There was no difference from before.
Lin Wanxing complied with the students’ request, stating that she would wait for them in the equipment room every noon. She would cover some basic course content, and they were free to come and listen if they wished. However, she also emphasized that these so-called "make-up classes" were entirely voluntary, and the students could come and go as they pleased.
In the evenings, Lin Wanxing would still accompany them for football training.
Although this was the plan, the weather remained scorching hot in late summer and early autumn, with the Autumn Tiger at its fiercest around noon.
Lin Wanxing had spent the previous night thinking about what content to cover for the high school basics. Although she had reviewed the students’ exam papers, the large number of blank answers made it difficult for her to accurately gauge their grasp of high school knowledge.
So, on the first day, they mostly just chatted.
The equipment room lacked desks, chairs, and a blackboard, so the students had to sit on sit-up mats while listening to her.
Lin Wanxing talked to the students about the most fundamental high school knowledge, starting with the sine and cosine theorems in math. However, the students seemed completely unfamiliar with these terms.
Above them, only a ceiling fan whirred at full speed, but it felt utterly inadequate. The boys, tall and long-legged, had nowhere to stretch their legs in the cramped space. They fidgeted uncomfortably, sweat dripping from their foreheads, breathing in the humid, stifling afternoon air.
Lin Wanxing had initially prepared some blank paper for the students to write on, but that would have required them to lie on the floor. So she set the paper aside and simply chatted with them instead.
The afternoon air was drowsy. Sitting cross-legged on a mat, she didn’t dwell on what they had or hadn’t learned in high school. Instead, she casually chatted with them about interesting topics from various subjects.
For instance, whether the water in "The Little Stone Pond" was truly clear, where the Autumn Harvest Uprising began, or basic economic systems. She even brought up the periodic table of elements. Unsurprisingly, most students had no clue about things high schoolers were supposed to know by heart. Only Fu Xinshu could contribute a little.
Eventually, the students lost all patience to listen to what she was saying.
No matter how lively her tone, the content remained the boring textbook knowledge that made the students zone out the moment they heard it. Coupled with over a dozen people crammed together, the smell of sweat and post-lunch lethargy made everyone drowsy.
Lin Wanxing understood that the students had already made a great effort by giving up their noon nap and rest time to come here, enduring the sweltering summer heat. They tried hard to focus but simply couldn’t.
Many things are like this—you start with full confidence, only to encounter one setback after another, making it all too easy to give up.
By evening, perhaps because they hadn’t napped at noon or because the mental exertion of the afternoon had exhausted them, the students lacked energy during training. This lack of energy was hard to describe. Wang Fa was never the type to strictly supervise the students, spending most of his time sitting in the stands. So, as they played, their running slowed; as they played, their shouts grew quieter.
From sunset to complete darkness, with only four days left until the match, everyone was probably wondering: What would become of them after next Sunday?That evening, Lin Wanxing returned to her dormitory, feeling unusually exhausted for the first time.
Under the trees by the dormitory entrance, thermoses were lined up, waiting for students to retrieve them after evening self-study.
The dorm supervisor was knitting a sweater. Lin Wanxing greeted her as usual, but the auntie asked, "Xiao Lin, have you found a place to live?"
Lin Wanxing froze for a moment. The large perpetual calendar hanging on the wall of the dorm supervisor's small room showed a prominent "24." Only then did she realize that this Friday was the final day the school provided dormitories for trainee teachers. The notice had been given earlier, and Teacher Xu, who had shared the dorm with her, had moved out a week ago.
"I've found a place, thank you, Auntie." Lin Wanxing waved at her. "I'm going back to pack my things."
Back in her small dorm room, the desk was piled high with textbooks she had borrowed from the high school library, leaving only a tiny space for her laptop. A strange, absurd feeling washed over Lin Wanxing.
Hadn't the principal arranged this cushy job for her as a favor to an acquaintance?
How had she gotten so busy that she forgot about moving out?
Aside from the large cardboard box she had mailed from university, there were no other major belongings in the dorm. Lin Wanxing packed everything into two large suitcases and promptly booked a small moving van through an app.
With a busy schedule during the day, she only had time in the evening.
When the van driver arrived, the dorm supervisor seemed apologetic. "Oh, I only mentioned it in passing. I didn’t mean for you to leave so late at night."
"I have to move out sooner or later," Lin Wanxing said, placing a bag of uneaten oranges she had bought the day before on the auntie’s desk.
"Take care on your way."
"Will do, Auntie," Lin Wanxing replied.
After a simple farewell, Lin Wanxing got into the passenger seat of the van.
The vehicle circled the campus, passing by shadowy trees on both sides, and arrived at its destination in just five minutes.
—
No. 17 Wutong Road was where her grandparents' house stood.
It was a simple, old-style residential building in an ordinary neighborhood.
