The next morning, sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled over the island. The sea had returned to calm, and the air carried a damp, salty tang, with no trace of the typhoon that had raged through the night.
Fang Muyu opened the window, feeling much more at ease.
The yard was clean and tidy, clearly tidied up early by Lu Yancheng.
As soon as she stepped outside, Fang Muyu saw Jiang Zhuangzhuang sitting at the table, eating porridge. Lu Yancheng was nowhere to be seen.
“Big Sister Fang, you’re awake?” Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s little face was rosy, clearly fully recovered.
“I am. Where’s your Uncle Lu?” Fang Muyu glanced toward the kitchen but didn’t see Lu Yancheng, nor was he in the yard.
“Uncle Lu went out early this morning,” Jiang Zhuangzhuang said matter-of-factly. “After the typhoon passed, a lot of things on the island were damaged. Uncle Lu has to go to work.”
Fang Muyu nodded.
“Oh, right! Uncle Lu made us egg porridge. Big Sister Fang, yours is being kept warm in the pot!” Jiang Zhuangzhuang added.
“Okay.”
By the time Fang Muyu finished washing up and returned, Jiang Zhuangzhuang had already eaten his fill.
Lu Yancheng’s egg porridge was just right, and Fang Muyu finished the whole bowl.
“Big Sister Fang, I… I want to go to school for a bit.”
Jiang Zhuangzhuang scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
“Do you have school today?” Fang Muyu looked at him suspiciously.
“No.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang shook his head.
“If not, why are you going to school?” Fang Muyu had already noticed yesterday that Jiang Zhuangzhuang wasn’t exactly a studious child.
Something was off.
Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s face flushed slightly. “The typhoon came yesterday, so the school must be really dirty and messy. If it’s just Teacher Lin and the others cleaning up, it’ll take them forever.”
“So you want to go help, is that it?” Fang Muyu smiled.
“Exactly.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s face grew even redder. “Even though I don’t like studying, the other students do. If I go help clean up, they can start classes sooner.”
“Alright!” Fang Muyu stood up. “I’ll go with you. I’ve got nothing to do at home anyway, so it’s a good chance to go out for a walk.”
“Um, Big Sister Fang, I can go by myself.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang waved his hands repeatedly.
“Are you afraid of me going to school?” Fang Muyu chuckled.
“No, no.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang squirmed a little, his movements carrying an unclear meaning.
Fang Muyu saw through it but didn’t say anything. “It’s getting late. Let’s hurry, or Teacher Lin and the others might finish cleaning up.”
Fang Muyu emphasized the last three words.
“I…” Hearing this, Jiang Zhuangzhuang immediately shot out of the house like a little firecracker. “Big Sister Fang, hurry up!”
…
At the island’s elementary school after the typhoon, broken branches and fallen leaves were scattered across the playground. A few shallow puddles reflected the newly cleared sky. The rope on the flagpole hung loosely, blown loose by the wind.
The wooden classroom windows were crooked, and the blackboard was stained with rainwater that had blown inside.
The entire campus was a mess.
When Fang Muyu and Jiang Zhuangzhuang arrived, several teachers were already tidying up.
Seeing Fang Muyu, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly went over to greet her. “What brings you here?”
“Jiang Zhuangzhuang said he wanted to come help, so I brought him along.” Fang Muyu pulled the hesitant Jiang Zhuangzhuang out from behind her.
Lin Xiaoxiao was astonished. “Student Jiang Zhuangzhuang, is that true?”
“Absolutely true.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang looked a little embarrassed.
Fang Muyu took the broom directly from Lin Xiaoxiao’s hands and placed it in Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s grasp. “Didn’t you say you wanted to help? Go on, start by sweeping the playground clean.”
“Okay.” Jiang Zhuangzhuang quickly grabbed the broom and ran to the playground to start sweeping.
Lin Xiaoxiao was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. She nudged Fang Muyu’s shoulder.
“Fang Muyu, you’re something else! You’ve managed to tame this little troublemaker in just one night.”
Jiang Zhuangzhuang was notoriously the school’s biggest troublemaker. Not only was he mischievous, but he also often led the charge in pulling off outrageous stunts, giving every teacher in the school a headache.
Now, seeing such a troublemaker voluntarily come to school to help clean up the playground, many teachers rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.
Teacher Qin, who taught Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s class, even hurried over. “Teacher Lin, what on earth is Jiang Zhuangzhuang up to?”
This sudden change in the troublemaker’s behavior was downright alarming.
“Maybe he suddenly felt like being helpful,” Lin Xiaoxiao guessed with some difficulty.
“Don’t worry, Jiang Zhuangzhuang really is just here to clean up and help tidy the school—though he might also be trying to cover up some kind of evidence!”
Fang Muyu, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Zhuangzhuang, had already noticed him edging toward a particular corner of the wall.
This behavior was all too familiar to Fang Muyu.
Back when she was in school, the boys in her class had done this kind of thing plenty of times.
It usually involved scribbling on the wall with chalk. Some, to show off their bravery, would even write mocking remarks about teachers on the wall.
Given that it had been windy and rainy the night before, and Jiang Zhuangzhuang had rushed to school so early in the morning, it was clear that whatever was on the wall wasn’t drawn in chalk. Most likely, it was written in ink—something that couldn’t be easily erased. That was why Jiang Zhuangzhuang had come to school so early to cover up his misdeed.
It had to be said, Fang Muyu’s guess was spot on.
Sure enough, Jiang Zhuangzhuang soon reached the corner of the wall. Seeing that everyone was busy and no one was paying attention to him, he quickly set the broom aside, pulled up a discarded table that had fallen over, and swiftly pushed it against the wall.
The abrupt placement of a discarded table blocking the corner of the wall gave off a strong “protesting too much” vibe.
Teacher Qin and Lin Xiaoxiao exchanged glances, both feeling the urge to facepalm.
Teacher Qin immediately rushed over.
When Jiang Zhuangzhuang saw Teacher Qin, he trembled slightly and quickly positioned himself in front of the table. “T-Teacher Qin, I’ve already swept this area. You don’t need to sweep here.”
“This table is unusable and ruins the aesthetics. I’ll just move it away.”
Teacher Qin smiled with a hint of menace.
Jiang Zhuangzhuang hurriedly tried to stop him. “Um, Teacher Qin, let me help you move it.”
“Thank you.” Seizing the moment when Jiang Zhuangzhuang was off guard, Teacher Qin shoved the table aside.
Jiang Zhuangzhuang’s heart sank, and he thought, “Oh no!” He immediately tried to run.
But before he could get far, Teacher Qin’s roar echoed behind him. “Jiang Zhuangzhuang, have you grown some nerve? Do you believe I’ll tell Regiment Commander Jiang and have him deal with you?”
“Sister Fang, save me!” Jiang Zhuangzhuang ducked behind Fang Muyu. “It really wasn’t my fault—that was ages ago. I’ll clean it up, okay? Please, please don’t tell my dad.”
Fang Muyu was curious about what this little troublemaker had written on the wall.
When she walked over and saw the line of words written in ink in the corner, she couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
Jiang Zhuangzhuang truly earned his bamboo shoot stir-fry with meat through his own efforts—no injustice there.
“Teacher lectures, I sleep; running and toy guns beat books any day.”
“Class time is for sleeping, break time is for jumping into the sea.”
“First to school is a fool, first to hand in homework is a dumb bird.”