Chapter 245: A date at the beach (two in one)
Just as Fang Wei thought, Wen Susu became excited when she heard that they were going to organize a reunion of junior high school classmates during this holiday.
So on the 5th, I didn't go to Xuanzhu City first, but took a five-hour boat ride directly from Shanghai to Baitan Pier to keep the appointment at Baitan first.
I felt quite strange on the way. I had already quit my job a long time ago, but I still boarded this boat.
Back then, she felt that this boat was so slow and took so long to sit on and was so uncomfortable, but when she took it on again this time, Wen Susu actually felt a little nostalgic.
From a distance, on the sea, she could already see the iconic Baitan Bridge. There were no tall buildings, no bright lights and women, only natural scenery everywhere.
The transport boat passed under the Baitan Bridge. Not far away was the Baitan Wharf, a small wharf next to a small town. Flowers bloomed in the cracks of the bluestone slabs wet by the tide, and flocks of seabirds flew up and down on the shore.
[We have arrived at the terminal, Baitan Pier. Please take your luggage with you and disembark in an orderly manner...]
Wen Susu was carrying a travel bag on her back and holding large and small bags of things in her hands. She couldn't wait to queue up to get off the boat. She was a young lady in Shanghai, but now she looked no different from a backpacker, except for her unique temperament that could not be concealed.
Walking out of the cabin, the fresh sea breeze that was not polluted by industrial exhaust fumes blew on her face. Wen Susu couldn't help but take a deep breath. She saw Fang Wei who had been waiting at the dock.
Fang Wei also saw her, waved at her from a distance, then stood on his feet and rode his motorcycle towards the covered bridge.
"Little brother, how much does it cost to go to Qixia Village?" an uncle came over and asked him.
"Uncle, I'm not a motorcycle guy! I'm here to pick someone up! Go ask over there!"
"Oh, sorry."
As soon as the uncle left, he heard Fang Wei soliciting customers: "Beauty! Would you like to take a motorcycle? You can choose the address, anywhere is free!"
Damn! You kid, you said you're not a motorcycle guy! You only pick up pretty girls, right?!
Wen Susu found it funny and looked at Fang Wei riding on the motorcycle carefully. You know what, the more you look at him, the more he looks like a motorcycle guy! The key is that his classic red 125 is exclusively for motorcycle riders!
"Sure! It's up to you where to go!"
"Then why don't you come back to my house first and have a meal together?"
"go!"
Uncle: "??"
Fang Wei supported the motorcycle with his long legs and took the bags from Wen Susu's hands. When he saw her from a distance, he thought she was planning to come back to be a teacher again and brought so much "luggage". But when he took a look now, he found that they were all snacks.
"Sister, why did you bring so many snacks?"
"I brought you some food. We're going to have a party. You can't buy these on the island, so I brought them here."
"This is too much! You've been carrying it all the way here, haven't you?"
"Hey, it's not that heavy. How about it? Can your little motorcycle fit in it?"
"It's all right."
Fang Wei hung the bags of things on the motorcycle quite skillfully, and then took Wen Susu's travel bag and placed it on the front of the motorcycle.
It has been more than a month since the brother and sister last came back from Shanghai. Because they usually keep in touch, they don’t feel strange at all even after not seeing each other for such a long time. Instead, they seem closer.
"Sister, did you get a new hairstyle?"
Different from her previous long straight black hair style, Wen Susu had her hair permed this time, making it into Korean-style wavy curls, which made her look more mature and elegant. Paired with the sporty and light outfit she wore when she went on a long trip, it added a lot of playfulness to her and created a very holiday atmosphere.
"How is it? Does it look good? Haha, I have a new hairstylist!"
"It looks good! I'll borrow your hairstylist to give it to me next time."
"You want long wavy hair too?"
"…I'm a man!"
"Don't you guys like to have long hair now, like Nicholas Tse?"
"Isn't my short hair also sunny and handsome?"
"difficult to handle!"
Wen Susu smiled and stretched her head out, brushing Fang Wei's head affectionately, and maliciously messed up his hairstyle, which he didn't have to begin with.
"Hey hey!"
"Ha ha……"
"Alright, alright, hurry up and get in the car! My mom should be almost done with cooking, she's just waiting for me!"
"Ah? Why didn't you say so earlier! Then let's go!"
Wen Susu held onto Fang Wei's strong shoulders and sat on the back seat of his motorcycle.
Wen Susu has never ridden a motorcycle in her life. It seems very novel to her, but it is much more comfortable than sitting on the back seat of Fang Wei’s bicycle before. At least her butt doesn’t hurt.
