Chapter One: Encounter Two

  Two

  Since the last fight incident, Lan's world has become even more desolate. The boy sitting in front of him will no longer turn his head to say that his book is overstepping its bounds. Sometimes, Lan would even deliberately place half of his book outside the desk, occupying a large amount of space from the boy in front, who would only ask the person in front to move forward a bit, without willing to turn his head to look at Lan. Among classmates, rumors about himself could still be heard from time to time.

  You said her eyes are always wide open, as if she had a grudge against everyone.

  It's really scary! I even got into a fight with a boy last time!

  Right! And she's even got a nosebleed! She looks so tough!

  And her hair is cut so ugly, haha, doesn't look like a girl at all!

  It's been a week since school started, and apart from occasionally exchanging a few words with people in the dormitory, Lan C has not spoken to anyone else. Not even a male classmate from primary school who was in the same class for six years would acknowledge her. Lan C put her head under the faucet and let the cold water rush over her, trying to wash away the dark clouds that had been swirling in her mind for days. The dormitory did not have a bathroom, so every time she took a shower, she had to go to the end of each floor, where there was a public toilet and washing area. The conditions were very poor: 14 people shared each dormitory, with 10 dormitories on each floor, meaning that 140 people shared only two toilets and four showers. Each shower room was made of iron sheets forming a three-sided cube with no door, just a piece of cloth hanging down. Moreover, every time she took a shower, she had to get up early to take her bucket and queue up, but often someone would kick her bucket out of the way and cut in line.

  Every day after class, I rush back to the dormitory as quickly as possible, afraid of not being able to get in line for a shower. In this sweltering summer, taking a shower is just like eating - it's a big deal. Standing under the showerhead, I lift my head to meet the water spraying out, and the water flows down from my neck along the curves of my body into the drain. The bubbles from the bath gel float on the surface of the water, shimmering as they flow away.

  "Who's inside, are you okay?" The metal door was suddenly slapped from the outside with a loud noise. Lan C quickly turned off the switch and said, "Right away... it'll be fine right away!"

  Blue? C hands busy fetching clothes from the basin, just about to put on clothes accidentally dropped into the dirty water, "I... I'm sorry. Is there anyone outside? My clothes fell to the ground, can you help me go to my dormitory to get a clean one?"

  The dim yellow light shone on the red fabric, and through it, two girls could be vaguely seen standing behind the door curtain. Lan swallowed hard: "Classmates outside, can you help me..."

  "Don't you know I'm in a hurry?! If you don't come out now, I'll make you go to evening self-study naked!"

  There's a soft spot in my heart that's slowly freezing. I thought if I treated others with kindness, they would also be kind to me, but after trying countless times and still hitting a wall, it's better to just not be foolish anymore and stop trying. Wearing the dirty clothes from before, Lan Cui trembled as she came out of the shower room. The two girls outside cursed and kicked her bucket out from inside, followed by the sound of water, and then the sound of the girl inside opening the shower gel cap. Lan Cui picked up the bucket from the ground and washed it with water several times before taking it back to the dormitory.

  "Why so late? The self-study session is almost over." Just as the last person in the dorm was about to lock the door, she saw her coming back with a bucket and quickly reopened it. "Don't forget to lock the door when you leave, I'm going first."

  "Uh-huh, okay." Lan slightly curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile.

  The dormitory was quiet and empty, with no one around. Lan C sat down on her own bed, which was a window-side bed. Outside the window was a badminton court, and next to it were several large trees. In the summer, you could even hear the sound of cicadas coming from the trees. Lan C lay contentedly on her bed, propping up her hands and closing her eyes, breathing in the rare quiet and serene air. She still remembered the first day she arrived at school, when she fell in love with this window-side bed at first sight. This way, she had a reason to space out, and if someone asked her what she was spacing out about, she could respond by saying, "I'm not spacing out, I'm just looking at the scenery outside the window and thinking." It seemed like she was overthinking things, but in reality, no one would care what she was doing. Lan C rubbed her eyes, coincidentally meeting the gaze of their class teacher standing at the door.

  "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you going to evening self-study?" A forty-something year old class teacher, who was already slightly balding, stood at the door hesitating whether or not to enter the girls' dormitory.

  "I... I forgot about time for a moment..." He immediately sat up in bed.

  "Forgot about time? Are you new here?" The class leader hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

  The class leader looked at the girl sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of embarrassment and said, "Is it still because you didn't handle your relationship with your classmates well, so you don't want to go to class?"

  "No, no!" He hastily waved his hand.

  "You got into a fight with a boy on the first day of school. The teacher knows about it, but they think you're a good student and everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so don't let yourself go astray."

  The ice in his heart cracked open a gap, revealing the soft and flowing water inside. Lan Yu smiled shyly and nodded without saying another word. Sometimes, it really takes someone to remind you to persevere on time, who can be a teacher, friend or family member, but their existence is to tell you that you are tolerant of others but suffer from contempt, however, the principle remains unchanged, you still have to be tolerant of others.