Here is the translation:
After finishing his stroll and returning home, Liu Chang’an only discovered that he had left his phone behind, which had a message from Ann Wan.
Ann Wan was a tall and beautiful 18-year-old girl. In a southern city like Junsha, girls over 1.7 meters tall were rare, making Ann Wan particularly eye-catching. Moreover, she was the captain and ace of the school volleyball team.
Unlike the common impression that female athletes have masculine faces and muscular bodies, Ann Wan was known as the Edison Beauty, Sabina, of Xiangnan University Affiliated Middle School. Although she hadn’t participated in international competitions and wasn’t as famous, she was still a popular volleyball beauty in the school, with many fans on social media.
Liu Chang’an had a good relationship with Ann Wan, having been classmates for three years and desk mates for one year. Moreover, Ann Wan was genuinely beautiful, making Liu Chang’an feel that she was a rare gem. He replied to her message, “Coming,” and then turned on the TV to watch a variety show, but found it dull. Many of the humor points were based on the identity of “celebrities,” which Liu Chang’an couldn’t understand.
He switched to the news channel, which was reporting on the birthday of an old revolutionary. People of that generation were dwindling in numbers, but their influence remained significant. Although people tend to forget, the respect and influence of these old revolutionaries remained.
Liu Chang’an spread out a piece of paper, picked up his brush, and wrote a calligraphic piece: “The immortal touches my head, and I receive long life.”
Liu Chang’an was quite satisfied with his calligraphy. Although he wasn’t exceptionally talented, with practice, his handwriting had become quite nice.
“Little Liu, come play mahjong!”
“Okay.”
Someone was calling out from outside. In the afternoon and evening, it was common to hear people inviting others to play mahjong in Junsha. In the alleys and streets, there were many mahjong parlors, especially in older neighborhoods.
The popular mahjong game in Junsha was called “Rotating Mahjong,” where players could only pick up cards that matched the previous one, and couldn’t eat the cards played by others. The game was played slowly, with each player taking their time to deliberate over their moves.
“Hey, Little Liu, don’t cheat!”
“I’m not afraid. I was more skilled when I was younger.”
“You old rascal, you couldn’t even wear pants when you were young, and you’re still playing mahjong!”
Liu Chang’an sat down and started playing slowly, following the pace of the older players. They played with a deliberate slowness, taking their time to think over their moves.
After playing for a whole night, Liu Chang’an won 20 yuan, which left one of the older players grumbling. Liu Chang’an had won at least 50 yuan from him so far, and the old man was determined to beat him next time.
Liu Chang’an smiled, knowing that no one would pawn their pants anymore. The pawnshops only accepted valuable items.
The next morning, Liu Chang’an woke up early, went for a run, and saw Zhu Juntang, a girl, walking a black Rottweiler dog near the Baolong Center. Liu Chang’an thought he should change his running route.
After returning home and finishing breakfast, Liu Chang’an rolled up the calligraphy he had written the previous night and sent it via express mail. Then, he headed to school.
Liu Chang’an’s school, Xiangnan University Affiliated Middle School, was a national key high school directly under the provincial education department, with strong teaching staff and excellent academic performance. Although Liu Chang’an could skip a whole day of school for 200 yuan, such cases were rare.
The class teacher, Huang Shan, was waiting for him at the school gate. “You skipped school yesterday for 200 yuan?” Huang Shan looked at Liu Chang’an incredulously. “Don’t you know what’s more important, the college entrance exam or 200 yuan?”
If it weren’t for the fact that it was the third semester of Liu Chang’an’s senior year, Huang Shan would have made him copy the school rules ten times as punishment.
Liu Chang’an explained that someone had given him 200 yuan to do a job, but Huang Shan knew that compared to the college entrance exam, which would affect his whole life, 200 yuan was insignificant.
“200 yuan is a lot, and I also reviewed and did exercises at home,” Liu Chang’an said apologetically.
Huang Shan knew Liu Chang’an’s family situation and that he wasn’t a well-behaved student, but his grades were still decent. Given the school’s current focus on the mental and physical health of senior students, Huang Shan didn’t want to bother with him too much.
Although Xiangnan University Affiliated Middle School was a top high school, the other key schools in Junsha were not far behind in terms of teaching staff and academic performance. This year’s college entrance exam results would be particularly crucial, and Huang Shan didn’t want to add more pressure to students like Liu Chang’an, who could help stabilize the school’s enrollment rate at key universities.
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