Chapter 44: Invigilation

Beijing, Beijing Normal University.

The weather in the capital was perpetually gray. The expansive campus felt hollow and empty, with only a few figures visible on the athletic field. A biting north wind swept withered leaves from one end of the campus to the other.

Every teaching building was packed to capacity, as this was exam week, with all assessments crammed into these few days. Whether they had exams or not, students had no heart for wandering. They were either holed up in classrooms, dormitories, and the library cramming, or they were already inside the examination halls. They were much like the college students of later generations, who would start frantically reviewing only in the final week of the term, sometimes even pleading with their professors afterward: "Professor, I'm a total newbie—please, save me!"

Of course, the university students of the eighties lacked no such spirit.

In the hallway of the Second Teaching Building at Beijing Normal University, Cheng Kaiyan, serving as the inspector appointed by Director Fang, wore a black Zhongshan-style jacket with the university badge pinned to his chest and two pens tucked into his breast pocket. With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced between the examination rooms. Occasionally, he would lean against a wooden-framed window to peek inside, or pause to chat with acquaintances he had come to know over the past few days. He was, in effect, the disciplinary officer of the exam halls.

*Creak.*

As Cheng Kaiyan passed a classroom on the third floor, he caught sight of a familiar face in his peripheral vision. He looked closer—good heavens! Ji Qinglan was nearly asleep. How could someone her age manage to doze off?

The rusted hinges of the rear door let out an ear-piercing squeak, and a gust of cold wind rushed into the classroom. Some sensitive students turned their heads, but upon seeing the inspector, they quickly shrank back. Cheng Kaiyan walked into the room and looked up; the proctor was Professor Han Zhaoqi, who specialized in ancient literature. He sported a classic center-part hairstyle—meaning his forehead was bare, his hair parted down the middle toward his ears—and he wore glasses.

Seeing Cheng Kaiyan enter, he nodded with a smile. Cheng returned the nod; this professor was quite humorous. Having been bored earlier, Cheng had sat in on two of his lectures on the *Records of the Grand Historian*. The professor had nearly used a clapper board to tell the stories—right, he was a native of Tianjin.

"Ahem, ahem!"

Cheng Kaiyan circled the room and found that the girl, Ji Qinglan, was still not awake. He walked to her side, cleared his throat, and said sternly, "The student sleeping in the front shouldn't disturb those taking the exam. If you want to sleep, go back to your dormitory."

"How can you be so sleepy at your age?"

He then kicked Ji Qinglan’s chair. The young girl woke up in a daze, rubbing her eyes. With her round, dumpling-like face, she stared at Cheng Kaiyan with a look of pure confusion: "Little Teacher Cheng, why are you in our girls' dormitory?"

"Hahaha!"

"This one is really something!"

The exam hall had been deathly quiet, and upon hearing this, the candidates couldn't help but burst into uproarious laughter.

***

Soon, Ji Qinglan’s dumpling-like face turned beet red. Realizing she was in an examination hall, she slumped onto her desk, too embarrassed to lift her head.

Cheng Kaiyan walked out of the classroom, feeling speechless, and headed toward the East Gate. A large clock hung in the guardhouse of the East Gate of the Normal University. Underneath the clock sat a freckled girl in a red sweater, wearing a ponytail.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her, giving the girl a massive fright.

"Who is it!"

"Me! Just giving you a surprise."

Cheng Kaiyan wore a triumphant grin as he stepped out from behind her.

"A surprise?"

"I'd call that a shock, wouldn't you?"

Lin Xiaohong rolled her eyes. She had been standing there in the wind for a whole day.

"How did you get assigned to ring the bell?"

"It’s all Director Fang's doing. He insisted I ring the bell, saying he was afraid I’d fall asleep while proctoring, so he 'exiled' me to guard the gate."

"Tsk, tsk, how heartless. That old man Director Fang is no good! One of us is guarding the gate, the other is wandering around—there are bad apples among the masses!" Cheng Kaiyan shook his head, sighing.

"Exactly! It must be those bad apples bad-mouthing us behind our backs!" Lin Xiaohong gritted her teeth and waved her fists, her small canine teeth showing. "It must be that Song Jianming’s doing! That guy is so calculating. Cheng Kaiyan, you wouldn't know, but last time, when we were writing poetry manuscripts, he secretly showed his poems to Director Fang. Word is, Director Fang even praised him for being ambitious and talented. He might even win an award."

