Classmate You Xin

After her mother left, Lin Xia watched television for a while before settling down to rest.

The next day, Lin Xia was still taking her afternoon nap when the incessant ringing of the doorbell jolted her awake.

She threw on a jacket and opened the door.

Xie Xitong burst in, brimming with excitement. Seeing Lin Xia’s sleepy face, she stamped her foot. “Why are you still sleeping!”

Glancing at the wall clock in the living room, Lin Xia yawned. “It’s only half past one. What's the hurry?”

With that, she turned and headed to the bedroom.

Xie Xitong closed the door behind her, grabbed her own slippers from the shoe cabinet, and followed Lin Xia into the bedroom. Seeing her collapse onto the bed again, Xie Xitong seized her hand. “Hey, why are you still sleeping!”

“I’m so tired, let me sleep ten more minutes!” Lin Xia buried her head into the pillow, pleading for mercy.

“No, no, I still have to register, and you have to come with me.” Xie Xitong unleashed her arsenal of persuasion—pleading, cajoling, and pestering—until Lin Xia had no choice but to surrender.

“Alright, alright, I’m getting up! Is that enough?” Lin Xia sat up, resigned. “Here, this is the study key. I bought a few magazines yesterday, go take a look while I change.”

Xitong took the key, still muttering anxiously, “Hurry up, I’m waiting.”

Because there was a computer in the study, and to prevent Lin Hui from sneaking in to surf the internet, the room was usually locked. Only Lin Xia’s mother and Lin Xia herself had keys.

The old couple spent most of their time in their supermarket, so Lin Xia was usually the only one to enter the study, making it spotlessly clean. Xie Xitong loved this study most of all.

Once Xitong left the bedroom, Lin Xia shook her head with a smile and went to the dressing room to change clothes.

After washing up, she called Xitong, who was reading magazines, and together they left the house.

“Why is Friday to Monday so close, but Monday to Friday so far? It’s not scientific.”

“If only weekends and school days were equal, that would be perfect.” As always, there was endless complaining.

But for Lin Xia, school days and holidays were much the same.

She had to work whether school was in session or not, and sitting in the classroom, skipping work openly and delaying her writing, was actually a decent excuse for her.

“I think school is great, you get to meet lots of classmates.” Lin Xia smiled. “Even though you can hang out with good friends during the holidays, there aren’t as many as at school!”

“I saw the original ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in your study. Can you understand it?”

“I bought an Oxford dictionary. If I don’t understand something, I look it up. Reading it helps with my English anyway.”

“No wonder your English is so good.”

“Ha, yours isn’t bad either! You have no room to talk!”

That was true. With someone as outstanding as Chen Zi Mo in the family, she couldn’t be too far behind—their genes were simply exceptional.

At least Lin Xia couldn’t match Xitong’s brilliance.

Lin Xia’s grades came from careful planning, timely completion of assignments, and constant self-study after class. That’s how she achieved her current results.

But Xie Xitong, aside from listening to teachers in class and doing assigned homework afterward, rarely touched extra exercises, let alone bought workbooks or original English texts on her own.

Yet, despite this, she easily ranked among the top five in every exam.

Lin Xia was filled with equal parts envy, jealousy, and admiration! Diligence can compensate for a lack of talent, but facing high intelligence is still discouraging.

What Lin Xia struggled to achieve, others could attain effortlessly—proof that the world is indeed unfair.

Of course, as an adult, Lin Xia merely thought about it. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not suffered.

As Mo Shengqi said, “If I die of anger, who will be pleased? Besides, it’s taxing and exhausting!” It made perfect sense.

Chatting and laughing, the two soon arrived at Melody Hall.

This time, as soon as they entered, the woman from last time was sitting in the main room, plainly visible.

“Teacher Liu,” Lin Xia called.

“Here for class!” Teacher Liu smiled. “And who is this?”

“My classmate—she wants to learn guitar.” Lin Xia smiled.

Teacher Liu’s smile grew wider; she loved students like this, who brought her more pupils.

After a brief discussion, they settled on a schedule. Xie Xitong went upstairs with Lin Xia, each entering her own classroom.

Teacher Liu taught the guzheng. Lin Xia regarded her as talented—she could play both piano and guzheng, a true virtuoso.

Teacher Liu handed her a score for “Fisherman’s Song at Dusk,” asking Lin Xia to play from it to assess her level.

Placing the sheet music on the stand and donning the finger picks, Lin Xia began to play, notes ringing out.

Since graduating from university, she had barely touched the guzheng.

Her movements were stiff at first, and she struck many wrong notes, but halfway through she started to recover her feel.

When the piece ended, Teacher Liu nodded. “Your foundation is solid, your arms don’t lift awkwardly during performance—a common flaw for many players.”

“It’s just that you haven’t played in a long time, so your hands are stiff and the sound is a bit coarse. That’s no big deal; play a few more times and your hands will relax.” Teacher Liu smiled.

Teaching students with a foundation was much easier than those without. This one had good hands. Judging by the two, they might bring more children to learn music.

With that in mind, she became even more amiable toward Lin Xia and Xie Xitong.

But that’s another story for another time.

For the first lesson, Teacher Liu didn’t teach any new techniques, instead selecting several pieces for Lin Xia to review all the fingering methods she had learned.

She then corrected Lin Xia’s playing posture and technique, especially the rapid passages and the overall tone in “Fisherman’s Song at Dusk.”

Indeed, there were many things Lin Xia hadn’t paid attention to before, so she studied diligently, feeling she gained much.

That afternoon, she played “Fisherman’s Song at Dusk” dozens of times, rediscovering the passion she had when she first learned music.

When Teacher Liu finally announced the day’s tasks were completed and she could leave, Xie Xitong had already finished her lesson.

Seeing Teacher Liu emerge from the guzheng room, Xie Xitong hurried in.

Seeing her happy face, Lin Xia removed her finger picks and smiled, “How was your lesson today?”

“It was rather fun.” The two chatted briefly, packed their things, and headed outside.

“Xie Xitong?” came a stranger’s voice.

Lin Xia and Xie Xitong turned. Xie Xitong exclaimed in surprise, “You Xin, what are you doing here?”

P:
If you enjoy good books, I recommend Lady Wan’s “Song of the Emperor.”
A mysterious hairpin stirs an eight-hundred-year cycle…
A frustrating time-travel, reduced to a captive, several attempts to escape, but still unable to break free from the grasp of a terrifying uncle.
The fate of captives is nothing but two: death or a living death.
With a soul from the modern era, Yan Ge Wan refuses to resign herself to death—she wants to live well.
With wit and cunning, can she win respect and affection in a world full of thorns?
It’s by Lady Wan.