AnYi 安亦

This is a translation of 归点. I made the necessar adjustments on a first draft translated by ChatGPT.

Spring never hesitates to leave when it’s time to make room for summer, especially when it is also time to bid farewell to university life. The year that Lu Cang graduated, the city of Jicheng was undergoing all sorts of construction work, in order to prepare for the series of upcoming international events. A new underground line was built, and countless new “centres” seemed to have sprung up overnight. Young people, regardless of their educational background or job type, were increasingly eager to stay and leave their mark in the writing of this prosperous city’s bright future. More and more young people were also stepping out of Jicheng to explore different worlds overseas, either for short stays or permanent residence. Equally common was the increasing number of foreigners appearing on Jicheng’s streets, while many English language training schools thrived with dazzling speed. It was amidst the city’s bustling rhythm that Lu Cang hurried to the end of his final term at university. The surging waves of the era pushed him towards countless different directions. He attended meetings in his supervisor’s group as usual, finished all his lab hours, wrote his dissertation, took up part-time tutoring to answer questions from fellow students in years below, as well as another part-time job at a newly opened TOEFL training institution nearby on weekends. He listened to Cao Chen’s ramblings about his love troubles, and bought a new phone with a camera after receiving payment for his first publication. His exterior resembled so much the scientist elites that the university excels at nurturing, that it seemed merely a step away for him to follow the path of his Ivy League offer towards an internationalized future.

If he hadn’t already turned his back on this future himself.

Since the long talk at the food stall that day, Lu Cang had not mentioned his decision to anyone else. His supervisor only knew that the most outstanding student of this year had been admitted to an Ivy League university on a full scholarship, and that made his face radiant with pride. Whenever he brought it up in conversation, he would ask how Lu Cang’s TOEFL preparation was going and whether his visa application would go smoothly. Lu Cang only said that he went to the TOEFL school every week. Professor Chu didn’t know that he was working at the reception desk and praised him for studying so hard. He also told Lu Cang to come to him if he was tight on exam fees. Lu Cang was silent on a lot of these occasions, not knowing how to respond. He resorted to doing more lab hours, as if he could never get enough of them.

On the evening before the graduation ceremony, Professor Chu caught up with Lu Cang, who was still planning to go to the labs, and took him home for dinner. He asked where Lu Cang was going next and what his plans were before going to the States. He also mentioned that one of his old classmates was in the city where Lu Cang was going, and that if Lu Cang was worried about being all alone in America, he could ask the old classmate to check up on him. Lu Cang didn’t mention that he had a father in the States; instead, he just told the professor that he was going back to his hometown next, where his younger siblings were still in school.

Professor Chu was a little surprised and paused for a moment, before patting Lu Cang on the shoulder and saying, “Going home is also good. You haven’t been back for a long time, have you? I’ve never heard you mention your family.” Without waiting for Lu Cang to answer, he looked deeply into Lu Cang’s eyes and said, “Xiao Lu [“Little Lu” or “Young Lu”, a common way of addressing juniors or among friends], I’ve seen you grow up so much in these years, and yet, there are some things I haven’t said. I used to think that you were a good kid, but had too much on your mind, and too solitary. If it wasn’t for seeing you and Xiao Cao together all the time, my wife and I would be worried about you. You’re so young, but we were worried that you already closed yourself off. My wife often says to me, ‘Look at how thin Lu Cang is! How can the child bear such heavy burdens, with such a frame?’ Ah, I’m not a specialist in literature, and I never knew how to talk to you about it. But it’s all good now. When you’re in the United States, you will have more and better opportunities, and you’ll see far more of the world than us… Remember to keep in touch with us when you get there, won’t you? No matter what happens, big or small, don’t be afraid to reach out to us. Both my wife and I will be thinking of you.”

“Professor Chu, I…” For a moment, Lu Cang wanted to open up to the kind face in front of him, but when he looked into his supervisor’s concerned eyes, he couldn’t find the words.

In the end, he just said, “Thank you, Professor Chu. Thank you, Mrs Chu.” Then he made himself take another bowl of rice, which pleased Mrs Chu very much. As he was leaving, he also heard her telling her daughter Ranran, “Look at how excellent Brother Xiao Lu is. It will be all good days for him from now on.”

