Chapter 26: Run Forward with the Pride of a Newborn Child
“Yao Yao, your school is having a sports meet, right?”
Just after getting out of the shower, Tong Yao received a call from her mother, Jiang Wu.
She blew-dry her hair, tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear, and answered vaguely, “Mhm… yes, it’s soon.”
“Do you teachers have any events?”
She doesn’t approve of me being a teacher, but she’s quite concerned about things like this.
Tong Yao answered reluctantly, “Mhm.”
“Do you have an event?” Jiang Wu pressed.
“…Yes, the 50-meter relay. It’s a group event. I’m just there to make up the numbers.”
“Oh, I’ll come watch that day.”
Tong Yao pressed a hand to her forehead. She knew it.
The Empress Dowager would not miss any significant moment in her daughter’s life, especially one she wasn’t good at.
Knowing it was futile to object, she still said weakly, “You don’t have to come. I’ll only be on the field for a few seconds. You should focus on your work.”
“What, you don’t want to see me? Stop being so full of yourself. I have to see your uncle about something anyway. It’s not like I’m coming just to see you.” Jiang Wu sneered, chatted a bit more about her day, and then hung up.
Having a mother who was both domineering and caring… was a mixed bag of feelings.
Tong Yao collapsed onto the sofa. Practicing the 50-meter dash these past few days had left her with sore muscles—that’s what happens when you haven’t exercised in a long time. The young girl hadn’t come to practice with her tonight, probably because she couldn’t finish her homework. She had run a few laps by herself, found it boring, and ended it quickly.
With the sports meet approaching, the kids’ minds had flown away. The quality of their homework had dropped significantly, and the monthly exam was just around the corner. Tong Yao was a little worried. It was like the final carnival before death.
And it was true. The sports meet gave the students a reason to relax. Everyone else is having fun, so I can too.
In the quiet night, the same moon shone through the windows of different people. The bright light illuminated their pure faces, which held hidden worries. They could only rely on themselves to navigate the uncertain path ahead.
Ruan Xi opened her sketchbook and recorded the day’s story. She started trying out four-panel comics. The art style was still simple, but it was becoming more refined day by day. Perhaps… some kids would think she was a manga artist?
In comparison, the girls’ dormitory in Class 9 was much noisier.
Yan Zhi saw the text message on her phone, her pupils shrinking. She didn’t even react to the questioning from the person in front of her.
“Yan Zhi, I’m talking to you! What did you say to Chen Ling?!”
After a long moment, color slowly returned to her eyes. She deleted the message, looked up, and smiled apologetically.
“I really have nothing to do with him. I didn’t expect him to break up with you. I don’t like him, not at all. He misunderstood. I made it clear to him this afternoon.”
“You…”
The girl wanted to say more but was stopped by her roommate. “It’s good that you saw what kind of man he is early on.”
The girl glanced at Yan Zhi and said in a low voice, “I used to consider you a friend. You’re pathetic.”
Yan Zhi’s body trembled slightly. She then turned around, her face expressionless. Then, in a QQ group without any teachers, she forwarded an article titled “Stay Away from Green Tea Bitches” and added, “Green tea bitches these days are so scary.”
A few boys quickly agreed, but her heart couldn’t feel a single ripple.
These were not her goals.
If Tong Yao were to name the most outstanding student she taught right now, it would be Xu Yin.
Class president of Class 4, top ten in the grade, beautiful and intelligent, responsible and generous, gentle and considerate, with a hint of a girl’s unique slyness and cuteness.
She had no plans to fall in love or get married, but if she had to consider it, Tong Yao felt that if Xu Yin were a few years older, she would be her ideal type. They were both rational people, so life would probably be very easy together.
But being alone was still the easiest.
At least for now, she hadn’t fallen for anyone.
**
Even on the day of the sports meet, they had to gather in the classroom at 7:20.
Since there were no morning exercises, Ruan Xi got up a little later today. When she arrived at the classroom, she found that half the class hadn’t arrived yet. Labor Reform was on the podium, his expression unreadable. There were tasks he had assigned on the blackboard.
“Everyone must hand in at least one broadcast script.”
The so-called broadcast script was the cheering script that the broadcast station would read with passion while others were competing. The gist was “Athletes of Class XX, go for it!” It was both awkward and pretentious, but it would be embarrassing if other classes had them and their class didn’t. Other aspects aside, Labor Reform, as a Chinese teacher, valued form the most.
Fortunately, they were given their phones during the sports meet. Although they couldn’t write them, they knew how to copy from the internet.
In her dorm, Tong Yao got up leisurely. No classes and no tutoring sessions. It was a rare holiday for the teachers as well. From a distance, she could hear the “Welcome March” from the sports field. She got ready and went out, just as a message came through on her phone.
Jiang Wu: “Your brother and I are at the sports field.”
Tong Yao: “…I’m on my way.”
When she arrived at the sports field, the soccer field in the middle was already filled with students. Some unknown leaders, surrounded by the school’s top brass, were seated at the podium. In the stands, she quickly found Jiang Wu and Tong Hua. Both were very conspicuous, and together they were doubly so, especially Jiang Wu. Time had been kind to her, making Tong Hua look like a pretty boy kept by a domineering female CEO.
“Mom.”
Tong Yao called out and sat down obediently beside her.
Jiang Wu, wearing sunglasses, pointed to the field below.
“Which one is the class you’re in charge of?”
