Chapter 007: University Life

I picked up a bag of instant noodles, ignoring Yifei, and poured boiling water over it. Yifei turned to me and asked: "Which one caught your eye?"

At that time, Zhu Tan affirmed my work and then discussed some matters regarding classical culture. We talked until I needed to go for my tutoring session, at which point I reminded Zhu Tan that I had something to attend to in the evening. Only then did Zhu Tan take her leave, providing me with her home phone number and address, while also noting down my dormitory's phone number. Zhu Tan's home is very close to the school, located in a building assigned by the school.

I wipe my hands with a towel: it's nothing much, although it is a bit hard, but one must grow up eventually; one cannot rely on others for a lifetime

Ode to the Spring in the Garden: A Self-Expression of My Heart

When Zhu Tan left, Su Xiaoyue glanced at me and said: "Hey, Eighteen, what is your relationship with her? She is quite proud and doesn't really pay attention to others. Do you really have that much face?"

I stood there in a daze for a long time, unable to think of anything appropriate to say. Finally, I opened the textbook and said solemnly to the elementary school students: There is one thing I can tell you with certainty: our generation, your generation, and many generations after you will absolutely not become fish that are caught and eaten by other species. As for how many generations after that will become fish caught and eaten, it has nothing to do with us

Living may not be so difficult for a child, but is it considered difficult for an adult? I am slowly organizing my books, seriously looking at the elementary school students: Let me put it this way, I have to ride my old bicycle for forty minutes to get to your house. On the way from school to your house, I have to pass through four traffic lights, three underpasses, one large uphill, and one large downhill. It is not yet ten o'clock in the evening, and on my way back, I first have to go up a very steep hill. Do you think this is hard?

The elementary school student looked at me with great reluctance: "This is absolutely an attitude lacking a sense of responsibility"

The mountain bike of the elementary school student is truly formidable, and my little car would undoubtedly pale in comparison. At the beginning, the elementary school student kept riding ahead of me, turning back to shout: Teacher, hurry up, hurry up.

In mid-October, the weather in Beijing begins to cool down, especially noticeable in the mornings and evenings

Su Xiaoyue glared at me and said: "Hey, isn't that just stating the obvious?"

In the morning when I go for a run, I must wear long pants now. It is not easy to sweat, and it takes a long time to start sweating. Arthur and Xiaomai, on the other hand, are tirelessly playing tennis. I noticed that Xiaomai picks up the balls quite often. During breaks, Arthur asked me to play with him, but I said I couldn't. Not only do I genuinely lack the skill, but why should I take advantage of others?

After riding for half an hour, the elementary school students began to ride alongside me, frowning and looking at me: Teacher, how much further is it? Where exactly is your school?

When Zhu Tan saw me, he was holding a copy of the school magazine. Upon seeing me, he smiled and said: "You are Eighteen, right? I have read the classical poetry you wrote in the magazine, but at that time I didn't know which department you were from. Today, during class, I saw your name on the class roster, so I went to the academic affairs office to inquire about your dormitory and came to find you.

Tsunamis and landslides, the stars shift and the seasons change, where can one find a fulfilling life? As time passes, the world transforms, and once again it is the spring breeze at the ends of the earth, revealing that the past is but a dream. In the face of joy and sorrow, embracing parting and reunion, I alone inquire of the universe: how many layers of melancholy remain? Once I fought for honor and disgrace, once I offered sincerity to the passage of time, before the sickbed, in the days of yore, I roared through the ages! How could I forget: to fulfill the aspirations of spring and autumn, to break the cauldrons and sink the boats, a generation of heroes traverses freely!

I looked at Arthur angrily, remaining silent. Arthur changed his tone: "Eighteen, you came back too late last night, right? Yifei said you could only return by 10:30."

When there were still two roads left to our school, the elementary school student stopped, panting heavily, and said: I won't ride anymore

Wheat rolled up his sportswear to wipe his sweat and looked at me in surprise: "That eighteen, did you really attend kindergarten for several years?"

He snatched the photo with a grin and asked me: What is this?

I withdrew my thoughts and smiled: No, I was just comparing who is more handsome. It seems I am doing alright, not the last one.

I also sigh: I don't want to either, but there is no food in the cafeteria at this time. Instant noodles are good, they are really convenient.

