Spend Summer Chapter 5

Coconut Milk Oatmeal Porridge

Lin Jiayue pursed her lips. Of course it is Shen Wan! No wonder you are so serious this time. To be honest…

Ji Zhao could not help but hold her breath, unsure of how to respond, only to hear Lin Jiayue continue.

To be honest, do you feel pressured now that Shen Wan is here? Do you feel like you have to study hard?

The tension in Ji Zhao’s heart quietly dissipated. Speechless, she pushed away Lin Jiayue’s face, which had leaned in close to hers. Yes, yes. Now hurry up and use the restroom. Class is starting soon.

Lin Jiayue let out a belated cry of realization and ran into a stall, not forgetting to shout, Why didn’t you tell me sooner? The next period is Old Wang’s class!

Ji Zhao chuckled secretly behind her back. If there really was no time, would I still be standing here wasting it with you?

By the time the two of them returned, Shen Wan was busy circling and underlining points in her textbook.

Classes came and went. As the day grew late, the sunset dyed the clouds a golden red, spreading across the entire sky.

Half of Shen Wan’s body was covered in that same glow, her features appearing and disappearing within the radiance of the setting sun.

The teacher had just picked up the lesson plan when the dinner bell rang. The students bolted out of the room in a flash.

Shen Wan followed slowly behind, and Ji Zhao caught up from the side.

Deskmate, since you’re going to eat anyway, why don’t we go together?

Shen Wan turned her head. Ji Zhao wore her usual bright smile, while Lin Jiayue peeked out from behind her with an awkward wave. Hello…

Shen Wan was puzzled. How could someone as energetic as Lin Jiayue not have rushed down to grab food yet?

Unable to figure it out, Shen Wan turned back. She still did not want to have any interaction with Ji Zhao outside of the speech.

When Shen Wan moved to refuse, Ji Zhao pursued her relentlessly, having already found the way to handle her. It just so happens that we won’t have enough time during evening self-study. Let’s discuss the speech while we eat.

At the mention of the speech, Shen Wan’s resistance died down. She nodded in silence.

The three of them headed to the canteen together.

Ji Zhao followed closely behind Shen Wan, and Lin Jiayue followed Ji Zhao, looking like two little chicks following a mother hen.

Shen Wan bought a serving of savory pancake and silently found a seat.

Ji Zhao quickly followed suit, buying a savory pancake as well as two bowls of rice porridge before sitting across from Shen Wan.

Watching Shen Wan silently chew her pancake with her head down, Ji Zhao pushed one of the bowls of porridge toward her.

Good deskmate, what are your thoughts on the speech? Ji Zhao asked curiously.

Shen Wan swallowed her pancake with some difficulty, thought for a moment, and said, We can just follow the usual speech format. Haven’t you given many speeches before?

Ji Zhao’s eyes lit up as she stared straight at Shen Wan. So my deskmate has been paying attention to me!

Shen Wan’s mind went blank. How did she reach that conclusion?

Feeling Ji Zhao’s gaze, Shen Wan felt a bit stuck. She shifted her eyes away and instinctively took a sip of the porridge beside her.

The moment it entered her mouth, she remembered that Ji Zhao had bought it. She looked up awkwardly to peek at Ji Zhao, her eyes darting around. Sorry, I accidentally drank the porridge you bought.

Internally, she made a mental note to buy another drink to pay Ji Zhao back.

Ji Zhao lowered her head and chuckled secretly. It’s fine, it’s fine. You can just buy me one next time. But regarding the speech, do you have any ideas? I feel like all the common poems have been used to death.

She seamlessly steered the conversation back to the speech, while simultaneously digging a small hole for Shen Wan.

Shen Wan agreed. True. Shall we think about it more when we get back?

Suddenly remembering the medicine the teacher had given her, Shen Wan looked down and asked after a moment of thought, I wanted to ask, did you all receive an opening gift?

Ji Zhao swallowed her porridge and replied, Of course. We got ours yesterday. Since you weren’t here yesterday, the Head Teacher will probably give yours to you today.

Shen Wan nodded, lost in thought. So, it really was an opening gift?

Ji Zhao did not interrupt her, silently taking a bite of her pancake. Then, Lin Jiayue arrived with her loud voice.

You two! You ate so fast without waiting for me. Lin Jiayue set down her wontons and pinched her own ears.

Ji Zhao shook her head habitually. Who told you to be so slow!

Lin Jiayue picked up her spoon and let out a huff. Fine, fine, that’s how it is, huh? By the way, what were you two talking about?

Ji Zhao answered, The speech for the day after tomorrow. Why, have you thought of something?

Lin Jiayue shrank her neck and immediately pretended to be busy, stuffing wontons into her mouth. You guys do it, you guys do it.

Watching the way the two interacted, the corners of Shen Wan’s brows lifted slightly. A smile spread in her eyes like a fleeting night-blooming cereus, a brief but stunning sight.

Ji Zhao stopped chewing. Her face turned red inch by inch. She sat dazed for a good while before finally swallowing the pancake in her mouth.

Then she suddenly choked. She pounded her chest hard and hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of porridge.

Shen Wan and Lin Jiayue stood up abruptly, looking at Ji Zhao with concern.

Ji Zhao instinctively flashed a smile and said easily, I’m fine now, don’t worry.

Shen Wan took another look before slowly sitting back down. Lin Jiayue frowned but sat down as well.

Ji Zhao quickly diverted their attention. Let’s just finish eating.

Shen Wan nodded. After finishing the last of her porridge, she decided to stay in her seat and wait for the other two.

After finishing their meal, the three of them returned together. The classroom was a cacophony of noise.

