CWITAR chapter 13

 

 

“Yue Sheng, do you have a girlfriend?”

 

Qi Juan narrowed his eyes and looked at the dense crowd of pedestrians and traffic in front of him, then glanced at Chi Yin. He asked slowly, “Here?”

 

He thought this person must be crazy.

 

It’s not that he couldn’t take the medicine; his aunt prepared medicines that were carefully selected to have the least irritation to the stomach and intestines.

 

It’s not that he didn’t trust his aunt, but he felt that given Chi Yin’s style, it would be too abnormal if he didn’t tamper with the powder inside the capsule.

 

“Hmm?” Chi Yin quickly finished eating the egg pancake in his hand. Propping up his bike, he stood up straight, tossed the plastic bag into a roadside trash bin, rubbed his hands a few times, and then turned to look at Qi Juan. “How about taking it with milk?”

 

As he spoke, he still had a mouthful of the pancake, puffing up his cheeks. When he raised his tone at the end, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

 

Qi Juan was speechless. “You never find things troublesome, do you?”

 

Chi Yin reached into the bike basket and took out a bottle of mineral water, taking a sip. “Haha, just kidding. I’ll go buy you a bag of soy milk. Wait for me!”

 

With a kick of his long legs, he rang the bell and rode towards a nearby storefront.

 

There were many people gathered in front of the breakfast shop, all immersed in a large mass of light gray hot steam. Chi Yin was squeezed and swayed, shouting at the top of his voice, “Auntie, here!” He extended his long arm, passing money to the shopkeeper between the heads of uncles and aunties.

 

Qi Juan stood not far away, watching him. Suddenly, he remembered how this person had once braved the rain and ran several streets to buy stomach medicine for him.

 

In the late night, trembling under the covers, he saw Chi Yin wiping his damp hands on himself many times before finally pulling back a bit of the blanket and feeding him the medicine.

 

The care and thoughtfulness back then were quite touching.

 

It must be an illusion, it should be just an illusion.

 

“Deng deng deng~” Chi Yin waved the bought soy milk in front of Qi Juan, as if asking him, “I bought it, where’s your medicine?”

 

“Medicine—” Qi Juan almost blurted out something rude, but then he remembered that Chi Yin had already switched the milk for soy milk, so he held back his words.

 

Could it really be fever medicine?

 

“Wait a moment.” Qi Juan took out the medicine box from his pocket, broke open two tablets, and put them in his mouth. Then he took the soy milk from Chi Yin’s hand and took a sip.

 

The paper cup still had some residue from the unground soybeans, and it was overly sweet.

 

Since the timeline was altered, it seemed like everything had changed a lot.

 

He didn’t know for sure if Chi Yin had tampered with the medicine, and there was an element of gambling involved.

 

In the first two classes, Qi Juan was doing fine. Sitting in his seat, he couldn’t help but yawn from time to time. Unconsciously, he broke out into a thin layer of sweat on his back, and his mind became somewhat clearer.

 

The fever must have subsided, but he still felt extremely drowsy.

 

“Classmates, please turn to the page. Lesson eight. Let’s start with this passage…” The teacher’s words seemed like an ancient script, and the pen was dancing on the notebook, drawing strange symbols.

 

Qi Juan’s upper and lower eyelids began to fight against each other, and he didn’t want to think about anything anymore. Suddenly, his head felt heavy, and he jerked it up, propping his face with his arm and leaning on the desk. In the process, he accidentally bumped the desk.

 

The person in front of him stiffened, thinking that Qi Juan was giving him a secret signal to pass a note. So, he discreetly extended his hand, trying to pass a tiny note through the gap between the desk edge and the back.

 

Curling his fingertips, he received a ball of loneliness.

 

Qi Juan: “…”

 

Han Xiao, holding back his laughter, swiftly clapped the person’s hand back.

 

Qi Juan felt like he could barely hold on, his mind filled with drowsiness. After letting out a big yawn, tears started to form in his eyes.

 

He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, took out the books from his desk and added a few more on top of the pile in front of him, then satisfactorily lowered his body to lie down.

 

In his dream, there were airplanes, lawns, and layers of densely overlapping power lines.

