Chapter 36: Nobody’s Made of Mud!
Chapter 36: Nobody’s Made of Mud!
After a while.
Zhang Lifei, who had become somewhat mesmerized watching Su Chunfeng write, turned her head to look around. After confirming no one was paying attention to them, she flusteredly and quickly fished out a small gift box from her down jacket pocket—no bigger than a palm, wrapped exquisitely and beautifully with colorful wrapping paper and ribbons. She slipped it from under the desk into Su Chunfeng’s desk drawer, whispering as a reminder, “Su Chunfeng, look inside the drawer. Here’s a New Year’s gift for you.”
“Huh?” Su Chunfeng snapped out of his thoughts and reached into the drawer to pull out the small gift box.
“Don’t take it out!” Zhang Lifei hurriedly reminded him.
Su Chunfeng felt a bit puzzled, but when he looked down and saw the exquisitely and beautifully wrapped small gift box in his hand, he immediately understood what was inside and why Zhang Lifei didn’t want him to bring it onto the desktop—inside the gift box was probably a music box. For a student in a rural middle school in those days, a music box was quite an expensive gift, costing over ten yuan! So if other classmates found out, they would certainly be curious and envious.
And with the New Year holiday, if classmates found out Zhang Lifei gave such an expensive gift to Su Chunfeng, wouldn’t they gossip and spread rumors?
“Lifei, I really can’t accept this,” Su Chunfeng said, both amused and troubled.
“Tsk, you stingy! Just take it. I’m not asking you to give me something back like for like…” Zhang Lifei’s face turned red as she pouted and said, “Just give me a greeting card. Make sure to write a lot on it!” Having said that, Zhang Lifei stood up and turned to leave. But when she reached the doorway, she suddenly seemed to remember something, hurriedly ran back, leaned over the desk, and whispered to a still-stunned Su Chunfeng with a coquettish tone: “You have to write more than what you write on Haifei’s card! And it can’t be the same. And write more beautifully, with fancy lettering and borders! Hmph!”
With that, she shyly turned and scurried away as if fleeing.
Su Chunfeng felt both amused and troubled.
If by now he still didn’t understand Zhang Lifei’s little thoughts, he would be a fool.
But the problem was…
Feeling quite flattered and somewhat smug to the point of narcissism, Su Chunfeng helplessly shook his head and sighed inwardly: “I, a poor, honest soul who has lived two lives yet remained pure without tasting forbidden fruit because I was obsessed with advancing in cultivation and because I’m upright and devoted in love—I really don’t have that creepy older-uncle kind of interest in such a beautiful, cute, innocent, and pure young girl like her! Besides, she’s good friends with Wang Haifei!”
Returning the gift was absolutely out of the question.
Give her a music box in return?
Financially possible, but that would seem like showing off beyond one’s means.
After thinking it over, Su Chunfeng decided to do just as Zhang Lifei hoped: give her a greeting card with more novel, auspicious words to satisfy her simple heart.
But naturally, the greeting card should be a nice one, one with sound.
When he bought greeting cards in bulk earlier, Su Chunfeng had only bought one card that played music when opened—intended for Wang Haifei. Given the current situation, he’d have to buy another one. Thinking this, he helplessly shook his head, tidied the things on his desk, picked out the first twenty or so cards he had written, got up, walked around the classroom, and gave one to each of the more than twenty classmates staying behind after evening self-study to study.
After handing out the cards, he turned and walked out.
He went to the small shop to buy a musical one for Zhang Lifei…
After buying the card and returning, Su Chunfeng got busy again in the classroom writing greeting cards.
The auspicious words for the cards to Zhang Lifei and Wang Haifei really taxed his brain—he certainly couldn’t just write the same old stuff on Wang Haifei’s card. And for Zhang Lifei’s card… there were requirements: write more, and it couldn’t be the same as Wang Haifei’s.
Isn’t this making trouble for nothing? Sigh!
Fortunately, Su Chunfeng was mature-minded and academically strong, and girls of fifteen or sixteen were simple-hearted and easily satisfied, with not particularly high levels of education, so he could just pile on some flowery, fancy phrases.
After racking his brains to finish the auspicious greetings on the two most important cards, Su Chunfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he heard knocking on the window beside him.
Su Chunfeng frowned and looked over. In the dark night outside, he saw Li Zhichao standing by the window, looking anxious and gesturing for him to come out quickly.
Su Chunfeng, puzzled, stood up and walked out the door. “What’s up?”
“Come on, let’s talk over there…” Li Zhichao didn’t give him a chance to refuse, pulling him toward the small round gate.
They walked all the way to the playground outside the small round gate. Li Zhichao stopped, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then said with great anxiety and worry, “Chunfeng, something big has happened!”
“What?” Su Chunfeng asked, puzzled.
“Just now, about ten minutes ago… Wang Liqiu brought a few guys from outside school and beat Dong Chuliang down!”
“Huh?” Su Chunfeng was startled, then asked, “Where?”
