I'll Wait for You in the Future - Chapter 2: Since I Can't Go Back, I'll Stay and Make the Most of It

I always thought that not seeing someone was only temporary, that there would be another time;
But slowly I realized that some people, once separated, are gone forever.
The saddest part is,
people often don’t know which time will be the last.

“If you feel life has played a prank on you,
perhaps it’s the best time to stop and reflect on yourself.”

Entering the arcade, a long-forgotten feeling washed over him. For the sake of life, for the sake of his future, Hao Huigui had actually forgotten that only here did his younger self truly come alive. The arcade was full of children, some playing, some watching others play.

“Boss, I’ll take everything.” Hao Huigui pulled out 100 yuan, looking at the owner. The owner was now an old man, and didn’t recognize Hao Huigui. He took the money with one hand and handed him a plastic tray full of game tokens with the other. Hao Huigui took the tokens and gave a few to each child: “Uncle’s treating everyone today.” The children were overjoyed.

If only someone had been so kind to him back then.

Hao Huigui found his favorite game, *Street Fighter*, sat down, inserted a token, and chose a character. As he was playing, he suddenly heard a shout: “Liu Dazhi! Get up!”

Liu Dazhi? Who was calling him? Hao Huigui immediately stood up and looked towards the source of the sound. At the same time, several children in school uniforms quickly jumped up from the game machines and rushed towards the back door of the arcade, fleeing in a panic.

Hao Huigui looked closely and saw that the person calling his name was none other than He Shifu, his high school principal. Why was he here? He was about to greet him when he saw He Shifu also rush out of the back door of the arcade, disappearing without a trace. What happened? Hao Huigui felt a little dazed. He glanced at the arcade owner and suddenly shivered. The man who had just sold him the tokens was clearly an old man, but how did he suddenly become the middle-aged man he remembered? Was it his son? Hao Huigui felt something was strange, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He walked out of the arcade and found that the surrounding high-rises had suddenly disappeared, and the street he had just passed had also transformed into the mottled colors of his memory.

Someone ran towards him, with Director He chasing behind: “Liu Dazhi! Stop! I see you!” Hao Huigui glanced at the student running towards him, sweating profusely, closing his eyes and running desperately forward. This wasn’t… Hao Huigui felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This wasn’t… his 17-year-old self—Liu Dazhi?

How could he see his younger self?

Liu Dazhi “whoosh” ran past Hao Huigui. Without thinking, Hao Huigui ran after Liu Dazhi.

“Teacher Hao, I’m leaving him to you!” He Shifu stopped and said.

Hao Huigui followed Liu Dazhi all the way to an alleyway on a street corner. Liu Dazhi immediately hid inside, pressing himself against the wall. Hao Huigui also entered the alleyway and pressed himself against the wall next to Liu Dazhi. Liu Dazhi didn’t pay any attention to Hao Huigui’s presence, nervously watching outside, seeing if He Shifu was catching up.

Hao Huigui examined Liu Dazhi closely, unable to believe his eyes.

“You… are you Liu Dazhi?” Hao Huigui was nervous.

“Mm.” Liu Dazhi was still watching the alley entrance.

“Do you live on Renmin West Road?”

“Mm.”

“Your mother’s name is Hao Tiemei?”

Liu Dazhi turned his attention to Hao Huigui and asked seriously, “Who are you?”

“Do you like a girl in your class?”

“Who are you?” Liu Dazhi shifted some of his attention to Hao Huigui.

Hao Huigui became more and more excited. This person was indeed his younger self, but his hairstyle was too ugly, and he was too short, almost a head shorter than himself; one pant leg was down, the other rolled up; his eyes were already small, and he was trying to make them look bright.

“Just tell me, do you like a girl in your class?”

“I don’t like girls… I’m too young to think about that.” Liu Dazhi answered cautiously.

“Are you and Chen Xiaowu best friends?”

“We’re just ordinary friends. He has poor grades, is always late, skips class, and copies homework. I wouldn’t be friends with someone like that.” Liu Dazhi raised his head, a defiant look on his face.

“Didn’t you always want a dog, but were afraid your dad would eat it?” Hao Huigui chuckled softly.

“You… who are you exactly?”

“Me? I’ll tell you, you’ll be shocked! Listen carefully! I’m you from the future! I’m 36-year-old Liu Dazhi!” Hao Huigui stared intently at Liu Dazhi.

“Really?” Liu Dazhi’s eyes widened.

“Of course! Why would I lie to you!”

“Then… can I ask you a few questions?”

“Of course!”

“Will I get into university in the future? Which university?”

“Peking University!”

“I can get into Peking University?” Liu Dazhi looked doubtful. “Then… will I have a car?”

“Of course you’ll have a car.” Hao Huigui had planned to use the 100,000 yuan down payment for a house to buy a car tomorrow, so in a way, he would have a car.

“What kind of car?”

“A Mercedes-Benz.”

“What’s a Mercedes-Benz?”

“It’s a car that costs almost a million!”

“I’ll be that good in the future? What will I do?”

Hao Huigui suddenly froze, a wave of sadness washing over him. What was there to be happy about? What was there to boast about to his younger self? His 17-year-old self was full of expectations for the future, but he had messed up his life. Should he continue to deceive Liu Dazhi, or tell him the truth?

“Why aren’t you answering me? Dude, can you not be so childish!” Liu Dazhi laughed, looked outside again, made sure no one was around, and walked straight out towards the school.

“I know who you are,
I don’t want to admit who I am.”

Following Liu Dazhi, Hao Huigui looked around. Banners hung all over the school, reading “Welcome to the 98th grade freshmen, wishing you a bright future.”

Was this a dream, or did that phone call actually work? Everything was too real, every detail crystal clear: the hills were hills, the green trees were green trees, the breeze was a breeze, even the slight warmth of the sun on his skin was so distinct.

“Teacher Hao!”

Teacher Hao? Liu Dazhi and Hao Huigui were startled. He Shifu walked over.

“Liu Dazhi, you skipped class to play games on the first day of school. Tell your mother to come tomorrow morning!”

Liu Dazhi was relieved. The dude who had been questioning him was actually a teacher at this school. Luckily, he hadn’t said anything… Liu Dazhi secretly glanced at Hao Huigui.

“And Teacher Hao! The liberal arts class has terrible discipline. During the college entrance examination mobilization meeting, some were playing games, others didn’t show up. We need to address this.”

“Liberal arts class? What does that have to do with me?”

“Teacher Hao, this is a serious issue. Think about it, out of the eight intern teachers the Education Bureau recruited, only three will be hired. Yes, I admit that we’re a science school, and you’re the only one teaching the liberal arts class, but from another perspective, this is a challenge. If you do well as the class teacher, your chances of staying are higher, understand?”

“Class teacher? I’m the class teacher for the senior three liberal arts class?” Hao Huigui was full of questions.

Things had gotten complicated. Hao Huigui felt he needed to sort things out alone. Although absurd, when Hao Huigui walked up the familiar third floor, entered the familiar classroom, and stood on the podium, everything felt so real. Looking around the class, they were all his high school classmates, familiar and unfamiliar faces appearing before Hao Huigui. He immediately knew what the future held for each of them.

He Shifu introduced him first: “Teacher Hao is a key talent recruited by the Education Bureau, and one of our eight intern teachers. As your temporary class teacher, he will be with you for three months. If your grades improve after three months, Teacher Hao may become your official teacher.”

Hao Huigui finally realized. In his senior year of high school, the school had indeed recruited a batch of intern teachers to compete for positions. After three months of internship, students and leaders voted to select three to stay. He had actually become one of them? Hao Huigui couldn’t help but laugh again. In reality, he couldn’t even get promoted to associate professor, but in his dream, he had to fight for a liberal arts class teacher position in a science high school. Seeing Hao Huigui chuckling, He Shifu immediately raised his voice: “Teacher Hao should have met you formally next week, but your entire class was absent from the mobilization meeting. Whatever the reason, I hope this is the last time!”

The students in the classroom were doing their own thing, ignoring He Shifu completely.

“Where’s Weixiao?” He Shifu asked.

Someone answered from below: “She went to negotiate with the science class.”

From the voice, Hao Huigui knew it was Dingdang. He always thought Dingdang was quite stylish, but now, looking at her, her bangs were uneven, like they’d been chewed by a dog. But her tone hadn’t changed much, as if nothing was a big deal.

“Negotiate what?”

“It seems to be about redistributing the cleaning areas for the common spaces.”

“It’s understandable that Weixiao, with her good grades, didn’t attend the college entrance examination mobilization meeting, but why didn’t so many people in your class go?”

Another girl chimed in, “Director He, our liberal arts class hasn’t had a single student get into a key university in all these years. Sitting here reading and studying is more meaningful than attending that mobilization meeting, wouldn’t you agree?” This was Feng Meili, the class representative for Chinese. She studied incredibly hard, never participating in extracurricular activities, but she only knew rote memorization. Her mental fortitude was terrible; she had to repeat her senior year twice before barely getting into a regular university. After graduation, she got married and lost contact with everyone.