 

Qi Juan was sitting inside an airplane, leisurely gazing out of the window at the clouds that looked like fluffy cotton candy. Suddenly, without any warning, the plane started shaking violently!!

 

It felt like vigorously shaking a carbonated drink, causing everyone inside the cabin to be thrown out. Clothes flapped wildly in the wind, and his long, straight legs were lifted into the air.

 

Oh, am I going to die?

 

As the grassy lawn drew closer and closer, Qi Juan kicked his long legs, but he stepped on empty space, and instantly, he snapped back to reality. His soul was forcefully pulled back into the classroom.

 

“Alright, that’s enough for today’s class,” came Lao Yuan’s voice.

 

Oh, they were in the middle of a class.

It’s ending already?

 

Qi Juan quickly packed up his books, and a few seconds later, he instinctively looked around.

 

Why is nobody moving even though the class is over? What’s going on?

 

But then, he heard Lao Yuan cough a few times and continue, “Next is the dictation session—”

 

“……”

 

Upon hearing this, Qi Juan quickly pulled his little head back and hurriedly squeezed behind the stack of textbooks.

 

He stealthily put the Chinese book back on the desk.

 

But it was already too late.

 

“Qi Juan, it’s your turn,” Lao Yuan stood on the platform, with a smile on his face, beckoning to him.

 

Suddenly, the person who was cued was puzzled, “???”

 

Han Xiao touched the back of his neck and whispered to him, “It’s ‘A Hard Journey.’ Quite difficult.”¹《拟行路难》(Nǐ Xíng Lù Nán) is a classical Chinese poem written by the famous poet Li Bai (also known as Li Po) during the Tang Dynasty. The title can be translated as “A Hard Journey” or “Imitating the Poem on Difficulty of Travel.”

 

Qi Juan had been maintaining a sleeping posture for most of the class, and now he felt his whole body was sore. Plus, sitting at the back, under the air conditioner for so long, his exposed arms and legs were icy cold.

 

As he slowly stood up, his numbed stomach suddenly contracted, and he quickly leaned on the edge of the desk.

 

Qi Juan stood up slowly, and his numb stomach suddenly contracted sharply, causing him to quickly brace his hand against the edge of the desk.

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Han Xiao, who was closest to him, noticed something was amiss and almost exclaimed in surprise.

 

Qi Juan shook his head.

 

Lao Yuan had even prepared the chalk for him and looked at him, a bit impatient, saying, “What’s taking you so long, Qi Juan? Come up quickly.”

 

All the surrounding gazes turned towards him, and Qi Juan suddenly felt like he was a suspect being scrutinized.

 

Amidst the indistinct whispers that were bothersome like mosquito buzzes, his complexion turned somewhat pale, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His hand instinctively moved to his stomach and pressed down hard.

 

“Do you still want to write or not?!”  Lao Yuan’s chalk hit the board forcefully.

 

The student in front of Qi Juan moved aside slightly, and the object that came flying landed on Qi Juan’s desk, swaying and spinning several times.

 

Qi Juan’s gaze locked onto it, staring at the crooked, pale mark it left on the desk.

 

It shouldn’t hurt this much.

 

He had eaten the breakfast prepared by his aunt in the morning and hadn’t consumed any other irritating food. Apart from that, the only thing he could think of was the medicine given to him by Chi Yin. In that moment, Qi Juan had a feeling that Chi Yin wanted to harm him. He couldn’t remember what he had done to upset Chi Yin so much.

 

“Do you want me to invite you?” Lao Yuan came down from the podium, displeased.

 

“Cough, cough.” Han Xiao also nudged Qi Juan with his elbow.

 

It felt like fireworks were being thrown into his stomach, bursting into splashing sparks of scorching fire, instantly scalding the delicate inner walls, creating dense points of pain.

 

Qi Juan held his stomach, using the desk legs for support as he slowly crouched down. Unfortunately, as he bent over, he vomited the soy milk right into the aisle.

 

Unintentionally, he knocked over a chair, and the sharp edges hit the ground with a loud “clang.”

 

“Qi Juan.” “Qi Juan.”

 

Han Xiao quickly crouched down to help him. Lao Yuan also quickened his pace and rushed over. Many other students around them held their breath, watching and observing.

 

His stomach hurt so much.

