Volume 1 / Chapter 64: The Cooling of Autumn
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two more days had passed.
It was now Thursday, October 21, 1999.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo's first period had finally ended that very morningâit hadnât lasted as long as sheâd feared.
The pain in her lower abdomen had also mostly fadedâlike a wound that had healed overnight.
 The drizzle had stopped, the air had turned chilly. In the mountains, the late-autumn cold was especially sharp.
Dead yellow leaves carpeted the ground. A cool breeze swept through the mountain paths.
That morning, after washing up, Mò XuÄyĂĄo didnât tie her hair and stepped out onto the balcony of the attic, squinting as she watched golden leaves flutter around her in the breeze. Her long black hair danced lightly in the wind.
âMò XuÄyĂĄo, morning,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn called cheerfully as she stepped up beside her, smiling with clear, bright eyes.
In these past few days, people around her had been taking care of her. Even though the class monitor hadnât been particularly close before, sheâd helped out quite a bit.
Their relationship had quietly grown closer because of it.
âMorning, monitor. Youâre always up this early?â
âGot used to it,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn said, brushing the bangs from her eyes.
As Mò XuÄyĂĄo looked out over the distant cliffs, she tied her hair into a plain black ponytail.
âYou always wear a ponytail, huh?â
âYeah...â
âBecause itâs convenient?â
âRight...â Mò XuÄyĂĄo laughed a little awkwardly. âYou think so too?â
âMm. Thatâs why I like ponytails too. But sometimes, I switch it up.â
âHuh?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo didnât quite follow.
âBecause a new hairstyle brings a new mood...â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn smiledâa rare, genuine oneâas she tied her hair into twin tails.
It was Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs first time seeing her like that.
She still wore her usual black-rimmed glasses, the only change was the hairstyle.
Yet somehow, she looked like a different person. The sharp, serious, intimidating air around her had vanishedâor at least, softened considerably.
Thanks to the twin tails, she now had a touch of cuteness too.
Noticing Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs gaze, LÇ WÇnyĂĄn asked, slightly shy, âWhat do you think?â
âAh... it looks really nice,â Mò XuÄyĂĄo replied, scratching her head. âUh... makes you seem easier to talk to than usual.â
âReally?â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn smiled again. âThen Iâll keep it like this today.â
âYou sure?â
âOf course. Whatâs wrong?â
âI just think... the others might be really surprised.â
And sure enough, her gut feeling was spot-on.
The girls were immediately curiousâmaybe even shockedâby LÇ WÇnyĂĄnâs new look.
With twin tails, she seemed far more approachable. At least in Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs eyes, she blended more naturally with everyone than before.
Even Yè WÄn was caught off guard and grinned as she asked, âWhoa, our monitorâs changing up her style now?â
LÇ WÇnyĂĄn replied with a bashful little shrug, âJust once in a while...â
âAw, look at you getting all shyâso rare!â
Even as she tried to keep her face stern, the earlier blush had already given her away. No one could take her usual serious face seriously anymore.
That kind of contrastâstern one moment, cute the nextâmade her all the more memorable.
So thought Mò XuÄyĂĄo quietly.
====
Clouds drifted lazily across the sky. The sun hadnât fully risen yet, and what little light there was got further dulled by the heavy cloud cover.
By the time they reached the school field, most students looked half-asleep.
Even after several early mornings, it was still hard to adjust.
To be honest, getting up at this hour was already a stretch for most people.
Staying awake? That was asking too much.
They could go to bed early to fix it, sure.
But when youâre not used to sleeping early, thatâs easier said than done.
And when the scattered boys caught sight of LÇ WÇnyĂĄnâs twin tails among the girls, their reactions were priceless.
âHoly crap, when did we get a new girl in our class?â GÄo YuĂĄn asked dramatically.
âYou blind? Thatâs the monitor.â
âNo way.â
âSeriously, first time seeing her with twin tails.â
âShe looks way less intimidating now.â
âSo all the monitorâs pressure came from her hairstyle?â
As the murmurs spread, a sharp, clear whistle cut through the air.
The students scrambled to form ranksâmorning drills were starting.
âToday weâre runningâdown the mountain and back up again! One full lap! Start now!â shouted Captain TiÄn.
No one dared to object. Everyone followed the group down the slope.
Since it was only a jog, Mò XuÄyĂĄo was able to join.
Though truth be told, she probably shouldnât have.
But if she could push through, she would.
Simply put, she had a hard time admitting weakness.
She hadnât run in ages, and after just a short while, she was already gasping for breath.
Like a broken bellowsâher breathing was fast, but no air seemed to reach her lungs.
And this was downhill, where the main concern was not tumbling over from going too fast.
If running down was this hard, how bad would going up be?
And when they finally turned back uphill, Mò XuÄyĂĄo hit her limit.
