Chapter 4 (3)

  Yu Xiang was shocked to find that the two people's legs and body proportions had long surpassed those of frogs. Not going for high jump would be a waste, with such legs they could go for long distance running, probably Yu Xiong would only need one step to cover three steps by Yu Xiang. This way, Yu Xiang would have to retreat another two places, truly people cannot compare legs.

  A crowd had already gathered on the playground. Liu Zhichang and others were on the playground, pointing out coaches to athletes. The long-distance running coach of Yu Xiang was Liu Zhichang. Liu Zhichang's first lesson on the first day was to jump in place 500 times.

  Lin Yuxiang was not good at math, and after jumping 500 times, his physical strength could still hold up, but his brain power was not enough. After counting to 40, everything became a mess. Sixty was actually fifty. After skipping one hundred, his calf was a bit stiff, and after jumping for a while, his calf adapted, but his neck was a bit sore. Yuxiang wondered why it was sore in the wrong place as he jumped. After finishing the 500 jumps, all five members of the long-distance running team were paralyzed on the ground. It wasn't until then that Yuxiang realized there were only three special recruits for the high school's long-distance running team: himself, Yu Xiong, and Song Shiping.

  The other two were high school students, who jumped and talked about the Premier League match to show their disdain for the new athletes. The second event was a 100-meter test, which was dismissed after completion. Yu Xiong ran 11 seconds and 9 seconds in the 100 meters, Liu Zhi Zhang praised continuously, Song Shi Ping 12 seconds and 8 seconds. Liu Zhi Zhang pointed out several points to him. Yu Xiang saw that others were not struggling to carry the burden, but he didn't think his own speed was so fast, and when he ran, his heart was full of strength, but it couldn't be put into practice on his legs, and his two legs couldn't increase their frequency, resulting in a run of 13 seconds and 2 seconds, losing all face. Liu Zhi Zhang helped Yu Xiang correct his running posture once, saying: "I'm a straightforward person, come out with money? However, your body type is quite suitable for long-distance running, maybe you will achieve some results if you practice more in the future, go!"

  Yu Xiang felt that the face he had just picked up from the ground was lost again. He originally wanted to keep this secret for three years, but unexpectedly it was exposed on the first day. He was so scared that he didn't dare to stay long and chased after Yu Xiong and Song Shi Ping who were walking towards the dormitory. Before he could even open his mouth, Song Shi Ping turned the tables on him: "What? Didn't run fast enough, got scolded?"

  Yu Xiang lied and said: "My foot is injured, tell him."

  Yu Xiong smiled and took off his top, bunching it up in his hand, and asked Yu Xiang: "What are your plans for tonight?" As soon as Yu Xiang heard the words "tonight", a wave of loneliness surged up in his heart. "Tonight" was an unknown quantity that oppressed Yu Xiang's chest. The summer campus was beautiful, but it was still like a prison. No matter how beautiful the prison was, it was still a prison. The school cafeteria wouldn't open for another half month, and even dinner was like a medieval secret treasure whose location was unknown.

  After washing up, Yu Xiong wanted to go eat KFC. Song Shi Ping said that this remote place wouldn't attract Sanders, so they might as well just find a random place to solve their hunger. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the dormitory to the school gate. The late afternoon of summer is the most beautiful time. Yu Xiang was walking on that big road in front of Shi Nan San Zhong, watching the sunset and sighing at its beauty. He had wanted to let Shi Ping and Yu Xiong see it together, but they were arguing over who was prettier, Li Ruotong or Zhao Yaqi, and after a fierce battle, there was still no conclusion. Yu Xiang didn't bother to disturb them and gazed out at the northern sky, suddenly having an idea: maybe Tsinghua Garden is under the clouds. When they walked out of the school gate of Shi Nan San Zhong, it was an empty road, with a few small restaurants scattered along the side of the road. Song Shi Ping was so hungry that he quickly chose a restaurant called "Insomnia" nearby.

  Yu Xiang took one look at the "Night Insomnia" sign and felt like he had seen it before, startling himself as he remembered. Wasn't it in Shanghai's "Night Insomnia" where Liang Sujun had met his demise? Could it be that this black shop was thriving and had opened a new branch? Before he could think more, Yu Xiang was dragged inside by Song Shiping. He sat blankly in his seat, reminiscing about the past. Liang Sujun really was something else - not even a phone call during the entire summer break. And as for Susa, who knew what had happened to her? There wasn't even any news.