“The college entrance exam is paramount! This disorganized, undisciplined behavior is more harmful than helpful!” He Shifu was furious.

Feng Meili shrugged, unconcerned. Shi Tou, who had been buried in his sleep in the corner, raised his head. “Director He, why don’t you stop wasting everyone’s study time?” Several male classmates who had entered the workforce right after high school echoed his sentiment.

“Yeah, we haven’t finished our homework yet!”

“Don’t think I’m being long-winded.”

“You *are* being long-winded!” Chen Xiaowu, sitting nonchalantly in the second-to-last row, shook his head and swayed his body.

“Chen Xiaowu, if you had this attitude and still got into university, I’d write my name backwards!” He Shifu’s face turned pale.

“Director He, my dad says the college entrance exam is useless. I’m not taking it anyway…”

“Neither are we,” Shi Tou and the others declared in unison.

*Bang!* Hao Huigui slammed his fist on the desk.

“Chen Xiaowu, what kind of attitude is that?! Stand up!”

Hao Huigui had already been simmering with anger from the 100-day banquet, and seeing 17-year-old Chen Xiaowu’s casual demeanor only fueled his rage. The sudden outburst startled the entire class, who finally looked up and scrutinized their new homeroom teacher.

“Your name’s Chen Xiaowu, right?” Hao Huigui decided to make an example of him. “You think the college entrance exam is useless? Let me tell you, even if you’re rich later in life, without an education, you’ll just be called a nouveau riche. And you,” Hao Huigui turned to Feng Meili, the Chinese class representative, “you think studying alone is so great?” He picked up Feng Meili’s notebook, filled with English vocabulary. “You think the more you copy, the better you remember? You should remember these simple words after the first time; why copy them 100 times? Who are you copying them for? Are you really studying, or punishing yourself? Look at your textbook—what a mess! What is this rainbow effect?”

“I’m highlighting the key points,” Feng Meili retorted.

“Highlighting key points? You’ve turned your book into a rainbow! All these colors—won’t your eyes go blind? Real highlighting means using a black pen and marking one point at a time. If a page is full of black marks, you’ve memorized it, understand?”

Feng Meili fell silent.

“And to those who don’t want to go to university, do you think it’s a waste of time? Let me ask you, can you get in but don’t want to, or can you simply not get in? Ten, twenty, thirty years from now, when you attend your class reunion—no, you won’t even *dare* to attend a class reunion. You have no right to call yourselves failures because you never even tried. You all think you’re so cool now, dyeing your hair, smoking, carving ugly little knives on your arms… In the future, you won’t even be able to afford a 200 yuan tattoo. Who are you trying to scare?”

Hao Huigui walked to Shi Tou’s desk, lifted his arm, then looked at Liu Dazhi sitting at his desk, feeling a surge of emotion.

“And to those who think getting into university will satisfy your family and yourselves, do you think life will be stable after university? Do you think finding a job that makes others envious means your life is complete? If you don’t know why you’re taking the college entrance exam, if you’re only doing it to please your parents and teachers, then the exam is meaningless. Because ultimately, your life won’t be your own, but one constructed by others. When you do a job you dislike day after day, yet are satisfied with others’ envy, your life is over!” Hao Huigui became increasingly agitated, increasingly emotional. “Yes, the college entrance exam is the fairest competition in life, but you need to know *why* you’re competing. What kind of person do you want to be? What major do you want to study? What kind of job do you want? These are *your* hopes, not what those around you want you to do. Your life is nobody else’s business. From this moment on, find the true meaning of your life.”

The classroom fell silent. The students looked at each other, bewildered. The new teacher’s impassioned speech, while inspiring, was also quite funny. Why was he suddenly telling them all this? Society, life, their own hopes versus others’ hopes? Isn’t the college entrance exam the most important thing right now?

What a show-off, Liu Dazhi thought.

“Teacher…” Chen Xiaowu stammered, unsure what to say.

That single word “Teacher” shifted Hao Huigui’s focus back to him.

“You think not taking the college entrance exam is glorious, unique? You think school is useless, but do you know how important this year is for you? Treat this year well, and you’ll find a good wife, make the best friends, and live a strong, striving life! Your current apathetic attitude doesn’t deserve anyone’s sympathy, nor does it deserve anyone’s admiration!”

“Teacher, I…” Chen Xiaowu thought the teacher had gone mad, spouting all these grand pronouncements about wives, best friends, and striving lives. Chen Xiaowu’s brain couldn’t process so much information; all he could think about were two words: bean sprouts.

“I what? Insubordination! Run ten laps around the track!”

“Huh?”

“Go!”

Chen Xiaowu immediately turned and ran downstairs.

Liu Dazhi cowered behind his desk, relieved to have escaped unscathed.

He Shifu was pleased with Hao Huigui’s first address to the class. He handed Hao Huigui a stack of documents to familiarize himself with the work, promising to officially announce him as the temporary homeroom teacher for the liberal arts class next week.

Hao Huigui stood alone in the corridor, observing his surroundings.

The 3 PM sun was blinding. Chen Xiaowu was running himself ragged on the track, while other students cleaned the school grounds. The school in 1998, the afternoon in 1998, the sky in 1998, the colors of 1998—it was all quite nice. Everything was quiet, no construction, no noise. Hao Huigui’s mood calmed down somewhat. From the arcade to this moment, his mind hadn’t stopped for a second. Finding a diary, making a phone call, exiting a tunnel, playing a game—then a series of unbelievable events. Which link went wrong? More specifically, which link sent him back to 1998?

Hao Huigui quickly pulled out the diary from his bag, wanting to see if the phone number was still there. It was empty. He flipped to the first page of the diary; the questions had changed, replaced by two lines:

You have returned to your 17th year.
Have you decided what you want to change?

Goosebumps erupted on Hao Huigui’s skin. The diary had changed without his knowledge. Was this his sincere wish coming true, a real chance to change his life? Hao Huigui held out his hand in the sunlight, feeling its warmth. He held his hand before his eyes, examining every line of his palm, then suddenly slapped himself several times. *Slap! Slap! Slap!* The sound was crisp, and his face hurt. Everything was so real; he had truly returned to the age of 17. Thinking back to his previous dreams, though often unbelievable, he had always believed in his situation, searching for the right way out. Perhaps today’s outcome would be the same.

Looking back, if he had truly returned to 17, there was only one thing he needed to do—his 36-year-old life had already failed, so Hao Huigui absolutely could not let Liu Dazhi repeat his mistakes. Liu Dazhi had to become a completely new self, not easily compromising, not easily giving up, not easily escaping; he had to become a strong, upright person. Only then could he save Liu Dazhi, change Hao Huigui’s life, and perhaps… even confess his feelings to Weixiao with a smile, instead of missing out for over a decade.

After calming down, Hao Huigui remembered the many things his 17-year-old self had wanted to do but hadn’t. He had wanted to play the guitar, learn to ice skate, practice singing; he had wanted to see a Leslie Cheung concert in person. When Cheung had jumped from the hotel, he and his friends had cried all night. Strangely, having just left the classroom, Hao Huigui now wanted to stay in the classroom, to attend class properly. Not for the college entrance exam, not for the tests, but to truly listen to what the teacher said, to see what his classmates were doing. His 17-year-old self had been too rushed, chasing this and that, only to realize that his days in the classroom were over. Unfortunately, this time Hao Huigui wasn’t a student; many things young people do were no longer possible for him.

Change, cherish, and regret. Hao Huigui thought of regrets. Like the girl who worked at the cassette store near the school. In high school, Hao Huigui had made a deal with her: she let him listen to tapes for free, and he wrote recommendations for them. After university, whenever he heard those old songs, he would think of that girl. When Hao Huigui returned to Hunan, wanting to greet her, he found she had already returned to the countryside to get married. He regretted never thanking her, never even knowing her name. Yet, it was this person who had let him listen to hundreds of singers for free during his school days.

There was another person he hadn’t thanked—Fei Jie, the owner of the hair salon next to the school. Fei Jie cut Hao Huigui’s hair, often without charging him. After each haircut, she would inexplicably encourage him, saying he was smart and would surely succeed. Fei Jie’s salon gradually became Hao Huigui’s “gas station”; whenever he felt down, he would go sit there, chat with Fei Jie, and feel the world suddenly open up. Of all the people, Fei Jie was the first to believe Hao Huigui could get into university. She said that other students always hesitated when changing their hairstyles, but Hao Huigui dared to try any style, and she dared to cut it, and he dared to keep it. Fei Jie always felt Hao Huigui would make a name for himself. Later, the commercial street near the high school was demolished, and Hao Huigui could never find Fei Jie again; they lost contact completely.