“Uh… those two,” Tong Yao searched for the class signs held up in the crowd. “Class 4 and Class 7.”
Jiang Wu narrowed her eyes. “Nothing special about them.”
“Mom,” Tong Yao was not happy that her students were being belittled. “How can you see anything special about them from this far away? Besides, do they have to be special?”
“You don’t get this worked up when I ask you to find a boyfriend,” Jiang Wu smiled. “You treasure your students that much?”
Tong Yao rolled her eyes and turned away.
Time passed slowly. The music stopped, and a boy and a girl walked toward the podium. Tong Yao looked over and was surprised to see that one of the girls was Xu Yin.
“Respected leaders, teachers.”
“Dear classmates.”
“Good morning, everyone!”
There it is.
The eloquent and emotional hosting style amused Tong Yao. Although she knew Xu Yin was outstanding, she hadn’t expected her to be so composed while hosting the sports meet. She could be said to be well-rounded in all aspects.
“I am your host, Wang Minghao from Class 1, Year 2.”
“I am your host, Xu Yin from Class 4, Year 2.”
The podium was between the two stands, so they could see it up close. Jiang Wu watched for a while and commented, “That girl from Class 4 is your student, right? She’s very pretty, and a good host.”
Tong Yao added, “She’s also in the top ten of the grade.”
Jiang Wu wasn’t surprised. Unless it was for a public self-criticism, anyone who could get on the podium was unlikely to have poor grades.
After a string of pleasantries, the leaders stood up and bowed one by one, and the students below clapped until their hands were numb. The music started again. This time, it was the opening ceremony.
The first years went first, followed by the second years.
There was a soul-stirring power in a collective. When a class marched in neat steps, their slogans thundering, even the audience would feel their blood boil.
It was Class 4’s turn.
This group of top students was not to be outdone in sports either. They creatively alternated between goose-stepping and regular marching, the sound of their steps on the ground remarkably uniform. Even Jiang Wu clicked her tongue in praise a few times.
“Next, walking toward us is Class 7, Year 2…”
Tong Yao’s gaze searched for them in the approaching Class 7. The crowd walked to the front of the podium. Ji Chen gave the command. With so many brilliant examples before them, these kids shouted much louder than they had in practice.
“Tigers in the mountains, dragons in the water. Class Seven, Class Seven, a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!”
“Pfft.”
Tong Yao couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
That’s pretty chuunibyou.
She saw Ruan Ruan in the crowd, shouting with all her might. Although her voice was drowned out by the boys’ roars, the desperate look on her face was still imprinted in her mind.
“This is your Class 7?” Jiang Wu covered her mouth and yawned. “Honestly, it’s quite average. Much worse than Class 4, not neat at all.”
Tong Yao withdrew her gaze and said softly, “There is indeed a gap.”
“But I like them very much.”
Perhaps infected by her smile, Jiang Wu propped up her chin and, for once, didn’t criticize her.
At some point, she felt a coolness on her hand.
Jiang Wu was puzzled. She looked up, and the coolness landed on her forehead.
“It’s raining,” Tong Yao frowned. “Luckily, it’s not too heavy.”
It was just a light drizzle.
Without the sun, the weather had turned overcast.
“What if it starts to rain heavily?” Tong Hua asked from the side. “Will they reschedule?”
“It’s not that easy to reschedule,” Tong Yao shook her head. “They’ve already checked the weather forecast and planned accordingly. The rain definitely won’t be too heavy. If it really does pour… the sports meet will have to be compressed into one day.”
If there wasn’t enough time, canceling some events and procedures would be inevitable.
Groans of disappointment also came from the soccer field.
No student wanted to go back to self-study—they had already bought a large bag of snacks, just waiting to watch the games, play on their phones, and eat.
And now, all they could do was pray that the rain wouldn’t get heavier.
The opening ceremony was over, and the competitions had officially begun. Jiang Wu was too lazy to watch the student competitions. After finding out that the teachers’ relay race was at 4 PM, she left with Tong Hua. But Tong Yao still remembered her promise—to watch Ruan Ruan’s race. The first few events of the sports meet were the girls’ 100-meter dash. Ruan Ruan was probably already at the check-in area.
She stood up and walked toward the check-in area.
“Go for it!” He Xueyu stood on the side, cheering for Ruan Xi.
Ji Chen was also there. This class president was quite responsible. He had used the class funds to buy a case of Red Bull for all the athletes in the class.
“Here, have some Red Bull!”
The young girl’s face darkened. She had never really believed in the effectiveness of sports drinks, thinking they were a scam.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
She took a few deep breaths and secretly sized up her opponents. There was a tall girl who looked very strong. She actually wasn’t very confident.
“Ruan Ruan, are you getting ready to run?”
A voice as gentle as water flowed into her thoughts.
Ruan Xi came back to her senses and saw Teacher Tong looking at her, waving gently.
“Are you nervous?”
Tong Yao asked.
Ruan Xi’s heart sped up.
Nervous, she was very nervous.
But she said, “…I’m okay.”
“Don’t be nervous, just do your best.” Tong Yao smiled and mouthed a word that Ruan Xi could guess just by looking at her lips—
“Jia you.” (Go for it!)
…
T/N:
(Jia you) : Literal Meaning “Add oil” or “add fuel.”
it’s equivalent to saying:
-
“Go for it!”
-
“You can do it!”
