Chapter26.2｜Eternal summer

During the 20-day wait for their exam results, the group embarked on a journey to explore different aspects of life. 

This initiative was conceived and decided upon by Li Yong. 

Each individual selected a position in various sectors, all at the grassroots level, for a two-week practicum. 

Xu Zhiyi joined the "Regular Assistance Group C" at the A City Social Assistance Center, Meng Yin volunteered at the A City Stray Dog Rescue Center, Xing Xiuze and Nie Hai became delivery drivers, and Lin Xipei worked at the Mcdonald's counter.

Regular social assistance work involves provisions such as urban and rural minimum livelihood guarantees, rural support for the elderly, assistance for impoverished rural households, and urban and rural medical aid. 

The A City Social Assistance Center has three regular assistance groups, with Xu Zhiyi's Group C primarily responsible for aiding impoverished rural households and providing medical assistance in urban and rural areas. Over the two weeks, Group C 's main task was to survey and register elderly widows and widowers in suburban villages and visit related impoverished households.

The team did not visit impoverished counties or towns; instead, they went to forgotten, remote villages tucked away in corners. These villages are nestled in the hills with aged houses mostly built in the 1980s and 1990s. 

The further they ventured, the more desolate it became. Some residents lived in dilapidated ruins, some in makeshift tin shelters, and others in pigsties without a place to call home.

During this mission, Xu Zhiyi took charge of registering pertinent information. Although rural areas were relatively unfamiliar to him, they no longer seemed so alien. While conducting surveys and visits, Xu Zhiyi reminisced about his own childhood upon seeing children and was reminded of what Meng Yin once said, "Seeing an elderly person always evokes memories of family elders."

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, there is a misconception that everyone is leading a content life. 

In half a month, Group C surveyed 8 villages, registering 18 lonely elderly individuals and 12 impoverished households.

The animal shelter in A City has housed over a thousand stray dogs, serving as their final refuge before they are adopted. The dogs at the shelter come in various breeds, including healthy ones, small dogs abandoned due to abuse and disabilities, as well as larger dogs undergoing treatment for serious illnesses.

Differing from most privately or NGO-run stray dog care centres, the A City animal shelter is government-funded with a significant annual budget allocated for its operations. However, despite this funding, the staff at the shelter face challenges such as limited resources and high daily pressures. They are responsible for cleaning the kennels, preparing meals and medications for the dogs, scheduling regular check-ups at partner hospitals, as well as managing the shelter's external services and finances.

Meng Yin's primary tasks at the shelter include coordinating kennel cleaning and administering medication to the sick dogs, working alongside Aunt Zhang who has been at the shelter since its establishment. 

Aunt Zhang, nearing retirement, vividly remembers the stories of each stray dog she has cared for, allowing Yin to learn about similar tales, as well as the current challenges faced by the shelter.

Meng Yin and Xu Zhiyi chat on the phone every night before bed, sharing their daily experiences and exchanging words of encouragement like "Are you tired?" and "Take care of yourself." 

Due to exhaustion, they have fallen asleep on the phone a few times.

Xing Xiuze is aware of the hardships of the food delivery position. The job does not distinguish between seasons or weather conditions, but upon starting, it further heightened his awareness of the challenges associated with this role. 

With a schedule of 2 days off per month and a 3-shift system — early shift from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., middle shift from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and late shift from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., rotating every 10 days. Additionally, a profound knowledge of the delivery area is required. Not only must he plan the most optimal routes to enhance meal delivery efficiency, protect the food from spills during delivery, ensure timely deliveries, prevent customer complaints, but also offers a sincere smile and wishes the customer a pleasant meal at the end of each delivery, hoping for a positive review. 

He may not care much about the reviews, as he is exhausted at the end of each day with no energy left to return home. However, after bonding with other food delivery riders, he realized the various aspects of humanity behind choosing this job and understood the significance of good reviews. 

The review rating directly impacts the income of food delivery personnel, as it is determined by an algorithm that aims to direct more orders to those with higher review ratings.

After wearing the delivery work uniform for half a month, Nie Hai did not show much improvement. The work of a delivery person starts as early as 8 in the morning, often even earlier. Their daily tasks mainly involve sorting, collecting, transferring, data entry, delivering, and handling difficult cases. Similar to food delivery requiring extreme familiarity with the delivery area, delivery personnel also need to have a detailed mental map of the area's grid routes, planning their routes during the sorting process to enhance distribution efficiency.

Sorting and delivering occur twice a day since people tend to ship items in the afternoon, making the afternoon a tight and task-heavy time for delivery personnel. Failure to dispatch deliveries promptly can lead to a backlog, affecting daily income and workflow. Consequently, delivery personnel often end their workday around eight or nine in the evening.

