The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

Watching the disappearing green snake slowly fade away, my initial fear gradually subsided. I don't know why, even though I've experienced things that most people can't understand, I'm still afraid of these things.

I didn't receive any news from Fan Biao, and I wondered what he was up to, so I turned off my computer and went to bed.

Half a month has passed, and I've been quite bored. I've thought about going to see Fan Biao several times, but I don't know what that guy is busy with all day. We're the same age; shouldn't we be in school at this age? But he's never home. I should have gone to see him a long time ago, but since I came back from the hospital, we haven't actually seen each other even once. Fan Biao doesn't seem to mind, though. He messaged me saying, "Don't worry, I'll treat you to dinner after I'm done with my work!"

However, he did not lie to me later and treated me to a big meal, but my skinny frame did not bankrupt him.

After the Lunar New Year, I stayed home until the tenth day of the lunar calendar. In the afternoon, having nothing to do, I went up the mountain to visit my second uncle for a while. The old man, as in previous years, told my fortune, but he never said anything good. He always said I would face a calamity this year and another next year, but today he didn't do it like in previous years. The old man looked completely bewildered, just like when he watched me play video games.

I stared at him, bewildered. Was another calamity looming? He uttered a few words, equally puzzled: "Strange! Not only have you escaped misfortune this year, but spring has brought forth lush greenery and vibrant colors. This means you're blessed with good fortune in love!"

This left me speechless. It's rare that he didn't predict my broken arm and leg. Forget about romantic entanglements; what I really appreciate is that he didn't tell me I was going to face another calamity.

Later, when I got home, I was actually quite happy thinking about what he said. Although the old man used to say whatever came to mind, which earned him a lot of scolding from my mother, and although his words were harsh, it seemed like they always came true. Sometimes my mother would get angry at his words and say that he was cursing me. The whole family couldn't stop him!

I've been frail and sickly since I was little. My mom always tells me to eat more and eat less junk food before we go out, but my constitution is a bit strange; no matter how much I eat, I can't gain weight. Although I'm all skin and bones, thankfully all my internal organs are still there, and nothing is missing!

After a dull New Year, I headed to my new school without any expectations or aspirations. Fortunately, it wasn't like high school, where I was introverted, quiet, and always homesick. Perhaps it's because I'm getting older and becoming an adult that I have to face and solve many things on my own.

Wang Xiaoshuai failed the exam, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he told me during our chat that he probably wouldn't have time to play games with me for the next few years because his family had enlisted him in the army, and he would soon be heading to the military to defend our country.

Soon the start of the new school year arrived. My dad drove me to the school gate, tossed my things to me, and sped away. Now that the New Year is over, he hasn't started work yet, probably because he's in a hurry to go back and play mahjong with the old ladies on the street.

I dragged my large suitcase to the main gate, went to the security office, and asked an elderly security guard, who looked to be around sixty years old, "Excuse me, sir, how do I get to the dormitory for Class 4 of the first year of high school?"

The old man was quite fat, wearing a security guard uniform issued by the school, with his hat tilted at an angle and reading glasses. He was watching Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf in the security room. When I asked him a question, he told me the direction to the dormitory building.

Following the directions the old man gave me, I arrived at the dormitory building's lobby office. The school was newly built, and all the buildings were new. The lobby and offices were very clean and tidy. Inside the office was a middle-aged woman with curly hair wearing glasses. Her hair was like ramen noodles, and she wore heavy makeup and very trendy clothes. She was clearly a modern middle-aged woman at the forefront of fashion. However, her appearance was hard to describe; the only word to describe her was "ugly." Although this woman wasn't good-looking, she was quite enthusiastic.

She hurriedly asked me which class I was in, and I told her the information on the notice. She put down her work and offered to lead the way for me.

I walked behind her. She smelled strongly of perfume, but it couldn't mask her body odor. I almost fainted from the smell. Fortunately, she stopped and opened the door at a corner on the third floor. She then said to me, "There are only four beds in this dormitory. You arrived the earliest, so I'll assign you one. Go in and choose your bed. Remember to come downstairs and register with me when you're done."

I nodded to her and thanked her apologetically. She didn't seem to mind and turned to leave. Although the ugly old lady was gone, the scent of her perfume was very strong. I opened the window to let some air out the room, found a bed near the door, made the bed, and put my things in the closet next to it.

After settling into my bed, I went downstairs to register. Since it was my first day at school, I didn't need to go to the classroom in the morning. I sat on my bed, bored, playing on my phone.

About an hour or two later, the sunlight in the corridor outside the dormitory was a bit dazzling. When I was about to close the door, I saw that ugly old woman with two other people. I quickly got up and looked at them.

