When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling, dotted with dull, faded bloodstains and occasional mosquito marks.
It still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
Zhou Li rubbed his head.
He’d dreamt about Li Daimao last night. In it, Brother Nan had apparently beaten all the student council ministers, chairpersons, and Party branch secretaries half to death and thrown them into the river. When the police arrived, she insisted Zhou Li had orchestrated it, claiming there was even evidence.
Zhou Li woke up just as he was about to be imprisoned.
Yawning, he sat up. Huai Xu was on the lower bunk, looking up at him and forcibly suppressing his eagerness.
Zhou Li didn’t reply, instead getting out of bed to wash up.
About half an hour later, they exchanged places again in the cafeteria restroom.
Zhou Li handed his phone to Huai Xu. "Know how to use this?"
"That’s enough. If someone asks for your contact details, just don’t give them out," Zhou Li instructed. "You know what to do. Also, you need to remember everything that happens today, especially anything unusual. Try to recall it in as much detail as possible and tell me when you get back."
"Got it!" Huai Xu pocketed the phone.
"Don’t go beating up the instructor again," Zhou Li reminded him.
Huai Xu left happily.
Zhou Li waited a while before putting on a mask, walking out of the restroom with a small bag containing clothes and his wallet, and leaving the school.
Tianruikang Garden was several kilometers away from the school, so he treated it as a morning run and jogged the whole way.
It only took him about fifteen minutes, but he nearly got lost.
He opened the door and went into the house to change his clothes.
He and Huai Xu had given the house a quick clean the day before the military training began. Huai Xu had been staying here for the past few days. Today, since he had more time, Zhou Li prepared to give it a thorough cleaning, inside and out.
After a brief rest, he got started.
The dust had already been swept away, so he found a mop and mopped all the floors in the house.
He didn’t miss the areas under the sofa and coffee table, or along the baseboards.
Next, he took a damp cloth and wiped down every surface that needed it until it was spotless.
This residential complex wasn’t luxurious; many units were occupied by renters or run as bed-and-breakfasts. The apartments were generally quite large. Zhou Li’s two-bedroom unit was probably the smallest type available, but the rooms themselves were still spacious.
He spent two hours cleaning the house until it looked brand new.
Then Zhou Li walked around the house. It’s so empty.
The house came with basic furniture, but that was it. Other than a new set of bedding in Huai Xu’s room, there wasn’t even a single trash can in the entire house.
The refrigerator was empty, and so was the coffee table.
How can this be called a home?
So Zhou Li began to make some plans.
Ten minutes later, he took his wallet and went downstairs.
Without a phone, it was really inconvenient; he couldn’t scan for a shared bike, use a map, or the Spring City Pass, so he dared not venture too far. Fortunately, the residential complex was quite large, divided into several sections, with a bustling street in the middle lined with many restaurants and supermarkets. The Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodle shop Brother Nan had jotted down in her little notebook was located right here.
Zhou Li found a larger supermarket and went in.
He bought four trash cans, three rolls of trash bags, one large pack of toilet paper, and various kinds of milk, mineral water, snacks, and instant noodles. He couldn’t carry any more.
He even made a second trip to buy some toiletries, getting a set for Huai Xu as well.
He also bought a children’s toothbrush for Tuanzi.
The morning passed by without him noticing.
For lunch, he had a bowl of mixed noodles at the Lanzhou Lamian restaurant just outside the complex gates. It was his first time trying this type of noodle, and he thought it was quite good.
It wasn’t until just past nine in the evening.
Huai Xu appeared in the living room. "I’m back!"
Then he looked around, his gaze settling on Zhou Li. "It kind of feels like a home now. Strange... is it because you’re here?"
"I bought some things."
"I didn’t buy much. There are still some things I need; I’ll wait until you’re back so I can use the phone to order them online. It’s cheaper that way." Zhou Li was a bit tight on funds at the moment.
Huai Xu handed him the phone, then obediently sat on a plastic stool across from him, watching him.
Zhou Li first searched for bedding, planning to bring his own over and buy a cheap set for the dorm room. Meanwhile, he casually asked Huai Xu, "Did you have fun today?"
"Apart from teaching the song, did anything else happen?"
"Yes," Huai Xu nodded obediently. "Did they ask you to perform anything yesterday? What did you do?"
"Oh, I didn’t know what you were good at, so I just did a magic trick. That female class president said you were so cool!"
"What kind of magic trick?"
"You know, the kind you see on TV, making a bird appear. I couldn’t find a pigeon, so I used a sparrow instead."
"Zhou Li, I want to buy a phone."
"You got into trouble again?"
"It’s nothing serious. I just helped further solidify your image and establish the groundwork for your future interactions with classmates. I reckon no one will dare to bully you from now on, and it should also make it easier for you to find a girlfriend in college," Huai Xu said, adopting an increasingly demure posture.
"What image?" Zhou Li sensed something was amiss.
"A good image," Huai Xu blinked.
Zhou Li stared at him, utterly confused.
"You also have to write a reflection."
"I hope it’s the one from yesterday that didn’t pass."
"I hope so too," Huai Xu nodded seriously. "But Zhou Qianqian said she’d let that one slide."
Zhou Li was speechless.
"I beat up that class president from the Sports Institute and his buddies again today. When I went to Zhou Qianqian’s office this afternoon, she told me to write another one. She also said this time I’m not allowed to pay an elementary school kid to write it for me, so you have to do it."
"I know I was wrong," Huai Xu said meekly.
"Never mind that. How many people did you hit?" Zhou Li asked, exasperated.
"Four or five. And I hit the ones who tried to break it up too," Huai Xu hung his head low, then continued, "You can’t blame me for that!"
"Blame the uneven road?"
"That class president was harassing Li Daimao, and Li Daimao was about to blow up. If I hadn’t stepped in, she would have," Huai Xu said, pausing before looking up eagerly at Zhou Li. "Don’t you think they deserved it?"
"...How many words does the reflection need to be?"
"Do we have to pay their medical expenses?"
"I know how to control my strength."
Zhou Li started gathering his things. He left twenty yuan on the table, saying, "There are plenty of food stalls downstairs. If you get hungry, buy something to eat."
Huai Xu nodded guiltily.
Back in the dormitory, Zhou Li took out paper and a pen to start writing the reflection.
This was actually his first time writing a self-reflection, and weirdly enough, it had nothing to do with him.
「The next day, Zhou Li submitted the reflection.」
Since Huai Xu had already been scolded and punished the previous day, Zhou Li himself didn’t face any further trouble. He did, however, receive many strange looks. This directly led to no one daring to compete with him for a shady spot on the soccer field anymore. Furthermore, many rumors began to circulate about his relationship with Brother Nan.
The female class president from the Economics Department also became noticeably less enthusiastic towards him.