The Scorching Sun - 27

 Ye Yuncheng wanted to take a casual walk around the school.

He walked slowly, and the other two matched his pace. It wasn't because his legs couldn't carry him. It was because every sight he saw stirred something deep inside him.

It had been twenty years since Ye Yuncheng was in high school.

Back then, the rural high school had only a single classroom building. Forget computers, they didn't even have proper classrooms.

The back of the school bordered a graveyard, and one side faced a half-demolished mountain. Every day they entered through the front gate, passed the osmanthus trees planted in the courtyard, and stepped into classrooms that leaked cold air in every season, struggling to study in front of old gray-white blackboards.

Their teachers spoke heavily accented Mandarin and would always pronounce "shu" as "shuo."

Back then, studying meant enduring hardship.

Sleeping after midnight. Rising before dawn. Frost in winter, scorching heat in summer.

The years of his youth were shrouded in a hazy white mist. Even the fiercest sun of midsummer couldn’t burn through it.

It was hard for him to envision a future, and even harder to imagine supporting himself alone, so he chose to give up on school. 

Yet even then, he knew that once he left school, his future would become even narrower.

At the time, he couldn't imagine where life would take him.

Nor could he have imagined that twenty years later, a school could become something like this.

He was like someone who had never attended school, stepping inside for the first time, coming face to face with the changes this ever-evolving society had wrought while his own life had been at a standstill.

How wonderful.

Ye Yuncheng thought.

The world had become bigger.

Even in poverty, you no longer have to face a barren sky. As long as you reach out a hand, there will be people to help you.

Education really could change a person's life now.

Even if they were gone, she could still live proudly, go wherever she wanted, become whatever she wished.

Thank goodness Fang Zhuo was born in this era.

Walking ahead of them, Yan Lie pointed around as he introduced the campus.

"That building covered in vines is the music room. They deliberately built it farther away from everything else, but it's pretty well equipped. Sometimes you can hear piano practice or classical singing from over there. That spot next to it used to be a garbage dump, but they converted it into the equipment room. As long as it's in storage, students can borrow it."

Both Ye Yuncheng and Fang Zhuo wore expressions of someone whose horizons had just expanded dramatically.

Yan Lie stared at Fang Zhuo in disbelief.

Come on, Zhuozhuo. Seriously? 

What's wrong with you?!

Fang Zhuo pretended not to notice his look.

Even though she'd been here for over a year, nobody had ever properly shown her around campus. Her life was always confined to the same three destinations.

Truthfully, she didn't know the school very well either.

After circling half the campus, they arrived near the convenience store.

The school was much more crowded by now. 

Students wandered around with their parents, while several students on duty, wearing red armbands, were posted along the various paths to give directions.

 

As they passed by the entrance, they ran into Shen Musi and his father.

Father Shen was exactly the kind of middle-aged man Yan Lie had described as someone who didn’t care about managing his physique.

He had a kind, approachable face. Even when he wasn't speaking, he looked as though he were smiling. In appearance, he resembled the famous Laughing Buddha statue.

Spotting his classmates from afar, Shen Musi raised a hand,"Lie Lie!"

The two groups met in the middle.

Shen Musi wasn't very good at hiding his reactions. When he noticed Ye Yuncheng's leg, surprise flashed across his face. He immediately and rather obviously looked away, fixing his gaze on Yan Lie instead.

The two stared at each other.

Father Shen, however, was completely natural. He took Ye Yuncheng's hand in a hearty greeting, "So you must be classmate Yan Lie’s family member? You've done an incredible job! Raising such a thoughtful kid!"

Fang Zhuo’s mouth fell open slightly.

So being a top student meant you could just borrow someone else's uncle whenever you wanted?

Father Shen looked at her and continued, "And this must be the new student, right? Such a pretty girl. Cake mentioned you before. Said you're very independent and very... alpha? You know, you three actually look a bit alike. Are you relatives?"