Hao Huigui used to think that not seeing someone was only temporary, that there would be another time. But slowly, he realized that some people, once separated, are gone forever. The saddest part is that people often don’t know which parting will be the last. Many people are like muddy water; it takes time to settle before you can see their significance in your life. Growth is the process of settling all the details of life into different flavors.

“The most beautiful thing is youth,
Not the beauty of youth, but the beauty of memories.”

A student noticed Hao Huigui standing at the back door and coughed. Everyone perked up; no one wanted to be the next Chen Xiaowu. Hao Huigui entered the classroom and wrote “Hao Huigui” in large characters on the blackboard. “My surname is Hao, like the ‘red-eared’ Hao [红耳朵 (hongeerduo) – Honestly idk what it means]. The ‘Huigui’ is like the Hong Kong handover. I was a little rushed earlier; I’m actually quite easygoing and not that serious.” Hao Huigui regained some composure.

“The teacher’s name is so strange,” a student giggled.

“Teacher, what a coincidence! My mom’s surname is also Hao. So… do you have a girlfriend?” Dingdang didn’t find Hao Huigui serious at all; instead, she found him tall, handsome, refined, and even his anger was sophisticated. Over the years, Dingdang hadn’t changed much, especially her tendency to be a hopeless romantic. Whenever she met a slightly attractive person, she would ask this question. She flirted with others, and now she was flirting with her cousin.

Hao Huigui feigned nonchalance, laughing heartily. “My most important task now is to improve your grades. As you heard, if your grades aren’t good in three months, I’ll have to find another job. So, my future depends on you all.” He thought, *Who cares about this job? I want to quit my university teaching position, why would I compete for a high school internship position? It’s a joke.*

“Report!” Chen Xiaowu stood at the door, head down, panting, drenched in sweat.

Seeing Chen Xiaowu’s appearance, everyone felt sorry for him; he must have run very hard. Hao Huigui naturally knew that Chen Xiaowu had deliberately gotten himself wet at the water fountain to gain sympathy. It was a trick he had taught him years ago.

“Finished?”

“Fin… finished.”

“Go back to your seat. Have you finished your summer homework?”

“Finished, finished.” Chen Xiaowu was relieved, quickly pulling out his homework from his bag.

“What else is in your bag?”

“Teacher… nothing.”

“Take it out.”

“No, I’ll get it myself.”

Chen Xiaowu mumbled and pulled Liu Dazhi’s summer homework from his bag.

Liu Dazhi thought, *Oh no.*

“Why is Liu Dazhi’s homework also written by you?”

“No, no, no, it’s not, I didn’t…”

“What else is in your bag?”

“Really nothing else. Teacher, believe me, my family sells bean sprouts, I’m very honest.”

“Give me your bag.”

“Teacher… I’ll do it myself.” Chen Xiaowu pulled out Weixiao’s homework.

“You both copied Weixiao’s homework?”

“Teacher Hao, really not. Weixiao is doing the opening school broadcast today, so I just submitted it for her. I really didn’t copy.”

The 1.7-meter-tall Chen Xiaowu looked like he had shrunk to 1.3 meters.

“Open to page 120, question 5, read what you wrote.” Hao Huigui directly opened Weixiao’s homework, placing Chen Xiaowu and Liu Dazhi’s assignments in front of Chen Xiaowu.

“This essay tells the story of a group of teenagers’ growth journey and their…”

“Why did you stop? Read the bracketed content too.”

“The brackets… the brackets, disregard the answers above, the… the ones below… are the correct answers.”

“Weixiao wrote it like this, and you copied it like this! Liu Dazhi copied it like this too! Chen Xiaowu, Liu Dazhi, you even copied your homework like this, do you even have brains?! If you continue like this, your lives are doomed!”

The deathly silent classroom suddenly erupted in laughter.

“Teacher, I…” Chen Xiaowu looked aggrieved. Liu Dazhi also thought Chen Xiaowu was incredibly stupid; it was embarrassing to know him.

“Don’t act innocent, I know you. Both of you, run ten more laps, now!”

“Ah…” Liu Dazhi was dejected, glaring fiercely at Chen Xiaowu.

“Also, don’t go to the water fountain to wet yourselves on your way back. Wasteful!”

“Ah… oh…”

Chen Xiaowu couldn’t understand why he had suffered so many setbacks on the first day of school.

“Teacher Hao, hello, could you come out for a moment?”

Hao Huigui turned to see a female teacher with glasses, her hair in small waves, wearing a form-fitting outfit, standing at the door.

“Miss Yang is looking for Teacher Hao!” The students whispered and giggled. Every school has a teacher like this, always surrounded by gossip. No matter who she talked to, everyone thought something interesting would happen.

“Looking for me?” Hao Huigui’s face flushed.

Miss Yang smiled, “Is there another Teacher Hao here? Of course, it’s you. Let me introduce myself, I’m Miss Yang, the English teacher for the liberal arts class.” She extended her hand. In front of the whole class, Hao Huigui’s face turned crimson. Miss Yang was his English teacher, returned from studying abroad, her walk, attire, and speech all exuded a sophisticated air, the kind of confidence that comes from a life well-lived. She seemed completely unconcerned with others’ opinions; they were like dust to her, easily brushed away.

Hao Huigui quickly shook her hand.

“Teacher Hao, Director He asked me to apply for some teaching supplies for you. They’ll be sent to your dorm. Don’t be polite, we’re all young teachers, we should help each other.” Miss Yang turned to leave. The students were still giggling, Teacher Hao was so shy, his face turned red just talking. Hao Huigui quickly picked up the class roster, using roll call to cover his embarrassment.

“Many things you can’t accept,
are just things you haven’t thought through yet.”

Hao Huigui sat in his office, recalling the events of the past few hours. The feeling was both real and strange, neither dream nor reality, a blend of fantasy and fact. Hao Huigui’s mind was full of questions. He silently asked himself: This shouldn’t be a dream; it hurt too much when I was beaten. If this isn’t a dream, did I really time travel? But if I really time traveled, is there still a me in 2017? Even more ridiculous, I actually met myself from this world… He didn’t dare to ask himself aloud; he was afraid of looking down on himself, so he could only think quietly, afraid of disturbing too many of his own thoughts.

If there’s another me in that world, who am I now? If not, how do I go back? Hao Huigui recalled the plots of all the time-travel dramas he’d watched. He knew most time travels involved accidents: rolling down stairs, stealing ancient paintings, falling into a pool, getting hit by a car… either jumping off a building to die once, or getting electrocuted into another time, or… Hao Huigui silently stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside. This was the third floor; he shivered, abandoning the idea of jumping. He decided to try other methods. Hao Huigui left the office and walked towards the most secluded corridor in the school building. In the corridor, he met Zhou, the school janitor—in his 40s, wearing a hat, bending over. Zhou looked up, and their eyes met.

“Hello.” Zhou nodded.

Hao Huigui nodded politely, saying, “Hello.”

Hao Huigui hurried away. Finding himself alone, he stood at the top of the stairs, took a deep breath, and encouraged himself: “It’s okay, I’ll give it my all, maybe I can go back to 2017.” Hao Huigui took a step, deliberately missing his footing, and rolled down the stairs, instinctively protecting his head. After a dizzy spell, he opened his eyes, and the same dozen or so steps were before him; he had rolled from top to bottom and was still in the same corridor. Zhou suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, looked at Hao Huigui sitting on the ground, shook his head, and said, “Since you’re here, make the most of it.” Then, he turned and left.

Next, Hao Huigui decided to go to the school’s swimming pool—it was more of an artificial pond; students often swam there in summer. After all, time travel in water was the most common method. The school had two artificial ponds; Hao Huigui chose the more secluded one. He looked around, ensuring no one was there, and without hesitation, jumped into the water. The water immediately reached his neck; Hao Huigui gritted his teeth and submerged himself. Water gurgled into his nose and mouth, mixed with various nauseating smells. After being choked, Hao Huigui panicked and tried to get up to find a cleaner pond. However, the pond hadn’t been cleaned in a long time; the bottom was covered in algae. The more Hao Huigui struggled, the more slippery his feet became, and the more water he swallowed.

It’s over, it’s over, I might not even time travel, I might just die here. Suddenly, Hao Huigui felt an external force lifting him to the surface. This force was so strong, like it was leading to a time tunnel. Hao Huigui’s collar was tightly gripped; the force was so strong that he felt he might be strangled even if he didn’t drown. Unable to breathe, Hao Huigui was pulled out of the water, and when he opened his eyes again, the sunlight was dazzling, a bright light. Did I return to the real world? After regaining his footing, the force on his collar suddenly released. He wiped the water from his face and turned around. A person stood in the water in front of him, short hair, white T-shirt. In the setting sun, her eyelashes were clearly visible, as were the water droplets, and even the pores on her arms.

