Back to 1988 32

Chapter 32: Soccer

Mi Yang’s clothes were stained with ink. When Bai Luochuan came to the third grade to pick him up after school, he looked down and saw it, frowning. “Did someone in your class bully you?”

Mi Yang said, “No.”

Bai Luochuan’s brow was still furrowed. He kept looking at the hem of his clothes, then reached out and took Mi Yang’s schoolbag. “I’ll carry it for you, so you don’t get it dirty.”

Mi Yang gave him the schoolbag. As he lifted his arm, a large ink stain on his sleeve was revealed.

Bai Luochuan’s gaze followed to his sleeve. He said to him, “Let’s go to my house and change your clothes first.”

Mi Yang was also afraid of worrying his mom, so he nodded and went with him. Cheng Qing had just changed her post recently. The hospital was already short-staffed with nurses, and she had to work night shifts in rotation, which was indeed very hard. His father, Mi Zehai, was not much better off. He led soldiers on training exercises every day, which was extremely tiring in the wind and rain. Mi Yang tried his best not to cause them any trouble, and he handled whatever he could by himself.

Bai Luochuan took him back to his own house, pushed Mi Yang into the bathroom to take a shower, and then put a set of his own clothes at the door for him to change into.

When Mi Yang came out of the bathroom, clean, he was wearing a slightly larger blue and white striped tracksuit, rolling up the sleeves as he walked. Opposite him, Bai Luochuan was also wearing an identical set of clothes, looking at him with a serious expression. He saw him and tilted his chin. “Speak. What happened?”

Mi Yang had just opened his mouth to speak when Bai Luochuan interrupted him again. “Tell the truth. I’ll go and verify it with the others in your class.”

Mi Yang chuckled, walked over, and sat down next to him. “You’re going to ask them yourself anyway. Why are you still asking me?”

Bai Luochuan said irritably, “But I just want to hear it from you.”

Mi Yang said, “It was nothing major. It’s just that during art class, a classmate’s ink was accidentally knocked over, and I got a little on me… Hey, where are my clothes?”

Bai Luochuan said, “I had Auntie Wu take them to wash. You can wear them back tomorrow. Wear this for now.”

Mi Yang said nonchalantly, “Oh, it’s fine. I have another set of school uniforms at home.”

Bai Luochuan didn’t let him change the subject. His eyes were fixed on him, and he suddenly said, “It’s related to Tang Xiao, right?”

Mi Yang looked up, his gaze meeting his. He rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled. “How do you guess everything? It is, a little. But he was trying to help, and then he got a little hot-tempered and started a fight.” Mi Yang briefly told him what had happened and spread his hands. “It was just a small thing, and we were all implicated. Teacher Wang made us stand in a row outside. It was so embarrassing.”

Bai Luochuan said with dissatisfaction, “Your class teacher is sick.”

Mi Yang glanced at him. He usually didn’t let the young master Bai use foul language.

The young master Bai reluctantly changed his wording a little, but his sarcastic tone remained largely unchanged. “Is your class teacher sick?”

Mi Yang was amused by his polite form of address. He laughed for a while before saying, “Tang Xiao should learn from you. He was angry all afternoon but didn’t know how to talk back. He should really take you as his master.”

In the evening, they attended Wei Xian’s class together. Because the young master Bai had mentioned before that the third grade was having calligraphy class, Wei Xian had also prepared some paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones for them to practice.

Before, they had only been taught to write with a pencil. It was Bai Luochuan’s first time using a brush. He stood in front of a small table, bent over, and wrote with a suspended wrist, very seriously. His large characters were also quite beautiful.

Mi Yang also wrote a couple of sheets. He hadn’t written well in the afternoon either, so now he could calm down and write a few characters seriously.

This time, they weren’t using Yidege ink. It was an inkstone that Mrs. Bai had found in the study downstairs. It looked like an old antique. It was rare to see such authentic Huizhou ink now. When Mi Yang got up, Bai Luochuan had just finished a sheet. He walked over, glanced at him, and said in a low voice, “Be careful, don’t get ink on yourself again.”

Mi Yang: “…”

This young master may not show it on his face, but he’s still holding a grudge in his heart.

The set of clothes Mi Yang had washed was not yet dry, so he first made a call home to say that he was staying at the Bai’s house that night.

Normally, the young master Bai would have been happy, but today, after hearing Mi Yang talk about what had happened in art class, his little face had been tense and he hadn’t smiled once. When it was time to sleep that night, he still pinned Mi Yang down, stripped off his clothes, and gave him a thorough inspection. Mi Yang was only two months younger than him, but he had been a bit smaller since he was a child. Especially after starting elementary school, he was half a head shorter. Being pinned down on the small bed, he thrashed about for a long time but couldn’t get up. He could only hold onto his pants and beg for mercy. “Hey, hey, what are you doing… I’m really not hurt, not at all! Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t even fight, I wasn’t involved!”