After sitting down steadily, Wen Susu put one hand on Fang Wei's shoulder and held the handrail with the other hand. The brother and sister sat on the motorcycle together, rumbling on the streets of Baitan town.
Wen Susu didn't say anything, but Fang Wei was very sensible and drove her around to the gate of Baitan Middle School to let her take a look at the school.
Naturally, the school doesn't change much. In small places, the cars, letters and time are slow. Not to mention a few months, there will be almost no changes even after one or two years.
But in Wen Susu's perception, she always felt that a lot had changed, but she couldn't tell exactly what had changed.
"You'll know if you go into the school later." Fang Wei said with a smile, and continued riding with her.
"Have you told other students in the class? You are the class monitor, have you delivered the notification?" Wen Susu asked him.
"Of course I told them all! For those who had contact information, I personally called them to notify them. For those who didn't have contact information, I asked my classmates from the same village to notify them."
Fang Wei looked very capable: "Sister, guess what. I heard that you are coming back to the island today to have a party with everyone. How many of our classmates do you think will come this afternoon?"
"Um... half?"
Wen Susu made a conservative estimate.
There are forty-two students in the class. If half of them can come, there will be at least twenty people.
She was also a student, and knew how difficult it was to gather a group of people after graduation. Thinking back to her junior and senior high school reunions, it was considered good to have more than ten people present. Now that she had just graduated, there should be more people present...
"half?!"
"Guess, guess too much?"
When Wen Susu saw Fang Wei's shocked expression, she felt disappointed.
"You must have guessed wrong! Our class, Class 2, your students, heard that you came all the way from Shanghai to the island to hang out with everyone today. They all came, without missing a single one!"
"All of them?! All forty-two people are here?!"
"Yes, didn't we make an appointment before? I definitely won't be absent."
Just as the students in Class 2 are the most special to Wen Susu, Wen Susu is also an irreplaceable teacher that everyone in Class 2 has ever met in their life.
She came from such a far place, taking a five-hour boat ride to come and meet us all, so how could we be absent!
Perhaps if we stretch the time to the next five, ten, or twenty years, it will be difficult to gather so many people like this time, but at least at this moment, everyone's intentions are genuine and they must come to the appointment on time. After all, no one knows if there will be another chance to see each other again after missing this time.
“Hahaha…you guys are so nice!”
"Hey, hello, sister!"
……
Even though he was riding a motorcycle, Fang Wei still drove very slowly, mainly to let Wen Susu see more of the scenery and small changes here.
When it comes to nostalgia, the brother and sister are very similar.
Unlike many people who would never go back to a place once they have been there, Wen Susu loves to revisit old places, such as visiting cities she has visited before, or going back to her college, high school, junior high school, and elementary school. When she goes to the restaurant she liked to eat in the past and orders the fast food she liked to eat in the past, she will have a completely different mood from then.
After getting off the Baitan Bridge, we rode along the rural road around the sea for a while, passed the Pineapple Wharf, and arrived at the densely populated village on Pineapple Island.
This was not the first time that Wen Susu came to Pineapple Island. She had come to Fang Wei's house for meals many times during those three years. But the most profound impression she had was always the first time she rode a bicycle, groping for directions, and came to Pineapple Island to visit Fang Wei's family.
“Hahaha, when I first came here, I didn’t know this was Zhiyi’s house.”
"She saw me when she came out to hang out the laundry that morning."
"Really? Zhiyi didn't even tell me!"
"She's a bit of a taciturn person, you have to guess."
As the two were talking, Liu Zhiyi came out of the house carrying dishes and chopsticks. He had probably just finished his meal and was going to wash them at the well in the yard.
When Liu Zhiyi saw two people on a motorcycle slowly moving on the road, he was stunned.
Fang Wei and Wen Susu also saw her. Fang Wei turned the car and parked in front of her yard gate.
"Knowing the meaning~!"
"Sister Susu! You're back!"
The girl put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands and came out to greet him with a look of surprise.
"Yes, I just arrived at the dock and Fang Wei came to pick me up."
"I know he went to pick you up. He left home after ten o'clock."
"Really? You're here so early? Didn't I call you and tell you that I wouldn't be here until after eleven?" Wen Susu was surprised. She wouldn't have known if Zhiyi hadn't told her.
Fang Wei smiled and didn't explain. Since he was free anyway, he went over to wait for her.
"Sister Susu, have you eaten? Why don't you eat at my house? I'll make it for you."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll go upstairs to eat. Auntie Tian has prepared dinner. Zhiyi, have you and Grandpa eaten?"