Sunday is the only day I can rest, and my greatest pleasure is to sleep undisturbed for an entire day, but this is usually not possible, as Su Xiaoyue will definitely not allow me to be comfortable

It was only after formal classes began that I realized life at this university was somewhat chaotic. No one was in charge; as long as you did not break the law, no one would bother you. After the teachers finished their classes, they would leave, and the students would also pack their bags and leave. During this time, I met a remarkable talent at the school named Zhu Tan, who was responsible for teaching classical literature and literary appreciation. In an engineering university, liberal arts teachers were not particularly valued. At that time, our school was not under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, so it was quite small and had not expanded.

The elementary school student weakly waved goodbye to me, then got into a car. I continued to ride my old, rickety bicycle back to school. Of course, in terms of physical strength, as an adult, I certainly had the advantage. If the elementary school student were to reach my age, it might very well be me who would struggle. However, it is good for him to experience some hardships; after this, he will probably stop asking me a hundred thousand questions.

I pretended not to hear and began to forcefully tutor. Sometimes, this kind of tutoring requires one to feign deafness and muteness. Today's children are truly not easy to fool; they can ask a question that leaves one speechless.

After the first classical literature class, Zhu Tan came to my dormitory to find me, which startled me; I thought I had done something wrong. Later, I learned that at the beginning of the semester, out of boredom, I had organized some classical poems I wrote in high school, selected one, and submitted it to the school's literary society. It was later published in the school magazine. At that time, I didn't pay much attention to it; after all, someone had given me a copy of the magazine, and there was no payment for the submission, so I didn't think much of it.

Dudu looked down at me from the upper bunk: "Eighteen, you keep eating instant noodles, can you handle it? The instant noodle manufacturers should really be grateful to you; you are their loyal consumer"

Arthur hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something, but did not speak up

High school students are indeed not very active, but they can be quite a handful. They have a penchant for rock music, particularly foreign rock bands, most of which I cannot even name. It’s no problem; they often pull out the English names of these rock bands and ask me what they mean. If I don’t know, they take great delight in it and start telling me about the band members, the lead singers, their preferences, and their outfits. I’ve completely forgotten who is tutoring whom; they are all quite formidable characters, and the easiest to provoke is me. I don’t understand much, and with a good-natured patience, I end up giving them earnest lessons. Then, after 10 PM, I find myself riding my rickety bicycle to school, and once, I even had the chain fall off halfway. I had no choice but to carry the bicycle back to school, making it look like I was collecting scrap.

I shake my head: it's not that I am interested in that person, the question is whether there is anyone who would be interested in me. Su Xiaoyue is right; there is not a single valuable aspect about me. What qualifications do I have to attract someone? Forget it, I'll eat instant noodles. Soon, I have to go tutor that elementary school student; making money to eat is the most important thing.

When I was parking downstairs, I thought about when I could own a mountain bike like an elementary school student. This dream eventually came true, but it was ten years later today (waiting has made me feel a bit like a hero in decline, a beauty in decline, and a once fair face turned to bones)

I forced a smile and remained silent. Suddenly, the elementary school student became energetic: "Teacher, I will ride my bike back to your school with you in a while, and then come back to see just how far it is. Is it really that difficult?"

The elementary school student's father drove up from behind, loaded the student's mountain bike into the trunk of the car, and said to the student: You can't even manage this short distance, yet you often act all tough. Hurry up and say goodbye to your teacher.

I am somewhat flattered and at a loss for words. The poem I published is:

I smiled at the instant noodles: I have no dignity, only instant noodles. Perhaps Zhu Tan has a connection with instant noodles as well, which is why we hit it off. If you are not convinced, you can also eat instant noodles

I looked at Arthur, my face flushed: "Hey, how can you be like this? It's really... I want to know why you are like this..."

I propped up my bike and looked at the elementary school students: Now you know what fatigue feels like, right? You only rode a one-way trip, while I went back and forth. To put it this way, if life were to measure me at 170 centimeters tall, then riding this little distance back and forth is merely a speck of dandruff, do you understand?

As the military training was nearing its end in a week, the Academic Affairs Office notified each class to collect the class schedule, as it indicated the locations of the classes. There were no fixed classrooms, which felt like constantly changing venues. Yiming sent me the photos taken at the alumni gathering, and sure enough, there were indeed four handsome guys. Yiming looked at me with a grin and said, "Eighteen, how can you be more handsome than me and the others? You're a bit of a threat to my chances with the guys, that's not fair"

I saw in the photo that Yiming's arm was draped over his own shoulder, and his hand rested on Da Xiong's shoulder, close to mine. Yiming was smiling brightly, looking very happy. I was a bit dazed when Yiming nudged me and said, "Shiba, what's wrong? Are you angry? I was just joking."

