NABC Chapter 155 Departure
Chapter 155 Departure
On Monday, the sun hadn't fully woken up yet.
The playground was already packed with people.
People were carrying large and small bags, all brightly colored. Some were carrying duffel bags, some were carrying backpacks, and some were dragging small suitcases whose wheels wouldn't roll on the track, so they simply picked them up and carried them.
Everyone had a smile on their face, the kind of smile that says "no class today".
It was called a spring outing, but it was actually a study tour.
A small island outside the city, three days and two nights.
We'll go by boat.
Song Huan stood by the playground, carrying a small gray bag on her back. It was flat and not bulging at all, and inside were just a few changes of clothes.
He was still wearing that blue and white school sports uniform, the zipper not fully zipped up.
He stood there with his hands in his pockets.
A gust of wind blew by, lifting a few stray hairs from her forehead.
Xiao Yunqing stood by the flower bed not far away, holding a black SLR camera in her hand, which she had borrowed from Xiao Haifeng.
The fuselage was bigger than her hand, and she held it as if it were a precious treasure.
Zhou Shan leaned over and tilted her head to look through the viewfinder.
Which one to press?
"This one." Xiao Yunqing pointed to the shutter button.
Zhou Shan pressed it, but there was no response.
"You didn't open the lens cap."
"oh oh."
After removing the lid, Zhou Shan held it up again, gestured towards the distant teaching building, took a few photos, and then returned it to Xiao Yunqing.
Xiao Yunqing took the camera, turned around, and pointed the lens at the edge of the playground.
Song Huan was standing there.
With his hands in his pockets and his head slightly lowered, he seemed lost in thought.
The sunlight slanted in from the east and fell directly on his face.
The shutter clicked.
Song Huan raised her head.
Xiao Yunqing held the camera up, her eyes glued to the viewfinder, and didn't put it down.
In the viewfinder, he was looking this way.
She pressed it a second time.
"Wow." Zhou Shan leaned closer. "This one looks good."
In the viewfinder's small screen, Song Huan's face was turned to the side, sunlight shining on half of her face while the other half was in shadow.
Her hair was blown up a little by the wind. She didn't show much expression.
Xiao Yunqing stared at the screen for two seconds without saying a word.
Zhou Shan leaned closer, her eyes widening. "His skin is so good, I can't even see his pores up close."
Xiao Yunqing quickly put the camera away and hung it around her neck.
This photo must not be shown to anyone!
She had already made up her mind to secretly wash it herself when she got back.
Zhao Qihang walked over from the side, carrying a huge duffel bag that was so bulging that the zipper was about to burst open.
Chen Xu followed behind, carrying a military green hiking backpack that was wider than his entire body.
Zhao Qihang glanced at the camera in Xiao Yunqing's hand, then at Song Huan, a sour look on his face.
"Class monitor, can you please stop being so biased? Take a picture of me and Chen Xu too."
Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Song Huan.
Song Huan yawned, scratched the back of his head, and didn't look at her.
"Okay," she said.
Zhao Qihang put his arm around Chen Xu's neck and pulled him over. The two of them stood in front of the flower bed.
Chen Xu was bent over by the tightness of the belt, his hands hanging limply at his sides like a telephone pole, unsure of what to do.
Zhao Qihang grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
Xiao Yunqing raised the camera and focused.
In the viewfinder, Zhao Qihang was smiling happily, while Chen Xu's expression was stiff, his eyes unsure of where to look.
She pressed it.
"alright."
Zhao Qihang let go of Chen Xu and ran over to take a look.
Xiao Yunqing handed the camera to him to show him, "I'll wash it when I get back."
Zhao Qihang glanced at the camera and, seeing his own figure clearly reflected in the image, happily walked away.
Song Huan was still standing by the playground, his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-closed.
Actually, he's not aloof.
He's still sleepy.
I was packing until midnight last night, and then tossed and turned in bed for another half hour.
My mind kept racing: how many pairs of underwear did I put there?
Three doesn't seem like enough.
Where are the socks? Two pairs.
What if it rains these next few days and the clothes won't dry?
I was woken up by my alarm clock at six in the morning, and I was still thinking about this problem while brushing my teeth.
