Childhood Affection - Chapter 16 - Teacher Yangyang on Composition

Yin Qianyang has always been straightforward, but now he found himself speechless, finally setting his eyes back on the paper, saying, “Why are you all sticky and messy, making me break out in a cold sweat.”

Nie Weishan also continued to work on his problems, saying, “Then no more talking, let’s not speak until the homework is done.”

The room was very quiet, the only sounds were the flipping of pages and the scratching of pens. Yin Qianyang, whether skilled or not, was quite enthusiastic in his writing, while Nie Weishan methodically progressed.

The day indeed went by quietly. Towards the evening, only the composition was left undone. Yin Qianyang took out his Chinese notebook, flipping through it as he spoke, “I’ve found a little trick: just remember some typical characters during regular days, and use them as examples when writing compositions. It’s super simple.”

Nie Weishan snatched it to see: “Sima Qian¹, Shi Tiesheng², Franklin, Tie Ning³…”

“I can’t write a composition without Sima Qian now.” Yin Qianyang penned down the title, then drafted three lines, “Get the first paragraph done in three lines; the first two lines are vague, and the last line makes clear what I want to express.”

Nie Weishan couldn’t help but laugh, asking, “What’s next, Teacher Yangyang?”

“Next, just write the example-based arguments. Let’s start with Sima Qian!” Yin Qianyang began elaborating on Sima Qian, “Step by step: who is Sima Qian, what happened to Sima Qian, and how awesome is Sima Qian, finally linking back to the main theme I want to express.”

A whole paragraph had already formed as he muttered, and Nie Weishan didn’t even realize his eyes were full of admiration. Yin Qianyang turned his head and saw, a bit embarrassed yet more proud, saying, “Next, let’s write about a woman, balance the genders so it’s not tiring, how about Zhang Haidi⁴? Despite her disabilities, her will is strong.”

Nie Weishan seized the moment to tease, “Try doing homework with a girl next time, see if it’s tiring.”

“Just bring my sister, she’d tire me to death.” Yin Qianyang finished speaking and glanced towards the door, worried Yin Qianjie might hear. The three sections were completed in the explanation, and Yin Qianyang proudly coughed, “There, we’ve reached the end already, now for a bit of rap, best to use a series of parallel sentences. It doesn’t matter if it’s well arranged, just dazzle the teacher, the most important thing is to show strong emotions.”

The word count was sufficient, Nie Weishan asked, “Is your short piece finished?”

“Not yet, two more lines to go for the conclusion,” Yin Qianyang flipped open his notebook again, “Oh, it’s called the ‘dragon’s head, pig’s belly, leopard’s tail’ structure. The beginning should be like a dragon’s head, magnificent and beautiful; the content in the middle should be as full as a pig’s belly; the ending should be like a leopard’s tail, short and powerful. Watch me finish it off, two lines to wrap it up neatly, leaving a lasting impression.”

Thus, the composition was completed. Yin Qianyang, satisfied, capped his pen and placed the paper in front of Nie Weishan, saying, “You might want to refer to this, but don’t copy; I care a lot about copyright.”

Nie Weishan pushed it back, “Then I better not look at it, that’s safest.”

Yin Qianyang, exhausted, lay down on the desk, “Honestly, studying all day is more torturous than training.” He finished speaking and winked at Nie Weishan, “Give me a shoulder massage, and I’ll give you one after.”

Nie Weishan moved Yin Qianyang, chair and all, in front of him, then started massaging his shoulders. The shoulders were so skinny that the shoulder blades and collarbones were distinctly felt, he commented, “It hurts my hands, I might break you.”

Yin Qianyang, eyes closed in comfort, asked his coach how long it would take to build muscle, who told him he needed to gain weight first. “From now on, I’ll eat an extra meat pie in the cafeteria.”

After dinner, Nie Weishan went to write his composition. Yin Qianyang lay on the sofa playing with his phone, and soon Yin Qianjie came out from the bedroom. He curled up to make space for his sister to sit.

Yin Qianjie held a facial mask in her hand, sitting down and starting to apply it while asking, “Did you finish your homework today? Circle what you don’t understand, and I’ll explain it tomorrow.”

Yin Qianyang lazily responded, “How does beautifying all day not affect your studies?”

“Putting on a facial mask is beautifying?” Yin Qianjie pinched Yin Qianyang’s ear, pulling him up, then lifted his bangs into a bun, “Don’t move, let me apply some for you too.”

Yin Qianyang let his sister fuss over him, saying, “When you wanted to play with me as a kid, you’d torment me; when you didn’t, you’d pinch me until I cried, then complain to mom that you couldn’t handle me.”