Lin Jiayue flew off to talk to others, while Shen Wan and Ji Zhao returned to their seats to discuss the speech.

Shen Wan flipped through her Handbook of Basic Chinese Knowledge and said, How about this line?

Ji Zhao looked where Shen Wan was pointing. It was the line: Accumulate knowledge broadly and express it concisely; build a solid foundation and release it steadily.

She immediately gave a thumbs up, her tone excited. That works! It’s great! This is the first time I’ve seen the first half of that quote. It reminds me of something I heard before…

When speaking about subjects she excelled in, Ji Zhao became quite eloquent.

Shen Wan’s interest was piqued. It was rare to see this side of Ji Zhao, and it made her feel like she had met an equal. The two began to talk about everything related to the speech, only snapping out of it when the bell rang for class.

Shen Wan immediately fell silent and took out her materials to start solving problems.

The corners of Ji Zhao’s lips curled up. As expected, studying was the best way to capture her little deskmate’s attention.

Time flew by, and soon it was time for school to end.

Shen Wan packed her bag, and her mood instantly sank.

Shen Wan dawdled the whole way, pacing slowly.

Behind her, neon lights flashed and car horns blared, but Shen Wan stepped into a dim, dark alleyway.

The voice-activated lights in the stairwell had been broken for who knows how long. Shen Wan was used to it, walking up to the third floor step by step.

With a click, the iron door slowly opened.

Shen Wan peeked inside. There were no lights on, only faint moonlight reflecting into the living room from the window.

In the darkness, Shen Wan exhaled. She walked back to her room on tiptoe and quickly locked the door behind her.

After showering, Shen Wan sat at her small wooden desk and continued working on practice problems. It wasn’t until midnight, when she felt a wave of sleepiness, that she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.

The sky outside the window turned from night-black to fish-belly white. Shen Wan shouldered her backpack and faced the cold wind.

There were many food stalls along the way. Shen Wan had never cared for them before, but for some reason, she watched them for a long time today.

Finally, at the school gate, Shen Wan stopped in front of a porridge stall. She looked up at the menu and eventually chose to buy a cup of Coconut Milk Oatmeal Porridge.

The owner handed the porridge to Shen Wan. As she took it, the only thought in her mind was whether Ji Zhao would like it.

Why did she choose this flavor? Shen Wan seemed to have a faint answer in her heart.

When she entered the classroom, Shen Wan noticed the others for the first time. She glanced at Ji Zhao’s seat. Since Ji Zhao hadn’t arrived yet, Shen Wan placed the Coconut Milk Oatmeal Porridge on Ji Zhao’s desk.

Then she opened her Chinese textbook to memorize her lessons.

The sound of chirping voices reached her ears. Shen Wan’s ears twitched, and she looked toward the source. As expected, it was Ji Zhao.

Perhaps sensing Shen Wan’s gaze, Ji Zhao looked over, a smile spreading across her face as she spoke in a cheerful voice. Deskmate!

Shen Wan gave a slight nod and lowered her eyes.

Ji Zhao stepped over to her seat, and then her eyes lit up. She looked at the side of Shen Wan’s face in surprise. Is this for me?

Shen Wan turned to look back at her. Coconut Milk Oatmeal Porridge. To pay you back for yesterday’s porridge. I don’t know if you’ll like it.

The corners of Ji Zhao’s mouth curved high, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

Her laughter was like the sound of bubbles in a summer soda, clear and pleasant. In the noisy morning study session, it reached Shen Wan’s ears with perfect clarity.

Rarely, Shen Wan felt a bit bashful. She instinctively pinched the tip of her ear; it felt hot.

Seeing this, Ji Zhao’s laughter grew even more cheerful. I love it. Thanks, deskmate. Speaking of which, did you buy it because you like coconut milk?

Faced with this question, Shen Wan fell into thought. Did she really like coconut milk?

In the end, Shen Wan chose to speak honestly. I like coconut juice…

Ji Zhao did not catch the uncertainty in her voice. Although coconut juice and coconut milk both shared the word coconut, their flavors were actually quite different.

In the days that followed, the weather changed in a thousand ways.

Shen Wan’s perception of Ji Zhao changed significantly. Originally, she thought she and Ji Zhao would only interact because of the speech, but she hadn’t expected them to have so many common topics.

Time passed in the routine of the three-point line of school life.

As long as it wasn’t during class, even going to the restroom felt refreshing to students.

Thus, everyone was very excited about the opening ceremony. They swarmed onto the playground in a mass, their laughter and playfulness surging like waves on a beach.

Shen Wan was still wearing a thin hoodie. The bulky garment made her look even thinner. Her face was clean and fair, and she carried an aura that kept strangers at a distance.

Ji Zhao and Lin Jiayue chirped away beside Shen Wan, and Shen Wan had grown used to their company.

Although there was still no smile on her face, there was a faint warmth in the depths of her eyes.

Because they were giving the speech, Shen Wan and Ji Zhao stood at the very front of the line, their figures straight and tall in the wind.

The ceremony proceeded through its routine: singing the national anthem, raising the flag, speeches from the principal and officials, and then the student representative speech.

Shen Wan straightened her hoodie and walked onto the stage with Ji Zhao in large strides.

the second Ji Zhao stepped onto the stage, the tenth-grade students erupted into a massive cheer.

Someone shouted, Sister Zhao! Sister Shen is awesome!

The other students quickly followed suit. Sister Zhao! Sister Shen! Their voices were mixed with thunderous applause.

Shen Wan was momentarily stunned. Looking at the cheering crowd below, she couldn’t see their faces clearly, but she felt a long-lost sense of nervousness.