Volume 1 / Chapter 47: Off to Military Training
The date was Monday, October 18, 1999.
The sun hadnât shown itself all morning, hidden somewhere behind the thick clouds. Though the sky was already bright, it remained heavy and gray.
Looked like it might rain later.
Inside the tiny rental unit shared by the sisters Mo XiÇoxiĂ o and Mo ZhĂșyĂłu, the older sister, XiÇoxiĂ o, was busy checking over everything they needed to bring for the upcoming military training.
âBedding, pillow, change of clothes for when weâre not in uniform, cupâŠâ
ZhĂșyĂłu, on the other hand, seemed far more relaxed. She was sprawled on the floor, clutching a palm-sized, battered old radio, listening to the morning broadcast.
The male and female hosts on the radioâwere bantering like a comedy duo, their back-and-forth giving the otherwise quiet morning a bit of noisy warmth.
ZhĂșyĂłu didnât like it when the house was too silent. She even preferred falling asleep at night with the radio playing softly in the background.
XiÇoxiĂ o didnât share this habit, but she didnât mind it either.
Whether it was because she, too, feared loneliness deep down, or simply wanted to accommodate her sisterâs quirksâwell, who could say?
âAll set. Letâs go, letâs goâtime to head to school,â XiÇoxiĂ o said, rubbing her sisterâs cheeks vigorously. âWeâve got too much stuff today, so weâll need to take the bus. If we donât leave early, weâll get stuck in traffic!â
In Hangzhou during this era, traffic jams only really happened during the morning and evening rush hours.
And even then, the congestion wasnât that bad. The real hassle was that if you left late, the buses would be packed to the brim, and lugging all that baggage would be a nightmare.
âOw ow ow! Quit pinching my face! I wonât be able to grow into a proper oval-shaped beauty like this!â ZhĂșyĂłu pouted, muttering complaints as she turned off the radio and stuffed it into her backpack.
âYouâre bringing the radio too?â
âOf course!â she said, hugging her bag like she feared her sister might snatch it away. âI canât fall asleep without it!â
âBut the drill sergeants will probably check the dorms at night during training. You wonât be able to turn it on.â
âDonât care. Iâm bringing it anyway.â ZhĂșyĂłu was being a bit bratty, prompting a helpless chuckle from XiÇoxiĂ o.
âShould I pull the suitcase?â the younger one asked.
âDoesnât matter. We can figure it out on the way. Most of the stuff is the same anyway. Come on, letâs gooo~â
The two of them wheeled out the same moving-day suitcases theyâd brought with them when they first settled in.
A neighbor who saw them called out, âHey, whatâs all this? Moving out?â
âNo, just going off for military training,â XiÇoxiĂ o replied with a smile.
The building they lived in only had four floors, but it was packed with tenants.
People recognized each other easilyâafter all, you see your neighbors practically every day.
After a bit of small talk, the sisters finally reached the bus stop, where they spotted other students from YÇkĆng High School. Some were from other grades, while a few first-years like themselves were also moving luggage.
Waiting for the bus always seemed to take forever.
âJie, can we grab some breakfast first? Iâm kinda hungryâŠâ ZhĂșyĂłu muttered, rubbing her belly.
âBreakfast? Hmm⊠Letâs just grab something from that stall next to the station.â
âSure, I guess. But that place only sells light stuff⊠I want pan-fried dumplings.â
âWhy didnât you say that before we left?â XiÇoxiĂ o gave her a playful glare and flicked her nose. âIf the bus comes while weâre gone, weâll be stuck taking a more crowded one. Letâs just get something from the corner stall.â
âFine, fine⊠Iâll go see what they have.â
ZhĂșyĂłu followed her sister to the far end of the bus stop, where a street vendor had set up shop with a cart. Most of the breakfast items were plain and simpleâsticky rice dumplings, steamed rice cakes, bread, and the like.
âJie, I want the black rice cake.â
âOkay, one black rice cake for you, and Iâll take a sticky rice dumpling.â
XiÇoxiĂ o nodded and pulled out a small, cute wallet from her pocket. On closer inspection, it was frayed at the edges, with some stitching already coming undone. Clearly homemadeâdefinitely not store-bought.
âDo you want the savory or sweet dumpling?â asked the vendor.
âSame price?â XiÇoxiĂ o asked.
âThe savory oneâs a meat dumpling, one yuan. Sweet oneâs red bean paste, eighty cents..â
âThen Iâll go with the sweet.â
âAlright, one black rice cake and one sweet dumplingâone yuan and sixty cent.â
âHow about one-fifty? That extra centâs just a hassle,â XiÇoxiĂ o bargained out of habit.
âCanât do that, miss. Iâm running a small business. Every cent counts.â
The vendor shook her head.
XiÇoxiĂ o hadnât really expected a discountâshe was just used to trying. After all, a few dime here, a dime thereâthatâs how they got by.
âWant something to drink? Soy milk? Sweet bean milk?â
âNo thanks.â
The sisters never bought drinks when eating out. If they got thirsty, plain water did the trick just fine. âOh, and please peel the dumpling for me.â
That few cents spent on soy milk could buy more solid food, after all.
âNo problem.â
The vendor skillfully peeled off the bamboo leaves and handed over the dumpling in a plastic bag.
