Chapter 27: Going Out

The next afternoon, under a scorching sun, Lu You waded into a stream that was still relatively clear, wearing rubber boots and gloves.

The trickling stream shimmered and sparkled in the daylight. Occasionally, a pair of hands would reach into the water, stirring up murky sediment, before withdrawing with a plastic bottle. Looking around, a dozen other boys were scattered across the creek, all engaged in the same task.

Lu You picked up a battered mineral water bottle, shook off the droplets, crushed it flat, and dropped it into a burlap sack. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm.

A boy standing ahead of him straightened up, hands on his hips, and complained with great resentment, "Squad leader, how much longer do we have to do this? It’s been over an hour, and I feel like I'm being roasted alive."

Lu You kept his head down, continuing to pick up trash, and retorted, "You have the nerve to complain? Didn't you have a great time chatting away last night?"

"Uh." The boy was caught off guard. His eyes darted around, and he quickly changed the subject. "Hey, squad leader, who is that girl from Class 2?"

Lu You didn't even look up, focusing intently on scouring the stream as he replied calmly, "There is no one. Stop listening to Meng Yi’s rumors. People study for their own futures; there's no such thing as studying for someone else."

The boy curled his lip, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "Why do you sound just like my parents, spouting all these big principles?"

"Maybe that’s just the truth?"

Lu You looked at the group. Everyone was feeling dejected, so he tried to boost their morale. "Once we finish picking up the trash we can see on the surface, we can take a break. Let’s push through!"

"Alright," the group responded listlessly.

Half an hour later, the entire membership of Dorm 208 was sprawled out under a large tree in the village square. Their washed gloves and boots were laid out to dry nearby.

"Ah—" Meng Yi pulled up his shirt with one hand, took a swig of water with the other, and groaned, "My hands and legs were only sore this morning, but now my back hurts too."

Lu You picked up a small handheld fan and tucked it into the hem of his shirt, causing the fabric to puff out.

"Doesn't your family farm? How are you this tired?"

"Man, who farms every day? I only have to help during planting and harvest seasons. I usually just slack off." As he spoke, he poured his water over his arms to cool down.

Lu You looked around. Aside from the students in military uniforms, there were only a few elderly people sitting at their doorways, waving large palm-leaf fans and chatting incessantly.

Lu You asked Meng Yi, "Are there always so few people in the countryside?"

"Yeah," Meng Yi replied definitively. "There are no jobs here, and now that school has started, you won't see many people around."

Lu You glanced at the village road, which was paved only with gravel; you could hear the crunching sound whenever a student walked by. He asked, "Is it inconvenient for you to leave the village?"

"It’s okay. My village has paved concrete roads, and my family has an electric scooter, so it’s pretty convenient to get around." Meng Yi thought for a moment and added, "It’s just the packages and food delivery that are a pain. You have to pick up packages yourself, and delivery services basically don't exist."

Lu You thought of his own villa community, which was much the same. It was located in the suburbs, so food delivery was scarce. Packages were a bit better—if he was home, he could have the security guard let the courier in, but if not, he had to pick them up at the guard station.

"My place is similar. It’s a bit remote, so we need a vehicle to get in and out."

"At least you get to go home every day. I live on campus and only get to go home once a month."

Lu You found that a bit strange. "Are the school conditions bad? I remember the dorms being quite nice."

"No matter how nice the conditions are, it’s not home. There’s nowhere as comfortable as home."

After the group rested for a while, Instructor Liu walked over and looked at Lu You. "Is the trash finished?"

"Yes, it’s all been taken to the collection point."

The instructor nodded. "Good, you're quite efficient. Go assemble the team. Leave the gloves here; someone from the village will come to collect them."

...

Lu You returned to the front of his platoon, rubbed his stiff shoulders, and yawned, his face etched with exhaustion.

Li Yu saw him like this and asked curiously, "What did you go do? Isn't this just supposed to be a cultural tour? How could you be this tired?"

Lu You gave him a look: (￢_￢)

"You guys are here for a tour; I'm here to pick up trash."

"Why did you have to pick up trash?"

"Sigh," Lu You sighed, sounding melancholic. "The people in my dorm got caught chatting after lights out last night."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu’s expression turned to one of realization. "I was wondering why so many people were walking in the hallway last night. So it was you guys."

"We didn't get to sleep until one or two in the morning, then had to wake up before six for the flag-raising ceremony, and now this. No time to play, no energy left. I’m completely drained."

Suddenly, Lu You felt someone tugging on the hem of his shirt. He turned around to find a girl about his height.

She was fair-skinned with a faint blush on her cheeks. When she saw Lu You turn, she quickly lowered her head, nervously twisting the corner of her shirt.

Lu You waited for a long time, but when she didn't speak, he finally prompted, "Are you looking for me?"

"Yes," the girl replied in a barely audible whisper.

If Lu You hadn't had keen hearing, he wouldn't have caught it.