Lu Cang left Professor Chu’s place as if he were fleeing.

Cao Chen accompanied Lu Cang back to Huaiping.

It is said that the season of graduation makes great fodder for breakups, and Cao Chen’s girlfriend was clearly a believer, as she promptly dumped him just before graduation. Old wounds were triggered everywhere he went, and Cao Chen was eager to leave Jicheng, now a city of sadness for him. So, he took the opportunity of doing a graduation trip to loudly proclaim that he wanted to go with Lu Cang to appreciate the scenery of the Jianghuai area. Lu Cang found it amusing when he saw Cao Chen’s bag and baggage, reminding him that they weren’t going on a vacation, but Cao Chen became even more enthusiastic: “I know! You’re going to water the flower buds of our motherland! Then I have to record your noble and virtuous self doing such good deeds, make DVDs out of them and sell them at a high price to those girls who got you bubble tea last time.”

Lu Cang sneered, but his heart was warmed – Cao Chen’s luggage was piled up on the bed, and he caught sight of two gift boxes inside.

“What did you buy?”

Cao Chen looked a little embarrassed, “A meeting gift, just a meeting gift. Just something random that kids like.”

Lu Cang sighed softly, “I didn’t get them anything. I don’t even know what they like.”

“Tsk, you’ll bring them the rest of your life. You don’t need these fake ceremonies.”

Maybe something in Cao Chen’s words touched a nerve in Lu Cang; he fell silent again and just started packing his things without another word. Cao Chen was used to Lu Cang’s occasional shut-downs, so he left for goodbye drinks with his mates from next door after finishing packing. When he returned, his eyes were red, and his hair dishevelled. Lu Cang was standing by the window, a dim light casting a half-light and half-dark silhouette of him.

The graduation ceremony had long since passed, and the other roommates had all left. Perhaps because the room was too empty, for a moment, Cao Chen felt from the bottom of his heart that Lu Cang was truly a lonely person. But the next second, he remembered that he himself was also lonely and recently dumped. The alcohol in him brought back his sorrow tenfold, and, like everyone else with a broken heart in the world, he proclaimed himself the best and only expert who grasped the true essence of loneliness.

Cao Chen pulled out a lunch box and placed it on the table. “Got you chaofen. [fried rice-noodles]” he said.

 Lu Cang turned around and gave a forced smile, thanking Cao Chen before sitting down at the table and slowly unpacking his chopsticks. Cao Chen remembered his preferences: medium spicy with extra Sichuan pepper and black pepper. The peppers and chili oil had already seeped into the soft noodles. As he took a mouthful, the spiciness spread from his mouth to the inside of his nose. Cao Chen was attentive, but not observant enough to know that Lu Cang couldn’t actually handle spicy food very well. Too much spice would cause rashes, and sometimes his entire insides would ache — he simply liked to order a level of spiciness that was one notch higher than what he could actually handle.

 The uni canteens were all closed at this hour, so the chaofen were bought from outside. Lu Cang allowed the burning sensation to spread from his mouth to his chest, while listening to Cao Chen talking about where their dorm neighbours were going for graduate studies or work. Cao Chen threw his toiletries into a basin and put on his slippers, getting ready to go to the shower house. He casually exclaimed, “This is the last shower we’ll take at Jicheng University.” and Lu Cang suddenly realized the substantiality of graduating. Looking around, he noticed the scratches on the table, the crooked towel rack, the creaking sound of the bunk beds, and all the trivial details of his life that had kept him here for the past four years. It had just begun to dawn on him how much he cherished and missed the place, but he was leaving.

When they left, there was no ceremony, just pure chaos. The train journey to Huaiping would take most of the day and several transitions, so they had to book one scheduled very early in the morning. They hastily checked out of the dormitory without even stopping to say goodbyes to the dormitory matrons, dragging their luggage to the train station in a horrendous rush. The early mornings in Jicheng were always like a chase to escape death. The rush hour crowds on the underground never made good friends with large luggage. The cruel summer heat, combined with crowds and limited time, didn’t leave them with any energy to formally bid farewell to their university campus. Cao Chen left his buried romance with more haste than heartbreak, while Lu Cang, with even more haste and unpreparedness, started running towards a new beginning.