Chapter 42: Collapse (Two in One)

After this brief interlude, the days quickly returned to the past. During this period, Teacher Fan asked about the seats, and Li Zhuangsheng explained that Lin Yuehua had a quarrel with her deskmate. Lin Yuehua's former deskmate nodded and expressed that she no longer wanted to sit with Lin Yuehua, so Teacher Fan did not interfere.

Since the mobile phone was given to Lin Yuehua for safekeeping, Li Zhuangsheng studied a lot. Lin Yuehua will not completely stop Li Zhuangsheng from using his mobile phone. At least before the monthly vacation, she will return the mobile phone to Li Zhuangsheng to let him satisfy his craving... Of course, she will take it back when he goes to school.

After returning from the National Day holiday, Li Zhuangsheng handed in his mobile phone as usual. Suddenly he thought, does this look like handing in his salary card every month?

Ah, don't be ridiculous, I still don't like her! Li Zhuangsheng immediately refuted himself.

After retorting, Li Zhuangsheng looked at Lin Yuehua with some guilt. She seemed to have really gained some weight. Although she was still very thin, she was much better than before.

The acne on her face has also subsided a lot without her realizing it, perhaps because she has been eating more nutritiously recently than before... She is already tall, so much so that when Li Zhuangsheng walks with her, he always holds his head high, so he can barely outdo her. A little higher.

Unknowingly, she seemed to have become a little beauty.

Li Zhuangsheng suddenly realized this, and suddenly felt a strong sense of inferiority in his heart. He often looked at the motto posted on her desk in a daze.

The western mountains are green and the eastern sea is vast. Our school is solemn and unyielding in the center.

Li Zhuangsheng always kept asking, do you really want to take the Tsinghua University entrance examination? Lin Yuehua nodded seriously every time with firm eyes.

So what if she doesn't get into Tsinghua University? There's no problem with her score reaching 211. Even those who hate her the most will agree with this.

That is also a level that Li Zhuangsheng cannot reach.

Li Zhuangsheng fell into inexplicable anxiety, and his grades also reached a bottleneck. No matter how hard he tried, he could only hover around the 30th place in the class. However, Lin Yuehua was still first in the class as always, and her liberal arts scores had never fallen out of the top three in the entire grade. .

Lin Yuehua told Li Zhuangsheng several times about his poor grades, but there was nothing Li Zhuangsheng could do. What could he do? He has squeezed himself to the extreme. He has to study for more than one o'clock in the evening when he returns home. He gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning to wash up and learn to memorize vocabulary.

Even so, Li Zhuangsheng often suffered from anxiety and insomnia, and even dreamed of Lin Yuehua waving goodbye to Li Zhuangsheng with the Tsinghua University admission notice.

Li Zhuangsheng felt that he was about to be abandoned. In the foreseeable future, their lives would become farther and farther apart, and they might not even be friends anymore.

The line between the two people's tables will eventually become an insurmountable chasm.

In this way, at the beginning of November, Li Zhuangsheng tried his best to maintain a position that was neither better nor worse. Although he still talked and laughed with Lin Yuehua every day, only Li Zhuangsheng knew how uneasy he was.

One afternoon during the last class, Li Zhuangsheng fell asleep unknowingly. When he woke up leisurely, there was no one in the classroom except Lin Yuehua.

"Where are you, get out of class is over?" Li Zhuangsheng rubbed his eyes.

"Well, they all went to have dinner." Lin Yuehua said.

It was dark inside the classroom, and the sunset outside the window was about to set. The last dim afterglow dyed the sky red, and the clouds rolled up in the sky were like waves of faint red sand. This faint red gloom also invaded the classroom, quietly.

"Why don't you go to eat?"

Li Zhuangsheng yawned and suddenly understood. Lin Yuehua sat inside and he sat outside. If she wanted to go out, she could only wake him up, but the other party did not do so.

Li Zhuangsheng saw her quietly looking out the window in a daze, as if watching the sunset. The dark red color overflowed on her body, and a sad atmosphere quietly filled the air.

"Hey, you know, I definitely want to go to Tsinghua University." She looked out the window and said softly.

Li Zhuangsheng was stunned for a moment, and then said with a smile as usual: "Well, I want to take the exam at Peking University..."

Lin Yuehua suddenly turned her head and glared at Li Zhuangsheng, saying seriously: "No, you will definitely not be admitted to Peking University!"

Before Li Zhuangsheng could respond, she continued: "But there are many universities. If you work hard, you might be able to get one. Then we can go to university in the same city..."

She stopped talking mid-sentence and just stared at Li Zhuangsheng blankly.

"Okay, what..."

Li Zhuangsheng's heart first slowed down for half a beat, and then began to beat violently.

"We can continue to be friends!"

She glared hard at Li Zhuangsheng.

