Zoe Young was shocked—this was definitely crazy. Wasting water resources was shameful. She stared at the blackboard for two minutes, and in that unbearable silence, she suddenly understood what it meant to accept fate. It was the kind of resignation Fiona James had when he smiled bitterly and said, “If I was born stupid, there’s nothing I can do.” Zoe Young shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t do it.” The teacher put on a “See, didn’t I tell you?” expression, while the students below burst out laughing—Daniel Hughes laughed especially loudly, so exaggeratedly that he rocked back and forth, as if he was enjoying the thrill of “overthrowing the landlords, dividing the land, and singing the song of the liberated serfs.” But Zoe Young laughed too. She tilted her head to look in Andrew Lane’s direction; he was blushing furiously, looking at her in panic, as if desperately trying to tell her he hadn’t meant to do it. Zoe Young lowered her head and smiled, but as she smiled, she suddenly felt like crying. Maybe what Teacher Yu said wasn’t just alarmist talk. She had long known that era was over, and she had long known that an unknown future was waiting for her. And when she realized this, she saw that everyone around her was already in the starting position, ready to go, while she was still foolishly standing there, saying, “Sorry, I can’t do it.”

Andrew Lane, I know you didn’t mean it. Just like I didn’t mean to be this stupid.

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3. What in the world never changes

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During the break, the classroom was in chaos. Zoe Young lowered her head, packing up her pencil case and notebook, not noticing that on the other side, Andrew Lane was frantically squeezing his way through the crowd, hurrying toward the back right corner of the classroom where she stood.

“Zhou—Zoe!” Andrew Lane’s red scarf was already askew, looking a bit comical. Zoe Young looked up and smiled at him. “What is it?” Seeing Zoe Young’s smile, Andrew Lane suddenly stopped in his tracks.

It was that smile again. Once, he had told Zoe Young that if you’re sad or angry, it’s best to show it on your face. “Last time I went with my parents to visit an old Chinese doctor, he said, ‘Let your feelings show on your face’—um, is that how you say it? Did I get it right?” Andrew Lane looked at Zoe Young for confirmation. “Yes, let your feelings show on your face.” Zoe Young nodded. “Right.” With her confirmation, Andrew Lane smiled and continued, “He said showing your feelings is good for your health. You can’t always suppress… suppress… yeah, suppress your emotions, it’s bad for your body, um… you can’t detox effectively.” Andrew Lane couldn’t understand most of the words the old doctor used, so he just picked out the main points and repeated them in bits and pieces. Hearing this, Zoe Young’s face showed a smile that Andrew Lane couldn’t understand at all. She squinted at Andrew Lane, holding the discipline and hygiene score record for Class 7 in her arms, and said lightly, “Letting your feelings show takes capital.” Andrew Lane stared blankly at Zoe Young’s back as she turned and left. Her ponytail always swayed proudly, just like when she said things he couldn’t understand at all, with that nameless, aloof detachment. “Zoe, you’ve changed.” In the noisy classroom, Andrew Lane, full of explanations and apologies, finally blurted out a strange sentence—just like the kind Zoe Young often said. Hearing this, Zoe Young stopped smiling and lowered her head to pack her bag.

What never changes? After nearly five years apart, the food stalls around the school had all been moved into makeshift sheds by the city management team, that food store had changed owners three times and finally became a furniture store, and even the provincial government kindergarten had moved, the old site demolished to make way for a new public square…

The road home she used to take could no longer lead her home. What never changes, Andrew Lane? To show your feelings or to refuse to change, to never compromise—these all take capital.

Zoe Young slung her small bag over her shoulder, waved at Andrew Lane, and left through the back door. As expected, she heard Charlotte Lee’s voice: “Andrew Lane, what are you doing here? Charles Johnson and I were just about to ask you, are you coming next time? This class is so boring, the problems are all so easy. But I guess it’s no wonder, look, there are people who can’t do any of them at all…”

“Can you stop?” Andrew Lane turned and yelled at Charlotte Lee, then hurriedly pushed through the crowd toward the door where Zoe Young had left.

