A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 25th, Tuesday, 5:30 AM.

Lin Shubai opened his eyes, and the crack in the ceiling was still there. When the original owner was a child, he thought it looked like a snake; later, he thought it looked like a road; now, Lin Shubai thought it looked like an auxiliary line on a challenging math problem—you know it's useful, but you don't know where to draw it.

He lay there for ten minutes, his mind replaying a movie. Not *Charlotte's Web*, not *Life on a String*, but the morning of his first day of the college entrance exam in his past life. He woke up early that day too, lying on his dorm bed listening to his roommates snore, thinking, "Twelve years just for these two days." Later, he did well on the exam, got into a good university, then wrote online novels for eight years, then time-traveled, and then sat in the exam hall again on the eve of the exam—no, on the morning of that day.

"History always repeats itself in a striking way," Lin Shubai thought, "but the similarities are a bit too much."

At 5:45, he gave up his dream of going back to sleep and sat up. When he stepped on his slippers, his left foot slipped into his right shoe, he tripped, and almost fell to the ground.

"A good omen, it means I'm going to have a 'tumultuous' day."

The living room lights were off, but a sliver of light peeked through the crack in the kitchen door. Wang Xiulan was already inside.

Lin Shubai walked over and leaned against the doorframe. Wang Xiulan stood in front of the stove, wearing an old sweater with a loose collar, her hair casually tied up, cracking eggs into the pan. The egg liquid fell into the oil with a sizzling sound, the edges quickly curling up like an irregular flower.

"Mom, why are you up so early?"

Wang Xiulan didn't even turn her head. "I get up at this time every day."

"You usually get up at six o'clock."

Wang Xiulan paused for a moment with the spatula in her hand, then continued flipping the eggs. "Can't I cook earlier today?"

Lin Shubai didn't call her out. His mother had a peculiar habit—the more she cared about something, the more she would pretend to be nonchalant. Last time he had a high fever, Wang Xiulan said, "It's nothing, just a little cold," but she got up three times in the middle of the night to touch his forehead. This time, for the essay competition, she said, "Winning an award or not isn't important," but she got up at five o'clock to fry eggs, an action that completely contradicted the phrase "not important."

Wang Xiulan suddenly turned around, looked him up and down, and asked, "Where's the scarf I asked you to find yesterday?"

"It's in the cupboard."

"Go get it. It's getting colder today, and you're dressed so lightly. Your hands will be so cold when you get to the exam hall, how will you write?"

Lin Shubai looked down at himself—a light gray sweatshirt and jeans, fairly normal autumn clothes. "Mom, it's only October, not December."

"It's October 25th! Frost's Descent has already passed!" Wang Xiulan's tone was as if she were announcing a major weather disaster warning. "Do you know what Frost's Descent means? It means frost has started to fall! Once the frost falls, the temperature drops sharply!"

The onomatopoeic word "click" startled Lin Shubai for a moment. His mother's speech was usually not so vivid, but today she probably got up too early, and her speech speed and brain circuits were in a state of excitement.

"Are you going to get it or not?" Wang Xiulan asked, holding up a shovel.

"Go! Go! Go."

Lin Shubai turned around and started rummaging through the closet. The scarf was at the very bottom of the closet, dark blue, pure wool, the tag still on. When he picked it up, a strong smell of mothballs hit him, making his nose sting.

"Wrap it around your neck." Wang Xiulan had already cut out the fried egg. She came over and personally wrapped the scarf around his neck twice and tied a knot. The knot was tied exceptionally tightly. Lin Shubai felt as if his neck was fixed in a certain standard posture, making it difficult to turn his head left or right.

"Okay, go wash your face."

Lin Shubai walked into the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror looked like a dog forcibly dressed up by its owner—a scarf buried half his chin, leaving only a blank expression on his face. He tried turning his neck, making two cracking sounds.

When I came out of the bathroom, Lin Jianguo was already sitting at the dining table. He was wearing a dark blue work uniform, and a tuft of his hair was sticking up, obviously because it had just been pulled up. On the table were three bowls of porridge, a plate of fried eggs, a dish of pickled vegetables, a dish of preserved vegetables, a plate of steamed buns, and a bowl of steamed egg custard that had been steamed sometime during the day.

"This breakfast is quite nutritious," Lin Shubai said as he sat down.

Lin Jianguo glanced at him, his gaze lingering on the scarf. He paused for a moment, then said, "Did your mother tell you to wear this?"

"Um."

Lin Jianguo didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

The three of them began to eat. The sounds of slurping porridge rose and fell, like a rhythmic percussion piece. Halfway through the meal, Lin Jianguo suddenly put down his chopsticks and cleared his throat.