Fang Zhuo nodded firmly. "Yes."

Father Shen immediately looked pleased with himself, "That’s what I thought! But how come Cake never mentioned it? That Yan Lie had a classmate who's related to him?"

Shen Musi tugged on his sleeve.

Father Shen turned around. "What is it?"

With a pained expression, Shen Musi corrected him. "This is Fang Zhuo's dad. God, this is so embarrassing."

Father Shen: "..."

Fang Zhuo corrected him too. "Actually, he's my uncle."

Shen Musi: "..."

Ye Yuncheng rested a hand lightly on Yan Lie's shoulder and smiled. "They're both good kids. I'm attending the parent meeting for both of them today."

Yan Lie puffed up proudly. "See? Being my guardian is fun, isn't it? Back in the day, people were willing to pay money just for the privilege of receiving this much praise. Unfortunately, I turned them down."

After spending so much time around him, Shen Musi's mouth moved faster than his brain. "I'd pay to be your dad too."

The instant the words left his mouth, his father smacked the back of his head.

"Easy there, Uncle. It's fine," Yan Lie said thoughtfully. "A senior’s head is quite precious. Personally, I'd recommend kicking him instead."

Shen Musi huffed, thinking he was incredibly childish, and shot him a sidelong glare.

However, this deeply sarcastic expression wasn't quite executed properly. With his tilted head, it had no threatening power whatsoever and just made him look a little silly.

When he saw Yan Lie laughing at him, he got even angrier and rammed his shoulder into him.

Yan Lie cheerfully hooked an arm around him and gestured toward Fang Zhuo. "Come on. Big Brother Lie Lie is buying candy for everyone."

Then he dragged the other two into the convenience store.

"The kids get along so well," Father Shen said, watching them go, "Friendships from school are precious. Once you enter the real world, it's never as easy."

Ye Yuncheng smiled.

His features were gentle, and his eyes calm, pale as smoke drifting over distant mountains.

Noticing he wasn't responding, Father Shen took another look before continuing with a grin. "My son's name is Musi. When I picked it, I thought, what a great name, so poetic and meaningful, and it rolls right off the tongue."

"Oh man, what a bumpkin I was! I only found out later about Mousse cake! When would I have ever eaten something like that?" Papa Shen boomed with laughter. "But later I figured Mousse Cake was a pretty nice name too. Look at him, pale and soft, simple as can be. As young people say these days, he's pretty sweet, right?"

"He's a very lovable kid. His nickname is adorable too."

Ye Yuncheng offered by way of explanation. "Fang Zhuo’s mother was named Yaoling. An old village teacher had flipped through a dictionary to pick it for her; it means the sun. Later, when she gave birth to Fang Zhuo, she gave her this name. Zhuo means brilliant, blazing, illuminating the sky."

"The sun, illuminating the sky." Father Shen considered this for a moment. "Her mother must have loved her very much."

"She did." Ye Yuncheng answered seriously.

The purpose of the sun was to illuminate the sky.

Even when dark clouds covered it.

Even when it sank beyond the horizon.

As the two men talked, the three students emerged from the convenience store.

Shen Musi held a giant lollipop and licked it contentedly.

Yan Lie and Fang Zhuo strolled behind him, each chewing on a candy stick.

"I'm planning to check out his dorm room," Father Shen said. "No idea what kind of disaster this brat has turned it into. I’m under orders from his mother to go tidy it up for him."

"I did not!" Shen Musi protested. "Our class monitor has a cleanliness obsession. Every week he makes us wash our socks together and even counts them!"

His face was full of suffering as he complained. "He's insane! Why can't socks be worn for two days?!"

Father Shen, who never sided with him, laughed delightedly. "I think it's great. I ought to buy your class monitor some candy."

Shen Musi nodded solemnly. "Our class monitor doesn't eat candy."

Since Fang Zhuo was there, visiting the boys' dormitory wasn't very appropriate.

