Back to 1988 35p2

Chapter 35 p2: Uprising (3)

The little class monitor, while writing down the names, asked, “Mi Yang, you’re not going, right? You did so well on the test, you don’t need tutoring. You can get a perfect score on the placement test after the break…”

Mi Yang didn’t understand and was about to ask when Tang Xiao, who had come up from behind, put his arm around his neck. He said to him, “Old Lady Wang gives them a special treat for a week. The placement test after the break will be on the topics covered in those few days. Those who went will be fine and will always improve their scores a little. If you didn’t go to the tutoring class and didn’t do well on the test, you can just wait to be criticized.”

Mi Yang had never encountered this kind of thing in the schools he had attended before, and it was the first time he had heard of it. The only time he had spent money on his studies was when he was sent to the Children’s Palace to learn a special skill. This kind of mandatory tutoring made him feel very uncomfortable.

Tang Xiao looked down at his old military satchel and hooked his finger. “Why do you always use this?”

Mi Yang said, “I like it. It’s a prize my dad won in a basketball game. His name is even printed on the inside.”

Tang Xiao was curious and had him open it to take a look. Seeing the pink and white printed words inside, he was filled with respect. “I want to join the army in the future too. Carry a gun, wear leather shoes, so cool.”

Mi Yang chuckled. “That’s a lofty ambition. Go for it, little comrade!”

Tang Xiao grinned and put his arm around his neck again, talking to him, “Are you and Bai Luochuan going to military academy too?”

Mi Yang said, “I don’t think so.” He had been a little nearsighted in his previous life and hadn’t joined the army. He had gone to an ordinary university, found a job to make a living after graduation, and his only hobby was his little book restoration handicraft. As for Bai Luochuan, Mi Yang thought for a moment. In his memory, the young master Bai didn’t seem to have joined the army either. He had taken over the family business and was very successful. His photos were often seen in financial magazines.

As Mi Yang was thinking, Bai Luochuan came over. Their winter break homework had been handed out quickly, so he had come to pick up Mi Yang early. He walked over, squeezed Tang Xiao aside, and reached out to take Mi Yang’s hand. “Are you packed? Let’s go home?”

Mi Yang said, “I’m still missing one Chinese homework… Okay, let’s go.”

Tang Xiao waved goodbye to them and shouted, “Come out and play soccer during the winter break if you have time. You remember my home phone number, right?”

Mi Yang nodded. Before he could reply, he was pulled a few steps away by the young master Bai. He was curious. “Why are you in such a hurry today? What’s wrong at home?”

After a while, Bai Luochuan said, “Grandpa Wei is leaving today.”

Only then did Mi Yang remember. A few days ago, Mr. Wei had told them that he would be returning to Shanghai for the winter break. His children might come back to visit him, and if not, he might go abroad for the Spring Festival to reunite with them. This time, it would be at least two or three months before they saw him again. Mi Yang suddenly felt a little reluctant to part. They had been learning from Wei Xian for over half a year and had gotten along very well.

In the evening, Mi Yang went to the Bai’s house and said goodbye to Wei Xian with Bai Luochuan. Bai Luochuan usually didn’t seem close to people, but with the teacher leaving, he looked a little down, which made Wei Xian feel a little flattered and also reluctant to part.

Wei Xian gave each of them a small box. “The school has already assigned winter break homework, so I won’t ask for more. After you’re done, take a good rest and go out to play. Oh, right, Little Good Boy, keep an eye on Luochuan. Don’t let him play on the ice. In the future, Grandpa will take you to an ice rink and a ski resort. The ice there is solid, and you can step on it as you please.”

Mi Yang nodded in agreement.

Bai Luochuan didn’t seem very enthusiastic and didn’t say much.

After Wei Xian left, he fiddled with the small box, opened it, and took a look. It was a small golden bean strung on a red string.

Mi Yang deliberately teased him, “It must be because you cried last time, and Grandpa Wei saw it, so he gave you this.”

Bai Luochuan took his and opened it. It was also an identical small golden bean. He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, then this one must be because you had a nightmare and cried last time, and Grandpa Wei saw it, so he gave it to you…”

Mi Yang was a little embarrassed. He had only cried a few times in his life, but by a stroke of luck, Bai Luochuan had always been there to see it. He only remembered crying but couldn’t remember what he had dreamed of. Several times, he had to take a long time to calm down after waking up. The young master Bai had never made fun of him for this before. This time, when he suddenly brought it up, Mi Yang wanted to close the lid, but Bai Luochuan quickly grabbed the small golden bean and put it on his wrist, then put his own on Mi Yang’s as well. “You can have them all. You cry much more than I do.”