  Song Shi Ping pushed Yu Xiang a few times and stared at him with a smile: "Missing your horse?"

  Yu Xiang was disgusted with this word and said: "What horse?"

  Song Shipei gnashed his teeth and said: "You're really something! Ma Zi is your sister's husband!"

  Yu Xiang couldn't understand even more, and asked: "What's 'Ma Zi is...??'"

  Song Shi Ping said: "You're really stupid, how do you pronounce 'girlfriend' in English?"

  "Goodbye."

  "Come on, you must have gotten it wrong, try another one."

  "That's all I have for my girlfriend."

  "Ah, right! What's this, 'Pei Na A Mi', Girlfried it is!"

  "Then again"

  "You don't understand again, what are the two words that make up 'girlfriend'?"

  "Right, take the first letter of each word?"

  “GF”。

  "Recite it once, quickly, like a brother-in-law?"

  Yu Xiang suddenly thought of it and indeed "brother-in-law" interest was hooked, laughing non-stop. Song Shi Ping suffered again: "Teach you another one."

  "Do you know what 'going to the World Cup' means?"

  "What's up..."

  "What's wrong with you? How do you say 'World Cup' in English?"

  "Alright. Each of you take one letter."

  "Right! Going to the World Cup is just like going to the toilet!"

  Yu Xiang was laughing so hard on the table that he couldn't live or die. He didn't think that after being beheaded and having his tail cut off, English would still have so many uses.

  The cold noodles were served quickly, but they weren't much colder than steel water. The three of them blew air and ate at the same time. Yǔ Xiǎng suddenly remembered his new English interpretation and sprayed noodles a few times. Sòng Shìpíng was very pleased with himself, humming a tune nonstop. Yú Xióng was a man of few words, focusing solely on eating his noodles. The happiest moment when friends gather is before the meal, but the most awkward is after the meal when it's time to split the bill. Each paying their own share would be too damaging to their feelings, but they often just waited for someone to volunteer to pay. When Yǔ Xiǎng was finishing up his noodles, he slowed down, and Sòng Shìpíng was also teasing his last few strands of noodles. Yú Xióng suddenly slapped the table and said, "I'll get it!"

  Song Shipei was so moved that he burst into tears, saying that his elder brother had a great bearing and that he himself was inferior. The shop owner took the opportunity to wildly slash prices, charging only six yuan per bowl of noodles.

  Three people walked together on the road at the school gate and didn't dare to turn corners for fear of getting lost.

  Yu Xiang smiled and then fell silent again, the empty streets prolonged the loneliness hidden in his heart. The three of them walked together but had nothing to say, like three dry corpses. Lai Ping was moved by Yu Xiong, broke the silence, and kept asking about Yu Xiong's life story.

  Yu Xiong was asked to the point of unbearable, revealing that his father died a few years ago, and his mother remarried a rich man, that's all.

  In the next life, I want to ask in detail, and if I can't ask, I'll continue on the basis of the original event. I said that my stepfather abused me, chasing after Yu Xiong every day, which is why Yu Xiong's speed became so fast.

  Yu Xiong called Shi Ping to stop talking, Song Shi Ping shut his mouth and inquired about Yu Xiang's background. Yu Xiang was forced to say that he was an orphan, Song Shi Ping lost interest and stopped speaking.

  This road is lined with willows and bright flowers, and at the end there's a large department store. No wonder there are so few people on the street, they're all gathered here! As soon as Yu Xiang entered, he was hit with a blast of cool air. After finding an empty seat, Yu Xiong said he wanted to drink, scaring Yu Xiang into quickly ordering a glass of fruit juice to prove his innocence. Song Shi Ping said that drinking alone is easy to get drunk, and in order to show his care for Yu Xiong, he decided to join forces with him, and together they would drink.

  Yu Xiong bought two bottles of beer, drinking while pouring out his ambitions, making Yu Xiang look like a girl. Although they couldn't toast to the bright moon, the conditions for "two people becoming three" were met, except that one of them was drinking juice instead. Yu Xiong was clearly not good at drinking, and after half a bottle, his eyes were already blurry, grabbing Yu Xiang's hand and asking him to drink, but Yu Xiang was enjoying the pleasure of being sober while others were drunk, so he pushed it away saying his stomach hurt. Yu Xiong waved his hand and said "never mind him, let's drink ours", then slowly poured the beer into his mouth, not daring to swallow it all at once, letting the liquid linger in his mouth to prepare his intestines, only swallowing after making up his mind.