"Is there something you need?"

The girl took a deep breath, as if making a major decision, looked up abruptly, and said quickly, "Can you tell me your name?"

That was it?

Lu You was utterly confused. Asking for a name shouldn't be such a big deal. However, he didn't show any emotion and replied normally, "My name is Lu You."

"Okay, thank you, goodbye!" She turned and walked away swiftly, without a moment's hesitation.

Lu You stood there dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened. He asked Li Yu, "What was that about? What just happened?"

Li Yu was just as baffled. "How would I know? Never seen anything like that before."

The girls standing behind Lu You overheard their conversation and couldn't help but giggle behind their hands. One of them said while laughing, "Squad leader, turns out you really don't understand anything!"

Lu You felt inexplicably frustrated. He turned back and asked, "What am I supposed to understand?"

The girl shook her head. "No... nothing. We just had a misunderstanding about you. It's better if you don't understand."

Lu You was speechless. That was as good as saying nothing at all.

...

On the way back to the training base, Tang Wan was laughing and chatting with other girls. Once Xu Nian was sure Tang Wan wasn't paying attention, she squeezed to the front of the line and tapped Li Yu on the shoulder.

"Li Yu, I have a few questions for you."

Li Yu lowered his gaze to look at her. "Ask. If it's not private, I'll answer."

Xu Nian pondered for a moment before speaking. "How long have you known him?"

"Who? Lu You?"

"Yes, him." Xu Nian nodded.

"Six or seven years, I guess. You want to ask about him?"

Xu Nian looked toward the Third Platoon. Lu You was leading the march at the front, occasionally responding to the girls behind him.

"Yeah, he... what was he like in middle school?" She had originally wanted to ask what kind of person he was, but that felt too heavy, so she changed her phrasing.

Li Yu recalled, then said slowly, "At school? Quiet, introverted, low-key."

Xu Nian’s eyes widened. She couldn't imagine Lu You being introverted.

"Are you lying to me? Someone who can sing on stage with such composure is introverted?"

"I'm not lying. In middle school, that’s exactly how he was at school. Of course, it was different elsewhere. He’s actually quite lively and talkative when he’s with people he knows."

"Why was he like that?" Xu Nian couldn't grasp it.

"Family requirements, and the environment at that school, I suppose. I can't tell you the details. If you want to know, ask him yourself."

Xu Nian narrowed her eyes at him. "This feels like something out of a novel. Is your family background complicated?"

Li Yu shook his head. "No, our families are very simple. One dad, one mom, no affairs, no remarriages."

"Fair enough." Since she couldn't get anything out of him there, Xu Nian changed the subject. "What do you guys usually do?"

"Play board games, play Apex, League of Legends, sometimes watch a movie."

*Oh? Our interests are similar!*

Xu Nian was pleasantly surprised. "I like those too. Can you include me next time?"

Li Yu gave her a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Didn't I play board games with you when school started? You forgot already?"

"I guess so. I thought you were just joining in to be social."

Xu Nian was happy, her tone light and bouncy, feeling as if she had found a kindred spirit. "Do you have many friends? Would you mind if I joined you next time?"

Li Yu fell silent. "There are only two of us."

"Two people playing board games?" Xu Nian couldn't believe it. She teased him, "What’s fun about two people? You don't even have enough for a game of Landlord. Are you just playing with toy trains?"

"Uh..." Li Yu felt embarrassed, not knowing how to reply. "We just bought them, hoping that if we made more friends, we could play together."

"And?"

"It’s still just the two of us."

"Hahaha!" Xu Nian laughed until she had tears in her eyes. "One brings board games to break the ice, the other looks like a total player, and it turns out you’re both just socially awkward nerds!"

Li Yu quickly pulled her in front of him, saying anxiously, "Stop laughing! Everyone is looking!"

"Cough, cough..." Xu Nian took a few deep breaths to compose herself. "No, seriously, didn't you have any friends in middle school?"

Li Yu looked helpless and pained. "You aren't us; it’s hard to explain." His gaze dimmed. "The people from middle school... for us, they really weren't the type of people we could be friends with."

Xu Nian sensed the change in Li Yu’s mood and said in a soothing tone, "Hey, middle school is over. Forget about it. What about high school? Are the people here better than in middle school?"

"Nobody knows us in high school, and everyone is focused on their studies, so it’s naturally much better than before." Li Yu added to himself: *Plus, our families aren't restricting us anymore.*

Xu Nian nudged Li Yu with her elbow, a slight smile on her lips. "Call me next time you set up a game. I’ll come if I’m free. Even though three people is still a small group, it’s a good start."

The girl’s smile was like a soft breeze, blowing into Li Yu’s heart and creating ripples. He felt like he had a thousand words to say, but couldn't find the voice. In the end, they all converged into a gentle look in his eyes and a single sentence.

"Okay, I'll remember that."