Chapter 1183: A song called ‘To Youth’
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
In the school.
In a garden near the old teaching area.
When Zhang Ye, Yu Yingyi and the others arrived, they saw many familiar faces around. Zhang Ye could recognize some of them immediately but was unable to recognize most of the others. A few years was not that long to speak of, but neither was it a short time. However, that was more than enough to change a person on the inside and the outside.
Zhang Ye greeted them from afar, “Fellas!”
“Zhang’er!”
“Aiyo, here comes our big star!”
“Yu’er is here too!”
“Xiaoqian!”
“Ah, Old Wang!”
“I’ve missed all of you so much!”
“Haha, He Kui!”
“Whoa, Wang He, didn’t you go back to your hometown?”
“I came back long ago. I’m back to hosting again.”
“Ah? Didn’t you offend someone in the past?”
“Zhang Ye found someone to help me resolve that issue.”
“Good, that’s really great!”
“Old Zhou, how did you put on so much weight?”
“Hehe, the pressures of life did me in.”
“You’re under so much stress and still eating that much? I nearly couldn’t recognize you!”
Since Wang He, Ma Xufei, He Kui, Yu Yingyi, Dong Shanshan, and Zhang Ye had often been attending parties held at Dong Shanshan’s villa, there was nothing much to catch up on between them. As for the remaining old classmates they had lost contact with for “many” years and not seen for a long time, they were naturally more excited to see each other again. Everyone hugged one another the moment they met. Some of them put their arms around one another’s shoulders and started chatting, while others who had misunderstandings in the past laughed when they saw each other as they thought back to those petty grudges they held when they were still in school.
Zhang Ye was also very excited. After hugging one person, he hugged another. “Liu’er, you’re looking as spirited as ever!”
Liu Tie laughed heartily. “I’m not as spirited as you are. I’ve been reading a lot about you in the newspapers, getting into fights with people. Why are you still so hot-headed like when we were still in university?”
“I abhor evil, can’t help it.” Zhang Ye laughed.
Ma Xufei asked, “Oh yeah, what just happened at the main entrance?”
“Yeah, it sounded like there was a disturbance over there.” Wang He asked, “Was there a fight?”
He Kui said, “I heard it too. Wasn’t a film crew doing a shoot over there? Are there fight scenes in ‘A Youthful Campus’? Why didn’t I hear about them?”
At this moment, Dong Shanshan walked over from afar.
“Wow!”
“Goddess!”
“The school belle is here!”
“Shanshan!”
During their school days, Dong Shanshan was one of the leading figures of the school. It was the same even after their graduation.
Seeing how the guys were all rushing up to welcome her, Yu Yingyi and Xiaoqian jokingly scolded, “Bunch of rascals, all dazed at the sight of a beauty!”
Liu Tie asked, “Are they still filming at the main entrance?”
Dong Shanshan was wearing an especially eye-catching dress today. She laughed and said, “How could they still be filming? The film crew has been chased away by someone’s scolding.”
Wang He was startled, “Ah? Why’s that?”
Dong Shanshan said, “I think it was because they were blocking the main entrance.”
He Kui said in surprise, “Damn, who would dare to chase them away?”
“Ning Lan is part of that film crew, and they’re headed by a big name director too.” Ma Xufei said dumbfounded, “Who’s crazy enough to chase them away with their scolding?”
Dong Shanshan gestured with her chin, then laughed and said, “Who else do you all think has the balls to do so?”
Yu Yingyi and Xiaoqian covered their mouths and laughed nonstop while looking at Zhang Ye.
It was only then that everyone realized!
“Holy fuck!”
“Zhang’er, you scolded them away?”
“Did you have gunpowder for breakfast before coming over?”
“Dude!”
“Hahahaha, awesome!”
“If I knew that something like this had happened, I would have gone to take a look!”
“I missed the show!”
“I’ve already experienced for myself Zhang’er’s temper. He’s still as domineering as before!”
Zhang Ye smiled and said, “Oh, come on, stop bringing that up. I’ve been offending more and more people lately. I don’t even know what might happen to me in the future.”
Liu Tie said, “They even dared to block people from entering through the main entrance, so I don’t think you were wrong in scolding them away. Ai, the students these days are really too meek. If we had been stopped from entering during our time, us bros would fought against them!”
Ma Xufei cut him off. “Stop boasting, will ya?”
Liu Tie said, “How am I boasting? When the people from the Education Commission sat in and observed our classes in our second year, they kept criticizing our class adviser for no good reason. Who was it that took water balloons from the dorms and pelted them?”
Wang He said, “Holy shit, that was you?”
Dong Shanshan laughed and said, “Oh, that unresolved case from all those years ago?”
Liu Tie coughed. “Well, about that, I only filled the balloons up with water.”
“Then who threw it at them?” Everyone was getting curious. This event caused such a sensation at the time.
Liu Tie pointed his chin to the person next to him. “That would definitely have to be someone as stupidly brave as Zhang Ye. Who would dare to do that other than him?”
Zhang Ye gave a dry laugh. “Well, we were young and impulsive.”
Xiaoqian rolled her eyes. “You again?”
Yu Yingyi laughed loudly. “We’ve finally cracked the case. You’re lucky no one found out at the time. Otherwise, you two would probably not have graduated.”
