Spend Summer Chapter 6
byOpening Speech
Ji Zhao thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, smiling and waving at the students below the stage. Instantly, the cheering grew even louder.
The student host, a senior girl from the second year, looked at the two of them kindly and said, “Since everyone is so enthusiastic, let us welcome Shen Wan and Ji Zhao from Class 3 of the first year to give their speech!”
Shen Wan took a deep breath, exchanged a look with Ji Zhao, and then looked down at the audience with a determined gaze.
Shen Wan spoke first: “Hello everyone, I am Shen Wan from Class 3, Grade 1. I am very happy and honored to speak as a student representative. Beside me is my partner for this speech—Ji Zhao.”
Ji Zhao picked up the microphone. “Hello everyone, I am Ji Zhao from Class 3, Grade 1.”
Shen Wan: “As the spring breeze nurtures the earth and summer approaches, we meet once again at Chuzhou No. 2 Middle School to begin a new journey.”
Ji Zhao took over, “Youth is like early spring, like the rising sun, like the budding of hundreds of plants, like a sharp blade newly honed on a whetstone; it is the most precious period of life.”
…
Below the stage, Lin Jiayue looked up at the two of them and let out a snort of laughter.
She had to admit, whoever decided to let Shen Wan and Ji Zhao give a speech together was a genius.
Shen Wan’s temperament was distant and cool, like the clear sound of cold jade clashing, while Ji Zhao’s temperament was bright and sunny, like brilliant fireworks by the seaside in summer.
One cold, one hot, they neutralized each other, making the speech even more captivating and firmly grabbing everyone’s attention.
The atmosphere at the scene was warm and cheerful.
Finally, Shen Wan and Ji Zhao looked at each other and said in unison, “We leave all our fellow students with these words—observe widely and cull sparingly; accumulate richly and break forth thinly.
Only when the great waves wash away the sand does the true color of gold appear; only after the baptism of wind and rain can the majesty of the green pine be seen.
Pass every trial, one by one; the road ahead is long, but it is brilliant!”
Ji Zhao took Shen Wan’s arm, and the two of them bowed together in thanks. The applause and cheers from below the stage erupted like a boiling pot, continuing for a long time.
.
After the opening ceremony, everyone returned to the classroom in succession. By then, it was almost noon.
Li Yuanfang arranged for everyone to have self-study. The students quieted down one after another, but the moment she stepped out of the classroom, the sound of talking and laughing broke out instantly.
Lin Jiayue turned around to face Ji Zhao and gave a thumbs up. “Sister Zhao, Shen Wan, you two are awesome! You have no idea how wild it was down there. Plenty of people were asking about you!”
Hearing the first half, Ji Zhao was quite happy, but when she heard the second half, her smile froze. She asked, “Asking about who?” Her tone was laced with a hint of irritation.
Lin Jiayue didn’t notice at all and answered happily, “Both of you! Our Shen Wan is very famous now too.”
Ji Zhao’s mood stalled, and she gave a low “oh.”
Shen Wan glanced at Ji Zhao curiously, not understanding why her mood had suddenly dropped. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Do you want to have lunch together?”
It was as if Ji Zhao had eaten a piece of coconut milk candy; her gloomy mood was swept away. The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably, and her eyes sparkled with fine light like diamonds. Her tone was excited. “Of course!”
This was the first time Shen Wan had invited her! Fireworks exploded one after another in Ji Zhao’s mind. To calm herself down, she pulled over the 5-Year 3-Year book beside her and started writing.
Sensing that her mood had improved, Shen Wan also felt a slight sense of relief and seized every moment to work on her test papers.
Lin Jiayue stared blankly at the two of them as they lowered their heads to solve problems. What? Ignoring me again?
Hmph! If you two ignore me, it’s not like I don’t have other friends. Let me tell you, I’m going to break off our friendship for one class period. Don’t even think about talking to me during this hour!
Lin Jiayue shifted her seat, sat up straight, and started whispering with her deskmate.
When it was time for lunch, Shen Wan stood up proactively and waited for Ji Zhao to pack her things.
The corners of Ji Zhao’s eyes curved into crescents. She had been secretly smiling since earlier, and seeing Shen Wan waiting for her made her smile even more radiant. She quickly took out her meal card and said in a cheerful tone, “Let’s go~”
A smile flickered in Shen Wan’s eyes as she followed with, “Let’s go.”
The three of them arrived at the cafeteria. At this time, there were many students scurrying around looking at various foods.
Since it was the first time she had invited Ji Zhao to eat together, Shen Wan decided not to eat buns.
She was used to eating these simple and cheap foods, but selfishly, Shen Wan felt that Ji Zhao shouldn’t eat them.
Ji Zhao should be laughing and playing surrounded by people; she deserved the best of everything.
So this time, Shen Wan led Ji Zhao and Lin Jiayue to the second floor.
Before this, Shen Wan had always heard that the food on the second floor was delicious, but because it was expensive, she had never come up.
If one doesn’t come up and see it, one won’t have desires. Suppressing desires had always been what Shen Wan was best at.
But this time, she personally broke her own bottom line.
The three of them lined up in front of the Wugu Fish Noodles window. This was the dish Shen Wan had heard students discuss the most.
When it was Shen Wan’s turn, she looked down at the auntie behind the counter and said, “Sister, I’d like three bowls. One slightly spicy, and two not spicy.”
Hearing the word “sister,” the auntie immediately beamed. Her bold voice came from behind her mask. “You got it!”
As she spoke, she nimbly began preparing the fish noodles.