“Right on the street outside the school, outside Old Grey-Hair’s billiards hall.” Li Zhichao gulped and said as if still shaken: “Dong Chuliang got beaten pretty badly this time! But Wang Liqiu and his guys got hurt too. That Dong Chuliang fights dirty, and he had two guys with him.”
Su Chunfeng fell silent.
He knew what Li Zhichao was worried about—Wang Liqiu, who had been quiet for a while, no wonder he often skipped school; he’d been hanging out with people outside school, building up strength and brewing his hatred. After this outburst, whether or not Wang Liqiu managed to completely subdue Dong Chuliang, he would definitely come after Su Chunfeng and Li Zhichao in the next few days—because he had completely torn up any pretense with Dong Chuliang and had also used Dong Chuliang to establish his dominance.
After this fight, Wang Liqiu would no doubt become the School Bully King at Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, someone no one dared to challenge.
Li Zhichao said worriedly, “Chunfeng, you’d better go find Zhao Shangang quickly. Otherwise, with how crazy Wang Liqiu is now, we’re definitely going to get beaten, and most likely injured!”
“Yeah.” Su Chunfeng patted Li Zhichao’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry too much…”
“Of course, of course. With Zhao Shangang backing us up, I’ve got nothing to worry about.” Li Zhichao forced a smile and said, “But you’d better hurry up.”
“Yeah.” Su Chunfeng nodded.
“Take me with you when you go…”
“Zhao Shangang isn’t too keen on people visiting his home,” Su Chunfeng said with some difficulty.
Li Zhichao nodded repeatedly. “Got it, got it. Then when he comes to see you at school, remember to bring me along to meet him and get acquainted.”
“Okay.”
This sudden news took Su Chunfeng by surprise too. He thought to himself, “It looks like I really need to bring out Zhao Shangang, that minor deity.” Worried that delays might bring trouble, after briefly comforting Li Zhichao, he left the school alone and headed for Zhao Shangang’s home in the dark night.
Unexpectedly…
After knocking a few times, it was Zhao Shangang’s mother who came out, looking puzzled as she eyed the young Su Chunfeng in his middle school uniform. Learning that this kid was looking for Zhao Shangang, Mrs. Zhao kindly told him, “Zhao Shangang has been busy with business these past few days. He went to the county to sell lotus roots.”
“I’ll talk to him when he gets back then. It’s nothing urgent… sorry to bother you, ma’am.” Su Chunfeng had no choice but to politely say goodbye and head back.
What to do now?
If all else fails, he’d just have to strike first, find a chance to provoke Wang Liqiu, lure him alone to a quiet place, and settle him once and for all?
Damn, when soldiers come, we block them; when water rises, we use earth to hold it back!
Was he going to let some punk kid turn the world upside down?
The tough, ruthless temper Su Chunfeng had in his previous life in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts finally surged within him at this moment!
…
During morning self-study the next day, Su Chunfeng gave the two musical greeting cards to Zhang Lifei and Wang Haifei.
Upon receiving her card, Zhang Lifei was as happy as a lark, eagerly exchanging cards with Wang Haifei to see each other’s. When she saw that the words on Wang Haifei’s card were indeed fewer than on hers and the phrases were different, Zhang Lifei was overjoyed and deeply satisfied.
Wang Haifei’s expression remained calm.
That was just her nature; she never liked to compare or argue with others. Even though she knew Zhang Lifei also liked Su Chunfeng, she wouldn’t resent or dislike Zhang Lifei for it.
Because Su Chunfeng had told her—I only like you, always, forever…
After his two female deskmates finally settled down, Su Chunfeng wrote a small note to Wang Haifei: “Haifei, a greeting card is just a symbol of feelings, so there’s no need to compare who gave a better or worse card. Because whether it’s friendship or something deeper than friendship, it can’t be replaced or exchanged by a piece of paper. Do you understand?”
He knew that Wang Haifei’s family wasn’t well-off. Exchanging such high-end greeting cards costing one yuan fifty would be a big burden for her.
After reading the note, Wang Haifei gave a gentle smile and replied, “It’s okay. My brother and sister both gave me some money.”
Su Chunfeng smiled as if he understood, realizing he had worried unnecessarily this time—Wang Haifei was the youngest in her family. Her older brother and sister had already started working and earning money. Being young themselves, they naturally understood that their junior high school sister would inevitably exchange greeting cards with classmates during New Year’s, so they lovingly gave her some pocket money in advance to keep their youngest, most honest sister from being in a difficult position.
Today was Friday.
Next Monday was New Year’s Day.
In those years, rural middle schools didn’t get a holiday for New Year’s Day.
But since it represented the arrival of a new year, besides the craze of giving greeting cards that added to the festive atmosphere at school, the entire school would also hold a New Year’s Day cultural performance gala on the day itself. And each class would hold a New Year’s Eve party in their classroom on New Year’s night.
Therefore, teachers of all subjects hadn’t been pressing too hard on coursework lately, giving students who had signed up to perform ample time to rehearse. And during the two-day weekend break, those students would also come to school to rehearse their acts, preparing for the gala and the class parties.