"Yeah, I just finished eating."
"Lai Zhiyi, take this bag of things into the house. I bought it especially for you."
"Ah? Sister Susu, you don't have to..."
"Take it, take it. We have everything!"
Liu Zhiyi had no choice but to take it.
"Then let's go back first, and then go to town together after dinner." Fang Wei said as he turned the accelerator.
"All right."
When seeing Wen Susu, Liu Zhiyi was also very happy. The feeling was different from seeing her in Shanghai. Seeing her here made him feel even more special, as if he was still in junior high school.
……
[Thump, thump, thump…]
The familiar sound of motorcycle idling was heard at the gate of the yard. Xu Cailing, who was still eating in the house, heard the sound and immediately ran out with her bowl in her hands. Following her, Xu Caiwei, who had been on vacation at home for five days, also came out to see.
"Sister Susu~!"
"Cai Ling~!"
"Sister, your hair is so beautiful! When did you do it?!"
"Haha, really? I just made it the day before yesterday!"
"It's beautiful and beautiful!"
Wen Susu had already gotten out of the car and walked into Fang Wei's yard. Xu Cailing was lying on the wall with a bowl in her hand and talking to her. Xu Caiwei also came over and greeted Wen Susu.
The adults from both families also came out of the house. Not to mention that they usually asked Wen Susu to take care of their children at school, they also troubled Wen Susu to take care of Fang Wei Cailing and the others last summer vacation. Fang Xianfeng and Xu Zhiyuan were also very enthusiastic about Wen Susu's arrival. Even though she was not a teacher now, their warmth and respect for her did not change at all.
The human touch on the island is incomparable to that in big cities. When Wen Susu came here, she felt like she had traveled a long way to visit relatives.
The two families greeted her warmly, and she was busy taking the gifts she brought for them into the house.
"Is Teacher Wen here?"
Tian Xilan, who was cooking the last dish in the room, also came out after hearing the noise.
"Auntie Tian! Long time no see!"
"Teacher Wen, just come if you want to. Why do you always bring so many things..."
"Haha, I miss Auntie Tian's food. Bring some gifts so you can have a free meal!" "Come more often if you want to eat. Auntie Tian cooks for you every day! There are only some green vegetables left. I'll just stir-fry them. Ah Wei, ask Teacher Wen to sit down and eat first. Teacher Wen, you guys eat first. You don't have to wait for me!"
"It's okay! Let's eat together!"
Although Wen Susu handled the courtesy and enthusiasm of her elders very well, Fang Weike could see that she was actually not good at it. No wonder she usually liked to play with young boys and girls.
But she could do nothing about the enthusiasm of her elders and was forced to open the business.
There were guests at home, so the lunch was naturally sumptuous. It was not the first time that Wen Susu had eaten at Fang Wei's house. Tian Xilan was very attentive. She would basically remember what dishes the guests who had come to eat at home a few times liked, including when Cai Ling Zhiyi and others came to eat at home. When they came next time, Tian Xilan would specially cook their favorite dishes for them.
Originally, Cai Ling and the others were invited to come and have dinner together, but the two girls had their own plans so the plan was abandoned. Wen Susu had dinner alone with Fang Wei's family.
"Teacher Wen, please don't be polite when you pick up some food!"
"Mmm! Auntie Tian's braised pork is so delicious that you can never get tired of it!"
"How long do you plan to stay this time, Mr. Wen?"
"Well, maybe two days like this, and I'll be going back on the 7th."
"Teacher Wen now runs his own studio?"
"Yes, the holidays are the time for teaching students, which is the opposite of school. But luckily, there are two teachers in our studio, so I took the opportunity to be lazy."
"That's great. You can be your own teacher and boss at the same time. You have more freedom in how to arrange your time. It would be great for Teacher Wen to develop in Shanghai. Teacher Wen, if you were my daughter, I wouldn't want you to travel so far..."
“Hahaha, actually this place is pretty good too!”
"Then please come back more often when you have time, Teacher Wen. Have you arranged a place to stay for the next two days? Otherwise, you can stay at our house. I will help you clean up a room later."
"It's okay, Auntie Tian! I still have to go to the city tonight."
"Well, that's perfect, didn't you guys say you were going back to the city tonight? You can just bring Teacher Wen to stay with you in our room, so you don't have to stay outside."
"Sister, let's stay there tonight. We have a room."
"Well... OK!"
Wen Susu thought about it and agreed. Originally, she had a job as a 'hotel experiencer' this time, which meant staying at the newly opened hotel in Xuanzhu for one night. But now she thought, she should just go to the hotel to take a look and then stay at Fang Wei's house at night!
