Chapter 33: Damnable Pride

After about ten minutes, Wei Xiaoping arrived at the entrance of the dormitory. Even before stepping inside, he called out to Wei Xiaofan at the door, asking him to come out and help carry the package in. The walk from the station to the dormitory was quite a distance, and the package weighed twenty or thirty pounds—hauling it alone was exhausting.

Of course, Wei Xiaoping was perfectly capable of carrying it by himself. The real reason he called Wei Xiaofan out was to get him to help unpack everything, so that Xiaofan could see for himself that the contents were just the same as what his mother had given him the previous day.

Wei Xiaofan emerged and saw Xiaoping already waiting at the door. “How did you get here so fast? Didn’t you want to spend more time with your parents? You only go home once a week!”

“Next week is the school’s model student selection, isn’t it? I wanted to get back early and study. Looks like just the two of us and Zhang Liying from our class will be competing. I can’t let you win just because you’re my best friend, you know!” Wei Xiaoping stuck out his tongue and joked.

“Of course not—this kind of competition is all about bringing honor to our class. No one should give way! If we do, another class might win, so we absolutely can’t let up. And I won’t make it easy for you either, even though you’re my best friend and future sworn brother! For the honor of our class, let’s each give it everything we’ve got!” As they went back into the dorm, Wei Xiaofan helped Xiaoping open the package and chatted.

“I heard that for this competition, the champion and runner-up from each grade will have their photos posted on the school bulletin board, along with the reason for their award! Wow, I really want to win this! If I get this award, my photo will hang there for all the middle and high school students to see—I’ll be famous!” Wei Xiaoping closed his eyes, as if already savoring the victory.

“If I could, I’d rather help you win that prize!” Wei Xiaofan laughed as he watched his friend lost in daydreams.

“Xiaofan, don’t you want this award too? It’s a chance to make your name known across the whole school!”

“Of course I do, I dream about it! But I’d rather see you win it,” Wei Xiaofan said without hesitation.

“Why? Every student dreams of this, you know? Lots of people in our class wanted to compete, but Mr. Wu, our homeroom teacher, picked only the three of us—me, you, and Zhang Liying—after careful selection. That’s why we’re representing the class,” Xiaoping said.

“No reason—just because you’re my friend. That’s all. What a pity!” replied Xiaofan.

“What do you mean, ‘what a pity’? That’s such a strange thing to say!”

“If our class were only allowed two contestants, I’d step aside for you, no question,” Xiaofan replied firmly.

Seeing how resolute Xiaofan was, Xiaoping suddenly thought of their exam results over the past two years.

In every exam, Xiaofan’s scores were always just one or two, sometimes three or four points below his own. In terms of class ranking, Xiaofan was always just below Xiaoping or Zhang Liying—never higher. On regular tests, when answering questions in class, or on graded assignments, Xiaofan nearly always scored between ninety-eight and a perfect hundred. Sometimes, when teachers couldn’t solve tough problems in the textbook, they’d ask Xiaofan for help! Such intelligence was rare—even Zhang Liying and Xiaoping couldn’t match it. Yet in formal exams, Xiaofan’s scores always ended up below theirs.

“Could it be that Xiaofan deliberately made mistakes on every test, just so Zhang Liying and I would score higher?” Xiaoping wondered. “If that’s true, why would he do such a thing? If it’s just for me, because we’re such good friends, that’s understandable. But he lets Zhang Liying beat him too—isn’t that strange?”

“Hey, Xiaoping, what are you daydreaming about?” Xiaofan snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Nothing. Just a bit tired from the trip,” Xiaoping replied.

“Didn’t I carry a package just as heavy as yours yesterday? I wasn’t as tired as you!”

“You grew up in the countryside, used to hard work, and you exercise all the time—of course you’re in better shape than I am,” Xiaoping said.

Xiaofan remarked, “While I was helping you organize the package, I noticed Auntie packed exactly the same things as in the one she gave me yesterday. She’s so thoughtful!”

When Xiaofan said this, Xiaoping thought to himself, “He really is observant—he actually noticed the two packages had identical contents!”

“My mom packed the same things for both our parcels? I didn’t even notice! If that’s true, it just shows she treats you the same as me. She really wants us to become sworn brothers!” Xiaoping laughed.

“I think so too! But Auntie treats me so well, I almost feel uncomfortable. Apart from packing the same things in both parcels, she put something extra in mine.”

“Something extra? What did my mother put in your package?” Xiaoping was surprised—this he hadn’t expected.

“She put thirty yuan in it! Xiaoping, your family is just too good to me. I’m really glad to know you and your family, and I’m grateful for your mother’s kindness. But I hope she won’t do this again—it makes me feel uneasy. Here, take it back.” As he spoke, Xiaofan pulled out the thirty yuan and held it out to Xiaoping.

Seeing Xiaofan thrust the money toward him, Xiaoping sat up on the bed and said, “What are you doing? Put it away! My mom did this because she’s sure we’ll become sworn brothers. If that’s the case, then you’re practically her son too—like a real brother to me. So of course she should treat you this way.” He pushed Xiaofan’s hand away.

“Xiaoping, as far as our sworn brotherhood goes, I’m one hundred percent willing, and I’ve already agreed. To have a friend like you is something I’m happy about, and I hope our bond comes from pure goodwill and true friendship. The only thing left is my father’s approval. But I don’t want people to think our brotherhood is based on money. Understand?” Xiaofan said.

Hearing this, Xiaoping finally understood. Inwardly, he thought: Xiaofan, why must you think this way about me and my mother? Ah, it’s that stubborn pride of yours causing all this trouble!