Standing before him was Weixiao, the girl in the photo he always kept in his wallet. Hao Huigui had secretly loved her for years, but had always missed the chance to confess. This was the first time Hao Huigui had looked at Weixiao so closely. His face was burning; if it weren’t for the setting sun, he would have wanted to dive back into the water. He hoped this scene could last a little longer, a little longer, to savor the beauty. Although the situation was slightly awkward, the time and place were perfect. He wanted to make a joke to break the awkwardness, such as: “Weixiao, you saved me, I have no way to repay you, I can only offer myself.” He thought this opening was perfect.

But Weixiao spoke first: “Uncle, are you trying to kill yourself?”

Uncle? She called him uncle? In an instant, Hao Huigui’s world crumbled. All the beauty was destroyed, shattered, ruined, hopeless. The girl he had secretly loved for over a decade called him uncle; he wanted to drown himself, this was a disaster! Hao Huigui’s mind went blank, *What should I do?*

“Weixiao! Why are you in the pool?” Dingdang ran over. Liu Dazhi and Chen Xiaowu followed behind her.

“I was in the broadcast room, and I saw an uncle trying to commit suicide, so…”

“We’ve been waiting for you at the school gate, and we saw you didn’t come out. Quickly, quickly, quickly, come up, don’t catch a cold.” Dingdang ran to the edge of the pool to pull Weixiao out. Liu Dazhi also rushed over, taking off his school uniform to give to Weixiao, but suddenly realized that the person in the pool was the new Teacher Hao.

Liu Dazhi froze, quickly throwing the uniform to Weixiao and rushing to help Hao Huigui.

“Teacher Hao, why are you here?”

Dingdang and Chen Xiaowu were also stunned, standing at the edge of the pool and saluting: “Teacher Hao!” “Teacher Hao! Teacher Hao, come up quickly.”

“What Teacher Hao?” Weixiao, wiping her hair with the uniform, stopped, looking puzzled.

“Weixiao, this is our new homeroom teacher, Teacher Hao.”

Hao Huigui was so embarrassed; he couldn’t hide his identity anymore.

“Ah? Teacher Hao, why…” Weixiao thought for a moment, unsure how to ask, “Teacher Hao, please come up quickly. Liu Dazhi, quickly pull Teacher Hao up.”

After everyone pulled Hao Huigui ashore, they looked at him. Hao Huigui awkwardly said, “I just wanted to walk around the edge of the pool, but the pool was too slippery…” Everyone looked at him like, *No way*. In fact, even Hao Huigui didn’t believe his own lie.

After Dingdang pulled Weixiao out, she threw the uniform back to Liu Dazhi: “Here, you haven’t washed this uniform since the last holiday.” Then, she took off her own uniform and gave it to Weixiao. Liu Dazhi was embarrassed, so he handed the uniform to Hao Huigui: “Teacher Hao, you’re wet too, wear mine.”

“I’m fine, no need to change.” As soon as he finished speaking, Hao Huigui sneezed.

“Okay, okay, you guys go back, and the teacher should go change clothes too.”

Hao Huigui hurried away.

“Even if everything is fake, but everything is good,
then tell yourself everything is real.”

The setting sun cast its glow over Hunan, flocks of birds flying home.

Sitting in his dorm, Hao Huigui felt no joy at returning to 1998. Everything had gone wrong; his 17-year-old self didn’t trust him, his 17-year-old self’s crush saw him attempting suicide, his 17-year-old best friends saw him at his most pathetic… Forget about implementing his plans; just changing his image would take a lot of time. After a series of attempts, Hao Huigui had almost concluded that he couldn’t go back, unless… unless he completed his plan to change Liu Dazhi.

Thinking about this, Hao Huigui regained some of his spirits. He had to admit that although this day was disastrous, compared to the “living death” of 2017, 1998 was truly paradise. No one pressured him, he didn’t have to teach eight classes a day, he didn’t have to repeat “I’m your Marxist basic principles teacher, Hao Huigui,” he didn’t have to be asked why he wasn’t a professor yet, no one pointed at him and said, “This is a university teacher, we should learn from him,” and there was no nagging from his mother about blind dates.

*Slap! Slap!* Hao Huigui slapped himself twice, crisp and painful. He found a sewing needle and pricked his finger; it hurt too. “It’s really real! I really came back!” Hao Huigui sat in his chair, looking at the ceiling. No one could tell what he was thinking.

Suddenly, there was a “bang bang bang” knock on the door. Zhou, the janitor, stood at the door, looking at him, expressionless.

“These are the teaching supplies Miss Yang applied for you.” Zhou handed him a yearly calendar, a new lesson plan book, and a folder. Hao Huigui took them, said “Thank you,” and put the calendar on the wall.

“Zhou, what do the circled dates on this calendar mean?”

Zhou was already gone.

“Since I can’t go back,
I’ll seriously stay.”

The next morning, Hao Huigui was awakened by the morning exercise broadcast.

Lying in bed, listening to the broadcast, he couldn’t help but laugh when he heard “leg kicks.” This was his favorite part of the radio calisthenics. Chen Xiaowu was in front of him; every time he did leg kicks, he would deliberately kick Chen Xiaowu and say sorry. Now, he wondered why Chen Xiaowu had let him kick him for three whole years. Then came the “body twists,” another favorite move; every time he twisted, if he slowed down a bit, he could see Weixiao’s face. Then came the “full-body exercise,” “jumping exercise,” and “rest exercise.” The synthesizer produced incredibly fake string and woodwind sounds; he used to find them unpleasant, but now they sounded so familiar. Hao Huigui got up and did the exercises along with the music, feeling a surge of emotion.

Hao Huigui began to appear in the school building as the homeroom teacher.

“Teacher Hao!”

“I already introduced your identity to everyone yesterday. You should have been up early supervising morning exercises and self-study. Showing up at nine o’clock, dawdling like that—is that acceptable? Don’t think that because the liberal arts class isn’t highly valued, you can do whatever you want. So many teachers went to the science classes; why were you chosen for the liberal arts class? Please don’t disappoint this trust.” Hao Huigui’s initial excitement vanished instantly after being scolded by He Shifu.

“Forget it, Liu Dazhi’s mother will be here soon. Go greet her.”

In less than 24 hours, he was about to meet the most important people in his life one after another. Previously, Hao Huigui’s encounters with each person had been rather awkward. This meeting with his mother, however, had to be perfect. But what if his mother recognized him? It shouldn’t happen, right? Hao Huigui looked at himself in the mirror; he’d forgotten to shave that morning, looking somewhat disheveled. He was a whole head taller and much more handsome than Liu Dazhi; there was no resemblance between them.

Hao Huigui’s mind was filled with images of his mother in the past—strong, determined, always striving for perfection, always wanting Hao Huigui to live according to her expectations. Perhaps it was this competitive spirit that led to her cerebral thrombosis. After that, his mother seemed to become a different person, everything slow, everything gentle. She had protected their family with strength and hardship, suddenly laying down her arms, seemingly becoming the most vulnerable person in the world. Hao Huigui sighed. If only he had known, why bother? His mother’s life was hard, and his own life was hard. Why couldn’t they all just live a little easier?

Time ticked by. Hao Huigui had already been to the restroom several times. As he came out, he heard a particularly loud voice from afar: “Teacher Hao!”

His mother’s voice was full of energy, filling Hao Huigui with both happiness and emotion. He hadn’t heard his mother’s voice so strong in a long time, fearing that he would burst into tears at the slightest provocation. He steadied his emotions, raised his head, and saw a middle-aged woman walking towards him with Liu Dazhi.

Each step was so vigorous, carrying the wind, full of strength.

Before his mother even got close, Hao Huigui’s heart began to race. He mustn’t be timid. When criticizing Liu Dazhi, he must maintain the demeanor of a teacher. This first meeting had to be a success; he had to win his mother over to gain her trust and participate in Liu Dazhi’s discipline.

Closer, closer… Wait, Hao Huigui froze. Who was this middle-aged woman approaching him? Could his mother have changed her appearance in this world? Hao Huigui was completely stunned. “Mom” walked closer. Hao Huigui felt he knew this woman, but couldn’t remember who she was.

“Teacher Hao, hello, hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Dazhi’s mother, Hao Tiemei. What a coincidence, we share the same surname.”

“Teacher Hao, this is my mom.” A hint of disdain flickered in Liu Dazhi’s eyes.

Hao Huigui stared at Liu Dazhi, Liu Dazhi stared back at Hao Huigui, and Hao Huigui then stared at Hao Tiemei.

This… wasn’t this Cai Jie, the butcher from the market?!

Looking at Liu Dazhi’s expression, Hao Huigui immediately understood. Fine, if you want to play games, I’ll play along. A battle between 17-year-old and 36-year-old Hao Huigui was about to begin.

“Dazhi’s mother, thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome. My child said the new homeroom teacher wanted to meet the parents, so I came as soon as I closed up shop.”

“Cough, cough!” Liu Dazhi coughed repeatedly.