……
The meeting time is at two o'clock in the afternoon.
After lunch, Wen Susu took a short rest at Fang Wei's house, drinking tea, chatting, and playing with the cat.
It was boring to stay at home, so Fang Wei took her on a motorcycle for a walk around the village. They also went to a mussel farm to see how the workers planted the mussels. These were all new things to Wen Susu, and she took pictures with her camera.
A cat sleeping soundly on the wall, a child playing with glass beads under the lychee tree, villagers chatting and waving palm-leaf fans in front of the village shop, a thousand-acre mussel field bustling with people, a teenager sitting on a motorcycle...the elements in these photos are not seen in big cities.
At about 1:30, Fang Wei took Wen Susu back home first, brought some barbecue supplies, and a bunch of snacks she bought, and the brother and sister rode a motorcycle together to keep the appointment.
Asheng, Cailing and Zhiyi also went together. The three of them rode their bicycles and followed Fang Wei's motorcycle. Fang Wei was driving, and Wen Susu turned around to talk to them.
"Cai Ling, where's your sister? Ask her to come over for the barbecue when you have time?"
"I just finished dinner and sent my sister to the boat!"
"Ah? She's coming back to Shanghai so soon?"
"Yes, I have five days off, and I just happen to be going back today."
"Asheng, how are you? How are you doing in No. 2 Middle School? I don't see you calling your teachers on a regular basis."
"Hehe, it's not bad! It's just that our Chinese teacher is far worse than Teacher Wen..." Ah Sheng touched his head and smiled.
"Asheng never called us, he just calls Yushan every day!" Xu Cailing reported.
“……!! Don’t wrongly accuse a good person! I don’t call Wang Yushan every day!”
"I'll testify." Liu Zhiyi said.
"Just call once every two days at most!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Admit it now! You know who the traitor Katsu usually calls the most!"
"Asheng, you and Yushan..."
"Teacher Wen! Don't believe their nonsense! We have nothing...!"
Wen Susu was quite surprised by this incident, and she found it interesting for a while. It was all because of the way Fang Wei, Cai Ling and Zhi Yi got along with each other that confused her vision. She thought that the closeness between Ah Sheng and Yu Shan was also innocent like theirs... Bah! Now she didn't believe that Fang Wei, Cai Ling and Zhi Yi were innocent!
It was like attending a class reunion and seeing someone from the class walking together as a couple. It was like a sudden realization. This was the first time she experienced this wonder from a teacher's perspective...
……
Soon, several people arrived in the town.
The agreed meeting place was the old place - the school gate.
It's not even two o'clock yet, but almost everyone has arrived at the school gate.
Since they separated at the graduation ceremony until now, many students in Class 2 met their old classmates for the first time today.
The classmates who were once full of youthful memories gathered together again, and time seemed to flow back at this moment.
As I approached the school gate, familiar faces came into view. Some were taller, some were fatter, some knew how to dress up, or some had a new hairstyle. Everyone gathered together to chat, pointing at each other's changes over the past few months, or talking about their own lives recently. I could hear their conversations from afar, and their voices were full of emotion and joy.
The time we had been apart was not long, and most of the students had not changed much because of it. Even if they were a little more mature than before, they were quickly pulled back to their former playful ways by the fun around them.
"Beep--"
Fang Wei honked the horn.
The old classmates gathered at the school gate looked over when they heard the sound.
"For my brother!"
"Monitor!"
"And—what about me?"
Wen Susu, who had been hiding secretly behind Fang Wei, suddenly poked her head out and looked at everyone in front of her with a smile, as if she had returned to the days when she was teaching here.
“Teacher Wen——!”
"Hey! Come here! Teacher Wen is here!"
"Teacher Wen, why did you change your hairstyle?"
"Teacher Wen has become more beautiful again!"
"I miss you so much, Mr. Wen! The biggest difficulty we have in high school is not having a Mr. Wen!"
"Hahaha……"
In the blink of an eye, a group of students gathered around Wen Susu, boys and girls, tall and short, all with excited expressions, chattering to her. There was so much talk that she didn't know how to respond, so she just looked at everyone and smiled.
Although they say there is not much change, in fact everyone has changed a lot, and this can only be seen by the teachers who care about them the most.
A teacher who is sincerely devoted to the class can really fundamentally change the atmosphere and cohesion of a class. It is rare for teachers and students to meet each other in this way, and they can feel cordial and sincerely happy like an older sister meeting her younger brothers and sisters at home.
