Winter Returns

Chapter 4's goal is to become a Pokémon Master.
It's often said that half of a boy's memories of school are spent in the bathroom, and Zhang Shutong thinks there's definitely some truth to that.

As soon as the rubber curtain was lifted, the room was packed with people, as lively as a meeting.

He didn't intend to go to the toilet, nor was he planning to attend the meeting. He was just reminiscing about the past, but the memory was too unpleasant, so after glancing at it twice, he pinched his nose and left.

Just then, someone patted him hard on the shoulder, followed by a sound:

"Brother, you're welcome!"

Zhang Shutong was truly startled.

He was stabbed a few hours ago, which makes him feel uneasy whenever someone approaches him from behind.

Looking back, there was Du Kang's smiling face.

Many thoughts then coalesced into one sentence:

"You really haven't changed at all."

Zhang Shutong sighed. The other person had a baby face and looked younger than them now, but wouldn't look old in the future.

"What do you mean?"

"You were praised for looking young. What did you just say? You're welcome?"

"I helped you hand in your homework, it was a small favor, so you'll treat me to spicy snacks?"

"Take your pick, but I have something to do after school, so I might be a little late."

Zhang Shutong said with a laugh.

Just like eight years later, the two chatted familiarly. But after only a few words, Du Kang glanced at his watch, turned and ran, shouting as he went:
"I'm going to get the milk. Don't forget what you promised me next class—KFC!"

Wait, what did I promise you?

Now it was Zhang Shutong's turn to be completely confused.

He stood there for a while, thinking to himself that this kid would be the same as he would be later, only saying half of what he meant.

This is Du Kang, a boy you'd find in every class. He's always running around like a whirlwind, busy with who-knows-what, but he's always incredibly busy.

However, what I just said about "breastfeeding" was indeed the important matter.

"Milk" refers to student milk, a small square brick, which seems to be a product of the nutrition project promoted at the beginning of this century.

They have all sorts of flavors: vanilla, strawberry, papaya, chocolate... and even plain milk that nobody drinks.

Zhang Shutong knew that school milk was usually distributed in the morning, around the break between the second and third periods. But since they were on a small island, the milk had to be delivered by water, so it couldn't be delivered in the morning and it was too close to lunchtime. So they simply moved it to the afternoon.

Each class has a "milk collector" who collects milk from the warehouse behind the teaching building, carries it to the classroom, and distributes it to everyone. It's considered a job.

Everyone says that jobs held before university are useless, as they have no real power and don't add any points, but as far as Zhang Shutong knows, this milk carrier job can actually make some "money".

It's basically just extra milk produced each day.

Perhaps considering transportation losses, several extra boxes are delivered each time milk is delivered, making several boxes in each class. The teachers don't bother to figure out how to distribute these boxes; it's entirely up to the milk carriers themselves.

Du Kang was clearly very loyal; he didn't let the good stuff go to outsiders. Every time there was extra, it ended up in the hands of his close friends. Over time, it was like he was buying new stock.

He still remembered that Qingyi liked chocolate, Ruoping liked papaya, and Dukang liked vanilla... So many details surprised even Zhang Shutong himself;

But that's how things are. Many things you think you remember are actually forgotten; many things you forget may suddenly come back to you at some point, because they've always stayed in your mind.

But the reason he remembers it so clearly is because of another ridiculous thing—he likes strawberry flavor, and coincidentally, Lu Qinglian also loves to drink it.

So, Du Kang was torn between who to give the extra strawberry milk to and who to give it to.

But this guy is really loyal. Even though he almost crushes the milk carton every time, as if he's looking at his wife with reluctance, it always ends up in Zhang Shutong's hands.

Although sometimes I would pitifully say, "Just let me keep one more box."

Then the three of them joined in the commotion.

"Forget loyalty for the sake of beauty." This is Ruoping's saying.

"Prioritizing romance over friendship." This is Qingyi.

"Completely agree." He was the only beneficiary, himself.

Thinking back on it now, it was really shameless. Zhang Shutong laughed as he reflected on his actions.

Du Kang has failed to win Lu Qinglian's heart all these years, maybe it's just a few boxes of strawberry milk that's missing?
This matter is indeed related to me.

Okay, I definitely won't drink it next time.