  Song Shipei drank like a kitten lapping up milk, each time only using the tip of his tongue to take a little. Seeing Yu Xiong was no longer able to drink, he leaned in and asked: "Where's your girlfriend?"

  Yu Xiong said to Song Shi Ping: "I want to pass on some experience to you, this thing can't be done with all one's heart and soul, it needs... three parts sincerity and seven parts retreat."

  Song Shipei vaguely heard that this was the pessimistic words of a man who had suffered a broken heart, and he wanted to dig out the content behind it. But Yu Xiong pushed him away, saying: "I won't say this, you think for yourself, damn, I'm so tired, what time is it? 2 o'clock?"

  12:10

  "It's almost done, go to the south of the city to sleep." Yu Xiong rubbed his eyes and said. Song Shi Ping thought that there was still a long way to go, and it wouldn't be late to ask again tomorrow. The three of them went out the door, and a wave of heat suddenly came from all directions, pushing them back inside. Yu Xiang anxiously said: "How are we going to sleep tonight?" Song Shi Ping's gaze was shorter than that of an old mouse, saying: "Tonight's affairs will be discussed tonight! Now let's go back." The three of them took a deep breath and counted one, two, three before rushing out. Outside the door it was extremely hot, Yu Xiang felt like every single hair on his body was burning, asking: "How are we going to get back?"

  Song Shipei came up with a stopgap measure: to run quickly back to the Third Middle School in the southern part of the city, which would be very refreshing. Yu Xiang laughed at Song Shipei's way of thinking, saying he was like an ostrich that buries its head in the sand when faced with danger, not caring about anything else. In the end, all three long-distance running students were too lazy to run and hailed a motorized tricycle by the side of the road.

  Yu Xiang asked Song Shi Ping in a soft voice, "Can you fit in such a small car?" The owner of the car heard this and quickly patted the three-wheeled motorcycle, saying, "How can it not be possible? It's very spacious inside! Don't mention three people..." The owner originally wanted to say that even thirty people could squeeze in, but thinking that was an exaggeration similar to a sneeze knocking down the Kremlin, he changed his words to, "Even four people would have plenty of room!" Yu Xiang was amazed that he knew the idiom "plenty of room", and thought he must be a laid-off intellectual. With sympathy, he advised Song Shi Ping, "Just make do! You'll definitely fit in!"

  Yu Xiong was the first to get in, taking up half of the space. Song Shi Ping quickly crawled in, filling up the remaining half. The car owner saw that they were going to pull down one, and hurriedly went to direct and dispatch, teaching Shi Ping and Yu Xiong how to save space, the two followed the car owner's instructions to tuck their bellies, shrink their feet, and lift their waists, and unexpectedly managed to squeeze out a small piece of empty space. Yu Shuang slipped in, and the three people were entangled with each other like the wick of an alcohol lamp. The car owner was afraid that the three would change their minds, so he quickly started the car, indicating that the raw rice had already been cooked into mature rice.

  The car owner asked: "Where should we go?" Song Shiping didn't know the severity of this sentence and fell into the trap, saying: "Anywhere, as long as it's to the south of the city, three..."

  "That's enough."

  The car owner drove silently. Song Shiping was the first to discover that the direction was wrong and secretly told Yu Xiang. Yu Xiang didn't think deeply, comforting Song Shiping that all roads lead to Municipal Third Middle School. The three-wheeled motorcycle almost traversed every street in the county before slowly finding the right direction. Yu Xiang urged the car owner, saying there were only over ten minutes left, and the car owner said: "Don't worry, you'll make it on time!" with a smile on his face, driving and singing along the way.

  Yu Xiong initially sat upright in the center, but suddenly leaned his head on Song Shi Ping's shoulder. Song Shi Ping thought Yu Xiong was dead and pinched his skin repeatedly. Yu Xiong moved his mouth a few times to prove he still had some vitality left. Song Shi Ping patted Rain Xiang lightly and whispered: "Listen, his mouth is moving as if saying something, listen!"

