That Nameless Summer Chapter 38

nervous

When the winter snow melts, the sense of urgency of senior high school has spread into every corner of the teaching building like a tide.The results of the third joint entrance exam after being divided into classes were posted on the bulletin board. The black letters on a red background made people’s eyes hurt. The names of the Rocket Class occupied the top twenty on the list. Ling Qingye was firmly ranked first, followed closely by Qin Jiangwen in eighth. Song Li and Xu Jiangyou from the ordinary class also squeezed into the top three hundred with their steadily improving results. The rankings on the list were separated by an invisible but crossable bridge.

When Song Li passed by the bulletin board, his eyes paused on Ling Qingye’s name for half a second, and then fell on his own ranking, with an imperceptible smile on his lips.His recent math scores have improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the error book that appears on his desk every Wednesday. Those problem-solving ideas marked with red pens accurately hit his weak points.He never asked who put it there, but after each completion, he quietly drew a small basketball on the last page of the wrong question book as a silent response.

Xu Jiangyou looked at Qin Jiangwen’s name and unconsciously rubbed the cover of his English notebook with his fingertips.Her English score rose from the middle of the class to the top ten, all thanks to the English weekly report and notes in her locker every Friday.The analysis on the notes became more and more detailed, and occasionally they would include the sentence “This sentence pattern has a high probability of passing the joint examination.” She knew it was Qin Jiangwen, but she never said anything. She just sorted the notes in order and hid them in the mezzanine of the notebook.

The atmosphere in the Rockets class became increasingly depressing. As soon as the commendation meeting after the joint entrance examination ended, Ling Qingye was called to the office by the competition coach. The conversation was nothing more than sprinting for the provincial championships and getting recommended by famous schools.When he walked out of the office, he frowned slightly and held a competition training schedule on his fingertips. The dense arrangements on it took up almost all the rest time.He looked up in the direction of the regular class, glanced at it, then turned and walked into the classroom, put his timetable under the competition paper, and continued to answer questions.

Qin Jiangwen received the Progress Award at the commendation meeting. When he walked off the stage with the certificate, his eyes swept across the regular class and happened to catch Xu Jiangyou’s gaze.The two of them staggered apart like an electric shock. Xu Jiangyou’s ears turned slightly red and he stared down at the tips of his shoes. Qin Jiangwen’s fingers tightened on the certificate and he quickly returned to the Rocket Class, but his back felt inexplicably hot.He knew that his progress was inseparable from the encouragement hidden behind the notes.

In the ordinary class classroom, Song Li slapped the basketball league registration form he had just received on the table and excitedly discussed the details of the game with his teammates.When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Ling Qingye’s figure passing through the corridor outside the window, his steps hurried and his face looking tired.He paused, picked up the mineral water on the table, and quickly chased out, stopping Ling Qingye at the stairs.

“Here.” Song Li handed over the water with a casual tone, “No matter how busy you are in the competition, you still have to drink water.”

Ling Qingye was stunned for a moment, then took the water, and his fingertips touched his palm, feeling slightly warm.”Thank you.” His voice was still calm, but he did not turn away immediately, “The last big question in mathematics, did you get it right this time?”

“Well, I solved it according to the ideas in your wrong question book.” Song Li raised his eyebrows, with a bit of pride in his tone, “Didn’t I embarrass you?”

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Ling Qingye’s mouth, as fast as a meteor streaking across the night sky: “It’s okay, keep it up.” After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the top floor, but his steps were slower than before.

Song Li looked at his back and tightened his grip on the empty mineral water bottle, feeling warm in his heart.This was their first face-to-face communication after being divided into classes. There were no unnecessary words, but it was like untying a string that had been tight for a long time.

Xu Jiangyou met Qin Jiangwen in the library.He was sitting by the window, with an English competition book spread out in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was pondering a difficult problem.Xu Jiangyou hesitated for a moment, walked over, knocked on his desk lightly, and handed over a note: “You may have remembered the usage of this word incorrectly. The correct combination is this.”

Qin Jiangwen looked up and saw it was her. The tips of his ears turned red. He took the note and read it seriously.”Thank you.” He whispered, “Are you here to review too?”

“Well, prepare for English listening.” Xu Jiangyou nodded, sat down opposite him, took out his headphones and exercise book, and said no more.

The library was quiet, with only the rustling of pens across pages and the occasional sound of turning pages.Qin Jiangwen looked at Xu Jiangyou who was working hard on the question opposite him, and his heart gradually calmed down. The difficult problem that he had just been unable to figure out suddenly became clear to him.He lowered his head to do the questions, and occasionally looked up. When he caught a glimpse of her focused profile, he would quietly look away with a slight smile on his lips.

The days after the joint entrance examination were still a repetition of three points and one line, but there was more of a tacit understanding.

Song Li’s questions began to appear in Ling Qingye’s wrong-question book. He would answer them in detail and occasionally draw a small diagram. After Song Li finished solving the wrong questions, he would write down his own problem-solving ideas next to him and compare them with Ling Qingye’s method, like a silent communication.

In Qin Jiangwen’s English weekly report, there would be a small piece of paper with the problems he encountered written on it. The next time he opened his locker, he would always see Xu Jiangyou’s answer, with elegant handwriting and clear thinking. Xu Jiangyou would also write down his own confusion in the weekly report, and Qin Jiangwen could always give an accurate analysis, like each other’s exclusive Q&A teacher.

Occasionally, when they met on the playground, Song Li would throw a basketball to Ling Qingye: “Want to shoot one?”

Ling Qingye would put down the book in his hand, take the basketball, jump and shoot, his movements still neat.The two of them didn’t speak, just took turns shooting. The sun fell on them, giving them a warm glow, as if they were back on the playground at a sports meeting.

When Xu Jiangwen was running, Xu Jiang handed Qin Jiangwen a bottle of warm water: “Run slowly, don’t run as hard as the 3,000-meter race.”

Qin Jiangwenhui took the water, whispered “thank you”, then slowed down and walked side by side on the runway with her, chatting about English learning skills and future goals, her tone was natural, without the formality of the past.

The days of the senior year of high school are like a winding clock, so fast that people can’t breathe. The smoke of the joint entrance examination has not yet dissipated, and the countdown to the college entrance examination has quietly begun.The distance of three floors still separates the rhythms of the two worlds, but it can no longer separate the thoughts that are quietly approaching.

Ling Qingye’s competition training is getting busier and busier, but he still takes time to sort out the wrong question papers; Song Li’s basketball training is still hard, but he never misses the exercises marked by Ling Qingye; Qin Jiangwen’s English scores are getting better and better, but he still writes down his confusion on sticky notes; Xu Jiangyou’s review pace is getting faster and faster, but he never forgets to answer Qin Jiangwen’s problems.

They are all running hard for their own futures, but they have never forgotten that on the road of running, there are people alongside them and others cheering for them.Those cares hidden in the details, those tacit understandings, like stars in the dark, illuminate the long road to the senior year of high school, making this boring time warm and powerful.

The bell of the college entrance examination is getting closer and closer, and they know that the day of separation is getting closer and closer.But they don’t panic, because they understand that the roads they have walked together, the thoughts hidden in their hearts, and the tacit companionship will become the most precious memories of each other’s youth. No matter where they go in the future, they can carry this warmth and move forward bravely.