Then he went back to the classroom, picked up his schoolbag, and lined up in the corridor, waiting to change seats for the next class.

The homeroom teacher was already standing at the front. He rolled up his sleeves and shouted:
"You bunch of brats, hurry up! Those of you going to the toilet, hurry up, you only have five minutes..."

"Hurry up, hurry up! I'm talking to you! Why are you acting like a weasel stealing a chicken? Can't you pick up your schoolbag?"

"Hey, Shutong, you come to the front, you're the first one anyway."

The man was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, a little older than his previous self, over 1.8 meters tall, with a hooked nose, long face, and square jaw, revealing a resolute temperament.

His voice was so loud it echoed, and he would shove anyone he didn't like, completely lacking the gentlemanly manners he had when speaking to Lu Qinglian earlier.

However, the students weren't annoyed by what he said; some would even chuckle and retort.

This is their homeroom teacher, Song Nanshan, Zhang Shutong's favorite teacher throughout his student years.

Song Nanshan was a typical rough man. The first button on his shirt was always missing. He had unkempt hair and stubble on his chin. He was somewhat slovenly, but also had a rugged masculinity.

He always rolled up his sleeves to his elbows when teaching. Once, during a city-wide open class, he heard the grade head cough several times, but the head didn't realize it, and continued writing on the blackboard with a flamboyant style, spitting everywhere.

At the same time, he was also a bit unreliable. He could do something like losing the test paper while explaining it, so he had to move a stool and sit next to the students to explain it.

However, don't underestimate him because of this. Song Nanshan was originally a teacher at a key middle school in the city. He came to the island to get a promotion, which was a way to enhance his professional skills. He should have left after the promotion, but he stayed.

He got along well with the students in his class. He was open-minded and could maintain the authority of a homeroom teacher while also getting along well with the children. His closest friends were himself and a few of his best buddies.

There was a small red car, I think it was called a Ford Focus, a manual transmission.

He liked to drive around aimlessly on weekends, sometimes with Zhang Shutong and the others. The group would smell the lingering cigarette smoke in the car and watch their homeroom teacher drive around the mountains with effortless grace, navigating the bends with ease. Then Ruoping would get out and vomit.

I also like to take them fishing, but their skills are really bad, so I'm disgusted with myself for it.

Thanks to her homeroom teacher who taught English, Zhang Shutong's English was always good. She passed the CET-4 and CET-6 exams in her freshman year, and even her later home-based job was related to translation.

Looking back now, I realize that his English grades in junior high school never dropped below second place, which made him a great role model for his classmates. His homeroom teacher always referred to him as his "favorite student".

But since the English class representative is Lu Qinglian, it seems her love wasn't deep enough.

At this moment, Song Nanshan casually asked him:
"You didn't do well this time, kid. How come you only got fifth place in the monthly exam? Do you have the confidence to get into the top three in the grade next time?"

Zhang Shutong thought to herself that it would be good if they didn't come in third to last next time, so she glanced at him and couldn't help but remind him:

"The cigarette pack is showing."

"oh oh……"

The other person quickly stuffed something into his pocket and went to the back of the line to greet the students.

Their class changed seats after the monthly exam. And even changing seats was done in a rather elaborate way—

Teachers in other classes, especially those who are more snobbish, usually arrange seating based on exam scores;

Those in charge should form study groups of four, and the groups should move around monthly.

But when it came to Song Nanshan, he actually came up with a "priority seating right".

It can't be said that it was useless; Du Kang managed to advance by almost twenty places, reaching the middle level, but he was still too far from Lu Qinglian, who was in first place.

Zhang Shutong came in second.

Thinking about this, he finally remembered what Du Kang had meant by "promising".

It's just to save him a seat.

Teenage boys have complicated thoughts, being both hesitant and stubborn. For example, Du Kang wanted to sit next to Lu Qinglian, but he didn't dare to sit at the same table with her. Ideally, he would sit in the row in front of or behind her.

then what should we do?

She had no choice but to ask herself to sit in front of or behind Lu Qinglian and then become his deskmate in order to achieve her goal. The whole process was incredibly complicated.

Zhang Shutong was both amused and exasperated.