Hao Huigui pretended not to hear. “To make a long story short, Dazhi’s mother, it’s like this. Yesterday, Director He and I were talking about Dazhi, and we both think he has great potential. So, during this crucial period, whatever he wants to eat, please try to get it for him. Whatever he wants to buy, please try to fulfill his wishes. As long as he maintains a happy mood, we’re confident he can achieve a very good score and get into a very good university.”

Cai Jie looked at Liu Dazhi questioningly, and Liu Dazhi’s expression turned gloomy. Wasn’t he supposed to be criticizing me? Why is he suddenly praising me?

“Dazhi, what do you think?” Hao Huigui asked.

Liu Dazhi forced a stiff smile. “Not at all, not at all.”

“Oh my, Teacher Hao thinks so highly of our Dazhi. If his father knew this, he’d be so happy,” Cai Jie played along perfectly.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, Dazhi’s mother. I plan to visit your home tonight, and meet Dazhi’s father, to chat with both of you. It will be even more beneficial for Dazhi.”

Cai Jie was stunned. Liu Dazhi was also stunned.

There was no escaping it; even trying to avoid it was useless. After school, Liu Dazhi waited obediently at the school gate, his mind racing through countless plans, rejecting and rebuilding them one by one.

“Let’s go.” Hao Huigui appeared before him.

“Isn’t your mother an accountant? Why did she say she needed to close up shop this afternoon?”

“She meant taking care of her own affairs.” Liu Dazhi answered smoothly, his mind racing. “Teacher Hao, my dad is very busy. I just remembered, he should be working the night shift today.”

“Isn’t your dad a clinic doctor?”

“Yes… he’s a clinic doctor, but he has to work overtime tonight, so he probably won’t be back too late. Let’s go.” Liu Dazhi’s only strategy was to delay, buying as much time as possible. Leaving the school gate, passing by the bus stop, the music store was playing Jacky Cheung’s “Love Like a Tide.” Liu Dazhi was delighted. “This song is great. Teacher, let me take a look; are there any new tapes?” Hao Huigui looked at the music store; everything matched his memories. A large speaker was placed at the entrance, playing the latest popular Hong Kong and Taiwan songs. He had first heard “Love Like a Tide” here. Hao Huigui thought for a moment and went inside. Liu Dazhi was crouching at the back counter, looking at the tapes. Two or three customers were standing at the front counter, listening to the young girl explain: “Jacky Cheung is the hottest singer; you can’t go wrong buying his tapes. Everyone likes him.” A customer looked at the tapes and said, “These singers are all fleeting; the songs are all pop songs, they’ll be gone soon. I want something more classic.”

Hao Huigui wanted to rush over and guarantee that Jacky Cheung would still be popular 20 years later. Many things are like this; they are initially looked down upon, only to be proven right much later. But by then, there’s no need for proof.

“Then buy Lee Zongsheng. His lyrics and music are both good; you can listen to them for years to come,” Hao Huigui stepped forward.

“Yes, Lee Zongsheng is really good,” the girl smiled at Hao Huigui. This girl was younger than he remembered, with a face full of freckles and uneven teeth, but she had a natural cuteness. After settling the customer’s account, the girl said to Hao Huigui, “Thank you just now. Is this your first time here? Do you like listening to music?”

“Yes, I do. I just started working at the school; I’m his teacher.” Hao Huigui pointed to Liu Dazhi. “You’re so young, how are you working here?”

“I’m 15, I came from the countryside to help my cousin. This is better than studying; I like it. I can earn money for my family and listen to music. I plan to work here forever,” the girl smiled. Hao Huigui also smiled, but felt a surge of emotion. The girl really wanted to stay in this city, but she didn’t know that in a few years, she would return to her hometown to get married. Because Liu Dazhi was there, Hao Huigui couldn’t chat much and left the music store. As he pushed open the door, Hao Huigui suddenly remembered something, turned back, and said seriously to the girl, “Thank you.”

The girl was a little confused, shyly waving her hand. “Oh, you’re welcome, you’re welcome.”

The moment he expressed this long-overdue thank you, the gap in his heart filled with regret seemed to be filled. Hao Huigui stood at the bus stop waiting. After ten minutes, Liu Dazhi ran out with a box of Xiong Tianping’s tapes, looking excited.

“Teacher Hao, have you heard Xiong Tianping’s songs?”

“Yes, they’re very good.” Hao Huigui had all of Xiong Tianping’s songs in his music collection. His songs were not only good but also quite unique, but unfortunately, he faded away after releasing a few albums.

“Teacher Hao, which singer do you like?”

“I like Xu Huaiyu.”

“Ah? That name is so… rustic,” Liu Dazhi frowned. Hao Huigui chuckled inwardly; many people had the same expression when they found out he liked Xu Huaiyu.

“Yes, you’ll hear her later, and you might even like her.”

Liu Dazhi would not only like her, but over a decade later, when Xu Huaiyu held a concert, he would specially fly to Shanghai to sit in the audience and listen quietly. As she sang fast songs, he would smile and cry silently. Only then would he understand that liking a singer wasn’t about their sophistication, but about their ability to accompany him throughout his growth.

“Teacher Hao, what’s wrong with you?” Liu Dazhi saw Hao Huigui laughing to himself.

“By the way, did you see the blackboard at the entrance? You can talk to the girl at the music store and ask her to lend you the latest tapes for a few days. Then, write down your thoughts on the music and give them to her as recommendations for other customers.”

“She definitely won’t agree…”

“Don’t worry, talk to her, she’ll definitely agree. Her name is…” Hao Huigui realized he’d forgotten to ask her name in his excitement. “Go try now. Oh, and remember to ask her name.” Liu Dazhi, half-believing, ran back to the music store. After a few minutes, he ran back excitedly: “Teacher, you’re amazing! She really agreed and lent me a Jacky Cheung tape and a Andy Lau tape. Her name is Xiaohong. She knows you’re my teacher and hopes we can write recommendations for the store together.” Liu Dazhi held the tapes, extremely happy. He usually had to save up his breakfast money for half a month to buy a tape. Hao Huigui was also happy; sharing joy with his 17-year-old self felt amazing.

“Hurry back, it’s almost seven o’clock. Isn’t your mom going to be worried?” Hao Huigui clearly remembered that 7 PM was a critical time; if he didn’t return home by then, Hao Tiemei would become a “martial arts expert,” with sticks, fists, and washboards waiting for Liu Dazhi. Liu Dazhi became nervous again. The teacher even knew this? After walking for a few minutes, they reached the stinky tofu stall at the corner of the school wall, and Hao Huigui slowed his pace. Liu Dazhi seized the opportunity, immediately running towards the stinky tofu stall and shouting back, “Teacher Hao, you’re new here, you don’t know, this stinky tofu stall has been around for years, the taste is amazing! I saved money from two tapes today, I’m treating you to stinky tofu. Old Lady Fang, give me one yuan’s worth, two bowls, three pieces for the teacher, two for me.”

Old Lady Fang’s technique was indeed quick and efficient. She picked out five pieces of stinky tofu from the oil pan, chopped them into many neat small pieces with a few quick cuts, divided them into two bowls, scooped two spoonfuls of sauce from the bottom of the pan, sprinkled some chopped green onions on top. The bowls weren’t big, but the portions seemed plentiful. Old Lady Fang wiped her sweat and said, “Teacher, don’t mind the simple setting, it’s very clean here.” Hao Huigui certainly didn’t mind; during his school days, he had come here every day. He always took less than others, and Old Lady Fang would always cut his stinky tofu into small pieces, adding lots of sauce, shredded radish, peanuts, making it look particularly grand. Later, Old Lady Fang fell seriously ill and worried that people wouldn’t find the stall, so she asked her son to continue running it. The year Hao Huigui started working, Old Lady Fang passed away, and Dingdang cried on the phone.

“Teacher Hao, here you go!” Liu Dazhi handed him chopsticks.

Hao Huigui looked at the bowl of stinky tofu and asked Liu Dazhi, “Other people’s stinky tofu is served in whole pieces, but Old Lady Fang always cuts yours into small pieces. Do you know why?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Five whole pieces, for two people to share, seems too little. Cutting them into small pieces makes it look like a lot.”

Liu Dazhi suddenly realized. “Oh, I never thought about that. Old Lady Fang is so kind. Teacher Hao, how did you know?”

“I only found out many years later,” Hao Huigui took another bite.

In the setting sun, the two of them ate stinky tofu at the simple table and chairs of the stall.

“That road, I don’t want to finish walking it.
Following my younger self, stepping on memories, towards the deepest depths.”

A crossroads, a traffic light.

Liu Dazhi looked into the distance, then at Hao Huigui. Hao Huigui naturally knew what he was trying to do.

“Your house is…”

“This way!” Liu Dazhi deliberately pointed in the opposite direction.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I walk this way every day, I’m sure!” Having said that, Liu Dazhi walked a few steps forward.

