NOVPUBThe last class on Friday afternoon was PE, and after the gym teacher announced free time, they sat in rows on the flag-raising platform, looking at the New Year’s Eve party registration forms they had just received from their homeroom teacher.
Licheng Middle School had a total of forty-eight classes, but with limited time for the New Year’s Eve party, it was impossible for every class to present an act.
Therefore, there would be a preliminary competition before the official performance, with the school’s music teachers and administrators responsible for selecting twenty classes to participate in the final show.
"How come first-year only has six spots, the competition is so fierce!" The sign-up instructions stated that the performance quotas for the first, second, and third years were 6, 7, and 8, respectively, Xiao Ruawen said after reading.
"And there’s not much time left, the preliminaries are the Monday after next, that’s only... ten days!" Xia Xiaoxiao also counted on her fingers.
"I... I can’t play any instrument." Wu Lingyu admitted, somewhat embarrassed, raising her hand.
She wasn’t one to step out of her comfort zone, having chosen mental math and calligraphy for six years of elective classes in elementary school.
"Me too." Zhang Yiyi also raised her hand in agreement.
Zhang Yiyi, born with a hearing impairment, had similarly not been exposed to musical instruments during elementary school.
However, it is worth mentioning that in 2007, Zhang Yiyi underwent cochlear implant surgery abroad, and now her hearing had nearly fully recovered.
It wasn’t that Zhang Chunxue intentionally delayed the surgery until nearly ten years old; rather, the technology for cochlear implants had not been mature earlier, and fitting a cochlear implant required cranial surgery, which sounded quite frightening.
The downside was that although Zhang Yiyi’s hearing had recovered substantially, she still preferred not to say more than four words at a time, much like the character Yukishiro Nanako from the anime "Senryu Girl," who always liked to speak in the "5-7-5" haiku format.
For example: Jell-o’s delight, a little more care, a little love.
"That’s okay, when the time comes, just add a triangle and tambourine to the music; anyone with hands can do that," Xu Qingfan looked at the two and reassured them.
"Yeah!" The two girls nodded in unison.
"Brother Qing Fan, are you going to write a song?" Lin Wanning’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Qingfan, obviously thinking it was an easy task for her Brother Qing Fan.
"Yeah, Brother Fan, are you writing a new song? You promised when we were little that you’d continue to write songs for Xiao Xiao and me once we got to middle school!" Seeing her best friend not bringing it up, Xiao Ruawen finally couldn’t resist saying something.
"Ah?" Xu Qingfan scratched his head, trying to recall if he had indeed promised that, and faced with Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen’s expressions of grievance and anger, he could only smile sheepishly and say, "Writing songs will have to wait for next time; ten days isn’t enough. We can either sing that previous song ’Peeping’ or go with one of the latest popular songs."
"You mean the ’Braces Girl’ song, right!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him, annoyed.
"If you really want to, it’s not impossible," he said, scratching the back of his head.
"No way!" All five girls rejected it in unison.
"Then let’s go with ’Peeping’ since it’s an original song and it’s less likely we’ll be eliminated in the first round!" Xiao Ruawen actually quite hoped the first song she sang could gain more recognition and be liked by more people, she proposed.
"Agreed." Xia Xiaoxiao nodded.
"I consent!" Lin Wanning clasped her hands together.
"Anything but Brother Fan’s ringtone is fine," Wu Lingyu joked, a rare occurrence for her, and then she shyly lowered her head first.
"Hahaha..."
...
After finishing the last PE class, they casually returned to their classroom.
The chalkboard was now filled with the homework that needed to be done that week; the girls took notes on scrap paper, while only Xu Qingfan and Lin Wanning, the two slackers, were packing their bags.
It wasn’t that their memories were particularly good; rather, both were self-aware enough to know they would procrastinate on homework until Sunday, by which time they would simply copy from others in their secret base.
It was 2008, and families that could afford cars were becoming more common. As they carried their backpacks downstairs, the basketball court and the area in front of the flag-raising platform were filled with cars of parents coming to pick up their children.
"Brother Qing Fan, where are we meeting tomorrow?" Lin Wanning spotted her parents coming to pick her up; she waved excitedly towards them and simultaneously asked Xu Qingfan.
"Sister Ya’s Piano Store is close to Bijui Garden, so we’ll meet at your house tomorrow."
"Okay!" Hearing this, Lin Wanning let go of Zhang Yiyi’s hand and dashed toward her parents.
"Run slower!" Xu Qingfan smiled helplessly, remarking on how she was already thirteen yet still behaved like a child who wouldn’t grow up.
"I know!" Lin Wanning shouted back without turning her head, though her speed didn’t decrease at all, and in no time, she had thrown herself into Wen Wanqing’s arms.
Standing beside her, Lin Qiaoshan wore a smile tinged with envy.
"Hello Uncle, hello Auntie!" They soon followed suit, all greeting in unison.
"Ah..." Wen Wanqing and Lin Qiaoshan responded with smiles. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
As their daughter’s playmates since childhood, the couple were quite familiar with them.
"Mom, we signed up for the school’s New Year’s Eve party, you have to come watch!" Lin Wanning returned to Zhang Yiyi’s side, sharing the news with a smile.
"Of course, when is it? Your dad and I will definitely come!" Wen Wanqing affectionately stroked her daughter’s head.
"It’s on the thirty-first of this month." Xu Qingfan remembered the date from the sign-up sheet and spoke up.
"Okay then, Mom will definitely come to see your performance!"