But it wasn't a big favor. Having a crush during your student days is a huge deal, and it's not easy for the other person to open their mouth, so it doesn't bother you.

After much urging from the homeroom teacher, the students finally lined up, and then he began reading out the rankings:
"Second, Zhang Shutong."

As for why she wasn't ranked first, it's because the top student in their class was always the same person—Lu Qinglian never came out to line up, nor did she need to pack her things. She would simply move the table to whichever spot she wanted.

Later, everyone got used to it, and even the homeroom teacher started reading from the second grade.

Zhang Shutong entered the classroom as instructed and saw the girl sitting by the window.

The island is located north of the Qinling-Huaihe line, so the classrooms are equipped with heating, which is located right under the windows, in a whole row.

Heating starts around this time of year. In winter, the most comfortable spot is by the window, while in summer it's against the wall.

This place suits Zhang Shutong's taste perfectly. It seems that Lu Qinglian is also well-versed in this art, no wonder she is the top student in the grade.

He wasn't young anymore—although he's not that old now—but when he was a child, he really had no concept of the word "cold." In the fall, he would turn on the fan and wander around the house in short sleeves.
In recent years, however, I always make sure to wear thermal underwear when I sleep, and I don't even dare to expose my shoulders.

When choosing between the front and back tables, I thought about it and decided to sit to the side and behind Lu Qinglian because I didn't want to be stared at from behind. Of course, the table directly behind me was reserved for Du Kang.

After packing his things, he rested his chin on his hand and watched the students walk in one by one, taking the opportunity to recognize their names.

“...Du Tingting”.

A slightly chubby girl.

"...Zhou Ziheng".

A boy with slightly dark skin.

For some reason, the other person was taken aback when they saw me.

“…Meng Qingyi.” Then a cool-looking guy walked in, with black, short hair, a white turtleneck sweater, his hands in his pockets, and an expressionless face. He looked like a handsome guy with a poker face.

Then the boy gave him a thumbs up, accompanied by an admiring look, probably meaning "You're awesome".

Zhang Shutong responded with a thumbs-up, indicating that he was also awesome, although he didn't understand what "best friend" meant at all.

He felt a little embarrassed. Du Kang had gone to fetch the milk, and now someone wanted to sit next to him. He had no choice but to refuse, which felt like bullying a child.

But after looking around, everyone's ranking was outside the top ten, and no one seemed inclined to sit here.

Lu Qinglian's front row was already taken. But behind her, apart from herself, there was a vacuum, as if the feng shui of this area was bad and everyone was avoiding it.

Zhang Shutong found it strange.

He knew that there were quite a few people in the class who liked Lu Qinglian, so there should have been boys coming over. Even if they didn't care about liking each other, the seats near the heater were good spots.

Could it be my own problem?

Zhang Shutong patted his face.

In an effort to make himself familiar with faces, he would stare intently at anyone who came in, which seemed rather sinister.

But that can't be right. Even if someone is "aloof," they shouldn't be so scary that they could scare people away.

Just then, a short-haired girl walked over quickly. She tapped on her table, revealing light pink manicure nails on her hands.

Before Zhang Shutong could speak, Feng Ruoping whispered:
"You didn't wake up?"

"what?"

"Why did you decide to sit next to the 'young lady'?"

She covered her mouth and chuckled, giving him a meaningful look before leaving, much like she had when she looked at Lu Qinglian's photo a few hours earlier.

Miss?
beside?

Thinking about it this way, it's as if memories that have been dormant for many years have been awakened.

Zhang Shutong glanced into the drawer of the table next to him and saw that there were still a few books that hadn't been put away. He immediately understood.

The seat next to him was Gu Qiumian's. Although he had glanced at her a few times in the last class, he couldn't possibly remember where she sat right away.

The other party has a peculiar habit, or rather, a strong sense of territory, like a young lioness who moved to the window after the first monthly exam after transferring schools and has never moved since.

There has never been a scene where "the young lady slaps out a few banknotes, sneers, and says, 'This is my spot. If you know what's good for you, leave now. I'll add more if you need more.'"

Most people seem to follow a tacit understanding; it's just a position, and there's no need to provoke her.

This brings us to Gu Qiumian's peculiar niche in the class.

