Chapter 31  : Dusk

In Luoyang, spring was accompanied by sand and after that, it was accompanied by more sand.

Summer was then accompanied by abnormal weather and it was bound to be accompanied by abnormal weather when it ended as well.

And so, another semester came to an end.

“I remember the winter holidays just ended two semesters ago. Now, it’s already the summer holidays, time sure flies!” Su Fei looked at the blazing, hot sun in the sky.

“Yes it does! Except for the first week of the semester, the remaining time was just described within three paragraphs. The author sure is lazy!” said Zhang Jun.

“I think the author’s already running out of ideas.”

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“Maybe he has nothing good to write anymore?”

“Hmph! Life may be dull but it can be colorful too. The author must not have properly observed what life is!”

“That’s right! The writing is so bland and the dialogues are superficial!”

(Author: Whatever you guys say then…)

In short, time moved as quickly as water and another semester came to an end…

Despite the annoying mosquitoes and scorching hot sun, summer was truly the most wonderful season of the year; short skirts, camisoles, swimming suits, thighs and also floral panties…

Floral panties?

“What are you looking at?” Su Fei asked Zhang Jun, who was lying on the ground.

“Floral… Argh, no! The sunlight today isn’t bad at all!” Zhang Jun could not avert his gaze away from Su Fei’s short skirt. His eyes then slowly moved down between her legs and the view was surely incredible!

“Oh? Is it?” Su Fei lifted her head towards the sky. Immediately, Zhang Jun stood up. He was afraid that Su Fei would stomp him to death if she found out what he just did.

“What are you doing? Wearing something so…” Zhang Jun wondered if he should call it “exposing” or “transparent”. He did not expect Su Fei to grab onto his shoulder instead. “You said we’d be going out to play today!” She continued to cling on to Zhang Jun as if it was a natural thing to do. This made them both look like a couple.

Zhang Jun began to panic and he tried to struggle away. But seeing how Su Fei was not going to let go of him easily, he surrendered.

…

Luoyang was an ancient capital city from the thirteenth dynasty. A few thousand years ago, there were thick loess everywhere that could crush people to death. Hence, there was a chance that a grave would be dug up around certain places where houses were presently built. The modern “Luoyang Shovel”, which was commonly used in present archaeological work was originally invented by a burglar thief in Luoyang. Who would have thought that this invention would be used as a special tool in archaeology? Ugh! It just showed how things were always changing and being unpredictable…

Although it was an ancient capital city, civilized monuments were indispensable. The Longmen Grottoes were part of the World Heritage site; the White Horse Temple was one of the earliest Buddhist temples in China, where the millennium incense was endless. There was also a world for Shaolin martial arts (the Shaolin Temple was in the Zhengzhou Territory, but it was closer to reach from Luoyang.) There were also other monuments such as the Tomb Museum, Qian Tang Chi Zhai and Xuanzang’s hometown. These were all part of the “Luoyang X Day Tour” arranged by travel agencies.

However, many locals rarely visited these places in Luoyang. They would bring their relatives from other places to show off their ancestral cultural heritage instead. Young couples were even less likely to visit places like the ancient Tomb Museum.

A friend from Shanghai who went on a tour to Luoyang once said, “Is this the city? It obviously looks like a village!” Whether people were from Shanghai or not, those who have seen the big world would have different things to say about Luoyang based on their observation. The tallest building in Luoyang was the City Agricultural Bank, which stood at a height of 13 m. When you lifted your head to look at the blue sky, you would not be able to see any tall buildings blocking your view. Village or city; you could often meet acquaintances or friends in Luoyang. Everyone would not feel as if they were strangers with one another so, this may also be considered a small benefit.

Many youngsters always came to this place, even Zhang Jun and Su Fei did.

“Ah, I’m so tired!” Zhang Jun sat on a nearby bench. He was panting heavily with his tongue out like a dog (Beware! Violation of rules! Please do not imitate this behavior, children!).

Su Fei stood beside him. “We’ve only gone to a few places yet you’re already complaining that you’re tired! I’m confused. Are you really a soccer player?!”