Suddenly, a “beep beep” horn sounded behind them. A car stopped, the window rolled down, and a head poked out. Liu Dazhi and Hao Huigui froze simultaneously. The person in the car was Wang Daqian, smiling—the person Hao Huigui had feared most in his youth.

“Uncle Wang!” Liu Dazhi immediately responded. Hao Huigui didn’t know how to address him.

“Where are you going after school, not going home?”

Liu Dazhi said awkwardly, “Uncle Wang, this is our new homeroom teacher, Teacher Hao…”

Wang Daqian quickly got out of the car, firmly grasping Hao Huigui’s hand, and greeted him, “Hello, Teacher Hao. I’m Weixiao’s father, Wang Daqian. Weixiao has caused you trouble in the liberal arts class. Actually, she’d be much better suited to science. Like Chen Tong’s sister, she got into Tsinghua University, and now she’s at the University of Hong Kong—isn’t that great?” Wang Daqian suddenly realized Hao Huigui was a liberal arts teacher and quickly added, “But science is too hard for girls. Liberal arts is also quite good, quite good.”

Hao Huigui held Wang Daqian’s hand tightly, repeatedly saying, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m here for a home visit to Dazhi’s house today, and I’ll visit your house another time.”

“To Dazhi’s house? It’s on the way. This way, I’ll give you a ride!”

Hao Huigui glared fiercely at Liu Dazhi, whose heart sank like a stone.

Hao Huigui and Liu Dazhi sat side-by-side in the back seat. Wang Daqian, speaking animatedly, said, “Weixiao told me yesterday that the new teacher is especially good! Your name is Hao Huigui, right? It’s a good name, unique.” Hao Huigui felt uneasy but forced a smile. He didn’t believe Weixiao would tell her family he was “especially good,” and he was worried she might mention his attempted suicide in the pool.

“Teacher Hao, Uncle Wang’s cooking is exceptionally good!” Liu Dazhi seized the opportunity to ingratiate himself with Hao Huigui.

“I’ll cook more good food in the future. Come often, come often, so Weixiao can eat more too.”

Liu Dazhi practically threw himself onto the back seat: “Uncle, remember to call me!”

“Okay. Teacher Hao, what do you like to eat? Come to my house another day, and I’ll show off my cooking skills…”

“Teacher Hao likes stinky tofu!” Liu Dazhi interjected.

Hao Huigui wished he had a button to eject Liu Dazhi from the car.

“I didn’t expect Teacher Hao to like stinky tofu. I’ll learn how to make it… We’re here. Teacher Hao, look, Liu Dazhi’s family lives on the third floor, the apartment with the lights on. My house is just around the corner in that courtyard. Come visit anytime.”

Hao Huigui said politely, “Please don’t be so courteous, thank you! Drive safely.”

The car had already driven away, but Hao Huigui remained standing there, watching it go, his back bent in a respectful bow. Watching Weixiao’s father drive away, Hao Huigui felt a pang of guilt. Back then, a group of people had forced Wang Daqian to drink, and he hadn’t stopped them. As a result, Wang Daqian, already suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, had drunk two large bottles of baijiu [白酒 – strong Chinese liquor] in front of everyone, was rushed to the hospital, and ultimately passed away, leaving Weixiao behind.

“Teacher Hao, does your back hurt?”

Hao Huigui immediately recovered his composure, glaring at Liu Dazhi, “Third floor, left side, right?”

Liu Dazhi slowly shuffled his feet, one floor, two floors, and as he was about to reach the third floor, he suddenly crouched down.

“What’s wrong? Does your foot hurt?” Hao Huigui asked sarcastically.

“I…”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Teacher Hao…” With a “thump,” Liu Dazhi half-knelt, “Teacher Hao, I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you the truth…”

“Speak,” Hao Huigui said triumphantly.

Liu Dazhi swallowed hard, “Teacher Hao, my dad is remarried, and the woman at home now isn’t my real mother.”

A bolt of lightning struck Hao Huigui’s head. He wanted to kick Liu Dazhi down the stairs. Liu Dazhi, in order to achieve his goal, would say anything. Hao Huigui’s heart ached; this wasn’t just anyone, this was his younger self!

“Get up, let’s go up,” Hao Huigui said coldly.

Under the dim light of the building, the two slowly walked to the third floor, everything familiar yet strange. Several piles of coal briquettes were stacked in the hallway, and the walls were plastered with advertisements for drain cleaning services—everything was the same. Liu Dazhi fumbled with his keys and opened the door. Although Hao Huigui appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already in turmoil. He was too familiar with these scenes—every day after school, he would take out his keys, open the door, and shout, “Mom, I’m home!” Then his mother would say from the kitchen, “Do your homework first, dinner will be ready soon.”

Hao Huigui was excited but had to suppress his emotions.

“I’m home!” Liu Dazhi’s voice was small and timid.

Hao Huigui looked at the familiar surroundings—the room was smaller and darker than he remembered, filled with familiar smells. The table in the living room was his mother’s dowry from her wedding, older than himself. The cabinet in the living room held various empty liquor bottles belonging to his father; he had always wanted to secretly throw them all away. But now, Hao Huigui wanted to touch this, look at that—things he had no memory of before, now filled with emotion.

Hao Huigui looked back at the doorframe, covered with many lines—his father had marked his height on each birthday. Later, his father transferred to the emergency room as a doctor, and due to work and various reasons, arguments with his mother increased. After he turned 13, his father never measured his height again; the highest mark remained at 1.48 meters.

Liu Dazhi flipped on the living room light with a “snap.”

“Why are you just getting back? Who told you to turn on the living room light?! Turn on the desk lamp! I’ve told you so many times, save electricity, save electricity! Wash your hands, dinner’s ready!” Hao Tiemei shouted from the kitchen.

This was his mother’s true voice.

“Mom… the homeroom teacher is here.” Liu Dazhi’s voice was barely a whisper.

Hao Tiemei didn’t hear clearly and shouted again, “Just turn on the desk lamp! Come in and get the bowls and chopsticks!” Liu Dazhi hurried into the kitchen. Hao Huigui wanted to follow but hesitated, so he waited in the living room. Hao Tiemei was making braised pork. Liu Dazhi picked up a piece with his fingers and brought it to his mouth. *Snap!* A pair of chopsticks hit his head. He had just taken a bite and had to spit it out, piecing the broken braised pork back together and putting it back in the dish. He licked his fingers, remembering Hao Huigui was in the living room, his face turning pale. He had to grit his teeth and say, “Mom, the homeroom teacher is in the living room.”

“You little brat, why didn’t you say so earlier? Quickly get the bowls and chopsticks, I’ll make tea for the teacher.”

Hao Tiemei walked out of the kitchen with a cup of tea. 36-year-old Hao Huigui and 47-year-old Hao Tiemei stood face-to-face. Hao Huigui froze. His mother looked so young—her hair was neatly tied up, not a single gray hair, no wrinkles around her eyes, her posture straight, a woman determined to fight fate to the end. Hao Huigui’s heart felt like a volcanic eruption, all his emotions gushing out—hot, burning, untouchable. His mother seemed more energetic and upright than he remembered. He wanted to rush over and hug her; he hadn’t seen his mother smile like this in a long time, joy welling up from within. But remembering his mother’s weakened state after surgery, his eyes turned slightly red.

“Liu Dazhi, turn on the exhaust fan, the oil fumes will get into Teacher Hao’s eyes.”

His mother had been so beautiful when he was young, but she had been so fierce, he had always been afraid of her, and he had never looked at her so closely.

“Teacher Hao, what a coincidence, I also have the surname Hao. I’m Dazhi’s mother. Please have a seat.”

The food was already on the table, the braised pork sizzling.

Hao Huigui sat in Liu Dazhi’s usual seat. Liu Dazhi reached for his chopsticks. Hao Tiemei slammed the bowl down. Liu Dazhi and Hao Huigui both flinched.

“Let the teacher eat first!” Hao Tiemei glared at Liu Dazhi.

“Please don’t be so courteous.”

The phone rang.

Hao Huigui instinctively reached for it, then stopped halfway, pretending to look for a cup.

“It must be Dazhi’s dad saying he can’t come again.”

Liu Dazhi answered the phone, mumbled “oh” twice, and hung up. He glanced at Hao Huigui from the corner of his eye. Hao Huigui looked back at him, giving a slight sneer. Liu Dazhi immediately gave him a pleading look.

Liu Dazhi sent a glance: Teacher Hao, give me a break.

Hao Huigui sent a glance back: Know you’re wrong?

Liu Dazhi sent another glance: I know, I won’t be so smart again.

“What trouble did Dazhi get into again?”

Hao Huigui said seriously, “I’m taking over a new class, and I should visit each family to get to know the situation better. Don’t worry, Mrs. Liu.” Liu Dazhi happily winked at Hao Huigui and helped him pick up a piece of meat. Hao Tiemei glared at Liu Dazhi again: “I’d like to worry, but it’s his life, worrying won’t help!”