"Um... the match, this afternoon?"

"Hmm, two o'clock."

"Where?"

"The High School Affiliated to National Taiwan Normal University".

"The school will arrange transportation. We'll meet at the school at noon and head over together," Lin Shubai added.

Wang Xiulan, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore: "Can't you say something useful?"

"I already told you," Lin Jianguo said innocently. "I asked where it was and how to get there."

"Couldn't you just say 'Study hard'?"

"Do your best on the exam." Lin Jianguo immediately turned to Lin Shubai, his tone as serious as if he were reciting lines.

Lin Shubai almost spat out his porridge. "Okay, thank you, Dad."

Wang Xiulan rolled her eyes, and the roll was so wide that Lin Shubai thought she might be practicing some kind of eye exercise.

After finishing his meal, Lin Shubai helped Wang Xiulan clear the table and returned to his room to tidy up his things. His pencil case, ID card, and exam admission ticket—the admission ticket Old Chen had given him yesterday afternoon, folded into four sections, stamped with the school's official seal, bright red and very eye-catching—were all there. He placed the three items side-by-side on the table, checked them carefully, and then put them into a hidden compartment in his backpack.

My phone vibrated.

Su Wan's text message: "Are you up yet? I dreamt last night that you ran out of ink while writing your essay, and I woke up twice in a fright."

Lin Shubai replied, "What you dreamed about wasn't me, it was your anxious personality. I brought four pens with me."

"Are four enough? Do you want to bring two more? I have some here."

"That's enough. I'm not there to sell pens."

"When you get to the exam room, remember to practice writing first. Don't start writing right away and then find out you've run out of ink halfway through."

"Okay, I know. Why are you being so long-winded today?"

The other person was silent for a few seconds, then sent a message: "Because I'm nervous. Are you nervous?"

Lin Shubai thought for a moment and typed: "Not bad. Probably less nervous than you."

"That's good. If you're nervous, just think about the time Liu Yang spilled soup on his pants in the cafeteria, it'll make you laugh."

Lin Shubai did chuckle when he saw this. It happened last week. Liu Yang was carrying a bowl of soup back from the window when he tripped over a mop on the floor. The bowl remained intact, but the soup spilled out and landed precisely on his crotch. He glanced down, then said expressionlessly, "I'm just warming up my pants." The entire cafeteria was silent for half a second, then erupted in laughter.

He put his phone in his pocket, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and went to the door to change his shoes.

Wang Xiulan chased after him from the kitchen, holding a dishcloth, and looked him up and down. "Did you bring enough pens?"

"I brought four."

"Where's your ID card?"

"I brought it."

"Exam admission ticket?"

"I brought it."

Wang Xiulan was still uneasy, so she walked over, unzipped his backpack, and peeked inside as if inspecting a suspicious package. After confirming that his pencil case, ID card, and exam admission ticket were all there, she zipped it up and patted the backpack.

"Go to the toilet first when you get to the exam room."

"mom."

"Seriously, I'm telling you, if you're holding your pee while writing an essay, your brain won't work. Go into the exam room first, then tell the proctor you need to go to the toilet, and the teacher will take you there."

Lin Shubai wanted to say, "I'm not a primary school student anymore," but seeing Wang Xiulan's serious expression, he nodded and said, "Okay, let's go to the toilet first."

"Also, don't drink too much water. If you drink too much, you'll feel like you need to go to the bathroom more often. If you're thirsty, just take a small sip to moisten your throat."

"it is good."

"Don't take off your scarf. If the windows are open in the exam room, the wind will blow on your neck and cause a headache."

"it is good."

When they reached the fifth floor, Su Wan's door was open.

Su Wan stood at the door, holding a plastic bag containing two steamed buns and a bag of soy milk. But today she wasn't wearing her school uniform; instead, she was wearing a bright red hoodie with a white cartoon cat printed on the front. The cat's eyes were wide open, and its expression was exactly like hers.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Lin Shubai asked.

"Red is festive and brings good luck. That's what my mom said."

"Oh, right." Su Wan took a small thing out of her pocket and put it in his hand.

Lin Shubai looked down and saw that it was that little Hello Kitty round mirror again.

"You give me this every time we meet."

The bus arrived at the school before 7:30.

The classroom was already mostly full.

Liu Yang suddenly opened his arms wide, "Our hero has arrived!"

At least a dozen students in the class turned around to look.

Lin Shubai walked to his seat expressionlessly and put down his backpack. "Are you always this energetic every morning?"