The children on the island are classmates in school, and when they catch up after leaving school, they are mostly related by marriage: who is whose father is a cousin, who is whose grandfather is an old comrade-in-arms... It's perfectly normal.

Therefore, students all have fixed circles.

For example, you just finished playing basketball on Friday, and then an aunt comes to visit you over the weekend. And the aunt's son is the same guy who dunked on Friday.

Their friendships extend beyond the school gates, and they often bring their families along—an experience that city children don't have.

That's why Gu Qiumian didn't make any decent friends in class. When she was in her small circle, the most important thing was to "fit in".

Especially for girls' circles, it is even more important to keep them clearly distinct.

But if you put in the effort, it's not that difficult to fit in. Just like when Zhang Shutong first arrived, he didn't have any friends either, but he tried... well, it seems he didn't really try, and suddenly he made a few new friends and they became best friends.

In Gu Qiu Mian's case, she wasn't a particularly sociable girl, yet no one dared to deliberately ostracize her. Although the following statement was somewhat exaggerated, the truth was—

She single-handedly isolated the rest of the class.

You may look down on her ability to make friends, but you should never look down on her arrogance or her wealth.

The young lady clearly understands relativity. Ever since the chocolate incident, she's been humiliated and, regardless of who's right or wrong, she absolutely refuses to be treated coldly. So she's decided to expand her influence outside the class.

Can't fit into your circle? Fine, I'll just create my own.

Gu Qiu Mian's henchmen were all outside the classroom.

Throughout her four years of junior high school, the Pokémon she had caught were everywhere.

Sometimes you can see her taking her Pokémon off the island to play.

We met at the pier at 6:00 a.m. sharp on Saturday. A group of henchmen had already set up their bicycles and lined them up neatly on both sides.

Then a black Audi drove into the center of the group, and a slender, fair leg peeked out from the car. Everyone followed the owner of the leg and boarded the boat.

—Actually, you can ride your bicycle up. The ferry to and from the island has no cabin, only a huge deck. It costs three yuan for pedestrians, five yuan for bicycles, and ten yuan for cars.

But the young lady doesn't have a bicycle and doesn't know how to ride one. She also doesn't want the family driver to follow her. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for her to walk alone while everyone else rides a bicycle?
Let's just walk the whole way.

Anyway, once the ferry docks, she can wave her hand and call several taxis, and she directs who should get into which car;

Then, with a flick of his chin, the red and silver convoy drove in a grand procession toward the nearest dojo... no, shopping plaza, as exaggerated as if it were a scene from a TV drama.

Of course, Gu Qiumian would cover all the transportation costs.

Once, when Zhang Shutong went out of the island to buy books, he ran into this group of people. At that time, he spat out his chewing gum and was wrapping it in paper. He was wondering why there were so many students today.

Someone lowered their voice and asked him:
"Brother, why did you push the car up here? You're so brave!"

He kept giving him frantic eye signals about the bicycle in his hand.

Zhang Shutong talked to him for a long time before she learned the reason, and she was speechless.
So much so that he didn't even think about spitting out the chewing gum, and when he chewed it hard, he bit into the soft flesh in his mouth, which hurt quite a bit, and thus started doing this little habit.

Then, when the boat docked, Gu Qiumian appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She stood with her arms crossed, her hair brushing against her lips in the wind, exuding a victorious air. After a long while, she asked:
"Zhang...Shutong?"

The tone was similar to Ash saying, "Charizard...?"

Thank you so much for remembering me, your Pokémon.

In reality, he didn't have so many inner monologues back then. He nodded indifferently, treating it as a chance encounter with a classmate, and rode away on his bicycle, leaving Miss Gu bewildered in the lake breeze.

The name "traitor" was once again firmly etched in his memory.

In short, Gu Qiumian has no shortage of playmates. Sometimes she will invite a few close female friends to sing karaoke, and she doesn't even need to leave the island; she can just stay in her four-story detached villa.

In Zhang Shutong's and his best friends' dictionary back then, a place called a "castle" was something they would only look at from behind a grand iron fence.

The entire basement floor was used as a home theater.

She didn't have any decent friends in her class, but that didn't mean there weren't boys who had a crush on her.

What topics do fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys usually talk about?

