Past Events

Zhang Shuai found the scene rather amusing. For some reason, it reminded him of his first love—or maybe it didn't count as a first love. It had only been a secret crush, a one-sided infatuation, not a real relationship.

She was a girl from his hometown, Malong Village. She had a lovely name: Ye Manqiu.

Ye Manqiu was a year younger than Zhang Shuai. After graduating from high school, she didn't continue her studies. Instead, she started a specialty farming business in the village, raising crayfish and crabs.

Zhang Shuai's hometown was right by the lake, and his house was close to Ye Manqiu's farm. She often left tools and feed at his place, then came by whenever she needed them. Before long, she and Zhang Shuai had grown familiar with each other. At the time, Zhang Shuai was going through a severe bout of depression and wouldn't talk to anyone. Ye Manqiu was the only one who patiently tried to cheer him up, and she often took him to play by the lake.

After two years of her encouragement, Zhang Shuai's depression was completely cured.

However, Zhang Shuai's grandfather disliked Ye Manqiu. He said she was treating Zhang Shuai like a fool and ordering him around. Back then, the villagers all avoided Zhang Shuai. Ye Manqiu was the only one who talked to him, but it was only because she wanted free labor. Nothing more.

Zhang Shuai knew she might well have had exactly that in mind. He had been fat back then, but he was strong, and he'd done a lot of the heavy work for Ye Manqiu over those two years.

Ye Manqiu earned over two hundred thousand yuan from raising crayfish and crabs during those years, but she never paid Zhang Shuai a single cent for his work. The only thing she gave him was a set of clothes she bought him during the New Year that year, when she was in a good mood after making money.

The clothes were poor quality and shrank badly. The seams split after Zhang Shuai had worn them only a few times, and he couldn't wear them anymore. Later, he checked Pinxixi and found that the outfit cost thirty-three yuan.

Apart from that outfit, Ye Manqiu never gave Zhang Shuai anything else.

And Zhang Shuai had never asked her for anything, either, because back then he had fallen hopelessly in love with her!

What boy hadn't gone through puberty? Ye Manqiu was only average-looking, and her skin had grown rather dark from spending so much time in the sun. But she was the only girl Zhang Shuai spent time with back then. That was probably how feelings grew over time.

Although many people in the village treated Zhang Shuai like a fool, he wasn't actually stupid. He saw things more clearly than anyone. It was just that, while he was depressed, he didn't want to say what he knew.

Then one day, Ye Manqiu showed Zhang Shuai a photo of a man on her phone. She told him the man was her fiancé and that they had already agreed to get married. Then she asked Zhang Shuai if he thought her fiancé was handsome.

Zhang Shuai was stunned. After a long while, he finally found the courage to confess his feelings to Ye Manqiu. He told her how much he liked her and begged her not to marry that man. He said he was willing to marry her and raise crayfish and crabs with her.

But Ye Manqiu treated Zhang Shuai's words like a joke and giggled. He would remember what she said then for the rest of his life: "You fool. If I married you, I'd never be able to show my face in the village again."

In life, the people you care about can often hurt you deeply with an offhand remark.

Ye Manqiu's words cut Zhang Shuai to the heart.

The next day, Ye Manqiu came to Zhang Shuai's house as usual and called him to help her work at the lake. Zhang Shuai shook his head and said he wasn't going.

It was the first time in two years that Zhang Shuai had gone against her wishes. Before then, whenever she asked him to help, he would follow at her heels with a big smile.

Ye Manqiu froze, then asked in confusion why he wouldn't go.

Zhang Shuai retorted, "Why should I? Are you paying me or what? And from now on, don't leave your tools or feed at my house anymore. You're always coming here, and it makes the villagers gossip. They'll think there's something going on between us. Besides, your fiancé might get the wrong idea. Don't come to my house anymore!"

Perhaps it was only then that Ye Manqiu realized the chubby Zhang she thought was a fool wasn't stupid at all.

Later, Ye Manqiu took everything she had left at Zhang Shuai's house. From that moment on, Zhang Shuai resolved to pull himself together. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life as a joke in other people's eyes, or to be thought of as a fool!

That unrequited love also taught Zhang Shuai a lasting lesson: when dealing with people, you couldn't always be the one giving. They would take your kindness for granted. That was human nature!

"Handsome, it's my turn to practice driving. Go sit in the passenger seat and guide me!"

During Sun Xiaoya's first attempt at parallel parking, Zhang Shuai sat in the passenger seat and watched her clumsy maneuvers. He was nearly driven frantic. How had she been clever enough to get into college?

There was no helping it. Zhang Shuai had to keep giving her instructions and reminders. In a flurry, Sun Xiaoya parked the car inside the yellow lines of the parallel-parking area. It wasn't positioned properly, and she had come within a hair's breadth of crossing the side line.

Sun Xiaoya did a little better on her second attempt.

When it was Zhang Shuai's turn to practice, Sun Xiaoya took the passenger seat. Watching Zhang Shuai move with even more ease and fluency than the instructor, she praised him from the heart. "Handsome, you're amazing! The instructor only had to teach you once, and you got it. I used to think I was smart, but compared with you, I'm so stupid."

Zhang Shuai smiled. "Learning to drive isn't like studying. Driving depends mostly on coordinating your hands, feet, and body. Studying takes intelligence. You can't lump them together."

After they practiced a few times, though, all of them could complete the exercise without a problem. Their movements weren't always smooth, and their parking positions weren't always spot-on, but they could pass as long as they didn't cross the lines.

The next day, Coach Wu started teaching them how to reverse into a parking space. Zhang Shuai picked it up just as quickly as before. Coach Wu couldn't stop praising his astonishing ability to learn and understand.

Unfortunately, they had to wait until the required date to book the test. Otherwise, Zhang Shuai could have practiced for just half an hour and gone straight to take the second-subject test.

Over the next few days, Zhang Shuai came to the driving school to practice every day. Before long, he had grown familiar with Sun Xiaoya and Lin Xiuwen.

Sun Xiaoya was outgoing and talkative, while Lin Xiuwen was the opposite: quiet and reserved.

Zhang Shuai wasn't stupid. He could tell Sun Xiaoya liked him, but he really didn't feel the same way about her. On the contrary, he was quite drawn to Lin Xiuwen.

In fact, Lin Xiuwen's looks and personality were exactly his type.

He just didn't dare show it. Ever since Ye Manqiu had laughed at his confession, Zhang Shuai had learned that people needed to know their place. If you knew someone couldn't possibly like you and still confessed, you were only asking to humiliate yourself.

The day before their second-subject driving test, Sun Xiaoya suggested that the three of them go out for a meal.

Zhang Shuai hadn't wanted to join any dinner gathering. All he needed to do now was recharge, and going out to eat would only waste time and food.

But then Lin Xiuwen casually said, "Zhang, why don't we get together? I feel like having a drink."

Zhang Shuai agreed without hesitation.