 

Qi Juan clenched his fists tightly, pressing the knuckles against his upper abdomen, and his fingertips dug into his palm, leaving clear bone lines on the back of his hand.

 

For a while, his ears felt tingling and numb, and his eye sockets were damp with sweat. After blinking several times, he could barely see things clearly.

 

“Are you okay?” Han Xiao quickly asked him.

 

“…” Qi Juan bit his lip.

 

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Lao Yuan furrowed his brows, completely puzzled.

 

Han Xiao glanced at Lao Yuan and said, “It should be a stomach problem. I saw him pressing it several times.” As he spoke, he considerately took out a pill from Qi Juan’s desk and stuffed it into his mouth, then handed him his cup, saying, “Drink some water.”

 

Qi Juan leaned against the back of the desk, shaking his head. He kept his hand pressed firmly against his stomach and swallowed the pill dry.

 

Lao Yuan pointed to Han Xiao, “Quickly take him to the medical room!”

 

“I’m on it,” Han Xiao replied, wrapping Qi Juan’s arm around his shoulder and quickly helping him up.

 

Qi Juan’s face was frighteningly pale, and his breathing was unstable.

 

Feeling that his condition was really bad, Mr. Yuan took out his phone and dialed anxiously, “Hello,Yu Laoshi Qi Juan in our class vomited during the lesson and collapsed. Please contact his parents; I don’t think he’s doing well.”

 

While talking, Lao Yuan hurriedly called another male classmate nearby and asked him to accompany them and come back as soon as possible.

 

Yu Yue Sheng dialed Qi Juan’s little aunt’s number several times, but couldn’t get through. By the time he rushed to the medical room, Qi Juan was already leaning on a bench in the aisle, waiting for the doctor to wrap a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

 

These past two days, the temperature fluctuated between sunny and rainy, and many students in the school caught colds and fevers. As a result, all the beds in the medical room were occupied.

 

“Laoshi, you’re here,” Qi Juan just squinted his eyes, showing no sign of a smile, looking visibly exhausted.

 

Yu Yue Sheng sat down next to Qi Juan in silence for a moment, then took out a bag of candies from his pocket and spread them out on the armrest.

 

Each candy was bulging in the middle, like wings were twisted on both ends. Against the backdrop of the dark solid mahogany, they looked bright and shiny, like stars in a pitch-black summer night.

 

“I went to the supermarket last night, and they gave it to me,” Yu Yue Sheng said casually.

 

“It must be because the shop assistant found Laoshi handsome,” Qi Juan replied as he took a candy, twisted it open, and let the sweetness melt on his tongue.

 

The doctor set up an IV for Qi Juan and then asked him to take out the thermometer. After looking at the reading, she muttered, “Why are you still running a fever?” 

 

Almost instinctively, she turned to Yu Yue Sheng and said, “Laoshi, why don’t you massage his stomach? He was vomiting for quite a while, so his stomach is probably still hurting.”

 

“…” Qi Juan gestured towards someone nearby and whispered, “There’s someone here. Let it be.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng didn’t listen to him, but he didn’t get too close either. He just sat beside Qi Juan, hanging his hand down, and gently massaged Qi Juan’s abdomen over his clothes.

 

Seeing Qi Juan’s pale complexion, he suddenly asked, “Do you have no money for food?”

 

Qi Juan smiled and said, “No, how is that possible?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng continued, “Did you lend your living expenses to a friend?”

 

At this moment, the doctor had already sat down nearby, cracking melon seeds while watching the television in front. When she heard this, she couldn’t help but comment, “Aiyo, young man, no wonder you come here every day. How can you not eat? You should at least talk to your parents about it.”

 

Qi Juan replied, “…”

 

In his heart, he thought, Auntie, please don’t poke your nose into this.

 

Yue Yuesheng fell silent and handed a bulging envelope to Qi Juan, saying, “From your friend. Someone named Xiaoming…”

 

“Zuo Ziming,” Qi Juan corrected.

 

“Ah, I just met him at the classroom door. He said it’s for returning to you,” Yue Yuesheng continued, “I’ll approve a two-day leave for you. Go home and rest well.” After saying that, he took out his phone, seemingly to send a text message to someone.

 

–

 

It’s the weekend. The phone’s ringtone resounded loudly.