Bai Luochuan wouldn’t listen. He lifted his little shirt to check his stomach and back first. After confirming, he stubbornly went to pull his pants. “I’ll see for myself.”

Mi Yang regretted not having been completely honest from the beginning. His pants were pulled halfway down, and he was held down while his little bottom was inspected. His ears turned red. He suddenly felt a hand touch him and immediately became angry. “That’s enough, cut it out!”

Bai Luochuan pulled his pants up for him. Seeing Mi Yang’s watery eyes when he got angry, he subconsciously wanted to reach out and pat his head, but as expected, Mi Yang dodged him.

Bai Luochuan said to him, “I heard that some teachers use corporal punishment on students. I was afraid you were hit and didn’t say anything.”

Mi Yang looked up at him and only then saw the worried look on the child’s face. His heart immediately softened by half. “No, I’m not stupid. My mom has never even hit me. If I were hit, I would definitely tell my mom.” He thought for a moment and added, “And I’d tell you too.”

“If anyone hits you, you run downstairs and find me.” Bai Luochuan reached out and this time managed to touch Mi Yang’s head. His small hand comforted Mi Yang as he said seriously, “You’re so well-behaved, it definitely wasn’t your fault.”

The other half of Mi Yang’s heart immediately softened. Looking at his serious little face, he curved his eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

After the punishment in art class, life in the class was peaceful. Except for the parent-teacher conference, which made a few of the children a little nervous, everything else went smoothly.

Mi Yang got first place, and Cheng Qing specially took leave to attend his parent-teacher conference. She sat in her son’s seat in the first row, feeling very proud.

At the end, Teacher Wang said she wanted to invite a parent to speak. Cheng Qing was a little nervous. She guessed it should be the parent of the first-place student, but she hadn’t received any notice from the teacher beforehand. She could only rack her brains to think of some words that were both polite and encouraging to the other children. As she was thinking, she heard Teacher Wang say on the podium, “Next, let’s invite classmate Sun Qian’s parent to speak.”

Cheng Qing was taken aback and subconsciously turned to look at the female parent beside her. If she remembered correctly, if it wasn’t the first-place student, then it should be the second-place student who went up to speak, right? But how did she remember that the second-place student was their little class monitor, and a girl at that? Cheng Qing looked down at the name on the workbook beside her and confirmed: Wang Yiyi, not the Sun Qian that the homeroom teacher had called.

Wang Yiyi’s mother was also looking at Cheng Qing with a strange expression. She had thought the first-place student would go up!

Both mothers were good-tempered. They smiled at each other and didn’t say anything.

On the stage, the homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, made a few opening remarks and said to everyone, “Classmate Sun Qian is developing in an all-round way in terms of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor. He is also the labor committee member of our class. A few days ago, he even found five yuan and handed it in to the school, doing a good deed. Next, let’s invite Sun Qian’s father to speak.”

Sun Qian’s father was a man of medium build, wearing a black suit, with a bit of a belly. He looked like a businessman. After going on stage, he said a few simple words and then came down. He seemed quite amiable.

The other parents all applauded him. Sitting in the elementary school classroom, the parents were also trying to create a good image for their children, being very cooperative.

There were only two classes on Friday afternoon, and there was still half a day after school. The boys in Mi Yang’s class arranged to go play soccer together. After the incident of being punished together, the relationship between Tang Xiao, Sun Qian, and the other boys had actually improved. Now, they would arrange to play together on weekends, like good buddies who could talk about anything. Tang Xiao put his arm around Mi Yang’s neck and called out, “You’ve snuck away several times. You have to go this time, right?”

Mi Yang raised his hand. “Then I’d like to apply to bring a friend, is that okay?”

Tang Xiao generously nodded in agreement. Mi Yang then ran downstairs and called Bai Luochuan.

The young master Bai had packed his schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder. He said to him, “Alright, the playground, right? You guys go first. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Mi Yang and the others simply divided into teams using the “hand-palm-hand-back” method. Tang Xiao and Mi Yang were on the same team. He was physically strong and ran fast, and he thrashed the opposing team, scoring a 10-0 in the soccer game.

The children on the other side went on a passive strike. The game became extremely boring, and none of the children were in high spirits. It was only after a while, when Bai Luochuan arrived, that the game got a little better.

The young master Bai had gone home after school to change into a soccer jersey before coming over. Although he was young, his body had developed well since he was a child. Standing there, he looked half a head taller than Mi Yang, about the same height as the boys in the front row of the third grade. When he ran, he was like a little whirlwind, and he scored a goal as soon as he came on.

The little fatty, who had been on the losing team, now had a glimmer of hope in his eyes and picked up his pace to keep up with the other children.