The group started chatting and reminiscing.
The cool breeze felt good.
And the ground was sprinkled with fallen leaves.
“Back then, we were really happy.”
“The gossip of whoever got together with whoever was enough to keep us entertained for an entire day.”
“This path feels really familiar.”
“How can it be unfamiliar? The last time we saw each other after taking our graduation photos and before going our separate ways was right on this path. I remember clearly that it was the evening and the sun was almost setting. The sunset that day was an especially beautiful one too.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll never forget that day either.”
“What a pity that not all of us are here. We’ve only managed to gather this many of us.”
Many of them fell silent.
Zhang Ye asked, “Where’s Li Lian?”
Xiaoqian hesitated for a moment. “She’s divorced and uncontactable.”
Ma Xufei asked, “What about Orange?
Old Wang paused for a brief moment before saying, “Orange was arrested for embezzling public funds. It was a pretty large amount, so I doubt he’ll be released anytime soon. When I went to visit him at the beginning of the year, half his hair had gone grey.” He stopped talking.
Zhang Ye said in surprise, “How can that be!”
Old Wang said, “Shit happens.”
Dong Shanshan said, “Is anyone in contact with Little Qiu?”
No one spoke.
Yu Yingyi looked at Liu Tie. “Didn’t you attend high school with Sister Qiu? You two should still be in contact, right?”
Liu Tie pondered for a second. “She won’t let me tell anyone.”
“Just what is it?” Dong Shanshan probed.
Liu Tie finally said, “Little Qiu…she was in an accident several years ago that broke both her legs. Her husband is pretty good to her and has been taking care of her for the past two years.”
Xiaoqian covered her mouth as her eyes reddened. “How can that be!”
Dong Shanshan said dumbfoundedly, “Little Qiu and I learned dancing together. She’s always fond of moving around and would drag me to the field to practice our foundations. We even promised each other that we would perform together in the future on the largest stage in the country….”
Liu Tie said, “She…can’t dance anymore.”
Zhang Ye bent over and picked up a leaf from the ground. He brought it to his mouth and started blowing on it a few times. But he didn’t create any music with it. “Sister Qiu taught me how to play music with a leaf and wanted me to play something while she danced to it. But I was really stupid at the time and couldn’t do it even after practicing for a long time.”
Xiaoqian wiped away her tears.
There was silence.
Suddenly, some giggles coming from around them.
A group of teenage boys and girls appeared with a number of musical instruments and placed them at the bottom of the stairs.
“Let’s keep moving our stuff.”
“I’m so looking forward to commencement.”
“Me too, heehee.”
The teens went back upstairs.
Zhang Ye clutched the leaf and somehow walked over. He placed the leaf he couldn’t play onto the stone table and looked at it for a short while. Then he turned around and sat down on the steps. He took one of the acoustic guitars the teens had just put down and suddenly started strumming.
Dong Shanshan looked over.
Liu Tie looked over.
Their twenty-odd old classmates also looked at him.
Zhang Ye closed his eyes and a song drifted out.
“Perhaps we won’t see it again.
“That golden sky where we bid farewell.
“Some people are destined to never meet again.
“Those once green and young faces.
“I pick up a windmill palm’s frond.
“And place it on the natural slate rock.
“In memory of the youth that has passed by
“And the innocent promises of which we talked.”
Yu Yingyi’s hands trembled. She could not control herself all of a sudden and went over to pick up a violin from a case lying on the floor while holding back her tears. Then she started playing it gently!
Wang He also went over and grabbed the wind chimes!
Xiaoqian sniffed!
“The wind now sings.
“Singing a song of the places it’s been to.
“In the darkness,
“a flower blossoms for you.
“The moment you turn around,
“a smile beautiful as the sunset’s crown.
“It once blossomed in the spring of our youth.”
The clumsy playing of the wind chimes.
The out of tune violin playing.
The teens came running back downstairs when they heard the music. Who? Who touched our instruments? Those are meant for our performance tomorrow! But when they came downstairs in anger, they were stunned by what they saw. Or rather, they were in shock!
Dong Shanshan, wearing a red dress was moving around in the wind!
Stepping around, she held her dress with one hand and broke into a dance!
Zhang Ye’s voice was full of sorrow.
“Perhaps we won’t see it again.
“That golden sky where we bid farewell.
“Some people are destined to never meet again.
“Those once green and young faces.
“I pick up a windmill palm’s frond.
“And place it on natural slate rock.
“In memory of the youth that has passed by
“And the innocent promises of which we talked.”
The red dress was swirling!
Dong Shanshan danced faster and faster!
This sorrowful beauty deeply moved the teens!
“The wind now sings.
“Singing a song of the places it’s been to.
“In the darkness,
“a flower blossoms for you.
“The moment you turn around,
“a smile beautiful as the sunset’s crown.
“It once blossomed in the spring of our youth.”
Dong Shanshan was crying as she danced. She could feel herself becoming one with the song!
“Mmmmm…
“Mmmmm…
“The youth that has passed.
“The innocent promises that we made.”
Yu Yingyi was crying!
Xiaoqian was crying!
The song ” To Youth 1 ” had left them sobbing uncontrollably!
1. To Youth – https://youtu.be/W8SzvYfn1bU