Even at a slow jog, her legs felt like they were filled with lead. She couldnât lift them anymore. Her face turned a deep, flushed purple, as if she were about to pass out.
âMò XuÄyĂĄo, are you okay?â Their ranks had long since scattered during the run. Somehow, LÇ WÇnyĂĄn had ended up behind her and had clearly been watching her closely for a while.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo couldnât even speakâjust kept gasping for breath.
âHold on, if this keeps up, youâll pass out.â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn acted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the side of the uphill road.
Luckily, they were at a bend in the roadâa stretch wider than the previous straightaways, with a temporary pull-off area set aside for emergencies.
LÇ WÇnyĂĄn took her by the hand and pulled her into that rest spot.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo had no strength left to resist and was entirely at her mercy. Once they stopped, she leaned forward with her hands braced on her knees, barely able to stand, gasping for breath.
âHuff... Huff...â
Right then, even the air felt sharpâeach breath scouring her throat like she was swallowing shards of glass.
âYou okay? Donât push yourself if you canât keep up. Itâs not good for your body,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn said, full of concern.
âItâs not that... I just... Alright...â Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs heart, which had been pounding like it was having spasms, finally began to slow. âI didnât think Iâd be this useless...â
âWhat are you talking about? Your health hasnât been great to begin with, right? If youâve got a heart condition, you still need to exercise, but it has to be the right kind of exercise.â
âBut it wasnât even fast,â Mò XuÄyĂĄo muttered bitterly. âI didnât think Iâd get this tired...â
âThatâs normal. You havenât worked out in ages, and your heart isnât in great shape. No way, Iâm getting you a pass from military drills today.â
âNo, no!â Mò XuÄyĂĄo blurted, âThe drills... the content... itâs fine, really.â
âAre you sure? You already look exhausted."
âJust need to rest a bit.â
âOkay then, take a break first. Iâll go with you later,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn said, handing her the water bottle sheâd been carrying. âI brought water in case I got thirsty on the way. Want some?â
âCanât drink right now...â
Mò XuÄyĂĄo waved her hand weakly and grabbed onto the guardrail beside the road, taking another deep breath.
Finally, the air stopped feeling like it could cut her up inside, and her heartbeat eased.
Just moments ago, her mind had been consumed by the thump-thump-thump of her pulse.
After all, sheâd been bedridden for a full month after surgeryâshe could barely walk at first.
Her body was severely out of shape. She had, admittedly, pushed herself too far this time.
Or maybe, she still held herself to the standards of a man.
Because as a man, youâre not allowed to admit you canât. No matter how hard or how painful, you grit your teeth and keep going.
But girls... itâs different. From a young age, girls are always toldâif you canât go on, stop. If youâre tired, rest. If you donât feel like eating, donât eat...
Words like that.
Roughly five minutes passed. The road was now completely deserted; even the students in the very last group had already gone far ahead.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo wiped her dry lips, and LÇ WÇnyĂĄn, as if reading her mind, handed her the water bottle again.
âUh...â
âDonât worry, itâs freshly poured, I washed the bottle last night, and I havenât taken a sip,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn said quickly, sensing her hesitation.
Truthfully, that wasnât why Mò XuÄyĂĄo hesitated.
She just felt a little awkward drinking from a girlâs water bottle.
âWell... Iâll drink it then?â
âGo ahead.â
Unable to resist her thirst any longer, Mò XuÄyĂĄo took the warm bottle, twisted the cap off, and gulped the water down.
Water spilled down her chin and soaked into her camo uniform.
âSlow down! Donât choke.â
âMmph...â Mò XuÄyĂĄo downed over half the bottle in one go, then sheepishly capped it and handed it back. âUh... thanks.â
âItâs nothing. Letâs get going. Weâll have to walk up now, but it might take twice as long.â
âOkay. But wonât we be late?â
âItâs fine. Iâll explain it to the drill instructor."
That had become LÇ WÇnyĂĄnâs most common phrase to her these past few days.
Or at least, the one Mò XuÄyĂĄo remembered most clearly.
In fact, halfway up the path, the instructor himself came running down to look for them. Missing two students during headcount was no small issue.
âWhatâs going on with you two? Everyone else is already up there,â Instructor HuĂĄng said, approaching them.
âInstructor, Mò XuÄyĂĄo couldnât catch her breath earlier, so I stopped with her to rest,â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn explained.
âOh... itâs you. Didnât I hear you shouldnât be doing intense exercise?â
âI just... wanted to try... and... and slow jogging doesnât really count as intense, right?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo mumbled.
âHaha, well even if itâs not intense, the roadâs long enough. Look at you go. Alright, the two of you take it slow and walk up. Iâll wait for you at the top.â
âGot it.â LÇ WÇnyĂĄn nodded.
âThank you, Instructor,â Mò XuÄyĂĄo said gratefully.
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