Volume 1 / Chapter 4: A Visit to Yukong High School

The start of October was a cause for celebration for students who had already endured a month of school, as it brought a seven-day long holiday.

For workers, it was also a chance to catch their breath, since apart from the National Day holiday, the longest break all year was the Spring Festival.

For the entire nation, it was naturally a time for even greater celebration. Although China in this era wasn't excelling in every aspect, and several major incidents had occurred in recent years, this didn't dampen the surge of excitement and joy—and, of course, worry—that people felt when they saw the rows of tanks and formations of aircraft during the National Day live broadcast on TV.

—After all, other countries still had it better.

The National Day of 1999 was particularly special, marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of New China.

So not only did the TV programming feel grand, but even in everyday life, the solemn atmosphere of the approaching holiday was palpable. Small national flags adorned every streetlamp, and on the sports ground of Yukong High School, the national flag flew constantly, fluttering proudly in the wind.

Yukong High School, located on Muge Road in Hangzhou, was originally a private school founded by a family surnamed Mo. Later, it was taken over by the government and became a public school, renamed 'Yukong High School'. However, after seven years of operation, its performance was lackluster.

Its university acceptance rate was significantly worse than during its private days as the Mo Family High School. Its sole redeeming feature was perhaps its reasonably well-maintained school discipline.

Of course, this was partly due to Yukong High's peculiar gender ratio: girls outnumbered boys three to two. This slight female majority created a subtle balance in maintaining order.

The reason Yukong had more girls was because this ordinary public high school surprisingly offered subjects not taught elsewhere.

Like home economics classes, which included cooking, needlework, and the like.

In September 1999, Yukong High replaced its principal, appointing the son of the Mo Group family head as the new principal.

As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and the new principal was no exception.

Reportedly, having studied abroad and wielding considerable authority, he immediately had new uniforms custom-made for all students at the start of the term. Uniform colors differed by grade level. Boys wore Western-style suits, while girls wore skirt uniforms with a slight sailor-style influence but overall leaning towards an English aesthetic.

Additionally, he mandated that all teachers strictly adhere to class times without delay and that all grades dismiss on time according to schedule—no extensions allowed.

He also established a psychologist's office within the school to provide counseling for students facing issues—though so far, no one had used it.

"Yukong... Yukong... High School..." On October 1st, while many people were at home watching the National Day military parade or doing other things they enjoyed, Mo Xueyao spent the entire morning cycling around, finally locating Yukong High School.

She was here to scout the place out.

To avoid getting lost on the first real day of school.

And to try finding the quickest route to save time on her commute.

Reaching her destination, she glanced at her somewhat worn, black, ten-yuan digital watch bought from a roadside stall and muttered to herself, "Hmm... Took over two hours... I’ll time the ride back too."

She held a promotional pamphlet for the new term at Yukong High, which included information about the school and, naturally, its location.

Mo Xueyao had never been to Muge Road before. She'd navigated here using the surrounding roads shown on a map.

In this era without GPS navigation, finding a place relied solely on personal exploration or asking for directions—a genuinely laborious task.

Yet, upon finally reaching the destination, there was an undeniable sense of accomplishment.

Yukong High's main gate was shut tight, but the smaller side gate stood slightly ajar. The guard booth, which should have housed a security guard, was empty.

She slipped in sideways, looking around curiously.

"Uh... wait..." She’d just stepped inside when she remembered her bicycle wasn't locked. She hurried back out, parked it by the curb, secured the lock, and then slipped back in, reassured.

Yukong High was situated on the edge of Hangzhou's urban sprawl. Its last expansion was five years prior. Thanks to ample surrounding vacant land, the school grounds were quite spacious.

That running track was definitely far longer than the one at Mo Xueyao's junior high.

"Should be four hundred meters, right?" Mo Xueyao stood on the red track, gave a little hop, and spoke aloud to herself.

Her previous junior high track had only been two hundred meters long, and the straight section meant for one hundred meters had been shortened to a mere fifty.

Inside the track lay artificial turf, featuring two football goals – a standard-sized pitch.

Alongside the track, neatly arranged and separated by wire mesh, were a full ten basketball courts, plus four courts usable for volleyball or badminton. A three-story building stood nearby. The ground floor housed individual table tennis rooms. Climbing to the second floor, Mo Xueyao discovered a large indoor gymnasium. The third-floor doors were locked, but peering through the glass revealed... a swimming pool!

Despite being a public school, the scale of its facilities was astonishing.