Mi Yang was not convinced and wanted to resist, but he was no match for the little tyrant who was two months older than him.

Mi Yang’s little face was flushed. He was pinned down on the bed, still thrashing about, and, panting, he played his trump card. “Let go, I, I’m going home!”

Bai Luochuan pretended not to hear and tickled Mi Yang. Mi Yang’s composure broke in a second, and he burst out laughing, “Hahaha.” At first, he was still shouting that he was going home, but soon his stomach ached from laughing, and he had to beg for mercy. “I’m not going back, I’m not going back!”

Only then did the young master Bai let him go. A smile also appeared on his face, and he looked much happier than before.

Mi Yang spent a few comfortable days at home during the winter break, and then he received a distress call.

The call was from the little fatty. He had gotten Mi Yang’s home phone number from someone and had called several times before he found Mi Yang. He pleaded on the phone, “Mi Yang, help! I have a problem I can’t solve. If I don’t learn it today, I’m going to get a beating.”

Mi Yang asked him, “Aren’t you in Teacher Wang’s tutoring class? Doesn’t she teach you?”

The little fatty said, “She’s the one who taught it. I just don’t understand. She said if I get it wrong again tomorrow, she’s going to call my parents! My dad really hits hard. Help me, Yangyang!”

Mi Yang said, “What about Tang Xiao?”

The little fatty cried, “Brother Xiao taught me all morning. He said I was a hopeless case and stormed off.”

Mi Yang couldn’t help but laugh. He nodded. “Then come on over. You know my address, right? I’ll be home all day today.”

The little fatty thanked him profusely and hung up. Less than half an hour later, he arrived with his schoolbag. He parked his bicycle in Mi Yang’s yard, went inside, and drank a large glass of water before he could catch his breath.

The heating in Mi Yang’s house was not very warm. Besides a sweater, he was also wearing a thick fleece jacket. His hair was soft, and his face was also pink and soft. When he smiled, a shallow dimple appeared on his right cheek, making him look even younger than he did at school. He poured another glass of water for the little fatty. “Why are you in such a hurry? Drink slowly.”

The little fatty shook his head. “I can’t be slow. If I’m any slower, my dad will beat me to death.”

Since he was so anxious, Mi Yang had him take out his book and scratch paper and began to teach him seriously.

The problem was not difficult, but the little fatty’s foundation was poor. He was sweating with anxiety but just couldn’t understand.

“The area of a triangle = base × height ÷ 2, that is, S = ah ÷ 2,” Mi Yang glanced at him and, seeing his eyes wandering again, suddenly understood. “Have you memorized the formula?”

The little fatty shook his head guiltily. Mi Yang then took a piece of paper and started to teach him to memorize the formulas from the beginning, patiently explaining the meaning of each symbol. After he could repeat it, he would move on to the next one.

In one afternoon, it seemed that they had only worked on one problem, but in fact, they had made up for a lot of the basic knowledge he had missed.

Mi Yang made a variation of the problem, and when he had the little fatty do it again, he finished it without any difficulty this time. Mi Yang nodded. “That’s right.”

The little fatty was very excited and grateful. “Thank you, Mi Yang! I think you teach so well… even better than Old Lady Wang. I understood everything!”

Mi Yang chuckled. “Practice it a couple more times tonight. Don’t be nervous. You’ll definitely be able to solve the problem tomorrow.”

The little fatty thanked him profusely. Seeing that it was about time, he quickly packed up his things and was about to leave. “I’m going to Old Lady Wang’s house in a bit. She has guests today, so she told us to go over in the evening. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. I know this problem backwards and forwards. I’ll definitely be able to solve it!”

Mi Yang said, “You’re going so late? Be careful on the road.”

The little fatty said “okay” and was about to bump into someone as he was pushing his bicycle out the door. He steadied himself and saw that it was Bai Luochuan. He said repeatedly, “Luochuan, I have to go. I’ll come find you guys to play later.”

Bai Luochuan watched him ride away in a hurry, then turned back. “He came to find you? What for?”