He yawned and scratched his head.
Who cares? I'll just not change it.
The class monitor walked out of the teaching building, holding a microphone in his hand. He tapped the microphone twice as he walked, saying "Hello, hello" twice, the static crackling loudly.
The buzzing sound on the playground subsided a little.
He stood on the steps and cleared his throat.
"I have three points to make regarding this study tour."
The room fell silent.
"First and foremost, safety."
He held up one finger.
"Secondly, discipline."
Another one was erected.
Thirdly, unity.
Is that all?
Someone chuckled quietly, but quickly stopped.
"Regarding safety, everyone should pay attention..." he began to elaborate.
The sun peeked out completely from behind the clouds, shining brightly on the playground, casting shadows that shrank into small clumps.
Some people started sweating, some took off their coats and draped them over their bags, and some squatted down to tie their shoelaces, not standing up after they finished.
The class monitor was still talking.
"Regarding discipline, each class's homeroom teacher must take responsibility..."
Song Huan glanced down at her bag.
The zipper is zipped up, no problem.
I touched the side pocket again, and there was still the toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Regarding unity, classes should help each other..."
Xiao Yunqing stood next to him, her camera hanging in front of her chest, her hand resting on it, her fingers tapping the camera body twice.
She muttered under her breath, "Why does he talk so much nonsense?"
Song Huan nodded.
After the class monitor finished explaining the first point, he began to explain the second point.
After finishing the second point, I returned to the first point and added two more points.
People are starting to look at watches.
7:45, 8:00, 8:15.
The prefect's voice came through the microphone, bouncing across the playground.
Xiao Yunqing raised her camera and took a picture of the sky.
The clouds are white, and the sky is blue.
The class monitor was still talking.
"Finally, I want to emphasize this..."
Xiao Yunqing turned to look at Song Huan, "Didn't he just say one last thing?"
Song Huan shrugged.
A leader's speech is like Schrödinger's cat; you never know when he'll finish until the very end.
8:30.
The people on the playground could barely stand anymore.
Some people leaned against their luggage, some sat on the ground, and some huddled together in twos and threes, talking quietly.
Zhao Qihang simply laid the duffel bag down, plopped down on it, and crossed his legs.
The class monitor stood on the steps, sweat beading on his forehead.
He glanced down and cleared his throat.
"I'll see which class is the quietest and which class stands the straightest, and I'll let that class get on the bus first."
The playground fell silent for a second.
Everyone, stand up straight immediately.
Some people put their coats back on, others pulled their duffel bags out from under their bottoms and carried them carefully, but no one dared to say a word.
The prefect nodded in satisfaction and was about to continue speaking.
At that moment, a teacher ran out from behind the teaching building, walking quickly, with a mobile phone in his hand.
"The bus has arrived! The dock said it's already heading into the city!"
The class monitor paused for a moment, then raised the microphone to his mouth and put it down again.
He glanced at the students standing ramrod straight on the playground.
He waved his hand.
"Get on the bus!"
The playground was silent for a second, then erupted.
The sound of bag straps swinging, someone shouting "Hurry up, hurry up!", someone shouting "Don't push, don't push!", someone dragging a suitcase through the crowd, the wheels rolling fast.
The homeroom teachers of each class quickly began to organize discipline and ensure an orderly departure.
Zhao Qihang sprang off his luggage bag, grabbed it, and ran toward the school gate.
Chen Xu followed behind, taking large strides, and overtook him in just two steps.
Xiao Yunqing hung the camera around her neck and bent down to pick up her bag.
A pink backpack, bulging and so big that the zipper could barely be closed.
Song Huan walked over, took the bag from her hand, and carried it herself.
She paused for a moment, then looked up at him.
Song Huan had already turned and left, her left hand holding her own bag and her right hand holding hers, both hands occupied, and she wasn't walking fast.
Xiao Yunqing followed him and walked beside him. She felt a little uncomfortable seeing others carrying large and small bags while she was empty-handed.
"My bag isn't heavy."
"Um."
"It's really not heavy."
"Um."
She glanced at Song Huan again, then remained silent and quietly moved closer to him.
Buses were parked at the entrance, one after another, lined up in a row.