  Yu Xiang then put his ear to Yu Xiong's mouth, and only heard Yu Xiong move his lips without making a sound. Song Shi Ping patted him a few more times, and finally Yu Xiang made out something, saying: "Is he saying 'young master' or 'wild child'?" At this time the car drove over a brick, bouncing violently, and Yu Xiong opened his eyes to say: "Are we almost at Municipal Third Middle School?" Neither Yu Xiang nor Song Shi Ping could answer this question. Yu Xiong then pushed away Song Shi Ping's hand, saying: "It's too hot, everyone spread out a bit."

  Song Shi Ping gave Jin Xiong a mysterious smile and asked: "Who is Xiao Ye?"

  Yu Xiong listened and his mouth was about to open wide, then he wanted to ask Song Shiping how he knew, but after thinking about it, he decided not to say anything. His lips trembled slightly as he asked back: "Who is Xiao Ye?"

  Song Shi Ping thought he had misheard and waved his hand, saying forget it.

  The tricycle stopped, and the driver said, "Shinan Third Middle School." Yu Xiang jumped out of the car and was shocked. He thought they had set off heading west, but this tricycle's direction was also westward.

  The car owner stretched out two fingers and shook them, saying: "Twenty bucks."

  Song Shi Ping angrily said: "Such a short distance..."

  The car owner thought that since the uncooked rice had not only been cooked into cooked rice, but also into porridge, cutting a few knives was no problem, and he said with confidence: "Look at how many roads I've run, and how much oil money has been spent?"

  "This is the road you voluntarily ran more."

  The car owner, pretending to be a key student in the city, looked up at the sky and said: "You didn't tell me how to drive, it's so late, where can you still stop the car? Fortunately, I'm here, don't say anything else, just 20 yuan and let me go."

  "Say it again, one by one."

  "What's there to say? Just pay the 10 yuan fare quickly. Don't think you can cheat me out of it! If you can't afford it, don't take the ride, walk back yourself."

  Yu Xiong dug into his ear and said: "What? Say it again."

  "What are you doing?"

  Yu Xiong glared at the car driver, swung his left arm, and punched the metal carriage with a loud "hiss", leaving four dents. Then he cracked his knuckles loudly and laughed, saying: "You say it again."

  The car owner was shocked and thought to himself that his body wasn't made of steel, today he's unlucky and ran into someone even more ruthless, but didn't want to give up immediately and lose face. It's like a person falling from the 10th floor, knowing they have no hope of survival, but still wanting to make some moves to not die too miserably. The car owner's tone suddenly became like noodles in boiling water: "What are you doing, trying to ruin my car? Let's talk this out."

  Yu Xiong took a step forward and said word by word: "Say it again!"

  The car owner was terrified and feared that there would be eight dents on the car, so he deleted the previous sentence and added a title, saying: "Young brother, let's discuss this nicely."

  Yu Xiong dug into his pocket for half a day, pulled out a one-yuan coin, pinched it between two fingers and flashed it in front of the car owner's eyes, then tossed it into his hand. He said to Yu Shuang and Song Shi Ping: "Let's go." Yu Shuang had an image of Liang Yang Jun flash through his mind, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he followed Yu Xiong through the gates of Shi Nan San Zhong. Song Shi Ping praised him, saying: "Good job, Yu Xiong! You're not drunk at all! I really admire you to death. Doesn't your hand hurt?"

  Yu Xiong rubbed his left hand and said, "Nonsense, of course it hurts."

  Song Shi Ping said: "Those few words you just spoke have already killed that old bald donkey's prestige, you don't seem like someone who is just here to eat for free."

  Yu Xiong smiled slightly, dressed himself up like a celestial being, and said: "Hmph, in my younger years..."

  Song Shiping wanted to hear about "back then", but unexpectedly there was no more content below. Yu Xiang told Song Shiping: "Don't ask, back then he must have been the boss."

  The night at the south of the city was terrifying, after the wind blew, not only did the grass move, but the trees also swayed, and the strange shadows on the ground seemed to pounce on people. However, the terror couldn't dispel the heat inside and out, and Yu Xiang couldn't help but complain: "It's so hot today, how can I sleep!"

  Song Shi Ping was about to answer when he suddenly shuddered and pointed forward with his finger, saying: "Look, a human figure!"

  Yu Xiong Lin Yu Xiang followed his finger and looked away, and indeed five black shadows were sneaking towards the gym, each holding a long strip.

