A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 31st, Monday.

Lin Shubai was awakened by a series of banging sounds on the door.

The sound wasn't like knocking; it sounded more like someone outside practicing boxing—bang, bang, bang—each punch carrying a determination to break down the door.

He reached for his watch on the bedside table and glanced at it: 7:20. He'd gone to bed early last night, lying down at 10 PM and sleeping for over nine hours; his mind was still fairly clear. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and called out towards the door, "Who is it?"

"Your neighbor!" A familiar voice came from outside the door, speaking rapidly like a machine gun. "Chen Xiaobei! Open the door! I brought breakfast! And it's important!"

Chen Xiaobei stood at the door, carrying two plastic bags. One bag contained several steamed buns and a cup of soy milk, while the other contained fried dough sticks and a cup of millet porridge. His hair was even more disheveled than yesterday, resembling a bird's nest blown by the wind.

"What time did you get up?" Lin Shubai stepped aside to let him in.

"Six o'clock!" Chen Xiaobei walked in, put the plastic bag on the table, and sat down on the bed. The mattress bounced twice. "I'm so excited I can't sleep! Just thinking about the exam tomorrow makes my heart pound like a drum."

Lin Shubai went into the bathroom to wash up. Chen Xiaobei's voice came from outside, and could be heard clearly even through the door.

"Let me tell you, I just ran into a guy from the Shandong province region in the hallway. He said his school sent five people, five people! Do you know what that means? They came as a team to compete, while our Shanghai region only has the three of us lone wolves. But it's okay, it's not about quantity, it's about quality. Look at the three of us, each one is better than the last."

As Lin Shubai squeezed toothpaste, he thought: Did this person drink some stimulants this morning?

While he was brushing his teeth, Chen Xiaobei continued, "Last night I came up with six more essay topics. I even wrote down the opening for each one in my notebook."

When he came out after washing his face, Chen Xiaobei had already laid out breakfast. Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and millet porridge were laid out on the table, like a mini breakfast expo.

"You eat too, I bought too much." Chen Xiaobei pushed a cup of soy milk towards me. "After we finish eating, let's go check out the exam venue. We couldn't go yesterday, so we have to go and scout it out today."

Lin Shubai sat down, picked up a steamed bun, and took a bite. It was pork and scallion, with a generous filling. "Where's Lin Wanqing?"

"I don't know, she's probably still in her room. I'll go call her later." Chen Xiaobei took a bite of the fried dough stick, chewing it with a crunchy sound. "Do you think she'll find us annoying?"

"have no idea."

After finishing breakfast, the two tidied up. Lin Shubai put on his scarf, and Chen Xiaobei zipped up his windbreaker all the way, shrinking into the jacket with only his eyes showing.

"Can you even see the road like that?"

"Yes. I have radar." Chen Xiaobei laughed after saying that. "Just kidding, my eyesight is 5.0."

The two left the room and walked to the stairwell. Chen Xiaobei took out his phone and glanced at it: "Lin Wanqing lives in 408, on the fourth floor. Let's go down and find her."

As they were going downstairs, Chen Xiaobei suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Lin Shubai, and asked, "Do you think she might not be up yet?"

"have no idea."

"Would it be inappropriate for us to knock?"

Why didn't you think of that when you knocked on my door?

"That's different, you're a man. Men don't care about these things."

Lin Shubai didn't reply. The two walked to the door of 408. Chen Xiaobei took a deep breath, raised his hand, hesitated for two seconds, and then gently knocked three times.

The door opened quickly.

Lin Wanqing stood at the door, wearing a light gray sweatshirt, her hair tied in a low ponytail, her face clean and tidy. She glanced at Chen Xiaobei, then at Lin Shubai standing behind her, her expression unchanged.

"What?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"Let's go check out the exam venue!" Chen Xiaobei said. "I didn't go yesterday, but I'm going today to scout it out. Are you coming?"

Lin Wanqing thought for a moment, then glanced back at the clock in the room. "Wait for me." She turned back to get a thermos and a canvas bag, came out, closed the door, and said, "Let's go."

The three of them walked downstairs. Chen Xiaobei walked in front, and started talking again: "I just ran into a guy from the Shandong province competition in the hallway. He said his school sent five people. Five people! There are only three of us from Shanghai. But it's okay, the three of us are worth fifteen of them."

Lin Wanqing walked behind, saying expressionlessly, "Have you seen their essays?"

"no."

"Then how do you know it'll be fifteen?"

"Feel."

