Chapter 036: Establishing Jiaotong University on Peach Blossom Island

Bainaohui is an investment project by Taiwan’s Lantian Computer Group, with retail outlets already established in several major cities. The Bainaohui in Hefei just opened its doors this year, and it has quickly attracted all manner of computer and hardware vendors, both large and small. While Bainaohui sells branded computers, its main business is the sale of various components for custom-built machines.

Zhang Tan spent an entire afternoon browsing the shops in Bainaohui, comparing prices and products, and finally succeeded in choosing the optimal configuration for his computer assembly. All that remained was for his parents to finish their work, so they could come together to pick up the goods.

At half past five, he returned to Shuangdun High School, had dinner at the Tianyuan Restaurant, and then hurried to school for evening self-study.

During evening study, Zhang Tan gathered the members of the class football team to hold a pre-match pep talk. The day after tomorrow, Class 5 of the first year would play against Class 3 of the second year. Zhang Tan demanded that all team members be present at noon, without exception, and that they bring their best performance. He also made arrangements with the class monitor, Ding Chunlong, asking him to rally both the boys and girls in the class to cheer for the team on the field.

In truth, with his reputation, a single call to arms would bring most of the class to lend their support. Yet Zhang Tan was not one for such ostentation.

He had long since outgrown the desire to be the center of attention and now only wanted to live a meaningful life with ease and grace.

The bell rang.

Three hours of evening study finally came to an end.

Zhang Tan stretched his arms and rubbed his aching wrist, sore from writing. Satisfied, he shook out the stack of manuscript pages—over five thousand words—slipped them into his folder, and left the classroom with it in hand.

“Want to grab a late-night bite?” asked Cao Yuchuan, trailing behind.

“Sure.”

Teenage boys are always growing; three meals a day aren’t enough. At night, they still had to head to the cafeteria for a plate of fried rice or noodles. During the day, the plain rice in the cafeteria tasted dreadful, but when made into fried rice, it was surprisingly good.

Pushing through the crowd, they ordered egg-fried rice with extra egg.

They found a spot and sat down. In less than a minute, the cafeteria was packed.

Cao Yuchuan looked up and saw two girls from their class searching for seats. He stood and waved, “There’s space over here.”

The two girls hurried over.

They were Yang Yuejiao and Ruan Xiaoting.

“Detective, I thought you didn’t live on campus?” Ruan Xiaoting asked curiously.

Ruan Xiaoting was the girl who, in his previous life, when he mentioned that Hitler was his idol, interrupted to say that her family’s dog was also called Hitler. Her skin was a bit dark, her features finely carved—a pretty girl in the making—but during high school, no one liked her.

She had a quirky temperament and was prone to fits of pique.

“I don’t live on campus, but I rent a place just by the school gate. If I don’t have dinner at night, I have to come to the cafeteria,” Zhang Tan replied with a smile to the two girls, quickly glancing at Yang Yuejiao, who was sitting beside Ruan Xiaoting.

Yang Yuejiao seemed to sense his gaze, bowed her head, and ate silently, shy.

From where Zhang Tan sat, he could see the snowy white skin at her collar and neck, a strand of hair falling across her cheek, lending her a subtle, feminine allure.

This brought Zhang Tan some relief. He’d long puzzled and berated himself over what, exactly, was so special about Yang Yuejiao that she became the first girl he ever courted.

Yang Yuejiao wasn’t beautiful; she was nearsighted and wore braces.

Now he realized—it was perhaps this trace of feminine charm that had moved his heart in his previous life.

He remembered that fifteen years ago, in his first year of high school, he was still a carefree youth, ignorant of love and romance, idly roaming the campus, helping Liang Wei pass notes to Liu Jing.

But every night after evening study, the dorm would fill with boisterous talk—boys discussing girls and gossiping about sex, and Zhang Tan couldn’t help but be influenced. One day, probably in the second semester of the first year, the boys in the dorm decided each would find a girl to pursue. Zhang Tan joined in.

He chose Yang Yuejiao.

At the time, he was utterly naive, clueless about how to court a girl, except that he should be kind to her. So one night, he planned to treat Yang Yuejiao to a late-night snack. But to his chagrin, all the girls in Yang Yuejiao’s dorm and all the boys in Zhang Tan’s dorm tagged along, and everyone wanted him to pay.

He’d been foolish enough to fork out the cash—for a meal that cost over thirty yuan—leaving him broke for the first time and forcing him to borrow from classmates.

Yet, the effect was immediate: Yang Yuejiao seemed a little moved, at the very least not rejecting his enthusiasm.

The spark was struck.

He remembered most clearly an incident in geography class a few days later. The teacher, Liu Fei, was a recent graduate of “Anjiao University”—Anhui Transportation University. According to online sources, this university isn’t easily found, as “Anjiao” is the students’ nickname for it. Formerly known as Liu’an Normal College, it is now called West Anhui College.

It is the only university in China situated on an island. The island, originally called Peach Blossom Island, was covered with peach trees planted by the school; every year during peach season, students would eat so many peaches they’d get stomach aches.

Later, the island was apparently renamed Moon Island (or perhaps it was always called Moon Island, and Peach Blossom was just a nickname).

After graduating, Liu Fei returned to his hometown, Changfeng County, and was assigned to Shuangdun High School to teach geography. Strangely enough, due to a lack of housing for male teachers, Liu Fei was given a room opposite the computer lab and was also put in charge of its keys.

So, Zhang Tan, who loved surfing the web, would pester Liu Fei every noon to let him into the computer lab to play games.

With his reputation as the “Little Prince of Geography,” which was well earned, Zhang Tan naturally got on well with Liu Fei.

One time, Liu Fei had a stroke of inspiration and decided to have students give the class. The “Little Prince of Geography” Zhang Tan took the stage and delivered an animated lesson...

“Cough, cough—seems the topic has wandered a bit too far. Am I getting old? I’d better bring it back!” Zhang Tan mused quietly as he ate his egg-fried rice, his mind once again drifting through the corridors of memory.

Caught up in teaching, Zhang Tan actually left the podium and walked to Yang Yuejiao’s desk, asking, “Can you understand everything I’m teaching?”

Amid the suppressed giggles of those in the know, Yang Yuejiao shyly nodded.

With the air of a triumphant general, Zhang Tan swaggered back up to the podium and continued, “Ahem, let’s return to the textbook. We’ll continue introducing the desert landforms of our country…”

Bang!

The cafeteria aunt slammed a giant soup pot onto the floor, the sound sharp and clear.

It jolted Zhang Tan out of his reverie.

Cao Yuchuan was happily chatting with Ruan Xiaoting, while Yang Yuejiao quietly ate her noodles.

Half of Zhang Tan’s egg-fried rice was already gone. He stood and asked Yang Yuejiao, “Would you like some soup? I’ll go get it.”

“Thank you,” Yang Yuejiao replied softly.

Hearing her shy response, Zhang Tan was suddenly filled with an odd sense of guilt.

Back then, he’d really been a bit of a scoundrel.

Ever since that subtle exchange in geography class, Yang Yuejiao had become deeply infatuated with him—or perhaps, had truly fallen for him. Yet Zhang Tan, the so-called “Little Prince of Geography,” lost interest as quickly as he’d gained it, never truly understanding what love was.

He’d courted Yang Yuejiao, then ignored her.

One day, Yang Yuejiao blocked his path and demanded, “What do you mean by this?”

“What?”

———

If you enjoyed this story, I recommend the rebirth novel “Rewriting Life.”

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