"He doesn't have that kind of ability. Isn't it more likely that the two of us are just too lazy? Director Fang just gave us some tasks to keep us busy. But it doesn't matter for me; after all, I’ve got my aunt looking out for me." Cheng Kaiyan shook his head. He didn't think Song Jianming had the ability to influence Director Fang; it was more likely that he and Lin Xiaohong were just too much of slackers. Plus, with a show-off like Song Jianming constantly around the Director, the contrast made it obvious...

"Wuwu... Big Brother, you have to look out for me! From now on, I’m your little follower!" Lin Xiaohong immediately stood up to pledge her loyalty.

"Massage my shoulders, look at the... rub my legs."

"Yes!" She stood at attention.

"Big Brother, whether we can have a good life in the future depends on you. Do you have any confidence that the poems you wrote are better than that Song Jianming's?"

"That goes without saying!"

Cheng Kaiyan nodded confidently. Just kidding; although university students were poets by default, they really couldn't hold a candle to the poems of Haizi. Not to mention "Facing the sea, with spring blossoms..."

"Comrade Xiaohong, Big Brother has his first mission for you. When the time comes, help me go up and receive the award..."

"Pfft... The awards haven't even been announced yet, and you're already thinking about accepting one? Comrade Cheng Kaiyan certainly seems confident."

Suddenly, a tall, thin man with stubble on his chin slipped in through the door—it was none other than Song Jianming.

"Well, as they say, the bolder the person, the greater the harvest. There's no harm in thinking about it." Lin Xiaohong curled her lip and said.

***

"Of course, but it’s currently working hours. It doesn't seem very appropriate for you two to be idling here, does it?" Song Jianming said sternly.

In his eyes, these two were simply too relaxed, spending their days idle and doing nothing. They were the proverbial "rat droppings ruining a pot of porridge."

"Hey! It’s time for the exam! Ring the bell, ring the bell!" Cheng Kaiyan couldn't be bothered to deal with him, turning his head to look at the clock in the guardhouse and urging Lin Xiaohong.

"Oh, right."

Lin Xiaohong hurriedly rang the bell, and immediately, the sound of papers being handed in rang out, and the campus finally became lively.

Cheng Kaiyan waved his hand. "Let’s go, let’s go, to the cafeteria."

...

Song Jianming watched their retreating backs, his eyes deep. In truth, he was just venting the resentment in his heart. It was frustration over losing the teaching assistant position that led him to vent his emotions. By now, with his personnel transfer and permanent status confirmed, his dissatisfaction had dissipated significantly.

"Huff..."

Exhaling a long breath, Song Jianming walked along the road in Xinjiekou toward his home in Beitaipingzhuang. He was the eldest son in his family and had attended university in his younger years, but good times didn't last. A few years ago, when the policy for returning to the city loosened, he found an opportunity and pulled some strings with a former female classmate to finally return to the capital.

He had expected to accomplish something after returning, but unexpectedly, when he went to the university to request reinstatement to continue his studies, he was told it wasn't possible. The staff even advised him that if he had the energy, he could take the entrance exam again; the university welcomed those who could pass, even if they were older. But the previous status as a university student was gone, and he couldn't be reinstated.

When he brought this news home, his family was understanding, as expected. But Song Jianming couldn't sit still, so he went out to look for work, yet he couldn't find anything decent. Helpless, he couldn't just live off his parents, could he? So he took over his father's position as a temporary worker in the logistics department.

However, over the past year or two, after handing over his 35-yuan salary to the family, there was basically nothing left. Life remained difficult. It was only later, through certain circumstances, that the leadership noticed his talent, and things gradually began to improve.

With a thousand thoughts in his mind, Song Jianming bit on a white cigarette butt, exhaling a puff of gray smoke. The orange-red fire of the cigarette was piercingly bright in the dim alleyway.

Suddenly, at a corner, he caught sight of a delicate-looking woman in thin clothing holding the hand of a two- or three-year-old girl, walking past from the end of the street.

*Plop...*

The cigarette butt slipped from his hand, the glowing embers falling to the ground.

Song Jianming stared blankly at the two of them, his entire body trembling...