“No matter how fit a soccer player is, they’d be exhausted from shopping with a girl too!” Zhang Jun snapped back. He thought that members of the Chinese Soccer Association should be ordered to follow their wives or girlfriends on a half-day shopping spree at the very least. That would definitely improve their physical fitness.

By the time it was over, hehe! Who would those puny Japanese players be? Who would Korea be? Even the hardworking team of Germany would be foaming at its mouth. What is the real meaning of running to death? Davis would also be ashamed. Real guys with good fitness would be those in the company of a girl who loves shopping!

Zhang Jun was proud of his idea. He finally understood why they were many who wanted to be philosophers. He never thought it would bring people such joy to think about problems and solving them (Another reminder: You must not imitate him, children!).

“Come on, let’s go!” Su Fei was skipping around while Zhang Jun was dreadfully trying to catch up with his worn out legs.

“Where are we going? This is one hell of a day!”

Suddenly, Zhang Jun stopped when he arrived at a certain place.

“This is…”

“What is it? Su Fen turned around to ask Zhang Jun. He was staring blankly at a school entrance.

“Su Fei, I want to take a look inside. Is that okay?”

Su Fei nodded.

“Hey, you two! What are you doing here?” The security guard shouted as he rushed towards them.

Su Fei returned a smile. “Sir, we’ve come to see our old school!”

“Oh, go ahead then!”

Zhang Jun headed towards the soccer field, which was two meters wide. There were only a few patches of grass with two miserable goal posts.

“It still looks the same even after 6 years has passed!” Zhang Jun laughed. “This is where I first participated in a real soccer competition,” he said as he pointed at the empty soccer field.

“It was my first time representing my school to participate in the city’s ‘Meng Ya Cup’ when I was back in Year 5. Yang Pan and I were forwards while our opponent was Bo Li Chang Elementary School.”

Zhang Jun imagined himself back on that very day, which took place six years ago.

…

“Goal!”

Zhang Jun and Yang Pan exchanged hugs. It was his first time participating, yet he managed to score his first goal with assistance from Yang Pan. Yang Pan’s speed stood out among the elementary school students; he could easily throw anyone off the field. If it had not been for Zhang Jun’s ability to keep up with his speed, he would not have been able to handle it when Yang Pan passed the ball to him.

Although he could not clearly remember what the score was, he could still recall that his teammates went out to celebrate their victory together after the match ended. The sun had already begun setting beyond the sky’s horizon as the sunlight shone through the thick cloud of dust and onto everyone’s smiling faces. The sunshine was interspersed with soot and everything was red in color. That was Zhang Jun’s unforgettable dusk.

…

Zhang Jun opened his eyes, only to find that Su Fei had her eyes closed too. The sun was setting and the sunlight plated a golden rim around her pretty face. She looked so beautiful! Zhang Jun had a sudden impulse and brought his face closer to her. There was no doubt that evening was the best time of the day…

…

It gave Zhang Jun a fright when Su Fei suddenly opened her eyes. He quickly returned to his original position. “Ahem, what were you trying to do just now? You closed your eyes without a word.” Zhang Jun was afraid that Su Fei’s would be suspicious of his reaction, so he immediately dodged the question.

“I was thinking back to the days in elementary schoo. There was a day when I went to watch a soccer match between two competing teams. It was noon and the sun could be seen on the west side. Under the bright sunlight, the soccer field looked like an oil painting with the all the dust flying around; it was beautiful!”

Su Fei took a deep breath.

Zhang Jun then stared at Su Fei.

Su Fei gave him a smile. “We should head back!” After all was said and done, she held Zhang Jun’s hand and ran towards the school’s entrance.

“See you again, sir!” As they passed by the guard house, Su Fei waved at the guard who was sitting near the gate.

The guard then shook his head as he watched their silhouettes fade into the distance. “Strange… That little girl seem familiar, I wonder where I’ve met her before…”

Despite the annoying mosquitoes and scorching hot sun, summer was truly the most wonderful season of the year; short skirts, camisoles, swimming suits, thighs and also sunsets that looked like oil paintings…