The setting sun completely fell into the horizon, and the two of them were shrouded in the quiet twilight, and neither could clearly see the expression on the other's face.

"One book is too difficult, how about two books?"

Li Zhuangsheng vaguely understood something, and suddenly the corners of his mouth couldn't help but raise.

"No, you must have one!" Lin Yuehua said this first, but after hesitating for a while, she finally let go, "But if you really try your best, you can have two... Hey, you are such a fool!"

She hit Li Zhuangsheng hard on the head.

……

At the beginning of December, during the monthly exam, Li Zhuangsheng ranked 23rd in the class. This was his best result since his sophomore year in high school, which was similar to when he was first divided into arts and science classes.

"Haha, I have officially returned to my peak, and the next step is to keep surpassing!"

The rankings came out for evening self-study, Li Zhuangsheng said proudly.

Lin Yuehua saw Li Zhuangsheng's results from above, reached out and stroked his dog's head, and said with a smile: "Not bad, keep working hard."

"Tch, you don't have to tell me! I still didn't perform well this time, I will definitely be in the top twenty next time!"

Li Zhuangsheng shook off Lin Yuehua's hand impatiently, but in his heart he felt that the original bottleneck had disappeared at some point, and he was filled with energy and confidence.

His heart raced restlessly with anticipation for the future.

It snowed that night, and the light snow was like salt.

After evening self-study, Li Zhuangsheng and Lin Yuehua went to the carport to push the cart together. Lin Yuehua's "car" was a very old battery car. Li Zhuangsheng felt that it would fall apart at any time and really wanted to replace her with a new one.

Li Zhuangsheng made progress in the exam, and Lin Yuehua was in a good mood. Humming softly along the way.

"The western mountains are green, the east sea is vast, our school is majestic and stands in the center. The cultures of the East and the West are gathered together, and the great harmony shines on the motherland. Many students come from far away, many students come from far away..."

"What you sing is really ugly. What kind of song is this?" Li Zhuangsheng said with disdain.

"This is my school song!"

Li Zhuangsheng understood instantly and said with a smile: "You are so shameless. You said this is your school song before you have even been admitted to Tsinghua University!"

She rolled her eyes at Li Zhuangsheng and said, "I will definitely pass the exam. Do you think everyone is a fool like you?"

The two bickered as usual, each pushing the battery cart for a long time in the snowy night, until they had to separate at a fork in the road.

"Go to class early tomorrow and I'll teach you the vocabulary! If you make so many mistakes again, I'll be angry!"

After saying goodbye, she sat on the battery car, raised her head, and waved to Li Zhuangsheng.

The evening breeze blew her hair, snowflakes fell on her face, and the street lights reflected her smiling face.

In line with Li Bai's poem, between independent heaven and earth, the breeze scatters orchid snow.

"I'll be there at 5:20, so don't be late. Morning self-study starts at 5:50." Li Zhuangsheng said, "Also, my grades are so good this time, remember to bring me a big pear tomorrow! It has to be big!" "Got it!" Lin Yuehua agreed with a smile.

Li Zhuangsheng watched her figure riding on the electric bike gradually disappear into the distance, then he turned around and rode home.

Although he was reluctant to part with her, he knew that he would see her again the next day, so he didn't feel sad.

They will continue to be together like this for a long time.

The next morning, Lin Yuehua did not show up in class.

Li Zhuangsheng thought she was just late, but unexpectedly she did not show up for morning self-study.

He panicked, worried that Lin Yuehua might have an accident on the road, and hurriedly reported to the class teacher, only to learn that Lin Yuehua had already asked for leave.

Li Zhuangsheng felt a little relieved. Maybe she had a cold. Given her personality, she should come in the afternoon.

She didn't come this afternoon either...it looks like she has a serious cold, but she should be able to come tomorrow.

The next day, Lin Yuehua still did not show up.

Li Zhuangsheng felt increasingly uneasy and wanted to know what had happened to Lin Yuehua, but she didn't have a cell phone or QQ. Li Zhuangsheng then realized that he didn't have any contact information for her.

Finally, before the evening study session on the third day, Lin Yuehua appeared at the classroom door. She was not wearing her school uniform, looked much more haggard, and had a dull look in her eyes.

Li Zhuangsheng had just returned from the cafeteria. He was overjoyed to see Lin Yuehua and was about to step forward to ask her, but Teacher Fan behind her spoke first and said that Lin Yuehua's grandmother was sick and she had to take a leave of absence from school for a while to take care of her.

Li Zhuangsheng's throat rolled, and he had already guessed that this was not an ordinary disease.

"Teacher Fan, please go and do your work. I can clean it up myself." Lin Yuehua said softly.

"Okay, then come to my office after you've packed up." Teacher Fan nodded with a complicated look in her eyes. "Li Zhuangsheng, help her pack up."

