Chapter 40: Amusing himself
Tang Wu said he should come to her house for dinner over the weekend. Her grandparents were both there...
Neither he nor Tang Wu had been back to Xuelian Yiju in Peninsula Bay lately. For one thing, the end of their freshman year was approaching, and many of their courses were reaching the moment of truth. Su Can had plenty of subjects to worry about. Even a basic course like Political Economy, which was little different from the politics classes in junior and senior high school, now required him to knuckle down and memorize the key points. At the beginning of each semester, their courses were like wild horses off the reins: no need to tether them or worry about them, with neither side bothering the other and both enjoying their freedom. But come the end of the semester, those subjects instantly became Japanese troops on a sweep, armies bearing down on the city, pursuing them and cutting off every escape. Against that backdrop, everyone was fighting to avoid failed courses, resits, and retakes the following semester. Neither Su Can nor Tang Wu had time for the leisurely romance they had enjoyed at the start of term.
For another thing, Su Can had more than academic pressure on his shoulders. There was also company business. Facebook Chinese had laid its foundations during the second half of the semester, and lately Su Can wished he could split every hour in two. Naturally, there was never enough time.
But this time was different. Su Can knew that Tang Wu's grandmother, Mu Qin, had come to Shanghai chiefly to handle a series of matters involving the Pudong Cadre Institute, so her schedule was bound to be even more tightly packed. One day, while eating in the cafeteria and watching