The next day, the rain had stopped.
The damp courtyard reflected the faint light of the clearing sky, and water droplets dripped from the eaves.
Pu Yu had slept in the small room on the west side the previous night. On the old-fashioned wooden bed was a floral sheet washed by Grandma, exuding the fresh scent of soapberries.
After a brief moment of disorientation,
she caught sight of the faintly bright sky outside the window, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
In her former home, waking up late meant scolding.
What about here? She didn’t know.
Pu Yu practically sprang up from the bed, her heart fluttering with anxiety. She tiptoed to the faucet in the corner of the yard to brush her teeth, then hastily splashed her face with cold water.
Water droplets trickled down her neck, but she didn’t bother to wipe them off.
In the kitchen, Grandma Li Suhua was busy with her back turned to her.
“Grandma, let me help you,” Pu Yu said, her voice slightly tense, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
She feared that this brief shelter might be taken away because of any slight misstep on her part.
Li Suhua didn’t turn around, only silently handed her the spoon used for stirring the porridge.
Pu Yu quickly took it, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere in the kitchen was subtly distant yet strangely harmonious.
After breakfast, Li Suhua wiped her hands and looked at Pu Yu. “Did you bring all your school documents?”
“Yes, I did,” Pu Yu hurriedly replied, taking out a transparent folder from the old backpack she carried with her. Inside were her report cards from City No. 1 High School, ranking lists from several major exams, and the highly prestigious provincial essay competition second-place certificate.
Li Suhua glanced at them but said nothing, only adding, “Wash the dishes. I’ll change clothes and take you to school.”
After the rain, Baiting Town appeared exceptionally fresh.
The walls on both sides of the alley were covered in moss, lush and damp with moisture.
Pu Yu followed behind Grandma, carefully observing this unfamiliar small town.
The streets were narrow, flanked by shops that looked quite old.
Occasionally, the crisp ring of bicycle bells echoed through the air.
Neighbors who saw Li Suhua with an unfamiliar young girl curiously gathered around to greet them.
“A relative staying over.”
“Yes, here to study.”
Li Suhua didn’t even want to mention Pu Zhiming’s name, hastily brushing off a few words before leading Pu Yu away.
Tingnan Middle School wasn’t too far from Wind Chime Alley, taking about twenty minutes to walk there.
The paint on the school’s iron gate had peeled off, and the walls were mottled and worn. Compared to the spacious and tidy City No. 1 High School, this place felt cramped and confined.
In the administrative office,
a bespectacled middle-aged male director was on the phone.
Upon hearing that it was about transferring schools, he hurriedly pointed to a nearby workstation.
“Teacher Cheng, please help handle this student’s matter.”
The one referred to as Teacher Cheng was a young, gentle-looking female teacher.
She smiled and gestured for Pu Yu and Li Suhua to sit down, carefully reviewing Pu Yu’s documents. The more she looked, the more apparent her surprise became.
“Pu Yu… your previous school was City No. 1 High School?” Cheng Siyi looked up, her gaze filled with unconcealed confusion. “Your grades are quite impressive! Chinese and English are top-notch, and while science subjects are slightly weaker, they’re still above average. If you keep this up, you have a good chance of getting into a key university!”
Her tone carried sincere admiration but was soon replaced by concern.
“The timing of transferring in your senior year is critical. Our school’s educational resources and learning environment are significantly different from City No. 1 High School in many aspects.”
“Are you sure you can adjust to transferring schools at this point?”
The teacher’s question was tactful, but the implication was clear.
Why would someone transfer from a top-tier high school in the city to an unremarkable middle school in a small town?
Pu Yu pursed her lips, carefully considering her words.
Beside her, Li Suhua had already lost patience and cut in, her tone stiff and tinged with annoyance:
“Why? Because she has a stepmother at home who’s pregnant, along with a worthless old bastard of a father. They’ve teamed up to force her to drop out and get married for the bride price! The child was left with no way out, so she had to come hide at my place for some peace.”
Cheng Siyi was momentarily stunned by the blunt and sharp words. Her gaze fell on Pu Yu, and understanding dawned, bringing with it a wave of sympathy.
She quickly composed herself, pulling out a transfer application form for Pu Yu to fill out and verifying the necessary documents.
“I’ll start processing the paperwork for you here. I’ll take you to get the textbooks and uniform in a bit. Can you join the class today?”
Pu Yu nodded. “Yes, Teacher.”
“Alright, then come with me.” Teacher Cheng stood up and said to Li Suhua, “Don’t worry, the transfer won’t be a problem. We’re very happy to welcome an excellent student like Pu Yu to our town school.”
Li Suhua gave a curt “Mm” and said to Pu Yu:
“You know the way back after school, right? Come home on your own.”
With that, she turned and left first, her figure thin yet upright.
Clutching the new textbooks and neatly folded uniform she had just received, Pu Yu followed Teacher Cheng down the quiet hallway to the door of Class 2, Grade 12.
The bell for the end of class rang right on cue.
Teacher Cheng waited for the teacher inside to finish and step out, exchanging a few quiet words with them.
Only then did she lead Pu Yu into the classroom.
The previously restless classroom fell silent in an instant.
Over fifty pairs of eyes fixed intently on Pu Yu’s unfamiliar face.
Curiosity, scrutiny, appraisal… all kinds of gazes intertwined.
Pu Yu instinctively lowered her eyelashes and tightened her grip on the books in her arms.
“Class, settle down.” Teacher Cheng stood at the podium, her eyes sweeping across the room. “Let me introduce a new student. She’s transferred here from City No. 1 High School and will be joining our class from now on. Pu Yu, please introduce yourself.”
Pu Yu looked up, took a deep breath, and tried to keep her voice steady. “Hello everyone, my name is Pu Yu. ‘Pu’ as in bulrush, ‘Yu’ as in rain. I’m very happy to be studying alongside all of you.”
Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of the gentle, melodic accent typical of the Jiangnan region.
A warm round of applause broke out from the class, accompanied by a flurry of hushed whispers.
Teacher Cheng scanned the room and pointed to an empty seat by the window in the last row. “Pu Yu, you can take the empty seat next to Yuan Su for now. If you have any questions, you can ask your classmates or come find me in the office.”
This arrangement immediately stirred a faint ripple of commotion.
A few students exchanged glances, their lips curling slightly as they began murmuring among themselves.
Pu Yu instinctively searched for the empty seat the teacher had indicated.
Then, her gaze froze.
There, in the corner by the window in the last row of the classroom.
A boy in a school uniform jacket was slumped over his desk, seemingly indifferent to the commotion in the room, standing apart from the noisy classmates around him.
His face was turned sideways, resting on his arm, making the sharp line of his jaw even more pronounced. His pale fingers were half-curled, and even in sleep, he exuded an aloof, unwelcoming gloom.
As if sensing her gaze.
Amidst the clamorous, slightly scrutinizing atmosphere.
He slowly lifted his head.
Beneath his tousled hair, those familiar yet unfamiliar eyes, carrying the drowsiness of someone not fully awake and his usual stillness, cut through the chaotic interplay of light and shadows across the classroom, unexpectedly meeting her gaze.
Her new deskmate.
Yuan Su.
The boy who, drenched and desolate-eyed in the rain, had been rescued by her lie, only to turn around and help her knock on Grandma’s door.