Chapter 019

After dinner, Chu Xia returned to her dorm, washed up, and went to bed.

Though the kitchen was still buzzing with noise, the sound was muffled by two walls and a bit of distance. Laughter drifted over occasionally but wasn’t loud enough to disturb her. She fell asleep quickly.

Tired from the day’s events, she slept soundly.

She had no idea when Li Qiao and the others finished steaming their buns, when they returned to the dorm, or whether they stayed up whispering and talking about her behind her back.

Not that she cared.

Given her recent behavior had clearly annoyed them, it would’ve been strange if they weren’t gossiping. Their mouths belonged to them—if they wanted to talk, they could talk.

As long as she didn’t hear them with her own ears, it was as if nothing had happened.

After a deep sleep, Chu Xia still woke at the break of dawn. While everyone else was still fast asleep, she got up quietly, washed up, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Now that enrollment was done, a small burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Aside from the opening ceremony scheduled for today, there wasn’t much else to worry about. With little pressure left on her, she felt far more at ease than in previous days.

Even in this more relaxed state, her routine remained unchanged.

She still sat with Lin Xiaohan for breakfast, then shouldered her bag and followed him to school.

Between the two of them, conversation wasn’t necessary—but keeping a close distance was.

Knowing how sensitive Lin Xiaohan could be, Chu Xia did her best to seem natural, not deliberate.

Once they arrived at the school, they got started on the first small task of the day: cleaning.

They divided the work and swept, wiped, and tidied both inside and outside of the school. After that, they moved on to the second task—creating a backboard display on the blackboard.

The school had been closed for so long that reopening it deserved a proper sense of ceremony.

Besides the opening ceremony, which all the brigade officials would attend, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan had agreed to make a welcome display on the blackboard at the back of the classroom to greet the returning students.

They had planned ahead, so yesterday during their shopping trip, they’d bought a box of colored chalk.

Using the colorful chalk to draw on the backboard would brighten up the whole classroom.

Chu Xia held the colored chalk in her hand as she stood next to Lin Xiaohan in front of the blackboard.

The two of them stood side by side, discussing and brainstorming how best to design the board.

After deciding on a rough layout, Lin Xiaohan turned to Chu Xia and asked, “How are you at drawing and calligraphy?”

Truthfully, Chu Xia didn’t have much artistic talent.

She was born ordinary. In the original novel, she never once stood out, not even for a moment.

Tong Rui was elegant, noble, pure, and proud—a goddess in everyone’s eyes. Su Yun was beautiful and graceful, bursting with artistic talent, capable of singing, dancing, and always full of poetic charm. Even just a glance or a frown from her set her apart.

Chu Xia, on the other hand, was only skilled in things that served Han Ting. She had no personal charm to speak of.

What she was best at was cooking, cleaning, working quietly in the background, and taking care of others. The words used to describe her were things like “hardworking,” “uncomplaining,” “low-key,” and “a good woman who knows how to manage a household.”

Chu Xia shook her head and replied, “I can’t draw, and my handwriting is just average.”

Lin Xiaohan looked at her for a moment, then suddenly said with biting sarcasm, “You really are ‘ordinary’ from head to toe. No wonder Han Ting didn’t notice you—first he lost Tong Rui, then Su Yun came along. Why would he ever look your way?”

Of course. Nothing nice ever came out of his mouth.

Chu Xia pressed her lips together and glared at him, thinking silently: Just wait. Once I break free from the constraints of this novel and find my true self, I’ll shut that smug mouth of yours for good.

Seeing her glare, Lin Xiaohan smirked. “What are you glaring at me for? Go glare at Han Ting if you’ve got the guts.”

Chu Xia shot back, “He never insulted me or called me ordinary. Why would I glare at him?”

Lin Xiaohan let out a short laugh. Taking the chalk from her hand, he started sketching on the board and continued, “If he didn’t think you were ordinary, would he have ignored your feelings and your efforts for over a decade? The day you finally stop being so ‘ordinary,’ he’ll come crawling back, realizing how much you did for him and how long you loved him. He’ll be full of regret, calling himself blind for not seeing that the one he truly loved was right beside him all along.”

Then, he turned to look at her. “Don’t tell me that’s your plan? Distancing yourself from him to make him realize what he’s lost, then working hard to transform yourself and dazzle him, just so he can fall for you in the end?”

Chu Xia’s skin prickled with discomfort.

Even just the thought of spending half her life waiting for Han Ting, like in the novel—only for him to finally appreciate her after enduring hardships—was hard enough to stomach. But what Lin Xiaohan was describing was even worse: the idea that she would scheme and struggle to make Han Ting see her worth was downright unbearable.

She immediately refuted him. “I’m not that pathetic. I’m not going to waste my time playing games just for some man. Even if he someday finally understands how I felt and what I did for him, I still wouldn’t want him.”

Lin Xiaohan studied her eyes, as if trying to tell if she meant it.

After a moment, he chuckled softly, turned back to the blackboard, and said, “Good. Because some things just can’t be changed. You’re either born with them or you’re not. No matter how hard you try, ‘ordinary’ can’t be turned into ‘extraordinary.’ Even if Han Ting someday sees your worth, he’d only be settling for second best.”

Even though that was exactly what happened in the novel, hearing it said aloud still made Chu Xia angry.

She stared at his back and, without realizing it, snapped the chalk in her hand.