âMmm~ this black rice cake is so good!â
ZhĂșyĂłu happily nibbled away. She was about halfway through when the bus finally arrived.
By now, the platform was getting crowded.
âQuick! Stop eatingâwe gotta get seats!â
XiÇoxiĂ o grabbed her sisterâs hand and rushed onto the bus.
Luckily, there were still several empty seats at the backâseven or eight, in factâand two of them were side by side.
Later passengers werenât as fortunate. Most had to stand.
This particular bus had a lot of seats because it was a two-section model.
From the outside, it looked like two buses were stitched togetherâalmost like a trackless mini train.
This was one of those two-section buses that looked like a little train from the outsideâalmost like two buses stitched together.
Inside, the compartments were connected by a rotating platform, and when the front turned a corner, the back half sometimes lagged a moment behind.
Driving one of these took skill. Misjudge the turn, and the second section might end up bumping into a wall or pole.
âMilitary training is only five days. Isnât that kind of short?â
ZhĂșyĂłu swung her legs happily, still munching on her cake. She tilted her head and mumbled thoughtfully.
âWhat, you want to suffer longer?â
âNot that. Just⊠itâs rare to live together with so many classmates like this.â
âYou really like group sleepovers, huh?â
âYup! Itâs so lively!â
âHmâŠâ
âUgh, Jie, stop blaming yourself already. That car accident wasnât your fault. Besides, I think us sticking together through thick and thin is kinda nice.â
âHaah⊠If only, back thenââ
âEnough already! Military training is supposed to be fun! Just like middle school ! Remember how we used to stay up chatting?â
âIn middle school it was more about farming practiceâŠâ
XiÇoxiĂ o rubbed her eyes. âMilitary training isnât as easy as you think. It may only be five days, but by nighttime youâll be too exhausted to talk.â
âA little late-night whispering wonât kill anyone.â ZhĂșyĂłu giggled, full of excitement. âI wonder where weâre going to trainâŠâ
Just then, the bus jolted.
The half-eaten black rice cake slipped from ZhĂșyĂłuâs fingers and hit the grimy floor.
âAh!â she cried, devastated. âMy black rice cakeâŠâ
âItâs okay, it was just the last bit.â XiÇoxiĂ o patted her shoulder gently.
âThatâs not the point!â Tears welled in ZhĂșyĂłuâs eyes. âWe paid for that⊠Now itâs wasted⊠Itâs such a wasteâŠâ
âIt was just a small piece. Not a big deal~â
âWe worked part-time for a whole month and only earned 800 yuan combined! After rent, weâre left with 400 to live onâfor food, clothes, emergenciesâŠâ
ZhĂșyĂłu wiped her eyes, clearly overwhelmed. âThat last piece was still so bigâŠâ
âItâs okay~ Iâll buy you another one later, okay?â
âI said thatâs not the point!â she snapped, pouting. But the more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Eventually, tears began to fallâdrip, dripâonto her lap.
XiÇoxiĂ o stopped trying to joke around. She nudged the suitcase with her foot to stop it from rolling, then reached out from behind and wrapped her arms gently around her sister.
âItâs okay, sister.â
âI know⊠I justâ I just hate wasting thingsâŠâ
âItâs just a few cents.â
âBut itâs still moneyâŠâ
âMaybe youâll find 50 cent on the ground later and make up for it.â
âTch, like thatâd ever happen⊠I... I just feel useless sometimes...â Her voice was muffled now, quiet with self-blame.
ââŠSilly girl. Itâs okay.â XiÇoxiĂ o kept whispering that same phrase over and over.
By the time they reached the next stop, ZhĂșyĂłu had finally calmed down.
It was still a bit of a walk from the station to the school, and the two of them slowly wheeled their suitcases along.
âHey, Jie⊠That person up aheadâdoesnât he look a lot like our principal?â
âDoes he?â
âYeah! Should we walk faster and check?â
âBetter not. What if itâs a random stranger? Thatâd be awkward. Letâs just follow slowly.â
âOkayâŠâ
As they turned the corner, the man disappeared from view for a moment. By the time they caught up, he had widened the distance between them.
Suddenly, ZhĂșyĂłuâs eyes lit up. She squatted down and snatched up a 100-yuan bill lying on the ground.
âJie! Is this real?!â
âLooks like it⊠but waitâit might belong to the guy ahead.â
XiÇoxiĂ o hurried after him with the bill in hand, while ZhĂșyĂłu pouted like sheâd just missed her big break.
âUm, sir? Did you drop this?â she asked, holding out the fresh-looking bill.
âNo,â he replied without turning, only glancing sideways before tugging his mask higher over his face.
âOh⊠okayâŠâ
One hundred yuan.
Who should they give it to?
ZhĂșyĂłu wanted to pocket it, but XiÇoxiĂ o decided to wait nearby in case the real owner returned. After twenty minutes with no one in sight, she finally tucked it away with a relieved sigh.
âYay! One hundred yuan!â ZhĂșyĂłu was instantly back to her bubbly self, the bus meltdown forgotten.
Meanwhile, the man whoâd walked ahead of them earlier now stood just around the corner. He peeled off his mask and looked up at the sky with a faint smile.
WĂĄng JiÄlÚ happened to run by, slowed down abruptly, and stammered, âAh! Good morning, Principal!â
âMm.â
The principal nodded with a gentle smile.
âMorning.â
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