Lin Wanqing did not respond.

Upon arriving at the lobby on the first floor, Old Chen was standing at the front desk talking to a waiter, holding a folder in his hand. He saw Lin Shubai and the others coming down and waved.

"Where to?"

"Let's go check out the exam venue, Teacher Chen." Lin Shubai walked over. "The High School Affiliated to National Taiwan Normal University isn't far from here."

Old Chen thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you guys go ahead. Be careful on the way, and don't get separated. Remember the exact location of the exam room, so you don't get lost tomorrow."

"understood."

Old Chen glanced at Chen Xiaobei and Lin Wanqing again: "Does your team leader know?"

"I've spoken to the teacher, and he agreed," Chen Xiaobei said.

Lin Wanqing glanced at Lao Chen, "My teacher told me to decide for myself."

Old Chen nodded: "Alright, you guys go ahead. Call me if anything happens. Lin Shubai, did you bring your phone?"

"I brought it."

"Is it charged?"

"I topped it up."

"That's fine. Go ahead."

The three of them left the hotel. The morning in Beijing was hazy and gray. Chen Xiaobei walked in front, looking around as he went, muttering to himself, "Do you think tomorrow's topic will be related to 'road'? 'My Road,' 'The Road of Life,' 'The Road Home'—these kinds of topics are easy to write about; everyone has something to say about them."

Lin Wanqing walked in the middle without turning her head: "Topics that are too broad are actually harder to write about. Because anyone can write about them, it's not easy to stand out."

"Then what topic do you think is easy to write about?"

There are no good topics to write about, only people who don't know how to write them.

Chen Xiaobei was taken aback, remained silent for two seconds, then turned to Lin Shubai and asked, "Is she right?"

Lin Shubai thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

"You think so too?"

"Um."

Chen Xiaobei sighed: "Why do you two talk in the same tone? You're both so calm, it makes me seem especially restless."

"You're not impetuous, you just talk too much."

"So what if I talk a lot? Talking a lot is a good thing. It shows that I have an active mind and quick reflexes."

"Being quick-witted and being talkative are two different things."

"How can they be two different things? Talkative people think quickly, otherwise how would they have anything to say?"

Lin Wanqing ignored him. Chen Xiaobei felt he had won, and his steps became lighter.

The three walked for about fifteen minutes and arrived at the entrance of the High School Affiliated to the Normal University. The school gate was made of iron, black, with the school name inlaid in gold, and two stone lions stood at the entrance. Chen Xiaobei got excited as soon as he saw the stone lions and took out his phone to take pictures.

Lin Wanqing stood beside him, looking at him expressionlessly. Lin Shubai thought she was probably thinking, "Why did I come with this person?"

Chen Xiaobei finally took a satisfactory picture, put his phone away, and said with a grin, "Alright, let's go in and take a look."

Chen Xiaobei looked around and said, "This school is really impressive, much bigger than ours."

"Your Jiaotong University Affiliated High School isn't small either."

"It's big, but not as... how should I put it, it's cultured. Look at this tree, it's obviously been planted for many years. The trees in our school are all newly planted, and they're not even as tall as me."

How tall are you?

"1.72 meters tall."

"That's indeed not high."

Chen Xiaobei was taken aback by the retort, then said, "1.72 meters isn't short in the South. Northerners are generally tall, so I'm considered short in the North, but above average in the South."

"You're not considered tall even in Shanghai."

"Could you please not be so direct?"

"Didn't you ask me to give my evaluation?"

"I asked you to evaluate the tree, not my height."

Chen Xiaobei turned to Lin Shubai and whispered, "Does she have a problem with me?"

"No, that's just how she is."

"Are you familiar with her?"

We just met yesterday.

"So you've gotten used to her already?"

"good."

Chen Xiaobei shook his head and sighed.

The three of them found the teaching building, where a notice was posted at the entrance: "National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition Final Examination Room Arrangement." Lin Shubai found his name: Examination Room 3, Seat 12.

Chen Xiaobei leaned closer to look: "I'm in the second exam room, number 8. Lin Wanqing, what about you?"

"Examination Room 4, Number 3."

"They're not even on the same floor," Chen Xiaobei said, a little disappointed. "Then we'll have to fight our own battles tomorrow."

"They should have fought their own battles from the start."

The three of them walked around the teaching building and found their respective exam rooms. Lin Shubai's third exam room was on the third floor, at the far east end. The classroom wasn't large, but the desks and chairs were arranged neatly. Chen Xiaobei's second exam room was on the second floor, and Lin Wanqing's fourth exam room was on the fourth floor.

