That year, I was in the second year of junior high school in a rural area. Because I'd made too many friends who were just coasting through life, I almost went crazy. As a result, my studies were a complete mess; I failed almost every subject.
At that time, skipping classes, truancy, fighting, and arguing with teachers became my entire school life. To discipline me, my homeroom teacher decided to isolate me and warned the other students not to talk to me. My seat was moved from the first three rows to a corner in the last row. I became a lonely figure, ignored
by everyone, and every day, when bored, I could only silently talk to the walls. That day, my homeroom teacher, Ms. Jia, brought in a thin girl and told everyone her name was Jiangnan, a new transfer student. I looked up at her, then gave her a cynical glance and ignored her. Undeniably, she was a very beautiful girl; her stylish appearance and attire immediately set her apart from the ugly ducklings in the class. But what did that have to do with me?
But I was wrong. Because the seating arrangement had just been changed, the homeroom teacher had to arrange for Jiangnan to sit in the empty seat next to me. Jiangnan's arrival immediately made me uncomfortable, especially sitting next to a beautiful girl; I felt like I had thorns in my back and couldn't sit still.
It was said that she had excellent grades and had transferred from a prestigious high school in the city. This made me feel ashamed.
For the first time, because of this special girl, I began to restrain myself somewhat. The next day, I secretly changed into clean clothes, cut my hair short, and for the first time ever, brought all my study materials to class. In that secluded corner, I heard her answer questions in beautiful Mandarin for the first time, and saw her practicing calligraphy on her desk with a calligraphy practice book. I felt a strange excitement.
But that was all, nothing more. I was still a bad student on the teacher's blacklist, still without a single friend.
"Hey! Your drawing is quite unique." During self-study, she lightly patted my arm, pointing at my scribbles in my math textbook and laughing.
"What's so special about it, rubbish," I retorted, not even looking at her. My response surprised her; she stared at me blankly for a moment and then fell silent.
Her arrival gave the mischievous boys in the class a new target for their pranks. As soon as the bell rang, her seat was immediately surrounded by all sorts of boys. They shouted and made a racket, while she blushed and lowered her head, refusing to look at them. I couldn't stand it, glared at them, and punched them all away.
During class, she secretly passed me a note: Thank you! That note warmed my heart.
From then on, I began to pretend to listen in class and do my homework. However, because my foundation was too weak, my scores mostly hovered below 60. She showed me her class notes and pointed to the marked areas, saying, "If you can do these questions, you should be able to pass."
Sure enough, with her help, my grades improved dramatically; in the monthly exam, I even broke 60 in two subjects. When I received the test paper, I tried my best to restrain myself from showing any smugness. Jiangnan smiled and whispered to me, "You're a genius! Your grades improved so quickly with just a little effort. I really envy you." I smiled back, showing my gratitude.
Then, she secretly slipped me a note. I opened it and read: "Keep going! You can do it!" Looking into her bright eyes, I felt an indescribable surge of emotion.
Her encouragement made the arduous task of studying a little more enjoyable. I even gave up the chance to "go out for a breath of fresh air" during breaks, burying myself in my studies. By the end of the first semester, I had surprisingly ranked among the top twenty in my class, much to the astonishment of all my teachers. Just like that, I had transformed myself from a terrible student. By the time I entered the third year of junior high, my grades were almost on par with hers, making me an enviable good student.
During that time, I found meaning in my life again, even feeling like a beacon of light, full of energy every day.
In the second semester of my third year, when everyone was studying desperately for the high school entrance exam, one day I heard the news that Jiangnan was transferring schools. Ms. Jia, our homeroom teacher, stood at the front of the class and told everyone that Jiangnan had transferred schools due to her father's job change. That day, I sat in the classroom without Jiangnan, spending the most difficult day of my junior high school life in a daze.
Jiangnan didn't say goodbye when she left. The only things I kept were two notes she left me: one said, "Thank you!" and the other said, "Keep going, you can do it!"
With her encouragement, I continued to work hard, entered a key middle school, and successfully passed the university entrance exam.
Jiangnan became a cinnabar mark on my adolescence, unforgettable. The innocent feelings of adolescence are wonderful, enough to inspire a misguided teenager to stand up again and keep moving forward.
But I know that that beautiful feeling is not love, but rather, the most beautiful blessing of one youth to another, like one tree watching another tree grow together.
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