  Yu Xiong was startled and rushed over. The five "Night Marchers" noticed, stopped in their tracks, looked at him for a while, and laughed: "You're pretending to be a ghost! How come all the first-year high school students are running around outside scaring people? Hey, friend, it's so hot like this, you should go back to your dormitory, or your brain will get fried! Follow me to the gym, there's air conditioning."

  Yu Xiong waved his hand and retreated, saying: "Thanks, let's talk again later."

  Song Shi Ping wanted to sleep in the gym, Yu Xiong said: "You're dizzy from the heat, you know how strict our school is? Do you want to be punished? Hold on a bit, let's go."

  Song Shipei reluctantly gazed at the gym door, where a figure was climbing over it. Yu Xiang suppressed his worldly thoughts and walked with Yu Xiong towards their dormitory.

  Arriving at the dormitory entrance, more than a dozen people were carrying quilts and coming out saying it was too hot inside. Those who heard this had second thoughts, and Song Shiping mentioned going to sleep in the gymnasium again. Yu Xiong coldly said: "If you can't bear it, then go sleep."

  Yu Xiang was hesitant and didn't know where to sleep, but in the end, his inherent cowardice overcame his desire for temporary pleasure, and he decided to follow Yu Xiong to suffer. The two of them walked forward against the tide like heroes saving the world from a great disaster. Song Shi Ping also turned back and said that good friends should share difficulties together, using this as an excuse to cover up his own cowardice.

  The dormitory building had emptied out, with only a few people left to keep watch, occasionally letting out strange wails that echoed through the building. The three of them returned to their dorm room, washed up and lay down on their beds, forcing themselves to fall asleep. None of them dared to speak, as even the slightest movement would trigger intense heat. Song Shiping couldn't help but get up and wipe himself down again, then came back and asked: "Has anyone fallen asleep?"

  "Nonsense! You've woken me up even while I'm sleeping!"

  Yu Xiong, how about you?

  "What do you think?"

  "Neither of you has fallen asleep?"

  "Nonsense."

  "Let's go sleep in the gym together, it has air conditioning, think about it, air conditioning!"

  "You go where you want to go."

  "It's too late now."

  "Why don't you two come out onto the balcony and have a chat?"

  Yu Xiang was the first to get up, took a cold shower and went onto the balcony. Yu Xiong also struggled with the heat, got out of bed, moved a chair and sat at the entrance of the balcony. Yu Xiang gazed at the starry sky and said: "Actually I didn't want to come here, I didn't think I would end up coming here."

  Song Shi Ping looked puzzled and said: "Such a good school that everyone wants to get into, you still don't want to go?"

  "Anyway, there's no other way around it. Since we're already here, might as well make the best of it. Without our parents to bother us, living with a bunch of classmates is actually quite enjoyable."

  Yu Xiong chuckled a few times in the dark. Yu Xiang was surprised that he could produce such a cold laugh on such a hot day, and dug deep to analyze this laugh, asking: "What's so funny?"

  Yu Xiong asked him: "You've never lived in a dorm before, have you?"

  Yu Xiang replied, "No." Jin Xiong let out a cold laugh and said, "Yes, you've just arrived, everything seems fresh to you. Just wait, after living here for a week, everyone will be polite and courteous to each other. But after a long time, if someone bumps into your bed, blocks your way, or uses your water, ah, that's when the real treatment begins."

  Yu Xiang didn't believe it and said: "I see among the students..."

  Yu Xiong interrupted and said: "You even believe this? Those superficial articles were written by superficial people, it's called 'beautification', understand?"

  Yu Xiang died defending his point of view, saying: "Everyone just gives way a bit and there will be no problem."

  Yu Xiong said: "Let? Who let? Human nature is selfish."

  Song Shipei stood alone, feeling unfulfilled and wanting to prove his existence. Yu Xiong said, "Listening to you, it sounds like you've lived in a dorm before." Song Shipei just smiled wryly and said, "Actually, I was just imagining, but you saw through me!" Unexpectedly, Jin Xiong said, "Yes, I have lived in one. After elementary school, I attended a sports school and boarded for three years."

  In the next life, things will be peaceful and wishes will not be violated. I thought this sentence was like a "Dragon Severing Stone" in martial arts novels, but unexpectedly Yu Xiong took it as a stepping stone, and his enthusiasm was instantly extinguished, with disappointment written all over his eyes.