It was about time anyway, so Ye Yuncheng headed to the classroom first for the meeting.

The room was already crowded with students and parents.

The homeroom teacher stood at the podium copying files, occasionally turning to explain something to parents below.

Ye Yuncheng walked in and sat at Fang Zhuo's desk. After a moment's thought, he repositioned the chair so it sat between two desks.

That way it would properly signify he was there as the guardian for both children.

He felt at ease only when his crutch was somewhere he could reach, so he rested it diagonally across his legs where it wouldn't be noticeable or trip anyone passing by.

The desks had already been cleared.

There were no books on it, just a printed note from the homeroom teacher addressed to the parents.

Ye Yuncheng picked it up and studied the few lines over and over again as though conducting research.

Yan Lie had the best grades.

Fang Zhuo was the hardest-working student in the class.

Both were students the teacher didn’t have to worry about.

At the end of Fang Zhuo’s note, there was a tactfully worded suggestion for her to push even harder, that with her intelligence, she still had tremendous room for growth.

This was Ye Yuncheng's first time attending a parent-teacher meeting, and his demeanor was profoundly serious.

Wei Xi and a few others crept over discreetly, pulled Fang Zhuo to the back of the classroom, and whispered, "Who's the handsome guy? Are you and Yan Lie renting him or something?"

Fang Zhuo was amused by this. "My maternal uncle."

"Your uncle is ridiculously handsome!" Wei Xi said. "Does your family need another child?"

Their dorm leader immediately covered her mouth.

Wei Xi laughed and pried her hand away.

The group huddled together, chattering noisily.

"I didn't even know you had an uncle. Are you close?" Wei Xi asked. "The one who came last time was your dad, right? Honestly, you look way more like your uncle."

Fang Zhuo nodded, but her attention remained fixed on Ye Yuncheng, worried he might feel out of place.

Not long afterward, another parent entered and sat beside Fang Zhuo's desk.

After glancing around, he dragged his chair closer and struck up a conversation with Ye Yuncheng.

"How should I address you? Are you Yan Lie's parent or his deskmate's parent?"

"Today I'm both." Ye Yuncheng leaned forward slightly as he spoke. "The two kids are close."

"Ha, well, Yan Lie definitely has a lot of friends," the parent said, "What do you do for work? You have the air of a teacher about you."

Ye Yuncheng paused for a beat, then said calmly, "I don't currently have a job."

The parent immediately fell silent. Only then did he notice the black cane resting across Ye Yuncheng's lap.

He let out a couple of strained laughs, thinking hard but unable to find a suitable topic to pivot to.

Fang Zhuo wanted to go over, but Yan Lie pulled her back.

Leaning against the wall, he was playing a game on his phone with one hand, his eyes didn't even look at her, yet his grip on her wrist was stubbornly firm.

A moment later, he finally finished the match.

Turning his head, he smiled at Fang Zhuo and released her hand.

Ye Yuncheng continued. "I’m thinking of starting a breakfast stall here in A City, but I've never lived here and don't know much about it."

"Well, I know A City like the back of my hand. Been here for decades. Lived in both the east and north districts. Before they built the high-speed rail station in the east, I even ran a shop there. Where were you thinking of setting up?" The parent laughed. "You don’t strike me as someone who’d go into business. I had you pegged as a scholar."

Ye Yuncheng said, "I’ve read a fair amount of books at home, but they aren't much use. I used to substitute-teach at a school. Schools have better teachers now."

The two began discussing changes in the city and shifts in the local market.

A few minutes later, Father Shen arrived and joined the conversation.

The homeroom teacher finally looked up and swept her gaze around the room. "All students, please head outside for now, the classroom’s too crowded. We'll keep this brief so everyone has time for lunch. A High's cafeteria is pretty famous, so feel free to give it a try. After lunch, we’ll head to the auditorium for the main assembly."

Fang Zhuo hesitated in her steps, but Wei Xi promptly pulled her out the door.

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