"Today's different!" Liu Yang plopped down in the empty seat in front of him, turned around, and braced his hands on the desk. "Today's your competition day! I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep. My mom asked if I was crazy, and I told her my brother is going to the essay finals tomorrow. She said, 'Why are you so excited about your brother's competition?' I said, 'You don't understand, this is an honor!'"

Su Wan said quietly from the side, "Your mother is right."

Liu Yang pretended not to hear, took something out of his pocket, and solemnly placed it on Lin Shubai's table.

It is a pen.

It's not an ordinary pen; it's a gold-plated fountain pen with a soaring eagle engraved on the cap, and the body is as thick as a small sausage.

"What is this?" Lin Shubai picked it up and looked at it.

"This is my dad's fountain pen. It's a Hero brand, pure brass plated with gold. He bought it more than 20 years ago and has never been willing to use it." Liu Yang said this with unusual seriousness. "My dad said that good pens should be lent to capable people. If you use this today, you'll definitely win an award."

Lin Shubai weighed the pen in his hand; it was indeed heavy, like holding a small gold bar. "This is too valuable; what if I lose it—"

"It won't get lost." Liu Yang waved his hand.

Classes proceeded as usual in the morning. The math teacher taught a lesson on functions, and the English teacher taught a lesson on passive voice. Lin Shubai sat in his seat, taking notes when he was supposed to, and looking up when he was supposed to, everything seemed normal.

The last class was Old Chen's Chinese class.

Old Chen stepped down from the podium and paced down the aisle. When he reached Lin Shubai's side, he paused. "Lin Shubai, meet at the school gate after you finish eating. It's 1:00 sharp, don't be late."

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. Old Chen closed his textbook and walked out.

Liu Yang turned around from the front row: "Shubai, do your best on the exam this afternoon! Although I can't take leave to go to the exam in person, my heart is with you!"

"Just focus on your studies."

"Absolutely. I was dreaming about cheering you on when I was sleeping in my English class this afternoon."

Su Wan clicked her tongue beside her: "If you're going to sleep, just sleep. Don't bring it up with the cheering."

Lin Shubai smiled and stood up to pack his things.

After lunch, a silver-gray car was already parked at the school gate, and Old Chen was standing next to the car with a folder in his hand.

"They're here?" Old Chen glanced at Lin Shubai, then looked behind him. "Wait a moment, they should be here soon."

Just then, a tall, thin man wearing glasses jogged over from the direction of the teaching building. It was Zhang Siyuan from Class 1, Grade 11, who had reportedly won several essay awards. He ran up to her, panting, and said, "Teacher Chen, I'm sorry I'm late."

Old Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Two minutes later, a round-faced boy walked over from the direction of the cafeteria, walking at a leisurely pace, chewing on something. This was Li Yiming from Class 4 of Senior Three. Lin Shubai had only seen him twice, and both times he was eating.

"Everyone's here." Old Chen glanced at his watch. "Get in the car."

Lin Shubai, Zhang Siyuan, and Li Yiming got into the van. There were two rows of seats in the back. Lin Shubai sat by the window, Zhang Siyuan sat next to him, Li Yiming sat in the back row, and Lao Chen sat in the front passenger seat.

The car started, and a woman's voice came from the radio, broadcasting the weather forecast: "This afternoon, it will be cloudy turning overcast, with light rain in some areas. The high will be 18 degrees Celsius, and the low will be 12 degrees Celsius. Listeners are advised to dress warmly."

Lin Shubai looked down at the dark blue scarf around his neck.

"Did your mom tell you to wear that?" Zhang Siyuan suddenly asked from the side.

"Um."

"My mom made me wear long johns too. It's only in the teens today, but she made me wear them. I said I wasn't cold, and she said, 'It'll be too late when you feel cold.'"

Lin Shubai glanced at Zhang Siyuan's pants. "My mom said, 'Go to the toilet first.'"

Zhang Siyuan paused for a moment, then laughed: "My mom said, 'Don't drink too much water.'"

The two looked at each other and sighed simultaneously. It wasn't a sigh of helplessness, but rather a tacit understanding that "we're on the same wavelength."

Li Yiming peeked out from behind and said, "My mom said, 'Study hard on the exam, and I'll buy you a new phone after you finish.'"

Lin Shubai and Zhang Siyuan both turned to look at him at the same time.

"Is this... a bribe?" Lin Shubai said.

"That's an incentive," Li Yiming corrected. "My dad said, 'If you do well on the test, you get a reward; if you don't do well, it's okay, but the reward is gone.' That's called risk control."

Old Chen turned around from the passenger seat and said expressionlessly, "You three, be quiet. Save your brains for this afternoon."

The three of them immediately shut up.