Chapter 25: Fight On, Xiao Lin (Part Three)

If you ask what was the hardest part of senior year in high school, you’ll probably get a variety of answers. Some would say it’s the endless exams, others, the never-ending piles of practice papers, and still others, the pressure from parents. But the most unbearable thing is the growing sense of oppression as time slips by and the college entrance examination draws closer—the suffocating urgency of an impending moment that will determine your entire future. It feels like a terminally ill person who knows their days are numbered, growing restless and anxious. The so-called madness induced by the exam is, in truth, the breaking point for those who can’t withstand this psychological pressure. Yet some remain unafraid; they treat the pressure as a forge for their own spirits. These are the ones later praised as geniuses.

“I wish they’d just cancel weekends,” Xu Tong complained to Xiao Lin and the others, pouring out his troubles. “My old man hired a private tutor for me, some super-experienced teacher who’s got more than ten students into Tsinghua University. I study all day at school, then have to keep studying at home. I don’t even get a break this weekend.”

His thin face was etched with suffering.

“Sigh, it’s about the same for me,” Wang Tao said glumly. “For my sake, my mom even quit her job to take care of me. I can’t imagine what she’ll look like if I don’t get into a good university.”

Yuan Weiye was about to speak, but Tan Linlin cut him off. “Oh, come on, there’s no need for you to complain. Everyone knows your parents aren’t even in Beijing, and you’re from way out west in the boondocks. What pressure could you possibly have?”

“Who says I don’t?” Yuan Weiye replied, looking miserable. “My mom’s already come all the way from the northwest and rented a place right outside the school.”

“Don’t be so negative!” Wang Yuqing said with a burst of optimism, clenching her small fist. “If we can just push through this, the other side is the bright shore of university.”

Xiao Lin watched his friends, a smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, I’ll leave you all to your chatting. I’m heading home! I plan to hit the books all weekend, so don’t call me. I’m off.” With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and strode out of the classroom.

“Hey, Xiao Lin, do you still want me to tutor you this weekend?” Wang Yuqing suddenly shouted as he was about to walk out the door.

Xiao Lin broke out in a cold sweat—this girl really had no filter. He quickly replied, “No need!” and hurried away, not daring to linger lest Xu Tong and the others start interrogating him.

“Oh, Yuqing! Last week I asked you to go to the food street and you said you had to study, but it turns out you went to Xiao Lin’s house instead! Wang Yuqing, you’d ditch your friends for a guy? We’ll see about that!” Tan Linlin rolled up her sleeves, her chubby little hands reaching to tickle Wang Yuqing’s waist.

“No, I didn’t… listen, Linlin, that tickles—hahaha!” Wang Yuqing shrieked with laughter, twisting and turning to dodge Linlin’s attack. But Tan Linlin was relentless, intensifying her tickle assault until Yuqing was laughing so hard she could only beg for mercy, wriggling like a willow in the wind.

Xu Tong and the others looked on as the two girls played. Wang Yuqing’s sparkling laughter and nimble dodges made her seem like a lively sprite dancing in the breeze. They couldn’t help but envy Xiao Lin’s good fortune—how did he manage to attract such an outstanding girl’s favor?

By then, Xiao Lin was already on his way home, cycling along with headphones in, listening to English. He had almost completely returned to his old study methods from junior high. As he pedaled, he hummed softly, “Dhabit!” (Excellence is a habit.)

“Grandma! I’m home!” he called out as he arrived, parking his bike in the garage and heading straight for the study with his backpack.

His grandmother came out of her room, her face lighting up with joy. “My precious grandson is back! You must be exhausted from school. Go rest in your room. What would you like to eat? I’ll make you something.”

Xiao Lin replied with a weary smile, “Grandma, I have exams coming up, I need to study. Just something simple is fine. I’ll be in the study.” He walked in and shut the door behind him.

Watching him disappear into the study, his grandmother muttered to herself, “This child, why is he so serious? I’d better make him some black-bone chicken soup to nourish him.” For her, academics didn’t matter; all she wanted was for Xiao Lin to grow up healthy and strong—that was enough.

Night fell. Even the winter moon seemed to shy from the cold, draping itself in a silvery veil and appearing blurry and indistinct. Xiao Lin was still at his desk, hunched over his books. He had fallen behind so much—English and Chinese weren’t too bad, since he had a foundation, but mathematics was a different story. High school math was at least twice as hard as middle school. He stared at the example problems with a headache, then found similar questions on practice papers and worked through them again and again. His desk was a mess of scattered papers—more than twenty sheets in all, completed in just a few hours. The sight would astonish anyone.

Suddenly, the little penguin-shaped alarm clock on his desk began to beep. Xiao Lin glanced at it—it was already midnight. Several problems on the paper still hadn’t been solved, and his brow furrowed deeply. He really had lost his edge. In junior high, he could finish thirty practice papers, let alone twenty.

He rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, then kneaded his tired eyes. Grabbing the mug of coffee that had gone cold beside the desk, he took a large gulp, shivering as the icy liquid slid down his throat and seemed to chill him to his core. Instantly, he felt more awake and lit the lamp for another round of battle.

There are no absolute geniuses in this world, only those forged by diligence. That is the law of the academic elite.

If Xiao Lin’s grandmother had seen how hard her beloved grandson was working, she would surely have been moved to tears by heartache.

Early the next morning, his grandmother rose for her customary walk. As she stepped out of her room, she heard muffled voices coming from the study. Could there be a thief in the house? Her heart skipped a beat.

Just then, the study door opened. Xiao Lin staggered out, still in his pajamas, his face haggard with exhaustion. He mumbled to himself as he shuffled toward the bathroom, “A mountain needn’t be high; it is famous if there is a sage on it. A river needn’t be deep; it has spirit if there’s a dragon in it…”

He had gone to bed after finishing his papers at one o’clock, slept barely three hours, and got up again to study. Now he was off to wash his face before resuming the struggle.

His grandmother stared at him, her mouth agape in shock. She simply couldn’t understand what had come over her grandson.

When Xiao Lin came out, she asked in distress, “Linlin, what are you doing to yourself? Why so hard on yourself?”

Xiao Lin forced a smile, his cheeks sore. “It’s nothing, Grandma.”

With that, he returned to the study. His grandmother knew nothing about academics and couldn’t bring herself to stop him from studying. All she could do was go make him some porridge, pouring her love into nourishing her precious grandson the only way she knew how.