The evening breeze carried the South’s signature humidity, stirring up waves of heat that had baked into the ground during the day.
Chen Zhuo and Wang Dayong walked side-by-side along a road on the Keda campus.
The streetlights lining the road were old, their yellowed lampshades filled with a few small, trapped insects. They cast concentric halos of light on the ground.
Neither of them said much.
A moment ago, outside the university gates, they had watched their parents’ cars merge into the flow of traffic. Only then did the reality of leaving home finally settle onto the two young men’s shoulders.
They entered Building 4.
On the first floor, a light was on in the dorm mother’s room. An old, fourteen-inch television was playing a drama series, its volume turned down low.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor. The hallway was perfectly quiet.
Since they had registered a day early, the building was still mostly empty. The doors to most of the dorm rooms were shut and locked.
They pushed open the door to Room 215.
Wang Dayong slapped a switch on the wall, and the overhead fluorescent light flickered twice before turning on.
The room smelled of new furniture mixed with mothballs.
Wang Dayong walked over to his desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
He looked around the empty dorm room, then glanced at Chen Zhuo, who was across from him, hanging a shoulder bag in his wardrobe.
"Xiaozhuo, do you think my parents have reached the train station yet?"
Chen Zhuo closed the wardrobe door and turned to face him.
"They should be about there. The Provincial City’s train station shouldn’t be too far from campus."
Wang Dayong sighed and rubbed his cheeks, kneading the flesh until his face was out of shape.
"Over thirty hours on a hard sleeper... CLICKETY-CLACK, CLICKETY-CLACK... I’m getting tired just thinking about it. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been this far from them."
Chen Zhuo walked to his desk and picked up his water cup.
He looked at Wang Dayong’s dejected expression and offered a gentle smile.
"Go wash up and get some sleep. Classes officially start tomorrow. This place will be buzzing with people. You’ll be wishing for some quiet then."
"That’s true."
Wang Dayong stood up, retrieved a towel and toothbrush from a washbasin under his bed, and gave them a couple of shakes.
He turned and pushed open the frosted glass door to the left of the room’s entrance.
The accommodations for their gifted program were admittedly quite good. The dorm room was not only spacious but also had its own large, private bathroom.
"I’m going to rinse off. This sweat is so sticky and uncomfortable. You want to shower after me?"
Wang Dayong asked, leaning out from the doorway.
"You go ahead. I’m going to tidy up my desk."
Wang Dayong closed the glass door.
A moment later, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom, punctuated by Wang Dayong clearing his throat. The sounds were exceptionally clear in the quiet of the dorm room.
Chen Zhuo pulled out his chair and sat down.
He looked at the clean desk before him. On its surface lay a few old notebooks from his time in Zeyang, along with a large flashlight that Liu Xiuying had insisted on packing in his bag.
Chen Zhuo lifted his head and glanced out the window at the night sky.
’The black Santana 2000... it should be on the highway by now.’
’Chen Jianguo is a cautious man and drives slowly at night, but with so many large trucks on the road, it’s hard not to worry a little.’
Chen Zhuo pulled his gaze away from the window, opened a drawer, and placed the flashlight and a few other small items inside.
A few moments later, the water in the bathroom shut off.
Wang Dayong emerged from the bathroom with a wet towel draped around his neck and water dripping from his hair. He’d changed into a baggy old T-shirt and a pair of large shorts.
"Man, the water pressure is great. That cold water goes right through you. So refreshing."
Wang Dayong shoved the washbasin under his bed, gave his feet a quick wipe with the towel, and then draped it over the back of his chair.
"Your turn, Xiaozhuo. The water’s nice and cool."
Chen Zhuo nodded, grabbing his toiletries and heading into the bathroom.
A thin film of water covered the tiled floor. Chen Zhuo quickly washed his face, dried it with a towel, and walked back out.
Wang Dayong was already on his bed, having climbed up the ladder.
Chen Zhuo closed the bathroom door, walked to the main entrance, and flipped the light switch.
The room plunged into darkness. The only light came from a streetlight outside, casting a long, rectangular reflection on the glass balcony door.
Chen Zhuo climbed the ladder to his own bunk.
The bamboo sleeping mat, which they had wiped down earlier that evening, gave off a faint, clean scent of bamboo.
Chen Zhuo lay down and pulled the thin summer quilt over his stomach.
The ceiling fan above was set to its second speed, humming monotonously. The breeze it created was just enough to chase away the stuffy heat.
"Xiaozhuo, you asleep?"
From the opposite bunk, Wang Dayong shifted, the bed frame creaking softly.
"Nope."
"This mattress is pretty hard," Wang Dayong mumbled.
"You’ll get used to it in a few days."
Wang Dayong laced his fingers behind his head, staring up at the blurry outline of the ceiling.
"So, I guess this makes us college students, huh?"
"Guess so."
"Time flies, man. Feels like just the other day I was playing Counter-Strike at an internet cafe back home, and now, in the blink of an eye, I’m sleeping in a dorm at Keda.
A minute ago, I closed my eyes and I swear I could still hear my mom chopping vegetables in the kitchen."
Wang Dayong’s voice was tinged with excitement, but also laced with the disorientation that comes with leaving home for the first time.
Chen Zhuo turned his head, his eyes adjusting to the dim light to look at the opposite bunk.
A small smile played on his lips, and his tone was casual.
"Homesick?"
"A little," Wang Dayong admitted. "It’s too quiet in here. You can’t even hear cars. I’m not used to it."
Chen Zhuo lay back down, staring at the fan spinning overhead.
"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine once you’re asleep. Hey, Brother Dayong, do you snore?"
"Huh? I guess so. My dad says I do when I’m really tired."

Comments

Loading...