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Author: Sun Rui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: First love is beautiful—who dares to say that? First love is always unforgettable, especially the first kiss. When the four lips merge in a moment, it’s like being shocked by electricity. It’s not as simple as holding the positive and negative terminals of a dry battery, but rather like putting your hand into an electrical panel—220V! Just imagine how much courage that requires. It’s like someone who eats crabs—no one can tell whether they’re starving or just want to try something new, but one thing is certain: this person must have gathered the courage to put the crab, which looks like a spider, into the steamer.
You can imagine the scene: he looked at the clock, it was almost time, so he lifted the lid of the pot, frowned, closed his eyes tightly, and trembled as he picked off a slightly hot crab leg with his hands (back then, he probably didn’t even know how to dip it in vinegar or ginger). When the imagined bitterness was replaced by the unexpected deliciousness, he immediately smiled. But my first kiss was like eating a stale crab. That year, I was fifteen, and she was fifteen too. We were classmates, and on a dark and stormy night, deep in the alley behind the school under a broken streetlight, we nervously completed this solemn and sacred act.
The dream of attending the same elementary school for six years and junior high for two and a half years finally came true. At the age of seven, I already had this idea, not about kissing a specific girl, but about kissing girls in general—beautiful girls. That’s what all seven-year-old boys hope for. Eating and kissing are natural human desires, but they are constrained by various conditions. A person living in Kekexili shouting that they want to eat live crabs every day is a bit unrealistic. Kissing is the same. Although the feudal dynasty has been overthrown for nearly a century and the reform and opening-up has been going on for years, not every woman on the street is up for a kiss. Even if they let me kiss them, could I shamelessly act indifferent, biting them recklessly? The neighborhood lady and the police would still come over and stop me. So, finally, at the age of fifteen, my seven-year-old wish came true, and it was specific to one person—most importantly, she perfectly fit my requirements: a beautiful girl.
Today, with abalone and shark fin (: flooded and: rampant), people eat as many crabs as they want but can’t imagine the joy of someone who first ate a crab. When the song “Breaking Up After Dawn” was all the rage, first love’s heart flutter was also taken less seriously. I still remember it vividly. At that time, I had just entered junior high and was named an example for the whole class to follow for my rapid progress. I attended a key high school, which was considered key because our school’s college entrance exam pass rate ranked among the highest in Beijing and even the entire country, supplying one-fifth of the students admitted to Tsinghua and Peking University each year.
Imagine this: Tsinghua and Peking University, among tens of thousands of high schools across the mainland, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, only admit a few thousand students each year, and one-fifth of them come from our school. What does that mean? In vulgar terms, it’s like a cow giving birth—awesome! Therefore, our school was known as the “Tsinghua and Peking Special,” becoming a sacred destination for high school students in Beijing.
Getting into our school meant one foot was already in the door of Tsinghua or Peking University. So, every year, hundreds of thousands of junior high students in the city fought tooth and nail to get into our high school. The junior high division only enrolled students based on their residential areas, and the elementary schools in my area, no matter how good or bad, were all assigned to us without an exam. The overall level was (: predictable).
Three months after entering the school, they held an exam. I was quite puzzled: why was the entrance exam only happening now? Later, I learned that it was called the mid-term exam, held every semester to evaluate the learning progress of the first half of the term. So that’s how it was. I hadn’t experienced this in elementary school. This time, I ranked last in the class, laying the foundation for future “progress awards” and cutting off any chance of falling behind. The girl in the first place was a girl named Luo Yanyan, who became my first love.
As for how the girl in the first place and the girl in the last place ended up together, it’s a long story. After the mid-term exam, the teacher held a parent-teacher meeting, and the parents sat according to their children’s exam rankings. My dad sat in the corner, lowered his head, and listened to the teacher’s nearly two-hour lecture on how to educate children. When he got home, my dad was furious. He grabbed me and said, What are you going to do? I obediently turned around, took off my pants, bent down, and tucked my buttocks, which still had the marks from the last time I was beaten.
While looking for a weapon, Dad said, You ranked last, and you’re making me lose face. Two hours! I didn’t even raise my head once. Oh, my neck hurts! He rubbed his neck while swaying his head. I had a steel ruler in my pencil case. I said, Shut up and lie down straight. I’ll show you how to deal with you in a minute. Dad unzipped my backpack, took out the steel ruler, and swung it around with both arms. I habitually closed my eyes, but the ruler didn’t fall.
Dad threw the ruler aside and said, Tell me, is the girl in the first place surnamed Luo? Yes, a girl. I opened my eyes and said. So that’s right. The girl sitting in the first place was indeed Luo. What a coincidence! Luckily, she didn’t see me. Dad muttered to himself. Dad, what are you talking about? I asked. What’s her name? Dad asked. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her yet. I just know her last name is Luo. I’ll ask tomorrow. I said. Don’t ask. As long as her last name is Luo, you have to study harder than her. From now on, you must study hard and catch up with her. Next time at the parent-teacher meeting, I want to sit in front of her dad. Do you hear me? Dad said sternly. I hear you, Dad, I’m cold. I said.
Put on your pants, Dad. I want to watch TV. 《Soccer Kids》is about to start.
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