To be precise, this work was created in the second half of my eighteenth year, after a car accident. It is a miracle that I did not die in that accident, and it is also a miracle that I did not become foolish afterward. Furthermore, it is another miracle that my intelligence quotient did not decline significantly. However, my memory has noticeably deteriorated. While I was still regaining consciousness after being knocked about in the accident, I composed this piece, perhaps as a way to encourage myself to keep living. It is also a miracle that my intelligence quotient did not decline significantly, but my memory has noticeably deteriorated. While I was still regaining consciousness after being knocked about in the accident, I composed this piece, perhaps as a way to encourage myself to keep living.

I sat up weakly: Four handsome men from the hometown association, are you satisfied? Take a look, which one do you like? I can introduce you.

Arthur grinned and said: "Oh, what's the big deal? It's just fun, isn't it? The fun on you at eighteen is not limited to just this; living like you, that's already front-page news.

Yi Fei let out a hum: Is there really any handsome guy in Liaoning? I truly haven't noticed any. Huh? The handsome guy next to you seems to have his hand in a rather strange position; is he trying to hug you or someone else, stretching it out so long? Oh? There's writing on the back: We are just brothers, that's all. Eighteen, you seem quite unwilling to accept this, don't you?

I am unwilling to turn my head to look at Arthur: Hey, why are you so loose-lipped?

At the end of the tutoring session, the elementary school student looked at me with confusion and asked: "Teacher, my parents said that if I don't study hard, in the future I won't even get the chance to clean toilets. Is that true? Is life really that difficult?"

I had not yet responded when the elementary school student ran out of the room to discuss with his father. After a while, the student's father came in with him, stating that he agreed to the student's request. He could drive behind us, and when the student got tired, he could drive him back. With this, I had nothing more to say and went out with the student to push the cart.

The elementary school student looked at me with confusion and said: "Teacher, I also ride a mountain bike to school every day. My bike is heavier than yours, and it is quite exhausting. You really don't have to come if it's too hard for you"

Today is the tutoring session for elementary school students. This student is quite interesting; he is not at all dull, but he simply does not enjoy reading. Last semester, he received failing grades in all subjects except for science. His parents, in a state of urgency, forced him to attend tutoring. However, every time he comes for tutoring, he insists on asking me a hundred thousand questions or discussing other peculiar phenomena in nature

Xiao Mai hummed: Is the atmosphere not tense? It is indeed quite relaxed; everyone in our department knows about this. Arthur initially thought that I skipping a grade would make them uncomfortable, but then he realized that you, at eighteen, had spent several years in the kindergarten's senior class. Therefore, studying with me is not so embarrassing after all. Xiao Yin also asked when he could meet you. He wants to see what kind of person can spend several years in the kindergarten's senior class.

Today, a primary school student asked me a very strange question: If the Earth were completely covered in water, with no land at all, would humans evolve into fish? And would the original fish evolve into other species that could catch and eat humans? Would that be considered a reversion and degeneration of the human species?

To be honest, I am quite apprehensive about tutoring elementary school students. Just riding my bicycle takes about forty minutes, with a chaotic route filled with traffic lights on the left and right, and hills to climb and descend. Given my physique, others would surely be exhausted. This is not the worst part; the elementary school student is a boy who has no interest in studying and is very active. When I try to teach him, he bombards me with countless questions, often about things that are unheard of. No one knows what is right or wrong in these matters. For instance, he stubbornly asks me what a flying saucer looks like and how many heads aliens have. In my helplessness, I almost told him that aliens look quite similar to me, and flying saucers resemble me as well. Moreover, the elementary school student has a large black dog at home, which always glares at me with hostility, clearly not considering me worthy of its attention.

Returning to the dormitory, Yifei was doing aerobics. This international trade major seems a bit distracted, often having no classes. I flopped onto my bed and continued to look at the photos. Yiming likes to wear Li Ning sportswear and sneakers; the white shirt looks truly clean, and the smile is genuinely radiant. I sighed and casually picked up a pen, writing on the back of the photo: We are just brothers, nothing more.