Charlotte Lee’s face turned red and white by turns. Beside her, Charles Johnson sniffed as always, then suddenly laughed. “No one can say anything about anyone else. You’re all just as dumb as each other.”

Zoe Young avoided the crowded main staircase and took a detour down the side stairs. She could vaguely hear hurried footsteps behind her and guessed it was Andrew Lane, but after several tries, she couldn’t force a smile. The smile she’d managed when Andrew Lane called her earlier had already been her limit.

Actually, Zoe Young felt very embarrassed, so right now she didn’t want to see Andrew Lane at all. The awkwardness of not being able to solve a math problem in front of the whole class felt like the word “stupid” was carved on her forehead. She had never blamed Andrew Lane, because Andrew Lane was right.

Zoe Young looked up at the reddening sky outside the window. It was already past seven. Although it was almost summer and the sun set later and later, today was cloudy, so it was already quite dark outside.

For the first time, she felt a strange heaviness, and for the first time, she began to think about something called “the future.” How could she forget what she’d heard as a child, the way her uncle scolded Joel Young? “If you can’t get into a good middle school, you won’t get into a good high school. If you can’t get into a good high school, you won’t get into college. If you can’t get into college, you’ll end up sweeping the streets! With your attitude, you can’t even sweep the streets well, you’ll be left out in the cold!” Would the northwest wind taste worse than the southeast wind? Zoe Young tried to make herself laugh, but found the joke terribly lame. It was a kind of fear for the future that made her fingertips tremble. Zoe Young even started to irrationally blame herself—why hadn’t she realized the importance of math competitions earlier, why hadn’t she started studying math seriously sooner, why… but the past can’t be changed. Zoe Young stood regretful and helpless in the empty stairwell, staring blankly at the distant, dark red sky.

The footsteps came closer and closer. She almost blurted out, “Andrew Lane, can you let me be alone for a while?” But when she turned around, she saw a stranger’s face.

“Your mom can’t get married, can she? Right?” “What?” Zoe Young’s mind went blank.

“My mom told me to pretend not to know you at school, because it’s bad for my dad’s reputation. But I heard my mom say the other day, no one dares to marry your mom. She talked to someone for ages, but it still fell through, she can’t get married!” Zoe Young’s hands and feet went cold. She gripped her bag strap tightly, biting her lip without saying a word. She remembered that a few years ago, her mom had taken her to meet an uncle, and the three of them had eaten together. She’d been too young to understand, but she’d vaguely guessed that the uncle was courting her mom. Zoe had always thought her mom was the most beautiful woman in the world, more beautiful than any mom in cartoons. A fairy-like mom like that should be married to a good man.

That uncle had treated them very well. But lately, he really hadn’t shown up much.

Zoe Young had never asked about it. Whenever her mom asked if she liked that uncle, Zoe Young would nod hard—she remembered hearing adults say that when parents remarry, kids often try to stop them. Zoe Young was afraid of being that obstacle, so she always took every chance to reassure her mom, telling her she didn’t mind.

“Who are you?” she asked, looking up. “Ryan Johnson!” Andrew Lane’s breathless voice came from the stairwell. He roughly grabbed Ryan Johnson by the collar—

That action suddenly reminded Zoe Young of the time at the Youth League meeting, when, amid everyone’s laughter, someone had smacked her on the butt and run off, only to be caught by the collar by Andrew Lane—it was this skinny, dark boy.

“Why are you grabbing me again? What did I do?” Ryan Johnson’s voice was shrill, maybe his voice was changing early, sounding like a duckling calling for help.

“Why are you hanging around here after school instead of going home? Bullying girls again, aren’t you? Get out of here!” “Andrew Lane, let go of me! If you don’t, I’ll tell my mom. Your mom already promised my mom—last time you hit me in front of everyone, your mom apologized to my mom, and you still dare to grab me? Do you want a beating?!”

“Enough with the ‘my mom, your mom’ stuff. How old are you, still running to your mom for everything? Don’t you have any shame?!” For the first time, Zoe Young heard Andrew Lane curse. The shock from that earlier comment finally began to fade. Their conversation made things clear to Zoe Young. This Ryan Johnson must be that man’s son.