Xing Xiuze and Nie Hai cover the same area. He occasionally brings a snack for Nie Hai if his route passes by Nie Hai's station. Yet luck has not been on his side, as he has never caught Hai at his station, always having to leave the food box in his locker instead.

Lin Xipei's branch is located in the university town, primarily responsible for counter food preparation. During the first weekend, coinciding with a civil service exam, the lunch rush overwhelmed the restaurant, causing Lin Xipei to experience the strain of constantly speaking to customers until hoarse and trembling while preparing beverages. Working in shifts for ten hours a day in close proximity to the smell of frying oil, Lin Xipei admires her own perseverance, reflecting each evening while eating home-cooked meals that she doesn't want to eat at McDonald's for the rest of the year.

They documented their work routine through mobiles, jotting down daily expenses and new experiences in their notes, ultimately compiling them into a visual and written summary. Lin Xipei shared this on her social platform on the eve of the college entrance exam results announcement.

Xu Zhiyi was the first in the group to learn about the results. The day before the results were released, he received a call from the admissions office of University Q, followed by calls from several well-known universities. 

It wasn't until the next afternoon when they found out that the entire group had performed well, Xu Zhiyi mentioned that he ranked second in the city. 

Simultaneously, FHS announced good news about the college entrance exam on their official Weibo account.

After the release of the results, for the next two weeks, their lives were surrounded by various banquets, drinks, and KTV parties. 

Xu Zhiyi made sure Meng Yin did not drink, shielded everyone from teasing them, and even discovered Yin's little habits. Whenever others teased them, Yin would pinch his palm, and Xu Zhiyi couldn't help but hold her small hand. 

Every wild night out, Xu Zhiyi always ensured his girlfriend safely returned home.

During the thank-you dinner, Mr Wang gave "Zhiyin cp" a gift, which included a video archive of Xu Zhiyi's three years at FHS and Meng Yin's school opening ceremony video. He said, "Eighteen is not the end of youth, but it is surely one of your most precious memories." 

Yin snatched back her own video from Xu Zhiyi and, as a peace offering for snatching it, she put a keychain on his index finger. 

A completely ordinary keychain. The keyring had an English pendant that read, "Dream." "Why Dream?" Zhiyi asked. 

Yin shook the matching keychain in her hand, "Because the other one is reality." 

Xu Zhiyi continued playfully, "Bribing me?" 

"Of course not!" saying this, she hugged the videotape she had snatched from Xu Zhiyi, "This is a graduation gift, a dream and reality." 

We are dreams, and we are reality. 

Meng Yin continued to scratch Xu Zhiyi's palm, and Xu Zhiyi, unable to contain her smile, asked, "Is this the only graduation gift?" 

Caught off guard by his sudden playful laughter, Meng Yin felt that this side of Xu Zhiyi was delightful and pulled him down by his T-shirt, kissing him.

One of the top graduates, Xu Zhiyi, also served as the representative of the graduating class. This time, he did not just scribble a rough draft like he did for his coming-of-age ceremony, but meticulously prepared a speech. 

At the graduation ceremony, the students were not dressed in school uniforms but instead wore a Chinese cultural shirt on top and jeans or skirts on the bottom. 

As Xu Zhiyi stood on the stage, he gazed at the sea of green below and looked towards the audience.

- "My dream is now my reality."

- "a person who can shoulder with me to fly towards a brighter future."

- "The school motto of our alma mater is 'Speak with loyalty and act with sincerity'."

- "We have hills and valleys, stars and seas."

- "May all students of FHS have their wishes fulfilled."

After stepping down, Xu Zhiyi saw a girl running towards him. He reached out his hand to the girl and said, "Hello, Meng Yin. I am Xu Zhiyi. Please guide me in the future." 

Meng Yin placed her hand on his, smiling even more, "Hello, Xu Zhiyi. I am Meng Yin. Let's continue to learn from each other in the future."

Rather than bidding farewell with "congratulations on graduating," they chose to say "please guide me" because they still have to move forward together.

On the second day of the graduation ceremony, the group went to the seaside.

The sky was clear and boundless, with the azure sea waves surging to the horizon. The sand was a bit hot underfoot, enticing people to run, while the sea breeze lifted skirts and clothes gently, warm and fervent like their brave 18-year-old selves.

They walked through the waves, returned in high spirits, with seawater soaking their bodies and sunlight tanning their skin.

They stood side by side in the shallows, gazing at the blue-purple gradient where water meets the sky. 

On the sandy beach behind them, nine words were drawn with their feet:

"We will have a bright future."

Under the setting sun, they were tinted in orange.

Just like their bright future.

[END]