Young man, oh young man

(New year, new beginnings—wishing everyone a happy New Year!)

On the first day of the lunar year, they visited relatives in their hometown; on the second, they went to her maternal grandparents’ house.

All of her mother’s relatives lived nearby, clustered along the main street of Creekside Town. For instance, from Lin Xia’s house to her second aunt’s was less than a five-minute bike ride, and from there to her grandmother’s house was just a five-minute walk.

Having grown up eating and living together, Lin Xia naturally shared a much closer bond with her cousins, Liu Xue and Zhong Ling. As children, they didn’t know how to cherish these moments. Now that each had their own lives, scattered in all directions, it was rare even during the Spring Festival to gather everyone together. Lin Xia found herself reminiscing about those days more than once.

Getting to relive those times filled Lin Xia with happiness, and she enjoyed the New Year’s festivities to the fullest.

The Lin family had now entered the ranks of the affluent; in earlier times, they’d be called millionaires. Their house in the county had been renovated, the family business was running smoothly, and a few days after the festivities, Lin’s father began leveraging his connections to arrange for Lin Xia and her brother Lin Hui to transfer into the county’s elementary and middle schools.

On the fifth day of the first month, the whole family moved into their new home.

Since Lin Xia was already in the second semester of her second year, and most schools started around the eighth day of the new year, Lin’s father needed to move quickly to get his children enrolled.

They brought some essentials and took a car to the new house. Lin Xia, delighted with the brand-new furnishings, rolled gleefully on her bed.

Even before renovations, Lin’s mother had arranged for more than a dozen fresh cotton quilts to be made. Once the furniture was in, the family spent a whole day putting the house in order. The bedding was laid, sheets spread, daily necessities purchased—everything was new, even the kitchenware. After all, it wouldn’t feel right to use old pots and pans in a new kitchen.

New year, new beginnings—having bought a new house, it was only fitting to start afresh in every way.

After packing up the leftover New Year’s snacks, Lin’s father took two boxes of fine liquor and two packs of Furongwang cigarettes and brought Lin Xia along to pay a New Year’s visit to Principal Chen Guoqing of the Experimental Junior High School.

Even before the holiday, Lin’s father had contacted Chen Guoqing and treated him to dinner and drinks.

Banquet culture is an integral part of Chinese life—business is conducted at the dining table, and after a few bowls of yellow wine, even strangers become sworn brothers.

Guiding Lin Xia, her father easily found Chen Guoqing’s door, and Lin Xia realized, to her surprise, that they lived in the same neighborhood. She couldn’t help but wonder in secret—just how many teachers, principals, and deans lived here? Their own home was in Building Four, while the principal’s was in Building Eight, a five-minute walk apart.

Lin’s father carried the gifts, and Lin Xia pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong—ding-dong—

The door opened to reveal a teenage boy about Lin Xia’s age, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, his features marked by the cool aloofness peculiar to boys at that stage, with calm, quiet eyes.

Lin Xia eyed his pristine white trench coat, musing to herself—goodness, how hard must that be to keep clean!

The boy regarded the visiting father and daughter with a hint of confusion.

Just then, Chen Guoqing approached, calling out, “Zi Mo, who’s at the door?”

Lin’s father beamed, “Principal Chen, it’s me, Lin!”

As he spoke, Chen Guoqing arrived at the entrance and saw the pair.

“Ah, Lin! Come in, come in. And this must be Xia Xia!” Chen Guoqing greeted Lin Xia, who stood quietly beside her father, with a warm smile. “Lin, I didn’t expect someone like you to have such a well-behaved and lovely daughter.”

Lin Xia was a bit puzzled by the familiarity in Chen Guoqing’s tone—was her father really that close with the principal?

“My daughter may look quiet, but she’s stubborn to the core. She insisted on buying a home in this neighborhood, so her mother and I simply gave in.” Lin’s father spoke with obvious affection. “Xia Xia, don’t you want to wish Uncle Chen a happy New Year?”

“Uncle Chen, I wish you a happy New Year, good health, and all the best,” Lin Xia said, bowing politely, her manner natural and poised, without a trace of shyness.

Chen Guoqing sized her up, inwardly impressed—no wonder Lin doted on his daughter so much.

Look at her—so much more composed and sensible than his own daughter.

He glanced back—ah, his own son had already retreated to his room, not even bothering to greet their guests.

Chen Guoqing felt a twinge of displeasure, but with guests present, he said nothing more and simply smiled, “Let’s not stand at the door—come in and have a seat.”

As they exchanged pleasantries and entered, a woman in her thirties emerged from the hallway, smiling at Chen Guoqing, “This must be Lin, and this is Xia Xia.”

Chen Guoqing introduced her to Lin Xia, “Xia Xia, this is Aunt Xie.” Though directed at Lin Xia, it was really an introduction for Lin’s father.

“Aunt Xie,” Lin Xia greeted politely, rising from the sofa.

Xie Fanghua smiled, “What a sweet child. Come, have some candy.” She grabbed a handful from the coffee table and pressed it into Lin Xia’s hand.

Lin Xia thanked her, and both Chen Guoqing and Xie Fanghua took a liking to this courteous girl, asking her a few questions and chatting for a while. Then Chen Guoqing turned to his wife, sighing, “Look at other people’s daughters, and then look at our little troublemaker—sigh!”

Lin Xia was a bit puzzled—could that fresh-faced boy really be a troublemaker? You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

Xie Fanghua smiled knowingly, “Since we’re neighbors, Xia Xia, you should visit and play when you have time. Our little rascal is staying at her grandparents’ house and won’t be back until school starts. She’s your age, so you girls can keep each other company. Xia Xia is a few months older, so she can show her the ropes.”

Chen Guoqing remarked to Lin’s father, “My daughter’s been spoiled rotten by all her grandparents—she’s wild all day, nothing like a proper young lady.”

Lin’s father laughed, “Oh, I think there’s wisdom in the old saying—‘daughters should be raised with riches, sons with hardship.’ Our girl is just too introverted—she locks herself up reading all day and never goes out. We’re hoping your daughter can coax her outside more. It’s not good for a child to be cooped up indoors all day.”

Xie Fanghua was surprised, “What does Xia Xia usually read?”

Lin Xia smiled, “Nothing very serious—just a bit of everything, to broaden my horizons.”

Her modesty made Chen Guoqing chuckle, “You probably don’t know, but she’s got the same tastes as you—loves the classics. Not just the Four Great Novels, but also things like the Thousand Character Classic, Rhymed Couplets, Dream Shadows, and Vegetable Roots Discourse—she reads them all. You finally have a kindred spirit.”

This time, Xie Fanghua was not just surprised, but delighted.

After all, she’d always wanted a well-behaved, bookish daughter. Unfortunately, hers took after her uncle—wild and unruly, nothing like a lady. With adolescence approaching and lacking a good role model, she’d been at a loss, when suddenly a Lin sister seemed to fall from the sky. Observing Lin Xia for a while, noting her suitable age and the fact that she’d be attending the same junior high as her daughter, Xie Fanghua could not help but be pleased.