picked up a greeting card and flipped through it. A moment later, she froze upon reading certain words she had long since seen before.

The text on the back of Du Bingyan's greeting card read:

*Bingyan means an icy heart, crystal-clear and translucent. "An icy heart in a jade pot" captures this very meaning.*

*Wishing classmate Shen Xiaomo to forever keep a translucent, ice-like heart, free of worries, happy and joyful.*

The text on the back of Zhao Min's greeting card read:

*Shooting stars streak across the night sky, brief yet dazzling, journeying onward carrying cherished wishes. May classmate Shen Xiaomo study hard, grow up swiftly, and illuminate the surrounding world with her own light.*

Both were signed with the three characters "Fang Changan."

Shen Mo had read these contents long ago, and had even flipped through them once or twice over the past two years, yet this was the first time she understood the underlying meaning revealed between the lines.

Especially when compared with the other two greeting cards from back then.

She tried hard to recall, finding her memory remarkably clear; she actually remembered the text on the backs of the two greeting cards Fang Changan had given to Wang Ke.

The content on Li Yuhu's greeting card was:

*Yuhu means a jade pot, absolute purity. "Clear as ice in a jade pot" captures this very meaning.*

*Wishing classmate Wang Xiaoke to forever maintain a positive and optimistic spirit, free of worries, happy and joyful.*

The back of the other greeting card featuring Xiao Zhao and Zhang Wuji held only a single sentence: *The first New Year of knowing you.*

Both were likewise signed with the three characters "Fang Changan."

At the time, she had felt very happy, because her Du Bingyan card tied with Wang Ke's Li Yuhu, and her Zhao Min card had a much better inscription than Wang Ke's Xiao Zhao card.

Yet three years later, looking back, she finally understood the true meaning hidden beneath that plain and simple sentence: *The first New Year of knowing you.*

As for her own few sentences—while they certainly sounded pleasant, and she had rejoiced over them back then—comparing the two allowed her to sense the polite formality and distance, especially the mention of the "shooting star": the brilliance was a blessing, but the brief encounter was perhaps the most important metaphor.

Fang Changan could not possibly have foreseen her transferring schools in advance; thus, what he meant was entirely clear. She would merely be a fleeting passenger in his life. Regardless of whether she transferred or not, regardless of whether they could reunite in high school, on the scale of an entire life, it was all fleeting.

A month ago, when the entrance exams ended, she had returned home brimming with excitement, thrill, and anticipation, only to witness that scene halfway through. For a young girl not yet fourteen years old, it made her truly understand for the first time the emotions in her own heart—or at least, a budding crush.

What made her even more saddened and heartbroken was that what made her realize this budding crush was its shattering.

Sometimes, letting her imagination run wild, she couldn't help wondering: if she hadn't wanted to surprise him by suddenly letting him see her as she had grown up, and hadn't deliberately avoided him for two whole years, but instead met him every once in a while, would the outcome have been different?

Most of the time, her answer leaned towards the affirmative.

It was only at this moment that she understood she had lost a very, very long time ago.

*Thump*

The two cats once again chased each other from the living room into the bedroom. Xiao Xue, running in front, bolted onto the bed, failed to brake in time, buried her head straight into the bedsheet, rolled over on the spot, and slammed her round body squarely against the wall like a rubber ball.

Xiao Yu, having domestic cat ancestry, proved somewhat more agile. She managed to slam the brakes and stop just before colliding with the other, crouching there to wait for the clumsy fellow to climb back up and continue playing. After waiting a bit and seeing it lying motionless on the bed, she padded over and began meticulously licking its fur.

Shen Mo had been watching *Home with Kids* recently, and seeing the two cats licking each other felt a bit strange. After thinking about it, she said, "I'll still be watching TV in the future, so I might as well change your names."

"Xiao Yu, you'll be called National Day—Shen Guoqing. Xiao Xue, you'll be called Patriotism—Shen Aiguo."

Pointing at the two cats, she seriously renamed them. Yet she placed the name of Comrade Patriotism—which she had clearly thought of first—second, as if she had first come up with Guoqing and then naturally followed that naming style to come up with "Aiguo."

The two cats had no idea they had names in the first place, let alone care about changing them. Seeing her pointing and gesturing, Guoqing trotted over and rubbed its little head against her hand.

Shen Mo stroked its round little head and smiled playfully. "Do you want to be called Patriotism too? What a pity—who told you to be a boy? Only girl cats can be that, and you've never loved..."

Her voice trailed off, growing softer and softer toward the end.

Five days later, July 31st, was Fang Changan's birthday. He received an unexpected "surprise."

Thirty yuan!

Sent by the Municipal Education Bureau!

Inside the envelope was also a copy of *Selected Excellent Composition Essays from the 2006 Yunlong City Senior High School Entrance Examination*.

Fang Changan flipped through it, spotting Shen Mo's name first. He kept leafing through and found Wang Ke's name as well. He turned to the very end without finding his own, briefly suspecting they had sent the wrong thing, so he thumbed through it from the beginning once more. This time, he finally located himself nestled between Shen Mo and Wang Ke.

Balance had been restored.

Shen Mo must have received her letter even earlier, and Wang Ke's might arrive slightly later. Fang Changan instinctively wanted to go congratulate Wang Ke first, but upon reflection, Shen Mo hadn't told Wang Ke—otherwise Wang Ke surely would have mentioned it to him. The clear intent was to provide a surprise, so he held back and refrained from spoiling it.

With Wang Ke at home and Shen Mo in the city, his fifteenth birthday held no grand expectations, not even a birthday song. Just family, a table of dishes, and a quiet, ordinary passage of time.

Fortunately, before blowing out the candles, one could still make a wish.

"First wish: May our country prosper and grow strong."

"First... second wish: May my family remain safe and healthy."

"Third wish: May Shen Mo, Wang Ke, and Changgan all be at peace."