The travel agency's name was printed on the vehicle in white lettering on a blue background.
Lu Xu stood by the car door, dressed in sportswear: a white T-shirt, dark blue sweatpants, and running shoes.
Her hair wasn't combed as neatly as usual, and her bangs were falling over her forehead, making her look several years younger.
He crossed his arms and watched the students board the bus one by one.
Someone shouted, "Teacher Lu is so handsome!" He smiled and waved his hand.
Zhao Qihang squeezed past him, glanced back, and said, "Teacher, you don't look like you're teaching today."
"What does that look like?"
"Like a PE teacher."
"Are you trying to say that your math was taught by the PE teacher?"
Lu Xu raised his foot to kick, but Zhao Qihang had already jumped into the car.
The Chinese teacher walked over from behind, holding a thermos in her hand, smiling.
She stood by the car door, and after most of the students had boarded, she cleared her throat.
"Students, after you return, each of you should submit a study report."
Her voice wasn't loud, but her smile was sweet.
"Three thousand words."
The playground was quiet for two seconds.
Then cries of agony surged up from all directions, like a pot exploding.
Zhao Qihang leaned out of the car window. "Teacher, why didn't you say so sooner! If you had, I wouldn't have gone!"
The Chinese teacher took a sip of water and smiled without saying a word.
Xiao Yunqing stood next to Song Huan, opened her mouth slightly, and then closed it again.
Three thousand words, three days and two nights.
That is one thousand words a day.
She turned to look at Song Huan.
Song Huan yawned.
composition?
Then he'll have to go through his old elementary and junior high school records and hand them in.
"Let's go, get in the car."
The air conditioning was on full blast inside the bus.
Song Huan sat by the window, and Xiao Yunqing sat next to him.
She placed her pink backpack on her lap, unzipped it, and began taking things out.
One bag of potato chips.
Two boxes of biscuits.
Jelly, four pieces.
Three chocolate bars.
There was also a bag of gummy candies, strawberry flavored.
I bought them all at the supermarket with him yesterday.
She arranged them in a neat row on her lap.
"Which one do you want to eat?" She turned to look at him.
Song Huan glanced at her long legs, then finally grabbed a bag of potato chips, tore it open, and popped a chip into her mouth.
Xiao Yunqing also took a bag, tore it open, and ate it faster than him.
The car started, drove out of the school gate, and turned onto the main road.
The buildings outside the window gradually became shorter, turning into factories and then into farmland.
The sky was very blue, the clouds were very white, and there was a line in the distance that made it hard to tell whether it was the sea or the sky.
With her mouth full of potato chips, Xiao Yunqing mumbled, "Look at that cloud, doesn't it look like a dog?"
Song Huan glanced at it.
"picture."
"It doesn't look like it at all; you're just trying to fool me."
She stuffed another potato chip into her mouth, her cheeks bulging.
"He really does look like you."
"Song Huan! Are you trying to force me to hit you when I'm in a good mood?!"
Song Huan leaned back in her chair, obediently closed her eyes, and listened to her angry words.
Xiao Yunqing spoke one sentence after another, without needing to reply or respond; she just kept talking, like a sparrow chirping in your ear.
After driving for more than two hours, the scenery outside the window changed from farmland to mudflats, and then from mudflats to the sea.
Someone shouted, "We can see the sea!" and everyone on the bus crowded towards the window.
The sea was vast, a grayish-blue color, and in the distance, the sky and the sea merged into one, making it impossible to distinguish the boundary.
The sunlight shone on it, dappled and sparkling, like a layer of silver.
Xiao Yunqing leaned against the window, her face pressed against the glass.
"So beautiful."
Song Huan looked out the window without saying a word.
After driving for another half hour, the car stopped.
The dock was large, and the cement ground was whitened by the sun.
Several ferries were moored side by side on the shore, their white hulls adorned with red lettering.
The class monitor stood on the steps of the dock, holding a microphone.
"Each class should board the ship in order, without pushing. Two classes per ship. Classes one and two should go first, followed by classes three and four..."
The steps are narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side.
The students from Class 3 walked in front, and Class 4 followed behind.
People were crammed together, bags bumping against each other, and someone was pushed to the side and had to grab the railing.