“Mom, Teacher Hao said I’ll get into a good university.”

Hao Tiemei looked at Hao Huigui: “You’re so excellent, your mother is truly blessed. If Dazhi can be as successful as you in the future, I’ll die without regrets.”

Liu Dazhi didn’t expect his mother to say such harsh words after just meeting Teacher Hao.

If he was unsuccessful, his mother would die with regrets; if he was successful, she would die peacefully.

Liu Dazhi didn’t understand how adults came up with these heavy words.

“Dazhi will definitely be more successful than me in the future,” Hao Huigui said seriously.

Hao Tiemei continued to scold Liu Dazhi: “Look at him, if he gets into university, we’ll be burning incense in thanks. Three days fishing, two days drying nets—what will he do in the future!”

“Mrs. Liu, although Dazhi isn’t very hardworking now, I believe he will definitely be able to support himself in the future. He will get into a good university, maybe even go for a master’s degree, and might even become a university teacher.”

Liu Dazhi burst out laughing. He couldn’t believe Hao Huigui was protecting him like this; it must be a conspiracy.

“Teacher Hao, you say that, my mom believes it, but I don’t.”

Hao Tiemei was stunned for a moment, then slapped Liu Dazhi on the head: “Adults are talking, kids shouldn’t interrupt. We’re out of soy sauce, go buy some.”

“Then when will you buy me a pair of Nikes?”

“Nikes, Nikes, I think you look like a Nikes.” Hao Tiemei said impatiently.

Hao Huigui couldn’t help but laugh; no matter what he wanted to buy, Hao Tiemei would always scold him for looking like that thing. If he wanted to eat a banana, he looked like a banana; if he wanted to buy a cassette tape, he looked like a cassette tape.

“Mom, I haven’t finished eating yet.”

“Go when I tell you to!”

Liu Dazhi had to leave the table and walk to the door. Hao Huigui had to eat silently; after a few bites, the atmosphere became awkward. “Mrs. Liu, actually, children have self-esteem. You always say that to him, and he’ll feel hurt. As a parent, you should understand your children better. For example, my parents didn’t understand me, they always loved me in their way, but that’s not what I wanted.”

“Yes. Actually, Teacher Hao, which parent understands their children? Dazhi likes Nikes, likes listening to music, but our family’s situation is like this, my husband and I only earn so much a month. His college tuition, getting married, and finding a wife will cost a lot of money. If we don’t save money for him now, how will he manage in the future? He won’t be able to find a wife and will be laughed at. I don’t want to spoil him now, and make his future life difficult.”

Hao Huigui was both touched and amused to hear that his mother didn’t buy him Nikes or tapes because she was saving money for his marriage…

“Mrs. Liu, let me tell you, you really don’t have to worry. In ten years, there will be 50 million single men in China, so you don’t have to save money, and not getting married is fine. The most important thing is that he finds his interests.”

“50 million men won’t get married? Who said that?” Hao Tiemei didn’t believe it at all.

“That… a study predicted that, saying that by the time Dazhi is an adult, many young single men in China won’t get married.”

“Then I should save even more money!” Hao Tiemei was convinced that Liu Dazhi’s marriage would require money. Hao Huigui mentally spat out two mouthfuls of bl00d; his mother looked down on him too much.

“By the time Dazhi gets married, finding a wife will be the wife bringing the car and the house, it won’t have anything to do with the man.”

“Impossible.”

“Really, Mrs. Liu. I think you shouldn’t be so frugal; it will create psychological shadows for Dazhi. You should spend money where you need to, and make your current life better.”

“Did Dazhi tell you this?”

“Ah, he wrote it in his summer homework,” Hao Huigui stammered.

“You don’t have children yet, do you?”

“It is…”

“Wait until you have children, and you’ll understand. In a parent’s eyes, their own child is always the most satisfactory, the most perfect. Your parents must feel the same way. Although Dazhi isn’t hardworking, I know this child is smart, and whatever he sets his mind to, he can do well. It’s just not the right time yet.”

Hao Huigui was also surprised by this answer. He had always felt that his mother, deep down, thought he was a hopeless case. “I’ve always been afraid of my mother. She’s never satisfied with me; I feel like I can never win against her.”

Hao Tiemei laughed, “She’s your mother; she’s already lost. She’ll always worry about you… Teacher Hao, tell me honestly, what exactly did Dazhi do wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing, really nothing.”

Hao Huigui didn’t know what to say. He wanted to change the subject. Across the table sat a karaoke microphone.

“Mrs. Liu, do you like karaoke?”

“Do you like to sing too?” Hao Tiemei was delighted.

The last time Hao Huigui visited his mother, she could no longer sing karaoke, but she was still listening to “The Love of the Boatmen” at home. Before, when his mother sang this song, he always thought it was tacky. His mother often forced him to sing along, but he always refused. Back then, he thought he was refusing an embarrassing moment; now he realized he was rejecting a precious memory with his mother.

The moon gradually rose.

Liu Dazhi, carrying a soy sauce bottle, ran upstairs. A song drifted from the hallway: “My sister sits at the bow of the boat, my brother walks along the shore…”

Hearing the song, Liu Dazhi almost dropped the soy sauce bottle. He hurriedly opened the door; his mother and Hao Huigui were singing “The Love of the Boatmen” together—one completely immersed, the other perfectly harmonizing. Shock? Joy? Sadness? Despair? He couldn’t comprehend what was happening before him. His homeroom teacher and mother singing “The Love of the Boatmen” during a home visit—if anyone found out, his life would be over! Liu Dazhi shamefully closed his eyes.

Outside, a profound silence.

Their voices drifted through the night sky of the small town.

“Things I didn’t have time to do before,
If I think of them, I should do them, otherwise it’ll really be too late.”

Hao Huigui went downstairs carrying a food container. He stepped outside.

“Teacher Hao!” Hao Tiemei leaned out from the balcony window and shouted, “Eat the dumplings after you heat them up!”

Hao Huigui didn’t quite hear clearly. He opened the container, pinched a dumpling, took a bite, and shouted, “Delicious!”

“Teacher Hao, my mom said to heat them up before eating,” Liu Dazhi also leaned out, “My mom’s like that; she loves making dumplings and gives them to everyone she meets.” Hao Huigui quickly spat out the bitten dumpling, pieced it back together, and smiled. From afar, Liu Dazhi was stunned; it wasn’t just him who had the habit of piecing back together a half-eaten thing.

“This is the way, right?” Hao Huigui pointed in a direction. Liu Dazhi nodded.

On the way back to school, Hao Huigui’s mood inexplicably improved. He wondered why he hadn’t realized before how delicious his mother’s cooking was. Thinking about how he had always found his mother unreasonable, he felt self-reproach. It turned out his mother had been showing her love in this way; not understanding, naturally, meant not understanding. Understanding meant knowing that his mother’s love wasn’t just for the present but also for his future self. Although he didn’t agree with much of her love, at least he understood that his mother loved him very much.

After walking for five or six minutes, a voice suddenly came from behind: “Teacher Hao, wait for me!” Liu Dazhi caught up, “That… my mom’s singing again, I had to sneak out, otherwise she’d drag me to sing with her.”

Hao Huigui smiled; indeed, many things at 17 were incomprehensible! As they spoke, several motorcycles whizzed past, and one person looked back at Liu Dazhi.

Liu Dazhi gasped, ducked to the side, and blurted out, “Wang Shuai!”

Wang Shuai? Hao Huigui also reacted.

“Toad…” Liu Dazhi hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Weixiao walking at the crossroads, surrounded by several motorcycles.

Liu Dazhi ran towards them. He was afraid Weixiao would get hurt, and he was afraid he couldn’t beat Wang Shuai, so he decided to go straight for the leader. In a flash, he charged forward, pushing Wang Shuai hard from the side. Losing his balance, Wang Shuai was about to fall with his motorcycle. Panicked, he swung his arm back to regain balance, and his fist landed squarely on Liu Dazhi’s nose. Liu Dazhi’s nose instantly stung, and bl00d flowed.

“Weixiao, run! I’ll handle this!”

A drop of sweat dripped from Weixiao’s forehead. It was something she could have handled herself, but Liu Dazhi had to play the hero. Liu Dazhi knew he would get beaten up today, but he couldn’t care less. He wiped his nosebleed, and while Wang Shuai was on the ground, he shouted and pounced. Several motorcycles immediately surrounded him. Liu Dazhi threw a punch, but Wang Shuai kicked him to the ground from the side. Liu Dazhi’s nose bled continuously, and his face was pummeled. A thug rushed over. Just as Liu Dazhi was about to receive another kick, Weixiao delivered a side kick, knocking the thug down. Seeing the situation, Hao Huigui also charged in, knocking one down with a single move, then another over-the-shoulder throw, taking down Wang Shuai.