The walls were a deep smoky gray, with patches peeling off here and there, occasionally revealing darker concrete and red bricks beneath. Since her grandparents had once run an after-school tutoring center and a small convenience store downstairs, the green iron door at the entrance was adorned with chalk doodles by mischievous boys and stickers left by girls.
Lin Wanxing opened the van door, one moment lost in a river of memories, the next struck speechless.
The green iron door of the stairwell looked exactly as she remembered, but now it was tightly shut, and a few suspicious-looking high school students were loitering in front of it.
Chen Jianghe, Qin Ao, Yu Ming, Qi Liang, Fu Xinshu...
Lin Wanxing rubbed her eyes. Even more absurd than landing a cushy job only to have her time and energy completely consumed by students was the fact that she could run into these brats from the football team while moving???
Familiar faces sparked instant tension. To seize the initiative, she had to ask first. So when "What are you (all) doing here?" echoed simultaneously, Lin Wanxing knew she was still no match for her students' volume.
"This is my home," Lin Wanxing quickly replied, signaling for them to lower their voices.
Silence fell abruptly, and almost at the same time, footsteps echoed from the stairwell. With a creak, the hinges turned, and the iron door swung open.Wang Fa appeared at the doorway, dressed in loose athletic loungewear.
The motion-sensor light in the hallway flickered off, making the scene resemble something straight out of a sitcom.
The three parties stood facing each other in the cramped hallway space of less than two square meters. Qin Ao’s eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t dare make a sound. Qi Liang was the first to react, leaning close to Lin Wanxing and whispering conspiratorially, "Teacher, does the coach live at your place too?"
Lin Wanxing quickly explained, "No, I just moved in."
"Did you move in with the coach?" The same question persisted.
"But you said this is your home—how come you just moved in?" Qi Liang pressed relentlessly.
"Teacher, something’s off with you."
The students chattered all at once, talking over each other, leaving Lin Wanxing unable to defend herself.
She could only look pleadingly at Wang Fa, who had been leaning against the railing the entire time without saying a word.
"Do you live here too?" she asked Wang Fa.
"Didn’t you already know?" Wang Fa replied.
Lin Wanxing’s mouth fell half-open as she finally remembered—Wang Fa had indeed mentioned renting a place here.
"Then why did you come downstairs so late?" Lin Wanxing asked.
"I was going to buy a pack of cigarettes. Now, I’m also here to pick you up."
Lin Wanxing: "..."
Perfectly normal words sounded strange coming from Wang Fa’s mouth, and the students’ eyes gleamed with the excitement of watching a drama unfold.
Fortunately, the van driver hopped out of his vehicle at that moment, pulling a heavy cardboard box and her luggage from the trunk, breaking the awkward tension. "I’ll leave your stuff here. Carrying it upstairs costs extra," the driver said.
"How much? Please help me carry it up," Lin Wanxing replied.
"What floor? No elevator, right? It’s 70 yuan per floor—just so you know."
Just as Lin Wanxing was about to agree, Qin Ao shot the driver a look that said, "Are you serious?" and said, "We don’t need you. We’ll move it ourselves."
The van driver tried to say more but was promptly shooed away by Qin Ao.
Qin Ao called Yu Ming over to help move the boxes. Placing a hand on the cardboard box, he lectured, "That guy was trying to rip you off. For this little stuff, moving one floor usually costs 30. Did he overcharge you for the ride too?"
"It’s a flat rate from the platform—he didn’t overcharge," Lin Wanxing said meekly, feeling chastised by her student.
Qin Ao seemed satisfied with the answer. He and Yu Ming crouched down, ready to lift the box. The two sturdy boys slid their hands under the bottom of the box, strained their arms, veins bulging, but the half-person-tall cardboard box didn’t budge an inch.
"Damn, what’s in here?" Qin Ao exhaled sharply, pulling his hands out and jumping up. "Why is it so heavy?"
"Uh… yeah, it’s really heavy. That’s why I thought 70 wasn’t too expensive," Lin Wanxing said helplessly.
The students clamored, each wanting to test how heavy the box really was. Just then, Wang Fa stepped forward. He took Fu Xinshu’s place, signaling with his eyes for Qin Ao, Yu Ming, and Chen Jianghe to lift the other three corners of the box.
Wang Fa crouched down, his arms flexing, revealing powerful muscle lines. Without even needing a count of "one, two, three," all four lifted the box in unison.
Lin Wanxing hurried to pull the hallway security door wide open. The motion-sensor light flickered on again, illuminating the slender, rusted iron railings and the long, worn-out staircase.
Wang Fa, carrying the box, stood on the bottom step, bearing most of the weight for the students."What kind of cigarettes do you want?" Lin Wanxing asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Green View," Wang Fa replied.
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