The 1998 Snowfall

They waited at the bus stop for more than half an hour. The snow was getting heavier and heavier while more and more people gathered there. Finally, a bus stopped. Qin Guan signaled to Cong Nianwei decisively. We have to squeeze inside!

The bus was overcrowded. The driver shouted to the people outside, “Wait for the next one. Don’t try to squeeze in!”

Ignoring his words, Qin Guan took advantage of the passengers exiting from the back door and helped Cong Nianwei up. Then he took a large step forward himself to get in before the doors closed.

When the bus took off, Qin Guan suddenly swayed. He was squeezed up against the door, his face stuck to the glass. He probably looked like a flattened toad from the outside.

Qin Guan couldn’t care less though. He pulled closer Cong Nianwei, who was squeezed up against the stairs beside the door, and protected her with his arms.

The fact that he had an ulterior motive besides courage prevented him from hugging her tight. All he could do was lean his arms against the door, creating a limited space for the two of them to stand.

The door opened and shut. The snow was getting heavier and heavier while the bus moved at walking speed. Perhaps you’re wondering why they hadn’t taken a taxi.

It was because there were no taxis on the roads. The taxi drivers in the capital were shrewd. Cars couldn’t run fast under such heavy snowfall, so it would have taken them a whole night to complete a single ride. Who would be foolish enough to drive out in that weather?

Better stay home and watch TV while they enjoyed some Erguotou [1]. Take a sip of liquor. Now, that’s nice.

Back to our story now, the shabby bus clanked as it reached the south entrance of Tsinghua University. Qin Guan was the first to jump off when the bus came to a stop. His legs were suddenly buried in the snow. It was snowing so heavily that the snow on the ground reached his calves.

Qin Guan offered his hand. Cong Nianwei took it and stepped off the bus carefully. They both looked dishevelled after leaving the crowded bus.

The roses in Cong Nianwei’s hands had been flattened. One of them trembled before it finally shed its last petal.

They looked at each other and burst into happy laughter amid the falling snowflakes.

When their laughter died down, they began to worry. It was windy and still snowing heavily. Cong Nianwei almost slipped in her high heels as she took a few steps.

Qin Guan pulled her close. Then he squatted in front of her and patted his back, inviting her to jump on.

Cong Nianwei didn’t blush. She just climbed confidently on Qin Guan’s back like the clear-cut straight-A student that she was. She had already calculated the speed she could reach under the circumstances.

Qin Guan moved forward with unsteady steps while Cong Nianwei sprawled on his back, doing nothing at all. Now and then she smoothed his hair with her fingers and pushed the snow off his back.

Everything was quiet in the snowy night except for Qin Guan’s heavy breathing. Cong Nianwei gently pressed her face to his back.

She didn’t know when the boy’s back had become so broad and thick. He seemed to have grown up when she wasn’t looking.

Though tired, Qin Guan felt so hot he could see pink bubbles appear in front of him. Cong Nianwei’s body felt soft against his back. At this thought, a real bubble came out of his nose.

Qin Guan had worn a thin woolen coat to show off. It was a windy, snowy night and the biting northwest wind blew through his clothes relentlessly.

Qin Guan’s body reacted naturally, tears and snot making an appearance as a result of the wind and the cold.

In the quiet night, the only sounds were those of his heavy breathing and his runny nose.

When they arrived outside Cong Nianwei’s dormitory building, Qin Guan’s face was covered in an icy shell made of tears, snot and cold air.

If there had been another reborn person standing by, they might have found that scene familiar. He looked like Iron Man, except his mask was made of crystal and ice instead of iron.

Despite the frozen muscles on his face, Qin Guan managed to squeeze some words out, “It’s snowing heavily. Go back to your room quickly and warm up. You don’t want to catch a cold.”

Before Cong Nianwei could answer, he added in a rush, “I’m going home. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Then he just went off without looking back.

Cong Nianwei was taken aback. She felt confused. She looked at the shabby flowers in her hands, arranged the wrapping paper, and turned around to enter the dormitory building. There was a faint smile on the corner of her mouth.

Qin Guan left the Tsinghua University campus and headed directly towards a shining “Hotel” sign without hesitation.

The chances of coming across a bus or a car were extremely low. Qin Guan could hardly see the road clearly through the blizzard. He encountered no cars or people on the way.

He dusted the snow off his body before he entered the hotel.

There were two affordable rooms available. Qin Guan asked the receptionist for the key right away. He went into the room, took off his clothes and socks, which had already been soaked, and had an unsatisfying hot shower.

When he came out of the bathroom, he realized that he didn’t have any spare underwear.

He covered his body with a bath towel and placed the wet clothes side by side on the radiator. (Luckily, the radiator was so hot it could warm up a jug of water.)

After doing all this, Qin Guan wiped his hair dry, threw the towel away and got into bed naked.

The room was warm. Qin Guan, who had carried a person on his back the whole way, felt terribly tired. He fell asleep in a daze and had a dream.

He dreamed that it hadn’t snowed that day and that Cong Nianwei had accepted his proposal to become his girlfriend.

His nice dream was interrupted by the alarm clock on his cell phone, which reminded him that it was morning and he had to get up.

Qin Guan threw back the covers, went to the radiator in his slippers and touched his underwear and socks. They were all dry.

He felt refreshed after putting on his clothes. The day before he had had a runny nose, but his young body had already recovered. Last night’s sleep had cheered him up.

Qin Guan took out his phone, looked at the screen and smiled like silly. Seeing Cong Nianwei’s call from her dormitory, Qin Guan felt full of energy.

He walked in the thick show under the bright sun, considering his plans for the future. There’s the exams at the end of term in January, and then winter vacation. Only one month to go. Would that be enough time to get a driver’s license?

What had happened the day before had taught Qin Guan a painful lesson. Although he already knew how to drive, he realized that he had to take the exam again. Since the process is relatively simple, I should be able to get my license as soon as possible.

Qin Guan decided it on the spot. He turned right in front of the hotel and saw an advertisement board at the gate of a small grocery store. It read “Driving Courses For You. Enroll Now.”

Qin Guan knocked on the window of the grocery store, and a simple, honest-looking middle-aged woman emerged. Realizing what Qin Guan wanted, she brought out the driving course material right away.

There were three training schools on the list. Qin Guan wasn’t picky about choosing. He just pointed at the Haidian Driving School and said, “That one.”

The owner of the grocery store was pretty straightforward too. She filled out a form in no time and told Qin Guan what the fees were. The courses would begin the following week.

The whole matter was settled, and Qin Guan staggered back to his dormitory, where all his roommates had been waiting for him to report back.

Crying silent tears in his mind, Qin Guan thought to himself, How can I tell you guys that all I did the whole night was just hold her hand for a while? How can I tell you I slept in a shabby hotel alone?

Qin Guan avoided answering their questions. After being beaten by the others, he ended the conversation in a mopish mood.

[1] Erguotou is a Chinese alcoholic beverage with high alcohol content (about 60% in volume).