Ji Zhao leaned her upper body out from behind Shen Wan, tilted her head, and said in a light tone, “Then I’ll have to thank my very best deskmate. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
After spending these four days together, Ji Zhao understood what kind of person Shen Wan was. She was very frugal and seemed cold, but if you were even a little bit good to her—just a little—she would do her absolute best to repay you.
Over the past two days, Ji Zhao had brought Shen Wan two bottles of coconut milk, and she had sensed that Shen Wan was looking for an opportunity to return the favor. So it wasn’t surprising that Shen Wan was treating her and Jiayue to lunch.
However, wanting to pay her back wouldn’t be that simple! Ji Zhao thought proudly. I’m not that easy to get rid of.
Shen Wan shook her head quickly, wanting to refuse.
Just then, Lin Jiayue chimed in, “Shen Wan, you really do care about me and Sister Zhao. You even knew I liked spicy food. I’m so moved!”
Shen Wan paused, the words stuck in her throat. Just then, the auntie called out, “The fish noodles are ready.”
Shen Wan quickly picked up the bowls of fish noodles to make room for the people behind them.
In a place she couldn’t see, Lin Jiayue and Ji Zhao high-fived.
Plan successful!
Ji Zhao sat next to Shen Wan, with Lin Jiayue sitting opposite them. The three of them buried their heads in their fish noodles.
The broth was milky white, and the freshly cooked fish noodles were chewy and steaming hot.
A mouthful of noodles, a mouthful of soup—the fresh fragrance filled their noses, warming their hearts in this season nearing spring.
The fish meat inside had absorbed the essence of the broth, making it tender and satisfying.
Shen Wan cherished every sip of the broth, finally understanding why her classmates said the fish noodles on the second floor were delicious.
Such a fresh and delicious taste had indeed been very, very far away from her. For a moment, she felt like she had returned to her carefree childhood.
Shen Wan ate her noodles, her eyes involuntarily reddening. She lowered her head and remained silent.
Ji Zhao cast a worried glance. she wanted to speak, but in the end, she said nothing.
She and Lin Jiayue exchanged a look, and their chewing speed slowed down.
It wasn’t until Shen Wan’s emotions calmed down that she looked up and said, “The taste is indeed quite good.”
Ji Zhao nodded in agreement, feeling a bit of heartache. What exactly had she gone through to say something like that?
But knowing that Shen Wan had strong self-esteem, Ji Zhao didn’t show it. She said in agreement, “Really, it’s my first time at this window too. The taste is great. Our Wanwan has such good taste!”
Ji Zhao said this without thinking, and then she suddenly realized what she had called Shen Wan—”Wanwan.” Her face turned pale for a moment, then flushed a deep red.
A name that was intimate enough, yet seemed ordinary, set off a massive wave in Ji Zhao’s heart.
Even the most brilliant fireworks couldn’t compare to this excitement.
Lin Jiayue was completely unaware of Ji Zhao’s inner turmoil. She gave a thumbs up while still stuffing rice noodles into her mouth, saying indistinctly, “Yeah, yeah!”
Shen Wan’s stiff back relaxed slightly. As long as they were satisfied, it was fine.
.
After eating, the three of them returned to the classroom together.
Seeing Shen Wan and Ji Zhao return, the classroom immediately went quiet.
Shen Wan’s heart tightened, and she looked around warily. She only felt relieved when she realized there was no malice in everyone’s eyes.
Then came the confusion. What was wrong with these people all of a sudden?
Unable to figure it out, Shen Wan didn’t bother to pay it much attention and walked toward her seat step by step.
Suddenly, a burst of applause erupted. Class Monitor Wang Fei and Vice Monitor Zhou Hui each held a small piece of cake as they walked out from the crowd, their faces beaming with smiles.
Shen Wan stared blankly at the scene before her, her mind going blank and her whole body freezing up.
Wang Fei and Zhou Hui quickly walked up to the two of them and held out the cakes.
Then they said with a smile, “Cake for the great heroes of Class 3!”
The students behind them also chimed in hurriedly.
“Exactly!”
“You really brought glory to Class 3 this time!”
“Do you even need to say it? That’s our Sister Zhao and Shen Wan!”
“Haha, well said! Truly the two fierce generals of our Class 3!”
“As expected of our Grade Topper!”
Shen Wan stared blankly at the smiling faces before her. They were youthful and clean, possessing the unique spirit of fifteen and sixteen-year-olds.
Noticing Shen Wan was dazed, Wang Fei stuffed the small cake into her hand and said, “You can’t look down on it. We searched for a long time to find these.”
“No looking down on it, or I’ll have to bring out the fists I’ve used to fight on the battlefield for years!”
“It’s true, this lousy school doesn’t even have a place that sells cake. We could only buy this kind.”
“Hahaha, you’re dreaming! We’re here to study. It would be weird if there was a cake shop.”
Ji Zhao readily took the cake from Zhou Hui’s hand and raised it with a smile. “How could we look down on it? We couldn’t be happier! Thank you, everyone!”
The standing students waved their hands, acting cool.
“This is nothing! As long as you bring glory to Class 3, there will be plenty of cake. Third Lady Hu said so!”
“You’re ‘Third Lady Hu,’ then I’m the ‘Queen Mother of the West’!”
“You said it! Next time it’s your treat!”
“Hey, hey, hey, I was just joking. Is there a need to be so serious?”
Hu Han immediately wilted and playfully nudged the student next to her to curry favor.
Everyone was noisy and boisterous together; the level of clamor was a match for the chirping of cicadas in summer.
Shen Wan snapped out of it amidst the noise. The corners of her eyes were red, and she did her best to swallow back her sobs as she thanked them earnestly, “Thank you. Thank you, everyone.”
Ji Zhao bumped her shoulder, offering silent comfort.