 

Sunlight poured in through the window, casting a large patch on the bed. The young man on the bed couldn’t bear it any longer and reluctantly opened his pitch-black eyes, showing impatience on his pale face.

 

How many times is it now??

 

He was already prepared to curse someone, and he sat up abruptly, holding the blanket. Can’t weekends let people sleep well??

 

Then he took his phone…

 

Then this number…

 

The young man scratched his head and said gently into the microphone, “Laoshi, good morning.”

 

“Huh? My aunt just said it casually. You don’t have to take it too seriously. It’s rare that you have no classes this morning. Why not rest at home?” 

 

Quan Juan, who was just awakened by the call, was still not very clear-headed and absentmindedly replied.

 

But then he heard a magnetic voice on the other end say, “I’m downstairs at your place.”

 

Mine???

 

While lying on the hospital bed, Qi Juan was still feeling confused. How did he agree to let Yu Yue Sheng perform an endoscopy on him? It costs money and brings suffering. As a seer, shouldn’t he be clear about his own health condition?

 

“Little handsome guy, relax a bit,” the nurse patted Qi Juan’s shoulder, indicating him to lift his head a bit and placing a sterile cloth under his chin.

 

The taste of bitterness filled his mouth after the anesthesia was sprayed, like drinking a sip of cold black coffee left overnight.

 

Qi Juan clenched his teeth as the tube was slowly inserted. He suddenly felt a bulge in his abdomen, and the sensation of a foreign object made his throat feel nauseous.

 

“Cough—” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he couldn’t help but dry heave several times, curling up his body and holding his abdomen tightly.

 

He heard the doctor sitting next to him clicking the mouse repeatedly, probably freezing the screen.

 

Out of curiosity, Qi Juan glanced at the screen and saw deep and shallow whitish ulcers embedded in the pink stomach wall.

 

While he wasn’t paying too much attention, the nurse pushed the tube further in. On the computer screen, the captured images rolled in like bubbles.

 

Qi Juan noticed that even the young nurse furrowed her brow while staring at the screen, and the sound of the mouse clicking became more frequent. His stomach, empty from skipping breakfast, started to ache, and he didn’t want to look anymore.

 

When the examination results came out, the doctor frowned and said, “There are dark shadows at the bottom of your stomach. We took six biopsies. Come back next week to collect the report.”

 

In truth, Qi Juan wasn’t too concerned. The man in black had mentioned that his condition was irreversible. However, it shouldn’t have progressed so quickly. It seemed he needed to cherish the time they could still be together.

 

On the other hand, after Yu Yue Sheng received the report, he remained silent for a long time.

 

When they left the hospital, the sunlight fell glaringly. There were very few pedestrians walking on the streets, and occasional cars passing by raised some dry dust.

 

By now, it was close to noon, and the sun was getting higher. Qi Juan lowered his head to look at his own shadow, which was only about the size of his palm. He followed closely behind Yu Yue Sheng’s shadow but didn’t dare to get too close.

 

When Yu Yue Sheng turned around, they almost bumped into each other. “What do you want to eat?” he asked.

 

Without hesitation, Qi Juan replied, “Hot pot.”

 

“There’s a congee shop across the street,” Yu Yue Sheng said.

 

“…” Qi Juan hesitated and said, “I don’t want to have congee. How about this? I’ll cook for you. I’m pretty good at cooking. Would you like to taste it, laoshi ?”

 

In the end, the two of them carried bags of fresh ingredients and went to Yu Yue Sheng’s home. When they stepped inside, Qi Juan felt a familiar and comforting sensation.

 

After lighting the gas stove, Qi Juan stir-fried several of his specialty dishes. He wiped his hands on a dishcloth and brought the dishes to the table one by one. In a rush to blow on the plates, he accidentally burned his fingers.

 

Yu Yue Sheng was sitting at the dining table, playing with his phone. When he heard Qi Juan coming out, he looked up and said, “Looks decent.”

 

Hearing a compliment from this person was quite rare, and Qi Juan felt happy about it. He suddenly thought that if he hadn’t confessed so early before, maybe they could have had such a harmonious teacher-student relationship, which would have been nice.

 

Actually, Yu Yue Sheng’s temper didn’t seem to be that bad. As long as they stayed within the boundaries and didn’t cross that line, maybe they could avoid many cold looks.