Xiao Yunqing was walking next to Song Huan when she was pushed by the crowd and stumbled backward.
As they tried to push forward, several people cut in front of them, separating the two of them.
She tiptoed and saw Song Huan ahead, her figure receding into the distance.
"Song Huan!"
The voice squeezed out from the crowd, shrill.
Song Huan turned around.
She stood a few meters away, sandwiched between two people, her hands raised and reaching out towards him.
Song Huan stepped aside to let the people behind her pass first, then reached out and took her hand.
Her hands were small, and her fingers were cool.
He pulled her over and drew her to his side.
Shoulder to shoulder, bag to bag.
"Those boys from Class 3," she whispered, pouting, "elbowed me behind my back."
Song Huan smiled, but didn't let go of his hand.
The two walked side by side. The steps were narrow; he walked on the side closest to the sea, and she walked on the side closest to the wall.
Someone squeezed in from behind, and he stepped aside to block her from entering.
Once aboard, the deck was large, and the corrugated iron floor was scorching hot from the sun.
The students from Class 3 occupied the left side, and the students from Class 4 occupied the right side.
They separated naturally, as if a line had been drawn in the middle.
Xiao Yunqing let go of the railing, stood by the railing, raised the camera, and took a picture of the sea.
The boat rocked slightly.
She quickly grabbed the railing with one hand and Song Huan's arm with the other.
"Be careful," Song Huan said. "Hold onto the camera carefully, don't let it fall into the sea."
The ship rocked again, this time more than before.
She didn't let go.
The whistle sounded, a long, drawn-out blast.
"Ugh...!"
The boat slowly left the dock, the seawater churning up white waves at the stern, drifting further and further away.
This was Xiao Yunqing's first time on a boat.
She gripped the railing tightly, her eyes fixed on the sea, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation in her gaze.
The boat rocked slightly, and she leaned towards Song Huan, her shoulder bumping into his arm.
"Are you scared?" she asked.
"I'm not afraid."
"real?"
"Um."
"I was thinking that if you were scared, you could hug me."
"Is it too late for me to be afraid now?"
"roll!"
Xiao Yunqing covered her mouth and giggled, her laughter more radiant than any flower.
As the ship sailed out of the harbor, the waves grew larger, causing the ship to bob up and down.
The tension on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by excitement.
She loosened her grip on the railing, braced herself with both hands, and leaned forward. The sea breeze blew, blowing her short hair back and revealing her entire face.
"What a vast sea," she said.
Zhou Shan walked over from the side, holding an orange in her hand, which she had peeled in half.
"Yunqing, take a picture for me."
Xiao Yunqing raised her camera and pointed it at her.
Zhou Shan made a peace sign, still holding the orange in her hand.
"Click."
Zhou Shan leaned over to take a look and nodded in satisfaction, "Well done."
Xiao Yunqing took a few more pictures of the sea.
Waves, a ship in the distance, seagulls.
After taking the photos, she turned around and looked around.
The deck was crowded with people from shifts three and four. Some were chatting by the railing, some were squatting in the shade playing cards, and some were asleep on their backpacks.
She didn't see Song Huan.
When I walked up to Zhao Qihang, he was squatting on the ground, secretly eating Chen Xu's cookies.
Where is Song Huan?
Zhao Qihang didn't even look up, but pointed towards the stern of the ship.
"There, he's throwing up."
Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment.
"Both he and Chen Xu get seasick; they couldn't handle it once they got on the ship."
Zhao Qihang stuffed the last cookie into his mouth, patted the crumbs off his hands, and said, "I thought he could do anything, but it turns out he gets seasick too."
Xiao Yunqing ignored him and turned to walk towards the stern of the boat.
There were fewer people at the stern of the boat, and there was a puddle of water on the tin-roofed ground; it was unclear whether it had been washed up by waves or something else.
Song Huan squatted by the railing, holding onto it with her hands and looking down.
Chen Xu squatted down beside him, his face facing the sea, half a meter away.
The sea breeze blew over and messed up Song Huan's hair.
Xiao Yunqing walked over and stood next to him.
He didn't say anything.
He took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, opened it, took out a tissue, and handed it over.
Song Huan took it and wiped her mouth.