It was almost nine o'clock when they came out of the teaching building. As the three of them walked towards the school gate, Chen Xiaobei suddenly said, "Are you guys hungry? I don't think I ate enough for breakfast."

"You ate three steamed buns, two fried dough sticks, and a cup of soy milk."

"That's a normal amount of food. I'm hungry again now."

"You're just craving something, not hungry."

"A craving for food is also a form of hunger. A hunger of the mind."

Lin Wanqing walked ahead without turning her head and said, "If you're this hungry during your exam tomorrow, you can eat your essay paper."

"You can't eat the essay paper. There are words on it; eating it is like swallowing the answers, which is considered cheating."

Lin Wanqing finally couldn't help but let her lips twitch slightly. Although it was only a slight upturn, Lin Shubai saw it.

The three of them left the school gate and walked back along the path they had come from. After walking for about five minutes, when they passed a small square, Chen Xiaobei suddenly stopped.

"Look over there."

Lin Shubai followed his gaze. A little girl was squatting beside a flower bed at the edge of the square.

The little girl was about seven or eight years old, wearing a pink cotton-padded jacket, her hair tied in two small buns, and carrying a small basket. The basket contained bunches of roses wrapped in a transparent plastic bag.

She squatted there, head down, drawing circles on the ground with her toes. There were no adults around.

Chen Xiaobei walked over, squatted down, and looked her in the eye: "Little sister, why are you here all alone?"

The little girl looked up at him, then looked down again and continued drawing circles.

"Where are your parents?" Chen Xiaobei asked again.

The little girl didn't say anything, but pushed the basket forward a bit. Inside the basket was a piece of cardboard with the words "Rose, five yuan each" written on it in crooked handwriting.

Chen Xiaobei looked at the flowers, then at the little girl, and turned to Lin Shubai and Lin Wanqing, asking, "Shall we buy them?"

Lin Shubai walked over, squatted down, and looked at the little girl. The little girl still had her head down, but her eyelashes were trembling.

Lin Shubai took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a twenty-yuan note, and handed it over: "I want four."

The little girl took the money, picked out four roses from the basket, and handed them over. Her hands were small, and there was a red mark on her finger, probably from a thorn.

Lin Shubai took the flowers and divided the four stems into three portions. He gave two to Chen Xiaobei, one to Lin Wanqing, and kept one for himself.

Chen Xiaobei held the flowers, looked at them, and suddenly said, "Why would I buy so many? I don't even have a girlfriend."

"You can give it to your sister."

"My sister is in Shanghai, how can I send it?"

"Take her back. If she withers away, we won't even know what she was like before."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Pragmatist logic".

Lin Wanqing held the rose, looked at it, and didn't say anything. She held the flower to her nose and smelled it, then put it in her canvas bag, leaving only the flower head sticking out.

Chen Xiaobei remained squatting, and asked the little girl again, "Little sister, aren't you scared being here all alone?"

The little girl finally raised her head. Her eyes were big and bright, like two grapes. She looked at Chen Xiaobei, her lips moved, and she whispered, "I'm not afraid."

Where are your parents?

"Mommy's over there," the little girl said, pointing to a small supermarket across the square.

Chen Xiaobei looked in the direction she pointed and saw a woman standing at the supermarket entrance, wearing a dark blue cotton-padded coat, looking in their direction. When she saw Chen Xiaobei looking at her, she smiled and waved.

"Is that your mother?"

The little girl nodded.

"Then why don't you go inside the supermarket? It's so cold outside."

"There are many people outside, so it sells well."

Lin Shubai squatted there, holding the rose in his hand. He looked at the flower, then at the little girl, and suddenly felt something whisper in his mind.

【Trigger Keywords】

[Rose + Children]

The Little Prince (by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

The little prince from asteroid B-612 was now lying quietly in Lin Shubai's mind.

It was almost ten o'clock when the three returned to the hotel. Old Chen was standing in the lobby, holding a thermos, chatting with a middle-aged man he didn't recognize. He waved to them as they entered.

"Finished watching?"

"I've finished reading, Teacher Chen." Lin Shubai walked over.

"Have you memorized the exam room location?"

"Got it. The far east side of the third floor."

Old Chen nodded, glanced at the roses in his hand, then at the ones in Chen Xiaobei's and Lin Wanqing's hands, and without asking why, simply said, "Nice flowers."

"Thank you, Teacher Chen."