Yin Qianjie tucked his stray hairs behind his ears, “Do you know how annoying you were as a kid? Always jumping down from the little stone lion at the alley entrance, making me catch you, jumping back and forth over twenty times, exhausting me to death.”

Yin Qianyang began to laugh, “Then you’d suddenly move aside when I jumped, making me crash directly onto the ground.”

Yin Qianjie also laughed, then after finishing said, “Next month I have an internship for the semester, I’ll be busy and won’t have time to care for you. Let’s set some ground rules first; if you regress, I’m really going to enroll you in a tutoring class. I can even get you a discount where I work part-time.”

“Next month?” Yin Qianyang’s speech was muffled by the facial mask, “I have a competition next month, my first since joining the track and field team. I was actually hoping you and Weishan could come watch.”

Yin Qianjie comforted, “We’ll see when it comes, no rush.”

Usually, both Nie Weishan and Yin Qianyang were especially busy on Monday mornings because they needed to get to school early to make up homework. This week, for the first time, they had finished everything and even leisurely went to the cafeteria for some deep-fried dough sticks.

After eating, they went directly to the playground for the flag-raising ceremony. On the way back to the classroom building, Yin Qianyang said, “I have training this afternoon; keep my homework safe, I’ll come to you tonight to get it.”

Nie Weishan agreed, “Got it. I heard from Qin Zhan that you guys have a competition next month?”

“Yeah, just a small competition,” Yin Qianyang replied, then realizing, “Qin Zhan told you? Did you two get to know each other staying at the farm stay?”

“It was alright,” Nie Weishan responded, wanting to add something but entered the classroom.

The first class was history, the youngest history teacher who was the fiercest at scolding. Nie Weishan felt his phone vibrate several times in his pocket, but didn’t dare to check it until the class was over. Really, you shouldn’t speak ill of others behind their backs; it was all from Qin Zhan.

“Shan-Ge, are you still going to practice stalls? I can help.”

“The day after tomorrow, the football team has a friendly competition in the gym, do you like watching football?”

“I heard from Qianyang that you make beaded bracelets, I’d like to buy one, can you give me a discount?”

Nie Weishan stared at the screen for a while, then replied, “Not going, don’t like, can’t do.” After sending it, he felt it was a bit impolite since they were friends, even if they had fought eight hundred years ago.

So, he added another message, “Can give a seven percent discount.”

Qin Zhan replied instantly, “Thanks, Shan-Ge! We should hang out soon!”

Two days later, Yin Qianyang went to training as usual, but found only half the usual number of people on the playground, even missing two coaches. After completing the warm-up but before everyone had arrived, he was throwing a tantrum when he heard a whistle.

“Sis!” Yin Qianyang saw his sister with her hair flying, standing outside the playground, and ran over excitedly, “Sis, how come you are here?”

“I was delivering some documents to my internship place and passed by, so I thought I’d come and see if you were training seriously.” Yin Qianjie glanced at the few people on the field, “Just this few people? Seems like playing around.”

Yin Qianyang was just about to explain when another voice called out “Sis” in the distance. Qin Zhan was passing by on a bicycle, saying, “Sis! Do you remember me? The one who came to your house for fried rice last time! Today they all went to the gym to watch the game, we insiders don’t even need tickets, wanna go?”

Yin Qianyang’s eyes lit up immediately, “Absolutely!”

The three of them went to the gym together. The stands were already half full, they bought some snacks and drinks, and Qin Zhan explained, “Today’s game is a friendly competition between two city sports schools’ football teams, one of which is our Sports School. When it starts, we need to cheer for the other team.”

“What, cheer for the other team?” Yin Qianyang thought he had heard wrong.

“Yes, the football team and the track and field team don’t see eye to eye.” A teammate in the front row turned around to explain, “Those jerks have enough issues with us to fill a three-hundred-thousand-word novel, just embarrassing them is right.”

Yin Qianyang quickly asked, “Which team do we get along with better?”

Qin Zhan replied, “The swimming team, sharing the same swimming trunks creates bonds. The basketball team is okay too, since they also dislike the football team. The enemy of our enemy is our friend.”

As the game officially started, Yin Qianyang quickly integrated into the group, and by the second half, he was hoarse from shouting. Far away in the classroom, Nie Weishan was having a snack during class break when the Chinese representative handed out papers. He said, “Just give me Yin Qianyang’s too.”

As the papers were handed down, he flipped through them and nearly spat out his purple rice porridge. Yin Qianyang’s half-day Saturday rambling about composition skills resulted in no score, just four words: Off-topic, rewrite!

Truly, there was nothing left to say.

At 7 p.m. the game ended, the track and field team was going to have a dinner gathering, and Yin Qianyang really wanted to go, but after thinking it over, he decided against it, saying, “I should go home with my sister, I’ll join the next dinner.”