Mi Yang shrunk his neck and walked into the house, his breath white in the cold air. “He came to ask me a question. I taught him for a while. Why are you here? Didn’t Auntie Luo say you had guests today?”

Bai Luochuan said, “My cousin. He brought a new computer. He said you can go online with a lottery, but he couldn’t get it to work after trying for a long time. I thought it was boring, so I came to find you.”

Mi Yang said “oh.” He really missed the world with the internet. The computers now were all big-headed machines, a very bulky model.

The closer it got to the New Year, the busier the hospital became. Cheng Qing was on night shift again today. Mi Zehai was on leave, but he was worried about his wife, especially after seeing the weather forecast that it was going to snow heavily. He took some thick clothes and said he was going to bring her a coat. He didn’t mention coming back, so he probably stayed at the hospital to keep her company. This couple had always been like this, as if they couldn’t be separated. Mi Yang was used to it.

With the adults not at home, Mi Yang was home alone. Seeing that he couldn’t lure him back, Bai Luochuan shamelessly stayed as well.

Mi Yang was afraid of the cold in winter, so his quilt was thick and soft. When he was curled up inside, he was like a little hamster, the tip of his nose slightly red. He would sneeze and then shrink back a little, wishing he could curl up into a ball.

Bai Luochuan lifted the quilt and slipped into Mi Yang’s side. It was warm and very comfortable.

Mi Yang shivered and pushed him. “It’s too cold. Go warm up on your side before you come over.”

Bai Luochuan rubbed his hands together vigorously and held his ears to warm them. “They’re warm.”

Mi Yang: “…”

He’s just deceiving himself!

Mi Yang shivered as he began to warm him up. But fortunately, the young master Bai had always been in good health. After a while, he started to generate his own heat, like a little furnace. Only then did Mi Yang relax his body, not as stiff, and snuggled closer for warmth.

Bai Luochuan was used to being intimate with him. Since he was a child, the person he had spent the most time with was Mi Yang, like his favorite toy, or a part of himself, so familiar that they couldn’t be separated. Being together was only reassuring, and he soon fell asleep.

Mi Yang slept for a while, then sneezed a couple of times. Bai Luochuan, with his eyes closed, reached out and patted him, as if to comfort him. He then fumbled to find his hands, held his forehead against his, and tested the temperature, murmuring, “Not hot.”

Although he said that, when it was time for breakfast the next day, Bai Luochuan went back to get some medicine, all of which were things like honeysuckle infusion and Banlangen granules, and had Mi Yang drink some.

Mi Yang was still a fluffy bundle and nodded in agreement.

But at noon, a few more children came to knock on the door. This time, the little fatty was the leader, and the few behind him were familiar faces, all classmates from the first class of the third grade.

The little fatty was a little embarrassed. “Mi Yang, I solved a problem this morning using the method you taught me. No one else could do it, only me. But I can’t explain it clearly…”

Mi Yang nodded and let them in. “I’ll explain it to everyone.”

Bai Luochuan stood to the side, a little unhappy. He listened as Mi Yang explained the problem, his little brow furrowed as he watched for a while. When he heard Mi Yang cough, he immediately said, “I’ll explain it. You go drink your medicine.”

Mi Yang said, “It’s fine. I’ll be done soon.”

Bai Luochuan stood there without a word. When Mi Yang finished a section and got up to drink some water, he took Mi Yang’s place, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “The next problem, I’ll explain it.”

The little fatty looked at him with some confusion, scratched his head, and said, “This is a third-grade problem, Luochuan. Do you know how to do it?”

Bai Luochuan raised his eyebrows. “Of course. Whatever Mi Yang knows, I know. The problems my teacher at home gives me are much harder than this. I get a perfect score on every test.” He added, “Mi Yang also gets a perfect score.”

The children around them let out a “wow” and looked at him with expectation.

The young master Bai unfolded a new sheet of exercise paper. “Now I’ll begin. You all listen carefully.”

When Mi Yang brought water for everyone, he saw a group of little kids in the living room, studying seriously. Bai Luochuan was sitting in the main seat, his sleeves rolled up, his brow furrowed in a very serious manner. The other children were probably startled by his sudden sternness, and not a single one was distracted. They were all listening and writing seriously.

Mi Yang placed the water on the cabinet outside, stood at the door, and watched with great interest for a while, chuckling to himself.