The ugly woman continued to enthusiastically introduce them for a while before leaving. One of them spoke Mandarin and the other Sichuan dialect, but there was no communication barrier at all.

They should be brothers, since they are about the same age, but I misunderstood them. They should actually be uncle and nephew.

One of the guys was rather chubby, while the other wasn't just chubby, he was incredibly muscular; I could see his jacket was bulging out the outline of his muscles. Both were quite witty and humorous. The chubby one greeted me, "Hi, classmate, what's your name?"

I scratched my head and answered him. The two men were quite enthusiastic; they even secretly brought cigarettes and offered one to me. I gestured that I didn't want one. Then, the fatter one introduced himself: "My name is Li Quan, and this guy next to me is Li Peng. Although I look younger than him, I'm his uncle, and he's my nephew!"

Li Peng rolled his eyes at him, then looked at me with a smile and said, "Ignore him, nice classmate!"

The two then put their things down and started making their beds while trying to start a conversation with me. They seemed quite good at communicating, so it looked like the next few years wouldn't be too boring. There was a fourth bed available, but the student in that bed hadn't arrived yet.

In the afternoon, we went to the classroom to register. Since it wasn't the first day of classes, we could go back to the dormitory after signing in. I had originally planned to get to know each other better in the afternoon with Li Quan and Li Peng next to me, and then go out of the school to look around and buy some daily necessities.

When we got back to the dorm, we saw our fourth roommate. However, this guy wasn't in our class, and he didn't seem to be a local either. Li Quan and Li Peng had introduced themselves earlier; they were from Yubei District, while Li Quan had grown up in Guangdong and only recently returned, so he always spoke Mandarin. But the fourth guy turned out to be from Heilongjiang Province—a young man from the northernmost part of our country.

He was quite gentle and refined, giving off a very calm and honest vibe, unlike the talkative northerners we usually see on TV. He was a bit taller than us; I'd guess he was over 1.85 meters tall. He greeted us in a very authentic northern accent, saying, "Hey guys! My name is Meng Jiahong!"

We introduced ourselves to each other. This guy wasn't very talkative, but he was better at communicating than I was. After we got to know each other, we started chatting.

After the introduction, we realized how amazing this guy was. It turned out that he didn't come to this school because he wanted to study, but to be with his wife! Yes, you heard right, to be with his wife. Meng Jiahong is more than three years older than us, and he's already married! And his wife might even be one of our teachers.

Li Quan, Li Peng, and I, the brothers next to me, stared at each other in disbelief. We were hoping that some clueless female classmate in college would take a liking to us, but this guy had already gotten married.

Meng Jiahong wasn't stingy; instead, he shared his story with his wife.

His wife went to university in their area a few years ago. Meng Jiahong's family ran a small restaurant because his aunt had married and moved to Sichuan, and his uncle and father ran a Sichuan restaurant there. His wife often ate at their house while she was studying. Meng Jiahong looked honest and simple, but he wasn't stupid; in fact, he was quite meticulous.

The old man was attracted to the looks of our Sichuan girl, so he would fawn over her every time she came to eat. Over time, the two became familiar with each other, and later the girl gradually fell in love with Meng Jiahong. For four years of college, Meng Jiahong accompanied her. As soon as they graduated, after consulting with both sets of parents, they got married.

However, his wife returned to her hometown to work due to the nature of her job. The two young people couldn't bear to be separated so soon after getting married. In addition, Meng Jiahong didn't like studying in high school and hung out with his cousin. Fortunately, he wasn't too old to be considered "out of touch," so his wife found a way for him to catch up on his university studies so that they could be together. He didn't have any other thoughts and just accompanied his wife to school.

We were completely stunned by Meng Jiahong's story, exclaiming how amazing it was! Meng Jiahong, however, said shyly to us, "Don't flatter me, I was just lucky to get married relatively early in our area."

Seeing the guy's humility, Li Quan and Li Peng teased each other. Li Peng said to Li Quan, "See? You still call yourself the Eddie Peng of Yubei? Everyone else is married, and you're still standing here as a bachelor!"

Li Quan looked at Li Peng with disdain: "You talk as if he has a girlfriend."

The two then looked at me, a little embarrassed, as if they were thinking of something. Li Peng then said to Li Quan, "I think you'll have to step aside, Li Lao Quan. You're at most the He Rundong of Yubei City, I'm the Peng Yuyan of Yubei City, he's the Wu Yanzu of Southern Sichuan, and Lao Meng is the Chen... no, the Hu Ge of Heilongjiang! We're collectively known as the Four Heavenly Kings of the Dorm!"

Actually, Li Peng called us the "Four Heavenly Kings of the Dormitory," but he never expected that our nickname would become a derogatory term that the whole class would laugh at.