Someone Lu, enduring the scrutinizing gazes of various people along the way, maintained an air of righteous indignation. Some teachers he knew came over to tease him, but Someone Lu merely stated that he was escorting a female classmate who was feeling unwell back to her dormitory to rest. He claimed their relationship was a pure, socialist bond of mutual aid, unity, and friendship, as successors to the revolution.
"Can't you just carry her on your back? Do you really have to hold her?" The History Teacher smiled and shook her head. She was a dark-skinned, gaunt middle-aged Woman, whose smile was honest and simple, possessing both the demeanor of an old scholar and a rustic charm.
"Reporting, Teacher, I just want to hold her."
"You little brat, saying such shameless things with such confidence. Hurry up and go, don't let the Dean of Students and your Class Teacher see you, or you'll be in for a treat." The Engineering Teacher quipped from the side. This was a stout man with a thick beard, his tone serious, but his face was covered in a greasy, hairy, mischievous grin.
"Thank you, Teacher, goodbye, Teacher." Simon brushed past his teachers. Su Xiangli, who had been huddled on his shoulder, peeked out with a red face and also said, "Hello, Teachers," to the group of unconventional old folks.
Watching them walk away secretly, Su Xiangli's tense emotions relaxed, and she suddenly bit Simon's neck.
"Wow, are you a dog?" Simon was feigning surprise again, thinking that Su Xiangli's excellent teeth could probably leave a neat circle of marks, and if he drew hour and minute hands with a ballpoint pen inside the marks, it would look like a watch.
Su Xiangli spat and spluttered for a while, "It's salty."
"That's right, I can't let you get a taste of sweetness."
When they arrived at the entrance of Dormitory Twelve, Su Xiangli lightly jumped down. "Wait for me, okay?" After speaking, she turned around and darted into the building with a swing, showing no signs of being unwell.
Simon looked up at the sky. The clouds were clear, the sun was bright, shining on all living things. It was the Dragon Boat Festival; it was already summer. May, in ancient times, was also called 'Ikumu' (suffocating steam). Zheng Gangzhong of the Song Dynasty wrote a poem: "Late spring's suffocating steam is like oppressive summer, the morning's rustle is like crisp autumn." In the mornings and evenings, there was still a comfortable breeze to soothe the chest, but at noon, the sun was scorching, the humidity remained high, and the air pressure was low. It truly felt like being tormented in a steamer, and everyone wore short sleeves, still finding them not light enough.
Simon found a stone bench under a large camphor tree in front of the dormitory and sat down. Although summer was hot, the stone stool in the shade of the trees was still cold enough to freeze his backside—comfortable.
It was already the second semester of the second year of junior high. Thinking about it, he had already been at this school for two years. In another year, he would have to leave here, and to be honest, he hadn't properly explored the vast campus; it was simply too large to finish, and he had no time to walk it.
Alas, it had been a long time since he went home. This wretched school had no rest time from week to week. The last time he went home was for May Day.
His phone vibrated. Simon looked up, admiring the dense canopy of the camphor tree, not wanting to raise his phone. So, he took out a Bluetooth earphone from his pocket and put it in his ear.
The phone's smart operating system made a 'beep' sound, and a calm, electronically synthesized voice narrated, "You have one unread email."
Simon crossed his arms. "Read aloud."
"Sender: Sun Sheng, Note: Second Sister," Simon listened, a smile appearing on his face. It was actually a family letter; he had thought it was a GG. Here, GG specifically referred to surveys and product pushes from tech companies, nothing strange.
Second Sister was very steady and reserved; she didn't often email him. Today was a rare occasion.
"Brother, my sister and I miss you very much. Something has happened at home. Mom and Dad had a big fight. If you have time, please come back quickly." The electronic voice's pronunciation was accurate in tone but lacked any fluctuation.
