NCCnovel Chapter 68 Happy Graduation
Chapter 68 Happy Graduation
the next day.
Sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating the school gate brightly.
If it weren't for the red banner with white lettering at the entrance that read "2004 Junior High School Entrance Examination Yucai No.1 Middle School Examination Center," Song Huan would have almost thought today was just an ordinary school day.
There were only a few students scattered around the school gate, walking in in twos and threes.
Some people carried backpacks, some were empty-handed except for a transparent file folder, and some were eating steamed buns as they walked.
There were no parents accompanying students to the exam, no teachers holding up signs, and no teams chanting slogans.
The children of F3 in South China seem to be born independent. On days like the middle school and college entrance exams, their parents go to work, go grocery shopping, and at most say "do well on the exam" before leaving home.
Song Huan stood under the camphor tree at the school gate, hands in her pockets, watching the people walking in.
Someone looked down at their notebook, flipped through two pages, and then closed it again.
Someone was talking to the person next to them, and then suddenly they fell silent.
Someone stood at the doorway, took three deep breaths, and went inside.
He looked down at the transparent document bag in his hand: his admission ticket, 2B pencils, a black pen, an eraser, and a ruler.
The pen is new; it was bought yesterday, and Xiao Yunqing helped him choose it.
She stood in front of the stationery store shelf for ten minutes, unscrewing and trying out each one, before finally choosing this one.
There was a small, red "福" (good fortune) sticker on the pen cap.
She said, "Putting up a 'Fu' character will ensure your Chinese composition stays on topic."
I'm not her, how could I possibly go off-topic...
He took the pen out of the bag, glanced at the "福" (good fortune) character, and then put it back.
"Song Huan!"
He looked up from the file folder.
Xiao Yunqing stood at the school gate, her ponytail tied high, her school uniform zipper pulled all the way up, and her collar neatly trimmed.
He was also holding a transparent document bag, which contained a pen and his exam admission ticket.
She ran towards him, her steps quick, her ponytail swinging behind her.
She ran up to him, stopped, and took a breath.
"Have you had breakfast?" she asked.
"I've eaten, what about you?"
"I ate. My mom made me two bowls of porridge." She frowned. "I'm stuffed."
Song Huan laughed, "Two bowls and you're full? You usually have a big appetite, don't you?"
Xiao Yunqing glared at him. "I was just nervous! Your stomach shrinks when you're nervous, don't you know that?"
"Is that even a saying?"
"Of course."
The two stood under the camphor tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling on them, creating patches of light and shadow.
Xiao Yunqing glanced down at her watch, then looked up.
"My exam room is on the third floor, what about yours?"
"Fourth floor."
"They weren't in the same exam room."
"Um."
She looked at him, opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again.
Song Huan waited.
A few seconds later, she reached out, clenched her fist, and held it up in front of him.
"come on."
Song Huan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening and reached out to touch his fist with hers.
"Keep it up, you too!"
Xiao Yunqing withdrew her hand and turned to walk towards the teaching building.
He took two steps, then turned back.
"Song Huan!"
"Um?"
"Study hard! Don't fall asleep halfway through your exam!"
Song Huan was both amused and exasperated. "When have I ever fallen asleep during an exam?"
"You almost fell asleep during the last monthly math exam!"
"I dozed off for a moment after finishing writing the self-criticism..."
"That means you fell asleep! Anyway, you can't fall asleep this time; you must check your test paper carefully!"
She stood there, the sunlight shining on her face, her eyes bright, her lips slightly pouting.
Song Huan waved her hand with a smile, "Okay, okay, go in quickly."
"You must remember this!"
Xiao Yunqing snorted and turned to leave.
Her ponytail swung, swaying in the sunlight.
As she walked to the entrance of the examination hall, she looked back one last time.
Song Huan remained standing there, watching her from afar.
……
The July sun was so intense it felt like being on fire.
There was no air conditioning in the classroom, and the ceiling fan spun slowly, blowing out hot air.
Song Huan sat by the window, where sunlight streamed in at an angle, landing on the back of his hand, which felt hot.
He moved his hand further inside and looked down at the test paper.
In Chinese, the first question was a multiple-choice question about pinyin.
He glanced at it and chose B.
The second part is the use of idioms.
Choose D.
It just went smoothly as I continued.
The reading comprehension passage is an essay about the courtyard of my hometown, the jujube tree in the courtyard, and my grandmother under the jujube tree.