 

“What do you mean ‘looks decent’?” Qi Juan handed him the washed chopsticks, saying, “Try it, taste it to see if it’s even better.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng took the chopsticks, picked up a bit of shredded potatoes, tasted it, and nodded with a gentle “Mmm.”

 

“Laoshi, can you cook?” Qi Juan suddenly became curious and asked with an expectant face.

 

Yu Yue Sheng paused, his fingers resting on the phone screen, and absentmindedly replied, “I can make soup.”

 

“I want to drink some.” Qi Juan took the opportunity to blink his eyes, looking at him with anticipation.

 

Yu Yue Sheng couldn’t resist, so he reluctantly entered the kitchen. Qi Juan waited outside, smelling the delightful aroma of the dishes. His stomach, which had been empty for a long time, gradually started to ache with hunger, but he didn’t want to eat without Yu Yue Sheng. 

 

He wants to wait for his Yu Yue Sheng and eat together with him.

 

The pots and pans inside collided with a clanging sound, as if the kitchen was about to be demolished. Qi Juan glanced instinctively and could see Yu Yue Sheng’s figure busy inside through the glass door. However, Qi Juan resisted the urge to disturb him and patiently waited outside.

 

After a while, Yu Yue Sheng finally came out with the soup. He handed the spoon to Qi Juan without saying a word, wearing an expression of resignation.

 

Qi Juan said, “Laoshi, don’t be so unconfident. I feel like this soup looks great. It has a bright color, and the broth looks rich. It must taste delicious.”

 

He took the spoon and happily scooped a spoonful of soup, taking a big sip. The taste immediately spread across his lips and tongue, warm and comforting. But then…

 

Wait, wait, wait.

 

This, this, this?

 

Did he accidentally spill the salt shaker into the soup???

 

Yu Yue Sheng stared at Qi Juan with a slightly nervous expression and asked, “How is it?”

 

Qi Juan made an effort to swallow the hot soup, resisting the strong desire for a large glass of plain water in his mind, and nodded in praise, “It’s very delicious.”

 

“I also made sushi for you later,” Yu Yue Sheng said.

 

Qi Juan touched his forehead and replied, “Sure, I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Thank the heavens and the earth, thank Guangkun²sorry i’ve no idea Guangkun (谢广坤) i think it’s made up but if anyone knows please lmk! just please don’t make me drink this soup again. 

 

Getting the sushi was relatively quick. Yu Yue Sheng pushed open the glass door and placed the plated sushi on the table.

 

It looked quite good, except for a blob of green sauce next to the white plate, which looked like some kind of dark concoction.

 

Qi Juan asked in confusion, “What’s that?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng said, “I don’t know if you like it or not. There’s not much wasabi sauce left at home, so I just squeezed it in there.”

 

Qi Juan covered his mouth and couldn’t hold it back, and rushed straight to the bathroom.

 

Yu Yue Sheng stood at the door, feeling skeptical about life: “…”

 

Is it really that bad?

 

The low sound of vomiting mixed with the rushing water sound, sounding quite uncomfortable. Yu Yue Sheng placed his hand on the doorknob, turned it several times, and only then realized that the door was locked from the inside and he couldn’t push it open.

 

“Knock, knock, knock.” Knocking sounds came from the entrance.

 

Yu Yue Sheng’s expression darkened, and he walked over to open the door. After seeing the person clearly, he dryly called out, “Mom. Why did you come?”

 

“I made some pickles for you to bring,” the woman paused, “Huh? Why are you at home? Didn’t you go to school?”

 

As she was talking, she walked in and just placed the things on the table when she heard the commotion from the bathroom. She nudged Yu Yue Sheng with her elbow.

 

The woman’s expression brightened, and she whispered, “Yue Sheng, girlfriend?”

 

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  《拟行路难》(Nǐ Xíng Lù Nán) is a classical Chinese poem written by the famous poet Li Bai (also known as Li Po) during the Tang Dynasty. The title can be translated as “A Hard Journey” or “Imitating the Poem on Difficulty of Travel.”
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  sorry i’ve no idea Guangkun (谢广坤) i think it’s made up but if anyone knows please lmk!