Chapter 013: I Am Sick

Attending classes, making friends, eating meals, and evening self-study—the past few days of Zhang Tan’s life had been monotonous, yet offered their own flavor of bittersweet nostalgia. Taking advantage of class time and evening study, he finally managed to write two chapters of “The Four Great Constables Shake the Northeast.” Each chapter was six thousand words; together, they would make for a substantial serial if submitted for publication.

It took him another day to proofread and correct errors, and on the afternoon of Friday, September 7th, he finally finished copying out the manuscript in neat handwriting. Ten full pages of letter paper, the strokes of his fountain pen strong and elegant, pleasing to the eye.

“If I practiced a bit more, I could be a calligrapher,” Zhang Tan thought with satisfaction as he slipped the pages into an envelope and sealed it with glue. Even after a long hiatus, his handwriting was still beautiful.

He affixed a stamp, wrote the address, and handed the envelope to a small shop in the teachers’ residential area in front of the academic building. The little shop not only sold snacks but also accepted letters for mailing.

Having sent off his manuscript, Zhang Tan set aside his writing for the moment. His first submission was to “Stories of Today and the Past,” a monthly publication under the Stories of Today and the Past Magazine House. Since it only came out once a month, there was no rush to submit.

With the matter of the manuscript settled, his current goals crystallized into three: first, to move out of the school and rent a place of his own; second, to get in shape, as his skinny arms and legs were unbearable to look at; and third, to make up for past regrets by forming a soccer team for Class 5, Grade 10, training hard, and dominating Shuangdun High School!

“One step at a time,” he mused, stroking his chin.

With some time left before evening self-study, Zhang Tan headed to the staff dormitory, a temporary residence for single teachers, where Yu Na was currently staying.

“Room 302 on the third floor, this must be it,” he said to himself, and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Yu Na’s voice came from inside.

“Miss Yu, it’s me, Zhang Tan.”

There was a click as the bolt was drawn back and Yu Na opened the door. “Zhang Tan, what brings you here?”

“There’s a small favor I’d like to ask,” Zhang Tan replied, stepping into Yu Na’s single apartment.

The furnishings were simple: a student-style bunk bed—with the lower bunk for sleeping and the upper for storage—a desk, a stool, and in the corner, a broom, dustpan, and water jug.

“How did you know I was living here?” Yu Na asked curiously.

“I deduced it.”

“Deducted?”

“Yes, I like reading ‘The Complete Sherlock Holmes,’ and I tend to observe my surroundings. This building is for single faculty, so you’d naturally be here. Besides, if you ask the guard downstairs, he’ll tell you which room you’re in—after all, there’s only ever one truth!”

Yu Na, unfamiliar with “Detective Conan,” didn’t catch the reference, but nodded. “So you asked, not deduced.”

Zhang Tan smiled. “But isn’t that more mysterious? It makes me seem profound.”

“What are you going on about?” Yu Na muttered, unaware there was a word for this kind of posturing. “So, what did you need help with?”

“Just a small matter.”

“Go ahead,” Yu Na said, studying Zhang Tan. She found this student rather odd—he didn’t speak or act like a student at all, and showed none of the shyness students usually had around teachers.

Zhang Tan mentally reviewed his prepared speech before finally saying, “Here’s the thing, Miss Yu—I’m ill.”

“You’re ill?” Yu Na was surprised.

“Yes.” Zhang Tan sighed dramatically. “I suffer from neurasthenia. Do you know what that is? It causes me a great deal of distress.”

Though Yu Na wasn’t quite sure what neurasthenia was, she couldn’t help but look at him with sympathy.

Zhang Tan caught the look and was delighted, knowing his plan might work. He pressed on, “Neurasthenia is caused by prolonged stress and tension, leading to mental hyperexcitability and fatigue, often accompanied by irritability, sleep disorders, muscle tension, pain, and so on. The symptoms fluctuate, and the environment plays a big part. So…”

Yu Na nodded unconsciously, waiting for him to continue.

“So, I can’t stay in the dorms. The environment is too noisy—I can’t sleep at all, and it makes me anxious and stressed. I would love to live with everyone, but I really can’t. Miss Yu, I plan to rent a place off campus, right next to the Countryside Restaurant—it’s very convenient.”

Zhang Tan laid out his ultimate goal.

Yu Na didn’t agree right away, saying she needed to think it over.

Zhang Tan exaggerated his symptoms, but still couldn’t sway her; she said they’d discuss it after evening study. When evening study arrived, Yu Na called him out of the classroom.

“Why isn’t there a phone number for your home on your contact sheet?” Yu Na asked, fixing him with a hard stare, trying to pressure him.

But she had no way of knowing that Zhang Tan, standing before her, was, in essence, an old soul several years her senior. Unfazed, he met her gaze directly, almost as if he were admiring her features.

She wore a pink blouse patterned with white peonies, glasses perched on her nose, no makeup, slender and delicate—not at all like a teacher, more like an older student.

“Uh, the truth is, we don’t have a home phone.”

“How can you not have a phone?” Yu Na was skeptical.

“It’s true. First, my family is poor. Second, my parents are often away working, so there’s no need for a phone at home.” Under Yu Na’s naïve gaze, Zhang Tan suddenly felt a pang of guilt for lying.

But for the sake of his future, he had to find a way to live off campus. The school policy was strict: students not from Shuangdun Town weren’t allowed to live off campus.

Ah, life is but a stage, and all depends on one’s acting!

The real reason Zhang Tan hadn’t listed a phone number was to prevent teachers from calling home and exposing his secrets. Years ago, he’d foolishly put down his number, and after sneaking out for an all-night internet session, his homeroom teacher called his parents. Tan Mingxia almost punished him right in the office, and only the presence of other teachers spared him.

He would not repeat that mistake.

After a moment of silence, Yu Na told him to return to class. She couldn’t make such a decision on her own and would have to consult the grade director.

Fearing Yu Na might not be tactful, Zhang Tan suggested they go together to see the grade director.

There, with a silver tongue, Zhang Tan painted his neurasthenia in the darkest colors, emphasized how close his rental would be to campus, and promised that his studies wouldn’t suffer—he’d only sleep at the rented place and spend all other time at school. He even wrote a formal guarantee, and at last received permission to live off campus.

Yu Na warned him that she would make unannounced checks at night, just in case he got up to any mischief.

Leaving the office, Zhang Tan felt like looking up to the sky and sighing, “All this effort, just to rent a place of my own—how hard can life be?”