The question asked, "Why did the author say that the jujube tree was his childhood?" He thought for a moment and wrote a few lines on the answer sheet.
The pen was new, the ink flowed smoothly, and it made a scratching sound as it scribbled across the answer sheet.
The "Fu" character sticker on the pen cap was placed perfectly; it wasn't uncomfortable to hold or slippery.
The essay topic was "The Road We Walked Together Over the Years".
He stared at the question for more than ten seconds.
Many images flashed through my mind.
The kindergarten slide, the elementary school playground, the middle school corridor.
There was another person, with a ponytail, who stood there from age three to fifteen.
He took a breath and began to write.
I wrote over 800 words, and the ending was quick and simple, without any sentimentality or emotional reflection.
I put down my pen and glanced out the window.
The camphor tree leaves gleamed in the sun, rustling softly in the wind.
……
Time flew by, and the long, agonizing exam was finally over.
The last English course.
Xiao Yunqing sat in the middle of the examination room, sunlight streaming in through the window, casting a bright square on her desk.
She looked down at the test paper, twirled the pen in her hand, and then put it down.
Listening comprehension, multiple choice, cloze test, and reading comprehension.
I kept writing, my hand never stopped.
She paused while writing her essay.
The title is "My Middle School Life".
She thought for a moment and began, "Three years ago, I came to this school with a ponytail and a nervous smile."
After writing the last sentence, she put down her pen and glanced at the clock on the wall.
There are still twenty minutes left before the exam ends.
After checking everything, she leaned back in her chair and looked out the window.
There is a camphor tree outside the window, its leaves are bright green, and it sways in the wind.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on the ground.
She recalled the first day of school three years ago, with the same sunshine and the same camphor trees.
She sat in the first row by the window, and he sat in the last row against the wall.
There was half a classroom between them.
Back then, she was two centimeters taller than him and called him "shorty" every day.
Now he's half a head taller than her; when he stands next to her, she has to look up to see his chin.
Time flies.
Three years seems like just a blink of an eye.
She recalled that on their first day of registration, the two of them were late and stood at the classroom door shouting "Report!"
She remembered the entrance exam; he came in first in the entire grade, and she stood in front of the honor roll for a long time.
He took first place from me, and I should be upset, but I'm actually laughing happily.
She recalled their first sports meet, when he ran the 1,000 meters and she ran half a lap alongside him on the side of the track, shouting until her voice was hoarse.
She remembered the first time he helped her erase the blackboard. Standing on the podium, he raised his hand and erased the top row of chalk writing. She stood next to him and compared her height to his; he was shorter.
She remembered last night, when she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. The moment she heard his voice, her heart suddenly calmed down.
She remembered that last "pop".
Her face suddenly turned red.
She quickly lowered her head and pretended to check the test paper.
The pen tip touched the answer sheet once, then lifted it up.
I didn't actually absorb a single word.
The bell rang for the end of the exam.
She stood up, put the exam paper on the table, and walked out of the examination room.
The corridor was crowded with people. Some were checking their answers, some were packing their things, and some were talking to their classmates about "where to go for summer vacation".
She walked quickly downstairs with the crowd.
As she walked into the lobby on the first floor, sunlight streamed in from the doorway, so bright and dazzling that she squinted.
She stood there, looking out the door.
A boy was standing under the camphor tree at the school gate.
White school uniform, blue school trousers, hands in pockets.
Holding a glass of iced honey grapefruit tea, a layer of water droplets condensed on the bottle, glistening in the sunlight.
He saw her, waved, and smiled so hard his eyes crinkled. The sunlight shone on his face, making his eyelashes shine.
Xiao Yunqing stood in the hall, looking at that smile, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
It's not sadness, it's that kind of feeling that's hard to describe.
It's like crossing the finish line after running 800 meters—you're so tired you want to cry, but also so happy you want to laugh.
She took a deep breath and ran towards him.
Her ponytail swung behind her, and her steps were as light and quick as a deer's.
She ran up to him, stopped, and gasped for breath.
Song Huan handed over the honey grapefruit tea.
Happy graduation.
She took it; the cup was ice-cold, and her palms immediately felt cold.
She lowered her head and stared at the drink for several seconds.
Then she looked up at him.
The sunlight shone on her face, making her eyes bright, her nose red, and her lips pursed.
Happy graduation.