It was crucial to remember: Yukong High was not one of Hangzhou's key academic high schools.

"It's huge..." Mo Xueyao walked a lap around these facilities, utterly impressed. "It can hold so many people at once... that's really something..."

Back in junior high, there were only two basketball courts. Fights sometimes broke out among boys vying for court time.

Instances of entire classes of boys clashing with rival classes weren't unheard of.

The sports ground lay behind the teaching buildings. Beyond the sports ground fence stretched vast fields of farmland and, not far off, range upon range of low hills.

At the front stood two five-story teaching buildings connected together, resembling a giant pair of trousers.

Behind them was another five-story building. Though also five stories, it was much narrower, its architecture somewhat reminiscent of an apartment block.

...Probably the student dormitory.

Yukong High didn't require students to board. However, for those whose homes were too distant, making the commute impractical, accommodation was provided.

—All this was detailed in the promotional pamphlet.

"Where's Class 2, Grade 10?" Mo Xueyao climbed the steps to the teaching building with anticipation and soon found Class 2, Grade 10 on the third floor.

Though the classroom looked utterly standard, it filled her with eager expectation.

Perhaps only those who had experienced significant life events could truly appreciate the simple happiness and beauty of being a student.

"Sigh..." Yet Mo Xueyao let out a soft sigh.

The old her would have been eager to blend into the crowd.

But the current her...

Even if she wanted to, could she really fit in?

She was only just beginning to live as a girl. How could she possibly share common ground with girls who'd lived that way for sixteen or seventeen years?

But joining the boys' groups would just feel... weird.

Once again, a deep sense of worry settled over her upcoming school life.

She yearned for school to start quickly, yet simultaneously wished time would slow down, granting her more time to prepare.

As for how much preparation she actually needed, she herself had no idea.

After a quick tour, Mo Xueyao slipped back out through the slightly open side gate, swung her leg over her bicycle, and pedaled towards home.

====

Meanwhile, in the principal's office on the fifth floor of another building, its window facing the roadside, a man with slightly tousled hair and a shadow of stubble on his chin held a cup of coffee. His world-weary eyes watched Mo Xueyao cycle into the distance before finally turning away.

"So that's our special student," remarked a young woman with a beauty mark near the corner of her eye, adjusting her stylish gold-rimmed glasses as she stood beside the coffee-holding man. "Principal Mo, should we arrange any special considerations for her?"

"No need," Principal Mo took a sip of coffee, moved away from the window, and settled into his swivel chair. "Treat her like any other girl. That's sufficient."

"Oh? Are you thinking special treatment might actually create more problems?"

Principal Mo offered a slight, knowing smile and nodded. "However, while no special treatment is needed, we must keep a close eye on her. We cannot allow her unique situation to make her vulnerable to bullying. That is absolutely unacceptable."

"I'll instruct her homeroom teacher to pay particular attention to her."

Principal Mo picked up a pen, found Mo Xueyao's name on the roster, and drew a circle beside it. "Reserve a scholarship slot for her."

"What if her grades aren't strong enough to make the top ten in the school?" the woman beside him asked, frowning slightly.

"Then it can be allocated as hardship assistance," Principal Mo closed the roster. "There are always ways to help. Aren't there?"

"Isn't that still preferential treatment?"

Principal Mo took another sip of coffee, smiling wordlessly. "How are the arrangements for the military training coming along?"

"October 18th. The week after the consecutive classes following the National Day holiday. The forecast suggests those seven days should be consistently clear."

"Very well. Once the students return after the holiday, make the official announcement. The training location is set for the militia training base in Mo Town."

"Looks like we'll save some funds."

"Indeed. Money should be used where it's truly needed." Principal Mo went to take another sip of coffee, only to find the cup empty.

"Let me refill it," offered the woman with the beauty mark.

"No need. You're the Academic Dean, not my secretary. I'll handle it." Principal Mo shook his head. He pulled a packet of instant coffee from a drawer, poured it into the cup, then casually added hot water from a nearby thermos. He set the steaming cup aside to cool.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Alright." Principal Mo nodded, swiveling his chair back towards the window.

Earlier, he had been watching Mo Xueyao. Now... it was unclear what held his gaze.

====

Mo Xueyao, cycling back to the building where she lived, glanced at her watch. "About half an hour... not too far, not too close either. Hmm... that means I'll have to get up even earlier every morning..." The prospect settled over her like the lengthening autumn shadows, another layer of deep worry added to the pile.