Wang Shuai’s friends were surprised by Weixiao and Hao Huigui’s agility. Wang Shuai already had a soft spot for Weixiao, and everyone was unsure how hard to hit, afraid of hurting her. Then an older man arrived, also skilled in fighting. Everyone hesitated, so they focused on beating Liu Dazhi. Back and forth, Liu Dazhi was beaten badly. But Wang Shuai’s group was defeated by Hao Huigui and Weixiao.

Weixiao: “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Wang Shuai was knocked down again by Hao Huigui, then got up and said, “Remember this!”

The group limped away on their motorcycles.

“Hey, your stick.” Liu Dazhi picked up a stick from the ground and threw it at Wang Shuai’s back. The group scattered to avoid being hit.

The street corner was quiet again, leaving only Hao Huigui and the other two.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” Liu Dazhi tried to stand but seemed to have twisted his waist.

Weixiao offered him a hand to help him up. Liu Dazhi’s face flushed red; he quickly waved his hand. Weixiao shrugged, clapped her hands, and smiled, “Teacher Hao’s skills are impressive!”

“Yours are too!” Hao Huigui smiled subtly.

Both exchanged admiring glances.

“It hurts!” Liu Dazhi cried out, breaking the mutual admiration between Hao Huigui and Weixiao.

“Teacher Hao, Weixiao is a taekwondo black belt. Her dad made her learn self-defense since she was little. How about you?” Liu Dazhi asked curiously.

“Me? I started in my senior year.”

“Senior year? You still had time for this?”

“I was stressed, but the girl I liked encouraged me to practice, so I’ve been practicing until now.”

Weixiao and Liu Dazhi were both surprised; why was the teacher telling the student this? Hao Huigui made a “shhh” gesture, signaling them not to speak loudly.

“We didn’t get together; it was just a crush. Everyone has crushes on a few people, right, Dazhi?”

Liu Dazhi walked forward stiffly, eyes straight ahead. In the darkness, his face had already turned red.

The three went to the hospital. Hao Huigui asked Weixiao and Liu Dazhi to wait in the lobby while he went to register Liu Dazhi. Watching Hao Huigui’s figure, Weixiao said to Liu Dazhi, “For some reason, I feel like I’ve known Teacher Hao for a long time; he feels familiar.”

“I’m a little afraid of him; he seems to know everything.”

“Don’t you think Teacher Hao is especially good to you?”

“Isn’t he good to all of us?”

“I think he’s different from other teachers.”

“Weixiao, you wouldn’t… like Teacher Hao, would you?”

“Impossible, he’s a teacher.”

“That’s good, that’s good. He’s a good person, but he’s too old, too old!”

“Age doesn’t matter; men in their thirties are the most charming.”

Liu Dazhi slumped his face, not knowing what to say.

“Next, Liu Dazhi, where’s Liu Dazhi?!”

“Me, me, me!” Liu Dazhi quickly ran to the emergency room.

Hao Huigui returned and sat next to Weixiao.

Weixiao smiled, “Teacher Hao, I didn’t expect you to be so skilled.”

“What did you think I was like?” Hao Huigui mustered his courage and stared at Weixiao. In the real world, he never dared to look directly at Weixiao, afraid of being seen through.

“Just… I thought… you were quite different, hahaha.” Weixiao ended the topic with laughter.

Hao Huigui enjoyed his time alone with Weixiao, but he also knew clearly that he was here to help Liu Dazhi, not to get closer to 17-year-old Weixiao. He really wanted to ask Weixiao what kind of person she liked, but he also knew that if he asked, Weixiao would definitely think he was a creepy old man.

“Dazhi is quite cute.” Hao Huigui made up his mind: No matter who you like in the future, I’ll make sure you see that Liu Dazhi is a good person, and his future is worth relying on.

Weixiao tilted her head slightly and thought, “Like a child.”

If a girl describes a boy of the same age as a child, it means she doesn’t see him from a romantic perspective. Hao Huigui understood why Weixiao had been indifferent to him for so many years; whether he was good or bad, he wasn’t within Weixiao’s field of vision.

“I think Dazhi is very loyal and passionate; how is he like a child?”

“He’s always impulsive and rarely considers the consequences; isn’t that just like a child?”

“That…” To prevent Weixiao from labeling Liu Dazhi as a “child,” Hao Huigui had to improvise, “Look, those of us who fight do so because we can fight; it’s a kind of showing off. Someone like Liu Dazhi, who can’t fight but still dares to fight, who doesn’t run away after losing, who fights not for himself but for others—that’s courage! Look, many people can’t swim but still jump into the water to save someone. This action is wrong, the result is tragic, but at that moment, the person who acted bravely didn’t consider themselves at all.”

Weixiao also nodded thoughtfully, “Teacher Hao, what you said makes sense.”

“Of course it does! Liu Dazhi is the most passionate boy I’ve ever met… no, a real man.”

“Teacher Hao, I think you’re really good to Dazhi. Before, when teachers mentioned Liu Dazhi, they all thought he was… well, the evaluations weren’t good. You’ve only been here for two days, and you’ve already discovered his strengths. I think he’s really lucky to have met you.”

“Me and the ‘me’
I don’t understand.”

Hao Huigui returned to the dormitory and brought back the class’s composition notebooks.

The essay topic was “My Ideal.” Hao Huigui first found Weixiao’s essay. He felt like a thief, so he convinced himself: “I’m the teacher; I have the right to know everyone’s plans for the future.”

Weixiao’s essay was four pages long, with one sentence: “I want to become an international news reporter.”

“…I want to go to a bigger world, meet more people, and hear their thoughts… Many people think this isn’t a job for girls, but for me, this job might be a chance to understand the truth of the world…”

The words written by a high school girl were already more mature than most of her peers.

Hao Huigui’s mind flashed with all the images of Weixiao—confident, sunny, independent; he had never seen Weixiao sad about anything. In his impression, Weixiao was always smiling, as if nothing in this world could make her sad. All this was thanks to her father. Although his business was busy, Mr. Wang always made time for Weixiao. Worried about Weixiao’s upbringing, he hired Aunt Zhang, a distant relative from his hometown, to be their housekeeper. Although Weixiao’s mother divorced and went abroad, Weixiao seemed healthier, both mentally and physically, than Liu Dazhi, who came from a “complete” family.

Hao Huigui closed Weixiao’s essay and found Liu Dazhi’s. Liu Dazhi’s first sentence was: “I want to become a great scientist, invent technology that benefits humanity. Invent super robots that can treat people…”

These few lines filled Hao Huigui with shame.

17-year-old me’s essay was so cringe-worthy it made me want to puke. Hao Huigui couldn’t read past two paragraphs. He remembered a period when his own essays were equally nonsensical, as if filling the page was the sole objective. Liu Dazhi knew nothing about technology, had zero interest in invention, yet he wanted to be a scientist? A scientist who invented useful technology? Super robots? Hao Huigui felt ashamed of his younger self’s ignorance.

He’d done plenty of other embarrassing things back then. For instance, there was a time when Beyond [Beyond – a popular Hong Kong rock band] swept the school. To prove his fandom, he memorized all their song titles after school every day, without even knowing the lyrics, just to participate in the “Beyond Song Title Writing Competition” at lunchtime the next day… Hao Huigui recalled these events, berating his past self for being such an idiot. Yet, after the self-reproach, he felt a pang of nostalgia for his youth. Perhaps the meaninglessness of those youthful actions was precisely their significance—a testament to his youth.

The last sentence of Liu Dazhi’s essay was: “Give me a chance, and I can move the whole earth!” What kind of chance? It should have been “Give me a fulcrum.” Not only did he misspell “fulcrum” as “chance,” but the entire essay was pure nonsense. He hadn’t even left Hunan, yet he dreamed of moving the earth. For someone like Liu Dazhi, what he lacked wasn’t opportunity or a fulcrum, but the earth itself. Hao Huigui wanted to burn Liu Dazhi’s essay with fire. He was deeply worried. Liu Dazhi was even worse than he’d imagined. Hao Huigui had thought he could simply redirect Liu Dazhi’s path, but Liu Dazhi hadn’t even started on the right track. The words “a long and arduous journey” were etched on Hao Huigui’s forehead.

A frantic knocking came from outside the dorm room.

“Who is it?” Hao Huigui got up.

Zhou, the school janitor, burst in, muttering incessantly, his eyes fixed on the calendar on the wall. Hao Huigui saw a circle and an exclamation mark next to the 20th.

“It’s the 20th! The 20th!” Zhou muttered.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to be careful! I need to be careful!” Zhou turned and left.

“You…”

Zhou’s behavior was extremely strange. Worried something might happen to him, Hao Huigui followed him upstairs. Zhou reached his dorm room, fumbled for his key on the doorframe, opened the door, and continued muttering, “The 20th… be careful… be careful!” Then, with a “bang,” he slammed the door shut.

The moon shone brightly, the corridor dimly lit.

“The 20th? Be careful?” Back in his dorm, staring at the circled date on the calendar, Hao Huigui was utterly perplexed.