The sunlight, piercing through tiny gaps in the dense tree canopy, stung Simon's eyeballs. He suddenly stood up, closed his eyes, and rubbed his eyelids, an unspeakable irritation welling up in his heart.
Simon looked at the building of Dormitory Twelve. Large glass panes were covered by curtains; some curtains were not drawn, revealing unlit interiors where clothes and pants hung on drying racks, silently reflected behind the glass, untouched by the dry, restless warm wind outside.
He couldn't see Su Xiangli, but it was fine.
Simon pressed his earphone. "Send an email to Su Xiangli."
"Email creation complete. Recipient: Su Xiangli, Note: Su Su. Please enter the body of the text."
"I have some things to attend to. You should rest well in the dormitory. I might not go to class this afternoon; I have to go home. Don't push yourself too hard with ballet." He walked to the roadside, took a shared bike, and hurried towards the teaching building. "Spell check, send email."
"Email sent."
Simon took off his earphone.
When he found his Class Teacher, she was in the office eating with a group of teachers. The adults were lazy; they had agreed to take turns bringing meals, so they could comfortably stay in the air-conditioned room with constant temperature and humidity, waiting to eat. If they were in their dorms, they could directly order meals from the cafeteria robots, which was even more convenient.
So, the office was filled with the aroma of food and a warm, relaxed atmosphere, which even made Simon's hungry stomach stir.
"Teacher Wei, I'd like to ask for a day off."
"Why?" The Class Teacher swallowed the small meat bun in her mouth and stared at Simon with her ginger-yellow eyes. The boy noticed the grease on the Woman's lips. Her exaggerated big waves were still as exaggerated as ever; she now looked like a lioness who had just tasted meat, shaking her mane, irritably staring at the little wolf disturbing her.
"Something happened at home."
"Have your parents call me."
"The problem is with them."
Eating in the office continued in an orderly fashion. The fragrance of the food and the warm atmosphere of a family meal made Simon increasingly agitated, and the Class Teacher also became more and more agitated.
"Explain more clearly, what exactly happened? Generally, students are not allowed to leave school. Don't think that just because your grades are good, you can disregard school rules. On matters of leaving school, there can be no leniency; it's a blanket rule."
Simon's face was gloomy. Family shame should not be aired. How could he, in front of so many people, talk about the scandal of his parents fighting?
The Class Teacher waved her hand. "If there's nothing, go back. Have you eaten? If not, hurry up and go."
Simon didn't know why he could control his self-study time but couldn't ask for a day off.
"Teacher Wei, half a day is fine too. I can still come back tomorrow morning." Simon smiled, a fawning, mischievous smile.
The Class Teacher ate another meat bun, which somewhat alleviated her agitation. "What can you do at home? You said your parents are having a conflict, right? I'll open your video call permissions, and you can just make a call home."
Simon still smiled. "Teacher, it's my birthday today, so I'd like to ask for a night off from self-study."
"Birthday leave also doesn't allow you to leave school. What exactly happened?"
"Nothing."
"If something really happened, tell me. How about I call your parents and ask?"
"No, don't trouble yourself."
"Be careful yourself. If you have difficulties, come find me again. You can go."
"Sorry to bother you, goodbye, Teacher."
Simon hurried back to the dormitory, frowning. As he went downstairs, he pulled out his phone and saw an email from Su Xiangli.
11:31 "Su Xiangli
11:31 "Simon: Sorry, I have to go back to the dormitory. I'm taking leave from evening self-study. I'll still have classes this afternoon. After your ballet practice, still come find me at the infirmary."
Su Xiangli put away her phone, standing dejectedly in front of the dormitory building, her left hand still holding a ceramic lunchbox. Inside was the red bean smoothie she had made last night, chilled in the refrigerator. It would be wonderfully refreshing to drink in the summer. Dormitory conditions were limited, and preparing the ingredients alone took two days; she had tried her best. This was meant to be a surprise for Simon's birthday.
But now, there would be no surprise.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"