Monster has been promoted to a first-level engineer and mentioned he wants to start his own company in China. Yida now has his own recording studio in the US, offering free album recording opportunities to some underground bands. A-Xin has been busy organizing his art exhibition. Everyone is living quite comfortably. To celebrate this special day today, I even bought a fridge full of food. Well, it’s so much that four people couldn’t possibly finish it. Of course, Zhou Wei isn’t the same Wei who only knew how to cook egg dishes anymore. For A-Xin’s hard-to-please stomach, I’ve suffered a lot. With my hands on the table, watching the hot dishes on the table gradually cool down and then turn cold, the clock on the wall showed that the hour and minute hands had overlapped at 12. Twelve o’clock, both a beginning and an end. Suddenly, the phone rang, and at the same time, fireworks burst outside the window. The entire glass was intermittently lit up by the dazzling fireworks, and there was a noisy crowd downstairs. I was puzzled, went to answer the phone, and the sound of fireworks outside merged with the voice on the phone. I heard the unrestrained laughter of children in the background. “Hello,” I cautiously answered. Hello, hello; hello—, hello… On the other end, I heard heavy breathing, and suddenly, laughter erupted as if it had been held back for too long, then I heard a familiar yet strange voice laughing and shouting, “Hurry up and bring her out, what’s with this anniversary surprise!” Then, a warm voice came through, Monster said, “We’re back.” I walked down the stairs, step by step into the yard, where Monster, Yida, and A-Xin stood together, laughing triumphantly at my bewilderment. Yida had grown a full beard, quite fitting for his image as a producer; Monster seemed a bit plump, oh dear, all thanks to bread and butter. A-Xin had his hands in his pockets, smiling slyly. My students were setting off fireworks behind them, shouting and cheering, with the leading boy shouting, “Teacher Wei, we envy you!” Everyone burst into laughter, and my tears nearly fell. The children released balloons, and as we looked up, we saw balloons of all colors with names written on them—Monster, Yida, Yu, Wei, Xin… so many balloons, so many names. I later learned that they were sleeping in class because they were staying up late to write our names on these balloons. I have no idea what tricks A-Xin used to bribe them. Fireworks bloomed in the sky, though fleeting, enough to astonish the night momentarily. ANN’s theory that students are becoming increasingly lawless had new evidence, but who cares? Back then, didn’t I also get punished to clean the new student hall for a month? Yida nudged A-Xin, saying, “You’re not jealous, are you?” A-Xin shrugged, “It’s not like I haven’t been.” Monster laughed, they approached, and we hugged tightly. I didn’t know whose collar I smeared with my snot, whose shoulder my tears fell upon, or who wiped the tears from the corner of my eye. I just wanted to say, those youthful days, thankfully, had all of you by my side. (The end)
Extra: Monster’s Letter to Xiao Wei:
Xiao Wei,