Li Zhuangsheng's mind was blank, and he just mechanically helped her put the books away. It was not until the end that he realized what was happening and grabbed her arm: "You don't want to study anymore?"

Lin Yuehua shook her head and said nothing.

She left her notes and some exercise books and collections of wrong questions to Li Zhuangsheng. Li Zhuangsheng's notes were all drawn directly on the books. Lin Yuehua once laughed that they were not notes, but scribbles. In comparison, her notes and collections of wrong questions were neat little books with clear and concise contents.

"You must study hard, and you will definitely be admitted to university." Lin Yuehua smiled tiredly.

"Do you really have to go back? The college entrance examination is only half a year away." Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but say.

What he really wanted to say was, could you please just stop worrying about your grandma for now...but he really couldn't say such selfish words.

Lin Yuehua laughed hoarsely: "Silly boy, no one is taking care of her... I'm just taking a leave of absence. When she gets better, I'll go back to school."

She put the textbooks into her schoolbag and a box, then gently peeled off the motto on the table, folded it in half and put it in her pocket.

"Hey, give me a hug." She said to Li Zhuangsheng.

Li Zhuangsheng bit his lip, held back his tears, and hugged her in public.

Lin Yuehua reached into Li Zhuangsheng's pocket and quietly returned the phone.

"I'm leaving now. You have to be good and make sure you get into college..." She whispered the last words into Li Zhuangsheng's ear, "Otherwise, I'll be angry."

Li Zhuangsheng felt a lump in his throat and could not utter a word, so he could only nod.

He had heard this warning many times, but this time it lacked dignity and sounded like a request.

After saying this, she gently let go of Li Zhuangsheng, picked up her heavy schoolbag, hugged her bloated suitcase, and walked to the classroom door with a man who claimed to be her cousin.

"Hey, you still owe me a pear!" Li Zhuangsheng said suddenly.

"You forgot to bring it. I'll give it to you next time." Lin Yuehua chuckled with tears in her eyes.

Li Zhuangsheng stared blankly at her back as she disappeared out the corridor, and even forgot to see her off.

He just felt that the intense sadness was drowning him like a tide, and he felt a little suffocated.

He slumped down on the table, fished out his cell phone from his pocket, and realized that she had really left.

This was the last time Lin Yuehua came to school. Li Zhuangsheng never saw her again, nor did he hear any news from her.

It was only during his freshman year that he heard that she seemed to be married because the man's family would pay for her grandmother's medical treatment. Upon hearing this, Li Zhuangsheng lay on his bed in the dormitory, staring at the bookmark she gave him when they parted.

It was just an ordinary bookmark, except for her final words:

The sounds of windpipes leave the pavilion late, you go to Xiaoxiang and I go to Qin.

……

"Brother-in-law, you're back... Hey, what else did you buy?"

Li Zhuangsheng pushed the door open blankly. Hu Mengke immediately took the bag from Li Zhuangsheng's hand and couldn't help but sigh: "It's so heavy. Why did you buy so many tangerines..."

"You walked back here. Why is there snow all over?"

Hu Mengdie quickly walked to the bathroom, took out a towel, and gently wiped the snow water off Li Zhuangsheng's head and body.

Li Zhuangsheng had a blank expression on his face. He fled from Lin Yuehua's fruit stand without any destination, but subconsciously he returned home.

"Hey, why is there a pear here...it's so big!"

At this time, Hu Mengke was surprised to find a large yellow pear in the bag of tangerines. He smiled and held it in front of Li Zhuangsheng, "Brother-in-law, did you buy this pear too? You only bought one?"

Li Zhuangsheng stared at the big yellow pear in front of him, stunned for a moment, then turned around and went out: "I have something to do, I will be back soon!"

He rushed out of the community, panting and almost fell.

How could you forget to add me as a friend? After all, we are old classmates. It’s not too much to add me as a friend now!

He thought so, but when he got to the roadside, Lin Yuehua's stall had disappeared. If it weren't for the traces left on the ground, it would seem that no one had ever been there.

Li Zhuangsheng looked around blankly, and the flying snow was speechless.

In the world of life, suddenly like a traveler.

Lin Yuehua was indeed gone, and Li Zhuangsheng bowed his head in silence in the face of this fact.

Li Zhuangsheng wanted to see her again, without any purpose. He just wanted to ask her how her family was doing and if she needed any help... He felt really sorry for what he had done back then.

For many years, Li Zhuangsheng has been feeling guilty. If, if he was not a high school student, if he could help her instead of just watching her leave...

He still remembered that they had made such beautiful promises for the future, how could they have broken their promises?

Li Zhuangsheng clenched his fists lightly, turned around and left: "The great roc flew and shook the eight descendants, but was crushed in the sky without any strength. The remaining wind stirred the world for eternity, and it wandered around Fusang and hung its sleeves on the stone. If future generations get this and pass it on, who will shed tears for Confucius after his death..."

(End of this chapter)