Qin Zhan said, “Alright, we wouldn’t feel easy letting your sister go home alone either, we’ll gather again after next month’s competition.”

No one at that time thought that Yin Qianyang would also be a concern.

It was almost November, and the days were getting darker earlier. By now it was almost completely dark, the spectators dispersed, making the outside of the gym especially crowded. Yin Qianjie said, “I’ll go to the restroom, we can’t move anyway.”

Yin Qianyang, holding the bag, waited at the exit. When Yin Qianjie came out, the two of them started walking out. Most of the crowd had already dispersed, and Yin Qianyang, carrying Yin Qianjie, turned onto the road behind the gym.

This road was very old, never renovated, the streetlights didn’t even work, but the restaurants along the road were some of the city’s famous snacks, and every evening the lane and bike path were full of diners’ cars.

“It’s too hard to walk, the road is already narrow, and the cars are taking up all the space.” Yin Qianyang looked around, and just as they were about to reach the intersection, they were blocked by a group of people walking in front, blocking the way and unable to pass, “Can you show some decency? Move, move!”

After shouting, the group stopped and turned around, the leader said, “Who the fuck lacks decency?”

Yin Qianyang braked his bike, supporting himself with his long legs on the ground, “Whoever blocks the road lacks decency, deserves a tricycle to ram right into you!” After saying this, he was pulled back, Yin Qianjie behind him said, “Don’t start trouble, let’s hurry home.”

But it was already too late.

The other side approached and grabbed their bike handle, then looking at Yin Qianyang’s team uniform said, “Track and field team, huh? How did you feel about the game just now? Coming to jeer at us, just fucking asking for it!”

The bike was pushed aside, Yin Qianyang shielded Yin Qianjie as they stepped back two steps. Yin Qianjie took out her phone intending to call the police, the other hand tightly grabbing Yin Qianyang, ready to charge.

Another from the other side said, “Sis is really pretty, calling the police is useless, the community police will definitely have finished before they arrive. Why don’t you join us for a meal instead?”

“Eat your grandma!” Yin Qianyang had been restraining himself, considering his sister was still by his side, but now completely lost his temper, breaking free and charging at the opponent, aiming a spike shoe at their chest!

Immediately, curses flew, and Yin Qianyang was submerged among seven or eight people. Yin Qianjie shouted for help loudly, but no one dared to approach, watching as Yin Qianyang was kicked to the ground, his face and head bloodied from the beating.

A metallic taste rose in his throat, Yin Qianyang struggled to get up but was kicked down again, several feet stomping on his back and legs, suddenly hearing Yin Qianjie’s screams getting closer, the next moment she was holding him tightly.

His sister was acting as his shield.

The legs that had felt weak now gathered strength again, and as he got up, his wrist was scraped raw. Yin Qianyang growled, protecting Yin Qianjie in his arms, the two tried to run out but were tightly surrounded, fists fell on their bodies, backs full of footprints, and the back of the head hit by a football several times.

After who knows how long, someone shouted, “Community police are coming,” the football team’s jerks ran away, and Yin Qianyang, unable to support himself, sat on the ground, blood from his face flowing to his chest.

He grasped Yin Qianjie’s hand and asked, “Sis, am I going to be disfigured…”

Yin Qianjie hurriedly wiped her tears, “Break your head, what am I to say about you!”

Yin Qianyang rolled his eyes as he was about to faint, weakly saying, “Guess the three-hundred-thousand-word novel with the football team can add another side story now, I won’t let those bastards off.”

As Nie Weishan prepared to leave school, he was still unaware of what had happened. After having dinner at home, he didn’t wait for Yin Qianyang to ask for his homework, he gathered a few test papers, stood up, and went to deliver them.

Nie Yingyu popped out saying, “Bro, I’m coming too, I’ve been avoiding Qianjie since I confessed, can’t always dodge her.”

The brothers headed next door, entering the courtyard they saw bloodstains by the basin. Nie Weishan paused, then rushed into the house, Nie Yingyu following closely, both gasping when they saw the siblings.

“Who the fuck did this!”

Almost simultaneously they shouted. Yin Qianyang looking at Nie Weishan, finally felt the pain, and started to whimper.

Footnote:

1. Sima Qian(司马迁):Ancient Chinese historian, author of Records of the Grand Historian.
2. Shi Tiesheng(史铁生):Contemporary Chinese writer, known for works reflecting on life and disability.
3. Tie Ning(铁凝):Chinese author and chair of the China Writers Association.
4. Zhang Haidi(张海迪):Chinese writer and disability rights advocate known for her resilience and achievements despite being paralyzed.