Chapter 57: I Am That Fool (Please Keep Reading)

On the square in front of Yanjing Train Station, each university had its own welcome station for new students. The Yanda welcome station was immediately visible, and compared to those of other schools, only a handful of bored students stood around. Occasionally, a student would pass by, carrying a shoulder pole or luggage, to register.

The relaxed atmosphere at Yanda's welcome station was rivaled only by nearby Tsinghua's. This year, Yanda had admitted barely a thousand undergraduates, and those arriving from other provinces were scattered across various train stations. By noon, the station had received just over forty students.

“Comrades Zou and Ge, this is as far as you need to take me!”

After registering with his admission notice, Liu Yimin walked over to the bus parked at the edge of the square—now serving as Yanda’s orientation bus.

A scattering of students sat inside. Zou Huofan carried bedding, Ge Luo held a mesh bag, while Liu Yimin, hands empty except for his admission notice, felt a little embarrassed.

“Yimin, let us settle your luggage before we leave.”

Liu Yimin had arrived just in time; the orientation bus was about to depart for Yanda, sparing him a long wait. Zou Huofan and Ge Luo stowed his belongings, shook his hand in farewell, and Zou handed him a collection of tickets he’d gathered recently—the most valuable, a bicycle ticket.

“We bought a new bicycle! Remember to visit us at the ‘Poetry Magazine’ editorial office. If you don’t, we’ll come find you at Yanda.” Zou Huofan smiled, patting Liu Yimin’s shoulder, while Ge Luo, seeing the bus start up, urged Liu Yimin to board quickly.

Many students on the bus observed this scene with curiosity, assuming these were parents sending their child off to school. In those days, parents escorting their children to university was a rarity, especially as some students were already in their twenties or thirties—it hardly seemed appropriate. Such unusual events delighted everyone.

Moreover, Ge Luo and Zou Huofan’s attire and demeanor were clearly not those of ordinary folk; it was obvious they worked in a unit.

On the bus, a young man sporting green army pants and long hair—his features somewhat shifty—caught sight of this and remarked excitedly to the nearby girl, “Look! Isn’t this rare, needing two parents to send him off to school? Even if I got first place, I’d come by myself.”

The girl beside him smiled and nodded, encouraging him to speak with even more gusto.

Liu Yimin boarded and glanced around, noticing the “old-fashioned” young man chattering away, his gaze occasionally landing on Liu Yimin. When their eyes met again, Liu Yimin smiled and walked straight toward him.

Years later, in an interview, the famous writer Liu Zhenyun would recall that distant midday, when he first met Liu Yimin on the bus.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto Liu Yimin’s profile, creating what ought to have been a poetic encounter, but the charm was spoiled by the mischievous smile at the corner of Liu Yimin’s lips.

Liu Yimin sat directly beside Liu Zhenyun, who immediately hushed his murmurs and grinned, “I’m Liu Zhenyun, from Yanjin County, Henan. Where are you from?”

“Oh, you’re from Henan too? I’m from Luocheng, Henan!”

“Not far at all, we’re fellow countrymen!” Liu Zhenyun’s enthusiasm soared upon discovering this, completely forgetting he’d just poked fun at his compatriot.

The girl in the front row was a law student at Yanda, also from Henan. She and Liu Zhenyun had crossed paths on the train, and now, on the bus, Liu Zhenyun naturally took the seat behind her and struck up a conversation.

As the bus started, Liu Yimin waved goodbye to Zou Huofan and Ge Luo below. Liu Zhenyun unconsciously curled his lips again.

As the bus drove away, Ge Luo smiled at the reluctant Zou Huofan and asked, “Is the metal panel on the back of the bus blocking your view? You look just like Liu Bei bidding farewell to Xu Shu. Come on, let's go—you act as if you’re Yimin’s fellow countryman. There’s work to do at the editorial office; a few senior colleagues returned to Yanjing, and I bet they’ve reached the writers’ association by now!”

“Song Hong, to be honest, I was really worried before coming to university. When my transcript arrived, the county said I was the top humanities student in the region. When the admission notice came, my father and I worried night after night, unable to sleep…”

Song Hong glanced at Liu Zhenyun’s outfit and asked, “Were you worried about not having money for university? The school gives us a subsidy—I heard it’s fourteen yuan a month. If you’re careful, it’s enough.”

Liu Zhenyun’s smug expression faltered, but his thick skin saved him: “It’s not about money. My father and I worried because we didn’t know where Yanda was. Every day, my father sat at the end of the village with my admission notice, asking everyone if they knew where Yanda was and how to get there!”

Liu Yimin thought to himself, the Liu family sure knows how to put on a show.

Wait—he realized he was Liu too!

Song Hong saw through his boasting and, glancing at the calm Liu Yimin, fell silent, listening as Liu Zhenyun continued to spit and brag, oblivious to the fact he was now fully engaged in a rivalry.

“Look! That’s Tiananmen!” Liu Zhenyun exclaimed, craning his neck toward the window. To help everyone get acquainted with Yanjing, the bus deliberately took Chang’an Avenue rather than heading straight north.

After passing Tiananmen, Liu Zhenyun muttered about wanting to visit both Tiananmen and the Forbidden City, but wondered if it cost money.

“One yuan,” Liu Yimin replied.

“What?” Liu Zhenyun asked reflexively.

“He said the Forbidden City ticket is one yuan,” Song Hong repeated.

“That expensive? Then forget it. How do you know?”

“I went a few days ago, nothing much to see.”

Liu Zhenyun looked at Liu Yimin, full of questions—how could a fellow Henan native have visited the Forbidden City days earlier; had he arrived ahead of time? But he refrained from asking in front of the girl.

Song Hong turned to Liu Yimin, “How many points did you score?”

“I scored 397, first in the region!” Liu Zhenyun interjected, then added mysteriously, “They said I could have been first in the whole province, but then I heard there was some rascal in Luocheng who scored 451. So, I ended up second.”

Song Hong nodded; she’d heard the same. She looked to Liu Yimin, waiting for his own exam score.

“451!” Liu Yimin sighed, his voice calm as he replied, “That’s right—I’m the rascal you heard about who scored 451!”

Liu Zhenyun was so shocked he nearly choked on his own spit, coughing violently until his face turned red. Liu Yimin patted his back, helping him breathe, “No need for that. With this gap between us, treating me as your rival is really making things hard for yourself. Here—have a milk candy.”

“Rascal...who wants your milk candy?” Liu Zhenyun said, but stuffed the candy into his satchel anyway.

For the rest of the ride, Liu Zhenyun stayed quiet, listening as Song Hong and Liu Yimin chatted amiably. Two make good company; three do not. In a group of three, one is always left out.

“Sigh!” Liu Zhenyun lamented.

“What are you sighing for? Sigh again, and you can ride under the bus, not inside!”

When they reached Yanda’s south gate, Liu Zhenyun revived, “Wow—so this is Yanda! Looks even better than our county’s revolutionary committee!”

“Wow—so this is Weiming Lake!”

“Wow—so this is Boya Tower!”

Song Hong said, “Liu Zhenyun, can you stop with the ‘Wow’ already?”

“Uh...sure.”

Thank you all for your monthly votes and recommendations. Special thanks to Tianxia Zongheng for the generous reward of 200 points.