Zhang Shutong's answers were fish in the lake, a straight tree branch he found on his way to school, and comics in magazines, but unfortunately, everyone around him was talking about the prettiest girl.

Their class was divided into two factions: Lu Qinglian and Gu Qiumian. The former had more people and more influence; the latter did exist, but they always talked about it casually and cautiously, afraid that their feelings would be discovered.

The seat next to Gu Qiu Mian is often the one that the boy who has a crush on her gets.

She herself knows this, and sometimes it's incredibly annoying, but it's not entirely the boys' fault;
She loved snacks, and there was a special pocket in her backpack where she would not only eat them herself but also feed them to her henchmen.

Once, Du Kang lost a game of Truth or Dare and, with a long face, was persuaded by Ruoping to ask Gu Qiu Mian for snacks. Everyone was trying not to laugh, but she actually nodded and gave them to him.

Everyone stared in disbelief as she emptied a bunch of things out of her bag, then absentmindedly asked Du Kang what he wanted to eat and to help himself.

But most of the time, if she brought too many snacks and didn't want to eat some, she would just share some with her deskmate.

She was quite generous, but this was a case of the one who shared the food being unintentional while the one who ate it was intentional.
At that age, boys would suspect whether a girl liked them if she looked at them too much, let alone if they were given snacks; of course, they would be flattered.

As a result, one unlucky guy got too cocky.

At that time, the boy was Gu Qiumian's deskmate. He had just been rewarded with a few wafers and was munching on them while showing off, with cookie crumbs falling from the last row onto the podium.
Then, for some reason, this person got carried away and felt that he had a close relationship with Miss Gu, so he could say something less "superficial" and told a dirty joke.

It's probably a lewd joke about girls' bodies, usually just something guys talk about among themselves. As for girls they're close to... well, it depends on how close they are.
But who could have predicted he'd be so stubborn, because even the protagonist of the dirty jokes was now Gu Qiu Mian herself.

He chuckled twice after he finished speaking, but Gu Qiu Mian's face immediately turned cold, and she threw his pencil case to the ground.

"Say it again?"

The boy was put in an awkward position, especially since he was so concerned about his image. He had just boasted about his good relationship with the other person, so he stubbornly refused to back down. He raised his voice again and said it loudly, finally adding angrily:
"Are you crazy? It was just a joke."

Gu Qiu Mian didn't even look at him and just left.

The boy was called out of the classroom during the next class, then publicly criticized and sent home for a few days. When he returned, he was transferred to another class.

It was only then that everyone gained a deeper understanding of Miss Gu. Before, they all thought that they were from two different worlds and that no one was close to anyone else.
But actually, she was just too lazy to bother with it. If she were to actually be touched, it would be like an egg hitting a rock; her world would shatter instantly, like wafer crumbs. After this incident, many terrifying rumors about her family circulated in the class, some even reaching appalling levels.

I don't know if she knew, maybe she didn't, since no one told her.
Even though she knew, she had a "I don't care what others do" attitude, which didn't affect her going to class or leaving get out of class every day. Occasionally, when she was in a good mood, she would draw funny faces on the glass.

And now, it's himself who's next to the ghost face.

Zhang Shutong finally understood where those surprised looks came from.

Gu Qiu Mian is just that kind of person, like a rose with thorns. If you don't provoke her, she won't bother with you.
If you accidentally offend her, then you'll have to talk about the story of Gu Jianhong, a distinguished alumnus of the school, the donor of the library and playground, a super-rich man on the island, and the father of Miss Gu.

Anyway, Zhang Shutong knew he couldn't afford to offend so many people.

Speaking of which, where was I sitting back then?

Perhaps it was because Lu Qinglian was in front of her that she intentionally avoided this position.

Unexpectedly, after returning home, a small change in my thinking led to a transformation, like a butterfly flapping its wings, and everything changed along with it.

"It's not too late to change seats now..." he thought.

Judging by the time, "that incident" must have happened not long ago.

I vaguely remember that the relationship between the two of them has now reached a freezing point.

But before any action could be taken, the homeroom teacher's voice rang out again, just as if speaking of the devil and he appears:

"Next up, Gu Qiumian."

The little leather boots clicked on the floor;

Then, a pair of bright and beautiful eyes glared at them first.

(End of this chapter)