Chalk was expensive, so she quickly stopped herself from breaking another piece.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down on a desk in the last row, looked straight at Lin Xiaohan, and said, “Fine. Let’s wait and see. One day, I’ll shine in my own right. I’m putting it on record now: I won’t live as anyone’s side character ever again. And no one can stop me from shining.”

As those words left her mouth, Lin Xiaohan’s hand paused mid-drawing.

He slowly turned to look at her—sitting on top of the desk, eyes unwavering and clear. The morning sun poured in through the windows, lighting up her gaze and casting a glow on the side of her face.

For a brief moment, he had the illusion that the light was coming from her.

Just as Lin Xiaohan was lost in thought—

A voice suddenly rang out from outside the classroom: “Comrade Xiao Lin! Comrade Xia!”

Lin Xiaohan snapped out of it. He and Chu Xia turned their heads at the same time and saw that it was Liang Youtian calling them.

Chu Xia quickly jumped down from the desk and walked out of the classroom with Lin Xiaohan to greet Liang Youtian.

Outside the classroom, they exchanged greetings.

Liang Youtian poked his head in to take a look, smiling as he asked, “Working on a bulletin board?”

Lin Xiaohan responded, “Yes, we’re planning to make a back-to-school bulletin board to welcome the kids.”

Liang Youtian was visibly pleased with everything he saw—and even more so with Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan.

The school had once been so overgrown that not even a soul could get in, with weeds taller than people. Now it was clean and bright inside and out, and with the addition of a bulletin board, it looked proper and full of life.

He chuckled and praised them for a good while, calling them capable and hardworking.

Out of the dozen or so educated youths the commune had sent, the ones who gave the least trouble and were the most satisfactory were these two—Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan.

They weren’t afraid of hardship, never complained, and handled every task with diligence and grace.

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan both listened modestly to the praise.

Then Lin Xiaohan asked, “Captain Liang, is there something you’d like us to do?”

Liang Youtian slapped his forehead. “Ah, look at me—got so happy I almost forgot the real reason I came!”

The real reason, of course, was the opening ceremony for the new school term.

He told them, “We’re not ones for pomp and formality, so we’ll combine both the school opening ceremony and the village meeting into one. This afternoon, we’ll call the villagers to gather at the threshing ground outside. Saves time. That way, it’ll serve as both the ceremony and a village assembly. No need for anything elaborate—just move three desks outside and put them together as a makeshift platform. Then bring over the red cloth from the office, drape it on top, set up a microphone, and we’re good.”

It was indeed a simple setup.

The threshing ground was right outside the school gate—a large, flat area.

In autumn, it was where rice was dried and threshed. When film crews came to screen movies or the publicity team put on performances, this was also the place. Now it would take on a new role—as the school’s playground.

Once the arrangements were explained, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan both nodded.

Liang Youtian smiled and added, “Comrade Xiao Lin and Comrade Xiao Xia, you two should also prepare a few words to say. The kids will be in your care from now on.”

After all, there were only two teachers at the school—Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan.

So if there was going to be a ceremony, of course, they’d be giving speeches.

Neither of them objected. They readily agreed. “Alright, Captain Liang.”

Having said what he came to say, Liang Youtian was about to leave.

Still smiling, he added, “That’s all—no more tasks for you. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan, mindful of courtesy, walked him to the front gate.

After a few steps, Lin Xiaohan suddenly remembered something and called out, “Captain Liang, there’s one more thing we need your help with.”

Liang Youtian stopped and looked back. “What is it? Just say the word.”

Lin Xiaohan said, “We’re officially starting school tomorrow. There needs to be a set schedule for classes—when to start, when to finish—and we’ll need a bell. But the school doesn’t have a clock…”

There was an alarm clock in their dormitory, but it belonged to Wang Xiangqian, who had brought it from home.

Given their current frosty relationship with the other ten people in the dorm, there was no way they’d be able to borrow it.

Liang Youtian understood immediately.

He sucked in a breath, thought for a moment, then said, “I think there’s an old mantel clock in the commune’s storage. Not sure if it still works, but I’ll check when I get back. If it’s usable, I’ll bring it over to you.”

That clock had originally been confiscated from Li Fugui’s household.

Lin Xiaohan nodded. “Alright, thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”

Liang Youtian waved it off. “No trouble at all. It’s my responsibility. Leave it to me. You two get back to work.”

With nothing more to discuss, Liang Youtian took his leave.

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan saw him off at the gate, then turned and headed back to the classroom.

Back inside, they resumed working on the bulletin board.

Lin Xiaohan drew the outlines and designs. Once a section was done, he handed the chalk to Chu Xia. “Your turn to fill in the color.”

Chu Xia took the chalk and filled in the spaces as directed.

For spots too high to reach, she grabbed a stool to stand on.

As he worked, Lin Xiaohan reminded her, “We only have one box of colored chalk, so use it sparingly. Don’t press too hard or apply too many layers—light coverage is enough.”

Chu Xia nodded, “Got it.”

He added, “Shade in one direction. Don’t scribble all over—it’ll look messy.”

Still focused on her work, she replied, “Understood.”

So the two of them stood side by side in front of the blackboard, arms raised as they worked on the board together.

Lin Xiaohan stood on the ground; Chu Xia stood on the stool.

The chalk began filling the blackboard with color—blue skies, drifting clouds—transforming the once lifeless surface into something full of vitality and hope.