Bai Luochuan was different from Tang Xiao. Tang Xiao would charge ahead and conquer the world on his own; eight out of the ten goals were his. Bai Luochuan, on the other hand, was more strategic. While he carved out a path for himself, he didn’t forget to arrange deployments, having a few people block Tang Xiao’s path and giving the others on his team plenty of opportunities. Although the other children’s aim was not as good as his, and not every shot went in, with more attempts, they gradually surpassed Tang Xiao’s team.

In the second game, Bai Luochuan’s team made a beautiful comeback, winning by 2 goals.

Tang Xiao was not convinced and shouted, “Again!”

Bai Luochuan stopped the ball with his foot and said, “Let’s switch players.”

Tang Xiao asked, “Switch who?”

Bai Luochuan glanced at Mi Yang, then quickly looked back at Tang Xiao. “Let’s you and I switch. Dare you?”

Without a word, Tang Xiao switched teams with him.

As Bai Luochuan ran past Mi Yang, he only reminded him, “Be careful, don’t fall.”

In this game, Tang Xiao played even harder than before, but his team had gotten used to the team attack mode. The two sides were entangled, and without a commander, the effect was not good. The little fatty chased after Tang Xiao, sweating profusely. When he stopped, his gaze habitually searched for Bai Luochuan. Seeing the commander on the opposing team, guiding everyone to charge, he felt a pang of envy.

After playing two games, Bai Luochuan could already accurately call out the names of the boys in the first class of the third grade. He stood among these older children without any fear and said to Mi Yang, “There’s a schoolbag on the edge of the field. I brought some snacks. Go get them for me, and we’ll share them.”

Mi Yang didn’t suspect anything and got up to get it.

The schoolbag was quite heavy. Besides the snacks, there was also a familiar little frog water bottle. Mi Yang had been running for half the afternoon and was very thirsty. He took a few sips first, then quickly took it to the young master Bai.

As he got closer, he happened to hear Bai Luochuan talking to the other children. They were in a circle, and the young master Bai was in the middle, listening seriously.

“…It was my grandma. She insisted on giving a gift to Teacher Wang, so my dad had to go on stage to speak.” Sun Qian pouted. “Normally, it would definitely be Mi Yang, or the class monitor. At the very least, Brother Xiao still ranked in the top five. How could it be my turn?”

The children around them all fell silent. They looked at each other with a sigh, not knowing what to say.

Someone also hesitated. “The teacher… wouldn’t be like that, right?”

Sun Qian said, “Of course, only a few accept gifts. I don’t know about the other classes, but Teacher Wang accepted it.”

Bai Luochuan sat there, listening, his brow furrowed and not relaxing for a long time.

Sun Qian saw Mi Yang coming and quickly stood up, a little embarrassed. He said to him, “Mi Yang, are you going to tell your family? Why don’t you give something too? It should have been your mother who went on stage to speak that day…”

Mi Yang was even more surprised. He looked at him with wide eyes and said, “Of course not!” He looked at the other children. Most of them had a confused look in their eyes. Only Bai Luochuan was looking at him seriously, waiting for him to continue. “Accepting gifts is wrong. What Teacher Wang did is wrong. I come to school to learn, not to flatter the teacher.”

The little fatty pouted. “I also think what Old Lady Wang did is wrong. She says good things about people just because she gets something. Sun Qian, I’m not talking about you. You’re my brother. I’d say good things about you even if I didn’t get anything from your family!”

Sun Qian was a straightforward person, and his family was relatively wealthy. He waved his hand, indicating that he didn’t care.

Bai Luochuan took the schoolbag, took out the snacks inside, and shared them with everyone. He only took the frog water bottle for himself. He first asked Mi Yang in a low voice, and after seeing him shake his head, he opened it and took a few sips himself.

Tang Xiao saw the water and said, “Hey, Luochuan, can I have a sip too?”

Bai Luochuan unceremoniously avoided his hand. “I’m not used to drinking from the same cup as others.”

Tang Xiao was not convinced. “Didn’t you just ask Mi Yang if he wanted to drink? I heard you!”

Bai Luochuan said, “He’s different.”

Tang Xiao: “…”

This person’s blatant favoritism was so righteous that he couldn’t even refute it.

On the way back after the game, Bai Luochuan suddenly said, “I’ve asked about everything. Sun Qian’s family’s address, Teacher Wang’s family’s address, and the number of gifts given. There’s a magnetic massage pillow. If she hasn’t given it away, it shouldn’t be hard to recognize.”

Mi Yang was a little surprised. “You found out so much just from playing soccer?”

Only in front of him did Bai Luochuan show a hint of pride. “Did you forget about the reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance that Grandpa taught? It was the same last time we went to the mountain to watch the target practice. You were scared yourself and even covered my ears.”

Mi Yang thought to himself: That’s because you refused to put cotton balls in your ears and didn’t take any precautions at all!