Especially now, everyone has left Baitan Middle School and gone to different places to start their own study and life, and can also feel more the changes that Wen Susu brought to everyone back then.
There are no scenes where vulgar classmates would show off and slap their classmates and teachers in the face.
In such a gathering, everyone was just happy, reminiscing about the good memories, and enjoying this rare time together.
"Wow! There are so many people here today?"
A motorcycle was driven into the school. It was obviously the same 125 model as Fang Wei's, but under the butt of the huge teacher Niu, the motorcycle looked small.
When Niu Wen just came out, he saw so many people in casual clothes blocking the school gate. He thought they were the hooligans from outside fighting together. When he came out to take a look, he found that each face was more familiar than the other. They were the students from Class 2 who had just graduated last year.
“Teacher Niu!!”
Xu Cailing immediately waved to him, and other students also greeted Teacher Niu with a smile.
"Well, I thought it was the people outside who gathered here to fight, but it turned out to be you guys! Are you back for the party? Teacher Wen is back too!"
"Yes, our class is going to Pearl Beach for a barbecue, and Teacher Niu will be with us!"
"Hahaha, go ahead, you guys go ahead, I still have things to do!"
Niu Wengang has been a teacher at Baitan Middle School for so many years and has seen off many batches of students, but there has never been a class of students as united as Class 2. Seeing them gathered here today, he felt deeply moved.
Perhaps this is the greatest honor of being a teacher? Even if she is no longer their teacher after graduation, she is still loved by them as before. Among her colleagues at Baitan Middle School, Wen Susu is probably the only one who can do this.
Although Teacher Niu did not go with them, he was not in a hurry to leave. He sat on the motorcycle and talked to everyone in Class 2.
"Teacher Niu! Have you grown bigger again?!"
The other students were afraid of Teacher Niu, but Xu Cailing was not. She walked over, raised her little fist, and punched Teacher Niu on his arm, which was as thick as his thigh. Teacher Niu didn't feel any pain, but Cailing was hurt. Fortunately, Fang Wei was not such a big guy.
"Xu Cailing, after graduation you're going to vent your frustrations on your teacher, right?"
"No! How dare I!"
"How are you doing in No. 1 Middle School? Are you in the special class? How's the training going?"
"Hehe! Specialty class! After the National Day, I will go to the city team for training!"
"That's great! What's your best time for the 100-meter dash?"
"11 seconds..."
"Huh? No improvement! You could run 11 before, didn't you? You slacked off after entering high school, right?"
"Oh, I've hit a speed barrier! But when I get to the city team, Teacher Lin said there's a training method that will help me break through!"
"Okay, okay, that's good!"
"Okay, okay! Let's not get stuck at the school gate! The same place! Pearl Beach! Has everyone brought everything?" Fang Wei parked his motorcycle and waved.
"Bring everything——"
"We have everything we need, ready to go—"
"Let's talk over there while we go!"
Just like in the past when they went on spring outings or barbecues, a group of people were lively and lively, each carrying cooking utensils and ingredients, chatting and playing as they walked, attracting the attention of many passers-by.
It’s just different from the first spring outing in the first grade of junior high school. Now they have grown into big young men and women, but their personalities don’t seem to have changed much.
Wen Susu was surrounded by the girls in the class and stood at the front. Girls are always more emotional than boys. They treated Wen Susu as their confidant and chattered with her about all the little troubles they had after entering high school.
Teacher Niu followed them slowly on his motorcycle for a while and only separated from them at a bend.
A group of people came to Pearl Beach, where they had a barbecue after graduation three months ago.
During this period, there were sunny days, rainy days, cloudy days, and typhoon days, but the stone stoves left over from their last barbecue were still on the beach.
The young boys and girls rebuilt the scattered stones into a stove. When they touched the stones, they could still feel the warmth from yesterday.
It’s a pity that today is not the best time to go to the beach, but no one minds. The greatest significance is just to get together!
Everyone had eaten lunch and were not hungry, so the barbecue at this moment was more like afternoon tea time. Everyone brought a lot of ingredients with them, which saved the step of going to the sea. They grilled, ate and chatted together.
"Hey, hey! There are so many of us here, let's take a group photo together!"
"Teacher Wen, are you still going to post the photos this time?"
"Send! Send me your address and I'll send you the photos!"
"Teacher Wen, you are so nice!"
This seaside gathering lasted from the warm afternoon to the brilliant sunset.
The sea breeze blew up the ashes from the extinguished stone stove.
I don’t know when they will come next time.
(End of this chapter)
